Effect of substrate concentration on fermentative hydrogen production from sweet sorghum extract

The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of substrate concentration on the fermentative hydrogen production from sweet sorghum extract, in a continuous stirred tank bioreactor. The reactor was operated at a Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) of 12 h and carbohydrate concentrations ranging from 9.89 to 20.99 g/L, in glucose equivalents. The maximum hydrogen production rate and yield were obtained at the concentration of 17.50 g carbohydrates/L and were 2.93 ± 0.09 L H₂/L reactor/d and 0.74 ± 0.02 mol H₂/mol glucose consumed, corresponding to 8.81 ± 0.02 L H₂/kg sweet sorghum, respectively. The main metabolic product at all steady states was butyric acid, while ethanol production was high at high substrate concentrations. The experiments showed that hydrogen productivity depends significantly on the initial carbohydrate concentration, which also influences the distribution of the metabolic products.     

Tunable separation of single-walled carbon nanotubes by dual-surfactant density gradient ultracentrifugation

We present a systematic study of the effects of surfactants in the separation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGU). Through analysis of the buoyant densities, layer positions, and optical absorbance spectra of SWNT separation using the bile salt sodium deoxycholate (DOC) and the anionic salt sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), we clarify the roles and interactions of these two surfactants in yielding different DGU outcomes. The separation mechanism described here can also help in designing new DGU experiments by qualitatively predicting outcomes of different starting recipes, improving the efficacy of DGU and simplifying post-DGU fractionation.      

Interlaminar fracture toughness of woven fabric composite laminates with carbon nanotube/epoxy interleaf films

The Mode I interlaminar fracture behavior of woven carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates incorporating partially cured carbon nanotube/epoxy composite films has been investigated. Laminates with films containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the as‐received state and functionalized with polyamidoamine were evaluated, as well as laminates with neat epoxy films. Double‐cantilever beam (DCB) specimens were used to measure G_Ic, the critical strain energy release rate (fracture toughness) versus crack length. Post‐fracture microscopic inspection of the fracture surfaces was performed. Results show that initial fracture toughness was improved with the amino‐functionalized CNT/epoxy interleaf films, but the important factor appears to be the polyamidoamine functionalization, not the CNTs. The initial fracture toughness remained relatively unaffected with the incorporation of neat epoxy and as‐received CNT/epoxy interleaf films. Plateau fracture toughness was unchanged with the use of functionalized CNT/epoxy interleaf films, and was reduced with the use of neat epoxy and as‐received CNT/epoxy interleaf films. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Mechanical characterization in laminated composite for cryogenic application

Damage in cryogenic composite fuel tanks induced during manufacturing and advanced by thermomechanical cycling can accelerate leakage of the propellant. Whether the leakage exceeds tolerable levels depends on many factors, including pressure gradients, microcrack density, other damage such as delamination, connectivity of the cracks, residual stresses from manufacture, service‐induced stresses from thermal and mechanical loads, and composite lay‐up. This article is concerned with the creation and the detection of damage in cryogenic composites due to thermomechanical loading. The first part deals with cryocycling (cycling between two temperatures) test procedures, that were developed to understand the damage produced in cryogenic composite laminates under thermomechanical loading. An apparatus was developed to thermomechanically cycle coupon test specimens under different thermomechanical loadings. IM7/977‐2 and IM7/5250‐4 graphite/epoxy cross‐ply [90₂/0₂]_S and angle‐ply [0/‐45/90/45/0/45090/‐45/0]_S laminates were tested using these systems. Ply‐by‐ply microcrack density was measured as a function of thermomechanical cycles. The second part of this article deals with effect of thermal gradients due to sudden exposure to a cryogenic temperature. The sudden exposure to cryogenic temperatures may have caused the microcracks, due to large temperature variations through the thickness and the resulting thermal stresses. In this work, an investigation of the sudden exposure to cryogenic temperatures is conducted experimentally with and without an insulating layer. POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Morphological Evolution of TiO2 Scale Formed on Various 1D and 2D Geometries of Titanium

The purpose of this study is to experimentally quantify the multidimensional growth characteristics of the oxide scale formed on commercially pure titanium at 700°C in flowing air. The geometries considered herein had characteristic dimensions that were appropriately sized to match the thickness of the oxide scale and were fabricated into shapes of solid and hollow cylinders and external and internal wedges. Scanning-electron microscopy (SEM) image analysis was used to measure the oxide-layer thickness and the Pilling–Bedworth ratio (PBR) as a function of time. An effective diffusion coefficient was determined from one-dimensional planar oxide-thickness data and experimentally obtained PBR values served as the necessary input to a solid-state diffusion model, which was modified to account for the volumetric expansion of the oxide. The model results demonstrate the competing influences of oxide expansion and curvature effects. In addition, the predictive capability of the model, for the case of a solid cylinder, was shown to underpredict experimental results, whereas, scale growth on the inner surface of a hollow cylinder was overpredicted. The differences are attributed primarily to an effective diffusion coefficient that varies with the scale morphology. An oxide layer grown on an outside surface of a solid cylinder or an external wedge was found to have a structure similar to one-dimensional planar-oxide growth. On the contrary, scale developed on the inside surface of a hollow cylinder or an internal wedge was observed to be more compact.     

0.5‐V fractional‐order companding filters

Novel configurations of fractional‐order filter topologies, realized through the employment of the concept of companding filtering, are introduced in this paper. As a first step, the design procedure is presented in a systematic algorithmic way, while in the next step, the basic building blocks of sinh‐domain and log‐domain integrators are presented. Because of the employment of metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) transistors operated in the subthreshold region, the derived filter structures offer the capability for operation in an ultra‐low‐voltage environment. In addition, because of the offered resistorless realizations, the proposed topologies are reconfigurable, in the sense that the order of the filter could be chosen through appropriate bias current sources. The performance of the derived fractional‐order filters has been evaluated through simulation and comparison results using the Analog Design Environment of the Cadence software and MOS transistor parameters provided by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) 180‐nm complementary MOS (CMOS) process. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unraveling the Immune Microenvironment of Thymic Epithelial Tumors: Implications for Autoimmunity and Treatment

Thymic Epithelial Tumors (TETs) represent a rare tumor family, originating from the epithelial component of the thymus gland. Clinicopathologically, they are segregated into six major subtypes, associated with distinct histological features and clinical outcomes. Their emergence and evolution are accompanied by the generation of a complex tumor microenvironment (TME), dominated by phenotypically and functionally divergent immune cellular subsets, in different maturation states and in analogies that vary significantly among different subtypes. These heterogenous leukocyte populations exert either immune-permissive and tumor-suppressive functions or vice versa, and the dynamic equilibrium established among them either dictates the tumor immune milieu towards an immune-tolerance state or enables the development of a productive spontaneous tumoricidal response. The immunologically “hot” microenvironment, defining a significant proportion of TETs, makes them a promising candidate for the implementation of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). A number of phase I and II clinical trials have already demonstrated significant, type-specific clinical efficacy of PD-L1 inhibitors, even though substantial limitations in their utilization derive from their immune-mediated adverse effects. Moreover, the completed clinical studies involved relatively restricted patient samples and an expansion in the enrolled cohorts is required, so that more trustworthy conclusions regarding the benefit from ICIs in TETs can be extracted.