WorldWideScience

Sample records for membrane faceted concentrator

  1. Facet development for a faceted stretched-membrane dish by Solar Kinetics, Inc

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schertz, P.T.; Brown, D.C.; Konnerth, A. III (Solar Kinetics, Inc., Dallas, TX (United States))

    1991-07-01

    A 3.6-meter diameter stretched-membrane optical facet for a parabolic dish has been successfully designed and demonstrated under contract with Sandia National Laboratories. Twelve facets identical to them will be used to make the lightweight reflector of the dish. The project goal of 2.5-mrad surface accuracy was met with each of the two full-sized prototypes, and accuracies of as low as 1.1 mrad were achieved. The facet weight is 11.7 kg/m{sup 2} (2.4lbs/ft{sup 2}). The facet is similar in construction to the successful stretched-membrane heliostat; it has two thin metal membranes attached to a ring. However, the front membrane for this facet is plastically formed at the factor in order to achieve a shorter facet f/D (approximately 3.0). A passive tether restrains the from membrane when not in operation, that is, when the stabilizing vacuum is off. The optical surface is achieved with a silvered-acrylic film laminated to the metal membrane. The facet is expected to cost $55.40/m{sup 2} at a production rate of 10,000 facets per year and $115, 000/m{sup 2}-at a production rate of 500 facets a year. Several key issues have been resolved. Stress concentrations due to seams in the reflective laminate did not cause membrane rupture during forming as they have for dishes with lower focal length-to-diameter ratios. The laminate survived the forming process and simulated operation without deterioration. The optical effect of the tether on the membrane was tested and found to be very small. Most important, highly accurate shapes were obtained using a simple forming procedure. Additional tests are needed to demonstrate process repeatablility and facet performance in typical operating conditions. 18 refs., 36 figs., 11 tabs.

  2. Specific oriented metal-organic framework membranes and their facet-tuned separation performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Yiyin; Su, Binbin; Cao, Wei; Li, Junwei; Ying, Yulong; Ying, Wen; Hou, Yajun; Sun, Luwei; Peng, Xinsheng

    2014-09-24

    Modulating the crystal morphology, or the exposed crystal facets, of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) expands their potential applications in catalysis, adsorption, and separation. In this article, by immobilizing the citrate modulators on Au nanoparticles and subsequently being fixed on solid copper hydroxide nanostrands, a well-intergrown and oriented HKUST-1 cube crystal membrane was formed at room temperature. In contrast, in the absence of Au nanoparticles, well-intergrown and oriented cuboctahedron and octahedron membranes were formed in water/ethanol and ethanol, respectively. The gas separation performances of these HKUST-1 membranes were tuned via their exposed facets with defined pore sizes. The HKUST-1 cube membrane with exposed {001} facets demonstrated the highest permeance but lowest gas binary separation factors, while the octahedron membrane with exposed {111} facets presented the highest separation factors but lowest permeance, since the window size of {111} facets is 0.46 nm which is smaller than 0.9 nm of {001} facets. Separation of 0.38 nm CO2 from 0.55 nm SF6 was realized by the HKUST-1 octahedron membrane. As a proof of concept, this will open a new way to design MOF-related separation membranes by facet controlling.

  3. Influence of the size of facets on point focus solar concentrators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riveros-Rosas, David [Instituto de Geofisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Copilco, Coyoacan, CP 04510 DF (Mexico); Sanchez-Gonzalez, Marcelino [Centro Nacional de Energias Renovables, c/Somera 7-9, CP 28026 Madrid (Spain); Arancibia-Bulnes, Camilo A.; Estrada, Claudio A. [Centro de Investigacion en Energia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Priv. Xochicalco s/n, Morelos (Mexico)

    2011-03-15

    It is a common practice in the development of point focus solar concentrators to use multiple identical reflecting facets, as a practical and economic alternative for the design and construction of large systems. This kind of systems behaves in a different manner than continuous paraboloidal concentrators. A theoretical study is carried out to understand the effect of the size of facets and of their optical errors in multiple facet point focus solar concentrating systems. For this purpose, a ray tracing program was developed based on the convolution technique, in which the brightness distribution of the sun and the optical errors of the reflecting surfaces are considered. The study shows that both the peak of concentration and the optimal focal distance of the system strongly depend on the size of the facets, and on their optical errors. These results are useful to help concentrator developers to have a better understanding of the relationship between manufacturing design restrictions and final optical behavior. (author)

  4. Energetical optimization and parameters selection for a fixed faceted mirror concentrator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nicolas, R.O.; Duran, J.C.; Dawidowski, L.E.

    1990-01-01

    A method which allows to select the parameters of a cylindrical solar collector by means of an energetical optimization is presented. In particular, the energy collected by the operating fluid and the collection efficiency of a Fixed Faceted Mirror Concentrator (FFMC) are obtained and compared for different sets of parameters. To this end, the two-dimensional optical analysis for non-perfect cylindrical concentrators presented previously is used. Some graphs analyzing the variations of the yearly efficiency of the FFMC as a function of those parameters are given. Finally, the possibility of using a second concentrator in the receiver plane of the FFMC in order to improve the whole efficiency of the prototype is also analyzed. (Author)

  5. Membrane distillation for milk concentration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Moejes, S.N.; Romero Guzman, Maria; Hanemaaijer, J.H.; Barrera, K.H.; Feenstra, L.; Boxtel, van A.J.B.

    2015-01-01

    Membrane distillation is an emerging technology to concentrate liquid products while producing high quality water as permeate. Application for desalination has been studied extensively the past years, but membrane distillation has also potential to produce concentrated food products like

  6. Salt Concentration Differences Alter Membrane Resistance in Reverse Electrodialysis Stacks

    KAUST Repository

    Geise, Geoffrey M.

    2014-01-14

    Membrane ionic resistance is usually measured by immersing the membrane in a salt solution at a single, fixed concentration. While salt concentration is known to affect membrane resistance when the same concentration is used on both sides of the membrane, little is known about membrane resistance when the membrane is placed between solutions of different concentrations, such as in a reverse electrodialysis (RED) stack. Ionic resistance measurements obtained using Selemion CMV and AMV that separated sodium chloride and ammonium bicarbonate solutions of different concentrations were greater than those measured using only the high-concentration solution. Measured RED stack resistances showed good agreement with resistances calculated using an equivalent series resistance model, where the membranes accounted for 46% of the total stack resistance. The high area resistance of the membranes separating different salt concentration solutions has implications for modeling and optimizing membranes used in RED systems.

  7. Zeolite-filled silicone rubber membranes. Experimental determination of concentration profiles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    te Hennepe, H.J.C.; Boswerger, W.B.F.; Bargeman, D.; Bargeman, D.; Mulder, M.H.V.; Smolders, C.A.; Smolders, C.A.

    1994-01-01

    Permeant concentrations in silicalite-filled silicone rubber membranes during pervaporation of propanol/water mixtures were measured using multi-layered membranes. Experimentally determined concentration profiles show that the propanol concentration in the silicalite-filled membrane increases with

  8. Salt Concentration Differences Alter Membrane Resistance in Reverse Electrodialysis Stacks

    KAUST Repository

    Geise, Geoffrey M.; Curtis, Andrew J.; Hatzell, Marta C.; Hickner, Michael A.; Logan, Bruce E.

    2014-01-01

    Membrane ionic resistance is usually measured by immersing the membrane in a salt solution at a single, fixed concentration. While salt concentration is known to affect membrane resistance when the same concentration is used on both sides

  9. Dependence of Shear and Concentration on Fouling in a Membrane Bioreactor with Rotating Membrane Discs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Mads Koustrup; Pedersen, Malene Thostrup; Christensen, Morten Lykkegaard

    2014-01-01

    Rotating ceramic membrane discs were fouled with lab-scale membrane bioreactors (MBR) sludge. Sludge filtrations were performed at varying rotation speeds and in different concentric rings of the membranes on different sludge concentrations. Data showed that the back transport expressed by limiting...... flux increased with rotation speed and distance from membrane center as an effect of shear. Further, the limiting flux decreased with increasing sludge concentration. A model was developed to link the sludge concentration and shear stress to the limiting flux. The model was able to simulate the effect...... of shear stress and sludge concentration on the limiting flux. The model was developed by calculating the shear rate at laminar flow regime at different rotation speeds and radii on the membrane. Furthermore, through the shear rate and shear stress, the non-Newtonian behavior of MBR sludge was addressed...

  10. Hydrogen concentration control utilizing a hydrogen permeable membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keating, S.J. Jr.

    1976-01-01

    The concentration of hydrogen in a fluid mixture is controlled to a desired concentration by flowing the fluid through one chamber of a diffusion cell separated into two chambers by a hydrogen permeable membrane. A gradient of hydrogen partial pressure is maintained across the membrane to cause diffusion of hydrogen through the membrane to maintain the concentration of hydrogen in the fluid mixture at the predetermined level. The invention has particular utility for the purpose of injecting into and/or separating hydrogen from the reactor coolant of a nuclear reactor system

  11. Filter Membrane Effects on Water-Extractable Phosphorus Concentrations from Soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norby, Jessica; Strawn, Daniel; Brooks, Erin

    2018-03-01

    To accurately assess P concentrations in soil extracts, standard laboratory practices for monitoring P concentrations are needed. Water-extractable P is a common analytical test to determine P availability for leaching from soils, and it is used to determine best management practices. Most P analytical tests require filtration through a filter membrane with 0.45-μm pore size to distinguish between particulate and dissolved P species. However, filter membrane type is rarely specified in method protocols, and many different types of membranes are available. In this study, three common filter membrane materials (polyether sulfone, nylon, and nitrocellulose), all with 0.45-μm pore sizes, were tested for analytical differences in total P concentrations and dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentrations in water extracts from six soils sampled from two regions. Three of the extracts from the six soil samples had different total P concentrations for all three membrane types. The other three soil extracts had significantly different total P results from at least one filter membrane type. Total P concentration differences were as great as 35%. The DRP concentrations in the extracts were dependent on filter type in five of the six soil types. Results from this research show that filter membrane type is an important parameter that affects concentrations of total P and DRP from soil extracts. Thus, membrane type should be specified in soil extraction protocols. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  12. Process intensification on membrane-based process for blackcurrant juice concentration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fjerbæk Søtoft, Lene; Rong, Ben-Guang; Christensen, Knud Villy

    Juice concentrate production is a field where process intensification and novel concentration processes need to be implemented. The paper presents a systematic approach for process synthesis based on membrane processes for the concentration of blackcurrant juice, exemplified by the aroma recovery...... using combinations of vacuum membrane distillation and traditional distillation. Furthermore, the paper further suggests a novel method for the combination of nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and membrane distillation for the concentration of the dearomatized juice....

  13. Design of the support structure, drive pedestal, and controls for a solar concentrator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goldberg, V.R.; Ford, J.L.; Anderson, A.E. (WG Associates, Dallas, TX (United States))

    1991-08-01

    The glass/metal McDonnell-Douglas dish is the state-of-the-art of parabolic dish concentrators. Because of the perceived high production cost of this concentrator, the Department of Energy's Solar Thermal Program is developing stretch-membrane technology for large (75 kWt) solar concentrators for integration with receivers and engines in 25 kWe dish-Stirling systems. The objective of this development effort is to reduce the cost of the concentrator while maintaining the high levels of performance characteristic of glass-metal dishes. Under contract to Sandia National Laboratories, Science Applications International Corporation, Solar Kinetics Inc. and WG Associates are developing a faceted stretched-membrane heliostat technology. This design will result in a low-risk, near-term concentrator for dish-Stirling systems. WG Associates has designed the support structure, drives and tracking controls for this dish. The structure is configured to support 12 stretched-membrane, 3.5-meter diameter facets in a shaped dish configuration. The dish design is sized to power a dish-Stirling system capable of producing 25 kW (electric). In the design of the structure, trade-off studies were conducted to determine the best'' facet arrangement, dish contour, dish focal length, tracking control and walk-off protection. As part of the design, in-depth analyses were performed to evaluate pointing accuracy, compliance with AISC steel design codes, and the economics of fabrication and installation. Detailed fabrication and installation drawings were produced, and initial production cost estimates for the dish were developed. These issues, and the final dish design, are presented in this report. 7 refs., 33 figs., 18 tabs.

  14. Arthrography of the lumber facet joint and facet block

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, Hee Kyung; Chung, Tae Sub; Kim, Young Soo; Park, Hyung Chun; Moon, Jae Ho; Suh, Jung Ho; Kim, Dong Ik [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1988-12-15

    In spite of numerous clinical and patho-anatomical studied made in the past, there are still different opinions concerning the mechanism of low back pain. We have focused attention on the posterior structures as an alternative source of low back pain with sciatica. So we have studied and analyzed the finding of arthrography of facet joint and effect of the injection of methyprednisolone acetate suspension (Depomedrol) 20mg into the each facet joint. Our results are as follows: 1. Abnormal findings of facet joint arthrogram were degenerative osteoarthritis of facet joint (70.5%), synovial cyst (11.8%), accessory bone (11.8%), and spondylolysis (5.9%). 2. The mean facet angulations of patients of facet syndrome were abnormal on lower lumbar facet joint in 9 of 13 cases (69.2%). 3. On initial assessment, 11 of 17 cases (64.7%) showed complete relief and one month later, 6 of 11 cases (35.3%) showed continuous relief, after steroid injection.

  15. Arthrography of the lumber facet joint and facet block

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Hee Kyung; Chung, Tae Sub; Kim, Young Soo; Park, Hyung Chun; Moon, Jae Ho; Suh, Jung Ho; Kim, Dong Ik

    1988-01-01

    In spite of numerous clinical and patho-anatomical studied made in the past, there are still different opinions concerning the mechanism of low back pain. We have focused attention on the posterior structures as an alternative source of low back pain with sciatica. So we have studied and analyzed the finding of arthrography of facet joint and effect of the injection of methyprednisolone acetate suspension (Depomedrol) 20mg into the each facet joint. Our results are as follows: 1. Abnormal findings of facet joint arthrogram were degenerative osteoarthritis of facet joint (70.5%), synovial cyst (11.8%), accessory bone (11.8%), and spondylolysis (5.9%). 2. The mean facet angulations of patients of facet syndrome were abnormal on lower lumbar facet joint in 9 of 13 cases (69.2%). 3. On initial assessment, 11 of 17 cases (64.7%) showed complete relief and one month later, 6 of 11 cases (35.3%) showed continuous relief, after steroid injection.

  16. FacetGist: Collective Extraction of Document Facets in Large Technical Corpora.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siddiqui, Tarique; Ren, Xiang; Parameswaran, Aditya; Han, Jiawei

    2016-10-01

    Given the large volume of technical documents available, it is crucial to automatically organize and categorize these documents to be able to understand and extract value from them. Towards this end, we introduce a new research problem called Facet Extraction. Given a collection of technical documents, the goal of Facet Extraction is to automatically label each document with a set of concepts for the key facets ( e.g. , application, technique, evaluation metrics, and dataset) that people may be interested in. Facet Extraction has numerous applications, including document summarization, literature search, patent search and business intelligence. The major challenge in performing Facet Extraction arises from multiple sources: concept extraction, concept to facet matching, and facet disambiguation. To tackle these challenges, we develop FacetGist, a framework for facet extraction. Facet Extraction involves constructing a graph-based heterogeneous network to capture information available across multiple local sentence-level features, as well as global context features. We then formulate a joint optimization problem, and propose an efficient algorithm for graph-based label propagation to estimate the facet of each concept mention. Experimental results on technical corpora from two domains demonstrate that Facet Extraction can lead to an improvement of over 25% in both precision and recall over competing schemes.

  17. Filterability and Sludge Concentration in Membrane Bioreactors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lousada-Ferreira, M.

    2011-01-01

    The Thesis entitled “Filterability and Sludge Concentration in Membrane Bioreactors” aims at explaining the relation between Mixed Liquid Suspended Solids (MLSS) concentration, the amount of solids in the wastewater being treated, also designated as sludge, and filterability, being the ability of

  18. Investigation of stresses in facetted glass shell structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bagger, Anne; Jönsson, Jeppe; Wester, Ture

    2007-01-01

    by in-plane forces in the facets and the transfer of distributed in-plane forces across the joints. It is described how these facets work structurally, specifically how bending moments develop and cause possible stress concentrations in the corners, which are subjected to uplift. Apart from local...... bending moments from distributed load, other types of bending moments are likely to occur, especially if the shell has areas of low stiffness, for example along a free edge. A facetted shell structure has been modelled in a finite element program, and the resulting stresses are presented and discussed....

  19. The Effect of Concentration Factor on Membrane Fouling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Appana Lok

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Bench-scale systems are often used to evaluate pretreatment methods and operational conditions that can be applied in full-scale ultrafiltration (UF systems. However, the membrane packing density is substantially different in bench and full-scale systems. Differences in concentration factor (CF at the solution–membrane interface as a result of packing density may impact the mass transfer and fouling rate and the applicability of bench-scale systems. The present study compared membrane resistance when considering raw water (CF = 1 and reject water (also commonly referred to as concentrate water (CF > 1 as feed in UF systems operated in deposition (dead-end mode. A positive relationship was observed between the concentration of the organic matter in the solution being filtered and resistance. Bench-scale trials conducted with CF = 1 water were more representative of full-scale operation than trials conducted with elevated CFs when considering membrane resistance and permeate quality. As such, the results of this study indicate that the use of the same feed water as used at full-scale (CF = 1 is appropriate to evaluate fouling in UF systems operated in deposition mode.

  20. [Computer modeling the dependences of the membrane potential for polymeric membrane separated non-homogeneous electrolyte solutions on concentration Rayleigh number].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slezak, Izabella H; Jasik-Slezak, Jolanta; Bilewicz-Wyrozumska, Teresa; Slezak, Andrzej

    2006-01-01

    On the basis of model equation describing the membrane potential delta psi(s) on concentration Rayleigh number (R(C)), mechanical pressure difference (deltaP), concentration polarization coefficient (zeta s) and ratio concentration of solutions separated by membrane (Ch/Cl), the characteristics delta psi(s) = f(Rc)(delta P, zeta s, Ch/Cl) for steady values of zeta s, R(C) and Ch/Cl in single-membrane system were calculated. In this system neutral and isotropic polymeric membrane oriented in horizontal plane, the non-homogeneous binary electrolytic solutions of various concentrations were separated. Nonhomogeneity of solutions is results from creations of the concentration boundary layers on both sides of the membrane. Calculations were made for the case where on a one side of the membrane aqueous solution of NaCl at steady concentration 10(-3) mol x l(-1) (Cl) was placed and on the other aqueous solutions of NaCl at concentrations from 10(-3) mol x l(-1) to 2 x 10(-2) mol x l(-1) (Ch). Their densities were greater than NaCl solution's at 10(-3) mol x l(-1). It was shown that membrane potential depends on hydrodynamic state of a complex concentration boundary layer-membrane-concentration boundary layer, what is controlled by deltaP, Ch/Cl, Rc and Zeta(s).

  1. Relationship between facet tropism and facet joint degeneration in the sub-axial cervical spine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin Rong

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Facet tropism is the angular asymmetry between the left and right facet joint orientation. Although debatable, facet tropism was suggested to be associated with disc degeneration, facet degeneration and degenerative spondylolisthesis in the lumbar spine. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between facet tropism and facet degeneration in the sub-axial cervical spine. Methods A total of 200 patients with cervical spondylosis were retrospectively analyzed. Facet degeneration was categorized into 4 grade: grade I, normal; grade II, degenerative changes including joint space narrowing, cyst formation, small osteophytes (3 mm without fusion of the joint; grade IV, bony fusion of the facet joints. Facet orientations and facet tropisms with respect to the transverse, sagittal and coronal plane were calculated from the reconstructed cervical spine, which was based on the axial CT scan images. The paired facet joints were then categorized into three types: symmetric, moderated tropism and severe tropism. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to evaluate the relationship between any demographic and anatomical factor and facet degeneration. Results The mean age of enrolled patients was 46.23 years old (ranging from 30 to 64 years old. There were 114 males and 86 females. The degrees of facet degeneration varied according to cervical levels and ages. Degenerated facet joints were most common at C2-C3 level and more common in patients above 50 years old. The facet orientations were also different from level to level. By univariate analysis, genders, ages, cervical levels, facet orientations and facet tropisms were all significantly different between the normal facets and degenerated facets. However, results from multivariate logistic regression suggested only age and facet tropism with respect to the sagittal plane were related to facet degeneration. Conclusion Facet degeneration were more common at

  2. The Effect of Cellulose Acetate Concentration from Coconut Nira on Ultrafiltration Membrane Characters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaulina, E.; Widyaningsih, S.; Kartika, D.; Romdoni, M. P.

    2018-04-01

    Cellulose acetate is one of material in produce ultrafiltration membrane. Many efforts have been done to produce cellulose acetate from natural product to replace commercial one. In this research, ultrafiltration membrane has been produced from coconut flower water (nira). Ultrafiltration membrane is widely used in separation processes. This research aims to determine the characteristics of ultrafiltration membrane at a various concentration of cellulose acetate. The ultrafiltration membrane is conducted by phase inversion method at various concentration of cellulose acetate. The cellulose acetate concentration was 20%, 23% and 25% (w/w) with formamide as additives. The results showed that the greater the concentration of cellulose acetate, the smaller the flux value. The highest flux was a membrane with 20% cellulose acetate concentration with water flux value 55.34 L/(m2. h). But the greater the concentration of cellulose acetate the greater the rejection. The highest rejection value was on a membrane with 25% cellulose acetate concentration of 82.82%. While from the tensile strength test and the pore size analysis, the greater the cellulose acetate concentration the greater the tensile strength and the smaller the pore size

  3. Faceted Search

    CERN Document Server

    Tunkelang, Daniel

    2009-01-01

    We live in an information age that requires us, more than ever, to represent, access, and use information. Over the last several decades, we have developed a modern science and technology for information retrieval, relentlessly pursuing the vision of a "memex" that Vannevar Bush proposed in his seminal article, "As We May Think." Faceted search plays a key role in this program. Faceted search addresses weaknesses of conventional search approaches and has emerged as a foundation for interactive information retrieval. User studies demonstrate that faceted search provides more

  4. Forward osmosis - a novel membrane process for concentration of low level radioactive wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghosh, A.K.; Bindal, R.C.; Tewari, P.K.

    2013-01-01

    Forward osmosis (FO) is an emerging membrane process in which osmotic pressure differential across a semi-permeable membrane between the solution to be concentrated (feed) and a concentrated solution of high osmotic pressure (draw solution) than the feed is used to effect separation of water from dissolved solutes. With time, feed stream gets concentrated with dilution of draw solution and this technology recently being used as more energy efficient alternative to reverse osmosis (RO) in some of the application areas, particularly for the concentration of low volume high value products. The use of pressure driven membrane processes like reverse osmosis (RO) and ultrafiltration (UF) are already demonstrated in the treatment of radioactive laundry, laboratory effluents and some other applications in nuclear industry. The application of FO membrane process to concentrate simulated inactive ammonium-diuranate (ADU) filtered effluent solution (by mixing uranyl nitrate and ammonium nitrate) using indigenously developed cellulose acetate (CA) and thin-film composite polyamide (TFCP) membranes has been published recently from our laboratory. In this presentation, we briefly discuss our views on possibility of using FO membrane process with proper selection of membrane for concentration of low level radioactive wastes generated in various steps of nuclear fuel cycle in most effective way. (author)

  5. Direct Numerical Simulations of Concentration and Temperature Polarization in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, Jincheng; Tilton, Nils

    2017-11-01

    Membrane distillation (MD) is a method of desalination with boundary layers that are challenging to simulate. MD is a thermal process in which warm feed and cool distilled water flow on opposite sides of a hydrophobic membrane. The temperature difference causes water to evaporate from the feed, travel through the membrane, and condense in the distillate. Two challenges to MD are temperature and concentration polarization. Temperature polarization represents a reduction in the transmembrane temperature difference due to heat transfer through the membrane. Concentration polarization describes the accumulation of solutes near the membrane. These phenomena reduce filtration and lead to membrane fouling. They are difficult to simulate due to the coupling between the velocity, temperature, and concentration fields on the membrane. Unsteady regimes are particularly challenging because noise at the outlets can pollute the near-membrane flow fields. We present the development of a finite-volume method for the simulation of fluid flow, heat, and mass transport in MD systems. Using the method, we perform a parametric study of the polarization boundary layers, and show that the concentration boundary layer shows self-similar behavior that satisfies power laws for the downstream growth. Funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

  6. Effect of solvent concentration on performance of polysulfone membrane for filtration and separation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syafiq Mohamad Sofian, Muhamad; Zaini Yunos, Muhamad; Ahmad, Azlinnorazia; Harun, Zawati; Akhair, Siti Hajar Mohd; Adibah Raja Ahmad, Raja; Hafeez Azhar, Faiz; Rashid, Abdul Qaiyyum Abd; Ismail, Al Emran

    2017-08-01

    This study was conducted to investigate the effect of solvent concentration on the performance of polysulfone membrane via airbrush spray method. The solvent concentration was varied from 73% to 80% in dope solution. The study also investigated airbrush processing parameter such as spray time and distance at different solvent concentration. The prepared membrane was characterized in respect to its morphology and the performance of the membrane were evaluated via gas permeability performance. This study found that the membrane fiber size was reduced as solvent concentration increases. When time increased the diameter of fiber also increased. The distance also affected the fiber size, when the distance increased the diameter of fiber became smaller. 80% of solvent concentration has better filtration and separation ability compared to other solvent due to its porosity and morphology. From the gas permeability cell testing it shows that the permeability is increasing as the solvent concentration decrease.

  7. Effect of membrane protein concentration on binding of 3H-imipramine in human platelets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barkai, A.I.; Kowalik, S.; Baron, M.

    1985-01-01

    Binding of 3 H-imipramine to platelet membranes has been implicated as a marker for depression. Comparing 3 H-IMI binding between depressed patients and normal subjects we observed an increase in the dissociation constant Kd with increasing membrane protein. This phenomenon was studied more rigorously in five normal subjects. Platelet membranes were prepared and adjusted to four concentrations of protein ranging from 100 to 800 micrograms/ml. The 3 H-IMI binding parameters of maximum binding sites number (Bmax) and Kd were obtained by Scatchard analysis at each membrane concentration. A positive linear relationship was found between K/sub d/ values and the concentration of membrane protein in the assay, but no change was observed in Bmax. The variability in Kd values reported in the literature may be accounted for in part by the different concentrations of membrane protein used in various studies

  8. Membrane distillation for wastewater reverse osmosis concentrate treatment with water reuse potential

    KAUST Repository

    Naidu, Gayathri; Jeong, Sanghyun; Choi, Youngkwon; Vigneswaran, Saravanamuthu

    2016-01-01

    Membrane distillation (MD) was evaluated as a treatment option of wastewater reverse osmosis concentrate (WWROC) discharged from wastewater reclamation plants (WRPs). A direct contact MD (DCMD), at obtaining 85% water recovery of WWROC showed only 13–15% flux decline and produced good quality permeate (10–15 µS/cm, 99% ion rejection) at moderate feed temperature of 55 °C. Prevalent calcium carbonate (CaCO3) deposition on the MD membrane occurred in treating WWROC at elevated concentrations. The combination of low salinity and loose CaCO3 adhesion on the membrane did not significantly contribute to DCMD flux decline. Meanwhile, high organic content in WWROC (58–60 mg/L) resulted in a significant membrane hydrophobicity reduction (70% lower water contact angle than virgin membrane) attributed to low molecular weight organic adhesion onto the MD membrane. Granular activated carbon (GAC) pretreatment helped in reducing organic contents of WWROC by 46–50%, and adsorbed a range of hydrophobic and hydrophilic micropollutants. This ensured high quality water production by MD (micropollutants-free) and enhanced its reuse potential. The MD concentrated WWROC was suitable for selective ion precipitation, promising a near zero liquid discharge in WRPs.

  9. Membrane distillation for wastewater reverse osmosis concentrate treatment with water reuse potential

    KAUST Repository

    Naidu, Gayathri

    2016-11-29

    Membrane distillation (MD) was evaluated as a treatment option of wastewater reverse osmosis concentrate (WWROC) discharged from wastewater reclamation plants (WRPs). A direct contact MD (DCMD), at obtaining 85% water recovery of WWROC showed only 13–15% flux decline and produced good quality permeate (10–15 µS/cm, 99% ion rejection) at moderate feed temperature of 55 °C. Prevalent calcium carbonate (CaCO3) deposition on the MD membrane occurred in treating WWROC at elevated concentrations. The combination of low salinity and loose CaCO3 adhesion on the membrane did not significantly contribute to DCMD flux decline. Meanwhile, high organic content in WWROC (58–60 mg/L) resulted in a significant membrane hydrophobicity reduction (70% lower water contact angle than virgin membrane) attributed to low molecular weight organic adhesion onto the MD membrane. Granular activated carbon (GAC) pretreatment helped in reducing organic contents of WWROC by 46–50%, and adsorbed a range of hydrophobic and hydrophilic micropollutants. This ensured high quality water production by MD (micropollutants-free) and enhanced its reuse potential. The MD concentrated WWROC was suitable for selective ion precipitation, promising a near zero liquid discharge in WRPs.

  10. Facet-controlled synthesis and facet-dependent photocatalytic properties of SnO{sub 2} micropolyhedrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Gengxia [Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, MOE, Institute of Acoustics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Wu, Xinglong, E-mail: hkxlwu@nju.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, MOE, Institute of Acoustics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Liu, Lizhe; Zhu, Xiaobin [Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, MOE, Institute of Acoustics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Zhu, Xiaoshu [Center for Analysis and Testing, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Hao, Yanling [Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, MOE, Institute of Acoustics and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Chu, Paul K. [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)

    2015-09-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • SnO{sub 2} micropolyhedrons with (1 0 1) and (1 0 0) facets at different ratios are fabricated. • The vapor–solid growth mechanism of micropolyhedrons is discussed. • SnO{sub 2} octahedrons with complete (1 0 1) facets show strong photocatalytic activity. • Enhanced photocatalytic activity stems from the facet-dependent surface states. - Abstract: The facet-dependent properties of SnO{sub 2} are of fundamental and practical importance. In this study, by adjusting the deposition temperature during chemical vapor deposition, octahedral SnO{sub 2} with the exposed (1 0 1) facet and two other kinds of SnO{sub 2} polyhedrons with (1 0 1) and (1 0 0) facets with different ratios are fabricated controllably based on the vapor–solid growth mechanism. A slight increase in the deposition temperature from 1030 to 1070 °C decreases the surface energy of the reduced (1 0 1) facet with Sn termination, leading to the formation of polyhedrons with different area ratios of (1 0 1) to (1 0 0) facets. By adopting the terephthalic acid fluorescent method, the SnO{sub 2} octahedrons are demonstrated to have the strongest photocatalytic activity due to the formation of surface states induced by 5s electrons of bivalent Sn on the (1 0 1) surface. The results reveal that the photocatalytic properties of SnO{sub 2} microcrystals can be enhanced by facet-controlled synthesis.

  11. Morphologies and separation characteristics of polyphenyl sulfone-based solvent resistant nanofiltration membranes: Effect of polymer concentration in casting solution and membrane pretreatment condition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sani, Nur Aimie Abdullah; Lau, Woei Jye; Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi [Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai (Malaysia)

    2015-04-15

    The performance of polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF)-based flat sheet membranes prepared from phase inversion method was investigated by varying the concentration of polymer in the dope solution and condition of membrane pretreatment process. The membrane properties were characterized by SEM, FTIR, AFM and contact angle goniometer, while their performance was evaluated by measuring methanol flux and rejection of different molecular weight of dyes (ranging from 269 to 1,470 g/mol) in methanol. The experimental results showed that the polymer concentration has great impact not only on the final membrane morphology but also its separation characteristics. Increasing polymer concentration from 17 to 25wt% tended to suppress finger-like structure and more pear-like pores were developed, causing methanol flux to decrease. This can be explained by the decrease in molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of the membrane prepared at high polymer concentration. With respect to the effect of membrane pretreatment conditions, the rejection of membrane was negatively affected with longer immersion period in methanol solution prior to filtration experiment. The variation in membrane rejection can be attributed to the rearrangement of the polymer chain, which results in membrane swelling and/or change of membrane surface hydrophilicity.

  12. Morphologies and separation characteristics of polyphenyl sulfone-based solvent resistant nanofiltration membranes: Effect of polymer concentration in casting solution and membrane pretreatment condition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sani, Nur Aimie Abdullah; Lau, Woei Jye; Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi

    2015-01-01

    The performance of polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF)-based flat sheet membranes prepared from phase inversion method was investigated by varying the concentration of polymer in the dope solution and condition of membrane pretreatment process. The membrane properties were characterized by SEM, FTIR, AFM and contact angle goniometer, while their performance was evaluated by measuring methanol flux and rejection of different molecular weight of dyes (ranging from 269 to 1,470 g/mol) in methanol. The experimental results showed that the polymer concentration has great impact not only on the final membrane morphology but also its separation characteristics. Increasing polymer concentration from 17 to 25wt% tended to suppress finger-like structure and more pear-like pores were developed, causing methanol flux to decrease. This can be explained by the decrease in molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of the membrane prepared at high polymer concentration. With respect to the effect of membrane pretreatment conditions, the rejection of membrane was negatively affected with longer immersion period in methanol solution prior to filtration experiment. The variation in membrane rejection can be attributed to the rearrangement of the polymer chain, which results in membrane swelling and/or change of membrane surface hydrophilicity

  13. Characteristic MRI and MR Myelography Findings for the Facet Cyst Hematoma at T12-L1 Spine: A Case Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Seung Eun; Lee, Sang Ho; Kim, Tae Hong; Choi, Gun; Paeng, Sung Suk

    2011-01-01

    A facet cyst is a very rare condition in the thoracolumbar spine and more so, hemorrhage into a cyst is extremely rare. We present a case of a facet cyst hematoma in the T12-L1 spine. A 69-year-old woman complained of chronic back pain with right lower extremity pain, and weakness for 3 years. MRI and MR myelography showed an extradural mass at the T12-L1 level with heterogeneous signal intensity on both T1-and T2-weighted images, which was continuous to the right T12-L1 facet joint. The neighboring facet joint showed severe degeneration on the CT scan. The mass a was simple hematoma covered with a thin fibrous membrane and connected with facet joint macroscopically and microscopically. The pathogenesis of the facet cyst hematoma is not clear but it can compress nerve roots or dura mater and cause radiculopathy or cauda equina syndrome. Surgical removal should be recommended for symptomatic relief.

  14. Characteristic MRI and MR Myelography Findings for the Facet Cyst Hematoma at T12-L1 Spine: A Case Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Seung Eun [Dept of Diagnostic Radiology, Wooridul Spine Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang Ho [Dept. of Neurosurgery, Wooridul Spine Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Tae Hong [Dept. of Neurosurgery, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Gun [Dept. of Neurosurgery, Seoul Wooridul Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Paeng, Sung Suk [Dept of Radiology, Wooridul Spine Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-05-15

    A facet cyst is a very rare condition in the thoracolumbar spine and more so, hemorrhage into a cyst is extremely rare. We present a case of a facet cyst hematoma in the T12-L1 spine. A 69-year-old woman complained of chronic back pain with right lower extremity pain, and weakness for 3 years. MRI and MR myelography showed an extradural mass at the T12-L1 level with heterogeneous signal intensity on both T1-and T2-weighted images, which was continuous to the right T12-L1 facet joint. The neighboring facet joint showed severe degeneration on the CT scan. The mass a was simple hematoma covered with a thin fibrous membrane and connected with facet joint macroscopically and microscopically. The pathogenesis of the facet cyst hematoma is not clear but it can compress nerve roots or dura mater and cause radiculopathy or cauda equina syndrome. Surgical removal should be recommended for symptomatic relief.

  15. Combined effect of salt concentration and pressure gradients across charged membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Benavente, Juana; Jonsson, Gunnar Eigil

    2002-01-01

    The combined effect of both concentration and pressure differences on electrical potential (Deltaphi) for two ion-exchanger membranes, one positively charged (AE) and another negatively charged (CE), measured with the membranes in contact with NaCl solutions was studied. Results show a linear dep...

  16. FACET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cole, C.W.; Banszky, I.J.

    1989-01-01

    The merits of using commercially available software packages versus in-house software and databases are frequently assessed by cost engineers in consulting, contracting and operating companies alike. There is no consensus on which approach is better as each company has individual requirements that are better provided for by one or the other alternative. This paper describes Mobil Oil Canada's FACET (Facilities Cost Estimating Techniques) programs and provides a framework for building any successful in-house PC-based cost estimating and control system. The FACET series of programs enables detailed cost estimates to be quickly developed from relatively conceptual cost data and allows project cost estimates to be compared with actual costs as the project proceeds

  17. Enhancing the photoresponse and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 by controllably tuning defects across {101} facets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Piaopiao; Hood, Zachary D.; Adhikari, Shiba P.; Xu, Yunfan; Yang, Shize; Wu, Sujuan

    2018-03-01

    Introducing defects into semiconductors with well-controlled exposed facets offers an effective route for the development of photocatalytic materials with greatly improved properties. Here, we report a facile ethylene glycol reduction procedure to make anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) with different concentrations of exposed {001} and {101} facets, leading to different surficial defects. TiO2 with increased concentrations of {101} facets shows a 5-fold improvement in photocurrent generation as well as improved photocatalytic activity towards water splitting under visible light irradiation. The improved activity is ascribed to the oxygen vacancies as well as the variable surface chemical states, which collectively induce a slower recombination rate of photo-induced electron-hole pairs. This work also highlights a feasible strategy to obtain the defective TiO2 and explore the synergistic effect of surface defects and different concentrations of exposed {001} and {101} facets for photocurrent and photocatalytic properties under visible light irradiation.

  18. Effect of ceramic membrane channel diameter on limiting retentate protein concentration during skim milk microfiltration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Michael C; Barbano, David M

    2016-01-01

    Our objective was to determine the effect of retentate flow channel diameter (4 or 6mm) of nongraded permeability 100-nm pore size ceramic membranes operated in nonuniform transmembrane pressure mode on the limiting retentate protein concentration (LRPC) while microfiltering (MF) skim milk at a temperature of 50°C, a flux of 55 kg · m(-2) · h(-1), and an average cross-flow velocity of 7 m · s(-1). At the above conditions, the retentate true protein concentration was incrementally increased from 7 to 11.5%. When temperature, flux, and average cross-flow velocity were controlled, ceramic membrane retentate flow channel diameter did not affect the LRPC. This indicates that LRPC is not a function of the Reynolds number. Computational fluid dynamics data, which indicated that both membranes had similar radial velocity profiles within their retentate flow channels, supported this finding. Membranes with 6-mm flow channels can be operated at a lower pressure decrease from membrane inlet to membrane outlet (ΔP) or at a higher cross-flow velocity, depending on which is controlled, than membranes with 4-mm flow channels. This implies that 6-mm membranes could achieve a higher LRPC than 4-mm membranes at the same ΔP due to an increase in cross-flow velocity. In theory, the higher LRPC of the 6-mm membranes could facilitate 95% serum protein removal in 2 MF stages with diafiltration between stages if no serum protein were rejected by the membrane. At the same flux, retentate protein concentration, and average cross-flow velocity, 4-mm membranes require 21% more energy to remove a given amount of permeate than 6-mm membranes, despite the lower surface area of the 6-mm membranes. Equations to predict skim milk MF retentate viscosity as a function of protein concentration and temperature are provided. Retentate viscosity, retentate recirculation pump frequency required to maintain a given cross-flow velocity at a given retentate viscosity, and retentate protein

  19. Facets of Facebook: Use and Users

    OpenAIRE

    2016-01-01

    The debate on Facebook raises questions about the use and users of this information service. This collected volume gathers a broad spectrum of social science and information science articles about Facebook.Facebook has many facets, and we just look forward above all to the use and users. The facet of users has sub-facets, such as different age, sex, and culture. The facet of use consists of sub-facets of privacy behavior after the Snowden affair, dealing with friends, unfriending and becoming...

  20. Uncovertebral joint injury in cervical facet dislocation: the headphones sign

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Palmieri, Francesco; Cassar-Pullicino, Victor N.; Dell' Atti, Claudia; Lalam, Radhesh K.; Tins, Bernhard J.; Tyrrell, Prudencia N.M.; McCall, Iain W. [Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital, Department of Radiology, Oswestry, England (United Kingdom)

    2006-06-15

    The purpose of our study is to demonstrate the uncovertebral mal-alignment as a reliable indirect sign of cervical facet joint dislocation. We examined the uncovertebral axial plane alignment of 12 patients with unilateral and bilateral cervical facet joint dislocation (UCFJD and BCFJD, respectively), comparing its frequency to the reverse hamburger bun sign on CT and MR axial images. Of the seven cases with BCFJD, five clearly demonstrated the diagnostic reverse facet joint hamburger bun sign on CT and MR images, but in two cases this sign was not detectable. In the five cases with UCFJD, four demonstrated the reverse hamburger bun sign on both CT and MRI. In one case the reverse hamburger bun sign was not seen adequately with either image modality, but the facet dislocation was identified on sagittal imaging. The uncovertebral mal-alignment was detected in all 12 cases. Normally, the two components of the uncovertebral joint enjoy a concentric relationship that in the axial plane is reminiscent of the relationship of headphones with the wearer's head. We name this appearance the 'headphones' sign. Radiologists should be aware of the headphones sign as a reliable indicator of facet joint dislocation on axial imaging used in the assessment of cervical spine injuries. (orig.)

  1. Computed Tomography of the lumbar facet joints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Mi Ryoung; Kim, Yung Soon; Lee, Joo Hyuk; Jeon, Hae Sang; Kim, Dae Yung

    1989-01-01

    The lumbar facet disease is a frequently overlooked cause of sciatic pain, but the lumbar facet joints are well-recognized source of low back pain and radiating leg pain which can be confused with sciatica due to herniated disc. We measured the angulation of the facet joints on axial spine CT films in 149 cases which contains 41 normal group and 108 abnormal group and studied the relationship between the angulation and degeneration of the facets, the asymmetry of each sided facets and facet degeneration, the asymmetry and disc protrusion, and the asymmetry and annular bulging of the disc. The results were as follows: 1. Facet angulation in abnormal group were more sagittally oriented than the normal group. 2. The angulation of right facet was more sagittally oriented than the left in L4-5 level of abnormal group. 3. Degeneration of facet joints occur asymmetrically, and the more facet joint degenerates, the more it orients sagittally, particularly in L4-5. 4. Asymmetry in facet joint degeneration and unilateral disc protrusion of L5-SI level is greater than the normal group

  2. REVERSE OSMOSIS CONCENTRATION OF ORANGE JUICE USING SPIRAL WOUND MEMBRANES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. A. de ARAUJO

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available

    Flavor and odor components of foods are often lost during processing which leads to a poorer quality final product compared with the fresh ingredients. The orange juice industry concentrates juice (45-66ºBrix in TASTE (Thermally Accelerated Short Time Evaporator to remove excess water, and thus reduce storage and transportation costs, but also to improve product stability. Evaporation results in a loss of fresh juice flavors, color degradation and “cooked” taste due to the thermal effects. Methods using less heat for thermal damage reduction must be investigated to establish parameters for future commercial processes. The promising alternative is Reverse Osmosis (RO, but it cannot achieve concentrations greater than 30ºBrix. RO has advantages over traditional evaporation techniques in removing water. Because less heat is used, thermal damage to products is generally eliminated. In this project tests were performed using unpasteurised Single Strength Orange Juice (SSOJ, spiral wound membranes (Polyamide, and a DESAL pilot system model 4040. The aim was to evaluate spiral wound membranes on the basis of flux as a function of time. Retentate concentrations were 15-20ºBrix, and GC-FID analyses were used in order to understand aroma losses. KEYWORDS: Orange; juice; membrane; concentration; osmosis; reverse.

  3. Concentration gradient driven molecular dynamics: a new method for simulations of membrane permeation and separation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozcan, Aydin; Perego, Claudio; Salvalaglio, Matteo; Parrinello, Michele; Yazaydin, Ozgur

    2017-05-01

    In this study, we introduce a new non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation method to perform simulations of concentration driven membrane permeation processes. The methodology is based on the application of a non-conservative bias force controlling the concentration of species at the inlet and outlet of a membrane. We demonstrate our method for pure methane, ethane and ethylene permeation and for ethane/ethylene separation through a flexible ZIF-8 membrane. Results show that a stationary concentration gradient is maintained across the membrane, realistically simulating an out-of-equilibrium diffusive process, and the computed permeabilities and selectivity are in good agreement with experimental results.

  4. Butanol production from concentrated lactose/whey permeate: Use of pervaporation membrane to recover and concentrate product

    Science.gov (United States)

    In these studies butanol (acetone butanol ethanol, or ABE) was produced from concentrated lactose/whey permeate containing 211 gL-1 lactose. Fermentation of such a highly concentrated lactose solution was possible due to simultaneous product removal using a pervaporation membrane. In this system a p...

  5. Bending stresses in Facetted Glass Shells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bagger, Anne; Jönsson, Jeppe; Almegaard, Henrik

    2008-01-01

    A shell structure of glass combines a highly effective structural principle with a material of optimal permeability to light. A facetted shell structure has a piecewise plane geometry, and together the facets form an approximation to a curved surface. A distributed load on a plane-based facetted...... structure will locally cause bending moments in the loaded facets. The bending stresses are dependent on the stiffness of the joints. Approximate solutions are developed to estimate the magnitude of the bending stresses. A FE-model of a facetted glass shell structure is used to validate the expressions...

  6. Computed Tomography of the lumbar facet joints

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Mi Ryoung; Kim, Yung Soon; Lee, Joo Hyuk; Jeon, Hae Sang; Kim, Dae Yung [Kang Nam General Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1989-08-15

    The lumbar facet disease is a frequently overlooked cause of sciatic pain, but the lumbar facet joints are well-recognized source of low back pain and radiating leg pain which can be confused with sciatica due to herniated disc. We measured the angulation of the facet joints on axial spine CT films in 149 cases which contains 41 normal group and 108 abnormal group and studied the relationship between the angulation and degeneration of the facets, the asymmetry of each sided facets and facet degeneration, the asymmetry and disc protrusion, and the asymmetry and annular bulging of the disc. The results were as follows: 1. Facet angulation in abnormal group were more sagittally oriented than the normal group. 2. The angulation of right facet was more sagittally oriented than the left in L4-5 level of abnormal group. 3. Degeneration of facet joints occur asymmetrically, and the more facet joint degenerates, the more it orients sagittally, particularly in L4-5. 4. Asymmetry in facet joint degeneration and unilateral disc protrusion of L5-SI level is greater than the normal gro0008.

  7. Time and spatial concentration profile inside a membrane by means of a memory formalism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caputo, Michele; Cametti, Cesare; Ruggero, Vittorio

    2008-03-01

    In this note, the profile concentration of diffusing particles inside a membrane has been calculated on the basis of the Fick diffusion equation modified by introducing a memory formalism. In highly heterogeneous systems, such as biological membranes, the intrinsic structural complexity of the medium restricts the applicability of continuum diffusion models and suggests that diffusion parameters could depend at a certain time or position on what happens at preceding times (diffusion with memory). Here, we deal with two particular cases, the diffusion of glucose across an erythrocyte membrane, when the concentration at both sides of the membrane are assigned, and the permeation transport of small molecular weight solute through an artificial hydrogel polymeric membrane. However, the present procedure can be easily extended to more general conditions. The knowledge of the concentration profile within a membranous structure, which is usually not easily experimentally accessible, completes the description of the rather complex phenomenon of the transport across a highly structured confined medium and can also lead to an improvement in controlled drug-delivery systems.

  8. Performance and Fouling Study of Asymmetric PVDF Membrane Applied in the Concentration of Organic Fertilizer by Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanfei Liu

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available This study proposes using membrane distillation (MD as an alternative to the conventional multi-stage flushing (MSF process to concentrate a semi-product of organic fertilizer. By applying a unique asymmetric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF membrane, which was specifically designed for MD applications using a nonsolvent thermally induced phase separation (NTIPS method, the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD performance was investigated in terms of its sustainability in permeation flux, fouling resistance, and anti-wetting properties. It was found that the permeation flux increased with increasing flow rate, while the top-surface facing feed mode was the preferred orientation to achieve 25% higher flux than the bottom-surface facing feed mode. Compared to the commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE membrane, the asymmetric PVDF membrane exhibited excellent anti-fouling and sustainable flux, with less than 8% flux decline in a 15 h continuous operation, i.e., flux decreased slightly and was maintained as high as 74 kg·m−2·h−1 at 70 °C. Meanwhile, the lost flux was easily recovered by clean water rinsing. Overall 2.6 times concentration factor was achieved in 15 h MD operation, with 63.4% water being removed from the fertilizer sample. Further concentration could be achieved to reach the desired industrial standard of 5x concentration factor.

  9. Bipolar Radiofrequency Facet Ablation of the Lumbar Facet Capsule: An Adjunct to Conventional Radiofrequency Ablation for Pain Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobson, Robert E; Palea, Ovidiu; Granville, Michelle

    2017-09-01

    Radiofrequency facet ablation (RFA) has been performed using the same technique for over 50 years. Except for variations in electrode size, tip shape, and change in radiofrequency (RF) stimulation parameters, using standard, pulsed, and cooled RF wavelengths, the target points have remained absolutely unchanged from the original work describing RFA for lumbar pain control. Degenerative changes in the facet joint and capsule are the primary location for the majority of lumbar segmental pathology and pain. Multiple studies show that the degenerated facet joint is richly innervated as a result of the inflammatory overgrowth of the synovium. The primary provocative clinical test to justify an RFA is to perform an injection with local anesthetic into the facet joint and the posterior capsule and confirm pain relief. However, after a positive response, the radiofrequency lesion is made not to the facet joint but to the more proximal fine nerve branches that innervate the joint. The accepted target points for the recurrent sensory branch ignore the characteristic rich innervation of the pathologic lumbar facet capsule and assume that lesioning of these recurrent branches is sufficient to denervate the painful pathologic facet joint. This report describes the additional targets and technical steps for further coagulation points along the posterior capsule of the lumbar facet joint and the physiologic studies of the advantage of the bipolar radiofrequency current in this location. Bipolar RF to the facet capsule is a simple, extra step that easily creates a large thermo-coagulated lesion in this capsule region of the pathologic facet joint. Early studies demonstrate bipolar RF to the facet capsule can provide long-term pain relief when used alone for specific localized facet joint pain, to coagulate lumbar facet cysts to prevent recurrence, and to get more extensive pain control by combining it with traditional lumbar RFA, especially when RFA is repeated.

  10. Quantum mechanical facets of chemical bonds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daudel, R.

    1976-01-01

    To define the concept of bond is both a central problem of quantum chemistry and a difficult one. The concept of bond appeared little by little in the mind of chemists from empirical observations. From the wave-mechanical viewpoint it is not an observable. Therefore there is no precise operator associated with that concept. As a consequence there is not a unique approach to the idea of chemical bond. This is why it is preferred to present various quantum mechanical facets, e.g. the energetic facet, the density facet, the partitioning facet and the functional facet, of that important concept. (Auth.)

