Study of Adsorption/Desorption Effect of 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole as Sweet Corrosion Inhibitor on API-5L X60 Steel

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - In this study, the inhibitive performance of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (2MBT) and 2-aminobenzothiazole (2ABT) were investigated on API-5L X60...     

Wavefront reduction using graphs,neural networks and genetic algorithm

This paper presents an algorithm for nodal numbering in order to obtain a small wavefront. Element clique graphs are employed as the mathematical models of finite element meshes. A priority function containing five vectors is used, which can be viewed as a generalization of Sloan's function. These vectors represent different connectivity properties of the graph models. Unlike Sloan's algorithm, which uses two fixed coefficients, here, five coefficients are employed, based on an evaluation by artificial neural networks. The networks weights are obtained using a simple genetic algorithm. Examples are included to illustrate the performance of the present hybrid method. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Drag coefficient of flow around a sphere: Matching asymptotically the wide trend

An empirical relationship of drag coefficient of flow around a sphere is developed for the entire range of Particle Reynolds numbers reported in the literature from Stokes regime to the condition when turbulent boundary layer prevails. The relationship is obtained using an approach to match asymptotically the wide trend of drag coefficient. The matching approach, which relies on dividing the wide trend into smaller segments that can be combined into an overall relationship, employs regression techniques and thus warrants the best-fit accuracy results. The relationship is calibrated with experimental data available in the literature covering the entire range for Reynolds numbers up to ~ 10⁶. For Reynolds values greater than 10⁶, the relationship renders a drag coefficient of 0.2. The performance of the relationship is tested and compared with other suitable models found in the literature. This relationship is also transformed into an explicit expression for settling velocity calculations.     

Intramuscular ceftriaxone compared with oral amoxicillin-clavulanate for treatment of acute otitis media in children

Two hundred and fifteen children aged 4 months 6 years with acute otitis media (AOM) were randomized to be treated either by a single i.m. injection of ceftriaxone, 50 mg/kg, with a second dose in the event of unsatisfactory response after 48 h or a history of recurrent AOM (109 patients) or amoxicillin clavulanate 12.5 mg tid (106 patients). The failure rate was similar in children treated by ceftriaxone and amoxicillin clavulanate, 4.6% and 4.7%, respectively (standard error for intergroup difference -2.87%, 95% confidence interval -5.62% to 5.87%). No significant differences between the groups were found in the dynamics of the resolution of the acute symptomatology, otoscopy findings, relapse rate at 30 days or tympanographic evidence of middle ear effusion at the scheduled visits on days 30, 60 and 90. Recurrence of AOM between days 31 and 90 was observed significantly in more children treated with amoxicillin clavulanate than with ceftriaxone--25 out of 84 (29.4%) versus 11 out of 81 (13.6%) (P = 0.012). Conclusion: Ceftriaxone injection(s) is as efficient at least as 10-day oral amoxicillin clavulanate for treatment of acute otitis media in children. Although not recommended as routine, ceftriaxone can be considered in the management of acute otitis media under special circumstances, particularly in cases when the ability to tolerate or absorb oral drugs is compromised, in children refusing or unable to take oral therapy or when the compliance is questionable.     

Maximizing learning without sacrificing the fun: Stealth assessment,adaptivity and learning supports in educational games

In this study, we investigated the validity of a stealth assessment of physics understanding in an educational game, as well as the effectiveness of different game-level delivery methods and various in-game supports on learning. Using a game called Physics Playground, we randomly assigned 263 ninth- to eleventh-grade students into four groups: adaptive, linear, free choice and no-treatment control. Each condition had access to the same in-game learning supports during gameplay. Results showed that: (a) the stealth assessment estimates of physics understanding were valid—significantly correlating with the external physics test scores; (b) there was no significant effect of game-level delivery method on students' learning; and (c) physics animations were the most effective (among eight supports tested) in predicting both learning outcome and in-game performance (e.g. number of game levels solved). We included student enjoyment, gender and ethnicity in our analyses as moderators to further investigate the research questions.     

Design,Facile Synthesis and Characterization of Porphyrin-Zirconium-Ferrite@SiO2 Core-Shell and Catalytic Application in Cyclohexane Oxidation

Silicon - In this study, a new magnetic ZrFe2O4@SiO2-TCPP nanocatalyst with high efficiency was used for the oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanone (Ke) and cyclohexanol (Al). The mesoporous...     

Experimental determination of gas holdup and volumetric mass transfer coefficient in a jet bubbling reactor

The hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics of a lab-scale jet bubbling reactor(JBR) including the gas holdup, volumetric mass transfer coefficient and specific interfacial area were assessed experimentally investigating the influence of temperature, p H and superficial gas velocity. The reactor diameter and height were 11 and 30 cm,respectively. It was equipped with a single sparger, operating at atmospheric pressure, 20 and 40℃, and two p H values of 3 and 6. The height of the liquid was 23 cm, while the superficial gas velocity changed within 0.010–0.040 m·s~(-1) range. Experiments were conducted with pure oxygen as the gas phase and saturated lime solution as the liquid phase. The liquid-side volumetric mass transfer coefficient was determined under unsteady-state oxygen absorption in a saturated lime solution. The gas holdup was calculated based on the liquid height change, while the specific interfacial area was obtained by a physical method based on the bubble size distribution(BSD) in different superficial gas velocities. The results indicated that at the same temperature but different p H, the gas holdup variation was negligible, while the liquid-side volumetric mass transfer coefficient at the p H value of 6 was higher than that at the p H = 3. At a constant p H but different temperatures, the gas holdup and the liquid-side volumetric mass transfer coefficients at 40℃ were higher than that of the same at 20℃. A reasonable and appropriate estimation of the liquid-side volumetric mass transfer coefficient(kla) in a pilot-scale JBR was provided which can be applied to the design and scale-up of JBRs.     

Luminescent Amphiphilic Aminoglycoside Probes to Study Transfection

We report the characterization of amphiphilic aminoglycoside conjugates containing luminophores with aggregation-induced emission properties as transfection reagents. These inherently luminescent transfection vectors are capable of binding plasmid DNA through electrostatic interactions; this binding results in an emission “on” signal due to restriction of intramolecular motion of the luminophore core. The luminescent cationic amphiphiles effectively transferred plasmid DNA into mammalian cells (HeLa, HEK 293T), as proven by expression of a red fluorescent protein marker. The morphologies of the aggregates were investigated by microscopy as well as ζ-potential and dynamic light-scattering measurements. The transfection efficiencies using luminescent cationic amphiphiles were similar to that of the gold-standard transfection reagent Lipofectamine® 2000.     

Synthesis and characterization of hydrophilic nanocomposite coating on glass substrate

Hydrophilic coatings based on 3‐glicidoxy propyl trimethoxy silane (GPTMS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were prepared with the incorporation of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and silica nanoparticle colloidal suspension by a sol–gel process. Characterization of the coatings has been performed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Attenuated Total Reflectance Infrared (ATR‐IR) techniques. Morphological properties were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The distribution of Si atoms in the hybrid system was obtained by Si mapping. The particle size in sol solution of the coating was measured by light scattering analyzer. Optical properties were characterized by using UV–vis spectrophotometer. The hydrophilicity of the coating was determined by contact angle measurements, and also the results have been confirmed by surface energy and water uptake investigations. The obtained results indicate that the surfactants affected the contact angles remarkably but did not change the transparency. It has been found that applying silica nano particles leads to coatings with different properties than those using TMOS, while siloxane contents were the same in these two set of coatings. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5322–5329, 2006