Multiple injection techniques for microfluidic sample handling

This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation into electrokinetic focusing flow injection for bioanalytical applications on 1 x N (i.e., 1 sample inlet port and N outlet ports) and M x N (i.e., M sample inlet ports and N outlet ports) microfluidic chips. A novel device is presented which integrates two important microfluidic phenomena, namely electrokinetic focusing and valveless flow switching within multiported microchannels. The study proposes a voltage control model which achieves electrokinetic focusing in a prefocusing sample injection system and which allows the volume of the sample to be controlled. Using the developed methods, the study shows how the sample may be prefocused electrokinetically into a narrow stream prior to being injected continuously into specified outlet ports. The microfluidic chips presented within this paper possess an exciting potential for use in a variety of techniques, including high-throughput chemical analysis, cell fusion, fraction collection, fast sample mixing, and many other applications within the micrototalanalysis systems field.     

Synthesis of phytosphingosine using olefin cross-metathesis: a convenient access to chain-modified phytosphingosines from d-lyxose

This work establishes a general protocol for synthesizing phytosphingosines with various lengths of lipid chains. The synthetic strategy included the Wittig reaction and olefin cross-metathesis as key steps. Combining these two C-C bond formation methods provide rapid access to adequately protected phytosphingosine backbones.     

Failure analysis of the total knee prosthesis anchored with PMMA

Stress and failure analysis of the bone/cement/metal prosthesis of the femorotibial joint are made. The system is modelled by the finite element method in two dimensions while the strain energy density (SED) criterion is applied to locate the potential medial and lateral failure sites in the PMMA for five different prosthesis positions. Examined also is the influence of the PMMA cement that may or may not completely fill the ligament between the stems of the femoral prosthetic component.According to the SED criterion, the cement next to the base of the femoral component systems is the weakest, particularly when the implant is tilted locally resulting in an uneven spread of the cement lining. A 10° local misalignment of the metal implant with reference to the mechanical axis of the femur is more detrimental than the 20° valgus or 20° varus position. The precise locations of possible failure sites on the cement are predicted even though the overall structural integrity of the total knee prosthesis system is found to be adequate for the ideal case investigated. Loadings of a dynamic nature combined with imperfections such as voids and defects in the cement are additional factors that can enhance failure initiation.     

Secondary temperature fluctuation in cracked 1020 steel specimen loaded monotonically

The thermal fluctuation in a compact tension specimen made of 1020 steel is monitored as it is loaded monotonically at a constant rate of 0.02 in/min. Cooling prevailed in a region near the crack tip for approximately three and one-half minutes before the local temperature rose above that of the ambient condition. Such a cooling/heating phenomenon has also been observed previously in other materials, either metallic or nonmetallic. What was unexpected is a secondary temperature fluctuation even though the load on the specimen kept increasing. This is a measurable and predictable phenomenon from the energy density theory. It is inherently associated with the change of order and/or disorder in the system that undergoes damage in an irreversible manner. Such a behavior is exhibited by the -function that serves as a measure of the order or disorder in a physical process. Experimental data and analytical predictions are presented to confirm the phenomenon of secondary temperature fluctuation in a cracked specimen.     

Dynamic fracture rate of Charpy V-notch specimen

Considered in this work is the dynamic loading rate effect on the fracture of pre-notched beam specimens. Four different dynamic loading rates for the same total work are analyzed using a three point bent specimen as specified by ASTM E-23, generally known as the Charpy simple-beam impact test. It will be referred to herein as the Charpy V-notch (CVN) configuration. As an example, the rate at which energy is applied dynamically to initiate fracture for the HY-80 casting material is determined. It is not sufficient to characterize the dynamic fracture behavior of material in units of foot-pound. What controls dynamic fracture is the rate of energy dissipated in the material damage process. The current approach of critical dynamic stress intensity factor and/or Charpy foot-pound has no theoretical basis and can lead to unreliable predictions when used in structural applications.     