  11. Association of facet tropism and progressive facet arthrosis after lumbar total disc replacement using ProDisc-L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Myung-Hoon; Ryu, Kyeong-Sik; Hur, Jung-Woo; Kim, Jin-Sung; Park, Chun-Kun

    2013-08-01

    The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the association of facet tropism and progressive facet arthrosis (PFA) after lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) surgery using ProDisc-L. A total of 51 segments of 42 patients who had undergone lumbar TDR using ProDisc-L between October 2003 and July 2007 and completed minimum 36-month follow-up period were retrospectively reviewed. The changes of facet arthrosis were categorized as non-PFA and PFA group. Comparison between non-PFA and PFA group was made according to age, sex, mean follow-up duration, grade of preoperative facet arthrosis, coronal and sagittal prosthetic position and degree of facet tropism. Multiple logistic regression analysis was also performed to analyze the effect of facet tropism on the progression of facet arthrosis. The mean age at the surgery was 44.43 ± 11.09 years and there were 16 males and 26 females. The mean follow-up period was 53.18 ± 15.79 months. Non-PFA group was composed of 19 levels and PFA group was composed of 32 levels. Age at surgery, sex proportion, mean follow-up period, level of implant, grade of preoperative facet arthrosis and coronal and sagittal prosthetic position were not significantly different between two groups (p = 0.264, 0.433, 0.527, 0.232, 0.926, 0.849 and 0.369, respectively). However, PFA group showed significantly higher degree of facet tropism (7.37 ± 6.46°) than that of non-PFA group (3.51 ± 3.53°) and p value was 0.008. After adjustment for age, sex and coronal and sagittal prosthetic position, multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that facet tropism of more than 5° was the only significant independent predictor of progression of facet arthrosis (odds ratio 5.39, 95 % confidence interval 1.251-19.343, p = 0.023). The data demonstrate that significant higher degree of facet tropism was seen in PFA group compared with non-PFA group and facet tropism of more than 5° had a significant association with PFA after TDR using ProDisc-L.

  12. Methane-steam reforming by molten salt - membrane reactor using concentrated solar thermal energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanuki, K.; Nakajima, H.; Hasegawa, N.; Kaneko, H.; Tamaura, Y.

    2006-01-01

    By utilization of concentrated solar thermal energy for steam reforming of natural gas, which is an endothermic reaction, the chemical energy of natural gas can be up-graded. The chemical system for steam reforming of natural gas with concentrated solar thermal energy was studied to produce hydrogen by using the thermal storage with molten salt and the membrane reactor. The original steam reforming module with hydrogen permeable palladium membrane was developed and fabricated. Steam reforming of methane proceeded with the original module with palladium membrane below the decomposition temperature of molten salt (around 870 K). (authors)

  13. Facet joint syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zigrai, M.; Zakovic, J.; Brezinova, M.; Pavlovicova, M.

    2002-01-01

    It is the purpose of the study to demonstrate the clinical relevance of degenerative changes in the facet joint of patients with low back pain irradiating to the lower extremities, and discuss some problems relating to diagnosis and different diagnosis. 119 patients presenting the listed bellow syndromes are covered by the study: scoliosis, polytopic pain vertebral syndrome, paresis and history of trauma. all patients undergo comprehensive neurological examination with special attention focused on the spine: CT and plain x-rays are taken of the lumbosacral segment to assess the condition of the facet joints. The neurological examination demonstrates in all cases pain syndrome in the lumbar spine referred to one or both lower extremities. In 56% it is a matter of persisting pain, and in 44% - recurrent. More than half of the patients complain of sacroiliac (SI) dislocation and palpatory pain. Unilateral or bilateral degenerative changes are documented by imaging studies in all patients, including: subchondral thickening, osteopathy narrowing the lateral or central part of the spinal canal with ensuing nerve root compression. The lumbosacral zygoapophyseal joints are source of pseudoradicular pain. A correlation between clinical picture and GT changes is noted in all patients with facet joint syndrome. CT is an indispensable method in diagnosing facet joint syndrome. (authors)

  14. Omega-3 PUFA concentration by a novel PVDF nano-composite membrane filled with nano-porous silica particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghasemian, Samaneh; Sahari, Mohammad Ali; Barzegar, Mohsen; Ahmadi Gavlighi, Hasan

    2017-09-01

    In this study, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and nano-porous silica particle were used to fabricate an asymmetric nano-composite membrane. Silica particles enhanced the thermal stability of PVDF/SiO 2 membranes; increasing the decomposition temperature from 371°C to 408°C. Cross sectional morphology showed that silica particles were dispersed in polymer matrix uniformly. However, particle agglomeration was found at higher loading of silica (i.e., 20 by weight%). The separation performance of nano-composite membranes was also evaluated using the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) concentration at a temperature and pressure of 30°C and 4bar, respectively. Silica particle increased the omega-3PUFA concentration from 34.8 by weight% in neat PVDF to 53.9 by weight% in PVDF with 15 by weight% of silica. Moreover, PVDF/SiO 2 nano-composite membranes exhibited enhanced anti-fouling property compared to neat PVDF membrane. Fouling mechanism analysis revealed that complete pore blocking was the predominant mechanism occurring in oil filtration. The concentration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is important in the oil industries. While the current methods demand high energy consumptions in concentrating the omega-3, membrane separation technology offers noticeable advantages in producing pure omega-3 PUFA. Moreover, concentrating omega-3 via membrane separation produces products in the triacylglycerol form which possess better oxidative stability. In this work, the detailed mechanisms of fouling which limits the performance of membrane separation were investigated. Incorporating silica particles to polymeric membrane resulted in the formation of mixed matrix membrane with improved anti-fouling behaviour compared to the neat polymeric membrane. Hence, the industrial potential of membrane processing to concentrate omega-3 fatty acids is enhanced. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  15. Lumbar Facet Tropism: A Comprehensive Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alonso, Fernando; Kirkpatrick, Christina M; Jeong, William; Fisahn, Christian; Usman, Sameera; Rustagi, Tarush; Loukas, Marios; Chapman, Jens R; Oskouian, Rod J; Tubbs, R Shane

    2017-06-01

    Scattered reports exist in the medical literature regarding facet tropism. However, this finding has had mixed conclusions regarding its origin and impact on the normal spine. We performed a literature review of the anatomy, embryology, biomechanics, and pathology related to lumbar facet tropism. Facet tropism is most commonly found at L4-L5 vertebral segments and there is some evidence that this condition may lead to facet degenerative spondylolisthesis, intervertebral disc disease, and other degenerative conditions. Long-term analyses of patients are necessary to elucidate relationships between associated findings and facet tropism. In addition, a universally agreed definition that is more precise should be developed for future investigative studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Morphometric analysis of the cervical facets and the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of Goel inter-facet spacer distraction technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abhidha Shah

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: Quantitative anatomy of the facets of the sub-axial cervical spine was performed. The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the feasibility of insertion of Goel inter-facetal articular spacers in the sub-axial cervical spine. Only few studies detailing the morphometry of the facets are available in the literature. Materials and Methods: Ten cervical vertebrae from C3 to C7 with a total of 20 facets were evaluated by the author. The anatomic parameters studied were the height, width, thickness, shape, orientation, and inclination of each of the superior and inferior facets. The alterations in a number of intervertebral segmental distances were measured before and after spacer insertion. The distance of the inferior facet from the foramen tranversarium, spinal canal, and neural foramina was measured to assess safety of spacer insertion with respect to the vertebral artery and neural structures. Results: The height, width and thickness of the superior facets from C3 to C7 ranged from 6 to 12 mm, 8 to 12 mm, and 2.5 to 6 mm, respectively. The inferior facets had an average height of 10.5 mm, average width of 11.2 mm and average thickness of 3.5 mm. The inclination of the superior facets with respect to the transverse plane ranged from 22° to 45° and that of the inferior facets ranged from 29° to 53°. The distance of the anterior margin of the inferior facet from the posterior border of the foramen transversium ranged from 5 to 7 mm. This distance was maximum at C3 level, then decreased at C4 and remained constant from C5 to C7. Conclusion: This anatomic evaluation aided in understanding the morphology of the cervical facets and the suitability of the cervical facetal articular cavity for insertion of spacers.

  17. Enhancing the photoresponse and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 by controllably tuning defects across {101} facets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wan, Piaopiao [Chongqing Univ. (China). College of Materials Science and Engineering and Electron Microscopy Center; Hood, Zachary D. [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States). School of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Science (CNMS); Adhikari, Shiba P. [Wake Forest Univ., Winston-Salem, NC (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability (CEES); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Materials Science & Technology Division, Carbon and Composites; Xu, Yunfan [Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China). Lab. of Advanced Materials and Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering; Yang, Shize [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Materials Science & Technology Division; Wu, Sujuan [Chongqing Univ. (China). College of Materials Science and Engineering and Electron Microscopy Center

    2018-03-15

    Introducing defects into semiconductors with well-controlled exposed facets offers an effective route for the development of photocatalytic materials with greatly improved properties. Here, we report a facile ethylene glycol reduction procedure to make anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) with different concentrations of exposed {001} and {101} facets, leading to different surficial defects. TiO2 with increased concentrations of {101} facets shows a 5-fold improvement in photocurrent generation as well as improved photocatalytic activity towards water splitting under visible light irradiation. Thus, the improved activity is ascribed to the oxygen vacancies as well as the variable surface chemical states, which collectively induce a slower recombination rate of photo-induced electron-hole pairs. This work also highlights a feasible strategy to obtain the defective TiO2 and explore the synergistic effect of surface defects and different concentrations of exposed {001} and {101} facets for photocurrent and photocatalytic properties under visible light irradiation.

  18. Facet orientation and tropism: associations with spondylolysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalichman, Leonid; Guermazi, Ali; Li, Ling; Hunter, David J; Suri, Pradeep

    2010-04-01

    Cross-sectional study. To evaluate the association between lumbar spine facet joint orientation, facet joint tropism, and spondylolysis identified by multidetector computed tomography (CT) in the community-based Framingham Heart Study. The association between lumbar spondylolysis and facet orientation and tropism remains unclear. This study was an ancillary project to the Framingham Heart Study. Three thousand five hundred twenty-nine participants of the Framingham Heart Study aged 40 to 80 years underwent multidetector CT imaging to assess aortic calcification. One hundred ninety-one subjects were included in this ancillary study. Facet joint features and spondylolysis were evaluated on CT scans. The final analyzed sample included 104 men with mean age 51.90+/-11.25 years and 84 women with mean age 53.61+/-10.20 years. The association between spondylolysis and facet orientation and tropism was examined using univariate and multivariate analyses. Spondylolysis was prevalent in 11.5% of the total population. chi2 test demonstrated a significant sex difference in prevalence of spondylolysis (P=0.0154), with almost 3 times higher prevalence among men. There was no statistically significant difference in facet orientation and continuous facet tropism between individuals with and without spondylolysis at the L5 level (P=0.49 to 0.91). After adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index, no significant association between the occurrence of spondylolysis and facet orientation and tropism was found. In the studied sample the prevalence of facet joint osteoarthritis was significantly higher in individuals with spondylolysis than in those without spondylolysis at both sides of L4-L5 spinal level (P=0.044 at the right side and P=0.003 at the left side) and at left side of L5-S1 level (P=0.038). We did not find an association between facet orientation, facet tropism, and spondylolysis. One of the possible explanations for this is that the high prevalence of facet joint

  19. Effects of Concentration of Organically Modified Nanoclay on Properties of Sulfonated Poly(vinyl alcohol Nanocomposite Membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Apiradee Sanglimsuwan

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Electrolyte nanocomposite membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells and direct methanol fuel cells were prepared by carrying out a sulfonation of poly(vinyl alcohol with sulfosuccinic acid and adding a type of organically modified montmorillonite (layered silicate nanoclay commercially known as Cloisite 93A. The effects of the different concentrations (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 wt. % of the organoclay in the membranes on water uptake, ion exchange capacity (IEC, proton conductivity, and methanol permeability were measured, respectively, via gravimetry, titration, impedance analysis, and gas chromatography techniques. The IEC values remained constant for all concentrations. Water uptakes and proton conductivities of the nanocomposite membranes changed with the clay content in a nonlinear fashion. While all the nanocomposite membranes had lower methanol permeability than Nafion115, the 6% concentration of Cloisite 93A in sulfonated poly(vinyl alcohol membrane displayed the greatest proton conductivity to methanol permeability ratio.

  20. Technical Performance and Economic Evaluation of Evaporative and Membrane-Based Concentration for Biomass-Derived Sugars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sievers, David A.; Stickel, Jonathan J.; Grundl, Nicholas J.; Tao, Ling

    2017-01-01

    Several conversion pathways of lignocellulosic biomass to advanced biofuels require or benefit from using concentrated sugar syrups of 600 g/L or greater. And while concentration may seem straightforward, thermal sugar degradation and energy efficiency remain major concerns. This study evaluated the trade-offs in product recovery, energy consumption, and economics between evaporative and membrane-based concentration methods. The degradation kinetics of xylose and glucose were characterized and applied to an evaporator process simulation. Though significant sugar loss was predicted for certain scenarios due to the Maillard reaction, industrially common falling-film plate evaporators offer short residence times (<5 min) and are expected to limit sugar losses. Membrane concentration experiments characterized flux and sugar rejection, but diminished flux occurred at >100 g/L. A second step using evaporation is necessary to achieve target concentrations. Techno-economic process model simulations evaluated the overall economics of concentrating a 35 g/L sugar stream to 600 g/L in a full-scale biorefinery. A two-step approach of preconcentrating using membranes and finishing with an evaporator consumed less energy than evaporation alone but was more expensive because of high capital expenses of the membrane units.

  1. Mindfulness facets and Big Five personality facets in persons with recurrent depression in remission

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Spinhoven, Philip; Huijbers, Marloes J.; Zheng, Yixia; Ormel, Johan; Speckens, Anne E. M.

    2017-01-01

    Studies examining mindfulness in relation to personality traits have been mainly conducted in non-clinical samples and resulted in mixed findings. The present cross-sectional study examined which mindfulness facets are most strongly associated with Big Five personality domains and facets implicated

  2. Geometrically Nonlinear Shell Analysis of Wrinkled Thin-Film Membranes with Stress Concentrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tessler, Alexander; Sleight, David W.

    2006-01-01

    Geometrically nonlinear shell finite element analysis has recently been applied to solar-sail membrane problems in order to model the out-of-plane deformations due to structural wrinkling. Whereas certain problems lend themselves to achieving converged nonlinear solutions that compare favorably with experimental observations, solutions to tensioned membranes exhibiting high stress concentrations have been difficult to obtain even with the best nonlinear finite element codes and advanced shell element technology. In this paper, two numerical studies are presented that pave the way to improving the modeling of this class of nonlinear problems. The studies address the issues of mesh refinement and stress-concentration alleviation, and the effects of these modeling strategies on the ability to attain converged nonlinear deformations due to wrinkling. The numerical studies demonstrate that excessive mesh refinement in the regions of stress concentration may be disadvantageous to achieving wrinkled equilibrium states, causing the nonlinear solution to lock in the membrane response mode, while totally discarding the very low-energy bending response that is necessary to cause wrinkling deformation patterns.

  3. Effect of polysulfone concentration on the performance of membrane-assisted lead acid battery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Fauzi Ismail

    2002-11-01

    Full Text Available The application of lead acid battery in tropical countries normally faces the problem of water decomposition. This phenomenon is due to the factor of charge-discharge reaction in the battery and heat accumulation caused by hot tropical climate and heat generated from engine compartment. The objective of this study is to analyze the effect of polysulfone concentration on the performance of membrane-assisted lead-acid battery. Gas separation membranes, prepared through wet-dry phase inversion method and using various polysulfone concentrated formulations, were applied on the battery vent holes, for the purpose of preventing electrolyte from evaporating to the atmosphere. The best membrane, which retains the most electrolyte, will be chosen to be applied on the soon-to-be-developed “membrane-assisted maintenance- free battery”. This maintenance-free battery will need no topping up of deionized water every time the electrolyte level goes low.

  4. Monitoring changes in membrane polarity, membrane integrity, and intracellular ion concentrations in Streptococcus pneumoniae using fluorescent dyes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clementi, Emily A; Marks, Laura R; Roche-Håkansson, Hazeline; Håkansson, Anders P

    2014-02-17

    Membrane depolarization and ion fluxes are events that have been studied extensively in biological systems due to their ability to profoundly impact cellular functions, including energetics and signal transductions. While both fluorescent and electrophysiological methods, including electrode usage and patch-clamping, have been well developed for measuring these events in eukaryotic cells, methodology for measuring similar events in microorganisms have proven more challenging to develop given their small size in combination with the more complex outer surface of bacteria shielding the membrane. During our studies of death-initiation in Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), we wanted to elucidate the role of membrane events, including changes in polarity, integrity, and intracellular ion concentrations. Searching the literature, we found that very few studies exist. Other investigators had monitored radioisotope uptake or equilibrium to measure ion fluxes and membrane potential and a limited number of studies, mostly in Gram-negative organisms, had seen some success using carbocyanine or oxonol fluorescent dyes to measure membrane potential, or loading bacteria with cell-permeant acetoxymethyl (AM) ester versions of ion-sensitive fluorescent indicator dyes. We therefore established and optimized protocols for measuring membrane potential, rupture, and ion-transport in the Gram-positive organism S. pneumoniae. We developed protocols using the bis-oxonol dye DiBAC4(3) and the cell-impermeant dye propidium iodide to measure membrane depolarization and rupture, respectively, as well as methods to optimally load the pneumococci with the AM esters of the ratiometric dyes Fura-2, PBFI, and BCECF to detect changes in intracellular concentrations of Ca(2+), K(+), and H(+), respectively, using a fluorescence-detection plate reader. These protocols are the first of their kind for the pneumococcus and the majority of these dyes have not been used in any other bacterial

  5. Optical characterization of nonimaging dish concentrator for the application of dense-array concentrator photovoltaic system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Ming-Hui; Chong, Kok-Keong; Wong, Chee-Woon

    2014-01-20

    Optimization of the design of a nonimaging dish concentrator (NIDC) for a dense-array concentrator photovoltaic system is presented. A new algorithm has been developed to determine configuration of facet mirrors in a NIDC. Analytical formulas were derived to analyze the optical performance of a NIDC and then compared with a simulated result obtained from a numerical method. Comprehensive analysis of optical performance via analytical method has been carried out based on facet dimension and focal distance of the concentrator with a total reflective area of 120 m2. The result shows that a facet dimension of 49.8 cm, focal distance of 8 m, and solar concentration ratio of 411.8 suns is the most optimized design for the lowest cost-per-output power, which is US$1.93 per watt.

  6. Effect of free calcium concentration and ionic strength on alginate fouling in cross-flow membrane filtration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brink, van den P.; Zwijnenburg, A.; Smith, G.; Temmink, B.G.; Loosdrecht, van M.C.

    2009-01-01

    Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are generally negatively charged polymers. Membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) by EPS is therefore influenced by the water chemistry of the mixed liquor (calcium concentration, foulant concentration and ionic strength). We used alginate as a model

  7. A folk-psychological ranking of personality facets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eka Roivainen

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Background Which personality facets should a general personality test measure? No consensus exists on the facet structure of personality, the nature of facets, or the correct method of identifying the most significant facets. However, it can be hypothesized (the lexical hypothesis that high frequency personality describing words more likely represent important personality facets and rarely used words refer to less significant aspects of personality. Participants and procedure A ranking of personality facets was performed by studying the frequency of the use of popular personality adjectives in causal clauses (because he is a kind person on the Internet and in books as attributes of the word person (kind person. Results In Study 1, the 40 most frequently used adjectives had a cumulative usage frequency equal to that of the rest of the 295 terms studied. When terms with a higher-ranking dictionary synonym or antonym were eliminated, 23 terms remained, which represent 23 different facets. In Study 2, clusters of synonymous terms were examined. Within the top 30 clusters, personality terms were used 855 times compared to 240 for the 70 lower-ranking clusters. Conclusions It is hypothesized that personality facets represented by the top-ranking terms and clusters of terms are important and impactful independent of their correlation with abstract underlying personality factors (five/six factor models. Compared to hierarchical personality models, lists of important facets probably better cover those aspects of personality that are situated between the five or six major domains.

  8. Value of 18F-FDG PET/MRI for the outcome of CT-guided facet block therapy in cervical facet syndrome: initial results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sawixki, Lino M.; Schaarscjmidt, Benedikt M.; Heusch, Philipp; Buchbender, Christian; Antoch, Gerald; Rosenbaum-Krumme, Sandra; Bockisch, Andreas; Umutlu, Lale; Eicker, Sven O.; Floeth, Frank W.

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging ( 18 F-FDG PET/MRI) to detect PET-positive cervical facet arthropathy and identify patients who benefit from facet block therapy. Ten patients with cervical facet syndrome (mean age: 65 ± 12 years) underwent 18 F-FDG PET/MRI of the neck. Focal 18 F-FDG uptake in PET-positive facet joints served as target for computed tomography (CT)-guided facet blocks. In PET-negative patients, the target joint for facet block therapy was selected by current clinical standards considering the level of maximum facet arthrosis and pain. Neck pain was measured on visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after therapy. Bone marrow signal intensity (SI) ratio on turbo inversion recovery magnitude (TIRM) images and maximum standard uptake values (SUVmax) was calculated for each facet joint. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was calculated between bone marrow SI ratios on TIRM and SUVmax. 18 F-FDG PET/MRI detected PET-positive facet arthropathy in six patients. Patients with PET-positive facet arthropathy had significantly less pain compared with the pretreatment pain 3 h (P = 0.002), 4 weeks (P = 0.002) and 3 months (P = 0.026) after facet block therapy. Pain did not change significantly in patients with PET-negative facet arthropathy. TIRM SI ratio was higher in PET-positive facet arthropathy than in PET-negative facet arthropathy (P < 0.001). Correlation was strong between bone marrow SI ratio on TIRM images and SUVmax (r = 0.7; P < 0.001).

  9. Production efficiency of micellar casein concentrate using polymeric spiral-wound microfiltration membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckman, S L; Zulewska, J; Newbold, M; Barbano, D M

    2010-10-01

    Most current research has focused on using ceramic microfiltration (MF) membranes for micellar casein concentrate production, but little research has focused on the use of polymeric spiral-wound (SW) MF membranes. A method for the production of a serum protein (SP)-reduced micellar casein concentrate using SW MF was compared with a ceramic MF membrane. Pasteurized (79°C, 18s) skim milk (1,100 kg) was microfiltered at 50°C [about 3 × concentration] using a 0.3-μm polyvinylidene fluoride spiral-wound membrane, bleed-and-feed, 3-stage process, using 2 diafiltration stages, where the retentate was diluted 1:2 with reverse osmosis water. Skim milk, permeate, and retentate were analyzed for SP content, and the reduction of SP from skim milk was determined. Theoretically, 68% of the SP content of skim milk can be removed using a single-stage 3× MF. If 2 subsequent water diafiltration stages are used, an additional 22% and 7% of the SP can be removed, respectively, giving a total SP removal of 97%. Removal of SP greater than 95% has been achieved using a 0.1-μm pore size ceramic uniform transmembrane pressure (UTP) MF membrane after a 3-stage MF with diafiltration process. One stage of MF plus 2 stages of diafiltration of 50°C skim milk using a polyvinylidene fluoride polymeric SW 0.3-μm membrane yielded a total SP reduction of only 70.3% (stages 1, 2, and 3: 38.6, 20.8, and 10.9%, respectively). The SP removal rate for the polymeric SW MF membrane was lower in all 3 stages of processing (stages 1, 2, and 3: 0.05, 0.04, and 0.03 kg/m(2) per hour, respectively) than that of the comparable ceramic UTP MF membrane (stages 1, 2, and 3: 0.30, 0.11, and 0.06 kg/m(2) per hour, respectively), indicating that SW MF is less efficient at removing SP from 50°C skim milk than the ceramic UTP system. To estimate the number of steps required for the SW system to reach 95% SP removal, the third-stage SP removal rate (27.4% of the starting material SP content) was used to

  10. FACET Emittance Growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Frederico, J; Hogan, M.J.; Nosochkov, Y.; Litos, M.D.; Raubenheimer, T.; /SLAC

    2011-04-05

    FACET, the Facility for Advanced Accelerator and Experimental Tests, is a new facility being constructed in sector 20 of the SLAC linac primarily to study beam driven plasma wakefield acceleration. The FACET beamline consists of a chicane and final focus system to compress the 23 GeV, 3.2 nC electron bunches to {approx}20 {micro}m long and {approx}10 {micro}m wide. Simulations of the FACET beamline indicate the short-duration and large, 1.5% rms energy spread beams may suffer a factor of four emittance growth from a combination of chromaticity, incoherent synchrotron radiation (ISR), and coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR). Emittance growth is directly correlated to head erosion in plasma wakefield acceleration and is a limiting factor in single stage performance. Studies of the geometric, CSR, and ISR components are presented. Numerical calculation of the rms emittance can be overwhelmed by long tails in the simulated phase space distributions; more useful definitions of emittance are given. A complete simulation of the beamline is presented as well, which agrees with design specifications.

  11. FACET Emittance Growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frederico, Joel

    2011-01-01

    FACET, the Facility for Advanced Accelerator and Experimental Tests, is a new facility being constructed in sector 20 of the SLAC linac primarily to study beam driven plasma wakefield acceleration. The FACET beamline consists of a chicane and final focus system to compress the 23 GeV, 3.2 nC electron bunches to ∼20 (micro)m long and ∼10 (micro)m wide. Simulations of the FACET beamline indicate the short-duration and large, 1.5% rms energy spread beams may suffer a factor of four emittance growth from a combination of chromaticity, incoherent synchrotron radiation (ISR), and coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR). Emittance growth is directly correlated to head erosion in plasma wakefield acceleration and is a limiting factor in single stage performance. Studies of the geometric, CSR, and ISR components are presented. Numerical calculation of the rms emittance can be overwhelmed by long tails in the simulated phase space distributions; more useful definitions of emittance are given. A complete simulation of the beamline is presented as well, which agrees with design specifications.

  12. Bilateral locked facets in the thoracic spine

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    M.H.A. Willems; Braakman, R. (Reinder); B. van Linge (Bert)

    1984-01-01

    textabstractTwo cases of traumatic bilateral locked facets in the thoracic spine are reported. Both patients had only minor neurological signs. They both made a full neurological recovery after surgical reduction of the locked facets. Bilateral locked facets are very uncommon in the thoracic spine.

  13. Successive membrane separation processes simplify concentration of lipases produced by Aspergillus niger by solid-state fermentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reinehr, Christian Oliveira; Treichel, Helen; Tres, Marcus Vinicius; Steffens, Juliana; Brião, Vandré Barbosa; Colla, Luciane Maria

    2017-06-01

    In this study, we developed a simplified method for producing, separating, and concentrating lipases derived from solid-state fermentation of agro-industrial residues by filamentous fungi. First, we used Aspergillus niger to produce lipases with hydrolytic activity. We analyzed the separation and concentration of enzymes using membrane separation processes. The sequential use of microfiltration and ultrafiltration processes made it possible to obtain concentrates with enzymatic activities much higher than those in the initial extract. The permeate flux was higher than 60 L/m 2 h during microfiltration using 20- and 0.45-µm membranes and during ultrafiltration using 100- and 50-kDa membranes, where fouling was reversible during the filtration steps, thereby indicating that the fouling may be removed by cleaning processes. These results demonstrate the feasibility of lipase production using A. niger by solid-state fermentation of agro-industrial residues, followed by successive tangential filtration with membranes, which simplify the separation and concentration steps that are typically required in downstream processes.

  14. Double-Skinned Forward Osmosis Membranes for Reducing Internal Concentration Polarization within the Porous Sublayer

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Kai Yu

    2010-05-19

    A scheme to fabricate forward osmosis membranes comprising a highly porous sublayer sandwiched between two selective skin layers via phase inversion was proposed. One severe deficiency of existing composite and asymmetric membranes used in forward osmosis is the presence of unfavorable internal concentration polarization within the porous support layer that hinders both (i) separation (salt flux) and (ii) the performance (water flux). The double skin layers of the tailored membrane may mitigate the internal concentration polarization by preventing the salt and other solutes in the draw solution from penetrating into the membrane porous support. The prototype double-skinned cellulose acetate membrane displayed a water flux of 48.2 L·m-2·h -1 and lower reverse salt transport of 6.5 g·m -2·h-1 using 5.0 M MgCl2 as the draw solution in a forward osmosis process performed at 22 °C. This can be attributed to the effective salt rejection by the double skin layers and the low water transport resistance within the porous support layer. The prospects of utilizing the double-selective layer membranes may have potential application in forward osmosis for desalination. This study may help pave the way to improve the membrane design for the forward osmosis process. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

  15. Double-Skinned Forward Osmosis Membranes for Reducing Internal Concentration Polarization within the Porous Sublayer

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Kai Yu; Ong, Rui Chin; Chung, Tai-Shung

    2010-01-01

    A scheme to fabricate forward osmosis membranes comprising a highly porous sublayer sandwiched between two selective skin layers via phase inversion was proposed. One severe deficiency of existing composite and asymmetric membranes used in forward osmosis is the presence of unfavorable internal concentration polarization within the porous support layer that hinders both (i) separation (salt flux) and (ii) the performance (water flux). The double skin layers of the tailored membrane may mitigate the internal concentration polarization by preventing the salt and other solutes in the draw solution from penetrating into the membrane porous support. The prototype double-skinned cellulose acetate membrane displayed a water flux of 48.2 L·m-2·h -1 and lower reverse salt transport of 6.5 g·m -2·h-1 using 5.0 M MgCl2 as the draw solution in a forward osmosis process performed at 22 °C. This can be attributed to the effective salt rejection by the double skin layers and the low water transport resistance within the porous support layer. The prospects of utilizing the double-selective layer membranes may have potential application in forward osmosis for desalination. This study may help pave the way to improve the membrane design for the forward osmosis process. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

  16. The status of membrane bioreactor technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Judd, Simon

    2008-02-01

    In this article, the current status of membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology for wastewater treatment is reviewed. Fundamental facets of the MBR process and membrane and process configurations are outlined and the advantages and disadvantages over conventional suspended growth-based biotreatment are briefly identified. Key process design and operating parameters are defined and their significance explained. The inter-relationships between these parameters are identified and their implications discussed, with particular reference to impacts on membrane surface fouling and channel clogging. In addition, current understanding of membrane surface fouling and identification of candidate foulants is appraised. Although much interest in this technology exists and its penetration of the market will probably increase significantly, there remains a lack of understanding of key process constraints such as membrane channel clogging, and of the science of membrane cleaning.

  17. FACET CLASSIFICATIONS OF E-LEARNING TOOLS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olena Yu. Balalaieva

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the classification of e-learning tools based on the facet method, which suggests the separation of the parallel set of objects into independent classification groups; at the same time it is not assumed rigid classification structure and pre-built finite groups classification groups are formed by a combination of values taken from the relevant facets. An attempt to systematize the existing classification of e-learning tools from the standpoint of classification theory is made for the first time. Modern Ukrainian and foreign facet classifications of e-learning tools are described; their positive and negative features compared to classifications based on a hierarchical method are analyzed. The original author's facet classification of e-learning tools is proposed.

  18. Insulin and adenosine regulate the phosphatidylcholine concentration in isolated rat adipocyte plasma membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiechle, F L; Sykes, E; Artiss, J D

    1995-01-01

    Blockade of adenosine receptors by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine or degradation of endogenous adenosine with adenosine deaminase increased the phosphatidylcholine concentration in isolated rat adipocyte plasma membranes, an effect which was suppressed by the phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase inhibitor, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine, and reversed by the adenosine analogue, N6-(L-phenylisopropyl)-adenosine. For example, the addition of N6-(L-phenylisopropyl)-adenosine to adenosine deaminase pretreated plasma membranes rapidly lowered the concentration of phosphatidylcholine by 171 nmol/mg at 30 seconds compared to control. Insulin-induced stimulation of phospholipid methylation in membranes treated with 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine or adenosine deaminase was achieved only after the addition of N6-(L-phenylisopropyl)-adenosine. These results suggest that adenosine receptor occupancy inhibits phospholipid methylation, is required for insulin stimulation of phospholipid methylation, and may perhaps activate a phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C or phospholipase D.

  19. Membrane distillation with porous metal hollow fibers for the concentration of thermo-sensitive solutions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shukla, Sushumna

    2014-01-01

    This thesis presents an original approach for the concentration of thermo-sensitive solutions: the Sweep Gas Membrane Distillation (SGMD) process. A new membrane contactor with metallic hollow fibers has been designed and allows the distillation process to be operational at low temperature. Heat is

  20. A faceted eye on intellectual giftedness: Examining the personality of gifted students using FFM domains and facets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Altaras-Dimitrijević Ana

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The study examines the personality profile of gifted vs. average-ability students from the perspective of the FFM. The issue was approached by (1 reviewing the literature for well-established personality characteristics of the gifted, (2 establishing correspondences between these traits and FFM domains/facets, and (3 formulating a domain and a facet-level model which were hypothesized to discriminate significantly between gifted and nongifted students. The domain-level model consisted of Openness and Agreeableness. The facet-level model included 14 traits: Anxiety, Impulsiveness, Gregariousness, Assertiveness, Fantasy, Feelings, Aesthetics, Ideas, Compliance, Modesty, Tendermindedness, Order, Achievement, and Deliberation. The models were tested on three samples (N1=515 high-school students, 155 gifted; N2=132 psychology students, 28 gifted; N3=443 psychology students, 91 gifted. Results indicate that the domain-level model does not discriminate significantly between gifted and nongifted students in each sample, whereas the proposed 14-facet model yields a significant discrimination across all samples. The latter model may be further adjusted by removing facets which proved inconsistent or unsubstantial in distinguishing between the two groups. This yields a 7-facet discriminant function, which is also significant across samples, indicating that gifted students are consistently distinguished by a combination of high Ideas, Fantasy, Aesthetics, and Assertiveness, but low Gregariuosness, Modesty, and Tendermindeness. Educational implications and limitations are discussed. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179018

  1. Percutaneous Facet Screw Fixation in the Treatment of Symptomatic Recurrent Lumbar Facet Joint Cyst: A New Technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amoretti, Nicolas, E-mail: amorettinicolas@yahoo.fr; Gallo, Giacomo, E-mail: giacomo.gallo83@gmail.com; Bertrand, Anne-Sophie, E-mail: asbertrand3@hotmail.com [Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice (France); Bard, Robert L., E-mail: rbard@cancerscan.com [New York Medical College (United States); Kelekis, Alexis, E-mail: akelekis@med.uoa.gr [University General Hospital “ATTIKON” (Greece)

    2016-01-15

    We present a case of percutaneous treatment of symptomatic recurrent lumbar facet joint cyst resistant to all medical treatments including facet joint steroid injection. Percutaneous transfacet fixation was then performed at L4–L5 level with a cannulated screw using CT and fluoroscopy guidance. The procedure time was 30 min. Using the visual analog scale (VAS), pain decreased from 9.5, preoperatively, to 0 after the procedure. At 6-month follow-up, an asymptomatic cystic recurrence was observed, which further reduced at the 1-year follow-up. Pain remained stable (VAS at 0) during all follow-ups. CT- and fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous cyst rupture associated with facet screw fixation could be an alternative to surgery in patients suffering from a symptomatic recurrent lumbar facet joint cyst.

  2. The growth of faceted/nonfaceted eutectics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suchtelen, J. van

    1976-01-01

    This paper is concerned with the unidirectional solidification of eutectic melts in which one of the phases has a faceted, the other a nonfaceted solid-liquid interface. The occurrence of complex microstructures in such eutectics is explained as a growth phenomenon. The essential condition for the occurrence of such structures is a non-isothermal solid-liquid interface, developing into a faceted-cellular structure. The faceted shape of the cells is imposed by the faceted component of the eutectic. Breakdown to such a cellular structure occurs not only in constitutional-supercooling conditions, but under any circumstances, the cellular period being a function of growth velocity, temperature gradient etc. The two-phase morphology of the eutectic structure is discussed in terms of the relative magnitude of the periods of the cellular and of the eutectic structure. (orig.) [de

  3. Effect of concentration variation in graphene oxide (GO) membranes for water flux optimization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Shani; Garg, Amit; Chowdhuri, Arijit

    2018-05-01

    Graphene oxide, sister material of Graphene has generated tremendous research interest in fields of energy storage, catalyst material, adsorbent material for heavy metals and dyes, green energy production, drug delivery agent, a gas sensing material as well as in membrane based water purification and desalination systems1-3 etc. In this paper, we are reporting the effect of concentration variation in GO membranes on water flux. GO has been synthesized by Hummer's method with related characterizations like XRD, Raman, SEM and FTIR carried out. GO membranes have been developed using pressure assisted filtration assembly (Water Vac-100) over Cellulose Acetate membrane support (47 mm dia. and 0.45 µm pore size), Millipore.

  4. The clinical aspects of the acute facet syndrome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hestbaek, Lise; Kongsted, Alice; Jensen, Tue Secher

    2009-01-01

    ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The term 'acute facet syndrome' is widely used and accepted amongst chiropractors, but poorly described in the literature, as most of the present literature relates to chronic facet joint pain. Therefore, research into the degree of consensus on the subject amongst a large g...... from the facet joints has been described in the literature. Furthermore, the acute, uncomplicated facet syndrome was considered to have an uncomplicated clinical course, responding quickly to spinal manipulative therapy....

  5. Proposal plan of classification faceted for federal universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renata Santos Brandão

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to present a faceted classification plan for the archival management of documents in the federal universities of Brazil. For this, was done a literature review on the archival management in Brazil, the types of classification plans and the theory of the Ranganathan faceted classification, through searches in databases in the areas of Librarianship and Archivology. It was identified the classification plan used in the Federal Institutions of Higher Education to represent the functional facet and created the structural classification plan to represent the structural facet. The two classification plans were inserted into a digital repository management system to give rise to the faceted classification plan. The system used was Tainacan, free software wordpress-based used in digital document management. The developed faceted classification plan allows the user to choose and even combine the way to look for the information that guarantees agreater efficiency in the information retrieval.

  6. Work functions and surface charges at metallic facet edges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fall, C.J.; Binggeli, N.; Baldereschi, A.

    2002-04-01

    The electronic charge densities and work functions at sharp metallic facet edges are determined from ab initio calculations, combined with macroscopic averaging techniques. In particular, we examine how two different work functions coexist at close range near edges between inequivalent facets. The surface ionic relaxation at facet edges is shown to influence appreciably the local electrostatic potential in the vacuum. Various edges between Al(100) and Al(111) facets are studied, as well as between Na(110) facets. We also develop a model of electronic surface dipoles, which accounts for the surface charge transfer between inequivalent facets, and which allows us to predict the influence of the shape and size of a macroscopic crystal on its work functions. (author)

  7. Cervical facet joint dysfunction: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirpalani, Dhiruj; Mitra, Raj

    2008-04-01

    To review the relevant literature on cervical facet joint dysfunction and determine findings regarding its anatomy, etiology, prevalence, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment. A computer-aided search of several databases was performed, including Medline (1966 to present), Ovid (1966 to present), and the Cochrane database (1993 to present). Selected articles had the following criteria: (1) all articles analyzed cervical facet joint pain-anatomy, prevalence, etiology, diagnosis, treatment; (2) only full, published articles were studied, not abstracts; and (3) all articles were published in English. All articles were critically evaluated and included the following categories: randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, uncontrolled clinical trials, uncontrolled comparison studies, nonquantitative systematic reviews, and literature-based reviews. We examined 45 references that consisted of 44 journal articles and relevant sections from 1 textbook. Cervical facet joints have been well established in the literature as a common nociceptive pain generator, with an estimated prevalence that ranges from 25% to 66% of chronic axial neck pain. No studies have reported clinical examination findings that are diagnostic for cervical facet mediated pain. Overall the literature provides very limited information regarding the treatment of this condition, with only radiofrequency neurotomy showing evidence of effectively reducing pain from cervical facet joint dysfunction.

  8. Effect of Porosity and Concentration Polarization on Electrolyte Diffusive Transport Parameters through Ceramic Membranes with Similar Nanopore Size

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Virginia Romero

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Diffusive transport through nanoporous alumina membranes (NPAMs produced by the two-step anodization method, with similar pore size but different porosity, is studied by analyzing membrane potential measured with NaCl solutions at different concentrations. Donnan exclusion of co-ions at the solution/membrane interface seem to exert a certain control on the diffusive transport of ions through NPAMs with low porosity, which might be reduced by coating the membrane surface with appropriated materials, as it is the case of SiO2. Our results also show the effect of concentration polarization at the membrane surface on ionic transport numbers (or diffusion coefficients for low-porosity and high electrolyte affinity membranes, which could mask values of those characteristic electrochemical parameters.

  9. An integrated membrane bioreactor - nanofiltration concept with concentrate recirculation for wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kappel, C.

    2014-01-01

    Increasing water shortages drive the need for water reuse. Membranes are a very suitable technology for purification of wastewater. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) permeate can be polished by nanofiltration (NF), allowing the production of high quality reusable water. The NF concentrate potentially is an

  10. Scalable Faceted Ranking in Tagging Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orlicki, José I.; Alvarez-Hamelin, J. Ignacio; Fierens, Pablo I.

    Nowadays, web collaborative tagging systems which allow users to upload, comment on and recommend contents, are growing. Such systems can be represented as graphs where nodes correspond to users and tagged-links to recommendations. In this paper we analyze the problem of computing a ranking of users with respect to a facet described as a set of tags. A straightforward solution is to compute a PageRank-like algorithm on a facet-related graph, but it is not feasible for online computation. We propose an alternative: (i) a ranking for each tag is computed offline on the basis of tag-related subgraphs; (ii) a faceted order is generated online by merging rankings corresponding to all the tags in the facet. Based on the graph analysis of YouTube and Flickr, we show that step (i) is scalable. We also present efficient algorithms for step (ii), which are evaluated by comparing their results with two gold standards.

  11. SLAC Linac Preparations for FACET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erickson, Roger

    2011-01-01

    The SLAC 3km linear electron accelerator has been cut at the two-thirds point to provide beams to two independent programs. The last third provides the electron beam for the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), leaving the first two-thirds available for FACET, the new experimental facility for accelerator science and test beams. In this paper, we describe this separation and projects to prepare the linac for the FACET experimental program.

  12. Zero-Gap Alkaline Water Electrolysis Using Ion-Solvating Polymer Electrolyte Membranes at Reduced KOH Concentrations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kraglund, Mikkel Rykær; Aili, David; Jankova Atanasova, Katja

    2016-01-01

    Membranes based on poly(2,2'-(m-phenylene)-5,5-bibenzimidazole) (m-PBI) can dissolve large amounts of aqueous KOH to give electrolyte systems with ion conductivity in a practically useful range. The conductivity of the membrane strongly depends on the concentration of the aqueous KOH phase......, reaching about 10-1 S cm-1 or higher in 15-25 wt% KOH. Herein, m-PBI membranes are systematically characterized with respect to performance and short-term stability as electrolyte in a zero-gap alkaline water electrolyzer at different KOH concentrations. Using plain uncatalyzed nickel foam electrodes......, the cell based on m-PBI outperforms the cell based on the commercially available state-of-the-art diaphragm and reaches a current density of 1500 mA cm-2 at 2.4 V in 20 wt% KOH at 80°C. The cell performance remained stable during two days of operation, though post analysis of the membrane using size...

  13. Framework Application for Core Edge Transport Simulation (FACETS)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malony, Allen D; Shende, Sameer S; Huck, Kevin A; Mr. Alan Morris, and Mr. Wyatt Spear

    2012-03-14

    The goal of the FACETS project (Framework Application for Core-Edge Transport Simulations) was to provide a multiphysics, parallel framework application (FACETS) that will enable whole-device modeling for the U.S. fusion program, to provide the modeling infrastructure needed for ITER, the next step fusion confinement device. Through use of modern computational methods, including component technology and object oriented design, FACETS is able to switch from one model to another for a given aspect of the physics in a flexible manner. This enables use of simplified models for rapid turnaround or high-fidelity models that can take advantage of the largest supercomputer hardware. FACETS does so in a heterogeneous parallel context, where different parts of the application execute in parallel by utilizing task farming, domain decomposition, and/or pipelining as needed and applicable. ParaTools, Inc. was tasked with supporting the performance analysis and tuning of the FACETS components and framework in order to achieve the parallel scaling goals of the project. The TAU Performance System® was used for instrumentation, measurement, archiving, and profile / tracing analysis. ParaTools, Inc. also assisted in FACETS performance engineering efforts. Through the use of the TAU Performance System, ParaTools provided instrumentation, measurement, analysis and archival support for the FACETS project. Performance optimization of key components has yielded significant performance speedups. TAU was integrated into the FACETS build for both the full coupled application and the UEDGE component. The performance database provided archival storage of the performance regression testing data generated by the project, and helped to track improvements in the software development.

  14. Preamble to marine microbiology: Facets and opportunities

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Ramaiah, N.

    The book titled 'Marine Microbiology: Facets & Opportunities' is an attempt to bring together some facets of marine microbiology as have been made out by many contemporaries in particular from the tropical marine regions. There are 18 contributed...

  15. Electrodeformation of multi-bilayer spherical concentric membranes by AC electric fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lira-Escobedo, J.; Arauz-Lara, J.; Aranda-Espinoza, H.; Adlerz, K.; Viveros-Mendez, P. X.; Aranda-Espinoza, S.

    2017-09-01

    It is now well established that external stresses alter the behaviour of cells, where such alterations can be as profound as changes in gene expression. A type of stresses of particular interest are those due to alternating-current (AC) electric fields. The effect of AC fields on cells is still not well understood, in particular it is not clear how these fields affect the cell nucleus and other organelles. Here, we propose that one possible mechanism is through the deformation of the membranes. In order to investigate the effect of AC fields on the morphological changes of the cell organelles, we modelled the cell as two concentric bilayer membranes. This model allows us to obtain the deformations induced by the AC field by balancing the elastic energy and the work done by the Maxwell stresses. Morphological phase diagrams are obtained as a function of the frequency and the electrical properties of the media and membranes. We demonstrate that the organelle shapes can be changed without modifying the shape of the external cell membrane and that the organelle deformation transitions can be used to measure, for example, the conductivity of the nucleus.

  16. Migration mechanisms of a faceted grain boundary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadian, R.; Grabowski, B.; Finnis, M. W.; Neugebauer, J.

    2018-04-01

    We report molecular dynamics simulations and their analysis for a mixed tilt and twist grain boundary vicinal to the Σ 7 symmetric tilt boundary of the type {1 2 3 } in aluminum. When minimized in energy at 0 K , a grain boundary of this type exhibits nanofacets that contain kinks. We observe that at higher temperatures of migration simulations, given extended annealing times, it is energetically favorable for these nanofacets to coalesce into a large terrace-facet structure. Therefore, we initiate the simulations from such a structure and study as a function of applied driving force and temperature how the boundary migrates. We find the migration of a faceted boundary can be described in terms of the flow of steps. The migration is dominated at lower driving force by the collective motion of the steps incorporated in the facet, and at higher driving forces by the step detachment from the terrace-facet junction and propagation of steps across the terraces. The velocity of steps on terraces is faster than their velocity when incorporated in the facet, and very much faster than the velocity of the facet profile itself, which is almost stationary. A simple kinetic Monte Carlo model matches the broad kinematic features revealed by the molecular dynamics. Since the mechanisms seem likely to be very general on kinked grain-boundary planes, the step-flow description is a promising approach to more quantitative modeling of general grain boundaries.

  17. Direct Posterior Bipolar Cervical Facet Radiofrequency Rhizotomy: A Simpler and Safer Approach to Denervate the Facet Capsule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palea, Ovidiu; Andar, Haroon M; Lugo, Ramon; Granville, Michelle; Jacobson, Robert E

    2018-03-14

    Radiofrequency cervical rhizotomy has been shown to be effective for the relief of chronic neck pain, whether it be due to soft tissue injury, cervical spondylosis, or post-cervical spine surgery. The target and technique have traditionally been taught using an oblique approach to the anterior lateral capsule of the cervical facet joint. The goal is to position the electrode at the proximal location of the recurrent branch after it leaves the exiting nerve root and loops back to the cervical facet joint. The standard oblique approach to the recurrent nerve requires the testing of both motor and sensory components to verify the correct position and ensure safety so as to not damage the slightly more anterior nerve root. Bilateral lesions require the repositioning of the patient's neck. Poorly positioned electrodes can also pass anteriorly and contact the nerve root or vertebral artery. The direct posterior approach presented allows electrode positioning over a broader expanse of the facet joint without risk to the nerve root or vertebral artery. Over a four-year period, direct posterior radiofrequency ablation was performed under fluoroscopic guidance at multiple levels without neuro-stimulation testing with zero procedural neurologic events even as high as the C2 spinal segment. The direct posterior approach allows either unipolar or bipolar lesioning at multiple levels. Making a radiofrequency lesion along the larger posterior area of the facet capsule is as effective as the traditional target point closer to the nerve root but technically easier, allowing bilateral access and safety. The article will review the anatomy and innervation of the cervical facet joint and capsule, showing the diffuse nerve supply extending into the capsule of the facet joint that is more extensive than the recurrent medial sensory branches that have been the focus of radiofrequency lesioning.

  18. Cervical endplate and facet arthrosis: an anatomic study of cadaveric specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Master, Daniel L; Toy, Jason O; Eubanks, Jason D; Ahn, Nicholas U

    2012-10-01

    An anatomic, epidemiologic study of cervical endplate and facet arthrosis in cadaveric spines. To determine the prevalence of cervical endplate and facet arthrosis and the relationship between these 2 entities in a large population sample. Cervical endplate and facet arthrosis are common radiographic findings, which have both been linked to pain. However, the prevalence and relationship between cervical endplate and facet arthrosis has not been clearly defined. The cervical vertebrae from 234 cadaveric spines were examined by a single investigator for evidence of endplate and facet arthrosis. Arthrosis at each endplate and facet was graded on a continuum from 0 to IV. Race, age at death, and sex of each specimen were also recorded. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to analyze any association between race, age, sex, endplate arthrosis, and facet arthrosis. Factors with P values arthrosis severity scores among patients within the same decades of life. Concurrent cervical endplate and facet arthrosis was present in 77% of the study population. Stepwise multiple linear regression revealed significant (Parthrosis and between age and facet arthrosis. Race and sex did not correlate with facet arthrosis. In addition, patients in age groups 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, 70 to 79, and 80 to 89 demonstrated more severe (Parthrosis in comparison with facet arthrosis. Concurrent cervical endplate and facet arthrosis is a common condition. Cervical endplate arthrosis and advancing age are associated with cervical facet arthrosis independent of race and sex. Cervical endplate arthrosis precedes facet arthrosis.

  19. Studies on as separation behaviour of polymer blending PI/PES hybrid mixed membrane: Effect of polymer concentration and zeolite loading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Fauzi Ismail

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This study is performed primarily to investigate the effect of polymer concentration of polyimide/polyethersulfone (PI/PES blending on the gas separation performance of hybrid mixed matrix membrane. In this study, PI/ (PES–zeolite 4A mixed matrix membranes were casted using dry/wet phase inversion technique. The efefct of PI/PES concentrations and zeolite loading on the dope solution were investigated for gas separation performance. The results from the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM analysis confirmed that polymer concentration and zeolite loading was affected the morphology of membrane and gas separation performance. ‘Sieve-in-a-cage’ morphology observed the poor adhesion between polymer and zeolite at higher zeolite loading. The gas separation performance of the mixed matrix membranes were relatively higher compared to that of the neat polymeric membrane.

  20. Concurrent, parallel, multiphysics coupling in the FACETS project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cary, J R; Carlsson, J A; Hakim, A H; Kruger, S E; Miah, M; Pletzer, A; Shasharina, S [Tech-X Corporation, 5621 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite A, Boulder, CO 80303 (United States); Candy, J; Groebner, R J [General Atomics (United States); Cobb, J; Fahey, M R [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (United States); Cohen, R H; Epperly, T [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (United States); Estep, D J [Colorado State University (United States); Krasheninnikov, S [University of California at San Diego (United States); Malony, A D [ParaTools, Inc (United States); McCune, D C [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (United States); McInnes, L; Balay, S [Argonne National Laboratory (United States); Pankin, A, E-mail: cary@txcorp.co [Lehigh University (United States)

    2009-07-01

    FACETS (Framework Application for Core-Edge Transport Simulations), is now in its third year. The FACETS team has developed a framework for concurrent coupling of parallel computational physics for use on Leadership Class Facilities (LCFs). In the course of the last year, FACETS has tackled many of the difficult problems of moving to parallel, integrated modeling by developing algorithms for coupled systems, extracting legacy applications as components, modifying them to run on LCFs, and improving the performance of all components. The development of FACETS abides by rigorous engineering standards, including cross platform build and test systems, with the latter covering regression, performance, and visualization. In addition, FACETS has demonstrated the ability to incorporate full turbulence computations for the highest fidelity transport computations. Early indications are that the framework, using such computations, scales to multiple tens of thousands of processors. These accomplishments were a result of an interdisciplinary collaboration among computational physics, computer scientists and applied mathematicians on the team.

