The effects of chemical kinetics and wall temperature on performance of porous media burners

This paper reports a two-dimensional numerical prediction of premixed methane-air combustion in inert porous media burner by using of four multi-step mechanisms: GRI-3.0 mechanism, GRI-2.11 mechanism and the skeletal and 17 Species mechanisms. The effects of these models on temperature, chemical species and pollutant emissions are studied. A two-dimensional axisymmetric model for premixed methane-air combustion in porous media burner has developed. The finite volume method has used to solve the governing equations of methane-air combustion in inert porous media burner. The results indicate that the present four models have the same accuracy in predicting temperature profiles and the difference between these profiles is not more than 2 %. In addition, the Gri-3.0 mechanism shows the best prediction of NO emission in comparison with experimental data. The 17 Species mechanism shows good agreement in prediction of temperature and pollutant emissions with GRI-3.0, GRI-2.11 and the skeletal mechanisms. Also the effects of wall temperature on the gas temperature and mass fraction of species such as NO and CH₄ are studied.     

Hopf bifurcation analysis of asymmetrical rotating shafts

The Hopf and double Hopf bifurcations analysis of asymmetrical rotating shafts with stretching nonlinearity are investigated. The shaft is simply supported and is composed of viscoelastic material. The rotary inertia and gyroscopic effect are considered, but, shear deformation is neglected. To consider the viscoelastic behavior of the shaft, the Kelvin–Voigt model is used. Hopf bifurcations occur due to instability caused by internal damping. To analyze the dynamics of the system in the vicinity of Hopf bifurcations, the center manifold theory is utilized. The standard normal forms of Hopf bifurcations for symmetrical and asymmetrical shafts are obtained. It is shown that the symmetrical shafts have double zero eigenvalues in the absence of external damping, but asymmetrical shafts do not have. The asymmetrical shaft in the absence of external damping has a saddle point, therefore the system is unstable. Also, for symmetrical and asymmetrical shafts, in the presence of external damping at the critical speeds, supercritical Hopf bifurcations occur. The amplitude of periodic solution due to supercritical Hopf bifurcations for symmetrical and asymmetrical shafts for the higher modes would be different, due to shaft asymmetry. Consequently, the effect of shaft asymmetry in the higher modes is considerable. Also, the amplitude of periodic solutions for symmetrical shafts with rotary inertia effect is higher than those of without one. In addition, the dynamic behavior of the system in the vicinity of double Hopf bifurcation is investigated. It is seen that in this case depending on the damping and rotational speed, the sink, source, or saddle equilibrium points occur in the system.     

Optimized mercapto-modified resorcinol formaldehyde xerogel for adsorption of lead and copper ions from aqueous solutions

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology - Resorcinol formaldehyde (RF) xerogel was modified by mercapto functional groups for removal of Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The...     

Determination of carbamazepine in formulation samples using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method followed by ion mobility spectrometry

A simple, sensitive, fast and efficient method based on dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) followed by ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has been proposed for preconcentration and trace detection of carbamazepine (CBZ) in formulation samples. In this method, 1 mL of methanol (disperser solvent) containing 80 μL of chloroform (extraction solvent) was rapidly injected by a syringe into a sample. After 5 min centrifugation, the preconcentrated carbamazepine in the organic phase was determined by IMS. Development of DLLME procedure includes optimization of parameters influencing the extraction efficiencies such as kind and volume of extraction solvent, disperser solvent and salt addition, centrifugation time and pH of the sample solution. The proposed method presented good linearity in the range of 0.05–10 μg mL^?1 and the detection limit was 0.025 μg mL^?1. The repeatability of the method expressed as relative standard deviation was 6 % (n = 5). This method has been applied to the analysis of carbamazepine formulation samples with satisfactory relative recoveries ≤75 %.     

Shortest paths in linear time on minor-closed graph classes, with an application to Steiner tree approximation

We generalize the linear-time shortest-paths algorithm for planar graphs with nonnegative edge-weights of Henzinger et al. (1994) to work for any proper minor-closed class of graphs. We argue that their algorithm can not be adapted by standard methods to all proper minor-closed classes. By using recent deep results in graph minor theory, we show how to construct an appropriate recursive division in linear time for any graph excluding a fixed minor and how to transform the graph and its division afterwards, so that it has maximum degree three. Based on such a division, the original framework of Henzinger et al. can be applied. Afterwards, we show that using this algorithm, one can implement Mehlhorn’s (1988) 2-approximation algorithm for the Steiner tree problem in linear time on these graph classes.     

