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The flow field-flow fractionation (FIFFF) technique is a promising method for separating and analysing particles and large size macromolecules from a few nanometers to approximately 50 μm. A new fractionation channel is described featuring well defined flow conditions even for low channel heights with convenient assembling and operations features. The application of the new flow field-flow fractionation channel is proved by the analysis of pigments and other small particles of technical interest in the submicrometer range. The experimental results including multimodal size distributions are presented and discussed.
Rotating flow systems are often used to study stability phenomena and structure developments. The closed spherical gap problem is generalized into an open flow system by superimposing a mass flux in meridional direction. The basic solutions at low Reynolds numbers are described by analytical methods. The nonlinear supercritical solutions are simulated numerically and realized in experiments. Novel steady and time-dependent modes of flows are obtained. The extensive results concern the stability behaviour, non-uniqueness of supercritical solutions, symmetry behaviour and transitions between steady and time-dependent solutions. The experimental investigations concern the visualization of the various instabilities and the quatitative description of the flow structures including the laminar-turbulent transition. A comparison between theoretical and experimental results shows good agreement within the limit of rotational symmetric solutions from the theory.
We generalize the fluid flow problem of an oscillating flat plate (II. Stokes problem) in two directions. We discuss first the oscillating porous flat plate with superimposed blowing or suction. The second generalization is concerned with an increasing or decreasing velocity amplitude of the oscillating flat plate. Finally we show that a combination of both effects is possible as well.
An algorithm is presented that has successfully been utilized in practice for several years. It improves data analysis in chromatography. The program runs in an extremely reliable way and evaluates chromatographic raw data with an acceptable error. The algorithm requires a minimum of preliminaries and integrates even unsmoothed noisy data correctly.
Formal verification (FV) is considered by many to be complicated and to require considerable mathematical knowledge for successful application. We have developed a methodology in which we have added formal verification to the verification process without requiring any knowledge of formal verification languages. We use only finite-state machine notation, which is familiar and intuitive to designers. Another problem associated with formal verification is state-space explosion. If that occurs, no result is returned; our method switches to random simulation after one hour without results, and no effort is lost. We have compared FV against random simulation with respect to development time, and our results indicate that FV is at least as fast as random simulation. FV is superior in terms of verification quality, however, because it is exhaustive.
This paper treats the interaction between acoustic modes and light (Brillouin scattering) in a single mode optical fibre. Different observed spectra of the Brillouin backscattering in several fibres have been already reported. In order to have a clear idea of the process, we made a simulation to be able to `draw' the theoretical Brillouin spectrum of an optical fibre and to identify the origin of the observed backscattered lines.
First, the model and the computation method used in our simulation are described. Second, the experimentally observed spectra of two real fibres are compared with their computed spectra. Real spectra and simulated spectra are in good agreement.
Our work provides an interesting tool to investigate the changes in the Brillouin spectrum when the input parameters (characteristics of an optical fibre) vary. This should give useful indications to people working on systems which use Brillouin backscattering.
In this paper a high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) scanner is presented in which a special fibre arrangement is used as HPTLC plate scanning interface. Measurements are taken with a set of 50 fibres at a distance of 400 to 500 μm above the HPTLC plate. Spatial resolutions on the HPTLC plate of better than 160 μm are possible. It takes less than 2 min to scan 450 spectra simultaneously in a range of 198 to 610 nm. The basic improvement of the item is the use of highly transparent glass fibres which provide excellent transmission at 200 nm and the use of a special fibre arrangement for plate illumination and detection.
Shapes and structures of vortex breakdown phenomena in rotating fluids are visualized. We investigate the flow in a cylindrical container and in a cone between two spherical surfaces. The primary swirling flow is induced by the rotating upper disk in the cylindrical case and by the lower boundary in the spherical case. The upper surface can be fixed with a no slip condition or can be a stress-free surface. Depending on these boundary conditions and on the Reynolds number novel structures of recirculation zones are realized. Experiments are done to visualize the topological structure of the flow and to determine their existence range as function of the geometry and rotation rate. A comparison between the experimental and theoretical approach shows a good agreement in respect to the topological structures of the flows.
The Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) has left us with many puzzles. The well-known oil painting by Elias Gottlob Haußmann is the only painting for which Bach actually posed in person. According to this portrait, Bach must have been quite obese. The cheeks and nose are flushed – possibly as signs of hypertension – and the eye lids are narrow – a sign of myopia. Furthermore, there is a thinning of the lateral third of the right eyebrow, which is known as Hertoghe’s sign, and indicated periorbital edema. Both signs are compatible with hypothyroidism. Bach might have been suffering from type-2 diabetes as the origin of his final illness, and the obituary reports two cataract surgeries by oculist John Taylor in March/April 1750, and, four months later, “apoplexy” followed by a high fever, of which Bach died. It may be speculated, however, that Bach’s entire illness was the result of his presumed obesity, possibly in combination with hypothyroidism.
