Corrosion control of Cu-Ni alloys in neutral chloride solutions by amino acids

The corrosion inhibition of Cu-Ni alloys was investigated in aqueous chloride solutions using amino acids as environmentally safe materials. The corrosion rate was calculated in absence and presence of the corrosion inhibitor using polarization and impedance techniques. The inhibition efficiency of the different amino acids was also calculated.The experimental results have shown that a simple amino acid like glycine can be used as efficient corrosion inhibitor for the Cu-Ni alloys in neutral chloride solutions. An inhibition efficiency of about 85% could be achieved at very low concentrations of the amino acid (0.1 mM). For low Ni content alloy (Cu-5Ni), 2.0 mM cysteine shows a remarkable high (∼96%) corrosion inhibition efficiency. The experimental impedance data were fitted to theoretical data according to a proposed equivalent circuit model for the electrode/electrolyte interface, and the mechanism of the corrosion inhibition process was suggested. Different adsorption isotherms were tested and the corrosion inhibition process was found to depend on the adsorption of the amino acid molecules and/or the deposition of corrosion products on the alloy surface. The adsorption free energy of cysteine on Cu-5Ni (−37.81 kJ mol⁻¹) reveals a strong physical adsorption of the inhibitor on the alloy surface.     

The Ameliorative Effect of Dexamethasone on the Development of Autoimmune Lung Injury and Mediastinal Fat-Associated Lymphoid Clusters in an Autoimmune Disease Mouse Model

In our previous study, we revealed the ameliorative therapeutic effect of dexamethasone (Dex) for Lupus nephritis lesions in the MRL/MpJ-Fas ^lpr/lpr (Lpr) mouse model. The female Lpr mice developed a greater number of mediastinal fat-associated lymphoid clusters (MFALCs) and inflammatory lung lesions compared to the male mice. However, the effect of Dex, an immunosuppressive drug, on both lung lesions and the development of MFALCs in Lpr mice has not been identified yet. Therefore, in this study, we compared the development of lung lesions and MFALCs in female Lpr mice that received either saline (saline group “SG”) or dexamethasone (dexamethasone group “DG”) in drinking water as a daily dose along with weekly intraperitoneal injections for 10 weeks. Compared to the SG group, the DG group showed a significant reduction in the levels of serum anti-dsDNA antibodies, the size of MFALCs, the degree of lung injury, the area of high endothelial venules (HEVs), and the number of proliferating and immune cells in both MFALCs and the lungs. A significant positive correlation was observed between the size of MFALCs and the cellular aggregation in the lungs of Lpr mice. Therefore, this study confirmed the ameliorative effect of Dex on the development of lung injury and MFALCs via their regressive effect on both immune cells’ proliferative activity and the development of HEVs. Furthermore, the reprogramming of MFALCs by targeting immune cells and HEVs may provide a therapeutic strategy for autoimmune-disease-associated lung injury.     

Changes in free amino acids and biogenic amines of Egyptian salted-fermented fish (Feseekh) during ripening and storage

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the formation of amino acids and biogenic amines in Egyptian salted-fermented fish (Feseekh) during ripening (20 days) and storage (40–60 days). The total concentration of free amino acids increased from 8 (dry weight; DW) to 72 g/kg (DW) after 60 days of storage. The predominant free amino acids were leucine, glutamic acid, lysine, alanine, valine, aspartic acid, isoleucine and citrulline. Their concentrations accounted for 68% of the total concentration of amino acids after 60 days. The total contents of biogenic amines ranged from 84 to 1633 mg/kg (DW) during the investigated period. Cadaverine was the major amine detected in Feseekh at all sampling stages and its concentration varied between 21 and 997 mg/kg (DW). The histamine content (211 mg/kg DW) only exceeded the maximum tolerance level (200 mg/kg) after 60 days. It could be concluded that Feseekh can be consumed without any health risks between 20 and 40 days but it can be hazardous after 60 days due to the biogenic amine content.     