Heating preceded by cooling ahead of crack: Macrodamage free zone

In contrast to the notion that heating prevails in the material when stressed, a period of cooling followed by heating is predicted to occur in the cracked speciment upon loading. This findings does not only confirm with the recent experiments made on AISI 316 steel [1] but it supports the existence of a damage free zone ahead of the crack within which the energy dissipation is extremely low as compared with those outside. The size of this zone can be macroscopic or otherwise depending on the scale level of observation. It is not uniquely determined by material type as it can change with the local crack tip strain rate that obviously depends on the load-time history. The idea of the material process zone that has been widely referred to in fracture mechanics must, therefore, be seriously questioned.     

Simultaneous determination of p-phenylenediamines and aminophenols in hair dye products: interlaboratory study

An isocratic HPLC method routinely used in the National Laboratory for Food and Drug Analysis of Taiwan was validated for the simultaneous determination of six aminophenols and phenylenediamines in commercial hair dyes. After extraction of the commercial hair dye product, the dye intermediates were determined by HPLC. Recoveries from the extraction were between 91.6 and 96.5%. The method was then evaluated in an interlaboratory collaborative study according to AOAC guidelines. Five laboratories in Taiwan participated in the study that analyzed the test product, which was preanalyzed by two laboratories to ensure acceptable homogeneity. The RSD(r) and RSD(R) values of the measurements obtained for the dye intermediates in the product were < or = 3.75 and < or = 5.95%, respectively. The method demonstrated acceptable reproducibility, as evidenced by HorRat values of 0.82- 0.97. The applicability of the method to the determination of oxidative hair dye components was further demonstrated in analyses of two different products. The method is thus proposed to be used by manufacturers and laboratories to evaluate the quality of commercial hair dyes containing the six aminophenols and phenylenediamines.     

A stochastic periodic review integrated inventory model involving defective items, backorder price discount, and variable lead time

The purpose of this article is to investigate a stochastic integrated supplier-retailer inventory problem. The model analyzed in this article explores the problem of the protection interval, the backorder price discount, the lead time, and the numbers of shipments from the supplier to the retailer in one production run as control variables to widen applications for an integrated periodic review inventory model. We consider the situation in which the supplier and the retailer establish a long-term strategic partnership and contract to jointly determine the best strategy. We assume that the protection interval demand follows a normal distribution. Our objective is to determine the optimal review period, the optimal backorder price discount, the optimal lead time, and the optimal number of shipments from the supplier to the retailer in one production run, so that the joint expected annual total cost incurred has the minimum value. Furthermore, an algorithm of finding the optimal solution is developed. Also, the sensitivity analysis included and a numerical example is given to illustrate the results of the proposed model.     

Optical properties of yellow-light-emitting LiZnVO4:Eu3+ phosphor prepared by sol–gel method

Europium-doped nanocrystals of lithium zinc vanadium oxide (LiZnVO₄) prepared via the sol–gel method are characterized. The X-ray power diffraction results reveal that a pure phase is obtained at 500 °C. The photoluminescence spectra of LiZnVO₄:xEu (x = 7 mol%) exhibit emission peaks at 526, 597 and 620 nm. The emission shifts from bluish-green to yellow when the doping concentration is increased from 0 to 7 mol%, due to the emission peak at 620 nm from the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ transition, which originated from charge transfer transitions from VO₄ ^3? to Eu³⁺ ions.     

Rail-end bolt hole fatigue crack in three dimensions

This work is concerned with subcritical crack growth in rail-end bolt hole caused by fatigue. Included in the analysis are the mechanical wheel loads and thermal fluctuations experienced by the rail. The interaction of cyclic loading with the rail geometry is considered to be essential. Finite element stress analysis is coupled with the strain energy density criterion for determining the subcritical crack growth steps. The crack can grow and follow any arbitrary surface in the three-dimensional space depending on the symmetry or antisymmetry conditions of the load and geometry. Results on crack shapes and growth rates compare favorably with those observed experimentally.