In this paper pathophysiological interrelated deactivation/activation phenomena are set out in the example of whiplash injury. These phenomena could have been underestimated in previous positron emission tomography studies as their focus was on hypoperfusion rather than hyperperfusion. In addition, statistical parametric mapping analysis of cerebral studies is normally not fine-tuned to special interesting areas rather than to obvious clusters of difference.
Virtual reality in the hotel industry: assessing the acceptance of immersive hotel presentation
(2019)
In the hotel industry, it is crucial to reduce the inherent information asymmetry with regard to the goods offered. This asymmetry can be minimised through the use of smartphone-based virtual reality applications (SBVRs), which allow virtual simulation of real experiences and thus enable more efficient information retrieval. The aim of the study is to determine for the first time the user acceptance of these immersive hotel presentations for assessing the performance of a travel accommodation. For this purpose, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to explain the acceptance behaviour for this new technology. A virtual reality application was specially developed, in which the participants could explore a hotel virtually. A total of 569 participants took part in the study. The structural equation model and the hypotheses were tested using a Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis. The results illustrate that the immersive product experience leads to more efficient information gathering. The perceived usefulness significantly affects the attitude towards using the technology as well as the intention to use it. In contrast to the traditional TAM, the perceived ease of use of SBVRs has no effect on the perceived usefulness or attitude towards using the technology.
Nonlinearity can give rise to intermodulation distortions in surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices operating at high input power levels. To understand such undesired effects, a finite element method (FEM) simulation model in combination with a perturbation theory is applied to find out the role of different materials and higher order nonlinear tensor data for the nonlinearities in such acoustic devices. At high power, the SAW devices containing metal, piezoelectric substrate, and temperature compensating (TC) layers are subject to complicated geometrical, material, and other nonlinearities. In this paper, third-order nonlinearities in TC-SAW devices are investigated. The materials used are LiNbO 3 -rot128YX as the substrate and copper electrodes covered with a SiO 2 film as the TC layer. An effective nonlinearity constant for a given system is determined by comparison of nonlinear P-matrix simulations to third-order intermodulation measurements of test filters in a first step. By employing these constants from different systems, i.e., different metallization ratios, in nonlinear periodic P-matrix simulations, a direct comparison to nonlinear periodic FEM-simulations yields scaling factors for the materials used. Thus, the contribution of the different materials to the nonlinear behavior of TC-SAW devices is obtained and the role of metal electrodes, substrate, and TC film are discussed in detail.
For an elastic medium containing a homogeneous distribution of micro-cracks, an effective one-dimensional stress-strain relation has been determined with finite element simulations. In addition to flat micro-cracks, voids were considered that contain a Hertzian contact, which represents an example for micro-cracks with internal structure. The orientation of both types of micro-cracks was fully aligned or, for flat micro-cracks, totally random. For micro-cracks with Hertzian contacts, the case of random orientation was treated in an approximate way. The two types of defects were found to give rise to different degrees of non-analytic behavior of the effective stress-strain relation, which governs the nonlinear propagation of symmetric (S0) Lamb waves in the long-wavelength limit. The presence of flat micro-cracks causes even harmonics to grow linearly with propagation distance with amplitudes proportional to the amplitude of the fundamental wave, and gives rise to a static strain. The presence of the second type of defects leads to a linear growth of all harmonics with amplitudes proportional to the power 3/2 of the fundamental amplitude, and to a strain-dependent velocity shift. Simple expressions are given for the growth rates of higher harmonics of S0 Lamb waves in terms of the parameters occurring in the effective stress-strain relation. They have partly been determined quantitatively with the help of the FEM results for different micro-crack concentrations.
Nowadays, robotic systems are an integral part of many orthopedic interventions. Stationary robots improve the accuracy but also require adapted surgical workflows. Handheld robotic devices (HHRDs), however, are easily integrated into existing workflows and represent a more economical solution. Their limited range of motion is compensated by the dexterity of the surgeon. This work presents control algorithms for HHRDs with multiple degrees of freedom (DOF). These algorithms protect pre- or intraoperatively defined regions from being penetrated by the end effector (e.g., a burr) by controlling the joints as well as the device’s power. Accuracy tests on a stationary prototype with three DOF show that the presented control algorithms produce results similar to those of stationary robots and much better results than conventional techniques. This work presents novel and innovative algorithms, which work robustly, accurately, and open up new opportunities for orthopedic interventions.
