An Application Specific Design Methodology for Microsystems

A fundamental approach to a coherent design strategy for microsystems is presented in this paper. Establishing such a concept can provide undeniable advantages concerning manpower, technical resources and development time. Prevalent design steps are discussed in detail, referring to the suggested ideas. Several microsystem applications and software tools are taken into account to illustrate the main aspects of a consistent design flow.The approach of behavioral physical modelling in combination with model based design optimization applying efficient and robust numeric methods in both fields allows pre-production optimization. Thus, overall development and redevelopment effort can be reduced significantly.     

Sorption behavior of reactive dyed labelled fibroin on fibrous substrates

Through its biocompatibility, fibroin is of high interest as a material in medical and pharmaceutical applications. Shaping by dissolution in concentrated salt solutions e.g., calcium chloride/ethanol/water and regeneration include structure formation through coagulation, crystallization, and deposition of Ca‐complexes. To facilitate analytical monitoring of fibroin during the dissolution and regeneration, fibroin was marked by covalently bound reactive dyes. Fibroin dyed by the mono‐functional CI Reactive Blue 19 dissolved completely, the bifunctional CI Reactive Black 5 formed crosslinks between protein chains, thus only fiber swelling was observed. The CI Reactive Blue 19 labelled fibroin was used to monitor the sorption and deposition of fibroin on textile fibers polyamide 6.6, polyester and viscose. The results indicated a temperature and pH‐dependent sorption behavior. The highest sorption was observed on polyamide at pH 3 and 60 °C. Dye marked fibroin allows a simple assessment and optimization of regeneration processes for the coating of textile substrates. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43880.     

Directed Divergent Evolution of a Thermostable D‐Tagatose Epimerase towards Improved Activity for Two Hexose Substrates

Functional promiscuity of enzymes can often be harnessed as the starting point for the directed evolution of novel biocatalysts. Here we describe the divergent morphing of an engineered thermostable variant (Var8) of a promiscuous D ‐tagatose epimerase (DTE) into two efficient catalysts for the C3 epimerization of D ‐fructose to D ‐psicose and of L ‐sorbose to L ‐tagatose. Iterative single‐site randomization and screening of 48 residues in the first and second shells around the substrate‐binding site of Var8 yielded the eight‐site mutant IDF8 (ninefold improved k_cat for the epimerization of D ‐fructose) and the six‐site mutant ILS6 (14‐fold improved epimerization of L ‐sorbose), compared to Var8. Structure analysis of IDF8 revealed a charged patch at the entrance of its active site; this presumably facilitates entry of the polar substrate. The improvement in catalytic activity of variant ILS6 is thought to relate to subtle changes in the hydration of the bound substrate. The structures can now be used to select additional sites for further directed evolution of the ketohexose epimerase.     

Anthocyanin dyes extracted from grape pomace for the purpose of textile dyeing

BACKGROUND: Pomace from different grape varieties was studied with regard to the content of extractable anthocyanins. RESULTS: Total anthocyanin concentrations of 24.5–126 mg dm^?3 were found in the extracts. The amount of extractable pigment was dependent on the variety of grape. The extracts were applied in textile dyeing operations using cotton fabric pre‐mordanted with tannin as textile substrate. Red/violet shades were obtained that showed good water‐fastness; however, limited light‐fastness indicated need for improvement to fulfil requirements for textile application. CONCLUSION: Colour measurement by means of CIE‐Lab coordinates and Kubelka–Munk value showed a direct correlation between extractable anthocyanin concentration and colour depth of the dyed material. Thus the analytically determined concentration of anthocyanins in the aqueous extract can serve as a measure of quality of grape pomace as raw material for textile dyeing application. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nodular sarcoidosis of the liver and spleen: analysis of 32 cases

