Influence of substrate temperature on structural and optical properties of RF sputtered ZnMnO thin films

The ZnMnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method. The properties of ZnMnO thin films were investigated by high-resolution x-ray diffractometer (HRXRD),atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-Vis spectrometer and room temperature photoluminescence (PL), under the influence of substrate temperature. The substrate temperature was varied from 300, 400 and 500°C. With increasing the substrate temperature, the structure of the films changed from cubic to hexagonal. The cubic ZnMnO thin films grown along [210] direction, while the hexagonal ones grown along [002] direction. The changes in surface morphology provided a proof on the structural transition. Also, decrease and increase of optical band gap is associated with cubic or hexagonal structure of the films.

     

Inhibitory effects of various essential oils and individual components against extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) produced by Klebsiella pneumoniae and their chemical compositions

In the current study, in vitro inhibitory activity of several essential oils obtained from the cultivated plants, Foeniculum vulgare, Mentha piperita and M. spicata, Ocimum basilicum, Origanum majorana, O. onites, O. vulgare, Satureja cuneifolia, and a number of individual essential oil components of terpene and aromatic types were screened against 10 isolated strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) enzyme, which makes this microorganism quite resistant against the antibiotics: trimetoprime-sulfametoksazol, sulbactam-ampicilin, clavulonate-amoxicilin, ceftriaxon, cefepime, imipenem, ceftazidime, tobramicine, gentamisine, ofloxacin, and ciprofloksasin. All of the essential oils and the components exerted a remarkable inhibition ranging between 32 and 64 μg/mL against all of these strains as strong as the references (ampicilin and oflaxocin) inhibiting at 32 μg/mL. Besides, chemical compositions of the essential oils were elucidated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oils and the pure components widely found in essential oils screened herein have shown remarkable inhibition against ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae strains, which leads to the suggestion that they may be used as food preservatives for this purpose. Practical Application: The essential oils obtained from Foeniculum vulgare, Mentha piperita and M. spicata, O.cimum basilicum, Origanum majorana, O. onites, O. vulgare, and Satureja cuneifolia as well as common essential oil components have shown notable inhibitory effects against 10 isolated strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) enzyme and they might be used as food preservative or ingredient.     

Exergoeconomic analysis of a vehicular PEM fuel cell system

In this study, we deal with the exergoeconomic analysis of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell power system for transportation applications. The PEM fuel cell performance model, that is the polarization curve, is previously developed by one of the authors by using the some derived and developed equations in literature. The exergoeconomic analysis includes the PEM fuel cell stack and system components as compressor, humidifiers, pressure regulator and the cooling system. A parametric study is also conducted to investigate the system performance and cost behaviour of the components, depending on the operating temperature, operating pressure, membrane thickness, anode stoichiometry and cathode stoichiometry. For the system performance, energy and exergy efficiencies and power output are investigated in detail. It is found that with an increase of temperature and pressure and a decrease of membrane thickness the system efficiency increases which leads to a decrease in the overall production cost. The minimization of the production costs is very crucial in commercialization of the fuel cells in transportation sector.     

Identification of the Mechanical Subsystem of the NEES-UCSD Shake Table by a Least-Squares Approach

A least-squares method is used to determine the fundamental parameters of a simple mathematical model for the mechanical subsystem of the NEES-UCSD large high performance outdoor shaking table. The parameters identified include the effective horizontal mass, the effective horizontal stiffness, and the coefficient of the classical Coulomb friction and viscous damping elements representing the various dissipative forces in the system. The values obtained for these parameters are validated by comparisons with previous results based on an alternative identification method applicable only to periodic tests and by comparisons with experimental data obtained during earthquake simulation tests and harmonic steady-state tests. The proposed identification approach works well for periodic sinusoidal and triangular tests, earthquake simulation tests, and white noise tests with table root mean square above 10% of gravity.     

