A 3D Crouzeix-Raviart mortar finite element

A mortar finite element discretization of the second order elliptic problem in three dimensions, on non-matching grids, using the 3D Crouzeix-Raviart (CR) finite element in each subdomain, is proposed in this paper. The overall discretization is based on using only the nodal values on the mortar side of a subdomain interface for the calculation of the mortar projection, as opposed to applying the conventional approach where some nodal values in the interior of a subdomain are also required. Since the interior degrees of freedom disappear completely from the computation of the mortar projection, the proposed algorithm becomes less intricate and more flexible as compared to the conventional approach. An error estimate is given, and some numerical experiments are presented.     

An innovative study on dyeing silk fabrics by modified phospholipid liposomes

Modified phospholipids from the commercial soybean lecithin were prepared via acetylation of the acetone insoluble fraction phosphatidylethanolamine. N‐Acetyl‐phosphatidylethanolamine was used to prepare liposomes for encapsulating anionic dyes (acid and reactive dyes) to be used in dyeing silk fabric. Size measurements of the liposomes showed that the maximum vesicle size was 36.61 nm for empty liposomes in comparison with 39.08 and 39.75 nm for acid dyes and 51.78 and 59.20 nm for reactive dyes. The efficiency of the micro‐encapsulated dyes to dye silk fabric has been investigated and compared with the conventional dyeing process using different parameters. It was confirmed that the acetylated acetone insoluble fraction liposome shows better encapsulation of the reactive dyes and achieves more dye uptake than the acid dyes. It was also found that fastness properties of dyed silk with micro‐encapsulated anionic dyes did not change significantly more than the conventional dyeing method. Reuse of the micro‐encapsulated dyebath produces low water pollution as the effluent is virtually colourless. As a result, the process is also economic and eco‐friendly.     

Unraveling Recrystallization Mechanisms Governing Texture Development from Rare-Earth Element Additions to Magnesium

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The origin of texture components often associated with rare-earth element (REE) additions in wrought magnesium alloys is a long-standing problem in...     

Efficacy of novel cleansing agent for the decontamination of lithium disilicate ceramics: a shear bond strength study

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of Ivoclean as a ceramic cleansing agent, by assessing shear bond strength of pre-etched lithium disilicate (LD) ceramic to resin cement.

Materials and Methods: Seventy LD discs (10 × 10 × 4 mm) were fabricated and etched using 5% hydrofluoric acid (HF) for 20 s. Ten specimens were not exposed to saliva and silicone disclosing medium (negative control). The other 60 specimens, divided into six groups (n = 10), were exposed to saliva for 20 s and silicone disclosing medium for 3 min. Following contamination, 10 specimens were not cleansed (positive control). The remaining five groups were exposed to one of the five different cleansing agents: 96% isopropanol, 37% phosphoric acid-30 s, 5% HF acid- 20 s, 5% HF acid- 120 s, and Ivoclean paste-20 s. All specimens were treated with primer and bonded to a self-curing resin cement. Before shear bond strength testing, all specimens were thermocycled (3000 cycles; 5–55°).

Results: Contamination of pre-etched LD ceramic specimens significantly reduced the shear bond strength values from 22.39 ± 0.38 MPa (negative control) to 6.54 ± 0.90 MPa (positive control) (p < 0.05). Cleansing of contaminated ceramic specimens with 5% HF acid [20 s (19.28 ± 1.06 MPa) and 120 s (20.04 ± 1.09 MPa)] and Ivoclean (18.30 ± 0.97) provided significantly higher bond strength values than other cleansing methods with 37% phosphoric acid and 96% isopropanol (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Ivoclean and 5% HF acid were found to be effective in cleansing of LD ceramic surface by demonstrating maximum increase in shear bond strength values as compared to contaminated LD ceramics.     

A Semi-Empirical Model for Predicting the Onset of Drop Formation in Stratified Horizontal Oil-Water Flow

In this study, a semi-empirical modeling approach for predicting the onset of drop formation in stratified horizontal oil-water flow is presented. The model is suggested based on a correlation for the critical wave amplitude for drop detachment proposed by Al-Wahaibi et al. (2007 Al-Wahaibi , T. , and Angeli , P. ( 2007 ). Transition between stratified and non-stratified horizontal oil-water flows. Part I: Stability analysis , Chem. Eng. Sci. , 62 ( 11 ), 2915 – 2928 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and an experimentally derived formula of the maximum wave amplitude at different phase flow rates in stratified flows that uses previous data with different viscosity oils. The proposed model was found to satisfactorily predict published experimental data when relatively low viscosity oils were used (less than or equal to 12 mPa.s cp) but was found to over-predict the velocities necessary for drop formation for higher viscosity oils (greater than 28 mPa.s).     

Modeling and simulation of a horizontal pulsed sieve-plate extraction column using axial dispersion model

In this research, the impact of pulsation intensity and phase flow rates on the volumetric overall mass transfer coefficients based on the continuous phase (K_oca) and the axial dispersion coefficients of phases in a horizontal pulsed sieve-plate column has been investigated using axial dispersion model. The toluene-acetone-water and butyl acetate-acetone-water systems with acetone transfer in both directions were used. In this study, the flow regime transition from pseudo-dispersion regime to emulsion regime has been characterized. Two new correlations have been proposed for prediction of K_oca and E_c.     

On the Ductility of Magnesium Single Crystals at Ambient Temperature

Magnesium single crystals were loaded in plane-strain compression at ambient temperature, parallel, and normal to the c-axis. In the latter configuration, compression was applied along the 〈 \( 11\overline{2}0 \) 〉 as well as 〈 \( 10\overline{1}0 \) 〉 directions, whereby extension was confined to the c-axis owing to the plane-strain geometry. Out of the three tested orientations, only specimens compressed along the 〈 \( 11\overline{2}0 \) 〉 axis were able to deform up to a remarkable strain of ?1 demonstrating a surprisingly high ductility for pure magnesium at ambient temperature. The other two specimen orientations have depicted failure at two different low strains. The final microstructure of the ductile specimen was a polycrystalline mix of large deformed grains adjoining recrystallized regions of much finer grains, developed by means of extensive dynamic recovery. The corresponding final texture was relatively weak, and showed two orientation peaks with appreciable scatter around them.     

Delayed type hypersensitivity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

This study was performed to verify and further characterize the role of neuroendocrine factors in the regulation of fetal adipose metabolism. On day 72 to 74 of gestation, pig fetuses in one uterine horn were hypophysectomized (hypoxed) by micro-cauterization, fetuses in the other horn served as sham controls. Fetuses were removed by laparotomy on day 110 of gestation. Slices of subcutaneous adipose tissue from control fetuses responded to lipolytic stimulation by norepinephrine alone (NE; 1 microgram/ml), NE plus adenosine deaminase (160 mUnits/ml) or dibutyryl cyclic AMP (5 mM). Adipose tissue from hypoxed fetuses, however, responded to lipolytic stimulation by only dibutyryl cyclic AMP, not NE. Lipogenesis in adipose tissue slices, as quantitated by 3H2O incorporation into triglyceride fatty acids, was increased 2.6 fold by hypophysectomy. These results demonstrate the necessity of a functioning pituitary in the normal regulation of fatty acid synthesis and receptor-mediated lipolytic response in developing fetal adipose tissue.