  1. Alignment method for parabolic trough solar concentrators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diver, Richard B [Albuquerque, NM

    2010-02-23

    A Theoretical Overlay Photographic (TOP) alignment method uses the overlay of a theoretical projected image of a perfectly aligned concentrator on a photographic image of the concentrator to align the mirror facets of a parabolic trough solar concentrator. The alignment method is practical and straightforward, and inherently aligns the mirror facets to the receiver. When integrated with clinometer measurements for which gravity and mechanical drag effects have been accounted for and which are made in a manner and location consistent with the alignment method, all of the mirrors on a common drive can be aligned and optimized for any concentrator orientation.

  2. Facet-dependent photocatalytic mechanisms of anatase TiO2: A new sight on the self-adjusted surface heterojunction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Shujun; Wang, Wei; Ni, Yaru; Lu, Chunhua; Xu, Zhongzi

    2015-01-01

    Efficient separation of photo-generated electrons and holes is crucial for improving the photocatalytic activity of semiconductor photocatalysts. In the present study, we show surface heterojunction is existed on anatase TiO 2 with exposed {101}, {010}, {001}, and {110} facets. With the help of selective Pt deposition, it is found the Schottky junction together with proper surface heterojunction is helpful to separate the photo-generated electrons and holes. Moreover, the photo-reduction and photo-oxidation activities of the facets are depended on the reaction systems, resulting in self-adjusted surface heterojunction. The as-prepared photocatalyst will give the highest phenol degradation efficiency when Pt nanoparticles are only deposited on the {101} and {010} facets. In contrast, more Pt deposited on the {001} and {110} facets will decrease the photocatalytic activity. The average phenol degradation rate, which will gradually reduce along with the increased phenol concentration, of TiO 2 (20 mg) is ca. 1.59 mg/min when its concentration is lower than 8 mg/L. However, similar results have not been observed in P25-based reaction systems, evidencing the great influence of self-adjusted surface heterojunction. This study may be helpful to understand the photocatalytic mechanisms of semiconductor photocatalysts with exposed different facets. Thus more efficient practical application of the photocatalysts for environment protection can be reached. - Highlights: • Surface heterojunction is systematically discussed on TiO 2 with various facets. • The surface heterojunction is found to be closely related to the reaction systems. • Proper surface heterojunction and Schottky junction is positive for photocatalysis. • A new sight is given to sufficiently unleash the fascinating properties of TiO 2 . • More efficient practical application can be reached

  3. Cervical facet oedema: prevalence, correlation to symptoms, and follow-up imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nevalainen, M.T.; Foran, P.J.; Roedl, J.B.; Zoga, A.C.; Morrison, W.B.

    2016-01-01

    Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of cervical facet oedema in patients referred for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate neck pain and/or radiculopathy, and to investigate whether there is a correlation between the presence of oedema and patients' symptoms. Materials and methods: A retrospective report review of 1885 patients undergoing cervical spine MRI between July 2008 and June 2015 was performed. Exclusion criteria included acute trauma, surgery, neoplastic disease, or infection in the cervical spine. One hundred and seventy-three MRI studies with cervical facet oedema were evaluated by each of the two radiologists. In these patients, the grade of bone marrow oedema (BMO) and corresponding neuroforaminal narrowing at the cervical facets was assessed. Correlation with symptoms was performed based on pre-MRI questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of cervical facet oedema was 9%; the most commonly affected levels were C3–4, C4–5, and C2–3. A total of 202 cervical facets were evaluated: mild BMO was seen in 35%, moderate in 41%, and severe in 24% of cases. Surrounding soft-tissue oedema was observed in 36%, 69%, and 92% of the BMO grades, respectively. The correlations between unilateral radiculopathy and ipsilateral facet BMO grades were 79%, 83%, and 73% (chi-square, p<0.001), respectively. Furthermore, neuroforaminal narrowing on the corresponding level was found in 35%, 38%, and 11% of cases, respectively. At follow-up imaging, facet oedema was most likely to remain unchanged or to decrease. Conclusion: The prevalence of cervical facet oedema is 9%. Cervical facet oedema is associated with ipsilateral radiculopathy. Neuroforaminal narrowing, however, is not associated with facet oedema. - Highlights: • Association between the cervical facet oedema and cervical radiculopathy was studied. • Prevalence of the cervical facet oedema was 9%. • Facet oedema was associated with radiculopathy regardless of the degree of oedema. • Neuroforaminal

  4. Effect of sulphuric acid concentration on electroosmotic flow through polymer electrolyte membranes in PEM fuel cells. Paper no. IGEC-1-061

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karimi, G.; Li, X.

    2005-01-01

    Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are highly efficient and environmentally clean, and hence one of the most promising power sources for both stationary and mobile applications. The operations of PEM fuel cells are complicated by the electroosmotic flow of water from anode to cathode through the polymer electrolyte membrane leading to the membrane dehydration and fuel cell performance degradations. In this study, electro osmotic flow in polymer electrolyte membranes is modeled by incorporating the electro kinetic effects in the presence of euphoric acid. The governing Poisson-Boatman and the Nervier-Stokes equations were solved numerically for a single membrane pore to determine the electro osmotic flow distributions through the membrane over a wide range of acid concentrations. The presence of euphoric acid modifies the protons distribution in the membrane and hence alters the driving force for electroosmotic drag. Numerical results indicate that the electro osmotic flow increases steadily with acid concentration. The water transport due to electro osmosis is almost doubled at 2 M acid concentration compared with that of non-doped membrane. The value of electroosmotic drag coefficient however falls steadily with acid concentration due to the presence of a larger number of protons in the electrolyte. (author)

  5. Hierarchical (0 0 1) facet anatase/rutile TiO2 heterojunction photoanode with enhanced photoelectrocatalytic performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tian, Hongyi; Zhao, Guohua; Zhang, Ya-nan; Wang, Yanbin; Cao, Tongcheng

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► (0 0 1) facet TiO 2 photoanode with large surface area is reported for the first time. ► Ordered heterojunction further improves light absorption in (0 0 1) facet TiO 2 system. ► (0 0 1) facet TiO 2 photoanode possesses promoted photoelectrocatalytic performance. ► Photoelectrical enhancement mechanism is clarified by electrochemical methods. ► Photogenerated carrier and lifetime are remarkably enhanced by ingenious design. -- Abstract: A hierarchical heterojunction TiO 2 photoanode with large surface/body ratio is reported to exhibit high oxidation activity due to the constructing of anatase TiO 2 with exposed (0 0 1) facets. The mixed-phase photoanode is fabricated through surfactant-assisted anchoring ultrathin anatase nanosheets on vertically ordered rutile nanorod arrays. This cactaceae-like TiO 2 possesses high-exposed (0 0 1) facets outer layer, large specific surface area (375 m 2 g −1 ), efficient photo-to-current conversion (8.2%) and excellent photocatalytic ability to degrade bisphenol A. The greatly promoted photoelectric and photocatalytic performance results from the synergetic effects of the architecture design of high-active (0 0 1) facets and hierarchical heterojunctions. The mechanism analysis reveals that the remarkable increase of photogenerated carrier concentration (2.40 × 10 22 cm −3 ) improves photocatalytic activity, by virtue of constructing staggered energy levels, suppressing the recombination of electrons and holes, and extending the electron lifetime (133 ms)

  6. Improved optical design of nontracking concentrators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwan, B. M.; Bannerot, R. B.

    1984-08-01

    Optical designs based on a two reflections or less criterion have been developed for one and two-facet trapezoidal concentrators. Collector designs resulting from this criterion have been evaluated with the aid of a ray-trace computer simulation which includes the effects of nonideal reflectors. Results indicate a marked increase in performance, particularly for the one-facet designs, as compared to the collectors previously designed with the one reflection or less criterion. A significant result is that when a proper accounting is made for the actual acceptance angle for the concentrators, the performances of the optimal one and two-facet designs become nearly identical, indicating that the previously held contention that improved performance could be achieved with multifaceted reflectors (geometrically approaching the compound parabolic shape) may be incorrect.

  7. Lumbar facet syndrome - Lumbar facet joint injection and low back pain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acevedo Gonzalez, Juan Carlos; Jimenez Hakim, Enrique; Rodriguez, Jose Maria; Hakim Daccach, Fernando; Quinonez, German; Rodriguez Munera, Andres

    2004-01-01

    The authors conducted a retrospective study lo evaluate the effectiveness of injection therapy in the lumbar zygapophysial joints with anesthetics and steroids in patients with persisting low back pain and lumbar facer syndrome. Thirty-seven patients with low back pain who reported immediate relief of their pain after controlled blocks into the facet joints between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae and the fifth lumbar and first sacral vertebrae were evaluated. Outcome was evaluated using the visual analog pain scales. All outcome measures were repeated at eight days and six weeks alter controlled injection. At six-week follow-up examination 83,7% of thirty-seven patients experienced a good response to controlled blocks of the lumbar zygaphyseal (facet) joints. Good result is the pain relief of 50% or more. Fifteen patients experienced a good response with pain relief of eight points or more in the VAS

  8. Eight Key Facets of Small Business Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, James Calvert

    1980-01-01

    Identifies eight key facets of small business management and suggests activities that may be used to assist in their development. The key facets are (1) product or service, (2) competition, (3) marketing strategies, (4) personnel needs, (5) equipment and facility needs, (6) finances, (7) planning, and (8) entrepreneurship. (JOW)

  9. Investigation of microbial adaptation to salinity variation for treatment of reverse osmosis concentrate by membrane bioreactor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jang, Duksoo; Moon, Chungman; Ahn, Kyuhong

    2014-01-01

    quantitative study on a microbial adaptation strategy for variations on salt concentration (0–20 g/L), lab-scale membrane bioreactors (7L working volume) with polypropylene hollow fiber membrane module (pore size 0.4 μm) were used with different adaptation strategies: instant and stepwise mode. The performance...

  10. Augmented Reality-Guided Lumbar Facet Joint Injections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agten, Christoph A; Dennler, Cyrill; Rosskopf, Andrea B; Jaberg, Laurenz; Pfirrmann, Christian W A; Farshad, Mazda

    2018-05-08

    The aim of this study was to assess feasibility and accuracy of augmented reality-guided lumbar facet joint injections. A spine phantom completely embedded in hardened opaque agar with 3 ring markers was built. A 3-dimensional model of the phantom was uploaded to an augmented reality headset (Microsoft HoloLens). Two radiologists independently performed 20 augmented reality-guided and 20 computed tomography (CT)-guided facet joint injections each: for each augmented reality-guided injection, the hologram was manually aligned with the phantom container using the ring markers. The radiologists targeted the virtual facet joint and tried to place the needle tip in the holographic joint space. Computed tomography was performed after each needle placement to document final needle tip position. Time needed from grabbing the needle to final needle placement was measured for each simulated injection. An independent radiologist rated images of all needle placements in a randomized order blinded to modality (augmented reality vs CT) and performer as perfect, acceptable, incorrect, or unsafe. Accuracy and time to place needles were compared between augmented reality-guided and CT-guided facet joint injections. In total, 39/40 (97.5%) of augmented reality-guided needle placements were either perfect or acceptable compared with 40/40 (100%) CT-guided needle placements (P = 0.5). One augmented reality-guided injection missed the facet joint space by 2 mm. No unsafe needle placements occurred. Time to final needle placement was substantially faster with augmented reality guidance (mean 14 ± 6 seconds vs 39 ± 15 seconds, P Augmented reality-guided facet joint injections are feasible and accurate without potentially harmful needle placement in an experimental setting.

  11. Concentrated emulsion pathway to novel composite polymeric membranes and their use in pervaporation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruckenstein, E.; Sun, F. [State Univ. of New York, Buffalo, NY (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

    1995-10-01

    Pervaporation is becoming recognized as an energy-efficient alternative to distillation and other separation methods of liquid mixtures, especially in cases in which the traditional separation techniques are not efficient, such as the separation of azeotropic mixtures, close-boiling-point components, isomeric components, and recovery or removal of trace organic substances from aqueous solutions. Novel composite polymeric membranes have been prepared, using concentrated emulsions as precursors, and employed in the pervaporation of various liquid mixtures. In order to improve the stability of the concentrated emulsion, the hydrophilicity and/or the hydrophobicity of the phases involved must be increased by replacing them with their solutions in water and/or in a hydrocarbon, respectively. Another possibility of improving the stability is to increase the viscosity of the phases, by partial polymerization of one or both phases before preparing the concentrated emulsion. The emulsion gel was subsequently transformed into a polymer composite by polymerizing both phases. The dispersed phase should be selected to yield a hydrophobic (hydrophilic) polymer which is compatible with the components selected for separation and incompatible with the other components, while the continuous phase should be selected to yield a hydrophilic (hydrophobic) polymer which is incompatible with all of the components of the mixture, and thus it can ensure the integrity of the membrane. As examples, several composite polymeric membranes were designed, prepared, and employed in the separation by pervaporation of water-ethanol,aromatics-paraffinics, and aromatics-alcohol mixtures.

  12. Future ATM Concepts Evaluation Tool (FACET) Interface Control Document

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grabbe, Shon R.

    2017-01-01

    This Interface Control Document (ICD) documents the airspace adaptation and air traffic inputs of NASA's Future ATM Concepts and Evaluation Tool (FACET). Its intended audience is the project manager, project team, development team, and stakeholders interested in interfacing with the system. FACET equips Air Traffic Management (ATM) researchers and service providers with a way to explore, develop and evaluate advanced air transportation concepts before they are field-tested and eventually deployed. FACET is a flexible software tool that is capable of quickly generating and analyzing thousands of aircraft trajectories. It provides researchers with a simulation environment for preliminary testing of advanced ATM concepts. Using aircraft performance profiles, airspace models, weather data, and flight schedules, the tool models trajectories for the climb, cruise, and descent phases of flight for each type of aircraft. An advanced graphical interface displays traffic patterns in two and three dimensions, under various current and projected conditions for specific airspace regions or over the entire continental United States. The system is able to simulate a full day's dynamic national airspace system (NAS) operations, model system uncertainty, measure the impact of different decision-makers in the NAS, and provide analysis of the results in graphical form, including sector, airport, fix, and airway usage statistics. NASA researchers test and analyze the system-wide impact of new traffic flow management algorithms under anticipated air traffic growth projections on the nation's air traffic system. In addition to modeling the airspace system for NASA research, FACET has also successfully transitioned into a valuable tool for operational use. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) traffic flow managers and commercial airline dispatchers have used FACET technology for real-time operations planning. FACET integrates live air traffic data from FAA radar systems and weather data

  13. Lumbar facet anatomy changes in spondylolysis: a comparative skeletal study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dar, Gali; Peleg, Smadar; Steinberg, Nili; Alperovitch-Najenson, Dvora; Salame, Khalil; Hershkovitz, Israel

    2007-01-01

    Opinions differ as to the exact mechanism responsible for spondylolysis (SP) and whether individuals with specific morphological characteristics of the lumbar vertebral neural arch are predisposed to SP. The aim of our study was to reveal the association between SP and the architecture of lumbar articular facets and the inter-facet region. Methods: Using a Microscribe three-dimensional apparatus (Immersion Co., San Jose, CA, USA), length, width and depth of all articular facets and all inter-facet distances in the lumbar spine (L1–L5) were measured. From the Hamann-Todd Human Osteological Collection (Cleveland Museum of Natural History, OH, USA) 120 normal male skeletons with lumbar spines in the control group and 115 with bilateral SP at L5 were selected. Analysis of variance was employed to examine the differences between spondylolytic and normal spines. Results: Three profound differences between SP and the norm appeared: (1) in individuals with SP, the size and shape of L4’s neural arch had significantly greater inter-facet widths, significantly shorter inter-facet heights and significantly shorter and narrower articular facets; (2) only in the L4 vertebra in individuals with SP was the inferior inter-facet width greater in size than the superior inter-facet width of the vertebra below (L5) (38.7 mm versus 40 mm); (3) in all lumbar vertebrae, the right inferior articular facets in individuals with SP were flatter compared to the control group. Conclusions: Individuals with L4 “SP” characteristics are at a greater risk of developing fatigue fractures in the form of spondylolysis at L5. PMID:17440753

  14. Power Generation from Concentration Gradient by Reverse Electrodialysis in Dense Silica Membranes for Microfluidic and Nanofluidic Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sang Woo Lee

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we investigate power generation by reverse electrodialysis in a dense silica membrane that is between two NaCl solutions with various combinations of concentrations. Each silica membrane is fabricated by depositing a silica layer on a porous alumina substrate via chemical vapor deposition. The measured potential-current (V-I characteristics of the silica membrane are used to obtain the transference number, diffusion potential, and electrical resistance. We develop empirical correlations for the transference number and the area-specific resistance, and present the results of power generation by reverse electrodialysis using the fabricated silica membranes. The highest measured power density is 0.98 mW/m2. In addition, we develop a contour map of the power density as a function of NaCl concentrations on the basis of the empirical correlations. The contour map shows that a power output density of 1.2 mW/m2 is achievable with the use of silica membranes and is sufficient to drive nanofluidic and microfluidic systems. The dense silica membrane has the potential for use in micro power generators in nanofluidic and microfluidic systems.

  15. Preparation and characterization of polysulfone/zeolite mixed matrix membranes for removal of low-concentration ammonia from aquaculture wastewater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moradihamedani, Pourya; Abdullah, Abdul Halim

    2018-01-01

    Removal of low-concentration ammonia (1-10 ppm) from aquaculture wastewater was investigated via polysulfone (PSf)/zeolite mixed matrix membrane. PSf/zeolite mixed matrix membranes with different weight ratios (90/10, 80/20, 70/30 and 60/40 wt.%) were prepared and characterized. Results indicate that PSf/zeolite (80/20) was the most efficient membrane for removal of low-concentration ammonia. The ammonia elimination by PSf/zeolite (80/20) from aqueous solution for 10, 7, 5, 3 and 1 ppm of ammonia was 100%, 99%, 98.8%, 96% and 95% respectively. The recorded results revealed that pure water flux declined in higher loading of zeolite in the membrane matrix due to surface pore blockage caused by zeolite particles. On the other hand, ammonia elimination from water was decreased in higher contents of zeolite because of formation of cavities and macrovoids in the membrane substructure.

  16. Management of lumbar zygapophysial (facet) joint pain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Hirsch, Joshua A; Falco, Frank JE; Boswell, Mark V

    2016-01-01

    AIM: To investigate the diagnostic validity and therapeutic value of lumbar facet joint interventions in managing chronic low back pain. METHODS: The review process applied systematic evidence-based assessment methodology of controlled trials of diagnostic validity and randomized controlled trials of therapeutic efficacy. Inclusion criteria encompassed all facet joint interventions performed in a controlled fashion. The pain relief of greater than 50% was the outcome measure for diagnostic accuracy assessment of the controlled studies with ability to perform previously painful movements, whereas, for randomized controlled therapeutic efficacy studies, the primary outcome was significant pain relief and the secondary outcome was a positive change in functional status. For the inclusion of the diagnostic controlled studies, all studies must have utilized either placebo controlled facet joint blocks or comparative local anesthetic blocks. In assessing therapeutic interventions, short-term and long-term reliefs were defined as either up to 6 mo or greater than 6 mo of relief. The literature search was extensive utilizing various types of electronic search media including PubMed from 1966 onwards, Cochrane library, National Guideline Clearinghouse, clinicaltrials.gov, along with other sources including previous systematic reviews, non-indexed journals, and abstracts until March 2015. Each manuscript included in the assessment was assessed for methodologic quality or risk of bias assessment utilizing the Quality Appraisal of Reliability Studies checklist for diagnostic interventions, and Cochrane review criteria and the Interventional Pain Management Techniques - Quality Appraisal of Reliability and Risk of Bias Assessment tool for therapeutic interventions. Evidence based on the review of the systematic assessment of controlled studies was graded utilizing a modified schema of qualitative evidence with best evidence synthesis, variable from level I to level V

  17. Unilateral spondylolysis and the presence of facet joint tropism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rankine, James J; Dickson, Robert A

    2010-10-01

    Retrospective review of the CT scans performed in a group of patients examined for a possible spondylolysis. To investigate whether there is an association between unilateral spondylolysis and facet joint tropism. Spondylolysis is a fatigue fracture of the pars interarticularis of great importance in sports injury. The demonstration of a unilateral spondylolysis is important because there is a potential for full healing if the athletic activity is modified, whereas bilateral spondylolysis frequently leads to established nonunion. Coronally orientated facet joints are known to predispose to spondylolysis by increasing the point loading of the pars interarticularis. The importance of this finding has not been investigated in unilateral spondylolysis. A review of patients with low back pain and a possible diagnosis of spondylolysis who were investigated with multislice CT was performed. The coronal orientation of the facet joints at L4/5 and L5/S1 was measured and comparison was done between those with and without a spondylolysis. The coronal angle of 140 facet joints in 35 patients was recorded. Of 35 patients, 23 had a spondylolysis which was unilateral in 12 patients. The facet joint angle was significantly more coronally orientated in the presence of a spondylolysis when compared with an intact pars (means, 53° and 43°, respectively; P spondylolysis, the facet joint was significantly more coronally orientated on the side of the spondylolysis (means, 52° and 45°, respectively; P spondylolysis. Asymmetric facet joints do increase the force through one side of the spine, with a unilateral spondylolysis occurring on the side of the more coronally orientated facet joint.

  18. In vivo facet joint loading of the canine lumbar spine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buttermann, G R; Schendel, M J; Kahmann, R D; Lewis, J L; Bradford, D S

    1992-01-01

    This study describes a technique to measure in vivo loads and the resultant load-contact locations in the facet joint of the canine lumbar spine. The technique is a modification of a previously described in vitro method that used calibrated surface strains of the lateral aspect of the right L3 cranial articular process. In the present study, strains were measured during various in vivo static and dynamic activities 3 days after strain gage implantation. The in vivo recording technique and its errors, which depend on the location of the applied facet loads, is described. The results of applying the technique to five dogs gave the following results. Relative resultant contact load locations on the facet tended to be in the central and caudal portion of the facet in extension activities, central and cranial in standing, and cranial and ventral in flexion or right-turning activities. Right-turning contact locations were ventral and cranial to left-turning locations. Resultant load locations at peak loading during walking were in the central region of the facet, whereas resultant load locations at minimum loading during walking were relatively craniad. This resultant load-contact location during a walk gait cycle typically migrated in an arc with a displacement of 4 mm from minimum to maximum loading. Static tests resulted in a range of facet loads of 0 N in flexion and lying to 185 N for two-legged standing erect, and stand resulted in facet loads of 26 +/- 15 N (mean +/- standard deviation [SD]). Dynamic tests resulted in peak facet loads ranging from 55 N while walking erect to 170 N for climbing up stairs. Maximum walk facet loads were 107 +/- 27 N. The technique is applicable to in vivo studies of a canine facet joint osteoarthritis model and may be useful for establishing an understanding of the biomechanics of low-back pain.

  19. Alteration in peripheral blood concentration of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines in cows developing retention of fetal membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boro, Prasanta; Kumaresan, A; Pathak, Rupal; Patbandha, T K; Kumari, Susavi; Yadav, Asha; Manimaran, A; Baithalu, R K; Attupuram, Nitin M; Mohanty, T K

    2015-06-01

    Retention of fetal membranes (RFM) adversely affects the production and reproduction potential of the affected cows leading to huge economic loss. Physiological separation of fetal membranes is reported to be an inflammatory process. The present study compared the concentrations of certain pro inflammatory cytokines [Interleukin 1β (IL-1), Interleukin 6 (IL-6), Interleukin 8 (IL-8) and Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) between the cows that developed RFM (n=10) and the cows that expelled fetal membranes normally (n=10) to find out if they could serve as a predictive tool for RFM. Blood samples were collected from the cows from 30 days before expected parturition through day -21, day -14, day -7, day -5, day -3, day -1, on the day of parturition (day 0), day 1 postpartum and the pro-inflammatory cytokines were estimated in blood plasma by ELISA method. The IL-1β concentration was significantly lower (Pmembranes normally from 3 days before calving till the day of calving. The plasma concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8 were also lower (Pmembranes normally. It may be inferred that the concentrations of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α around parturition were altered in cows developing RFM compared to those expelled fetal membranes normally. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Factors affecting results of fluoroscopy-guided facet joint injection: Probable differences in the outcome of treatment between pure facet joint hypertrophy and concomitant diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akif Albayrak

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Purpose: Facet joints are considered a common source of chronic low-back pain. To determine whether pathogens related to the facet joint arthritis have any effect on treatment failure. Materials and Methods: Facet joint injection was applied to 94 patients treated at our hospital between 2011 and 2012 (mean age 59.5 years; 80 women and 14 men. For the purpose of analysis, the patients were divided into two groups. Patients who only had facet hypertrophy were placed in group A (47 patients, 41 women and 6 men, mean age 55.3 years and patients who had any additional major pathology to facet hypertrophy were placed in group B (47 patients, 39 women and 8 men, mean age 58.9 years. Injections were applied around the facet joint under surgical conditions utilizing fluoroscopy device guidance. A mixture of methylprednisolone and lidocaine was used as the injection ingredient. Results: In terms of Oswestry Disability Index (ODI and visual analog scale (VAS scores, no significant difference was found between preinjection and immediate postinjection values in both groups, and the scores of group A patients were significantly lower (P < 0.005 compared with that of group B patients at the end of the third, sixth, and twelfth month. Conclusion: For low-back pain caused by facet hypertrophy, steroid injection around the facet joint is an effective treatment, but if there is an existing major pathology, it is not as effective.

  1. Pathways toward unidirectional alignment in block copolymer thin films on faceted surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunkel, Ilja; Gu, Xiaodan; Sarje, Abhinav; Hexemer, Alexander; Russell, Thomas

    2015-03-01

    Solvent vapor annealing (SVA) has been shown recently to be an effective means to produce long-range lateral order in block copolymer (BCP) thin films in relatively short times. Furthermore, using substrates with faceted surfaces allows for generating unidirectionally aligned BCP microdomains on the size scale of an entire wafer. While in recent years SVA has been largely demystified, the detailed pathways toward obtaining unidirectional alignment still remain unclear. Grazing-incidence X-ray scattering (GISAXS) is a very powerful tool for characterizing the structure and morphology of BCPs in thin films, and is particularly useful for studying structural changes in BCP thin films during SVA. We here present in situ GISAXS experiments on cylinder-forming PS-b-P2VP BCP thin films on faceted Sapphire substrates during annealing in THF. We show that the degree of alignment of cylindrical microdomains is greatly enhanced at solvent concentrations close to the order-disorder transition of the copolymer. Furthermore, we observed that inducing disorder by further increasing the solvent concentration and subsequent quenching to the ordered (not yet glassy) state induced the highest degree of alignment with nearly unidirectional alignment of the microdomains in less than 30 min.

  2. Image-guided lumbar facet joint infiltration in nonradicular low back pain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaturvedi, Arti; Chaturvedi, Sunil; Sivasankar, Rajiv

    2009-01-01

    To assess the efficacy of facet joint infiltrations for pain relief in 44 selected patients with chronic nonradicular low back pain (LBP). Forty-four patients with chronic LBP of more than 3 months' duration were selected for facet joint infiltration. The majority (n = 24) had facetal pain with no evidence of significant facetal arthropathy on imaging. Fifteen patients had radiological evidence of facetal arthropathy, one had a facet joint synovial cyst, three were post–lumbar surgery patients, and two patients had spondylolysis. Facet joint injections were carried out under fluoroscopic guidance in 39 patients and under CT guidance in 5 cases. Pain relief was assessed using the visual analog scale at 1 h post-procedure and, thereafter, at 1, 4, 12, and 24 weeks. A total of 141 facet joints were infiltrated in 44 patients over a 2-year period. There was significant pain relief in 81.8% patients 1 h after the procedure, in 86.3% after 1 week, in 93.3% after 4 weeks, in 85.7% after 12 weeks, and in 62.5% after 24 weeks. No major complications were encountered. Facet nerve block was found to be a simple, minimally invasive, and safe procedure. With meticulous patient selection, we achieved long-term success rates of over 60%. We conclude that this method represents an important alternative treatment for nonradicular back pain

  3. {331}-Faceted trisoctahedral gold nanocrystals: synthesis, superior electrocatalytic performance and highly efficient SERS activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Yahui; Miao, Tingting; Zhang, Peina; Bi, Cuixia; Xia, Haibing; Wang, Dayang; Tao, Xutang

    2015-04-01

    We investigate the effect of gold (Au) seeds prepared in cetyltrimethylammonium chloride solution (CTAC-Au seeds) on the index facets of trisoctahedral gold nanocrystals (TOH Au NCs). We demonstrate that monodisperse {331}-faceted TOH Au NCs with controllable sizes (from 60 to 255 nm) can be successfully prepared in high yield by using 3.0 nm CTAC-Au seeds or as-prepared 70 nm TOH Au NCs as seeds. We find that the electrocatalytic performance on methanol oxidation and surface enhancement Raman spectroscopy (SERS) activity of {331}-faceted TOH Au NCs is size-dependent. In comparison with well-known nanoporous gold (0.088 mA cm-2), {331}-faceted TOH Au NCs with sizes of 110 nm exhibit fairly high catalytic activity (0.178 mA cm-2) on methanol oxidation (1.0 M) in alkaline media due to the presence of increasing density of atomic steps, ledges, and kinks on the NC surfaces. Their current density is reduced by less than 7% after 500 cycling tests. {331}-Faceted TOH Au NCs with sizes of 175 nm exhibit the highest SERS activity for 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) molecules. The enhancement factors of a1 modes of 4-ATP molecules can reach the order of 109 when the 4-ATP concentration is 3 × 10-6 M. Moreover, Raman signals (ag modes) of 4,4'-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) molecules on TOH Au NCs are stronger than those on spherical Au NCs of comparable size due to the enhanced laser-induced transformation of 4-ATP molecules by high-index {331}-facets during SERS measurement. Furthermore, the SERS intensities of 4-methylbenzenethiol (4-MTP) molecules on TOH Au NCs are also higher than those on spherical Au NCs of comparable size due to sharp extremities.We investigate the effect of gold (Au) seeds prepared in cetyltrimethylammonium chloride solution (CTAC-Au seeds) on the index facets of trisoctahedral gold nanocrystals (TOH Au NCs). We demonstrate that monodisperse {331}-faceted TOH Au NCs with controllable sizes (from 60 to 255 nm) can be successfully prepared in high yield by

  4. Fouling-Resistant Membranes for Treating Concentrated Brines for Water Reuse in Advanced Energy Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hendren, Zachary [RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Choi, Young Chul [RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)

    2014-10-14

    The high total dissolved solids (TDS) levels in the wastewater quality generated from unconventional oil and gas development make the current state-of-the art approach to water treatment/disposal untenable. Our proposed membrane technology approach addresses the two major challenges associated with this water: 1) the membrane distillation process removes the high TDS content, which is often 8 times higher than that of seawater, and 2) our novel membrane coating prevents the formation of scale that would otherwise pose a significant operational hurdle. This is accomplished through next-generation electrically conductive membranes that mitigate fouling beyond what is currently possible, and allow for the flexibility to treat to the water to levels desirable for multiple reuse options, thus reducing fresh water withdrawal, all the way to direct disposal into the environment. The overall project objective was to demonstrate the efficacy of membrane distillation (MD) as a cost-savings technology to treat concentrated brines (such as, but not limited to, produced waters generated from fossil fuel extraction) that have high levels of TDS for beneficial water reuse in power production and other industrial operations as well as agricultural and municipal water uses. In addition, a novel fouling-resistant nanocomposite membrane was developed to reduce the need for chemicals to address membrane scaling due to the precipitation of divalent ions in high-TDS waters and improve overall MD performance via an electrically conductive membrane distillation process (ECMD). This anti-fouling membrane technology platform is based on incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the surface layer of existing, commercially available MD membranes. The CNTs impart electrical conductivity to the membrane surface to prevent membrane scaling and fouling when an electrical potential is applied.

  5. Biochemical and biomechanical characterisation of equine cervical facet joint cartilage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Leary, S A; White, J L; Hu, J C; Athanasiou, K A

    2018-04-15

    The equine cervical facet joint is a site of significant pathology. Located bilaterally on the dorsal spine, these diarthrodial joints work in conjunction with the intervertebral disc to facilitate appropriate spinal motion. Despite the high prevalence of pathology in this joint, the facet joint is understudied and thus lacking in viable treatment options. The goal of this study was to characterise equine facet joint cartilage and provide a comprehensive database describing the morphological, histological, biochemical and biomechanical properties of this tissue. Descriptive cadaver studies. A total of 132 facet joint surfaces were harvested from the cervical spines of six skeletally mature horses (11 surfaces per animal) for compiling biomechanical and biochemical properties of hyaline cartilage of the equine cervical facet joints. Gross morphometric measurements and histological staining were performed on facet joint cartilage. Creep indentation and uniaxial strain-to-failure testing were used to determine the biomechanical compressive and tensile properties. Biochemical assays included quantification of total collagen, sulfated glycosaminoglycan and DNA content. The facet joint surfaces were ovoid in shape with a flat articular surface. Histological analyses highlighted structures akin to articular cartilage of other synovial joints. In general, biomechanical and biochemical properties did not differ significantly between the inferior and superior joint surfaces as well as among spinal levels. Interestingly, compressive and tensile properties of cervical facet articular cartilage were lower than those of articular cartilage from other previously characterised equine joints. Removal of the superficial zone reduced the tissue's tensile strength, suggesting that this zone is important for the tensile integrity of the tissue. Facet surfaces were sampled at a single, central location and do not capture the potential topographic variation in cartilage properties. This

  6. Mercury Concentration Reduction In Waste Water By Using Liquid Surfactant Membrane Technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prayitno; Sardjono, Joko

    2000-01-01

    The objective of this research is ti know effectiveness of liquid surfactant membrane in diminishing mercury found in waste water. This process can be regarded as transferring process of solved mercury from the external phase functioning as a moving phase to continue to the membrane internal one. The existence of the convection rotation results in the change of the surface pressure on the whole interface parts, so the solved mercury disperses on every interface part. Because of this rotation, the solved mercury will fulfil every space with particles from dispersion phase in accordance with its volume. Therefore, the change of the surface pressure on the whole interface parts can be kept stable to adsorb mercury. The mercury adsorbed in the internal phase moves to dispersed particles through molecule diffusion process. The liquid surfactant membrane technique in which the membrane phase is realized into emulsion contains os kerosene as solvent, sorbitan monoleat (span-80) 5 % (v/v) as surfactant, threbuthyl phosphate (TBP) 10 % (v/v) as extractant, and solved mercury as the internal phase. All of those things are mixed and stirred with 8000 rpm speed for 20 minutes. After the stability of emulsion is formed, the solved mercury is extracted by applying extraction process. The effective condition required to achieve mercury ion recovery utilizing this technique is obtained through extraction and re-extraction process. This process was conducted in 30 minutes with membrane and mercury in scale 1 : 1 on 100 ppm concentration. The results of the processes was 99,6 % efficiency. This high efficiency shows that the liquid surfactant membrane technique is very effective to reduce waste water contamined by mercury

  7. Large conservation gains possible for global biodiversity facets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pollock, Laura J.; Thuiller, Wilfried; Jetz, Walter

    2017-06-01

    Different facets of biodiversity other than species numbers are increasingly appreciated as critical for maintaining the function of ecosystems and their services to humans. While new international policy and assessment processes such as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) recognize the importance of an increasingly global, quantitative and comprehensive approach to biodiversity protection, most insights are still focused on a single facet of biodiversity—species. Here we broaden the focus and provide an evaluation of how much of the world’s species, functional and phylogenetic diversity of birds and mammals is currently protected and the scope for improvement. We show that the large existing gaps in the coverage for each facet of diversity could be remedied by a slight expansion of protected areas: an additional 5% of the land has the potential to more than triple the protected range of species or phylogenetic or functional units. Further, the same areas are often priorities for multiple diversity facets and for both taxa. However, we find that the choice of conservation strategy has a fundamental effect on outcomes. It is more difficult (that is, requires more land) to maximize basic representation of the global biodiversity pool than to maximize local diversity. Overall, species and phylogenetic priorities are more similar to each other than they are to functional priorities, and priorities for the different bird biodiversity facets are more similar than those of mammals. Our work shows that large gains in biodiversity protection are possible, while also highlighting the need to explicitly link desired conservation objectives and biodiversity metrics. We provide a framework and quantitative tools to advance these goals for multi-faceted biodiversity conservation.

  8. Large conservation gains possible for global biodiversity facets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pollock, Laura J; Thuiller, Wilfried; Jetz, Walter

    2017-06-01

    Different facets of biodiversity other than species numbers are increasingly appreciated as critical for maintaining the function of ecosystems and their services to humans. While new international policy and assessment processes such as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) recognize the importance of an increasingly global, quantitative and comprehensive approach to biodiversity protection, most insights are still focused on a single facet of biodiversity-species. Here we broaden the focus and provide an evaluation of how much of the world's species, functional and phylogenetic diversity of birds and mammals is currently protected and the scope for improvement. We show that the large existing gaps in the coverage for each facet of diversity could be remedied by a slight expansion of protected areas: an additional 5% of the land has the potential to more than triple the protected range of species or phylogenetic or functional units. Further, the same areas are often priorities for multiple diversity facets and for both taxa. However, we find that the choice of conservation strategy has a fundamental effect on outcomes. It is more difficult (that is, requires more land) to maximize basic representation of the global biodiversity pool than to maximize local diversity. Overall, species and phylogenetic priorities are more similar to each other than they are to functional priorities, and priorities for the different bird biodiversity facets are more similar than those of mammals. Our work shows that large gains in biodiversity protection are possible, while also highlighting the need to explicitly link desired conservation objectives and biodiversity metrics. We provide a framework and quantitative tools to advance these goals for multi-faceted biodiversity conservation.

  9. Well-constructed cellulose acetate membranes for forward osmosis: Minimized internal concentration polarization with an ultra-thin selective layer

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Sui

    2010-09-01

    The design and engineering of membrane structure that produces low salt leakage and minimized internal concentration polarization (ICP) in forward osmosis (FO) processes have been explored in this work. The fundamentals of phase inversion of cellulose acetate (CA) regarding the formation of an ultra-thin selective layer at the bottom interface of polymer and casting substrate were investigated by using substrates with different hydrophilicity. An in-depth understanding of membrane structure and pore size distribution has been elucidated with field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM) and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). A double dense-layer structure is formed when glass plate is used as the casting substrate and water as the coagulant. The thickness of the ultra-thin bottom layer resulted from hydrophilic-hydrophilic interaction is identified to be around 95nm, while a fully porous, open-cell structure is formed in the middle support layer due to spinodal decomposition. Consequently, the membrane shows low salt leakage with mitigated ICP in the FO process for seawater desalination. The structural parameter (St) of the membrane is analyzed by modeling water flux using the theory that considers both external concentration polarization (ECP) and ICP, and the St value of the double dense-layer membrane is much smaller than those reported in literatures. Furthermore, the effects of an intermediate immersion into a solvent/water mixed bath prior to complete immersion in water on membrane formation have been studied. The resultant membranes may have a single dense layer with an even lower St value. A comparison of fouling behavior in a simple FO-membrane bioreactor (MBR) system is evaluated for these two types of membranes. The double dense-layer membrane shows a less fouling propensity. This study may help pave the way to improve the membrane design for new-generation FO membranes. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

  10. Radiation-induced lipid peroxidation: influence of oxygen concentration and membrane lipid composition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolters, H.; Tilburg, C.A.M. van; Konings, A.W.T.

    1987-01-01

    Radiation -induced lipid peroxidation phospholipid liposomes was investigated in terms of its dependence on lipid composition and oxygen concentration. Non-peroxidizable lipid incorporated in the liposomes reduced the rate of peroxidation of the peroxidizable phospholipid acyl chains, possibly by restricting the length of chain reactions. The latter effect is believed to be caused by interference of the non-peroxidizable lipids in the bilayer. At low oxygen concentration lipid peroxidation was reduced. The cause of this limited peroxidation may be a reduced number of radical initiation reactions possibly involving oxygen-derived superoxide radicals. Killing of proliferating mammalian cells, irradiated at oxygen concentrations ranging from 0 to 100%, appeared to be independent of the concentration of peroxidizable phospholipids in the cell membranes. This indicates that lipid peroxidation is not the determining process in radiation-induced reproductive cell death. (author)

  11. Genotoxicity assessment of membrane concentrates of landfill leachate treated with Fenton reagent and UV-Fenton reagent using human hepatoma cell line

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Guifang [Department of Chemistry, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632 (China); Lu, Gang [Key Laboratory of Water/Soil Toxic Pollutants Control and Bioremediation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Environmental Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632 (China); Yin, Pinghe, E-mail: tyinph@jnu.edu.cn [Research Center of Analysis and Test, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632 (China); Zhao, Ling, E-mail: zhaoling@jnu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Water/Soil Toxic Pollutants Control and Bioremediation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Environmental Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632 (China); Jimmy Yu, Qiming [Griffith School of Engineering, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, Queensland 4111 (Australia)

    2016-04-15

    Highlights: • Membrane concentrates have a threat to human health and environment. • Untreated membrane concentrates induces cytotoxic and genotoxic to HepG2 cells. • Both methods were effective method for degradation of BPA and NP in concentrates. • Both methods were efficient in reducing genotoxic effects of concentrates. • UV-Fenton reagent had higher removal efficiency and provides toxicological safety. - Abstract: Membrane concentrates of landfill leachates contain organic and inorganic contaminants that could be highly toxic and carcinogenic. In this paper, the genotoxicity of membrane concentrates before and after Fenton and UV-Fenton reagent was assessed. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity was determined by using the methods of methyltetrazolium (MTT), cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) and comet assay in human hepatoma cells. MTT assay showed a cytotoxicity of 75% after 24 h of exposure to the highest tested concentration of untreated concentrates, and no cytotoxocity for UV-Fenton and Fenton treated concentrates. Both CBMN and comet assays showed increased levels of genotoxicity in cells exposed to untreated concentrates, compared to those occurred in cells exposed to UV-Fenton and Fenton reagent treated concentrates. There was no significant difference between negative control and UV-Fenton treated concentrates for micronucleus and comet assay parameters. UV-Fenton and Fenton treatment, especially the former, were effective methods for degradation of bisphenol A and nonylphenol in concentrates. These findings showed UV-Fenton and Fenton reaction were effective methods for treatment of such complex concentrates, UV-Fenton reagent provided toxicological safety of the treated effluent, and the genotoxicity assays were found to be feasible tools for assessment of toxicity risks of complex concentrates.

  12. Genotoxicity assessment of membrane concentrates of landfill leachate treated with Fenton reagent and UV-Fenton reagent using human hepatoma cell line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Guifang; Lu, Gang; Yin, Pinghe; Zhao, Ling; Jimmy Yu, Qiming

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Membrane concentrates have a threat to human health and environment. • Untreated membrane concentrates induces cytotoxic and genotoxic to HepG2 cells. • Both methods were effective method for degradation of BPA and NP in concentrates. • Both methods were efficient in reducing genotoxic effects of concentrates. • UV-Fenton reagent had higher removal efficiency and provides toxicological safety. - Abstract: Membrane concentrates of landfill leachates contain organic and inorganic contaminants that could be highly toxic and carcinogenic. In this paper, the genotoxicity of membrane concentrates before and after Fenton and UV-Fenton reagent was assessed. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity was determined by using the methods of methyltetrazolium (MTT), cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) and comet assay in human hepatoma cells. MTT assay showed a cytotoxicity of 75% after 24 h of exposure to the highest tested concentration of untreated concentrates, and no cytotoxocity for UV-Fenton and Fenton treated concentrates. Both CBMN and comet assays showed increased levels of genotoxicity in cells exposed to untreated concentrates, compared to those occurred in cells exposed to UV-Fenton and Fenton reagent treated concentrates. There was no significant difference between negative control and UV-Fenton treated concentrates for micronucleus and comet assay parameters. UV-Fenton and Fenton treatment, especially the former, were effective methods for degradation of bisphenol A and nonylphenol in concentrates. These findings showed UV-Fenton and Fenton reaction were effective methods for treatment of such complex concentrates, UV-Fenton reagent provided toxicological safety of the treated effluent, and the genotoxicity assays were found to be feasible tools for assessment of toxicity risks of complex concentrates.

  13. Concentration-dependent effect of melatonin on DSPC membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahin, Ipek; Bilge, Duygu; Kazanci, Nadide; Severcan, Feride

    2013-11-01

    The concentration-induced effects of melatonin on distearoyl phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) model membranes were investigated by using two different non-invasive techniques, namely Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). An investigation of the Csbnd H, Cdbnd O and PO2- double bond stretching mode in FTIR spectra and DSC studies reveals that the inclusion of melatonin changes the physical properties of the DSPC multilamellar liposomes (MLVs) by shifting the main phase transition to lower temperatures, abolishing the pretransition, ordering the system in the gel phase and slightly disordering the system in the liquid crystalline phase, increasing the dynamics both in the gel phase and liquid crystalline phases. Melatonin also causes strong hydrogen bonding between Cdbnd O and PO2- groups of lipids and the water molecules around.

  14. Nanofiltration and Tight Ultrafiltration Membranes for Natural Organic Matter Removal-Contribution of Fouling and Concentration Polarization to Filtration Resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winter, Joerg; Barbeau, Benoit; Bérubé, Pierre

    2017-07-02

    Nanofiltration (NF) and tight ultrafiltration (tight UF) membranes are a viable treatment option for high quality drinking water production from sources with high concentrations of contaminants. To date, there is limited knowledge regarding the contribution of concentration polarization (CP) and fouling to the increase in resistance during filtration of natural organic matter (NOM) with NF and tight UF. Filtration tests were conducted with NF and tight UF membranes with molecular weight cut offs (MWCOs) of 300, 2000 and 8000 Da, and model raw waters containing different constituents of NOM. When filtering model raw waters containing high concentrations of polysaccharides (i.e., higher molecular weight NOM), the increase in resistance was dominated by fouling. When filtering model raw waters containing humic substances (i.e., lower molecular weight NOM), the increase in filtration resistance was dominated by CP. The results indicate that low MWCO membranes are better suited for NOM removal, because most of the NOM in surface waters consist mainly of humic substances, which were only effectively rejected by the lower MWCO membranes. However, when humic substances are effectively rejected, CP can become extensive, leading to a significant increase in filtration resistance by the formation of a cake/gel layer at the membrane surface. For this reason, cross-flow operation, which reduces CP, is recommended.

  15. Delipidation of a whey protein concentrate by electroacidification with bipolar membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shee, Fabrice Lin Teng; Angers, Paul; Bazinet, Laurent

    2007-05-16

    The separation of residual fats from whey protein concentrates (WPC) results in a better nutritional and functional utilization of this product. Bipolar membrane electroacidification (BMEA) technology allows acidification and demineralization of solutions without any salt addition. The principle of BMEA is based on proton formation from water molecule dissociation at the bipolar membrane interface. The objective of this work was to determine the effect of an electroacidification treatment at pH 4.5 on the precipitation of lipids. WPC electroacidification was carried out with or without preliminary demineralization by conventional electrodialysis. The effect of ionic strength on lipid precipitation rates was also evaluated by dilution of the WPC samples. Lipid precipitation levels of 35-39% were obtained using the electroacidification process without a dilution step, while the combination of BMEA and dilution of the WPC resulted in a decrease in lipid content by six-fold from 0.76 to 0.21%.

  16. FOULING CHARACTERIZATION OF MEMBRANE CONTACTORS USED FOR THE RECOVERY AND CONCENTRATION OF AMMONIA FROM UNDIGESTED PIG SLURRY

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zarebska, Agata; Norddahl, Birgir; Christensen, Knud Villy

    2012-01-01

    The main obstacle impeding implementation of membrane contactors for the recovery and concentration of ammonia from swine manure is the phenomena of membrane fouling. Fouling is defined as the accumulation of suspended or dissolved substances on the membrane surface and/or within its pores. Due...... to the different types of fouling which can occur in a membrane system, characterization of fouling is a complex problem. Fouling intensity, morphology and composition of fouling layers has been determined using Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectrometry and Attenuated Total Reflectance...... Infrared Spectrometry. Based on the analysis of fouled membranes, it is concluded that membrane fouling is dominated by organic fouling in combination with biofouling mainly due to adsorption and deposition of undegraded organic matter. The average fouling layer thickness was estimated to 127.4 μm after...

  17. Impact of Project Leadership Facets on Project Outcome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arslan Ayub

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The study analyzes the role of project leadership facets on effective project outcome. Numerous such initiatives have already been taken on project outcome/performance in the context of apposite leadership styles or project management. However, the current study is unique in the milieu of project outcome that it introduces a new leadership approach, which throws light on the significance of variant leadership facets on project outcome. The study uses explanatory approach; primary data is collected from project management professionals working in different project organizations. The study uses structural equation model (SEM technique to test the hypothesis. The study found a positive relationship between project leadership facets and project outcome.

  18. Dexamethasone concentration gradients along scala tympani after application to the round window membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plontke, Stefan K; Biegner, Thorsten; Kammerer, Bernd; Delabar, Ursular; Salt, Alec N

    2008-04-01

    Local application of dexamethasone-21-dihydrogen-phosphate (Dex-P) to the round window (RW) membrane of guinea pigs produces a substantial basal-apical concentration gradient in scala tympani (ST) perilymph. In recent years, intratympanically applied glucocorticoids are increasingly being used for the treatment of inner ear disease. Although measurements of intracochlear concentrations after RW application exist, there is limited information on the distribution of these drugs in the inner ear fluids. It has been predicted from computer simulations that substantial concentration gradients will occur after RW application, with lower concentrations expected in apical turns. Concentration gradients of other substances along the cochlea have recently been confirmed using a sequential apical sampling method to obtain perilymph. Dexamethasone-21-dihydrogen-phosphate (10 mg/ml) was administered to the RW membrane of guinea pigs (n = 9) in vivo for 2 to 3 hours. Perilymph was then collected using a protocol in which 10 samples, each of approximately 1 mul, were taken sequentially from the cochlear apex into capillary tubes. Dexamethasone-21-dihydrogen-phosphate concentration of the samples was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Interpretation of sample data using a finite element model allowed the longitudinal gradients of Dex-P in ST to be quantified. The Dex-P content of the first sample in each experiment (dominated by perilymph from apical regions) was substantially lower than that of the third and fourth sample (dominated by basal turn perilymph). These findings qualitatively demonstrated the existence of a concentration gradient along ST. After detailed analysis of the measured sample concentrations using an established finite element computer model, the mean basal-apical concentration gradient was estimated to be 17,000. Both absolute concentrations of Dex-P in ST and the basal-apical gradients were found to vary substantially. The existence of

  19. Development of membrane technology for production of concentrated fertilizer and clean water

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Camilleri Rumbau, Maria Salud

    The global increasing livestock production is reflected in a high rate of animal waste production, commonly known as manure or animal slurry. These effluents are rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Solid-liquid separation of farm effluents is a common practice...... for obtaining a phosphorus-rich fraction and a liquid fraction rich in nitrogen and potassium. However, the nutrient concentration in the obtained liquid fractions remains unbalanced due to the high water content. Membrane technologies have previously proved to be a suitable technology for separation....... During FO processing of digestate liquid fractions, membranes were able to retain ammonia nitrogen -TAN while using a highly saline wastewater from a tannery beam house. A salt rejection higher than 90% was achieved along the experiments. However, when acidification of the feed digestate liquid fraction...

  20. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of flow and concentration polarization in forward osmosis membrane systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gruber, M.F.; Johnson, C.J.; Tang, C.Y.

    2011-01-01

    is inspired by previously published CFD models for pressure-driven systems and the general analytical theory for flux modeling in asymmetric membranes. Simulations reveal a non-negligible external concentration polarization on the porous support, even when accounting for high cross-flow velocity and slip...