In rural low voltage grid networks, the use of battery in the households with a grid connected Photovoltaic (PV) system is a popular solution to shave the peak PV feed-in to the grid. For a single electricity price scenario, the existing forecast based control approaches together with a decision based control layer uses weather and load forecast data for the on–off schedule of the battery operation. These approaches do bring cost benefit from the battery usage. In this paper, the focus is to develop a Model Predictive Control (MPC) to maximize the use of the battery and shave the peaks in the PV feed-in and the load demand. The solution of the MPC allows to keep the PV feed-in and the grid consumption profile as low and as smooth as possible. The paper presents the mathematical formulation of the optimal control problem along with the cost benefit analysis . The MPC implementation scheme in the laboratory and experiment results have also been presented. The results show that the MPC is able to track the deviation in the weather forecast and operate the battery by solving the optimal control problem to handle this deviation.
In recent times, the energy consumed by buildings facilities became considerable. Efficient local energy management is vital to deal with building power demand penalties. This operation becomes complex when a hybrid energy system is included in the power system. This study proposes new energy management between photovoltaic (PV) system, Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and the power network in a building by controlling the PV/BESS inverter. The strategy is based on explicit model predictive control (MPC) to find an optimal power flow in the building for one-day ahead. The control algorithm is based on a simple power flow equation and weather forecast. Then, a cost function is formulated and optimised using genetic algorithms-based solver. The objective is reducing the imported energy from the grid preventing the saturation and emptiness of BESS. Including other targets to the control policy as energy price dynamic and BESS degradation, MPC can optimise dramatically the efficacy of the global building power system. The strategy is implemented and tested successfully using MATLAB/SimPowerSystems software, compared to classical hysteresis management, MPC has given 10% in energy cost economy and 25% improvement in BESS lifetime.
Economic growth and ecological problems motivate industries to apply eco-friendly technologies and equipment. However, environmental impact, followed by energy and material consumption still remain the main negative implications of the technological progress in process engineering. Based on extensive patent analysis, this paper assigns more than 250 identified eco-innovation problems and requirements to 14 general eco-categories with energy consumption and losses, air pollution, and acidification as top issues. It defines primary eco-engineering contradictions, in case eco-problems appear as negative side effects of the new technologies, and secondary eco-engineering contradictions, if eco-friendly solutions have new environmental drawbacks. The study conceptualizes a correlation matrix between the eco-requirements for prediction of typical eco-contradictions on example of processes involving solids handling. Finally, it summarizes major eco-innovation approaches including Process Intensification in process engineering, and chronologically reviews 66 papers on eco-innovation adapting TRIZ methodology. Based on analysis of 100 eco-patents, 58 process intensification technologies, and literature, the study identifies 20 universal TRIZ inventive principles and sub-principles that have a higher value for environmental innovation.
The production of potable water in dry areas nowadays is mainly done by the desalination of seawater. State of the art desalination plants usually are built with high production capacities and consume a lot of electrical energy or energy from primary resources such as oil. This causes difficulties in rural areas, where no infrastructure is available neither for the plants’ energy supply nor the distribution of the produced potable water. To address this need, small, self-sustaining and locally operated desalination plants came into the focus of research. In this work, a novel flash evaporator design is proposed which can be driven either by solar power or by low temperature waste heat. It offers low operation costs as well as easy maintenance. The results of an experimental setup operated with water at a feed flow rate of up to 1,600 l/h are presented. It is shown that the proof of concept regarding efficient evaporation as well as efficient gas-liquid separation is provided successfully. The experimental evaporation yield counts for 98 % of the vapor content that is expected from the vapor pressure curve of water. Neither measurements of the electrical conductivity of the gained condensate, nor the analysis of the vapor flow by optical methods show significant droplet entrainment, so there are no concerns regarding the purity of the produced condensate for the use as drinking water.
Numerous 2,5-dimethoxy-N-benzylphenethylamines (NBOMe), carrying a variety of lipophilic substituents at the 4-position, are potent agonists at 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT2A ) receptors and show hallucinogenic effects. The present study investigated the metabolism of 25D-NBOMe, 25E-NBOMe, and 25N-NBOMe using the microsomal model of pooled human liver microsomes (pHLM) and the microbial model of the fungi Cunninghamella elegans (C. elegans). Identification of metabolites was performed using liquid chromatography-high resolution-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HR-MS/MS) with a quadrupole time-of-flight (QqToF) instrument. In total, 36 25D-NBOMe phase I metabolites, 26 25E-NBOMe phase I metabolites and 24 25N-NBOMe phase I metabolites were detected and identified in pHLM. Furthermore, 14 metabolites of 25D-NBOMe, 11 25E-NBOMe metabolites, and nine 25N-NBOMe metabolites could be found in C. elegans. The main biotransformation steps observed were oxidative deamination, oxidative N-dealkylation also in combination with hydroxylation, oxidative O-demethylation possibly combined with hydroxylation, oxidation of secondary alcohols, mono- and dihydroxylation, oxidation of primary alcohols, and carboxylation of primary alcohols. Additionally, oxidative di-O-demethylation for 25E-NBOMe and reduction of the aromatic nitro group and N-acetylation of the primary aromatic amine for 25N-NBOMe took place. The resulting 25N-NBOMe metabolites were unique for NBOMe compounds. For all NBOMes investigated, the corresponding 2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-X) metabolite was detected. This study reports for the first time 25X-NBOMe N-oxide metabolites and hydroxylamine metabolites, which were identified for 25D-NBOMe and 25N-NBOMe and all three investigated NBOMes, respectively. C. elegans was capable of generating all main biotransformation steps observed in pHLM and might therefore be an interesting model for further studies of new psychoactive substances (NPS) metabolism.
