WorldWideScience

Sample records for dry bulk carriers

  1. Price Formation of Dry Bulk Carriers in the Chinese Shipbuilding Industry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    JIANG, Liping

    In this paper we present, for the first time, the price formation of China’s dry bulk carrier using vessel prices quoted by major Chinese shipyards in actual shipbuilding orders. This allows us to investigate the relationship of price and determinants in the Chinese shipbuilding industry by inclu......In this paper we present, for the first time, the price formation of China’s dry bulk carrier using vessel prices quoted by major Chinese shipyards in actual shipbuilding orders. This allows us to investigate the relationship of price and determinants in the Chinese shipbuilding industry...... by including generic market factors as well as Chinese elements. The analysis, employing Principal Component Regression (PCR) approach, indicates that the time charter rate has the most significantly positive impact. While increases in other four factors, namely shipbuilding cost, price cost margin...... to investigate what would happen to the Chinese dry bulk carrier prices under changes of time charter rate and shipbuilding cost. This paper has implications for the Chinese shipyards, shipbuilding industry customers and industry policy makers....

  2. Optimization of Sour Cherry Juice Spray Drying as
Affected by Carrier Material and Temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zorić, Zoran; Pedisić, Sandra; Dragović-Uzelac, Verica

    2016-01-01

    Summary Response surface methodology was applied for optimization of the sour cherry Marasca juice spray drying process with 20, 30 and 40% of carriers maltodextrin with dextrose equivalent (DE) value of 4–7 and 13–17 and gum arabic, at three drying temperatures: 150, 175 and 200 °C. Increase in carrier mass per volume ratio resulted in lower moisture content and powder hygroscopicity, higher bulk density, solubility and product yield. Higher temperatures decreased the moisture content and bulk density of powders. Temperature of 200 °C and 27% of maltodextrin with 4–7 DE were found to be the most suitable for production of sour cherry Marasca powder. PMID:28115901

  3. Design of solar drying-plant for bulk material drying

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Horbaj

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available A generally well-known high energy requirement for technological processes of drying and the fact that the world’s supplyof the conventional energy sources has considerably decreased are the decisive factors forcing us to look for some new, if possible,renewable energy sources for this process by emphasising their environmental reliability. One of the possibilities how to replace, atleast partly, the conventional energy sources – heat in a drying process is solar energy.Air-drying of bulk materials usually has a series of disadvantages such as time expenditure, drying defects in the bulk materialand inadequate final moisture content. A method that obviates or reduces the disadvantages of air-drying and, at the same time, reducesthe costs of kiln drying, is drying with solar heat. Solar energy can replace a large part of this depletable energy since solar energy cansupply heat at the temperatures most often used to dry bulk material. Solar drying-plant offer an attractive solution.

  4. Inert carrier drying and coating process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-01-01

    An inert carrier process is described for drying radioactive (particularly low level) waste material and for incorporating the dry material into a binder matrix from which the dried material will not be leached. Experimental details, and examples of the carrier and binder materials, are given. (U.K.)

  5. Hibiscus sabdariffa L extract drying with different carrier agent: Drying rate evaluation and color analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Djaeni, M.; Utari, F. D.; Kumoro, A. C.

    2017-03-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different carrier agents on roselle or Hibiscus sabdariffa L.extract drying. Carrier agent was used for reducing stickiness of material and avoiding agglomeration as well as improving stability. The method consisted of two steps involving roselle extraction and drying process. The liquid roselle extract was mixed with carrier agent (maltodextrin-arabic gum) in various composition. The mixture was then dried at different air temperature ranging 40 - 80°C. As a response, moisture content in the extract was observed by gravimetry every 10 minutes during90 minutes. The procedurewas repeated for the drying without carrieragent. The result showed that constant rate of drying with carrier agent was higher up to l.7 times than that of without carrier agent. Based on the color analysis,roselle extract drying with carrier agent also showed reasonable quality.

  6. 46 CFR 111.105-32 - Bulk liquefied flammable gas and ammonia carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Bulk liquefied flammable gas and ammonia carriers. 111... gas and ammonia carriers. (a) Each vessel that carries bulk liquefied flammable gases or ammonia as a.... (2) The term “gas-dangerous” does not include the weather deck of an ammonia carrier. (c) Each...

  7. The Impact of Seafarers’ Perceptions of National Culture and Leadership on Safety Attitude and Safety Behavior in Dry Bulk Shipping

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chin-Shan Lu

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to examine the effects of national culture and leadership style on safety performance in bulk shipping companies. Survey data collected from 322 respondents working in dry bulk carriers was used, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to analyze the influence of national culture and leadership styles (i.e. transformational, passive management, and contingent reward on safety attitude and safety behavior. The results indicate that national culture dimensions such as power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism, and long-term orientation had a positive influence on safety behaviour. Long-term orientation had a positive influence on safety attitude, whereas masculinity had a negative influence on safety attitude of seafarers. Specifically, this research found that transformational leadership had a positive influence on safety attitude and safety behaviour of seafarers. Moreover, practical implication from the research findings to improve ship safety in dry bulk shipping were discussed.

  8. Investigation of electrostatic behavior of a lactose carrier for dry powder inhalers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chow, Keat Theng; Zhu, Kewu; Tan, Reginald B H; Heng, Paul W S

    2008-12-01

    This study aims to elucidate the electrostatic behavior of a model lactose carrier used in dry powder inhaler formulations by examining the effects of ambient relative humidity (RH), aerosolization air flow rate, repeated inhaler use, gelatin capsule and tapping on the specific charge (nC/g) of bulk and aerosolized lactose. Static and dynamic electrostatic charge measurements were performed using a Faraday cage connected to an electrometer. Experiments were conducted inside a walk-in environmental chamber at 25 degrees C and RHs of 20% to 80%. Aerosolization was achieved using air flow rates of 30, 45, 60 and 75 L/min. The initial charges of the bulk and capsulated lactose were a magnitude lower than the charges of tapped or aerosolized lactose. Dynamic charge increased linearly with aerosolization air flow rate and RH. Greater frictional forces at higher air flow rate induced higher electrostatic charges. Increased RH enhanced charge generation. Repeated inhaler use significantly influenced electrostatic charge due to repeated usage. This study demonstrated the significance of interacting influences by variables commonly encountered in the use DPI such as variation in patient's inspiratory flow rate, ambient RH and repeated inhaler use on the electrostatic behavior of a lactose DPI carrier.

  9. Forecasting Dry Bulk Freight Index with Improved SVM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qianqian Han

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available An improved SVM model is presented to forecast dry bulk freight index (BDI in this paper, which is a powerful tool for operators and investors to manage the market trend and avoid price risking shipping industry. The BDI is influenced by many factors, especially the random incidents in dry bulk market, inducing the difficulty in forecasting of BDI. Therefore, to eliminate the impact of random incidents in dry bulk market, wavelet transform is adopted to denoise the BDI data series. Hence, the combined model of wavelet transform and support vector machine is developed to forecast BDI in this paper. Lastly, the BDI data in 2005 to 2012 are presented to test the proposed model. The 84 prior consecutive monthly BDI data are the inputs of the model, and the last 12 monthly BDI data are the outputs of model. The parameters of the model are optimized by genetic algorithm and the final model is conformed through SVM training. This paper compares the forecasting result of proposed method and three other forecasting methods. The result shows that the proposed method has higher accuracy and could be used to forecast the short-term trend of the BDI.

  10. Characterisation of spray dried soy sauce powders made by adding crystalline carbohydrates to drying carrier.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wei; Zhou, Weibiao

    2015-02-01

    This study aimed to reduce stickiness and caking of spray dried soy sauce powders by introducing a new crystalline structure into powder particles. To perform this task, soy sauce powders were formulated by using mixtures of cellulose and maltodextrin or mixtures of waxy starch and maltodextrin as drying carriers, with a fixed carrier addition rate of 30% (w/v) in the feed solution. The microstructure, crystallinity, solubility as well as stickiness and caking strength of all the different powders were analysed and compared. Incorporating crystalline carbohydrates in the drying carrier could significantly reduce the stickiness and caking strength of the powders when the ratio of crystalline carbohydrates to maltodextrin was above 1:5 and 1:2, respectively. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) results showed that adding cellulose or waxy starch could induce the crystallinity of powders. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) results demonstrated that the native starch added to the soy sauce powders did not fully gelatinize during spray drying. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Effect Carrier Agent Formulation in Drying Rate and Antioxidant Activity of Roselle Extract

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Utari Febiani Dwi

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Roselle (Hibiscus sabdarifa L contains anthocyanins as the natural colorant and antioxidant. Drying the roselle extract was aims to produce the dry product that easy consumption as antioxidant. The carrier agent was added in roselle extract to improve the drying rate and maintain the nutritional value. This research studied the effect of carrier agent in drying rate and antioxidant activity. The method consists of two step involving roselle extraction using ultrasonic and the drying process. The roselle extraction by ultrasonic use the water as the solvent. The carrier agent (0%,5%,10% of maltodextrin was added in roselle extract. The mixture was then dried in tray dryer dehumidification using zeolite in drying temperature 50,60, and 70⁰C. As the response, the moisture content was observed by gravimetry every 15 minutes for 150 minutes. The result showed that Page model was fitted to determine the constant of drying rate. Higher concentration of carrier agent enhanced the moisture evaporation process. Based on the DPPH analysis, the degradation of antioxidant activity in temperature 70⁰C was 2.14 times higher than in temperature 50⁰C. As the conclusion, addition of maltodextrin can speed up the drying process and retain the antioxidant activity of.

  12. Multi-agent adaptive systems in dry bulk shipping

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Engelen, Steve; Dullaert, Wout; Vernimmen, Bert

    Investment decisions in dry bulk shipping form one of the most difficult managerial tasks due to the high degree of uncertainty and the cyclical nature of the market. Adequate information on ship prices is, therefore, crucial when justifying such decisions. This paper is the first to embed trading

  13. The Design of Bulk Carrier Cargo Holds State Integrated Monitoring System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gao Ru-jiang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Most ship cargo hold Internal uses artificial watch or is unattended. Therefore, it is impossible to know the appropriate information of the cargo holds Internal timely and accurately. Cargo damage and ship accidents occurred frequently. Automation remote processing and monitoring alarm system for the bulk carrier is an important part of the marine automation. The system plays a significant role to guarantee the navigation safety for bulk carriers. The paper introduced the important parts of the integrated monitoring system, structural design, hardware configuration, various modules communication transmission and various data processing software design were included. Based on embedded development, the real time information including the cargo hold internal humidity temperature, oxygen concentration, smoke gas concentration, cold water well level and other data were collected, as well the hatch closed state was detected and the cargo hold internal real time video information was collected. Then the real-time communication between the control display and acquisition modules were assured. By adjusting the corresponding buttons on the bridge according to the monitoring information, so that the cargo hold always in a safe environment, so as to avoid cargo hold accidents.

  14. Incorporating mesh-insensitive structural stress into the fatigue assessment procedure of common structural rules for bulk carriers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seong-Min Kim

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This study introduces a fatigue assessment procedure using mesh-insensitive structural stress method based on the Common Structural Rules for Bulk Carriers by considering important factors, such as mean stress and thickness effects. The fatigue assessment result of mesh-insensitive structural stress method have been compared with CSR procedure based on equivalent notch stress at major hot spot points in the area near the ballast hold for a 180 K bulk carrier. The possibility of implementing mesh-insensitive structural stress method in the fatigue assessment procedure for ship structures is discussed.

  15. Fibres as carriers for Lactobacillus rhamnosus during freeze-drying and storage in apple juice and chocolate-coated breakfast cereals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saarela, Maria; Virkajärvi, Ilkka; Nohynek, Liisa; Vaari, Anu; Mättö, Jaana

    2006-11-01

    The capability of different fibre preparations to protect the viability and stability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus during freeze-drying, storage in freeze-dried form and after formulation into apple juice and chocolate-coated breakfast cereals was studied. In freeze-drying trials wheat dextrin and polydextrose proved to be promising carriers for the L. rhamnosus strains: both freeze-drying survival and storage stability at 37 degrees C were comparable to the control carrier (sucrose). Using apple fibre and inulin carriers resulted in powders with fairly good initial freeze-drying survival but with poor storage stability at 37 degrees C. When fresh L. rhamnosus cells were added into apple juice (pH 3.5) together with oat flour with 20% beta-glucan the survival of the cells was much better at 4 degrees C and at 20 degrees C than with sucrose, wheat dextrin and polydextrose, whereas with freeze-dried cells no protective effect of oat flour could be seen. The stability of freeze-dried L. rhamnosus cells at 20 degrees C was higher in chocolate-coated breakfast cereals compared to low pH apple juice. Similar to freeze-drying stability, wheat dextrin and polydextrose proved to be better carriers than oat flour in chocolate-coated breakfast cereals. Regardless of their differing capability to adhere to fibre preparations the two L. rhamnosus strains studied gave parallel results in the stability studies with different carriers.

  16. Method of aeration disinfecting and drying grain in bulk and pretreating seeds and a transverse blow silo grain dryer therefor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danchenko, Vitaliy G [Dnipropetrovsk, UA; Noyes, Ronald T [Stillwater, OK; Potapovych, Larysa P [Dnipropetrovsk, UA

    2012-02-28

    Aeration drying and disinfecting grain crops in bulk and pretreating seeds includes passing through a bulk of grain crops and seeds disinfecting and drying agents including an ozone and air mixture and surrounding air, subdividing the disinfecting and drying agents into a plurality of streams spaced from one another in a vertical direction, and passing the streams at different heights through levels located at corresponding heights of the bulk of grain crops and seeds transversely in a substantially horizontal direction.

  17. Large enhancements of thermopower and carrier mobility in quantum dot engineered bulk semiconductors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yuanfeng; Sahoo, Pranati; Makongo, Julien P A; Zhou, Xiaoyuan; Kim, Sung-Joo; Chi, Hang; Uher, Ctirad; Pan, Xiaoqing; Poudeu, Pierre F P

    2013-05-22

    The thermopower (S) and electrical conductivity (σ) in conventional semiconductors are coupled adversely through the carriers' density (n) making it difficult to achieve meaningful simultaneous improvements in both electronic properties through doping and/or substitutional chemistry. Here, we demonstrate the effectiveness of coherently embedded full-Heusler (FH) quantum dots (QDs) in tailoring the density, mobility, and effective mass of charge carriers in the n-type Ti(0.1)Zr(0.9)NiSn half-Heusler matrix. We propose that the embedded FH QD forms a potential barrier at the interface with the matrix due to the offset of their conduction band minima. This potential barrier discriminates existing charge carriers from the conduction band of the matrix with respect to their relative energy leading to simultaneous large enhancements of the thermopower (up to 200%) and carrier mobility (up to 43%) of the resulting Ti(0.1)Zr(0.9)Ni(1+x)Sn nanocomposites. The improvement in S with increasing mole fraction of the FH-QDs arises from a drastic reduction (up to 250%) in the effective carrier density coupled with an increase in the carrier's effective mass (m*), whereas the surprising enhancement in the mobility (μ) is attributed to an increase in the carrier's relaxation time (τ). This strategy to manipulate the transport behavior of existing ensembles of charge carriers within a bulk semiconductor using QDs is very promising and could pave the way to a new generation of high figure of merit thermoelectric materials.

  18. Calm water resistance prediction of a bulk carrier using Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes based solver

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahaman, Md. Mashiur; Islam, Hafizul; Islam, Md. Tariqul; Khondoker, Md. Reaz Hasan

    2017-12-01

    Maneuverability and resistance prediction with suitable accuracy is essential for optimum ship design and propulsion power prediction. This paper aims at providing some of the maneuverability characteristics of a Japanese bulk carrier model, JBC in calm water using a computational fluid dynamics solver named SHIP Motion and OpenFOAM. The solvers are based on the Reynolds average Navier-Stokes method (RaNS) and solves structured grid using the Finite Volume Method (FVM). This paper comprises the numerical results of calm water test for the JBC model with available experimental results. The calm water test results include the total drag co-efficient, average sinkage, and trim data. Visualization data for pressure distribution on the hull surface and free water surface have also been included. The paper concludes that the presented solvers predict the resistance and maneuverability characteristics of the bulk carrier with reasonable accuracy utilizing minimum computational resources.

  19. Agglomerated novel spray-dried lactose-leucine tailored as a carrier to enhance the aerosolization performance of salbutamol sulfate from DPI formulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molina, Carlos; Kaialy, Waseem; Chen, Qiao; Commandeur, Daniel; Nokhodchi, Ali

    2017-12-19

    Spray-drying allows to modify the physicochemical/mechanical properties of particles along with their morphology. In the present study, L -leucine with varying concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, and 10% w/v) were incorporated into lactose monohydrate solution for spray-drying to enhance the aerosolization performance of dry powder inhalers containing spray-dried lactose-leucine and salbutamol sulfate. The prepared spray-dried lactose-leucine carriers were analyzed using laser diffraction (particle size), differential scanning calorimetry (thermal behavior), scanning electron microscopy (morphology), powder X-ray diffraction (crystallinity), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (interaction at molecular level), and in vitro aerosolization performance (deposition). The results showed that the efficacy of salbutamol sulfate's aerosolization performance was, in part, due to the introduction of L -leucine in the carrier, prior to being spray-dried, accounting for an increase in the fine particle fraction (FPF) of salbutamol sulfate from spray-dried lactose-leucine (0.5% leucine) in comparison to all other carriers. It was shown that all of the spray-dried carriers were spherical in their morphology with some agglomerates and contained a mixture of amorphous, α-lactose, and β-lactose. It was also interesting to note that spray-dried lactose-leucine particles were agglomerated during the spray-drying process to make coarse particles (volume mean diameter of 79 to 87 μm) suitable as a carrier in DPI formulations.

  20. Charge-carrier selective electrodes for organic bulk heterojunction solar cell by contact-printed siloxane oligomers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Hyun-Sik; Khang, Dahl-Young

    2015-01-01

    ‘Smart’ (or selective) electrode for charge carriers, both electrons and holes, in organic bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells using insertion layers made of hydrophobically-recovered and contact-printed siloxane oligomers between electrodes and active material has been demonstrated. The siloxane oligomer insertion layer has been formed at a given interface simply by conformally-contacting a cured slab of polydimethylsiloxane stamp for less than 100 s. All the devices, either siloxane oligomer printed at one interface only or printed at both interfaces, showed efficiency enhancement when compared to non-printed ones. The possible mechanism that is responsible for the observed efficiency enhancement has been discussed based on the point of optimum symmetry and photocurrent analysis. Besides its simplicity and large-area applicability, the demonstrated contact-printing technique does not involve any vacuum or wet processing steps and thus can be very useful for the roll-based, continuous production scheme for organic BHJ solar cells. - Highlights: • Carrier-selective insertion layer in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells • Simple contact-printing of siloxane oligomers improves cell efficiency. • Printed siloxane layer reduces carrier recombination at electrode surfaces. • Siloxane insertion layer works equally well at both electrode surfaces. • Patterned PDMS stamp shortens the printing time within 100 s

  1. Calibration, field-testing, and error analysis of a gamma-ray probe for in situ measurement of dry bulk density

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertuzzi, P.; Bruckler, L.; Gabilly, Y.; Gaudu, J.C.

    1987-01-01

    This paper describes a new gamma-ray probe for measuring dry bulk density in the field. This equipment can be used with three different tube spacings (15, 20 and 30 cm). Calibration procedures and local error analyses are proposed for two cases: (1) for the case where the access tubes are parallel, calibration equations are given for three tube spacings. The linear correlation coefficient obtained in the laboratory is satisfactory (0.999), and a local error analysis shows that the standard deviation in the measured dry bulk density is small (+/- 0.02 g/cm 3 ); (2) when the access tubes are not parallel, a new calibration procedure is presented that accounts for and corrects measurement bias due to the deviating probe spacing. The standard deviation associated with the measured dry bulk density is greater (+/- 0.05 g/cm 3 ), but the measurements themselves are regarded as unbiased. After comparisons of core samplings and gamma-ray probe measurements, a field validation of the gamma-ray measurements is presented. Field validation was carried out on a variety of soils (clay, clay loam, loam, and silty clay loam), using gravimetric water contents that varied from 0.11 0.27 and dry bulk densities ranging from 1.30-1.80 g°cm -3 . Finally, an example of dry bulk density field variability is shown, and the spatial variability is analyzed in regard to the measurement errors

  2. Spectral hole-burning and carrier-heating dynamics in quantum-dot amplifiers: Comparison with bulk amplifiers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borri, P.; Langbein, W.; Hvam, Jørn Märcher

    2001-01-01

    The ultrafast gain dynamics in an electrically pumped InAs/InGaAs/GaAs quantum-dot amplifier are measured at room temperature with femtosecond resolution, and compared with results on an InGaAsP bulk amplifier. The role of spectral hole burning and carrier heating in the recovery of the gain...

  3. Comparative analysis among deterministic and stochastic collision damage models for oil tanker and bulk carrier reliability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Campanile

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The incidence of collision damage models on oil tanker and bulk carrier reliability is investigated considering the IACS deterministic model against GOALDS/IMO database statistics for collision events, substantiating the probabilistic model. Statistical properties of hull girder residual strength are determined by Monte Carlo simulation, based on random generation of damage dimensions and a modified form of incremental-iterative method, to account for neutral axis rotation and equilibrium of horizontal bending moment, due to cross-section asymmetry after collision events. Reliability analysis is performed, to investigate the incidence of collision penetration depth and height statistical properties on hull girder sagging/hogging failure probabilities. Besides, the incidence of corrosion on hull girder residual strength and reliability is also discussed, focussing on gross, hull girder net and local net scantlings, respectively. The ISSC double hull oil tanker and single side bulk carrier, assumed as test cases in the ISSC 2012 report, are taken as reference ships.

  4. Improving Dry Powder Inhaler Performance by Surface Roughening of Lactose Carrier Particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Bernice Mei Jin; Chan, Lai Wah; Heng, Paul Wan Sia

    2016-08-01

    This study investigated the impact of macro-scale carrier surface roughness on the performance of dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulations. Fluid-bed processing and roller compaction were explored as processing methods to increase the surface roughness (Ra) of lactose carrier particles. DPI formulations containing either (a) different concentrations of fine lactose at a fixed concentration of micronized drug (isoniazid) or (b) various concentrations of drug in the absence of fine lactose were prepared. The fine particle fraction (FPF) and aerodynamic particle size of micronized drug of all formulations were determined using the Next Generation Impactor. Fluid-bed processing resulted in a modest increase in the Ra from 562 to 907 nm while roller compaction led to significant increases in Ra > 1300 nm. The roller compacted carriers exhibited FPF > 35%, which were twice that of the smoothest carriers. The addition of up to 5%, w/w of fine lactose improved the FPF of smoother carriers by 60-200% whereas only lactose carrier particles by roller compaction was immensely beneficial to improving DPI performance, primarily due to increased surface roughness at the macro-scale.

  5. A cointegration approach to forecasting freight rates in the dry bulk shipping sector

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ph.H.B.F. Franses (Philip Hans); A.W. Veenstra (Albert)

    1997-01-01

    textabstractIn this paper, a vector autoregressive model is developed for a sample of ocean dry bulk freight rates. Although the series of freight rates are themselves found to be non-stationary, thus precluding the use of many modelling methodologies, evidence provided by cointegration tests points

  6. Charge carriers bulk recombination instead of electroplex emission after their tunneling through hole-blocking layer in OLEDs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, S. Y.; Liu, D.; Jiang, Y.; Teng, F.; Xu, Z.; Hou, Y.; Xu, X. R.

    2006-08-01

    Charge carriers bulk recombination instead of forming electroplex after their tunneling through a hole-blocking layer, i.e. 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BCP), in organic electroluminescence (EL) device ITO/poly-(N-vinyl-carbazole)(PVK)/BCP/tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3)/Al is reported. By changing the thickness of BCP layer, one can find that high electric fields enhance the tunneling process of holes accumulated at the PVK/BCP interface into BCP layer instead of forming “electroplex emission” as reported earlier in literatures. Our experimental data show that charge carriers bulk recombination takes place in both PVK layer and BCP layer, and even in Alq3 layer when BCP layer is thin enough. Further, it is suggested that PVK is the origin of the emission shoulder at 595 nm in the EL spectra of trilayer device ITO/PVK/BCP/Alq3/Al.

  7. Analysis of the Panamax bulk carrier charter market 1989-1994 in relation to the design characteristics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wijnolst, N.; Bartelds, M.

    1995-01-01

    Panamax bulk carriers form the largest homogeneous shiptype-group in the world fleet. The H. Clarkson database contained in 1994, 834 of these ships, in a dead-weight range of 50.000-76.000 tons. The dimensions of panamax vessels are restricted by the dimensions of the locks of the Panama Canal,

  8. Acute phosphine poisoning on board a bulk carrier: analysis of factors leading to a fatal case.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loddé, Brice; Lucas, David; Letort, Jean-Marie; Jegaden, Dominique; Pougnet, Richard; Dewitte, Jean-Dominique

    2015-01-01

    To determine accidental factors, clinical presentation and medical care in cases of seafarers presenting phosphine poisoning symptoms on board a bulk carrier. To consider primary prevention of this pathology, which can have extremely severe consequences. To analyse circumstances resulting in toxic exposure to phosphine in the sea transport sector. To obtain information from medical reports regarding the seafarer's rescue. To identify the causes of this accidental poisoning and how to establish an early, appropriate diagnosis thus avoiding other cases. In February 2008, on board a bulk carrier with a cargo of peas, a 56-year-old seafarer with intense abdominal and chest pains, associated with dizziness, was rescued by helicopter 80 miles away from the coast. Despite being admitted rapidly to hospital, his heart rate decreased associated with respiratory distress. He lost consciousness and convulsed. He finally died of pulmonary oedema, major metabolic acidosis and acute multi organ failure. The following day, the captain issued a rescue call from the same vessel for a 41-year-old man also with abdominal pain, vomiting and dizziness. The ECG only revealed type 1 Brugada syndrome. Then 11 other seafarers were evacuated for observation. 3 showed clinical abnormalities. Collective poisoning was suspected. Medical team found out that aluminium phosphide pellets had been put in the ship's hold for pest control before the vessel's departure. Seafarers were poisoned by phosphine gas spreading through cabins above the hold. It was found that the compartments and ducts were not airtight. Unfortunately, a seafarer on board a bulk carrier died in 2008 because of acute phosphine poisoning. Fumigation performed using this gas needs to be done with extreme care. Systematic checks need to be carried out before sailing to ensure that the vessel's compartments are airtight.

  9. Economic feasibility of sail power devices on Great Lakes bulk carriers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1982-03-24

    Progress is reported in a project to determine whether retro-fitting existing Great Lakes bulk carriers with auxiliary sail powering devices is economically feasible. The approach being used is to apply known technology both in terms of sail devices and calculation methods to determine the amount of fuel that can be saved and the probable cost of the sail device. Progress includes the identification and collection of data needed to determine the state of the art as well as to model the problem. Several sail powering devices were compared and an unstayed cat rig was chosen for further analysis and its performance characteristics were incorporated into a computer model, which is flow charted. (LEW)

  10. Microstructural and bulk property changes in hardened cement paste during the first drying process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maruyama, Ippei, E-mail: ippei@dali.nuac.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, ES Building, No. 546, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464–8603 (Japan); Nishioka, Yukiko; Igarashi, Go [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, ES Building, No. 539, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464–8603 (Japan); Matsui, Kunio [Products and Marketing Development Dept. Asahi-KASEI Construction Materials Corporation, 106 Someya, Sakai-machi, Sashima-gun, Ibaraki, 306–0493 (Japan)

    2014-04-01

    This paper reports the microstructural changes and resultant bulk physical property changes in hardened cement paste (hcp) during the first desorption process. The microstructural changes and solid-phase changes were evaluated by water vapor sorption, nitrogen sorption, ultrasonic velocity, and {sup 29}Si and {sup 27}Al nuclear magnetic resonance. Strength, Young's modulus, and drying shrinkage were also examined. The first drying process increased the volume of macropores and decreased the volume of mesopores and interlayer spaces. Furthermore, in the first drying process globule clusters were interconnected. During the first desorption, the strength increased for samples cured at 100% to 90% RH, decreased for 90% to 40% RH, and increased again for 40% to 11% RH. This behavior is explained by both microstructural changes in hcp and C–S–H globule densification. The drying shrinkage strains during rapid drying and slow drying were compared and the effects of the microstructural changes and evaporation were separated.

  11. Bulk specimen X-ray microanalysis of freeze-fractured, freeze-dried tissues in gerontological research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagy, I.

    1988-01-01

    The rationale for choosing the freeze-fracture freeze-drying (FFFD) method of biological bulk specimen preparation as well as the theoretical and practical problems of this method are treated. FFFD specimens are suitable for quantitative X-ray microanalysis of biologically relevant elements. Although the spatial resolution of this analytical technique is low, the application of properly selected bulk standard crystals as well as the measurement of the intracellular water and dry mass content by means of another method developed in the same laboratory, allow us to obtain useful information about the age-dependent changes of ionic composition in the main intracellular compartments. The paper summarizes the problems with regard to specimen preparation, beam penetration and the quantitative analysis of FFFD specimens. The method has been applied so far mainly for the analysis of intranuclear and intracytoplasmic concentrations of Na, C1 and K in various types of cells and has resulted in a significant contribution to our understanding of the cellular mechanisms of aging. 84 references

  12. How High Local Charge Carrier Mobility and an Energy Cascade in a Three-Phase Bulk Heterojunction Enable >90% Quantum Efficiency

    KAUST Repository

    Burke, Timothy M.

    2013-12-27

    Charge generation in champion organic solar cells is highly efficient in spite of low bulk charge-carrier mobilities and short geminate-pair lifetimes. In this work, kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are used to understand efficient charge generation in terms of experimentally measured high local charge-carrier mobilities and energy cascades due to molecular mixing. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. How High Local Charge Carrier Mobility and an Energy Cascade in a Three-Phase Bulk Heterojunction Enable >90% Quantum Efficiency

    KAUST Repository

    Burke, Timothy M.; McGehee, Michael D.

    2013-01-01

    Charge generation in champion organic solar cells is highly efficient in spite of low bulk charge-carrier mobilities and short geminate-pair lifetimes. In this work, kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are used to understand efficient charge generation in terms of experimentally measured high local charge-carrier mobilities and energy cascades due to molecular mixing. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Porosity, Bulk Density, and Volume Reduction During Drying: Review of Measurement Methods and Coefficient Determinations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Qiu, J.; Khalloufi, S.; Martynenko, A.; Dalen, van G.; Schutyser, M.A.I.; Almeida-Rivera, C.

    2015-01-01

    Several experimental methods for measuring porosity, bulk density and volume reduction during drying of foodstuff are available. These methods include among others geometric dimension, volume displacement, mercury porosimeter, micro-CT, and NMR. However, data on their accuracy, sensitivity, and

  15. Treatment of cyanide wastewater by bulk liquid membrane using tricaprylamine as a carrier.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Guoping; Xue, Juanqin; Liu, Nina; Yu, Lihua

    2016-01-01

    The transport of cyanide from wastewater through a bulk liquid membrane (BLM) containing tricaprylamine (TOA) as a carrier was studied. The effect of cyanide concentration in the feed solution, TOA concentration in the organic phase, the stirring speed, NaOH concentration in the stripping solution and temperature on cyanide transport was determined through BLM. Mass transfer of cyanide through BLM was analyzed by following the kinetic laws of two consecutive irreversible first-order reactions, and the kinetic parameters (k(1), k(2), R(m)(max), t(max), J(a)(max), J(d)(max)) were also calculated. Apparently, increase in membrane entrance (k(1)) and exit rate (k(2)) constants was accompanied by a rise in temperature. The values of activation energies were obtained as 35.6 kJ/mol and 18.2 kJ/mol for removal and recovery, respectively. These values showed that both removal and recovery steps in cyanide transport is controlled by the rate of the chemical complexation reaction. The optimal reaction conditions were determined by BLM using trioctylamine as the carrier: feed phase: pH 4, carrier TOA possession ratio in organic phase: 2% (V/V), stripping phase concentration of NaOH: 1% (W/V), reaction time: 60 min, stirring speed: 250 r/min. Under the above conditions, the removal rate was up to 92.96%. The experiments demonstrated that TOA was a good carrier for cyanide transport through BLM in this study.

  16. Mathematical modelling in simulate bulk density as a function of shrinkage and collapse mechanics during drying of food products

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Almeida-Rivera, C.; Khalloufi, S.; Janssen, J.; Bongers, P.M.M.; Pierucci, S.; Buzzi Ferraris, G.

    2010-01-01

    During drying, food products undergo several physical and structural changes. These changes have a direct impact on properties such as bulk density which is involved in heat and mass transfer processes. Therefore, the prediction of the bulk density as function of water content will be an interesting

  17. An empirical analysis of freight rate and vessel price volatility transmission in global dry bulk shipping market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei Dai

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Global dry bulk shipping market is an important element of global economy and trade. Since newbuilding and secondhand vessels are often traded as assets and the freight rate is the key determinant of vessel price, it is important for shipping market participants to understand the market dynamics and price transmission mechanism over time to make suitable strategic decisions. To address this issue, a multi-variate GARCH model was applied in this paper to explore the volatility spillover effects across the vessel markets (including newbuilding and secondhand vessel markets and freight market. Specifically, the BEKK parameterization of the multi-variate GARCH model (BEKK GARCH was proposed to capture the volatility transmission effect from the freight market, newbuilding and secondhand vessel markets in the global dry bulk shipping industry. Empirical results reveal that significant volatility transmission effects exist in each market sector, i.e. capesize, panamax, handymax and handysize. Besides, the market volatility transmission mechanism varies among different vessel types. Moreover, some bilateral effects are found in the dry bulk shipping market, showing that lagged variances could affect the current variance in a counterpart market, regardless of the volatility transmission. A simple ratio is proposed to guide investors optimizing their portfolio allocations. The findings in this paper could provide unique insights for investors to understand the market and hedge their portfolios well.

  18. Maltodextrin: A consummate carrier for spray-drying of xylooligosaccharides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Liangqing; Zeng, Xianhai; Fu, Nan; Tang, Xing; Sun, Yong; Lin, Lu

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of spray-drying on the powder qualities and microstructures of prebiotic xylooligosaccharides (XOS). The relationships between glass transition temperature (T g ) and XOS retention, moisture content, drying yield as well as specific surface area under different inlet air temperatures and maltodextrin concentrations were investigated. Antioxidant activity retention, hygroscopicity, color attributes, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) of the spray-dried XOS product were also assessed. The results indicated that an increase in inlet air temperature decreased the moisture content, hence the T g value was increased. Higher maltodextrin concentration increased the T g value, and was attributed to the molecular weight increase. The wall deposition was a tendency to occur when the temperature beyond the T g , reduced the drying yield. Higher temperature and wall deposition promoted the decomposition of XOS into monosaccharide. The crust formation rate of droplets and stickiness of microparticles were affected by T g , and hence, influenced the specific surface area. The antioxidant activity retention of XOS exhibited a concentration-dependent behavior. The hygroscopicity of the microparticles could be reduced by both of the low inlet air temperature and high maltodextrin concentration. According to the results of color attributes, XRD and SEM, the particles were colorless and amorphous, and tended to become more spherical and scattered with the addition of maltodextrin. The FT-IR analysis confirmed that no chemical reaction occurred between XOS and agent, which indicated that maltodextrin is a promising carrier for producing bioactive XOS powder. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Dry powder inhaler formulation of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles via electrostatically-driven nanoparticle assembly onto microscale carrier particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yue; Cheow, Wean Sin; Hadinoto, Kunn

    2012-09-15

    Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles have emerged as promising nanoscale carriers of therapeutics as they combine the attractive characteristics of liposomes and polymers. Herein we develop dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulation of hybrid nanoparticles composed of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and soybean lecithin as the polymer and lipid constituents, respectively. The hybrid nanoparticles are transformed into inhalable microscale nanocomposite structures by a novel technique based on electrostatically-driven adsorption of nanoparticles onto polysaccharide carrier particles, which eliminates the drawbacks of conventional techniques based on controlled drying (e.g. nanoparticle-specific formulation, low yield). First, we engineer polysaccharide carrier particles made up of chitosan cross-linked with tripolyphosphate and dextran sulphate to exhibit the desired aerosolization characteristics and physical robustness. Second, we investigate the effects of nanoparticle to carrier mass ratio and salt inclusion on the adsorption efficiency, in terms of the nanoparticle loading and yield, from which the optimal formulation is determined. Desorption of the nanoparticles from the carrier particles in phosphate buffer saline is also examined. Lastly, we characterize aerosolization efficiency of the nanocomposite product in vitro, where the emitted dose and respirable fraction are found to be comparable to the values of conventional DPI formulations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. A Model for Prediction of Propulsion Power and Emissions – Tankers and Bulk Carriers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lützen, Marie; Kristensen, Hans Otto Holmegaard

    To get an idea of the reduction in propulsion power and associated emissions by varying the speed and other ship design main parameters, a generic model for parameter studies of tankers and bulk carriers has been developed. With only a few input parameters of which the maximum deadweight capacity...... is the primary input a proposal for the main dimensions is made. Based on these dimensions and other ship particulars which are determined by the program the necessary installed propulsion power can be calculated. By adjusting the vessel design, i.e. the suggested main dimensions, and varying the speed...

  1. Selective laser-induced photochemical dry etching of semiconductors controlled by ion-bombardment-induced damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashby, C.I.H.; Myers, D.R.; Vook, F.L.

    1987-01-01

    When a photochemical dry etching process requires direct participation of photogenerated carriers in the chemical reaction, it is sensitive to the electronic properties of the semiconductor. For such solid-excitation-based dry etching processes, the balance between reaction and carrier recombination rates determines the practical utility of a particular reaction for device fabrication. The distance from the surface at which the photocarriers are generated by light adsorption is determined by the absorption coefficient. In the absence of an external bias potential, only those carriers formed within a diffusion length of the surface space-charge region will have an opportunity to drive the dry etching reaction. When the absorption coefficient is high, most of the photons generate carriers within a diffusion length from the surface space-charge region, and the etching rate is largely determined by the balance between the rate of the carrier-driven reaction and the surface recombination velocity. When the recombination rate of free carriers in the bulk of the semiconductor is high, the effective diffusion length is reduced and fewer of the carriers generated in the subsurface region ever reach the surface. An important effect of ion bombardment is the creation of many lattice defects that increase the rate of recombination of electrons and holes. When a sufficient number of defects, which act as recombination sites, are formed during ion implantation, the recombination of photogenerated carriers at these defects in the subsurface region can greatly reduce the number of carriers which can reach the surface and drive a photochemical etching reaction

  2. PBMR spent fuel bulk dry storage heat removal - HTR2008-58170

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Wet, G. J.; Dent, C.

    2008-01-01

    A low decay heat (implying Spent Fuel (SF) pebbles older than 8-9 years) bulk dry storage section is proposed to supplement a 12-tank wet storage section. Decay heat removal by passive means must be guaranteed, taking into account the fact that dry storage vessels are under ground and inside the building footprint. Cooling takes place when ambient air (drawn downwards from ground level) passes on the outside of the 6 tanks' vessel containment (and gamma shielding), which is in a separate room inside the building, but outside PBMR building confinement and open to atmosphere. Access for loading/unloading of SF pebbles is only from the top of a tank, which is inside PBMR building confinement. No radioactive substances can therefore leak into atmosphere, as vessel design will take into account corrosion allowance. In this paper, it is shown (using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelling and analytical analyses) that natural convection and draught induced flow combine to remove decay heat in a self-sustaining process. Decay heat is the energy source, which powers the draught inducing capability of the dry storage modular cell system: the more decay heat, the bigger the drive to expel heated air through a higher outlet and entrain cool ambient air from ground level to the bottom of the modular cell. (authors)

  3. Optimising mechanical strength and bulk density of dry ceramic bodies through mixture design

    OpenAIRE

    Correia, S. L.; Hotza, D.; Segadães, A. M.

    2005-01-01

    In industrial practice, it is desirable to be able to predict, in an expeditious way, what the effects of a change in raw materials or the proportions thereof might be in the various processing steps towards the final product. When the property of interest is basically determined by the combination (or mixture) of raw materials, an optimisation methodology specific to the design of mixture experiments can be successfully used. In the present study, dry bending strength and bulk density were s...

  4. Investigation into Alternative Sugars as Potential Carriers for Dry Powder Formulation of Budesonide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Nokhodchi

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Dry powder inhaler (DPI formulations are so far being used for pulmonary drug delivery, mainly for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. Currently most of DPI formulations rely on lactose as a carrier in the drug powder blend. However, due to reducing sugar function of lactose which makes it incompatible with some drugs such as budesonide, it is realistic to investigate for alternative sugars that would overcome the concerned drawback but still have the positive aspects of lactose. Methods: The study was conducted by characterizing carriers for their physico-chemical properties and preparing drug/carrier blends with concentration of 5% and 10% drug with the carrier. The mixing uniformity (homogeneity of Budesonide in the blends was analyzed using spectrophotometer. The blend was then filled into NB7/2 Airmax inhaler device and the deposition profiles of the drug were determined using multi stage liquid impinger (MSLI after aerosolization at 4 kPa via the inhaler. The morphology of the carriers conducted using the scanning electron microscope. Results: The results determined that the mean fine particle fraction (FPF of 5% and 10% blends of mannitol was 61%, possibly due to fine elongated particles. Dextrose exhibited excellent flowability. Scanning electron microscope illustrated mannitol with fine elongated particles and dextrose presenting larger and coarse particles. It was found out that type of carriers, particle size distribution, and morphology would influence the FPF of budesonide. Conclusion: It may be concluded that mannitol could be suitable as a carrier on the basis of its pharmaceutical performance and successful achievement of FPF whereas the more hygroscopic sugars such as sorbitol or xylitol showed poor dispersibility leading to lower FPF.

  5. Mathematical modelling and simulation of solar-assisted drying of bulk farm products; Mathematische Modellierung und Simulation der solar unterstuetzten Trocknung landwirtschaftlicher Schuettgueter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maltry, W.; Ziegler, T.; Richter, I.

    1997-04-01

    The report deals with problems associated with the harnessing of solar energy for drying bulk farm products: technical fundamentals, enthalpy diagrams, models for grain drying, experimental investigations, analysis of drying processes, benefits and applications of drying processes, advances. (HW) [Deutsch] Der Bericht behandelt die Probleme der Solarenergienutzung zur Trockung landwirtschaftlicher Massengueter: - Trocknungstechnische Grundlagen - Enthalpie-Diagramme - Modelle zur Koernertrocknung - experimentelle Untersuchungen - Analyse von Trocknungsprozesse - Nutzen und Verwertbarkeit der Trocknungsprozesse - Fortschritte. (HW)

  6. Preparation and characterization of etoricoxib solid dispersions using lipid carriers by spray drying technique

    OpenAIRE

    Chauhan, Bhaskar; Shimpi, Shyam; Paradkar, Anant

    2005-01-01

    The basic objectives of this study were to prepare and characterize solid dispersions of poorly water-soluble drug etoricoxib using lipid carriers by spray drying technique. The properties of solid dispersions were studied by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hotstage microscopy (HSM), radiograph powder diffraction (XRPD), and dissolution studies. The absence of etoricoxib peaks in XRPD profiles of solid dispersions ...

  7. COMPUTATIONAL MODEL TAHANAN KAPAL UNTUK MENENTUKAN KEBUTUHAN DAYA KAPAL BULK CARRIER 8664 DWT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erik Sugianto

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Faktor utama dalam menentukan daya mesin kapal adalah tahanan kapal. Umumnya, tahanan kapal dihitung menggunakan percobaan model pada towing tank. Namun biaya yang diperlukan sangat besar. Penelitian ini bertujuan menentukan tahanan total kapal dan memperkiraan kebutuhan daya mesin kapal bulk carrier 8664 DWT. Kapal dimodelkan menggunakan software perkapalan, kemudian perhitungan tahanan kapal dan kebutuhan daya kapal dilakukan. Selain itu dilakukan validasi hasil dengan perhitungan matematis Holtrop dan analisa perbandingan hasil dengan penelitian sebelumnya. Hasil analisa untuk kecepatan dinas maksimal 14 knots menunjukan tahanan total kapal adalah 286. 75 kN dan kebutuhan dayanya adalah 2950.31 kW. Sedangkan dengan perhitungan matematis Holtrop dihasilkan tahanan total 256.59 kN, ini terdapat selisih 10.52% dengan hasil permodelan komputer.Kata kunci: tahanan, model, daya, kapal

  8. Comparative feasibility study on retrofitting ballast water treatment system for a bulk carrier.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jee, Jaehoon; Lee, Sangick

    2017-06-30

    Use of ballast water in ships causes harmful effects on marine environment accompanied by economic loss and negative impact on ecosystem and human health. To solve these problems, the international convention on ballast water management will take into force in September 2017. In this study, a comprehensive feasibility of retrofitting the ballast water treatment system for an ocean-going bulk carrier was conducted. The technologies involved, installation and operational aspects of direct flow and side stream electrolysis, UV, and ozone type BWTS are described in detail. The principal concept of each BWTS is explained and probable arrangements of retrofitting in engine room are suggested. The cost analysis is carried out for retrofitting 4 types of BWTS onboard the target ship by examining each processes of installation and operation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Comparison of blueberry powder produced via foam-mat freeze-drying versus spray-drying: evaluation of foam and powder properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darniadi, Sandi; Ho, Peter; Murray, Brent S

    2018-03-01

    Blueberry juice powder was developed via foam-mat freeze-drying (FMFD) and spray-drying (SD) via addition of maltodextrin (MD) and whey protein isolate (WPI) at weight ratios of MD/WPI = 0.4 to 3.2 (with a fixed solids content of 5 wt% for FMFD and 10 wt% for SD). Feed rates of 180 and 360 mL h -1 were tested in SD. The objective was to evaluate the effect of the drying methods and carrier agents on the physical properties of the corresponding blueberry powders and reconstituted products. Ratios of MD/WPI = 0.4, 1.0 and 1.6 produced highly stable foams most suitable for FMFD. FMFD gave high yields and low bulk density powders with flake-like particles of large size that were also dark purple with high red values. SD gave low powder recoveries. The powders had higher bulk density and faster rehydration times, consisting of smooth, spherical and smaller particles than in FMFD powders. The SD powders were bright purple but less red than FMFD powders. Solubility was greater than 95% for both FMFD and SD powders. The FMFD method is a feasible method of producing blueberry juice powder and gives products retaining more characteristics of the original juice than SD. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  10. Trace element carriers in combined sewer during dry and wet weather: an electron microscope investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Samrani, A G; Lartiges, B S; Ghanbaja, J; Yvon, J; Kohler, A

    2004-04-01

    The nature of trace element carriers contained in sewage and combined sewer overflow (CSO) was investigated by TEM-EDX-Electron diffraction and SEM-EDX. During dry weather, chalcophile elements were found to accumulate in sewer sediments as early diagenetic sulfide phases. The sulfurization of some metal alloys was also evidenced. Other heavy metal carriers detected in sewage include metal alloys, some iron oxihydroxide phases and neoformed phosphate minerals such as anapaite. During rain events, the detailed characterization of individual mineral species allowed to differentiate the contributions from various specific sources. Metal plating particles, barite from automobile brake, or rare earth oxides from catalytic exhaust pipes, originate from road runoff, whereas PbSn alloys and lead carbonates are attributed to zinc-works from roofs and paint from building siding. Soil contribution can be traced by the presence of clay minerals, iron oxihydroxides, zircons and rare earth phosphates. However, the most abundant heavy metal carriers in CSO samples were the sulfide particles eroded from sewer sediments. The evolution of relative abundances of trace element carriers during a single storm event, suggests that the pollution due to the "first flush" effect principally results from the sewer stock of sulfides and previously deposited metal alloys, rather than from urban surface runoff.

  11. Fast dissolution of poorly water soluble drugs from fluidized bed coated nanocomposites: Impact of carrier size.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azad, Mohammad; Moreno, Jacqueline; Bilgili, Ecevit; Davé, Rajesh

    2016-11-20

    Formation of core-shell nanocomposites of Fenofibrate and Itraconazole, model poorly water soluble drugs, via fluidized bed (FB) coating of their well-stabilized high drug loaded nanosuspensions is investigated. Specifically, the extent of dissolution enhancement, when fine carrier particles (sub-50μm) as opposed to the traditional large carrier particles (>300μm) are used, is examined. This allows testing the hypothesis that greatly increased carrier surface area and more importantly, thinner shell for finer carriers at the same drug loading can significantly increase the dissolution rate when spray-coated nanosuspensions are well-stabilized. Fine sub-50μm lactose (GranuLac ® 200) carrier particles were made fluidizable via dry coating with nano-silica, enabling decreased cohesion, fluidization and subsequent nanosuspension coating. For both drugs, 30% drug loaded suspensions were prepared via wet-stirred media milling using hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and sodium dodecyl sulfate as stabilizers. The stabilizer concentrations were varied to affect the milled particle size and prepare a stable nanosuspension. The suspensions were FB coated onto hydrophilic nano-silica (M-5P) dry coated sub-50μm lactose (GranuLac ® 200) carrier particles or larger carrier particles of median size >300μm (PrismaLac ® 40). The resulting finer composite powders (sub-100μm) based on GranuLac ® 200 were freely flowing, had high bulk density, and had much faster, immediate dissolution of the poorly water-soluble drugs, in particular for Itraconazole. This is attributed to a much higher specific surface area of the carrier and corresponding thinner coating layer for fine carriers as opposed to those for large carrier particles. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Heterogeneous nucleation promotes carrier transport in solution-processed organic field-effect transistors

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Ruipeng

    2012-09-04

    A new way to investigate and control the growth of solution-cast thin films is presented. The combination of in situ quartz crystal microbalance measurements with dissipation capabilities (QCM-D) and in situ grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) in an environmental chamber provides unique quantitative insights into the time-evolution of the concentration of the solution, the onset of nucleation, and the mode of growth of the organic semiconductor under varied drying conditions. It is demonstrated that careful control over the kinetics of solution drying enhances carrier transport significantly by promoting phase transformation predominantly via heterogeneous nucleation and sustained surface growth of a highly lamellar structure at the solid-liquid interface at the expense of homogeneous nucleation. A new way to investigate and control the growth of drop-cast thin films is presented. The solution-processing of small-molecule thin films of TIPS-pentacene is investigated using time-resolved techniques to reveal the mechanisms of nucleation and growth leading to solid film formation. By tuning the drying speed of the solution, the balance between surface and bulk growth modes is altered, thereby controlling the lamellar formation and tuning the carrier mobility in organic field-effect transistors Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Impact of Tortuosity on Charge-Carrier Transport in Organic Bulk Heterojunction Blends

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heiber, Michael C.; Kister, Klaus; Baumann, Andreas; Dyakonov, Vladimir; Deibel, Carsten; Nguyen, Thuc-Quyen

    2017-11-01

    The impact of the tortuosity of the charge-transport pathways through a bulk heterojunction film on the charge-carrier mobility is theoretically investigated using model morphologies and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. The tortuosity descriptor provides a quantitative metric to characterize the quality of the charge-transport pathways, and model morphologies with controlled domain size and tortuosity are created using an anisotropic domain growth procedure. The tortuosity is found to be dependent on the anisotropy of the domain structure and is highly tunable. Time-of-flight charge-transport simulations on morphologies with a range of tortuosity values reveal that tortuosity can significantly reduce the magnitude of the mobility and the electric-field dependence relative to a neat material. These reductions are found to be further controlled by the energetic disorder and temperature. Most significantly, the sensitivity of the electric-field dependence to the tortuosity can explain the different experimental relationships previously reported, and exploiting this sensitivity could lead to simpler methods for characterizing and optimizing charge transport in organic solar cells.

  14. Effects of Spray-Drying and Choice of Solid Carriers on Concentrations of Labrasol® and Transcutol® in Solid Self-Microemulsifying Drug Delivery Systems (SMEDDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher Wai-Kei Lam

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Solid self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS have been used increasingly for improving the bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs. Labrasol® and Transcutol® are used widely as surfactant and solubilizer in the formulation of solid SMEDDS. We investigated the effects of spray-drying and the use of different solid carriers on concentrations of Labrasol® and Transcutol® in solid SMEDDS with scutellarin as the formulated drug. Liquid and gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS and GC-MS methods were developed for measuring low concentrations of Labrasol® and Transcutol®. In the preparation of solid SMEDDS, lactose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC were used as solid carriers. Judging from the retention ratios of Labrasol® and Transcutol®, the droplet size of solid SMEDDS increased after spray-drying of liquid SMEDDS, and concentrations of these excipients decreased after the solidifying procedure. In such reduction, Lactose and HPMC were found to preserve Labrasol® and Transcutol® better than MCC during spray-drying, and the resultant droplet sizes were smaller than that of MCC. Labrasol® and Transcutol® showed good thermal stability at 60 °C degree for 10 days. It can be concluded that spray-drying could increase the droplet size of solid SMEDDS and decreased the concentration of Labrasol® and Transcutol® therein, while water-soluble solid carriers could preserve Labrasol® and Transcutol® better than insoluble carriers in the solid SMEDDS.

  15. Estimating the Operational Effect of a Bunker Levy: The Case of Handymax Bulk Carriers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kapetanis, George N.; Gkonis, Konstantinos G.; Psaraftis, Harilaos N.

    penalty for the existing ships. In this paper the proposal for a Global Emissions fund will be presented and discussed as the most appropriate, easy to implement and flexible solution for an enforcement of a market based measure. At a second stage and using the emissions calculation and speed optimisation...... tool developed within the Laboratory for Maritime Transport of the National Technical University of Athens, simulations will be performed for a specified Bulk carrier and the corresponding to its fleet segment. A bunker levy will be implemented in the program and its effects will be studied in terms......Market based measures concerning air emissions from ships are very likely to be introduced in the next years, in an effort to cap Greenhouse Gas Emissions from ships. A lot of countries have presented their proposals to IMO and practically the majority of them are based on a form of a fuel price...

  16. Electro-optical modeling of bulk heterojunction solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirchartz, Thomas; Pieters, Bart E.; Taretto, Kurt; Rau, Uwe

    2008-11-01

    We introduce a model for charge separation in bulk heterojunction solar cells that combines exciton transport to the interface between donor and acceptor phases with the dissociation of the bound electron/hole pair. We implement this model into a standard semiconductor device simulator, thereby creating a convenient method to simulate the optical and electrical characteristics of a bulk heterojunction solar cell with a commercially available program. By taking into account different collection probabilities for the excitons in the polymer and the fullerene, we are able to reproduce absorptance, internal and external quantum efficiency, as well as current/voltage curves of bulk heterojunction solar cells. We further investigate the influence of mobilities of the free excitons as well as the mobilities of the free charge carriers on the performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells. We find that, in general, the highest efficiencies are achieved with the highest mobilities. However, an optimum finite mobility of free charge carriers can result from a large recombination velocity at the contacts. In contrast, Langevin-type of recombination cannot lead to finite optimum mobilities even though this mechanism has a strong dependence on the free carrier mobilities.

  17. Bow hull-form optimization in waves of a 66,000 DWT bulk carrier

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin-Won Yu

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper uses optimization techniques to obtain bow hull form of a 66,000 DWT bulk carrier in calm water and in waves. Parametric modification functions of SAC and section shape of DLWL are used for hull form variation. Multi-objective functions are applied to minimize the wave-making resistance in calm water and added resistance in regular head wave of λ/L = 0.5. WAVIS version 1.3 is used to obtain wave-making resistance. The modified Fujii and Takahashi's formula is applied to obtain the added resistance in short wave. The PSO algorithm is employed for the optimization technique. The resistance and motion characteristics in calm water and regular and irregular head waves of the three hull forms are compared. It has been shown that the optimal brings 13.2% reduction in the wave-making resistance and 13.8% reduction in the added resistance at λ/L = 0.5; and the mean added resistance reduces by 9.5% at sea state 5.

  18. Study of the Bulk Charge Carrier Dynamics in Anatase and Rutile TiO2 Single Crystals by Femtosecond Time Resolved Spectroscopy

    KAUST Repository

    Maity, Partha

    2018-04-02

    Understanding of the fundamentals behind charge carriers of photo-catalytic materials are still illusive hindering progress in our quest for renewable energy. TiO2 anatase and rutile are the most understood phases in photo-catalysis and serve as the best model for fundamental studies. Their ultrafast charge carrier dynamics especially on TiO2 anatase single crystal (the most active phase) are unresolved. Here femtosecond time resolved spectroscopy (TRS) was carried out to explore the dynamics of photo-excited charge carriers’ recombination in anatase single crystal, for the first time using pump fluence effects, and compares it to that of the rutile single crystal. A significant difference in charge carrier recombination rates between both crystals is observed. We found that the time constants for carrier recombination are two orders of magnitude slower for anatase (101) when compared to those of rutile (110). Moreover, bulk defects introduced by reduction of the samples via annealing in ultra-high vacuum resulted in faster recombination rates for both polymorphs. Both states (fresh and reduced) probed by pump fluence dependence measurements revealed that the major recombination channel in fresh and reduced anatase and reduced rutile is the first-order Shockley–Reed mediated. However, for fresh rutile, third-body Auger recombination was observed, attributed to the presence of higher density of intrinsic charge carriers. At all excitation wavelengths and fluence investigated, anatase (101) single crystal show longer charge carrier lifetime when compared to rutile (110) single. This may explain the superiority of the anatase phase for the electron transfer H+ reduction to molecular hydrogen.

  19. Spray drying of fenofibrate loaded nanostructured lipid carriers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xia, Dengning; Shrestha, Neha; van de Streek, Jacco

    2016-01-01

    into dry, easily reconstitutable powder using spray drying. A central composite face centered design (CCFD) was used to investigate the influence of the ratio of lipid to protectant (mannitol and trehalose) and crystallinity of spray-dried powder on the particle size, yield and residual moisture content...... of the dried powder. A linear relationship (R2 = 0.9915) was established between the crystalline content of the spray-dried powders against the ratio of mannitol to trehalose from 3:7 to 10:0 (w/w). Spray drying of NLC aqueous dispersion using a mannitol and trehalose mixture resulted in an increase...... in particle size of the NLCs after reconstitution in water as compared to that in the initial aqueous dispersion. The decrease in crystallinity of the dry powder by reducing the ratio of mannitol to trehalose could improve the reconstitution of the NLCs in water. However the yield and residual moisture...

  20. The effect of pigment matrix, temperature and amount of carrier on the yield and final color properties of spray dried purple corn (Zea mays L.) cob anthocyanin powders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lao, Fei; Giusti, M Monica

    2017-07-15

    Spray drying is an economic technique to produce anthocyanin-based colorants. High pigments yields with minimum color degradation are desirable to maximize quality and profits. This study evaluated the impacts of purple corncob (PCC) anthocyanin extraction matrices (hot water, 40% ethanol, C18 purified), drying inlet temperature (130, 150, 170°C) and amount of carrier (2%, 5%, 10% maltodextrin) on the yields and quality of PCC anthocyanin powders. Monomeric and polymeric anthocyanins, color properties (CIELch, haze), and pigments composition before and after spray drying were determined. The yield and final color quality of spray dried PCC anthocyanins were affected (p<0.05) by all parameters evaluated. The pigment matrix, inlet temperature, and carrier amount had biggest impacts on product water solubility, pigments degradation and yield, respectively. The optimal combination of hot water extracts spray dried with 5% maltodextrin at 150°C gave the highest pigment yield (∼90%) with good solubility with the least color loss. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Impact of Interface States and Bulk Carrier Lifetime on Photocapacitance of Metal/Insulator/GaN Structure for Ultraviolet Light Detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bidzinski, Piotr; Miczek, Marcin; Adamowicz, Boguslawa; Mizue, Chihoko; Hashizume, Tamotsu

    2011-04-01

    The influence of interface state density and bulk carrier lifetime on the dependencies of photocapacitance versus wide range of gate bias (-0.1 to -3 V) and light intensity (109 to 1020 photon cm-2 s-1) was studied for metal/insulator/n-GaN UV light photodetector by means of numerical simulations. The light detection limit and photocapacitance saturation were analyzed in terms of the interface charge and interface Fermi level for electrons and holes and effective interface recombination velocity. It was proven that the excess carrier recombination through interface states is the main reason of photocapacitance signal quenching. It was found that the photodetector can work in various modes (on-off or quantitative light measurement) adjusted by the gate bias. A comparison between experimental data and theoretical capacitance-light intensity characteristics was made. A new method for the determination of the interface state density distribution from capacitance-voltage-light intensity measurements was also proposed.

  2. Preparation and characterization of physically modified glass beads used as model carriers in dry powder inhalers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zellnitz, Sarah; Redlinger-Pohn, Jakob Dominik; Kappl, Michael; Schroettner, Hartmuth; Urbanetz, Nora Anne

    2013-04-15

    The aim of this work is the physical modification and characterization of the surface topography of glass beads used as model carriers in dry powder inhalers (DPIs). By surface modification the contact area between drug and carrier and thereby interparticle forces may be modified. Thus the performance of DPIs that relies on interparticle interactions may be improved. Glass beads were chosen as model carriers because various prospects of physical surface modification may be applied without affecting other factors also impacting interparticle interactions like particle size and shape. To generate rough surfaces glass beads were processed mechanically by friction and impaction in a ball mill with different grinding materials that were smaller and harder with respect to the glass beads. By varying the grinding time (4 h, 8 h) and by using different grinding media (tungsten carbide, quartz) surfaces with different shades of roughness were generated. Depending on the hardness of the grinding material and the grinding time the surface roughness was more or less pronounced. Surface roughness parameters and specific surface area were determined via several complementary techniques in order to get an enhanced understanding of the impact of the modifying procedure on the surface properties of the glass beads. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Theory of bulk-surface coupling in topological insulator films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saha, Kush; Garate, Ion

    2014-12-01

    We present a quantitative microscopic theory of the disorder- and phonon-induced coupling between surface and bulk states in doped topological insulator films. We find a simple mathematical structure for the surface-to-bulk scattering matrix elements and confirm the importance of bulk-surface coupling in transport and photoemission experiments, assessing its dependence on temperature, carrier density, film thickness, and particle-hole asymmetry.

  4. DEM analysis of the effect of particle-wall impact on the dispersion performance in carrier-based dry powder inhalers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jiecheng; Wu, Chuan-Yu; Adams, Michael

    2015-06-20

    The impact between particles or agglomerates and a device wall is considered as an important mechanism controlling the dispersion of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) particles in dry powder inhalers (DPIs). In order to characterise the influencing factors and better understand the impact induced dispersion process for carrier-based DPIs, the impact behaviour between an agglomerate and a wall is systematically investigated using the discrete element method. In this study, a carrier-based agglomerate is initially formed and then allowed to impact with a target wall. The effects of impact velocity, impact angle and work of adhesion on the dispersion performance are analysed. It is shown that API particles in the near-wall regions are more likely to be dispersed due to the deceleration of the carrier particle resulted from the impact with the wall. It is also revealed that the dispersion ratio increases with increasing impact velocity and impact angle, indicating that the normal component of the impact velocity plays a dominant role on the dispersion. Furthermore, the impact induced dispersion performance for carrier-based DPI formulations can be well approximated using a cumulative Weibull distribution function that is governed by the ratio of overall impact energy and adhesion energy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Energy Band Gap, Intrinsic Carrier Concentration and Fermi Level of CdTe Bulk Crystal between 304 K and 1067 K

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Ching-Hua

    2007-01-01

    Optical transmission measurements were performed on CdTe bulk single crystal. It was found that when a sliced and polished CdTe wafer was used, a white film started to develop when the sample was heated above 530 K and the sample became opaque. Therefore, a bulk crystal of CdTe was first grown in the window area by physical vapor transport; the optical transmission was then measured and from which the energy band gap was derived between 304 and 1067 K. The band gaps of CdTe can be fit well as a function of temperature using the Varshini expression: Eg (e V) = 1.5860 - 5.9117xl0(exp -4) T(sup 2)/(T + 160). Using the band gap data, the high temperature electron-hole equilibrium was calculated numerically by assuming the Kane's conduction band structure and a heavy-hole parabolic valance band. The calculated intrinsic carrier concentrations agree well with the experimental data reported previously. The calculated intrinsic Fermi levels between 270 and 1200 K were also presented.

  6. Optimising mechanical strength and bulk density of dry ceramic bodies through mixture design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Correia, S. L.