  1. Crack Front Segmentation and Facet Coarsening in Mixed-Mode Fracture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chih-Hung; Cambonie, Tristan; Lazarus, Veronique; Nicoli, Matteo; Pons, Antonio J.; Karma, Alain

    2015-12-01

    A planar crack generically segments into an array of "daughter cracks" shaped as tilted facets when loaded with both a tensile stress normal to the crack plane (mode I) and a shear stress parallel to the crack front (mode III). We investigate facet propagation and coarsening using in situ microscopy observations of fracture surfaces at different stages of quasistatic mixed-mode crack propagation and phase-field simulations. The results demonstrate that the bifurcation from propagating a planar to segmented crack front is strongly subcritical, reconciling previous theoretical predictions of linear stability analysis with experimental observations. They further show that facet coarsening is a self-similar process driven by a spatial period-doubling instability of facet arrays.

  2. Domains and facets: hierarchical personality assessment using the revised NEO personality inventory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa, P T; McCrae, R R

    1995-02-01

    Personality traits are organized hierarchically, with narrow, specific traits combining to define broad, global factors. The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992c) assesses personality at both levels, with six specific facet scales in each of five broad domains. This article describes conceptual issues in specifying facets of a domain and reports evidence on the validity of NEO-PI-R facet scales. Facet analysis-the interpretation of a scale in terms of the specific facets with which it correlates-is illustrated using alternative measures of the five-factor model and occupational scales. Finally, the hierarchical interpretation of personality profiles is discussed. Interpretation on the domain level yields a rapid understanding of the individual interpretation of specific facet scales gives a more detailed assessment.

  3. Tests of beam-based alignement at FACET

    CERN Document Server

    Latina, A; Schulte, D; Adli, E

    2014-01-01

    The performance of future linear colliders will depend critically on beam-based alignment (BBA) and feedback systems, which will play a crucial role in guaranteeing the low emittance transport throughout such machines. BBA algorithms designed to improve the beam transmission in a linac by simultaneously optimising the trajectory and minimising the residual dispersion, have thoughtfully been studied in theory over the last years, and successfully verified experimentally. One such technique is called Dispersion-Free Steering (DFS). A careful study of the DFS performance at the SLAC test facility FACET lead us to design a beam-based technique specifically targeted to reduce the impact of transverse short-range wakefields, rather than of the dispersion, being the wakefields the limiting factor to the FACET performance. This technique is called Wakefield-Free Steering (WFS). The results of the first tests of WFS at FACET are presented in this paper.

  4. Improving personality facet scores with multidimensional computer adaptive testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Makransky, Guido; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Glas, Cees A W

    2013-01-01

    personality tests contain many highly correlated facets. This article investigates the possibility of increasing the precision of the NEO PI-R facet scores by scoring items with multidimensional item response theory and by efficiently administering and scoring items with multidimensional computer adaptive...

  5. Liquid membrane system for the removal and concentration of transuranic elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Timmins, M.R.; Wysk, S.R.; Smolensky, L.A.; Jiang, D.; Lumetta, G.J.

    1996-01-01

    The goal of this program is to develop an efficient, reliable, and radiation-resistant modified liquid membrane system (MLMS) for the selective removal and concentration of transuranic elements (TRUs) and strontium-90 from dissolved Hanford sludge wastes. The efforts are divided into three categories: (1) demonstration and optimization of the MLMS for the TRUEX and SREX processes using simulant waste solution; (2) development of a radiation-resistant microporous divider and membrane module for testing with actual waste solutions; and (3) demonstration of the MLMS for the TRUEX and SREX processes using actual Hanford waste. Successful completion of these development efforts will yield a compact, versatile, and reliable MLMS for implementation with the TRUEX and SREX processes. The MLMS is simple, stable, more efficient, and easier to control and operate than conventional solvent-extraction processes, such as those employing centrifugal contactors. In addition, the MLMS process offers operational cost savings over the conventional technology, by exhibiting at least a 10% reduction in the consumption of extractant chemicals

  6. Anatase TiO2 single crystals with dominant {0 0 1} facets: Synthesis, shape-control mechanism and photocatalytic activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Huifen; Zhou, Yingying; Chang, Gang; Li, Pai; Zhu, Ruizhi; He, Yunbin

    2018-06-01

    Anatase TiO2 micro-crystals with 51% surface exposing highly active {0 0 1} facets are prepared by hydrothermal synthesis using TiF4 as Ti resource and HF as morphology control agent. In addition, anatase TiO2 single crystals exposing large {0 0 1} crystal facets are facilely synthesized with "green" NaF plus HCl replacing HF for the morphology control. A series of comparative experiments are carried out for separately studying the effects of F- and H+ concentrations on the growth of TiO2 crystals, which have not been understood very much in depth so far. The results indicate that both F- and H+ synergistically affect the synthesis of truncated anatase octahedrons, where F- is preferentially adsorbed on the {0 0 1} facets resulting in lateral growth of these facets and H+ adjusts the growth rate of anatase TiO2 along different orientations by tuning the hydrolysis rate. Based on this information, anatase TiO2 single crystals with small size (1.3 μm) and large exposure of {0 0 1} facets (45%) are successfully prepared under optimal conditions ([H+]/[F-] = 20:1). Photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared products toward methylene blue photo-degradation are further tested. It is revealed that both crystal size and percentage of {0 0 1} facets are decisive for the photocatalytic performance, and the crystals with a small size (1.3 μm) and large exposure of {0 0 1} facets (45%) are catalytically most active. This work has clarified the main factors that control the growth process and morphology of anatase TiO2 single crystals for achieving superior photocatalytic properties.

  7. Nanofiltration and Tight Ultrafiltration Membranes for Natural Organic Matter Removal—Contribution of Fouling and Concentration Polarization to Filtration Resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joerg Winter

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Nanofiltration (NF and tight ultrafiltration (tight UF membranes are a viable treatment option for high quality drinking water production from sources with high concentrations of contaminants. To date, there is limited knowledge regarding the contribution of concentration polarization (CP and fouling to the increase in resistance during filtration of natural organic matter (NOM with NF and tight UF. Filtration tests were conducted with NF and tight UF membranes with molecular weight cut offs (MWCOs of 300, 2000 and 8000 Da, and model raw waters containing different constituents of NOM. When filtering model raw waters containing high concentrations of polysaccharides (i.e., higher molecular weight NOM, the increase in resistance was dominated by fouling. When filtering model raw waters containing humic substances (i.e., lower molecular weight NOM, the increase in filtration resistance was dominated by CP. The results indicate that low MWCO membranes are better suited for NOM removal, because most of the NOM in surface waters consist mainly of humic substances, which were only effectively rejected by the lower MWCO membranes. However, when humic substances are effectively rejected, CP can become extensive, leading to a significant increase in filtration resistance by the formation of a cake/gel layer at the membrane surface. For this reason, cross-flow operation, which reduces CP, is recommended.

  8. Wheat germ cell-free expression: Two detergents with a low critical micelle concentration allow for production of soluble HCV membrane proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogeron, Marie-Laure; Badillo, Aurélie; Jirasko, Vlastimil; Gouttenoire, Jérôme; Paul, David; Lancien, Loick; Moradpour, Darius; Bartenschlager, Ralf; Meier, Beat H; Penin, François; Böckmann, Anja

    2015-01-01

    Membrane proteins are notoriously difficult to express in a soluble form. Here, we use wheat germ cell-free expression in the presence of various detergents to produce the non-structural membrane proteins 2, 4B and 5A of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). We show that lauryl maltose neopentyl glycol (MNG-3) and dodecyl octaethylene glycol ether (C12E8) detergents can yield essentially soluble membrane proteins at detergent concentrations that do not inhibit the cell-free reaction. This finding can be explained by the low critical micelle concentration (CMC) of these detergents, which keeps the monomer concentrations low while at the same time providing the necessary excess of detergent concentration above CMC required for full target protein solubilization. We estimate that a tenfold excess of detergent micelles with respect to the protein concentration is sufficient for solubilization, a number that we propose as a guideline for detergent screening assays. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Correlation of the Features of the Lumbar Multifidus Muscle With Facet Joint Osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Bo; Jiang, Kaibiao; Li, Xinfeng; Zhang, Jidong; Liu, Zude

    2017-09-01

    Facet joint osteoarthritis is considered a consequence of the aging process; however, there is evidence that it may be associated with degenerative changes of other structures. The goal of this study was to investigate the correlation between lumbar multifidus muscle features and facet joint osteoarthritis. This retrospective study included 160 patients who had acute or chronic low back pain and were diagnosed with facet joint osteoarthritis on computed tomography scan. Morphometric parameters, including cross-sectional area, muscle-fat index, and percentage of bilateral multifidus asymmetry at L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1, were evaluated with T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Patients with facet joint osteoarthritis had a smaller cross-sectional area and a higher muscle-fat index than those without facet joint osteoarthritis (Posteoarthritis at all 3 spinal levels (Posteoarthritis only at L4-L5 (P=.005). Asymmetry of the bilateral multifidus cross-sectional area was independently associated with facet joint osteoarthritis at L5-S1 (P=.009), but did not seem to be responsible for asymmetric degeneration of the bilateral facet joints. A higher multifidus muscle-fat index was independently associated with facet joint osteoarthritis, and bilateral multifidus size asymmetry was associated with the development of facet joint osteoarthritis at L5-S1. It seems more accurate to consider facet joint osteoarthritis a failure of the whole joint structure, including the paraspinal musculature, rather than simply a failure of the facet joint cartilage. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(5):e793-e800.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

  10. Hypertrophic Synovitis of the Facet Joint Causing Root Pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koichi Iwatsuki M.D.

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Osteoarthritic changes in the facet joints are common in the presence of degenerative disc disease. Changes in the joint capsule accompany changes in the articular surfaces. Intraspinal synovial cysts that cause radicular pain, cauda equina syndrome, and myelopathy have been reported; however, there have been few reports in orthopedic or neurosurgical literature regarding hypertrophic synovitis of the facet joint presenting as an incidental para-articular mass. Here, we report a case of hypertrophic synovitis causing root pain. We describe the case of a 65-year-old man suffering from right sciatica and right leg pain in the L5 nerve-root dermatome for 1 year; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI revealed an enhanced mass around the L4–5 facet joint. We investigated this mass pathologically. After right medial facetectomy, the symptoms resolved. Pathological investigation revealed this mass was hypertrophic synovitis. Hypertrophic synovitis of the facet joint might cause root pain.

  11. Facet joint injuries in acute cervical spine trauma : evaluation with CT and MRI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ha, Jeon Ju; Kim, Dong Hyun; Lee, Jeong Hwa; Lee, Keon; Kwon, Hyeok Po; Kwon, Jung Hyeok; Yun, Seong Mun [Dongkang General Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1999-05-01

    To evaluate injury patterns of facet joints and associated soft tissue injuries in patients with acute traumatic cervical facet joint injuries. From among patients with cervical spine trauma, 27 with facet joint injuries, as seen on CT and MRI, were chosen for this study. CT scans were analyzed with regard to the location of facet joint injury, the presence or absence of facet dislocation or fracture, and other associated fractures. MR images were analyzed with regard to ligament injury, intervertebral disc injury, intervertebral disc herniation, and spinal cord injury. The most common location of facet joint injury was C6-7 level(n=10), followed by C5-6(n=8). Among these 27 patients with facet joint injuries, 12(44%) had bilateral injuries and 15(56%) unilateral injuries. Facet fractures were present in 17 cases(63%) and the fracture of inferior facet was more frequent than superior. Patterns of fracture were vertical, transverse, or comminuted, but vertical fracture was the most common. Various degrees of dislocation were observed in patients with facet fractures. Fractures other than facet included pillar(n=11), lamina(n=6), transverse process(n=14), body(n=13), and spinous process(n=3). On MR images, anterior longitudinal ligament injury was found in 8 patients(30%), posterior longitudinal ligament injury in 4(15%), and interspinous ligament injury in 20(74%). Twelve patients(44%) had spinal cord injuries including edema(n=8) and hemorrhage(n=4). Among patients with disc abnormalities, 11(41%) had intervertebral disc injuries, and traumatic disc herniations were found in nine. Traumatic cervical facet joint injuries were manifested as various patterns and frequently associated with other fractures or soft tissue injuries. Analysis of CT and MR findings of these injury patterns helped formulate a therapeutic plan and determine of prognosis.

  12. Subdural empyema following lumbar facet joint injection: An exceeding rare complication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fayeye, Oluwafikayo; Silva, Adikarige Haritha Dulanka; Chavda, Swarupsinh; Furtado, Navin Raoul

    2016-01-01

    Chronic low back pain is extremely common with a life time prevalence estimated at greater than 70%. Facet joint arthrosis is thought to be the causative aetiological substrate in approximately 25% of chronic low back pain cases. Facet joint injection is a routine intervention in the armamentarium for both the diagnostic and therapeutic management of chronic low back pain. In fact, a study by Carrino et al. reported in excess of 94,000 facet joint injection procedures were carried out in the US in 1999. Although generally considered safe, the procedure is not entirely without risk. Complications including bleeding, infection, exacerbation of pain, dural puncture headache, and pneumothorax have been described. We report a rare case of a 47-year-old female patient who developed a left L4/5 facet septic arthrosis with an associated subdural empyema and meningitis following facet joint injection. This case is unique, as to the best of our knowledge no other case of subdural empyema following facet joint injection has been reported in the literature. Furthermore this case serves to highlight the potential serious adverse sequelae of a routine and apparently innocuous intervention. The need for medical practitioners to be alert to and respond rapidly to the infective complications of facet joint injection cannot be understated. Copyright © 2016 Polish Neurological Society. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

  13. The Structure of Spatial Ability Items: A Faceted Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guttman, Ruth; Shoham, Ilana

    1982-01-01

    Eight spatial tests assembled with a mapping sentence of four content facets (rule type, dimensionality, presence or absence of rotation, and test format) were administered to 800 individuals. Smallest Space Analysis of an intercorrelation matrix yielded three facets which formed distinct regions in a two-dimensional projection of a…

  14. Faceted MoS2 nanotubes and nanoflowers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deepak, Francis Leonard; Mayoral, Alvaro; Yacaman, Miguel Jose

    2009-01-01

    A simple synthesis of novel faceted MoS 2 nanotubes (NTs) and nanoflowers (NFs) starting from molybdenum oxide and thiourea as the sulphur source is reported. The MoS 2 nanotubes with the faceted morphology have not been observed before. Further the as-synthesized MoS 2 nanotubes have high internal surface area. The nanostructures have been characterized by a variety of electron microscopy techniques. It is expected that these MoS 2 nanostrutures will find important applications in energy storage, catalysis and field emission.

  15. Demonstration on endurance of ion exchange membrane immersed in high-concentration tritiated water under the Broader Approach Activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iwai, Yasunori, E-mail: iwai.yasunori@jaea.go.jp; Sato, Katsumi; Kawamura, Yoshinori; Yamanishi, Toshihiko

    2013-10-15

    Highlights: • Endurance of Nafion ion exchange membrane immersed in 1.38 × 10{sup 12} Bq/kg of highly concentrated tritiated water was demonstrated. • Degradation of Nafion backbone structure by tritium beta was similar to that by gamma rays and electron beams at an equivalent dose. • Degradation directly by radiation was dominant at room temperature compared with that by reactions with radicals produced from water radiolysis. -- Abstract: The Nafion{sup ®} ion exchange membrane is a key material for electrolysis cells of the water detritiation system. Endurance of Nafion ion exchange membrane immersed in 1.38 × 10{sup 12} Bq/kg of highly concentrated tritiated water has been demonstrated at room temperature for up to 2 years under the Broader Approach Activities. The curves of percent elongation at break vs. dose and tensile strength vs. dose for the Nafion membranes immersed in tritiated water were well consistent with those for Nafion membranes irradiated to an equivalent dose with gamma rays and electron beams. This shows that the degradation of Nafion backbone structure by tritium beta is similar to that by gamma rays and electron beams. The results of ferric Fenton test indicated that the degradation directly by radiation was dominant at room temperature compared with that by reactions with radicals produced from water radiolysis. The curve of ion exchange capacity vs. dose for the Nafion membranes immersed in tritiated water was also well consistent with that for Nafion membranes irradiated to an equivalent dose with gamma rays and electron beams. These results showed irradiation tests with gamma rays and electron beams were alternative for predicting degradation of ion exchange membrane by tritium beta.

  16. Critical Filler Concentration in Sulfated Titania-Added Nafion™ Membranes for Fuel Cell Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirko Sgambetterra

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available In this communication we present a detailed study of Nafion™ composite membranes containing different amounts of nanosized sulfated titania particles, synthesized through an optimized one-step synthesis procedure. Functional membrane properties, such as ionic exchange capacity and water uptake (WU ability will be described and discussed, together with thermal analysis, atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy data. Also electrochemical properties such as proton conductivity and performances in hydrogen fuel cells will be presented. It has been demonstrated that a critical concentration of filler particles can boost the fuel cell performance at low humidification, exhibiting a significant improvement of the maximum power and current density delivered under 30% low-relative humidity (RH and 70 °C with respect to bare Nafion™-based systems.

  17. Long-Term Developmental Changes in Children's Lower-Order Big Five Personality Facets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Haan, Amaranta; De Pauw, Sarah; van den Akker, Alithe; Deković, Maja; Prinzie, Peter

    2017-10-01

    This study examined long-term developmental changes in mother-rated lower-order facets of children's Big Five dimensions. Two independent community samples covering early childhood (2-4.5 years; N = 365, 39% girls) and middle childhood to the end of middle adolescence (6-17 years; N = 579, 50% girls) were used. All children had the Belgian nationality. Developmental changes were examined using cohort-sequential latent growth modeling on the 18 facets of the Hierarchical Personality Inventory for Children. In early childhood, changes were mostly similar across child gender. Between 2 and 4.5 years, several facets showed mean-level stability; others changed in the direction of less Extraversion and Emotional Stability, and more Benevolence and Imagination. The lower-order facets of Conscientiousness showed opposite changes. Gender differences became more apparent from middle childhood onward for facets of all dimensions except Imagination, for which no gender differences were found. Between 6 and 17 years, same-dimension facets showed different shapes of growth. Facets that changed linearly changed mostly in the direction of less Extraversion, Benevolence, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Imagination. Changes in facets for which nonlinear growth was found generally moved in direction or magnitude during developmental transitions. This study provides comprehensive, fine-grained knowledge about personality development during the first two decades of life. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Study on concentrating treatment test of simulated radioactive wastewater containing boron by reverse osmosis membrane in PWR NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ye Xinnan; Jiang Baihua; Fan Wenwen; Zhang Zhiyin; Yang Cangsheng

    2015-01-01

    The reverse osmosis membrane equipment in PWR NPP was employed to investigate the application of pilot scale system in the radioactive wastewater treatment at the full recirculation operation. The removal performance of the equipment for the boron and the radioactivity nuclide were studied, respectively. The experimental results show that the removal efficiency of the aromatic polyamide composite reverse osmosis membrane for boron is over 83.3% and the concentration of boron in concentrate is over 10000 mg/L. The experimental results also show that the removal efficiency of two nuclides including cobalt and cesium is over 97.9%. (authors)

  19. Agarose gel electrophoresis of cerebrospinal fluid proteins of dogs after sample concentration using a membrane microconcentrator technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gama, Fernanda Gomes Velasque; Santana, Aureo Evangelista; Filho, Eugênio de Campos; Nogueira, Cláudia Aparecida da Silva

    2007-03-01

    Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced in the cerebral ventricles through ultrafiltration of plasma and active transport mechanisms. Evaluation of proteins in CSF may provide important information about the production of immunoglobulins within the central nervous system as well as possible disturbances in the blood-brain barrier. The objective of this study was to measure the concentration and fractions of protein in CSF samples using a membrane microconcentrator technique followed by electrophoresis, and to compare the protein fractions obtained with those in serum. CSF samples from 3 healthy dogs and 3 dogs with canine distemper virus infection were concentrated using a membrane microconcentrator having a 0.5 to 30,000 d nominal molecular weight limit (Ultrafree, Millipore, Billerica, MA, USA). Protein concentration was determined before and after concentration. Agarose gel electrophoresis was done on concentrated CSF samples, serum, and serial dilutions of one of the CSF samples. Electrophoretic bands were clearly identified in densitometer tracings in CSF samples with protein concentrations as low as 1.3 g/dL. The higher CSF protein concentration in dogs with distemper was mainly the result of increased albumin concentration. The microconcentrating method used in this study enables characterization of the main protein fractions in CSF by routine electrophoresis and may be useful for interpreting the underlying cause of changes in CSF protein concentrations.

  20. The prevalence cervical facet arthrosis: an osseous study in a cadveric population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Michael J; Riew, K Daniel

    2009-09-01

    Cervical facet arthrosis has been implicated as a cause for neck pain, radiculopathy, occipital headache, and ear pain. The objective of this study was to examine the occurrence of facet arthrosis in the cervical spine. This study examined cadaveric specimens from the Hamann Todd Collection. None. None. Four hundred sixty-five skeletally mature human cervical spines from the Hamann Todd Collection in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History were obtained for analysis. We analyzed the facets for arthrosis. We graded no arthrosis as Grade 0. Facets with peripheral osteophytic reaction, but with no lateral mass distortion were graded as Grade 1. Facets with peripheral osteophytic reaction and lateral mass distortion were graded as Grade 2. Facets that were ankylosed were graded as Grade 3. Each specimen was examined bilaterally at levels from C2-C3 through C6-C7, yielding 4,650 specimen assessments. The data were analyzed to compare cervical levels, gender, facet side, age groups, and race. Proportion analysis, using the Fisher exact test, was used to assess for statistical difference between various groupings. In the entire population of 465 specimens, the upper cervical specimens appeared to be affected by facet arthrosis more frequently than the lower levels; 12.37% of the specimens had bony evidence of arthrosis at the C2-C3 level; 13.33% of the specimens had arthrosis occur at the C3-C4 level; 14.62% at the C4-C5 level; 7.85% at the C5-C6 level, and 4.84% at the C6-C7 level. The large majority of all cervical facet arthrosis was found to be Grade 1 at all levels. In the older population, the prevalence of facet arthrosis is as high as 29.87% for the C4-C5 level. C4-C5 level appears to be affected the most frequently, followed by the C3-C4 level, then C2-C3, C5-C6, and C6-C7. The prevalence of cervical facet arthrosis increases with age, and occurs more commonly in the upper cervical spine.

  1. The usability issues of faceted navigation in digital libraries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliane Blumer

    2014-05-01

    For more than five years, the project ACCEPT, a subproject of a Swiss national project called e-lib.ch, analyzes the usability and usefulness of digital libraries, by using user oriented methods. Experience has shown that filters provided through faceted navigation are considered as positive and very useful by end users. Nevertheless, based on different test results, several returning mistakes have been detected and it turns out that there are some ‘unwritten standards’ concerning e.g. position, labelling or ranking which should be respected to fulfil the aim of a good usability which users do expect of such web services. In this poster we will first give an introduction to faceted navigation, actual design issues and their use in digital libraries and then present testing methods, which can be easily applied in a digital library context. Together with a list of best practices concerning faceted navigation drawn out of different test experiences, the paper should give the reader all important information to evaluate its current faceted navigation and see where improvements could be made.

  2. The lumbar facet arthrosis syndrome. Clinical presentation and articular surface changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenstein, S M; Parry, C R

    1987-01-01

    We describe a lumbar facet syndrome in which disabling symptoms are associated with normal or near-normal plain radiographs. Local spinal fusion relieved symptoms in 12 patients; the excised facet joint surfaces showed some of the histological changes seen in chondromalacia patellae and in osteoarthritis of other large joints. The most frequent change was focal full-thickness cartilage necrosis or loss of cartilage with exposure of subchondral bone, but osteophyte formation was remarkably absent in all specimens. We suggest that there are both clinical and histological similarities between the facet arthrosis syndrome and chondromalacia patellae. Facet arthrosis may be a relatively important cause of intractable back pain in young and middle-aged adults.

  3. Facet joint orientation and tropism in lumbar degenerative disc disease and spondylolisthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pichaisak, Witchate; Chotiyarnwong, Chayaporn; Chotiyarnwong, Pojchong

    2015-04-01

    Although degenerative disc disease (DDD) and degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) are two common causes of back pain in elderly, the association between the lumbarfacet joint angle and tropism in these conditions are still unclear. To evaluate the difference in facet joint angles between normal population and lumbar degenerative disc disease and spondylolisthesis patient. The angle of lumbar facet joints were retrospectively measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine whether there was a difference between degenerative diseases. MRI of patients with DDD, DS, and control group at facet joint between L3-4, L4-5 and L5-S1 level were measured in axial view (60 subjects in each group). There was no difference infacetjoint angle in DDD (44.1 ± 11.9) and control (45.6 ± 8.9), but differed in DS (40.1 ± 10. 7) and control group (p = 0.010) at L4-5 level. Facet tropism showed difference between degenerative groups and control group at L4-5 level. DS group showed difference in facet joints angle and tropism when compared with control population, while DDD showed difference only in facet tropism. In addition, longitudinal studies are needed to understand the clinical significant between facet joint angle and tropism in spinal degenerative diseases.

  4. Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests at SLAC (FACET) Conceptual Design Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amann, J.; Bane, K.; /SLAC

    2009-10-30

    This Conceptual Design Report (CDR) describes the design of FACET. It will be updated to stay current with the developing design of the facility. This CDR begins as the baseline conceptual design and will evolve into an 'as-built' manual for the completed facility. The Executive Summary, Chapter 1, gives an introduction to the FACET project and describes the salient features of its design. Chapter 2 gives an overview of FACET. It describes the general parameters of the machine and the basic approaches to implementation. The FACET project does not include the implementation of specific scientific experiments either for plasma wake-field acceleration for other applications. Nonetheless, enough work has been done to define potential experiments to assure that the facility can meet the requirements of the experimental community. Chapter 3, Scientific Case, describes the planned plasma wakefield and other experiments. Chapter 4, Technical Description of FACET, describes the parameters and design of all technical systems of FACET. FACET uses the first two thirds of the existing SLAC linac to accelerate the beam to about 20GeV, and compress it with the aid of two chicanes, located in Sector 10 and Sector 20. The Sector 20 area will include a focusing system, the generic experimental area and the beam dump. Chapter 5, Management of Scientific Program, describes the management of the scientific program at FACET. Chapter 6, Environment, Safety and Health and Quality Assurance, describes the existing programs at SLAC and their application to the FACET project. It includes a preliminary analysis of safety hazards and the planned mitigation. Chapter 7, Work Breakdown Structure, describes the structure used for developing the cost estimates, which will also be used to manage the project. The chapter defines the scope of work of each element down to level 3.

  5. Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests at SLAC (FACET) Conceptual Design Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amann, J.; Bane, K.

    2009-01-01

    This Conceptual Design Report (CDR) describes the design of FACET. It will be updated to stay current with the developing design of the facility. This CDR begins as the baseline conceptual design and will evolve into an 'as-built' manual for the completed facility. The Executive Summary, Chapter 1, gives an introduction to the FACET project and describes the salient features of its design. Chapter 2 gives an overview of FACET. It describes the general parameters of the machine and the basic approaches to implementation. The FACET project does not include the implementation of specific scientific experiments either for plasma wake-field acceleration for other applications. Nonetheless, enough work has been done to define potential experiments to assure that the facility can meet the requirements of the experimental community. Chapter 3, Scientific Case, describes the planned plasma wakefield and other experiments. Chapter 4, Technical Description of FACET, describes the parameters and design of all technical systems of FACET. FACET uses the first two thirds of the existing SLAC linac to accelerate the beam to about 20GeV, and compress it with the aid of two chicanes, located in Sector 10 and Sector 20. The Sector 20 area will include a focusing system, the generic experimental area and the beam dump. Chapter 5, Management of Scientific Program, describes the management of the scientific program at FACET. Chapter 6, Environment, Safety and Health and Quality Assurance, describes the existing programs at SLAC and their application to the FACET project. It includes a preliminary analysis of safety hazards and the planned mitigation. Chapter 7, Work Breakdown Structure, describes the structure used for developing the cost estimates, which will also be used to manage the project. The chapter defines the scope of work of each element down to level 3.

  6. Technical Design Report for the FACET-II Project at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2016-08-26

    Electrons can “surf” on waves of plasma – a hot gas of charged particles – gaining very high energies in very short distances. This approach, called plasma wakefield acceleration, has the potential to dramatically shrink the size and cost of particle accelerators. Research at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has demonstrated that plasmas can provide 1,000 times the acceleration in a given distance compared with current technologies. Developing revolutionary and more efficient acceleration techniques that allow for an affordable high-energy collider has been the focus of FACET, a National User Facility at SLAC. FACET used part of SLAC’s two-mile-long linear accelerator to generate high-density beams of electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons. Research into plasma wakefield acceleration was the primary motivation for constructing FACET. In April 2016, FACET operations came to an end to make way for the second phase of SLAC’s x-ray laser, the LCLS-II, which will use part of the tunnel occupied by FACET. FACET-II is a new test facility to provide the unique capability to develop advanced acceleration and coherent radiation techniques with high-energy electron and positron beams. FACET-II represents a major upgrade over current FACET capabilities and the breadth of the potential research program makes it truly unique.

  7. Extraversion and psychopathology: A facet-level analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, David; Stasik, Sara M; Ellickson-Larew, Stephanie; Stanton, Kasey

    2015-05-01

    The goal of this study was to explicate how the lower order facets of extraversion are related to psychopathology. We used a "bottom-up" approach in which specific extraversion scales from 3 comprehensive personality inventories were used to model these facets as latent factors. We collected both self-report and interview measures of a broad range of psychopathology from a large community sample. Replicating previous findings using a similar approach (Naragon-Gainey & Watson, 2014; Naragon-Gainey, Watson, & Markon, 2009), structural analyses yielded four factors: Positive Emotionality, Sociability, Assertiveness, and Experience Seeking. Scores on these latent dimensions were related to psychopathology in correlational analyses and in two sets of regressions (the first series used the four facets as predictors; the second included composite scores on the other Big Five domains as additional predictors). These results revealed a striking level of specificity. As predicted, Positive Emotionality displayed especially strong negative links to depressive symptoms and diagnoses. Sociability also was negatively related to psychopathology, showing particularly strong associations with indicators of social dysfunction and the negative symptoms of schizotypy (i.e., social anxiety, social aloofness, and restricted affectivity). Assertiveness generally had weak associations at the bivariate level but was negatively related to social anxiety and was positively correlated with some forms of externalizing. Finally, Experience Seeking had substantial positive associations with a broad range of indicators related to externalizing and bipolar disorder; it also displayed negative links to agoraphobia. These differential correlates demonstrate the importance of examining personality-psychopathology relations at the specific facet level. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  8. Formation of cubic phases from large unilamellar vesicles of dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol/monoolein membranes induced by low concentrations of Ca2+.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awad, Tarek S; Okamoto, Yoshihide; Masum, Shah Md; Yamazaki, Masahito

    2005-12-06

    We developed a new method for the transformation of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) into the cubic phase. We found that the addition of low concentrations of Ca(2+) to suspensions of multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) of membranes of monoolein (MO) and dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol (DOPG) mixtures (DOPG/MO) changed their L(alpha) phase to the cubic phases. For instance, the addition of 15-25 mM Ca(2+) to 30%-DOPG/70%-MO-MLVs induced the Q(229) phase, whereas the addition of > or =28 mM Ca(2+) induced the Q(224) phase. LUVs of DOPG/MO membranes containing > or =25 mol % DOPG were prepared easily. Low concentrations of Ca(2+) transformed these LUVs in excess buffer into the Q(224) or the Q(229) phase, depending on the Ca(2+) concentration. For example, 15 and 50 mM Ca(2+) induced the Q(224) and Q(229) phase in the 30%-DOPG/70%-MO-LUVs at 25 degrees C, respectively. This finding is the first demonstration of transformation of LUVs of lipid membranes into the cubic phase under excess water condition.

  9. Impact of sludge flocs on membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Morten Lykkegaard; Niessen, Wolfgang; Jørgensen, Mads Koustrup

    Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are widely used for wastewater treatment, but membrane fouling reduces membrane performance and thereby increases the cost for membranes and fouling control. Large variation in filtration properties measured as flux decline was observed for the different types of sludges....... Further, the flux could partly be reestablished after the relaxation period depending on the sludge composition. The results underline that sludge properties are important for membrane fouling and that control of floc properties, as determined by the composition of the microbial communities...... and the physico-chemical properties, is an efficient method to reduce membrane fouling in the MBR. High concentration of suspended extracellular substances (EPS) and small particles (up to 10 µm) resulted in pronounced fouling propensity. The membrane fouling resistance was reduced at high concentration...

  10. INFLUENCE AT DIFFERENT OPERATION CONDITIONS ON THE ACEROLA JUICE CONCENTRATION BY REVERSE OSMOSIS, USING SPIRAL MEMBRANE OF COMPOSITE FILM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. R.S. GOMES

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available

    The concentration of acerola juice, involves removal of water with the objective of reducing packing, storage and transport costs. The reverse osmosis (RO is a process of increasing interest in food industry and among the advantages they stand out: the low consumption of energy and the minimum thermal damages is caused to the products. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of different operation conditions in relation to the permeate flux, in the concentration process of the acerola juice by RO. All the RO experiments were carried out with retentate recycling. The concentration by RO, were carried on the transmembrane pressures of 20, 30 and 40 bar and at 23ºC and 40ºC, being used a membrane of composite film in spiral module (99% NaCl rejection. The acerola pulp was defrosted and treated with Citrozym Ultra L enzyme (100 ppm, 45ºC ,1 hour, then it was ultrafiltrated at 3 bar at the same temperature, in 0.1 µm ceramic membrane, and so it was concentrated by RO. It was verified that the pressure and the temperature influenced the concentration and the permeate flux obtained in the RO process. The flux decreased along the processing, once the feeding becomes more concentrate, increasing the viscosity, osmotic pressure and retained sugar. KEYWORDS: Acerola juice concentration; reverse osmosis; membrane of composite film.

  11. Full scale plant with membrane based concentration of blackcurrant juice on the basis of laboratory and pilot scale tests

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fjerbæk Søtoft, Lene; Christensen, K. V.; Andresen, R.

    2012-01-01

    A conceptual process design with the use of integrated membrane processes is prepared for blackcurrant juice concentrate (BCJC) production to replace traditional multiple step evaporators and aroma recovery. The combination of membrane processes includes aroma recovery with vacuum membrane distil...... is 0.40 (sic)/kg BCJC, which is lower than the price of a traditional operation by about 43%. Therefore, the economical potential of the process is very promising and could supersede conventional evaporators. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved....

  12. 2016 FACET-II Science Workshop Summary Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hogan, Mark J., ed.

    2017-07-19

    The second in a series of FACET-II Science Workshops was held at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory on October 17-19, 2016 [1]. The workshop drew thirty-five participants from eighteen different institutions including CERN, DESY, Ecole Polytechnique, FNAL, JAI, LBNL, LLNL, Radiabeam, Radiasoft, SLAC, Stony Brook, Strathclyde, Tech-X, Tsinghua, UC Boulder, UCLA and UT Austin. The 2015 workshop [2, 3] helped prioritize research directions for FACET-II. The 2016 workshop was focused on understanding what improvements are needed at the facility to support the next generation of experiments. All presentations are linked to the workshop website as a permanent record.

  13. Revealing Transient Concentration of CO2 in a Mixed Matrix Membrane by IR Microimaging and Molecular Modeling

    KAUST Repository

    Hwang, Seungtaik

    2018-02-21

    Through IR microimaging the spatially and temporally resolved development of the CO2 concentration in a ZIF-8@6FDA-DAM mixed matrix membrane was visualized during transient adsorption. By recording the evolution of the CO2 concentration, it is observed that the CO2 molecules propagate from the ZIF-8 filler, which acts as a transport

  14. Revealing Transient Concentration of CO2 in a Mixed Matrix Membrane by IR Microimaging and Molecular Modeling

    KAUST Repository

    Hwang, Seungtaik; Semino, Rocio; Seoane, Beatriz; Zahan, Marufa; Chmelik, Christian; Valiullin, Rustem; Bertmer, Marko; Haase, Jü rgen; Kapteijn, Freek; Gascon, Jorge; Maurin, Guillaume; Kä rger, Jö rg

    2018-01-01

    Through IR microimaging the spatially and temporally resolved development of the CO2 concentration in a ZIF-8@6FDA-DAM mixed matrix membrane was visualized during transient adsorption. By recording the evolution of the CO2 concentration, it is observed that the CO2 molecules propagate from the ZIF-8 filler, which acts as a transport

  15. Development of a new modelling tool (FACET) to assess exposure to chemical migrants from food packaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oldring, P K T; O'Mahony, C; Dixon, J; Vints, M; Mehegan, J; Dequatre, C; Castle, L

    2014-01-01

    The approach used to obtain European Union-wide data on the usage and concentration of substances in different food packaging materials is described. Statistics were collected on pack sizes and market shares for the different materials used to package different food groups. The packaging materials covered were plastics (both flexible and rigid), metal containers, light metal packaging, paper and board, as well as the adhesives and inks used on them. An explanation as to how these data are linked in various ways in the FACET exposure modelling tool is given as well as an overview of the software along with examples of the intermediate tables of data. The example of bisphenol A (BPA), used in resins that may be incorporated into some coatings for canned foodstuffs, is used to illustrate how the data in FACET are combined to produce concentration distributions. Such concentration distributions are then linked probabilistically to the amounts of each food item consumed, as recorded in national food consumption survey diaries, in order to estimate exposure to packaging migrants. Estimates of exposure are at the level of the individual consumer and thus can be expressed for various percentiles of different populations and subpopulations covered by the national dietary surveys.

  16. Faceted shell structure in grain boundary diffusion-processed sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seelam, U.M.R.; Ohkubo, T.; Abe, T.; Hirosawa, S.; Hono, K.

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: The grain boundary diffusion process (GBDP) using a heavy rare earth elements (HRE) such as Dy and Tb is known as an effective method to enhance the coercivity of Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets without reducing remanence. This process has been industrially implemented to manufacture Nd–Fe–B based sintered magnets with high coercivity and high remanence. In this process, Dy is considered to diffuse through grain boundaries (GBs) to form (Nd 1−x Dy x ) 2 Fe 14 B shells surrounding the Nd 2 Fe 14 B grains and the higher anisotropy field of the Dy-rich shell is considered to suppress the nucleation of reverse domains at low magnetic field. Although there are several investigations on the microstructure of HRE GBDP Nd–Fe–B magnets, no paper addressed the origin of the asymmetric formation of HRE rich shells. Based on detailed analysis of facet planes of core/shell interfaces, we propose a mechanism of the faceted core/shell microstructure formation in the GBDP sintered magnets. We believe that this gives new insights on understanding the coercivity enhancement by the GBDP. - Highlights: • Faceting was observed at the interfaces of cores and shells. • The core/shell interfaces are sharp with an abrupt change in Dy concentration. • Meting occurs at the interfaces of metalic Nd-rich/Nd 2 Fe 14 B phases above 685 °C due to eutectic reaction. • Solidification of Dy-enriched liquid phase from 900 °C can result in the shell formation. - Abstract: Dysprosium enriched shell structure formed by the grain boundary diffusion process (GBDP) of a sintered Nd–Fe–B magnet was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, electron back-scattered diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Faceted core–shell interfaces with an abrupt change in Dy concentration suggest the Dy-rich shells are formed by the solidification of the liquid phase during cooling from the GBDP temperature. The Nd-rich phases are almost free from Dy, and

  17. Degenerative Changes of the Facet Joints in Adults With Lumbar Spondylolysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goda, Yuichiro; Sakai, Toshinori; Harada, Taihei; Takao, Shoichiro; Takata, Yoichiro; Higashino, Kosaku; Harada, Masafumi; Sairyo, Koichi

    2017-07-01

    Radiologic analysis using computed tomography. To analyze the degenerative changes of the facet joints in patients with spondylolysis in comparison with control subjects. Defects of the pars interarticularis are thought to result in a reduction of biomechanical stress on adjacent facet joints. Therefore, degenerative changes of the facet joints in patients with spondylolysis are expected to be less than those in patients without spondylolysis. Abdominal and pelvic multidetector computed tomography scans of 2000 subjects, performed for conditions unrelated to low back pain, were reviewed. A total of 107 patients (37 women and 70 men) with L5 spondylolysis were identified [spondylolysis (+) group]. Sex-matched and age-matched controls without spondylolysis were chosen randomly [spondylolysis (-) group]. Subjects in the spondylolysis group were subdivided into either bilateral spondylolysis or unilateral spondylolysis groups for comparison with the control group. Four radiologic findings (narrowing, sclerosis, osteophyte, and bone cyst) indicative of degenerative change of the facet joints adjacent to the L5 pars defects were evaluated and the degree of degenerative change was graded by summing the number of degenerative changes (score range, 0-4). The χ test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Significantly more degenerative changes in both L4/L5 and L5/S facet joints were found in the spondylolysis (+) group than in the spondylolysis (-) group (χ test, P spondylolysis (+) group than in the spondylolysis (-) group. Degenerative changes of the facet joints at both L4/L5 and L5/S were more severe in the unilateral spondylolysis (+) group than in the spondylolysis (-) group. Degenerative changes of the facet joints in patients with lumbar spondylolysis were more severe than those without spondylolysis.

  18. Applications of membrane computing in systems and synthetic biology

    CERN Document Server

    Gheorghe, Marian; Pérez-Jiménez, Mario

    2014-01-01

    Membrane Computing was introduced as a computational paradigm in Natural Computing. The models introduced, called Membrane (or P) Systems, provide a coherent platform to describe and study living cells as computational systems. Membrane Systems have been investigated for their computational aspects and employed to model problems in other fields, like: Computer Science, Linguistics, Biology, Economy, Computer Graphics, Robotics, etc. Their inherent parallelism, heterogeneity and intrinsic versatility allow them to model a broad range of processes and phenomena, being also an efficient means to solve and analyze problems in a novel way. Membrane Computing has been used to model biological systems, becoming with time a thorough modeling paradigm comparable, in its modeling and predicting capabilities, to more established models in this area. This book is the result of the need to collect, in an organic way, different facets of this paradigm. The chapters of this book, together with the web pages accompanying th...

  19. Hydrothermal synthesis of magnetite particles with uncommon crystal facets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junki Sato

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Hydrothermal synthesis of Fe3O4 (magnetite particles was carried out using organic compounds as morphology control agents to obtain magnetite crystals with uncommon facets. It was established that the morphology of Fe3O4 crystals obtained by hydrothermal treatment of an aqueous solution containing Fe2+ and organic compounds depended on the organic compound used. The shape of the Fe3O4 particles obtained when no additives were used was quasi-octahedral. In contrast, the addition of picolinic acid, citric acid or pyridine resulted in the formation of polyhedral crystals, indicating the presence of not only {1 1 1}, {1 0 0} and {1 1 0} facets but also high-index facets including at least {3 1 1} and {3 3 1}. When citric acid was used as an additive, octahedral crystals with {1 1 1} facets also appeared, and their size decreased as the amount of citric acid was increased. Thus, control of Fe3O4 particle morphology was achieved by a simple hydrothermal treatment using additives.

  20. Determination of the free ion concentration of trace metals in soil solution using a soil column Donnan membrane technique

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Weng, L.; Temminghoff, E.J.M.; Riemsdijk, van W.H.

    2001-01-01

    Accurate measurement of the free metal ion is difficult, especially for trace metals present in very small concentrations (less than micromolar) in natural systems. The recently developed Donnan membrane technique can measure the concentrations in solution in the presence of inorganic and organic

  1. Comparison of facet joint activity on 99mTc-MDP SPECT/CT with facet joint signal change on MRI with fat suppression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehman, Vance T; Murphy, Robert C; Schenck, Louis A; Carter, Rickey E; Johnson, Geoffrey B; Kotsenas, Amy L; Morris, Jonathan M; Nathan, Mark A; Wald, John T; Maus, Timothy P

    2016-01-01

    We compared signal change on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with fat suppression and bone scan activity of lumbar facet joints to determine if these two imaging findings are correlated. We retrospectively identified all patients who underwent imaging of the lumbar spine for pain evaluation using both technetium-99m methylene disphosphonate single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (99mTc-MDP SPECT/CT) and MRI with at least one fat-suppressed T2- or T1-weighted sequence with gadolinium enhancement within a 180-day interval, at our institution between 1 January 2008 and 19 February 2013. Facet joint activity on 99mTc-MDP SPECT/CT and peri-facet signal change on MRI were rated as normal or increased. Agreement between the two examination types were determined with the κ and prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted κ (PABAK) statistics. This study included 60 patients (28 male, 47%), with a mean age of 49±19.7 years (range, 12-93 years). The κ value indicated no agreement between 99mTc-MDP SPECT/CT and MRI (κ=-0.026; 95% confidence interval: -0.051, 0.000). The PABAK values were fair to high at each spinal level, which suggests that relatively low disease prevalence lowered the κ values. Together, the κ and PABAK values indicate that there is some degree of intermodality agreement, but that it is not consistent. Overall, facet joint signal change on fat-suppressed MRI did not always correlate with increased 99mTc-MDP SPECT/CT activity. MRI and 99mTc-MDP SPECT/CT for facet joint evaluation should not be considered interchangeable examinations in clinical practice or research.

  2. Amine-functionalized PVA-co-PE nanofibrous membrane as affinity membrane with high adsorption capacity for bilirubin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wenwen; Zhang, Hao; Zhang, Zhifeng; Luo, Mengying; Wang, Yuedan; Liu, Qiongzhen; Chen, Yuanli; Li, Mufang; Wang, Dong

    2017-02-01

    In this study, poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene) (PVA-co-PE) nanofibrous membrane was activated by sodium hydroxide and cyanuric chloride, and then the activated membranes were functionalized by 1,3-propanediamine, hexamethylenediamine and diethylenetriamine to be affinity membranes for bilirubin removal, respectively. The chemical structures and morphologies of membranes were investigated by SEM, FTIR and XPS. And the adsorption ability of different amine-functionalized nanofibrous membranes for bilirubin was characterized. Furthermore, the effects of temperature, initial concentration of bilirubin, NaCl concentration and BSA concentration on the adsorption capacity for bilirubin of diethylenetriamine-functionalized nanofibrous membrane were studied. Results indicated that the adsorption capacity for bilirubin of diethylenetriamine-functionalized nanofibrous membrane could reach 85mg/g membrane when the initial bilirubin concentration was 200mg/L while the adsorption capacity could be increased to 110mg/g membrane if the initial bilirubin concentration was more than 400mg/L. The dynamic adsorption of diethylenetriamine-functionalized nanofibrous membrane showed that the ligands of amine groups on the membrane surface could be used as far as possible by recirculating the plasma with certain flow rates. Therefore, the diethylenetriamine-functionalized PVA-co-PE nanofibrous membrane possessed high adsorption capacity for bilirubin and it can be candidate as affinity membrane for bilirubin removal. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. Facet-Dependent Oxidative Goethite Growth As a Function of Aqueous Solution Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strehlau, Jennifer H; Stemig, Melissa S; Penn, R Lee; Arnold, William A

    2016-10-04

    Nitroaromatic compounds are groundwater pollutants that can be degraded through reactions with Fe(II) adsorbed on iron oxide nanoparticles, although little is known about the evolving reactivity of the minerals with continuous pollutant exposure. In this work, Fe(II)/goethite reactivity toward 4-chloronitrobenzene (4-ClNB) as a function of pH, organic matter presence, and reactant concentrations was explored using sequential-spike batch reactors. Reaction rate constants were smaller with lower pH, introduction of organic matter, and diluted reactant concentrations as compared to a reference condition. Reaction rate constants did not change with the number of 4-ClNB spikes for all reaction conditions. Under all conditions, oxidative goethite growth was demonstrated through X-ray diffraction, magnetic characterization, and transmission electron microscopy. Nonparametric statistics were applied to compare histograms of lengths and widths of goethite nanoparticles as a function of varied solution conditions. The conditions that slowed the reaction also resulted in statistically shorter and wider particles than for the faster reactions. Additionally, added organic matter interfered with particle growth on the favorable {021} faces to a greater extent, with statistically reduced rate of growth on the tip facets and increased rate of growth on the side facets. These data demonstrate that oxidative growth of goethite in aqueous systems is dependent on major groundwater variables, such as pH and the presence of organic matter, which could lead to the evolving reactivity of goethite particles in natural environments.

  4. Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of mesoporous – (001) facets TiO_2 single crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong, Yeshuo; Fei, Xuening; Zhou, Yongzhu

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • The (001) facets of TiO_2 single crystals with mesoporous structure. • The (010) and (100) facets of TiO_2 single crystals were covered by the flower – shaped TiO_2 crystals. • This special structure could promote charge separation and provide more active sites, which will lead to a substantial increase in photocatalytic activity. - Abstract: In this work, the mesoporous – (001) facets TiO_2 single crystals have been successfully synthesized through a two-step solvothermal route without any template. Their structure and morphology were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). Based on the different characteristics and atomic arrangements on each facet of anatase TiO_2 single crystals, we synthesized these mesoporous – (001) facets TiO_2 single crystals by controlling the interaction characteristics of hydrofluoric acid (HF) and isopropanol (i-PrOH) on the crystal facets. It can been seen that the (001) facets of these as-synthesized TiO_2 single crystals have a clear mesoporous structure through the SEM images and BET methods. Moreover, the other four facets were covered by the flower – shaped TiO_2 crystals with the generation of the mesoporous – (001) facets. This special and interesting morphology could promote charge separation and provide more active sites, which will lead to a substantial increase in photocatalytic activity. Moreover, it is more intuitive to reflect that the different crystal facets possess the different properties due to their atomic arrangement. Besides, according to the different synthetic routes, we proposed and discussed a plausible synthesis mechanism of these mesoporous – (001) facets TiO_2 single crystals.

  5. Local facet approximation for image stitching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jing; Lai, Shiming; Liu, Yu; Wang, Zhengming; Zhang, Maojun

    2018-01-01

    Image stitching aims at eliminating multiview parallax and generating a seamless panorama given a set of input images. This paper proposes a local adaptive stitching method, which could achieve both accurate and robust image alignments across the whole panorama. A transformation estimation model is introduced by approximating the scene as a combination of neighboring facets. Then, the local adaptive stitching field is constructed using a series of linear systems of the facet parameters, which enables the parallax handling in three-dimensional space. We also provide a concise but effective global projectivity preserving technique that smoothly varies the transformations from local adaptive to global planar. The proposed model is capable of stitching both normal images and fisheye images. The efficiency of our method is quantitatively demonstrated in the comparative experiments on several challenging cases.

  6. Isolated Facet Joint Fracture as a Cause of Chronic Low Back Pain and Sciatica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert W Teasell

    1996-01-01

    Full Text Available A case of facet joint fracture following a rear-end motor vehicle accident who presented with chronic low back pain and sciatica is outlined. Diagnosis was made with 99Tc nuclear bone scan and was confirmed on computed tomographic scan after diagnosis with regular radiographs had failed. Facetectomy relieved pain but led to symptoms related to asymmetric load on the opposite facet joint. Symptoms were substantially relieved with a facet joint deinnervation procedure. Facet joint fracture was felt to occur as a consequence of compression forces on the facet joint at the time of impact.

  7. The cervical facet capsule and its role in whiplash injury: a biomechanical investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winkelstein, B A; Nightingale, R W; Richardson, W J; Myers, B S

    2000-05-15

    Cervical facet capsular strains were determined during bending and at failure in the human cadaver. To determine the effect of an axial pretorque on facet capsular strains and estimate the risk for subcatastrophic capsular injury during normal bending motions. Epidemiologic and clinical studies have identified the facet capsule as a potential site of injury and prerotation as a risk factor for whiplash injury. Unfortunately, biomechanical data on the cervical facet capsule and its role in whiplash injury are not available. Cervical spine motion segments were tested in a pure-moment test frame and the full-field strains determined throughout the facet capsule. Motion segments were tested with and without a pretorque in pure bending. The isolated facet was then elongated to failure. Maximum principal strains during bending were compared with failure strains, by paired t test. Statistically significant increases in principal capsular strains during flexion-extension loading were observed when a pretorque was applied. All measured strains during bending were significantly less than strains at catastrophic joint failure. The same was true for subcatastrophic ligament failure strains, except in the presence of a pretorque. Pretorque of the head and neck increases facet capsular strains, supporting its role in the whiplash mechanism. Although the facet capsule does not appear to be at risk for gross injury during normal bending motions, a small portion of the population may be at risk for subcatastrophic injury.