A novel low-latency DRAM based on the bitline-discharge rate

As well known by computer architects, the performance gap between the processor and the memory has been increasing over the years. This causes what is known as the memory wall. In order to alleviate the problem, a novel fast readout scheme is proposed in this article for the single-transistor single-capacitor dynamic random-access memory (1T-1C DRAM) cells. The proposed scheme works in the current domain in which the difference between the discharging rates of the bitline in the cases of ‘1’ and ‘0’ readings is detected. The proposed scheme is analysed quantitatively and compared with the conventional readout scheme. It is verified by simulation adopting the 45 nm CMOS Berkley predictive-technology model (BPTM) and shows 44 and 7.7% reductions in the average read-access and cycle times, respectively, as compared to the conventional readout scheme. It is also shown that the power is saved according to the proposed scheme if the probability of occurrence of ‘0’ storage exceeds 66.7%. This minimum value can be alleviated, however, at the expense of a smaller saving in the average read-access time. The impacts of process variations and technology scaling are also taken into account.     

Field-programmable smart-pixel arrays: design, VLSI implementation, and applications

A smart-pixel array is a two-dimensional array of optoelectronic devices that combine optical inputs and outputs with electronic processing circuitry. A field-programmable smart-pixel array (FP-SPA) is a smart-pixel array capable of having its electronic functionality dynamically programmed in the field. Such devices could be used in a diverse range of applications, including optical switching, optical digital signal processing, and optical image processing. We describe the design, VLSI implementation, and applications of a first-generation FP-SPA implemented with the 0.8-microm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor-self-electro-optic effect device technology made available through the Lucent Technologies-Advanced Research Projects Agency Cooperative (Lucent/ARPA/COOP) program. We report spice simulations and experimental results of two sample applications: In the first application, we configure this FP-SPA as an array of free-space optical binary switches that can be used in optical multistage networks. In the second, we configure the device as an optoelectronic transceiver for a dynamically reconfigurable free-space intelligent optical backplane called the hyperplane. We also describe the testing setup and the electrical and the optical tests that demonstrate the correct functionality of the fabricated device. Such devices have the potential to reduce significantly the need for custom design and fabrication of application-specific optoelectronic devices in the same manner that field-programmable gate arrays have largely eliminated the need for custom design and fabrication of application-specific gate arrays, except in the most demanding applications.     

The idealized structural unit method and its application to deep girder structures

An efficient method of analysis of non-linear behavior until collapse of large size redundant structures is presented. The method is named as The “Idealized Structural Unit Method”. In this method the structure is divided into the biggest possible “Structural Units” whose geometric and material nonlinear behavior can be idealized and described in a concise analytical-numerical form. The structure is reassembled and load is applied incrementally until ultimate strength is attained.In this method, modeling is an obvious operation of dividing the structure into its actual structural units. This eliminates the effort required for the choice of type of element or size of mesh as in the finite element method. The number of structural units and overall degrees of freedom required for the analysis of a structure by this method are less in order than the number of elements and overall degrees of freedom required to analyze the same structure by the FEM. Costs of computer and data preparation may be drastically reduced.Application of the method to metal structures built up of deep I girders, such as bridge girders, ships deep girders and grillage structures is considered. The “Girder Structural Unit” is defined and its behavior under increasing loads is idealized based on existing as well as newly developed theoretical and experimental studies. Conditions for web bucking, ultimate strength and full plastic strength are established and expressions for stiffness during various stages are derived. A deep girder structure may then be treated as an assembly of such “Girder Structural Units”. Results of analysis of example structures are presented. The consumed computer time is found to be very short, as expected. Comparisons with results of experimental studies show good agreement.     

Expected repair cost under doubly stochastic damage processes

There are a number of instances where the problems of non-stationarity, Poisson compounding and double stochasticity arise. In the theory of space-charge limited shot-noise, the number of beats that occur in a given interval of time obey a doubly stochastic process since the Poisson's parameter λ changes randomly due to individual beats. This paper puts forward a doubly stochastic non-stationary compound Poisson process as a model describing damage sustained by military equipment, solar collectors, … etc., due to hailstones. The expected repair cost due to such damage is formulated.     

Hot water defrosting of a horizontal flat plate cooling surfaceDégivrage par eau chaude d'une surface de refroidissement de plaque plane horizontale

Removal of frost from an jupward facing horizontal cooling plate at a subfreezing temperature using a hot water spray is studied experimentally. The variation of the frost layer with time is approximately linear. A simple analytical model predicts the trend of the frost thickness-time change.