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available In industrial practice, it is desirable to be able to predict, in an expeditious way, what the effects of a change in raw materials or the proportions thereof might be in the various processing steps towards the final product. When the property of interest is basically determined by the combination (or mixture of raw materials, an optimisation methodology specific to the design of mixture experiments can be successfully used. In the present study, dry bending strength and bulk density were selected as the properties to model, given the simplicity of their experimental determination and because they are frequently used as quality control parameter in the development and manufacture stages of floor and wall ceramic tiles. Ten formulations of three raw materials (a clay mixture, potash feldspar and quartz sand were processed in the laboratory under fixed conditions, similar to those used in the ceramics industry, and characterised. The use of this methodology enabled the calculation of valid regression models (equations relating dry bending strength and bulk density with the contents, in the starting mixture, of the particular raw materials used.

    En el trabajo industrial es deseable poder predecir de manera efectiva, los efectos que los cambios en las materias primas o en sus proporciones pueden ejercer sobre las variables del proceso y como estos afectan al producto final. Cuando la propiedad de interés depende preferentemente de la mezcla de las materias primas, una metodología específica de optimización para el diseño de los experimentos de mezclas puede ser empleada con éxito. En este trabajo, la resistencia mecánica en seco y la densidad se emplearon como los parámetros de control en el desarrollo y producción de azulejos cerámicos para pavimento y revestimiento. Diez formulaciones a partir de tres materias primas ( una mezcla de arcilla, feldespato potásico y arena de cuarzo fueron procesadas en el laboratorio bajo

  7. Dry Sliding Wear Behavior of Spark Plasma Sintered Fe-Based Bulk Metallic Glass/Graphite Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiulin Ji

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Bulk metallic glass (BMG and BMG-graphite composites were fabricated using spark plasma sintering at the sintering temperature of 575 °C and holding time of 15 min. The sintered composites exhibited partial crystallization and the presence of distributed porosity and graphite particles. The effect of graphite reinforcement on the tribological properties of the BMG/graphite composites was investigated using dry ball-on-disc sliding wear tests. The reinforcement of graphite resulted in a reduction in both the wear rate and the coefficient of friction as compared to monolithic BMG samples. The wear surfaces of BMG/graphite composites showed regions of localized wear loss due to microcracking and fracture, as was also the case with the regions covered with graphite-rich protective film due to smearing of pulled off graphite particles.

  8. Three-dimensional DEM–CFD analysis of air-flow-induced detachment of API particles from carrier particles in dry powder inhalers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiecheng Yang

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Air flow and particle–particle/wall impacts are considered as two primary dispersion mechanisms for dry powder inhalers (DPIs. Hence, an understanding of these mechanisms is critical for the development of DPIs. In this study, a coupled DEM–CFD (discrete element method–computational fluid dynamics is employed to investigate the influence of air flow on the dispersion performance of the carrier-based DPI formulations. A carrier-based agglomerate is initially formed and then dispersed in a uniformed air flow. It is found that air flow can drag API particles away from the carrier and those in the downstream air flow regions are prone to be dispersed. Furthermore, the influence of the air velocity and work of adhesion are also examined. It is shown that the dispersion number (i.e., the number of API particles detached from the carrier increases with increasing air velocity, and decreases with increasing the work of adhesion, indicating that the DPI performance is controlled by the balance of the removal and adhesive forces. It is also shown that the cumulative Weibull distribution function can be used to describe the DPI performance, which is governed by the ratio of the fluid drag force to the pull-off force.

  9. Three-dimensional DEM–CFD analysis of air-flow-induced detachment of API particles from carrier particles in dry powder inhalers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jiecheng; Wu, Chuan-Yu; Adams, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Air flow and particle–particle/wall impacts are considered as two primary dispersion mechanisms for dry powder inhalers (DPIs). Hence, an understanding of these mechanisms is critical for the development of DPIs. In this study, a coupled DEM–CFD (discrete element method–computational fluid dynamics) is employed to investigate the influence of air flow on the dispersion performance of the carrier-based DPI formulations. A carrier-based agglomerate is initially formed and then dispersed in a uniformed air flow. It is found that air flow can drag API particles away from the carrier and those in the downstream air flow regions are prone to be dispersed. Furthermore, the influence of the air velocity and work of adhesion are also examined. It is shown that the dispersion number (i.e., the number of API particles detached from the carrier) increases with increasing air velocity, and decreases with increasing the work of adhesion, indicating that the DPI performance is controlled by the balance of the removal and adhesive forces. It is also shown that the cumulative Weibull distribution function can be used to describe the DPI performance, which is governed by the ratio of the fluid drag force to the pull-off force. PMID:26579364

  10. Temporary surface passivation for characterisation of bulk defects in silicon : a review

    OpenAIRE

    Grant, Nicholas E.; Murphy, John D.

    2017-01-01

    Accurate measurements of the bulk minority carrier lifetime in high-quality silicon materials is challenging due to the influence of surface recombination. Conventional surface passivation processes such as thermal oxidation or dielectric deposition often modify the bulk lifetime significantly before measurement. Temporary surface passivation processes at room or very low temperatures enable a more accurate measurement of the true bulk lifetime, as they limit thermal reconfiguration of bulk d...

  11. Preparation of ultra-fine powders from polysaccharide-coated solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers by innovative nano spray drying technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Taoran; Hu, Qiaobin; Zhou, Mingyong; Xue, Jingyi; Luo, Yangchao

    2016-09-10

    In this study, five polysaccharides were applied as natural polymeric coating materials to prepare solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructure lipid carriers (NLC), and then the obtained lipid colloidal particles were transformed to solid powders by the innovative nano spray drying technology. The feasibility and suitability of this new technology to generate ultra-fine lipid powder particles were evaluated and the formulation was optimized. The spray dried SLN powder exhibited the aggregated and irregular shape and dimension, but small, uniform, well-separated spherical powder particles of was obtained from NLC. The optimal formulation of NLC was prepared by a 20-30% oleic acid content with carrageenan or pectin as coating material. Therefore, nano spray drying technology has a potential application to produce uniform, spherical, and sub-microscale lipid powder particles when the formulation of lipid delivery system is appropriately designed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. 7 CFR 58.250 - Dry whole milk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Dry whole milk. 58.250 Section 58.250 Agriculture... Products Bearing Usda Official Identification § 58.250 Dry whole milk. Dry whole milk in commercial bulk... Grades of Dry Whole Milk. Quality requirements for dry whole milk in consumer packages shall be for U.S...

  13. Development and comparison of new high-efficiency dry powder inhalers for carrier-free formulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behara, Srinivas R B; Longest, P Worth; Farkas, Dale R; Hindle, Michael

    2014-02-01

    High-efficiency dry powder inhalers (DPIs) were developed and tested for use with carrier-free formulations across a range of different inhalation flow rates. Performance of a previously reported DPI was compared with two new designs in terms of emitted dose (ED) and aerosolization characteristics using in vitro experiments. The two new designs oriented the capsule chamber (CC) at different angles to the main flow passage, which contained a three-dimensional (3D) rod array for aerosol deaggregation. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of a previously developed deaggregation parameter, the nondimensional specific dissipation (NDSD), were used to explain device performance. Orienting the CC at 90° to the mouthpiece, the CC90 -3D inhaler provided the best performance with an ED = 73.4%, fine particle fractions (FPFs) less than 5 and 1 μm of 95.1% and 31.4%, respectively, and a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) = 1.5 μm. For the carrier-free formulation, deaggregation was primarily influenced by capsule aperture position and the NDSD parameter. The new CC-3D inhalers reduced the percent difference in FPF and MMAD between low and high flows by 1-2 orders of magnitude compared with current commercial devices. In conclusion, the new CC-3D inhalers produced extremely high-quality aerosols with little sensitivity to flow rate and are expected to deliver approximately 95% of the ED to the lungs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

  14. Inversion symmetry and bulk Rashba effect in methylammonium lead iodide perovskite single crystals

    KAUST Repository

    Frohna, Kyle

    2018-05-02

    Methylammonium lead iodide perovskite (MAPbI3) exhibits long charge carrier lifetimes that are linked to its high efficiency in solar cells. Yet, the mechanisms governing these unusual carrier dynamics are not completely understood. A leading hypothesis-disproved in this work-is that a large, static bulk Rashba effect slows down carrier recombination. Here, using second harmonic generation rotational anisotropy measurements on MAPbI3 crystals, we demonstrate that the bulk structure of tetragonal MAPbI3 is centrosymmetric with I4/mcm space group. Our calculations show that a significant Rashba splitting in the bandstructure requires a non-centrosymmetric lead iodide framework, and that incorrect structural relaxations are responsible for the previously predicted large Rashba effect. The small Rashba splitting allows us to compute effective masses in excellent agreement with experiment. Our findings rule out the presence of a large static Rashba effect in bulk MAPbI3, and our measurements find no evidence of dynamic Rashba effects.

  15. Inversion symmetry and bulk Rashba effect in methylammonium lead iodide perovskite single crystals

    KAUST Repository

    Frohna, Kyle; Deshpande, Tejas; Harter, John; Peng, Wei; Barker, Bradford A.; Neaton, Jeffrey B.; Louie, Steven G.; Bakr, Osman; Hsieh, David; Bernardi, Marco

    2018-01-01

    Methylammonium lead iodide perovskite (MAPbI3) exhibits long charge carrier lifetimes that are linked to its high efficiency in solar cells. Yet, the mechanisms governing these unusual carrier dynamics are not completely understood. A leading hypothesis-disproved in this work-is that a large, static bulk Rashba effect slows down carrier recombination. Here, using second harmonic generation rotational anisotropy measurements on MAPbI3 crystals, we demonstrate that the bulk structure of tetragonal MAPbI3 is centrosymmetric with I4/mcm space group. Our calculations show that a significant Rashba splitting in the bandstructure requires a non-centrosymmetric lead iodide framework, and that incorrect structural relaxations are responsible for the previously predicted large Rashba effect. The small Rashba splitting allows us to compute effective masses in excellent agreement with experiment. Our findings rule out the presence of a large static Rashba effect in bulk MAPbI3, and our measurements find no evidence of dynamic Rashba effects.

  16. Performance indicators for carrier-based DPIs: Carrier surface properties for capsule filling and API properties for in vitro aerosolisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faulhammer, E; Zellnitz, S; Wutscher, T; Stranzinger, S; Zimmer, A; Paudel, A

    2018-01-30

    This study investigates engineered carrier, as well as engineered API particles, and shows that there are distinct performance indicators of particle engineering for carrier-based dry powder inhalers (DPIs). Spray dried (SDSS) and jet-milled (JMSS) salbutamol sulphate (SS) was blended with untreated α-lactose monohydrate (LAC_R) and α-lactose monohydrate engineered (LAC_E). Subsequent capsule filling was performed with different process settings on a dosator nozzle capsule filling machine in order to reach a target fill weight of 20-25 mg. To evaluate the performance of the different mixtures, in vitro lung deposition experiments were carried out with a next generation impactor, the emitted dose (ED) and fine particle fraction (FPF) were calculated based on the specification of the European pharmacopoeia. The FPF of micronised powder blends is significantly higher (20%) compared to the FPF of spray dried blends (5%). Compared to API engineering, carrier engineering had a positive effect on the capsule filling performance (weight variability and mean fill weight) at lower compression ratios (setting 1). Results further showed that higher compression ratios appear to be beneficial in terms of capsule filling performance (higher fill weight and less fill weight variation). Concluding, it can be stated that the carrier engineering, or generally carrier properties, govern downstream processing, whereas the API engineering and API properties govern the aerosolisation performance and thereby significantly affect the dose delivery to the lungs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Physical Properties and Effect in a Battery of Safety Pharmacology Models for Three Structurally Distinct Enteric Polymers Employed as Spray-dried Dispersion Carriers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryan M Fryer

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Establishing a wide therapeutic index (TI for pre-clinical safety is important during lead optimization (LO in research, prior to clinical development, although is often limited by a molecules physiochemical characteristics. Recent advances in the application of the innovative vibrating mesh spray-drying technology to prepare amorphous solid dispersions may offer an opportunity to achieve high plasma concentrations of poorly soluble NCEs to enable testing and establishment of a wide TI in safety pharmacology studies. While some of the amorphous solid dispersion carriers are generally recognized as safe for clinical use, whether they are sufficiently benign to enable in vivo pharmacology studies has not been sufficiently demonstrated. Thus, the physical properties, and effect in a battery of in vivo safety pharmacology models, were assessed in three classes of polymers employed as spray-dried dispersion carriers. The polymers (HPMC-AS, Eudragit, PVAP displayed low affinity with acetone/methanol, suitable for solvent-based spray drying. The water sorption of the polymers was moderate, and the degree of hysteresis of HPMC-AS was smaller than Eudragit and PVAP indicating the intermolecular interaction of water-cellulose molecules is weaker than water-acrylate or water-polyvinyl molecules. The polymer particles were well-suspended without aggregation with a mean particle size less than 3 µm in an aqueous vehicle. When tested in conscious Wistar Han rats in safety pharmacology models (n=6-8/dose/polymer investigating effects on CNS, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular function, no liabilities were identified at any dose tested (30-300 mg/kg PO, suspension. In brief, the polymers had no effect in a modified Irwin test that included observational and evoked endpoints related to stereotypies, excitation, sedation, pain/anesthesia, autonomic balance, reflexes, and others. No effect of the polymers on gastric emptying or intestinal transit was observed

  18. Bulk contribution to magnetotransport properties of low-defect-density Bi2Te3 topological insulator thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngabonziza, P.; Wang, Y.; Brinkman, A.

    2018-04-01

    An important challenge in the field of topological materials is to carefully disentangle the electronic transport contribution of the topological surface states from that of the bulk. For Bi2Te3 topological insulator samples, bulk single crystals and thin films exposed to air during fabrication processes are known to be bulk conducting, with the chemical potential in the bulk conduction band. For Bi2Te3 thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy, we combine structural characterization (transmission electron microscopy), chemical surface analysis as function of time (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and magnetotransport analysis to understand the low defect density and record high bulk electron mobility once charge is doped into the bulk by surface degradation. Carrier densities and electronic mobilities extracted from the Hall effect and the quantum oscillations are consistent and reveal a large bulk carrier mobility. Because of the cylindrical shape of the bulk Fermi surface, the angle dependence of the bulk magnetoresistance oscillations is two dimensional in nature.

  19. Ultrafast surface carrier dynamics in the topological insulator Bi₂Te₃.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hajlaoui, M; Papalazarou, E; Mauchain, J; Lantz, G; Moisan, N; Boschetto, D; Jiang, Z; Miotkowski, I; Chen, Y P; Taleb-Ibrahimi, A; Perfetti, L; Marsi, M

    2012-07-11

    We discuss the ultrafast evolution of the surface electronic structure of the topological insulator Bi(2)Te(3) following a femtosecond laser excitation. Using time and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, we provide a direct real-time visualization of the transient carrier population of both the surface states and the bulk conduction band. We find that the thermalization of the surface states is initially determined by interband scattering from the bulk conduction band, lasting for about 0.5 ps; subsequently, few picoseconds are necessary for the Dirac cone nonequilibrium electrons to recover a Fermi-Dirac distribution, while their relaxation extends over more than 10 ps. The surface sensitivity of our measurements makes it possible to estimate the range of the bulk-surface interband scattering channel, indicating that the process is effective over a distance of 5 nm or less. This establishes a correlation between the nanoscale thickness of the bulk charge reservoir and the evolution of the ultrafast carrier dynamics in the surface Dirac cone.

  20. Surface fixation of dried blood by glutaraldehyde and peracetic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kampf, G; Bloss, R; Martiny, H

    2004-06-01

    The difficulties of successful prion inactivation by chemical agents has led to changes in recommendations regarding the reprocessing of instruments including flexible endoscopes. One of the changes is the preference for peracetic acid instead of glutaraldehyde in order to avoid fixation of organic material, but the surface fixation by various active agents has not been fully investigated. We used a standardized amount of dried blood soil on metal carriers (on average 22 mg). One part of the carriers was exposed to different disinfectants (four based on peracetic acid, three based on glutaraldehyde, two based on quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC), one based on QAC and amines, one based on phenols and one cleaning agent) and air dried. The difference compared with the non-exposed soiled carrier was taken as the measure of blood removal by exposure to the disinfectants. In addition the other part of the carriers was exposed to a cleaning agent and air dried. The cleaning agent itself was capable of removing more than 99% of the dried blood and served as a control for non-fixation. The rate of fixation of dried blood was calculated as the ratio of the weight of residual soil on 'soiled, disinfected and cleaned' carriers and on 'soiled and disinfected' carriers. All experiments were repeated eight times. Blood removal varied between 90.3% +/- 1.5% (phenol-based disinfectant) and peracetic acid. No other preparations showed a potential for blood fixation (peracetic acid, and support the evidence that effective cleaning should precede the chemical disinfection. Copyright 2004 The Hospital Infection Society

  1. Minority-carrier lifetime in InP as a function of light bias

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yater, Jane A.; Weinberg, I.; Jenkins, Phillip P.; Landis, Geoffrey A.

    1995-01-01

    Minority-carrier lifetime in InP is studied as a function of doping level and laser intensity using time-resolved photoluminescence. A continuous wave diode laser illuminates bulk InP and acts as a light bias, injecting a steady-state concentration of carriers. A 200 ps laser pulse produces a small transient signal on top of the steady-state luminescence, allowing lifetime to be measured directly as a function of incident intensity. For p-InP, lifetime increases with light bias up to a maximum value. Bulk recombination centers are presumably filled to saturation, allowing minority carriers to live longer. The saturation bias scales with dopant concentration for a particular dopant species. As light bias is increased for n-InP, minority-carrier lifetime increases slightly but then decreases, suggesting radiative recombination as a dominant decay mechanism.

  2. Efficiency Comparison between Conventional and Modern Port Operation System for Small-Scale Dry Bulk Cargo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiara Aulia

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Since the launching of Sea Toll Road Program in 2015, the improvement in ports’ operation systems has become Indonesia’s foremost necessity. This improvement commonly leads to equipment modernization, while realistically, modern equipment does not always amount to a productive performance, especially in the context of small-scale ports. Instead, it is prone to creating wasteful capital and maintenance cost as well as making the planning time ineffective. This study compares two options of port operation systems in a small port, which is conventional and technologically-advanced method for dry bulk cargo. It results in thin gaps between each option’s financial assessment variables, which are Internal Rate of Return, Benefit/Cost Ratio and Payback Period, regardless of a stark difference between each option’s equipment cost. This study concludes that with the right approach, the conventional operation system is still the most efficient option compared to its contemporary opposite.

  3. Disorder-induced transition from grain boundary to bulk dominated ionic diffusion in pyrochlores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perriot, Romain; Dholabhai, Pratik P.; Uberuaga, Blas P.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the role of grain boundaries (GBs) on ionic diffusion in pyrochlores, as a function of the GB type, chemistry of the compound, and level of cation disorder. We observe that the presence of GBs promotes oxygen transport in ordered and low-disordered systems, as the GBs are found to have a higher concentration of mobile carriers with higher mobilities than in the bulk. Thus, in ordered samples, the ionic diffusion is 2D, localized along the grain boundary. When cation disorder is introduced, bulk carriers begin to contribute to the overall diffusion, while the GB contribution is only slightly enhanced. In highly disordered samples, the diffusive behavior at the GBs is bulk-like, and the two contributions (bulk vs. GB) can no longer be distinguished. There is thus a transition from 2D/GB dominated oxygen diffusivity to 3D/bulk dominated diffusivity versus disorder in pyrochlores. Finally, these results provide new insights into the possibility of using internal interfaces to enhance ionic conductivity in nanostructured complex oxides.

  4. 46 CFR 154.1145 - Dry chemical supply.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Dry chemical supply. 154.1145 Section 154.1145 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES SAFETY STANDARDS... Firefighting System: Dry Chemical § 154.1145 Dry chemical supply. (a) A vessel with a cargo carrying capacity...

  5. Moisture variation associated with water input and evaporation during sewage sludge bio-drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Lu; Gao, Ding; Chen, Tong-Bin; Liu, Hong-Tao; Zheng, Guo-Di; Yang, Qi-Wei

    2012-08-01

    The variation of moisture during sewage sludge bio-drying was investigated. In situ measurements were conducted to monitor the bulk moisture and water vapor, while the moisture content, water generation, water evaporation and aeration water input of the bio-drying bulk were calculated based on the water mass balance. The moisture in the sewage sludge bio-drying material decreased from 66% to 54% in response to control technology for bio-drying. During the temperature increasing and thermophilic phases of sewage sludge bio-drying, the moisture content, water generation and water evaporation of the bulk initially increased and then decreased. The peak water generation and evaporation occurred during the thermophilic phase. During the bio-drying, water evaporation was much greater than water generation, and aeration facilitated the water evaporation. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. Contactless Spectral-dependent Charge Carrier Lifetime Measurements in Silicon Photovoltaic Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roller, John; Hamadani, Behrang; Dagenais, Mario

    Charge carrier lifetime measurements in bulk or unfinished photovoltaic (PV) materials allow for a more accurate estimate of power conversion efficiency in completed solar cells. In this work, carrier lifetimes in PV-grade silicon wafers are obtained by way of quasi-steady state photoconductance measurements. These measurements use a contactless RF system coupled with varying narrow spectrum input LEDs, ranging in wavelength from 460 nm to 1030 nm. Spectral dependent lifetime measurements allow for determination of bulk and surface properties of the material, including the intrinsic bulk lifetime and the surface recombination velocity. The effective lifetimes are fit to an analytical physics-based model to determine the desired parameters. Passivated and non-passivated samples are both studied and are shown to have good agreement with the theoretical model.

  7. A possible high-mobility signal in bulk MoTe2: Temperature independent weak phonon decay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Titao Li

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs have attracted great attention due to their non-zero bandgap for potential application in high carrier mobility devices. Recent studies demonstrate that the carrier mobility of MoTe2 would decrease by orders of magnitude when used for few-layer transistors. As phonon scattering has a significant influence on carrier mobility of layered material, here, we first reported temperature-dependent Raman spectra of bulk 2H-MoTe2 from 80 to 300 K and discovered that the phonon lifetime of both E12g and A1g vibration modes are independent with temperature. These results were explained by the weak phonon decay in MoTe2. Our results imply the existence of a carrier mobility higher than the theoretical value in intrinsic bulk 2H-MoTe2 and the feasibility to obtain MoTe2-based transistors with sufficiently high carrier mobility.

  8. Characterization of naproxen-loaded solid SMEDDSs prepared by spray drying: the effect of the polysaccharide carrier and naproxen concentration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Čerpnjak, Katja; Zvonar, Alenka; Vrečer, Franc; Gašperlin, Mirjana

    2015-05-15

    The purpose of this study was to prepare solid SMEDDS (sSMEDDS) particles produced by spray-drying using maltodextrin (MD), hypromellose (HPMC), and a combination of the two as a solid carrier. Naproxen (NPX) as the model drug was dissolved (at 6% concentration) or partially suspended (at 18% concentration) in a liquid SMEDDS composed of Miglyol(®) 812, Peceol™, Gelucire(®) 44/14, and Solutol(®) HS 15. Among the sSMEDDSs tested, the MD-based sSMEDDSs (with a granular, smooth-surfaced, microspherical appearance) preserved the self-microemulsifying properties of liquid SMEDDSs and exhibited dissolution profiles similar to those of liquid SMEDDSs, irrespective of the concentration of NPX. In contrast, HPMC-based sSMEDDSs (irregular-shaped microparticles) exhibited slightly prolonged release times due to the polymeric nature of the carrier. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and Raman mapping analysis confirmed molecularly dissolved NPX (at 6% of drug loading), whereas at 18% NPX loading drug is partially molecularly dissolved and partially in the crystalline state. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  9. Reversible ultrafast melting in bulk CdSe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Wenzhi; He, Feng; Wang, Yaguo

    2016-01-01

    In this work, transient reflectivity changes in bulk CdSe have been measured with two-color femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy under a wide range of pump fluences. Three regions of reflectivity change with pump fluences have been consistently revealed for excited carrier density, coherent phonon amplitude, and lattice temperature. For laser fluences from 13 to 19.3 mJ/cm 2 , ultrafast melting happens in first several picoseconds. This melting process is purely thermal and reversible. A complete phase transformation in bulk CdSe may be reached when the absorbed laser energy is localized long enough, as observed in nanocrystalline CdSe

  10. DETERMINATION OF RELEVANT FEATURES OF A SCALE MODEL FOR A 55 000 DWT BULK CARRIER NECESSARY TO STUDY THE SHIP MANEUVERABILITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ALECU TOMA

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The study method of a ship behavior based on practical tests on scale models is widely used both leading scientists and engineers, architects and researchers in the naval field. In this paper we propose to determine the parameters of a ship handling characteristics relevant to study the 55,000 dwt bulk carrier using a scale model. Scientific background for practical experimentation of this techniques necessary to built a scale model ship consists in applying the principles of similarity or "similitude". The scale model achieved by applying the laws of similarity must allow, through approximations available in certain circumstances, finding relevant parameters needed to simplify and solve the Navier-Stokes equations. These parameters are necessary for modeling the interaction between hull of the real ship and the fluid motion.

  11. Influences of bulk and surface recombinations on the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie, Ziang; Sun, Shuren; Yan, Yu; Wang, Wei; Qin, Laixiang; Qin, G G

    2016-01-01

    For a novel kind of solar cell (SC) material, it is critical to estimate how far the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the SCs made of it can go. In 2010 Han and Chen proposed the equation for the ultimate efficiency of SCs without considering the carrier recombination η un . η un is capable of estimating the theoretical upper limits of the SC efficiencies and has attracted much attention. However, carrier recombination, which is one of the key factors influencing the PCEs of the SCs, is ignored in the equation for η un . In this paper, we develop a novel equation to calculate the ultimate efficiency for the SCs, η ur , which considers both the bulk and the surface carrier recombinations. The novel equation for η ur can estimate how much the bulk and the surface carrier recombinations influence the PCEs of the SCs. Moreover, with η ur we can estimate how much PCE improvement space can be gained only by reducing the influence of the carrier recombination to the least. The perovskite organometal trihalide SCs have attracted tremendous attention lately. For the planar CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 SCs, in the material depth range from 31.25–2000 nm, we apply the equation of η ur to investigate how the bulk and the surface carrier recombinations affect PCE. From a typically reported PCE of 15% for the planar CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 SC, using the equation of η ur , it is concluded that by reducing the influence of carrier recombination to the least the improvement of PCE is in the range of 17–30%. (paper)

  12. Exergy Steam Drying and Energy Integration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verma, Prem; Muenter, Claes (Exergy Engineering and Consulting, SE-417 55 Goeteborg (Sweden)). e-mail: verma@exergyse.com

    2008-10-15

    Exergy Steam Drying technology has existed for past 28 years and many new applications have been developed during this period. But during past few years the real benefits have been exploited in connection with bio-fuel production and energy integration. The steam dryer consists of a closed loop system, where the product is conveyed by superheated and pressurised carrier steam. The carrier steam is generated by the water vapours from the product being dried, and is indirectly superheated by another higher temperature energy source such as steam, flue gas, thermal oil etc. Besides the superior heat transfer advantages of using pressurised steam as a drying medium, the energy recovery is efficient and simple as the recovered energy (80-90%) is available in the form of steam. In some applications the product quality is significantly improved. Examples presented in this paper: Bio-Combine for pellets production: Through integration of the Exergy Steam Dryer for wood with a combined heat and power (CHP) plant, together with HP steam turbine, the excess carrier steam can be utilised for district heating and/or electrical power production in a condensing turbine. Bio-ethanol production: Both for first and second generation of ethanol can the Exergy process be integrated for treatment of raw material and by-products. Exergy Steam Dryer can dry the distillers dark grains and solubles (DDGS), wood, bagasse and lignin. Bio-diesel production: Oil containing seeds and fruits can be treated in order to improve both the quality of oil and animal feed protein, thus minimizing further oil processing costs and increasing the sales revenues. Sewage sludge as bio-mass: Municipal sewage sludge can be considered as a renewable bio-fuel. By drying and incineration, the combustion heat value of the sludge is sufficient for the drying process, generation of electrical energy and production of district heat. Keywords; Exergy, bio-fuel, bio-mass, pellets, bio-ethanol, biodiesel, bio

  13. Effects of Sludge Dry Solid Content and Residual Bulking Agents on Volatile Solids Reduction Using Eisenia foetida

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad ali Abdoli

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available In the first stage of this study, the compound effects of sludge dry solid content and residual bulking agent type (paper, saw dust, straw mixed with activated sludge (10, 15, and 20% dry solids on volatile solids (V.S. reduction were investigated using Eisenia foetida in pilot scale experiments with batches of fifty earthworms in each of the 10 experimental treatments over a period of 10 weeks. The maximum V.S. reduction was attained in the mixture of sludge and paper, with a D.S. of 15% (0.42 ± 0.03 % day-1 while the minimum V.S. reduction was achieved in the mixture of sludge and straw, with a D.S. of 10% (0.26 ± 0.01 % day-1. In the second stage, the survival of Eisenia foetida in the anaerobic sewage sludge was investigated. In the unmixed raw anaerobic sludge, all the earthworms died during the first 9 weeks of the study period due to acute toxicity. From week 10, however, their survival rate improved so that by week 12 when toxicity reduced to 25.40%, they completely survived. This is while in the mixture of anaerobic sludge with paper (D.S. 15%, 100% of the earthworms survived from week 8 after the volatile solids reduced to 20.42% and 17.40%.

  14. Raman mapping of mannitol/lysozyme particles produced via spray drying and single droplet drying

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pekka Pajander, Jari; Matero, Sanni Elina; Sloth, Jakob

    2015-01-01

    PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of a model protein on the solid state of a commonly used bulk agent in spray-dried formulations. METHODS: A series of lysozyme/mannitol formulations were spray-dried using a lab-scale spray dryer. Further, the surface temperature of drying droplet....../particles was monitored using the DRYING KINETICS ANALYZER™ (DKA) with controllable drying conditions mimicking the spray-drying process to estimate the drying kinetics of the lysozyme/mannitol formulations. The mannitol polymorphism and the spatial distribution of lysozyme in the particles were examined using X......-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD) and Raman microscopy. Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis was used for analyzing the Raman microscopy data. RESULTS: XRPD results indicated that a mixture of β-mannitol and α-mannitol was produced in the spray-drying process which was supported by the Raman analysis...

  15. Theophylline cocrystals prepared by spray drying: physicochemical properties and aerosolization performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alhalaweh, Amjad; Kaialy, Waseem; Buckton, Graham; Gill, Hardyal; Nokhodchi, Ali; Velaga, Sitaram P

    2013-03-01

    The purpose of this work was to characterize theophylline (THF) cocrystals prepared by spray drying in terms of the physicochemical properties and inhalation performance when aerosolized from a dry powder inhaler. Cocrystals of theophylline with urea (THF-URE), saccharin (THF-SAC) and nicotinamide (THF-NIC) were prepared by spray drying. Milled THF and THF-SAC cocrystals were also used for comparison. The physical purity, particle size, particle morphology and surface energy of the materials were determined. The in vitro aerosol performance of the spray-dried cocrystals, drug-alone and a drug-carrier aerosol, was assessed. The spray-dried particles had different size distributions, morphologies and surface energies. The milled samples had higher surface energy than those prepared by spray drying. Good agreement was observed between multi-stage liquid impinger and next-generation impactor in terms of assessing spray-dried THF particles. The fine particle fractions of both formulations were similar for THF, but drug-alone formulations outperformed drug-carrier formulations for the THF cocrystals. The aerosolization performance of different THF cocrystals was within the following rank order as obtained from both drug-alone and drug-carrier formulations: THF-NIC>THF-URE>THF-SAC. It was proposed that micromeritic properties dominate over particle surface energy in terms of determining the aerosol performance of THF cocrystals. Spray drying could be a potential technique for preparing cocrystals with modified physical properties.

  16. Radon generator and the method of radium carrier fabrication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Czerski, B.

    1992-01-01

    The radon generator construction and the method of radium carrier fabrication has been the subject of the patent. The generator is a cylindrical vessel with gas valves system and two filters inside. Between them the radium carrier has been located. As a carrier polyurethane foam has been used. The carrier is obtained in a generator vessel from polyester resin in the presence of activated mixture of engine oil, zinc-organic catalyst and toluene. To the obtained mixture the radium chloride in the solution of hydrochloric acid is added. The carrier foam is produced by mechanical stirring of substrates inside the vessel and drying in 50 C in a heater. 1 fig

  17. Depleted Bulk Heterojunction Colloidal Quantum Dot Photovoltaics

    KAUST Repository

    Barkhouse, D. Aaron R.

    2011-05-26

    The first solution-processed depleted bulk heterojunction colloidal quantum dot solar cells are presented. The architecture allows for high absorption with full depletion, thereby breaking the photon absorption/carrier extraction compromise inherent in planar devices. A record power conversion of 5.5% under simulated AM 1.5 illumination conditions is reported. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. A Novel Approach to Forecasting the Bulk Freight Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vangelis Tsioumas

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The fast-paced and ever changing freight market compels maritime executives to use sound forecasting tools. This paper aims to enhance the forecasting accuracy of the Baltic Dry Index (BDI by means of developing a multivariate Vector Autoregressive model with exogenous variables (VARX. The proposed model incorporates the Chinese steel production, the dry bulk fleet development and a new composite indicator, the Dry Bulk Economic Climate Index (DBECI. The predictive power of this approach is evaluated against a univariate ARIMA framework, which serves as a benchmark model. The selection of explanatory variables and the model specification are validated using a series of pertinent tests. The results demonstrate that the VARX model outperforms the ARIMA approach, suggesting that the selected independent variables can substantially improve the accuracy of BDI forecasts. The present study is of interest to maritime practitioners, as it provides useful insights into the direction of the freight market and allows them to make informed decisions.

  19. Spray Drying of Suspensions for Pharma and Bio Products: Drying Kinetics and Morphology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sloth, Jakob; Jørgensen, Kåre; Bach, Poul

    2009-01-01

    An experimental investigation of the spray drying behavior of droplets containing excipients and carrier materials used in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries has been conducted. Specifically, rice starch suspensions with different amounts of TiO2, maltodextrin, dextrin, NaCl and N...

  20. 48 CFR 752.247-70 - Preference for privately owned U.S.-flag commercial vessels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... (computed separately for dry bulk carriers, dry cargo liners, and tankers) shall be transported in privately... registry. (iv) Date of loading. (v) Port of loading. (vi) Port of final discharge. (vii) Description of...

  1. Drying characteristics and engineering properties of fermented ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STORAGESEVER

    2009-03-06

    Mar 6, 2009 ... fermented ground cassava. J. T. Nwabanne ... The drying characteristics of fermented ground local variety of ... effect of variety on the drying and engineering properties of fermented .... Figure 2 shows that the bulk density of each cultivar ... very close thermal conductivities as depicted in the shape of Figure ...

  2. [Selected adjuvants as carriers of a dry extract of common ivy (Hedera helix L.)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marczyński, Zbigniew; Zgoda, Marian Mikołaj; Bodek, Kazimiera Henryka

    2011-01-01

    The usefulness was tested of selected adjuvants: Vivapur 112, Carmellose calcium, Calcium carbonate CA 740, Calcium carbonate CA 800, Hypromellose as carriers of a dry extract of common ivy (Hedera helix L.) leaves in the process of direct tableting. The quality of the produced tablets was determined by examining their appearance, diameter, thickness, mass resistance to abrasion, crushing and disintegration time. Furthermore, the rate of release of biologically active components from the produced drug form to acceptor fluid was tested in accordance with the requirements of Polish Pharmacopoeia VII (PPVII). An attempt was made to estimate the effect of the used adjuvants on the course of this process. The applied adjuvants and acceptor fluid osmolarity decide significantly about the pharmaceutical availability of the therapeutic agents contained in the extract. The obtained model tablets are characterized by controlled release of biologically active substances, in majority of batches they fulfil the requirements as regards physicochemical properties. The formulation composition of the first batch (Extr. Hederae helices e fol.spir. sicc., Vivapur 112, Carmellose calcium, Sodium Stearyl Fumarate) appeared to be the most effective. The worked out method is optimal and provides technological reproducibility and high durability of the drug form.

  3. Encapsulation of black carrot juice using spray and freeze drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murali, S; Kar, Abhijit; Mohapatra, Debabandya; Kalia, Pritam

    2015-12-01

    Black carrot juice extracted using pectinase enzyme was encapsulated in three different carrier materials (maltodextrin 20DE, gum arabic and tapioca starch) using spray drying at four inlet temperatures (150, 175, 200 and 225 ℃) and freeze drying at a constant temperature of - 53 ℃ and vacuum of 0.22-0.11 mbar with the constant feed mixture. The products were analyzed for total anthocyanin content, antioxidant activity, water solubility index, encapsulation efficiency and total colour change. For both the drying methods followed in this study, maltodextrin 20DE as the carrier material has proven to be better in retaining maximum anthocyanin and antioxidant activity compared to gum arabic and tapioca starch. The best spray dried product, was obtained at 150 ℃. The most acceptable was the freeze dried product with maximum anthocyanin content, antioxidant activity, water solubility index, encapsulation efficiency and colour change. © The Author(s) 2014.

  4. Evaluating energy efficient strategies and product quality for distillers' dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in dry-grind ethanol plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lan, Tian

    tested and the response variables were measured which included energy performance (specific power consumption, energy efficiency, drying efficiency, drying rate), physical properties [particle size distribution (PSD), geometric mean particle size (dwg), bulk density, tapped bulk density, true density, color, compressibility index (CI), Hausner ratio (HR)], and chemical properties [acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), oil, crude protein, starch, ash, etc]. The results of the bench-scale study were also compared with data from a previous plant-scale DDGS production process investigation that used similar drying strategies. Results from the experiments indicated that among all 16 drying strategies, the 10% CDS content and 60% DDGS add-back strategy achieved the least specific power consumption (SPC) while the 40% CDS content and 20% DDGS add-back strategy had the highest SPC. The energy efficiency and drying efficiency of the bench-scale data in both drying stage I and drying stage II presented similar trends as process parameters changed. The highest energy and drying efficiencies were achieved in strategies with 10% CDS content while the lowest were in strategies with 40% CDS content. A comparison of the energy and drying efficiencies for the bench-scale strategies conducted in this study with those of similar plant-scale strategies from a previous study showed a similar trend in the data for drying stage 1, even though the actual numbers were quite different for the two experimental scales. On average, the energy and drying efficiencies for the bench-scale study was 40% less than the corresponding plant-scale strategy. CDS content had the most influence on the energy performance during DDGS drying, while percent DDGS add-back had more impact on the SPC given a constant CDS content level. By comparing both the physical properties, bulk density in particular which relates to logistics, and energy performance data, the drying strategy with 20% CDS and

  5. NOx emission calculations for bulk carriers by using engine power probabilities as weighting factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Chih-Wen; Hua, Jian; Hwang, Daw-Shang

    2017-10-01

    An important marine pollution issue identified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is NO x emissions; however, the stipulated method for determining the NO x certification value does not reflect the actual high emission factors of slow-speed two-stroke diesel engines over long-term slow steaming. In this study, an accurate method is presented for calculating the NO x emission factors and total amount of NO x emissions by using the actual power probabilities of the diesel engines in four types of bulk carriers. The proposed method is suitable for all types and purposes of diesel engines, is not restricted to any operating modes, and is highly accurate. Moreover, it is recommended that the IMO-stipulated certification value calculation method be modified accordingly to genuinely reduce the amount of NO x emissions. The successful achievement of this level of reduction will help improve the air quality, especially in coastal and port areas, and the health of local residents. As per the IMO, the NO x emission certification value of marine diesel engines having a rated power over 130 kW must be obtained using specified weighting factor (WF)-based calculation. However, this calculation fails to represent the current actual situation. Effective emission reductions of 6.91% (at sea) and 31.9% (in ports) were achieved using a mathematical model of power probability functions. Thus, we strongly recommend amending the certification value of NO x Technical Code 2008 (NTC 2008) by removing the WF constraints, such that the NO x emissions of diesel engines is lower than the Tier-limits at any load level to obtain genuine NO x emission reductions.

  6. Spectral hole-burning and carrier-heating dynamics in InGaAs quantum-dot amplifiers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borri, Paola; Langbein, Wolfgang Werner; Hvam, Jørn Märcher

    2000-01-01

    recovery of the spectral hole within ~100 fs is measured, comparable to bulk and quantum-well amplifiers, which is contradicting a carrier relaxation bottleneck in electrically pumped QD devices. The CH dynamics in the QD is quantitatively compared with results on an InGaAsP bulk amplifier. Reduced CH......The ultrafast gain and index dynamics in a set of InAs-InGaAs-GaAs quantum-dot (QD) amplifiers are measured at room temperature with femtosecond resolution. The role of spectral hole-burning (SHB) and carrier heating (CH) in the recovery of gain compression is investigated in detail. An ultrafast...

  7. 75 FR 34573 - Bulk Solid Hazardous Materials: Harmonization With the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-17

    ... reduced iron (DRI) as briquettes molded at a temperature of 650 [deg]C or higher that have a density of 5... temperature of 650 [deg]C or higher or had a density of 5.0 g/cm[sup3] or greater. In this proposed rule, we... bulk materials of Hazard Classes 4 through 9. c. One comment recommended that a DCM be required for...

  8. Spray drying of lipid-based systems loaded with Camellia sinensis polyphenols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Secolin, Vanessa A; Souza, Claudia R F; Oliveira, Wanderley P

    2017-03-01

    In this work, spray-dried lipid systems based on soy phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and lauroyl polyoxylglycerides for entrapping Green tea polyphenols were produced. The aim was to study the effects of the encapsulating composition and spray drying conditions on the system performance and physicochemical product properties. The spray dryer powder production yield falls around 50.7 ± 2.8%, which is typical for lab scale spray dryers. Wrinkled and rounded particles, with low surface porosities were generated, independent of the drying carriers (trehalose or lactose) used. The product showed high encapsulation efficiency of Green tea polyphenols, which was promptly redispersible in water. It presented low density, and good compressive and flow properties. The results herein reported confirm the feasibility of the entrapment of Green tea polyphenols in lipid-based compositions by spray drying in presence of the drying carriers evaluated. The spray-dried microparticles show high potential to be used as additive in food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products.

  9. Selective photochemical dry etching of compound semiconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashby, C.I.H.

    1988-01-01

    When laser-driven etching of a semiconductor requires direct participation of photogenerated carriers, the etching quantum yield will be sensitive to the electronic properties of a specific semiconductor material. The band-gap energy of the semiconductor determines the minimum photon energy needed for carrier-driven etching since sub-gap photons do not generate free carriers. However, only those free carriers that reach the reacting surface contribute to etching and the ultimate carrier flux to the surface is controlled by more subtle electronic properties than the lowest-energy band gap. For example, the initial depth of carrier generation and the probability of carrier recombination between the point of generation and the surface profoundly influence the etching quantum yield. Appropriate manipulation of process parameters can provide additional reaction control based on such secondary electronic properties. Applications to selective dry etching of GaAs and related materials are discussed

  10. All-optical measurements of carrier dynamics in bulk-GaN LEDs: Beyond the ABC approximation

    Science.gov (United States)

    David, Aurelien; Young, Nathan G.; Hurni, Christophe A.; Craven, Michael D.

    2017-06-01

    An all-optical measurement of differential carrier lifetimes is performed in a specially designed single-quantum-well structure. The measurement reveals the complex carrier-dependence of radiative and non-radiative recombinations, which directly manifest wavefunction-overlap and field-screening effects. This analysis clarifies the range of applicability of the common ABC model and its limitations.

  11. Dried fruit and its functional properties from a consumer's point of view

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jesionkowska, K.; Sijtsema, S.J.; Konopacka, D.; Symoneaux, R.

    2009-01-01

    Modern drying technology provides the opportunity to obtain dried fruits with high concentrations of bioactive compounds. Such products may also be fortified with functional ingredients. The adoption of dried fruit as a carrier of functional ingredients for consumers is indispensable to launch this

  12. Time Resolved Studies of Carrier Dynamics in III -v Heterojunction Semiconductors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westland, Duncan James

    Available from UMI in association with The British Library. Requires signed TDF. Picosecond time-resolution photoluminescence spectroscopy has been used to study transient processes in Ga _{.47}In_{.53 }As/InP multiple quantum wells (MQWs), and in bulk Ga_{.47}In _{.53}As and GaSb. To facilitate the experimental studies, apparatus was constructed to allow the detection of transient luminescence with 3ps time resolution. A frequency upconversion technique was employed. Relaxation of energetic carriers in bulk Ga _{.47}In_{.53 }As by optic phonons has been investigated, and, at carrier densities ~3 times 10^{18}cm ^{-3} is found to be a considerably slower process than simple theory predicts. The discrepancy is resolved by the inclusion of a non-equilibrium population of longitudinal optic phonons in the theoretical description. Slow energy loss is also observed in a 154A MQW under similar conditions, but carriers are found to relax more quickly in a 14A MQW with a comparable repeat period. The theory of non-equilibrium mode occupation is modified to describe the case of a MQW and is found to agree with experiment. Carrier relaxation in GaSb is studied and the importance of occupation of the L _6 conduction band valley in this material is demonstrated. The ambipolar diffusion of a photoexcited carrier plasma through an InP capping layer was investigated using an optical time-of-flight technique. This experiment also enables the efficiency of carrier capture by a Ga _{.47}In_{.53 }As quantum well to be determined. A capture time of 4ps was found.

  13. Analysis of threshold current of uniaxially tensile stressed bulk Ge and Ge/SiGe quantum well lasers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Jialin; Sun, Junqiang; Gao, Jianfeng; Zhang, Ruiwen

    2017-10-30

    We propose and design uniaxially tensile stressed bulk Ge and Ge/SiGe quantum well lasers with the stress along direction. The micro-bridge structure is adapted for introducing uniaxial stress in Ge/SiGe quantum well. To enhance the fabrication tolerance, full-etched circular gratings with high reflectivity bandwidths of ~500 nm are deployed in laser cavities. We compare and analyze the density of state, the number of states between Γ- and L-points, the carrier injection efficiency, and the threshold current density for the uniaxially tensile stressed bulk Ge and Ge/SiGe quantum well lasers. Simulation results show that the threshold current density of the Ge/SiGe quantum well laser is much higher than that of the bulk Ge laser, even combined with high uniaxial tensile stress owing to the larger number of states between Γ- and L- points and extremely low carrier injection efficiency. Electrical transport simulation reveals that the reduced effective mass of the hole and the small conduction band offset cause the low carrier injection efficiency of the Ge/SiGe quantum well laser. Our theoretical results imply that unlike III-V material, uniaxially tensile stressed bulk Ge outperforms a Ge/SiGe quantum well with the same strain level and is a promising approach for Si-compatible light sources.

  14. Impact of Electrodes on Recombination in Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chatri, Azadeh Rahimi; Torabi, Solmaz; Le Corre, Vincent M.; Koster, L. Jan Anton

    2018-01-01

    In recent years, the efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs) has increased to more than 13%, although different barriers are on the way for reaching higher efficiencies. One crucial barrier is the recombination of charge carriers, which can either occur as the bulk recombination of photogenerated

  15. Environmental impact analysis of the Nuclear Merchant Ship Program-addendum. Special study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-06-01

    This study represents a qualitative extension of an earlier Environmental Impact Analysis of the Nuclear Merchant Ship Program (MarAd, 1975) using an Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) as the reference ship, to other types of ships including a containership, dry-bulk cargo vessel, and an icebreaking oil tanker. This qualitative analysis shows that, for ships operating into coastal ports (containerships and possibly dry-bulk carriers), both ecological and radiological impacts would be somewhat greater than for the reference ULCC docking at an offshore terminal. These impacts can be kept within the guidelines established for land based nuclear power plants by implementation of appropriate operating procedures

  16. Intrinsic and extrinsic electrical and thermal transport of bulk black phosphorus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Sile; Xiang, Junsen; Lv, Meng; Zhang, Jiahao; Zhao, Hengcan; Li, Chunhong; Chen, Genfu; Wang, Wenhong; Sun, Peijie

    2018-01-01

    We report a comprehensive investigation of the electrical, thermal, and thermoelectric transport properties of bulk single-crystalline black phosphorus in wide temperature (2-300 K) and field (0-9 T) ranges. Electrical transport below T ≈ 250 K is found to be dominated by extrinsic hole-type charge carriers with large mobility exceeding 104 cm2/V s at low temperatures. While thermal transport measurements reveal an enhanced in-plane thermal conductivity maximum κ = 180 W/m K at T ≈ 25 K, it appears still to be largely constrained by extrinsic phonon scattering processes, e.g., the electron-phonon process, in addition to intrinsic umklapp scattering. The thermoelectric power and Nernst effect seem to be strongly influenced by ambipolar transport of charge carriers with opposite signs in at least the high-temperature region above 200 K, which diminishes the thermoelectric power factor of this material. Our results provide a timely update to the transport properties of bulk black phosphorus for future fundamental and applied research.

  17. 78 FR 5168 - BE-29: Survey of Foreign Ocean Carriers' Expenses in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-24

    ... United States. (d) Carriers means owners or operators of dry cargo, passenger (including cruise and combination) and tanker vessels, including very large crude carriers (VLCCs), calling at U.S. ports. (e... Must Report: Reports are required from U.S. agents of foreign carriers who: (a) handle 40 or more port...

  18. Combined control of morphology and polymorph in spray drying of mannitol for dry powder inhalation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyu, Feng; Liu, Jing J.; Zhang, Yang; Wang, Xue Z.

    2017-06-01

    The morphology and polymorphism of mannitol particles were controlled during spray drying with the aim of improving the aerosolization properties of inhalable dry powders. The obtained microparticles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction and inhaler testing with a next generation impactor. Mannitol particles of varied α-mannitol content and surface roughness were prepared via spray drying by manipulating the concentration of NH4HCO3 in the feed solution. The bubbles produced by NH4HCO3 led to the formation of spheroid particles with a rough surface. Further, the fine particle fraction was increased by the rough surface of carriers and the high α-mannitol content. Inhalable dry powders with a 29.1 ± 2.4% fine particle fraction were obtained by spray-drying using 5% mannitol (w/v)/2% NH4HCO3 (w/v) as the feed solution, proving that this technique is an effective method to engineer particles for dry powder inhalation.

  19. Interplay Between Side Chain Pattern, Polymer Aggregation, and Charge Carrier Dynamics in PBDTTPD:PCBM Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Dyer-Smith, Clare

    2015-05-01

    Poly(benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene–alt–thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione) (PBDTTPD) polymer donors with linear side-chains yield bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of about 4% with phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as the acceptor, while a PBDTTPD polymer with a combination of branched and linear substituents yields a doubling of the PCE to 8%. Using transient optical spectroscopy it is shown that while the exciton dissociation and ultrafast charge generation steps are not strongly affected by the side chain modifications, the polymer with branched side chains exhibits a decreased rate of nongeminate recombination and a lower fraction of sub-nanosecond geminate recombination. In turn the yield of long-lived charge carriers increases, resulting in a 33% increase in short circuit current (J sc). In parallel, the two polymers show distinct grazing incidence X-ray scattering spectra indicative of the presence of stacks with different orientation patterns in optimized thin-film BHJ devices. Independent of the packing pattern the spectroscopic data also reveals the existence of polymer aggregates in the pristine polymer films as well as in both blends which trap excitons and hinder their dissociation.

  20. Physical properties of sunflower seeds during drying

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thaís Adriana de Souza Smaniotto

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work was to determine the effect that the moisture content has on the physical properties of sunflower seeds. The cultivar Olisun 3, with an initial moisture content of 34.1 (% wb, was used and then subjected to drying in an oven with forced air ventilation under three temperature conditions: 40, 60 and 80 °C. The reduction in the moisture content during drying was monitored by the gravimetric method until it reached a final moisture content of 8.0 ± 1.0 (% wb. The physical properties were analysed: the bulk density, true density, intergranular porosity and volumetric shrinkage of the mass and unit and terminal velocity. The reduction in the moisture content influenced the physical properties of sunflower seeds and caused a decrease in the intergranular porosity, bulk density and true density at all examined temperatures. The mass and volumetric contractions of the unit and reduction in shrinkage rates all increased with the drying of sunflower seeds at all studied temperatures. The terminal velocity increased as the moisture content of the grains increased, which was more evident at the drying temperature of 80 °C.

  1. Effect of surface coating with magnesium stearate via mechanical dry powder coating approach on the aerosol performance of micronized drug powders from dry powder inhalers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Qi Tony; Qu, Li; Gengenbach, Thomas; Larson, Ian; Stewart, Peter J; Morton, David A V

    2013-03-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of particle surface coating with magnesium stearate on the aerosolization of dry powder inhaler formulations. Micronized salbutamol sulphate as a model drug was dry coated with magnesium stearate using a mechanofusion technique. The coating quality was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Powder bulk and flow properties were assessed by bulk densities and shear cell measurements. The aerosol performance was studied by laser diffraction and supported by a twin-stage impinger. High degrees of coating coverage were achieved after mechanofusion, as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Concomitant significant increases occurred in powder bulk densities and in aerosol performance after coating. The apparent optimum performance corresponded with using 2% w/w magnesium stearate. In contrast, traditional blending resulted in no significant changes in either bulk or aerosolization behaviour compared to the untreated sample. It is believed that conventional low-shear blending provides insufficient energy levels to expose host micronized particle surfaces from agglomerates and to distribute guest coating material effectively for coating. A simple ultra-high-shear mechanical dry powder coating step was shown as highly effective in producing ultra-thin coatings on micronized powders and to substantially improve the powder aerosolization efficiency.

  2. Spray Drying of Honey: The Effect of Drying Agents on Powder Properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samborska Katarzyna

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of honey spray drying with addition of maltodextrin and gum Arabic as drying agents. The influence of the concentration of the solution subjected to drying, the type and content of the drying agents upon the physical properties of obtained powders was examined. An attempt was undertaken to obtain powder with a honey content of more than 50% d.b. Spray drying of multifloral honey with the addition of maltodextrin and gum Arabic was carried out at inlet air temperature of 180°C, feed rate of 1 mL/s and rotational speed of a disc atomizer of 39,000 rpm. The properties of obtained powders were quantified in terms of moisture content, bulk density, Hausner ratio, apparent density, hygroscopicity and wettability. Using gum Arabic it was possible to obtain a product with a higher content of honey (67% solids than in the case of maltodextrin (50% d.b.. However, the powders obtained with gum Arabic were characterised by worse physical properties: higher hygroscopicity and cohesion, and longer wetting time.

  3. Gelatin as a carrier system for delivery of polyphenols compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jovanović Aleksandra

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In the present study, the influence of different encapsulation techniques (lyophilization and spray drying on gelatin, as a carrier system for delivery of polyphenols compounds, on wild thyme extracts and on encapsulated extracts was investigated. FTIR analyses has shown the presence of carbohydrates, polysaccharides, polyphenols, flavonoids, monoterpenes and carboxylates in the dried extracts, while FTIR spectrum of the encapsulated extracts has shown almost exclusively gelatin-based stripes, indicating the efficient encapsulation of the active ingredients of the extracts and therefore their protection. Scanning electron microscopy has shown that the lyophilization process produced irregularly shaped particles, while spray drying formed spherical and pseudo-spherical particles with rough surface. Using the method of diffraction of laser light, it has been found that spray dried encapsulate possessed significantly lower particle size and significantly better uniformity in comparison to the lyophilized sample. According to the results obtained in differential scanning calorimetry, endothermic peak of lyophilized gelatin encapsulate appeared at higher temperature, thus it can be concluded that lyophilized sample was more thermostable than spray dried parallel. Additionally, the values of enthalpy of gelatin encapsulates were significantly higher compared to pure extracts, which confirmed the presence of stabilizing interactions between the encapsulated components and a carrier.

  4. Study of Charge Carrier Transport in GaN Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaubas, Eugenijus; Ceponis, Tomas; Kuokstis, Edmundas; Meskauskaite, Dovile; Pavlov, Jevgenij; Reklaitis, Ignas

    2016-01-01

    Capacitor and Schottky diode sensors were fabricated on GaN material grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition techniques using plasma etching and metal deposition. The operational characteristics of these devices have been investigated by profiling current transients and by comparing the experimental regimes of the perpendicular and parallel injection of excess carrier domains. Profiling of the carrier injection location allows for the separation of the bipolar and the monopolar charge drift components. Carrier mobility values attributed to the hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) GaN material have been estimated as μe = 1000 ± 200 cm2/Vs for electrons, and μh = 400 ± 80 cm2/Vs for holes, respectively. Current transients under injection of the localized and bulk packets of excess carriers have been examined in order to determine the surface charge formation and polarization effects. PMID:28773418

  5. Separation of carrier-free 181Re produced in 16O-irradiated thulium target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lahiri, Susanta; Mukhopadhyay, Krishnendu; Banerjee, Kakoli; Ramaswami, A.; Manohar, S.B.

    2001-01-01

    Heavy ion activation of natural Tm 2 O 3 with 90 MeV 16 O beam results in the formation of carrier-free short-lived 181 Ir and 181 Os which ultimately decay out to 181 Re in the matrix. The liquid cation exchanger, HDEHP, has effectively been utilized as an extractant for quantitative separation of bulk thulium target matrix from carrier-free rhenium radionuclide

  6. Bulk and mechanical properties of the Paintbrush tuff recovered from borehole USW NRG-6: Data report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, R.J.; Boyd, P.J.; Noel, J.S.; Price, R.H.

    1994-11-01

    Experimental results are presented for bulk and mechanical properties measurements on specimens of the Paintbrush tuff recovered from borehole USW NRG-6 at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Measurements have been performed on four thermal/mechanical units, TCw, PTn, TSw1 and TSw2. On each specimen the following bulk properties have been reported: dry bulk density, saturated bulk density, average grain density, and porosity. Unconfined compression to failure, confined compression to failure, and indirect tensile strength tests were performed on selected specimens recovered from the borehole. In addition, compressional and shear wave velocities were measured on specimens designated for unconfined compression and confined compression experiments. Measurements were conducted at room temperature on nominally water saturated specimens; however, some specimens of PTn were tested in a room dry condition. The nominal strain rate for the fracture experiments was 10 -5 s -1

  7. Interlayer excitons in a bulk van der Waals semiconductor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arora, Ashish; Drüppel, Matthias; Schmidt, Robert; Deilmann, Thorsten; Schneider, Robert; Molas, Maciej R; Marauhn, Philipp; Michaelis de Vasconcellos, Steffen; Potemski, Marek; Rohlfing, Michael; Bratschitsch, Rudolf

    2017-09-21

    Bound electron-hole pairs called excitons govern the electronic and optical response of many organic and inorganic semiconductors. Excitons with spatially displaced wave functions of electrons and holes (interlayer excitons) are important for Bose-Einstein condensation, superfluidity, dissipationless current flow, and the light-induced exciton spin Hall effect. Here we report on the discovery of interlayer excitons in a bulk van der Waals semiconductor. They form due to strong localization and spin-valley coupling of charge carriers. By combining high-field magneto-reflectance experiments and ab initio calculations for 2H-MoTe 2 , we explain their salient features: the positive sign of the g-factor and the large diamagnetic shift. Our investigations solve the long-standing puzzle of positive g-factors in transition metal dichalcogenides, and pave the way for studying collective phenomena in these materials at elevated temperatures.Excitons, quasi-particles of bound electron-hole pairs, are at the core of the optoelectronic properties of layered transition metal dichalcogenides. Here, the authors unveil the presence of interlayer excitons in bulk van der Waals semiconductors, arising from strong localization and spin-valley coupling of charge carriers.

  8. Limitations of high dose carrier based formulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeung, Stewart; Traini, Daniela; Tweedie, Alan; Lewis, David; Church, Tanya; Young, Paul M

    2018-06-10

    This study was performed to investigate how increasing the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) content within a formulation affects the dispersion of particles and the aerosol performance efficiency of a carrier based dry powder inhalable (DPI) formulation, using a custom dry powder inhaler (DPI) development rig. Five formulations with varying concentrations of API beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) between 1% and 30% (w/w) were formulated as a multi-component carrier system containing coarse lactose and fine lactose with magnesium stearate. The morphology of the formulation and each component were investigated using scanning electron micrographs while the particle size was measured by laser diffraction. The aerosol performance, in terms of aerodynamic diameter, was assessed using the British pharmacopeia Apparatus E cascade impactor (Next generation impactor). Chemical analysis of the API was observed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Increasing the concentration of BDP in the blend resulted in increasing numbers and size of individual agglomerates and densely packed BDP multi-layers on the surface of the lactose carrier. BDP present within the multi-layer did not disperse as individual primary particles but as dense agglomerates, which led to a decrease in aerosol performance and increased percentage of BDP deposition within the Apparatus E induction port and pre-separator. As the BDP concentration in the blends increases, aerosol performance of the formulation decreases, in an inversely proportional manner. Concurrently, the percentage of API deposition in the induction port and pre-separator could also be linked to the amount of micronized particles (BDP and Micronized composite carrier) present in the formulation. The effect of such dose increase on the behaviour of aerosol dispersion was investigated to gain greater insight in the development and optimisation of higher dosed carrier-based formulations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All

  9. Carrier dynamics and surface vibration-assisted Auger recombination in porous silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakar, Ammar; Wu, Rihan; Chekulaev, Dimitri; Zerova, Vera; He, Wei; Canham, Leigh; Kaplan, Andrey

    2018-04-01

    Excitation and recombination dynamics of the photoexcited charge carriers in porous silicon membranes were studied using a femtosecond pump-probe technique. Near-infrared pulses (800 nm, 60 fs) were used for the pump while, for the probe, we employed different wavelengths in the range between 3.4 and 5 μ m covering the medium wavelength infrared range. The data acquired in these experiments consist of simultaneous measurements of the transmittance and reflectance as a function of the delay time between the pump and probe for different pump fluences and probe wavelengths. To evaluate the results, we developed an optical model based on the two-dimensional Maxwell-Garnett formula, incorporating the free-carrier Drude contribution and nonuniformity of the excitation by the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin model. This model allowed the retrieval of information about the carrier density as a function of the pump fluence, time, and wavelength. The carrier density data were analyzed to reveal that the recombination dynamics is governed by Shockley-Read-Hall and Auger processes, whereas the diffusion has an insignificant contribution. We show that, in porous silicon samples, the Auger recombination process is greatly enhanced at the wavelength corresponding to the infrared-active vibrational modes of the molecular impurities on the surface of the pores. This observation of surface-vibration-assisted Auger recombination is not only for porous silicon in particular, but for low-dimension and bulk semiconductors in general. We estimate the time constants of Shockley-Read-Hall and Auger processes, and demonstrate their wavelength dependence for the excited carrier density in the range of 1018-10191 /cm3 . We demonstrate that both processes are enhanced by up to three orders of magnitude with respect to the bulk counterpart. In addition, we provide a plethora of the physical parameters evaluated from the experimental data, such as the dielectric function and its dependence on the

  10. Raman mapping of mannitol/lysozyme particles produced via spray drying and single droplet drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pajander, Jari Pekka; Matero, Sanni; Sloth, Jakob; Wan, Feng; Rantanen, Jukka; Yang, Mingshi

    2015-06-01

    This study aimed to investigate the effect of a model protein on the solid state of a commonly used bulk agent in spray-dried formulations. A series of lysozyme/mannitol formulations were spray-dried using a lab-scale spray dryer. Further, the surface temperature of drying droplet/particles was monitored using the DRYING KINETICS ANALYZER™ (DKA) with controllable drying conditions mimicking the spray-drying process to estimate the drying kinetics of the lysozyme/mannitol formulations. The mannitol polymorphism and the spatial distribution of lysozyme in the particles were examined using X-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD) and Raman microscopy. Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis was used for analyzing the Raman microscopy data. XRPD results indicated that a mixture of β-mannitol and α-mannitol was produced in the spray-drying process which was supported by the Raman analysis, whereas Raman analysis indicated that a mixture of α-mannitol and δ-mannitol was detected in the single particles from DKA. In addition Raman mapping indicated that the presence of lysozyme seemed to favor the appearance of α-mannitol in the particles from DKA evidenced by close proximity of lysozyme and mannitol in the particles. It suggested that the presence of lysozyme tend to induce metastable solid state forms upon the drying process.