  8. Optical fiber end-facet polymer suspended-mirror devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Mian; Wu, Jushuai; Zhang, A. Ping; Tam, Hwa-Yaw; Wai, P. K. A.

    2017-04-01

    This paper presents a novel optical fiber device based on a polymer suspended mirror on the end facet of an optical fiber. With an own-developed optical 3D micro-printing technology, SU-8 suspended-mirror devices (SMDs) were successfully fabricated on the top of a standard single-mode optical fiber. Optical reflection spectra of the fabricated SU- 8 SMDs were measured and compared with theoretical analysis. The proposed technology paves a way towards 3D microengineering of the small end-facet of optical fibers to develop novel fiber-optic sensors.

  9. Buckling behavior of origami unit cell facets under compressive loads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kshad, Mohamed Ali Emhmed; Naguib, Hani E.

    2018-03-01

    Origami structures as cores for sandwich structures are designed to withstand the compressive loads and to dissipate compressive energy. The deformation of the origami panels and the unit cell facets are the primary factors behind the compressive energy dissipation in origami structures. During the loading stage, the origami structures deform through the folding and unfolding process of the unit cell facets, and also through the plastic deformation of the facets. This work presents a numerical study of the buckling behavior of different origami unit cell elements under compressive loading. The studied origami configurations were Miura and Ron-Resch-like origami structures. Finite element package was used to model the origami structures. The study investigated the buckling behavior of the unit cell facets of two types of origami structures Miura origami and Ron-Resch-Like origami structures. The simulation was conducted using ANSYS finite element software, in which the model of the unit cell represented by shell elements, and the eigenvalues buckling solver was used to predict the theoretical buckling of the unit cell elements.

  10. [Computer modeling the hydrostatic pressure characteristics of the membrane potential for polymeric membrane, separated non-homogeneous electrolyte solutions].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slezak, Izabella H; Jasik-Slezak, Jolanta; Rogal, Mirosława; Slezak, Andrzej

    2006-01-01

    On the basis of model equation depending the membrane potential deltapsis, on mechanical pressure difference (deltaP), concentration polarization coefficient (zetas), concentration Rayleigh number (RC) and ratio concentration of solutions separated by membrane (Ch/Cl), the characteristics deltapsis = f(deltaP)zetas,RC,Ch/Cl for steady values of zetas, RC and Ch/Cl in single-membrane system were calculated. In this system neutral and isotropic polymeric membrane oriented in horizontal plane, the non-homogeneous binary electrolytic solutions of various concentrations were separated. Nonhomogeneity of solutions is results from creations of the concentration boundary layers on both sides of the membrane. Calculations were made for the case where on a one side of the membrane aqueous solution of NaCl at steady concentration 10(-3) mol x l(-1) (Cl) was placed and on the other aqueous solutions of NaCl at concentrations from 10(-3) mol x l(-1) to 2 x 10(-2) mol x l(-1) (Ch). Their densities were greater than NaCl solution's at 10(-3) mol x l(-1). It was shown that membrane potential depends on hydrodynamic state of a complex concentration boundary layer-membrane-concentration boundary layer, what is controlled by deltaP, Ch/Cl, RC and zetas.

  11. Mathematical modeling of methyl ester concentration distribution in a continuous membrane tubular reactor and comparison with conventional tubular reactor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talaghat, M. R.; Jokar, S. M.; Modarres, E.

    2017-10-01

    The reduction of fossil fuel resources and environmental issues made researchers find alternative fuels include biodiesels. One of the most widely used methods for production of biodiesel on a commercial scale is transesterification method. In this work, the biodiesel production by a transesterification method was modeled. Sodium hydroxide was considered as a catalyst to produce biodiesel from canola oil and methanol in a continuous tubular ceramic membranes reactor. As the Biodiesel production reaction from triglycerides is an equilibrium reaction, the reaction rate constants depend on temperature and related linearly to catalyst concentration. By using the mass balance for a membrane tubular reactor and considering the variation of raw materials and products concentration with time, the set of governing equations were solved by numerical methods. The results clearly show the superiority of membrane reactor than conventional tubular reactors. Afterward, the influences of molar ratio of alcohol to oil, weight percentage of the catalyst, and residence time on the performance of biodiesel production reactor were investigated.

  12. [Feasibility and accuracy of ultrasound-guided methodology in the examination of lumbar spine facet joints].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Chuan-Bing; Li, Yong-Zhong; Tang, Qin-Qin; Sun, Lin; Xiao, Hong; Yang, Bang-Xiang; Song, Li; Liu, Hui

    2013-03-01

    To investigate the feasibility, accuracy of B ultrasound in the examination of joint space of lumbar spine facet joints compared with CT scan. Ten healthy adult volunteers were enrolled. The joint space of lumbar facet joints was measured by ultrasound. To identify the spinal levels, the posterior parasagittal sonograms were obtained at levels L1 to S1. The lumbar facet joints were delineated with the help of transverse sonograms at each level. Meanwhile, the lumbar facet joints were evaluated by spiral CT on the same plane, reformatted to 1-mm axial slices. A total of 88 lumbar facet joints from L1 to S1 were clearly visualized in the 10 volunteers. Both ultrasound and CT measurements showed the same average depth and lateral distance of lumbar facet joint space (P > 0.05). The lumbar facet joint space can be accurately demonstrated by ultrasound.

  13. Fiber facet gratings for high power fiber lasers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanek, Martin; Vanis, Jan; Baravets, Yauhen; Todorov, Filip; Ctyroky, Jiri; Honzatko, Pavel

    2017-12-01

    We numerically investigated the properties of diffraction gratings designated for fabrication on the facet of an optical fiber. The gratings are intended to be used in high-power fiber lasers as mirrors either with a low or high reflectivity. The modal reflectance of low reflectivity polarizing grating has a value close to 3% for TE mode while it is significantly suppressed for TM mode. Such a grating can be fabricated on laser output fiber facet. The polarizing grating with high modal reflectance is designed as a leaky-mode resonant diffraction grating. The grating can be etched in a thin layer of high index dielectric which is sputtered on fiber facet. We used refractive index of Ta2O5 for such a layer. We found that modal reflectance can be close to 0.95 for TE polarization and polarization extinction ratio achieves 18 dB. Rigorous coupled wave analysis was used for fast optimization of grating parameters while aperiodic rigorous coupled wave analysis, Fourier modal method and finite difference time domain method were compared and used to compute modal reflectance of designed gratings.

  14. Fouling in Membrane Distillation, Osmotic Distillation and Osmotic Membrane Distillation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mourad Laqbaqbi

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Various membrane separation processes are being used for seawater desalination and treatment of wastewaters in order to deal with the worldwide water shortage problem. Different types of membranes of distinct morphologies, structures and physico-chemical characteristics are employed. Among the considered membrane technologies, membrane distillation (MD, osmotic distillation (OD and osmotic membrane distillation (OMD use porous and hydrophobic membranes for production of distilled water and/or concentration of wastewaters for recovery and recycling of valuable compounds. However, the efficiency of these technologies is hampered by fouling phenomena. This refers to the accumulation of organic/inorganic deposits including biological matter on the membrane surface and/or in the membrane pores. Fouling in MD, OD and OMD differs from that observed in electric and pressure-driven membrane processes such electrodialysis (ED, membrane capacitive deionization (MCD, reverse osmosis (RO, nanofiltration (NF, ultrafiltration (UF, microfiltration (MF, etc. Other than pore blockage, fouling in MD, OD and OMD increases the risk of membrane pores wetting and reduces therefore the quantity and quality of the produced water or the concentration efficiency of the process. This review deals with the observed fouling phenomena in MD, OD and OMD. It highlights different detected fouling types (organic fouling, inorganic fouling and biofouling, fouling characterization techniques as well as various methods of fouling reduction including pretreatment, membrane modification, membrane cleaning and antiscalants application.

  15. Some Results on facets for linear inequality in 0-1 variables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Sashi Bhusan

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The facet of Knapsack ploytope, i.e. convex hull of 0-1 points satisfying a given linear inequality has been presented in this current paper. Such type of facets plays an important role in set covering set partitioning, matroidal-intersection vertex- packing, generalized assignment and other combinatorial problems. Strong covers for facets of Knapsack ploytope has been developed in the first part of the present paper. Generating family of valid cutting planes that satisfy inequality with 0-1 variables through algorithms are the attraction of this paper.

  16. The diagnostic value of the lactate concentration in the vaginal fluid for diagnosis of premature rupture of membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N Nazari

    2013-11-01

    Conclusion: Test of Lactate concentration in vaginal fluid test is a valid, quick and easy with high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of premature rupture of membranes the fetus of pregnant women.

  17. Development of composite membranes of PVA-TEOS doped KOH for alkaline membrane fuel cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haryadi,; Sugianto, D.; Ristopan, E.

    2015-01-01

    Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) play an important role in separating fuel and oxygen (or air) in the Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cells. Preparation of hybrid organic inorganic materials of Polyvinylalcohol (PVA) - Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) composite membrane doped KOH for direct alcohol alkaline fuel cell application has been investigated. The sol-gel method has been used to prepare the composite membrane of PVA-TEOS through crosslinking step and catalyzed by concentrated of hydrochloric acid. The gel solution was cast on the membrane plastic plate to obtain membrane sheets. The dry membranes were then doped by immersing in various concentrations of KOH solutions for about 4 hours. Investigations of the cross-linking process and the presence of hydroxyl group were conducted by FTIR as shown for frequency at about 1600 cm −1 and 3300 cm −1 respectively. The degree of swelling in ethanol decreased as the KOH concentration for membrane soaking process increased. The ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the membrane was 0.25meq/g. This composite membranes display significant ionic conductivity of 3.23 x 10 −2 S/cm in deionized water at room temperature. In addition, the morphology observation by scanning electron microscope (SEM) of the membrane indicates that soaking process of membrane in KOH increased thermal resistant

  18. Development of composite membranes of PVA-TEOS doped KOH for alkaline membrane fuel cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haryadi, Sugianto, D.; Ristopan, E.

    2015-12-01

    Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) play an important role in separating fuel and oxygen (or air) in the Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cells. Preparation of hybrid organic inorganic materials of Polyvinylalcohol (PVA) - Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) composite membrane doped KOH for direct alcohol alkaline fuel cell application has been investigated. The sol-gel method has been used to prepare the composite membrane of PVA-TEOS through crosslinking step and catalyzed by concentrated of hydrochloric acid. The gel solution was cast on the membrane plastic plate to obtain membrane sheets. The dry membranes were then doped by immersing in various concentrations of KOH solutions for about 4 hours. Investigations of the cross-linking process and the presence of hydroxyl group were conducted by FTIR as shown for frequency at about 1600 cm-1 and 3300 cm-1 respectively. The degree of swelling in ethanol decreased as the KOH concentration for membrane soaking process increased. The ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the membrane was 0.25meq/g. This composite membranes display significant ionic conductivity of 3.23 x 10-2 S/cm in deionized water at room temperature. In addition, the morphology observation by scanning electron microscope (SEM) of the membrane indicates that soaking process of membrane in KOH increased thermal resistant.

  19. Development of composite membranes of PVA-TEOS doped KOH for alkaline membrane fuel cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haryadi,, E-mail: haryadi@polban.ac.id; Sugianto, D.; Ristopan, E. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Bandung Jl. Gegerkalong Hilir, Ds. Ciwaruga, Bandung West Java (Indonesia)

    2015-12-29

    Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) play an important role in separating fuel and oxygen (or air) in the Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cells. Preparation of hybrid organic inorganic materials of Polyvinylalcohol (PVA) - Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) composite membrane doped KOH for direct alcohol alkaline fuel cell application has been investigated. The sol-gel method has been used to prepare the composite membrane of PVA-TEOS through crosslinking step and catalyzed by concentrated of hydrochloric acid. The gel solution was cast on the membrane plastic plate to obtain membrane sheets. The dry membranes were then doped by immersing in various concentrations of KOH solutions for about 4 hours. Investigations of the cross-linking process and the presence of hydroxyl group were conducted by FTIR as shown for frequency at about 1600 cm{sup −1} and 3300 cm{sup −1} respectively. The degree of swelling in ethanol decreased as the KOH concentration for membrane soaking process increased. The ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the membrane was 0.25meq/g. This composite membranes display significant ionic conductivity of 3.23 x 10{sup −2} S/cm in deionized water at room temperature. In addition, the morphology observation by scanning electron microscope (SEM) of the membrane indicates that soaking process of membrane in KOH increased thermal resistant.

  20. Hemorrhagic lumbar facet cysts accompanying a spinal subdural hematoma at the same level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeda, Osamu; Minami, Norihiko; Yamazaki, Masashi; Koda, Masao; Morinaga, Tatsuo

    2015-03-01

    We present a rare and interesting case of hemorrhagic lumbar facet cysts accompanying a spinal subdural hematoma at the same level suggesting a possible mechanism by which spinal subdural hematomas can arise. A 71-year-old man presented with persistent sciatic pain and intermittent claudication. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a multilocular mass lesion that showed high signal intensity in both T1- and T2-weighted images, and was located both inside and outside of the spinal canal. Computed tomographic myelography showed a cap-shaped block of the dural tube at L5 and computed tomography with L5-S facet arthrography demonstrated cystic masses. The patient was diagnosed with lumbar radiculopathy caused by hemorrhagic facet cysts, and then progressed to surgical treatment. Surgery revealed that the cysts contained blood clots, and intraoperative findings that the inside of the dural tube appeared blackish and that the dural tube was tensely ballooned after removal of the cysts led us to explorative durotomy. The durotomy demonstrated concentrated old blood pooling both in the dorsal and ventral subdural space, and these spaces were subsequently drained. After surgery, his sciatic pain and intermittent claudication resolved. There was no evidence of cyst mass recurrence at 2 years of follow-up. We propose a newly described mechanism for the formation of spinal subdural hematomas. We recommend surgeons be alert to epidural lesions causing repeated acute compression of the dural tube, which can cause spinal subdural hematoma, and consider the possible coexistence of these lesions in diagnosis and strategic surgical decisions.

  1. [Features of the new minimally invasive techniques facet fixation system «Facet Wedge» in the treatment of degenerative diseases of the lumbar spine in elderly patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byvaltsev, V A; Kalinin, A A; Okoneshnikova, A K

    2017-01-01

    The aim of the study was a comparative analysis of the clinical and radiographic effectiveness of the use of interbody fusion and open pedicle screw stabilization of simultaneous and new minimally invasive techniques facet fixation system «Facet Wedge» in the treatment of degenerative diseases of the lumbar spine in elderly patients. The study included 39 elderly patients (older than 60), which carries out the transforaminal interbody fusion Cage «T-pal»: open transpedicaular stabilization was used in 1st group (n=23), ipsilateral open transpedicular stabilization with contralateral transfaset installing titanium Cage «facet Wedge» -in 2nd group (n=16). We used intraoperative interventions and specific post-operative patient management, clinical data and radiographic outcomes for a comparative analysis of the parameters. Dynamic assessment was made in a period of 8 to 36 months after surgery (median 24 mo.). As a result, it found that the use of the system «facet Wedge» allows you to achieve the best clinical outcomes and fewer postoperative complications compared with open transpedicular stabilization in similar radiographic findings of bone block formation. Low traumatic facet fixation makes it possible to use methods for the treatment of elderly patients with degenerative diseases of the lumbosacral spine.

  2. Facets of emotional awareness and associations with emotion regulation and depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boden, Matthew Tyler; Thompson, Renee J

    2015-06-01

    Emotion theories posit that effective emotion regulation depends upon the nuanced information provided by emotional awareness; attending to and understanding one's own emotions. Additionally, the strong associations between facets of emotional awareness and various forms of psychopathology may be partially attributable to associations with emotion regulation. These logically compelling hypotheses are largely uninvestigated, including which facets compose emotional awareness and how they relate to emotion regulation strategies and psychopathology. We used exploratory structural equation modeling of individual difference measures among a large adult sample (n = 919) recruited online. Results distinguished 4 facets of emotional awareness (type clarity, source clarity, involuntary attention to emotion, and voluntary attention to emotion) that were differentially associated with expressive suppression, acceptance of emotions, and cognitive reappraisal. Facets were associated with depression both directly and indirectly via associations with emotion regulation strategies. We discuss implications for theory and research on emotional awareness, emotion regulation, and psychopathology. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. Faceted shell structure in grain boundary diffusion-processed sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seelam, U.M.R.; Ohkubo, T.; Abe, T.; Hirosawa, S.; Hono, K., E-mail: kazuhiro.hono@nims.go.jp

    2014-12-25

    Graphical abstract: The grain boundary diffusion process (GBDP) using a heavy rare earth elements (HRE) such as Dy and Tb is known as an effective method to enhance the coercivity of Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets without reducing remanence. This process has been industrially implemented to manufacture Nd–Fe–B based sintered magnets with high coercivity and high remanence. In this process, Dy is considered to diffuse through grain boundaries (GBs) to form (Nd{sub 1−x}Dy{sub x}){sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B shells surrounding the Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B grains and the higher anisotropy field of the Dy-rich shell is considered to suppress the nucleation of reverse domains at low magnetic field. Although there are several investigations on the microstructure of HRE GBDP Nd–Fe–B magnets, no paper addressed the origin of the asymmetric formation of HRE rich shells. Based on detailed analysis of facet planes of core/shell interfaces, we propose a mechanism of the faceted core/shell microstructure formation in the GBDP sintered magnets. We believe that this gives new insights on understanding the coercivity enhancement by the GBDP. - Highlights: • Faceting was observed at the interfaces of cores and shells. • The core/shell interfaces are sharp with an abrupt change in Dy concentration. • Meting occurs at the interfaces of metalic Nd-rich/Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B phases above 685 °C due to eutectic reaction. • Solidification of Dy-enriched liquid phase from 900 °C can result in the shell formation. - Abstract: Dysprosium enriched shell structure formed by the grain boundary diffusion process (GBDP) of a sintered Nd–Fe–B magnet was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, electron back-scattered diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Faceted core–shell interfaces with an abrupt change in Dy concentration suggest the Dy-rich shells are formed by the solidification of the liquid phase during cooling from the GBDP temperature. The Nd-rich phases

  4. Membrane with integrated spacer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Balster, J.H.; Stamatialis, Dimitrios; Wessling, Matthias

    2010-01-01

    Many membrane processes are severely influenced by concentration polarisation. Turbulence promoting spacers placed in between the membranes can reduce the diffusional resistance of concentration polarisation by inducing additional mixing. Electrodialysis (ED) used for desalination suffers from

  5. Job Stress, Employee Health, and Organizational Effectiveness: A Facet Analysis, Model, and Literature Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beehr, Terry A.; Newman, John E.

    1978-01-01

    The empirical research on job stress and employee health is reviewed within the context of six facets (environmental, personal, process, human consequences, organizational consequences, and time) of a seven facet conceptualization of the job stress-employee health research domain. Models are proposed for tying the facets together. (Author/SJL)

  6. A practical scale for Multi-Faceted Organizational Health Climate Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zweber, Zandra M; Henning, Robert A; Magley, Vicki J

    2016-04-01

    The current study sought to develop a practical scale to measure 3 facets of workplace health climate from the employee perspective as an important component of a healthy organization. The goal was to create a short, usable yet comprehensive scale that organizations and occupational health professionals could use to determine if workplace health interventions were needed. The proposed Multi-faceted Organizational Health Climate Assessment (MOHCA) scale assesses facets that correspond to 3 organizational levels: (a) workgroup, (b) supervisor, and (c) organization. Ten items were developed and tested on 2 distinct samples, 1 cross-organization and 1 within-organization. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a 9-item, hierarchical 3-factor structure. Tests confirmed MOHCA has convergent validity with related constructs, such as perceived organizational support and supervisor support, as well as discriminant validity with safety climate. Lastly, criterion-related validity was found between MOHCA and health-related outcomes. The multi-faceted nature of MOHCA provides a scale that has face validity and can be easily translated into practice, offering a means for diagnosing the shortcomings of an organization or workgroup's health climate to better plan health and well-being interventions. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Progress report for FACETS (Framework Application for Core-Edge Transport Simulations): C.S. SAP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Epperly, T W

    2008-10-01

    The mission of the Computer Science Scientific Application Partnership (C.S. SAP) at LLNL is to develop and apply leading-edge scientific component technology to FACETS software. Contributions from LLNL's fusion energy program staff towards the underlying physics modules are described in a separate report. FACETS uses component technology to combine selectively multiple physics and solver software modules written in different languages by different institutions together in an tightly-integrated, parallel computing framework for Tokamak reactor modeling. In the past fiscal year, the C.S. SAP has focused on two primary tasks: applying Babel to connect UEDGE into the FACETS framework through UEDGE's existing Python interface and developing a next generation componentization strategy for UEDGE which avoids the use of Python. The FACETS project uses Babel to solve its language interoperability challenges. Specific accomplishments for the year include: (1) Refined SIDL interfaces for UEDGE to meet satisfy the standard interfaces required by FACETS for all physics modules. This required consensus building between framework and UEDGE developers. (2) Wrote prototype C++ driver for UEDGE to demonstrate how UEDGE can be called from C++ using Babel. (3) Supported the FACETS project by adding new features to Babel such as release number tagging, porting to new machines, and adding new configuration options. Babel modifications were delivered to FACETS by testing and publishing development snapshots in the projects software repository. (4) Assisted Tech-X Corporation in testing and debugging of a high level build system for the complete FACETS tool chain--the complete list of third-party software libraries that FACETS depends on directly or indirectly (e.g., MPI, HDF5, PACT, etc.). (5) Designed and implemented a new approach to wrapping UEDGE as a FACETS component without requiring Python. To get simulation results as soon as possible, our initial connection from the

  8. Progress report for FACETS (Framework Application for Core-Edge Transport Simulations): C.S. SAP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Epperly, T.W.

    2008-01-01

    The mission of the Computer Science Scientific Application Partnership (C.S. SAP) at LLNL is to develop and apply leading-edge scientific component technology to FACETS software. Contributions from LLNL's fusion energy program staff towards the underlying physics modules are described in a separate report. FACETS uses component technology to combine selectively multiple physics and solver software modules written in different languages by different institutions together in an tightly-integrated, parallel computing framework for Tokamak reactor modeling. In the past fiscal year, the C.S. SAP has focused on two primary tasks: applying Babel to connect UEDGE into the FACETS framework through UEDGE's existing Python interface and developing a next generation componentization strategy for UEDGE which avoids the use of Python. The FACETS project uses Babel to solve its language interoperability challenges. Specific accomplishments for the year include: (1) Refined SIDL interfaces for UEDGE to meet satisfy the standard interfaces required by FACETS for all physics modules. This required consensus building between framework and UEDGE developers. (2) Wrote prototype C++ driver for UEDGE to demonstrate how UEDGE can be called from C++ using Babel. (3) Supported the FACETS project by adding new features to Babel such as release number tagging, porting to new machines, and adding new configuration options. Babel modifications were delivered to FACETS by testing and publishing development snapshots in the projects software repository. (4) Assisted Tech-X Corporation in testing and debugging of a high level build system for the complete FACETS tool chain--the complete list of third-party software libraries that FACETS depends on directly or indirectly (e.g., MPI, HDF5, PACT, etc.). (5) Designed and implemented a new approach to wrapping UEDGE as a FACETS component without requiring Python. To get simulation results as soon as possible, our initial connection from the FACETS

  9. Surface Area of Patellar Facets: Inferential Statistics in the Iraqi Population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Al-Imam

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. The patella is the largest sesamoid bone in the body; its three-dimensional complexity necessitates biomechanical perfection. Numerous pathologies occur at the patellofemoral unit which may end in degenerative changes. This study aims to test the presence of statistical correlation between the surface areas of patellar facets and other patellar morphometric parameters. Materials and Methods. Forty dry human patellae were studied. The morphometry of each patella was measured using a digital Vernier Caliper, electronic balance, and image analyses software known as ImageJ. The patellar facetal surface area was correlated with patellar weight, height, width, and thickness. Results. Inferential statistics proved the existence of linear correlation of total facetal surface area and patellar weight, height, width, and thickness. The correlation was strongest for surface area versus patellar weight. The lateral facetal area was found persistently larger than the medial facetal area, the p value was found to be <0.001 (one-tailed t-test for right patellae, and another significant p value of < 0.001 (one-tailed t-test was found for left patellae. Conclusion. These data are vital for the restoration of the normal biomechanics of the patellofemoral unit; these are to be consulted during knee surgeries and implant designs and can be of an indispensable anthropometric, interethnic, and biometric value.

  10. Cross-cultural evidence for the two-facet structure of pride

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Yan; Chung, Joanne M.; Cheng, Joey T.; Tracy, Jessica L.; Robins, Richard W.; Chen, Xiao; Zheng, Yong

    2016-01-01

    Across six studies conducted in Mainland China and South Korea, the present research extended prior findings showing that pride is comprised of two distinct conceptual and experiential facets in the U.S.: a pro-social, achievement-oriented “authentic pride”, and an arrogant, self-aggrandizing “hubristic pride”. This same two-facet structure emerged in Chinese participants’ semantic conceptualizations of pride (Study 1), Chinese and Koreans’ dispositional tendencies to experience pride (Studies 2, 3a, and 3b), Chinese and Koreans’ momentary pride experiences (Studies 3a, 3b, and 5), and Americans’ pride experiences using descriptors derived indigenously in Korea (Study 4). Together, these studies provide the first evidence that the two-facet structure of pride generalizes to cultures with highly divergent views of pride and self-enhancement processes from North America. PMID:27158171

  11. Cross-cultural evidence for the two-facet structure of pride.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Yan; Chung, Joanne M; Cheng, Joey T; Tracy, Jessica L; Robins, Richard W; Chen, Xiao; Zheng, Yong

    2015-04-01

    Across six studies conducted in Mainland China and South Korea, the present research extended prior findings showing that pride is comprised of two distinct conceptual and experiential facets in the U.S.: a pro-social, achievement-oriented "authentic pride", and an arrogant, self-aggrandizing "hubristic pride". This same two-facet structure emerged in Chinese participants' semantic conceptualizations of pride (Study 1), Chinese and Koreans' dispositional tendencies to experience pride (Studies 2, 3a, and 3b), Chinese and Koreans' momentary pride experiences (Studies 3a, 3b, and 5), and Americans' pride experiences using descriptors derived indigenously in Korea (Study 4). Together, these studies provide the first evidence that the two-facet structure of pride generalizes to cultures with highly divergent views of pride and self-enhancement processes from North America.

  12. A highly phosphorylated subpopulation of insulin-like growth factor II/mannose 6-phosphate receptors is concentrated in a clathrin-enriched plasma membrane fraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corvera, S.; Folander, K.; Clairmont, K.B.; Czech, M.P.

    1988-01-01

    Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II)/mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P) receptors immunoprecipitated from purified plasma membranes of 32 P-labeled rat adipocytes are markedly heterogenous in their phosphorylation state. Approximately 80% of the plasma membrane receptors are solubilized in 1% (vol/vol) Triton X-100 and are phosphorylated on serine residues at a stoichiometry of ∼ 0.1-0.2 mol of phosphate per mol of receptor. In contrast, 15-20% of the receptors are Triton X-100-insoluble and are phosphorylated on serine and threonine residues at ∼ 4 or 5 mol of phosphate per mol of receptor. This Triton X-100-insoluble membrane subfraction contains only 5% of the total plasma membrane protein and yet contains all of the clathrin heavy chain associated with plasma membrane. Based on the relative yields of protein in the detergent-insoluble material, IGF-II/Man-6-P receptors are concentrated ∼ 3-fold in this clathrin-enriched subfraction. Taken together, these results indicate that insulin decreases the phosphorylation state of a highly phosphorylated subpopulation of IGF-II/Man-6-P receptors on the plasma membrane. In addition, insulin action may prevent the concentration of these receptors in a clathrin-enriched membrane subfraction

  13. Exploring the relationship between facets of mindfulness and eating pathology in women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavender, Jason M; Gratz, Kim L; Tull, Matthew T

    2011-01-01

    Although researchers have examined the efficacy of acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions in the treatment of eating disorders, few studies have explored the association between trait mindfulness and eating pathology. Therefore, the purpose of the current investigation was to examine the unique associations between multiple facets of mindfulness (acting with awareness, nonreactivity, nonjudgment, describing, and observing) and eating pathology. Undergraduate women (N = 276) completed the Eating Attitudes Test-26, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, and the 21-item version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that four mindfulness facets (awareness, nonreactivity, nonjudgment, and describing) were uniquely associated with eating pathology above and beyond anxiety and depression symptoms. Results are discussed with regard to the potential role of various facets of trait mindfulness in eating pathology as well as the possible utility of mindfulness-based treatments for eating disorders.

  14. Rotational injury of cervical facets: CT analysis of fracture patterns with implications for management and neurologic outcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanmuganathan, K; Mirvis, S E; Levine, A M

    1994-11-01

    Imaging studies of patients with rotational facet injuries of the cervical spine were retrospectively reviewed to determine the prevalence and pattern of associated fractures, to correlate injury pattern with recommended surgical stabilization, and to assess neurologic outcome. Radiographs and CT scans obtained for 40 consecutive patients with rotational facet injuries of the cervical spine during a 70-month period were retrospectively reviewed to determine injury level, presence, and orientation of facet fractures, and concurrent nonfacet injuries. Imaging findings were reviewed to assess the likelihood of instability and to determine the most appropriate stabilization requirement. Medical records were reviewed to ascertain mechanism of injury, initial neurologic deficit, and surgical findings. Among the 40 patients with cervical rotational facet injuries, 11 (27%) had pure unilateral facet dislocation or subluxation without associated fractures, and 29 (73%) had concurrent facet fractures involving the inferior facet of the rotated vertebra (n = 13), the superior facet of the subjacent vertebra (n = 9), or both (n = 7). Injury of the rotated vertebra was unilateral in 22 patients but bilateral in 18 patients. Facet fractures frequently extended into the ipsilateral lamina or articular pillar or both. An avulsion fracture from the posteroinferior aspect of the rotated vertebral body, indicating disk disruption, occurred in 10 patients (25%), and seven patients (17%) had complete isolation of an articular pillar. Facet fractures were confirmed for 27 patients who underwent surgical stabilization. Neurologic deficits developed in 29 (73%) of the 40 patients and included radiculopathy in 11 patients and cord syndromes in 18 patients. Pure dislocation without a facet fracture was more likely to lead to a cord syndrome (p = .006). Cervical rotational facet injuries are often accompanied by facet fractures and bilateral damage of the rotated vertebra. These injuries

  15. Concentration gradient along the scala tympani after local application of gentamicin to the round window membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plontke, Stefan K; Mynatt, Robert; Gill, Ruth M; Borgmann, Stefan; Salt, Alec N

    2007-07-01

    The distribution of gentamicin along the fluid spaces of the cochlea after local applications has never previously been demonstrated. Computer simulations have predicted that significant basal-apical concentration gradients might be expected, and histologic studies indicate that hair cell damage is greater at the base than at the apex after local gentamicin application. In the present study, gradients of gentamicin along the cochlea were measured. A recently developed method of sampling perilymph from the cochlear apex of guinea pigs was used in which the samples represent fluid originating from different regions along the scala tympani. Gentamicin concentration was determined in sequential apical samples that were taken after up to 3 hours of local application to the round window niche. Substantial gradients of gentamicin along the length of the scala tympani were demonstrated and quantified, averaging more than 4,000 times greater concentration at the base compared with the apex at the time of sampling. Peak concentrations and gradients for gentamicin varied considerably between animals, likely resulting from variations in round window membrane permeability and rates of perilymph flow. The large gradients for gentamicin demonstrated here in guinea pigs account for how it is possible to suppress vestibular function in some patients with a local application of gentamicin without damaging auditory function. Variations in round window membrane permeability and in perilymph flow could account for why hearing losses are observed in some patients.

  16. Concentration gradient along scala tympani following the local application of gentamicin to the round window membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plontke, Stefan K.; Mynatt, Robert; Gill, Ruth M.; Borgmann, Stefan; Salt, Alec N.

    2008-01-01

    Objectives The distribution of gentamicin along the fluid spaces of the cochlea following local applications has never previously been demonstrated. Computer simulations have predicted that significant basal-apical concentration gradients might be expected and histological studies indicate that hair cell damage is greater at the base than at the apex following local gentamicin application. In the present study, gradients of gentamicin along the cochlea were measured. Methods A recently-developed method of sampling perilymph from the cochlear apex of guinea pigs was used, in which the samples represent fluid originating from different regions along scala tympani. Gentamicin concentration was determined in sequential apical samples which were taken following up to three hours of local application to the round window niche. Results Substantial gradients of gentamicin along the length of scala tympani were demonstrated and quantified, averaging more than 4000 times greater concentration at the base compared to the apex at the time of sampling. Peak concentrations and gradients for gentamicin varied considerably between animals, likely resulting from variations in round window membrane permeability and rates of perilymph flow. Conclusions The large gradients for gentamicin demonstrated here in guinea pigs account for how it is possible to suppress vestibular function in some patients with a local application of gentamicin without damaging auditory function. Variations in round window membrane permeability and in perilymph flow could account for why hearing losses are observed in some patients. PMID:17603318

  17. Genotoxicity assessment of membrane concentrates of landfill leachate treated with Fenton reagent and UV-Fenton reagent using human hepatoma cell line.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Guifang; Lu, Gang; Yin, Pinghe; Zhao, Ling; Yu, Qiming Jimmy

    2016-04-15

    Membrane concentrates of landfill leachates contain organic and inorganic contaminants that could be highly toxic and carcinogenic. In this paper, the genotoxicity of membrane concentrates before and after Fenton and UV-Fenton reagent was assessed. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity was determined by using the methods of methyltetrazolium (MTT), cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) and comet assay in human hepatoma cells. MTT assay showed a cytotoxicity of 75% after 24h of exposure to the highest tested concentration of untreated concentrates, and no cytotoxocity for UV-Fenton and Fenton treated concentrates. Both CBMN and comet assays showed increased levels of genotoxicity in cells exposed to untreated concentrates, compared to those occurred in cells exposed to UV-Fenton and Fenton reagent treated concentrates. There was no significant difference between negative control and UV-Fenton treated concentrates for micronucleus and comet assay parameters. UV-Fenton and Fenton treatment, especially the former, were effective methods for degradation of bisphenol A and nonylphenol in concentrates. These findings showed UV-Fenton and Fenton reaction were effective methods for treatment of such complex concentrates, UV-Fenton reagent provided toxicological safety of the treated effluent, and the genotoxicity assays were found to be feasible tools for assessment of toxicity risks of complex concentrates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Investigation on degradation mechanism of ion exchange membrane immersed in highly concentrated tritiated water under the Broader Approach Activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iwai, Yasunori, E-mail: iwai.yasunori@jaea.go.jp; Sato, Katsumi; Yamanishi, Toshihiko

    2014-10-15

    Highlights: • Endurance of Nafion ion exchange membrane immersed into 1.38 × 10{sup 12} Bq/kg of highly concentrated tritiated water has been demonstrated. • The formation of free hydrophobic free products by reactions between radicals on the membrane and oxygen caused the decrease in ionic conductivity. • From the {sup 19}F NMR spectrum, no distinctive degradation in the membrane structure by interaction with tritium was measured. - Abstract: The ion exchange membrane is a key material for electrolysis cells of the water detritiation system. Durability of ion exchange membrane has been demonstrated under the Broader Approach Activities. Long-term exposure of Nafion{sup ®} ion exchange membrane in 1.38 × 10{sup 12} Bq/kg of tritiated water was conducted at room temperature for up to 2 years. The ionic conductivity of Nafion{sup ®} membrane after immersed in tritiated water was changed. The change in color of membrane from colorless to yellowish was caused by reactions of radicals on the polymer and oxygen molecules in air. Infrared Fourier transform spectrum of a yellowish membrane revealed a small peak for bending vibration of C-H situated at 1437 cm{sup −1}, demonstrating the formation of hydrophobic functional group in the membrane. The hydrophilic network in Nafion{sup ®} membrane was partially obstructed by the hydrophobic free products. This caused the decrease in ionic conductivity. The peak for bending vibration was clearly eliminated in the spectrum of the membrane after treatment by acid for removal of free products. The high-resolution solid state {sup 19}F NMR spectrum of a membrane after immersed in tritiated water was similar to that of a membrane irradiated with gamma-rays. From the {sup 19}F NMR spectrum, no distinctive degradation in the membrane structure by interaction with tritium was measured.

  19. Investigation on degradation mechanism of ion exchange membrane immersed in highly concentrated tritiated water under the Broader Approach Activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwai, Yasunori; Sato, Katsumi; Yamanishi, Toshihiko

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Endurance of Nafion ion exchange membrane immersed into 1.38 × 10 12 Bq/kg of highly concentrated tritiated water has been demonstrated. • The formation of free hydrophobic free products by reactions between radicals on the membrane and oxygen caused the decrease in ionic conductivity. • From the 19 F NMR spectrum, no distinctive degradation in the membrane structure by interaction with tritium was measured. - Abstract: The ion exchange membrane is a key material for electrolysis cells of the water detritiation system. Durability of ion exchange membrane has been demonstrated under the Broader Approach Activities. Long-term exposure of Nafion ® ion exchange membrane in 1.38 × 10 12 Bq/kg of tritiated water was conducted at room temperature for up to 2 years. The ionic conductivity of Nafion ® membrane after immersed in tritiated water was changed. The change in color of membrane from colorless to yellowish was caused by reactions of radicals on the polymer and oxygen molecules in air. Infrared Fourier transform spectrum of a yellowish membrane revealed a small peak for bending vibration of C-H situated at 1437 cm −1 , demonstrating the formation of hydrophobic functional group in the membrane. The hydrophilic network in Nafion ® membrane was partially obstructed by the hydrophobic free products. This caused the decrease in ionic conductivity. The peak for bending vibration was clearly eliminated in the spectrum of the membrane after treatment by acid for removal of free products. The high-resolution solid state 19 F NMR spectrum of a membrane after immersed in tritiated water was similar to that of a membrane irradiated with gamma-rays. From the 19 F NMR spectrum, no distinctive degradation in the membrane structure by interaction with tritium was measured

  20. Isolation and Characterization of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells From Facet Joints and Interspinous Ligaments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kristjánsson, Baldur; Limthongkul, Worawat; Yingsakmongkol, Wicharn; Thantiworasit, Pattarawat; Jirathanathornnukul, Napaphat; Honsawek, Sittisak

    2016-01-01

    A descriptive in vitro study on isolation and differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from the facet joints and interspinous ligaments. To isolate cells from the facet joints and interspinous ligaments and investigate their surface marker profile and differentiation potentials. Lumbar spinal canal stenosis and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament are progressive conditions characterized by the hypertrophy and ossification of ligaments and joints within the spinal canal. MSCs are believed to play a role in the advancement of these diseases and the existence of MSCs has been demonstrated within the ligamentum flavum and posterior longitudinal ligament. The aim of this study was to investigate whether these cells could also be found within facet joints and interspinous ligaments. Samples were harvested from 10 patients undergoing spinal surgery. The MSCs from facet joints and interspinous ligaments were isolated using direct tissue explant technique. Cell surface antigen profilings were performed via flow cytometry. Their lineage differentiation potentials were analyzed. The facet joints and interspinous ligaments-derived MSCs have the tri-lineage potential to be differentiated into osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic cells under appropriate inductions. Flow cytometry analysis revealed both cell lines expressed MSCs markers. Both facet joints and interspinous ligaments-derived MSCs expressed marker genes for osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. The facet joints and interspinous ligaments may provide alternative sources of MSCs for tissue engineering applications. The facet joints and interspinous ligaments-derived MSCs are part of the microenvironment of the human ligaments of the spinal column and might play a crucial role in the development and progression of degenerative spine conditions.

  1. Controlled synthesis and facets-dependent photocatalysis of TiO2 nanocrystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Nitish; Park, Yohan; Sohn, Youngku; Pradhan, Debabrata

    2015-04-01

    Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a wide band gap semiconductor that has been extensively used in several environmental applications including degradation of organic hazardous chemicals, water splitting to generate hydrogen, dye sensitized solar cells, self cleaning agents, and pigments. Herein we demonstrate the synthesis of TiO2 nanocrystals (NCs) with the shapes of ellipsoids, rods, cuboids, and sheets with different exposed facets using a noncorrosive and nontoxic chemical (i.e. diethanolamine) as the shape controlling agent, unlike hydrofluoric acid commonly used. The TiO2 NCs of diverse shapes with different exposed facets were tested for photocatalytic hydroxyl radical (OH•) formation, which determines their photocatalytic behavior and the results were compared with the standard P-25 Degussa. The formation rate of OH• per specific surface area was found to be >6 fold higher for rod-shaped TiO2 NCs than that of commercial Degussa P25 catalyst. The highest photocatalytic activity of rod-shaped TiO2 NCs is ascribed to the unique chemical environment of {010} exposed facets which facilitates the electron/hole separation in presence of {101} facets.

  2. CO-CO coupling on Cu facets: Coverage, strain and field effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sandberg, Robert B.; Montoya, Joseph H.; Chan, Karen; Nørskov, Jens K.

    2016-01-01

    We present a DFT study on the effect of coverage, strain, and electric field on CO-CO coupling energetics on Cu (100), (111), and (211). Our calculations indicate that CO-CO coupling is facile on all three facets in the presence of a cation-induced electric field in the Helmholtz plane, with the lowest barrier on Cu(100). The CO dimerization pathway is therefore expected to play a role in C_2 formation at potentials negative of the Cu potential of zero charge, corresponding to CO_2/CO reduction conditions at high pH. Both increased *CO coverage and tensile strain further improve C-C coupling energetics on Cu (111) and (211). Since CO dimerization is facile on all 3 Cu facets, subsequent surface hydrogenation steps may also play an important role in determining the overall activity towards C_2 products. Adsorption of *CO, *H, and *OH on the 3 facets were investigated with a Pourbaix analysis. Here, the (211) facet has the largest propensity to co-adsorb *CO and *H, which would favor surface hydrogenation following CO dimerization.

  3. Correlation between facet tropism and lumbar degenerative disease: a retrospective analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Tian; Lai, Qi; Zhou, Song; Liu, Xuqiang; Liu, Yuan; Zhan, Ping; Yu, Xiaolong; Xiao, Jun; Dai, Min; Zhang, Bin

    2017-11-22

    The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between facet tropism and spinal degenerative diseases, such as degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis, degenerative lumbar scoliosis, and lumbar disc herniation. This study retrospectively analysed clinical data from the Department of Orthopaedics at The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. Ninety-two patients were diagnosed with lumbar spondylolisthesis, 64 patients with degenerative scoliosis, and 86 patients with lumbar disc herniation between 1 October 2014 and 1 October 2016. All patients were diagnosed using 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging and underwent conservative or operative treatment. Facet tropism was defined as greater than a ten degree between the facet joint angles on both sides. For L3-L4 degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis, one out of six cases had tropism compared to seven out of the 86 controls (p = 0.474). At the L4-L5 level, 17/50 cases had tropism compared to 4/42 cases in the control group (p = 0.013). At the L5-S1 level, 18/36 cases had tropism compared to 7/56 controls (p = 0.000). For degenerative lumbar scoliosis at the L1-L5 level, 83/256 cases had tropism as compared to 36/256 controls (p = 0.000). For L3-L4 lumbar disc herniation two out of eight cases had tropism compared to 14/78 controls (p = 0.625). At the L4-L5 level, 19/44 cases had tropism compared to four out of 42 controls (p = 0.001). At the L5-S1 level, 24/34 cases had tropism compared to 10/52 controls (p = 0.000). At the L4-5 and L5-S1 levels, facet tropism is associated with degenerative spondylolisthesis. In the degenerative lumbar scoliosis group, the number of case with facet tropism was significantly higher than that of the control group. Facet tropism was associated with lumbar disc herniation at the L4-5 and L5-S1 levels. Overall, in these three lumbar degenerative diseases, facet tropism is a common phenomenon.

  4. Faceting of stepped silicon (1 1 3) surfaces: Self assembly of nanoscale gratings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mochrie, S. G. J.; Song, S.; Yoon, Mirang; Abernathy, D. L.; Stephenson, G. B.

    1996-02-01

    Synchrotron X-ray scattering studies of the phase behavior and phase transformations of stepped Si(113) surfaces tilted towards [001] are reviewed for temperatures between 300 and 1500 K. At the highest temperatures, these surfaces are uniformly stepped, and the intensity of near-specularly scattered X-rays increases with decreasing temperature. This is two-dimensional critical opalescence, which foreshadows a faceting transformation. At temperatures below the faceting transformation, (113) facets appear in coexistence with a stepped phase, leading to a mesoscopically grooved morphology. Both the misorientation angle at the phase boundary separating one- and two-phase regions and the intensity of the near-specular diffuse scattering may be described as power laws versus reduced temperature. This can be understood qualitatively on the basis of a mean-field theory, which incorporates an attractive interaction between steps. At lower temperatures, the surfaces are completely faceted, comprising (114) and (113) facets. The kinetics of faceting is also described. Following a quench from a one-phase region of the phase diagram into a two-phase region, the grooved superstructure forms and subsequently coarsens in time. For times between one and several hundred seconds, the surface morphology is self-similar at different times, with a characteristic groove size that evolves as a power law versus time. At later times, the groove size approaches a limiting value, as a result of elastic effects.

  5. Patterns of astragalar fibular facet orientation in extant and fossil primates and their evolutionary implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyer, Doug M; Seiffert, Erik R

    2013-07-01

    A laterally sloping fibular facet of the astragalus (=talus) has been proposed as one of few osteological synapomorphies of strepsirrhine primates, but the feature has never been comprehensively quantified. We describe a method for calculating fibular facet orientation on digital models of astragali as the angle between the planes of the fibular facet and the lateral tibial facet. We calculated this value in a sample that includes all major extant primate clades, a diversity of Paleogene primates, and nonprimate euarchontans (n = 304). Results show that previous characterization of a divide between extant haplorhines and strepsirrhines is accurate, with little overlap even when individual data points are considered. Fibular facet orientation is conserved in extant strepsirrhines despite major differences in locomotion and body size, while extant anthropoids are more variable (e.g., low values for catarrhines relative to non-callitrichine platyrrhines). Euprimate outgroups exhibit a mosaic of character states with Cynocephalus having a more obtuse strepsirrhine-like facet and sampled treeshrews and plesiadapiforms having more acute haplorhine-like facets. Surprisingly, the earliest species of the adapiform Cantius have steep haplorhine-like facets as well. We used a Bayesian approach to reconstruct the evolution of fibular facet orientation as a continuous character across a supertree of living and extinct primates. Mean estimates for crown Primatomorpha (97.9°), Primates (99.5°), Haplorhini (98.7°), and Strepsirrhini (108.2°) support the hypothesis that the strepsirrhine condition is derived, while lower values for crown Anthropoidea (92.8°) and Catarrhini (88.9°) are derived in the opposite direction. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. FACET: A simulation software framework for modeling complex societal processes and interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Christiansen, J. H.

    2000-06-02

    FACET, the Framework for Addressing Cooperative Extended Transactions, was developed at Argonne National Laboratory to address the need for a simulation software architecture in the style of an agent-based approach, but with sufficient robustness, expressiveness, and flexibility to be able to deal with the levels of complexity seen in real-world social situations. FACET is an object-oriented software framework for building models of complex, cooperative behaviors of agents. It can be used to implement simulation models of societal processes such as the complex interplay of participating individuals and organizations engaged in multiple concurrent transactions in pursuit of their various goals. These transactions can be patterned on, for example, clinical guidelines and procedures, business practices, government and corporate policies, etc. FACET can also address other complex behaviors such as biological life cycles or manufacturing processes. To date, for example, FACET has been applied to such areas as land management, health care delivery, avian social behavior, and interactions between natural and social processes in ancient Mesopotamia.

  7. Liver plasma membranes: an effective method to analyze membrane proteome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Rui; Liang, Songping

    2012-01-01

    Plasma membrane proteins are critical for the maintenance of biological systems and represent important targets for the treatment of disease. The hydrophobicity and low abundance of plasma membrane proteins make them difficult to analyze. The protocols given here are the efficient isolation/digestion procedures for liver plasma membrane proteomic analysis. Both protocol for the isolation of plasma membranes and protocol for the in-gel digestion of gel-embedded plasma membrane proteins are presented. The later method allows the use of a high detergent concentration to achieve efficient solubilization of hydrophobic plasma membrane proteins while avoiding interference with the subsequent LC-MS/MS analysis.

  8. The HEXACO correlates of authoritarianism's facets in the U.S. and Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Jie; Ludeke, Steven G.; Zettler, Ingo

    2017-01-01

    was the predictable differences in the relations the facets had with Honesty-Humility, which was more positively related to conventionalism than authoritarian aggression in the U.S. sample, but not in the Danish sample. Interestingly, the U.S. sample scored significantly higher in authoritarianism and its facets than...

  9. Development and Validation of the Faceted Inventory of the Five-Factor Model (FI-FFM).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, David; Nus, Ericka; Wu, Kevin D

    2017-06-01

    The Faceted Inventory of the Five-Factor Model (FI-FFM) is a comprehensive hierarchical measure of personality. The FI-FFM was created across five phases of scale development. It includes five facets apiece for neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness; four facets within agreeableness; and three facets for openness. We present reliability and validity data obtained from three samples. The FI-FFM scales are internally consistent and highly stable over 2 weeks (retest rs ranged from .64 to .82, median r = .77). They show strong convergent and discriminant validity vis-à-vis the NEO, the Big Five Inventory, and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5. Moreover, self-ratings on the scales show moderate to strong agreement with corresponding ratings made by informants ( rs ranged from .26 to .66, median r = .42). Finally, in joint analyses with the NEO Personality Inventory-3, the FI-FFM neuroticism facet scales display significant incremental validity in predicting indicators of internalizing psychopathology.

