Serum mineral changes in dithizone-induced diabetes before and after insulin treatment

In this study, diabetes was induced by intravenous injection of dithizone. In dithizonised diabetic animals, the levels of serum zinc, iron, and potassium were found to be higher than normal, while those of serum calcium and sodium were lower. Copper and magnesium levels were unchanged. After treatment with insulin, most of these serum levels approached the normal, except for serum potassium and magnesium.     

High‐impedance fault location using matching technique and wavelet transform for underground cable distribution network

Locating the faulty section of a high‐impedance fault (HIF) is quite challenging for the underground distribution network of a power system. The complexity of the distribution network, such as branches, nonhomogenous lines, and HIF, contributes to the difficulties in locating the faulty section. In this paper, the shortest distance (SD) technique and a database approach have been proposed to determine the faulty section. A multiresolution analysis based on discrete wavelet transforms is chosen to extract the unique features from voltage signals during the HIF event. The output coefficients from the decomposition process is stored in a database and used as the input data for the SD algorithm. The first, second, and third level of detailed coefficients of the post‐disturbance voltage signal were utilized for the identification of the faulty section using the proposed method. A ranking analysis was created to provide a number of possibilities of faulty section. In this paper, a 38‐node underground distribution network system in a national grid in Malaysia was modeled using the PSCAD software. The proposed method was able to successfully determine the faulty section. © 2013 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Comparison between acetic acid and landfill leachates for the leaching of Pb(II), Cd(II), As(V), and Cr(VI) from cementitious wastes

The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) has been widely used to characterize the suitability of solid wastes for disposal in landfills. However, the widespread application of this test for the assessment of wastes disposed in different landfill types is often questionable. This paper investigates the leaching profiles of cement-stabilized heavy metal ions, namely, Pb (II), Cd (II), As(V), and Cr(VI), using acetic acid and leachates from municipal and nonputrescible Australian landfill sites. The leaching profiles of Pb, Cd, As, and Cr using acetic acid were found to be similar to the nonputrescible landfill leachate and differed markedly from the municipal solid waste (MSW) leachate. The additional presence of high amounts of organic and inorganic compounds in the municipal landfill leachate influenced the leaching profiles of these metal ions as compared to the acetic acid and the nonputrescible systems. It is postulated that the organic compounds present in the municipal landfill leachate formed complexes with the Pb and Cd, increasing the mobility of these ions. Moreover, the organic compounds in the municipal landfill leachate induced a reducing environment in the leachate, causing the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). It was also found that the presence of carbonates in the municipal landfill leachate affected the stability of calcium arsenate, with the carbonate competing with arsenate for calcium at high pH, forcing arsenate into the solution.     

Simple preparation and characterization of nickel ferrite nanocrystals by a thermal treatment method

Nickel ferrite nanocrystals were prepared from an aqueous solution containing metal nitrates and poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as a capping agent. To stabilize the particles, they were thermally treated at various temperatures from 623 to 823 K at which calcination occurred, thereby stabilizing the particles, controlling the growth of the nanoparticles, preventing their agglomeration, and creating a uniform distribution of particle sizes. The characterization studies were conducted by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The crystallization was completed between 723 and 823 K, as revealed by the absence of organic absorption bands in the FT-IR spectra Magnetization measurements were obtained at room temperature by using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), which showed that the calcined samples exhibited ferromagnetic behaviors. Finally, we used TEM images and FT-IR spectra to investigate the same process in the absence of PVP and with various of concentrations of PVP for comparison with the results acquired from using the optimum concentration that was used in this work.     

Process and Case Illustration of Construction Innovation

This paper describes the major stages and component steps leading to the realization of the technical and commercial potential of a new construction technology. It encompasses a process of innovation and invention, which is generically applicable to any construction innovation. A case illustration of a new asphalt compaction technology is also described within each stage to provide a “real life” example. Motivation for the new technology came from the fact that existing, conventional rollers can cause serious damage to the compacted asphalt mat at the time of construction. This damage is in the form of construction cracks, often termed “roller checking,” which can result in accelerated, in-service deterioration. The new technology originally termed the “Asphalt Multi Integrated Roller” (AMIR), overcomes the problems of current rollers through stiffness compatibility with the asphalt mix and a different geometry than conventional rollers. Commercial realization of the technology has been achieved through a new generation of AMIR, termed “HIPAC.” The paper also provides background on the issues of concern to pavement engineers, including limitations of current compaction methods. It explains in functional terms the unique difference provided by the new technology. As well, it describes the major hurdles that were overcome to achieve commercial realization.     