  11. SHRINKAGE AND MOISTURE LOSS OF DRIED MELON SEEDS ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Samples of 100g clean, mature, freshly washed melon seeds were dried at intervals of 1/4, 1/2, 1 and 2h in an air-oven at 60O C. The experiments were carried out with five different bulk samples of melon seeds. The moisture content of the seeds at each drying stage was determined. The moisture loss in grams per ...

  12. Multi-THz spectroscopy of mobile charge carriers in P3HT:PCBM on a sub-100 fs time scale

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cooke, David G.; Krebs, Frederik C; Jepsen, Peter Uhd

    2013-01-01

    The dynamics of mobile charge carrier generation in polymer bulk heterojunction films is of vital importance to the development of more efficient organic photovoltaics. As with conventional semiconductors, the optical signatures of mobile carriers lie in the far-infrared (1-30 THz) although...

  13. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BULK-DENSITY AND COMPACTIBILITY OF LACTOSE GRANULATIONS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ZUURMAN, K; RIEPMA, KA; BOLHUIS, GK; VROMANS, H; LERK, CF

    1994-01-01

    The relationship between the bulk density and the compactibility of lactose granulations was studied. The granulations were prepared from different alpha-lactose monohydrate and roller dried beta-lactose powders by wet granulation, using different techniques with only water as a binder, or by

  14. Time-dependent mobility and recombination of the photoinduced charge carriers in conjugated polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mozer, A. J.; Dennler, G.; Sariciftci, N. S.; Westerling, M.; Pivrikas, A.; Österbacka, R.; Juška, G.

    2005-07-01

    Time-dependent mobility and recombination in the blend of poly[2-methoxy-5-(3,7-dimethyloctyloxy)-phenylene vinylene] (MDMO-PPV) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)- C61 (PCBM) is studied simultaneously using the photoinduced charge carrier extraction by linearly increasing voltage technique. The charge carriers are photogenerated by a strongly absorbed, 3 ns laser flash, and extracted by the application of a reverse bias voltage pulse after an adjustable delay time (tdel) . It is found that the mobility of the extracted charge carriers decreases with increasing delay time, especially shortly after photoexcitation. The time-dependent mobility μ(t) is attributed to the energy relaxation of the charge carriers towards the tail states of the density of states distribution. A model based on a dispersive bimolecular recombination is formulated, which properly describes the concentration decay of the extracted charge carriers at all measured temperatures and concentrations. The calculated bimolecular recombination coefficient β(t) is also found to be time-dependent exhibiting a power law dependence as β(t)=β0t-(1-γ) with increasing slope (1-γ) with decreasing temperatures. The temperature dependence study reveals that both the mobility and recombination of the photogenerated charge carriers are thermally activated processes with activation energy in the range of 0.1 eV. Finally, the direct comparison of μ(t) and β(t) shows that the recombination of the long-lived charge carriers is controlled by diffusion.

  15. Ultrafast carrier dynamics in bimetallic nanostructure-enhanced methylammonium lead bromide perovskites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zarick, Holly F; Boulesbaa, Abdelaziz; Puretzky, Alexander A; Talbert, Eric M; DeBra, Zachary R; Soetan, Naiya; Geohegan, David B; Bardhan, Rizia

    2017-01-26

    In this work, we examine the impact of hybrid bimetallic Au/Ag core/shell nanostructures on the carrier dynamics of methylammonium lead tribromide (MAPbBr 3 ) mesoporous perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Plasmon-enhanced PSCs incorporated with Au/Ag nanostructures demonstrated improved light harvesting and increased power conversion efficiency by 26% relative to reference devices. Two complementary spectral techniques, transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) and time-resolved photoluminescence (trPL), were employed to gain a mechanistic understanding of plasmonic enhancement processes. TAS revealed a decrease in the photobleach formation time, which suggests that the nanostructures improve hot carrier thermalization to an equilibrium distribution, relieving hot phonon bottleneck in MAPbBr 3 perovskites. TAS also showed a decrease in carrier decay lifetimes, indicating that nanostructures enhance photoinduced carrier generation and promote efficient electron injection into TiO 2 prior to bulk recombination. Furthermore, nanostructure-incorporated perovskite films demonstrated quenching in steady-state PL and decreases in trPL carrier lifetimes, providing further evidence of improved carrier injection in plasmon-enhanced mesoporous PSCs.

  16. Intrinsic broadening of the mobility spectrum of bulk n-type GaAs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jolley, G; Umana-Membreno, G A; Akhavan, N D; Antoszewski, J; Faraone, L; Fischetti, M V

    2014-01-01

    Modern devices consisting of multiple semiconductor layers often result in the population of numerous distinct carrier species. Conventional Hall measurements at a single-magnetic-field strength provide only a weighted average of the electron mobility and carrier concentration of a semiconductor structure and, therefore, are of limited use for the extraction of carrier transport information. In recent years, mobility spectrum analysis techniques, which have been developed to extract a mobility spectrum from magnetic field-dependent conductivity-tensor measurements, have been applied in the analysis of carrier conductivity mechanisms of numerous semiconductor structures and devices. Currently there is a severe lack of reported studies on theoretical calculations of the mobility distribution of semiconductor structures or devices. In addition, the majority of reports on experimental mobility spectrum analysis are of complex, multi layered structures such as type-II superlattices, and the interpretation of the mobility spectra has been difficult. Therefore, a good understanding of the mobility spectrum has yet to be developed. For example, it is often assumed that distinct peaks of a mobility spectrum result from fundamentally different conduction mechanisms such as the bulk and surface conduction of narrow-band-gap semiconductors. In this article, we present calculations of the electron mobility distribution of bulk GaAs, which predict the existence of multiple mobility spectrum peaks that result from electron conductivity in the Γ conduction band. This report serves as an important and simple test case upon which experimentally measured mobility spectra can be compared. It also presents insight into the general nature of electron mobility distributions. (paper)

  17. Influence of Stockpile Angle in Natural Drying of Laterite Ore

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoalbys Retirado-Mediaceja

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Natural drying is performed at Cuban nickel plants by depositing bulk ore in the open. The ore is currently being stockpiled without much consideration for the impact of the drying surface angle on the process power behavior. Simulations were carried out in this investigation, which prove that an increased triangular stockpile angle considerably reduces natural drying efficiency. A 45 sexagesimal degree angle to the horizontal plane results in exposure of a large volume of ore to natural drying and guarantees adequate energy performance.

  18. Low temperature hot air drying of potato cubes subjected to osmotic dehydration and intermittent microwave: drying kinetics, energy consumption and product quality indexes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dehghannya, Jalal; Bozorghi, Somayyeh; Heshmati, Maryam Khakbaz

    2018-04-01

    Hot-air drying is a slow energy-extensive process. Use of intermittent microwave (IM) in hot-air (HA) drying of food products is characterized with advantages including reduced process time, energy saving, and improved final quality. In this study, the effect of IM-HA drying following an osmotic dehydration (OD) pretreatment was analyzed on qualitative and quantitative properties of the output (i.e. effective moisture diffusion coefficient (Deff), shrinkage, bulk density, rehydration and energy consumption). Temperature and airflow velocity were fixed at 40°C and 1 m/s, respectively. The process variables included sucrose solution concentration at five levels (0 or control, 10, 30, 50 and 70 w/w%), microwave output power at four levels (0 or control, 360, 600 and 900 W), and pulse ratio at four levels (1, 2, 3 and 4). Use of osmotic dehydration in combination with IM-HA drying reduced the drying time by up to about 54%. Increasing the osmotic solution concentration to 30% and using higher pulse ratios increased the Deff. The lowest shrinkage and bulk density as well as the highest rehydration belonged to the 900 W microwave power and pulse ratio of 4. The lowest energy consumption was observed when using the 900 W power level, showing 63.27% less consumption than the HA drying method.

  19. Prediction of supercritical carbon dioxide drying of food products in packed beds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Almeida-Rivera, C.; Khalloufi, S.; Bongers, P.M.M.

    2010-01-01

    Drying assisted by supercritical carbon dioxide is foreseen to become a promising technology for sensitive food products. In this contribution, a mathematical model is derived to describe the changes in water concentration in both a solid food matrix and a fluid carrier during drying. Finite

  20. i-CELIV technique for investigation of charge carriers transport properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Važgėla, J., E-mail: julius.vazgela@ff.vu.lt; Genevičius, K.; Juška, G.

    2016-10-20

    The extraction of the injected charge carriers by linearly increasing voltage (i-CELIV) is a promising method for separate analysis of the holes and electrons transport properties in the bulk heterojunction layers. We are demonstrating how to establish the mobility dependence on the electric field and obtain more precise results by performing corrections in transit time by this technique. [6,6]-Phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta [2,1-b;3,4-b′]dithiophene)-alt-4,7(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) bulk heterojunctions with different blend ratios were experimentally tested with i-CELIV method. The hole and electron mobilities were found to be heavily imbalanced in the optimised 3:1 PCBM:PCPDTBT bulk heterojunction.

  1. Exciton delocalization incorporated drift-diffusion model for bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zi Shuai; Sha, Wei E. I.; Choy, Wallace C. H.

    2016-12-01

    Modeling the charge-generation process is highly important to understand device physics and optimize power conversion efficiency of bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs). Free carriers are generated by both ultrafast exciton delocalization and slow exciton diffusion and dissociation at the heterojunction interface. In this work, we developed a systematic numerical simulation to describe the charge-generation process by a modified drift-diffusion model. The transport, recombination, and collection of free carriers are incorporated to fully capture the device response. The theoretical results match well with the state-of-the-art high-performance organic solar cells. It is demonstrated that the increase of exciton delocalization ratio reduces the energy loss in the exciton diffusion-dissociation process, and thus, significantly improves the device efficiency, especially for the short-circuit current. By changing the exciton delocalization ratio, OSC performances are comprehensively investigated under the conditions of short-circuit and open-circuit. Particularly, bulk recombination dependent fill factor saturation is unveiled and understood. As a fundamental electrical analysis of the delocalization mechanism, our work is important to understand and optimize the high-performance OSCs.

  2. Charge transport and recombination in bulk heterojunction solar cells studied by the photoinduced charge extraction in linearly increasing voltage technique

    OpenAIRE

    Mozer, AJ; Sariciftci, NS; Osterbacka, R; Westerling, M; Juska, G; LUTSEN, Laurence; VANDERZANDE, Dirk

    2005-01-01

    Charge carrier mobility and recombination in a bulk heterojunction solar cell based on the mixture of poly[2-methoxy-5-(3,7-dimethyloctyloxy)-phenylene vinylene] (MDMO-PPV) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)-C-61 (PCBM) has been studied using the novel technique of photoinduced charge carrier extraction in a linearly increasing voltage (Photo-CELIV). In this technique, charge carriers are photogenerated by a short laser flash, and extracted under a reverse bias voltage ramp after ...

  3. Segregation of chlorine in n-type tin monosulfide ceramics: Actual chlorine concentration for carrier-type conversion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iguchi, Yuki; Sugiyama, Taiki; Inoue, Kazutoshi; Yanagi, Hiroshi

    2018-05-01

    Tin monosulfide (SnS) is an attractive material for photovoltaic cells because of its suitable band-gap energy, high absorption coefficient, and non-toxic and abundant constituent elements. The primary drawback of this material is the lack of n-type SnS. We recently demonstrated n-type SnS by doping with Cl. However, the Cl-doped n-type SnS bulk ceramics exhibited an odd behavior in which carrier-type conversion but not electron carrier concentration depended on the Cl concentration. In this study, the electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) elemental mapping of Cl-doped SnS revealed continuous homogeneous regions with a relatively low Cl concentration along with the islands of high Cl concentration in which Sn/S is far from unity. The difference between the Cl concentration in the homogeneous region (determined by EPMA) and the bulk Cl concentration (determined by wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) increased with the increasing Cl doping amount. The carrier concentration and the Hall coefficient clearly depended on the Cl concentration in the homogeneous region. Carrier-type conversion was observed at the Cl concentration of 0.26 at. % (in the homogeneous region).

  4. Quantitative description of charge-carrier transport in a white organic light-emitting diode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schober, M.; Anderson, M.; Thomschke, M.; Widmer, J.; Furno, M.; Scholz, R.; Lüssem, B.; Leo, K.

    2011-10-01

    We present a simulation model for the analysis of charge-carrier transport in organic thin-film devices, and apply it to a three-color white hybrid organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with fluorescent blue and phosphorescent red and green emission. We simulate a series of single-carrier devices, which reconstruct the OLED layer sequence step by step. Thereby, we determine the energy profiles for hole and electron transport, show how to discern bulk from interface limitation, and identify trap states.

  5. Multiple carrier transport in N-face indium nitride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koblmueller, Gregor; Gallinat, Chad S.; Speck, James S.; Umana-Membreno, Gilberto A.; Nener, Brett D.; Parish, Giacinta; Fehlberg, Tamara B.

    2008-01-01

    We present temperature (20-300 K) dependent multi-carrier measurements of electron species in N-face indium nitride. N-face InN samples were grown to different thicknesses (500-2000 nm) via plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on C-face SiC substrates. Surface and bulk electron transport properties were extracted using a quantitative mobility spectrum analysis. Mobility of both bulk and surface electron species increase with film thickness. The temperature dependence of the mobility of both species differs to that of In-polar samples studied previously, while the mobility of surface electrons is more than twice that of In-polar samples with only a slight corresponding reduction in sheet concentration. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  6. Multiple-level defect species evaluation from average carrier decay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debuf, Didier

    2003-10-01

    An expression for the average decay is determined by solving the the carrier continuity equations, which include terms for multiple defect recombination. This expression is the decay measured by techniques such as the contactless photoconductance decay method, which determines the average or volume integrated decay. Implicit in the above is the requirement for good surface passivation such that only bulk properties are observed. A proposed experimental configuration is given to achieve the intended goal of an assessment of the type of defect in an n-type Czochralski-grown silicon semiconductor with an unusually high relative lifetime. The high lifetime is explained in terms of a ground excited state multiple-level defect system. Also, minority carrier trapping is investigated.

  7. Extracting hot carriers from photoexcited semiconductor nanocrystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, Xiaoyang

    2014-12-10

    This research program addresses a fundamental question related to the use of nanomaterials in solar energy -- namely, whether semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) can help surpass the efficiency limits, the so-called “Shockley-Queisser” limit, in conventional solar cells. In these cells, absorption of photons with energies above the semiconductor bandgap generates “hot” charge carriers that quickly “cool” to the band edges before they can be utilized to do work; this sets the solar cell efficiency at a limit of ~31%. If instead, all of the energy of the hot carriers could be captured, solar-to-electric power conversion efficiencies could be increased, theoretically, to as high as 66%. A potential route to capture this energy is to utilize semiconductor nanocrystals. In these materials, the quasi-continuous conduction and valence bands of the bulk semiconductor become discretized due to confinement of the charge carriers. Consequently, the energy spacing between the electronic levels can be much larger than the highest phonon frequency of the lattice, creating a “phonon bottleneck” wherein hot-carrier relaxation is possible via slower multiphonon emission. For example, hot-electron lifetimes as long as ~1 ns have been observed in NCs grown by molecular beam epitaxy. In colloidal NCs, long lifetimes have been demonstrated through careful design of the nanocrystal interfaces. Due to their ability to slow electronic relaxation, semiconductor NCs can in principle enable extraction of hot carriers before they cool to the band edges, leading to more efficient solar cells.

  8. Quality properties of fruits as affected by drying operation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omolola, Adewale O; Jideani, Afam I O; Kapila, Patrick F

    2017-01-02

    The increasing consumption of dried fruits requires further attention on the quality parameters. Drying has become necessary because most fruits are highly perishable owing to their high moisture content and the need to make them available all year round and at locations where they are not produced. In addition to preservation, the reduced weight and bulk of dehydrated products decreases packaging, handling and transportation costs. Quality changes associated with drying of fruit products include physical, sensory, nutritional, and microbiological. Drying gives rise to low or moderate glycemic index (GI) products with high calorie, vitamin and mineral contents. This review examines the nutritional benefits of dried fruits, protective compounds present in dried fruits, GI, overview of some fruit drying methods and effects of drying operations on the quality properties such as shrinkage, porosity, texture, color, rehydration, effective moisture diffusivity, nutritional, sensory, microbiological and shelf stability of fruits.

  9. Solid phase carrier for radioimmuno analyses, as well as its manufacture and use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meriadec, B.; Roubertie, P.

    1979-01-01

    The solid phase carrier is in the form of a tablet containing freeze-dried protein-bonded gel, dicalcium phosphate and magnesium stearate. It is able to absorb 0.400 microlitre of an a solution containing antigen-antibody. When contacted with the solution, the tablet swells up and adapts to the shape of the column. The carrier is suitable for the TSH RIA test. (DG) [de

  10. Sustained delivery of biomolecules from gelatin carriers for applications in bone regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Jiankang; Leeuwenburgh, Sander Cg

    2014-08-01

    Local delivery of therapeutic biomolecules to stimulate bone regeneration has matured considerably during the past decades, but control over the release of these biomolecules still remains a major challenge. To this end, suitable carriers that allow for tunable spatial and temporal delivery of biomolecules need to be developed. Gelatin is one of the most widely used natural polymers for the controlled and sustained delivery of biomolecules because of its biodegradability, biocompatibility, biosafety and cost-effectiveness. The current study reviews the applications of gelatin as carriers in form of bulk hydrogels, microspheres, nanospheres, colloidal gels and composites for the programmed delivery of commonly used biomolecules for applications in bone regeneration with a specific focus on the relationship between carrier properties and delivery characteristics.

  11. Model for heat and mass transfer in freeze-drying of pellets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trelea, Ioan Cristian; Passot, Stéphanie; Marin, Michèle; Fonseca, Fernanda

    2009-07-01

    Lyophilizing frozen pellets, and especially spray freeze-drying, have been receiving growing interest. To design efficient and safe freeze-drying cycles, local temperature and moisture content in the product bed have to be known, but both are difficult to measure in the industry. Mathematical modeling of heat and mass transfer helps to determine local freeze-drying conditions and predict effects of operation policy, and equipment and recipe changes on drying time and product quality. Representative pellets situated at different positions in the product slab were considered. One-dimensional transfer in the slab and radial transfer in the pellets were assumed. Coupled heat and vapor transfer equations between the temperature-controlled shelf, the product bulk, the sublimation front inside the pellets, and the chamber were established and solved numerically. The model was validated based on bulk temperature measurement performed at two different locations in the product slab and on partial vapor pressure measurement in the freeze-drying chamber. Fair agreement between measured and calculated values was found. In contrast, a previously developed model for compact product layer was found inadequate in describing freeze-drying of pellets. The developed model represents a good starting basis for studying freeze-drying of pellets. It has to be further improved and validated for a variety of product types and freeze-drying conditions (shelf temperature, total chamber pressure, pellet size, slab thickness, etc.). It could be used to develop freeze-drying cycles based on product quality criteria such as local moisture content and glass transition temperature.

  12. Charge Carrier Generation Followed by Triplet State Formation, Annihilation, and Carrier Recreation in PBDTTT-C:PC 60 BM Photovoltaic Blends

    KAUST Repository

    Gehrig, Dominik W.

    2015-05-22

    Triplet state formation after photoexcitation of low-bandgap polymer:fullerene blends has recently been demonstrated, however, the precise mechanism and its impact on solar cell performance is still under debate. Here, we study exciton dissociation, charge carrier generation and triplet state formation in low-bandgap polymer PBDTTT-C:PC60BM bulk heterojunction photovoltaic blends by a combination of fs-µs broadband Vis-NIR transient absorption (TA) pump-probe spectroscopy and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) data analysis. We found sub-ps exciton dissociation and charge generation followed by sub-ns triplet state creation. The carrier dynamics and triplet state dynamics exhibited a very pronounced intensity dependence indicating non-geminate recombination of free carriers is the origin of triplet formation in these blends. Triplets were found to be the dominant state present on the nanosecond timescale. Surprisingly, the carrier population increased again on the ns-µs timescale. We attribute this to triplet-triplet annihilation and the formation of higher energy excited states that subsequently underwent charge transfer. This unique dip and recovery of the charge population is a clear indication that triplets are formed by non-geminate recombination, as such a kinetic is incompatible with a monomolecular triplet state formation process.

  13. Charge Carrier Generation Followed by Triplet State Formation, Annihilation, and Carrier Recreation in PBDTTT-C:PC 60 BM Photovoltaic Blends

    KAUST Repository

    Gehrig, Dominik W.; Howard, Ian A.; Laquai, Fré dé ric

    2015-01-01

    Triplet state formation after photoexcitation of low-bandgap polymer:fullerene blends has recently been demonstrated, however, the precise mechanism and its impact on solar cell performance is still under debate. Here, we study exciton dissociation, charge carrier generation and triplet state formation in low-bandgap polymer PBDTTT-C:PC60BM bulk heterojunction photovoltaic blends by a combination of fs-µs broadband Vis-NIR transient absorption (TA) pump-probe spectroscopy and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) data analysis. We found sub-ps exciton dissociation and charge generation followed by sub-ns triplet state creation. The carrier dynamics and triplet state dynamics exhibited a very pronounced intensity dependence indicating non-geminate recombination of free carriers is the origin of triplet formation in these blends. Triplets were found to be the dominant state present on the nanosecond timescale. Surprisingly, the carrier population increased again on the ns-µs timescale. We attribute this to triplet-triplet annihilation and the formation of higher energy excited states that subsequently underwent charge transfer. This unique dip and recovery of the charge population is a clear indication that triplets are formed by non-geminate recombination, as such a kinetic is incompatible with a monomolecular triplet state formation process.

  14. Microscopic search for the carrier phase Q of the trapped planetary noble gases in Allende, Leoville, and Vigarano

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vis, R. D.; Mrowiec, A.; Kooyman, P. J.; Matsubara, K.; Heymann, D.

    2002-10-01

    High-resolution transmission electron microscopy micrographs of acid-resistant residues of the Allende, Leoville, and Vigarano meteorites show a great variety of carbon structures: curved and frequently twisted and intertwined graphene sheets, abundant carbon black-like particles, and hollow "sacs". It is suggested that perhaps all of these are carriers for the planetary Q-noble gases in these meteorites. Most of these materials are pyrocarbons that probably formed by the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons either in a gas phase, or on hot surfaces of minerals. An attempt was made to analyze for argon with particle-induced x-ray emission in 143 spots of grains of floating and suspended matter from freeze-dry cycles of an Allende bulk sample in water, and floating "black balls" from sonication in water of samples from the Allende meteorite. The chemical compositions of these particles were obtained, but x-ray signals at the wavelength of argon were obtained on only a few spots.

  15. Three-dimensional minority carrier lifetime mapping of thin film semiconductors for solar cell applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hardin, Brian [PLANT PV, Inc., Belmont, CA (United States); Peters, Craig [PLANT PV, Inc., Belmont, CA (United States); Barnard, Edward [PLANT PV, Inc., Belmont, CA (United States)

    2015-09-30

    This project addresses the difficulty of accurately measuring charge carrier dynamics in novel semiconductor materials for thin film photovoltaic cells. We have developed a two- photon lifetime tomography technique to separate bulk minority carrier lifetime from surface recombination effects and effects of recombination at sub-surface defects. This technique also enables us to characterize how local defects such as grain boundaries– buried below the surface of a sample–affect carrier lifetimes in the active layer, dynamics that have been previously inaccessible. We have applied this newly developed technique to illuminate how CdCl2 treatment improves CdTe PV efficiency. From striking 3D lifetime tomography maps, a clear, sub- surface understanding emerges of the photophysical changes that occur in CdTe active medium following exposure to CdCl2, a standard step in the fabrication of high-efficiency CdTe-based solar cells. This work demonstrates a well-defined method to quantify grain-boundary, interface, and bulk recombination in CdTe and other optically-active polycrystalline semiconductor materials; information that can provide critical information to the development of next- generation photovoltaics and many other semiconductor technologies.

  16. THE EFFECTS OF FINE LACTOSE AS A THIRD COMPONENT ON AEROSOLIZATION OF CEFOTAXIME SODIUM FROM DRY POWDER FORMULATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ABDOLHOSEIN ROUHOLAMINI NAJAFABADI

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Dry powder inhaler (DPI formulations usually contain micronized drug particles and lactose as a carrier. Fine lactose could be used as a ternary component to improve drug delivery from DPIs. The aim of this study was to investigate the deposition profile of a model drug, cefotaxime sodium (CS, using coarse and fine carriers after aerosolization at 60 l/min via a spinhaler® into a twin stage liquid impinger (TSI. Two micronization methods. jet milling and spray drying were used to micronize the active drug and carrier. The particle size of CS and lactose were characterized by laser diffraction, and the morphology of formulations was examined by scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction of jet milled lactose showed crystalline nature, but spray dried lactose exhibited an amorphous state. The results showed the existence of fine lactose in formulations significantly (p0.05 difference was observed between the effect of jet milled and spray dried lactose. On the other hand selection of micronization technique to reduce particle size of CS, was very effective on deposition profile. The highest influence of fine lactose was obtained by formulation containing jet milled CS in ratio of drug/carrier 1/1 and 10% of fine lactose as third component.

  17. Production of no-carrier-added {sup 123}I via heavy-ion activation of natural antimony oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maji, S. [The Univ. of Burdwan (India). Dept. of Chemistry; Lahiri, S. [Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata (India). Chemical Sciences Div.

    2007-07-01

    Activation of natural Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3} with 48 MeV {sup 7}Li{sup 3+} beam results in the formation of no-carrier-added {sup 123}I in the matrix along with the radionuclides {sup 123,125}Xe and {sup 122}Sb. The {sup 123}I yield amounts to about 400 kBq/{mu}Ah and the radionuclidic impurity of {sup 124}I to {proportional_to}1.2% of {sup 123}I. Attempts to separate no-carrier-added iodine from bulk antimony target involved liquid-liquid extraction with TOA and HDEHP as well as precipitation of Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} with thioacetamide. The precipitation technique was found to be the most effective for quantitative separation of {sup 123}I from the bulk antimony oxide target. (orig.)

  18. Ultra-low carrier concentration and surface-dominant transport in antimony-doped Bi2Se3 topological insulator nanoribbons

    KAUST Repository

    Hong, Seung Sae; Cha, Judy J.; Kong, Desheng; Cui, Yi

    2012-01-01

    A topological insulator is the state of quantum matter possessing gapless spin-locking surface states across the bulk band gap, which has created new opportunities from novel electronics to energy conversion. However, the large concentration of bulk residual carriers has been a major challenge for revealing the property of the topological surface state by electron transport measurements. Here we report the surface-state-dominant transport in antimony-doped, zinc oxide-encapsulated Bi2Se3 nanoribbons with suppressed bulk electron concentration. In the nanoribbon with sub-10-nm thickness protected by a zinc oxide layer, we position the Fermi levels of the top and bottom surfaces near the Dirac point by electrostatic gating, achieving extremely low two-dimensional carrier concentration of 2×10 11cm-2. The zinc oxide-capped, antimony-doped Bi 2Se3 nanostructures provide an attractive materials platform to study fundamental physics in topological insulators, as well as future applications. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  19. Ultra-low carrier concentration and surface-dominant transport in antimony-doped Bi2Se3 topological insulator nanoribbons

    KAUST Repository

    Hong, Seung Sae

    2012-03-27

    A topological insulator is the state of quantum matter possessing gapless spin-locking surface states across the bulk band gap, which has created new opportunities from novel electronics to energy conversion. However, the large concentration of bulk residual carriers has been a major challenge for revealing the property of the topological surface state by electron transport measurements. Here we report the surface-state-dominant transport in antimony-doped, zinc oxide-encapsulated Bi2Se3 nanoribbons with suppressed bulk electron concentration. In the nanoribbon with sub-10-nm thickness protected by a zinc oxide layer, we position the Fermi levels of the top and bottom surfaces near the Dirac point by electrostatic gating, achieving extremely low two-dimensional carrier concentration of 2×10 11cm-2. The zinc oxide-capped, antimony-doped Bi 2Se3 nanostructures provide an attractive materials platform to study fundamental physics in topological insulators, as well as future applications. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  20. Towards the optimisation and adaptation of dry powder inhalers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Y; Schmalfuß, S; Zellnitz, S; Sommerfeld, M; Urbanetz, N

    2014-08-15

    Pulmonary drug delivery by dry powder inhalers is becoming more and more popular. Such an inhalation device must insure that during the inhalation process the drug powder is detached from the carrier due to fluid flow stresses. The goal of the project is the development of a drug powder detachment model to be used in numerical computations (CFD, computational fluid dynamics) of fluid flow and carrier particle motion through the inhaler and the resulting efficiency of drug delivery. This programme will be the basis for the optimisation of inhaler geometry and dry powder inhaler formulation. For this purpose a multi-scale approach is adopted. First the flow field through the inhaler is numerically calculated with OpenFOAM(®) and the flow stresses experienced by the carrier particles are recorded. This information is used for micro-scale simulations using the Lattice-Boltzmann method where only one carrier particle covered with drug powder is placed in cubic flow domain and exposed to the relevant flow situations, e.g. plug and shear flow with different Reynolds numbers. Therefrom the fluid forces on the drug particles are obtained. In order to allow the determination of the drug particle detachment possibility by lift-off, sliding or rolling, also measurements by AFM (atomic force microscope) were conducted for different carrier particle surface structures. The contact properties, such as van der Waals force, friction coefficient and adhesion surface energy were used to determine, from a force or moment balance (fluid forces versus contact forces), the detachment probability by the three mechanisms as a function of carrier particle Reynolds number. These results will be used for deriving the drug powder detachment model. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. 46 CFR Appendix A to Part 520 - Standard Terminology and Codes

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... cargo by American-flag common carriers. P Addition of a port or point. R Reduction. S Special Case... HH Hardtop HT Insulated IN Open Top OT Dry PC Platform PL Reefer RE Tank TC Top Loader TL Trailer TR... Carton CTN Cylinder CYL Dry Bulk DBK Double-length Rack DRK Drum DRM Double-length Skid DSK Double-length...

  2. Understanding interparticle interactions in dry powder inhalation : glass beads as an innovative model carrier system

    OpenAIRE

    Renner, Niklas Ludwig

    2017-01-01

    Delivery of drugs via the pulmonary route is the most common approach to treat diseases of the respiratory system, e.g. asthma bronchiale. Here, the active pharmaceutical ingredient is generally formulated in a so-called interactive mixture with a coarse and inert carrier. This enhances flowability and therefore dose metering and dispersibility. Interparticle interactions between carrier and drug govern aerosolisation behaviour of the blend and consequently the efficacy of the drug deposition...

  3. Relationships between surface coverage ratio and powder mechanics of binary adhesive mixtures for dry powder inhalers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudén, Jonas; Frenning, Göran; Bramer, Tobias; Thalberg, Kyrre; Alderborn, Göran

    2018-04-25

    The aim of this paper was to study relationships between the content of fine particles and the powder mechanics of binary adhesive mixtures and link these relationships to the blend state. Mixtures with increasing amounts of fine particles (increasing surface coverage ratios (SCR)) were prepared using Lactopress SD as carrier and micro particles of lactose as fines (2.7 µm). Indicators of unsettled bulk density, compressibility and flowability were derived and the blend state was visually examined by imaging. The powder properties studied showed relationships to the SCR characterised by stages. At low SCR, the fine particles predominantly gathered in cavities of the carriers, giving increased bulk density and unchanged or improved flow. Thereafter, increased SCR gave a deposition of particles at the enveloped carrier surface with a gradually more irregular adhesion layer leading to a reduced bulk density and a step-wise reduced flowability. The mechanics of the mixtures at a certain stage were dependent on the structure and the dynamics of the adhesion layer and transitions between the stages were controlled by the evolution of the adhesion layer. It is advisable to use techniques based on different types of flow in order to comprehensively study the mechanics of adhesive mixtures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. The measurement of moisture content and dry bulk-density of the top layer of agricultural soils, with minimum calibration, using a gamma-ray attenuation method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van der Westhuizen, M.; Van der Bank, D.J.; Meulke, M.

    1978-06-01

    Various methods of measuring moisture content and dry bulk-density of soil by means of gamma-ray attenuation are discussed. A new method is described in which the same parameters can be measured in consecutive determinations, but for which only one sample of unknown volume is needed for calibration. This method employs a radioactive source in a lead container in an aluminium tube in the soil. From the container the gamma rays follow a path at an angle upwards through the soil towards the detector. The method was tested in a number of experiments and the results are given in tables and graphs. The conclusion is that this method, which is fairly easy and quick to use, is accurate enough for most applications [af

  5. Solid-state, triboelectrostatic and dissolution characteristics of spray-dried piroxicam-glucosamine solid dispersions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adebisi, Adeola O; Kaialy, Waseem; Hussain, Tariq; Al-Hamidi, Hiba; Nokhodchi, Ali; Conway, Barbara R; Asare-Addo, Kofi

    2016-10-01

    This work explores the use of both spray drying and d-glucosamine HCl (GLU) as a hydrophilic carrier to improve the dissolution rate of piroxicam (PXM) whilst investigating the electrostatic charges associated with the spray drying process. Spray dried PXM:GLU solid dispersions were prepared and characterised (XRPD, DSC, SEM). Dissolution and triboelectric charging were also conducted. The results showed that the spray dried PXM alone, without GLU produced some PXM form II (DSC results) with no enhancement in solubility relative to that of the parent PXM. XRPD results also showed the spray drying process to decrease the crystallinity of GLU and solid dispersions produced. The presence of GLU improved the dissolution rate of PXM. Spray dried PXM: GLU at a ratio of 2:1 had the most improved dissolution. The spray drying process generally yielded PXM-GLU spherical particles of around 2.5μm which may have contributed to the improved dissolution. PXM showed a higher tendency for charging in comparison to the carrier GLU (-3.8 versus 0.5nC/g for untreated material and -7.5 versus 3.1nC/g for spray dried materials). Spray dried PXM and spray dried GLU demonstrated higher charge densities than untreated PXM and untreated GLU, respectively. Regardless of PXM:GLU ratio, all spray dried PXM:GLU solid dispersions showed a negligible charge density (net-CMR: 0.1-0.3nC/g). Spray drying of PXM:GLU solid dispersions can be used to produce formulation powders with practically no charge and thereby improving handling as well as dissolution behaviour of PXM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Interlayer excitons in a bulk van der Waals semiconductor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arora, Ashish; Drueppel, Matthias; Schmidt, Robert

    2017-01-01

    Bound electron-hole pairs called excitons govern the electronic and optical response of many organic and inorganic semiconductors. Excitons with spatially displaced wave functions of electrons and holes (interlayer excitons) are important for Bose-Einstein condensation, superfluidity......, dissipationless current flow, and the light-induced exciton spin Hall effect. Here we report on the discovery of interlayer excitons in a bulk van der Waals semiconductor. They form due to strong localization and spin-valley coupling of charge carriers. By combining high-field magneto-reflectance experiments...

  7. From Composition to Cure: A Systems Engineering Approach to Anticancer Drug Carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacEwan, Sarah R; Chilkoti, Ashutosh

    2017-06-06

    The molecular complexity and heterogeneity of cancer has led to a persistent, and as yet unsolved, challenge to develop cures for this disease. The pharmaceutical industry focuses the bulk of its efforts on the development of new drugs, but an alternative approach is to improve the delivery of existing drugs with drug carriers that can manipulate when, where, and how a drug exerts its therapeutic effect. For the treatment of solid tumors, systemically delivered drug carriers face significant challenges that are imposed by the pathophysiological barriers that lie between their site of administration and their site of therapeutic action in the tumor. Furthermore, drug carriers face additional challenges in their translation from preclinical validation to clinical approval and adoption. Addressing this diverse network of challenges requires a systems engineering approach for the rational design of optimized carriers that have a realistic prospect for translation from the laboratory to the patient. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Free Carrier Generation in Fullerene Acceptors and Its Effect on Polymer Photovoltaics

    KAUST Repository

    Burkhard, George F.; Hoke, Eric T.; Beiley, Zach M.; McGehee, Michael D.

    2012-01-01

    Early research on C60 led to the discovery that the absorption of photons with energy greater than 2.35 eV by bulk C60 produces free charge carriers at room temperature. We find that not only is this also true for many of the soluble fullerene derivatives commonly used in organic photovoltaics, but also that the presence of these free carriers has significant implications for the modeling, characterization, and performance of devices made with these materials. We demonstrate that the discrepancy between absorption and quantum efficiency spectra in P3HT:PCBM is due to recombination of such free carriers in large PCBM domains before they can be separated at a donor/acceptor interface. Since most theories assume that all free charges result from the separation of excitons at a donor/acceptor interface, the presence of free carrier generation in fullerenes can have a significant impact on the interpretation of data generated by numerous field-dependent techniques. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

  9. Free Carrier Generation in Fullerene Acceptors and Its Effect on Polymer Photovoltaics

    KAUST Repository

    Burkhard, George F.

    2012-12-20

    Early research on C60 led to the discovery that the absorption of photons with energy greater than 2.35 eV by bulk C60 produces free charge carriers at room temperature. We find that not only is this also true for many of the soluble fullerene derivatives commonly used in organic photovoltaics, but also that the presence of these free carriers has significant implications for the modeling, characterization, and performance of devices made with these materials. We demonstrate that the discrepancy between absorption and quantum efficiency spectra in P3HT:PCBM is due to recombination of such free carriers in large PCBM domains before they can be separated at a donor/acceptor interface. Since most theories assume that all free charges result from the separation of excitons at a donor/acceptor interface, the presence of free carrier generation in fullerenes can have a significant impact on the interpretation of data generated by numerous field-dependent techniques. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

  10. Charge transport and recombination dynamics in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baumann, Andreas

    2011-08-02

    The charge transport in disordered organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is a crucial process affecting the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the solar cell. With the need of synthesizing new materials for improving the power conversion efficiency of those cells it is important to study not only the photophysical but also the electrical properties of the new material classes. Thereby, the experimental techniques need to be applicable to operating solar cells. In this work, the conventional methods of transient photoconductivity (also known as ''Time-of-Flight'' (TOF)), as well as the transient charge extraction technique of ''Charge Carrier Extraction by Linearly Increasing Voltage'' (CELIV) are performed on different organic blend compositions. Especially with the latter it is feasible to study the dynamics - i.e. charge transport and charge carrier recombination - in bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells with active layer thicknesses of 100-200 nm. For a well performing organic BHJ solar cells the morphology is the most crucial parameter finding a trade-off between an efficient photogeneration of charge carriers and the transport of the latter to the electrodes. Besides the morphology, the nature of energetic disorder of the active material blend and its influence on the dynamics are discussed extensively in this work. Thereby, the material system of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C{sub 61}butyric acid methyl ester (PC{sub 61}BM) serves mainly as a reference material system. New promising donor or acceptor materials and their potential for application in organic photovoltaics are studied in view of charge dynamics and compared with the reference system. With the need for commercialization of organic solar cells the question of the impact of environmental conditions on the PCE of the solar cells raises. In this work, organic BHJ solar cells exposed to synthetic air for finite duration are

  11. Particle Engineering Via Mechanical Dry Coating in the Design of Pharmaceutical Solid Dosage Forms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qu, Li; Morton, David A V; Zhou, Qi Tony

    2015-01-01

    Cohesive powders are problematic in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical solid dosage forms because they exhibit poor flowability, fluidization and aerosolization. These undesirable bulk properties of cohesive powders represent a fundamental challenge in the design of efficient pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. Recently, mechanical dry coating has attracted increasing attention as it can improve the bulk properties of cohesive powders in a cheaper, simpler, safer and more environment-friendly way than the existing solvent-based counterparts. In this review, mechanical dry coating techniques are outlined and their potential applications in formulation and manufacturing of pharmaceutical solid dosage forms are discussed. Reported data from the literature have shown that mechanical dry coating holds promise for the design of superior pharmaceutical solid formulations or manufacturing processes by engineering the interfaces of cohesive powders in an efficient and economical way.

  12. Minority carrier blockade in MIND model solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ley, M.; Kuznicki, Z.T.; Ballutaud, D.

    2003-01-01

    A continuous amorphized a-Si nanostructure with sharp a-Si/c-Si heterointerfaces is inserted in a c-Si wafer by medium-energy P ion implantation followed by a thermal treatment at 500 deg. C. New photovoltaic phenomena in the mesoscopically transformed material are expected and were presented recently. The simulation of the band structure taking into account the differences between the two Si phases of the MIND (multi-interface novel device) model solar cell indicates the presence of a high barrier blocking the minority carriers, which are photogenerated in the bulk superficial region of the wafer. Consequently, the collection efficiency (i.e. collected carriers versus penetrating photons) is deteriorated in UV. Collection efficiency and EBIC measurements were used to give a theoretical and experimental analysis of the causes and the consequences of such a deterioration on the photocurrent

  13. Charge Carrier Generation, Recombination, and Extraction in Polymer–Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Laquai, Fré dé ric; Andrienko, Denis; Deibel, Carsten; Neher, Dieter

    2016-01-01

    In this chapter we review the basic principles of photocurrent generation in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells, discuss the loss channels limiting their efficiency, and present case studies of several polymer–fullerene blends. Using steady-state and transient, optical, and electrooptical techniques, we create a precise picture of the fundamental processes that ultimately govern solar cell efficiency.

  14. Charge Carrier Generation, Recombination, and Extraction in Polymer–Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Laquai, Frederic

    2016-12-20

    In this chapter we review the basic principles of photocurrent generation in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells, discuss the loss channels limiting their efficiency, and present case studies of several polymer–fullerene blends. Using steady-state and transient, optical, and electrooptical techniques, we create a precise picture of the fundamental processes that ultimately govern solar cell efficiency.

  15. Nanoparticle motion on the surface of drying droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Mingfei; Yong, Xin

    2018-03-01

    Advances in solution-based printing and surface patterning techniques for additive manufacturing demand a clear understanding of particle dynamics in drying colloidal droplets and its relationship with deposit structure. Although the evaporation-driven deposition has been studied thoroughly for the particles dispersed in the bulk of the droplet, few investigations have focused on the particles strongly adsorbed to the droplet surface. We modeled the assembly and deposition of the surface-active particles in a drying sessile droplet with a pinned contact line by the multiphase lattice Boltzmann-Brownian dynamics method. The particle trajectory and its area density profile characterize the assembly dynamics and deposition pattern development during evaporation. While the bulk-dispersed particles continuously move to the contact line, forming the typical "coffee-ring" deposit, the interface-bound particles migrate first toward the apex and then to the contact line as the droplet dries out. To understand this unexpected behavior, we resolve the droplet velocity field both in the bulk and within the interfacial region. The simulation results agree well with the analytical solution for the Stokes flow inside an evaporating droplet. At different stages of evaporation, our study reveals that the competition between the tangential surface flow and the downward motion of the evaporating liquid-vapor interface governs the dynamics of the interface-bound particles. In particular, the interface displacement contributes to the particle motion toward the droplet apex in a short phase, while the outward advective flow prevails at the late stage of drying and carries the particles to the contact line. The final deposit of the surface-adsorbed particles exhibits a density enhancement at the center, in addition to a coffee ring. Despite its small influence on the final deposit in the present study, the distinct dynamics of surface-active particles due to the interfacial confinement

  16. Multi-octave supercontinuum generation from mid-infrared filamentation in a bulk crystal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Faccio D.

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available We present supercontinuum generation pumped by femtosecond mid-infrared pulses in a bulk homogeneous material. The spectrum extends from 450 nm into the midinfrared, and carries high spectral energy density (3 pJ/nm–10 nJ/nm. The supercontinuum has high shot-to-shot reproducibility and preserves the carrier-to-envelope phase. Our result paves the way for compact supercontinuum sources with unprecedented bandwidth.

  17. Charge transport and recombination in bulk heterojunction solar cells studied by the photoinduced charge extraction in linearly increasing voltage technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mozer, A. J.; Sariciftci, N. S.; Lutsen, L.; Vanderzande, D.; Österbacka, R.; Westerling, M.; Juška, G.

    2005-03-01

    Charge carrier mobility and recombination in a bulk heterojunction solar cell based on the mixture of poly[2-methoxy-5-(3,7-dimethyloctyloxy)-phenylene vinylene] (MDMO-PPV) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)-C61 (PCBM) has been studied using the novel technique of photoinduced charge carrier extraction in a linearly increasing voltage (Photo-CELIV). In this technique, charge carriers are photogenerated by a short laser flash, and extracted under a reverse bias voltage ramp after an adjustable delay time (tdel). The Photo-CELIV mobility at room temperature is found to be μ =2×10-4cm2V-1s-1, which is almost independent on charge carrier density, but slightly dependent on tdel. Furthermore, determination of charge carrier lifetime and demonstration of an electric field dependent mobility is presented.

  18. Investigation of Overrun-Processed Porous Hyaluronic Acid Carriers in Corneal Endothelial Tissue Engineering.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jui-Yang Lai

    Full Text Available Hyaluronic acid (HA is a linear polysaccharide naturally found in the eye and therefore is one of the most promising biomaterials for corneal endothelial regenerative medicine. This study reports, for the first time, the development of overrun-processed porous HA hydrogels for corneal endothelial cell (CEC sheet transplantation and tissue engineering applications. The hydrogel carriers were characterized to examine their structures and functions. Evaluations of carbodiimide cross-linked air-dried and freeze-dried HA samples were conducted simultaneously for comparison. The results indicated that during the fabrication of freeze-dried HA discs, a technique of introducing gas bubbles in the aqueous biopolymer solutions can be used to enlarge pore structure and prevent dense surface skin formation. Among all the groups studied, the overrun-processed porous HA carriers show the greatest biological stability, the highest freezable water content and glucose permeability, and the minimized adverse effects on ionic pump function of rabbit CECs. After transfer and attachment of bioengineered CEC sheets to the overrun-processed HA hydrogel carriers, the therapeutic efficacy of cell/biopolymer constructs was tested using a rabbit model with corneal endothelial dysfunction. Clinical observations including slit-lamp biomicroscopy, specular microscopy, and corneal thickness measurements showed that the construct implants can regenerate corneal endothelium and restore corneal transparency at 4 weeks postoperatively. Our findings suggest that cell sheet transplantation using overrun-processed porous HA hydrogels offers a new way to reconstruct the posterior corneal surface and improve endothelial tissue function.

  19. Energy carriers within Europe: electricity and SNG

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lucas, N J.D.

    1977-03-01

    The general aim of this paper is to make a case for substitute natural gas as an energy carrier with prospects for growth that are at least as good as those of electricity and a life expectancy as long as one can reasonably plan for. The bulk of the paper analyzes the determinants of commercial competition between SNG and electricity. Space heat is treated in detail because this is generally seen as the area in which rapid expansion of electricity sales is possible. The provision of process heat to industry is dealt with superficially. The principal conclusion is that, for space heating and some industrial process heating and over a wide range of future costs for fossil and nuclear fuels, SNG from the marginal source of bulk fuel will be of lower cost than electricity from an integrated system of nuclear generating stations and fossil-fired stations using the same marginal source of fossil fuel. This conclusion may be difficult to accept because it conflicts with intuition. In Europe now there is a good case for installing more nuclear plants if what is wanted is base-load power. There are also mines producing coal at higher cost than imported oil. The short-term economic pressure, therefore, is to install nuclear plants and retreat from coal. Moreover, natural gas from the North Sea and even LNG from distant sources is cheaper than SNG from indigenous coal is likely to be. If one believes that indigenous oil and gas will be available in large quantities, or if one believes it will be possible to import oil without difficulty or political risk, then it is right to ignore SNG as an energy carrier; but the fashionable perception of the future is that indigenous production and/or imports will be restricted by physical shortage or political constraint so that, at the margin, heat will be supplied from nuclear fuel. In these circumstances SNG appears a better carrier of energy for heat than electricity. (MCW)

  20. Method to produce sintered carriers for electrodes of galvanic elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jost, E M

    1978-03-24

    Carrier plates of precisely uniform thickness can be produced according to the invention by firstly thickening a solution of polyethylene oxide and (preferably) methanol by adding water and then, by adding nickel powder, obtaining an essentially homogeneous suspension of considerable viscosity. This slurry is coated on both sides of a nickel grid, dried and sintered.

  1. Food Simulating Organic Solvents for Evaluating Crosslink Density of Bulk Fill Composite Resin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neveen M. Ayad

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives. To evaluate crosslink densities of two bulk fill composite resins and determine if the used Food Simulating Organic Solvent (FSOS affected them. Methods. Forty specimens were prepared from SureFill and SonicFill bulk fill composite resins, 20 each. All specimens were stored dry for 24 h. Each group was divided into 2 subgroups: stored in ethanol (E 75% or in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK 100% for 24 h. Crosslink density was evaluated by calculating the difference between the Vickers hardness numbers of the specimens stored dry and after their storage in FSOS. The data were statistically analyzed using t-test. Results. The means of crosslink density in E and MEK were 6.99% and 9.44% for SureFill and 10.54% and 11.92% for SonicFill, respectively. t-test displayed significant differences between crosslink densities of SureFill and SonicFill: (P<0.0001 in E and (P=0.02 in MEK and between crosslink densities of SureFill in E and MEK (P=0.02. Conclusions. Crosslink density of bulk fill composite resin can be evaluated using E or MEK. SureFill has higher crosslink density than SonicFill in both E and MEK.

  2. Semi-pilot study on the effect of radurization of dried mackerel (Pneunoatophorous japonicus) for extension of shelf life

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guevara, G.; Pena, P. de la; Dionido, F.T.

    1989-01-01

    Dried mackerel packed in polyethylene bags as either retail units (250 g) or bulk units (500 kg) were irradiated with 0 or 3.25 kGy and stored. At ambient temperatures, the 0 kGy retail units were spoiled by the 5th week and the 3.25 kGy retail units by the 9th week. At ambient temperatures, the 0 kGy bulk units were spoiled by the 4th week and the 3.25 kGy units by the 5th week. It was concluded that irradiation of retail units but not of bulk units of dried fish may replace cold storage. (author). 4 refs, 1 fig., 7 tabs

  3. Design of a New Sensor for Determination of the Effects of Tractor Field Usage in Southern Spain: Soil Sinkage and Alterations in the Cone Index and Dry Bulk Density

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego L. Valera

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Variations in sinkage and cone index are of crucial importance when planning fieldwork, and for determining the trafficability of farm machinery. Many studies have highlighted the link between higher values of these parameters and dramatic decreases in crop yield. Variations in the dry bulk density and cone index of clayey soil in Southern Spain were measured following each of five successive passes over the same land with the three types of tractor most widely used in the area (tracked, two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. In addition, sinkage (rut depth of the running gear was measured using a laser microrelief profile meter. This device, which integrates three sensors, was specifically designed for these experiments, as was an electrical penetrometer to determine the cone index, and both instruments proved reliable and accurate in the field. The main goal of this study was to design, manufacture and test these new devices. The first pass caused most soil alteration when compared to successive passes for all types of tractor tested and soil conditions prevailing during the tests. (Heavier four-wheel drive tractors were found to cause greater soil damage (sinkage, cone index and dry bulk density than two-wheel drive and track tractors. There was no statistically significant difference between the two latter types. The greatest alterations were recorded in the top 10 cm of the soil. The results show that soil compaction should be avoided as much as possible. This can be achieved by ensuring that tractors always travel along the same tracks, especially in the wet season. At present these aspects are not considered by farmers in this area.

  4. Optimization of Agave tequilana Weber var. Azul Juice Spray Drying Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alejandra Chávez-Rodríguez

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this work, the response surface methodology was employed to optimize the microencapsulation of Agave tequilana Weber var. azul juice with whey protein isolated using a spray drying technique. A Box-Behnken design was used to establish optimum spray drying conditions for Agave tequilana juice. The process was optimized to obtain maximum powder yield with the best solubility time, hygroscopicity, bulk density, water activity, and reducing sugars. The independent parameters for the spray drying process were outlet temperature of 70–80°C, atomizer speed of 20000–30000 rpm, and airflow of 0.20–0.23 m3 s−1. The best spray drying condition was at outlet temperature of 80°C, atomizer speed of 20000 rpm, and air flow rate of 0.23 m3 s−1 to obtain maximum powder yield (14.65%bm, minimum solubility time (352.8 s, maximum bulk density (560 kg m−3, minimum hygroscopicity (1.9×10-7 kgwater s−1, and minimum aw (0.39. The Agave tequilana powder may be considered as an interesting source of dietary fiber used as food additive in food and nutraceutical industries.

  5. Imagine the Superiority of Dry Powder Inhalers from Carrier Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piyush Mehta

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Inhalation therapy has strong history of more than 4000 years and it is well recognized around the globe within every culture. In early days, inhalation therapy was designed for treatment of local disorders such as asthma and other pulmonary diseases. Almost all inhalation products composed a simple formulation of a carrier, usually α-lactose monohydrate orderly mixed with micronized therapeutic agent. Most of these formulations lacked satisfactory pulmonary deposition and dispersion. Thus, various alternative carrier’s molecules and powder processing techniques are increasingly investigated to achieve suitable aerodynamic performance. In view of this fact, more suitable and economic alternative carrier’s molecules with advanced formulation strategies are discussed in the present review. Furthermore, major advances, challenges, and the future perspective are discussed.

  6. A high resolution EELS study of free-carrier variations in H2+/H+ bombarded (100)GaAs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubois, L.H.; Schwartz, G.P.

    1984-01-01

    High resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) has been used to examine whether thermal recovery of the near-surface free-carrier concentration in Te-doped (100) GaAs is accomplished following low energy (250--1500 eV) hydrogen ion bombardment. For hydrogen ion impact energies below 500 eV, the nominal bulk free-carrier density is recovered by annealing at 725 K for 2 h. For comparable ion doses, the net free-carrier concentration decreases monotonically at higher impact energies under similar annealing conditions. The threshold for damage retention occurs close to the value of transmitted energy which is necessary to create either a Ga or an As interstitial point defect

  7. Impact of Molecular Orientation and Packing Density on Electronic Polarization in the Bulk and at Surfaces of Organic Semiconductors

    KAUST Repository

    Ryno, Sean

    2016-05-16

    The polarizable environment surrounding charge carriers in organic semiconductors impacts the efficiency of the charge transport process. Here, we consider two representative organic semiconductors, tetracene and rubrene, and evaluate their polarization energies in the bulk and at the organic-vacuum interface using a polarizable force field that accounts for induced-dipole and quadrupole interactions. Though both oligoacenes pack in a herringbone motif, the tetraphenyl substituents on the tetracene backbone of rubrene alter greatly the nature of the packing. The resulting change in relative orientations of neighboring molecules is found to reduce the bulk polarization energy of holes in rubrene by some 0.3 eV when compared to tetracene. The consideration of model organic-vacuum interfaces highlights the significant variation in the electrostatic environment for a charge carrier at a surface although the net change in polarization energy is small; interestingly, the environment of a charge even just one layer removed from the surface can be viewed already as representative of the bulk. Overall, it is found that in these herringbone-type layered crystals the polarization energy has a much stronger dependence on the intralayer packing density than interlayer packing density.

  8. Probability density of tunneled carrier states near heterojunctions calculated numerically by the scattering method.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wampler, William R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Myers, Samuel M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Modine, Normand A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-09-01

    The energy-dependent probability density of tunneled carrier states for arbitrarily specified longitudinal potential-energy profiles in planar bipolar devices is numerically computed using the scattering method. Results agree accurately with a previous treatment based on solution of the localized eigenvalue problem, where computation times are much greater. These developments enable quantitative treatment of tunneling-assisted recombination in irradiated heterojunction bipolar transistors, where band offsets may enhance the tunneling effect by orders of magnitude. The calculations also reveal the density of non-tunneled carrier states in spatially varying potentials, and thereby test the common approximation of uniform- bulk values for such densities.

  9. Progress in quantitative X-ray microanalysis of frozen-hydrated bulk biological samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marshall, A.T.

    1988-01-01

    The analysis of bulk frozen-hydrated biological samples has developed now to a level where practical application of the technique is possible. Provided the sample is carefully coated with a conductive metal, the development of a space charge capable of causing a significant distortion of the electron diffusion volume does not seem to occur, and analytical resolution can be conveniently held to approximately 2 micron (both depth and lateral resolution). Two valid quantitative methods are available, and two methods of determining dry weight fractions are also available. An area where further research could lead to improvement in analysis of frozen-hydrated bulk samples is in the investigation of fracturing methods. If fracture planes that were flat and reproducible could be easily obtained, some of the difficulties of analysing frozen-hydrated bulk samples would be considerably reduced

  10. On motions of a carrier with a mobile load along a rough inclined plane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilchenko, Grigory; Bilchenko, Grigory; Bilchenko, Nataly

    2018-05-01

    A mechanical system consisting of a carrier and a load is considered. The load can move respectively to the carrier according to a predetermined motion law. The carrier can move translationally along a rectilinear trajectory on a rough inclined plane. The trajectory is the line of the greatest descent. The axis of the rectilinear channel, along which the load moves, is located in a vertical plane passing through the trajectory of the carrier. The Coulomb dry friction model is applied for simulation the forces of resistance to the motion of the carrier from the side of the underlying inclined plane. The extreme value of plane inclination angle at which the carrier is at rest, when the load is stationary, is obtained by taking into account the frictional forces of sliding at rest. Differential equations of motion of a carrier with a load moving with respect to the carrier are obtained taking into account the requirement of motion of the carrier along an inclined plane without detachment. The determining relationships are given which made it possible to classify the types of carrier motion when the channel setting angle and the plane inclination angle are related by a certain inequality. The results of computational experiments are presented.

  11. Charge carrier recombination dynamics in perovskite and polymer solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paulke, Andreas; Kniepert, Juliane; Kurpiers, Jona; Wolff, Christian M.; Schön, Natalie; Brenner, Thomas J. K.; Neher, Dieter [Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24–25, 14476, Potsdam (Germany); Stranks, Samuel D. [Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU (United Kingdom); Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); Cavendish Laboratory, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Snaith, Henry J. [Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU (United Kingdom)

    2016-03-14

    Time-delayed collection field experiments are applied to planar organometal halide perovskite (CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3}) based solar cells to investigate charge carrier recombination in a fully working solar cell at the nanosecond to microsecond time scale. Recombination of mobile (extractable) charges is shown to follow second-order recombination dynamics for all fluences and time scales tested. Most importantly, the bimolecular recombination coefficient is found to be time-dependent, with an initial value of ca. 10{sup −9} cm{sup 3}/s and a progressive reduction within the first tens of nanoseconds. Comparison to the prototypical organic bulk heterojunction device PTB7:PC{sub 71}BM yields important differences with regard to the mechanism and time scale of free carrier recombination.

  12. Spin dynamics in bulk CdTe at room temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nahalkova, P.; Nemec, P.; Sprinzl, D.; Belas, E.; Horodysky, P.; Franc, J.; Hlidek, P.; Maly, P.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we report on the room temperature dynamics of spin-polarized carriers in undoped bulk CdTe. Platelets of CdTe with different concentration of preparation-induced dislocations were prepared by combining the mechanical polishing and chemical etching. Using the polarization-resolved pump-probe experiment in transmission geometry, we have observed a systematic decrease of both the signal polarization and the electron spin dephasing time (from 52 to 36 ps) with the increased concentration of defects. We have suggested that the Elliot-Yafet mechanism might be the dominant spin dephasing mechanism in platelets of CdTe at room temperature

  13. Dual-lifetime referencing (DLR: a powerful method for on-line measurement of internal pH in carrier-bound immobilized biocatalysts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boniello Caterina

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Industrial-scale biocatalytic synthesis of fine chemicals occurs preferentially as continuous processes employing immobilized enzymes on insoluble porous carriers. Diffusional effects in these systems often create substrate and product concentration gradients between bulk liquid and the carrier. Moreover, some widely-used biotransformation processes induce changes in proton concentration. Unlike the bulk pH, which is usually controlled at a suitable value, the intraparticle pH of immobilized enzymes may deviate significantly from its activity and stability optima. The magnitude of the resulting pH gradient depends on the ratio of characteristic times for enzymatic reaction and on mass transfer (the latter is strongly influenced by geometrical features of the porous carrier. Design and selection of optimally performing enzyme immobilizates would therefore benefit largely from experimental studies of the intraparticle pH environment. Here, a simple and non-invasive method based on dual-lifetime referencing (DLR for pH determination in immobilized enzymes is introduced. The technique is applicable to other systems in which particles are kept in suspension by agitation. Results The DLR method employs fluorescein as pH-sensitive luminophore and Ru(II tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenantroline, abbreviated Ru(dpp, as the reference luminophore. Luminescence intensities of the two luminophores are converted into an overall phase shift suitable for pH determination in the range 5.0-8.0. Sepabeads EC-EP were labeled by physically incorporating lipophilic variants of the two luminophores into their polymeric matrix. These beads were employed as carriers for immobilization of cephalosporin C amidase (a model enzyme of industrial relevance. The luminophores did not interfere with the enzyme immobilization characteristics. Analytical intraparticle pH determination was optimized for sensitivity, reproducibility and signal stability under

  14. Production of organic fertilizer from olive mill wastewater by combining solar greenhouse drying and composting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galliou, F; Markakis, N; Fountoulakis, M S; Nikolaidis, N; Manios, T

    2018-05-01

    Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is generated during the production of olive oil. Its disposal is still a major environmental problem in Mediterranean countries, despite the fact that a large number of technologies have been proposed up to date. The present work examines for the first time a novel, simple and low-cost technology for OMW treatment combining solar drying and composting. In the first step, OMW was dried in a chamber inside a solar greenhouse using swine manure as a bulking agent. The mean evaporation rate was found to be 5.2 kg H 2 O/m 2 /d for a drying period of 6 months (February-August). High phenol (75%) and low nitrogen (15%) and carbon (15%) losses were recorded at the end of the solar drying process. The final product after solar drying was rich in nutrients (N: 27.8 g/kg, P: 7.3 g/kg, K: 81.6 g/kg) but still contained significant quantities of phenols (18.4 g/kg). In order to detoxify the final product, a composting process was applied as a second step with or without the use of grape marc as bulking agent. Results showed that the use of grape marc as a bulking agent at a volume ratio of 1:1 achieved a higher compost temperature profile (60 °C) than 2:1 (solar drying product: grape marc) or no use (solar drying product). The end product after the combination of solar drying and composting had the characteristics of an organic fertilizer (57% organic carbon) rich in nutrients (3.5% N, 1% P, 6.5% K) with quite low phenol content (2.9 g/kg). Finally, the use of this product for the cultivation of pepper plants approved its fertility which was found similar with commercial NPK fertilizers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Estimation of Dry Fracture Weakness, Porosity, and Fluid Modulus Using Observable Seismic Reflection Data in a Gas-Bearing Reservoir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Huaizhen; Zhang, Guangzhi

    2017-05-01

    Fracture detection and fluid identification are important tasks for a fractured reservoir characterization. Our goal is to demonstrate a direct approach to utilize azimuthal seismic data to estimate fluid bulk modulus, porosity, and dry fracture weaknesses, which decreases the uncertainty of fluid identification. Combining Gassmann's (Vier. der Natur. Gesellschaft Zürich 96:1-23, 1951) equations and linear-slip model, we first establish new simplified expressions of stiffness parameters for a gas-bearing saturated fractured rock with low porosity and small fracture density, and then we derive a novel PP-wave reflection coefficient in terms of dry background rock properties (P-wave and S-wave moduli, and density), fracture (dry fracture weaknesses), porosity, and fluid (fluid bulk modulus). A Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo nonlinear inversion method is proposed to estimate fluid bulk modulus, porosity, and fracture weaknesses directly from azimuthal seismic data. The inversion method yields reasonable estimates in the case of synthetic data containing a moderate noise and stable results on real data.

  16. Cosmogenic radionuclide carriers in the atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lujaniene, G.; Lujanas, V.

