Lipase‐catalyzed synthesis of aliphatic poly(β‐thioether ester) with various methylene group contents: thermal properties,crystallization and degradation

A series of novel aliphatic poly(β‐thioether ester)s with various methylene group contents were prepared by direct lipase‐catalyzed polycondensation of the monomer with an acid‐labile β‐thiopropionate group. The polycondensation reaction using immobilized lipase B from Candida antarctica was carried out in diphenyl ether at 90 °C. Poly(β‐thioether ester)s with high molecular weights of 20 500–57 000 Da and narrow polydispersities in the range 1.40–1.48 were obtained. Thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction were used to investigate the thermal properties and crystal structures of these polyesters. All the poly(β‐thioether ester)s were semicrystalline polymers and thermally stable up to at least 200 °C. In vitro degradation studies showed that they can rapidly degrade under acidic conditions by the hydrolysis of the β‐thiopropionate groups, suggesting their potential as acid‐degradable polymeric materials. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Strain‐rate‐dependent mechanical properties of polypropylene separator for lithium‐ion batteries

The mechanical integrity of battery separators is critical for battery safety and durability. A comprehensive study of strain‐rate‐dependent tensile and puncture properties of a polypropylene lithium‐ion battery separator is presented here with a new model. Due to anisotropy of the polymeric membrane, tensile testing was conducted for different directions. Results showed that tensile strength and elastic modulus were increased 1000% and 500%, respectively, for different directions. It was also demonstrated that tensile strength changed 10 to 25% with strain rate (1.67 × 10^?4 to 1.67 × 10^?1 s^?1) for different directions. An equation was obtained for the first time for flow stress versus strain rate at varied tensile directions with respect to machine direction. Moreover, puncture testing was performed and it was shown that puncture strength was increased 140% with increasing strain rate from 0.25 to 250 mm min^?1. Two failure modes were also observed in puncture samples. Finally, Eyring's model was used to calculate activation enthalpy of the porous polypropylene separator. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

Isolation of antimicrobial agent from the marine algae Cystoseira hakodatensis

Cystoseira hakodatensis is an unutilised brown algae belonging to family Sargassaceae. A crude methanol extract from the algae showed inhibitory effects on the growths of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus licheniformis. To isolate the major antimicrobial agent, a sequential active‐guided isolation procedure was applied: liquid–liquid extraction, column chromatography and bio‐autography. A marked antimicrobial agent (active α) was isolated in hydrophobic fraction and was determined to phenolics without carbohydrates and proteins by phytochemical test. Regarding the antimicrobial potential, the isolated active α showed better inhibitory effects against B. cereus and B. licheniformis at 2 and 4 times of lower concentrations (62.5 and 31.3 μg mL^?1) in comparison with epigallocatechin gallate. These results showed that C. hakodatensis is a potential source of antimicrobial agent capable of preventing the growth of the two bacteria.     

Remote Steering of Self‐Propelling Microcircuits by Modulated Electric Field

The principles and design of “active” self‐propelling particles that can convert energy, move directionally on their own, and perform a certain function is an emerging multidisciplinary research field, with high potential for future technologies. A simple and effective technique is presented for on‐demand steering of self‐propelling microdiodes that move electroosmotically on water surface, while supplied with energy by an external alternating (AC) field. It is demonstrated how one can control remotely the direction of diode locomotion by electronically modifying the applied AC signal. The swimming diodes change their direction of motion when a wave asymmetry (equivalent to a DC offset) is introduced into the signal. The data analysis shows that the ability to control and reverse the direction of motion is a result of the electrostatic torque between the asymmetrically polarized diodes and the ionic charges redistributed in the vessel. This novel principle of electrical signal‐coded steering of active functional devices, such as diodes and microcircuits, can find applications in motile sensors, MEMs, and microrobotics.     

Power Input Prediction in Agitated Gas‐Liquid Contactors with Non‐coalescent Batch

Volumetric mass transfer coefficients, k_La, just as power input are considered as essential parameters for mechanically agitated gas‐liquid contactors in relation to their optimization and design. The knowledge of power input is crucial for the prediction of other mass transfer characteristics. A power input correlation is created for the industrial design of the process with a non‐coalescent batch that would be appropriate for a broad range of operational conditions. The recommended resulting correlation is able to predict the power input for impellers in industrial‐scale design for a significant scope of operational conditions.     

OWL‐based acquisition and editing of computer‐interpretable guidelines with the CompGuide editor

Computer‐Interpretable Guidelines (CIGs) are the dominant medium for the delivery of clinical decision support, given the evidence‐based nature of their source material. Therefore, these machine‐readable versions have the ability to improve practitioner performance and conformance to standards, with availability at the point and time of care. The formalisation of Clinical Practice Guideline knowledge in a machine‐readable format is a crucial task to make it suitable for the integration in Clinical Decision Support Systems. However, the current tools for this purpose reveal shortcomings with respect to their ease of use and the support offered during CIG acquisition and editing. In this work, we characterise the current landscape of CIG acquisition tools based on the properties of guideline visualisation, organisation, simplicity, automation, manipulation of knowledge elements, and guideline storage and dissemination. Additionally, we describe the CompGuide Editor, a tool for the acquisition of CIGs in the CompGuide model for Clinical Practice Guidelines that also allows the editing of previously encoded guidelines. The Editor guides the users throughout the process of guideline encoding and does not require proficiency in any programming language. The features of the CIG encoding process are revealed through a comparison with already established tools for CIG acquisition.     

Corrosion behavior of under‐, peak‐, and over‐aged 6063 alloy: A comparative study

The mechanical property of age‐hardenable Al‐alloys is governed by the state of ageing, which determines the microstructure and consequently, their corrosion behavior which is a vital aspect for a number of applications. This article presents a comparative assessment of corrosion behavior of under‐, peak‐ and over‐aged Al‐Mg‐Si alloy. Corrosion characteristics have been determined via immersion tests in 0.1 M ortho‐phosphoric acid solution and intergranular corrosion (IGC) tests. Corroded surfaces are examined by field emission scanning electron micrographs‐energy dispersive spectroscopy and 3D optical profilometer. The obtained results reveal that the corrosion rate at a specific immersion time as well as the depth of IGC increases in the order for under‐, peak‐, and over‐aged states. Irrespective of the state of ageing, corrosion loss increases linearly but the rate of corrosion decreases rapidly with increasing immersion time. The dominant mode of corrosion in under‐aged alloy is identified as localized pitting, while peak‐aged is highly susceptible to IGC in contrast extensive pitting corrosion is observed for over‐aged alloy. The observed differences in corrosion behavior are explained considering characteristics of precipitates. Formation of β (Mg₂Si) in case of over‐aged alloy and presence of inclusions like AlFeMnSi particles are found to accelerate pitting corrosion.     

Practical Application of the Probabilistic‐Statistical Model of the Suspension Separation in Hydrocyclones

An effective practical approach that allows not only a significant reduction in the scope of practical experiments in the course of studying suspension separation processes in hydrocyclones, but also makes it possible to assess the intensity of random components of the processes and define the interrelation between such components and hydrodynamics of flows in a hydrocyclone is presented. Within the frames of the developed probabilistic‐statistical model of suspension separation in hydrocyclones on the basis of statistical self‐similarity properties, a relationship was found between determined and random components of the processes. This allowed transitioning from three‐parameter probability density functions for suspension particles in hydrocyclones to two‐parameter functions; thus significantly improving the efficiency of practical application of the developed model.