Generalisation of unidirectional loop layout problem and solution by a genetic algorithm

Unidirectional loop layouts (ULLs) are the preferred layouts in manufacturing systems owing to their relative low investment costs, high material handling elasticity and routing flexibility. Existing formulations of the unidirectional loop layout problem are concentrated on the arrangement of workstations under the assumption that the number and location of loading and unloading stations are known. In this study, the unidirectional loop layout problem is generalised by consideration of potentially attachable loading/unloading equipment to each workstation and releasing of the predetermined number of loading and unloading stations. Thus, more efficient and effective loop layout designs are allowed by eliminating some artificial restrictions. The present ULL model is generalised and a genetic algorithm is developed to solve the problem. Solutions obtained by the genetic algorithm outperformed those obtained by conventional methods. Additionally, comparisons of the generalised model with existing models on randomly generated test problems yielded encouraging results.     

Experimental investigations of vegetable based cutting fluids with extreme pressure during turning of AISI 304L

Experimental studies on the performances of both new developed environmental friendly vegetable based cutting fluids (refined sunflower and canola oils) including different percentage of extreme pressure (EP) additive and two commercial cutting fluids (semi-synthetic and mineral cutting fluids) in turning processes were reported in this work. Performances of cutting fluids were compared with respect to surface roughness, cutting and feed forces and tool wear during longitudinal turning of AISI 304L. Experimental results were also compared with dry cutting conditions. The results indicated that 8% of EP included canola based cutting fluid performed better than the rest.     

Effects of blended vegetable‐based cutting fluids with extreme pressure on tool wear and force components in turning of Al 7075‐T6

In this study, performances of four different types of vegetable‐based cutting fluids (VBCFs) over a commercial mineral cutting fluid were evaluated for machinability of Al 7075‐T6. Lubrication properties of VBCFs were improved with additive of extreme pressure. Cutting force and tool wear data were obtained for performance analyses of cutting fluids during longitudinal turning of Al 7075‐T6. Cutting, feed and radial forces indicated 1.70–38.25% improvements for VBCFs over the commercial mineral cutting fluid. The lowest average values of flank and nose wears obtained with blended cutting fluid containing 12% of extreme pressure were 0.09 and 0.10 mm, respectively, whereas these values for the commercial mineral cutting fluid were 0.18 and 0.15 mm. The scanning electron microscope results showed adherence of workpiece material occurred on rake and flank faces, and flank and nose wears were the dominant wear modes. It was found that performances of VBCFs during turning of Al 7075‐T6 were better than that of the commercial mineral cutting fluid. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MADR2 maps to 18q21 and encodes a TGFbeta-regulated MAD-related protein that is functionally mutated in colorectal carcinoma

The MAD-related (MADR) family of proteins are essential components in the signaling pathways of serine/threonine kinase receptors for the transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) superfamily. We demonstrate that MADR2 is specifically regulated by TGFbeta and not bone morphogenetic proteins. The gene for MADR2 was found to reside on chromosome 18q21, near DPC4, another MADR protein implicated in pancreatic cancer. Mutational analysis of MADR2 in sporadic tumors identified four missense mutations in colorectal carcinomas, two of which display a loss of heterozygosity. Biochemical and functional analysis of three of these demonstrates that the mutations are inactivating. These findings suggest that MADR2 is a tumor suppressor and that mutations acquired in colorectal carcinomas may function to disrupt TGFbeta signaling.     

Reducing the spatial distance between printed and online information sources by means of mobile technology enhances learning: Using 2D barcodes

Online information sources, such as pictures and animations on web pages are frequently used for complementing printed course material in educational contexts. The concurrent use of online and printed information sources by students, however, requires going back and forth between physically separated course material, such as a course book and a computer screen, thus leading to suboptimal learning outcomes. Compatible with the principles identified by the recent theoretical frameworks for multimedia learning, mobile technology provides learners with the opportunity to bring online and printed course material close together. Mobile phones make online information available within a small desktop space, in close proximity to printed course material. The challenges that are relevant to text input methods can be overcome by the 2D barcode technology. This study investigates the use of camera-equipped mobile phone and 2D barcode technology as an alternative to the use of computer screen for complementing printed course material. The results of the experimental investigation suggest that, by facilitating the access to online information sources by 2D barcode tags on course books, mobile phones have the potential to enhance learning.