    1998-01-01

    The investigation of radionuclides ( 7 Be 32,33 P and 35 S) and stable sulfur and phosphorus forms was based on the Tessier sequential extraction method. The properties of radionuclide carriers can be transformed in the atmosphere in a very short time (days, hours), in contrast to soil and the hydrosphere. Oxidation processes proceeding in the atmosphere induce changes in the aerosol carrier properties. The aerosol can be characterized by low pH and high Eh values corresponding to high 7Be solubility. The unexpectedly high negative Eh values obtained in dry summer period indicate that the 7 Be 32,33 P aerosol is bound to insoluble carriers. 137 Cs solubility does not depend on changes in pH. This can be explained by the fact that in contrast to 7 Be, 137 Cs is associated with the exchangeable fraction. Cs ions can be replaced not only by H + but also by NH 4 + and other ions. 7 Be aerosols collected at the seaside of the Baltic sea (Preila) were found to be more soluble than those in Vilnius, their solubility was up to 50-90 % and clear dependence between 7 Be solubility, pH and Eh was not observed. It can be attributed to differences in the atmospheric aerosol composition (e.g. soluble chlorides) in Vilnius and Preila. A great variety of 7 Be carriers properties as well as their dependence on the season and the existence of admixtures in the atmosphere require great caution in applying this isotope in tracer investigations. Soluble carriers are removed faster from the atmosphere by precipitation. The significance of this fact is confirmed by the ratio of 7 Be/ 32 P in the air and precipitation. Both soluble and insoluble aerosols can be formed depending on the environmental conditions

  17. Evolution of spent fuel dry storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Standring, Paul Nicholas [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria). Div. of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology; Takats, Ferenc [TS ENERCON KFT, Budapest (Hungary)

    2016-11-15

    Around 10,000 tHM of spent fuel is discharged per year from the nuclear power plants in operation. Whilst the bulk of spent fuel is still held in at reactor pools, 24 countries have developed storage facilities; either on the reactor site or away from the reactor site. Of the 146 operational AFR storage facilities about 80 % employ dry storage; the majority being deployed over the last 20 years. This reflects both the development of dry storage technology as well as changes in politics and trading relationships that have affected spent fuel management policies. The paper describes the various approaches to the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle for power reactor fuels and provides data on deployed storage technologies.

  18. Stability of spray-dried beetroot extract using oligosaccharides and whey proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmo, Eloá Lourenço do; Teodoro, Rhana Amanda Ribeiro; Félix, Pedro Henrique Campelo; Fernandes, Regiane Victória de Barros; Oliveira, Érica Resende de; Veiga, Taís Regina Lima Abreu; Borges, Soraia Vilela; Botrel, Diego Alvarenga

    2018-05-30

    The properties and stability of spray-dried beetroot extract using maltodextrin (MD), inulin (IN), and whey protein isolate (WPI) as carrier agents were evaluated. The values of moisture, betalains content, and retention were 3.33-4.24%, 348.79-385.47 mg/100 g (dry-basis), and 88.45-95.69%, respectively. Higher values of antioxidant activity were observed for the treatments using WPI. The treatment with inulin alone presented higher hygroscopicity in the moisture adsorption isotherms at 25 °C and lower thermal stability when evaluating the thermogravimetric curves. When stored at 60 °C, the use of WPI alone conferred lower stability to the beetroot extract powder. In general, the simultaneous use of IN and WPI as carrier agents resulted in good stability of the beetroot extract powder, representing an opportunity for innovation in food products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Carrier heating in disordered conjugated polymers in electric field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vukmirovic, Nenad; Wang, Lin-Wang

    2010-01-26

    The electric field dependence of charge carrier transport and the effect of carrier heating in disordered conjugated polymers were investigated. A parameter-free multiscale methodology consisting of classical molecular dynamics simulation for the generation of the atomic structure, large system electronic structure and electron-phonon coupling constants calculations and the procedure for extracting the bulk polymer mobility, was used. The results suggested that the mobility of a fully disordered poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) polymer increases with electric field which is consistent with the experimental results on samples of regiorandom P3HT and different from the results on more ordered regioregular P3HT polymers, where the opposite trend is often observed at low electric fields. We calculated the electric field dependence of the effective carrier temperature and showed however that the effective temperature cannot be used to replace the joint effect of temperature and electric field, in contrast to previous theoretical results from phenomenological models. Such a difference was traced to originate from the use of simplified Miller-Abrahams hopping rates in phenomenological models in contrast to our considerations that explicitly take into account the electronic state wave functions and the interaction with all phonon modes.

  20. Polymer:Nonfullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells with Exceptionally Low Recombination Rates

    KAUST Repository

    Gasparini, Nicola; Salvador, Michael; Heumueller, Thomas; Richter, Moses; Classen, Andrej; Shrestha, Shreetu; Matt, Gebhard J.; Holliday, Sarah; Strohm, Sebastian; Egelhaaf, Hans-Joachim; Wadsworth, Andrew; Baran, Derya; McCulloch, Iain; Brabec, Christoph J.

    2017-01-01

    Organic semiconductors are in general known to have an inherently lower charge carrier mobility compared to their inorganic counterparts. Bimolecular recombination of holes and electrons is an important loss mechanism and can often be described by the Langevin recombination model. Here, the device physics of bulk heterojunction solar cells based on a nonfullerene acceptor (IDTBR) in combination with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) are elucidated, showing an unprecedentedly low bimolecular recombination rate. The high fill factor observed (above 65%) is attributed to non-Langevin behavior with a Langevin prefactor (β/βL) of 1.9 × 10−4. The absence of parasitic recombination and high charge carrier lifetimes in P3HT:IDTBR solar cells inform an almost ideal bimolecular recombination behavior. This exceptional recombination behavior is explored to fabricate devices with layer thicknesses up to 450 nm without significant performance losses. The determination of the photoexcited carrier mobility by time-of-flight measurements reveals a long-lived and nonthermalized carrier transport as the origin for the exceptional transport physics. The crystalline microstructure arrangement of both components is suggested to be decisive for this slow recombination dynamics. Further, the thickness-independent power conversion efficiency is of utmost technological relevance for upscaling production and reiterates the importance of understanding material design in the context of low bimolecular recombination.

  1. Polymer:Nonfullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells with Exceptionally Low Recombination Rates

    KAUST Repository

    Gasparini, Nicola

    2017-09-01

    Organic semiconductors are in general known to have an inherently lower charge carrier mobility compared to their inorganic counterparts. Bimolecular recombination of holes and electrons is an important loss mechanism and can often be described by the Langevin recombination model. Here, the device physics of bulk heterojunction solar cells based on a nonfullerene acceptor (IDTBR) in combination with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) are elucidated, showing an unprecedentedly low bimolecular recombination rate. The high fill factor observed (above 65%) is attributed to non-Langevin behavior with a Langevin prefactor (β/βL) of 1.9 × 10−4. The absence of parasitic recombination and high charge carrier lifetimes in P3HT:IDTBR solar cells inform an almost ideal bimolecular recombination behavior. This exceptional recombination behavior is explored to fabricate devices with layer thicknesses up to 450 nm without significant performance losses. The determination of the photoexcited carrier mobility by time-of-flight measurements reveals a long-lived and nonthermalized carrier transport as the origin for the exceptional transport physics. The crystalline microstructure arrangement of both components is suggested to be decisive for this slow recombination dynamics. Further, the thickness-independent power conversion efficiency is of utmost technological relevance for upscaling production and reiterates the importance of understanding material design in the context of low bimolecular recombination.

  2. Inulin sugar glasses preserve the structural integrity and biological activity of influenza virosomes during freeze-drying and storage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Jonge, Jørgen; Amorij, Jean-Pierre; Hinrichs, Wouter L.J.; Wilschut, Jan; Huckriede, Anke; Frijlink, Henderik W.

    Influenza virosomes are reconstituted influenza virus envelopes that may be used as vaccines or as carrier systems for cellular delivery of therapeutic molecules. Here we present a procedure to generate influenza virosomes as a stable dry-powder formulation by freeze-drying (lyophilization) using an

  3. Silicon nanowire hot carrier electroluminescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Plessis, M. du, E-mail: monuko@up.ac.za; Joubert, T.-H.

    2016-08-31

    Avalanche electroluminescence from silicon pn junctions has been known for many years. However, the internal quantum efficiencies of these devices are quite low due to the indirect band gap nature of the semiconductor material. In this study we have used reach-through biasing and SOI (silicon-on-insulator) thin film structures to improve the internal power efficiency and the external light extraction efficiency. Both continuous silicon thin film pn junctions and parallel nanowire pn junctions were manufactured using a custom SOI technology. The pn junctions are operated in the reach-through mode of operation, thus increasing the average electric field within the fully depleted region. Experimental results of the emission spectrum indicate that the most dominant photon generating mechanism is due to intraband hot carrier relaxation processes. It was found that the SOI nanowire light source external power efficiency is at least an order of magnitude better than the comparable bulk CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) light source. - Highlights: • We investigate effect of electric field on silicon avalanche electroluminescence. • With reach-through pn junctions the current and carrier densities are kept constant. • Higher electric fields increase short wavelength radiation. • Higher electric fields decrease long wavelength radiation. • The effect of the electric field indicates intraband transitions as main mechanism.

  4. Effects of Phonon Coupling and Free Carriers on Band-Edge Emission at Room Temperature in n-type ZnO Crystals

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Giles, N. C; Xu, Chunchuan; Callahan, M. J; Wang, Buguo; Neal, J. S; Boatner, L. A

    2008-01-01

    Room-temperature photoluminescence has been studied in II-type bulk ZnO crystals representing three different growth methods and having free-carrier concentrations (n) ranging from 10(exp 13) to 10(exp 18) /cu cm...

  5. The relative efficiency of zinc carriers on growth and zinc nutrition of corn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prasad, B.; Sinha, K.

    1981-01-01

    A comparison of different zinc carriers showed that application of Zn-DTPA, Zn-EDTA, Zn-fulvate and ZnSO 4 significantly increased the dry matter yield and zinc uptake by corn over the control treatment where no zinc was applied. The chelates in particular enhanced to a greater extent the uptake of both native and applied sources than that observed with ZnSO 4 as the zinc carrier. Both the dry matter yield and zinc uptake by corn showed a positive and significant relationship with self-diffusion coefficient of zinc showing thereby that diffusion contributed mainly the supply of Zn from the ambient soil matrix to plant roots. The effectiveness of the chelates varied depending on their capacity to retain Zn in a soluble form in the soil solution. It is evident that zinc nutrition of plants in alkaline and calcareous soils can be more effectively regulated by both synthetic and natural chelates or organic manures which contain substantial amount of complexed zinc. (orig.)

  6. High-density natural luffa sponge as anaerobic microorganisms carrier for degrading 1,1,1-TCA in groundwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wenbing; Wu, Yanqing; Zhang, Chi

    2017-03-01

    Anaerobic microorganisms were applied to degrade organic contaminants in groundwater with permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). However, anaerobic microorganisms need to select optimal immobilizing material as carrier. The potential of high-density natural luffa sponge (HDLS) (a new variety of luffa) for the immobilization and protection of anaerobic microorganisms was investigated. The HDLS has a dense structure composed of a complicated interwoven fibrous network. Therefore, the abrasion rate of HDLS (0.0068 g s -1 ) was the smallest among the four carriers [HDLS, ordinary natural luffa sponge (OLS), polyurethane sponge (PS), and gel carrier AQUAPOROUSGEL (APG)]. The results suggest that it also had the greatest water retention (10.26 H 2 O-g dry carrier-g -1 ) and SS retention (0.21 g dry carrier-g -1 ). In comparison to well-established commercialized gel carrier APG, HDLS was of much better mechanical strength, hydrophilicity and stability. Microbial-immobilized HDLS also had the best performance for the remediation of 1,1,1-TCA simulated groundwater. Analysis of the clone libraries from microorganism-immobilized HDLS showed the HDLS could protect microorganisms from the toxicity of 1,1,1-TCA and maintain the stability of microbial community diversity. The mechanism of HDLS immobilizing and protecting microorganisms was proposed as follows. The HDLS had a micron-scale honeycomb structure (30-40 μm) and an irregular ravine structure (4-20 μm), which facilitate the immobilization of anaerobic microorganisms and protect the anaerobic microorganisms.

  7. Enhanced piezoelectric output of NiO/nanoporous GaN by suppression of internal carrier screening

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waseem, Aadil; Jeong, Dae Kyung; Johar, Muhammad Ali; Kang, Jin-Ho; Ha, Jun-Seok; Key Lee, June; Ryu, Sang-Wan

    2018-06-01

    The efficiency of piezoelectric nanogenerators (PNGs) significantly depends on the free carrier concentration of semiconductors. In the presence of a mechanical stress, piezoelectric charges are generated at both ends of the PNG, which are rapidly screened by the free carriers. The screening effect rapidly decreases the piezoelectric output within fractions of a second. In this study, the piezoelectric outputs of bulk- and nanoporous GaN-based heterojunction PNGs are compared. GaN thin films were epitaxially grown on sapphire substrates using metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Nanoporous GaN was fabricated using electrochemical etching, depleted of free carriers owing to the surface Fermi-level pinning. A highly resistive NiO thin film was deposited on bulk- and nanoporous GaN using radio frequency magnetron sputter. The NiO/nanoporous GaN PNG (NPNG) under a periodic compressive stress of 4 MPa exhibited an output voltage and current of 0.32 V and 1.48 μA cm‑2, respectively. The output voltage and current of the NiO/thin film-GaN PNG (TPNG) were three and five times smaller than those of the NPNG, respectively. Therefore, the high-resistivity of NiO and nanoporous GaN depleted by the Fermi-level pinning are advantageous and provide a better piezoelectric performance of the NPNG, compared with that of the TPNG.

  8. Side chain engineering of fused aromatic thienopyrazine based low band-gap polymers for enhanced charge carrier mobility

    KAUST Repository

    Mondal, Rajib

    2011-01-01

    A strategic side-chain engineering approach leads to the two orders of magnitude enhancement of charge carrier mobility in phenanthrene based fused aromatic thienopyrazine polymers. Hole carrier mobility up to 0.012 cm 2/Vs can be obtained in thin film transistor devices. Polymers were also utilized to fabricate bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices and the maximum PCE obtained in these OPV\\'s was 1.15%. Most importantly, performances of the devices were correlated with thin morphological analysis performed by atomic force microscopy and grazing incidence X-ray scattering. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  9. Structure and property evaluation of a vacuum plasma sprayed nanostructured tungsten-hafnium carbide bulk composite

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rea, K. E.; Viswanathan, V.; Kruize, A.; De Hosson, J. Th. M.; O'Dell, S.; McKechnie, T.; Rajagopalan, S.; Vaidyanathan, R.; Seal, S.; O’Dell, S.

    2008-01-01

    Vacuum plasma spray (VPS) forming of tungsten-based metal matrix nanocomposites (MMCs) has shown to be a cost effective and time saving method for the formation of bulk monolithic nanostructured then no-mechanical components. Spray drying of powder feedstock appears to have a significant effect on

  10. Formulation development of the biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis strain CPA-8 by spray-drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yánez-Mendizábal, V; Viñas, I; Usall, J; Torres, R; Solsona, C; Abadias, M; Teixidó, N

    2012-05-01

    To prepare commercially acceptable formulations of Bacillus subtilis CPA-8 by spray-drying with long storage life and retained efficacy to control peach and nectarine brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. CPA-8 24-h- and 72-h-old cultures were spray dried using 10% skimmed milk, 10% skimmed milk plus 10% MgSO(4) , 10% MgSO(4) and 20% MgSO(4) as carriers/protectants. All carriers/protectants gave good percentages of powder recovery (28-38%) and moisture content (7-13%). CPA-8 survival varied considerably among spray-dried 24-h- and 72-h-old cultures. Seventy-two hours culture spray dried formulations showed the highest survival (28-32%) with final concentration products of 1·6-3·3 × 10(9) CFU g(-1) , while viability of 24-h-old formulations was lower than 1%. Spray-dried 72-h-old formulations were selected to subsequent evaluation. Rehydration of cells with water provided a good recovery of CPA-8 dried cells, similar to other complex rehydration media tested. Spray-dried formulations stored at 4 ± 1 and 20 ± 1°C showed good shelf life during 6 months, and viability was maintained or slightly decreased by 0·2-0·3-log. CPA-8 formulations after 4- and 6 months storage were effective in controlling brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. on nectarines and peaches resulting in a 90-100% reduction in disease incidence. Stable and effective formulations of biocontrol agent B. subtilis CPA-8 could be obtained by spray-drying. New shelf-stable and effective formulations of a biocontrol agent have been obtained by spray-drying to control brown rot on peach. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Applied Microbiology © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  11. Analytical Model for Voltage-Dependent Photo and Dark Currents in Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mesbahus Saleheen

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available A physics-based explicit mathematical model for the external voltage-dependent forward dark current in bulk heterojunction (BHJ organic solar cells is developed by considering Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH recombination and solving the continuity equations for both electrons and holes. An analytical model for the external voltage-dependent photocurrent in BHJ organic solar cells is also proposed by incorporating exponential photon absorption, dissociation efficiency of bound electron-hole pairs (EHPs, carrier trapping, and carrier drift and diffusion in the photon absorption layer. Modified Braun’s model is used to compute the electric field-dependent dissociation efficiency of the bound EHPs. The overall net current is calculated considering the actual solar spectrum. The mathematical models are verified by comparing the model calculations with various published experimental results. We analyze the effects of the contact properties, blend compositions, charge carrier transport properties (carrier mobility and lifetime, and cell design on the current-voltage characteristics. The power conversion efficiency of BHJ organic solar cells mostly depends on electron transport properties of the acceptor layer. The results of this paper indicate that improvement of charge carrier transport (both mobility and lifetime and dissociation of bound EHPs in organic blend are critically important to increase the power conversion efficiency of the BHJ solar cells.

  12. Photoinduced Bulk Polarization and Its Effects on Photovoltaic Actions in Perovskite Solar Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Ting; Collins, Liam; Zhang, Jia; Lin, Pei-Ying; Ahmadi, Mahshid; Jesse, Stephen; Hu, Bin

    2017-11-28

    This article reports an experimental demonstration of photoinduced bulk polarization in hysteresis-free methylammonium (MA) lead-halide perovskite solar cells [ITO/PEDOT:PSS/perovskite/PCBM/PEI/Ag]. An anomalous capacitance-voltage (CV) signal is observed as a broad "shoulder" in the depletion region from -0.5 to +0.5 V under photoexcitation based on CV measurements where a dc bias is gradually scanned to continuously drift mobile ions in order to detect local polarization under a low alternating bias (50 mV, 5 kHz). Essentially, gradually scanning the dc bias and applying a low alternating bias can separately generate continuously drifting ions and a bulk CV signal from local polarization under photoexcitation. Particularly, when the device efficiency is improved from 12.41% to 18.19% upon chlorine incorporation, this anomalous CV signal can be enhanced by a factor of 3. This anomalous CV signal can be assigned as the signature of photoinduced bulk polarization by distinguishing from surface polarization associated with interfacial charge accumulation. Meanwhile, replacing easy-rotational MA + with difficult-rotational formamidinium (FA + ) cations largely minimizes such anomalous CV signal, suggesting that photoinduced bulk polarization relies on the orientational freedom of dipolar organic cations. Furthermore, a Kelvin probe force microscopy study shows that chlorine incorporation can suppress the density of charged defects and thus enhances photoinduced bulk polarization due to the reduced screening effect from charged defects. A bias-dependent photoluminescence study indicates that increasing bulk polarization can suppress carrier recombination by decreasing charge capture probability through the Coulombic screening effect. Clearly, our studies provide an insightful understanding of photoinduced bulk polarization and its effects on photovoltaic actions in perovskite solar cells.

  13. Analysis of the photo voltage decay /PVD/ method for measuring minority carrier lifetimes in P-N junction solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Von Roos, O.

    1981-01-01

    The photo voltage decay (PVD) method for the measurement of minority carrier lifetimes in P-N junction solar cells with cell thickness comparable to or even less than the minority carrier diffusion length is examined. The method involves the generation of free carriers in the quasi-neutral bulk material by flashes of light and the monitoring of the subsequent decay of the induced open-circuit voltages as the carriers recombine, which is dependent on minority carrier recombination lifetime. It is shown that the voltage versus time curve for an ordinary solar cell (N(+)-P junction) is proportional to the inverse minority carrier lifetime plus a factor expressing the ratio of diffusion length to cell thickness. In the case of an ideal back-surface-field cell (N(+)-P-P(+) junction) however, the slope is directly proportional to the inverse minority carrier lifetime. It is noted that since most BSF cells are not ideal, possessing a sizable back surface recombination velocity, the PVD measurements must be treated with caution and supplemented with other nonstationary methods.

  14. Dry coating of micronized API powders for improved dissolution of directly compacted tablets with high drug loading.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Xi; Ghoroi, Chinmay; Davé, Rajesh

    2013-02-14

    Motivated by our recent study showing improved flow and dissolution rate of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) powders (20 μm) produced via simultaneous micronization and surface modification through continuous fluid energy milling (FEM) process, the performance of blends and direct compacted tablets with high drug loading is examined. Performance of 50 μm API powders dry coated without micronization is also considered for comparison. Blends of micronized, non-micronized, dry coated or uncoated API powders at 30, 60 and 70% drug loading, are examined. The results show that the blends containing dry coated API powders, even micronized ones, have excellent flowability and high bulk density compared to the blends containing uncoated API, which are required for direct compaction. As the drug loading increases, the difference between dry coated and uncoated blends is more pronounced, as seen in the proposed bulk density-FFC phase map. Dry coating led to improved tablet compactibility profiles, corresponding with the improvements in blend compressibility. The most significant advantage is in tablet dissolution where for all drug loadings, the t(80) for the tablets with dry coated APIs was well under 5 min, indicating that this approach can produce nearly instant release direct compacted tablets at high drug loadings. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Effect of different drying techniques on flowability characteristics and chemical properties of natural carbohydrate-protein Gum from durian fruit seed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirhosseini Hamed

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A natural carbohydrate biopolymer was extracted from the agricultural biomass waste (durian seed. Subsequently, the crude biopolymer was purified by using the saturated barium hydroxide to minimize the impurities. Finally, the effect of different drying techniques on the flow characteristics and functional properties of the purified biopolymer was investigated. The present study elucidated the main functional characteristics such as flow characteristics, water- and oil-holding capacity, solubility, and foaming capacity. Results In most cases except for oven drying, the bulk density decreased, thus increasing the porosity. This might be attributed to the increase in the inter-particle voids of smaller sized particles with larger contact surface areas per unit volume. The current study revealed that oven-dried gum and freeze-dried gum had the highest and lowest compressibility index, thus indicating the weakest and strongest flowability among all samples. In the present work, the freeze-dried gum showed the lowest angle of repose, bulk, tapped and true density. This indicates the highest porosity degree of freeze dried gum among dried seed gums. It also exhibited the highest solubility, and foaming capacity thus providing the most desirable functional properties and flow characteristics among all drying techniques. Conclusion The present study revealed that freeze drying among all drying techniques provided the most desirable functional properties and flow characteristics for durian seed gum.

  16. Mathematical modeling of the drying of orange bagasse associating the convective method and infrared radiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina M. Sánchez-Sáenz

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Mathematical modeling enables dimensioning of dryers, optimization of drying conditions and the evaluation of process performance. The aim of this research was to describe the behavior of orange bagasse drying using Page's and Fick's second law models, and to assess activation energy (using Arrhenius equation, moisture content, water activity and bulk density of product at the end of the process. The drying experimental assays were performed in 2011 with convective air temperature between 36 and 64 ºC and infrared radiation application time in the range from 23 to 277 s in accordance with the experimental central composite rotatable design. Analysis of variance and F-test were applied to results. At the end of the drying process, moisture content was about 0.09 to 0.87 db and water activity was between 0.25 and 0.87. Bulk density did not vary under studied conditions. Empirical Page's model demonstrated better representation of experimental data than the Fick's model for spheres. Activation energy values were about 18.491; 14.975 and 11.421 kJ mol-1 for infrared application times of 60; 150 e 244 s, respectively.

  17. Assessment of two carrier materials for phosphate solubilizing biofertilizers and their effect on growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukhtar, Salma; Shahid, Izzah; Mehnaz, Samina; Malik, Kauser A

    2017-12-01

    Biofertilizers are usually carrier-based inoculants containing beneficial microorganisms. Incorporation of microorganisms in carrier material enables easy-handling, long-term storage and high effectiveness of biofertilizers. Objective of the present study was to assess enriched biogas sludge and soil as biofertilizer carriers on growth and yield of wheat. Six phosphate solubilizing strains were used in this study. Three phosphate solubilizing strains, 77-NS2 (Bacillus endophyticus), 77-CS-S1 (Bacillus sphaericus) and 77-NS5 (Enterobacter aerogenes) were isolated from the rhizosphere of sugarcane, two strains, PSB5 (Bacillus safensis) and PSB12 (Bacillus megaterium) from the rhizosphere of wheat and one halophilic phosphate solubilizing strain AT2RP3 (Virgibacillus sp.) from the rhizosphere of Atriplex amnicola, were used as bioinoculants. Phosphate solubilization ability of these strains was checked in vitro in Pikovskaya medium, containing rock phosphate (RP) as insoluble P source, individually supplemented with three different carbon sources, i.e., glucose, sucrose and maltose. Maximum phosphate solubilization; 305.6μg/ml, 217.2μg/ml and 148.1μg/ml was observed in Bacillus strain PSB12 in Pikovskaya medium containing sucrose, maltose and glucose respectively. A field experiment and pot experiments in climate control room were conducted to study the effects of biogas sludge and enriched soil based phosphorous biofertilizers on growth of wheat. Bacillus strain PSB12 significantly increased root and shoot dry weights and lengths using biogas sludge as carrier material in climate control room experiments. While in field conditions, significant increase in root and shoot dry weights, lengths and seed weights was seen by PSB12 and PSB5 (Bacillus) and Enterobacter strain 77-NS5 using biogas sludge as carrier. PSB12 also significantly increased both root and shoot dry weights and lengths in field conditions when used as enriched soil based inoculum. These results

  18. Physicochemical properties of whole fruit plum powders obtained using different drying technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michalska, Anna; Wojdyło, Aneta; Lech, Krzysztof; Łysiak, Grzegorz P; Figiel, Adam

    2016-09-15

    Physicochemical quality parameters of plum powders obtained by applying conventional drying methods and their combination devised to process plums were evaluated. The effect of freeze-drying (FD), vacuum drying (VD), convective drying (CD), microwave-vacuum drying (MVD) and combination of convective pre-drying and microwave finish-drying (CPD-MVFD) affected physical (bulk density, porosity, colour, solubility) and chemical (polyphenolic compounds determined by UPLC and antioxidant capacity by TEAC ABTS and FRAP methods) properties of plum powders. The MVD at 1.2 W g(-1) and a novel combination for plum powders production - CPD-MVFD at 70 °C/1.2 W g(-1) allowed the best preservation of phenolic compounds and increased the efficiency of production. Results obtained support the use of MVD and its combination for better quality of dried plum products. The study proved that the determination of the browning index and HMF level (formed via Maillard reaction) might be good tool for monitoring the thermal processing of plum powders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Structure and property evaluation of a vacuum plasma sprayed nanostructured tungsten-hafnium carbide bulk composite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rea, K.E.; Viswanathan, V.; Kruize, A.; Hosson, J.Th.M. de; O'Dell, S.; McKechnie, T.; Rajagopalan, S.; Vaidyanathan, R.; Seal, S.

    2008-01-01

    Vacuum plasma spray (VPS) forming of tungsten-based metal matrix nanocomposites (MMCs) has shown to be a cost effective and time saving method for the formation of bulk monolithic nanostructured thermo-mechanical components. Spray drying of powder feedstock appears to have a significant effect on the improved mechanical properties of the bulk nanocomposite. The reported elastic modulus of the nanocomposite nearly doubles due to the presence of HfC nano particulates in the W matrix. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed the retention of nanostructures at the select process conditions and is correlated with the enhanced mechanical properties of the nanocomposite

  20. Radiation preservation of dried fish indigenous to Asia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hussain, A.M.; Haz, I.; Chaudry, M.A.

    1989-01-01

    Commercially dried marine fish such as mackerel, shark, tuna and saram (Scomboromorus commersoni) contain 36-50% moisture and 10-12% salt. During preliminary studies, there was visible mould growth on sun or over dried freshwater rahu (Labeo sp.) fish containing moisture levels above 15.5%. Fusarium was present in samples containing a moisture level of 46% and above, while below this level Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp. were present. Dipping of fish fillets in 2% potassium sorbate checked the visible mould growth on irradiated (0.25-1 kGy) and non-irradiated rahu fish containing moisture levels of 20-40%. Radiation doses of 0.5-0.75 kGy were found suitable for keeping sun or oven dried samples in good and acceptable conditions for six months at room temperature. Polyethylene film about 0.1 mm thick was suitable for packing dried fish as far as insect penetration, bacterial permeability, water permeability, water vapour transfer rate and weight loss of dried fish during storage were concerned. An oxygen absorber was effective for six months in maintaining colour, odour and texture of irradiated dried fish packaged in an oxygen impermeable film. Dried fish was acceptable to consumers except to some extent for its texture. Bulk storage of dried fish fillets at an ambient temperature for 3 months produced no adverse changes in the fillets. About 5% of the fillets were badly shredded during transportation of irradiated dried fish over a distance of about 2,400 km. (author). 27 refs, 6 figs, 13 tabs

  1. Dry formulations of the biocontrol agent Candida sake CPA-1 using fluidised bed drying to control the main postharvest diseases on fruits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbó, Anna; Torres, Rosario; Usall, Josep; Fons, Estanislau; Teixidó, Neus

    2017-08-01

    The biocontrol agent Candida sake CPA-1 is effective against several diseases. Consequently, the optimisation of a dry formulation of C. sake to improve its shelf life and manipulability is essential for increasing its potential with respect to future commercial applications. The present study aimed to optimise the conditions for making a dry formulation of C. sake using a fluidised bed drying system and then to determine the shelf life of the optimised formulation and its efficacy against Penicillium expansum on apples. The optimal conditions for the drying process were found to be 40 °C for 45 min and the use of potato starch as the carrier significantly enhanced the viability. However, none of the protective compounds tested increased the viability of the dried cells. A temperature of 25 °C for 10 min in phosphate buffer was considered as the optimum condition to recover the dried formulations. The dried formulations should be stored at 4 °C and air-packaged; moreover, shelf life assays indicated good results after 12 months of storage. The formulated products maintained their biocontrol efficacy. A fluidised bed drying system is a suitable process for dehydrating C. sake cells; moreover, the C. sake formulation is easy to pack, store and transport, and is a cost-effective process. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  2. Bulk delivery of explosives offers positive advantages

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1993-09-01

    The bulk delivery of precisely-formulated explosives directly to the shothole is a safe, secure and cost effective way of bringing rock to the quarry floor. This article describes several of the latest generation of Anfo trucks. The typical Anfo truck carries ammonium nitrate and fuel oil in bulk, together with several other mix constituents, including an emulsifying agent. These are designed to form the basis of a range of emulsion-type explosives. In effect, these are water in oil emulsions where the water phase consists of droplets of a saturated solution of the oxidizing material suspended in oil. The formulations may be further tailored to the shothole requirements by the addition of oils or waxes, which can alter the viscosity of the explosive. The precise and programmable controls which determine the exact quantities of materials delivered to the mixer mean that the explosive mixtures can be tailored exactly to the requirements of the blasting operation, be it the amount of rock to be dislodged, the geological conditions, or the state of the shothole - either wet or dry. 4 systems are described in detail. 3 figs.

  3. Photogeneration and decay of charge carriers in hybrid bulk heterojunctions of ZnO nanoparticles and conjugated polymers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Quist, P.A.C.; Beek, W.J.E.; Wienk, M.M.; Janssen, R.A.J.; Savenije, T.J.; Siebbeles, L.D.A.

    2006-01-01

    The photogeneration and decay of charge carriers in blend films of ZnO nanoparticles (diam. 5 nm) and poly[2-methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV) or poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) were studied by means of microwave-photoconductance measurements. Excitation of the

  4. Selective observation of photo-induced electric fields inside different material components in bulk-heterojunction organic solar cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Xiangyu; Taguchi, Dai; Manaka, Takaaki; Iwamoto, Mitsumasa, E-mail: iwamoto@pe.titech.ac.jp [Department of Physical Electronics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, S3-33 O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552 (Japan)

    2014-01-06

    By using electric-field-induced optical second-harmonic generation (EFISHG) measurement at two laser wavelengths of 1000 nm and 860 nm, we investigated carrier behavior inside the pentacene and C{sub 60} component of co-deposited pentacene:C{sub 60} bulk-heterojunctions (BHJs) organic solar cells (OSCs). The EFISHG experiments verified the presence of two carrier paths for electrons and holes in BHJs OSCs. That is, two kinds of electric fields pointing in opposite directions are identified as a result of the selectively probing of SHG activation from C{sub 60} and pentacene. Also, under open-circuit conditions, the transient process of the establishment of open-circuit voltage inside the co-deposited layer has been directly probed, in terms of photovoltaic effect. The EFISHG provides an additional promising method to study carrier path of electrons and holes as well as dissociation of excitons in BHJ OSCs.

  5. Jump chaotic behaviour of ultra low loss bulk acoustic wave cavities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goryachev, Maxim, E-mail: maxim.goryachev@uwa.edu.au; Farr, Warrick G.; Tobar, Michael E. [ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009 (Australia); Galliou, Serge [Department of Time and Frequency, FEMTO-ST Institute, ENSMM, 26 Chemin de l' Épitaphe 25000 Besançon (France)

    2014-08-11

    We demonstrate a previously unobserved nonlinear phenomenon in an ultra-low loss quartz bulk acoustic wave cavity (Q>3>10{sup 9}), which only occurs below 20 mK in temperature and under relatively weak pumping. The phenomenon reveals the emergence of several stable equilibria (at least two foci and two nodes) and jumps between these quasi states at random times. The degree of this randomness as well as separations between levels can be controlled by the frequency of the incident carrier signal. It is demonstrated that the nature of the effect lies beyond the standard Duffing model.

  6. Three-dimensional Finite Elements Method simulation of Total Ionizing Dose in 22 nm bulk nFinFETs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chatzikyriakou, Eleni, E-mail: ec3g12@soton.ac.uk; Potter, Kenneth; Redman-White, William; De Groot, C.H.

    2017-02-15

    Highlights: • Simulation of Total Ionizing Dose using the Finite Elements Method. • Carrier generation, transport and trapping in the oxide. • Application in three-dimensional bulk FinFET model of 22 nm node. • Examination of trapped charge in the Shallow Trench Isolation. • Trapped charge dependency of parasitic transistor current. - Abstract: Finite Elements Method simulation of Total Ionizing Dose effects on 22 nm bulk Fin Field Effect Transistor (FinFET) devices using the commercial software Synopsys Sentaurus TCAD is presented. The simulation parameters are extracted by calibrating the charge trapping model to experimental results on 400 nm SiO{sub 2} capacitors irradiated under zero bias. The FinFET device characteristics are calibrated to the Intel 22 nm bulk technology. Irradiation simulations of the transistor performed with all terminals unbiased reveal increased hardness up to a total dose of 1 MRad(SiO{sub 2}).

  7. Obtain and characterization of chitosan / propranolol microparticles by spray drying; Obtencao e caracterizacao de microparticulas de quitosana / propranolol por spray drying

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nascimento, Ednaldo G. do; Silva Junior, Arnobio A. da, E-mail: ednaldogn@yahoo.com.br [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil); Santos, Katia S.C.R. dos [Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Manaus, AM (brazil)

    2015-07-01

    The study investigated the application of chitosan microparticles as carriers into hard gelatin capsule containing propranolol, evaluating the variability of the molecular weight and the chitosan particles by spray drying. The formulations were characterized by average weight, dosing unit dose uniformity and dissolution profile according to the pharmacopoeia. While the microparticles were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that chitosan microparticles obtained without the drug and then physically mixed with propranolol promoted a modified release 85% of the drug after 5 hours. While, chitosan microparticles sprayed with propranolol released only 55% at 5 hours is presented both as a modified release system. Samples of dried chitosan showed up amorphous and homogeneous and spherical morphology. (author)

  8. Development of technology to utilize existing tobacco kilns and/or tobacco storage barns for curing (drying) and/or storage of other crops

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    VanHooren, D L; Scott, J J

    1988-01-01

    This report investigates methods to utilize existing bulk tobacco kilns for curing (drying) of shelled corn, peanuts, and baled hay. In recent years Ontario tobacco producers have had to reduce production levels due to a declining demand for flue-cured tobacco. Many tobacco producers are currently diversifying into other crops. Some of these crops require curing and/or storage. Because of high capital costs to purchase conventional curing and/or storage facilities, tobacco producers wish to reduce their initial diversification costs by modifying their existing tobacco kilns (tobacco drying structures) and/or tobacco storage barns for this purpose. The investigation included high profile and low profile downdraft stick kilns, bulk kilns, and tobacco storage (pack) barns. Corn, peanuts, and hay were considered in relation to bulk kiln specifications and modifications, handling, drying and storage methods, energy requirements, cost, and quality of end product. The conclusions drawn from the study of each product are presented. Results from the projects indicate that: shelled corn can be dried from about 26% moisture content (w.b.) or less; baled hay can be dried from about 27% moisture content (w.b.) or less; and peanuts cured at airflow rates ranging from 169 to 645 l/s/m/sup 3/ of peanuts exhibited no significant differences when evaluated for appearance and flavour. 1 ref., 23 figs., 15 tabs.

  9. THE LINE FOR PRODUCTION OF DRIED APPLES, PEARS, CARROTS, PUMPKIN AND CHIPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. V. Kalashnikov

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The line is intended for processing of fruit and vegetable raw materials and receiving dried apples, pears, carrots, pumpkins and the fruit-and-vegetable of chips. The line solves problems of improvement of quality of a ready-made product and thermal production efficiency due to more rational alternation of the technological modes of a moisture increment and dehumidification with high extent of use of an energy potential of the heat carrier, use of the inert heat carrier (steam identical by the form for technological thermal processes, decrease in specific energy consumption and metal consumption, and also an intensification of moisture evaporation and creation of the compact multipurpose technological line for production of fruit and vegetable products with the expanded range. The technological production line of dried apples, pears, carrots, pumpkin and fruit and vegetable chips contains the jet washer, the inspection conveyor, the size grader, the car for removal of a seed nest and the device are sharp fruits and vegetables on plates, the sulfiter, the dryer and the packing automatic packing machine. Thus the line contains the combined toroidal device for heatmoisture of handling continuous action divided into sections: section of heating of raw materials, section of convective drying, section of preliminary hydration, which is located between microwave drying sections, and the section of cooling of the dried-up product intended for bringing a product to final readiness. The equipment complex from the drum car with the washing block and multipurpose installation with crushing of raw materials and office of sunflower seeds taking into account raw materials type is provided in lines. Are used recirculation a contour, the heating of the initial raw material fulfilled after drying of pairs and a condensate in the closed contour for creation energy-saving of the "know-how" of a ready product. The line represents modular blocks and is recustomized

  10. Guanidinium: A Route to Enhanced Carrier Lifetime and Open-Circuit Voltage in Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Marco, Nicholas; Zhou, Huanping; Chen, Qi; Sun, Pengyu; Liu, Zonghao; Meng, Lei; Yao, En-Ping; Liu, Yongsheng; Schiffer, Andy; Yang, Yang

    2016-02-10

    Hybrid perovskites have shown astonishing power conversion efficiencies owed to their remarkable absorber characteristics including long carrier lifetimes, and a relatively substantial defect tolerance for solution-processed polycrystalline films. However, nonradiative charge carrier recombination at grain boundaries limits open circuit voltages and consequent performance improvements of perovskite solar cells. Here we address such recombination pathways and demonstrate a passivation effect through guanidinium-based additives to achieve extraordinarily enhanced carrier lifetimes and higher obtainable open circuit voltages. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements yield carrier lifetimes in guanidinium-based films an order of magnitude greater than pure-methylammonium counterparts, giving rise to higher device open circuit voltages and power conversion efficiencies exceeding 17%. A reduction in defect activation energy of over 30% calculated via admittance spectroscopy and confocal fluorescence intensity mapping indicates successful passivation of recombination/trap centers at grain boundaries. We speculate that guanidinium ions serve to suppress formation of iodide vacancies and passivate under-coordinated iodine species at grain boundaries and within the bulk through their hydrogen bonding capability. These results present a simple method for suppressing nonradiative carrier loss in hybrid perovskites to further improve performances toward highly efficient solar cells.

  11. Impedance Spectroscopy and AC Conductivity Studies of Bulk 3-Amino-7-(dimethylamino)-2-methyl-hydrochloride

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Shabaan, M. M.

    2018-02-01

    Impedance spectroscopy and alternating-current (AC) conductivity (σ AC) studies of bulk 3-amino-7-(dimethylamino)-2-methyl-hydrochloride (neutral red, NR) have been carried out over the temperature (T) range from 303 K to 383 K and frequency (f) range from 0.5 kHz to 5 MHz. Dielectric data were analyzed using the complex impedance (Z *) and complex electric modulus (M *) for bulk NR at various temperatures. The impedance loss peaks were found to shift towards high frequencies, indicating an increase in the relaxation time (τ 0) and loss in the material, with increasing temperature. For each temperature, a single depressed semicircle was observed at high frequencies, originating from the bulk transport, and a spike in the low-frequency region, resulting from the electrode effect. Fitting of these curves yielded an equivalent circuit containing a parallel combination of a resistance R and constant-phase element (CPE) Q. The carrier transport in bulk NR is governed by the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) mechanism, some parameters of which, such as the maximum barrier height (W M), charge density (N), and hopping distance (r), were determined as functions of both temperature and frequency. The frequency dependence of σ AC at different temperatures indicated that the conduction in bulk NR is a thermally activated process. The σ AC value at different frequencies increased linearly with temperature.

  12. Perspective on the prospects of a carrier multiplication nanocrystal solar cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nair, Gautham; Chang, Liang-Yi; Geyer, Scott M; Bawendi, Moungi G

    2011-05-11

    This article presents a perspective on the experimental and theoretical work to date on the efficiency of carrier multiplication (CM) in colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs). Early reports on CM in NCs suggested large CM efficiency enhancements. However, recent experiments have shown that CM in nanocrystalline samples is not significantly stronger, and often is weaker, than in the parent bulk when compared on an absolute photon energy basis. This finding is supported by theoretical consideration of the CM process and the competing intraband relaxation. We discuss the experimental artifacts that may have led to the apparently strong CM estimated in early reports. The finding of bulklike CM in NCs suggests that the main promise of quantum confinement is to boost the photovoltage at which carriers can be extracted. With this in mind, we discuss research directions that may result in effective use of CM in a solar cell.

  13. Influence of spray drying operating conditions on microencapsulated rosemary essential oil properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Regiane Victória de Barros Fernandes

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Spray drying is an important method used by the food industry in the production of microencapsulated flavors to improve handling and dispersion properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the process conditions on the properties of rosemary essential oil microencapsulated by spray drying using gum Arabic as encapsulant. The effects of the wall material concentration (10-30%, inlet air temperature (135-195 ºC, and feed flow rate (0.5-1.0 L.h-1 on the moisture content, hygroscopicity, wettability, solubility, bulk and tapped densities, particle density, flowability, and cohesiveness were evaluated using a 2³ central composite rotational experimental design. Moisture content, hygroscopicity and wettability were significantly affected by the three factors analyzed. Bulk density was positively influenced by the wall material concentration and negatively by the inlet air temperature. Particle density was influenced by the wall material concentration and the inlet air temperature variables, both in a negative manner. As for the solubility, tapped density, flowability, and cohesiveness, the models did not fit the data well. The results indicated that moderate wall material concentration (24%, low inlet air temperature (135 ºC, and moderate feed flow rate (0.7 L.h-1 are the best spray drying conditions.

  14. Introduction to the marine transportation of bulk LNG and the design of LNG carriers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilson, J J

    1974-03-01

    The marine transportation of bulk LNG is expected to expand considerably in the near future to help supply the continuous and growing demand for energy predicted for the U.S., Japan, and Western Europe. The number of new LNG tankers required to provide for these markets is estimated to be at least 50 new 4.4 million ft/sup 3/ tankers by 1980. The standard LNG tanker size is expected to increase to 7.06 million ft/sup 3/ within 5 yr. In selecting a particular tanker system, prospective ship-owners may have to consider such factors as national and international subsidies, shipyard limitations, and the trend to build certain specialized tanker components in areas other than in the shipyard. This work separation could help reduce tanker construction cost and time--especially important when several ships are to be constructed. Containment techniques available for construction of the cargo tanks include the self-supporting and the integrated designs, with the most economical provided by systems carrying LNG as a bulk cargo slightly subcooled below its boiling temperature at near-atmospheric pressure. All designs must fulfill the requirements for maintaining the approved temperature over the entire hull structure, preventing excess heat leaks into the cargo, providing tight liquid containment of the cargo, controlling the conditions inside and outside, and providing the proper facilities for safe loading and unloading. Materials of construction range from a combination of various grades of mild steel for the hull to the highest grades of aluminum alloys and nickel steels for the tank areas. Insulation includes polyurethane foam, silicon-coated perlite, and balsa wood used with fiberglass, polyurethane foam, or mineral wool. The insulation materials and arrangement must be waterproof, fire-resistant, and suitable to withstand the forces imposed on them. Finally, the tankers must include the proper equipment for LNG handling, pumping, and boiloff control.

  15. Stability of low-carrier-density topological-insulator Bi2Se3 thin films and effect of capping layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salehi, Maryam; Brahlek, Matthew; Koirala, Nikesh; Moon, Jisoo; Oh, Seongshik; Wu, Liang; Armitage, N. P.

    2015-01-01

    Although over the past number of years there have been many advances in the materials aspects of topological insulators (TIs), one of the ongoing challenges with these materials is the protection of them against aging. In particular, the recent development of low-carrier-density bulk-insulating Bi 2 Se 3 thin films and their sensitivity to air demands reliable capping layers to stabilize their electronic properties. Here, we study the stability of the low-carrier-density Bi 2 Se 3 thin films in air with and without various capping layers using DC and THz probes. Without any capping layers, the carrier density increases by ∼150% over a week and by ∼280% over 9 months. In situ-deposited Se and ex situ-deposited poly(methyl methacrylate) suppress the aging effect to ∼27% and ∼88%, respectively, over 9 months. The combination of effective capping layers and low-carrier-density TI films will open up new opportunities in topological insulators

  16. Solid lipid nanoparticles as insulin inhalation carriers for enhanced pulmonary delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bi, Ru; Shao, Wei; Wang, Qun; Zhang, Na

    2009-02-01

    Growing attentions have been paid to the pulmonary route for systemic delivery of peptide and protein drugs, such as insulin. Advantages of this non-injective route include rapid drug deposition in the target organ, fewer systemic side effects and avoiding first pass metabolism. However, sustained release formulations for pulmonary delivery have not been fully exploited till now. In our study, a novel dry powder inhalation (DPI) system of insulin loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (Ins-SLNs) was investigated for prolonged drug release, improved stability and effective inhalation. Firstly, the drug was incorporated into the lipid carriers for a maximum entrapment efficiency as high as 69.47 +/- 3.27% (n = 3). Secondly, DPI formulation was prepared by spray freeze drying of Ins-SLNs suspension, with optimized lyoprotectant and technique parameters in this procedure. The properties of DPI particles were characterized for their pulmonary delivery potency. Thirdly, the in vivo study of intratracheal instillation of Ins-SLNs to diabetic rats showed prolonged hypoglycemic effect and a relative pharmacological bioavailability of 44.40% could be achieved in the group of 8 IU/kg dosage. These results indicated that SLNs have shown increasing potential as an efficient and non-toxic lipophilic colloidal drug carrier for enhanced pulmonary delivery of insulin.

  17. Preparation of Degradable Biological Carrier With LCC and its Application in Culture of Hepatocytes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, H. K.; Chen, X. K.; Wu, H. F.; Li, J. L.; Xie, Y. M.

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this article is to extract lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCC) with poplar as raw material, which was used to prepare bio-carrier by freeze-drying method. The chemical properties and morphological of LCC porous biological carriers were analyzed by GPC, FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy. The FT-IR spectrum results indicated that LCC which are composed of lignin and polysaccharide, with a typical LCC structure. Galactose have a specific ability to recognize liver cells owing to the presence of receptors on hepatocytes. Cell counting results showed that the cells increases fastest while the proliferation rate of the liver cell in LCC is obviously higher than that of control group. These results indicated that poplar LCC is very biocompatible, in which it might be a great potential biological carrier material for human hepatocyte culture.

  18. Physical Properties of Sandy Soil Affected by Soil Conditioner Under Wetting and Drying cycles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.I. Choudhary

    1998-06-01

    Full Text Available Information on the effectiveness of soil conditioners over a prolonged period is scarce. A laboratory experiment was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a polyacrylamide (Broadleaf P4 soil conditioner on the physical properties of sandy soil subjected to wetting and drying cycles. Four concentrations of Broadleaf P4 0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6% on dry weight basis were uniformly mixed with a calcareous sandy soil. Addition of Broadleaf P4 to sandy soil increased the water holding capacity, decreased the bulk density, and increased the porosity and void ratio at 0 and 16 wetting and drying cycles. The coefficient of linear extensibility increased considerably with increasing concentrations of the polymer. The addition of polymer at 0 and 16 cycles increased considerably the retention and availability of water in sandy soil. Saturated hydraulic conductivity decreased with increasing concentrations of Broadleaf P4 whereas unsaturated hydraulic conductivity at 0 and 16 cycles showed an increase with increasing soil moisture contents. After I6 wetting and drying cycles, the capacity of the soil to hold water was lost on average by 15.8% when compared to the 0 wetting and drying cycle. The effectiveness of the soil conditioner on bulk density, coefficient of linear extensibility, available water and saturated hydraulic conductivity was reduced on average by 14.1, 24.5, 21.l and 53.7% respectively. The significant changes in soil properties between 0 and 16 cycles suggested that the effectiveness of the conditioner decreased with the application of wetting and drying cycles. However, its effect was still considerable when compared to untreated soil under laboratory conditions.

  19. The recent advances on carrier materials for microencapsulating lipophilic cores

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    JIN Minfeng

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Lipophilic ingredients,such as polyunsaturated fatty acids,play an important role in industrialized foods to fortify the nutrients.However,these materials are normally sensitive to oxygen,light or heat to be oxidized,and hard to flow and mix within the bulk food due to the hydrophobic nature.Microencapsulation of lipophilic materials could effectively extend their shelf lives,mask unsatisfied flavors,change their physicochemical properties,and enhance the mixing capacities.This work reviewed the different carrier materials applied in microencapsulating the lipophilic ingredients,and discussed their characteristics and effects on encapsulation efficiencies and release profiles of lipophilic cores.

  20. Optimasi Proses Spray Drying Pada Enkapsulasi Antosianin Ubi Ungu

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Retno Yunilawati

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Teknologi proses spray drying banyak dilakukan pada enkapsulasi zat warna alam untuk aplikasi di industri. Pada penelitian ini dilakukan enkapsulasi antosianin ubi ungu dengan teknik spray drying. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah optimasi proses spray drying pada enkapsulasi antosianin ubi ungu. Optimasi proses dilakukan pada kondisi berbagai suhu inlet (150 °C sampai dengan 180 °C dan jumlah maltodekstrin sebagai carrier (5% sampai dengan 15%. Sebagai respon dilakukan pengukuran kadar air, absorbansi, dan kadar antosianin. Response Surface Methodology (RSM dengan metode Central Composite Design (CCD digunakan untuk analisis data optimasi. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa suhu inlet dan persentase maltodekstrin berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap kadar air, absorbansi, dan kadar antosianin total. Kondisi optimal didapatkan pada suhu inlet 166,96 °C dan maltodekstrin sebesar 5%. Pada kondisi ini dihasilkan serbuk antosianin ubi ungu dengan kadar air 4,79%; absorbansi 0,8827; dan kadar antosianin total 968,65 mg/kg.

  1. Formulation development and rheological studies of palatable cefetamet pivoxil hydrochloride dry powder suspension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G Divakar

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Background and the purpose of the study: Because of its intense bitter taste and susceptibility to moisture Cefetamet Pivoxil (CPH is presently available only in the form of tablet. The aim of this study was to develop taste masked CPH dry powder suspension. Methods: Methods employed for formulations were: a Film coating of CPH using Eudragit E100 and subsequent adsorption on different carriers such as spray-dried lactose, sodium starch glycolate and spry-dried mannitol and b Complexation of CPH with three different ion exchange resins viz; indion 234, amberlite IRP64 and amberlite IRP69. Results: Taste evaluation as recognized by volunteers revealed that coating with eudragit E100 and subsequent adsorption on different carriers do not mask the bitter taste of the drug. Suspensions prepared using amberlite IRP64 and amberlite IRP69 were extremely palatable with no bitter after taste. They showed pseudoplastic flow behavior and were too viscous even after shearing for sufficient duration of time and exhibited poor pourability. The suspension made with indion 234 was palatable with slight or no bitter after taste. It demonstrated plastic flow with negligible thixotropy. It had moderate viscosity at rest and could be poured after a reasonable amount of shaking. CPH dry powder suspensions were very unstable under different conditions except under refrigeration. A 5% degradation of drug was occurred in reconstituted suspension in 4 days period when stored at room temperature. Conclusion: Dry powder suspension prepared with indion 234 with 5% overages was stable even after 4th day of reconstitution and palatable with slight or no bitter after taste

  2. Quantum and Classical Magnetoresistance in Ambipolar Topological Insulator Transistors with Gate-tunable Bulk and Surface Conduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Jifa; Chang, Cuizu; Cao, Helin; He, Ke; Ma, Xucun; Xue, Qikun; Chen, Yong P.

    2014-01-01

    Weak antilocalization (WAL) and linear magnetoresistance (LMR) are two most commonly observed magnetoresistance (MR) phenomena in topological insulators (TIs) and often attributed to the Dirac topological surface states (TSS). However, ambiguities exist because these phenomena could also come from bulk states (often carrying significant conduction in many TIs) and are observable even in non-TI materials. Here, we demonstrate back-gated ambipolar TI field-effect transistors in (Bi0.04Sb0.96)2Te3 thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on SrTiO3(111), exhibiting a large carrier density tunability (by nearly 2 orders of magnitude) and a metal-insulator transition in the bulk (allowing switching off the bulk conduction). Tuning the Fermi level from bulk band to TSS strongly enhances both the WAL (increasing the number of quantum coherent channels from one to peak around two) and LMR (increasing its slope by up to 10 times). The SS-enhanced LMR is accompanied by a strongly nonlinear Hall effect, suggesting important roles of charge inhomogeneity (and a related classical LMR), although existing models of LMR cannot capture all aspects of our data. Our systematic gate and temperature dependent magnetotransport studies provide deeper insights into the nature of both MR phenomena and reveal differences between bulk and TSS transport in TI related materials. PMID:24810663

  3. Dry deposition of sulfur: a 23-year record for the Hubbard Brook Forest ecosystem

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Likens, G E; Eaton, J S [Inst. of Ecosystem Studies, The New York Botanical Garden, NY (US); Bormann, F H [School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (US); Hedin, L O [Dept. of Biology, Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (US); Driscoll, C T [Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse, NY (US)

    1990-01-01

    Dry deposition of S was estimated for watershed-ecosystems of the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest from 1964-65 through 1986-87. Two approaches, a regression analysis of bulk precipitation inputs and stream outputs and a mass-balance method, gave similar average values for Watershed 6 430 and 410 eq SO{sub 4}{sup =}/ha-yr, respectively, for this 23-year period. Dry deposition contributed about 37% of total S deposition, varying from 12% in 1964-65 to 61% in 1983-84. Long-term data from 'replicated' watershed-ecosystems showed that temporal variability in estimates of dry deposition was considerably greater than spatial (between watersheds) variability.

  4. Carrier-mediated transport of actinides and rare earth elements through liquid and plasticized membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kopunec, R.; Ngo Manh, Th.

    1994-01-01

    The first works in this field were realized approximately 25 years ago, when BLOCK et al. reported their studies about carrier-mediated transport (also called pertraction or membrane extraction) of uranium through plasticized membranes with neutral esters derived from phosphoric acid. At this time, the methodical principles of selective pertraction of ionic compounds through so-called bulk liquid membranes containing carriers were known. However, these membranes, similarly as plasticized membranes, have not achieved a broader use. This is probably because bulk liquid membranes are from a technical point of view fairly distant from the idea of a typical membrane system, and plasticized membranes (sometimes also called gel membranes) present great resistance. By the end of the 1960's and at the beginning of the 1970's, LI and CUSSLER worked out the principles for two widely used pertraction techniques, called pertraction through emulsion liquid and supported liquid membranes (ELM and SLM). These two techniques not only have greatest significance in laboratory practice, but they also are interesting for technological aims because of the attainable large phase boundaries, e.g. 10 3 -10 4 m 2 /m 3 . Many ways to arrange membrane systems are described in papers. Recently, the significance of carrier-mediated transport through liquid membranes has grown to have (since 1980) separate section at the International Solvent Extraction Conference. This paper does not deal with mathematical models and the mechanism of pertraction in general, but it gives an overview of results obtained in publications referring to pertraction of two related element groups - actinoids and rare earth elements - using various membrane types. (author) 154 refs

  5. Forest composition modifies litter dynamics and decomposition in regenerating tropical dry forest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schilling, Erik M; Waring, Bonnie G; Schilling, Jonathan S; Powers, Jennifer S

    2016-09-01

    We investigated how forest composition, litter quality, and rainfall interact to affect leaf litter decomposition across three successional tropical dry forests in Costa Rica. We monitored litter stocks and bulk litter turnover in 18 plots that exhibit substantial variation in soil characteristics, tree community structure, fungal communities (including forests dominated by ecto- or arbuscular mycorrhizal host trees), and forest age. Simultaneously, we decomposed three standard litter substrates over a 6-month period spanning an unusually intense drought. Decay rates of standard substrates depended on the interaction between litter identity and forest type. Decomposition rates were correlated with tree and soil fungal community composition as well as soil fertility, but these relationships differed among litter types. In low fertility soils dominated by ectomycorrhizal oak trees, bulk litter turnover rates were low, regardless of soil moisture. By contrast, in higher fertility soils that supported mostly arbuscular mycorrhizal trees, bulk litter decay rates were strongly dependent on seasonal water availability. Both measures of decomposition increased with forest age, as did the frequency of termite-mediated wood decay. Taken together, our results demonstrate that soils and forest age exert strong control over decomposition dynamics in these tropical dry forests, either directly through effects on microclimate and nutrients, or indirectly by affecting tree and microbial community composition and traits, such as litter quality.

  6. Interplay Between Side Chain Pattern, Polymer Aggregation, and Charge Carrier Dynamics in PBDTTPD:PCBM Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Dyer-Smith, Clare; Howard, Ian A.; Cabanetos, Clement; El Labban, Abdulrahman; Beaujuge, Pierre; Laquai, Fré dé ric

    2015-01-01

    Poly(benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene–alt–thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione) (PBDTTPD) polymer donors with linear side-chains yield bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of about 4% with phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl

  7. Optimization, formulation, and characterization of multiflavonoids-loaded flavanosome by bulk or sequential technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karthivashan, Govindarajan; Masarudin, Mas Jaffri; Kura, Aminu Umar; Abas, Faridah; Fakurazi, Sharida

    2016-01-01

    This study involves adaptation of bulk or sequential technique to load multiple flavonoids in a single phytosome, which can be termed as "flavonosome". Three widely established and therapeutically valuable flavonoids, such as quercetin (Q), kaempferol (K), and apigenin (A), were quantified in the ethyl acetate fraction of Moringa oleifera leaves extract and were commercially obtained and incorporated in a single flavonosome (QKA-phosphatidylcholine) through four different methods of synthesis - bulk (M1) and serialized (M2) co-sonication and bulk (M3) and sequential (M4) co-loading. The study also established an optimal formulation method based on screening the synthesized flavonosomes with respect to their size, charge, polydispersity index, morphology, drug-carrier interaction, antioxidant potential through in vitro 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl kinetics, and cytotoxicity evaluation against human hepatoma cell line (HepaRG). Furthermore, entrapment and loading efficiency of flavonoids in the optimal flavonosome have been identified. Among the four synthesis methods, sequential loading technique has been optimized as the best method for the synthesis of QKA-phosphatidylcholine flavonosome, which revealed an average diameter of 375.93±33.61 nm, with a zeta potential of -39.07±3.55 mV, and the entrapment efficiency was >98% for all the flavonoids, whereas the drug-loading capacity of Q, K, and A was 31.63%±0.17%, 34.51%±2.07%, and 31.79%±0.01%, respectively. The in vitro 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl kinetics of the flavonoids indirectly depicts the release kinetic behavior of the flavonoids from the carrier. The QKA-loaded flavonosome had no indication of toxicity toward human hepatoma cell line as shown by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide result, wherein even at the higher concentration of 200 µg/mL, the flavonosomes exert >85% of cell viability. These results suggest that sequential loading technique may be a promising

  8. Bulk oil clauses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gough, N.

    1993-01-01

    The Institute Bulk Oil Clauses produced by the London market and the American SP-13c Clauses are examined in detail in this article. The duration and perils covered are discussed, and exclusions, adjustment clause 15 of the Institute Bulk Oil Clauses, Institute War Clauses (Cargo), and Institute Strikes Clauses (Bulk Oil) are outlined. (UK)

  9. Freeze drying vs microwave drying–methods for synthesis of sinteractive thoria powders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Annie, D.; Chandramouli, V. [Materials Chemistry Division, Chemistry Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 602103 (India); Anthonysamy, S., E-mail: sas@igcar.gov.in [Materials Chemistry Division, Chemistry Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 602103 (India); Ghosh, Chanchal; Divakar, R. [Materials Synthesis and Structural Characterization Division, Materials and Metallurgy Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 602103 (India)

    2017-02-15

    Thoria powders were synthesized by oxalate precipitation from an aqueous solution of the nitrate. The filtered precipitates were freeze dried or microwave dried before being calcined at 1073 K. The thoria powders obtained were characterized for crystallite size, specific surface area, bulk density, particle size distribution and residual carbon. Microstructure of the product was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Sinterability of the synthesized powders was studied by measuring the density of the sintered compacts. Powders that can be consolidated and sintered to densities ∼96% theoretical density (TD) at 1773 K were obtained.

  10. Kinetics of varnish long-term drying process monitored by a heterogeneous optical sensor system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saccon, F A M; De Oliveira, F M D R; Ribas, M O; Zambianchi, P Jr; Muller, M; Fabris, J L

    2013-01-01

    The drying process of an acrylic varnish film was monitored over 24 h by a heterogeneous optical sensor system. The system employs a fibre optic transducer based on Bragg gratings and optical coherence tomography, operating respectively around 1.55 and 1.3 µm. The sensor is able to provide information about the temporal evolution of temperature, mechanical deformation, thickness and average refractive index of the coating during the drying process. Resolutions for these optically measured parameters are 0.05 °C (temperature), 0.5 µε (strain), 1.5 µm (thickness) and 0.004 (refractive index). Besides, the sensor can detect the growth of a surface dry skin and supply information about the film bulk uniformity. A model for the mass loss of solvent as the drying process evolves is also discussed. (paper)

  11. Ionic charge transport between blockages: Sodium cation conduction in freshly excised bulk brain tissue

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Emin, David, E-mail: emin@unm.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 (United States); Akhtari, Massoud [Semple Institutes for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Ellingson, B. M. [Department of Radiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Mathern, G. W. [Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States)

    2015-08-15

    We analyze the transient-dc and frequency-dependent electrical conductivities between blocking electrodes. We extend this analysis to measurements of ions’ transport in freshly excised bulk samples of human brain tissue whose complex cellular structure produces blockages. The associated ionic charge-carrier density and diffusivity are consistent with local values for sodium cations determined non-invasively in brain tissue by MRI (NMR) and diffusion-MRI (spin-echo NMR). The characteristic separation between blockages, about 450 microns, is very much shorter than that found for sodium-doped gel proxies for brain tissue, >1 cm.

  12. Bulk-Fill Resin Composites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Benetti, Ana Raquel; Havndrup-Pedersen, Cæcilie; Honoré, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    the restorative procedure. The aim of this study, therefore, was to compare the depth of cure, polymerization contraction, and gap formation in bulk-fill resin composites with those of a conventional resin composite. To achieve this, the depth of cure was assessed in accordance with the International Organization...... for Standardization 4049 standard, and the polymerization contraction was determined using the bonded-disc method. The gap formation was measured at the dentin margin of Class II cavities. Five bulk-fill resin composites were investigated: two high-viscosity (Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill, SonicFill) and three low......-viscosity (x-tra base, Venus Bulk Fill, SDR) materials. Compared with the conventional resin composite, the high-viscosity bulk-fill materials exhibited only a small increase (but significant for Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill) in depth of cure and polymerization contraction, whereas the low-viscosity bulk...