Lithium-ion pouch cells with lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12, LTO) anode and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2, NCA) cathode were investigated experimentally with respect to their electrical (0.1C…4C), thermal (5 °C…50 °C) and long-time cycling behavior. The 16 Ah cell exhibits an asymmetric charge/discharge behavior which leads to a strong capacity-rate effect, as well as a significantly temperature-dependent capacity (0.37 Ah ∙ K−1) which expresses as additional high-temperature feature in the differential voltage plot. The cell was cycled for 10,000 cycles inbetween the nominal voltage limits (1.7–2.7 V) with a symmetric 4C constant-current charge/discharge protocol, corresponding to approx. 3400 equivalent full cycles. A small (0.192 mΩ/1000 cycles) but continuous increase of internal resistance was observed. Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), this could be identified to be caused by the NCA cathode, while the LTO anode showed only minor changes during cycling. The temperature-corrected capacity during 4C cycling exhibited a decrease of 1.28%/1000 cycles. The 1C discharge capacity faded by only 4.0% for CC discharge and 2.3% for CCCV discharge after 10,000 cycles. The cell thus exhibits very good internal-resistance stability and excellent capacity retention even under harsh (4C continuous) cycling, demonstrating the excellent stability of LTO as anode material.
One of the bottlenecks hindering the usage of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell technology in automotive applications is the highly load-sensitive degradation of the cell components. The cell failure cases reported in the literature show localized cell component degradation, mainly caused by flow-field dependent non-uniform distribution of reactants. The existing methodologies for diagnostics of localized cell failure are either invasive or require sophisticated and expensive apparatus. In this study, with the help of a multiscale simulation framework, a single polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) model is exposed to a standardized drive cycle provided by a system model of a fuel cell car. A 2D multiphysics model of the PEMFC is used to investigate catalyst degradation due to spatio-temporal variations in the fuel cell state variables under the highly transient load cycles. A three-step (extraction, oxidation, and dissolution) model of platinum loss in the cathode catalyst layer is used to investigate the cell performance degradation due to the consequent reduction in the electro-chemical active surface area (ECSA). By using a time-upscaling methodology, we present a comparative prediction of cell end-of-life (EOL) under different driving behavior of New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC).
On the Fundamental and Practical Aspects of Modeling Complex Electrochemical Kinetics and Transport
(2018)
Numerous technologies, such as batteries and fuel cells, depend on electrochemical kinetics. In some cases, the responsible electrochemistry and charged-species transport is complex. However, to date, there are essentially no general-purpose modeling capabilities that facilitate the incorporation of thermodynamic, kinetic, and transport complexities into the simulation of electrochemical processes. A vast majority of the modeling literature uses only a few (often only one) global charge-transfer reactions, with the rates expressed using Butler–Volmer approximations. The objective of the present paper is to identify common aspects of electrochemistry, seeking a foundational basis for designing and implementing software with general applicability across a wide range of materials sets and applications. The development of new technologies should be accelerated and improved by enabling the incorporation of electrochemical complexity (e.g., multi-step, elementary charge-transfer reactions and as well as supporting ionic and electronic transport) into the analysis and interpretation of scientific results. The spirit of the approach is analogous to the role that Chemkin has played in homogeneous chemistry modeling, especially combustion. The Cantera software, which already has some electrochemistry capabilities, forms the foundation for future capabilities expansion.
We present an electrochemical model of a lithium iron phosphate/graphite (LFP/C6) cell that includes combined aging mechanisms: (i) Electrochemical formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) at the anode, leading to loss of lithium inventory, (ii) breaking of the SEI due to volume changes of the graphite particles, causing accelerated SEI growth, and (iii) loss of active material due to of loss percolation of the liquid electrolyte resulting from electrode dry-out. The latter requires the introduction of an activity-saturation relationship. A time-upscaling methodology is developed that allows to simulate large time spans (thousands of operating hours). The combined modeling and simulation framework is able to predict calendaric and cyclic aging up to the end of life of the battery cells. The aging parameters are adjusted to match literature calendaric and cyclic aging experiments, resulting in quantitative agreement of simulated nonlinear capacity loss with experimental data. The model predicts and provides an interpretation for the dependence of capacity loss on temperature, cycling depth, and average SOC. The introduction of a percolation threshold in the activity-saturation relationship allows to capture the strong nonlinearity of aging toward end of life (“sudden death”).