Modules of finite homological dimension with respect to a semidualizing module

We prove versions of results of Foxby and Holm about modules of finite (Gorenstein) injective dimension and finite (Gorenstein) projective dimension with respect to a semidualizing module. We also verify special cases of a question of Takahashi and White. This research was conducted while S.S.-W. visited the IPM in Tehran during July 2008. The research of S.Y. was supported in part by a grant from the IPM (No. 87130211).     

DFT Study of Endohedral Atoms Effect on Electrophilicity of B16N16 Boron Nitride Nanocage: Comparative Analyses

Endohedral derivatives of B₁₆N₁₆ nanocage (M@B₁₆N₁₆, M?=?Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ne, O^2?, S^2?, F^?, Cl^?) and its iso-electronic fullerne M@C₃₂ have been employed to investigate the relation between the trapped atom/ion and electrophilicity of the B₁₆N₁₆ and C₃₂ nanocages. The electrophilicity index, ??, of these endohedral nanocages has been evaluated from the ionization potential and the electron affinity computed by vertical ionization/affinity at the B3LYP/6-311++G(df,pd) level. Obtained results illustrate that the nature of trapped atom/ion affects HOMO-LUMO band gap, global electrophilicity indices and reactivity of B₁₆N₁₆ and C₃₂ nanocages. Encapsulation B₁₆N₁₆ with different atom/ions may be a possible method for modifying HOMO-LUMO energy gap, electrophilicity and so chemical characteristics of and C₃₂ nanocages.     

Compact all-optical switch for WDM networks based on Raman effect in silicon nanowavegide

We propose an all-optical switching scheme based on Raman gain in a silicon nanowaveguide suitable for multichannel optical communication. Raman gain is used for amplification of a control pulse with a higher wavelength, which depletes the tuned channel signal. Separation between control and signal pulses should be equal to the Raman shift in silicon. By employing a 3 mm channel nanowaveguide, we demonstrate a channel attenuation of about 12 dB, while the suppression ratios for the first and second neighboring channels are about 1.6 dB and 1 dB, respectively. This scheme can be used as an all-optical switch in dense wavelength division multiplexing networks. Moreover, we demonstrate that the depleted channel can be retrieved by a control pulse with lower wavelength in which the pulse amplifies the channel in contrast to the prior situation.     

Assessing the equation of state and comparing it with other relationships used for determining the surface tension of solids

Some facts regarding the equation of state (EQS) in calculating the surface tension of solids by means of contact angle measurements were manifested. In the present investigation, it was mathematically proved that the surface tension of a solid as estimated by the EQS is in fact equivalent to the Zisman critical surface tension for that same solid. Additionally, the applicability of the EQS's approach in attaining the surface tension of powdered solids by the aid of the capillary rise procedure is also discussed and its limitations are clarified. Furthermore, a methodology was devised so that the surface tension of solids as determined by the EQS could be compared with those calculated by approaches using components of surface tension. This methodology revealed that the applications of approaches based on the geometric mean (i.e. Owens/Wendt and van Oss et al. relationships) are restricted to achieving only high surface tensions of solids.     

The Effect of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Collagen Incorporated with Exo-Polysaccharides Derived from Rhodotorula mucilaginosa sp. on Burn Healing

Burn is one of the physically debilitating injuries that can be potentially fatal; therefore, providing appropriate coverage in order to reduce possible mortality risk and accelerate wound healing is mandatory. In this study, collagen/exo-polysaccharide (Col/EPS 1–3%) scaffolds are synthesized from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) skins incorporated with Rhodotorula mucilaginosa sp. GUMS16, respectively, for promoting Grade 3 burn wound healing. Physicochemical characterizations and, consequently, biological properties of the Col/EPS scaffolds are tested. The results show that the presence of EPS does not affect the minimum porosity dimensions, while raising the EPS amount significantly reduces the maximum porosity dimensions. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FTIR, and tensile property results confirm the successful incorporation of the EPS into Col scaffolds. Furthermore,the biological results show that the increasing EPS does not affect Col biodegradability and cell viability, and the use of Col/EPS 1% on rat models displays a faster healing rate. Finally, histopathological examination reveals that the Col/EPS 1% treatment accelerates wound healing, through greater re-epithelialization and dermal remodeling, more abundant fibroblast cells and Col accumulation. These findings suggest that Col/EPS 1% promotes dermal wound healing via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which can be a potential medical process in the treatment of burn wounds.