  13. Production of carrier-free 28Mg and 24Na by 50-180 MeV protons on Si, P, S, Cl, Ar and K. Excitation functions and chemical separation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lundqvist, H.; Malmborg, P.

    1976-01-01

    This work investigates the possible use of high energy proton bomardment of silicon, phosphorous, sulphur, chlorine, argon or potassium for production of carrier-free 28 Mg. A chemical separation is essential in this preparation in order to get rid of the bulk of target material and contaminating radionuclides. A simple and efficient method to get carrier-free 28 Mg with neglectible amounts of radio-chemical impurities has been established. (Auth.)

  14. Thermal conductivity of bulk and monolayer MoS2

    KAUST Repository

    Gandi, Appala

    2016-02-26

    © Copyright EPLA, 2016. We show that the lattice contribution to the thermal conductivity of MoS2 strongly dominates the carrier contribution in a broad temperature range from 300 to 800 K. Since theoretical insight into the lattice contribution is largely missing, though it would be essential for materials design, we solve the Boltzmann transport equation for the phonons self-consistently in order to evaluate the phonon lifetimes. In addition, the length scale for transition between diffusive and ballistic transport is determined. The low out-of-plane thermal conductivity of bulk MoS2 (2.3 Wm-1K-1 at 300 K) is useful for thermoelectric applications. On the other hand, the thermal conductivity of monolayer MoS2 (131 Wm-1K-1 at 300 K) is comparable to that of Si.

  15. The Production of a Stable Infliximab Powder: The Evaluation of Spray and Freeze-Drying for Production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanojia, Gaurav; Have, Rimko ten; Bakker, Arjen; Wagner, Koen; Frijlink, Henderik W.; Kersten, Gideon F. A.; Amorij, Jean-Pierre

    2016-01-01

    In prospect of developing an oral dosage form of Infliximab, for treatment of Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis, freeze-drying (vial vs Lyoguard trays) and spray-drying were investigated as production method for stable powders. Dextran and inulin were used in combination with sucrose as stabilizing excipients. The drying processes did not affect Infliximab in these formulations, i.e. both the physical integrity and biological activity (TNF binding) were retained. Accelerated stability studies (1 month at 60°C) showed that the TNF binding ability of Infliximab was conserved in the freeze-dried formulations, whereas the liquid counterpart lost all TNF binding. After thermal treatment, the dried formulations showed some chemical modification of the IgG in the dextran-sucrose formulation, probably due to Maillard reaction products. This study indicates that, with the appropriate formulation, both spray-drying and freeze-drying may be useful for (bulk) powder production of Infliximab. PMID:27706175

  16. An Internally Heated Shape Memory Polymer Dry Adhesive

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffrey Eisenhaure

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available A conductive epoxy-based shape memory polymer (SMP is demonstrated using carbon black (CB as a dopant for the purpose of creating an SMP dry adhesive system which can internally generate the heat required for activation. The electrical and mechanical properties of the CB/SMP blends for varying dopant concentrations are characterized. A composite adhesive is created to minimize surface contact resistance to conductive tape acting as electrodes, while maintaining bulk resistivity required for heat generation due to current flow. The final adhesive can function on flat or curved surfaces. As a demonstration, a 25 mm wide by 45 mm long dry adhesive strip is shown to heat evenly from an applied voltage, and can easily hold a mass in excess of 6 kg when bonded to a spherical concave glass surface using light pressure at 75 °C.

  17. Obtain and characterization of chitosan / propranolol microparticles by spray drying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nascimento, Ednaldo G. do; Silva Junior, Arnobio A. da; Santos, Katia S.C.R. dos

    2015-01-01

    The study investigated the application of chitosan microparticles as carriers into hard gelatin capsule containing propranolol, evaluating the variability of the molecular weight and the chitosan particles by spray drying. The formulations were characterized by average weight, dosing unit dose uniformity and dissolution profile according to the pharmacopoeia. While the microparticles were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that chitosan microparticles obtained without the drug and then physically mixed with propranolol promoted a modified release 85% of the drug after 5 hours. While, chitosan microparticles sprayed with propranolol released only 55% at 5 hours is presented both as a modified release system. Samples of dried chitosan showed up amorphous and homogeneous and spherical morphology. (author)

  18. A critical review on the spray drying of fruit extract: effect of additives on physicochemical properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnaiah, Duduku; Nithyanandam, Rajesh; Sarbatly, Rosalam

    2014-01-01

    Spray drying accomplishes drying while particles are suspended in the air and is one method in the family of suspended particle processing systems, along with fluid-bed drying, flash drying, spray granulation, spray agglomeration, spray reaction, spray cooling, and spray absorption. This drying process is unique because it involves both particle formation and drying. The present paper reviews spray drying of fruit extracts, such as acai, acerola pomace, gac, mango, orange, cactus pear, opuntia stricta fruit, watermelon, and durian, and the effects of additives on physicochemical properties such as antioxidant activity, total carotenoid content, lycopene and β-carotene content, hygroscopy, moisture content, volatile retention, stickiness, color, solubility, glass transition temperature, bulk density, rehydration, caking, appearance under electron microscopy, and X-ray powder diffraction. The literature clearly demonstrates that the effect of additives and encapsulation play a vital role in determining the physicochemical properties of fruit extract powder. The technical difficulties in spray drying of fruit extracts can be overcome by modifying the spray dryer design. It also reveals that spray drying is a novel technology for converting fruit extract into powder form.

  19. Charge carrier dynamics in thin film solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Strothkaemper, Christian

    2013-06-24

    This work investigates the charge carrier dynamics in three different technological approaches within the class of thin film solar cells: radial heterojunctions, the dye solar cell, and microcrystalline CuInSe{sub 2}, focusing on charge transport and separation at the electrode, and the relaxation of photogenerated charge carriers due to recombination and energy dissipation to the phonon system. This work relies mostly on optical-pump terahertz-probe (OPTP) spectroscopy, followed by transient absorption (TA) and two-photon photoemission (2PPE). The charge separation in ZnO-electrode/In{sub 2}S{sub 3}-absorber core/shell nanorods, which represent a model system of a radial heterojunction, is analyzed by OPTP. It is concluded, that the dynamics in the absorber are determined by multiple trapping, which leads to a dispersive charge transport to the electrode that lasts over hundreds of picoseconds. The high trap density on the order of 10{sup 19}/cm{sup 3} is detrimental for the injection yield, which exhibits a decrease with increasing shell thickness. The heterogeneous electron transfer from a series of model dyes into ZnO proceeds on a time-scale of 200 fs. However, the photoconductivity builds up just on a 2-10 ps timescale, and 2PPE reveals that injected electrons are meanwhile localized spatially and energetically at the interface. It is concluded that the injection proceeds through adsorbate induced interface states. This is an important result because the back reaction from long lived interface states can be expected to be much faster than from bulk states. While the charge transport in stoichiometric CuInSe{sub 2} thin films is indicative of free charge carriers, CuInSe{sub 2} with a solar cell grade composition (Cu-poor) exhibits signs of carrier localization. This detrimental effect is attributed to a high density of charged defects and a high degree of compensation, which together create a spatially fluctuating potential that inhibits charge transport. On

  20. Development Strategies for Herbal Products Reducing the Influence of Natural Variance in Dry Mass on Tableting Properties and Tablet Characteristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Firas Alshihabi

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available One “Quality by Design” approach is the focus on the variability of the properties of the active substance. This is crucially important for active substances that are obtained from natural resources such as herbal plant material and extracts. In this paper, we present various strategies for the development of herbal products especially taking into account the natural batch-to-batch variability (mainly of the dry mass of tablets that contain a fixed amount of tincture. The following steps in the development have been evaluated for the outcome of the physico-chemical properties of the resulting tablets and intermediates: concentration of the tincture extracted from Echinacea fresh plant, loading of the concentrate onto an inert carrier, the respective wet granulation and drying step, including milling, and the adjuvant excipients for the tablet compression step. The responses that were investigated are the mean particle size of the dried and milled granulates, compaction properties and disintegration time of the tablets. Increased particle size showed a significant increase of the disintegration time and a decrease of the compaction properties. In addition, our results showed that the particle size has a great dependency on the ratio of liquid to carrier during the wet granulation process. Thus, the variability of the respective parameters tested was influenced by the performed strategies, which is how the tincture correlated to its dry mass and the relation of the amount of carrier used. In order to optimize these parameters, a strategy considering the above-mentioned points has to be chosen.

  1. Lower reflectivity and higher minority carrier lifetime of hand-tailored porous silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Nansheng; Ma Zhongquan; Zhou Chengyue; He Bo

    2009-01-01

    Solar cell grade crystalline silicon with very low reflectivity has been obtained by electrochemically selective erosion. The porous silicon (PS) structure with a mixture of nano- and micro-crystals shows good antireflection properties on the surface layer, which has potential for application in commercial silicon photovoltaic devices after optimization. The morphology and reflectivity of the PS layers are easily modulated by controlling the electrochemical formation conditions (i.e., the current density and the anodization time). It has been shown that much a lower reflectivity of approximately 1.42% in the range 380-1100 nm is realized by using optimized conditions. In addition, the minority carrier lifetime of the PS after removing the phosphorus silicon layer is measured to be ∼3.19 μs. These values are very close to the reflectivity and the minority carrier lifetime of Si 3 N 4 as a passivation layer on a bulk silicon-based solar cell (0.33% and 3.03 μs, respectively).

  2. Microencapsulation of Corn Wastewater (Nejayote) Phytochemicals by Spray Drying and Their Release Under Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villela-Castrejón, Javier; Acosta-Estrada, Beatriz A; Gutiérrez-Uribe, Janet A

    2017-07-01

    Corn lime cooking generates a large amount of wastewater known as nejayote that is composed of suspended solids and solubilized phytochemicals. Spray drying can be an alternative to recover bioactive molecules, such as ferulic acid, from nejayote. Besides the yield, the physicochemical properties (solubility, water activity, pH, moisture, hygroscopicity, total phenolic content, and distribution of free and bound hydroxycinnamic acids) of spray-dried nejayote powders were analyzed. The powders were obtained at 200 °C/100 °C or 150 °C/75 °C (inlet/outlet) air temperatures with the addition of maltodextrin (MD) or 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HBCD) as encapsulating agents. Even when no carrier agent was used, a spray-dried nejayote powder was produced. The use of MD or HBCD as carrier increased the yield from 60.26% to 68.09% or 71.83%, respectively. As expected, a high inlet temperature (200 °C) allowed a satisfactory yield (>70%) and a low powder moisture (2.5%) desired by the industry. Water activity was reduced from 0.586 to 0.307 when HBCD was used in combination with a drying inlet temperature of 150 °C; and from 0.488 to 0.280 when the inlet temperature was set at 200 °C. Around 100% bioaccessibility of the compounds was observed after in vitro digestion. The addition of HBCD increased the release time (P spray drying technology to the corn industry to minimize their residues and reuse their by-products. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

  3. Microencapsulation of soybean oil by spray drying using oleosomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maurer, S.; Ghebremedhin, M.; Zielbauer, B. I.; Knorr, D.; Vilgis, T. A.

    2016-02-01

    The food industry has discovered that oleosomes are beneficial as carriers of bioactive ingredients. Oleosomes are subcellular oil droplets typically found in plant seeds. Within seeds, they exist as pre-emulsified oil high in unsaturated fatty acids, stabilised by a monolayer of phospholipids and proteins, called oleosins. Oleosins are anchored into the oil core with a hydrophobic domain, while the hydrophilic domains remain on the oleosome surface. To preserve the nutritional value of the oil and the function of oleosomes, microencapsulation by means of spray drying is a promising technique. For the microencapsulation of oleosomes, maltodextrin was used. To achieve a high oil encapsulation efficiency, optimal process parameters needed to be established. In order to better understand the mechanisms of drying behind powder formation and the associated powder properties, the findings obtained using different microscopic and spectroscopic measurements were correlated with each other. By doing this, it was found that spray drying of pure oleosome emulsions resulted in excessive component segregation and thus in a poor encapsulation efficiency. With the addition of maltodextrin, the oil encapsulation efficiency was significantly improved.

  4. Dry Powder Precursors of Cubic Liquid Crystalline Nanoparticles (cubosomes)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spicer, Patrick T.; Small, William B.; Small, William B.; Lynch, Matthew L.; Burns, Janet L.

    2002-01-01

    Cubosomes are dispersed nanostructured particles of cubic phase liquid crystal that have stimulated significant research interest because of their potential for application in controlled-release and drug delivery. Despite the interest, cubosomes can be difficult to fabricate and stabilize with current methods. Most of the current work is limited to liquid phase processes involving high shear dispersion of bulk cubic liquid crystalline material into sub-micron particles, limiting application flexibility. In this work, two types of dry powder cubosome precursors are produced by spray-drying: (1) starch-encapsulated monoolein is produced by spray-drying a dispersion of cubic liquid crystalline particles in an aqueous starch solution and (2) dextran-encapsulated monoolein is produced by spray-drying an emulsion formed by the ethanol-dextran-monoolein-water system. The encapsulants are used to decrease powder cohesion during drying and to act as a soluble colloidal stabilizer upon hydration of the powders. Both powders are shown to form (on average) 0.6 μm colloidally-stable cubosomes upon addition to water. However, the starch powders have a broader particle size distribution than the dextran powders because of the relative ease of spraying emulsions versus dispersions. The developed processes enable the production of nanostructured cubosomes by end-users rather than just specialized researchers and allow tailoring of the surface state of the cubosomes for broader application

  5. The use of shale ash in dry mix construction materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gulbe, L.; Setina, J.; Juhnevica, I.

    2017-10-01

    The research was made to determine the use of shale ash usage in dry mix construction materials by replacing part of cement amount. Cement mortar ZM produced by SIA Sakret and two types of shale ashes from Narva Power plant (cyclone ash and electrostatic precipitator ash) were used. Fresh mortar properties, hardened mortar bulk density, thermal conductivity (λ10, dry) (table value) were tested in mortar ZM samples and mortar samples in which 20% of the amount of cement was replaced by ash. Compressive strenght, frost resistance and resistance to sulphate salt solutions were checked. It was stated that the use of electrostatic precipitator ash had a little change of the material properties, but the cyclone ash significantly reduced the mechanical strength of the material.

  6. From dry to saturated thermal conductivity: mixing-model correction charts and new conversion equations for sedimentary rocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuchs, Sven; Schütz, Felina; Förster, Andrea; Förster, Hans-Jürgen

    2013-04-01

    The thermal conductivity (TC) of a rock is, in collaboration with the temperature gradient, the basic parameter to determine the heat flow from the Earth interior. Moreover, it forms the input into models targeted on temperature prognoses for geothermal reservoirs at those depths not yet reached by boreholes. Thus, rock TC is paramount in geothermal exploration and site selection. Most commonly, TC of a rock is determined in the laboratory on samples that are either dry or water-saturated. Because sample saturation is time-consuming, it is desirable, especially if large numbers of samples need to be assessed, to develop an approach that quickly and reliably converts dry-measured bulk TC into the respective saturated value without applying the saturation procedure. Different petrophysical models can be deployed to calculate the matrix TC of a rock from the bulk TC and vice versa, if the effective porosity is known (e.g., from well logging data) and the TC of the saturation fluid (e.g., gas, oil, water) is considered. We have studied for a large suite of different sedimentary rocks the performance of two-component (rock matrix, porosity) models that are widely used in geothermics (arithmetic mean, geometric mean, harmonic mean, Hashin and Shtrikman mean, and effective medium theory mean). The data set consisted of 1147 TC data from three different sedimentary basins (North German Basin, Molasse Basin, Mesozoic platform sediments of the northern Sinai Microplate in Israel). Four lithotypes (sandstone, mudstone, limestone, dolomite) were studied exhibiting bulk TC in the range between 1.0 and 6.5 W/(mK). The quality of fit between measured (laboratory) and calculated bulk TC values was studied separately for the influence of lithotype, saturation fluid (water and isooctane), and rock anisotropy (parallel and perpendicular to bedding). The geometric mean model displays the best correspondence between calculated and measured bulk TC, however, the relation is not

  7. Charge carrier density in Li-intercalated graphene

    KAUST Repository

    Kaloni, Thaneshwor P.

    2012-05-01

    The electronic structures of bulk C 6Li, Li-intercalated free-standing bilayer graphene, and Li-intercalated bilayer and trilayer graphene on SiC(0 0 0 1) are studied using density functional theory. Our estimate of Young\\'s modulus suggests that Li-intercalation increases the intrinsic stiffness. For decreasing Li-C interaction, the Dirac point shifts to the Fermi level and the associated band splitting vanishes. For Li-intercalated bilayer graphene on SiC(0 0 0 1) the splitting at the Dirac point is tiny. It is also very small at the two Dirac points of Li-intercalated trilayer graphene on SiC(0 0 0 1). For all the systems under study, a large enhancement of the charge carrier density is achieved by Li intercalation. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Determination of the profile of DO and its mass transferring coefficient in a biofilm reactor packed with semi-suspended bio-carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Bing; Song, Haoliang; Bin, Liying; Huang, Shaosong; Zhang, Wenxiang; Fu, Fenglian; Zhao, Yiliang; Chen, Qianyu

    2017-10-01

    The work aims at illustrating the profile of DO and its mass transferring process in a biofilm reactor packed with a novel semi-suspended bio-carrier, and further revealing the main factors that influence the mass transferring coefficient of DO within the biofilm. Results showed that the biofilm was very easy to attach and grow on the semi-suspended bio-carrier, which obviously changed the DO profile inside and outside the biofilm. The semi-suspended bio-carrier caused three different mass transfer zones occurring in the bioreactor, including the zones of bulk solution, boundary layer and biofilm, in which, the boundary layer zone had an obvious higher mass transfer resistance. Increasing the aeration rate might improve the hydrodynamic conditions in the bioreactor and accelerate the mass transfer of DO, but it also detached the biofilm from the surface of bio-carrier, which reduced the consumption of DO, and accordingly, decreased the DO gradient in the bioreactor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Bulk Vitrification Performance Enhancement: Refractory Lining Protection Against Molten Salt Penetration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hrma, Pavel R.; Bagaasen, Larry M.; Schweiger, Michael J.; Evans, Michael B.; Smith, Benjamin T.; Arrigoni, Benjamin M.; Kim, Dong-Sang; Rodriguez, Carmen P.; Yokuda, Satoru T.; Matyas, Josef; Buchmiller, William C.; Gallegos, Autumn B.; Fluegel, Alexander

    2007-08-06

    Bulk vitrification (BV) is a process that heats a feed material that consists of glass-forming solids and dried low-activity waste (LAW) in a disposable refractory-lined metal box using electrical power supplied through carbon electrodes. The feed is heated to the point that the LAW decomposes and combines with the solids to generate a vitreous waste form. This study supports the BV design and operations by exploring various methods aimed at reducing the quantities of soluble Tc in the castable refractory block portion of the refractory lining, which limits the effectiveness of the final waste form.

  10. Enhanced infrared magneto-optical response of the nonmagnetic semiconductor BiTeI driven by bulk Rashba splitting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Demko, L.; Tokura, Y. [Multiferroics Project, ERATO, JST, c/o Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo (Japan); Schober, G.A.H. [Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Heidelberg (Germany); Kocsis, V.; Kezsmarki, I. [Department of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics and Condensed Matter Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungary); Bahramy, M.S.; Murakawa, H. [CMRG and CERG, RIKEN ASI (Japan); Lee, J.S.; Arita, R.; Nagaosa, N. [Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo (Japan)

    2013-07-01

    We study the magneto-optical (MO) response of the polar semiconducting BiTeI with giant bulk Rashba spin splitting at various carrier densities. Despite being nonmagnetic, the material is found to yield a huge MO activity in the infrared region under moderate magnetic fields (up to 3 T). Our first-principles calculations show that the enhanced MO response of BiTeI comes mainly from the intraband transitions between the Rashba-split bulk conduction bands. These transitions connecting electronic states with opposite spin directions become active due to the presence of strong spin-orbit interaction and give rise to distinct features in the MO spectra with a systematic doping dependence. We predict an even more pronounced enhancement in the low-energy MO response and dc Hall effect near the crossing (Dirac) point of the conduction bands.

  11. Dry Kraft Pulping at Ambient Pressure for Cost Effective Energy Saving and Pollution Deduction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yulin Deng; Art Ragauskas

    2012-08-28

    Sponsored by the DOE Industrial Energy Efficiency Grand Challenge program, our research team at the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted laboratory studies and confirmed the concept of making wood pulp using a dry pulping technology. This technology is a new process different from any prior pulping technology used in Kraft and CTMP pulping. Three different kinds of dry pulping methods were investigated. (a) Dry Pulping at Atmospheric Pressure: The first one is to dry and bake the pretreated woodchips in a conventional oven at atmospheric pressure without the use of a catalyst. (b) Dry Pulping at Reduced Pressure: The second method is to dry the pretreated woodchips first in a vacuum oven in the presence of anthraquinone (AQ) as a pulping catalyst, followed by baking at elevated temperature. (c) Liquid Free Chemical Pulping, LFCP. The third method is to first remove the free water of pretreated woodchips, followed by dry pulping using a conventional Kraft pulping digester with AQ and triton as additives. Method one: Experimental results indicated that Dry Pulping at Atmospheric Pressure could produce pulp with higher brightness and lower bulk than conventional Kraft pulp. However, tensile strength of the acquired pulp is much lower than traditional Kraft pulp, and their Kappa number and energy consumption are higher than conventional Kraft pulp. By fully analyzing the results, we concluded that wood fibers might be damaged during the drying process at elevated temperature. The main reason for wood fiber damage is that a long drying time was used during evaporation of water from the woodchips. This resulted in an un-uniform reaction condition on the woodchips: the outside layer of the woodchips was over reacted while inside the woodchips did not reacted at all. To solve this problem, dry pulping at reduced pressure was investigated. Method two: To achieve uniform reaction throughout the entire reaction system, the water inside the pretreated woodchips was

  12. Lecithin/TPGS-based spray-dried self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems: In vitro pulmonary deposition and cytotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishak, Rania A H; Osman, Rihab

    2015-05-15

    The aim of the present work was to develop a new solid self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) for the pulmonary delivery of the poorly water-soluble anti-cancer drug atorvastatin (AVT). Microemulsion (ME) was first developed using isopropyl myristate (IPM), a combination of 2 biocompatible surfactants: lecithin/d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) and ethanol as co-surfactant. Two types of lecithin with different phosphatidylcholine (PC) contents were compared. Phase diagram, physico-chemical characterization and stability studies were used to investigate ME region. Solid SMEDDS were then prepared by spray-drying the selected ME using a combination of carriers composed of sugars, leucine as dispersibility enhancer with or without polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000. Yield, flow properties, particle size and in vitro pulmonary deposition were used to characterize the spray-dried powders. Reconstituted MEs were characterized in terms of morphology, particle size and size distribution. In vitro cytotoxicity study was undertaken on lung cancer cell line for the selected MEs and SD-SMEDDS formulae. Results showed that the most satisfactory MEs properties were obtained with 1:3 lecithin/TPGS, 1:1 lecithin/oil and 1:1 surfactant/co-surfactant ratios. A larger ME area was obtained with lecithin containing 100% PC compared to the less expensive lecithin containing 20% PC. By manipulating spray drying parameters, carrier composition and ratio of ME lipids to carrier, microparticles with more than 70% of respirable fraction could be prepared. The ME was efficiently recovered in simulated lung fluid even after removal of alcohol. The concurrent delivery of AVT with TPGS in solid SMEDDS greatly enhanced the cytotoxic activity on lung cancer cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Comparison of drying characteristic and uniformity of banana cubes dried by pulse-spouted microwave vacuum drying, freeze drying and microwave freeze drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Hao; Zhang, Min; Mujumdar, Arun S; Lim, Rui-Xin

    2014-07-01

    To overcome the flaws of high energy consumption of freeze drying (FD) and the non-uniform drying of microwave freeze drying (MFD), pulse-spouted microwave vacuum drying (PSMVD) was developed. The results showed that the drying time can be dramatically shortened if microwave was used as the heating source. In this experiment, both MFD and PSMVD could shorten drying time by 50% as compared to the FD process. Depending on the heating method, MFD and PSMVD dried banana cubes showed trends of expansion while FD dried samples demonstrated trends of shrinkage. Shrinkage also brought intensive structure and highest fracturability of all three samples dried by different methods. The residual ascorbic acid content of PSMVD dried samples can be as high as in FD dried samples, which were superior to MFD dried samples. The tests confirmed that PSMVD could bring about better drying uniformity than MFD. Besides, compared with traditional MFD, PSMVD can provide better extrinsic feature, and can bring about improved nutritional features because of the higher residual ascorbic acid content. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

  14. Bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic based on polythiophene-polyelectrolyte carbon nanotube composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reyes-Reyes, M. [Instituto de Investigacion en Comunicacion Optica, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, Alvaro Obregon 64, San Luis Potosi (Mexico); Lopez-Sandoval, R. [Advanced Materials Department, IPICYT, Camino a la Presa San Jose 2055, Col. Lomas 4a. Seccion, San Luis Potosi 78216 (Mexico); Liu, J.; Carroll, D.L. [Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC (United States)

    2007-09-22

    It is shown that carbon nanotubes can be used to enhance carrier mobility for efficient removal of the charges in thin film polymer-conjugated/fullerene photovoltaic devices. The fabricated photovoltaic devices consist of poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) polymer blended with undoped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and carbon nanotubes doped with nitrogen (CNx-MWNTs). Nanophase formation and dispersion problems associated with the use of carbon nanotubes in polymer devices were addressed through the generation of functional groups and electrostatic attaching of the polyelectrolyte poly(dimethyldiallylamine) chloride (PDDA) in both MWNTs and CNx-MWNT systems. The resultant nanophase was highly dispersed allowing for excellent bulk heterojunction formation. Our results indicate that CNx-MWNTs enhance the efficiency of P3OT solar cells in comparison with MWNTs. (author)

  15. The complex network of global cargo ship movements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaluza, Pablo; Kölzsch, Andrea; Gastner, Michael T; Blasius, Bernd

    2010-07-06

    Transportation networks play a crucial role in human mobility, the exchange of goods and the spread of invasive species. With 90 per cent of world trade carried by sea, the global network of merchant ships provides one of the most important modes of transportation. Here, we use information about the itineraries of 16 363 cargo ships during the year 2007 to construct a network of links between ports. We show that the network has several features that set it apart from other transportation networks. In particular, most ships can be classified into three categories: bulk dry carriers, container ships and oil tankers. These three categories do not only differ in the ships' physical characteristics, but also in their mobility patterns and networks. Container ships follow regularly repeating paths whereas bulk dry carriers and oil tankers move less predictably between ports. The network of all ship movements possesses a heavy-tailed distribution for the connectivity of ports and for the loads transported on the links with systematic differences between ship types. The data analysed in this paper improve current assumptions based on gravity models of ship movements, an important step towards understanding patterns of global trade and bioinvasion.

  16. X-ray microanalysis of freeze-dried and frozen-hydrated cryosections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zierold, K.

    1988-01-01

    The elemental composition and the ultrastructure of biological cells were studied by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The preparation technique involves cryofixation, cryoultramicrotomy, cryotransfer, and freeze-drying of samples. Freeze-dried cryosections 100-nm thick appeared to be appropriate for measuring the distribution of diffusible elements and water in different compartments of the cells. The lateral analytical resolution was less than 50 nm, depending on ice crystal damage and section thickness. The detection limit was in the range of 10 mmol/kg dry weight for all elements with an atomic number higher than 12; for sodium and magnesium the detection limits were about 30 and 20 mmol/kg dry weight, respectively. The darkfield intensity in STEM is linearly related to the mass thickness. Thus, it becomes possible to measure the water content in intracellular compartments by using the darkfield signal of the dry mass remaining after freeze-drying. By combining the X-ray microanalytical data expressed as dry weight concentrations with the measurements of the water content, physiologically more meaningful wet weight concentrations of elements were determined. In comparison to freeze-dried cryosections frozen-hydrated sections showed poor contrast and were very sensitive against radiation damage, resulting in mass loss. The high electron exposure required for recording X-ray spectra made reproducible microanalysis of ultrathin (about 100-nm thick) frozen-hydrated sections impossible. The mass loss could be reduced by carbon coating; however, the improvement achieved thus far is still insufficient for applications in X-ray microanalysis. Therefore, at present only bulk specimens or at least 1-micron thick sections can be used for X-ray microanalysis of frozen-hydrated biological samples

  17. Low-complexity Joint Sub-carrier Phase Noise Compensation for Digital Multi-carrier Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yankov, Metodi Plamenov; Barletta, Luca; Zibar, Darko

    2017-01-01

    Joint sub-carrier phase noise processing is proposed which recovers the SNR penalty related to decreased sub-carrier baudrate w.r.t. single carrier systems. The method enables digital sub-banding to be safely employed for nonlinear mitigation for modulation formats of up to 256-QAM.......Joint sub-carrier phase noise processing is proposed which recovers the SNR penalty related to decreased sub-carrier baudrate w.r.t. single carrier systems. The method enables digital sub-banding to be safely employed for nonlinear mitigation for modulation formats of up to 256-QAM....

  18. Drying of a plasmid containing formulation: chitosan as a protecting agent

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohajel Nasir

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The purpose of the study. Along with research on development of more efficient gene delivery systems, it is necessary to search on stabilization processes to extend their active life span. Chitosan is a nontoxic, biocompatible and available gene delivery carrier. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of this polymer to preserve transfection efficiency during spray-drying and a modified freeze-drying process in the presence of commonly used excipients. Method Molecular weight of chitosan was reduced by a chemical reaction and achieved low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC was complexed with pDNA. Obtained nanocomplex suspensions were diluted by solutions of lactose and leucine, and these formulations were spray dried or freeze dried using a modified technique. Size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, intensity of supercoiled DNA band on gel electrophoresis, and transfection efficiency of reconstituted nanocomplexes were compared with freshly prepared ones. Results and major conclusion Size distribution profiles of both freeze dried, and 13 out of 16 spray-dried nanocomplexes remained identical to freshly prepared ones. LMWC protected up to 100% of supercoiled structure of pDNA in both processes, although DNA degradation was higher in spray-drying of the nanocomplexes prepared with low N/P ratios. Both techniques preserved transfection efficiency similarly even in lower N/P ratios, where supercoiled DNA content of spray dried formulations was lower than freeze-dried ones. Leucine did not show a significant effect on properties of the processed nanocomplexes. It can be concluded that LMWC can protect DNA structure and transfection efficiency in both processes even in the presence of leucine.

  19. The indicating FTA elute cartridge a solid sample carrier to detect high-risk HPV and high-grade cervical lesions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bie, R.P. de; Schmeink, C.E.; Bakkers, J.M.J.E.; Snijders, P.J.L.M.; Quint, W.G.V.; Massuger, L.F.A.G.; Bekkers, R.L.M.; Melchers, W.J.G.

    2011-01-01

    The clinically validated high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) and GP5+/6+-PCR assays were analyzed on an Indicating FTA Elute cartridge (FTA cartridge). The FTA cartridge is a solid dry carrier that allows safe transport of cervical samples. FTA cartridge samples were

  20. Studies of particle drying using non-invasive Raman spectrometry and particle size analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, Peter; Littlejohn, David; Nordon, Alison; Sefcik, Jan; Slavin, Paul; Dallin, Paul; Andrews, John

    2011-05-21

    The evaporation of methanol from needle-shaped particles of cellobiose octaacetate (COA) has been studied directly in a jacketed vacuum drier using in situ measurements by Raman spectrometry. A design of experiments (DoE) approach was used to investigate the effects of three parameters (method of agitation, % solvent loss on drying and jacket temperature), with the intention of minimising the drying time and extent of particle attrition. Drying curves based on Raman signals for methanol and COA in the spectra of the wet particles indicated the end of drying and revealed three stages in the drying process that could be used to monitor the progress of solvent removal in real time. Off-line particle size measurements based on laser diffraction were made to obtain information on the extent of attrition, to compare with the trends revealed by the Raman drying curves. The study demonstrated that non-invasive Raman spectrometry can be used to study the progress of drying during agitation of particles in a vacuum drier, allowing optimisation of operating conditions to minimise attrition and reduce drying times. Although a correlation between particle size and off-line Raman measurements of COA was demonstrated, it was not possible to derive equivalent information from the in situ Raman spectra owing to the greater effects of particle motion or bulk density variations of the particles in the drier.

  1. Carrier-interleaved orthogonal multi-electrode multi-carrier resistivity-measurement tool

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai, Yu; Sha, Shuang

    2016-01-01

    This paper proposes a new carrier-interleaved orthogonal multi-electrode multi-carrier resistivity-measurement tool used in a cylindrical borehole environment during oil-based mud drilling processes. The new tool is an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access-based contactless multi-measurand detection tool. The tool can measure formation resistivity in different azimuthal angles and elevational depths. It can measure many more measurands simultaneously in a specified bandwidth than the legacy frequency division multiplexing multi-measurand tool without a channel-select filter while avoiding inter-carrier interference. The paper also shows that formation resistivity is not sensitive to frequency in certain frequency bands. The average resistivity collected from N subcarriers can increase the measurement of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by N times given no amplitude clipping in the current-injection electrode. If the clipping limit is taken into account, with the phase rotation of each single carrier, the amplitude peak-to-average ratio can be reduced by 3 times, and the SNR can achieve a 9/ N times gain over the single-carrier system. The carrier-interleaving technique is also introduced to counter the carrier frequency offset (CFO) effect, where the CFO will cause inter-pad interference. A qualitative analysis and simulations demonstrate that block-interleaving performs better than tone-interleaving when coping with a large CFO. The theoretical analysis also suggests that increasing the subcarrier number can increase the measurement speed or enhance elevational resolution without sacrificing receiver performance. The complex orthogonal multi-pad multi-carrier resistivity logging tool, in which all subcarriers are complex signals, can provide a larger available subcarrier pool than other types of transceivers. (paper)

  2. Two dimensional numerical simulations of carrier dynamics during time-resolved photoluminescence decays in two-photon microscopy measurements in semiconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanevce, Ana; Kuciauskas, Darius; Levi, Dean H.; Johnston, Steven W.; Allende Motz, Alyssa M.

    2015-01-01

    We use two-dimensional numerical simulations to analyze high spatial resolution time-resolved spectroscopy data. This analysis is applied to two-photon excitation time-resolved photoluminescence (2PE-TRPL) but is broadly applicable to all microscopic time-resolved techniques. By solving time-dependent drift-diffusion equations, we gain insight into carrier dynamics and transport characteristics. Accurate understanding of measurement results establishes the limits and potential of the measurement and enhances its value as a characterization method. Diffusion of carriers outside of the collection volume can have a significant impact on the measured decay but can also provide an estimate of carrier mobility as well as lifetime. In addition to material parameters, the experimental conditions, such as spot size and injection level, can impact the measurement results. Although small spot size provides better resolution, it also increases the impact of diffusion on the decay; if the spot size is much smaller than the diffusion length, it impacts the entire decay. By reproducing experimental 2PE-TRPL decays, the simulations determine the bulk carrier lifetime from the data. The analysis is applied to single-crystal and heteroepitaxial CdTe, material important for solar cells, but it is also applicable to other semiconductors where carrier diffusion from the excitation volume could affect experimental measurements

  3. The role of bulk and interface states on performance of a-Si: H p-i-n solar cells using reverse current-voltage technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahmood, S A; Kabir, M Z; Murthy, R V R; Dutta, V

    2009-01-01

    The defect state densities in the bulk of the i-layer and at the p/i interface have been studied in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si : H) solar cells using reverse current-voltage (J-V) measurements. In this work the cells have been soaked with blue and red lights prior to measurements. The voltage-dependent reverse current has been analysed on the basis of thermal generation of the carriers from midgap states in the i-layer and the carrier injection through the p/i interface. Based on the reverse current behaviour, it has been analysed that at lower reverse bias (reverse voltage, V r r ∼ 25 V) the defect states at the p/i interface are contributing to the reverse currents. The applied reverse bias annealing (RBA) treatment on these cells shows more significant annihilation of defect states at the p/i interface as compared with the bulk of the i-layer. An analytical model is developed to explain the observed behaviour. There is good agreement between the theory and the experimental observations. The fitted defect state densities are 9.1 x 10 15 cm -3 and 8 x 10 18 cm -3 in the bulk of the i-layer and near the p/i interface, respectively. These values decrease to 2.5 x 10 15 cm -3 and 6 x 10 17 cm -3 , respectively, in the samples annealed under reverse bias at 2 V.

  4. Do methicillin resistant staphylococcus (MRSA) carrier patients influence MRSA infection more than MRSA-carrier medical officers and MRSA-carrier family?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dilogo, Ismail H; Arya, Abikara; Phedy; Loho, Tony

    2013-07-01

    to determine the rate of MRSA-carrier among patients, family members and health care providers, and the association between MRSA-carrier family members and health care providers on MRSA infection patient after orthopaedic surgery. this is a cross-sectional analytical study. Samples were taken consecutively during December 2010 to December 2011, consisting of postoperative patients infected with MRSA, attending family members, and the medical officers with history of contact with the patient. Swab culture were taken from nasal and axilla of all subjects. The incidence of MRSA infection, and MRSA-carrier on the patient, family members and medical officers were presented descriptively, while their association with MRSA infection was statistically tested using Fischer exact test. during the study period, there were 759 surgeries, with 4 (0.5%) patients were identified to have MRSA infection. Of these four cases, 48 subjects were enrolled. The rate of MRSA-carrier among patients, family and health care providers were 50%, 25% and 0% respectively. There were no significant association between MRSA and the rates of MRSA-carrier on the family member or health care providers. the incidence of MRSA infection, MRSA-carrier patient, MRSA-carrier health care providers, and family member carrier were 0.5%, 50%, 0%, and 25% respectively. No significant association found between MRSA-carrier on the family member or health care providers and MRSA infection patient. There were no MRSA infection found on the health care provider.

  5. Chinese medicinal herbal residues as a bulking agent for food waste composting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Ying; Selvam, Ammaiyappan; Wong, Jonathan W C

    2018-02-01

    This study aimed to co-compost Chinese medicinal herbal residues (CMHRs) as the bulking agent with food waste (FW) to develop a high value antipathogenic compost. The FW, sawdust (SD) and CMHRs were mixed at three different mixing ratios, 5:5:1, 2:2:1 and 1:1:1 on dry weight basis. Lime at 2.25% was added to the composting mix to buffer the pH during the composting. A control without lime addition was also included. The mixtures were composted in 20-L in-vessel composters for 56 days. A maximum of 67.2% organic decomposition was achieved with 1:1:1 mixing ratio within 8 weeks. The seed germination index was 157.2% in 1:1:1 mixing ratio, while other ratios showed compost food waste at the dry weight ratio of 1:1:1 (FW: SD: CMHRs) was recommended for FW-CMHRs composting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Photon assisted Lévy flights of minority carriers in n-InP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Semyonov, Oleg; Subashiev, Arsen V.; Chen Zhichao; Luryi, Serge

    2012-01-01

    We study the photoluminescence spectra of n-doped InP bulk wafers, both in the reflection and the transmission geometries relative to the excitation beam. From the observed spectra we estimate the spatial distribution of minority carriers allowing for the spectral filtering due to reabsorption of luminescence in the wafer. This distribution unambiguously demonstrates a non-exponential drop-off with distance from the excitation region. Such a behavior evidences an anomalous photon-assisted transport of minority carriers enhanced owing to the high quantum efficiency of emission. It is shown that the transport conforms very well to the so-called Lévy-flights process corresponding to a peculiar random walk that does not reduce to diffusion. The index γ of the Lévy flights distribution is found to be in the range γ=0.64–0.79, depending on the doping. Thus, we propose the high-efficiency direct-gap semiconductors as a remarkable laboratory system for studying the anomalous transport. - Highlights: ► Spatial distribution of minority carriers is found from photoluminescence spectra. ► The distribution shows a power-law drop-off with distance from the excitation plane. ► The photon-assisted transport is a random walk well described by the Lévy flight. ► Emission quantum efficiency of n-InP is independently determined. ► Results are in excellent agreement with earlier luminescence kinetics experiments.

  7. Dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 as a novel carrier in the liquid membrane permeation of actinides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Anil; Singh, R.K.; Bajpai, D.D.; Shukla, J.P.

    1994-01-01

    The proven extractability and profound selectivity of dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DC18C6) has been exploited by selecting this crown ether as the ionophore in liquid membrane transport. Macrocycle-facilitated transport of Pu(IV) and U(VI) against their concentration gradient from aqueous nitric acid solutions across organic bulk liquid membrane (BLM) and thin-sheet supported liquid membrane (SLM) containing DC18C6 as the mobile carrier and toluene as the membrane solvent was investigated. (author). 23 refs., 9 tabs., 7 figs

  8. Origin of the enhanced performance in poly(3-hexylthiophene) : [6,6]-phenyl C-61-butyric acid methyl ester solar cells upon slow drying of the active layer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mihailetchi, Valentin D.; Xie, Hangxing; Boer, Bert de; Popescu, Lacramioara M.; Hummelen, Jan C.; Blom, Paul W.M.; Koster, L. Jan Anton

    2006-01-01

    The origin of the enhanced performance of bulk heterojunction solar cells based on slowly dried films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C-61-butyric acid methyl ester is investigated, combining charge transport measurements with numerical device simulations. Slow drying leads to a

  9. Characteristics of Timbers Dried Using Kiln Drying and Radio Frequency-Vacuum Drying Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rabidin Zairul Amin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Heavy hardwoods are difficult-to-dry timbers as they are prone to checking and internal stresses when dried using a conventional kiln drying system. These timbers are usually dried naturally to reach 15% to 19% moisture content with an acceptable defects. Besides long drying time, timbers at these moisture contents are not suitable for indoor applications since they will further dry and causing, for example, jointing and lamination failures. Drying to a lower moisture content could only be achieved in artificial drying kilns such as conventional kiln, dehumidification kiln, solar kiln, radio frequency-vacuum, etc. The objective of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of 30 mm and 50 mm thick kekatong (Cynometra spp. timber dried using kiln drying (KD and radio frequency-vacuum drying (RFV system. The investigation involved drying time, moisture content (MC variations between and within boards, drying defects, shrinkage, and drying stress. Drying defects include checks (surface, end, and internal checks and warping (bowing, cuping, spring, and twisting. The results showed that RFV drying time was reduced to 50% compared to the KD. RFV dried boards demonstrated a more uniform MC between and within boards. Shrinkage in width and thickness, as well as tangential/radial and volumetric shrinkages were substantially less in RFV boards. The amount of cupping, bowing and spring were very low and negligible in all drying runs. There was no twisting observed in all drying methods. The number of stress-free RFV board was higher than KD. With proper procedure, the RFV technology could be used for drying heavy hardwoods which are difficult to dry in conventional kilns due to excessive drying times and degradation.

  10. Carrier-doped aromatic hydrocarbons: a new platform in condensed matter chemistry and physics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heguri, Satoshi; Tanigaki, Katsumi

    2018-02-27

    High-quality bulk samples of the first four polyacenes, which are naphthalene, anthracene, tetracene, and pentacene, doped with alkali metal in 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 stoichiometries were prepared and their fundamental properties were systematically studied. A new systematic understanding on the electronic states of electron-doped polyacenes sensitive to the energetic balance among on-site Coulomb repulsion, bandwidth and the Peierls instability was provided. The carrier-doped typical aromatic hydrocarbons showed a large variety of properties as well as charge transfer complexes and metal-doped fullerides. We open a new avenue for organometallic and inorganic chemistry.

  11. 14 CFR 399.82 - Passing off of carrier identity by affiliation between carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... forth in paragraph (c) of this section. In such cases the Board may determine in an adjudicatory... carrier shall not engage in joint public relations activities at points served by both carriers which tend... either carrier are performed in common with the other carrier or as part of a single system. In cases...

  12. The study of some physical properties and energy aspects of potatoes drying process by the infrared-vacuum method

    OpenAIRE

    N Hafezi; M. J Sheikhdavoodi; S. M Sajadiye; M. E Khorasani Ferdavani

    2016-01-01

    Introduction Potato (Solanumtuberosum L.) is one of the unique and most potential crops having high productivity, supplementing major food requirement in the world. Drying is generally carried out for two main reasons, one to reduce the water activity which eventually increases the shelf life of food and second to reduce the weight and bulk of food for cheaper transport and storage. The quality evaluation of the dried product was carried out on the basis of response variables such as rehyd...

  13. Composition-dependent hot carrier relaxation dynamics in cesium lead halide (CsPbX{sub 3}, X=Br and I) perovskite nanocrystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Heejae; Jung, Seok Il; Kim, Hyo Jin; Cha, Wonhee; Sim, Eunji; Kim, Dongho [Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Koh, Weon-Kyu [Device Laboratory, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jiwon [School of Integrated Technology and Underwood International College, Yonsei University, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-03

    Cesium-based perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have outstanding photophysical properties improving the performances of lighting devices. Fundamental studies on excitonic properties and hot-carrier dynamics in perovskite NCs further suggest that these materials show higher efficiencies compared to the bulk form of perovskites. However, the relaxation rates and pathways of hot-carriers are still being elucidated. By using ultrafast transient spectroscopy and calculating electronic band structures, we investigated the dependence of halide in Cs-based perovskite (CsPbX{sub 3} with X=Br, I, or their mixtures) NCs on the hot-carrier relaxation processes. All samples exhibit ultrafast (<0.6 ps) hot-carrier relaxation dynamics with following order: CsPbBr{sub 3} (310 fs)>CsPbBr{sub 1.5}I{sub 1.5} (380 fs)>CsPbI{sub 3} NC (580 fs). These result accounts for a reduced light emission efficiency of CsPbI{sub 3} NC compared to CsPbBr{sub 3} NC. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  14. Ionic Liquid-salt based aqueous biphasic system for quick separation of no-carrier-added 203Pb from proton irradiated natTl2CO3 target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choudhury, Dibyasree; Ghosh, Kaustab; Lahiri, Susanta; Sarkar, Kangkana; Naskar, Nabanita

    2016-01-01

    In the present study, no-carrier-added (NCA) 203 Pb was radiochemically separated from bulk Tl target applying the ABS composing of 4 M K 2 HPO 4 and 0.1 mL of different strengths of IL (bmim)Cl ranging from 40% to 80% (w/v). Bulk Tl was spiked with 200Tl (T 1/2 = 26.1 h). A separation condition was achieved with 70% IL concentration and with 10 min shaking and 10 min settling time, where ∼84% of NCA 203 Pb was extracted into the IL rich phase with ∼10% contamination from bulk Tl. Therefore, further studies, i.e. variation in shaking and settling time were carried out keeping the concentration of IL fixed at 70%

  15. Genomic investigation of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from bulk tank milk and dairy cows with clinical mastitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ronco, Troels; Klaas, Ilka C; Stegger, Marc; Svennesen, Line; Astrup, Lærke B; Farre, Michael; Pedersen, Karl

    2018-02-01

    Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common pathogens that cause mastitis in dairy cows. Various subtypes, virulence genes and mobile genetic elements have been associated with isolates from bulk tank milk and clinical mastitis. So far, no Danish cattle associated S. aureus isolates have been whole-genome sequenced and further analyzed. Thus, the main objective was to investigate the population structure and genomic content of isolates from bulk tank milk and clinical mastitis, using whole-genome sequencing. This may reveal the origin of strains that cause clinical mastitis. S. aureus isolates from bulk tank milk (n = 94) and clinical mastitis (n = 63) were collected from 91 and 24 different farms, respectively and whole-genome sequenced. The genomic content was analyzed and a phylogenetic tree based on single nucleotide polymorphisms was constructed. In general, the isolates from both bulk tank milk and clinical mastitis were of similar genetic background. This suggests that dairy cows are natural carriers of the S. aureus subtypes that cause clinical mastitis if the right conditions are present and that a broad range of subtypes cause mastitis. A phylogenetic cluster that mostly consisted of ST151 isolates carried three mobile genetic elements that were primarily found in this group. The prevalence of resistance genes was generally low. However, the first ST398 methicillin resistant S. aureus isolate from a Danish dairy cow with clinical mastitis was detected. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. A novel method to produce dry geopolymer cement powder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H.A. Abdel-Gawwad

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Geopolymer cement is the result of reaction of two materials containing aluminosilicate and concentrated alkaline solution to produce an inorganic polymer binder. The alkali solutions are corrosive and often viscous solutions which are not user friendly, and would be difficult to use for bulk production. This work aims to produce one-mix geopolymer mixed water that could be an alternative to Portland cement by blending with dry activator. Sodium hydroxide (SH was dissolved in water and added to calcium carbonate (CC then dried at 80 °C for 8 h followed by pulverization to a fixed particle size to produce the dry activator consisting of calcium hydroxide (CH, sodium carbonate (SC and pirssonite (P. This increases their commercial availability. The dry activator was blended with granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS to produce geopolymer cement powder and by addition of water; the geopolymerization process is started. The effect of W/C and SH/CC ratio on the physico-mechanical properties of slag pastes was studied. The results showed that the optimum percent of activator and CC content is 4% SH and 5% CC, by the weight of slag, which give the highest physico-mechanical properties of GBFS. The characterization of the activated slag pastes was carried out using TGA, DTG, IR spectroscopy and SEM techniques.

  17. Influence of different combinations of wall materials on the microencapsulation of jussara pulp (Euterpe edulis) by spray drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santana, Audirene A; Cano-Higuita, Diana M; de Oliveira, Rafael A; Telis, Vânia R N

    2016-12-01

    The objective of this work was to study the spray drying of jussara pulp using ternary mixtures of gum Arabic (GA) and modified starch (MS) together with either whey protein concentrate (WPC) or soy protein isolate (SPI), as the carrier agents. Two experimental mixture designs and triangular response surfaces were used to evaluate the effects of the mixtures on the responses for powders formulated with GA:MS:WPC and GA:MS:SPI, respectively. The spray drying process was selected for each carrier agent mixture, aiming to maximum the process yield (PY), solubility (S), retention of total anthocyanins (RTA) and encapsulation efficiency (EE). It was shown that the ternary formulations showed higher PY, S and RTA than the pure and binary formulations, as well as good results for EE and a low moisture content, showing that the use of GA and MS together with either WPC or SPI provide better microencapsulation of the jussara pulp. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. New approach for dry formulation techniques for rhizobacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elchin, A. A.; Mashinistova, A. V.; Gorbunova, N. V.; Muratov, V. S.; Kydralieva, K. A.; Jorobekova, Sh. J.

    2009-04-01

    50°С and 38°С, respectively. To enrich of dry product yield, 20% of sodium humate [2] was used as filling agent. As a result, concentration of viable cells in yield makes 105-106 cell/g of ADS. Low-temperature contact-convective drying in fluidized bed with use of preliminarily dried heat-carrier was evaluated at 25-30°С. Granules of humic acids (d 3 mm) served as inert carrying agent. So, the concentration of viable cells in dry product makes 108-109 cell/g of ADS. The results presented demonstrated that fluidized bed drying technique applied on rhizobacteria-based BCA had higher beneficial effect in terms of high yield as compared to spray drying. Acknowledgement. This research was supported by the grant of ISTC KR-993.2. 1. Levenfors, J.R., et al. Biological control of snow mould (Microdochium nivale) in winter cereals by Pseudomonas brassicacearum MA250. Biocontrol 2007. 2. Orlov, D.S. (1990) Soil Humic Acids and General Theory of Humification, MSU Publisher, Moscow

  19. Performance of A Horizontal Cylinder Type Rotary Dryer for Drying Process ofOrganic Compost from Solid Waste Cocoa Pod

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sukrisno Widyotomo

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Cocoa pod husk is the bigest component of cocoa pod, about 70% of total ht of mature pod, and to potentially used as organic compost source. Poten tial solid waste of cocoa pod husk from a cocoa processing centre is about 15— 22 m3/ha/year. A cocoa plantation needs about 20—30 ton/ha/year of organic matters. One of important steps in compos processing technology of cocoa pod solid waste is drying process. Organic compost with 20% moisture content is more easy in handling, application, storage and distribution. Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute has designed and tested a horizontal cylinder type rotary dryer for drying process of organic compos from solid waste cocoa pod with kerosene burner as energy sources. The objective of this research is to study performance of a horizontal cylinder type rotary dryer using kerosene burner as energy source for drying process of organic compost from solid waste cocoa pod. The material used was solid waste cocoa pod with 70—75% moisture content (wet basis, 70% size particle larger than 4.76 mm, and 30% size particle less than 4.76 mm, 690—695 kg/m3 bulk density. Drying process temperatures treatment were 60OC, 80OC, and 100OC, and cylinder rotary speed treatments were 7 rpm, 10 rpm, dan 16 rpm. The results showed that dryer had capacity about 102—150 kg/h depend on drying temperature and cylinder rotary speed. Optimum operation condition at 100OC drying temperature, and 10 rpm cylinder rotary speed with drying time to reach final moisture content of 20% was 1,6 h, capacity 136,14 kg/ h, bulk density 410 kg/m3, porocity 45,15%, kerosene consumption as energy source was 2,57 l/h, and drying efficiency 68,34%. Key words : cocoa, drying, rotary dryer, compost, waste

  20. Material accountancy measurement techniques in dry-powdered processing of nuclear spent fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolf, S. F.

    1999-01-01

    The paper addresses the development of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICPMS), thermal ionization-mass spectrometry (TIMS), alpha-spectrometry, and gamma spectrometry techniques for in-line analysis of highly irradiated (18 to 64 GWD/T) PWR spent fuels in a dry-powdered processing cycle. The dry-powdered technique for direct elemental and isotopic accountancy assay measurements was implemented without the need for separation of the plutonium, uranium and fission product elements in the bulk powdered process. The analyses allow the determination of fuel burn-up based on the isotopic composition of neodymium and/or cesium. An objective of the program is to develop the ICPMS method for direct fissile nuclear materials accountancy in the dry-powdered processing of spent fuel. The ICPMS measurement system may be applied to the KAERI DUPIC (direct use of spent PWR fuel in CANDU reactors) experiment, and in a near-real-time mode for international safeguards verification and non-proliferation policy concerns

  1. Both Hemophilia Health Care Providers and Hemophilia A Carriers Report that Carriers have Excessive Bleeding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paroskie, Allison; Oso, Olatunde; DeBaun, Michael R.; Sidonio, Robert F

    2014-01-01

    Introduction Hemophilia A, the result of reduced factor VIII (FVIII) activity, is an X-linked recessive bleeding disorder. Previous reports of Hemophilia A carriers suggest an increased bleeding tendency. Our objective was to determine the attitudes and understanding of the Hemophilia A carrier bleeding phenotype, and opinions regarding timing of carrier testing from the perspective of both medical providers and affected patients. Data from this survey was used as preliminary data for an ongoing prospective study. Material and Methods An electronic survey was distributed to physicians and nurses employed at Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTC), and Hemophilia A carriers who were members of Hemophilia Federation of America. Questions focused on the clinical understanding of bleeding symptoms and management of Hemophilia A carriers, and the timing and intensity of carrier testing. Results Our survey indicates that 51% (36/51) of providers compared to 78% (36/46) of carriers believe that Hemophilia A carriers with normal FVIII activity have an increased bleeding tendency (pHemophilia A carriers report a high frequency of bleeding symptoms. Regarding carrier testing, 72% (50/69) of medical providers recommend testing after 14 years of age, conversely 65% (29/45) of Hemophilia A carriers prefer testing to be done prior to this age (pHemophilia A carriers self-report a higher frequency of bleeding than previously acknowledged, and have a preference for earlier testing to confirm carrier status. PMID:24309601

  2. Sandwich-cell-type bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells utilizing liquid crystalline phthalocyanine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakata, Yuya; Usui, Toshiki; Nishikawa, Yuki; Nekelson, Fabien; Shimizu, Yo; Fujii, Akihiko; Ozaki, Masanori

    2018-03-01

    Sandwich-cell-type bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells utilizing the liquid crystalline phthalocyanine, 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octahexylphthalocyanine (C6PcH2), have been fabricated and their photovoltaic properties have been studied. The short-circuit current (J SC) and power conversion efficiency (PCE) depended on the blend ratio of donor and acceptor molecules, and the maximum performance, such as J SC of 3.4 mA/cm2 and PCE of 0.67%, was demonstrated, when the blend ratio of the acceptor was 10 mol %. The photovoltaic properties were discussed by taking the relationship between the column axis direction of C6PcH2 and the carrier mobility in the active layer into consideration.

  3. Enhancing Carrier Injection Using Graded Superlattice Electron Blocking Layer for UVB Light-Emitting Diodes

    KAUST Repository

    Janjua, Bilal

    2014-12-01

    We have studied enhanced carrier injection by having an electron blocking layer (EBL) based on a graded superlattice (SL) design. Here, we examine, using a selfconsistent 6 × 6 k.p method, the energy band alignment diagrams under equilibrium and forward bias conditions while also considering carrier distribution and recombination rates (Shockley-Read-Hall, Auger, and radiative recombination rates). The graded SL is based on AlxGa1-xN (larger bandgap) Al0:5Ga0:5N (smaller bandgap) SL, where x is changed from 0.8 to 0.56 in steps of 0.06. Graded SL was found to be effective in reducing electron leakage and enhancing hole injection into the active region. Due to our band engineering scheme for EBL, four orders-of-magnitude enhancement were observed in the direct recombination rate, as compared with the conventional bulk EBL consisting of Al0:8Ga0:2N. An increase in the spatial overlap of carrier wavefunction was obtained due to polarization-induced band bending in the active region. An efficient single quantum-well ultraviolet-B light-emitting diode was designed, which emits at 280 nm. This is the effective wavelength for water disinfection application, among others.

  4. Dangers of releasing CO₂ to fight fires in the cargo hold of seagoing bulk carriers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hedlund, Frank Huess; Jarleivson Hilduberg, Øssur

    the application of CO₂ to deep-seated fires involving solids subject to smoldering, but without identifying or alerting the reader to the potential presence of explosive pyrolysis gases. NFPA 12 appears to presume that electrostatic discharges will dissipate safety if metal nozzles are used and the entire system......On seagoing general cargo vessels, the cargo is stored in bulk in the holds. Fire protection for cargo holds comprises detection and firefighting capability. Detection normally incorporates a smoke sampling system that continuously draws air from each cargo hold and passes it to a smoke detector...... cabinet. The fire can be fought by flooding the cargo hold with inert carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is stored in its liquid form at pressures in excess of 50 bar and kept in multiple vertical steel cylinders arranged in a battery. For firefighting to be effective, SOLAS regulations require...

  5. Study of the Bulk Charge Carrier Dynamics in Anatase and Rutile TiO2 Single Crystals by Femtosecond Time Resolved Spectroscopy

    KAUST Repository

    Maity, Partha; Mohammed, Omar F.; Katsiev, Khabiboulakh; Idriss, Hicham

    2018-01-01

    as the best model for fundamental studies. Their ultrafast charge carrier dynamics especially on TiO2 anatase single crystal (the most active phase) are unresolved. Here femtosecond time resolved spectroscopy (TRS) was carried out to explore the dynamics

  6. Charge trapping and carrier transport mechanism in silicon-rich silicon oxynitride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Zhenrui; Aceves, Mariano; Carrillo, Jesus; Lopez-Estopier, Rosa

    2006-01-01

    The charge-trapping and carrier transport properties of silicon-rich silicon oxynitride (SRO:N) were studied. The SRO:N films were deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. Infrared (IR) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) measurements were performed to characterize their structural properties. Capacitance versus voltage and current versus voltage measurements (I-V) were used to study the charge-trapping and carrier transport mechanism. IR and TEM measurements revealed the existence of Si nanodots in SRO:N films. I-V measurements revealed that there are two conduction regimes divided by a threshold voltage V T . When the applied voltage is smaller than V T , the current is dominated by the charge transfer between the SRO:N and substrate; and in this regime only dynamic charging/discharging of the SRO:N layer is observed. When the voltage is larger than V T , the current increases rapidly and is dominated by the Poole-Frenkel mechanism; and in this regime, large permanent trapped charge density is obtained. Nitrogen incorporation significantly reduced the silicon nanodots or defects near the SRO:N/Si interface. However, a significant increase of the density of silicon nanodot in the bulk of the SRO:N layer is obtained

  7. Production of amorphous nanoparticles by supersonic spray-drying with a microfluidic nebulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amstad, Esther; Gopinadhan, Manesh; Holtze, Christian; Osuji, Chinedum O.; Brenner, Michael P.; Spaepen, Frans; Weitz, David A.

    2015-08-01

    Amorphous nanoparticles (a-NPs) have physicochemical properties distinctly different from those of the corresponding bulk crystals; for example, their solubility is much higher. However, many materials have a high propensity to crystallize and are difficult to formulate in an amorphous structure without stabilizers. We fabricated a microfluidic nebulator that can produce amorphous NPs from a wide range of materials, even including pure table salt (NaCl). By using supersonic air flow, the nebulator produces drops that are so small that they dry before crystal nuclei can form. The small size of the resulting spray-dried a-NPs limits the probability of crystal nucleation in any given particle during storage. The kinetic stability of the a-NPs—on the order of months—is advantageous for hydrophobic drug molecules.

  8. Creep deformation of restorative resin-composites intended for bulk-fill placement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Safty, S; Silikas, N; Watts, D C

    2012-08-01

    To determine the creep deformation of several "bulk-fill" resin-composite formulations in comparison with some other types. Six resin-composites; four bulk-fill and two conventional were investigated. Stainless steel split molds (4 mm × 6 mm) were used to prepare cylindrical specimens for creep testing. Specimens were thoroughly irradiated with 650 mW cm(-2). A total of 10 specimens for each material were divided into two groups (n = 5) according to the storage condition; Group A stored dry at 37 °C for 24h and Group B stored in distilled water at 37 °C in an incubator for 24h. Each specimen was loaded (20 MPa) for 2h and unloaded for 2h. The strain deformation was recorded continuously for 4h. Statistical analysis was performed using a two-way ANOVA followed by one-way ANOVA and the Bonferroni post hoc test at a significance level of a = 0.05. The maximum creep strain % ranged from 0.72% up to 1.55% for Group A and the range for Group B increased from 0.79% up to 1.80% due to water sorption. Also, the permanent set ranged from 0.14% up to 0.47% for Group A and from 0.20% up to 0.59% for Group B. Dependent on the material and storage condition, the percentage of creep strain recovery ranged between 64% and 81%. Increased filler loading in the bulk-fill materials decreased the creep strain magnitude. Creep deformation of all studied resin-composites increased with wet storage. The "bulk-fill" composites exhibited an acceptable creep deformation and within the range exhibited by other resin-composites. Copyright © 2012 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Enhanced Physical Stability of Amorphous Drug Formulations via Dry Polymer Coating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capece, Maxx; Davé, Rajesh

    2015-06-01

    Although amorphous solid drug formulations may be advantageous for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients, they exhibit poor physical stability and undergo recrystallization. To address this limitation, this study investigates stability issues associated with amorphous solids through analysis of the crystallization behavior for acetaminophen (APAP), known as a fast crystallizer, using a modified form of the Avrami equation that kinetically models both surface and bulk crystallization. It is found that surface-enhanced crystallization, occurring faster at the free surface than in the bulk, is the major impediment to the stability of amorphous APAP. It is hypothesized that a novel use of a dry-polymer-coating process referred to as mechanical-dry-polymer-coating may be used to inhibit surface crystallization and enhance stability. The proposed process, which is examined, simultaneously mills and coats amorphous solids with polymer, while avoiding solvents or solutions, which may otherwise cause stability or crystallization issues during coating. It is shown that solid dispersions of APAP (64% loading) with a small particle size (28 μm) could be prepared and coated with the polymer, carnauba wax, in a vibratory ball mill. The resulting amorphous solid was found to have excellent stability as a result of inhibition of surface crystallization. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

  10. A new fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) bait base carrier for moist conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kafle, Lekhnath; Wu, Wen-Jer; Shih, Cheng-Jen

    2010-10-01

    A new water-resistant fire ant bait (T-bait; cypermethrin 0.128%) consisting of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) as a carrier was developed and evaluated against a standard commercial bait (Advion; indoxacarb 0.045%) under both laboratory and field conditions. When applying the normal T-bait or Advion in the laboratory, 100% of Solenopsis invicta Buren worker ants were killed within 4 days. However, when the T-bait and Advion were wetted, 70.6 and 39.7% of the ants were killed respectively. Under field conditions, dry T-bait and dry Advion had almost the same efficacy against ant colonies. However, when T-bait and Advion came in contact with water, the former's ability to kill S. invicta colonies in the field was only marginally reduced, while Advion lost virtually all of its activity. In addition, DDGS was also shown to be compatible with a number of other insecticides, such as d-allethrin, permethrin and pyrethrin. Based on its properties of remaining attractive to the fire ants when wetted, combined with its ant-killing abilities both in the laboratory and in the field, T-bait is an efficient fire ant bait, especially under moist conditions.