Design of a Programmable Passive SoC for Biomedical Applications Using RFID ISO 15693/NFC5 Interface
(2018)
Low power, low cost inductively powered passive biotelemetry system involving fully customized RFID/NFC interface base SoC has gained popularity in the last decades. However, most of the SoCs developed are application specific and lacks either on-chip computational or sensor readout capability. In this paper, we present design details of a programmable passive SoC in compliance with ISO 15693/NFC5 standard for biomedical applications. The integrated system consists of a 32-bit microcontroller, a sensor readout circuit, a 12-bit SAR type ADC, 16 kB RAM, 16 kB ROM and other digital peripherals. The design is implemented in a 0.18 µm CMOS technology and used a die area of 1.52 mm × 3.24 mm. The simulated maximum power consumption of the analog block is 592 µW. The number of external components required by the SoC is limited to an external memory device, sensors, antenna and some passive components. The external memory device contains the application specific firmware. Based on the application, the firmware can be modified accordingly. The SoC design is suitable for medical implants to measure physiological parameters like temperature, pressure or ECG. As an application example, the authors have proposed a bioimplant to measure arterial blood pressure for patients suffering from Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).
A printed electronics technology has the advantage of additive and extremely low-cost fabrication compared with the conventional silicon technology. Specifically, printed electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors (EGFETs) are attractive for low-cost applications in the Internet-of-Things domain as they can operate at low supply voltages. In this paper, we propose an empirical dc model for EGFETs, which can describe the behavior of the EGFETs smoothly and accurately over all regimes. The proposed model, built by extending the Enz-Krummenacher-Vittoz model, can also be used to model process variations, which was not possible previously due to fixed parameters for near threshold regime. It offers a single model for all the operating regions of the transistors with only one equation for the drain current. Additionally, it models the transistors with a less number of parameters but higher accuracy compared with existing techniques. Measurement results from several fabricated EGFETs confirm that the proposed model can predict the I-V more accurately compared with the state-of-the-art models in all operating regions. Additionally, the measurements on the frequency of a fabricated ring oscillator are only 4.7% different from the simulation results based on the proposed model using values for the switching capacitances extracted from measurement data, which shows more than 2× improvement compared with the state-of-the-art model.
Oxide semiconductors are highly promising candidates for the most awaited, next-generation electronics, namely, printed electronics. As a fabrication route for the solution-processed/printed oxide semiconductors, photonic curing is becoming increasingly popular, as compared to the conventional thermal curing method; the former offers numerous advantages over the latter, such as low process temperatures and short exposure time and thereby, high throughput compatibility. Here, using dissimilar photonic curing concepts (UV–visible light and UV-laser), we demonstrate facile fabrication of high performance In2O3 field-effect transistors (FETs). Beside the processing related issues (temperature, time etc.), the other known limitation of oxide electronics is the lack of high performance p-type semiconductors, which can be bypassed using unipolar logics from high mobility n-type semiconductors alone. Interestingly, here we have found that our chosen distinct photonic curing methods can offer a large variation in threshold voltage, when they are fabricated from the same precursor ink. Consequently, both depletion and enhancement-mode devices have been achieved which can be used as the pull-up and pull-down transistors in unipolar inverters. The present device fabrication recipe demonstrates fast processing of low operation voltage, high performance FETs with large threshold voltage tunability.
An Ultra-Low-Power RFID/NFC Frontend IC Using 0.18 μm CMOS Technology for Passive Tag Applications
(2018)
Battery-less passive sensor tags based on RFID or NFC technology have achieved much popularity in recent times. Passive tags are widely used for various applications like inventory control or in biotelemetry. In this paper, we present a new RFID/NFC frontend IC (integrated circuit) for 13.56 MHz passive tag applications. The design of the frontend IC is compatible with the standard ISO 15693/NFC 5. The paper discusses the analog design part in details with a brief overview of the digital interface and some of the critical measured parameters. A novel approach is adopted for the demodulator design, to demodulate the 10% ASK (amplitude shift keying) signal. The demodulator circuit consists of a comparator designed with a preset offset voltage. The comparator circuit design is discussed in detail. The power consumption of the bandgap reference circuit is used as the load for the envelope detection of the ASK modulated signal. The sub-threshold operation and low-supply-voltage are used extensively in the analog design—to keep the power consumption low. The IC was fabricated using 0.18 μm CMOS technology in a die area of 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm and an effective area of 0.7 mm2. The minimum supply voltage desired is 1.2 V, for which the total power consumption is 107 μW. The analog part of the design consumes only 36 μW, which is low in comparison to other contemporary passive tags ICs. Eventually, a passive tag is developed using the frontend IC, a microcontroller, a temperature and a pressure sensor. A smart NFC device is used to readout the sensor data from the tag employing an Android-based application software. The measurement results demonstrate the full passive operational capability. The IC is suitable for low-power and low-cost industrial or biomedical battery-less sensor applications. A figure-of-merit (FOM) is proposed in this paper which is taken as a reference for comparison with other related state-of-the-art researches.