  10. An Examination of the Multi-Faceted Motivation System in Healthy Young Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susana Da Silva

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Amotivation is a prevalent symptom in schizophrenia (SZ and depression (MDD, and is linked to poor functional outcomes in affected individuals. Conceptualizations of motivation have outlined a multi-faceted construct comprised of reward responsiveness, reward expectancy, reward valuation, effort valuation, and action selection/preference-based decision making. To date, findings from studies utilizing variable-centered approaches to examining isolated facets of motivation in SZ and MDD have been inconsistent. Thus, the present study adopted a person-centered approach, and comprehensively examined the reward system in a non-clinical sample in an attempt to explore potential subtypes of motivation impairments, while minimizing the effects of illness-related confounds.Methods: Ninety-six healthy undergraduate students were evaluated for amotivation, schizotypal traits, depressive symptoms, and cognition, and administered objective computerized tasks to measure the different facets of motivation. Cluster analysis was performed to explore subgroups of individuals based on similar motivation task performance. Additionally, correlational analyses were conducted in order to examine inter-relationships between motivation facets, and relations between clinical measures and facets of motivation.Results: Cluster analysis identified two subgroups of individuals with differential motivation performance profiles. Correlational analyses revealed that reward responsiveness was associated with amotivation, depressive symptoms, and negative schizotypy. Further, significant inter-correlations were found between reward responsiveness and reward expectancy, as well as between reward valuation and effort valuation.Conclusions: Our results mark important steps forward in understanding motivation in a non-clinical sample, and guide future dimensional and comprehensive analyses of the multi-faceted reward system. It remains to be seen whether these patterns of

  11. An Examination of the Multi-Faceted Motivation System in Healthy Young Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Da Silva, Susana; Apatsidou, Areti; Saperia, Sarah; Siddiqui, Ishraq; Jeffay, Eliyas; Voineskos, Aristotle N; Daskalakis, Zafiris J; Remington, Gary; Zakzanis, Konstantine K; Foussias, George

    2018-01-01

    Background: Amotivation is a prevalent symptom in schizophrenia (SZ) and depression (MDD), and is linked to poor functional outcomes in affected individuals. Conceptualizations of motivation have outlined a multi-faceted construct comprised of reward responsiveness, reward expectancy, reward valuation, effort valuation, and action selection/preference-based decision making. To date, findings from studies utilizing variable-centered approaches to examining isolated facets of motivation in SZ and MDD have been inconsistent. Thus, the present study adopted a person-centered approach, and comprehensively examined the reward system in a non-clinical sample in an attempt to explore potential subtypes of motivation impairments, while minimizing the effects of illness-related confounds. Methods: Ninety-six healthy undergraduate students were evaluated for amotivation, schizotypal traits, depressive symptoms, and cognition, and administered objective computerized tasks to measure the different facets of motivation. Cluster analysis was performed to explore subgroups of individuals based on similar motivation task performance. Additionally, correlational analyses were conducted in order to examine inter-relationships between motivation facets, and relations between clinical measures and facets of motivation. Results: Cluster analysis identified two subgroups of individuals with differential motivation performance profiles. Correlational analyses revealed that reward responsiveness was associated with amotivation, depressive symptoms, and negative schizotypy. Further, significant inter-correlations were found between reward responsiveness and reward expectancy, as well as between reward valuation and effort valuation. Conclusions: Our results mark important steps forward in understanding motivation in a non-clinical sample, and guide future dimensional and comprehensive analyses of the multi-faceted reward system. It remains to be seen whether these patterns of results will

  12. Utilization of Facet Joint and Sacroiliac Joint Interventions in Medicare Population from 2000 to 2014: Explosive Growth Continues!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Hirsch, Joshua A; Pampati, Vidyasagar; Boswell, Mark V

    2016-10-01

    Increasing utilization of interventional techniques in managing chronic spinal pain, specifically facet joint interventions and sacroiliac joint injections, is a major concern of healthcare policy makers. We analyzed the patterns of utilization of facet and sacroiliac joint interventions in managing chronic spinal pain. The results showed significant increase of facet joint interventions and sacroiliac joint injections from 2000 to 2014 in Medicare FFS service beneficiaries. Overall, the Medicare population increased 35 %, whereas facet joint and sacroiliac joint interventions increased 313.3 % per 100,000 Medicare population with an annual increase of 10.7 %. While the increases were uniform from 2000 to 2014, there were some decreases noted for facet joint interventions in 2007, 2010, and 2013, whereas for sacroiliac joint injections, the decreases were noted in 2007 and 2013. The increases were for cervical and thoracic facet neurolysis at 911.5 % compared to lumbosacral facet neurolysis of 567.8 %, 362.9 % of cervical and thoracic facet joint blocks, 316.9 % of sacroiliac joints injections, and finally 227.3 % of lumbosacral facet joint blocks.

  13. Gas separation with membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulz, G.; Michele, H.; Werner, U.

    1982-01-01

    Gas separation with membranes has already been tested in numerous fields of application, e.g. uranium enrichment of H 2 separation. In many of these processes the mass transfer units, so-called permeators, have to be connected in tandem in order to achieve high concentrations. A most economical operating method provides for each case an optimization of the cascades with regard to the membrane materials, construction and design of module. By utilization of the concentration gradient along the membrane a new process development has been accomplished - the continuously operating membrane rectification unit. Investment and operating costs can be reduced considerably for a number of separating processes by combining a membrane rectification unit with a conventional recycling cascade. However, the new procedure requires that the specifications for the module construction, flow design, and membrane properties be reconsidered. (orig.) [de

  14. Posterior longitudinal ligament status in cervical spine bilateral facet dislocations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carrino, John A.; Manton, Geoffrey L.; Morrison, William B.; Flanders, Adam E.; Vaccaro, Alex R.; Schweitzer, Mark E.

    2006-01-01

    It is generally accepted that cervical spine bilateral facet dislocation results in complete disruption of the posterior longitudinal ligament. The goal of this study was to evaluate the integrity of numerous spine-stabilizing structures by MRI, and to determine if any associations between injury patterns exist with respect to the posterior longitudinal ligament status. Retrospective case series. A retrospective review was performed of 30 cervical spine injury subjects with bilateral facet dislocation. Assessment of 1.5T MRI images was carried out for: intervertebral disc disruption, facet fracture, and ligamentous disruption. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate for associations between various injury patterns and posterior longitudinal ligament status. The frequency of MRI abnormalities was: anterior longitudinal ligament disruption (26.7%), disc herniation or disruption (90%), posterior longitudinal ligament disruption (40%), facet fracture (63.3%) and disruption of the posterior column ligament complex (97%). There were no significant associations between injury to the posterior longitudinal ligament and other structures. Compared to surgical reports, MRI was accurate for determining the status for 24 of 26 ligaments (three of three anterior longitudinal ligament, seven of nine posterior longitudinal ligament, and 14 of 14 posterior column ligament complex) but generated false negatives in two instances (in both MRI showed an intact posterior longitudinal ligament that was torn at surgery). (orig.)

  15. Dioptrics of the facet lenses in the dorsal rim area of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ukhanov, KY; Leertouwer, HL; Gribakin, FG; Stavenga, DG

    1996-01-01

    1. The optics of the corneal facet lenses from the dorsal rim area (DRA) and from the dorso-lateral areas (DA) of the compound eye of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus were studied. 2. The DRA of the cricket eye contains quite normally shaped facet lenses. The diameter of the facet lens in the DA is

  16. The prevalence of lumbar facet joint edema in patients with low back pain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedrich, Klaus M.; Pinker, Katja; Trattnig, Siegfried; Nemec, Stefan; Peloschek, Philipp; Weber, Michael

    2007-01-01

    The objective was to assess the prevalence of lumbar facet joint edema in patients with low back pain. Lumbar spine MR examinations (1.5 T) of 145 consecutive patients (87 women, 58 men; mean age 52.8, range 17-94 years) were retrospectively evaluated with regard to the presence of facet joint edema. The MR protocol included sagittal short-tau inversion recovery (STIR), T1- and T2-weighted as well as transverse T2-weighted images. In 9 patients follow-up MR examinations were performed and results were compared with pain. The agreement between the change in intensity of facet joint edema and the change in intensity of pain was assessed using kappa statistics and Kendall's tau coefficient. In 21 of the 145 patients (14%) edema was found at the facet joints: in 52.4% at L4/5, in 19.0% at L5/S1, in 14.3% at L4/5 and L5/S1, in 9.5% at L3/4 and L4/5, and in 4.8% at L3/4. The agreement between the change in pain score and intensity of edema within the follow-up group was ''almost perfect'' (kappa = 0.81). Kendall's tau coefficient was 0.91, indicating high agreement. Sagittal STIR images detect facet joint edema in 14% of patients with low back pain. This fact may be useful for planning treatment including facet joint injections. (orig.)

  17. Influence of the austenitizing temperature in the cleavage facet size of Niocor 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Darwish, F.A.I.; Teixeira, J.C.G.; Fernandes, R.A.; Juer, S.

    1983-01-01

    Convetional Charpy specimens of Niocor 2 steel cooled in air from various austenitizing temperatures were fractured at -196 0 C so as to insure failure by cleavage. The cleavage facet size distribution was determined and then correlated with the grain size and other aspects of the microstructure. The results that the average facet size can be increased through a coarsening of the microstructure. For the case where the γ→α transformation products are predominantely acicular, the facet size is shown to depend on substructural aspects primarily the lath packet size. (Author) [pt

  18. Selective decontamination for cesium and strontium in evaporation concentrates from reprocessing plants with crown ethers by transport through supported liquid membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Casas i Garcia, J.

    1991-01-01

    Reprocessing operations lead to the production of radioactive medium activity liquid waste which is treated by evaporation. The concentrates from reprocessing plant evaporators have to be stored in geological storage sites in view of their strong caesium, strontium and actinides activity. These elements, contained in acid and high sodium nitrate content liquid waste, are removed by means of selective extractants, using the supported liquid membrane technique (SLM), which allows them to be stored in surface sites, the actinides and long-life fission products being respectively recycled and concentrated into reduced volumes. The removal of the actinides is done by means of an Octyl N.N Diisobutyl Carbamoyl Methyl Phosphine Oxyde (C.M.P.O.) based liquid membrane, whereas the removal of the caesium and strontium involves crown ethers. Supported liquid membranes (S.L.M.s) have the advantage of implementing very small quantities of extractant, but, they generally have poor stability. The extractant, the diluent and the phase modifier that constitute the organic phase impregnating the membrane play a vital role in SLM stability; the support also affects stability by its nature and geometry. For the extraction of strontium, DtBu 18 C6 enables higher strontium transfer kinetics to be attained than with DC18 C6. As regards caesium, nDec B21 C7 is the most efficient. Unlike strontium, caesium cannot be quantitatively removed, due to the competition of sodium ions in the concentrate. Stable membranes are obtained with DC18 C6 or DtBu18 C6 diluted in alkylbenzene with an added phase modifier such as decanol or isotridecanol. The highest strontium transfer kinetics were obtained with the DC18 C6/hexylbenzene/isotridecanol mixture

  19. On the relative importance of bending and compression in cervical spine bilateral facet dislocation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nightingale, Roger W; Bass, Cameron R; Myers, Barry S

    2018-03-08

    Cervical bilateral facet dislocations are among the most devastating spine injuries in terms of likelihood of severe neurological sequelae. More than half of patients with tetraparesis had sustained some form of bilateral facet fracture dislocation. They can occur at any level of the sub-axial cervical spine, but predominate between C5 and C7. The mechanism of these injuries has long been thought to be forceful flexion of the chin towards the chest. This "hyperflexion" hypothesis comports well with intuition and it has become dogma in the clinical literature. However, biomechanical studies of the human cervical spine have had little success in producing this clinically common and devastating injury in a flexion mode of loading. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the clinical and engineering literature on the biomechanics of bilateral facet dislocations and to describe the mechanical reasons for the causal role of compression, and the limited role of head flexion, in producing bilateral facet dislocations. Bilateral facet dislocations have only been produced in experiments where compression is the primary loading mode. To date, no biomechanical study has produced bilateral facet dislocations in a whole spine by bending. Yet the notion that it is primarily a hyper-flexion injury persists in the clinical literature. Compression and compressive buckling are the primary causes of bilateral facet dislocations. It is important to stop using the hyper-flexion nomenclature to describe this class of cervical spines injuries because it may have a detrimental effect on designs for injury prevention. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Improving personality facet scores with multidimensional computer adaptive testing: an illustration with the Neo Pi-R

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Makransky, Guido; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Glas, Cornelis A.W.

    2013-01-01

    Narrowly defined personality facet scores are commonly reported and used for making decisions in clinical and organizational settings. Although these facets are typically related, scoring is usually carried out for a single facet at a time. This method can be ineffective and time consuming when

  1. The effect of different exposed facets on the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of o-chlorophenol using p-type Cu_2O crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sang, Wenjing; Zhang, Gong; Lan, Huachun; An, Xiaoqiang; Liu, Huijuan

    2017-01-01

    Although it is known that the efficacy of photoelectrocatalysts is enhanced by increasing the amount of high energy surface exposed, the development of a universal synthesis method with both superior activity and simplicity is needed for scalable applications. We herein controllably fabricated cuprous oxide (Cu_2O) micro crystals with different morphologies, evolving from cubes, cuboctahedra, truncated octahedra and finally to octahedra on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates, by a facile electrochemical deposition method. The structures of facet-engineered Cu_2O samples and the underlying mechanism for the morphology evolution were investigated. The separation of photogenerated hole-electron pairs on Cu_2O crystals with different exposed facets was characterized by measuring the photocurrent densities with chopped illumination, which increased with the increased concentrations of PVP: the octahedral Cu_2O crystals, with the highest proportion of {111} facets exposed, exhibited the lowest electro-hole recombination in contrast to the cubes, cuboctahedra, and truncated octahedra, respectively. The photoelectrocatalytic degradation efficiency of the o-chlorophenol (2-CP) pollutant under sunlight irradiation with Cu_2O-coated photocathode was further investigated to reveal the effect of different exposed facets. Due to the increased number of surface active sites available for degradation reactions, the octahedral Cu_2O microcrystals presented higher photoelectrocatalytic activity compared to other shapes. Active oxygen species detected by electron spin-resonance (ESR) spectrometry implied that abundant superoxide radicals (O_2"●"−) were the dominant active radicals in the degradation.

  2. Concentration of phenolic acids and flavonoids in aronia melanocarpa (choke berry) juice by osmotic membrane distillation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fjerbæk Søtoft, Lene; Christensen, Knud Villy; Horn, Vibeke G

    2009-01-01

    melanocarpa is among the red fruits with the highest content of antioxidants [2] and has gained must interest due to the content of phenolic acids, procyanidins and polyphenolic compounds as anthocyanins [3]. In this study, osmotic membrane distillation (OMD) has been tested for the concentration of not only...... sugars, but in particular potentially bioactive components such as phenolic acids and flavonoids. OMD is carried out on 37 kg aronia juice at 30°C and the juice is concentrated from 12 wt% to 74 wt% dry matter. The juice is filtered to remove kernels, peel residues etc before concentration by OMD...

  3. Spectrophotometric flow-injection determination of sulphite in white wines involving gas diffusion through a concentric tubular membrane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melo Denise

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available A flow-injection system is proposed for the spectrophotometric determination of sulphite in white wines. The method involves analyte conversion to SO2, gas diffusion through a Teflon® semi-permeable membrane, collection into an alkaline stream (pH 8, reaction with Malachite green (MG and monitoring at 620 nm. With a concentric tubular membrane, the system design was simplified. Influence of reagent concentrations, pH of donor and acceptor streams, temperature, timing, surfactant addition and presence of potential interfering species of the wine matrix were investigated. A pronounced (ca. 100% enhancement in sensitivity was noted by adding cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC. The proposed system is robust and baseline drift is not observed during 4 h operating periods. Only 400 muL of sample and 0.32 mg MG are required per determination. The system handles 30 samples per hour, yielding precise results (r.s.d. < 0.015 for 1.0 - 20.0 mg L-1 SO2 in agreement with those obtained by an alternative procedure.

  4. Development of real-time measurement of methanol-concentration in polymer electrolyte membrane using a local NMR sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogawa, Kuniyasu; Ito, Kohei; Haishi, Tomoyuki

    2007-01-01

    A real-time sensor to measure methanol concentration in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) was developed for reducing methanol cross-over in Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC). The principle of the methanol sensor is based on the chemical shift of CH and OH species under high magnetic field. The sensor consists of a planar surface coil of 1.3 mm outside diameter. NMR signal from PEM being exposed to CH3OH solvent was measured using NMR sensor. Time-dependence changes of methanol concentration in PEM were obtained from analyzing spectrum of NMR signal. (author)

  5. Short-term outcome of fluoroscopic-guided steroid injection therapy of lumber facet cyst-induced radicular pain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Mi Ri; Kwon, Jong Won; Lee, Jong Seo; Kim, Eu Sang [Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-04-15

    To determine the short-term effect of fluoroscopic-guided steroid injection therapy of lumbar facet cyst-induced radicular pain. Seventeen patients with radiculopathy due to lumbar synovial cysts, who were treated with fluoroscopically guided injection, were retrospectively evaluated. All plain radiographic images and MR images before the therapy were reviewed. Five patients underwent only the facet joint injection, whereas twelve patients underwent the facet joint injection with perineural injection therapy. The clinical course of pain was evaluated on the first follow-up after therapy. Effective pain relief was achieved in 11 (64.7%) of the 17 patients. Among 12 patients who underwent facet joint injection with perineural injection, 9 patients (75%) had an effective pain relief. Of 5 patients, 2 (40%) patients only took the facet joint injection and had an effective pain relief. Fluoroscopic-guided steroid injection therapy shows a good short-term effect in patients with symptomatic lumbar facet joint synovial cysts.

  6. Big Five Personality Factors and Facets as Predictors of Openness to Diversity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Suejung; Pistole, M Carole

    2017-11-17

    Openness to diversity is a crucial component of cultural competence needed in the increasingly diversified modern society and a necessary condition for benefitting from diversity contacts and interventions (e.g., diversity training, cultural courses). Responding to the recent call for more research on personality and its relation to diversity outcomes, we examined the associations between Big Five personality (i.e., Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Conscientiousness) higher order factors and lower order facets and universal-diverse orientation (i.e., open attitude of appreciating human universality and diversity; Miville et al., 1999 ). In the Study 1 (N = 338) web survey on Big Five factors, Openness to Experience and Agreeableness were associated with universal-diverse orientation significantly. In the Study 2 (N = 176) paper survey on both Big Five factors and facets, Openness to Experience, low Neuroticism, and Conscientiousness, and various lower-order facets of all the Big Five personality were associated with universal-diverse orientation significantly. Practical implications were suggested on how personality facets could be incorporated into current diversity interventions to enhance their effectiveness of promoting openness to diversity.

  7. Unique relationships between facets of mindfulness and eating pathology among female smokers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Claire E; Apperson McVay, Megan; Kinsaul, Jessica; Benitez, Lindsay; Vinci, Christine; Stewart, Diana W; Copeland, Amy L

    2012-12-01

    Female smokers often have higher levels of eating disorder symptoms than non-smokers, and concerns about eating and weight might interfere with smoking cessation. Thus, it is critical to identify factors to promote healthier eating and body image in this population. Initial research suggests that specific aspects of trait mindfulness predict lower body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms among non-smokers. However, these relationships are unknown among smokers. The current study examined associations between facets of trait mindfulness and eating disorder symptoms in 112 college female smokers (83% Caucasian; mean age 20 years, SD=1.69). After controlling for relevant sociodemographic variables, Describing and Nonjudging facets of mindfulness predicted lower bulimic symptoms and body dissatisfaction (psmindfulness facets are related to lower eating disorder symptoms among smokers, whereas other facets are not associated or have a positive relationship with these symptoms. Mindfulness-based interventions focusing on Describing, Nonjudging, and Acting with Awareness may help to reduce eating pathology among female smokers, which could potentially improve smoking cessation rates in this population. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. A simple approach to uniform PdAg alloy membranes: Comparative study of conventional and silver concentration-controlled co-plating

    KAUST Repository

    Zeng, Gaofeng

    2014-03-01

    An Ag-controlled co-plating method was developed for the preparation of palladium/silver alloy membranes on porous tubular alumina supports. By controlling the feed rate of Ag to the Pd bath, the concentration of the silver in the plating bath was restricted during the course of plating. As a result, preferential deposition of silver at the beginning was suppressed and uniform dispersion of silver inside the membrane with silver composition in the desired range was achieved. Ultrathin (∼2.5 μm) PdAg alloy membranes with uniform silver composition of ∼25% were successfully obtained. The membrane showed a hydrogen permeance of 0.88 mol m-2 s-1 and pure-gas H2/N2 selectivity of 2140 at 823 K with ΔP = 100 kPa. Only one hydride phase existed in the studied temperature range from 373 to 823 K with ΔPH=100kPa. Direct comparisons with the conventional simply-mixed co-plating method showed that membranes made by the novel Ag-controlled co-plating method had much more uniform silver distribution, smoother surface, denser membrane structure, higher utilization rate of metal sources, and shorter alloying time. © 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. A simple approach to uniform PdAg alloy membranes: Comparative study of conventional and silver concentration-controlled co-plating

    KAUST Repository

    Zeng, Gaofeng; Shi, Lei; Liu, Yunyang; Zhang, Yanfeng; Sun, Yuhan

    2014-01-01

    An Ag-controlled co-plating method was developed for the preparation of palladium/silver alloy membranes on porous tubular alumina supports. By controlling the feed rate of Ag to the Pd bath, the concentration of the silver in the plating bath was restricted during the course of plating. As a result, preferential deposition of silver at the beginning was suppressed and uniform dispersion of silver inside the membrane with silver composition in the desired range was achieved. Ultrathin (∼2.5 μm) PdAg alloy membranes with uniform silver composition of ∼25% were successfully obtained. The membrane showed a hydrogen permeance of 0.88 mol m-2 s-1 and pure-gas H2/N2 selectivity of 2140 at 823 K with ΔP = 100 kPa. Only one hydride phase existed in the studied temperature range from 373 to 823 K with ΔPH=100kPa. Direct comparisons with the conventional simply-mixed co-plating method showed that membranes made by the novel Ag-controlled co-plating method had much more uniform silver distribution, smoother surface, denser membrane structure, higher utilization rate of metal sources, and shorter alloying time. © 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Treatment of lumbar facet joint syndrome by CT-guided intraarticular infiltration of fact joints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schleifer, J.; Fenzl, G.; Wolf, A.; Diehl, K.

    1994-01-01

    In 62 patients with facet syndrome a total of 205 joints were infiltrated, CT monitoring being used in all cases. Each facet joint was infiltrated with 0.3 ml bupivacaine and 0.8 ml methylprednisolone. The patients were divided into three groups. Group 1 consisted of 24 persons who had undergone lumbar disc surgery, group 2 of 23 patients with spondylarthrosis of the facet joints, and group 3 of 15 patients who had undergone lumbar disc surgery but hat additional spondylarthrosis. Very good results were defined as pain relief for longer than 4 weeks, good results as pain relief for up to 4 weeks and poor results as brief pain relief or none at all. In 27 patients facet infiltration was performed for the purpose of diagnosis. Results were significantly in group 2 than in group 1. In group 3 results were better than in group 1, but worse than in group 2. These differences were not statistical by significant. Seven patients in the diagnostic group had no pain relief, and facet syndrome was excluded. (orig.) [de

  11. Trait and facet-level predictors of first-onset depressive and anxiety disorders in a community sample of adolescent girls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Brandon L; Kotov, Roman; Perlman, Greg; Watson, David; Klein, Daniel N

    2017-09-20

    Individual differences in neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness are associated with, and may predict onset of, internalizing disorders. These general traits can be parsed into facets, but there is a surprising paucity of research on facet risk for internalizing disorders. We examined general traits and facets of neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness in predicting first onsets of depressive and anxiety disorders. A community sample of 550 adolescent females completed general and facet-level personality measures and diagnostic interviews. Interviews were re-administered 18 months later. First onsets of depressive disorders were predicted by neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness. Facets predicting first onset of depression included depressivity (neuroticism facet) and lower positive emotionality and sociability (extraversion facets). First onsets of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) were predicted by neuroticism, and particularly the facet of anxiousness. First onsets of social phobia were predicted at the facet level by anxiousness. First onsets of specific phobia were predicted by neuroticism, low conscientiousness, and all neuroticism facets. In multivariate analyses, first onsets of depression were uniquely predicted by depressivity, and onsets of GAD and social phobia were uniquely predicted by anxiousness over and above the general trait of neuroticism. General traits predict first onsets of depressive and anxiety disorders. In addition, more specific associations are evident at the facet level. Facets can refine our understanding of the links between personality and psychopathology risk, and provide finer-grained targets for personality-informed interventions.

  12. Effect of operating parameters and membrane characteristics on air gap membrane distillation performance for the treatment of highly saline water

    KAUST Repository

    Xu, Jingli

    2016-04-07

    In this study, ten different commercially available PTFE, PP and PVDF membranes were tested in desalination of highly saline water by air gap membrane distillation (AGMD). Process performance was investigated under different operating parameters, such as feed temperatures, feed flow velocities and salt concentrations reaching 120 g/L, and different membrane characteristics, such as membrane material, thickness, pore size and support layer, using a locally designed and fabricatd AGMD module and spacer. Results showed that increasing feed temperature increases permeate flux regardless of the feed concentration. However, feed flow velocity does not significantly affect the flux, especially at low feed temperatures. The PP membrane showed a better performance than the PVDF and PTFE membranes. Permeate flux decreases with the increase of salt concentration of feed solution, especially at higher concentrations above 90 g/L. The existence of membrane support layer led to a slight decrease of permeate flux. Membranes with pore sizes of 0.2 and 0.45 μm gave the best performance. Smaller pore size led to lower flux and larger pore size led to pore wetting due to lower LEP values. The effect of concentration polarization and temperature polarization has also been studied and compared.

  13. Framework Application for Core Edge Transport Simulation (FACETS)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krasheninnikov, Sergei; Pigarov, Alexander

    2011-10-15

    The FACETS (Framework Application for Core-Edge Transport Simulations) project of Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) Program was aimed at providing a high-fidelity whole-tokamak modeling for the U.S. magnetic fusion energy program and ITER through coupling separate components for each of the core region, edge region, and wall, with realistic plasma particles and power sources and turbulent transport simulation. The project also aimed at developing advanced numerical algorithms, efficient implicit coupling methods, and software tools utilizing the leadership class computing facilities under Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR). The FACETS project was conducted by a multi-discipline, multi-institutional teams, the Lead PI was J.R. Cary (Tech-X Corp.). In the FACETS project, the Applied Plasma Theory Group at the MAE Department of UCSD developed the Wall and Plasma-Surface Interaction (WALLPSI) module, performed its validation against experimental data, and integrated it into the developed framework. WALLPSI is a one-dimensional, coarse grained, reaction/advection/diffusion code applied to each material boundary cell in the common modeling domain for a tokamak. It incorporates an advanced model for plasma particle transport and retention in the solid matter of plasma facing components, simulation of plasma heat power load handling, calculation of erosion/deposition, and simulation of synergistic effects in strong plasma-wall coupling.

  14. Influence of higher order modes on angled-facet amplifiers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Z.; Mikkelsen, B.; Stubkjær, Kristian

    1991-01-01

    The influence of the first-order mode on the residual reflectivity of angled-facet amplifiers is analyzed. For a 7 degrees angled-facet ridge waveguide amplifier with a single-layer antireflective (AR) coating, a gain ripple lower than 1-dB at 25-dB gain can be obtained independent...... of the polarization, even in the presence of a first-order mode with a 15-dB gain. The tolerances for the thickness and refractive index of the AR coating are reduced by a factor of three compared to operation in the fundamental mode only. The influence of the higher order mode can virtually be suppressed...

  15. b-tree facets for the simple graph partitioning polytope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Michael Malmros

    2004-01-01

    The simple graph partitioning problem is to partition an edge-weighted graph into mutually disjoint subgraphs, each consisting of no more than b nodes, such that the sum of the weights of all edges in the subgraphs is maximal. In this paper we introduce a large class of facet defining inequalities...... for the simple graph partitioning polytopes P_n(b), b >= 3, associated with the complete graph on n nodes. These inequalities are induced by a graph configuration which is built upon trees of cardinality b. We provide a closed-form theorem that states all necessary and sufficient conditions for the facet...... defining property of the inequalities. Udgivelsesdato: JUN...

  16. MR imaging and CT in osteoarthritis of the lumbar facet joints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weishaupt, D.; Zanetti, M.; Hodler, J.; Boos, N.

    1999-01-01

    Objective. To test the agreement between MR imaging and CT in the assessment of osteoarthritis of the lumbar facet joints, and thus to provide data about the need for an additional CT scan in the presence of an MR examination. Design and patients. Using a four-point scale, two musculoskeletal radiologists independently graded the severity of osteoarthritis of 308 lumbar facet joints on axial T2-weighted and on sagittal T1- and T2-weighted turbo-spin-echo images and separately on the corresponding axial CT scans. Kappa statistics and percentage agreement were calculated. Results. The weighted kappa coefficients for MR imaging versus CT were 0.61 and 0.49 for readers 1 and 2, respectively. The weighted kappa coefficients for interobserver agreement were 0.41 for MR imaging and 0.60 for CT, respectively. There was agreement within one grade between MR and CT images in 95% of cases for reader 1, and in 97% of cases for reader 2. Conclusion. With regard to osteoarthritis of the lumbar facet joints there is moderate to good agreement between MR imaging and CT. When differences of one grade are disregarded agreement is even excellent. Therefore, in the presence of an MR examination CT is not required for the assessment of facet joint degeneration. (orig.)

  17. What’s in a word? : Rethinking facet headings in a discovery service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Nelson

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The emergence of Discovery systems has been well received by libraries who have long been concerned with offering a smorgasbord of databases that require either individual searching of databases or the problematic use of federated searching.  The ability to search across a wide array of subscribed and open-access information resources via a centralized index has opened up access for users to a library’s wealth of information resources.  This capability has been particularly praised for its ‘google like’ search interface, thereby conforming to user expectations for information searching.  Yet, all discovery services also include facets as a search capability and thus provide faceted navigation which is a search feature that Google is not particularly well suited for.  Discovery services thus provide a hybrid search interface.  An examination of e-commerce sites clearly shows that faceted navigation is an integral part of their discovery systems.  Many library OPACs also now are being developed with faceted navigation capabilities.  However, the discovery services faceted structures suffer from a number of problems which inhibit their usefulness and their potential.  This article examines a number of these issues and it offers suggestions for improving the discovery search interface.  It also argues that vendors and libraries need to work together to more closely analyze the user experience of the discovery system.

  18. Quantitative in vivo MRI evaluation of lumbar facet joints and intervertebral discs using axial T2 mapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stelzeneder, David; Messner, Alina; Vlychou, Marianna; Welsch, Goetz H; Scheurecker, Georg; Goed, Sabine; Pieber, Karin; Pflueger, Verena; Friedrich, Klaus M; Trattnig, Siegfried

    2011-11-01

    To assess the feasibility of T2 mapping of lumbar facet joints and intervertebral discs in a single imaging slab and to compare the findings with morphological grading. Sixty lumbar spine segments from 10 low back pain patients and 5 healthy volunteers were examined by axial T2 mapping and morphological MRI at 3.0 Tesla. Regions of interest were drawn on a single slice for the facet joints and the intervertebral discs (nucleus pulposus, anterior and posterior annulus fibrosus). The Weishaupt grading was used for facet joints and the Pfirrmann score was used for morphological disc grading ("normal" vs. "abnormal" discs). The inter-rater agreement was excellent for the facet joint T2 evaluation (r = 0.85), but poor for the morphological Weishaupt grading (kappa = 0.15). The preliminary results show similar facet joint T2 values in segments with normal and abnormal Pfirrmann scores. There was no difference in mean T2 values between facet joints in different Weishaupt grading groups. Facet joint T2 values showed a weak correlation with T2 values of the posterior annulus (r = 0.32) This study demonstrates the feasibility of a combined T2 mapping approach for the facet joints and intervertebral discs using a single axial slab.

  19. Quantitative in vivo MRI evaluation of lumbar facet joints and intervertebral discs using axial T2 mapping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stelzeneder, David; Messner, Alina; Scheurecker, Georg; Goed, Sabine; Friedrich, Klaus M.; Trattnig, Siegfried; Vlychou, Marianna; Welsch, Goetz H.; Pieber, Karin; Pflueger, Verena

    2011-01-01

    To assess the feasibility of T2 mapping of lumbar facet joints and intervertebral discs in a single imaging slab and to compare the findings with morphological grading. Sixty lumbar spine segments from 10 low back pain patients and 5 healthy volunteers were examined by axial T2 mapping and morphological MRI at 3.0 Tesla. Regions of interest were drawn on a single slice for the facet joints and the intervertebral discs (nucleus pulposus, anterior and posterior annulus fibrosus). The Weishaupt grading was used for facet joints and the Pfirrmann score was used for morphological disc grading (''normal'' vs. ''abnormal'' discs). The inter-rater agreement was excellent for the facet joint T2 evaluation (r = 0.85), but poor for the morphological Weishaupt grading (kappa = 0.15). The preliminary results show similar facet joint T2 values in segments with normal and abnormal Pfirrmann scores. There was no difference in mean T2 values between facet joints in different Weishaupt grading groups. Facet joint T2 values showed a weak correlation with T2 values of the posterior annulus (r = 0.32) This study demonstrates the feasibility of a combined T2 mapping approach for the facet joints and intervertebral discs using a single axial slab. (orig.)

  20. Preliminary Conceptual Design Report for the FACET-II Project at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hogan, Mark [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

    2016-04-22

    Plasma wakefield acceleration has the potential to dramatically shrink the size and cost of particle accelerators. Research at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has demonstrated that plasmas can provide 1,000 times the acceleration in a given distance compared with current technologies. Developing revolutionary and more efficient acceleration techniques that allow for an affordable high-energy collider is the focus of FACET, a National User Facility at SLAC. The existing FACET National User Facility uses part of SLAC’s two-mile-long linear accelerator to generate high-density beams of electrons and positrons. FACET-II is a new test facility to develop advanced acceleration and coherent radiation techniques with high-energy electron and positron beams. It is the only facility in the world with high energy positron beams. FACET-II provides a major upgrade over current FACET capabilities and the breadth of the potential research program makes it truly unique. It will synergistically pursue accelerator science that is vital to the future of both advanced acceleration techniques for High Energy Physics, ultra-high brightness beams for Basic Energy Science, and novel radiation sources for a wide variety of applications. The design parameters for FACET-II are set by the requirements of the plasma wakefield experimental program. To drive the plasma wakefield requires a high peak current, in excess of 10kA. To reach this peak current, the electron and positron design bunch size is 10μ by 10μ transversely with a bunch length of 10μ. This is more than 200 times better than what has been achieved at the existing FACET. The beam energy is 10 GeV, set by the Linac length available and the repetition rate is up to 30 Hz. The FACET-II project is scheduled to be constructed in three major stages. Components of the project discussed in detail include the following: electron injector, bunch compressors and linac, the positron system, the Sector 20 sailboat and W chicanes

  1. Simulations of simple Bovine and Homo sapiens outer cortex ocular lens membrane models with a majority concentration of cholesterol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Mark; Wang, Eric; Zhuang, Xiaohong; Klauda, Jeffery B

    2017-11-21

    The lipid composition of bovine and human ocular lens membranes has been probed, and a variety of lipids have been found including phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), sphingomyelin (SM), and cholesterol (CHOL) with cholesterol being present in particularly high concentrations. In this study, we use the all-atom CHARMM36 force field to simulate binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures as models of the ocular lens. High concentration of cholesterol, in combination with different and varying diversity of phospholipids (PL) and sphingolipids (SL), affect the structure of the ocular lens lipid bilayer. The following analyses were done for each simulation: surface area per lipid, component surface area per lipid, deuterium order parameters (S CD ), electron density profiles (EDP), membrane thickness, hydrogen bonding, radial distribution functions, clustering, and sterol tilt angle distribution. The S CD show significant bilayer alignment and packing in cholesterol-rich bilayers. The EDP show the transition from liquid crystalline to liquid ordered with the addition of cholesterol. Hydrogen bonds in our systems show the tendency for intramolecular interactions between cholesterol and fully saturated lipid tails for less complex bilayers. But with an increased number of components in the bilayer, the acyl chain of the lipids becomes a less important characteristic, and the headgroup of the lipid becomes more significant. Overall, cholesterol is the driving force of membrane structure of the ocular lens membrane where interactions between cholesterol, PL, and SL determine structure and function of the biomembrane. The goal of this work is to develop a baseline for further study of more physiologically realistic ocular lens lipid membranes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Emergence of Complex Behavior in Biomembranes edited by Marjorie Longo. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Membrane Trafficking Modulation during Entamoeba Encystation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herman, Emily; Siegesmund, Maria A; Bottery, Michael J; van Aerle, Ronny; Shather, Maulood Mohammed; Caler, Elisabet; Dacks, Joel B; van der Giezen, Mark

    2017-10-09

    Entamoeba histolytica is an intestinal parasite that infects 50-100 million people and causes up to 55,000 deaths annually. The transmissive form of E. histolytica is the cyst, with a single infected individual passing up to 45 million cysts per day, making cyst production an attractive target for infection control. Lectins and chitin are secreted to form the cyst wall, although little is known about the underlying membrane trafficking processes supporting encystation. As E. histolytica does not readily form cysts in vitro, we assessed membrane trafficking gene expression during encystation in the closely related model Entamoeba invadens. Genes involved in secretion are up-regulated during cyst formation, as are some trans-Golgi network-to-endosome trafficking genes. Furthermore, endocytic and general trafficking genes are up-regulated in the mature cyst, potentially preserved as mRNA in preparation for excystation. Two divergent dynamin-related proteins found in Entamoeba are predominantly expressed during cyst formation. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that they are paralogous to, but quite distinct from, classical dynamins found in human, suggesting that they may be potential drug targets to block encystation. The membrane-trafficking machinery is clearly regulated during encystation, providing an additional facet to understanding this crucial parasitic process.

  3. Polygons and Faceted Polyhedra and Nanoporous Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jianjiang; Mondal, Arunendu; Moulton, Brian; Zaworotko, Michael J

    2001-06-01

    Small rhombihexahedra and small cubicuboctahedra, namely faceted polyhedra, form the basis of two novel low-density framework solids that are afforded by the self-assembly of molecular squares only or molecular squares and triangles, respectively. © 2001 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, Weinheim, Fed. Rep. of Germany.

  4. Membrane barriers for radon gas flow restrictions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Archibald, J.F.

    1984-08-01

    Research was performed to assess the feasibility of barrier membrane substances, for use within mining or associated high risk environments, in restricting the diffusion transport of radon gas quantities. Specific tests were conducted to determine permeability parameters of a variety of membrane materials with reference to radon flow capabilities. Tests were conducted both within laboratory and in-situ emanation environments where concentrations and diffusion flows of radon gas were known to exist. Equilibrium radon gas concentrations were monitored in initially radon-free chambers adjacent to gas sources, but separated by specified membrane substances. Membrane barrier effectiveness was demonstrated to result in reduced emanation concentrations of radon gas within the sampling chamber atmosphere. Minimum gas concentrations were evidenced where the barrier membrane material was shown to exhibit lowest radon permeability characteristics

  5. Sensing the facet orientation in silver nano-plates using scanning Kelvin probe microscopy in air

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abdellatif, M.H. [Department of Nanostructures, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, I-16163 Genova (Italy); Physics Department, National Research Center, Elbehoos st., 12622, Dokki, Giza (Egypt); Salerno, M., E-mail: marco.salerno@iit.it [Department of Nanophysics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, I-16163 Genova (Italy); Polovitsyn, Anatolii [Department of Nanochemistry, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, I-16163 Genova (Italy); Dipartimentodi Fisica, Università di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, I-16146 Genova (Italy); Marras, Sergio [Department of Nanochemistry, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, I-16163 Genova (Italy); De Angelis, Francesco [Department of Nanostructures, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, I-16163 Genova (Italy)

    2017-05-01

    Highlights: • The surface potential of drop cast nanocrystals was measured by SKPM in ambient air. • The nanocrystal facet work function was derived by theory. • By comparing theory and experiment we distinguished the nanocrystal facets. • Nanocrystal facet control is of practical interest for optoelectronic devices. - Abstract: The work function of nano-materials is important for a full characterization of their electronic properties. Because the band alignment, band bending and electronic noise are very sensitive to work function fluctuations, the dependence of the work function of nano-scale crystals on facet orientation can be a critical issue in optimizing optoelectronic devices based on these materials. We used scanning Kelvin probe microscopy to assess the local work function on samples of silver nano-plates at sub-micrometric spatial resolution. With the appropriate choice of the substrate and based on statistical analysis, it was possible to distinguish the surface potential of the different facets of silver nano-plates even if the measurements were done in ambient conditions without the use of vacuum. A phenomenological model was used to calculate the differences of facet work function of the silver nano-plates and the corresponding shift in Fermi level. This theoretical prediction and the experimentally observed difference in surface potential on the silver nano-plates were in good agreement. Our results show the possibility to sense the nano-crystal facets by appropriate choice of the substrate in ambient conditions.

  6. Sensing the facet orientation in silver nano-plates using scanning Kelvin probe microscopy in air

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdellatif, M.H.; Salerno, M.; Polovitsyn, Anatolii; Marras, Sergio; De Angelis, Francesco

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • The surface potential of drop cast nanocrystals was measured by SKPM in ambient air. • The nanocrystal facet work function was derived by theory. • By comparing theory and experiment we distinguished the nanocrystal facets. • Nanocrystal facet control is of practical interest for optoelectronic devices. - Abstract: The work function of nano-materials is important for a full characterization of their electronic properties. Because the band alignment, band bending and electronic noise are very sensitive to work function fluctuations, the dependence of the work function of nano-scale crystals on facet orientation can be a critical issue in optimizing optoelectronic devices based on these materials. We used scanning Kelvin probe microscopy to assess the local work function on samples of silver nano-plates at sub-micrometric spatial resolution. With the appropriate choice of the substrate and based on statistical analysis, it was possible to distinguish the surface potential of the different facets of silver nano-plates even if the measurements were done in ambient conditions without the use of vacuum. A phenomenological model was used to calculate the differences of facet work function of the silver nano-plates and the corresponding shift in Fermi level. This theoretical prediction and the experimentally observed difference in surface potential on the silver nano-plates were in good agreement. Our results show the possibility to sense the nano-crystal facets by appropriate choice of the substrate in ambient conditions.

  7. A facet approach to extending the normative component of the theory of reasoned action.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donald, I; Cooper, S R

    2001-12-01

    Using facet theory, this study addresses the weak explanatory power of normative influence in theories of reasoned action or planned behaviour. A broad normative construct is hypothesized as being characterized by two facets--social unit and behavioural modality--each of which is examined in relation to recreational drug use. A questionnaire was developed from the facets and administered to undergraduate students. Data (N = 181) were analysed using Smallest Space Analysis (SSA). The results suggest that the facets provide an adequate description of the normative construct and that personal and social normative beliefs, behavioural norms and behavioural intentions can be distinguished empirically. The results also lend partial support to Ajzen's (1988; Ajzen & Fishbein, 1977) principle of compatibility. Implications for how social influence is operationalized and conceptualized are also discussed.

  8. Consensually defined facets of personality as prospective predictors of change in depression symptoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naragon-Gainey, Kristin; Watson, David

    2014-08-01

    Depression has robust associations with personality, showing a strong relation with neuroticism and more moderate associations with extraversion and conscientiousness. In addition, each Big Five domain can be decomposed into narrower facets. However, we currently lack consensus as to the contents of Big Five facets, with idiosyncrasies across instruments; moreover, few studies have examined associations with depression. In the current study, community participants completed six omnibus personality inventories; self-reported depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and 5 years later. Exploratory factor analyses suggested three to five facets in each domain, and these facets served as prospective predictors of depression in hierarchical regressions, after accounting for baseline and trait depression. In these analyses, high anger (from neuroticism), low positive emotionality (extraversion), low conventionality (conscientiousness), and low culture (openness to experiences) were significant prospective predictors of depression. Results are discussed in regard to personality structure and assessment, as well as personality-psychopathology associations. © The Author(s) 2014.

  9. Exploring relations among mindfulness facets and various meditation practices: Do they work in different ways?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cebolla, Ausiàs; Campos, Daniel; Galiana, Laura; Oliver, Amparo; Tomás, Jose Manuel; Feliu-Soler, Albert; Soler, Joaquim; García-Campayo, Javier; Demarzo, Marcelo; Baños, Rosa María

    2017-03-01

    Several meditation practices are associated with mindfulness-based interventions but little is known about their specific effects on the development of different mindfulness facets. This study aimed to assess the relations among different practice variables, types of meditation, and mindfulness facets. The final sample was composed of 185 participants who completed an on-line survey, including information on the frequency and duration of each meditation practice, lifetime practice, and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. A Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes structural model was specified, estimated, and tested. Results showed that the Model's overall fit was adequate: χ 2 (1045)=1542.800 (p<0.001), CFI=0.902, RMSEA=0.042. Results revealed that mindfulness facets were uniquely related to the different variables and types of meditation. Our findings showed the importance of specific practices in promoting mindfulness, compared to compassion and informal practices, and they pointed out which one fits each mindfulness facet better. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. An Automatic High Efficient Method for Dish Concentrator Alignment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Wang

    2014-01-01

    for the alignment of faceted solar dish concentrator. The isosceles triangle configuration of facet’s footholds determines a fixed relation between light spot displacements and foothold movements, which allows an automatic determination of the amount of adjustments. Tests on a 25 kW Stirling Energy System dish concentrator verify the feasibility, accuracy, and efficiency of our method.

  11. Superior facet syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kubo, Yoshichika; Igarashi, Seishi; Koyama, Tsunemaro

    1985-01-01

    Sciatica caused by root entrapment in the lateral recess was named superior facet syndrome by Epstein in 1972. Few reports on this subject based on large numbers of cases have been documented to date. Of the patients with sciatica, 32 patients were diagnosed to have root entrapment at the lateral recess L 5 or/and S 1 lumbar spine. Out of 32 patients, 20 patients were operated on and the lateral entrapment was recognized in all of surgical cases. Neuroradiological findings, especially of metrizamide CT (met. CT), were documented in detail. Thirty two patients were classified in three types according to radiological findings. They were congenital or developmental, degenerative, and combined type, respectively, Fourteen cases belonged to the congenital type, 13 to the degenerative and 5 to the combined type. Each group had the mean ages of 23.4, 53.8, and 36.8 years old, respectively. Of 32 cases the entrapment occured in 47 L 5 roots and 11 S 1 roots. There was no remarkable laterality. In operation the unroofing of the lateral recess were done and the sciatica subsided postoperatively in all of surgical cases. Met. CT revealed extreme medial protrusion of the superior articular joint in 18 of 24 cases(75%) and none filling of the root in the lateral recess in 21 of 24 cases (87.5%). In the degenerative type, met. CT showed some degenerative changes that were hypertrophy or deformity of the articular joints and spur formation of the vertebral body. In contrast to met. CT, metrizamide myelography revealed only slight changes, which were poor filling of the root before it turned out the pedicle of lateral compression of the root. In plain films or lumbar spine articular joints at Lsub(4/5) were formed in coronal plane in 69% of cases of the L 5 root entrapment. Met. CT using ReView technique was of great diagnostic value in superior facet syndrome. (author)

  12. Influence of membrane phospholipid composition and structural organization on spontaneous lipid transfer between membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pankov, R; Markovska, T; Antonov, P; Ivanova, L; Momchilova, A

    2006-09-01

    Investigations were carried out on the influence of phospholipid composition of model membranes on the processes of spontaneous lipid transfer between membranes. Acceptor vesicles were prepared from phospholipids extracted from plasma membranes of control and ras-transformed fibroblasts. Acceptor model membranes with manipulated levels of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), sphingomyelin and phosphatidic acid were also used in the studies. Donor vesicles were prepared of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and contained two fluorescent lipid analogues, NBD-PC and N-Rh-PE, at a self-quenching concentration. Lipid transfer rate was assessed by measuring the increase of fluorescence in acceptor membranes due to transfer of fluorescent lipid analogues from quenched donor to unquenched acceptor vesicles. The results showed that spontaneous NBD-PC transfer increased upon fluidization of acceptor vesicles. In addition, elevation of PE concentration in model membranes was also accompanied by an increase of lipid transfer to all series of acceptor vesicles. The results are discussed with respect to the role of lipid composition and structural order of cellular plasma membranes in the processes of spontaneous lipid exchange between membrane bilayers.

  13. Preparation of immobilized enzyme membrane by radiation-cast-polymerization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumakura, M.; Kaetsu, I.

    1989-01-01

    The preparation of immobilized enzyme membranes was studied by radiation cast-polymerization at low temperatures using cellulase enzyme, hydrophilic and hydrophobic monomers. The enzyme activity of the membranes was affected by monomer concentration, membrane thickness, and hydrophilicity of monomer, in which the membranes with 100 μm thickness from high monomer concentration (80%) had high enzyme activity, which was similar to that of the membranes with 1.0 mm thickness from low monomer concentration (20%). (author)

  14. Pre-concentration and quantification of uranium from lean feed by stir adsorptive membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, Sadananda; Pandey, A.K.; Manchanda, V.K.; Athawale, A.A.

    2010-01-01

    Uranium recovery from bio-aggressive but lean feed like seawater is a challenging problem as it requires in situ preconcentration of uranium in presence of huge excess of competing ions with fast sorption kinetics. In our laboratory, widely used amidoxime membrane (AO-membrane) was evaluated for uranium sorption under seawater conditions. This study indicated that AO-membrane was inherently slow because of the complexation chemistry involved in transfer of U(VI) from (UO 2 (CO 3 ) 3 ) 4- to AO sites in membrane. In order to search better options, several chemical compositions of membrane were scanned for their efficacy for uranium preconcentration from seawater, and concluded that EGMP-membrane offers several advantages over AO-membrane. In this paper, the comparison of EGMP-membrane with AO-membrane for uranium sorption under seawater conditions has been reviewed. (author)

  15. Congenital absence of the lumbar facet joint associated with bilateral spondylolysis of the fifth lumbar vertebra.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhuo; Sakakibara, Toshihiko; Kasai, Yuichi

    2013-01-01

    A 14-year-old boy presented with a rare case of congenital absence of lumbar facet joint manifesting as low back pain. Physical examination showed no neurological or hematologic abnormalities. Radiography revealed absence of a facet joint on the right side of L4-5. Computed tomography and three-dimensional computed tomography revealed absence of the facet joint on the right side of L4-5 and spondylolysis on both sides of L5. Pain subsided after conservative treatment. This is an extremely rare case of congenital absence of lumbar facet joint associated with bilateral spondylolysis.

  16. Microporous silica membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boffa, Vittorio; Yue, Yuanzheng

    2012-01-01

    Hydrothermal stability is a crucial factor for the application of microporous silica-based membranes in industrial processes. Indeed, it is well established that steam exposure may cause densification and defect formation in microporous silica membranes, which are detrimental to both membrane...... permeability and selectivity. Numerous previous studies show that microporous transition metal doped-silica membranes are hydrothermally more stable than pure silica membranes, but less permeable. Here we present a quantitative study on the impact of type and concentration of transition metal ions...... on the microporous structure, stability and permeability of amorphous silica-based membranes, providing information on how to design chemical compositions and synthetic paths for the fabrication of silica-based membranes with a well accessible and highly stabile microporous structure....

  17. Evaluation of Temporal Diagnostic Techniques for Two-Bunch Facet Beam

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Litos, M.D.; Bionta, M.R.; Dolgashev, V.A.; England, R.J.; Fritz, D.; Gilevich, S.; Hering, Ph.; Hogan, M.J.; /SLAC

    2011-08-19

    Three temporal diagnostic techniques are considered for use in the FACET facility at SLAC, which will incorporate a unique two-bunch beam for plasma wakefield acceleration experiments. The results of these experiments will depend strongly on the the inter-bunch spacing as well as the longitudinal profiles of the two bunches. A reliable, singleshot, high resolution measurement of the beam's temporal profile is necessary to fully quantify the physical mechanisms underlying the beam driven plasma wakefield acceleration. In this study we show that a transverse deflecting cavity is the diagnostic which best meets our criteria. Based on our laboratory testing, numerical calculations, and simulations of the three single-shot temporal diagnostic devices, the X-band TCAV system is the best candidate for resolving FACET's two-bunch beam, with an estimated resolution of 7 {micro}m. Both the S-band TCAV system and the EO system could resolve the peak-to-peak separation of the two bunches in the FACET beam with estimated resolutions of 25 {micro}m and 30 {micro}m, respectively, but would be unable to resolve the temporal profiles of the individual bunches themselves. Because the TCAV signal is more easily interpreted and because the reliability of the EO system is less well known, however, the S-band TCAV system would be the next preferred option after the X-band TCAV system. The Fesca-200 streak camera, though simple, compact, and reliable, is unable to achieve a resolution that would be of use to FACET.

  18. Facets of clinicians' anxiety and the delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levita, Liat; Salas Duhne, Paulina Gonzalez; Girling, Carla; Waller, Glenn

    2016-02-01

    Psychological therapists commonly fail to adhere to treatment protocols in everyday clinical practice. In part, this pattern of drift is attributable to anxious therapists being less likely to undertake some elements of evidence-based therapies - particularly the exposure-based elements. This study considers what facets of anxiety (cognitive, behavioral, physiological) are related to junior clinicians' reported use of cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques. Thirty-two clinicians (mean age = 28.9 years; mean length of CBT experience = 1.5 years; 23 female, nine male) who offered CBT were assessed for their cognitive, behavioral and physiological characteristics (Intolerance of Uncertainty scale; risk taking; skin conductance response and heart rate variability). While the three different facets of anxiety were relatively poorly associated with each other, as is usual in this literature, each facet was linked differently to the reported delivery of CBT techniques (P behavioral or cognitive methods. Of the three facets of anxiety, only physiological reactivity showed an association with the clinicians' temporal characteristics, with more experienced therapists being more likely to have greater skin conductance responses to positive and negative outcomes. These findings suggest that clinicians who are more anxious are less likely to deliver the full evidence-based form of CBT and to focus instead on less challenging elements of the therapy. Potential ways of overcoming this limitation are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Selective decontamination of cesium and strontium from evaporation concentrates of spent fuel reprocessing plants with crown ethers by transport through supported liquid membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Casas i Garcia, J.

