Comparison of fourier-transform and data-dependent system profilometry by use of interferometric regeneration

Fourier-transform profilometry (FTP) and data-dependent system profilometry (DDSP) are the two major phase-extraction methods that use a single interferogram. The difficulty in verifying surface profiles obtained by these methods is that the exact spot on an actual surface cannot be measured with two different instruments. An interferogram regeneration procedure is developed to solve this problem. The surface profile is then extracted from the regenerated interferogram by both FTP and DDSP. Comparisons of the actual surface profile with the extracted surface profiles show that both methods perform equally well in measuring the root mean square and the center line average, but only DDSP is able to reproduce the detailed surface profile of the reference surface.     

Effect of solvents on properties of the ultrasound assisted synthesized ceria nanoparticles and its performance as an adsorbent

The present study revealed a facile, ultrasound assisted ceria nanoparticle synthesis route by the reduction of cerium nitrate hexahydrate in different solvents at room temperature. The different solvents employed were methanol (MeOH), ethylene glycol (EG), water (aq) and isopropyl alcohol (IPA). The ceria nanoparticles were synthesized without the use of any capping agent in 20?min. The yield obtained was around 90% for the synthesized ceria samples. As synthesized ceria nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) and zeta (ζ) potential in order to determine the influence of solvent on the physical properties of ceria nanoparticles. All the ceria samples illustrated a predominant spherical shape with the size in the range of 5–20?nm. It was found that interaction of the solvent with ceria nanoparticles in the presence of ultrasound plays an important role in modulating crystallite size, surface charge and its adsorption performance for a xylene milling yellow 6G dye. Among all the sonicated ceria samples, IPA mediated ceria exhibited highest positive zeta potential and hence was found to be proficient for the complete removal of dye in 15?min. Furthermore, the adsorption of the yellow milling dye on the surface of (IPA mediated) sonicated ceria sample has shown to follow pseudo-first order kinetic model. The non-sonicated sample (prepared in MeOH solvent without ultrasound) shows negligible dye adsorption while sonicated sample reveals 50% removal of XMY dye due to the difference in zeta potential values resulted from the cavitation effects.     

The Collagen Suprafamily: From Biosynthesis to Advanced Biomaterial Development

Collagen is the oldest and most abundant extracellular matrix protein that has found many applications in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries. First, an overview of the family of collagens and their respective structures, conformation, and biosynthesis is provided. The advances and shortfalls of various collagen preparations (e.g., mammalian/marine extracted collagen, cell‐produced collagens, recombinant collagens, and collagen‐like peptides) and crosslinking technologies (e.g., chemical, physical, and biological) are then critically discussed. Subsequently, an array of structural, thermal, mechanical, biochemical, and biological assays is examined, which are developed to analyze and characterize collagenous structures. Lastly, a comprehensive review is provided on how advances in engineering, chemistry, and biology have enabled the development of bioactive, 3D structures (e.g., tissue grafts, biomaterials, cell‐assembled tissue equivalents) that closely imitate native supramolecular assemblies and have the capacity to deliver in a localized and sustained manner viable cell populations and/or bioactive/therapeutic molecules. Clearly, collagens have a long history in both evolution and biotechnology and continue to offer both challenges and exciting opportunities in regenerative medicine as nature's biomaterial of choice.     

Prediction of power output of a coal-fired power plant by artificial neural network

Accurate modeling of thermal power plant is very useful as well as difficult. Conventional simulation programs based on heat and mass balances represent plant processes with mathematical equations. These are good for understanding the processes but usually complicated and at times limited with large number of parameters needed. On the other hand, artificial neural network (ANN) models could be developed using real plant data, which are already measured and stored. These models are fast in response and easy to be updated with new plant data. Usually, in ANN modeling, energy systems can also be simulated with fewer numbers of parameters compared to mathematical ones. Step-by-step method of the ANN model development of a coal-fired power plant for its base line operation is discussed in this paper. The ultimate objective of the work was to predict power output from a coal-fired plant by using the least number of controllable parameters as inputs. The paper describes two ANN models, one for boiler and one for turbine, which are eventually integrated into a single ANN model representing the real power plant. The two models are connected through main steam properties, which are the predicted parameters from boiler ANN model. Detailed procedure of ANN model development has been discussed along with the expected prediction accuracies and validation of models with real plant data. The interpolation and extrapolation capability of ANN models for the plant has also been studied, and observed results are reported.     

Design and analysis of a novel mechanical loading machine for dynamic in vivo axial loading

This paper describes the construction of a loading machine for performing in vivo, dynamic mechanical loading of the rodent forearm. The loading machine utilizes a unique type of electromagnetic actuator with no mechanically resistive components (servotube), allowing highly accurate loads to be created. A regression analysis of the force created by the actuator with respect to the input voltage demonstrates high linear correlation (R(2) = 1). When the linear correlation is used to create dynamic loading waveforms in the frequency (0.5-10 Hz) and load (1-50 N) range used for in vivo loading, less than 1% normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) is computed. Larger NRMSE is found at increased frequencies, with 5%-8% occurring at 40 Hz, and reasons are discussed. Amplifiers (strain gauge, linear voltage displacement transducer (LVDT), and load cell) are constructed, calibrated, and integrated, to allow well-resolved dynamic measurements to be recorded at each program cycle. Each of the amplifiers uses an active filter with cutoff frequency at the maximum in vivo loading frequencies (50 Hz) so that electronic noise generated by the servo drive and actuator are reduced. The LVDT and load cell amplifiers allow evaluation of stress-strain relationships to determine if in vivo bone damage is occurring. The strain gauge amplifier allows dynamic force to strain calibrations to occur for animals of different sex, age, and strain. Unique features are integrated into the loading system, including a weightless mode, which allows the limbs of anesthetized animals to be quickly positioned and removed. Although the device is constructed for in vivo axial bone loading, it can be used within constraints, as a general measurement instrument in a laboratory setting.     