Various methods of Digital Manufacturing (DM) have been available for the manufacturing of physical architectural models for several years. This paper highlights the advantages of 3D printing for digital manufacturing of detailed architectural models. In particular, the representation of architectural details and textures is treated. Furthermore, two new methods are being developed in order to improve the conditions for the application of digital manufacturing of architectural models.
A Validated Quantification of Sudan Red Dyes in Spicery using TLC and a 16-bit Flatbed Scanner
(2018)
We present a video-densitometric quantification method for Sudan red dyes in spices and spice mixtures, separated by TLC. Application was done band-wise in small dots using a 5 μL glass pipette. For separation, the RP-18 plates (20 × 20 cm with fluorescent dye; Merck, Germany, 1.05559) were developed in a vertical developing chamber without vapor saturation from the starting point to a distance of 70 mm by using acetonitrile, methanol, and aqueous ammonia solution (25%; 8 + 1.8 + 0.2, v/v) as mobile phase. The quantification is based on direct measurements using an inexpensive 16-bit flatbed scanner for color measurements (in red, green, and blue). Evaluation of only the green channel makes the measurements very specific. For linearization, an extended Kubelka-Munk expression for data transformation was used. The range of linearity covers more than two magnitudes and lies between 20 and 500 ng. The extraction from a 2 g sample with acetonitrile, evaporation, and reconstitution to 200 μL with methanol and the band-wise application (7 mm) of a 10 μL sample allows a statistically defined LOD of less than 500 ppb of Sudan red dyes. To perform the analysis, a separation chamber, RP-18 plates, 5 μL glass pipettes, and a 16-bit flatbed scanner for 105 € are needed; therefore, the separation method is inexpensive, fast, and reliable.
We present a planar chromatographic separation method for the phytoestrogenic active compound equol, separated on RP-18 W (Merck, 1.14296) phase. It could be shown that an ethanolic cattle manure extract contains this phytoestrogenic active compound to a larger amount. As solvents for the mobile phase, hexane, ethyl acetate, and acetone (45:15:10, v/v); acetone and water (15:10, v/v); and n-hexane, CH2Cl2, ethyl acetate, methanol, and formic acid (40:40:20:5:1, v/v) have been used. After separation, a modified yeast estrogen screen (YES) test was applied, using the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae BJ3505 containing an estrogen receptor. Its activation by equol induces the reporter gene lacZ which encodes the enzyme β-galactosidase. The enzyme activity is measured directly on the TLC plate by using the substrate MUG (4-methylumbelliferyl-β-d-galactopyranoside) or the substrate X-β-Gal (5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indoxyl-β-d-galactopyranoside). β-Galactosidase cleaves MUG into a fluorescing compound. X-β- Gal is also hydrolyzed and then oxidized by oxygen forming the deep-blue dye 5,5′-dibromo-4,4′-dichloro-indigo. Both reactions in combination with a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) separation allow very specific detecting of equol in cattle manure, although that is a very challenging matrix. Preliminary results show that the average content of equol in liquid manure is roughly 60 μg g−1. The value for urine is 50 μg mL−1.
In this article, we present a taxonomy in Robot-Assisted Training; a growing body of research in Human–Robot Interaction which focuses on how robotic agents and devices can be used to enhance user’s performance during a cognitive or physical training task. Robot-Assisted Training systems have been successfully deployed to enhance the effects of a training session in various contexts, i.e., rehabilitation systems, educational environments, vocational settings, etc. The proposed taxonomy suggests a set of categories and parameters that can be used to characterize such systems, considering the current research trends and needs for the design, development and evaluation of Robot-Assisted Training systems. To this end, we review recent works and applications in Robot-Assisted Training systems, as well as related taxonomies in Human–Robot Interaction. The goal is to identify and discuss open challenges, highlighting the different aspects of a Robot-Assisted Training system, considering both robot perception and behavior control.