    1993-01-01

    Reprocessing operations lead to the production of radioactive medium activity liquid waste which is treated by evaporation and solutions of very high salinity are thus formed. The concentrates from reprocessing plant evaporators have to be stored in geological storage sites in view of their strong caesium, strontium and actinides activity. These elements, contained in acid and high sodium nitrate content liquid waste, are removed by means of selective extractants, using the supported liquid membrane technique (SLM), which allows them to be stored in surface sites, the actinides and long-life fission products being respectively recycled and concentrated into reduced volumes. The removal of the actinides is done by means of an Octyl N.N Diisobutyl Carbamoyl Methyl Phosphine Oxide (C.M.P.O.) based liquid membrane, whereas the removal of the caesium and strontium involves crown ethers. Supported liquid membranes (S.L.M.s) have the advantage of implementing very small quantities of extractant, but they generally have poor stability. The extractant, the diluent and the phase modifier impregnating the membrane play a vital role in SLM stability; the support also affects stability by its nature and geometry. For the extraction of strontium, the most lipophilic extractant, DtBu 18 C 6, enables higher strontium transfer kinetics to be attained. As regards caesium, the extremely lipophilic nDec B21 C7 is the most efficient. Caesium cannot be quantitatively removed, due to the competition of the very high content of sodium ions in the concentrate. Stable membranes are obtained with DC18 C6 or DtBu18 C6 diluted in alkylbenzenes with an added phase modifier such as decanol or especially isotridecanol

  20. Method of concentrating radioactive liquid waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yasumura, Keijiro

    1990-01-01

    Radioactive liquid wastes generated from nuclear power facilities are caused to flow into a vessel incorporated with first hydrophobic porous membranes. Then, the radioactive liquid wastes are passed through the first hydrophobic porous membranes under an elevated or reduced pressure to remove fine particles contained in the liquid wastes. The radioactive liquid wastes passed through the first membranes are stored in a temporary store a vessel and steams generated under heating are passed through the second hydrophobic porous membranes and then cooled and concentrated as condensates. In this case, the first and the second hydrophobic porous membranes have a property of passing steams but not water and, for example, are made of tetrafluoroethylen resin type thin membranes. Accordingly, since the fine particles can be removed by the first hydrophobic porous membranes, lowering of the concentration rate due to the deposition of solid contents to the membranes upon concentration can be prevented. (I.S.)

  1. Mindfulness facets, trait emotional intelligence, emotional distress, and multiple health behaviors: A serial two-mediator model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, Ingo; Wollny, Anna; Sim, Chu-Won; Horsch, Antje

    2016-06-01

    In the present study, we tested a serial mindfulness facets-trait emotional intelligence (TEI)-emotional distress-multiple health behaviors mediation model in a sample of N = 427 German-speaking occupational therapists. The mindfulness facets-TEI-emotional distress section of the mediation model revealed partial mediation for the mindfulness facets Act with awareness (Act/Aware) and Accept without judgment (Accept); inconsistent mediation was found for the Describe facet. The serial two-mediator model included three mediational pathways that may link each of the four mindfulness facets with multiple health behaviors. Eight out of 12 indirect effects reached significance and fully mediated the links between Act/Aware and Describe to multiple health behaviors; partial mediation was found for Accept. The mindfulness facet Observe was most relevant for multiple health behaviors, but its relation was not amenable to mediation. Implications of the findings will be discussed. © 2016 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Flux Enhancement in Membrane Distillation Using Nanofiber Membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Jiříček

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Membrane distillation (MD is an emerging separation technology, whose largest application potential lies in the desalination of highly concentrated solutions, which are out of the scope of reverse osmosis. Despite many attractive features, this technology is still awaiting large industrial application. The main reason is the lack of commercially available membranes with fluxes comparable to reverse osmosis. MD is a thermal separation process driven by a partial vapour pressure difference. Flux, distillate purity, and thermal efficiency are always in conflict, all three being strictly connected with pore size, membrane hydrophobicity, and thickness. The world has not seen the ideal membrane yet, but nanofibers may offer a solution to these contradictory requirements. Membranes of electrospun PVDF were tested under various conditions on a direct contact (DCMD unit, in order to determine the optimum conditions for maximum flux. In addition, their performance was compared to commonly available PTFE, PE, and PES membranes. It was confirmed that thinner membranes have higher fluxes and a lower distillate purity and also higher energy losses via conduction across the membrane. As both mass and heat transfer are connected, it is best to develop new membranes with a target application in mind, for the specific membrane module and operational conditions.

  3. Two-velocity elasticity theory and facet growth

    OpenAIRE

    Andreev, A. F.; Melnikovsky, L. A.

    2002-01-01

    We explain the linear growth of smooth solid helium facets by the presence of lattice point defects. To implement this task, the framework of very general two-velocity elasticity theory equations is developed. Boundary conditions for these equations for various surface types are derived. We also suggest additional experiments to justify the concept.

  4. Intraarticular Pulsed Radiofrequency to Treat Refractory Lumbar Facet Joint Pain in Patients with Low Back Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Min Cheol; Cho, Yun-Woo; Ahn, Da Hyun; Do, Kyung Hee

    2018-04-01

    Many treatment techniques have been used for refractory lumbar facet joint pain; however, their efficacy has been controversial. In this study, we investigated the clinical efficacy and safety of intra-articular pulsed radiofrequency for the treatment of refractory lumbar facet joint pain in patients with low back pain. Twenty patients with refractory lumbar facet joint pain were recruited, and each patient was treated via intra-articular pulsed radiofrequency. The treatment effects were measured with a numerical rating scale, and the technical accuracy of intra-articular pulsed radiofrequency treatment was evaluated independently by 2 radiologists. Any adverse events or complications also were checked. We performed intra-articular pulsed radiofrequency treatment at 48 levels of the lumbar facet joints in 20 patients (5 men and 15 women; mean age, 64.50 ± 10.65 years) with refractory lumbar facet joint pain. Pain scores were significantly reduced at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment (P radiofrequency results in all 20 patients, without any serious adverse effects. Treatment using intra-articular pulsed radiofrequency is an alternative to other techniques in patients with refractory lumbar facet joint pain. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Advanced Hydrogen Transport Membrane for Coal Gasification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schwartz, Joseph [Praxair, Inc., Tonawanda, NY (United States); Porter, Jason [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); Patki, Neil [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); Kelley, Madison [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); Stanislowski, Josh [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States); Tolbert, Scott [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States); Way, J. Douglas [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); Makuch, David [Praxair, Inc., Tonawanda, NY (United States)

    2015-12-23

    A pilot-scale hydrogen transport membrane (HTM) separator was built that incorporated 98 membranes that were each 24 inches long. This separator used an advanced design to minimize the impact of concentration polarization and separated over 1000 scfh of hydrogen from a hydrogen-nitrogen feed of 5000 scfh that contained 30% hydrogen. This mixture was chosen because it was representative of the hydrogen concentration expected in coal gasification. When tested with an operating gasifier, the hydrogen concentration was lower and contaminants in the syngas adversely impacted membrane performance. All 98 membranes survived the test, but flux was lower than expected. Improved ceramic substrates were produced that have small surface pores to enable membrane production and large pores in the bulk of the substrate to allow high flux. Pd-Au was chosen as the membrane alloy because of its resistance to sulfur contamination and good flux. Processes were developed to produce a large quantity of long membranes for use in the demonstration test.

  6. Reliability aspects and facet damage in high-power emission from (AlGa)As cw laser diodes at room temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kressel, H.; Ladany, I.

    1975-01-01

    Factors are described that limit the optical power output from (AlGa)As laser diodes (lambda = 8100 to 8300 A) operating cw at room temperature with uncoated facets. Rapid laser ''catastrophic'' degradation due to facet damage (in contrast to ''bulk'' phenomena previously considered) has been found to occur as a result of excessive optical flux density at the facets. The diodes studied are capable of initial cw power emission values of 25 to 100 mW from one facet depending on their dimensions. Data are presented showing long-term constant-current operation at power levels below these maximum values. Preliminary data are also presented on devices utilizing dielectric facet coatings to minimize facet damage. (U.S.)

  7. Separation of Peptides with Forward Osmosis Biomimetic Membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bajraktari, Niada; Madsen, Henrik T; Gruber, Mathias Felix

    2016-01-01

    Forward osmosis (FO) membranes have gained interest in several disciplines for the rejection and concentration of various molecules. One application area for FO membranes that is becoming increasingly popular is the use of the membranes to concentrate or dilute high value compound solutions...

  8. GPU accelerated Discrete Element Method (DEM) molecular dynamics for conservative, faceted particle simulations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spellings, Matthew [Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Marson, Ryan L. [Materials Science & Engineering, University of Michigan, 2300 Hayward St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Anderson, Joshua A. [Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Glotzer, Sharon C., E-mail: sglotzer@umich.edu [Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Materials Science & Engineering, University of Michigan, 2300 Hayward St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)

    2017-04-01

    Faceted shapes, such as polyhedra, are commonly found in systems of nanoscale, colloidal, and granular particles. Many interesting physical phenomena, like crystal nucleation and growth, vacancy motion, and glassy dynamics are challenging to model in these systems because they require detailed dynamical information at the individual particle level. Within the granular materials community the Discrete Element Method has been used extensively to model systems of anisotropic particles under gravity, with friction. We provide an implementation of this method intended for simulation of hard, faceted nanoparticles, with a conservative Weeks–Chandler–Andersen (WCA) interparticle potential, coupled to a thermodynamic ensemble. This method is a natural extension of classical molecular dynamics and enables rigorous thermodynamic calculations for faceted particles.

  9. Oxygen diffusion-concentration in phospholipidic model membranes. An ESR-saturation study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vachon, A.; Lecomte, C.; Berleur, F.

    1986-04-01

    Fully hydrated liposomes of dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine were labelled with 5 (or 7, 10, 12, 16)-doxyl stearic acid at pH 6 and 8, and studied by the continuous wave ESR-saturation technique. The ESR spectral magnitude depends on the hyperfrequency power P and on both T 1 and T 2 relaxation times. Saturation, i.e. the non linearity of the spectral magnitude plotted versus √P can be quantified by a P1/2 parameter (power at which the signal is half as great as it would be without saturation). If we assume T 2 weakly modified by spin exchange between paramagnetic spin probe and oxygen in triplet state, P1/2 is inversely proportional to T 1 , and becomes a sensitive parameter to appreciate the oxygen transport (oxygen diffusion-concentration product) inside the bilayers. According to the DPPC bilayer phase transition diagrams, P1/2 (oxygen diffusion-concentration) is related to the thermodynamic state of the membrane. This technique provides further informations on a particular property of a radioprotective agent, cysteamine, which seems to inhibit spin-triplet exchange and hence maximizes T 1 (minimizes P1/2). Since radioprotective agents are known to act by scavenging radiation-induced free radicals and by inhibiting oxygen-dependent free radical processes, such a result may contribute to elucidate radioprotecting mechanisms

  10. Sensor development for in situ detection of concentration polarization and fouling of reverse osmosis membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Detrich, Kahlil T.; Goulbourne, Nakhiah C.

    2009-03-01

    The purpose of this research is to evaluate three polymer electroding techniques in developing a novel in situ sensor for an RO system using the electrical response of a thin film composite sensor. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to measure the sensor response when exposed to sodium chloride solutions with concentrations from 0.1 M to 0.8 M in both single and double bath configurations. An insulated carbon grease sensor was mechanically stable while a composite Direct Assembly Process (DAP) sensor was fragile upon hydration. Scanning electron microscopy results from an impregnation-reduction technique showed gold nanoparticles were deposited most effectively when presoaked in a potassium hydroxide solution and on an uncoated membrane; surface resistances remained too high for sensor implementation. Through thickness carbon grease sensors showed a transient response to changes in concentration, and no meaningful concentration sensitivity was noted for the time scales over which EIS measurements were taken. Surface carbon grease electrodes attached to the polyamide thin film were not sensitive to concentration. The impedance spectra indicated the carbon grease sensor was unable to detect changes in concentration in double bath experiments when implemented with the polyamide surface exposed to salt solutions. DAP sensors lacked a consistent response to changes in concentration too. A reverse double bath experiment with the polysulfone layer exposed to a constant concentration exhibited a transient impedance response similar to through thickness carbon grease sensors in a single bath at constant concentration. These results suggest that the microporous polysulfone layer is responsible for sensor response to concentration.

  11. Increase The Sugar Concentration of The Solution Sugar by Reverse Osmotic Membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Redjeki, S.; Hapsari, N.; Iriani

    2018-01-01

    Sugar is one of the basic needs of people and food and drink industry. As technology advances and the demand for efficient usage of sugar rises, crystal sugar is seen as less advantageous than liquid sugar. If sugar is always dissolved in water before use, then it will be more efficient and practical for consumers to use sugar in liquid form than in crystal form. Other than that, liquid sugar is also attractive to consumers because it is economical, hygienic, instantly soluble in hot and cold water, fresher and longer-lasting, able to thicken and enrich the texture of foods and drinks, and functions as sweetener, syrup, and flavor enhancer. Liquid sugar is also more beneficial for sugar producers because of simpler production process, cheaper production cost, and similar yield with no extra cost. In sugar production, separation process is found in most of its stages and therefore the use of membrane technology for separating solute and water content has a good potential. In this research, water content reduction of sugar solution was done in order to increase the sugar concentration of the solution. The parameters of this research were 4%, 5%, and 6% starting concentration of sugar solution; 20, 40, and 60 minutes of process time; and 85 and 60 PSI ΔP. The best result was acquired on 4% starting concentration, 60 PSI ΔP, and 60 minutes process time.

  12. Utilization of concentrate after membrane filtration of sugar beet thin juice for ethanol production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawa-Rygielska, Joanna; Pietrzak, Witold; Regiec, Piotr; Stencel, Piotr

    2013-04-01

    The subject of this study was to investigate the feasibility of the concentrate obtained after membrane ultrafiltration of sugar beet thin juice for ethanol production and selection of fermentation conditions (yeast strain and media supplementation). Resulting concentrate was subjected to batch ethanol fermentation using two strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Ethanol Red and Safdistill C-70). The effect of different forms of media supplementation (mineral salts: (NH4)2SO4, K2HPO4, MgCl2; urea+Mg3(PO4)2 and yeast extract) on the fermentation course was also studied. It was stated that sugar beet juice concentrate is suitable for ethanol production yielding, depending on the yeast strain, ca. 85-87 g L(-1) ethanol with ca. 82% practical yield and more than 95% of sugars consumption after 72 h of fermentation. Nutrients enrichment further increased ethanol yield. The best results were obtained for media supplemented with urea+Mg3(PO4)2 yielding 91.16-92.06 g L(-1) ethanol with practical yield ranging 84.78-85.62% and full sugars consumption. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  13. [Multi-facetted clinical presentation of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Niemann, C.U.; Jurlander, J.; Daugaard, G.

    2009-01-01

    smears. Determination of the ADAMTS13-activity is now becoming available as a routine analysis. We present two cases that illustrate the multi-facetted clinical presentation under which TTP occurs. The importance of access to ADAMTS13 measurements is stressed Udgivelsesdato: 2009/1/26...

  14. Membrane resistance : The effect of salinity gradients over a cation exchange membrane

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Galama, A. H.; Vermaas, D. A.; Veerman, J.; Saakes, M.; Rijnaarts, H. H. M.; Post, J. W.; Nijmeijer, K.

    2014-01-01

    Ion exchange membranes (IEMs) are used for selective transport of ions between two solutions. These solutions are often different in concentration or composition. The membrane resistance (R-M) is an important parameter affecting power consumption or power production in electrodialytic processes. In

  15. Membrane resistance: The effect of salinity gradients over a cation exchange membrane

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Galama, A.H.; Vermaas, D.A.; Veerman, J.; Saakes, M.; Rijnaarts, H.; Post, J.W.; Nijmeijer, K.

    2014-01-01

    Ion exchange membranes (IEMs) are used for selective transport of ions between two solutions. These solutions are often different in concentration or composition. The membrane resistance (R-M) is an important parameter affecting power consumption or power production in electrodialytic processes. In

  16. Simplified production and concentration of HIV-1-based lentiviral vectors using HYPERFlask vessels and anion exchange membrane chromatography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kutner, Robert H; Puthli, Sharon; Marino, Michael P; Reiser, Jakob

    2009-01-01

    Background During the past twelve years, lentiviral (LV) vectors have emerged as valuable tools for transgene delivery because of their ability to transduce nondividing cells and their capacity to sustain long-term transgene expression in target cells in vitro and in vivo. However, despite significant progress, the production and concentration of high-titer, high-quality LV vector stocks is still cumbersome and costly. Methods Here we present a simplified protocol for LV vector production on a laboratory scale using HYPERFlask vessels. HYPERFlask vessels are high-yield, high-performance flasks that utilize a multilayered gas permeable growth surface for efficient gas exchange, allowing convenient production of high-titer LV vectors. For subsequent concentration of LV vector stocks produced in this way, we describe a facile protocol involving Mustang Q anion exchange membrane chromatography. Results Our results show that unconcentrated LV vector stocks with titers in excess of 108 transduction units (TU) per ml were obtained using HYPERFlasks and that these titers were higher than those produced in parallel using regular 150-cm2 tissue culture dishes. We also show that up to 500 ml of an unconcentrated LV vector stock prepared using a HYPERFlask vessel could be concentrated using a single Mustang Q Acrodisc with a membrane volume of 0.18 ml. Up to 5.3 × 1010 TU were recovered from a single HYPERFlask vessel. Conclusion The protocol described here is easy to implement and should facilitate high-titer LV vector production for preclinical studies in animal models without the need for multiple tissue culture dishes and ultracentrifugation-based concentration protocols. PMID:19220915

  17. Lumbar radiculopathy due to unilateral facet hypertrophy following lumbar disc hernia operation: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kökeş, Fatih; Günaydin, Ahmet; Aciduman, Ahmet; Kalan, Mehmet; Koçak, Halit

    2007-10-01

    To present a radiculopathy case due to unilateral facet hypertrophy developing three years after a lumbar disc hernia operation. A fifty two-year-old female patient, who had been operated on for a left L5-S1 herniated lumbar disc three years ago, was hospitalized and re-operated with a diagnosis of unilateral facet hypertrophy. She had complaints of left leg pain and walking restrictions for the last six months. Left Straight Leg Raising test was positive at 40 degrees , left ankle dorsiflexion muscle strength was 4/5, left Extensor Hallucis Longus muscle strength was 3/5, and left Achilles reflex was hypoactive. Lumbar spinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging revealed left L5-S1 facet hypertrophy. Lumbar radiculopathy due to lumbar facet hypertrophy is a well-known neurological condition. Radicular pain develops during the late postoperative period following lumbar disc hernia operations that are often related to recurrent disc herniation or to formation of post-operative scar tissue. In addition, it can be speculated that unilateral facet hypertrophy, which may develop after a disc hernia operation, might also be one of the causes of radiculopathy.

  18. Meniscus Membranes For Separation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dye, Robert C.; Jorgensen, Betty; Pesiri, David R.

    2005-09-20

    Gas separation membranes, especially meniscus-shaped membranes for gas separations are disclosed together with the use of such meniscus-shaped membranes for applications such as thermal gas valves, pre-concentration of a gas stream, and selective pre-screening of a gas stream. In addition, a rapid screening system for simultaneously screening polymer materials for effectiveness in gas separation is provided.

  19. Meniscus membranes for separations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dye, Robert C [Irvine, CA; Jorgensen, Betty [Jemez Springs, NM; Pesiri, David R [Aliso Viejo, CA

    2004-01-27

    Gas separation membranes, especially meniscus-shaped membranes for gas separations are disclosed together with the use of such meniscus-shaped membranes for applications such as thermal gas valves, pre-concentration of a gas stream, and selective pre-screening of a gas stream. In addition, a rapid screening system for simultaneously screening polymer materials for effectiveness in gas separation is provided.

  20. Membrane Assisted Enzyme Fractionation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yuan, Linfeng

    to the variation in size of the proteins and a reasonable separation factor can be observed only when the size difference is in the order of 10 or more. This is partly caused by concentration polarization and membrane fouling which hinders an effective separation of the proteins. Application of an electric field...... across the porous membrane has been demonstrated to be an effective way to reduce concentration polarization and membrane fouling. In addition, this technique can also be used to separate the proteins based on difference in charge, which to some extent overcome the limitations of size difference...... of proteins on the basis of their charge, degree of hydrophobicity, affinity or size. Adequate purity is often not achieved unless several purification steps are combined thereby increasing cost and reducing product yield. Conventional fractionation of proteins using ultrafiltration membranes is limited...

  1. The hamatolunate facet: characterization and association with cartilage lesions - magnetic resonance arthrography and anatomic correlation in cadaveric wrists

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pfirrmann, C.W.A. [Department of Radiology, Veterans Administration Medical Center, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr., San Diego, CA 92161 (United States); Orthopedic University Hospital Balgrist, Department of Radiology, Forchstrasse 340, 8008 Zurich (Switzerland); Theumann, N.H.; Chung, C.B.; Trudell, D.J.; Resnick, D. [Department of Radiology, Veterans Administration Medical Center, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr., San Diego, CA 92161 (United States)

    2002-08-01

    The objective of this study was to characterize the appearance of the hamatolunate facet using high-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography in cadavers and to correlate the presence of this anatomic variant with the presence of osteoarthritis in the wrist. High-resolution MR images of 22 cadaveric wrist specimens were obtained after tri-compartmental arthrography. Two readers in consensus analyzed the MR images and recoded the presence or absence of a hamatolunate facet. Geometric characteristics and cartilage and ligament integrity were analyzed. A third reader, who was blinded to the purpose of the study, recorded cartilage lesions of all the bones of the proximal and distal carpal rows. A hamatolunate facet was present in 11 of 22 wrists (50%). The mean coronal size of the lunate facet at the lunate (type II lunate) was 4.5 mm (range, 2-6 mm). The highest frequencies of cartilage lesions were seen in the scapho-trapezio-trapezoid joint (45.5%) and at the proximal pole of the hamate (54.4% and 40.9% for consensus reading/blinded reading, respectively). In cases with a hamatolunate facet, the frequency of cartilage lesions in the proximal pole of the hamate was 81.8% and 63.6% versus 27.3% and 18.2% without such a facet (chi-squared, P=0.01/P=0.03). No correlation of the presence of a hamatolunate facet with interosseous ligament tears or lesions of the triangular fibrocartilage was seen. In conclusion, the hamatolunate facet is a very common anatomic variant. The presence of a hamatolunate facet is associated with cartilage damage in the proximal pole of the hamate. (orig.)

  2. Estimating the concentration of gold nanoparticles incorporated on natural rubber membranes using multi-level starlet optimal segmentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Siqueira, A. F. de, E-mail: siqueiraaf@gmail.com; Cabrera, F. C., E-mail: flavioccabrera@yahoo.com.br [UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista, Dep de Física, Química e Biologia (Brazil); Pagamisse, A., E-mail: aylton@fct.unesp.br [UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista, Dep de Matemática e Computação (Brazil); Job, A. E., E-mail: job@fct.unesp.br [UNESP – Univ Estadual Paulista, Dep de Física, Química e Biologia (Brazil)

    2014-12-15

    This study consolidates multi-level starlet segmentation (MLSS) and multi-level starlet optimal segmentation (MLSOS) techniques for photomicrograph segmentation, based on starlet wavelet detail levels to separate areas of interest in an input image. Several segmentation levels can be obtained using MLSS; after that, Matthews correlation coefficient is used to choose an optimal segmentation level, giving rise to MLSOS. In this paper, MLSOS is employed to estimate the concentration of gold nanoparticles with diameter around 47  nm, reduced on natural rubber membranes. These samples were used for the construction of SERS/SERRS substrates and in the study of the influence of natural rubber membranes with incorporated gold nanoparticles on the physiology of Leishmania braziliensis. Precision, recall, and accuracy are used to evaluate the segmentation performance, and MLSOS presents an accuracy greater than 88 % for this application.

  3. Comparison and analysis of membrane fouling between flocculent sludge membrane bioreactor and granular sludge membrane bioreactor.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Jing-Feng

    Full Text Available The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of inoculating granules on reducing membrane fouling. In order to evaluate the differences in performance between flocculent sludge and aerobic granular sludge in membrane reactors (MBRs, two reactors were run in parallel and various parameters related to membrane fouling were measured. The results indicated that specific resistance to the fouling layer was five times greater than that of mixed liquor sludge in the granular MBR. The floc sludge more easily formed a compact layer on the membrane surface, and increased membrane resistance. Specifically, the floc sludge had a higher moisture content, extracellular polymeric substances concentration, and negative surface charge. In contrast, aerobic granules could improve structural integrity and strength, which contributed to the preferable permeate performance. Therefore, inoculating aerobic granules in a MBR presents an effective method of reducing the membrane fouling associated with floc sludge the perspective of from the morphological characteristics of microbial aggregates.

  4. Detailed examination of the lower cervical spine facet joints in a road traffic crash fatality - a case study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Uhrenholt, Lars; Nielsen, Edith; Vesterby, Annie

    2005-01-01

    The lower cervical spine facet joints of a road traffic crash fatality were examined using diagnostic imaging and histological techniques. No injuries to the cervical spine facet joints could be identified with diagnostic imaging including conventional radiology, CT and MRI. Examination of stained...... histological sections visualised the morphology and integrity of the facet joints in detail. Occult injuries to and in close proximity of the cervical spine facet joints were identified only on histological examination....

  5. Parallel Syndromes: Two Dimensions of Narcissism and the Facets of Psychopathic Personality in Criminally-Involved Individuals

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Little research has examined different dimensions of narcissism that may parallel psychopathy facets in criminally-involved individuals. The present study examined the pattern of relationships between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, assessed using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16 and the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale, respectively, and the four facets of psychopathy (interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial) assessed via the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV). As predicted, grandiose and vulnerable narcissism showed differential relationships to psychopathy facets, with grandiose narcissism relating positively to the interpersonal facet of psychopathy and vulnerable narcissism relating positively to the lifestyle facet of psychopathy. Paralleling existing psychopathy research, vulnerable narcissism showed stronger associations than grandiose narcissism to 1) other forms of psychopathology, including internalizing and substance use disorders, and 2) self- and other-directed aggression, measured using the Life History of Aggression and the Forms of Aggression Questionnaire. Grandiose narcissism was nonetheless associated with social dysfunction marked by a manipulative and deceitful interpersonal style and unprovoked aggression. Potentially important implications for uncovering etiological pathways and developing treatment interventions for these disorders in externalizing adults are discussed. PMID:22448731

  6. Contribution of facet joints, axial compression, and composition to human lumbar disc torsion mechanics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bezci, Semih E; Eleswarapu, Ananth; Klineberg, Eric O; O'Connell, Grace D

    2018-02-12

    Stresses applied to the spinal column are distributed between the intervertebral disc and facet joints. Structural and compositional changes alter stress distributions within the disc and between the disc and facet joints. These changes influence the mechanical properties of the disc joint, including its stiffness, range of motion, and energy absorption under quasi-static and dynamic loads. There have been few studies evaluating the role of facet joints in torsion. Furthermore, the relationship between biochemical composition and torsion mechanics is not well understood. Therefore, the first objective of this study was to investigate the role of facet joints in torsion mechanics of healthy and degenerated human lumbar discs under a wide range of compressive preloads. To achieve this, each disc was tested under four different compressive preloads (300-1200 N) with and without facet joints. The second objective was to develop a quantitative structure-function relationship between tissue composition and torsion mechanics. Facet joints have a significant contribution to disc torsional stiffness (∼60%) and viscoelasticity, regardless of the magnitude of axial compression. The findings from this study demonstrate that annulus fibrosus GAG content plays an important role in disc torsion mechanics. A decrease in GAG content with degeneration reduced torsion mechanics by more than an order of magnitude, while collagen content did not significantly influence disc torsion mechanics. The biochemical-mechanical and compression-torsion relationships reported in this study allow for better comparison between studies that use discs of varying levels of degeneration or testing protocols and provide important design criteria for biological repair strategies. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Facet formation and ohmic contacts for laser diodes on non- and semipolar GaN

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rass, Jens; Ploch, Simon; Vogt, Patrick [Technische Universitaet Berlin (Germany). Institute of Solid State Physics; Wernicke, Tim; Redaelli, Luca; Einfeldt, Sven [Ferdinand- Braun-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik, Berlin (Germany); Kneissl, Michael [Technische Universitaet Berlin (Germany). Institute of Solid State Physics; Ferdinand- Braun-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik, Berlin (Germany)

    2009-07-01

    Group-III-Nitride heterostructures grown on nonpolar and semipolar planes allow the realization of highly efficient devices such as laser diodes and LEDs due to the reduction or elimination of the quantum confined Stark effect. However, the realization of these devices poses a number of challenges, in particular the formation of smooth laser facets and the fabrication of ohmic contacts. In this talk optimized schemes for facet formation and contact resistance reduction for nitride based devices on non- and semipolar planes are presented, and various concepts are discussed. We discuss a laser scribing process that allows the cleaving of facets along the c- and a-plane for devices grown on nonpolar substrates. For semipolar planes there is no low-index cleavage plane in order to form resonators along the projection of the c-axis. Therefore we have investigated etching techniques in order to produce flat facets perpendicular to the plane of growth. For the challenging formation of p-type contacts to GaN we discuss different methods such as chemical treatments, different metallization schemes and capping layers to reduce the contact resistivity.

  8. A Framework for a Multi-Faceted, Educational, Knowledge-Based Recommender System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John W. Coffey

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The literature on intelligent or adaptive tutoring systems generally has a focus on how to determine what resources to present to students as they make their way through a course of study. The idea of multi-faceted student modeling is that a variety of measures, both academic and non-academic, might be represented in student models in service of a broader educational context. This paper contains a framework for a multi-faceted, educational, knowledge-based recommender system, including a basic set of descriptors that the model contains, and a taxonomy of inferences that might be made over such models.

  9. Delayed onset of a spinal epidural hematoma after facet joint injection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirko Velickovic

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The treatment of chronic back pain is a challenging problem. Facet joint infiltration is an established treatment for chronic low back pain caused by arthrosis of the lumbar facet joints. Due to the increasing number of patients with chronic low back pain, this therapy has become more frequent. We treated a 51-year-old male patient, who developed an epidural hematoma 2 months after infiltration therapy. Our case shows that even a delayed onset of spinal epidural hematoma is possible and should be kept in mind as a possible cause of acute myelopathy after spinal intervention.

  10. Selective Facet Reactivity During Cation Exchange in Cadmium Sulfide Nanorods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sadtler, Bryce; Demchenko, Denis; Zheng, Haimei; Hughes, Steven; Merkle, Maxwell; Dahmen, Ulrich; Wang, Lin-Wang; Alivisatos, A. Paul

    2008-12-18

    The partial transformation of ionic nanocrystals through cation exchange has been used to synthesize nanocrystal heterostructures. We demonstrate that the selectivity for cation exchange to take place at different facets of the nanocrystal plays an important role in determining the resulting morphology of the binary heterostructure. In the case of copper I (Cu+) cation exchange in cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanorods, the reaction starts preferentially at the ends of the nanorods such that copper sulfide (Cu2S) grows inwards from either end. The resulting morphology is very different from the striped pattern obtained in our previous studies of silver I (Ag+) exchange in CdS nanorods where non-selective nucleation of silver sulfide (Ag2S) occurs. From interface formation energies calculated for several models of epitaxialconnections between CdS and Cu2S or Ag2S, we infer the relative stability of each interface during the nucleation and growth of Cu2S or Ag2S within the CdS nanorods. The epitaxial connections of Cu2S to the end facets of CdS nanorods minimize the formation energy, making these interfaces stable throughout the exchange reaction. However, as the two end facets of wurtzite CdS nanorods are crystallographically nonequivalent, asymmetric heterostructures can be produced.

  11. Facet Appearance on the Lateral Face of Sapphire Single-Crystal Fibers during LHPG Growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liudmila D. Iskhakova

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Results of the study of the lateral surface of single-crystal (SC sapphire fibers grown along crystallographic directions [ 0001 ] and [ 11 2 ¯ 0 ] by the LHPG method are presented. The appearance or absence of faceting of the lateral surface of the fibers depending on the growth direction is analyzed. The crystallographic orientation of the facets is investigated. The microstructure of the samples is investigated with the help of an optical microscope and a JSM-5910LV scanning electronic microscope (JEOL. The crystallographic orientations of the facets on the SC sapphire fiber surface are determined by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD. The seed orientation is studied by means of XRD techniques.

  12. Within-Trait Heterogeneity in Age Group Differences in Personality Domains and Facets: Implications for the Development and Coherence of Personality Traits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mõttus, René; Realo, Anu; Allik, Jüri; Esko, Tõnu; Metspalu, Andres; Johnson, Wendy

    2015-01-01

    The study investigated differences in the Five-Factor Model (FFM) domains and facets across adulthood. The main questions were whether personality scales reflected coherent units of trait development and thereby coherent personality traits more generally. These questions were addressed by testing if the components of the trait scales (items for facet scales and facets for domain scales) showed consistent age group differences. For this, measurement invariance (MI) framework was used. In a sample of 2,711 Estonians who had completed the NEO Personality Inventory 3 (NEO PI-3), more than half of the facet scales and one domain scale did not meet the criterion for weak MI (factor loading equality) across 12 age groups spanning ages from 18 to 91 years. Furthermore, none of the facet and domain scales met the criterion for strong MI (intercept equality), suggesting that items of the same facets and facets of the same domains varied in age group differences. When items were residualized for their respective facets, 46% of them had significant (p traits should show similar age group differences. Given this, the FFM domains and facets as embodied in the NEO PI-3 do not reflect aetiologically coherent traits. PMID:25751273

  13. FACET, Radiation View Factor with Shadowing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shapiro, A.B.

    1988-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: FACET calculates the radiation geometric view factor (alternatively called shape factor, angle factor, or configuration factor) between surfaces for axisymmetric, two-dimensional planar and three-dimensional geometries with interposed third surface obstructions. FACET was developed to calculate view factors as input data to finite element heat transfer analysis codes. 2 - Method of solution: Three algorithms are incorporated to integrate the view factor equation for three dimensional geometries. The algorithm used for any two surfaces depends on their geometric relationship and whether third surface obstructions exist. The three algorithms are the area integration (AI) method, the line integration method (LI), and the Mitalas and Stephenson (MS) method. The LI method is used to calculate the view factor between two disjoint surfaces. If the two surfaces have an adjoint edge, the MS method is used. The AI method is used if there is self or third surface shadowing. In two-dimensional planar geometries, the view factor between two surfaces is calculated using Hottel's cross string method. For axisymmetric geometries in the absence of shadowing, the view factor between two surfaces is calculated by view factor algebra using the view factors between parallel coaxial discs. In the presence of self or third surface shadowing, the geometry is represented in three dimensions before calculating the view factors

  14. Differentiating Between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Voters Using Facets of Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Social-Dominance Orientation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crowson, Howard Michael; Brandes, Joyce A

    2017-06-01

    Historically, much of the research on right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation has proceeded from the assumption that they are unidimensional. Recently, researchers have begun to seriously consider the possibility that they are multidimensional in nature and should be measured as such. Several studies have examined the unique relationships between right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation facets and social and political outcome measures of interest. However, there have been no efforts to include the full slate of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation facets as predictors in the same model. This is problematic when investigating the discriminant validity of these facets, given the potential empirical overlap among the facets both within and across scales. We included facets of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation as predictors of U.S. voters' intentions to vote for Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election. Data were collected in September 2016. We found evidence for the discriminant validity of several of the right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation facets.

  15. Separation of Peptides with Forward Osmosis Biomimetic Membranes

    OpenAIRE

    Bajraktari, Niada; Madsen, Henrik T.; Gruber, Mathias F.; Truelsen, Sigurd; Jensen, Elzbieta L.; Jensen, Henrik; H?lix-Nielsen, Claus

    2016-01-01

    Forward osmosis (FO) membranes have gained interest in several disciplines for the rejection and concentration of various molecules. One application area for FO membranes that is becoming increasingly popular is the use of the membranes to concentrate or dilute high value compound solutions such as pharmaceuticals. It is crucial in such settings to control the transport over the membrane to avoid losses of valuable compounds, but little is known about the rejection and transport mechanisms of...

  16. A layer model of ethanol partitioning into lipid membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nizza, David T; Gawrisch, Klaus

    2009-06-01

    The effect of membrane composition on ethanol partitioning into lipid bilayers was assessed by headspace gas chromatography. A series of model membranes with different compositions have been investigated. Membranes were exposed to a physiological ethanol concentration of 20 mmol/l. The concentration of membranes was 20 wt% which roughly corresponds to values found in tissue. Partitioning depended on the chemical nature of polar groups at the lipid/water interface. Compared to phosphatidylcholine, lipids with headgroups containing phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin showed enhanced partitioning while headgroups containing phosphatidylethanolamine resulted in a lower partition coefficient. The molar partition coefficient was independent of a membrane's hydrophobic volume. This observation is in agreement with our previously published NMR results which showed that ethanol resides almost exclusively within the membrane/water interface. At an ethanol concentration of 20 mmol/l in water, ethanol concentrations at the lipid/water interface are in the range from 30-15 mmol/l, corresponding to one ethanol molecule per 100-200 lipids.

  17. A glimpse behind the mask: facets of narcissism and feelings of self-worth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; Besser, Avi

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the connections that the facets of narcissism captured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI; Raskin & Hall, 1979) and the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI; Pincus et al., 2009) have with self-esteem. This was accomplished by asking 372 participants to complete measures of narcissism and self-esteem level as well as daily diary measures concerning their state self-esteem and daily experiences. Our analyses found that the facets of narcissism differed in their associations with average level of self-esteem, fluctuations in state self-esteem over time, and self-esteem reactions following daily events. These results suggest that it is important to consider specific facets of narcissism when examining feelings of self-worth rather than relying on broader composite measures of narcissistic personality features. Implications of these results for our understanding of the dynamics of the narcissistic personality are discussed.

  18. Facets of operational performance in an emergency room (ER)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Vaart, Taco; Vastag, Gyula; Wijngaard, Jacob

    This paper, using detailed time measurements of patients complemented by interviews with hospital management and staff, examines three facets of an emergency room's (ER) operational performance: (1) effectiveness of the triage system in rationing patient treatment; (2) factors influencing ER's

  19. Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity of noble metal-modified TiO2 nanosheets with exposed {0 0 1} facets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diak, Magdalena; Grabowska, Ewelina; Zaleska, Adriana

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • TiO 2 nanosheets with exposed {0 0 1} facets were prepared by hydrothermal method. • Pd and Ag NPs-loaded enhanced the photocatalytic activity under visible irradiation. • Photodeposition is an effective method to obtain noble metal NPs on TiO 2 surface. - Abstract: Pt, Pd, Ag and Au nanoparticles were photodeposited on the {0 0 1} crystal facets of the TiO 2 anatase nanosheets. Morphological and surface characterization of the samples as well as photocatalytic activity were studied. The influence of metal precursor concentration used during photodeposition (0.05−0.5%) on size of formed metal nanoparticles together with UV and vis-mediated activity of Pt, Pd, Ag or Au−TiO 2 was investigated. Generally, samples obtained by photodeposition of noble metal nanoparticles using their 0.2% precursor solutions revealed highest activity in phenol degradation reaction under visible light (λ > 420 nm). The photoactivity of the as-prepared samples with respect to the modified metal species was ordered Ag≅Pd > Au > Pt. TEM analysis showed that photodeposited metal nanoparticles appeared only on {0 0 1} facets of TiO 2 . The average degradation rate of phenol in the presence of Pd and Ag−TiO 2 was 0.5 μmol dm −3 min −1 after 60 min of irradiation under visible light, and was five times higher than that of pure TiO 2 nanosheets

  20. Synthesis of ZnWO{sub 4} Electrode with tailored facets: Deactivating the Microorganisms through Photoelectrocatalytic methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhan, Su [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026 (China); Zhou, Feng, E-mail: zhoufeng99@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026 (China); Huang, Naibao; Liu, Yujun; He, Qiuchen; Tian, Yu; Yang, Yifan [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026 (China); Ye, Fei [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116026 (China)

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • ZnWO{sub 4} with different exposed facets was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. • The reactive facets were tailored by varying the solution pH. • The photoelectrocatalysis was more efficient in deactivating the microorganism. - Abstract: The exotic invasive species from the ballast water in the ship will bring about serious damages to ecosystem. Photocatalyst films have been widely studied for sterilization. In this study, ZnWO{sub 4} with different exposed facets was synthesized by hydrothermal method, and ZnWO{sub 4} film electrodes have been applied in ballast water treatment through the electro-assisted photocatalytic system. Then the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS), Field emission on scanning electron microcopy (FE-SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), BET specific surface area analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). ZnWO{sub 4} with an appropriate exposure of (0 1 1) facets ratio exhibited the best photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic activities. The microorganisms deactivated completely in 10 min by ZnWO{sub 4} films with 3 V bias. The mechanisms of (0 1 1) facets enhanced the photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic activities which were deduced based on the calculated result from the first principles. Simultaneously, appropriate exposed facets and applied bias could reduce the recombination of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and improve the photocatalytic activities of ZnWO{sub 4}.

  1. The Role of Surface Passivation in Controlling Ge Nanowire Faceting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gamalski, A D; Tersoff, J; Kodambaka, S; Zakharov, D N; Ross, F M; Stach, E A

    2015-12-09

    In situ transmission electron microscopy observations of nanowire morphologies indicate that during Au-catalyzed Ge nanowire growth, Ge facets can rapidly form along the nanowire sidewalls when the source gas (here, digermane) flux is decreased or the temperature is increased. This sidewall faceting is accompanied by continuous catalyst loss as Au diffuses from the droplet to the wire surface. We suggest that high digermane flux and low temperatures promote effective surface passivation of Ge nanowires with H or other digermane fragments inhibiting diffusion and attachment of Au and Ge on the sidewalls. These results illustrate the essential roles of the precursor gas and substrate temperature in maintaining nanowire sidewall passivation, necessary to ensure the growth of straight, untapered, ⟨111⟩-oriented nanowires.

  2. Evaluation of the relationship between age, gender, and body mass index, and lumbar facet joint pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arman Taheri

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Lumbar facet joint pain accounts for 5-15% of the cases of chronic, axial low back pain. Most commonly, facetogenic pain is the result of repetitive stress and/or cumulative low level trauma, leading to inflammation and stretching of the joint capsule. Patients and Methods: In this descriptive study 76 patients who were diagnosed, after a diagnostic block, as having lumbar facet joint pain were evaluated by their age, sex, and body mass index (BMI. Data were collected according to a checklist and entered to SPSS version 16. Results: The mean age of the participants was 48.53 years; the participants included 44 women and 32 men. Lumbar facet joint pain was more frequent in the age range of 40-55 years. With respect to BMI, lumbar facet joint pain was most frequently seen in patients with BMI of 24.5-29.5 kg/m 2 (40.8%. Conclusion: Based on our findings, the chances of developing lumbar facet joint pain is more in women who are between 40 years and 55 years of age and whose BMI is 24.5-29.5 kg/m 2 .

  3. Intra-articular nerve growth factor regulates development, but not maintenance, of injury-induced facet joint pain & spinal neuronal hypersensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kras, J V; Kartha, S; Winkelstein, B A

    2015-11-01

    The objective of the current study is to define whether intra-articular nerve growth factor (NGF), an inflammatory mediator that contributes to osteoarthritic pain, is necessary and sufficient for the development or maintenance of injury-induced facet joint pain and its concomitant spinal neuronal hyperexcitability. Male Holtzman rats underwent painful cervical facet joint distraction (FJD) or sham procedures. Mechanical hyperalgesia was assessed in the forepaws, and NGF expression was quantified in the C6/C7 facet joint. An anti-NGF antibody was administered intra-articularly in additional rats immediately or 1 day following facet distraction or sham procedures to block intra-articular NGF and test its contribution to initiation and/or maintenance of facet joint pain and spinal neuronal hyperexcitability. NGF was injected into the bilateral C6/C7 facet joints in separate rats to determine if NGF alone is sufficient to induce these behavioral and neuronal responses. NGF expression increases in the cervical facet joint in association with behavioral sensitivity after that joint's mechanical injury. Intra-articular application of anti-NGF immediately after a joint distraction prevents the development of both injury-induced pain and hyperexcitability of spinal neurons. Yet, intra-articular anti-NGF applied after pain has developed does not attenuate either behavioral or neuronal hyperexcitability. Intra-articular NGF administered to the facet in naïve rats also induces behavioral hypersensitivity and spinal neuronal hyperexcitability. Findings demonstrate that NGF in the facet joint contributes to the development of injury-induced joint pain. Localized blocking of NGF signaling in the joint may provide potential treatment for joint pain. Copyright © 2015 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Investigation on CO catalytic oxidation reaction kinetics of faceted perovskite nanostructures loaded with Pt

    KAUST Repository

    Yin, S. M.

    2017-01-18

    Perovskite lead titanate nanostructures with specific {111}, {100} and {001} facets exposed, have been employed as supports to investigate the crystal facet effect on the growth and CO catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles. The size, distribution and surface chemical states of Pt on the perovskite supports have been significantly modified, leading to a tailored conversion temperature and catalytic kinetics towards CO catalytic oxidation.

  5. Investigation on CO catalytic oxidation reaction kinetics of faceted perovskite nanostructures loaded with Pt

    KAUST Repository

    Yin, S. M.; Duanmu, J. J.; Zhu, Yihan; Yuan, Y. F.; Guo, S. Y.; Yang, J. L.; Ren, Z. H.; Han, G. R.

    2017-01-01

    Perovskite lead titanate nanostructures with specific {111}, {100} and {001} facets exposed, have been employed as supports to investigate the crystal facet effect on the growth and CO catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles. The size, distribution and surface chemical states of Pt on the perovskite supports have been significantly modified, leading to a tailored conversion temperature and catalytic kinetics towards CO catalytic oxidation.

  6. A pilot-scale forward osmosis membrane system for concentrating low-strength municipal wastewater: performance and implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhiwei; Zheng, Junjian; Tang, Jixu; Wang, Xinhua; Wu, Zhichao

    2016-02-01

    Recovery of nutrients and energy from municipal wastewater has attracted much attention in recent years; however, its efficiency is significantly limited by the low-strength properties of municipal wastewater. Herein, we report a pilot-scale forward osmosis (FO) system using a spiral-wound membrane module to concentrate real municipal wastewater. Under active layer facing feed solution mode, the critical concentration factor (CCF) of this FO system was determined to be 8 with 0.5 M NaCl as draw solution. During long-term operation at a concentration factor of 5, (99.8 ± 0.6)% of chemical oxygen demand and (99.7 ± 0.5)% of total phosphorus rejection rates could be achieved at a flux of 6 L/(m2 h) on average. In comparison, only (48.1 ± 10.5)% and (67.8 ± 7.3)% rejection of ammonium and total nitrogen were observed. Cake enhanced concentration polarization is a major contributor to the decrease of water fluxes. The fouling also led to the occurrence of a cake reduced concentration polarization effect, improving ammonium rejection rate with the increase of operation time in each cycle. This work demonstrates the applicability of using FO process for wastewater concentrating and also limitations in ammonium recovery that need further improvement in future.

  7. Intentions to Cheat: Ajzen's Planned Behavior and Goal-Related Personality Facets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lonsdale, Damian

    2017-02-17

    This study sought to test antecedents to college students' intentions to cheat by utilizing Ajzen's ( 1991 ) theory of planned behavior (TPB), and four goal-related personality facets. Those facets were behavioral approach, behavioral inhibition, need for achievement-hope of success, and need for achievement-fear of failure. As hypothesized, perceived friends' and parents' attitudes toward academic dishonesty (two subjective norms) and perceived ease of cheating (perceived behavioral control) all positively predicted overall intentions to cheat. Perceived friends' attitudes seemed to play a more influential role than perceived parents' attitudes. Interestingly, male students reported greater parental acceptance of academic misconduct than female students reported. Among the personality facets, behavioral approach and need for achievement-hope of success were positive and negative predictors of cheating intentions, respectively. A more fine-grained examination of take-home assignments revealed that students considered them easier to cheat on and reported greater intentions to cheat on them in comparison to other forms of academic work (e.g., exams and papers). Also, need for achievement-fear of failure positively predicted intentions to cheat on take-home assignments, but not other cheating intentions. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

  8. Facet orientation and tropism: Associations with asymmetric lumbar paraspinal and psoas muscle parameters in patients with chronic low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, W B; Chen, S; Fan, S W; Zhao, F D; Yu, X J; Hu, Z J

    2016-08-10

    Many studies have explored the relationship between facet tropism and facet joint osteoarthritis, disc degeneration and degenerative spondylolisthesis. However, the associations between facet orientation and tropism, and paraspinal muscles have not been studied. To analyze the associations between facet orientation and tropism, and parameters of paraspinal muscles in patients with chronic low back pain. Ninety-five patients with chronic low back pain were consecutively enrolled. Their facet joint angles were measured on computed tomography (CT) while gross cross-sectional area (GCSA), functional cross-sectional area (FCSA) and T2 signal intensity of lumbar paraspinal and psoas muscle were evaluated on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The GCSA and FCSA were significantly smaller for multifidus muscle (Plow back pain. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the causal relationship between facet orientation and tropism and muscular asymmetry in future.

  9. Solvothermal synthesis of TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals with {001} facets using titanic acid nanobelts for superior photocatalytic activity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cao, Yuhui; Zong, Lanlan [National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004 (China); Li, Qiuye, E-mail: qiuyeli@henu.edu.cn [National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004 (China); Li, Chen; Li, Junli [National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004 (China); Yang, Jianjun, E-mail: yangjianjun@henu.edu.cn [National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004 (China)

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • TiO{sub 2} exposed with {001} facets were firstly prepared using TAN as Ti source. • The mineralization rate of MO on sample with 77% {001} facets was as high as 96%. • The superior photocatalytic activity was greatly due to {001} facets exposing. - Abstract: Anatase TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals exposed with {001} facets were fabricated by solvothermal strategy in HF-C{sub 4}H{sub 9}OH mixed solution, using titanic acid nanobelts (TAN) as a precursor. The shape of TAN is a long flat plane with a high aspect ratio, and F{sup −} is easily adsorbed on the surface of the nanobelts, inducing a higher exposure of {001} facet of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles during the structure reorganization. The exposed percentage of {001} facets could vary from 40 to 77% by adjusting the amount of HF. The as-prepared samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope. The photocatalytic measurement showed that TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals with 77% {001} facets exhibited much superior photocatalytic activity for photodegradation of methyl orange, methylene blue, and rhodamine B. And what’s more, the mineralization rate of methyl orange was as high as 96% within 60 min. The photocatalytic enhancement is due to a large amount of the high energetic {001} facets exposing, the special truncated octahedral morphology and a stronger ability for dyes adsorption.

  10. Contemporary cybernetics and its facets of cognitive informatics and computational intelligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yingxu; Kinsner, Witold; Zhang, Du

    2009-08-01

    This paper explores the architecture, theoretical foundations, and paradigms of contemporary cybernetics from perspectives of cognitive informatics (CI) and computational intelligence. The modern domain and the hierarchical behavioral model of cybernetics are elaborated at the imperative, autonomic, and cognitive layers. The CI facet of cybernetics is presented, which explains how the brain may be mimicked in cybernetics via CI and neural informatics. The computational intelligence facet is described with a generic intelligence model of cybernetics. The compatibility between natural and cybernetic intelligence is analyzed. A coherent framework of contemporary cybernetics is presented toward the development of transdisciplinary theories and applications in cybernetics, CI, and computational intelligence.

