Monitoring of polyethylene wear in nonmetal-backed acetubular cups by digitized anteroposterior pelvic radiography

The aim of this study was to assess polyethylene wear in a total hip prosthesis by digitized radiography of the whole pelvis in the anteroposterior (AP) plane. The three-dimensional (3-D) pose of the nonmetal-backed acetubular cup, materialized by its metal ring and the femoral head made of metal or ceramic, was estimated using iterative algebraic algorithms with inner bias correction and bootstrapping for variance reduction. Points of interest were obtained by maximizing the correlation between sampled density profiles and 3-D geometric models degraded by the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the radiographic system and the film scanner. The error in the maximal correlation estimate were inferred from noise power spectra (NPS) and allowed the calculation of the point covariance matrix. Both NPS and MTF were modeled for each stage and estimated using least-square fitting of the overall NPS model to the autospectral density function calculated in stationary regions. Comparison of the radiographic time series was made possible by the high accuracy level and 3-D matching from the cup orientation. The feasibility of the full 3-D measurement, the assumption of negligible lateral wear and its influence on AP wear are discussed on simulated and real radiographic data.     

Gas discrimination in an air-conditioned system

In this work, an identification system based on an array of semiconductor tin dioxide gas sensors has been developed. This system has provided a good success rate in the discrimination of carbon dioxide, forane R134a or their mixtures without a sensor dedicated to carbon dioxide. After a characterization of the five-sensor array, pretreatment was tested on the collected data to select the most representative parameters. Then the information contained in the resulting look-up table was analyzed with PCA, but no significant result was observed. Discriminant factorial analysis was then used and has shown a better separation of the different clusters. Next, unknown data were taken to validate the classification. The results show that a reliable system can be designed using nondedicated chemical semiconductor gas sensors     

Impact of power level and refill liquid composition on the aerosol output and particle size distribution generated by a new-generation e-cigarette device

The new high-power Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) can generate aerosols with higher nicotine concentrations than older ENDS. Aerosol particle sizes affect deposition patterns and then plasma nicotine levels in vapers. Consequently, understanding the factors influencing particle size distribution of high-power ENDS is relevant to assess their performance in terms of nicotine delivery. The particle size distribution and the aerosol output (aerosol mass) were measured using cascade impactors. The effects of the refill liquid composition (80% PG/20% VG vs. 80% VG/20% PG; PG refers to propylene glycol and VG to vegetable glycerin) and the power level of the battery (from 7 W to 22 W) were investigated. The aerosol output increases significantly with the power level following a logarithmic law. The PG/VG ratio also has an impact on the aerosol output. The higher the VG content in the refill liquid, the higher is the aerosol output. Besides, particle size distribution is positively related to the power level, following linear correlations between the mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) and the power level in the range of 7–22 W. A moderate impact of the PG/VG ratio on size distribution is equally observed. Changes in the power level allow the transition between a dominant mode with MMAD from 613 nm to 949 nm. We demonstrated that the power level can strongly change the aerodynamic properties of high-power ENDS, especially at high voltage. Associated with the aerosol nicotine level assessment, MMAD could be determined as a means for comparing ENDS devices and nicotine delivery.

Copyright © 2018 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Synthesis and Microscopic Characterization of Dendrimer-Derived Ru/Al2O3 Catalysts

Fourth generation poly(amidoamine) dendrimers have been used to template and stabilize Ru nanoparticles in solution. UV-visible spectroscopic results indicate that Ru³⁺ ions from a RuCl₃ precursor can complex with functional groups within the dendrimer structure. Subsequent reduction of the Ru³⁺ ions yields finely dispersed Ru nanoparticles with a narrow particle size distribution. These dendrimer-stabilized nanoparticles were deposited onto an alumina support and thermally activated to remove the dendrimer “shell”, as indicated by in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic measurements. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements indicate that the resulting Ru/Al₂O₃ catalyst has a smaller mean metal particle size and a narrower particle size distribution than a similar catalyst prepared by a traditional wet impregnation from the same RuCl₃ precursor.     