THE AUTOMATION OF THE LAY-UP AND CONSOLIDATION OF PEEK*GRAPHITE FIBER COMPOSITES*

The processing of PEEK/graphite fiber composites is characterized by an inordinate amount of hand labor. This greatly increases the cost, time, and inaccuracy involved in production. Automation of the lay-up and consolidation steps are a prerequisite for the widespread application and acceptance of these, as well as all, high performance materials. Automated techniques for the lay-up and consolidation of PEEK/graphite fiber composites have been developed and are presented in this paper. Discrete part lay-up schemes utilize robotic manipulators and specially constructed tables and allow any lay-up configuration to be automatically produced at high production rates. The size of the discrete parts was limited to 4 by 4 meters by design, not by any inherent difficulties. This size can be increased by enlarging the lay-up table. The length of a continuous sheet was limited by the length of the PEEK/graphite fiber prepreg material currently available. Its width was also restricted to 4 meters by design, but also can be increased to the desired width. Continuous consolidation methods were designed for both discrete and continuous parts. Heating is performed by quartz radiative heaters and consolidation pressure is produced by pressure rollers. These processes were designed taking into consideration     

Sintering Behavior of In Situ Cobalt Oxide-Doped Cerium–Gadolinium Oxide Prepared by Flame Spray Pyrolysis

Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.95 (CGO10) and in situ cobalt oxide-doped CGO10 were prepared by pilot-scale flame spray synthesis, yielding powders with an average particle size of 40 nm. Cobalt oxide was shown to be a very effective sintering aid for CGO10 and lowered the maximum sintering temperature from 1450° to about 1200°C. Sintering studies revealed that in situ cobalt oxide-doped CGO10 exhibited a temperature of maximum shrinkage rate of 880°C for a dopant concentration of 1 mol% CoO_{1− x} , whereas for conventionally cobalt oxide-doped CGO10, this temperature was 914°C. This decrease is believed to be a result of a more homogeneous dopant distribution of the in situ cobalt oxide-doped CGO nanopowders as compared with the powders in which the doping was introduced as nitrates.     

Removal of Toxic Mercury from Petroleum Oil by Newly Synthesized Molecularly-Imprinted Polymer

In recent years, molecularly-imprinted polymers (MIPs) have attracted the attention of several researchers due to their capability for molecular recognition, easiness of preparation, stability and cost-effective production. By taking advantage of these facts, Hg(II) imprinted and non-imprinted copolymers were prepared by polymerizing mercury nitrate stock solution (or without it) with methacrylic acid (MAA), 2-hydroxyl ethyl methacrylate (HEMA), methanol and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the monomer, co-monomer solvent (porogen) and cross-linker, respectively. Thus, the formed Hg(II) imprinted polymer was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The separation and preconcentration characteristics of Hg(II) imprinted polymer were investigated by solid phase extraction (SPE) procedures, and an optimal pH of 7 was investigated as ideal. The specific surface area of the Hg(II) imprinted polymer was found to be 19.45 m²/g with a size range from 100 to 140 µm in diameter. The maximum adsorption capacity was observed to be 1.11 mg/g of Hg(II) imprinted beads with 87.54% removal of Hg(II) ions within the first 5 min. The results of the study therefore confirm that the Hg(II) imprinted polymer can be used multiple times without significantly losing its adsorption capacity.     

Vibration impact acoustic emission technique for identification and analysis of defects in carbon steel tubes: Part B Cluster analysis

Current steel tubes inspection techniques are invasive, and the interpretation and evaluation of inspection results are manually done by skilled personnel. Part A of this work details the methodology involved in the newly developed non-invasive, non-destructive tube inspection technique based on the integration of vibration impact (VI) and acoustic emission (AE) systems known as the vibration impact acoustic emission (VIAE) technique. AE signals have been introduced into a series of ASTM A179 seamless steel tubes using the impact hammer. Specifically, a good steel tube as the reference tube and four steel tubes with through-hole artificial defect at different locations were used in this study. The AEs propagation was captured using a high frequency sensor of AE systems. The present study explores the cluster analysis approach based on autoregressive (AR) coefficients to automatically interpret the AE signals. The results from the cluster analysis were graphically illustrated using a dendrogram that demonstrated the arrangement of the natural clusters of AE signals. The AR algorithm appears to be the more effective method in classifying the AE signals into natural groups. This approach has successfully classified AE signals for quick and confident interpretation of defects in carbon steel tubes.     

RESIDUUM HYDROTREATING/APPLICATION OF LIQUID- SOLID CHROMATOGRAPHY FOR THE STUDY OF HYDROTREATED PRODUCTS.

ABSTRACT

Iraqi reduced crude (above 350^°C) was hydrotreated in a fixed-bed reactor with commercial Ni-Mo-alumina catalyst. Reaction temperature varied from 320 to 400^°C over liquid hourly space velocity ranging from 0.82 to 2.6 h^?1. Hydrogen pressure was kept constant throughout all the experiment at 6.1 MPa with hydrogen/ oil ratio about 30D NL/L. Asphaltenes were precipitated from the reduced crude and hydrotreated products with 15 parts of n-pentane (by volume) to 1 part of sample. Then, the deasphaltened products were fractionated by liquid- solid chromatography for saturates, aromatics and polar- aromatics separation. The kinetic study of aromatics and polar- aromatics hydrogenation indicates that these reactions are well correlated with a second-order kinetics. The rate constants of aromatics and polar-aromatics hydrogenation were calculated. Finally, the apparent activation energy (Ea), enthalpy of activation (?H)^? and entropy (?S)^? were calculated for hydrogenation of aromatics and polar-aromatics of reduced crude during hydrotreating.