In this paper, the temperature dependent cyclic mechanical properties of the martensitic hot work tool steel 1.2367 after tempering are investigated. To this end, hardness measurements as well as monotonic and cyclic tests at temperatures in the range from room temperature to 650 °C are performed on material tempered for different tempering times and temperatures. To describe the observed time and temperature dependent softening during tempering a kinetic model for the evolution of the mean size of secondary carbides based on Ostwald ripening is developed. Furthermore, mechanism-based as well as phenomenological relations for the cyclic mechanical properties of the Ramberg-Osgood model depending on carbide size and temperature are introduced. A good overall agreement of the measured and the calculated stress-strain hysteresis loops for different temperatures and heat treatments is obtained using the determined material properties of the kinetic and mechanical model.
In this paper the yield surface of a recently presented microstructure-based volume element of the gray cast iron material GJL-250 is assessed after different plastic loading histories. The evolution of the yield surface is investigated for different volumetric, deviatoric and uniaxial loadings. The micromechanical material properties of the metallic matrix and the graphite inclusions are validated by means experimental stress-strain hysteresis loops. The metallic matrix is modeled as elastic-plastic with a non-linear kinematic hardening law. The graphite inclusions are described by means of a volumetric strain state dependent Young’s modulus. The results show that the shape of the yield surface does not change significantly in comparison to the initial yield surface after pure deviatoric loadings. After volumetric loadings, the dependence of the material on the Lode angle is significantly reduced. Uniaxial tensile preloadings result in a deformed yield surface, whereby the magnitude of the deformation depends on the applied load. Uniaxial preloadings to compression do not change the shape of the initial yield surface.
Membrane distillation (MD) is a thermal separation process which possesses a hydrophobic, microporous
membrane as vapor space. A high potential application for MD is the concentration of hypersaline brines, such as
e.g. reverse osmosis retentate or other saline effluents to be concentrated to a near saturation level with a Zero
Liquid Discharge process chain. In order to further commercialize MD for these target applications, adapted MD
module designs are required along with strategies for the mitigation of membrane wetting phenomena. This
work presents the experimental results of pilot operation with an adapted Air Gap Membrane Distillation
(AGMD) module for hypersaline brine concentration within a range of 0–240 g NaCl /kg solution. Key performance
indicators such as flux, GOR and thermal efficiency are analyzed. A new strategy for wetting mitigation
by active draining of the air gap channel by low pressure air blowing is tested and analyzed. Only small reductions
in flux and GOR of 1.2% and 4.1% respectively, are caused by air sparging into the air gap channel.
Wetting phenomena are significantly reduced by avoiding stagnant distillate in the air gap making the air blower
a seemingly worth- while additional system component.
Energy consumption for cooling is growing dramatically. In the last years, electricity peak consumption grew significantly, switching from winter to summer in many EU countries. This is endangering the stability of electricity grids. This article outlines a comprehensive analysis of an office building performances in terms of energy consumption and thermal comfort (in accordance with static – ISO 7730:2005 – and adaptive thermal comfort criteria – EN 15251:2007 –) related to different cooling concepts in six different European climate zones. The work is based on a series of dynamic simulations carried out in the Trnsys 17 environment for a typical office building. The simulation study was accomplished for five cooling technologies: natural ventilation (NV), mechanical night ventilation (MV), fan-coils (FC), suspended ceiling panels (SCP), and concrete core conditioning (CCC) applied in Stockholm, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Milan, Rome, and Palermo. Under this premise, the authors propose a methodology for the evaluation of the cooling concepts taking into account both, thermal comfort and energy consumption.
Chronic insomnia is defined by difficulties in falling asleep, maintaining sleep, and early morning awakening, and is coupled with daytime consequences such as fatigue, attention deficits, and mood instability. These symptoms persist over a period of at least 3 months (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 criteria). Chronic insomnia can be a symptom of many medical, neurological, and mental disorders. As a disorder, it incurs substantial health-care and occupational costs, and poses substantial risks for the development of cardiovascular and mental disorders, including cognitive deficits. Family and twin studies confirm that chronic insomnia can have a genetic component (heritability coefficients between 42% and 57%), whereas the investigation of autonomous and central nervous system parameters has identified hyperarousal as a final common pathway of the pathophysiology, implicating an imbalance of sleep–wake regulation consisting of either overactivity of the arousal systems, hypoactivity of the sleep-inducing systems, or both. Insomnia treatments include benzodiazepines, benzodiazepine-receptor agonists, and cognitive behavioural therapy. Treatments currently under investigation include transcranial magnetic or electrical brain stimulation, and novel methods to deliver psychological interventions.