Layer thickness impact on the capacity of poly(urethaneimide) for sorbing toxic gases

The sensitivity of a thick layer (500 nm) of poly(urethaneimide) to toxic gases such as pyridine and hexamethyleneimine was studied by the quartz crystal microbalance method. The resonant frequency was registered by a spectrum analyzer. The successful overcoming of the unfavorable impact of the increased viscous damping, typical for the standard oscillator measurement method, allowed complete understanding of the behavior of a thick polymer layer toward highly pollutant gases. Quantitative information for polymer adsorption capacity and gas diffusivity was extracted. The comparison with our recent results for thinner layers revealed strong dependence on layer thickness for pyridine whereas the corresponding effect with hexamethyleneimine was found much less significant. Intermolecular interactions and the impact of the gas physical adsorption on the polymer matrix properties were shown as the driving parameters for the sensors response. The thickness dependence provides a tool for tuning the sensitivity of a potentially efficient poly(urethaneimide) sensor for pyridine. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44214.     

Theoretical and Experimental Identification of Love Wave Frequency Peaks in Layered Structure ZnO/Quartz SAW Device

In this paper, the layered structure ZnO/Quartz (90^deg rotated ST-cut) is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Both waves, Rayleigh and Love, are analyzed. Dispersion curves of phase velocities, electromechanical coupling coefficient (K ²) and temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) were calculated as a function of normalized thickness ZnO film (kh _ZnO = 2pih _ZnO /lambda) and the optimum value of h _ZnO was determined for experimental study. Experimental results combined with simulation lead to clearly identify the generated waves and their higher modes in this structure except the mode 0 that shows comparable velocity for both Rayleigh and Love waves. The identification of the wave type was performed by studying the frequency response of the device with or without a droplet of water in the wave path. We also demonstrate that the highest elastic velocity is obtained for the mode 1 of the Love wave. This Love wave mode exhibits very interesting electrical characteristics, good K ², high-frequency rejection, low TCF, and very low attenuation in liquid making it very attractive for gas and liquid sensor applications.     

Comparison of nutrient composition in kernel of tenera and clonal materials of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

Nutritive information about oil palm kernel is scarce, especially on the composition of sugars and water-soluble vitamins. This study aims to evaluate both tenera and clonal materials for their proximate composition, fatty acid profile, amino acid composition, sugar, mineral and water-soluble vitamin contents. The tenera material had a higher moisture, fat and fibre content as compared to the clonal material, whereas protein, carbohydrate and ash content were higher in the clonal material. The major fatty acid constituents in palm kernel oil were lauric acid, myristic acid and oleic acid. The palm kernel proteins were deficient in lysine and tryptophan but rich in glutamic acid, arginine and aspartic acid. Sucrose was the most abundant sugar in palm kernel. The mineral analysis of the samples showed high levels of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and manganese, while niacin was the water-soluble vitamin present at the highest concentrations in palm kernel.     

Dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes in water by lignin

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) can be stably dispersed in water with small amount of lignin. One-step dispersion in the 20.0 g/L concentration range is achieved at room temperature with excellent electrical properties of MWCNT. Lignin is depicted to act as an anti-static agent.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of reaction products of interesterification of peracetylated α-d-glucopyranose and fatty acid methyl esters

Mono- and diesters of fatty acids of peracetylated α-d-glucopyranose were prepared by chemical interesterification. Substituent-induced chemical shift effects on the carbonyl carbons rather than the ring carbons and proton atoms unambiguosly show the fatty acyl substituents to be at C1 in the monosubstituted, and at C1 and C6 in the disubstituted products. ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) integration data before and after interesterification complemented ¹³C chemical shift data in verifying the molecular structures. Empirical data from classical ¹H and ¹³C NMR experiments thus provide a simple self-contained method for determining the number and position of fatty acyl substituents, and the anomeric compositions of peracetylated glucose fatty esters.