PURPOSE: To describe the computed tomographic (CT) appearance of nodular hepatosplenic sarcoidosis and its association with stage with chest radiography and clinical status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients (21 women, 11 men; aged 25-68 years) with nodular hepatosplenic sarcoidosis were evaluated. CT findings were described along with chest radiographic stage, clinical status, and level of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). RESULTS: Nodules were small, multiple, and of low attenuation. Organomegaly was common. Abdominal adenopathy was present in 76% of the patients. Chest radiographs were normal in 25%; 61% had stage 1 or 2 radiographs. Abdominal or systemic symptoms were present in 66%. ACE level was elevated in 10 (91%) of 11 patients tested. No change in chest radiographic stage was noted in 74% of patients with follow-up radiographs. CONCLUSION: Nodular hepatosplenic sarcoidosis is associated with organomegaly, adenopathy, and symptoms. Nodules were not associated with advanced lung disease and did not herald a change in chest radiographic stage. An elevated ACE level may be helpful in diagnosis.     

The reduction of vat dyes by indirect electrolysis

The reduction of vat dyes by an indirect electrolytic process is described. The dyeing procedure and the relevant dyeing parameters for this new reduction technique are discussed. The dyeing results are comparable with those obtained by standard experiments using sodium dithionite. After removal by filtration techniques of the remaining dye from the exhausted dyebath, regeneration of the reducing agent by cathodic reduction is possible. The results demonstrate the applicability of this reduction method for larger-scale vat dyeing procedures.     

On-site formation of hypochlorite for indigo oxidation – Scale-up and full scale operation of an electrolyser for denim bleach processes

On-site production of hypochlorite for denim bleach was investigated using undivided unipolar electrolysers. The current efficiency of the electrolysis process was studied at laboratory scale with up to 20 A cell current and at the technical scale using a 1200 A electrolyser. NaCl solutions in the concentration range 0.236–0.944 M NaCl (13.8–55.2 g l⁻¹) were used. Anodic current densities up to 400 A m⁻² were used. Hypochlorite solutions with active chlorine concentration c(Cl)=0.10–0.12 M were obtained with current efficiency of 58–70%. For denim bleach processes a concentration of active chlorine up to c(Cl)=0.12 M is required. This corresponds to approximately 30 ml l⁻¹ of commercial hypochlorite solution. Electrical energy consumption calculated per kg of active chlorine formed ranges from 5.7 to 8.6 kWh kg⁻¹. By coupling the electrolyser to a commercial 30 kg capacity drum washing machine the electrochemically prepared oxidant was successfully used in bleach processes. The technique overcomes problems of insufficient reproducibility of bleach, chemical costs and released wasted water due to the use of commercial NaOCl solution.     

Pilling in man‐made cellulosic fabrics,part 1: Assessment of pilling formation methods

Despite the pills appear similarly in fabric surfaces, their structure and mechanism of formation are distinct depending on material categories and handling conditions. The lyocell and viscose knitted fabrics were abraded with short cycles in the wet state as an assessment method for pilling formation called rapid pilling test (RPT). The samples were immersed in different wetting agents and subsequently padded before short abrasion in Martindale tester. The results were compared with long abrasion, besides 5–25 cycles of washing and drying (W‐D). The samples were rated and these results were correlated with the changes in the physical parameters obtained in the dry and wet state. The correlation showed the feasibility of RPT in wet state with short‐abrasion cycles, in lieu of long cycles and W–D cycles. Furthermore, the image analysis of single pills formed by different methods and the inner/outer pill structure may reflect the pilling mechanism and yield a comprehensive view of the whole process. Instead of conventional Martindale test, the easy‐handling RPT can be applied for cellulosic fabrics, in which wet samples are abraded in short cycles fulfilling two important demanding factors during test performance: test of material in the wet state and reduced testing time. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

The Influence of a Constructional Solution of the Crystallizer with a Jet Pump on Crystal Attrition

The research results concerning attrition of sodium chloride crystals in two types of jet pump crystallizers are presented. It was demonstrated that in the crystallizer with a jet pump crystals undergo considerable smaller attrition compared to the one equipped with agitator and draft tube (circulation profile). The influence of the initial mean crystal size, crystal volumetric concentration in the suspension and the residence time of the suspension in the crystallizer on the degree of solid phase destruction was determined and quantified in the form of empirical equations. The DTM MSCPR construction demonstrates the least destruction capabilities.