In this paper, an unconditionally stable algorithm for the numerical integration and finite-element implementation of a class of pressure dependent plasticity models with nonlinear isotropic and kinematic hardening is presented. Existing algorithms are improved in the sense that the number of equations to be solved iteratively is significantly reduced. This is achieved by exploitation of the structure of Armstrong-Frederik-type kinematic hardening laws. The consistent material tangent is derived analytically and compared to the numerically computed tangent in order to validate the implementation. The performance of the new algorithm is compared to an existing one that does not consider the possibility of reducing the number of unknowns to be iterated. The algorithm is used to implement a time and temperature dependent cast iron plasticity model, which is based on the pressure dependent Gurson model, in the finite-element program ABAQUS. The implementation is applied to compute stresses and strains in a large-scale finite-element model of a three cylinder engine block. This computation proofs the applicability of the algorithm in industrial practice that is of interest in applied sciences.
In this paper, the correlation of the cyclic J-integral, ΔJ, and the cyclic crack-tip opening displacement, ΔCTOD, is studied in the presence of crack closure to assess the question if ΔJ describes the crack-tip opening displacement in this case. To this end, a method is developed to evaluate ΔJ numerically within finite-element calculations. The method is validated for an elastic–plastic material that exhibits Masing behavior. Different strain ranges and strain ratios are considered under fully plastic cyclic conditions including crack closure. It is shown that the cyclic J-integral is the parameter to determine the cyclic crack-tip opening displacement even in cases where crack closure is present.
In this paper, the initial multiaxial yield behavior of three different gray cast iron materials with lamellar shaped graphite inclusions is numerically investigated by means of the finite-element method. Therefore, volume elements including the real microstructure of the materials are loaded bi- and triaxially beyond macroscopic yield. The shape of the obtained yield surfaces are compared to the surfaces of four continuum models which, amongst others, are proposed in literature to describe the inelastic behavior of gray cast iron with lamellar shaped graphite inclusions. It is found that the presented continuum models and the macroscopic yield surfaces obtained with microstructure-based finite-element models deviate. Furthermore, the initial inelastic flow direction is computed at the onset of macroscopic yielding. The analysis show that the inelastic flow is normal to the yield surface.
Demand Side Management for Thermally Activated Building Systems based on Multiple Linear Regression
(2015)
A laser-operated, angle-tunable transducer was employed to excite selectively elastic waves guided along the apex of a solid wedge. The propagation of wedge waves at anisotropic monocrystalline silicon edges with different symmetry properties was studied by optical detection. The reduced symmetry in crystals, as compared to isotropic media, causes a number of new features, such as the existence of supersonic leaky wedge waves, tilted spatial pulse profiles, and other peculiarities of their localization. Experimental and theoretical results are presented for three different types of symmetry configurations: the wedge symmetric about its midplane, the wedge symmetric about the plane normal to its apex line, and the wedge symmetric about one of its faces. The experiments include accurate measurements of the phase velocity and the wave field distribution, providing information on localization and coupling of wedge waves with other waves. Theoretically, the wedge waves were treated by the Laguerre function method, extended to modes that are not localized at the tip of the wedge. This approach allowed an accurate description of the observed localized and leaky wedge waves in anisotropic wedges.
The lifetime and performance of solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and electrolyzer cells (SOEC) can be significantly degraded by oxidation of nickel within the electrode and support structures. This paper documents a detailed computational model describing nickel oxide (NiO) formation as a growing film layer on top of the nickel phase in Ni/YSZ composite electrodes. The model assumes that the oxidation rate is controlled by transport of ions across the film (Wagner's theory). The computational model, which is implemented in a two-dimensional continuum framework, facilitates the investigation of alternative chemical reaction and transport mechanisms. Model predictions agree well with a literature experimental measurement of oxidation-layer growth. In addition to providing insight in interpreting experimental observations, the model provides a quantitative predictive capability for improving electrode design and controlling operating conditions.
Since 2003, most European countries established heat health warning systems to alert the population to heat load. Heat health warning systems are based on predicted meteorological conditions outdoors. But the majority of the European population spends a substantial amount of time indoors, and indoor thermal conditions can differ substantially from outdoor conditions. The German Meteorological Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst, DWD) extended the existing heat health warning system (HHWS) with a thermal building simulation model to consider heat load indoors. In this study, the thermal building simulation model is used to simulate a standardized building representing a modern nursing home, because elderly and sick people are most sensitive to heat stress. Different types of natural ventilation were simulated. Based on current and future test reference years, changes in the future heat load indoors were analyzed. Results show differences between the various ventilation options and the possibility to minimize the thermal heat stress during summer by using an appropriate ventilation method. Nighttime ventilation for indoor thermal comfort is most important. A fully opened window at nighttime and the 2-h ventilation in the morning and evening are more sufficient to avoid heat stress than a tilted window at nighttime and the 1-h ventilation in the morning and the evening. Especially the ventilation in the morning seems to be effective to keep the heat load indoors low. Comparing the results for the current and the future test reference years, an increase of heat stress on all ventilation types can be recognized.