Numerical simulation of two-dimensional sine-Gordon solitons by differential quadrature method

During the past few decades, the idea of using differential quadrature methods for numerical solutions of partial differential equations (PDEs) has received much attention throughout the scientific community. In this article, we proposed a numerical technique based on polynomial differential quadrature method (PDQM) to find the numerical solutions of two-dimensional sine-Gordon equation with Neumann boundary conditions. The PDQM reduced the problem into a system of second-order linear differential equations. Then, the obtained system is changed into a system of ordinary differential equations and lastly, RK4 method is used to solve the obtained system. Numerical results are obtained for various cases involving line and ring solitons. The numerical results are found to be in good agreement with the exact solutions and the numerical solutions that exist in literature. It is shown that the technique is easy to apply for multidimensional problems.     

Modeling Hydrodynamic Cavitation

A simplified and unified model has been proposed to study the cavitation phenomena in hydraulic devices, with emphasis on the venturi tube and high-speed homogenizer. A turbulence model analogous to the acoustic cavitation has been developed and the dynamics of the cavities as a cluster has been considered. The prediction of the cavitation inception number has been made for various operating conditions and has been compared with the experimental observations. The effect of operating parameters, such as inlet pressure and fully recovered downstream pressure, has been studied numerically and compared with the data in the literature for the case of the venturi. The predicted cavitation intensities were compared indirectly with the experimental results. It has been found that optimum operating conditions do exist at which the observable cavitational effect is maximum. In the case of the high-speed homogenizer, the predicted effects as a function of rotational speed have been compared with the results of the aqueous KI decomposition reaction and have been found to match well. The study concludes with the recommendations and methods for possibly optimizing hydrodynamic cavitation phenomena for maximum effect.     

Microwave sterilization of sliced beef in gravy in 7-oz trays

This research was to investigate the feasibility for developing a short-time sterilization protocol for a highly inhomogeneous food prepackaged in polymeric trays using 915 MHz microwave (MW) energy. A 915-MHz, single-mode, 10-kW pilot-scale MW system developed at Washing State University was used for this study. The inhomogeneous food consisted of sliced beef and gravy packaged in 7-oz polymeric trays. Specially formulated whey protein gel, matching the beef product in their dielectric properties, was chosen as a model food to emulate the real food for determination of heating patterns and cold spots inside food trays. The heating patterns and cold spots were detected using a chemical-marker-assisted computer vision method. Processing schedules to achieve desired levels of F₀ for 7-oz trays of beef in gravy were established based on temperature histories measured at the identified cold spot location. The developed processing schedules were validated by inoculated pack studies using Clostridium sporogenes PA 3679 spores. The results of this study indicate that the 915-MHz single-mode MW sterilization technology is effective for processing of the inhomogeneous food. The procedure established could be used for developing MW sterilization processes for other packaged inhomogeneous foods, such as chicken meat in gravy in trays and salmon in sauce in pouches. The processing data collected could be helpful for industrial scale-up of the MW system.     

Delamination propagation analyses of spar wingskin joints made with curved laminated FRP composite panels

Initiation and propagation of inter-laminar delamination in adhesive bonded spar wingskin joint (SWJ) made with laminated fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite curved panels have been studied employing three-dimensional finite element analyses. In-plane and out-of-plane normal and shear stress distributions are seen to be highly three-dimensional in nature. Tsai-Wu coupled stress failure criteria have been employed to identify critical locations of onset of delamination-induced damage. This occurs underneath the toe-end of the spar overlap and at the inter-laminar surface between the first and second plies of the curved FRP wingskin panel. Significant edge effects on the joint strength have been observed due to the curvature geometry of the composite wingskin panels. Non-linear finite element analyses have been carried out for study of delamination propagation using contact and multi point constraint (MPC) elements. The use of contact elements prevents inter-penetration of delaminated surfaces. Whereas, sequential release of MPC elements facilitates computation of opening, sliding and cross-sliding modes of delamination-induced strain energy release rates (SERR) by using virtual crack closure technique. Variation in delamination lengths significantly effects the variation of peel and inter-laminar shear stresses and different modes of SERRs. Variations on the two delamination fronts are seen to be quite different indicating dis-similar propagation rates. The Mode I SERR (G_I) predominantly governs the delamination propagation in the SWJ.     

PMN–PT based relaxor ferroelectrics as very smart materials

The basic classification of smart materials and structures is reviewed briefly. The role of nonlinear response for achieving field-tunability of properties is described in simple terms. The observation of the two-way shape-memory effect in a solid solution of lead magnesium niobate (PMN) and lead titanate (PT) for the nominal atomic composition 65:35 is reported. Possible factors influencing the occurrence of the two-way effect are discussed. It is argued that such relaxor ferroelectric ceramics can function as smart materials (rather than serving merely as components of smart structures), because they can meet the “information-reduction” criterion. And they qualify to be called very smart because they have a fairly large number of smartness attributes, including the two-way shape-memory attribute reported here.