Effects of upholstery materials on the burning behavior of real‐scale residential upholstered furniture mock‐ups

Fire spread and growth on real‐scale four cushion mock‐ups of residential upholstered furniture (RUF) were investigated with the goal of identifying whether changes in five classes of materials (barrier, flexible polyurethane foam, polyester fiber wrap, upholstery fabric, and sewing thread), referred to as factors, resulted in statistically significant changes in burning behavior. A fractional factorial experimental design plus practical considerations yielded a test matrix with 20 material combinations. Experiments were repeated a minimum of two times. Measurements included fire spread rates derived from video recordings and heat release rates (HRRs). A total of 13 experimental parameters (3 based on the videos and 10 on the HRR results), referred to as responses, characterized the measurements. Statistical analyses based on Main Effects Plots (main effects) and Block Plots (main effects and factor interactions) were used. The results showed that three of the factors resulted in statistically significant effects on varying numbers of the 13 responses. The Barrier and Fabric factors had the strongest main effects with roughly comparable magnitudes. Foam was statistically significant for fewer of the responses and its overall strength was weaker than for Barrier and Fabric. No statistically significant main effects were identified for Wrap or Thread. Multiple two‐term interactions between factors were identified as being statistically significant. The Barrier*Fabric interaction resulted in the highest number of and strongest statistically significant effects. The existence of two‐term interactions means that it will be necessary to consider their effects in approaches designed to predict the burning behavior of RUF.     

Rate of ammonia oxidation in a synthetic saline wastewater by a nitrifying mixed‐culture

Most of the kinetic studies on nitrification have been performed in diluted salts medium. In this work, the ammonia oxidation rate (AOR) was determined by respirometry at different ammonia (0.01 and 33.5 mg N‐NH₃ L^?1), nitrite (0–450 mg N‐NO₂^? L^?1) and nitrate (0 and 275 mg N‐NO₃^? L^?1) concentrations in a saline medium at 30 °C and pH 7.5. Sodium azide was used to uncouple the ammonia and nitrite oxidation, so as to measure independently the AOR. It was determined that ammonia causes substrate inhibition and that nitrite and nitrate exhibit product inhibition upon the AOR. The effects of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were represented by the Andrews equation (maximal ammonia oxidation rate, r_AOMAX, = 43.2 [mg N‐NH₃ (g VSS_AO h)^?1]; half saturation constant, K_SAO, = 0.11 mg N‐NH₃ L^?1; inhibition constant K_IAO, = 7.65 mg N‐NH₃ L^?1), by the non‐competitive inhibition model (inhibition constant, K_INI, = 176 mg N‐NO₂^? L^?1) and by the partially competitive inhibition model (inhibition constant, K_INA, = 3.3 mg N‐NO₃^? L^?1; α factor = 0.24), respectively. The r_AOMAX value is smaller, and the K_SAO value larger, than the values reported in diluted salts medium; the K_IAO value is comparable to those reported. Process simulations with the kinetic model in batch nitrifying reactors showed that the inhibitory effects of nitrite and nitrate are significant for initial ammonia concentrations larger than 100 mg N‐NH₄⁺ L^?1. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Eigenspannungen als Messgröße zur Qualitätssicherung

Residual stress as measured quantity in quality assurance The x‐ray method is used in the Volkswagen Automotive Group at different world‐wide locations as a standard procedure to determine residual stress. As an important measured quantity in the quality assurance residual stresses are specified in drawings of different components (e.g. gears, coil springs). Measurements are carried out during quality assurance, production, damage analyse, technical development department and design control of components from suppliers. An optimum efficiency can be achieved, if it exists a unique correlation between residual stress values and loading capacity of components, and if the processes to introduce residual stress can be optimized using residual stress measurements during the production.     

The LilyPad Arduino: Toward Wearable Engineering for Everyone

Electronic textiles, or e-textiles, are an increasingly important part of wearable computing, helping to make pervasive devices truly wearable. These soft, fabric-based computers can function as lovely embodiments of Mark Weiser's vision of ubiquitous computing: providing useful functionality while disappearing discreetly into the fabric of our clothing. E-textiles also give new, expressive materials to fashion designers, textile designers, and artists, and garments stemming from these disciplines usually employ technology in visible and dramatic style. Integrating computer science, electrical engineering, textile design, and fashion design, e-textiles cross unusual boundaries, appeal to a broad spectrum of people, and provide novel opportunities for creative experimentation both in engineering and design. Moreover, e-textiles are cutting- edge technologies that capture people's imagination in unusual ways. (What other emerging pervasive technology has Vogue magazine featured?) Our work aims to capitalize on these unique features by providing a toolkit that empowers novices to design, engineer, and build their own e-textiles.     