  11. Effect of Storage Temperature on Beauveria bassiana (Bals. Vuill. Viability on Several Carriers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sri Sukamto

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available One of the entomopatogenous fungus types commonly observed and showed potency as myco-insectiside is Beauveria bassiana(Bals. Vuill.In order to support effectiveness and patogenous activity of B. bassiana, it is necessary to add a carrying agent that protects its spores from ultra violet ray. This study aims to investigate the effect of storage temperature on viability of B. Bassianaspores on the carrier material. The observation was carried out in the Laboratory of Plant Diseases, Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute. The research was arranged in completely randomized design by three factors. The first factor was carrier (C, that consists of C1 = rice flour, C2 = maize flour and C3 = tapioca flour. The second factor was dosage (D, that consists of D1 = 1 g B. bassiana+ 1 g carrier; D2 = 1 g B. bassiana+ 5 g carrier and D3 = 1 g B. bassiana+ 10 g carrier. The third factor was temperature of the storage (T,that consists of T1 = 5oC; T2 = 23oC and T3 = 29oC. Viability of B. Bassiana spores was examined by observing development of 100 blastopores randomly and determined under light microscope with 400 times magnification. Observation was conducted in two replicates after the spores of B. bassiana were kept in the storage for 2, 4, 8 and 16 weeks. The result showed that by adding 1 g tapioca flour and temperature of storage of 5oC was potentiall in keeping viability of B. bassianaspores at least for 2 months. It was due to that tapioca flour gave better effect than rice and maize flours in keeping the storage and appropriate low temperature. Viability of B. bassianaspores decreased with increasing carrier dosage, temperature and duration of the storage. Whereas, storage at 5oC was found to be a better condition in keeping viability of dry pure B. bassianaspores longer than conditions of 23o and 29oC. Key word:Beauveria bassiana, temperature, viability,carrier.

  12. Poland - seaborne bulk trade hampered by rising transport costs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beechener, J

    1991-12-01

    The article considers trade development in major dry bulk commodities, coal, cement, iron ore and grains. Aspects covered for coal are production and exports. All coal mines in Poland are state owned. Coal production has fallen from an annual output in excess of 190 mta in the late 1980s, to under 150 mt in 1990. Output for 1991 is forecast at around 142 mt. Exports have also declined from 36 mtce in the late 1980s to an estimated 20 mt in 1991. Various factors are cited for the changing fortunes of Poland's coal industry but the most significant is the introduction of market forces to a previously centrally planned economy. Topics discussed for coal include: restructuring the coal industry for privatisation; eliminating subsidies; and export destinations. 5 tabs., 6 photos.

  13. Transforming lipid-based oral drug delivery systems into solid dosage forms: an overview of solid carriers, physicochemical properties, and biopharmaceutical performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Angel; Rao, Shasha; Prestidge, Clive A

    2013-12-01

    The diversity of lipid excipients available commercially has enabled versatile formulation design of lipid-based drug delivery systems for enhancing the oral absorption of poorly water-soluble drugs, such as emulsions, microemulsions, micelles, liposomes, niosomes and various self-emulsifying systems. The transformation of liquid lipid-based systems into solid dosage forms has been investigated for several decades, and has recently become a core subject of pharmaceutical research as solidification is regarded as viable means for stabilising lipid colloidal systems while eliminating stringent processing requirements associated with liquid systems. This review describes the types of pharmaceutical grade excipients (silica nanoparticle/microparticle, polysaccharide, polymer and protein-based materials) used as solid carriers and the current state of knowledge on the liquid-to-solid conversion approaches. Details are primarily focused on the solid-state physicochemical properties and redispersion capacity of various dry lipid-based formulations, and how these relate to the in vitro drug release and solubilisation, lipid carrier digestion and cell permeation performances. Numerous in vivo proof-of-concept studies are presented to highlight the viability of these dry lipid-based formulations. This review is significant in directing future research work in fostering translation of dry lipid-based formulations into clinical applications.

  14. Characteristics of Timbers Dried Using Kiln Drying and Radio Frequency-Vacuum Drying Systems

    OpenAIRE

    Rabidin Zairul Amin; Seng Gan Kee; Wahab Mohd Jamil Abdul

    2017-01-01

    Heavy hardwoods are difficult-to-dry timbers as they are prone to checking and internal stresses when dried using a conventional kiln drying system. These timbers are usually dried naturally to reach 15% to 19% moisture content with an acceptable defects. Besides long drying time, timbers at these moisture contents are not suitable for indoor applications since they will further dry and causing, for example, jointing and lamination failures. Drying to a lower moisture content could only be ac...

  15. dc-Hydrogen plasma induced defects in bulk n-Ge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nyamhere, C., E-mail: cloud.nyamhere@nmmu.ac.za [Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Venter, A.; Murape, D.M. [Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Auret, F.D.; Coelho, S.M.M. [Department of Physics, University of the Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria 0002 (South Africa); Botha, J.R. [Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa)

    2012-08-01

    Bulk antimony doped germanium (n-Ge) has been exposed to a dc-hydrogen plasma. Capacitance-voltage depth profiles revealed extensive near surface passivation of the shallow donors as evidenced by {approx}a 1.5 orders of magnitude reduction in the free carrier concentration up to depth of {approx}3.2 {mu}m. DLTS and Laplace-DLTS revealed a prominent electron trap 0.30 eV below the conduction (E{sub C} -0.30 eV). The concentration of this trap increased with plasma exposure time. The depth profile for this defect suggested a uniform distribution up to 1.2 {mu}m. Annealing studies show that this trap, attributed to a hydrogen-related complex, is stable up to 200 Degree-Sign C. Hole traps, or vacancy-antimony centers, common in this material after high energy particle irradiation, were not observed after plasma exposure, an indication that this process does not create Frenkel (V-I) pairs.

  16. dc-Hydrogen plasma induced defects in bulk n-Ge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nyamhere, C.; Venter, A.; Murape, D.M.; Auret, F.D.; Coelho, S.M.M.; Botha, J.R.

    2012-01-01

    Bulk antimony doped germanium (n-Ge) has been exposed to a dc-hydrogen plasma. Capacitance-voltage depth profiles revealed extensive near surface passivation of the shallow donors as evidenced by ∼a 1.5 orders of magnitude reduction in the free carrier concentration up to depth of ∼3.2 μm. DLTS and Laplace-DLTS revealed a prominent electron trap 0.30 eV below the conduction (E C -0.30 eV). The concentration of this trap increased with plasma exposure time. The depth profile for this defect suggested a uniform distribution up to 1.2 μm. Annealing studies show that this trap, attributed to a hydrogen-related complex, is stable up to 200 °C. Hole traps, or vacancy-antimony centers, common in this material after high energy particle irradiation, were not observed after plasma exposure, an indication that this process does not create Frenkel (V-I) pairs.

  17. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of nanoparticle film formation via nanocolloid drying

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kameya, Yuki

    2017-06-01

    A kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of nanoparticle film formation via nanocolloid drying is presented. The proposed two-dimensional model addresses the dynamics of nanoparticles in the vertical plane of a drying nanocolloid film. The gas-liquid interface movement due to solvent evaporation was controlled by a time-dependent chemical potential, and the resultant particle dynamics including Brownian diffusion and aggregate growth were calculated. Simulations were performed at various Peclet numbers defined based on the rate ratio of solvent evaporation and nanoparticle diffusion. At high Peclet numbers, nanoparticles accumulated at the top layer of the liquid film and eventually formed a skin layer, causing the formation of a particulate film with a densely packed structure. At low Peclet numbers, enhanced particle diffusion led to significant particle aggregation in the bulk colloid, and the resulting film structure became highly porous. The simulated results showed some typical characteristics of a drying nanocolloid that had been reported experimentally. Finally, the potential of the model as well as the remaining challenges are discussed.

  18. Reference method for total water in lint cotton by automated oven drying combined with volumetric Karl Fischer titration

    Science.gov (United States)

    In a preliminary study to measure total water in lint cotton we demonstrated that volumetric Karl Fischer Titration of moisture transported by a carrier gas from an attached small oven is more accurate than standard oven drying in air. The objective of the present study was to assess the measuremen...

  19. Microencapsulation by spray drying of Lannea microcarpa extract: Technological characteristics and antioxidant activity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesca Sansone

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Context: A functional extract from Lannea microcarpa (Lm, possess interesting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the unprocessed dried extract occurs as sticky and low-water-soluble material showing critical properties for industrial applications. The unprocessed dried extract is not always enough stable to preserve its functional properties, also giving practical difficulties for the manufacturing. Aims: This research aimed to produce Lm extract microparticles with enhanced functional stability and technological characteristics by spray-drying. Methods: Lm extract was microencapsulated by spray-drying using a sodium-carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC based matrix. Physicochemical and technological characteristics (determined by UV, HPLC, LLS, SEM, DSC, and in vitro dissolution tests, as well as antioxidant properties (DPPH-test of the resulting powder (LmC were examined. Results: The produced spray dried microparticles showed satisfying encapsulation efficiency, good functional stability and enhanced technological properties. The selected carrier and process conditions led to a stable and handling microencapsulated powder form with improved water dissolution rate. Moreover, the matrix was also able to preserve the antioxidant activity of the phenolic compounds-rich extract. Conclusions: The made-up powder resulted in a functional component that can be used with great potential in cosmetics, foods or nutraceutical products.

  20. Sealed substrate carrier for electroplating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganti, Kalyana Bhargava [Fremont, CA

    2012-07-17

    One embodiment relates to a substrate carrier for use in electroplating a plurality of substrates. The substrate carrier includes a non-conductive carrier body on which the substrates are held, and conductive lines are embedded within the carrier body. A conductive bus bar is embedded into a top side of the carrier body and is conductively coupled to the conductive lines. A thermoplastic overmold covers a portion of the bus bar, and there is a plastic-to-plastic bond between the thermoplastic overmold and the non-conductive carrier body. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

  1. Microhardness of bulk-fill composite materials

    OpenAIRE

    Kelić, Katarina; Matić, Sanja; Marović, Danijela; Klarić, Eva; Tarle, Zrinka

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the study was to determine microhardness of high- and low-viscosity bulk-fill composite resins and compare it with conventional composite materials. Four materials of high-viscosity were tested, including three bulk-fills: QuiXfi l (QF), x-tra fil (XTF) and Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill (TEBCF), while nanohybrid composite GrandioSO (GSO) served as control. The other four were low-viscosity composites, three bulk-fill materials: Smart Dentin Replacement (SDR), Venus Bulk Fill (VBF) and ...

  2. Crystal engineering of lactose using electrospray technology: carrier for pulmonary drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patil, Sharvil; Mahadik, Abhijeet; Nalawade, Pradeep; More, Priyesh

    2017-12-01

    Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) consisting of a powder mixture containing coarse carrier particles (generally lactose) and micronized drug particles are used for lung drug delivery. The effective drug delivery to the lungs depends on size and shape of carrier particles. Thus, various methods have been proposed for engineering lactose particles to enhance drug delivery to lungs. The objective of current work was to assess suitability of electrospray technology toward crystal engineering of lactose. Further, utility of the prepared lactose particles as a carrier in DPI was evaluated. Saturated lactose solutions were electrosprayed to obtain electrosprayed lactose (EL) particles. The polymorphic form of EL was determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffractometry, and differential scanning calorimetry. In addition, morphological, surface textural, and flow properties of EL were determined using scanning electron microscopy and Carr's index, respectively. The aerosolization properties of EL were determined using twin-stage impinger and compared with commercial lactose particles [Respitose ® (SV003, Goch, Germany)] used in DPI formulations. EL was found to contain both isomers (α and β) of lactose having flow properties comparable to Respitose ® (SV003). In addition, the aerosolization properties of EL were found to be significantly improved when compared to Respitose ® (SV003) which could be attributed to morphological (high elongation ratio) and surface characteristic (smooth surface) alterations induced by electrospray technology. Electrospray technology can serve as an alternative technique for continuous manufacturing of engineered lactose particles which can be used as a carrier in DPI formulations.

  3. Effects of acetone-soaking treatment on the performance of polymer solar cells based on P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Yu-Xuan; Lü Long-Feng; Ning Yu; Lu Yun-Zhang; Lu Qi-Peng; Zhang Chun-Mei; Fang Yi; Hu Yu-Feng; Lou Zhi-Dong; Teng Feng; Hou Yan-Bing; Tang Ai-Wei

    2014-01-01

    The improvement of the acetone-soaking treatment to the performance of polymer solar cells based on the P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunction is reported. Undergoing acetone-soaking, the PCBM does not distribute uniformly in the vertical direction, a PCBM enrichment layer forms on the top of the active layer, which is beneficial to the collection of the carriers and blocking the inverting diffusion carriers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis reveals that the PCBM weight ratio on the top of the active layer increases by 20% after the acetone-soaking treatment. Due to the nonuniform distribution of PCBM, the short-circuit current density, the open-circuit voltage, and the fill factor are enhanced significantly. Finally, the power conversion efficiency of the acetone-soaking device increases by 31% compared with the control device. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  4. Carrier-carrier relaxation kinetics in quantum well semiconductor structures with nonparabolic energy bands

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dery, H.; Tromborg, Bjarne; Eisenstein, G.

    2003-01-01

    We describe carrier-carrier scattering dynamics in an inverted quantum well structure including the nonparabolic nature of the valance band. A solution of the semiconductor Bloch equations yields strong evidence to a large change in the temporal evolution of the carrier distributions compared to ...

  5. 29 CFR 1201.1 - Carrier.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Carrier. 1201.1 Section 1201.1 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD DEFINITIONS § 1201.1 Carrier. The term carrier includes any express company, sleeping car company, carrier by railroad, subject to the Interstate Commerce Act...

  6. Modelling the short-circuit current of polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geens, Wim; Martens, Tom; Poortmans, Jef; Aernouts, Tom; Manca, Jean; Lutsen, Laurence; Heremans, Paul; Borghs, Staf; Mertens, Robert; Vanderzande, Dirk

    2004-01-01

    An analytical model has been developed to estimate the short-circuit current density of conjugated polymer/fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells. The model takes into account the solvent-dependent molecular morphology of the donor/acceptor blend, which was revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Field-effect transistors based on single and composite organic layers were fabricated to determine values for the charge carrier mobilities of such films. These values served as input parameters of the model. It is shown that the difference in short-circuit current density that was measured between toluene-cast and chlorobenzene-cast conjugated polymer/fullerene photovoltaic cells (Appl. Phys. Lett. 78 (2001) 841) could be very well simulated with the model. Moreover, the calculations illustrate how increasing the hole and electron mobilities in the photoactive blend can improve the overall short-circuit current density of the solar cell

  7. Dry aerosol jet printing of conductive silver lines on a heated silicon substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Efimov, A. A.; Arsenov, P. V.; Protas, N. V.; Minkov, K. N.; Urazov, M. N.; Ivanov, V. V.

    2018-02-01

    A new method for dry aerosol jet printing conductive lines on a heated substrate is presented. The method is based on the use of a spark discharge generator as a source of dry nanoparticles and a heating plate for their sintering. This method allows creating conductive silver lines on a heated silicon substrate up to 300 °C without an additional sintering step. It was found that for effective sintering lines of silver nanoparticles the temperature of the heated substrate should be about more than 200-250 °C. Average thickness of the sintered silver lines was equal to ∼20 µm. Printed lines showed electrical resistivity equal to 35 μΩ·cm, which is 23 times greater than the resistivity of bulk silver.

  8. AlSiTiN and AlSiCrN multilayer coatings: Effects of structure and surface composition on tribological behavior under dry and lubricated conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faga, Maria Giulia; Gautier, Giovanna; Cartasegna, Federico; Priarone, Paolo C.; Settineri, Luca

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The demand for high performance nanostructured coatings has been increasing. • AlSiTiN and AlSiCrN nanocomposite coatings were deposited by PVD technique. • Coatings were analyzed in terms of structure, hardness and adhesion. • Tribological properties under dry and lubricated conditions were studied. • The effects of surface and bulk properties on friction evolution were assessed. - Abstract: Nanocomposite coatings have been widely studied over the last years because of their high potential in several applications. The increased interest for these coatings prompted the authors to study the tribological properties of two nanocomposites under dry and lubricated conditions (applying typical MQL media), in order to assess the influence of the surface and bulk properties on friction evolution. To this purpose, multilayer and nanocomposite AlSiTiN and AlSiCrN coatings were deposited onto tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) samples. Uncoated WC-Co materials were used as reference. Coatings were analyzed in terms of hardness and adhesion. The structure of the samples was assessed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the surface composition was studied by XPS analysis. Friction tests were carried out under both dry and lubricated conditions using an inox ball as counterpart. Both coatings showed high hardness and good adhesion to the substrate. As far as the friction properties are concerned, in dry conditions the surface properties affect the sliding contact at the early beginning, while bulk structure and tribolayer formation determine the main behavior. Only AlSiTiN coating shows a low and stable coefficient of friction (COF) under dry condition, while the use of MQL media results in a rapid stabilization of the COF for all the materials.

  9. High-Resolution Faraday Rotation and Electron-Phonon Coupling in Surface States of the Bulk-Insulating Topological Insulator Cu_{0.02}Bi_{2}Se_{3}.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Liang; Tse, Wang-Kong; Brahlek, M; Morris, C M; Aguilar, R Valdés; Koirala, N; Oh, S; Armitage, N P

    2015-11-20

    We have utilized time-domain magnetoterahertz spectroscopy to investigate the low-frequency optical response of the topological insulator Cu_{0.02}Bi_{2}Se_{3} and Bi_{2}Se_{3} films. With both field and frequency dependence, such experiments give sufficient information to measure the mobility and carrier density of multiple conduction channels simultaneously. We observe sharp cyclotron resonances (CRs) in both materials. The small amount of Cu incorporated into the Cu_{0.02}Bi_{2}Se_{3} induces a true bulk insulator with only a single type of conduction with a total sheet carrier density of ~4.9×10^{12}/cm^{2} and mobility as high as 4000 cm^{2}/V·s. This is consistent with conduction from two virtually identical topological surface states (TSSs) on the top and bottom of the film with a chemical potential ~145 meV above the Dirac point and in the bulk gap. The CR broadens at high fields, an effect that we attribute to an electron-phonon interaction. This assignment is supported by an extended Drude model analysis of the zero-field Drude conductance. In contrast, in normal Bi_{2}Se_{3} films, two conduction channels were observed, and we developed a self-consistent analysis method to distinguish the dominant TSSs and coexisting trivial bulk or two-dimensional electron gas states. Our high-resolution Faraday rotation spectroscopy on Cu_{0.02}Bi_{2}Se_{3} paves the way for the observation of quantized Faraday rotation under experimentally achievable conditions to push the chemical potential in the lowest Landau level.

  10. The distribution on trees of dry deposited material from the Chernobyl accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roed, J.

    1988-01-01

    The distribution of material from the Chernobyl accident that has been dry deposited on forest trees near Roskilde (Denmark) and on trees in a suburban area of Roskilde are investigated. The dry deposition velocities on the plan-projected area covered by the trees are found and compared with those on paved surfaces. The conclusion is that the deposited material is distributed fairly uniformly on the trees, and that the deposition velocities on trees are more than 10 times higher than on paved surfaces. A bulk deposition constant is defined and proposed to be used for modelling the deposition on trees in an urban environment. This work was supported by the EEC Radiation Protection Programme under contract No. B16-107-DK and by NKA, the Nordic Liaison Committee for Atomic Energy

  11. Microencapsulation of Natural Anthocyanin from Purple Rosella Calyces by Freeze Drying

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nafiunisa, A.; Aryanti, N.; Wardhani, D. H.; Kumoro, A. C.

    2017-11-01

    Anthocyanin extract in powder form will improve its use since the powder is easier to store and more applicable. Microencapsulation method is introduced as an efficient way for protecting pigment such as anthocyanin. This research was aimed to characterise anthocyanin encapsulated products prepared from purple Roselle calyces by freeze drying. The liquid anthocyanin extracts from ultrasound-assisted extraction were freeze-dried with and without the addition of 10% w/w maltodextrins as a carrier and coating agents. The quality attributes of the powders were characterised by their colour intensity, water content, and solubility. Analysis of encapsulated material was performed for the powder added by maltodextrin. The stability of the microencapsulated pigment in solution form was determined for 11 days. Total anthocyanin content was observed through pH differential method. The results of the colour intensity analysis confirm that the product with maltodextrin addition has more intense colour with L* value of 29.69 a* value of 54.29 and b* value of 8.39. The result with the addition of maltodextrin has less moisture content and more soluble in water. It is verified that better results were obtained for powder with maltodextrin addition. Anthocyanin in the powder form with maltodextrin addition exhibits higher stability even after 11 days. In conclusion, the microencapsulation of anthocyanin with maltodextrin as a carrier and coating agent presented a potential method to produce anthocyanin powder from purple Roselle.

  12. Control of polythiophene film microstructure and charge carrier dynamics through crystallization temperature

    KAUST Repository

    Marsh, Hilary S.; Reid, Obadiah G.; Barnes, George; Heeney, Martin; Stingelin, Natalie; Rumbles, Garry

    2014-01-01

    The microstructure of neat conjugated polymers is crucial in determining the ultimate morphology and photovoltaic performance of polymer/fullerene blends, yet until recently, little work has focused on controlling the former. Here, we demonstrate that both the long-range order along the (100)-direction and the lamellar crystal thickness along the (001)-direction in neat poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly[(3,3″-didecyl[2,2′:5′, 2″-terthiophene]-5,5″-diyl)] (PTTT-10) thin films can be manipulated by varying crystallization temperature. Changes in crystalline domain size impact the yield and dynamics of photogenerated charge carriers. Time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements show that neat polymer films composed of larger crystalline domains have longer photoconductance lifetimes and charge carrier yield decreases with increasing crystallite size for P3HT. Our results suggest that the classical polymer science description of temperature-dependent crystallization of polymers from solution can be used to understand thin-film formation in neat conjugated polymers, and hence, should be considered when discussing the structural evolution of organic bulk heterojunctions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Charge Carrier Transport and Photogeneration in P3HT:PCBM Photovoltaic Blends

    KAUST Repository

    Laquai, Frederic

    2015-05-03

    This article reviews the charge transport and photogeneration in bulk-heterojunction solar cells made from blend films of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (RR-P3HT) and methano­fullerene (PCBM). The charge transport, specifically the hole mobility in the RR-P3HT phase of the polymer:fullerene photovoltaic blend, is dramatically affected by thermal annealing. The hole mobility increases more than three orders of magnitude and reaches a value of up to 2 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1 after the thermal annealing process as a result of an improved semi-crystallinity of the film. This significant increase of the hole mobility balances the electron and hole mobilities in a photovoltaic blend in turn reducing space-charge formation, and this is the most important factor for the strong enhancement of the photovoltaic efficiency compared to an as cast, that is, non-annealed device. In fact, the balanced charge carrier mobility in RR-P3HT:PCBM blends in combination with a field- and temperature-independent charge carrier generation and greatly reduced non-geminate recombination explains the large quantum efficiencies mea­sured in P3HT:PCBM photovoltaic devices.

  14. Control of polythiophene film microstructure and charge carrier dynamics through crystallization temperature

    KAUST Repository

    Marsh, Hilary S.

    2014-03-22

    The microstructure of neat conjugated polymers is crucial in determining the ultimate morphology and photovoltaic performance of polymer/fullerene blends, yet until recently, little work has focused on controlling the former. Here, we demonstrate that both the long-range order along the (100)-direction and the lamellar crystal thickness along the (001)-direction in neat poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly[(3,3″-didecyl[2,2′:5′, 2″-terthiophene]-5,5″-diyl)] (PTTT-10) thin films can be manipulated by varying crystallization temperature. Changes in crystalline domain size impact the yield and dynamics of photogenerated charge carriers. Time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements show that neat polymer films composed of larger crystalline domains have longer photoconductance lifetimes and charge carrier yield decreases with increasing crystallite size for P3HT. Our results suggest that the classical polymer science description of temperature-dependent crystallization of polymers from solution can be used to understand thin-film formation in neat conjugated polymers, and hence, should be considered when discussing the structural evolution of organic bulk heterojunctions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Influence of geological variations on lignite drying kinetics in superheated steam atmosphere for Belchatow deposit located in the central Poland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sciazko Anna

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Lignite-fired coal power plants suffer from a significant heat loss due to the high moisture content in this energy carrier. Water removal from fuel is an indispensable treatment for improving the combustion process, which will foster the efficient utilization of lignite. Superheated steam fluidized bed drying is expected for this purpose in a power generation sector. Understanding drying kinetics of lignite will greatly reinforce design process of a dryer. Physical features as well as the drying behaviour may be divergent among the lignite originated from different depths and positions in a certain mine. To reveal and clarify the influence of the geological features, the drying characteristics of several grades of lignite from the Belchatow mine in Poland were investigated. The attempts to clarify the influence of the divergent properties of the investigated samples on the drying kinetics in superheated steam were presented in this paper.

  16. Trap state passivation improved hot-carrier instability by zirconium-doping in hafnium oxide in a nanoscale n-metal-oxide semiconductor-field effect transistors with high-k/metal gate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Hsi-Wen; Tsai, Jyun-Yu; Liu, Kuan-Ju; Lu, Ying-Hsin; Chang, Ting-Chang; Chen, Ching-En; Tseng, Tseung-Yuen; Lin, Chien-Yu; Cheng, Osbert; Huang, Cheng-Tung; Ye, Yi-Han

    2016-01-01

    This work investigates the effect on hot carrier degradation (HCD) of doping zirconium into the hafnium oxide high-k layer in the nanoscale high-k/metal gate n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors. Previous n-metal-oxide semiconductor-field effect transistor studies demonstrated that zirconium-doped hafnium oxide reduces charge trapping and improves positive bias temperature instability. In this work, a clear reduction in HCD is observed with zirconium-doped hafnium oxide because channel hot electron (CHE) trapping in pre-existing high-k bulk defects is the main degradation mechanism. However, this reduced HCD became ineffective at ultra-low temperature, since CHE traps in the deeper bulk defects at ultra-low temperature, while zirconium-doping only passivates shallow bulk defects.

  17. Differential Analysis of the Nasal Microbiome of Pig Carriers or Non-Carriers of Staphylococcus aureus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Espinosa-Gongora, Carmen; Larsen, Niels; Schonning, Kristian

    2016-01-01

    pathogen in animal carriers. The aim of this study was to determine whether the nasal microbiome of pig S. aureus carriers differs from that of non-carriers. The V3-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced from nasal swabs of 44 S. aureus carriers and 56 non-carriers using the 454 GS FLX titanium...... microbiome of pigs that are not colonized with S. aureus harbours several species/taxa that are significantly less abundant in pig carriers, suggesting that the nasal microbiota may play a role in the individual predisposition to S. aureus nasal carriage in pigs. Further research is warranted to isolate...

  18. Stabilization of Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccines by Freeze Drying, Spray Drying, and Foam Drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lovalenti, Phillip M; Anderl, Jeff; Yee, Luisa; Nguyen, Van; Ghavami, Behnaz; Ohtake, Satoshi; Saxena, Atul; Voss, Thomas; Truong-Le, Vu

    2016-05-01

    The goal of this research is to develop stable formulations for live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV) by employing the drying methods freeze drying, spray drying, and foam drying. Formulated live attenuated Type-A H1N1 and B-strain influenza vaccines with a variety of excipient combinations were dried using one of the three drying methods. Process and storage stability at 4, 25 and 37°C of the LAIV in these formulations was monitored using a TCID50 potency assay. Their immunogenicity was also evaluated in a ferret model. The thermal stability of H1N1 vaccine was significantly enhanced through application of unique formulation combinations and drying processes. Foam dried formulations were as much as an order of magnitude more stable than either spray dried or freeze dried formulations, while exhibiting low process loss and full retention of immunogenicity. Based on long-term stability data, foam dried formulations exhibited a shelf life at 4, 25 and 37°C of >2, 1.5 years and 4.5 months, respectively. Foam dried LAIV Type-B manufactured using the same formulation and process parameters as H1N1 were imparted with a similar level of stability. Foam drying processing methods with appropriate selection of formulation components can produce an order of magnitude improvement in LAIV stability over other drying methods.

  19. Wet–dry cycles impact DOM retention in subsurface soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Olshansky

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Transport and reactivity of carbon in the critical zone are highly controlled by reactions of dissolved organic matter (DOM with subsurface soils, including adsorption, transformation and exchange. These reactions are dependent on frequent wet–dry cycles common to the unsaturated zone, particularly in semi-arid regions. To test for an effect of wet–dry cycles on DOM interaction and stabilization in subsoils, samples were collected from subsurface (Bw horizons of an Entisol and an Alfisol from the Catalina-Jemez Critical Zone Observatory and sequentially reacted (four batch steps with DOM extracted from the corresponding soil litter layers. Between each reaction step, soils either were allowed to air dry (wet–dry treatment before introduction of the following DOM solution or were maintained under constant wetness (continually wet treatment. Microbial degradation was the dominant mechanism of DOM loss from solution for the Entisol subsoil, which had higher initial organic C content, whereas sorptive retention predominated in the lower C Alfisol subsoil. For a given soil, bulk dissolved organic C losses from solution were similar across treatments. However, a combination of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS spectroscopic analyses revealed that wet–dry treatments enhanced the interactions between carboxyl functional groups and soil particle surfaces. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM data suggested that cation bridging by Ca2+ was the primary mechanism for carboxyl association with soil surfaces. STXM data also showed that spatial fractionation of adsorbed OM on soil organo-mineral surfaces was diminished relative to what might be inferred from previously published observations pertaining to DOM fractionation on reaction with specimen mineral phases. This study provides direct evidence of the role of wet–dry cycles in affecting sorption reactions of DOM to a complex soil

  20. Wet-dry cycles impact DOM retention in subsurface soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olshansky, Yaniv; Root, Robert A.; Chorover, Jon

    2018-02-01

    Transport and reactivity of carbon in the critical zone are highly controlled by reactions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) with subsurface soils, including adsorption, transformation and exchange. These reactions are dependent on frequent wet-dry cycles common to the unsaturated zone, particularly in semi-arid regions. To test for an effect of wet-dry cycles on DOM interaction and stabilization in subsoils, samples were collected from subsurface (Bw) horizons of an Entisol and an Alfisol from the Catalina-Jemez Critical Zone Observatory and sequentially reacted (four batch steps) with DOM extracted from the corresponding soil litter layers. Between each reaction step, soils either were allowed to air dry (wet-dry treatment) before introduction of the following DOM solution or were maintained under constant wetness (continually wet treatment). Microbial degradation was the dominant mechanism of DOM loss from solution for the Entisol subsoil, which had higher initial organic C content, whereas sorptive retention predominated in the lower C Alfisol subsoil. For a given soil, bulk dissolved organic C losses from solution were similar across treatments. However, a combination of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopic analyses revealed that wet-dry treatments enhanced the interactions between carboxyl functional groups and soil particle surfaces. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) data suggested that cation bridging by Ca2+ was the primary mechanism for carboxyl association with soil surfaces. STXM data also showed that spatial fractionation of adsorbed OM on soil organo-mineral surfaces was diminished relative to what might be inferred from previously published observations pertaining to DOM fractionation on reaction with specimen mineral phases. This study provides direct evidence of the role of wet-dry cycles in affecting sorption reactions of DOM to a complex soil matrix. In the soil

  1. Personality traits in Huntington's disease: An exploratory study of gene expansion carriers and non-carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larsen, Ida Unmack; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Vinther-Jensen, Tua; Nielsen, Jørgen Erik; Knudsen, Gitte Moos; Vogel, Asmus

    2016-12-01

    Huntington's disease (HD) is associated with risk for developing psychiatric symptoms. Vulnerability or resilience to psychiatric symptoms may be associated with personality traits. This exploratory study, aimed to investigate personality traits in a large cohort of HD carriers and at risk gene-expansion negative individuals (HD non-carriers), exploring whether carrying the HD gene or growing up in an HD family influences personality traits. Forty-seven HD carriers, Thirty-nine HD non-carriers, and 121 healthy controls answered the Danish version of the revised NEO personality inventory. Comparisons between HD carriers and HD non-carriers were mostly non-significant but the combined group of HD carriers and non-carriers showed significantly higher scores on the facets: "hostility," "assertiveness," and "activity" and on the trait "Conscientiousness" relative to controls, "Conscientiousness" have been associated with resilience to psychiatric symptoms. Twelve HD carriers and non-carriers were classified as depressed and showed significantly lower scores on "Extraversion" and "Conscientiousness" and significantly higher scores on "Neuroticism," which are associated with vulnerability to psychiatric symptoms. Our findings suggest that, there is no direct effect of the HD gene on personality traits, but that personality assessment may be relevant to use when identifying individuals from HD families who are vulnerable to develop psychiatric symptoms. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Peptide-Carrier Conjugation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Paul Robert

    2015-01-01

    To produce antibodies against synthetic peptides it is necessary to couple them to a protein carrier. This chapter provides a nonspecialist overview of peptide-carrier conjugation. Furthermore, a protocol for coupling cysteine-containing peptides to bovine serum albumin is outlined....

  3. Active moss biomonitoring of trace elements with Sphagnum girgensohnii moss bags in relation to atmospheric bulk deposition in Belgrade, Serbia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anicic, M.; Tasic, M.; Frontasyeva, M.V.; Tomasevic, M.; Rajsic, S.; Mijic, Z.; Popovic, A.

    2009-01-01

    Active biomonitoring with wet and dry moss bags was used to examine trace element atmospheric deposition in the urban area of Belgrade. The element accumulation capability of Sphagnum girgensohnii Russow was tested in relation to atmospheric bulk deposition. Moss bags were mounted for five 3-month periods (July 2005-October 2006) at three representative urban sites. For the same period monthly bulk atmospheric deposition samples were collected. The concentrations of Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb were determined by instrumental neutron activation analyses and atomic absorption spectrometry. Significant accumulation of most elements occurred in the exposed moss bags compared with the initial moss content. High correlations between the elements in moss and bulk deposits were found for V, Cu, As, and Ni. The enrichment factors of the elements for both types of monitor followed the same pattern at the corresponding sites. - Accumulated trace elements in the moss Sphagnum girgensohnii reflect atmospheric deposition

  4. Large area bulk superconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Dean J.; Field, Michael B.

    2002-01-01

    A bulk superconductor having a thickness of not less than about 100 microns is carried by a polycrystalline textured substrate having misorientation angles at the surface thereof not greater than about 15.degree.; the bulk superconductor may have a thickness of not less than about 100 microns and a surface area of not less than about 50 cm.sup.2. The textured substrate may have a thickness not less than about 10 microns and misorientation angles at the surface thereof not greater than about 15.degree.. Also disclosed is a process of manufacturing the bulk superconductor and the polycrystalline biaxially textured substrate material.

  5. Gamma-ray attenuation to measure water contents and/or bulk densities of porous materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferraz, E.S.B.

    1983-01-01

    Attenuation of gamma radiation during transmission through soil and porous materials has been used for approximately three decades as a method for determining volumetric water content, theta, and bulk density, rho. This method is particularly suited for laboratory determinations of theta and rho in soil columns but it also has been used with success under field conditions. Measurements of attentuation of a collimated beam of monoernergetic gamma-rays has been used successfully by many investigators to provide rapid, non-destructive determinations for small volumes of soil. For stable soils, i.e. soils which do not swell upon wetting or shrink upon drying, rho may be assumed to remain constant during water flow through the soil, and thus changes in intensity or transmitted radiation may be attributed to changes in water content, theta. However, for unstable soils, the dry bulk density is subject to change with time during water flow through the soil and cannot be assumed to be a constant. Several investigators have utilized either a single beam of dual-energy gamma photons or two separate monoenergetic photon beams with greatly different energies to simultaneously determine theta and rho in these soils. A general review of gamma-ray attenuation methods for determining theta and rho in laboratory soil cores and in field soil profiles is reported in this paper. Theoretical equations for transmission and attenuation of gamma radiation in soils are presented for both single and double beams of gamma photons. Sensitivity, precision, accuracy, and experimental errors for the method are evaluated and discussed with respect to the theory. (author)

  6. 7 CFR 35.4 - Carrier.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... AND PLUMS Definitions § 35.4 Carrier. Carrier means any common or private carrier, including, but not being limited to, trucks, rail, airplanes, vessels, tramp or chartered steamers, whether carrying for...

  7. Ultrafast carrier dynamics in a p-type GaN wafer under different carrier distributions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Yu; Yang, Junyi; Yang, Yong; Wu, Xingzhi; Xiao, Zhengguo; Zhou, Feng; Song, Yinglin

    2016-02-01

    The dependence of the carrier distribution on photoexcited carrier dynamics in a p-type Mg-doped GaN (GaN:Mg) wafer were systematically measured by femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy. The homogeneity of the carrier distribution was modified by tuning the wavelength of the UV pulse excitation around the band gap of GaN:Mg. The TA kinetics appeared to be biexponential for all carrier distributions, and only the slower component decayed faster as the inhomogeneity of the carrier distribution increased. It was concluded that the faster component (50-70 ps) corresponded to the trap process of holes by the Mg acceptors, and the slower component (150-600 ps) corresponded to the combination of non-radiative surface recombination and intrinsic carrier recombination via dislocations. Moreover, the slower component increased gradually with the incident fluence due to the saturation of surface states.

  8. Separation of {sup 195(m,g),197m}Hg from bulk gold target by liquid-liquid extraction using hydrophobic ionic liquids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghosh, Kaustab; Lahiri, Susanta [Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata (India). Chemical Sciences Div.; Maiti, Moumita [Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee (India). Dept. of Physics

    2017-07-01

    The {sup 195(m,g),197m}Hg radionuclides were produced in accelerator when natural Au foil was irradiated with 23 MeV protons. The no-carrier-added (NCA) Hg radioisotopes were separated from the bulk Au target by liquid-liquid extraction (LLX) employing hydrophobic RTILs 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate([C{sub 4}mim][PF{sub 6}]) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide([bmim][Tf{sub 2}N]) as extractant with HNO{sub 3} and HCl. In each case, bulk Au was extracted into the RTIL phase leaving NCA Hg-radionuclides in the aqueous phase. The RTILs were recovered by washing with 1 M K{sub 2}S{sub 2}O{sub 5} and freshly prepared 1 M FeSO{sub 4}. The reported separation methods follow green chemistry approach as it does not involve any volatile reagents.

  9. Hot carrier degradation in semiconductor devices

    CERN Document Server

    2015-01-01

    This book provides readers with a variety of tools to address the challenges posed by hot carrier degradation, one of today’s most complicated reliability issues in semiconductor devices.  Coverage includes an explanation of carrier transport within devices and book-keeping of how they acquire energy (“become hot”), interaction of an ensemble of colder and hotter carriers with defect precursors, which eventually leads to the creation of a defect, and a description of how these defects interact with the device, degrading its performance. • Describes the intricacies of hot carrier degradation in modern semiconductor technologies; • Covers the entire hot carrier degradation phenomenon, including topics such as characterization, carrier transport, carrier-defect interaction, technological impact, circuit impact, etc.; • Enables detailed understanding of carrier transport, interaction of the carrier ensemble with the defect precursors, and an accurate assessment of how the newly created defects imp...

  10. NDE to Manage Atmospheric SCC in Canisters for Dry Storage of Spent Fuel: An Assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meyer, Ryan M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Pardini, Allan F. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Cuta, Judith M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Adkins, Harold E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Casella, Andrew M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Qiao, Hong [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Larche, Michael R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Diaz, Aaron A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Doctor, Steven R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2013-09-01

    This report documents efforts to assess representative horizontal (Transuclear NUHOMS®) and vertical (Holtec HI-STORM) storage systems for the implementation of non-destructive examination (NDE) methods or techniques to manage atmospheric stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in canisters for dry storage of used nuclear fuel. The assessment is conducted by assessing accessibility and deployment, environmental compatibility, and applicability of NDE methods. A recommendation of this assessment is to focus on bulk ultrasonic and eddy current techniques for direct canister monitoring of atmospheric SCC. This assessment also highlights canister regions that may be most vulnerable to atmospheric SCC to guide the use of bulk ultrasonic and eddy current examinations. An assessment of accessibility also identifies canister regions that are easiest and more difficult to access through the ventilation paths of the concrete shielding modules. A conceivable sampling strategy for canister inspections is to sample only the easiest to access portions of vulnerable regions. There are aspects to performing an NDE inspection of dry canister storage system (DCSS) canisters for atmospheric SCC that have not been addressed in previous performance studies. These aspects provide the basis for recommendations of future efforts to determine the capability and performance of eddy current and bulk ultrasonic examinations for atmospheric SCC in DCSS canisters. Finally, other important areas of investigation are identified including the development of instrumented surveillance specimens to identify when conditions are conducive for atmospheric SCC, characterization of atmospheric SCC morphology, and an assessment of air flow patterns over canister surfaces and their influence on chloride deposition.

  11. Maintainable substrate carrier for electroplating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chen-An [Milpitas, CA; Abas, Emmanuel Chua [Laguna, PH; Divino, Edmundo Anida [Cavite, PH; Ermita, Jake Randal G [Laguna, PH; Capulong, Jose Francisco S [Laguna, PH; Castillo, Arnold Villamor [Batangas, PH; Ma,; Xiaobing, Diana [Saratoga, CA

    2012-07-17

    One embodiment relates to a substrate carrier for use in electroplating a plurality of substrates. The carrier includes a non-conductive carrier body on which the substrates are placed and conductive lines embedded within the carrier body. A plurality of conductive clip attachment parts are attached in a permanent manner to the conductive lines embedded within the carrier body. A plurality of contact clips are attached in a removable manner to the clip attachment parts. The contact clips hold the substrates in place and conductively connecting the substrates with the conductive lines. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

  12. Dry and Semi-Dry Tropical Cyclones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cronin, T.; Chavas, D. R.

    2017-12-01

    Our understanding of dynamics in our real moist atmosphere is strongly informed by idealized dry models. It is widely believed that tropical cyclones (TCs) are an intrinsically moist phenomenon - relying fundamentally on evaporation and latent heat release - yet recent numerical modeling work has found formation of dry axisymmetric tropical cyclones from a state of dry radiative-convective equilibrium. What can such "dry hurricanes" teach us about intensity, structure, and size of real moist tropical cyclones in nature? Are dry TCs even stable in 3D? What about surfaces that are nearly dry but have some latent heat flux - can they also support TCs? To address these questions, we use the SAM cloud-system resolving model to simulate radiative-convective equilibrium on a rapidly rotating f-plane, subject to constant tropospheric radiative cooling. We use a homogeneous surface with fixed temperature and with surface saturation vapor pressure scaled by a factor 0-1 relative to that over pure water - allowing for continuous variation between moist and dry limits. We also explore cases with surface enthalpy fluxes that are uniform in space and time, where partitioning between latent and sensible heat fluxes is specified directly. We find that a completely moist surface yields a TC-world where multiple vortices form spontaneously and persist for tens of days. A completely dry surface can also yield a parallel dry TC-world with many vortices that are even more stable and persistent. Spontaneous cyclogenesis, however, is impeded for a range of low to intermediate surface wetness values, and by the combination of large rotation rates and a dry surface. We discuss whether these constraints on spontaneous cyclogenesis might arise from: 1) rain evaporation in the subcloud layer limiting the range of viable surface wetness values, and 2) a natural convective Rossby number limiting the range of viable rotation rates. Finally, we discuss simulations with uniform surface enthalpy

  13. RELEASE OF DRIED RADIOACTIVE WASTE MATERIALS TECHNICAL BASIS DOCUMENT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    KOZLOWSKI, S.D.

    2007-01-01

    This technical basis document was developed to support RPP-23429, Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis for the Demonstration Bulk Vitrification System (PDSA) and RPP-23479, Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis for the Contact-Handled Transuranic Mixed (CH-TRUM) Waste Facility. The main document describes the risk binning process and the technical basis for assigning risk bins to the representative accidents involving the release of dried radioactive waste materials from the Demonstration Bulk Vitrification System (DBVS) and to the associated represented hazardous conditions. Appendices D through F provide the technical basis for assigning risk bins to the representative dried waste release accident and associated represented hazardous conditions for the Contact-Handled Transuranic Mixed (CH-TRUM) Waste Packaging Unit (WPU). The risk binning process uses an evaluation of the frequency and consequence of a given representative accident or represented hazardous condition to determine the need for safety structures, systems, and components (SSC) and technical safety requirement (TSR)-level controls. A representative accident or a represented hazardous condition is assigned to a risk bin based on the potential radiological and toxicological consequences to the public and the collocated worker. Note that the risk binning process is not applied to facility workers because credible hazardous conditions with the potential for significant facility worker consequences are considered for safety-significant SSCs and/or TSR-level controls regardless of their estimated frequency. The controls for protection of the facility workers are described in RPP-23429 and RPP-23479. Determination of the need for safety-class SSCs was performed in accordance with DOE-STD-3009-94, Preparation Guide for US. Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Documented Safety Analyses, as described below

  14. Non-permeable substrate carrier for electroplating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abas, Emmanuel Chua; Chen, Chen-An; Ma, Diana Xiaobing; Ganti, Kalyana Bhargava

    2012-11-27

    One embodiment relates to a substrate carrier for use in electroplating a plurality of substrates. The substrate carrier comprises a non-conductive carrier body on which the substrates are to be held. Electrically-conductive lines are embedded within the carrier body, and a plurality of contact clips are coupled to the electrically-conductive lines embedded within the carrier body. The contact clips hold the substrates in place and electrically couple the substrates to the electrically-conductive lines. The non-conductive carrier body is continuous so as to be impermeable to flow of electroplating solution through the non-conductive carrier body. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

  15. On the determination of the carrier concentration in large-grain polycrystalline InP, GaAs, and GaP by Hall effect measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siegel, W.; Kuehnel, G.; Schneider, H.A.

    1985-01-01

    Hall and conductivity measurements are performed in a wide temperature region on large-grain polycrystalline samples of n-InP, n- and p-GaAs as well as n- and p-GaP. The feasibility of Hall measurements at a given temperature depends mainly on the height PHI/sub B/ of the grain boundary potential barriers and on the average grain size. Measurements at room temperature are possible on large-grain material (average grain size 0.2 to 1 mm) for PHI/sub B/ <= 0.4 eV. For greater barrier heights elevated temperatures are necessary. If the Hall coefficient is measurable than it yields an effective carrier concentration for the polycrystalline sample which agrees well with the carrier concentration in the bulk of the grains. (author)

  16. Investigation on properties of ultrafast switching in a bulk gallium arsenide avalanche semiconductor switch

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Long; Su, Jiancang; Ding, Zhenjie; Hao, Qingsong; Yuan, Xuelin

    2014-01-01

    Properties of ultrafast switching in a bulk gallium arsenide (GaAs) avalanche semiconductor switch based on semi-insulating wafer, triggered by an optical pulse, were analyzed using physics-based numerical simulations. It has been demonstrated that when a voltage with amplitude of 5.2 kV is applied, after an exciting optical pulse with energy of 1 μJ arrival, the structure with thickness of 650 μm reaches a high conductivity state within 110 ps. Carriers are created due to photons absorption, and electrons and holes drift to anode and cathode terminals, respectively. Static ionizing domains appear both at anode and cathode terminals, and create impact-generated carriers which contribute to the formation of electron-hole plasma along entire channel. When the electric field in plasma region increases above the critical value (∼4 kV/cm) at which the electrons drift velocity peaks, a domain comes into being. An increase in carrier concentration due to avalanche multiplication in the domains reduces the domain width and results in the formation of an additional domain as soon as the field outside the domains increases above ∼4 kV/cm. The formation and evolution of multiple powerfully avalanching domains observed in the simulations are the physical reasons of ultrafast switching. The switch exhibits delayed breakdown with the characteristics affected by biased electric field, current density, and optical pulse energy. The dependence of threshold energy of the exciting optical pulse on the biased electric field is discussed

  17. Roles of Bulk and Surface Chemistry in the Oxygen Exchange Kinetics and Related Properties of Mixed Conducting Perovskite Oxide Electrodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicola H. Perry

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Mixed conducting perovskite oxides and related structures serving as electrodes for electrochemical oxygen incorporation and evolution in solid oxide fuel and electrolysis cells, respectively, play a significant role in determining the cell efficiency and lifetime. Desired improvements in catalytic activity for rapid surface oxygen exchange, fast bulk transport (electronic and ionic, and thermo-chemo-mechanical stability of oxygen electrodes will require increased understanding of the impact of both bulk and surface chemistry on these properties. This review highlights selected work at the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER, Kyushu University, set in the context of work in the broader community, aiming to characterize and understand relationships between bulk and surface composition and oxygen electrode performance. Insights into aspects of bulk point defect chemistry, electronic structure, crystal structure, and cation choice that impact carrier concentrations and mobilities, surface exchange kinetics, and chemical expansion coefficients are emerging. At the same time, an understanding of the relationship between bulk and surface chemistry is being developed that may assist design of electrodes with more robust surface chemistries, e.g., impurity tolerance or limited surface segregation. Ion scattering techniques (e.g., secondary ion mass spectrometry, SIMS, or low energy ion scattering spectroscopy, LEIS with high surface sensitivity and increasing lateral resolution are proving useful for measuring surface exchange kinetics, diffusivity, and corresponding outer monolayer chemistry of electrodes exposed to typical operating conditions. Beyond consideration of chemical composition, the use of strain and/or a high density of active interfaces also show promise for enhancing performance.

  18. Organic micropollutants in wet and dry depositions in the Venice Lagoon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gambaro, Andrea; Radaelli, Marta; Piazza, Rossano; Stortini, Angela Maria; Contini, Daniele; Belosi, Franco; Zangrando, Roberta; Cescon, Paolo

    2009-08-01

    Atmospheric transport is an important route by which pollutants are conveyed from the continents to both coastal and open sea. The role of aerosol deposition in the transport of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) and polybromodiphenyls ethers (PBDEs) to water and soil systems has been evaluated by measuring their concentrations in wet and dry depositions to the Venice Lagoon. The organic micropollutant flux data indicate that they contribute to the total deposition flux in different ways through wet and dry deposition, showing that the prevalent contribution derives from wet deposition. The fluxes calculated for PBDEs, showed the prevalence of 47, 99, 100 and 183 congeners, both in dry and wet fluxes. With regard to PCBs, the flux of summation operatorPCB for wet deposition is in the same order of magnitude of the diffusive flux at the air-water interface. The PAH fluxes obtained in the present study are similar to those obtained in previous studies on the atmospheric bulk deposition to the Venice Lagoon. The ratios between Phe/Ant and Fl/Py indicate that the pollutants sources are pyrolytic, deriving from combustion fuels.

  19. In vitro and in vivo antitumor efficacy of berberine-nanostructured lipid carriers against H22 tumor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhi-ping; Wu, Jun-biao; Chen, Tong-sheng; Zhou, Qun; Wang, Yi-fei

    2015-03-01

    Hepatocarcinoma, a malignant cancer, threaten human life badly. It is a current issue to seek the effective natural remedy from plant to treat cancer due to the resistance of the advanced hepatocarcinoma to chemotherapy. Berberine (Ber), an isoquinoline derivative alkaloid, has a wide range of pharmacological properties and is considered to have anti-hepatocarcinoma effects. However its low oral bioavailability restricts its wide application. In this report, Ber loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (Ber-NLC) was prepared by hot melting and then high pressure homogenization technique. Both in vitro and in vivo anti-hepatocarcinoma effects of Ber-NLC relative to efficacy of bulk Ber were evaluated. The particle size and zeta potential of Ber-NLC were 189.3 nm and -19.3 mV, respectively. MTT assay showed that Ber-NLC effectively inhibited the proliferation of H22 cells, and the corresponding IC50 values were 6.3 μg/ml (22.1 μg/ml of bulk Ber). In vivo studies also showed higher antitumor efficacy, and inhibition rates was 68.3 % (41.4 % of bulk Ber) at 100 mg/kg intragastric administration in the H22 solid tumor bearing mice. These results suggest that the delivery of Ber-NLC is a promising approach for treating tumors.

  20. Gas Dispersion in Granular Porous Media under Air-Dry and Wet Conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Naveed, Muhammad; Hamamoto, S; Kawamoto, K

    2012-01-01

    Subsurface gaseous-phase transport is governed by three gas transport parameters: the air permeability coefficient (ka), gas diffusion coefficient (DP), and gas dispersion coefficient (DH). Among these, DH is the least understood due to hitherto limited research into the relationship between gas...... dispersion and soil physical characteristics. In this study, a series of advection–dispersion experiments was performed on granular porous media to identify the effects of soil column dimensions (length and diameter), particle size and shape, dry bulk density, and moisture content on the magnitude of gas...... dispersion. Glass beads and various sands of different shapes (angular and rounded) with mean particle diameters (d50) ranging from 0.19 to 1.51 mm at both air-dry and variable moisture contents were used as granular porous media. Gas dispersion coefficients and gas dispersivities (a = DH/v, where v...

  1. Hydrogen iodide-based dry etching of GaAs, InP, and related compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pearton, S.J.; Chakrabarti, U.K.; Hobson, W.S.; Abernathy, C.R.; Katz, A.; Ren, F.; Fullowan, T.R.; Perley, A.P.

    1992-01-01

    In this paper HI/H 2 /Ar discharges are shown to be universal etchants for III-V semiconductors, giving rise to highly anisotropic features with smooth surface morphologies. At low dc Self bias (-V) and low pressure (1 mTorr), etch rates for all III-V materials of >2000 Angstrom · min -1 are possible for high HI percentages in the discharges, whereas rates greater than 1 μm · min -1 are obtained at higher pressures and dc biases. These etch rates are approximately an order of magnitude faster than for CH 4 /H 2 Ar mixtures under the same conditions and there is no polymer deposition on the mask or within the reactor chamber with HI/H 2 /Ar. Auger electron spectroscopy reveals residue-free, stoichiometric surfaces after dry etching in this mixture. As a result, photoluminescent intensities from dry etched samples remain high with little apparent damage introduction. Changes in the near-surface carrier concentration due to hydrogen passivation effects are also negligible with HI-based mixtures in comparison to CH 4 -based dry etching

  2. Developing bulk exchange spring magnets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mccall, Scott K.; Kuntz, Joshua D.

    2017-06-27

    A method of making a bulk exchange spring magnet by providing a magnetically soft material, providing a hard magnetic material, and producing a composite of said magnetically soft material and said hard magnetic material to make the bulk exchange spring magnet. The step of producing a composite of magnetically soft material and hard magnetic material is accomplished by electrophoretic deposition of the magnetically soft material and the hard magnetic material to make the bulk exchange spring magnet.

  3. Bioremediation of oil sludge contaminated soil using bulking agent mixture enriched consortia of microbial inoculants based by irradiated compost

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tri Retno, D.L.; Mulyana, N.

    2013-01-01

    Bulking agent mixture enriched consortia of microbial inoculants based by irradiated compost was used on bioremediation of microcosm scale contaminated by hydrocarbon soil. Bioremediation composting was carried out for 42 days. Composting was done with a mixture of bulking agent (sawdust, residual sludge biogas and compost) by 30%, mud petroleum (oil sludge) by 20% and 50% of soil. Mixture of 80% soil and 20% oil sludge was used as a control. Irradiated compost was used as a carrier for consortia of microbial inoculants (F + B) which biodegradable hydrocarbons. Treatment variations include A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1 and D2. Process parameters were observed to determine the optimal conditions include: temperature, pH, water content, TPC (Total Plate Count) and degradation of % TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon). Optimal conditions were achieved in the remediation of oil sludge contamination of 20% using the B2 treatment with the addition consortia of microbial inoculants based by irradiated compost of sawdust (bulking agentby 30% at concentrations of soil by 50% with TPH degradation optimal efficiency of 81.32%. The result of GC-MS analysis showed that bioremediation for 42 days by using a sawdust as a mixture of bulking agents which enriched consortia of microbial inoculants based by irradiated compost is biodegradeable, so initial hydrocarbons with the distribution of the carbon chain C-7 to C-54 into final hydrocarbons with the distribution of carbon chain C-6 to C-8. (author)

  4. Mapping Carrier Dynamics on Material Surfaces in Space and Time using Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscopy

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Jingya; Adhikari, Aniruddha; Shaheen, Basamat; Yang, Haoze; Mohammed, Omar F.

    2016-01-01

    Selectively capturing the ultrafast dynamics of charge carriers on materials surfaces and at interfaces is crucial to the design of solar cells and optoelectronic devices. Despite extensive research efforts over the past few decades, information and understanding about surface-dynamical processes, including carrier trapping and recombination remains extremely limited. A key challenge is to selectively map such dynamic processes, a capability that is hitherto impractical by time-resolved laser techniques, which are limited by the laser’s relatively large penetration depth and consequently they record mainly bulk information. Such surface dynamics can only be mapped in real space and time by applying four-dimensional (4D) scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (S-UEM), which records snapshots of materials surfaces with nanometer spatial and sub-picosecond temporal resolutions. In this method, the secondary electron (SE) signal emitted from the sample’s surface is extremely sensitive to the surface dynamics and is detected in real time. In several unique applications, we spatially and temporally visualize the SE energy gain and loss, the charge carrier dynamics on the surface of InGaN nanowires and CdSe single crystals and its powder film. We also provide the mechanisms for the observed dynamics, which will be the foundation for future potential applications of S-UEM to a wide range of studies on material surfaces and device interfaces.

  5. Mapping Carrier Dynamics on Material Surfaces in Space and Time using Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscopy

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Jingya

    2016-02-25

    Selectively capturing the ultrafast dynamics of charge carriers on materials surfaces and at interfaces is crucial to the design of solar cells and optoelectronic devices. Despite extensive research efforts over the past few decades, information and understanding about surface-dynamical processes, including carrier trapping and recombination remains extremely limited. A key challenge is to selectively map such dynamic processes, a capability that is hitherto impractical by time-resolved laser techniques, which are limited by the laser’s relatively large penetration depth and consequently they record mainly bulk information. Such surface dynamics can only be mapped in real space and time by applying four-dimensional (4D) scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (S-UEM), which records snapshots of materials surfaces with nanometer spatial and sub-picosecond temporal resolutions. In this method, the secondary electron (SE) signal emitted from the sample’s surface is extremely sensitive to the surface dynamics and is detected in real time. In several unique applications, we spatially and temporally visualize the SE energy gain and loss, the charge carrier dynamics on the surface of InGaN nanowires and CdSe single crystals and its powder film. We also provide the mechanisms for the observed dynamics, which will be the foundation for future potential applications of S-UEM to a wide range of studies on material surfaces and device interfaces.

  6. Modelling of bulk superconductor magnetization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ainslie, M D; Fujishiro, H

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents a topical review of the current state of the art in modelling the magnetization of bulk superconductors, including both (RE)BCO (where RE = rare earth or Y) and MgB 2 materials. Such modelling is a powerful tool to understand the physical mechanisms of their magnetization, to assist in interpretation of experimental results, and to predict the performance of practical bulk superconductor-based devices, which is particularly important as many superconducting applications head towards the commercialization stage of their development in the coming years. In addition to the analytical and numerical techniques currently used by researchers for modelling such materials, the commonly used practical techniques to magnetize bulk superconductors are summarized with a particular focus on pulsed field magnetization (PFM), which is promising as a compact, mobile and relatively inexpensive magnetizing technique. A number of numerical models developed to analyse the issues related to PFM and optimise the technique are described in detail, including understanding the dynamics of the magnetic flux penetration and the influence of material inhomogeneities, thermal properties, pulse duration, magnitude and shape, and the shape of the magnetization coil(s). The effect of externally applied magnetic fields in different configurations on the attenuation of the trapped field is also discussed. A number of novel and hybrid bulk superconductor structures are described, including improved thermal conductivity structures and ferromagnet–superconductor structures, which have been designed to overcome some of the issues related to bulk superconductors and their magnetization and enhance the intrinsic properties of bulk superconductors acting as trapped field magnets. Finally, the use of hollow bulk cylinders/tubes for shielding is analysed. (topical review)

  7. Mining the bulk positron lifetime

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aourag, H.; Guittom, A.

    2009-01-01

    We introduce a new approach to investigate the bulk positron lifetimes of new systems based on data-mining techniques. Through data mining of bulk positron lifetimes, we demonstrate the ability to predict the positron lifetimes of new semiconductors on the basis of available semiconductor data already studied. Informatics techniques have been applied to bulk positron lifetimes for different tetrahedrally bounded semiconductors in order to discover computational design rules. (copyright 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  8. Understanding bulk behavior of particulate materials from particle scale simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Xiaoliang

    Particulate materials play an increasingly significant role in various industries, such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, food, mining, and civil engineering. The objective of this research is to better understand bulk behaviors of particulate materials from particle scale simulations. Packing properties of assembly of particles are investigated first, focusing on the effects of particle size, surface energy, and aspect ratio on the coordination number, porosity, and packing structures. The simulation results show that particle sizes, surface energy, and aspect ratio all influence the porosity of packing to various degrees. The heterogeneous force networks within particle assembly under external compressive loading are investigated as well. The results show that coarse-coarse contacts dominate the strong network and coarse-fine contacts dominate the total network. Next, DEM models are developed to simulate the particle dynamics inside a conical screen mill (comil) and magnetically assisted impaction mixer (MAIM), both are important particle processing devices. For comil, the mean residence time (MRT), spatial distribution of particles, along with the collision dynamics between particles as well as particle and vessel geometries are examined as a function of the various operating parameters such as impeller speed, screen hole size, open area, and feed rate. The simulation results can help better understand dry coating experimental results using comil. For MAIM system, the magnetic force is incorporated into the contact model, allowing to describe the interactions between magnets. The simulation results reveal the connections between homogeneity of mixture and particle scale variables such as size of magnets and surface energy of non-magnets. In particular, at the fixed mass ratio of magnets to non-magnets and surface energy the smaller magnets lead to better homogeneity of mixing, which is in good agreement with previously published experimental results. Last but not

  9. Drying of α-amylase by spray drying and freeze-drying - a comparative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. S. de Jesus

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available This study is aimed at comparing two traditional methods of drying of enzymes and at verifying the efficiency of each one and their advantages and disadvantages. The experiments were performed with a laboratory spray dryer and freeze-dryer using α-amylase as the model enzyme. An experimental design in star revealed that spray drying is mainly influenced by the inlet air temperature and feed flow rate, which were considered to be the main factors influencing the enzymatic activity and water activity; the long period of material exposure to high temperatures causes a partial activity loss. In the experiments of freeze drying, three methods of freezing were used (freezer, acetone and dry ice, and liquid nitrogen and samples subsequently freeze-dried for times ranging between 0-24 hours. The product obtained from the two techniques showed high enzymatic activity and low water activity. For the drying of heat-resistant enzymes, in which the product to be obtained does not have high added value, spray drying may be more economically viable because, in the freeze drying process, the process time can be considered as a limiting factor when choosing a technique.

  10. The influence of high shear mixing on ternary dry powder inhaler formulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hertel, Mats; Schwarz, Eugen; Kobler, Mirjam; Hauptstein, Sabine; Steckel, Hartwig; Scherließ, Regina

    2017-12-20

    The blending process is a key step in the production of dry powder inhaler formulations, but only little is known about the influence of process parameters. This is especially true for high shear blending of ternary formulations. For this reason, this study aims to investigate the influence of high shear mixing process parameters (mixing time and rotation speed) on the fine particle fraction (FPF) of ternary mixtures when using budesonide as model drug, two different carrier materials and two different mixing orders. Prolonged mixing time and higher rotation speeds led to lower FPFs, possibly due to higher press-on forces acting on the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). In addition, a clear correlation between the energy consumption of the blender (the energy input into the blend) and the reduction of the FPF could be shown. Furthermore blending the carrier and the fines before adding the API was also found to be favorable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. 7 CFR 33.4 - Carrier.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Carrier. 33.4 Section 33.4 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing... ISSUED UNDER AUTHORITY OF THE EXPORT APPLE ACT Definitions § 33.4 Carrier. Carrier means any common or...

  12. Intensifying drying process with creation of functional plant compositions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zh. Petrova

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. The process of drying agricultural raw products is associated with loss of bioactive substances by the products exposed to heat, light, oxygen, or рН medium. It is reasonable to enhance the table beet processing technology in order to achieve maximum betanin conservation at lower energy consumption. Materials and methods. Table beets, rhubarbs, lemons, and tomatoes were dried at temperature of 50 to 100 ºС, air speed of 1.5 to 3.5 m/s, heat carrier water content of 7 to 15 g/kg, and layer thickness of 2 to 20 mm. The betanіn content was determined via absorption spectra, using the optical density value at 540 nm wavelength. A differential microcalorimeter was used for measuring evaporation heat consumption. Results and discussion.The effect of raw product pre-drying preparation was studied. With no preliminary preparation, the loss of betanin after drying reaches 66 %. The preliminary preparation technology we have developed includes boiling whole root crops with optimal selection of acid medium and allows us to reduce the betanin loss down to 6 %. Regretfully, the process requires large energy consumption. Low energy consumption pre-drying preparation method was developed for antioxidant raw products with thermal processing replaced by blending. The betanin loss, in this case, does not exceed 5 %. Optimal drying temperature of betanin-containing raw stock, after its preliminary processing, is 60 °С. It allows to keep up to 95 % of betanіn. Specific heat consumption for water evaporation out of the developed table beet based antioxidant plant compositions, with addition of rhubarb and lemon, is less by 4 to 5 % as compared to the initial components. Conclusions. Dependence of betanin loss in plant raw stock on the material temperature and composition components, in the course of their pre-drying preparation, was found. It was also found that water evaporation heat, for some antioxidant plant compositions developed, is less

  13. Low-cost carriers fare competition effect

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carmona Benitez, R.B.; Lodewijks, G.

    2010-01-01

    This paper examines the effects that low-cost carriers (LCC’s) produce when entering new routes operated only by full-service carriers (FSC’s) and routes operated by low-cost carriers in competition with full-service carriers. A mathematical model has been developed to determine what routes should

  14. Soil aggregate formation: the role of wetting-drying cycles in the genesis of interparticle bonding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albalasmeh, Ammar; Ghezzehei, Teamrat

    2013-04-01

    Soil structure influences many soil properties including aeration, water retention, drainage, bulk density, and resistance to erosion and indirectly influences most biological and chemical processes that occur in and around soil. In nature, soil is continually exposed to wetting (e.g., rainfall and diffusive flow) and drying (e.g., evaporation, diffusive flow and plant uptake). These natural wetting and drying cycles of soils are physical events that profoundly affect the development of soil structure, aggregate stability, carbon (C) flux and mineralization. We hypothesize that drying of capillary water transports suspended and/or dissolved cementing agents toward inter-particle contacts and eventually deposits part of the colloidal mass forming inter-particle bonds. Here, we will show the role of wetting and drying cycles on soil aggregation and stabilization and how these cycles transport and deposit organic cementing agents at the inter-particle contact. We found that aggregates of sand and silt particles can be formed by subjecting loose particles to wetting-drying cycles in the presence of dilute solutions of organic matter that mimic root or microbial exudates. Moreover, majority of the organic matter was deposited in the contact region between the sand particles, where the water accumulates during drying. The model predictions and aggregate stability measurements are supported by scanning electron micrographs that clearly show the process of aggregate formation.

  15. Estimating Motor Carrier Management Information System Crash File Underreporting from Carrier Records.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-08-01

    This FMCSA-sponsored research investigated the claim that motor carriers have a substantial number of crashes in their own records that are not contained in the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) crash file. Based on the results of t...

  16. Solution processed organic bulk heterojunction tandem solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Albrecht, Steve; Neher, Dieter [Soft Matter Physics, University of Potsdam, D-14476 Potsdam (Germany)

    2011-07-01

    One of the critical issues regarding the preparation of organic tandem solar cells from solution is the central recombination contact. This contact should be highly transparent and conductive to provide high recombination currents. Moreover it should protect the 1st subcell from the solution processing of the 2nd subcell. Here, we present a systematic study of various recombination contacts in organic bulk heterojunction tandem solar cells made from blends of different polymers with PCBM. We compare solution processed recombination contacts fabricated from metal-oxides (TiO{sub 2} and ZnO) and PEDOT:PSS with evaporated recombination contacts made from thin metal layers and molybdenum-oxide. The solar cell characteristics as well as the morphology of the contacts measured by AFM and SEM are illustrated. To compare the electrical properties of the varying contacts we show measurements on single carrier devices for different contact-structures. Alongside we present the results of optical modeling of the subcells and the complete tandem device and relate these results to experimental absorption and reflection spectra of the same structures. Based on these studies, layer thicknesses were adjusted for optimum current matching and device performance.

  17. Effect of processing history on the surface interfacial properties of budesonide in carrier-based dry-powder inhalers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shur, Jagdeep; Pitchayajittipong, Chonladda; Rogueda, Philippe; Price, Robert

    2013-08-01

    Influence of air-jet micronization, post-micronization conditioning and storage on the surface properties of budesonide in dry-powder inhaler formulations was investigated. Crystalline budesonide was air jet-micronized and conditioned using organic vapor. Particle engineering was also used to fabricate respirable particles of budesonide. Surface imaging by atomic force microscopy suggested that micronized material possessed process-induced surface disorder, which relaxed upon conditioning with organic vapor. Particle engineered material was devoid of such surface disorder. Surface interfacial properties of all batches were different and correlated to in vitro fine particle delivery. The surface properties and in vitro performance of the conditioned material changed upon storage of the budesonide at 44% relative humidity and 25°C, while the micronized and particle-engineered material remained stable. These data suggest that processing conditions of budesonide affected the surface properties of the material, which was demonstrated to have direct affect on dry-powder inhaler formulation performance.

  18. Comparison between dry deposition fluxes measured with water and solid surfaces, and estimated by an inferential model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balestrini, R.; Consuma, A.; Polesello, S.; Tartari, G. [Istituto di Ricerca sulle Acque, Brugherio, MI (Italy)

    2000-08-01

    The quantification of the dry atmospheric input to natural surfaces is currently a complete task. In this study a water surface sampler (Das) was used contemporary to conventional solid surface samplers (wet and dry and bulk) to monitor the dry deposition in a densely inhabited and industrialised area. The dry contribution to the total deposition was 33-56% for sulfate, 11-39% for ammonium and 18-28% for nitrate ion, depending on the measurement technique. Among the three samplers, the Das one was the most efficient to collect sulfate, ammonium and nitrate. The comparison of the seasonal trends showed that the dry collector using a polyethylene surface, collected mainly aerosol particles of ammonium sulfate, while the aqueous surface of Das sampler was able to sample also the gaseous form of the pollutants. Sulfate and nitrate flux values determined from direct measurements were also compared with those obtained by a resistance model. The sulphate measured values fitted quite well with those predicted from the model showing similar seasonal variations. The quantitative differences observed in winter could be due to an increase in the acidity of water, used as collecting medium, which lowered the solubility of gaseous sulphur dioxide. In order to investigate the effect of water acidity on the deposition on a water body, a series of experiments were carried out. [Italian] La quantificazione della deposizione secca costituisce, ancora oggi, un'operazione complessa. Tre tipi di campionatori, rispettivamente con una superficie acquosa (Das) e con superfici solide in polietilene (wet and dry e bulk) sono stati impiegati per misurare la deposizione secca in un'area densamente antropizzata. Il contributo della deposizione secca alla deposizione totale e' risultato compreso tra 33 e 56% per i solfati, tra 11 e 39% per l'ammonio e tra 18 e il 28% per i nitrati, secondo la tecnica di campionamento. Il campionatore Das si e' dimostrato il piu

  19. Optimization, formulation, and characterization of multiflavonoids-loaded flavanosome by bulk or sequential technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karthivashan G

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Govindarajan Karthivashan,1 Mas Jaffri Masarudin,2 Aminu Umar Kura,1 Faridah Abas,3,4 Sharida Fakurazi1,5 1Laboratory of Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, Institute of Bioscience, 2Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, 3Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, 4Laboratory of Natural Products, Institute of Bioscience, 5Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Abstract: This study involves adaptation of bulk or sequential technique to load multiple flavonoids in a single phytosome, which can be termed as “flavonosome”. Three widely established and therapeutically valuable flavonoids, such as quercetin (Q, kaempferol (K, and apigenin (A, were quantified in the ethyl acetate fraction of Moringa oleifera leaves extract and were commercially obtained and incorporated in a single flavonosome (QKA–phosphatidylcholine through four different methods of synthesis – bulk (M1 and serialized (M2 co-sonication and bulk (M3 and sequential (M4 co-loading. The study also established an optimal formulation method based on screening the synthesized flavonosomes with respect to their size, charge, polydispersity index, morphology, drug–carrier interaction, antioxidant potential through in vitro 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl kinetics, and cytotoxicity evaluation against human hepatoma cell line (HepaRG. Furthermore, entrapment and loading efficiency of flavonoids in the optimal flavonosome have been identified. Among the four synthesis methods, sequential loading technique has been optimized as the best method for the synthesis of QKA–phosphatidylcholine flavonosome, which revealed an average diameter of 375.93±33.61 nm, with a zeta potential of -39.07±3.55 mV, and the entrapment efficiency was >98% for all the flavonoids, whereas the drug-loading capacity of Q, K, and A was 31.63%±0

  20. Charge carrier transport and photogeneration in P3HT:PCBM photovoltaic blends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laquai, Frédéric; Andrienko, Denis; Mauer, Ralf; Blom, Paul W M

    2015-06-01

    This article reviews the charge transport and photogeneration in bulk-heterojunction solar cells made from blend films of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (RR-P3HT) and methano-fullerene (PCBM). The charge transport, specifically the hole mobility in the RR-P3HT phase of the polymer:fullerene photovoltaic blend, is dramatically affected by thermal annealing. The hole mobility increases more than three orders of magnitude and reaches a value of up to 2 × 10(-4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) after the thermal annealing process as a result of an improved semi-crystallinity of the film. This significant increase of the hole mobility balances the electron and hole mobilities in a photovoltaic blend in turn reducing space-charge formation, and this is the most important factor for the strong enhancement of the photovoltaic efficiency compared to an as cast, that is, non-annealed device. In fact, the balanced charge carrier mobility in RR-P3HT:PCBM blends in combination with a field- and temperature-independent charge carrier generation and greatly reduced non-geminate recombination explains the large quantum efficiencies mea-sured in P3HT:PCBM photovoltaic devices. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Handling of bulk solids theory and practice

    CERN Document Server

    Shamlou, P A

    1990-01-01

    Handling of Bulk Solids provides a comprehensive discussion of the field of solids flow and handling in the process industries. Presentation of the subject follows classical lines of separate discussions for each topic, so each chapter is self-contained and can be read on its own. Topics discussed include bulk solids flow and handling properties; pressure profiles in bulk solids storage vessels; the design of storage silos for reliable discharge of bulk materials; gravity flow of particulate materials from storage vessels; pneumatic transportation of bulk solids; and the hazards of solid-mater

  2. Carrier transport uphill. I. General

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rosenberg, T; Wilbrandt, W

    1963-01-01

    A quantitative treatment of a carrier pump operating with two carrier forms C and Z is presented. Asymmetric metabolic reactions are assumed to transform Z into C on one and C into Z on the other side of the membrane, establishing a carrier cycle. The kinetical consequences of this mechanism...

  3. Ferromagnetic bulk glassy alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, Akihisa; Makino, Akihiro; Mizushima, Takao

    2000-01-01

    This paper deals with the review on the formation, thermal stability and magnetic properties of the Fe-based bulk glassy alloys in as-cast bulk and melt-spun ribbon forms. A large supercooled liquid region over 50 K before crystallization was obtained in Fe-(Al, Ga)-(P, C, B, Si), Fe-(Cr, Mo, Nb)-(Al, Ga)-(P, C, B) and (Fe, Co, Ni)-Zr-M-B (M=Ti, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo and W) systems and bulk glassy alloys were produced in a thickness range below 2 mm for the Fe-(Al, Ga)-(P, C, B, Si) system and 6 mm for the Fe-Co-(Zr, Nb, Ta)-(Mo, W)-B system by copper-mold casting. The ring-shaped glassy Fe-(Al, Ga)-(P, C, B, Si) alloys exhibit much better soft magnetic properties as compared with the ring-shaped alloy made from the melt-spun ribbon because of the formation of the unique domain structure. The good combination of high glass-forming ability and good soft magnetic properties indicates the possibility of future development as a new bulk glassy magnetic material

  4. Spectrochemical carriers and the matrix effect: contribution to the spectrographic analysis study of general impurities at trace level in nuclearly pure thorium compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lordello, A.R.

    1979-01-01

    The relative effectiveness of twenty spectrochemical carriers related to the volatilization behavior of twenty seven general impurities from thorium oxide matrices was studied by means of the moving plate technique. Each carrier was employed in three different concentrations, 2%, 4% and 6%. The relative areas of the volatilization curves have been used for comparing the results. Many experiments were also done to demonstrate the 'matrix effect' in samples having the same chemical composition. The importance of chemical and physical treatments, prior and during the preparation of the thorium oxide, was investigated through a large number of samples by submitting them to spectrochemical analysis. Thorium nitrate and two different thorium oxalate samples, one of which dried in a medium of pH 10, were ignited to ThO 2 according to a temperature versus time program. The presence of nitric acid in thorium nitrate solutions was also studied in connection with the matrix effect. A carrier-distillation method for the determination of twenty five trace elements in thorium compounds was also suggested. Several types of standards had been investigated but the best results were achieved with those prepared from thorium nitrate solutions. Some elements can be determined only by standards synthesized by the dry-mixing technique. The suggested carriers are: 2% NaF (for Ba, Cr, Mg, Sn, V, Cu, Ti, Sr, Mn, Al, Pb, Bi, Ca, Ag, Be, Sb, As, Si, and B), 4% NaCl (for Cd, Co, Fe, Zn and Ni) and 4% KCi (for Na). The method fulfils the requirements of sensitivity for the analysis of trace elements in nuclear grade thorium compounds. (Author) [pt

  5. Inert carriers for column extraction chromatography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katykhin, G.S.

    1978-01-01

    Inert carriers used in column extraction chromatography are reviewed. Such carriers are devided into two large groups: hydrophilic carriers which possess high surface energy and are well wetted only with strongly polar liquids (kieselguhrs, silica gels, glasses, cellulose, Al 2 O 3 ) and water-repellent carriers which possess low surface energy and are well wetted with various organic solvents (polyethylene, polytetrafluorethylene polytrifluorochlorethylene). Properties of various carriers are presented: structure, chemical and radiation stability, adsorption properties, extracting agent capacity. The effect of structure and sizes of particles on the efficiency of chromatography columns is considered. Ways of immovable phase deposition on the carrier and the latter's regeneration. Peculiarities of column packing for preparative and continuous chromatography are discussed

  6. Effect of paddy drying depth using open-sun drying on drying time ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The smallholder rice farmers in the Uganda dry their paddy using open-sun drying method. In most cases the paddy is badly dried and has very high fissure levels. Such paddy on milling contributes to low levels of mill recovery and whole grain in the milled rice. This study was therefore done to find a recommendable ...

  7. Joint Iterative Carrier Synchronization and Signal Detection for Dual Carrier 448 Gb/s PDM 16-QAM

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zibar, Darko; Carvalho, Luis; Estaran Tolosa, Jose Manuel

    2013-01-01

    Soft decision driven joint carrier synchronization and signal detection, employing expectation maximization, is experimentally demonstrated. Employing soft decisions offers an improvement of 0.5 dB compared to hard decision digital PLL based carrier synchronization and demodulation.......Soft decision driven joint carrier synchronization and signal detection, employing expectation maximization, is experimentally demonstrated. Employing soft decisions offers an improvement of 0.5 dB compared to hard decision digital PLL based carrier synchronization and demodulation....

  8. Developing Optimal Combination of Bulking Agents in an In-Vessel Composting of Vegetable Waste

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. C. Monson

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the study is to determine the optimum combination of feed stock components for composting the organic solid waste, a prerequisite for effective microbial degradation and for obtaining quality compost. Combination of dry leaves with locally available bulking agents like sawdust, wood shavings, paddy straw, sugarcane bagasse and rice husk are composted along with vegetable waste in a laboratory scale reactor for the study. The central core of composting process is replicated in controlled conditions in the in-vessel by keeping initial feed stock C/N ratio fixed between 30 and 35. The study is monitored for 14 days for the variations in temperature, pH, moisture and macronutrients C and N of the compost. It is found that composting vegetable waste with the combination of paddy straw and dry leaves provided best results of C/N ratio of 17.58 confirming that, if right feedstock components are provided, an effective environment for the growth of microorganisms is achieved to accelerate the process to produce a resultant C/N ratio acceptable to be used as compost.

  9. LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS (LNG CARRIERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Posavec

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Modern liquefied natural gas carriers are double-bottom ships classified according to the type of LNG tank. The tanks are specially designed to store natural gas cooled to -161°C, the boiling point of methane. Since LNG is highly flammable, special care must be taken when designing and operating the ship. The development of LNG carriers has begun in the middle of the twentieth century. LNG carrier storage space has gradually grown to the current maximum of 260000 m3. There are more than 300 LNG carriers currently in operation (the paper is published in Croatian.

  10. Bulk Decay of (4 + n)-Dimensional Simply Rotating Black Holes: Tensor-Type Gravitons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pappas, Nikolaos, E-mail: npappas@cc.uoi.gr [Division of Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics, University of Ioannina, Ioannina GR-45110 (Greece)

    2011-02-01

    We study the emission in the bulk of tensor-type gravitons by a simply rotating (4 + n)-dimensional black hole. The decoupling of the radial and angular part of the graviton field equation makes it possible to solve them analytically (in the limit of low-energy emitted particles and low-angular momentum of the black hole) and find the corresponding absorption probability. We also move to solve these equations numerically. The comparison between analytic and numerical results shows a very good agreement in low and intermediate energy regimes. Finally, the energy and angular momentum emission rates were calculated in order to explore their dependence on the number of additional spacelike dimensions of the spacetime background and the angular momentum of the black hole. Interesting conclusions about the significance of tensor-type gravitons as energy carriers in the context of Hawking radiation were reached.

  11. Bulk Decay of (4 + n)-Dimensional Simply Rotating Black Holes: Tensor-Type Gravitons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pappas, Nikolaos

    2011-01-01

    We study the emission in the bulk of tensor-type gravitons by a simply rotating (4 + n)-dimensional black hole. The decoupling of the radial and angular part of the graviton field equation makes it possible to solve them analytically (in the limit of low-energy emitted particles and low-angular momentum of the black hole) and find the corresponding absorption probability. We also move to solve these equations numerically. The comparison between analytic and numerical results shows a very good agreement in low and intermediate energy regimes. Finally, the energy and angular momentum emission rates were calculated in order to explore their dependence on the number of additional spacelike dimensions of the spacetime background and the angular momentum of the black hole. Interesting conclusions about the significance of tensor-type gravitons as energy carriers in the context of Hawking radiation were reached.

  12. Radiological assessment of petroleum pipe scale waste streams from dry rattling operations - 16323

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamilton, Ian S.; Arno, Matthew G.; Fruchtnicht, Erich H.; Berry, Robert O.

    2009-01-01

    Petroleum pipe scale consists of inorganic solids, such as barium sulfate. These solids can precipitate out of brine solutions that are pumped out of oil wells as part of normal oil field operations. The precipitates can nucleate on down hole pipe walls, causing the buildup of hard scales in some tubular in a pipe string, while leaving others virtually untouched. Once the scale buildup is sufficient to restrict flow in the string significantly, the tubular are removed from service. Once removed, tubular are transported to storage yards for storage, subsequent inspection, and possible recycling. Many of the tubular are never returned to service, either because the threads were too damaged, pipe walls too thin, or the scale buildup too thick. Historically, the tubular refurbishment industry used primarily one of two processes, either a high-pressure water lance or a dry, abrasive 'rattling' process to ream pipes free of scale buildup. The dry rattling process was primarily for touching up new pipes that have rusted slightly during storage; however, pipes with varying levels of scale were reamed, leaving only a thin coating of scale on the inner diameter, and then returned to service. Chemically, radium is an analog for barium, and radium is present in parts-per-million quantities in the brines produced from downhole pumping operations. Thus, some of the scales contain radium salts. When the radium-bearing scales are reamed with a dry process there is the possibility of generating radioactive aerosols, as well as bulk waste materials. At Texas A and M University, and under the university's radioactive materials broad scope license, an outdoor laboratory was constructed and operated with dry rattling equipment restored to the 'as was' condition typical of historical pipe cleaning yards. A battery of measurements were obtained to determine the radiological and aerodynamic properties of scale-waste products liberated from the inner surfaces of a variety of tubular

  13. Semiconducting lithium indium diselenide: Charge-carrier properties and the impacts of high flux thermal neutron irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamm, Daniel S.; Rust, Mikah; Herrera, Elan H.; Matei, Liviu; Buliga, Vladimir; Groza, Michael; Burger, Arnold; Stowe, Ashley; Preston, Jeff; Lukosi, Eric D.

    2018-06-01

    This paper reports on the charge carrier properties of several lithium indium diselenide (LISe) semiconductors. It was found that the charge collection efficiency of LISe was improved after high flux thermal neutron irradiation including the presence of a typically unobservable alpha peak from hole-only collection. Charge carrier trap energies of the irradiated sample were measured using photo-induced current transient spectroscopy. Compared to previous studies of this material, no significant differences in trap energies were observed. Through trap-filled limited voltage measurements, neutron irradiation was found to increase the density of trap states within the bulk of the semiconductor, which created a polarization effect under alpha exposure but not neutron exposure. Further, the charge collection efficiency of the irradiated sample was higher (14-15 fC) than that of alpha particles (3-5 fC), indicating that an increase in hole signal contribution resulted from the neutron irradiation. Finally, it was observed that significant charge loss takes place near the point of generation, producing a significant scintillation response and artificially inflating the W-value of all semiconducting LISe crystals.

  14. Comparison of damage introduced into GaN/AlGaN/GaN heterostructures using selective dry etch recipes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, R T; Luxmoore, I J; Houston, P A; Ranalli, F; Wang, T; Parbrook, P J; Uren, M J; Wallis, D J; Martin, T

    2009-01-01

    A SiCl 4 /SF 6 dry etch plasma recipe is presented giving a selectivity of 14:1 between GaN and AlGaN. Using a leakage test structure, which enables bulk and surface leakage components to be identified independently, the optimized recipe is compared to an un-etched sample and devices recessed using a Cl 2 /Ar/O 2 -based plasma chemistry. Devices etched using the SiCl 4 /SF 6 recipe demonstrated reduced bulk and surface leakage currents when operated over a wide range of temperatures. Consequently the SiCl 4 /SF 6 recipe is identified as most suitable for the fabrication of gate recessed AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

  15. Air Carrier Traffic Statistics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-01

    This report contains airline operating statistics for large certificated air carriers based on data reported to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) by carriers that hold a certificate issued under Section 401 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 a...

  16. Air Carrier Traffic Statistics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-01

    This report contains airline operating statistics for large certificated air carriers based on data reported to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) by carriers that hold a certificate issued under Section 401 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 a...

  17. Neutron Gauge Calibration Curve as Affected by Chloride Concentration and Bulk Density of Loam Soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    AL-Hasani, A.A.; Fahad, A.A.; Shihab, R.M.

    2010-01-01

    chloride concentration and bulk density are considered among important factors affecting calibration curve of neutron gauge in the soil.The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chloride concentration and bulk density of a loam soil on neutron gauge calibration curve.Sufficient amount of loam soil was air dried screened through a 2 mm sieve,and divided into three equal portions.Sodium chloride of 2.5 and 6.6g kg'-1 soil was added to the first and second portions,respectively.The third portion was left as a control.The soil then moistened and mixed well to make volumetric water content within the range of 0.01 to 0.24 cm 3 cm - 3. The moist soil was packed into an iron drum 0.80 m diameter and 1.00 m height to obtain bulk densities of 1.10 and 1.30 to 1.60 Mg m - 3 for uncompacted soil,respectively.Access tube 0.05 m inner diameter was installed in the center of the drum.Three readings from CPN 503 neutron gauge were taken at each 0.15,0.30, 0.45,and 0.75 m depth.Results indicated that the count (counts/standard count) for an aqueous solution decreased with the increase in chloride concentration.Similarly, the slope of the linear calibration curves of the investigated soil decreased with the increase in chloride concentration.Shifting of the curves was 9 to 10%for the uncompacted soil, whereas it was 12 to 14 % for the compacted of low and high concentration of chloride, respectively . Results of changing bulk density always reduced the slope value as compared with the uncorrected count ratio.

  18. The respective roles of bulk friction and slip velocity during a granular mass flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staron, Lydie

    2016-04-01

    Catastrophic granular mass flows form an important natural hazard. Mitigation has motivated numerous studies on the properties of natural granular flows, and in particular, their ability to travel long distances away from the release point. The mobility of granular flows is commonly characterised through the definition of rheological properties and effective friction. Yet, it is widely accepted that the description in term of effective friction may include various lubrication effects, softening at the base of the flow and large slip velocities being a most likely one. In this case, flow bulk properties may obliterate the flow boundary conditions. In this contribution, we investigate how disentangling bulk properties from boundary conditions may improve our understanding of the flow. Using discrete simulations, we induce increasing slip velocities in different flow configurations. We show that increased mobility may be achieved without changing bulk properties. The results are interpreted in terms of a Robin-Navier slip condition and implemented in a continuum Navier-Stokes solver. We quantify the respective role of rheological bulk properties and boundary conditions in the general behaviour of a transient mass flow. We show that omitting the description of boundary conditions leads to misinterpretation of the flow properties. The outcome is discussed in terms of models reliability. References P.-Y. Lagrée et al, The granular column collapse as a continuum: validity of a two-dimensional Navier-Stokes model with the mu(I) rheology, J. Fluid Mech. 686, 378-408 (2011) L. Staron and E. Lajeunesse, Understanding how the volume affects the mobility of dry debris flows, Geophys. Res. Lett. 36, L12402 (2009) L. Staron, Mobility of long-runout rock flows: a discrete numerical investigation, Geophys. J. Int. 172, 455-463 (2008)

  19. Efficient carrier relaxation and fast carrier recombination of N-polar InGaN/GaN light emitting diodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng, Shih-Wei; Liao, Po-Hsun; Leung, Benjamin; Han, Jung; Yang, Fann-Wei; Wang, Hsiang-Chen

    2015-01-01

    Based on quantum efficiency and time-resolved electroluminescence measurements, the effects of carrier localization and quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) on carrier transport and recombination dynamics of Ga- and N-polar InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are reported. The N-polar LED exhibits shorter ns-scale response, rising, delay, and recombination times than the Ga-polar one does. Stronger carrier localization and the combined effects of suppressed QCSE and electric field and lower potential barrier acting upon the forward bias in an N-polar LED provide the advantages of more efficient carrier relaxation and faster carrier recombination. By optimizing growth conditions to enhance the radiative recombination, the advantages of more efficient carrier relaxation and faster carrier recombination in a competitive performance N-polar LED can be realized for applications of high-speed flash LEDs. The research results provide important information for carrier transport and recombination dynamics of an N-polar InGaN/GaN LED

  20. Efficient carrier relaxation and fast carrier recombination of N-polar InGaN/GaN light emitting diodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feng, Shih-Wei, E-mail: swfeng@nuk.edu.tw; Liao, Po-Hsun [Department of Applied Physics, National University of Kaohsiung, No. 700, Kaohsiung University Rd., Nan Tzu Dist., 811 Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Leung, Benjamin; Han, Jung [Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (United States); Yang, Fann-Wei [Department of Electronic Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan, Taiwan (China); Wang, Hsiang-Chen [Graduate Institute of Opto-Mechatronics and Advanced Institute of Manufacturing with High-Tech Innovations (AIM-HI), National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi, Taiwan (China)

    2015-07-28

    Based on quantum efficiency and time-resolved electroluminescence measurements, the effects of carrier localization and quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) on carrier transport and recombination dynamics of Ga- and N-polar InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are reported. The N-polar LED exhibits shorter ns-scale response, rising, delay, and recombination times than the Ga-polar one does. Stronger carrier localization and the combined effects of suppressed QCSE and electric field and lower potential barrier acting upon the forward bias in an N-polar LED provide the advantages of more efficient carrier relaxation and faster carrier recombination. By optimizing growth conditions to enhance the radiative recombination, the advantages of more efficient carrier relaxation and faster carrier recombination in a competitive performance N-polar LED can be realized for applications of high-speed flash LEDs. The research results provide important information for carrier transport and recombination dynamics of an N-polar InGaN/GaN LED.

  1. Coupling brane fields to bulk supergravity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parameswaran, Susha L. [Uppsala Univ. (Sweden). Theoretical Physics; Schmidt, Jonas [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

    2010-12-15

    In this note we present a simple, general prescription for coupling brane localized fields to bulk supergravity. We illustrate the procedure by considering 6D N=2 bulk supergravity on a 2D orbifold, with brane fields localized at the fixed points. The resulting action enjoys the full 6D N=2 symmetries in the bulk, and those of 4D N=1 supergravity at the brane positions. (orig.)

  2. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species in bulk milk: Prevalence, distribution, and associated subgroup- and species-specific risk factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Visscher, A; Piepers, S; Haesebrouck, F; Supré, K; De Vliegher, S

    2017-01-01

    Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) have become the main pathogens causing bovine mastitis in recent years. A huge variation in species distribution among herds has been observed in several studies, emphasizing the need to identify subgroup- and species-specific herd-level factors to improve our understanding of the differences in ecological and epidemiological nature between species. The use of bulk milk samples enables the inclusion of a large(r) number of herds needed to identify herd-level risk factors and increases the likelihood of recovering enough isolates per species needed for conducting subgroup- and, eventually, species-specific analyses at the same time. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and distribution of CNS species in bulk milk samples and to identify associated subgroup- and species-specific herd-level factors. Ninety percent of all bulk milk samples yielded CNS. Staphylococcus equorum was the predominant species, followed by Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. A seasonal effect was observed for several CNS species. Bulk milk samples from herds with a loose-pack or a tiestall housing system were more likely to yield CNS species compared with herds with a freestall barn, except for S. epidermidis, Staphylococcus simulans, and Staphylococcus cohnii. In September, herds in which udders were clipped had lower odds of yielding Staphylococcus chromogenes, S. simulans, and Staphylococcus xylosus, the CNS species assumed to be most relevant for udder health, in their bulk milk than herds in which udder clipping was not practiced. Bulk milk of herds participating in a monthly veterinary udder health-monitoring program was more likely to yield these 3 CNS species. Herds always receiving their milk quality premium or predisinfecting teats before attachment of the milking cluster had lower odds of having S. equorum in their bulk milk. Herds not using a single dry cotton or paper towel for each cow during premilking udder

  3. Thickness and growth-condition dependence of in-situ mobility and carrier density of epitaxial thin-film Bi2Se3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hellerstedt, Jack; Fuhrer, Michael S.; Edmonds, Mark T.; Zheng, C. X.; Chen, J. H.; Cullen, William G.

    2014-01-01

    Bismuth selenide Bi 2 Se 3 was grown by molecular beam epitaxy, while carrier density and mobility were measured directly in situ as a function of film thickness. Carrier density shows high interface n-doping (1.5 × 10 13  cm −2 ) at the onset of film conduction and bulk dopant density of ∼5 × 10 11  cm −2 per quintuple-layer unit, roughly independent of growth temperature profile. Mobility depends more strongly on the growth temperature and is related to the crystalline quality of the samples quantified by ex-situ atomic force microscopy measurements. These results indicate that Bi 2 Se 3 as prepared by widely employed parameters is n-doped before exposure to atmosphere, the doping is largely interfacial in origin, and dopants are not the limiting disorder in present Bi 2 Se 3 films.

  4. Composition and carrier-concentration dependence of the electronic structure of InyGa1-yAs1-xNx films with nitrogen mole fraction of less than 0.012

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Youn-Seon; Robins, Lawrence H.; Birdwell, Anthony G.; Shapiro, Alexander J.; Thurber, W. Robert; Vaudin, Mark D.; Fahmi, M.M.E.; Bryson, Damian; Mohammad, S. Noor

    2005-01-01

    The electronic structure of Si-doped In y Ga 1-y As 1-x N x films on GaAs substrates, grown by nitrogen-plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy, was examined by photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy at temperatures between 20 and 300 K. The films were approximately 0.5 μm thick and had nitrogen mole fraction between x=0.0014 and x=0.012, measured indirectly by a secondary-ion-mass spectrometry calibration; indium mole fraction between y=0.052 and y=0.075, measured by electron-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy; and carrier concentration between 2x10 16 and 1.1x10 18 cm -3 , measured by Hall effect. Three critical-point transitions were identified by PR: the fundamental band gap (highest valence band to the lowest conduction band); the spin-orbit split valence band to the lowest conduction band; and the highest valence band to a nitrogen impurity band (above the lowest conduction band). The measured critical-point energies were described by a band anticrossing (BAC) model with the addition of a Burstein-Moss band-filling term. The fitted BAC parameters were similar to previously reported values. The N impurity level was located 0.3004±0.0101 eV above the conduction-band edge at 20 K and 0.3286±0.0089 eV above the conduction-band edge at 295 K. The BAC interaction parameter was 2.588±0.071 eV. From the small magnitude of the Burstein-Moss energy shift with increasing carrier concentration, it was inferred that the carrier concentration probed by PR is reduced from the bulk (Hall-effect) carrier concentration by a reduction factor of 0.266±0.145. The PR lines broadened with increasing carrier concentration; the line broadening tracked the predicted Burstein-Moss energy shift for the bulk carrier concentration. The surface-normal lattice constants of the films were measured by x-ray diffraction. Comparison of the measured lattice constants with Vegard's law showed the presence of tensile strain (in the surface-normal direction) with magnitude between 1.5x10 -3 and 3.0x10

  5. Improved compaction of dried tannery wastewater sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Della Zassa, M; Zerlottin, M; Refosco, D; Santomaso, A C; Canu, P

    2015-12-01

    We quantitatively studied the advantages of improving the compaction of a powder waste by several techniques, including its pelletization. The goal is increasing the mass storage capacity in a given storage volume, and reducing the permeability of air and moisture, that may trigger exothermic spontaneous reactions in organic waste, particularly as powders. The study is based on dried sludges from a wastewater treatment, mainly from tanneries, but the indications are valid and useful for any waste in the form of powder, suitable to pelletization. Measurements of bulk density have been carried out at the industrial and laboratory scale, using different packing procedures, amenable to industrial processes. Waste as powder, pellets and their mixtures have been considered. The bulk density of waste as powder increases from 0.64 t/m(3) (simply poured) to 0.74 t/m(3) (tapped) and finally to 0.82 t/m(3) by a suitable, yet simple, packing procedure that we called dispersion filling, with a net gain of 28% in the compaction by simply modifying the collection procedure. Pelletization increases compaction by definition, but the packing of pellets is relatively coarse. Some increase in bulk density of pellets can be achieved by tapping; vibration and dispersion filling are not efficient with pellets. Mixtures of powder and pellets is the optimal packing policy. The best compaction result was achieved by controlled vibration of a 30/70 wt% mixture of powders and pellets, leading to a final bulk density of 1t/m(3), i.e. an improvement of compaction by more than 54% with respect to simply poured powders, but also larger than 35% compared to just pellets. That means increasing the mass storage capacity by a factor of 1.56. Interestingly, vibration can be the most or the least effective procedure to improve compaction of mixtures, depending on characteristics of vibration. The optimal packing (30/70 wt% powders/pellets) proved to effectively mitigate the onset of smouldering

  6. Bulk viscosity of spin-one color superconductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sa' d, Basil A.

    2009-08-27

    The bulk viscosity of several quark matter phases is calculated. It is found that the effect of color superconductivity is not trivial, it may suppress, or enhance the bulk viscosity depending on the critical temperature and the temperature at which the bulk viscosity is calculated. Also, is it found that the effect of neutrino-emitting Urca processes cannot be neglected in the consideration of the bulk viscosity of strange quark matter. The results for the bulk viscosity of strange quark matter are used to calculate the r-mode instability window of quark stars with several possible phases. It is shown that each possible phase has a different structure for the r-mode instability window. (orig.)

  7. Bulk viscosity of spin-one color superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sa'd, Basil A.

    2009-01-01

    The bulk viscosity of several quark matter phases is calculated. It is found that the effect of color superconductivity is not trivial, it may suppress, or enhance the bulk viscosity depending on the critical temperature and the temperature at which the bulk viscosity is calculated. Also, is it found that the effect of neutrino-emitting Urca processes cannot be neglected in the consideration of the bulk viscosity of strange quark matter. The results for the bulk viscosity of strange quark matter are used to calculate the r-mode instability window of quark stars with several possible phases. It is shown that each possible phase has a different structure for the r-mode instability window. (orig.)

  8. Understanding the phase separation evolution in efficient P3HT:IC70BA-based bulk-heterojunction polymer solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan Xi; Guo Shishang; Fang Guojia; Li Songzhan

    2013-01-01

    The effects of solvent and thermal annealing on the morphology of the active layers and the photovoltaic performance of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) polymer solar cells (PSCs) are investigated systematically, for PSCs based on a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as a donor and indene-C 70 bisadduct (IC 70 BA) as an acceptor. IC 70 BA crystallites are found reasonably well dispersed in the P3HT matrix after spin-coating. However, the IC 70 BA crystallites coarsen in size after annealing, which are clearly evidenced by transmission electron microscopy. Simultaneously, space charge limited current measurements demonstrate that solvent and thermal annealing can improve the hole and electron mobility, which reduces charge-carrier recombination and improves charge-carrier transport in the P3HT and IC 70 BA blend layers. The corresponding current-voltage curves are measured in quantity and we propose a model to show the variation of the ordered structure of P3HT domains and IC 70 BA crystallite characteristics in the phase separation process, expressing a viewpoint on the high performance of BHJ PSCs.

  9. Impact of carriers in oral absorption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gram, Luise Kvisgaard; Rist, Gerda Marie; Lennernäs, Hans

    2009-01-01

    Carriers may mediate the permeation across enterocytes for drug substances being organic anions. Carrier mediated permeation for the organic anions estrone-3-sulfate (ES) and glipizide across Caco-2 cells were investigated kinetically, and interactions on involved carriers evaluated. Initial...

  10. The impact of ultra-thin titania interlayers on open circuit voltage and carrier lifetime in thin film solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moerman, David; Colbert, Adam E.; Ginger, David S.; Kim, Hyungchul; Graham, Samuel

    2016-01-01

    We study the effects of modifying indium tin oxide electrodes with ultrathin titania (TiO_2) layers grown via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). We find an optimal thickness of PE-ALD-grown titania by tracking performance, which initially increases, peaks, and eventually decreases with increasing TiO_2 thickness. We use scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) to measure both the local work function and its distribution as a function of TiO_2 thickness. We find that the variance in contact potential difference across the surface of the film is related to either the amorphous or anatase TiO_2 form. Finally, we use local SKPM recombination rate experiments, supported by bulk transient photovoltage and charge extraction measurements. We show that the optimum TiO_2 thickness is the one for which the carrier lifetime is the longest and the charge carrier density is the highest, when the TiO_2 is amorphous, in agreement with the device measurements.

  11. Infrared Drying as a Quick Preparation Method for Dried Tangerine Peel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingyue Xu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available To establish the most convenient and effective method to dry tangerine peels, different methods (sun drying, hot-air drying, freeze drying, vacuum drying, and medium- and short-wave infrared drying were exploited. Our results indicated that medium- and short-wave infrared drying was the best method to preserve nutraceutical components; for example, vitamin C was raised to 6.77 mg/g (D.W. from 3.39 mg/g (sun drying. Moreover, the drying time can be shortened above 96% compared with sun drying. Importantly, the efficiency of DPPH radical scavenging was enhanced from 26.66% to 55.92%. These findings would provide a reliable and time-saving methodology to produce high-quality dried tangerine peels.

  12. Carrier-added and no-carrier-added syntheses of [18F]spiroperidol and [18F]haloperidol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kilbourn, M.R.; Welch, M.J.; Dence, C.S.; Tewson, T.J.; Saji, H.; Maeda, M.

    1984-01-01

    Syntheses of [ 18 F]haloperidol and [ 18 F]spiroperidol in both no-carrier-added and carrier-added forms have been accomplished. The no-carrier-added [ 18 F]butyrophenone neuroleptics were prepared in low ( 18 F-neuroleptics were prepared in better (5-17%) yields by 18 F-for- 19 F nucleophilic aromatic substitution. The preparation of all synthetic precursors, and procedures for radiolabeling are fully described. (author)

  13. Unraveling the High Open Circuit Voltage and High Performance of Integrated Perovskite/Organic Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Shiqi; Liu, Yongsheng; Hong, Ziruo; Yao, Enping; Sun, Pengyu; Meng, Lei; Lin, Yuze; Huang, Jinsong; Li, Gang; Yang, Yang

    2017-08-09

    We have demonstrated high-performance integrated perovskite/bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells due to the low carrier recombination velocity, high open circuit voltage (V OC ), and increased light absorption ability in near-infrared (NIR) region of integrated devices. In particular, we find that the V OC of the integrated devices is dominated by (or pinned to) the perovskite cells, not the organic photovoltaic cells. A Quasi-Fermi Level Pinning Model was proposed to understand the working mechanism and the origin of the V OC of the integrated perovskite/BHJ solar cell, which following that of the perovskite solar cell and is much higher than that of the low bandgap polymer based organic BHJ solar cell. Evidence for the model was enhanced by examining the charge carrier behavior and photovoltaic behavior of the integrated devices under illumination of monochromatic light-emitting diodes at different characteristic wavelength. This finding shall pave an interesting possibility for integrated photovoltaic devices to harvest low energy photons in NIR region and further improve the current density without sacrificing V OC , thus providing new opportunities and significant implications for future industry applications of this kind of integrated solar cells.

  14. The effects of forward speed and depth of conservation tillage on soil bulk density

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Mahmoudi

    2015-09-01

    , besides the importance of tillage depth and speed in different tiller performance. Materials and methods: This investigation was carried out based on random blocks in the form of split plot experimental design. The main factor, tillage depth, (was 10 and 20cm at both levels and the second factor, tillage speed, (was 6, 8, 10, 12 km h-1 in four levels for Bostan-Abad and 8,10,12,14 km h-1 for Hashtrood with four repetitions. It was carried out using complex tillage made in Sazeh Keshte Bukan Company, which is mostly used in Eastern Azerbaijanand using Massey Ferguson 285 and 399 tractors in Bostab-Abad and Hashtrood, respectively. In this investigation, the characteristics of soil bulk density were studied in two sampling depths of 7 and 17 centimeters. Bulk density is an indicator of soil compaction. It is calculated as the dry weight of soil divided by its volume. This volume includes the volume of soil particles and the volume of pores among soil particles. Bulk density is typically expressed in g cm-3. Results and Discussion: In this study, the effect of both factors on the feature of the soil bulk density at the sampling depth of 5-10 and 15-20 cm was examined. In Bostan-Abad, regarding tillage speed effect for studies characteristics at 1% probability level on soil bulk density was effective. The effect of tillage depth on the soil bulk density was significant at 5% probability level . The interaction effect of tillage speed and depth on soil bulk density was significant at probability level of 1%. Regarding sampling depth effect, the soil bulk density was significant at 5% probability level, respectively. In Hashtrood, the effect of tillage speed on soil bulk density at probability level of 1%, and also tillage depth effect on soil bulk density was significant at 5% level of probability. The interaction effect of tillage speed and depth on soil bulk density was significant at 5% level of probability. Regarding the depth of sampling it was significant on soil bulk

  15. Source apportionment of atmospheric bulk deposition in the Belgrade urban area using Positive Matrix factorization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tasić, M.; Mijić, Z.; Rajšić, S.; Stojić, A.; Radenković, M.; Joksić, J.

    2009-04-01

    The primary objective of the present study was to assess anthropogenic impacts of heavy metals to the environment by determination of total atmospheric deposition of heavy metals. Atmospheric depositions (wet + dry) were collected monthly, from June 2002 to December 2006, at three urban locations in Belgrade, using bulk deposition samplers. Concentrations of Fe, Al, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn, Cr, V, As and Cd were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry. Based upon these results, the study attempted to examine elemental associations in atmospheric deposition and to elucidate the potential sources of heavy metal contaminants in the region by the use of multivariate receptor model Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF).

  16. Source apportionment of atmospheric bulk deposition in the Belgrade urban area using Positive Matrix factorization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tasic, M; Mijic, Z; Rajsic, S; Stojic, A; Radenkovic, M; Joksic, J

    2009-01-01

    The primary objective of the present study was to assess anthropogenic impacts of heavy metals to the environment by determination of total atmospheric deposition of heavy metals. Atmospheric depositions (wet + dry) were collected monthly, from June 2002 to December 2006, at three urban locations in Belgrade, using bulk deposition samplers. Concentrations of Fe, Al, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn, Cr, V, As and Cd were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry. Based upon these results, the study attempted to examine elemental associations in atmospheric deposition and to elucidate the potential sources of heavy metal contaminants in the region by the use of multivariate receptor model Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF).

  17. 14 CFR 271.4 - Carrier costs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Aeronautics and Space OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (AVIATION PROCEEDINGS) ECONOMIC REGULATIONS GUIDELINES FOR SUBSIDIZING AIR CARRIERS PROVIDING ESSENTIAL AIR TRANSPORTATION § 271.4 Carrier costs. (a) The reasonable costs projected for a carrier providing essential air service at an eligible...

  18. 14 CFR 271.5 - Carrier revenues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Aeronautics and Space OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (AVIATION PROCEEDINGS) ECONOMIC REGULATIONS GUIDELINES FOR SUBSIDIZING AIR CARRIERS PROVIDING ESSENTIAL AIR TRANSPORTATION § 271.5 Carrier revenues. (a) The projected passenger revenue for a carrier providing essential air service at an eligible...

  19. Production and separation of no-carrier-added 73As and 75Se from 7Li irradiated germanium oxide target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mandal, A.; Lahiri, S.

    2012-01-01

    This work reports for the first time 7 Li-induced accelerator based production of 71,72,73,74 As, 75,76,77 Br and 73,75 Se radionuclides in their no-carrier-added (nca) state. After the decay of all short-lived radionuclides 75 Se and 73 As were only existing radionuclides in germanium oxide target, which were subsequently separated by liquid-liquid extraction (LLX) using trioctylamine (TOA) dissolved in cyclohexane as liquid ion exchanger. The presence of stable germanium in various fractions was examined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Spectrometry (ICP-OES). At 0.1 M TOA and 10 M HCl concentration, 75 Se and stable Ge were extracted into the organic phase leaving 73 As in the aqueous phase. The bulk Ge was stripped back to the aqueous phase by 1 M NaOH, keeping 75 Se in the organic phase. Therefore complete separation between 73 As, 75 Se and bulk Ge was achieved. (orig.)

  20. Simple and double microencapsulation of Lactobacillus acidophilus with chitosan using spray drying

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isela A. Flores-Belmont

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival of Lactobacillus acidophilus that had been simple or double spray dried using chitosan to cause microencapsulation and which had been exposed to model gastrointestinal conditions. In addition, the study also determined the physicochemical properties of the powder containing the microencapsulated probiotic.Chitosan-inulin or chitosan-maltodextrin (1:15 or 1:25 solutions were inoculated with 1012 cfu mL-1 of L. acidophilus, for simple microencapsulation. The different solutions were dried using a spray dryer with an inlet air temperature of 130°C and a solution flux of 4.8 g min-1. A two-step process was used for the double microencapsulation. In the first step, the probiotic was added to a gelatin-maltodextrin (1:25 solution and then spray dried; for the second step, the microencapsulated probiotic was added to a chitosan-inulin or chitosan-maltodextrin (1:25 solution and then it was spray dried again.With the simple microencapsulated probiotic, a microbial reduction of 7 log cycles was obtained. With the double microencapsulated probiotic only 3 log reductions were achieved. The double microencapsulated probiotic thus demonstrated greater resistance to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The powders produced were shown to have water activity values of 0.176 - 0.261 at 25 °C and moisture content of 0.8 – 1.0%, which are characteristic of spray dried products. The bulk density was significantly (p < 0.05 lower (300 kg m-3 for simple than for double (400 kg m-3 microencapsulated probiotic powders. Solubility and dispersibility of the powder microcapsules were better at lower pH values.Double microencapsulation using a process of spray drying is therefore recommended for probiotics, thus exploiting chitosan’s insolubility in water, which can be applied for the of development food products.

  1. Facilitated transport of hydrophilic salts by mixtures of anion and cation carriers and by ditopic carriers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chrisstoffels, L.A.J.; de Jong, Feike; Reinhoudt, David; Sivelli, Stefano; Gazzola, Licia; Casnati, Alessandro; Ungaro, Rocco

    1999-01-01

    Anion transfer to the membrane phase affects the extraction efficiency of salt transport by cation carriers 1 and 3. Addition of anion receptors 5 or 6 to cation carriers 1, 3, or 4 in the membrane phase enhances the transport of salts under conditions in which the cation carriers alone do not

  2. Production of spray-dried honey jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) powder from enzymatic liquefied puree.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Chen Wai; Tan, Hong Hock

    2017-02-01

    This paper presents the enzymatic liquefaction process for honey jackfruit optimized with Pectinex ® Ultra SP-L and Celluclast ® 1.5 L individually or in combinations at different concentrations (0-2.5% v/w) and incubation time (0-2.5 h). Treatment with combinations of enzymes showed a greater effect in the reduction of viscosity (83.9-98.8%) as compared to single enzyme treatment (64.8-87.3%). The best parameter for enzymatic liquefaction was obtained with 1.0% (v/w) Pectinex ® Ultra SP-L and 0.5% (v/w) Celluclast ® 1.5 L for 1.5 h. Spray drying process was carried out using different inlet temperatures (140-180 °C) and maltodextrin concentrations (10-30% w/w). Results indicated that the spray-dried honey jackfruit powder produced at 160 °C with 30% w/w maltodextrin gave the highest product yield (66.90%) with good powder qualities in terms of water activity, solubility, moisture content, hygroscopicity, color and bulk density. The spray-dried honey jackfruit powder could potentially be incorporated into various food products.

  3. Microwave wood strand drying: energy consumption, VOC emission and drying quality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, S.; Du, G.; Zhang, Y. [Tennessee Univ., Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries

    2005-07-01

    The objective of this research was to develop microwave drying technology for wood strand drying for oriented strand board (OSB) manufacturing. The advantages of microwave drying included a reduction in the drying time of wood strands and a reduction in the release of volatile organic compounds (VOC) through a decrease in the thermal degradation of the wood material. Temperature and moisture content changes under different microwave drying conditions were investigated. The effects of microwave drying on VOC emissions were evaluated and analyzed using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Microwave power input and the mass of drying materials in the microwave oven were found to have a dominant effect on drying quality. Results indicated that an increase in microwave power input and a decrease in sample weights resulted in high drying temperatures, short drying times and a high drying rate. The effect of microwave drying on the strand surfaces was also investigated. Different strand geometries and initial moisture content resulted in varying warm-up curves, but did not influence final moisture content. VOC emissions were quantified by comparing alpha-pinene concentrations. The microwave drying resulted in lower VOC emissions compared with conventional drying methods. It was concluded that the microwave drying technique provided faster strand drying and reduced energy consumption by up to 50 per cent. In addition, the surface wettability of wood strands dried with microwaves was better than with an industrial rotary drum drier. 12 refs., 3 tabs., 5 figs.

  4. Effect of carrier gas pressure on condensation in a supersonic nozzle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wyslouzil, B.E.; Wilemski, G.; Beals, M.G.; Frish, M.B.

    1994-01-01

    Supersonic nozzle experiments were performed with a fixed water or ethanol vapor pressure and varying amounts of nitrogen to test the hypothesis that carrier gas pressure affects the onset of condensation. Such an effect might occur if nonisothermal nucleation were important under conditions of excess carrier gas in the atmospheric pressure range, as has been suggested by Ford and Clement [J. Phys. A 22, 4007 (1989)]. Although a small increase was observed in the condensation onset temperature as the stagnation pressure was reduced from 3 to 0.5 atm, these changes cannot be attributed to any nonisothermal effects. The pulsed nozzle experiments also exhibited two interesting anomalies: (1) the density profiles for the water and ethanol mixtures were shifted in opposite directions from the dry N 2 profile; (2) a long transient period was required before the nozzle showed good pulse-to-pulse repeatability for condensible vapor mixtures. To theoretically simulate the observed onset behavior, calculations of nucleation and droplet growth in the nozzle were performed that took into account two principal effects of varying the carrier gas pressure: (1) the change in nozzle shape due to boundary layer effects and (2) the variation in the heat capacity of the flowing gas. Energy transfer limitations were neglected in calculating the nucleation rates. The trend of the calculated results matched that of the experimental results very well. Thus, heat capacity and boundary layer effects are sufficient to explain the experimental onset behavior without invoking energy transfer limited nucleation. The conclusions about the rate of nucleation are consistent with those obtained recently using an expansion cloud chamber, but are at odds with results from thermal diffusion cloud chamber measurements

  5. The Effect of Bulk Depth and Irradiation Time on the Surface Hardness and Degree of Cure of Bulk-Fill Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farahat F

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Statement of Problem: For many years, application of the composite restoration with a thickness less than 2 mm for achieving the minimum polymerization contraction and stress has been accepted as a principle. But through the recent development in dental material a group of resin based composites (RBCs called Bulk Fill is introduced whose producers claim the possibility of achieving a good restoration in bulks with depths of 4 or even 5 mm. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of irradiation times and bulk depths on the degree of cure (DC of a bulk fill composite and compare it with the universal type. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on two groups of dental RBCs including Tetric N Ceram Bulk Fill and Tetric N Ceram Universal. The composite samples were prepared in Teflon moulds with a diameter of 5 mm and height of 2, 4 and 6 mm. Then, half of the samples in each depth were cured from the upper side of the mould for 20s by LED light curing unit. The irradiation time for other specimens was 40s. After 24 hours of storage in distilled water, the microhardness of the top and bottom of the samples was measured using a Future Tech (Japan- Model FM 700 Vickers hardness testing machine. Data were analyzed statistically using the one and multi way ANOVAand Tukey’s test (p = 0.050. Results: The DC of Tetric N Ceram Bulk Fill in defined irradiation time and bulk depth was significantly more than the universal type (p < 0.001. Also, the DC of both composites studied was significantly (p < 0.001 reduced by increasing the bulk depths. Increasing the curing time from 20 to 40 seconds had a marginally significant effect (p ≤ 0.040 on the DC of both bulk fill and universal studied RBC samples. Conclusions: The DC of the investigated bulk fill composite was better than the universal type in all the irradiation times and bulk depths. The studied universal and bulk fill RBCs had an appropriate DC at the 2 and 4 mm bulk depths respectively and

  6. Drying and decontamination of pistachios with sequential infrared drying, tempering and hot air drying

    Science.gov (United States)

    The pistachio industry is in need of improved drying technology as the current hot air drying has low energy efficiency and drying rate and high labor cost and also does not produce safe products against microbial contamination. In the current study, dehulled and water- sorted pistachios with a mois...

  7. Carrier-added and no-carrier-added syntheses of (/sup 18/F)spiroperidol and (/sub 18/F)haloperidol

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kilbourn, M R; Welch, M J; Dence, C S; Tewson, T J; Saji, H; Maeda, M

    1984-07-01

    Syntheses of (18F)haloperidol and (18F)spiroperidol in both no-carrier-added and carrier-added forms have been accomplished. The no-carrier-added (18F)butyrophenone neuroleptics were prepared in low (less than 2%) yield by acid decomposition of aryl piperidine triazenes. Carrier-added 18F-neuroleptics were prepared in better (5-17%) yields by 18F-for-19F nucleophilic aromatic substitution. The preparation of all synthetic precursors, and procedures for radiolabeling are fully described.

  8. Analysis of Drying Process Quality in Conventional Dry-Kilns

    OpenAIRE

    Sedlar Tomislav; Pervan Stjepan

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents testing results of drying quality in a conventional dry kiln. Testing is based on a new methodology that will show the level of success of the drying process management by analyzing the quality of drying process in a conventional dry kiln, using a scientifi cally improved version of the check list in everyday practical applications. A company that specializes in lamel and classic parquet production was chosen so as to verify the new testing methodology. A total of 56 m3 of...

  9. 78 FR 72841 - List of Bulk Drug Substances That May Be Used in Pharmacy Compounding; Bulk Drug Substances That...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-04

    .... FDA-2013-N-1525] List of Bulk Drug Substances That May Be Used in Pharmacy Compounding; Bulk Drug... proposed rule to list bulk drug substances used in pharmacy compounding and preparing to develop a list of... Formulary monograph, if a monograph exists, and the United States Pharmacopoeia chapter on pharmacy...

  10. Flowability of bulk solids used in shale fracturing grouts as determined by the Jenike and Johanson method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDaniel, E.W.; Weeren, H.O.

    1979-09-01

    Smooth operation of the shale fracturing facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory requires that an even, uninterrupted flow of dry solids be delivered to a mixer at a rate of approximately 1200 lb/min. Some operational difficulties have been experienced with the dry solids system at the existing facility. Occasionally the solids flow from a bin was difficult to initiate or was irregular, particularly when the storage bin was nearly empty. A new shale fracturing facility is now being designed with a solids handling system that will eliminate the current problems. This report describes the tests made to obtain the necessary information about bulk-flow properties of the dry solids that are required for the facility modifications. Flow properties of fly ash, attapulgite, pottery clay, and a blended solids mix were determined in a Jenike and Johanson Flowfactor Tester. Tests with this unit involve the consolidation of a solid at a given pressure and the measurement of the force required to create a shear plane. The procedure is repeated several times at different consolidating pressures to determine a locus of points that can be displayed graphically. Results indicate that a bottom-hopper opening of about 4 ft will be required on the new, bulk storage bins if mass flow is to be achieved. It was also found that the existing bins are quite unsuitable for either their present function or their proposed function. Since these bins have served moderately well for 14 years, the effect of aeration is obviously major; these tests indicate only an upper limit to the size of the hopper opening that will be required. Pottery clay and attapulgite were found to have flow characteristics considerably inferior to blended solids. It is known, however, that attapulgite clay will flow from the existing bins, and modification of the bin bottoms to enlarge the openings does not appear to be justified

  11. EVALUATION OF THERMAL EFFICIENCY OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL SCHEME OF APPLE CHIPS AND DRIED FRUITS PRODUCTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. V. Kalashnikov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The estimation of thermodynamic perfection of separate technological processes is executed at heat-moisture of handling of fruit and a line of manufacture of fruit apple chips and dried fruits. The technological scheme of a line of processing of fruits and manufactures of fruit chips on the basis of convection and the microwave-dryings suggested resource-saving. The technique is made and results of calculation of thermal expenses for various schemes of manufacture of apple chips are resulted. For the offered scheme material, thermal and power streams on the basis of balance parities of technological processes are certain. The comparative thermal production efficiency of apple chips for a base foreign variant and the offered technological scheme with the closed cycle of use of the heat-carrier and the combined convection-microwave-drying is shown. In this paper we define the thermal and energy flows for the processes of convective drying, pre-microwave drying, hydrothermal treatment and final microwave drying plant material, which are one of the main stages of the production of all kinds of fruit and vegetable concentrates, including fruit apple chips. Resource-saving ways moisture-heat of handling (hydration, blanching, drying, etc. produce raw materials in the production of food concentrates suggested a reduced water flow with a high degree of use of its potential power and microwave sources. To assess the thermal efficiency of the various processes and production schemes used as indicators of thermal efficiency and proposed value of specific heat (kJ / kg given mass productivity per unit of feedstock and translational moisture. The values of the mass fraction of the heat of material flows for the base and the proposed resource-saving production scheme fruit chips, for example, apple, based on a combination of convection-microwave drying each control surface.

  12. Bulk metal concentrations versus total suspended solids in rivers: Time-invariant & catchment-specific relationships.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasrabadi, Touraj; Ruegner, Hermann; Schwientek, Marc; Bennett, Jeremy; Fazel Valipour, Shahin; Grathwohl, Peter

    2018-01-01

    Suspended particles in rivers can act as carriers of potentially bioavailable metal species and are thus an emerging area of interest in river system monitoring. The delineation of bulk metals concentrations in river water into dissolved and particulate components is also important for risk assessment. Linear relationships between bulk metal concentrations in water (CW,tot) and total suspended solids (TSS) in water can be used to easily evaluate dissolved (CW, intercept) and particle-bound metal fluxes (CSUS, slope) in streams (CW,tot = CW + CSUS TSS). In this study, we apply this principle to catchments in Iran (Haraz) and Germany (Ammer, Goldersbach, and Steinlach) that show differences in geology, geochemistry, land use and hydrological characteristics. For each catchment, particle-bound and dissolved concentrations for a suite of metals in water were calculated based on linear regressions of total suspended solids and total metal concentrations. Results were replicable across sampling campaigns in different years and seasons (between 2013 and 2016) and could be reproduced in a laboratory sedimentation experiment. CSUS values generally showed little variability in different catchments and agree well with soil background values for some metals (e.g. lead and nickel) while other metals (e.g. copper) indicate anthropogenic influences. CW was elevated in the Haraz (Iran) catchment, indicating higher bioavailability and potential human and ecological health concerns (where higher values of CSUS/CW are considered as a risk indicator).

  13. Carrier-added and no-carrier-added syntheses of (/sup 18/F)spiroperidol and (/sup 18/F)haloperidol

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kilbourn, M R; Welch, M J; Dence, C S; Tewson, T J; Saji, H; Maeda, M [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (USA). Edward Mallinckrodt Inst. of Radiology

    1984-07-01

    Syntheses of (/sup 18/F)haloperidol and (/sup 18/F)spiroperidol in both no-carrier-added and carrier-added forms have been accomplished. The no-carrier-added (/sup 18/F)butyrophenone neuroleptics were prepared in low (<2%) yield by acid decomposition of aryl piperidine triazenes. Carrier-added /sup 18/F-neuroleptics were prepared in better (5-17%) yields by /sup 18/F-for-/sup 19/F nucleophilic aromatic substitution. The preparation of all synthetic precursors, and procedures for radiolabeling are fully described.

  14. Bulk viscosity in holographic Lifshitz hydrodynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoyos, Carlos; Kim, Bom Soo; Oz, Yaron

    2014-01-01

    We compute the bulk viscosity in holographic models dual to theories with Lifshitz scaling and/or hyperscaling violation, using a generalization of the bulk viscosity formula derived in arXiv:1103.1657 from the null focusing equation. We find that only a class of models with massive vector fields are truly Lifshitz scale invariant, and have a vanishing bulk viscosity. For other holographic models with scalars and/or massless vector fields we find a universal formula in terms of the dynamical exponent and the hyperscaling violation exponent

  15. 8 CFR 217.6 - Carrier agreements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Carrier agreements. 217.6 Section 217.6 Aliens and Nationality DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS VISA WAIVER PROGRAM § 217... may notify a carrier of the existence of a basis for termination of a carrier agreement under this...

  16. Hot melt extrusion versus spray drying: hot melt extrusion degrades albendazole.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hengsawas Surasarang, Soraya; Keen, Justin M; Huang, Siyuan; Zhang, Feng; McGinity, James W; Williams, Robert O

    2017-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to enhance the dissolution properties of albendazole (ABZ) by the use of amorphous solid dispersions. Phase diagrams of ABZ-polymer binary mixtures generated from Flory-Huggins theory were used to assess miscibility and processability. Forced degradation studies showed that ABZ degraded upon exposure to hydrogen peroxide and 1 N NaOH at 80 °C for 5 min, and the degradants were albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSX), and ABZ impurity A, respectively. ABZ was chemically stable following exposure to 1 N HCl at 80 °C for one hour. Thermal degradation profiles show that ABZ, with and without Kollidon ® VA 64, degraded at 180 °C and 140 °C, respectively, which indicated that ABZ could likely be processed by thermal processing. Following hot melt extrusion, ABZ degraded up to 97.4%, while the amorphous ABZ solid dispersion was successfully prepared by spray drying. Spray-dried ABZ formulations using various types of acids (methanesulfonic acid, sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid) and polymers (Kollidon ® VA 64, Soluplus ® and Eudragit ® E PO) were studied. The spray-dried ABZ with methanesulfonic acid and Kollidon ® VA 64 substantially improved non-sink dissolution in acidic media as compared to bulk ABZ (8-fold), physical mixture of ABZ:Kollidon ® VA 64 (5.6-fold) and ABZ mesylate salt (1.6-fold). No degradation was observed in the spray-dried product for up to six months and less than 5% after one-year storage. In conclusion, amorphous ABZ solid dispersions in combination with an acid and polymer can be prepared by spray drying to enhance dissolution and shelf-stability, whereas those made by melt extrusion are degraded.