Solution structure of a DNA duplex containing the exocyclic lesion 3,N4-etheno-2'-deoxycytidine opposite 2'-deoxyguanosine

Vinyl chloride reacts with cellular DNA producing 3,N4-etheno-2'-deoxycytidine (epsilonC) along with other exocyclic adducts. The solution structure of an oligodeoxynucleotide duplex containing an epsilonC.dG base pair was determined by high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. NMR data indicated that the duplex adopts a right-handed helical structure having all residues in anti orientation around the glycosylic torsion angle. The epsilonC adduct has a sugar pucker in the C3'-endo/C4'-exo region while the rest of the residues are in the C2'-endo/C3'-exo range. NOE interactions established Watson-Crick alignments for canonical base pairs of the duplex. The imino proton of the lesion-containing base pair resonated as a sharp signal that was resistant to water exchange, suggesting hydrogen bonding. Restrained molecular dynamics simulations generated three-dimensional models in excellent agreement with the spectroscopic data. The refined structures are slightly bent at the lesion site without major perturbations of the sugar-phosphate backbone. The adduct is displaced and shifted toward the major groove of the helix while its partner on the complementary strand remains stacked. The epsilonC(anti).dG(anti) base pair alignment is sheared and stabilized by the formation of hydrogen bonds. The biological implications of structures of epsilonC-containing DNA duplexes are discussed.     

Evaluation, modelling and optimization of the cleaning process of contaminated plastic food refillables

In this study several types of bottle materials (glass, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PC (polycarbonate), HDPE (high density polyethylene), PP (polypropylene) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride)) were evaluated in order to be used as food refillables, comparing the residual chemical contamination after classical caustic washing. Bottles were contaminated with model chemicals (chloroxylenol and d-limonene) and caustic washed with varied process parameters using a simulated laboratory-scale washing procedure. After washing, the chemical-contaminated bottles were filled with water and stored for 28 days at 37 degrees C. The concentrations of the model chemicals in the water after storage were taken as a measure of chemical contamination. The influence of the cleaning parameters (temperature, caustic and commercial additive concentration) was studied using response surface methodology. Washing temperature showed a significant influence on the removal of absorbed chemicals from surfaces compared with the effect of the caustic and especially the additive concentration. Optimization of caustic cleaning for the cleaning process in question led to better cleaning effectiveness, although none of the different washing conditions were able to remove all absorbed chemicals out of the polymeric resins. Commercially available plastic refillables (PET and PC) showed the best chemical rinsability. Glass bottles, however, had in every case the best rinsing characteristics.     

Ionic Channels as Natural Nanodevices

Ion channels are proteins with a hole down their middle important in a wide range of biological functions yet simple enough to be analyzed as devices in the engineering tradition.     

Tower of London performance in relation to Magnetic Resonance Imaging following closed head injury in children.

To investigate the relationship of severity of pediatric closed head injury (CHI), the contribution of frontal lobe lesions, and age at testing (6–10 yr olds vs 11–15 yr olds) to cognitive deficit, 134 head-injured patients were given the Tower of London (TOL) task and underwent magnetic resonance imaging. 89 normal controls were given the TOL for comparison. Severity of CHI and age at testing were strongly related to cognitive performance on the TOL, including the frequency of breaking the rules. Volume of frontal lobe lesion (but not extrafrontal lesion) contributed to the prediction of perfomance on the TOL even after severity of injury was taken into account. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's Physiological Indices of Empathy and Their Socioemotional Adjustment: Does Caregivers' Expressivity Matter?

Relations of heart rate and skin conductance reactions to mildly evocative empathy-inducing slides with socioemotional functioning were examined for 154 children (mean age = 9 years, 5 months). In addition, maternal expressivity was tested as a moderator of these relations. Parents and teachers rated children's socioemotional functioning, and a behavioral measure of children's regulation was obtained. Boys who exhibited higher skin conductance and higher heart rate to slides depicting negative emotions were better regulated, less emotionally intense, and better adjusted than their peers. Furthermore, boys' regulation and adjustment were positively related to such physiological responding to negative slides if maternal negative expressivity was relatively low or moderate, but not high. Fewer findings were obtained for girls or for positive slides. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)