  17. Air classifier technology (ACT) in dry powder inhalation. Part 1 : Introduction of a novel force distribution concept (FDC) explaining the performance of a basic air classifier on adhesive mixtures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Boer, A H; Hagedoorn, P; Gjaltema, D; Goede, J; Frijlink, H W

    2003-01-01

    Air classifier technology (ACT) is introduced as part of formulation integrated dry powder inhaler development (FIDPI) to optimise the de-agglomeration of inhalation powders. Carrier retention and de-agglomeration results obtained with a basic classifier concept are discussed. The theoretical

  18. Drying Spirulina with Foam Mat Drying at Medium Temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aji Prasetyaningrum

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Spirulina is a single cell blue green microalgae (Cyanobacteria containing many Phytonutrients (Beta-carotene, Chlorophyl, Xanthophyl, Phyocianin using as anti-carcinogen in food. Producing dry spirulina by quick drying process at medium temperature is very important to retain the Phytonutrient quality. Currently, the work is still challenging due to the gel formation that block the water diffusion from inside to the surface.  This research studies the performance of foam-mat drying on production of dry spirulina. In this method the spirulina was mixed with foaming agent (glair/egg albumen, popular as white egg at 2.5% by weight at air velocity 2.2 m/sec. Here, the effect of spirulina thickness and operational temperature on drying time and quality (Beta-carotene and color were observed. The drying time was estimated based on the measurement of water content in spirulina versus time. Result showed that the thicker spirulina, the longer drying time. Conversely, the higher operational temperature, faster drying time. At thickness ranging 1-3 mm and operational temperature below 70oC, the quality of spirulina can fit the market requirement

  19. Longitudinal and bulk viscosities of expanded rubidium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaheri, Ali Hossein Mohammad; Srivastava, Sunita; Tankeshwar, K

    2003-01-01

    First three non-vanishing sum rules for the bulk and longitudinal stress auto-correlation functions have been evaluated for liquid Rb at six thermodynamic states along the liquid-vapour coexistence curve. The Mori memory function formalism and the frequency sum rules have been used to calculate bulk and longitudinal viscosities. The results thus obtained for the ratio of bulk viscosity to shear viscosity have been compared with experimental and other theoretical predictions wherever available. The values of the bulk viscosity have been found to be more than the corresponding values of the shear viscosity for all six thermodynamic states investigated here

  20. Dry Eye

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Eye » Facts About Dry Eye Listen Facts About Dry Eye Fact Sheet Blurb The National Eye Institute (NEI) ... and their families search for general information about dry eye. An eye care professional who has examined the ...

  1. Drying/rewetting cycles of the soil under alternate partial root-zone drying irrigation reduce carbon and nitrogen retention in the soil-plant systems of potato

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Yanqi; Yan, Fei; Liu, Fulai

    2013-01-01

    for five weeks. For each N rate, the PRD and DI plants received a same amount of water, which allowed re-filling one half of the PRD pots close to full water holding capacity. The results showed that plant dry biomass, plant water use, and water use efficiency were increased with increasing N...... retention in the soil–plant systems of potato. Potato plants were grown in 20 L split-root pots with three N-fertilization rates, viz., 1.4 (N1), 2.5 (N2), and 4 (N3) g N pot−1 soil, respectively. At tuber initiation and earlier tuber bulking stages, the plants were subjected to PRD and DI treatment...

  2. Estimating motor carrier management information system crash file underreporting from carrier records : research brief.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-08-01

    This study estimated a significant amount of underreporting to the MCMIS crash file by the States, for the carriers who cooperated in the study. For the study carriers, it appears that the MCMIS file contained about 66 percent of their reportable cra...

  3. Chemical Controls of Ozone Dry Deposition to the Sea Surface Microlayer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, L.; Chance, R.; Tinel, L.; Saint, A.; Sherwen, T.; Loades, D.; Evans, M. J.; Boxhall, P.; Hamilton, J.; Stolle, C.; Wurl, O.; Ribas-Ribas, M.; Pereira, R.

    2017-12-01

    Oceanic dry deposition of atmospheric ozone (O3) is both the largest and most uncertain O3 depositional sink, and is widely acknowledged to be controlled largely by chemical reactions in the sea surface microlayer (SML) involving iodide (I-) and dissolved organic material (DOM). These reactions not only determine how quickly O3 can be removed from the atmosphere, but also result in emissions of trace gases including volatile organic compounds and may constitute a source of secondary organic aerosols to the marine atmosphere. Iodide concentrations at the sea surface vary by approximately an order of magnitude spatially, leading to more than fivefold variation in ozone deposition velocities (and volatile iodine fluxes). Sea-surface temperature is a reasonable predictor of [I-], however two recent parameterisations for surface I- differ by a factor of two at low latitudes. The nature and reactivity of marine DOM to O3 is almost completely unknown, although studies have suggested approximately equivalent chemical control of I- and DOM on ozone deposition. Here we present substantial new measurements of oceanic I- in both bulk seawater and the overlying SML, and show improved estimates of the global sea surface iodide distribution. We also present analyses of water-soluble DOM isolated from the SML and bulk seawater, and corresponding laboratory studies of ozone uptake to bulk and SML seawater, with the aim of characterizing the reactivity of O3 towards marine DOM.

  4. Locality, bulk equations of motion and the conformal bootstrap

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kabat, Daniel [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lehman College, City University of New York,250 Bedford Park Blvd. W, Bronx NY 10468 (United States); Lifschytz, Gilad [Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Science, University of Haifa,199 Aba Khoushy Ave., Haifa 31905 (Israel)

    2016-10-18

    We develop an approach to construct local bulk operators in a CFT to order 1/N{sup 2}. Since 4-point functions are not fixed by conformal invariance we use the OPE to categorize possible forms for a bulk operator. Using previous results on 3-point functions we construct a local bulk operator in each OPE channel. We then impose the condition that the bulk operators constructed in different channels agree, and hence give rise to a well-defined bulk operator. We refer to this condition as the “bulk bootstrap.” We argue and explicitly show in some examples that the bulk bootstrap leads to some of the same results as the regular conformal bootstrap. In fact the bulk bootstrap provides an easier way to determine some CFT data, since it does not require knowing the form of the conformal blocks. This analysis clarifies previous results on the relation between bulk locality and the bootstrap for theories with a 1/N expansion, and it identifies a simple and direct way in which OPE coefficients and anomalous dimensions determine the bulk equations of motion to order 1/N{sup 2}.

  5. Optical Nonlinearities and Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductor Quantum Dots

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klimov, V.; McBranch, D.; Schwarz, C.

    1998-08-10

    Low-dimensional semiconductors have attracted great interest due to the potential for tailoring their linear and nonlinear optical properties over a wide-range. Semiconductor nanocrystals (NC's) represent a class of quasi-zero-dimensional objects or quantum dots. Due to quantum cordhement and a large surface-to-volume ratio, the linear and nonlinear optical properties, and the carrier dynamics in NC's are significantly different horn those in bulk materials. napping at surface states can lead to a fast depopulation of quantized states, accompanied by charge separation and generation of local fields which significantly modifies the nonlinear optical response in NC's. 3D carrier confinement also has a drastic effect on the energy relaxation dynamics. In strongly confined NC's, the energy-level spacing can greatly exceed typical phonon energies. This has been expected to significantly inhibit phonon-related mechanisms for energy losses, an effect referred to as a phonon bottleneck. It has been suggested recently that the phonon bottleneck in 3D-confined systems can be removed due to enhanced role of Auger-type interactions. In this paper we report femtosecond (fs) studies of ultrafast optical nonlinearities, and energy relaxation and trap ping dynamics in three types of quantum-dot systems: semiconductor NC/glass composites made by high temperature precipitation, ion-implanted NC's, and colloidal NC'S. Comparison of ultrafast data for different samples allows us to separate effects being intrinsic to quantum dots from those related to lattice imperfections and interface properties.

  6. The Kinetics of Carrier Transport Inhibition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rosenberg, T.; Wilbrandt, Robert Walter

    1962-01-01

    The kinetical treatment of enzymatic carrier transports as given in previous communications has been extended to conditions of inhibition. Various possible types of inhibitors have been considered differing in the site of attack (enzyme or carrier), in the mode of action (competing with the subst......The kinetical treatment of enzymatic carrier transports as given in previous communications has been extended to conditions of inhibition. Various possible types of inhibitors have been considered differing in the site of attack (enzyme or carrier), in the mode of action (competing...... with the substrate for the enzyme or the carrier or for both, competing with the carrier for the enzyme, or non-competitive) and in the ability of penetrating the membrane. Experiments are reported on the inhibition of glucose and fructose transport across the human red cell membrane by phlorizine, phloretine...... and polyphloretinephosphate. The results of the analysis for these inhibitors indicate a substrate competitive mode of action. The effect of reversing the transport direction by interchanging the substrate concentration has been treated for the case of a non-penetrating substrate competitive inhibitor in the external medium...

  7. Lyophilized silica lipid hybrid (SLH) carriers for poorly water-soluble drugs: physicochemical and in vitro pharmaceutical investigations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yasmin, Rokhsana; Tan, Angel; Bremmell, Kristen E; Prestidge, Clive A

    2014-09-01

    Lyophilization was investigated to produce a powdery silica-lipid hybrid (SLH) carrier for oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs. The silica to lipid ratio, incorporation of cryoprotectant, and lipid loading level were investigated as performance indicators for lyophilized SLH carriers. Celecoxib, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was used as the model poorly soluble moiety to attain desirable physicochemical and in vitro drug solubilization properties. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal fluorescence imaging verified a nanoporous, homogenous internal matrix structures of the lyophilized SLH particles, prepared from submicron triglyceride emulsions and stabilized by porous silica nanoparticles (Aerosil 380), similar to spray-dried SLH. 20-50 wt % of silica in the formulation have shown to produce nonoily SLH agglomerates with complete lipid encapsulation. The incorporation of a cryoprotectant prevented irreversible aggregation of the silica-stabilized droplets during lyophilization, thereby readily redispersing in water to form micrometre-sized particles (water-soluble therapeutics is confirmed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

  8. Charge-carrier mobilities in disordered semiconducting polymers : effects of carrier density and electric field

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meisel, K.D.; Pasveer, W.F.; Cottaar, J.; Tanase, C.; Coehoorn, R.; Bobbert, P.A.; Blom, P.W.M.; Leeuw, D.M. de; Michels, M.A.J.

    2006-01-01

    We model charge transport in disordered semiconducting polymers by hopping of charge carriers on a square lattice of sites with Gaussian on-site energy disorder, using Fermi-Dirac statistics. From numerically exact solutions of the Master equation, we study the dependence of the charge-carrier

  9. LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS (LNG) CARRIERS

    OpenAIRE

    Daniel Posavec; Katarina Simon; Matija Malnar

    2010-01-01

    Modern liquefied natural gas carriers are double-bottom ships classified according to the type of LNG tank. The tanks are specially designed to store natural gas cooled to -161°C, the boiling point of methane. Since LNG is highly flammable, special care must be taken when designing and operating the ship. The development of LNG carriers has begun in the middle of the twentieth century. LNG carrier storage space has gradually grown to the current maximum of 260000 m3. There are more than 300 L...

  10. Spray Drying Processing: granules production and drying kinetics of droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mondragon, R.; Julia, J. E.; Barba, A.; Jarque, J. C.

    2013-01-01

    Spray drying is a unit operation very common in many industrial processes. For each particular application, the resulting granulated material must possess determined properties that depend on the conditions in which the spray drying processing has been carried out, and whose dependence must be known in order to optimize the quality of the material obtained. The large number of variables that influence on the processes of matter and energy transfer and on the formation of granular material has required a detailed analysis of the drying process. Over the years there have been many studies on the spray drying processing of all kind of materials and the influence of process variables on the drying kinetics of the granulated material properties obtained. This article lists the most important works published for both the spray drying processing and the drying of individual droplets, as well as studies aimed at modeling the drying kinetics of drops. (Author)

  11. Bulk temperature measurement in thermally striped pipe flows

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lemure, N.; Olvera, J.R.; Ruggles, A.E.

    1995-12-01

    The hot leg flows in some Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) designs have a temperature distribution across the pipe cross-section. This condition is often referred to as a thermally striped flow. Here, the bulk temperature measurement of pipe flows with thermal striping is explored. An experiment is conducted to examine the feasibility of using temperature measurements on the external surface of the pipe to estimate the bulk temperature of the flow. Simple mixing models are used to characterize the development of the temperature profile in the flow. Simple averaging techniques and Backward Propagating Neural Net are used to predict bulk temperature from the external temperature measurements. Accurate bulk temperatures can be predicted. However, some temperature distributions in the flow effectively mask the bulk temperature from the wall and cause significant error in the bulk temperature predicted using this technique

  12. Transfer points of belt conveyors operating with unfavorable bulk

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goehring, H [Technische Universitaet, Dresden (German Democratic Republic)

    1989-06-01

    Describes design of belt conveyor chutes that transfer bulk of surface mines from one conveyor to another. Conveyor belt velocity is a significant parameter. Unfavorable chute design may lead to bulk flow congestion, bulk velocity losses etc. The bulk flow process is analyzed, bulk flow velocities, belt inclinations and bulk feeding from 2 conveyors into one chute are taken into account. Conventional chutes have parabolic belt impact walls. An improved version with divided impact walls is proposed that maintains a relatively high bulk velocity, reduces friction at chute walls and decreases wear and dirt build-up. Design of the improved chute is explained. It is built to adapt to existing structures without major modifications. The angle between 2 belt conveyors can be up to 90 degrees, the best bulk transfer is noted at conveyor angles below 60 degrees. Various graphs and schemes are provided. 6 refs.

  13. Generalized drying curves in conductive/convective paper drying

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O.C. Motta Lima

    2000-12-01

    Full Text Available This work presents a study related to conductive/convective drying of paper (cellulose sheets over heated surfaces, under natural and forced air conditions. The experimental apparatus consists in a metallic box heated by a thermostatic bath containing an upper surface on which the paper samples (about 1 mm thick are placed. The system is submitted to ambient air under two different conditions: natural convection and forced convection provide by an adjustable blower. The influence of initial paper moisture content, drying (heated surface temperature and air velocity on drying curves behavior is observed under different drying conditions. Hence, these influence is studied through the proposal of generalized drying curves. Those curves are analyzed individually for each air condition exposed above and for both together. A set of equations to fit them is proposed and discussed.

  14. Amine treatment induced perovskite nanowire network in perovskite solar cells: efficient surface passivation and carrier transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Ke; Cui, Can; Wang, Peng; Lin, Ping; Qiang, Yaping; Xu, Lingbo; Xie, Jiangsheng; Yang, Zhengrui; Zhu, Xiaodong; Yu, Xuegong; Yang, Deren

    2018-02-01

    In the fabrication of high efficiency organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs), an additional interface modifier is usually applied for enhancing the interface passivation and carrier transport. In this paper, we develop an innovative method with in-situ growth of one-dimensional perovskite nanowire (1D PNW) network triggered by Lewis amine over the perovskite films. To our knowledge, this is the first time to fabricate PSCs with shape-controlled perovskite surface morphology, which improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 14.32% to 16.66% with negligible hysteresis. The amine molecule can passivate the trap states on the polycrystalline perovskite surface to reduce trap-state density. Meanwhile, as a fast channel, the 1D PNWs would promote carrier transport from the bulk perovskite film to the electron transport layer. The PSCs with 1D PNW modification not only exhibit excellent photovoltaic performances, but also show good stability with only 4% PCE loss within 30 days in the ambient air without encapsulation. Our results strongly suggest that in-situ grown 1D PNW network provides a feasible and effective strategy for nanostructured optoelectronic devices such as PSCs to achieve superior performances.

  15. Bacterial Carriers for Glioblastoma Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nalini Mehta

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Treatment of aggressive glioblastoma brain tumors is challenging, largely due to diffusion barriers preventing efficient drug dosing to tumors. To overcome these barriers, bacterial carriers that are actively motile and programmed to migrate and localize to tumor zones were designed. These carriers can induce apoptosis via hypoxia-controlled expression of a tumor suppressor protein p53 and a pro-apoptotic drug, Azurin. In a xenograft model of human glioblastoma in rats, bacterial carrier therapy conferred a significant survival benefit with 19% overall long-term survival of >100 days in treated animals relative to a median survival of 26 days in control untreated animals. Histological and proteomic analyses were performed to elucidate the safety and efficacy of these carriers, showing an absence of systemic toxicity and a restored neural environment in treated responders. In the treated non-responders, proteomic analysis revealed competing mechanisms of pro-apoptotic and drug-resistant activity. This bacterial carrier opens a versatile avenue to overcome diffusion barriers in glioblastoma by virtue of its active motility in extracellular space and can lead to tailored therapies via tumor-specific expression of tumoricidal proteins.

  16. Basic Stand Alone Carrier Line Items PUF

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — This release contains the Basic Stand Alone (BSA) Carrier Line Items Public Use Files (PUF) with information from Medicare Carrier claims. The CMS BSA Carrier Line...

  17. Drying hardwood lumber

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chow, A T

    1988-11-14

    Dried lumber is a high-value-added product, especially when it is of high quality. Lumber damaged during the drying operation can represent substantial lost revenue. It has been demonstrated that dehumidification kilns can improve lumber quality, and reduce energy consumption over conventional drying methods. A summary of the literature on drying hardwood lumber, particularly using heat pump dehumidification, has been prepared to allow the information to be readily accessible to Ontario Hydro personnel who work with customers in the lumber industry. For that purpose, this summary has been prepared from the perspective of the customer, a dry kiln operator. Included are brief descriptions of drying schedules, precautions needed to minimize drying defects in the lumber, and rules-of-thumb for selecting and estimating the capital cost of the drying equipment. A selection of drying schedules and moisture contents of green lumber, a glossary of lumber defects and brief descriptions of the possible preventive measures are also included. 10 refs., 8 figs., 4 tabs.

  18. Nasal carriers are more likely to acquire exogenous Staphylococcus aureus strains than non-carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghasemzadeh-Moghaddam, H; Neela, V; van Wamel, W; Hamat, R A; Shamsudin, M Nor; Hussin, N Suhaila Che; Aziz, M N; Haspani, M S Mohammad; Johar, A; Thevarajah, S; Vos, M; van Belkum, A

    2015-11-01

    We performed a prospective observational study in a clinical setting to test the hypothesis that prior colonization by a Staphylococcus aureus strain would protect, by colonization interference or other processes, against de novo colonization and, hence, possible endo-infections by newly acquired S. aureus strains. Three hundred and six patients hospitalized for >7 days were enrolled. For every patient, four nasal swabs (days 1, 3, 5, and 7) were taken, and patients were identified as carriers when a positive nasal culture for S. aureus was obtained on day 1 of hospitalization. For all patients who acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) or methicillin-susceptible S. aureus via colonization and/or infection during hospitalization, strains were collected. We note that our study may suffer from false-negative cultures, local problems with infection control and hospital hygiene, or staphylococcal carriage at alternative anatomical sites. Among all patients, 22% were prior carriers of S. aureus, including 1.9% whom carried MRSA upon admission. The overall nasal staphylococcal carriage rate among dermatology patients was significantly higher than that among neurosurgery patients (n = 25 (55.5%) vs. n = 42 (16.1%), p 0.005). This conclusion held when the carriage definition included individuals who were nasal culture positive on day 1 and day 3 of hospitalization (p 0.0001). All MRSA carriers were dermatology patients. There was significantly less S. aureus acquisition among non-carriers than among carriers during hospitalization (p 0.005). The mean number of days spent in the hospital before experiencing MRSA acquisition in nasal carriers was 5.1, which was significantly lower than the score among non-carriers (22 days, p 0.012). In conclusion, we found that nasal carriage of S. aureus predisposes to rather than protects against staphylococcal acquisition in the nose, thereby refuting our null hypothesis. Copyright © 2015 European Society of Clinical

  19. Study of the Contributions of Donor and Acceptor Photoexcitations to Open Circuit Voltage in Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Douglas Yeboah

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available One of the key parameters in determining the power conversion efficiency (PCE of bulk heterojunction (BHJ organic solar cells (OSCs is the open circuit voltage . The processes of exciting the donor and acceptor materials individually in a BHJ OSC are investigated and are found to produce two different expressions for . Using the contributions of electron and hole quasi-Fermi levels and charge carrier concentrations, the two different expressions are derived as functions of the energetics of the donor and acceptor materials and the photo-generated charge carrier concentrations, and calculated for a set of donor-acceptor blends. The simultaneous excitation of both the donor and acceptor materials is also considered and the corresponding , which is different from the above two, is derived. The calculated from the photoexcitation of the donor is found to be somewhat comparable with that obtained from the photoexcitation of the acceptor in most combinations of the donor and acceptor materials considered here. It is also found that the calculated from the simultaneous excitations of donor and acceptor in BHJ OSCs is also comparable with the other two . All three thus derived produce similar results and agree reasonably well with the measured values. All three depend linearly on the concentration of the photoexcited charge carriers and hence incident light intensity, which agrees with experimental results. The outcomes of this study are expected to help in finding materials that may produce higher and hence enhanced PCE in BHJ OSCs.

  20. Practical considerations for addressing uncertainties in monitoring bulk deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Erisman, J.W. [ECN Clean Fossil Fuels, Petten (Netherlands); Daemmgen, U. [Institute of Agroecology, Federal Agricultural Research Centre, Braunschweig (Germany); Cape, J.N.; Fowler, D. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Scotland (United Kingdom); Gruenhage, L. [Institute for Plant Ecology, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen (Germany)

    2005-03-01

    The assessment of the deposition of both wet (rain and cloud) and dry sedimentation particles is a prerequisite for estimating element fluxes in ecosystem research. Many nations and institutions operate deposition networks using different types of sampler. However, these samplers have rarely been characterized with respect to their sink properties. Major errors in assessing bulk deposition can result from poor sampling properties and defective sampling strategies. Relevant properties are: sampler geometry and material, in particular the shape of the rim; sink properties for gases and aerosols; and microbial transformations of the collected samples. An adequate number of replicates allows the identification of samples which are contaminated, in particular by bird droppings. The paper discusses physical and chemical properties of the samplers themselves. The dependence of measurement accuracy on the number of replicates and the sampling area exposed is discussed. Recommendations are given for sampling strategies, and for making corrections and substitution of missing data. Recommendations are given for sampling strategies and for making corrections and substitution of missing data.

  1. Practical considerations for addressing uncertainties in monitoring bulk deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daemmgen, Ulrich [Institute of Agroecology, Federal Agricultural Research Centre, Bundesallee 50, D-38116 Braunschweig (Germany)]. E-mail: ulrich.daemmgen@fal.de; Erisman, Jan Willem [Netherlands Energy Research Foundation ECN, P.O. Box 1, NL-1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Cape, J. Neil [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik EH26 0QB, Scotland (United Kingdom); Gruenhage, Ludger [Institute for Plant Ecology, Justus-Liebig-University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, D-35392 Giessen (Germany); Fowler, David [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik EH26 0QB, Scotland (United Kingdom)

    2005-04-01

    The assessment of the deposition of both wet (rain and cloud) and dry sedimenting particles is a prerequisite for estimating element fluxes in ecosystem research. Many nations and institutions operate deposition networks using different types of sampler. However, these samplers have rarely been characterized with respect to their sink properties. Major errors in assessing bulk deposition can result from poor sampling properties and defective sampling strategies. Relevant properties are: sampler geometry and material, in particular the shape of the rim; sink properties for gases and aerosols; and microbial transformations of the collected samples. An adequate number of replicates allows the identification of samples which are contaminated, in particular by bird droppings. The paper discusses physical and chemical properties of the samplers themselves. The dependence of measurement accuracy on the number of replicates and the sampling area exposed is discussed. Recommendations are given for sampling strategies, and for making corrections and substitution of missing data. - Recommendations are given for sampling strategies and for making corrections and substitution of missing data.

  2. Practical considerations for addressing uncertainties in monitoring bulk deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daemmgen, Ulrich; Erisman, Jan Willem; Cape, J. Neil; Gruenhage, Ludger; Fowler, David

    2005-01-01

    The assessment of the deposition of both wet (rain and cloud) and dry sedimenting particles is a prerequisite for estimating element fluxes in ecosystem research. Many nations and institutions operate deposition networks using different types of sampler. However, these samplers have rarely been characterized with respect to their sink properties. Major errors in assessing bulk deposition can result from poor sampling properties and defective sampling strategies. Relevant properties are: sampler geometry and material, in particular the shape of the rim; sink properties for gases and aerosols; and microbial transformations of the collected samples. An adequate number of replicates allows the identification of samples which are contaminated, in particular by bird droppings. The paper discusses physical and chemical properties of the samplers themselves. The dependence of measurement accuracy on the number of replicates and the sampling area exposed is discussed. Recommendations are given for sampling strategies, and for making corrections and substitution of missing data. - Recommendations are given for sampling strategies and for making corrections and substitution of missing data

  3. Feasibility of DEXA prediction of dry matter and mass for horticultural products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartle, C.M.; West, J.G.

    2009-01-01

    Previously the DEXA system used in this research has been deployed commercially in meat processing plants with the objective of accurately determining the fat content of bulk and packaged meat, through a JV with ANZCO Foods and a partnership with Smiths Detection. This present research is aimed at demonstrating an ability to measure the dry matter distribution and in turn the net dry matter for individual horticultural products using DEXA. The DEXA images are obtained while scanning the products on a conveyor belt running at speeds representative of production grading situations. The products reported on here are primarily potatoes (because of a direct commercial interest), but also a butternut pumpkin and two rock melons. The grading and dry matter measurement capability is based on detecting change in the effective atomic number (EAN) with change in the elemental proportions within the product and there being effectively a binary mixture (e.g dry matter and water) present. Grading of fruit and vegetables on this basis is expected to be challenging. The commercial meat/fat grading already commercialised as a DEXA system is associated with 1.8 EAN units difference between fat (carbon rich Z eff =5.8) and fully-lean meat (oxygen rich Z eff =7.6) but this range is large compared to what is expected for horticultural products. The dry matter in horticultural products is primarily starch (plus minerals) and the EAN difference between starch (and minerals) and water is unknown here but calculations give the difference as little as 0.2 EAN units, dependant on the mineral content in the product. In this work we show that the dry matter sensitivities of the DEXA technology for horticultural products is discernable allowing measurement of dry matter distributions, and net dry matter values. The EAN range is indeed much smaller than for fat/meat mixtures, and consistent differences are yet to be demonstrated for an assembly of product, except for potatoes where consistency

  4. Drying characteristics of zucchini and empirical modeling of its drying process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naciye Kutlu

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to dry zucchini (Cucurbita pepo by two different methods (convective hot-air (CHD and microwave-assisted drying (MWD. The effect of air temperature (60, 70 and 80°C, microwave (MW power (180, 360, 540 W and sample thickness (5 and 10 mm on some drying characteristics of zucchini were investigated. Thirteen mathematical models available in the literature were fitted to the experimental moisture ratio data. The coefficients of the models were determined by non-linear regression analysis. It was determined that the model that fits the moisture ratio data the best varies at different drying conditions. Increasing drying temperature and MW power and reducing sample thickness improved the drying rate and drying time. Drying in microwave has reduced the drying time by 52-64% for zucchini. It was found that the effective moisture diffusivities increased with increasing temperature and MW power. MWD samples had better rehydration ratios compared to ones dried only in tray drier for 5 mm thickness.  

  5. Fabrication of triangular nanobeam waveguide networks in bulk diamond using single-crystal silicon hard masks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bayn, I.; Mouradian, S.; Li, L.; Goldstein, J. A.; Schröder, T.; Zheng, J.; Chen, E. H.; Gaathon, O.; Englund, Dirk; Lu, M.; Stein, A.; Ruggiero, C. A.; Salzman, J.; Kalish, R.

    2014-01-01

    A scalable approach for integrated photonic networks in single-crystal diamond using triangular etching of bulk samples is presented. We describe designs of high quality factor (Q = 2.51 × 10 6 ) photonic crystal cavities with low mode volume (V m  = 1.062 × (λ/n) 3 ), which are connected via waveguides supported by suspension structures with predicted transmission loss of only 0.05 dB. We demonstrate the fabrication of these structures using transferred single-crystal silicon hard masks and angular dry etching, yielding photonic crystal cavities in the visible spectrum with measured quality factors in excess of Q = 3 × 10 3

  6. Effect of process variables on the quality characteristics of pelleted wheat distiller's dried grains with solubles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jaya Shankar Tumuluru; Lope Tabil; Anthony Opoku; Maria Rosario Mosqueda; Olaniyi Fadeyi

    2011-04-01

    The rapid expansion of ethanol processing plants in Canada has resulted in a significant increase in the production of wheat-based distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Transportation and flowability problems associated with DDGS necessitate investigations on pelleting. In the present study, the effect of process variables like die temperature (T) and feed moisture content (Mw) on the pellet properties like pellet moisture content, durability and pellet density was explored using a single pelleting machine; further studies on pelleting DDGS using a pilot-scale pellet mill were also conducted to understand the effect of die diameter and steam conditioning on durability and bulk density of pellets. Proximate analysis of DDGS indicated that crude protein and dry matter were in the range of 37.37–40.33% and 91.27–92.60%, respectively. Linear regression models developed for pellet quality attributes like pellet moisture content, pellet density and durability adequately described the single pelleting process with R2 value of 0.97, 0.99 and 0.7, respectively. ANOVA results have indicated that linear terms T and Mw and the interaction term T × Mw were statistically significant at P < 0.01 and P < 0.1 for pellet moisture content and pellet density. Based on the trends of the surface plots, a medium T of about 50–80 °C and a low Mw of about 5.1% resulted in maximum pellet density and durability and minimum pellet moisture content. Results from pilot-scale studies indicated that bulk density, durability and throughput values were 436.8–528.9 kg m-3, 60.3–92.7% and 45.52–68.77 kg h-1, respectively. It was observed that both die diameter and steam addition had a significant effect on the bulk density and the durability values. The highest bulk density and durability were achieved with 6.4 mm die diameter with steam addition compared to 7.9 mm die with or without steam addition.

  7. The Simple, Effective Synthesis of Highly Dispersed Pd/C and CoPd/C Heterogeneous Catalysts via Charge-Enhanced Dry Impregnation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lawrence D’Souza

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Pd/C and CoPd/C heterogeneous catalysts have been synthesized by adopting Charge Enhanced Dry Impregnation (CEDI. The particles size distribution, their high metal surface-to-bulk ratios, and synthesis feasibility are unmatchable to any known noble metal bimetallic heterogeneous catalyst preparation techniques. Next generation Fuel Cells and Fischer-Tropsch catalytic processes economy will be benefited from the proposed methodology.

  8. ANALISIS KESELAMATAN TERMOHIDROLIK BULK SHIELDING REAKTOR KARTINI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azizul Khakim

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRAK ANALISIS KESELAMATAN TERMOHIDROLIK BULK SHIELDING REAKTOR KARTINI. Bulk shielding merupakan fasilitas yang terintegrasi dengan reaktor Kartini yang berfungsi sebagai penyimpanan sementara bahan bakar bekas. Fasilitas ini merupakan fasilitas yang termasuk dalam struktur, sistem dan komponen (SSK yang penting bagi keselamatan. Salah satu fungsi keselamatan dari sistem penanganan dan penyimpanan bahan bakar adalah mencegah kecelakaan kekritisan yang tak terkendali dan membatasi naiknya temperatur bahan bakar. Analisis keselamatan paling kurang harus mencakup analisis keselamatan dari sisi neutronik dan termo hidrolik Bulk shielding. Analisis termo hidrolik ditujukan untuk memastikan perpindahan panas dan proses pendinginan bahan bakar bekas berjalan baik dan tidak terjadi akumulasi panas yang mengancam integritas bahan bakar. Code tervalidasi PARET/ANL digunakan untuk analisis pendinginan dengan mode konveksi alam. Hasil perhitungan menunjukkan bahwa mode pendinginan konvekasi alam cukup memadai dalam mendinginkan panas sisa tanpa mengakibatkan kenaikan temperatur bahan bakar yang signifikan. Kata kunci: Bulk shielding, bahan bakar bekas, konveksi alam, PARET.   ABSTRACT THERMAL HYDRAULIC SAFETY ANALYSIS OF BULK SHIELDING KARTINI REACTOR. Bulk shielding is an integrated facility to Kartini reactor which is used for temporary spent fuels storage. The facility is one of the structures, systems and components (SSCs important to safety. Among the safety functions of fuel handling and storage are to prevent any uncontrolable criticality accidents and to limit the fuel temperature increase. Safety analyses should, at least, cover neutronic and thermal hydraulic calculations of the bulk shielding. Thermal hydraulic analyses were intended to ensure that heat removal and the process of the spent fuels cooling takes place adequately and no heat accumulation that challenges the fuel integrity. Validated code, PARET/ANL was used for analysing the

  9. Drying behaviour, effective diffusivity and energy of activation of olive leaves dried by microwave, vacuum and oven drying methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elhussein, Elaf Abdelillah Ali; Şahin, Selin

    2018-01-01

    Drying is the crucial food processing for bioactive components from plant materials before strating extraction in addition to preservation of raw plant materials during storage period. Olive leaves were dried by various methods such as microwave drying (MD), oven drying (OD) and vacuum drying (VD) at several temperature values in the present study. Mathematical models allow to develop, design and control the processes. 14 emprical equations were used to estimate the drying behaviour and the time required for drying. Convenience of the models were evaluated according to the correlation coefficient (R 2 ), varience (S 2 ) and root mean square deviation (D RMS ). On the other hand, the effective diffusion coefficient and energy for activation were also calculated. Effects of the drying methods on the total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC) and oleuropein contents and free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) of the olive leaves were also investigated to take into considiration the quality of the dried product. MD has proved to be the fastest drying method having the highest effective diffusivity and the lowest activation energy with a more qualitive product.

  10. Additive-Morphology Interplay and Loss Channels in “All-Small-Molecule” Bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) Solar Cells with the Nonfullerene Acceptor IDTTBM

    KAUST Repository

    Liang, Ru-Ze

    2017-12-16

    Achieving efficient bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells from blends of solution-processable small-molecule (SM) donors and acceptors is proved particularly challenging due to the complexity in obtaining a favorable donor–acceptor morphology. In this report, the BHJ device performance pattern of a set of analogous, well-defined SM donors—DR3TBDTT (DR3), SMPV1, and BTR—used in conjunction with the SM acceptor IDTTBM is examined. Examinations show that the nonfullerene “All-SM” BHJ solar cells made with DR3 and IDTTBM can achieve power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to ≈4.5% (avg. 4.0%) when the solution-processing additive 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO, 0.8% v/v) is used in the blend solutions. The figures of merit of optimized DR3:IDTTBM solar cells contrast with those of “as-cast” BHJ devices from which only modest PCEs <1% can be achieved. Combining electron energy loss spectrum analyses in scanning transmission electron microscopy mode, carrier transport measurements via “metal-insulator-semiconductor carrier extraction” methods, and systematic recombination examinations by light-dependence and transient photocurrent analyses, it is shown that DIO plays a determining role—establishing a favorable lengthscale for the phase-separated SM donor–acceptor network and, in turn, improving the balance in hole/electron mobilities and the carrier collection efficiencies overall.

  11. Additive-Morphology Interplay and Loss Channels in “All-Small-Molecule” Bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) Solar Cells with the Nonfullerene Acceptor IDTTBM

    KAUST Repository

    Liang, Ru-Ze; Babics, Maxime; Seitkhan, Akmaral; Wang, Kai; Geraghty, Paul Bythell; Lopatin, Sergei; Cruciani, Federico; Firdaus, Yuliar; Caporuscio, Marco; Jones, David J.; Beaujuge, Pierre

    2017-01-01

    Achieving efficient bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells from blends of solution-processable small-molecule (SM) donors and acceptors is proved particularly challenging due to the complexity in obtaining a favorable donor–acceptor morphology. In this report, the BHJ device performance pattern of a set of analogous, well-defined SM donors—DR3TBDTT (DR3), SMPV1, and BTR—used in conjunction with the SM acceptor IDTTBM is examined. Examinations show that the nonfullerene “All-SM” BHJ solar cells made with DR3 and IDTTBM can achieve power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to ≈4.5% (avg. 4.0%) when the solution-processing additive 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO, 0.8% v/v) is used in the blend solutions. The figures of merit of optimized DR3:IDTTBM solar cells contrast with those of “as-cast” BHJ devices from which only modest PCEs <1% can be achieved. Combining electron energy loss spectrum analyses in scanning transmission electron microscopy mode, carrier transport measurements via “metal-insulator-semiconductor carrier extraction” methods, and systematic recombination examinations by light-dependence and transient photocurrent analyses, it is shown that DIO plays a determining role—establishing a favorable lengthscale for the phase-separated SM donor–acceptor network and, in turn, improving the balance in hole/electron mobilities and the carrier collection efficiencies overall.

  12. Ultrafast carrier dynamics in tetrahedral amorphous carbon: carrier trapping versus electron-hole recombination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carpene, E; Mancini, E; Dallera, C; Schwen, D; Ronning, C; Silvestri, S De

    2007-01-01

    We report the investigation of the ultrafast carrier dynamics in thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon films by means of femtosecond time-resolved reflectivity. We estimated the electron-phonon relaxation time of a few hundred femtoseconds and we observed that under low optical excitation photo-generated carriers decay according to two distinct mechanisms attributed to trapping by defect states and direct electron-hole recombination. With high excitation, when photo-carrier and trap densities are comparable, a unique temporal evolution develops, as the time dependence of the trapping process becomes degenerate with the electron-hole recombination. This experimental evidence highlights the role of defects in the ultrafast electronic dynamics and is not specific to this particular form of carbon, but has general validity for amorphous and disordered semiconductors

  13. No differences in brain microstructure between young KIBRA-C carriers and non-carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Li; Xu, Qunxing; Li, Jizhen; Wang, Feifei; Xu, Xinghua; Sun, Zhiyuan; Ma, Xiangxing; Liu, Yong; Wang, Qing; Wang, Dawei

    2018-01-02

    KIBRA rs17070145 polymorphism is associated with variations in memory function and the microstructure of related brain areas. Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) as an extension of diffusion tensor imaging that can provide more information about changes in microstructure, based on the idea that water diffusion in biological tissues is heterogeneous due to structural hindrance and restriction. We used DKI to explore the relationship between KIBRA gene polymorphism and brain microstructure in young adults. We recruited 100 healthy young volunteers, including 53 TT carriers and 47 C allele carriers. No differences were detected between the TT homozygotes and C-allele carriers for any diffusion and kurtosis parameter. These results indicate KIBRA rs17070145 polymorphism likely has little or no effect on brain microstructure in young adults.

  14. Superductile bulk metallic glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao, K.F.; Ruan, F.; Yang, Y.Q.; Chen, N.

    2006-01-01

    Usually, monolithic bulk metallic glasses undergo inhomogeneous plastic deformation and exhibit poor ductility (<2%) at room temperature. We report a newly developed Pd-Si binary bulk metallic glass, which exhibits a uniform plastic deformation and a large plastic engineering strain of 82% and a plastic true strain of 170%, together with initial strain hardening, slight strain softening and final strain hardening characteristics. The uniform shear deformation and the ultrahigh plasticity are mainly attributed to strain hardening, which results from the nanoscale inhomogeneity due to liquid phase separation. The formed nanoscale inhomogeneity will hinder, deflect, and bifurcate the propagation of shear bands

  15. Safety requirements for the Pu carriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mishima, H.

    1993-01-01

    Ministry of Transport of Japan has now set about studying requirements for Pu carriers to ensure safety. It was first studied what the basic concept of safe carriage of Pu should be, and the basic ideas have been worked out. Next the requirements for the Pu carriers were studied based on the above. There are at present no international requirements of construction and equipment for the nuclear-material carriers, but MOT of Japan has so far required special construction and equipment for the nuclear-material carriers which carry a large amount of radioactive material, such as spent fuel or low level radioactive waste, corresponding to the level of the respective potential hazard. The requirements of construction and equipment of the Pu carriers have been established considering the difference in heat generation between Pu and spent fuel, physical protection, and so forth, in addition to the above basic concept. (J.P.N.)

  16. Drying Kinetics Analysis of Seaweed Gracilaria changii using Solar Drying System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Yusof Othman; Ahmad Fudholi; Kamaruzzaman Sopian; Mohd Hafidz Ruslan; Muhammad Yahya

    2012-01-01

    A solar drying system suitable for agricultural and marine products have been designed, constructed and evaluated under Malaysia climatic conditions. The solar drying system has been constructed and evaluated for the drying of seaweed Gracilaria changii. The initial and final moisture content of seaweed are 95 % (wet basis) and 10 % (product basis), respectively. The drying time was about 7 hours at average solar radiation of 593 W/ m 2 and air flow rate of 0.0613 kg/ s. Three different thin-layer drying models were compared with experimental data, during the drying of seaweed using the solar drying system at average temperature and humidity of about 50 degree Celsius and 20 %, respectively. The one with highest R2 and lowest MBE and RMSE was selected to better estimate the drying curves. The study showed that the Page model was better fit to drying seaweed compared to the other models (Newton model, and Henderson and Pabis model). (author)

  17. Preparation of microorganism free carrier for biofertilizer product

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Latiffah Norddin; Maizatul Akmam Mhd Nasir; Phua Choo Kwai Hoe

    2007-01-01

    Biofertilizer has been identified as an alternative or complementary to chemical fertilizer to increase soil fertility and crop production in sustainable farming. Biofertilizers are products containing living cells of different types of known microorganisms that may increase crop productivity through N2 fixation, phosphate solubilization or stimulation of plant growth by synthesising phytohormones. A good biofertilizer product needs a good carrier or substrate. A good carrier is free from microbial contamination and can optimise the growth of the biofertilizer microorganisms. Compost is commonly used as carrier or substrate for biofertilizer microorganisms. In the present study, compost produced by Nuclear Malaysia using the Natural Farming was used as a carrier for the biofertilizer products. Gamma irradiation has been used to produce a ?clean? or sterile carrier. The sterilization effect of the carrier was checked by using serial dilution technique. Carriers that were irradiated at 50 kGy of gamma irradiation were found to be sterile. The shelf life of the sterile carriers was also determined. After six months the compost carriers were still free from microbial contamination. (Author)

  18. Carrier-mediated transport of peptides by the kidney

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skopicki, H.A.

    1988-01-01

    Small peptide transport was characterized to determine if: (1) Multiple carriers are present in the luminal membrane of renal proximal tubular cells; (2) Carrier-mediated peptide transport is limited by size; and (3) Gentamicin inhibits carrier-mediated reabsorption of peptides. Uptake of glycyl-[ 3 H]proline (Gly-Pro) into renal brush border membrane vesicles demonstrated a dual affinity carrier system. Whether multiple carriers are present was further investigated by characterizing the uptake of [ 3 H]pyroglutamyl-histidine. To determine if carrier-mediated transport of peptides is limited by size of the molecule, uptake of the hydrolytically resistant tripeptide, [ 3 H]pryroglutamyl-histidyl-tryptophan (pGlu-His-Trp), and tetrapeptide, [ 3 H]pyroglutamyl-histidyl-tryptophyl-serine (pGlu-His-Trp-Ser) were assessed. These data indicate: multiple carriers exist on the luminal membrane of renal proximal tubular cells for the transport of dipeptides, and tripeptide pGlu-His-Trp and the tetrapeptide pGlu-His-Trp-Ser are not taken up by a carrier-mediated mechanism, suggesting that the carrier may be limited by the size of the substrate

  19. Dedicated Carrier Deployment in Heterogeneous Networks with Inter-site Carrier Aggregation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Hua; Rosa, Claudio; Pedersen, Klaus I.

    2013-01-01

    the macrocell or the picocell using simple cell range expansion (RE). Extensive system-level simulations have been conducted to investigate the performance gains that can be achieved with inter-site CA under different traffic models and user distributions. Results show that using inter-site CA between......) or picos with dedicated carrier deployment. Collaborative inter-site carrier aggregation (CA) is proposed in scenarios with macro+RRH deployment to make an efficient use of the fragmented spectrum from multiple cells. While in scenarios with macro+pico deployment, UEs can only connect to either...

  20. Bulk viscosity of molecular fluids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaeger, Frederike; Matar, Omar K.; Müller, Erich A.

    2018-05-01

    The bulk viscosity of molecular models of gases and liquids is determined by molecular simulations as a combination of a dilute gas contribution, arising due to the relaxation of internal degrees of freedom, and a configurational contribution, due to the presence of intermolecular interactions. The dilute gas contribution is evaluated using experimental data for the relaxation times of vibrational and rotational degrees of freedom. The configurational part is calculated using Green-Kubo relations for the fluctuations of the pressure tensor obtained from equilibrium microcanonical molecular dynamics simulations. As a benchmark, the Lennard-Jones fluid is studied. Both atomistic and coarse-grained force fields for water, CO2, and n-decane are considered and tested for their accuracy, and where possible, compared to experimental data. The dilute gas contribution to the bulk viscosity is seen to be significant only in the cases when intramolecular relaxation times are in the μs range, and for low vibrational wave numbers (<1000 cm-1); This explains the abnormally high values of bulk viscosity reported for CO2. In all other cases studied, the dilute gas contribution is negligible and the configurational contribution dominates the overall behavior. In particular, the configurational term is responsible for the enhancement of the bulk viscosity near the critical point.

  1. Health risks in international container and bulk cargo transport due to volatile toxic compounds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baur, Xaver; Budnik, Lygia T; Zhao, Zhiwei

    2015-01-01

    To ensure the preservation and quality of the goods, physical (i.e. radiation) or chemical pest control is needed. The dark side of such consents may bear health risks in international transport and production sharing. In fact, between 10% and 20% of all containers arriving European harbors were...... with lethal outcome, occur not only during the fumigation, but also during freight transport (on bulk carriers and other transport vessels), as well as in the logistic lines during loading and unloading. Risk occupations include dock-workers, seafarers, inspectors, as well as the usually uninformed workers...... of importing enterprises that unload the products. Bystanders as well as vulnerable consumers may also be at risk. Ongoing studies focus on the release of these toxic volatile substances from various goods. It was shown that the half-lives of the off-gassing process range between minutes and months, depending...

  2. Bulk Fermi surface and electronic properties of Cu0.07Bi2Se3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, C.; Craciun, V.; Miller, K. H.; Uzakbaiuly, B.; Buvaev, S.; Berger, H.; Hebard, A. F.; Tanner, D. B.

    2013-05-01

    The electronic properties of Cu0.07Bi2Se3 have been investigated using Shubnikov-de Haas and optical reflectance measurements. Quantum oscillations reveal a bulk, three-dimensional Fermi surface with anisotropy kFc/kFab≈ 2 and a modest increase in free-carrier concentration and in scattering rate with respect to the undoped Bi2Se3, also confirmed by reflectivity data. The effective mass is almost identical to that of Bi2Se3. Optical conductivity reveals a strong enhancement of the bound impurity bands with Cu addition, suggesting that a significant number of Cu atoms enter the interstitial sites between Bi and Se layers or may even substitute for Bi. This conclusion is also supported by x-ray diffraction measurements, where a significant increase of microstrain was found in Cu0.07Bi2Se3, compared to Bi2Se3.

  3. Conceptual design for a bulk tungsten divertor tile in JET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mertens, Ph.; Hirai, T.; Linke, J.; Neubauer, O.; Pintsuk, G.; Philipps, V.; Sadakov, S.; Samm, U.; Schweer, B.

    2007-01-01

    The ITER-like Wall project (ILW) for JET aims at providing the plasma chamber of the tokamak with an environment of mixed materials which will be relevant for the actual first wall construction on ITER. Tungsten plays a key role in the divertor cladding. For the central tile, also called LB-SRP for 'load-bearing septum replacement plate', bulk tungsten is envisaged in order to cope with the high heat loads expected (up to 10 MW/m 2 for 10 s). The outer strike-point in the divertor will be positioned on this tile for the most relevant configurations. Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ) has developed a conceptual design based on an assembly of tungsten blades or lamellae. An appropriate interface with the base carrier of JET, on which modules of two tiles are positioned and fixed by remote handling procedures, is a substantial part of the integral design. Important issues are the electromagnetic forces and expected temperature distributions. Material choices combine tungsten, TZM TM , Inconel and ceramic parts. The completed design has been finalised in a proposal to the ILW project, with utmost ITER-relevance

  4. INVESTIGATION OF THE KINETICS OF DRYING SEEDS THISTLE IN VORTEX CHAMBER WITH MICROWAVE ENERGY SUPPLY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. A. Kazartsev

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In the study of the current state of the theory, techniques and technologies for processing of milk thistle showed up a number of problems. One of those moments - the need to promptly provide quality and efficient process for drying seeds, but Russia has not produced special equipment for postharvest processing of seeds of milk thistle, and used for drying grain domestic appliances, represented mainly by mining and drum dryers, it is not suitable for thistle. This is due to the fact that, firstly, in the dewatering process is necessary to provide a relatively low final moisture drying product (5-6 %, and, secondly, to keep their beneficial substance in full, which imposes additional restrictions on the conditions of drying. One way of creating a new drying technology development and implementation in the industry of high-intensive devices with active hydrodynamic regimes with microwave energy supply, providing in many cases, higher technical and economic indicators. Therefore, the use of devices with swirling flow of heat-carrier for the intensification of the process of drying of dispersed materials is both theoretical interest and practical value. Microwave drying is based on the fact that the dielectric properties of water and dry food substances are different: the wet material is heated much faster than dry. During the microwave drying temperature wetter internal layers higher than the exterior more dehydrated (which creates a "right" - from the inner to the outer layers of the product - the gradient of moisture mass transfer is not realizable in any of the other known methods of drying. Milk thistle seeds have a unique composition: 25-32 % fatty oil, 15-17 % protein, 26 % fat, in the-soluble (B group and fat-soluble (A, D, E, K, F vitamins, mono- and disaccharides, macro- and trace elements (copper, zinc, selenium, dietary fiber and enzymes, mucus, up to 5 % (glucose, etc., phenolic compounds including flaviolignans 2-3% (silibinin

  5. Determination of drying characteristics and quality properties of eggplant in different drying conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gözde Bayraktaroglu Urun

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Drying is the most traditional process used for preserving eggplant a long time. The aim of this study was to determining drying characteristics and quality properties of eggplant dried by sun drying, hot air convective drying and infrared assisted convective drying. Convective drying and infrared assisted convective were carried out in a convective dryer at three different temperatures(40°, 50°, 60°C and air velocity at 5 m/s.The increasing of temperatures during the drying of eggplant led to a significant reduction of the drying time. However loss of nutrition was observed in eggplant samples dried at higher temperature.The biggest change in colour parameters was observed in samples dried with sun drying.So it was thought that sun drying had a negative effect on quality properties of eggplant samples.

  6. Zero-Crossing Disturbance Elimination and Spectrum Analysis of Single-Carrier Seven-Level SPWM

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wu, Fengjiang; Feng, Fan; Duan, Jiandong

    2015-01-01

    the same comparison logics of the MWs and carrier during positive and negative half cycles of the MWs. Thus, it is implemented with only one digital signal processor chip without any other attached logical circuit or controller. The reason for generating the zero-crossing voltage pulse disturbance (ZCVPD......) in this strategy is analyzed, and the elimination of the ZCVPD is proposed and verified by experimental results. The spectral characters of the conventional multi-MW-based SPWM and the proposed one are originally derived and compared with each other by simulation in detail. The theoretical analysis, simulation......, and experimental results indicate that the output characters of the proposed strategy are identical to those of the conventional one; it means that the proposed strategy can replace the conventional one while with the benefit of significantly reducing the cost and bulk of the implemental platform....

  7. Carrier-carrier scattering in the gain dynamics of InxGa1-xAs/AlyGa1-yAs diode lasers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sanders, Gary D; Sun, C.-K.; Golubovic, B.

    1996-01-01

    Ultrafast optical nonlinearities in semiconductors play a central role in determining transient amplification and pulse-dependent gain saturation in diode lasers. Both carrier-phonon and carrier-carrier scattering are expected to determine the gain dynamics in these systems. We present a relaxation......-Dirac function where the chemical potential and temperature are self-consistently chosen so that both particle number and energy are conserved in the carrier-carrier scattering process. The relaxation approximation makes the problem an effective one-dimensional problem which can then be solved directly...

  8. Unified bulk-boundary correspondence for band insulators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhim, Jun-Won; Bardarson, Jens H.; Slager, Robert-Jan

    2018-03-01

    The bulk-boundary correspondence, a topic of intensive research interest over the past decades, is one of the quintessential ideas in the physics of topological quantum matter. Nevertheless, it has not been proven in all generality and has in certain scenarios even been shown to fail, depending on the boundary profiles of the terminated system. Here, we introduce bulk numbers that capture the exact number of in-gap modes, without any such subtleties in one spatial dimension. Similarly, based on these 1D bulk numbers, we define a new 2D winding number, which we call the pole winding number, that specifies the number of robust metallic surface bands in the gap as well as their topological character. The underlying general methodology relies on a simple continuous extrapolation from the bulk to the boundary, while tracking the evolution of Green's function's poles in the vicinity of the bulk band edges. As a main result we find that all the obtained numbers can be applied to the known insulating phases in a unified manner regardless of the specific symmetries. Additionally, from a computational point of view, these numbers can be effectively evaluated without any gauge fixing problems. In particular, we directly apply our bulk-boundary correspondence construction to various systems, including 1D examples without a traditional bulk-boundary correspondence, and predict the existence of boundary modes on various experimentally studied graphene edges, such as open boundaries and grain boundaries. Finally, we sketch the 3D generalization of the pole winding number by in the context of topological insulators.

  9. Spent-fuel shipping and cask-handling studies in wet and dry environments. Studies and research concerning BNFP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCreery, P.N.

    1982-09-01

    A demonstration cask system has been constructed specifically to be used in examining unconventional techniques in handling spent fuel and fuel-hauling casks. This report demonstrates, through a series of photographs, some of these techniques and discusses others. It includes wet and dry operations, loading and unloading horizontally and vertically, mobile on-site carriers that can eliminate the need for some cranes and, in general, many of the operational options that are open in the design of future fuel handling systems

  10. 46 CFR 148.04-23 - Unslaked lime in bulk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Unslaked lime in bulk. 148.04-23 Section 148.04-23... HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IN BULK Special Additional Requirements for Certain Material § 148.04-23 Unslaked lime in bulk. (a) Unslaked lime in bulk must be transported in unmanned, all steel, double-hulled barges...

  11. 14 CFR 271.3 - Carrier subsidy need.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Aeronautics and Space OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (AVIATION PROCEEDINGS) ECONOMIC REGULATIONS GUIDELINES FOR SUBSIDIZING AIR CARRIERS PROVIDING ESSENTIAL AIR TRANSPORTATION § 271.3 Carrier subsidy need. In establishing the subsidy for an air carrier providing essential air service at an...

  12. Studies of the effect of radurization of dried mackerel (Pneumatophorus japonicus) for extension of shelf life - a semi pilot scale. Part of a coordinated programme in the Asian regional cooperative project of food irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guevara, G.

    1982-10-01

    Large scale experiments on the effect of irradiation on the shelf life extension of semi-dried mackerel having a moisture content of 41-48% and a salt content of 14-15% were carried out. The samples were packaged either in retail or bulk packaging before irradiation with 325 Krad and stored either at ambient temperatures (30 +- 2 deg. C), or at 2 +- 1 deg. C. Results of objective and subjective tests showed that irradiation offers a potential for extending by twofold the shelf-life of semi-dried mackerel at ambient temperature. At chilling temperatures, no significant difference in quality was observed, as all samples were acceptable after 12 months of storage. Retail packaging appears to provide better quality products than bulk packaging. Irradiated samples packed in retail packaging became totally unacceptable in the 9th week of storage at ambient temperature, compared to the 5th week for samples packed in bulk packaging. Sensory evaluation of samples showed that irradiated samples received higher scores than unirradiated ones, especially after three weeks of storage at ambient temperatures

  13. Dry rotary swaging with structured and coated tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrmann, Marius; Schenck, Christian; Kuhfuss, Bernd

    2018-05-01

    Rotary swaging is a cold bulk forming process for manufacturing of complex bar and tube profiles like axles and gear shafts in the automotive industry. Conventional rotary swaging is carried out under intense use of lubricant usually based on mineral oil. Besides lubrication the lubricant fulfills necessary functions like lubrication, flushing and cooling, but generates costs for recycling, replacement and cleaning of the workpieces. Hence, the development of a dry process design is highly desirable, both under economic and ecological points of view. Therefore, it is necessary to substitute the functions of the lubricant. This was realized by the combination of newly developed a-C:H:W coating systems on the tools to minimize the friction and to avoid adhesion effects. With the application of a deterministic structure in the forging zone of the tools the friction conditions are modified to control the axial process forces. In this study infeed rotary swaging with functionalized tools was experimentally investigated. Therefore, steel and aluminum tubes were formed with and without lubricant. Different structures which were coated and uncoated were implemented in the reduction zone of the tools. The antagonistic effects of coating and structuring were characterized by measuring the axial process force and the produced workpiece quality in terms of roundness and surface roughness. Thus, the presented results allow for further developments towards a dry rotary swaging process.

  14. Carbon: Hydrogen carrier or disappearing skeleton?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Jong, K.P.; Van Wechem, H.M.H.

    1994-01-01

    The use of liquid hydrocarbons as energy carriers implies the use of carbon as a carrier for hydrogen to facilitate hydrogen transport and storage. The current trend for liquid energy carriers used in the transport sector is to maximize the load of hydrogen on the carbon carrier. The recently developed Shell Middle Distillate Hydrogenation process for the manufacture of high quality diesel from aromatic refinery streams fits this picture. In the future, the hydrogen required to raise the product H/C ratio will be increasingly produced via gasification of large amounts of heavy residues. In the light of the strong preference towards using liquid fuels in the transport sector, the Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis process to convert natural gas into diesel of very high quality is discussed. Finally, a few comments on the use of hydrogen without a carbon carrier are made. Long lead times and the likelihood of producing the 'first' hydrogen from fossil fuel are highlighted. 13 figs., 6 tabs., 5 refs

  15. What Is Dry Eye?

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Español Eye Health / Eye Health A-Z Dry Eye Sections What Is Dry Eye? Dry Eye Symptoms ... Dry Eye Dry Eye Treatment What Is Dry Eye? Leer en Español: ¿Qué es el ojo seco? ...

  16. Overcoming the efficiency limitations of SnS2 nanoparticle-based bulk heterojunction solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tam Nguyen Truong, Nguyen; Kieu Trinh, Thanh; Thanh Hau Pham, Viet; Smith, Ryan P.; Park, Chinho

    2018-04-01

    This study examined the effects of heat treatment, the electron transport layer, and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) incorporation on the performance of hybrid bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells composed of tin disulfide (SnS2) nanoparticles (NPs) and low band gap energy polymers poly[2,6-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b3,4-b‧]dithiophene)-alt-4,7(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) or poly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b‧]dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl}) (PBT7). Inserting an electron transport layer (ETL) (i.e., ZnO) on the top of the photoactive layer improved the surface morphology of the photoactive layer, which led to an improvement in charge transport. Moreover, adding a suitable amount of PCBM to the SnS2/polymer active layer enhanced the device performance, such as short circuit current density (J sc) and power conversion efficiency (PCE). In particular, adding 0.5 mg of PCBM to the composite solution led to a 25% and 1.5% improvement in the J sc value and PCE, respectively. The enhanced performance was due mainly to the improvements in the surface morphology of the photoactive layer, charge carrier mobility within the donor-acceptor interface, and carrier collection efficiency at the cathode.

  17. Thermal annealing study on P3HT: PCBM based bulk heterojunction organic solar cells using impedance spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gollu, Sankara Rao, E-mail: sankar.gollu@gmail.com [Plastic Electronics and Energy Lab (PEEL), Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Material Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai-400076 (India); Sharma, Ramakant, E-mail: diptig@iitb.ac.in; G, Srinivas, E-mail: diptig@iitb.ac.in; Gupta, Dipti, E-mail: diptig@iitb.ac.in [Plastic Electronics and Energy Lab (PEEL) Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Material Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai-400076 (India)

    2014-10-15

    Recently, Thermal annealing is an important process for bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (BHJ OSCs) to improve the device efficiency and performance of the organic solar cells. Here in, we have examined the changes in the efficiency and morphology of P3HT: PCBM film according to the thermal annealing temperature to find the changes during the annealing process by measuring the optical absorption, atomic force microscope and X-ray diffraction. We also investigated the effect of different annealing process conditions (without, pre- and post-annealing) on the device performance of the inverted bulk heterojunction organic solar cells consist the structure of ITO/ ZnO / P3HT: PCBM / MoO{sub 3}/ Al by measuring AC impedance characteristics. Particularly, the power conversion efficiency (PCE), crystalline nature of the polymer, light absorption and the surface smoothness of P3HT: PCBM films are significantly improved after the annealing process. These results indicated the improvement in terms of PCE, interface smoothness between the P3HT: PCBM and MoO{sub 3} layers of the post annealed device originated from the decrease of series resistance between P3HT: PCBM layer and Al electrodes, which could be due to decrease in the effective life time of charge carriers.

  18. What Is Dry Eye?

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Stories Español Eye Health / Eye Health A-Z Dry Eye Sections What Is Dry Eye? Dry Eye Symptoms ... of Dry Eye Dry Eye Treatment What Is Dry Eye? Leer en Español: ¿Qué es el ojo seco? ...

  19. Drying of building lumber

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Washimi, Hiroshi

    1988-08-20

    Dried lumber is classified into air dried and kiln-dried lumber. The water content of kiln-dried lumber is specified by the Japan Agricultural Standards. However, since building lumber varies in such factors as the location where it was growing, species and shape, the standards, though relaxed, are not being observed. In fact, lumbered products which are not ''Kiln-dried'' frequently bear ''kiln-dried lumber'' marks. In an attempt to correct the situation, the Forestry Agency has set up voluntary standards, but problems still remain. The conventional drying method consists of first subjecting the lumber to optimum drying, then letting bending and deformations to freely and fully appear, and follow this with corrective sawing to produce planks straight from end to end. Compared with air dried lumber in terms of moisture content, kiln-dried lumber remains much with same with minimal shrinkage and expansion. For oil-containing resin, such normal treatments as drying by heating, steaming and boiling seem to be quite effective. Kiln drying, which is becoming more and more important with changes in the circulation system, consists of the steaming-drying-heating method and the dehumidizing type drying method. The major factor which determines the drying cost is the number of days required for drying, which depends largely on the kind of lumber and moisture content. The Forestry Angency is promoting production of defoiled lumber. (2 figs, 2 tables)

  20. The impact of ultra-thin titania interlayers on open circuit voltage and carrier lifetime in thin film solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moerman, David; Colbert, Adam E.; Ginger, David S., E-mail: ginger@chem.washington.edu [Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Kim, Hyungchul; Graham, Samuel, E-mail: sgraham@gatech.edu [School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (United States)

    2016-03-14

    We study the effects of modifying indium tin oxide electrodes with ultrathin titania (TiO{sub 2}) layers grown via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). We find an optimal thickness of PE-ALD-grown titania by tracking performance, which initially increases, peaks, and eventually decreases with increasing TiO{sub 2} thickness. We use scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) to measure both the local work function and its distribution as a function of TiO{sub 2} thickness. We find that the variance in contact potential difference across the surface of the film is related to either the amorphous or anatase TiO{sub 2} form. Finally, we use local SKPM recombination rate experiments, supported by bulk transient photovoltage and charge extraction measurements. We show that the optimum TiO{sub 2} thickness is the one for which the carrier lifetime is the longest and the charge carrier density is the highest, when the TiO{sub 2} is amorphous, in agreement with the device measurements.