  11. Phase measuring deflectometry. An improved setup for measuring CTA mirror facets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Specovius, Andreas; Eldik, Christopher van; Woernlein, Andre; Ziegler, Alexander [Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (ECAP) (Germany)

    2016-07-01

    The future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will consist of up to 100 single telescopes with a total reflecting surface of ∝10.000 m{sup 2} made of numerous mirror facets. Characterizing the surface properties of these facets is quite challenging concerning time and logistics. An efficient way to reliably reconstruct the surface of specular free-forms is Phase Measuring Deflectometry (PMD). PMD is routinely used to characterize the focal distance and point spread function of spherical CTA prototype mirrors. To address the possibility to measure the surface properties of aspherical mirrors, a new PMD setup has recently been built. First experience with this setup is reported.

  12. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of degeneration of cervical intervertebral discs and facet joints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walraevens, Joris; Liu, Baoge; Meersschaert, Joke; Demaerel, Philippe; Delye, Hans; Depreitere, Bart; Vander Sloten, Jos; Goffin, Jan

    2009-03-01

    Degeneration of intervertebral discs and facet joints is one of the most frequently encountered spinal disorders. In order to describe and quantify degeneration and evaluate a possible relationship between degeneration and biomechanical parameters, e.g., the intervertebral range of motion and intradiscal pressure, a scoring system for degeneration is mandatory. However, few scoring systems for the assessment of degeneration of the cervical spine exist. Therefore, two separate objective scoring systems to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the degree of cervical intervertebral disc and facet joint degeneration were developed and validated. The scoring system for cervical disc degeneration consists of three variables which are individually scored on neutral lateral radiographs: "height loss" (0-4 points), "anterior osteophytes" (0-3 points) and "endplate sclerosis" (0-2 points). The scoring system for facet joint degeneration consists of four variables which are individually scored on neutral computed tomography scans: "hypertrophy" (0-2 points), "osteophytes" (0-1 point), "irregularity" on the articular surface (0-1 point) and "joint space narrowing" (0-1 point). Each variable contributes with varying importance to the overall degeneration score (max 9 points for the scoring system of cervical disc degeneration and max 5 points for facet joint degeneration). Degeneration of 20 discs and facet joints of 20 patients was blindly assessed by four raters: two neurosurgeons (one senior and one junior) and two radiologists (one senior and one junior), firstly based on first subjective impression and secondly using the scoring systems. Measurement errors and inter- and intra-rater agreement were determined. The measurement error of the scoring system for cervical disc degeneration was 11.1 versus 17.9% of the subjective impression results. This scoring system showed excellent intra-rater agreement (ICC = 0.86, 0.75-0.93) and excellent inter-rater agreement (ICC = 0

  13. Spontaneous resolution of symptoms associated with a facet synovial cyst in an adult female – a case report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngo, Trung; Decina, Philip; Hsu, William

    2013-01-01

    Background: Facet cysts are implicated in neural compression in the lumbar spine. Surgery is the definitive treatment for symptomatic facet cysts since the failure rate for conservative treatment is quite high; however, the role of physical/manual medicine practitioners in the management of symptomatic facet cysts has not been well explored. This case report will add to the body of evidence of spontaneous resolution of symptoms associated with facet cysts in the chiropractic literature. Case: A 58 year old female presented with acute low back and right leg pain which she attributed to a series of exercise classes that involved frequent foot stomping. Physical examination did not elicit any objective evidence of radiculopathy but MRI and CT scans revealed a facet cyst impinging on the right L5 nerve root. Injections and surgery were recommended; however, the patient’s radicular symptoms completely resolved after three months without surgical intervention. Summary: There is currently a paucity of data in the literature regarding the chiropractor’s role in the management of symptomatic facet cysts. The case presented here has added to this literature and possible areas for future research have been explored. PMID:23483069

  14. Fabrication of etched facets and vertical couplers in InP for packaging and on-wafer test

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lemos Alvares Dos Santos, Rui; D'Agostino, D.; Soares, F. M.; Haghighi, H. Rabbani; Williams, K. A.; Leijtens, X. J. M.

    2016-01-01

    In this letter, the fabrication and the characterization of angled and straight etched facets in InP-based technology are reported. In addition, we report on etched facets combined with coupler mirrors for vertical outcoupling, realized with a wet-etching process.

  15. Facile Synthesis of Gold Nanorice Enclosed by High- Index Facets and Its Application for CO Oxidation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Y.; Tao, J.; Liu, H.; Zeng, J.; Yu, T.; Ma, Y.; Moran, C.; Wu, L.; Zhu, Y.; Liu, J.; Xia, Y.

    2011-01-01

    A facile method for generating Au nanorice enclosed by high-index facets in high purity. The nanorice shows much higher catalytic activity for CO oxidation than multiply twinned particles of Au enclosed by {111} facets at temperatures below 300 C.

  16. An Investigation on bilayer structures of electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous membrane and cellulose membrane used as filtration media for apple juice clarification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawitri, Asti; Miftahul Munir, Muhammad; Edikresnha, Dhewa; Sandi, Ahzab; Fauzi, Ahmad; Rajak, Abdul; Natalia, Dessy; Khairurrijal, Khairurrijal

    2018-05-01

    Nanofibrous membrane has a potential to use in filtration technology with electrospinning as one of the techniques used in synthesizing nanofibers. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibrous membranes with various fibers diameters were electrospun by varying its precursor solution concentration. The average fibers diameters of the PAN nanofibrous membranes obtained from the precursor solution concentrations of 6, 9, 12, and 14 wt% were 341, 534, 1274, and 2107 nm, respectively. Filtration media for apple juice clarification were bilayer-structured membranes made of PAN nanofibrous membranes on commercial cellulose microfibrous membranes. It has been shown that the reduction of apple juice color or turbidity performed by the cellulose microfibrous membrane was well enhanced by the presence of the PAN nanofibrous membrane in the bilayer-structured membrane. In addition, the apple-juice color and turbidity reductions increased with decreasing the average fibers diameter of the PAN nanofibrous membrane. Furthermore, the PAN nanofibrous membrane also helped the cellulose microfibrous membrane in the bilayer-structured membrane enhance the reductions of total phenols, protein, and glucose of the apple juice.

  17. Boron removal in radioactive liquid waste by forward osmosis membrane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Doo Seong Hwang; Hei Min Choi; Kune Woo Lee; Jei Kwon Moon [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-07-01

    This study investigated the treatment of boric acid contained in liquid radioactive waste using a forward osmosis membrane. The boron permeation through the membrane depends on the type of membrane, membrane orientation, pH of the feed solution, salt and boron concentration in the feed solution, and osmotic pressure of the draw solution. The boron flux begins to decline from pH 7 and increases with an increase of the osmotic driving force. The boron flux decreases slightly with the salt concentration, but is not heavily influenced by a low salt concentration. The boron flux increases linearly with the concentration of boron. No element except for boron was permeated through the FO membrane in the multi-component system. The maximum boron flux is obtained in an active layer facing a draw solution orientation of the CTA-ES membrane under conditions of less than pH 7 and high osmotic pressure. (authors)

  18. in Situ Formation of a Biocatalytic Alginate Membrane by Enhanced Concentration Polarization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marpani, Fauziah; Luo, Jianquan; Mateiu, Ramona Valentina

    2015-01-01

    A thin alginate layer induced on the surface of a commercial polysulfone membrane was used as a matrix for noncovalent immobilization of enzymes. Despite the expected decrease of flux across the membrane resulting from the coating, the initial hypothesis was that such a system should allow high...... immobilized enzyme loadings, which would benefit from the decreased flux in terms of increased enzyme/substrate contact time. The study was performed in a sequential fashion: first, the most suitable types of alginate able to induce a very thin, sustainable gel layer by pressure-driven membrane filtration...... were selected and evaluated. Then, an efficient method to make the gel layer adhere to the surface of the membrane was developed. Finally, and after confirming that the enzyme loading could remarkably be enhanced by using this method, several strategies to increase the permeate flux were evaluated...

  19. Obtaining Content Weights for Test Specifications from Job Analysis Task Surveys: An Application of the Many-Facets Rasch Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ning; Stahl, John

    2012-01-01

    This article discusses the use of the Many-Facets Rasch Model, via the FACETS computer program (Linacre, 2006a), to scale job/practice analysis survey data as well as to combine multiple rating scales into single composite weights representing the tasks' relative importance. Results from the Many-Facets Rasch Model are compared with those…

  20. Within-trait heterogeneity in age group differences in personality domains and facets: implications for the development and coherence of personality traits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mõttus, René; Realo, Anu; Allik, Jüri; Esko, Tõnu; Metspalu, Andres; Johnson, Wendy

    2015-01-01

    The study investigated differences in the Five-Factor Model (FFM) domains and facets across adulthood. The main questions were whether personality scales reflected coherent units of trait development and thereby coherent personality traits more generally. These questions were addressed by testing if the components of the trait scales (items for facet scales and facets for domain scales) showed consistent age group differences. For this, measurement invariance (MI) framework was used. In a sample of 2,711 Estonians who had completed the NEO Personality Inventory 3 (NEO PI-3), more than half of the facet scales and one domain scale did not meet the criterion for weak MI (factor loading equality) across 12 age groups spanning ages from 18 to 91 years. Furthermore, none of the facet and domain scales met the criterion for strong MI (intercept equality), suggesting that items of the same facets and facets of the same domains varied in age group differences. When items were residualized for their respective facets, 46% of them had significant (p < 0.0002) residual age-correlations. When facets were residualized for their domain scores, a majority had significant (p < 0.002) residual age-correlations. For each domain, a series of latent factors were specified using random quarters of their items: scores of such latent factors varied notably (within domains) in correlations with age. We argue that manifestations of aetiologically coherent traits should show similar age group differences. Given this, the FFM domains and facets as embodied in the NEO PI-3 do not reflect aetiologically coherent traits.

  1. Personality Facets and RIASEC Interests: An Integrated Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Patrick Ian; Anthoney, Sarah Fetter

    2009-01-01

    Research examining links between personality and interest have typically focused on links between measures of the five factor model and Holland's RIASEC types. However, the five factor model of personality can be divided in to a larger set of narrow domain personality scales measuring facets of the "big five" traits. Research in a number of fields…

  2. A note on clique-web facets for multicut polytopes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Michael Malmros

    2002-01-01

    In this note we provide a previously undiscovered necessary condition for the facet-defining property of clique-web inequalities for the multicut polytope. This condition imposes a minimum cardinality requirement on the node set of the clique, thus implying, in general, that clique-web inequaliti...

  3. Composite Membrane with Underwater-Oleophobic Surface for Anti-Oil-Fouling Membrane Distillation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhangxin; Hou, Deyin; Lin, Shihong

    2016-04-05

    In this study, we fabricated a composite membrane for membrane distillation (MD) by modifying a commercial hydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane with a nanocomposite coating comprising silica nanoparticles, chitosan hydrogel and fluoro-polymer. The composite membrane exhibits asymmetric wettability, with the modified surface being in-air hydrophilic and underwater oleophobic, and the unmodified surface remaining hydrophobic. By comparing the performance of the composite membrane and the pristine PVDF membrane in direct contact MD experiments using a saline emulsion with 1000 ppm crude oil (in water), we showed that the fabricated composite membrane was significantly more resistant to oil fouling compared to the pristine hydrophobic PVDF membrane. Force spectroscopy was conducted for the interaction between an oil droplet and the membrane surface using a force tensiometer. The difference between the composite membrane and the pristine PVDF membrane in their interaction with an oil droplet served to explain the difference in the fouling propensities between these two membranes observed in MD experiments. The results from this study suggest that underwater oleophobic coating can effectively mitigate oil fouling in MD operations, and that the fabricated composite membrane with asymmetric wettability can enable MD to desalinate hypersaline wastewater with high concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants.

  4. Improvement on the concentrated grape juice physico-chemical characteristics by an enzymatic treatment and Membrane Separation Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PLÍNIO R.F. CAMPOS

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT In this work, the improvement on the concentrated grape juice physico-chemical characteristics by using an enzymatic treatment followed by Membrane Separation Process (MSP has been investigated. By using Novozym 33095(r and Ultrazym AFP L(r enzymes varying three operating parameters, the best result on the grape pulp characteristics was attained for the Novozym 33095(r performed at 35oC, 15 min. and 50 mgL-1. In micro/ultra filtration processes after enzymatic pretreatment, the best performance of the MSP with high permeate flux value and suitable grape juice characteristics was attained using 0.05 mm membrane pore size, 1 bar pressure and 40 oC treatment temperature. When reverse osmosis process is operated at 40 bar and 40oC, high soluble solid and low turbidity values are attained. An enzymatic treatment along with MSP has shown an alternative and efficient grape juice processing system, being possible to extend to other foods.

  5. Personality and externalizing behavior in the transition to young adulthood: the additive value of personality facets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimstra, Theo A; Luyckx, Koen; Hale Iii, William W; Goossens, Luc

    2014-08-01

    The directionality of effects in the associations between personality and externalizing behavior (i.e., delinquency, soft drugs use, and alcohol abuse) is unclear. Moreover, previous studies only examined personality trait domains when examining these associations, whereas personality facets underlying these broad domains provide more specificity. To address these limitations, the present study examined the directionality of effects between externalizing behavior and personality while employing a facet-level approach to personality. Cross-lagged panel models were employed to four annual measurement waves of longitudinal data on 485 Belgian-Caucasian late adolescents (87.4 % female; M age = 18.63 years, SD = 0.61). Participants filled out the NEO-FFI as a measure of personality, the Deviant Behavior Scale as a measure of delinquency, and single items for soft drugs use and alcohol abuse on all four measurement occasions. The incremental value of personality facets over broad trait domains was demonstrated, as it was often the case that only some, but not all, facets underlying a specific trait domain were significantly associated with specific externalizing behaviors. Furthermore, linkages between personality and externalizing behavior were shown to be complex. Depending on the personality trait domain or facet and the specific behavior under investigation, the directionality of effects may differ. To capture the full complexity of the linkages between personality and externalizing behavior, a facet approach to personality is recommended. This information is potentially important for clinicians, as it indicates which specific aspects of a broad trait domain affect, and are affected by, specific externalizing behaviors.

  6. CW operation of high-power blue laser diodes with polished facets on semi-polar ( 20 2 ¯ 1 ¯ ) GaN substrates

    KAUST Repository

    Pourhashemi, A.

    2016-10-11

    Continuous wave (CW) operation of high-power blue laser diodes (LDs) with polished facets on semi-polar (202̅1̅) gallium nitride (GaN) substrates is demonstrated. Ridge waveguide LDs were fabricated using indium GaN waveguiding layers and GaN cladding layers. At a lasing wavelength of 452 nm, the peak two-facet CW output power from an LD with uncoated facets was 1.71 W at a current of 3 A, corresponding to an optical power density of 32.04 MW/cm2 on each facet. The dependence of output power on current did not change with repeated CW measurements, indicating that the polished facets did not degrade under high-power CW operation. These results show that polished facets are a viable alternative to cleaved or etched facets for high-power CW semi-polar LDs.

  7. CW operation of high-power blue laser diodes with polished facets on semi-polar ( 20 2 ¯ 1 ¯ ) GaN substrates

    KAUST Repository

    Pourhashemi, A.; Farrell, R.M.; Cohen, D.A.; Becerra, D.L.; DenBaars, S.P.; Nakamura, S.

    2016-01-01

    Continuous wave (CW) operation of high-power blue laser diodes (LDs) with polished facets on semi-polar (202̅1̅) gallium nitride (GaN) substrates is demonstrated. Ridge waveguide LDs were fabricated using indium GaN waveguiding layers and GaN cladding layers. At a lasing wavelength of 452 nm, the peak two-facet CW output power from an LD with uncoated facets was 1.71 W at a current of 3 A, corresponding to an optical power density of 32.04 MW/cm2 on each facet. The dependence of output power on current did not change with repeated CW measurements, indicating that the polished facets did not degrade under high-power CW operation. These results show that polished facets are a viable alternative to cleaved or etched facets for high-power CW semi-polar LDs.

  8. Final Report for Project "Framework Application for Core-Edge Transport Simulations (FACETS)"

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Estep, Donald [Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States)

    2014-01-17

    This is the final report for the Colorado State University Component of the FACETS Project. FACETS was focused on the development of a multiphysics, parallel framework application that could provide the capability to enable whole-device fusion reactor modeling and, in the process, the development of the modeling infrastructure and computational understanding needed for ITER. It was intended that FACETS be highly flexible, through the use of modern computational methods, including component technology and object oriented design, to facilitate switching from one model to another for a given aspect of the physics, and making it possible to use simplified models for rapid turnaround or high-fidelity models that will take advantage of the largest supercomputer hardware. FACETS was designed in a heterogeneous parallel context, where different parts of the application can take advantage through parallelism based on task farming, domain decomposition, and/or pipelining as needed and applicable. As with all fusion simulations, an integral part of the FACETS project was treatment of the coupling of different physical processes at different scales interacting closely. A primary example for the FACETS project is the coupling of existing core and edge simulations, with the transport and wall interactions described by reduced models. However, core and edge simulations themselves involve significant coupling of different processes with large scale differences. Numerical treatment of coupling is impacted by a number of factors including, scale differences, form of information transferred between processes, implementation of solvers for different codes, and high performance computing concerns. Operator decomposition involving the computation of the individual processes individually using appropriate simulation codes and then linking/synchronizing the component simulations at regular points in space and time, is the defacto approach to high performance simulation of multiphysics

  9. The Role of Shape on Electronic Structure and Charge Transport in Faceted PbSe Nanocrystals

    KAUST Repository

    Kaushik, Ananth P.

    2014-03-25

    We have determined the effect of shape on the charge transport characteristics of nanocrystals. Our study looked at the explicit determination of the electronic properties of faceted nanocrystals that essentially probe the limit of current computational reach, i.e., nanocrystals from 1.53 to 2.1 nm in diameter. These nanocrystals, which resemble PbSe systems, are either bare or covered in short ligands. They also differ in shape, octahedral vs cube-octahedral, and in superlattice symmetry (fcc vs bcc). We have provided insights on electron and hole coupling along different facets and overall charge mobility in bcc and fcc superlattices. We have determined that the relative areas of (100) to (111) facets, and facet atom types are important factors governing the optimization of charge transport. The calculated electronic density of states shows no role of -SCH3 - ligands on states near the band gap. Electron coupling between nanocrystals is significantly higher than that of hole coupling; thiol ligands lower the ratio between electron and hole couplings. Stronger coupling exists between smaller nanocrystals. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

  10. Effect of Adsorbed Protein on the Hydraulic Permeability, Membrane and Streaming Potential Values Measured across a Microporous Membrane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Benavente, Juana; Jonsson, Gunnar Eigil

    1998-01-01

    permeability decreases strongly when the pH decreases, having its minimum value at the isoelectric point of the protein; the apparent zeta potential values are also dependent on both pH and salt concentration. Differences in the streaming potential coefficient determined for two membranes fouled under......The effect of the adsorption of a protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), on the membrane potential, flux reduction and streaming potential measured across a microporous polysulphone membrane with different NaCl solutions and pH values is studied. From electrokinetic phenomena, information about...... the electrical properties of the membrane (fixed charge concentration and ionic transport numbers) or the membrane/solute interactions (streaming and zeta potentials) can be obtained. The influence of pH and ionic strength on volume flux and streaming potential values is considered. Results show that hydraulic...

  11. Functionalization of a Hydrophilic Commercial Membrane Using Inorganic-Organic Polymers Coatings for Membrane Distillation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lies Eykens

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Membrane distillation is a thermal separation technique using a microporous hydrophobic membrane. One of the concerns with respect to the industrialization of the technique is the development of novel membranes. In this paper, a commercially available hydrophilic polyethersulfone membrane with a suitable structure for membrane distillation was modified using available hydrophobic coatings using ORMOCER® technology to obtain a hydrophobic membrane that can be applied in membrane distillation. The surface modification was performed using a selection of different components, concentrations, and application methods. The resulting membranes can have two hydrophobic surfaces or a hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface depending on the application method. An extensive characterization procedure confirmed the suitability of the coating technique and the obtained membranes for membrane distillation. The surface contact angle of water could be increased from 27° up to 110°, and fluxes comparable to membranes commonly used for membrane distillation were achieved under similar process conditions. A 100 h test demonstrated the stability of the coating and the importance of using sufficiently stable base membranes.

  12. RETENTION OF HUMIC ACID FROM WATER BY NANOFILTRATION MEMBRANE AND INFLUENCE OF SOLUTION CHEMISTRY ON MEMBRANE PERFORMANCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. A. Zazouli, S. Nasseri, A. H. Mahvi, M. Gholami, A. R. Mesdaghinia, M. Younesian

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The objectives of this research were to investigate the rejection efficiency of salt and hydrophobic fraction of natural organic matter, to study the flux decline behavior with a spiral wound nanofiltration membrane, and also to survey the influence of water chemistry on membrane performance. Experiments were conducted using a cross flow pilot-scale membrane unit with a full circulation mode. Humic acid was used as hydrophobic organic matter and NaCl as background electrolyte. Results showed that flux reduction increased with increasing ionic strength and humic acid concentration, and with lower pH. The rejection efficiency of organic and salt decreased with the decrease in pH and increase in ionic strength, because of osmotic pressure increase, leading to permeate flux decline and decrease in salt rejection. In addition, the improved salt rejection was likely due to Donnan exclusion by humic material close to membrane surfaces. The average rejection efficiency of humic acid and salt ranged between 91.2%-95.25% and 63.6%-80%, respectively. Dissolved organic carbon concentration was less than 0.57mg/L in permeate for all experiments. With increasing organic concentration, the charge of the membrane surface has become more negative due to the adsorption of organic foulants on the membrane surface, and thus increased the electrostatic repulsion. However, the increasing surface charge had the potential to result in a larger molecular weight cut-off of a fouled membrane due to membrane swelling which can lead to lower rejection solutes. Therefore, results of this study indicated that membrane fouling may significantly affect the rejection of organic and ion solute.

  13. CURVATURE-DRIVEN MOLECULAR FLOW ON MEMBRANE SURFACE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikucki, Michael; Zhou, Y C

    2017-01-01

    This work presents a mathematical model for the localization of multiple species of diffusion molecules on membrane surfaces. Morphological change of bilayer membrane in vivo is generally modulated by proteins. Most of these modulations are associated with the localization of related proteins in the crowded lipid environments. We start with the energetic description of the distributions of molecules on curved membrane surface, and define the spontaneous curvature of bilayer membrane as a function of the molecule concentrations on membrane surfaces. A drift-diffusion equation governs the gradient flow of the surface molecule concentrations. We recast the energetic formulation and the related governing equations by using an Eulerian phase field description to define membrane morphology. Computational simulations with the proposed mathematical model and related numerical techniques predict (i) the molecular localization on static membrane surfaces at locations with preferred mean curvatures, and (ii) the generation of preferred mean curvature which in turn drives the molecular localization.

  14. Pedicle marrow signal intensity changes in the lumbar spine: a manifestation of facet degenerative joint disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrison, J.L.; Kaplan, P.A.; Dussault, R.G.; Anderson, M.W.

    2000-01-01

    Objective. Signal intensity changes in lumbar pedicles, similar to those described in vertebral body endplates adjacent to degenerated discs, have been described as an ancillary sign of spondylolysis on MRI. The purpose of this study was to determine whether pedicle marrow signal intensity changes also occur in association with facet degenerative joint disease.Design. Eighty-nine lumbar spine MRI examinations without spondylolysis were reviewed for marrow signal intensity changes in pedicles and vertebral bodies as well as for facet degenerative joint disease.Results. Five percent (46/890) of lumbar pedicles in 23 patients had marrow signal intensity changes. Ninety-one percent (42/46) of the abnormal pedicles had adjacent degenerative joint disease of the facets, while only 21% (189/890) of normal pedicles had adjacent facet degenerative joint disease (p<0.001). Eighty-nine percent (41/46) of the pedicles with marrow signal intensity changes had adjacent degenerative disc disease.Conclusions. Pedicle marrow signal intensity changes are not a specific sign of spondylolysis; they are commonly seen with adjacent facet degenerative joint disease in the absence of spondylolysis. Pedicle marrow signal intensity changes are probably a response to abnormal stresses related to abnormal motion or loading caused by the degenerative changes in the spinal segment. (orig.)

  15. Pedicle marrow signal intensity changes in the lumbar spine: a manifestation of facet degenerative joint disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morrison, J.L.; Kaplan, P.A.; Dussault, R.G.; Anderson, M.W. [Dept. of Radiology, Univ. of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA (United States)

    2000-12-01

    Objective. Signal intensity changes in lumbar pedicles, similar to those described in vertebral body endplates adjacent to degenerated discs, have been described as an ancillary sign of spondylolysis on MRI. The purpose of this study was to determine whether pedicle marrow signal intensity changes also occur in association with facet degenerative joint disease.Design. Eighty-nine lumbar spine MRI examinations without spondylolysis were reviewed for marrow signal intensity changes in pedicles and vertebral bodies as well as for facet degenerative joint disease.Results. Five percent (46/890) of lumbar pedicles in 23 patients had marrow signal intensity changes. Ninety-one percent (42/46) of the abnormal pedicles had adjacent degenerative joint disease of the facets, while only 21% (189/890) of normal pedicles had adjacent facet degenerative joint disease (p<0.001). Eighty-nine percent (41/46) of the pedicles with marrow signal intensity changes had adjacent degenerative disc disease.Conclusions. Pedicle marrow signal intensity changes are not a specific sign of spondylolysis; they are commonly seen with adjacent facet degenerative joint disease in the absence of spondylolysis. Pedicle marrow signal intensity changes are probably a response to abnormal stresses related to abnormal motion or loading caused by the degenerative changes in the spinal segment. (orig.)

  16. Conscientiousness, openness to experience and extraversion as predictors of nursing work performance: a facet-level analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellershaw, Julia; Fullarton, Christie; Rodwell, John; Mcwilliams, John

    2016-03-01

    This study examined the relationships between the personality traits of conscientiousness, openness and extraversion at trait and facet-levels and three indicators of work role performance; proficiency, 'adaptivity' and proactivity measured at individual, team and organisational levels. This is one of the first studies to explore the relationship between personality, measured at trait and facet-level and performance using a comprehensive range of performance indicators. An online survey of 393 nurses from health-care organisations across Australia was conducted to test hypothesised relationships. Path analyses revealed numerous relationships between personality, measured at both trait and facet-levels, and work role performance. Conscientiousness was highlighted as the strongest driver of work role performance across all the indicators, with extraversion also strongly associated with work role performance. Openness to experience, previously considered a week predictor of performance, was, when examined at the facet-level, related to all of the work role performance indicators. Results suggests a bandwidth effect, where the personality traits drive global performance while the facets drive specific performance. Better understanding of the relationship between personality and work role performance will help nurse managers to foster the fit between individual and organisation, improving job satisfaction, engagement, retention and performance in role. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Anaerobic membrane bioreactors and the influence of space velocity and biomass concentration on methane production for liquid dairy manure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallace, James M.; Safferman, Steven I.

    2014-01-01

    Two pilot-scale anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) and a control completely mixed digester (CMD) were constructed to evaluate the influence of space velocity and biomass concentration on methane production for sand separated dairy manure. A negative impact on methane production resulted with operating the AnMBR system at 972 μHz–2960 μHz but no impact was found when operating at 69 μHz and 312 μHz. Operating at 69 μHz–350 μHz is realistic for a field installation. Despite the higher biomass concentration, the methane production of the AnMBRs was nearly equal to the CMD. An AnMBR with 69 μHz was operated equivalent to a CMD by returning all permeate to the digester tank and removing excess biomass directly from the reactor tank resulting in a hydraulic retention time (HRT) equal to the solids retention time (SRT). When using sand separated dairy manure and an HRT (and equal SRT) of 12 d, both systems produced methane at an equal rate, suggesting that the pump/membrane system did not influence methane production. The most likely reason was mass transfer limitations of hydrolytic enzymes. Based on methane production and volatile fatty acids analysis, it appears the fermentable substrate available for degradation was similar. The AnMBR proved to have benefit as part of an integrated nutrient management system that produced water that is virtually free of particulate nutrients, especially phosphorus. This enables the irrigation of the water to crops that need nitrogen and the efficient movement of phosphorus, as a solid, to needed locations. - Highlights: • Manure AnMBRs with a high space velocity inhibit methane production. • Manure AnMBRs with a low space velocity perform similar to conventional digesters. • Decoupled HRT and SRT in manure AnMBRs do not increase methane production. • Ultrafiltration membranes effectively partitioned manure nutrients from the liquid. • Manure does not foul ultrafiltration membranes and require mild

  18. Conceptualizing Educational Leadership: Does Exploring Macro-Level Facets Matters?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinha, Chetan

    2013-01-01

    The present review attempts to examine the present status of educational leadership highlighting the role of macro-level facets in Asian Pacific context. The conceptualization of educational leadership among researchers so far had been found to vary according to different contexts and situations. Theoretical perspectives associated with…

  19. Addition of Mn to Ge quantum dot surfaces—interaction with the Ge QD {105} facet and the Ge(001) wetting layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nolph, C A; Kassim, J K; Floro, J A; Reinke, P

    2013-01-01

    The interaction of Mn with Ge quantum dots (QD), which are bounded by {105} facets, and the strained Ge wetting layer (WL), terminated by a (001) surface, is investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). These surfaces constitute the growth surfaces in the growth of Mn-doped QDs. Mn is deposited on the Ge QD and WL surface in sub-monolayer concentrations, and subsequently annealed up to a temperature of 400 ° C. The changes in bonding and surface topography are measured with STM during the annealing process. Mn forms flat islands on the Ge{105} facet, whose shape and position are guided by the rebonded step reconstruction of the facet. Voltage-dependent STM images reflect the Mn-island interaction with the empty and filled states of the Ge{105} reconstruction. Scanning tunneling spectra (STS) of the Ge{105} facet and as-deposited Mn-islands show a bandgap of 0.8 eV, and the Mn-island spectra are characterized by an additional empty state at about 1.4 eV. A statistical analysis of Mn-island shape and position on the QD yields a slight preference for edge positions, whereas the QD strain field does not impact Mn-island position. However, the formation of ultra-small Mn-clusters dominates on the Ge(001) WL, which is in contrast to Mn interaction with unstrained Ge(001) surfaces. Annealing to T 5 Ge 3 from a mass balance analysis. This reaction is accompanied by the disappearance of the original Mn-surface structures and de-wetting of Mn is complete. This study unravels the details of Mn–Ge interactions, and demonstrates the role of surface diffusion as a determinant in the growth of Mn-doped Ge materials. Surface doping of Ge-nanostructures at lower temperatures could provide a pathway to control magnetism in the Mn–Ge system. (paper)

  20. Using Facet Clusters to Map Learner Modes of Reasoning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vokos, Stamatis; DeWater, L. S.; Seeley, L.; Kraus, P.

    2006-12-01

    The Department of Physics and the School of Education at Seattle Pacific University, together with FACET Innovations, LLC, are beginning the second year of a five-year NSF TPC project, Improving the Effectiveness of Teacher Diagnostic Skills and Tools. We are working in partnership with school districts in Washington State to use formative assessment as a means to helping teachers and precollege students deepen their understanding of foundational topics in physical science. We utilize a theoretical framework of knowledge-in-pieces to identify and categorize widespread productive and unproductive modes of reasoning in the topical areas of Properties of Matter, Heat and Temperature, and Physical and Chemical Changes. In this talk, we describe the development and iterative refinement of certain facet clusters of student ideas, as well as the usefulness and limitations of such a mapping scheme. * Supported in part by NSF grant #ESI-0455796, The Boeing Corporation, and the SPU Science Initiative.

  1. Steric Pressure among Membrane-Bound Polymers Opposes Lipid Phase Separation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imam, Zachary I; Kenyon, Laura E; Carrillo, Adelita; Espinoza, Isai; Nagib, Fatema; Stachowiak, Jeanne C

    2016-04-19

    Lipid rafts are thought to be key organizers of membrane-protein complexes in cells. Many proteins that interact with rafts have bulky polymeric components such as intrinsically disordered protein domains and polysaccharide chains. Therefore, understanding the interaction between membrane domains and membrane-bound polymers provides insights into the roles rafts play in cells. Multiple studies have demonstrated that high concentrations of membrane-bound polymeric domains create significant lateral steric pressure at membrane surfaces. Furthermore, our recent work has shown that lateral steric pressure at membrane surfaces opposes the assembly of membrane domains. Building on these findings, here we report that membrane-bound polymers are potent suppressors of membrane phase separation, which can destabilize lipid domains with substantially greater efficiency than globular domains such as membrane-bound proteins. Specifically, we created giant vesicles with a ternary lipid composition, which separated into coexisting liquid ordered and disordered phases. Lipids with saturated tails and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains conjugated to their head groups were included at increasing molar concentrations. When these lipids were sparse on the membrane surface they partitioned to the liquid ordered phase. However, as they became more concentrated, the fraction of GUVs that were phase-separated decreased dramatically, ultimately yielding a population of homogeneous membrane vesicles. Experiments and physical modeling using compositions of increasing PEG molecular weight and lipid miscibility phase transition temperature demonstrate that longer polymers are the most efficient suppressors of membrane phase separation when the energetic barrier to lipid mixing is low. In contrast, as the miscibility transition temperature increases, longer polymers are more readily driven out of domains by the increased steric pressure. Therefore, the concentration of shorter polymers required

  2. Microstructural characterization and formation mechanism of 21° top facets of ZnO-based nanowall structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Ju Ho [Reliability Technology Research Institute, Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI), 68 Yatap-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam 463-816 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Dong Chan [OLED Research Team 2, Samsung Mobile Display, San 24 Nonseo-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin 446-711 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sang Yun [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST and Center for Nanomaterials and Chemical Reactions, IBS, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, SungSoon [Reliability Technology Research Institute, Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI), 68 Yatap-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam 463-816 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Kwan-Hun [Electronics and Communication Engineering, Kwangwoon University, 447-1 Wolgye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul 139-701 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jeong Yong, E-mail: j.y.lee@kaist.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST and Center for Nanomaterials and Chemical Reactions, IBS, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Koun Cho, Hyung, E-mail: chohk@skku.edu [School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 300 Cheoncheon-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-03-01

    This study reports the microstructural characterization and formation mechanism of the 21° top facets of ZnO-based nanowall structures. The ZnO-based nanowall structures reported previously by many other research groups have {112"¯0} planes as major planes and top facets with a specific angle in common, irrespective of the growth techniques and growth conditions. These nanowalls were found to exist between two adjacent nanowires with a c-axis preferred orientation, and the atoms at the junction of the nanowalls and nanowires perfectly coincided with each other at an atomic level, without any defects. The top facets of the nanowalls showed periodically stepped surfaces and were identified as {011"¯5} planes, which were perpendicular to the {112"¯0} major planes. On the basis of the microstructural characterization of the synthesized ZnO-based nanowall structures, the formation mechanism and atomic structure model of the 21° top facets of the nanowall structures are proposed.

  3. Computational Investigation of the Thermochemistry and Kinetics of Steam Methane Reforming Over a Multi-Faceted Nickel Catalyst

    KAUST Repository

    Blaylock, D. Wayne; Zhu, Yi-An; Green, William H.

    2011-01-01

    A microkinetic model of steam methane reforming over a multi-faceted nickel surface using planewave, periodic boundary condition density functional theory is presented. The multi-faceted model consists of a Ni(111) surface, a Ni(100) surface

  4. On the Structure Sensitivity of Direct NO Decomposition over Low-Index Transition Metal Facets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Falsig, Hanne; Shen, Juan; Khan, Tuhin Suvra

    2014-01-01

    We present a study of the dissociative chemisorption of NO, O2, and N2 over close-packed, stepped, kinked, and open (fcc {111}, {211}, {311}, {532}, {100}, and {110}) transition metal facets using density functional theory (DFT). The offset of the Bronsted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) relations suggest......} rate. The ordering of the maximum activity over the facets is: {110} > {100} similar to {532} > {311} similar to {211} > {111}, which is in general agreement with the offset in the BEP relations. We show that the top-point location and shape of the volcano relations are approximately independent...... for generally obtaining quantitative agreement between theory and experiments is for the simulations to address in detail the propensities of the various types of active sites. Finally, we show that the ordering of NO decomposition rates among metals and facets is essentially unaltered when using BEP...

  5. Anti-inflammatory Elafin in human fetal membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stalberg, Cecilia; Noda, Nathalia; Polettini, Jossimara; Jacobsson, Bo; Menon, Ramkumar

    2017-02-01

    Elafin is a low molecular weight protein with antileukoproteinase, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and immunomodulating properties. The profile of Elafin in fetal membranes is not well characterized. This study determined the changes in Elafin expression and concentration in human fetal membrane from patients with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) and in vitro in response to intra-amniotic polymicrobial pathogens. Elafin messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions were studied in fetal membranes from PPROM, normal term as well as in normal term not in labor membranes in an organ explant system treated (24 h) with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measured Elafin concentrations in culture supernatants from tissues treated with LPS and polybacterial combinations of heat-inactivated Mycoplasma hominis (MH), Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) and Gardnerella vaginalis (GV). Elafin mRNA expression in fetal membranes from women with PPROM was significantly higher compared to women who delivered at term after normal pregnancy (5.09±3.50 vs. 11.71±2.21; Pmembranes showed a significantly increased Elafin m-RNA expression (Pmembranes also showed no changes in Elafin protein concentrations compared to untreated controls. Higher Elafin expression in PPROM fetal membranes suggests a host response to an inflammatory pathology. However, lack of Elafin response to LPS and polymicrobial treatment is indicative of the minimal anti-inflammatory impact of this molecule in fetal membranes.

  6. Child personality facets and overreactive parenting as predictors of aggression and rule-breaking trajectories from childhood to adolescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becht, Andrik I; Prinzie, Peter; Deković, Maja; van den Akker, Alithe L; Shiner, Rebecca L

    2016-05-01

    This study examined trajectories of aggression and rule breaking during the transition from childhood to adolescence (ages 9-15), and determined whether these trajectories were predicted by lower order personality facets, overreactive parenting, and their interaction. At three time points separated by 2-year intervals, mothers and fathers reported on their children's aggression and rule breaking (N = 290, M age = 8.8 years at Time 1). At Time 1, parents reported on their children's personality traits and their own overreactivity. Growth mixture modeling identified three aggression trajectories (low decreasing, high decreasing, and high increasing) and two rule-breaking trajectories (low and high). Lower optimism and compliance and higher energy predicted trajectories for both aggression and rule breaking, whereas higher expressiveness and irritability and lower orderliness and perseverance were unique risk factors for increasing aggression into adolescence. Lower concentration was a unique risk factor for increasing rule breaking. Parental overreactivity predicted higher trajectories of aggression but not rule breaking. Only two Trait × Overreactivity interactions were found. Our results indicate that personality facets could differentiate children at risk for different developmental trajectories of aggression and rule breaking.

  7. Preliminary experience with lumbar facet distraction and fixation as treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis

    OpenAIRE

    Grasso, Giovanni; Landi, Alessandro

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: To assess the properties of facet fixation with the Facet Wedge system in patients affected by lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Summary of Background Data: Implant of intra-articular spacers is an emerging technique for lumbar degenerative disease. Methods: This study included forty patients (Group 1) with symptomatic LSS in whom intra-articular spacers have been implanted along with microdecompression (MD) of the neural structures. Group 1 has been compared with a homogeneous ...

  8. Separation Process by Porous Membranes: A Numerical Investigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Acto de Lima Cunha

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available A major problem associated with the membrane separation processes is the permeate flux drop, limiting the widespread of industrial application of this process. This occurs due to the accumulation of solute concentration near the membrane surface. An exact quantification of the concentration polarization as a function of process conditions is essential to estimate the system performance satisfactorily. In this sense, this work aims to predict the behavior of the concentration polarization boundary layer along the length of a permeable tubular membrane, over various operation conditions. The numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equation, coupled to Darcy's and mass transfer equations, is obtained by the commercial software ANSYS CFX 12, considering a two-dimensional computational domain. The study evaluates the effects of axial Reynolds and Schmidt numbers on the concentration polarization boundary layer thickness during the cross-flow filtration process. Numerical results have shown that the mathematical model is able to predict the formation and growth of the concentration polarization boundary layer along the length of the tubular membrane.

  9. Plasma membrane and salinity tolerance of barley plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Rahmani, F. H.; Al-Mashhadani, M. S.; Al-Delemee, N. H.

    1997-01-01

    Barley cultivar, California Mario ut, was grown in a nutrient solution containing increasing Nacl concentrations up to 250 mm. The effect of Nacl on growth, mineral compost ion ant integrity of the plasma membrane was studied. Growth of the shoot'and root was stimulated or little affected by 10 and 20 ml Nacl. Further increase in Nacl concentrations depressed the growth. The depression was conspicuous between 100 and 250 mm Nacl. Increasing Nacl concentration decreased potassium content in the shoots and roots and led to steep increase in sodium accumulation. The integrity of the plasma membrane was measured in term of potassium leakage from the root tips. Rapid leakage of potassium was obtained at Nacl concentrations ranging from 100 to 250 mm. At the same concentrations of Nacl, adenosine triphosphatase activity in the root tips was increased. Results indicate that the plasma membrane of root cells was damaged by the increased levels of salinity. It was concluded that the plasma membrane of root cells is the primary site of salinity toxicity. (authors). 40 refs., 5 tabs. 3 figs

  10. Clarifying associations between psychopathy facets and personality disorders among offenders

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klipfel, Kristen M.; Garofalo, C.; Kosson, D.S.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose This study examined bivariate, unique, and multivariate associations between psychopathy facets and other Personality Disorders (PDs). Method 76 incarcerated males were assessed with clinical interviews measuring psychopathy and DSM-5 PDs. Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) was used to

  11. Controlled growth of high-density CdS and CdSe nanorod arrays on selective facets of two-dimensional semiconductor nanoplates

    KAUST Repository

    Wu, Xue-Jun

    2016-03-14

    The rational synthesis of hierarchical three-dimensional nanostructures with specific compositions, morphologies and functionalities is important for applications in a variety of fields ranging from energy conversion and electronics to biotechnology. Here, we report a seeded growth approach for the controlled epitaxial growth of three types of hierarchical one-dimensional (1D)/two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures, where nanorod arrays of II-VI semiconductor CdS or CdSe are grown on the selective facets of hexagonal-shaped nanoplates, either on the two basal facets of the nanoplate, or on one basal facet, or on the two basal facets and six side facets. The seed engineering of 2D hexagonal-shaped nanoplates is the key factor for growth of the three resulting types of 1D/2D nanostructures. The wurtzite- and zinc-blende-type polymorphs of semiconductors are used to determine the facet-selective epitaxial growth of 1D nanorod arrays, resulting in the formation of different hierarchical three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures. © 2016 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  12. Production of Concentrated Pickering Emulsions with Narrow Size Distributions Using Stirred Cell Membrane Emulsification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manga, Mohamed S; York, David W

    2017-09-12

    Stirred cell membrane emulsification (SCME) has been employed to prepare concentrated Pickering oil in water emulsions solely stabilized by fumed silica nanoparticles. The optimal conditions under which highly stable and low-polydispersity concentrated emulsions using the SCME approach are highlighted. Optimization of the oil flux rates and the paddle stirrer speeds are critical to achieving control over the droplet size and size distribution. Investigating the influence of oil volume fraction highlights the criticality of the initial particle loading in the continuous phase on the final droplet size and polydispersity. At a particle loading of 4 wt %, both the droplet size and polydispersity increase with increasing of the oil volume fraction above 50%. As more interfacial area is produced, the number of particles available in the continuous phase diminishes, and coincidently a reduction in the kinetics of particle adsorption to the interface resulting in larger polydisperse droplets occurs. Increasing the particle loading to 10 wt % leads to significant improvements in both size and polydispersity with oil volume fractions as high as 70% produced with coefficient of variation values as low as ∼30% compared to ∼75% using conventional homogenization techniques.

  13. Considering the Differential Impact of Three Facets of Organizational Health Climate on Employees' Well-Being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zweber, Zandra M; Henning, Robert A; Magley, Vicki J; Faghri, Pouran

    2015-01-01

    One potential way that healthy organizations can impact employee health is by promoting a climate for health within the organization. Using a definition of health climate that includes support for health from multiple levels within the organization, this study examines whether all three facets of health climate--the workgroup, supervisor, and organization--work together to contribute to employee well-being. Two samples are used in this study to examine health climate at the individual level and group level in order to provide a clearer picture of the impact of the three health climate facets. k-means cluster analysis was used on each sample to determine groups of individuals based on their levels of the three health climate facets. A discriminant function analysis was then run on each sample to determine if clusters differed on a function of employee well-being variables. Results provide evidence that having strength in all three of the facets is the most beneficial in terms of employee well-being at work. Findings from this study suggest that organizations must consider how health is treated within workgroups, how supervisors support employee health, and what the organization does to support employee health when promoting employee health.

  14. New facets and a branch-and-cut algorithm for the weighted clique problem

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Michael Malmros

    2004-01-01

    four new classes of facet defining inequalities for the associated b-clique polytope. One of these inequality classes constitutes a generalization of the well known tree inequalities; the other classes are associated with multistars. We use these inequalities together with other classes of facet...... defining inequalities in a branch-and-cut algorithm for the problem. We give a description of this algorithm, including some separation procedures, and present the computational results for different sets of test problems. The computation times that are obtained indicate that this algorithm is more...

  15. Triangular facets of slope in the region of Tudela (Ebro Basin, Navarra, Spain)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marin, C.; Desir, G.; Gutierrez, M.

    2009-01-01

    Some triangular slope facets are localized to the south of Bardenas Reales (central-west of Ebro Basin), elaborated on Tudela Formation deposits, Aragonian in age. Three of them have been dated by OSL resulting on ages of 35,588±2,488 yr. BP, 35,355±2,446 yr. BP and 40.185±2,411 yr. BP. The origin of these facets is ought to an alternation between accumulation and incision phases produced by vegetation cover variation percentage. Those vegetation cover changes are estimated to be due to climatic changes. (Author) 21 refs.

  16. Fouling in a MBR system with rotating membrane discs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Mads Koustrup; Bentzen, Thomas Ruby; Christensen, Morten Lykkegaard

    concentrations and a clear effluent with no bacteria present in the permeate [1]. However, the process performance is limited by membrane fouling, which results in a lower productivity and higher energy demand and hence places demands for limitation of fouling and/or cleaning of the membranes. One way to do...... uses rotating ceramic membrane discs for creation of shear, which can be changed by controlling the membrane rotation speed of the membrane. Furthermore, the influence of shear on fouling is studied at different radii from the center of rotation, by dividing membranes into different concentric rings......Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are an attractive alternative solution for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. The MBR, which is a combination of a bioreactor for sludge degradation and a membrane for separation, has the advantages of a low footprint, ability to handle high sludge...

  17. Radiation effects on cell membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koeteles, G.J.

    1982-01-01

    The recent developments in the field of membrane biology of eukaryotic cells result in revival of relevant radiobiological studies. The spatial relations and chemical nature of membrane components provide rather sensitive targets. Experimental data are presented concerning the effects of relatively low doses of X-irradiation and low concentration of tritiated water (HTO) on various receptor functions - concanavalin A, cationized ferritin, poliovirus - of plasma membranes of animal and human cells which point to early and temporary disturbances of the composite structures and functions of membranes. References are given to the multifold roles of radiationinduced membrane phenomena on the development and regeneration of radiation injuries. (orig.)

  18. Radiation effects on cell membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koeteles, G.J.

    1982-11-01

    The recent developments in the field of membrane biology of eukaryotic cells result in revival of relevant radiobiological studies. The spatial relations and chemical nature of membrane components provide rather sensitive targets. Experimental data are presented concerning the effects of relatively low doses of X-irradiation and low concentration of tritiated water (HTO) on various receptor functions - concanavalin A, cationized ferritin, poliovirus - of plasma membranes of animal and human cells which point to early and temporary disturbances of the composite structures and functions of membranes. References are given to the multifold roles of radiationinduced membrane phenomena on the development and regeneration of radiation injuries.

  19. Oxygen Transport Membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    S. Bandopadhyay

    2008-08-30

    The focus of this research was to develop new membrane materials by synthesizing different compounds and determining their defect structures, crystallographic structures and electrical properties. In addition to measuring electrical conductivity, oxygen vacancy concentration was also evaluated using thermogravimetry, Neutron diffraction and Moessbauer Spectroscopy. The reducing conditions (CO{sub 2}/CO/H{sub 2} gas mixtures with steam) as encountered in a reactor environment can be expected to have significant influence on the mechanical properties of the oxides membranes. Various La based materials with and without Ti were selected as candidate membrane materials for OTM. The maximum electrical conductivity of LSF in air as a function of temperature was achieved at < 600 C and depends on the concentration of Sr (acceptor dopant). Oxygen occupancy in LSF was estimated using Neutron diffractometry and Moessbauer Spectroscopy by measuring magnetic moment changes depending on the Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 4+} ratio. After extensive studies of candidate materials, lanthanum ferrites (LSF and LSFT) were selected as the favored materials for the oxygen transport membrane (OTM). LSF is a very good material for an OTM because of its high electronic and oxygen ionic conductivity if long term stability and mechanical strength are improved. LSFT not only exhibits p-type behavior in the high oxygen activity regime, but also has n-type conduction in reducing atmospheres. Higher concentrations of oxygen vacancies in the low oxygen activity regime may improve the performance of LSFT as an OTM. The hole concentration is related to the difference in the acceptor and donor concentration by the relation p = [Sr'{sub La}]-[Ti{sm_bullet}{sub Fe}]. The chemical formulation predicts that the hole concentration is, p = 0.8-0.45 or 0.35. Experimental measurements indicated that p is about {approx} 0.35. The activation energy of conduction is 0.2 eV which implies that LSCF conducts via the

  20. Effects of salinity on the characteristics of biomass and membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jang, D.; Hwang, Yuhoon; Shin, H.

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of high salinity on the performance and membrane fouling of membrane bioreactor (MBR) with saline wastewater. Synthetic wastewaters containing 5-20g/L salts (NaCl) were treated in identical lab-scale (7L) MBRs monitoring removals of dissolved organic carbon (DOC......; and the changes in microbial composition in turn have affected the performance of the MBRs. Membrane fouling was accelerated by the increased pore blocking resistance at higher salt concentrations. Analysis results of physicochemical and biological characteristics of biomass (EPS, floc size, zeta potential......) verified the impacts of high salinity on the increased membrane fouling....

  1. Lactic acid Production with in situ Extraction in Membrane Bioreactor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamidreza Ghafouri Taleghani

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objective: Lactic acid is widely used in the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The major problems associated with lactic acid production are substrate and end-product inhibition, and by-product formation. Membrane technologyrepresents one of the most effective processes for lactic acid production. The aim of this work is to increase cell density and lactic acid productivity due to reduced inhibition effect of substrate and product in membrane bioreactor.Material and Methods: In this work, lactic acid was produced from lactose in membrane bioreactor. A laboratory scale membrane bioreactor was designed and fabricated. Five types of commercial membranes were tested at the same operating conditions (transmembrane pressure: 500 KPa and temperature: 25°C. The effects of initial lactose concentration and dilution rate on biomass growth, lactic acid production and substrate utilization were evaluated.Results and Conclusion: The high lactose retention of 79% v v-1 and low lactic acid retention of 22% v v-1 were obtained with NF1 membrane; therefore, this membrane was selected for membrane bioreactor. The maximal productivity of 17.1 g l-1 h-1 was obtainedwith the lactic acid concentration of 71.5 g l-1 at the dilution rate of 0.24 h−1. The maximum concentration of lactic acid was obtained at the dilution rate of 0.04 h−1. The inhibiting effect of lactic acid was not observed at high initial lactose concentration. The critical lactose concentration at which the cell growth severely hampered was 150 g l-1. This study proved that membrane bioreactor had great advantages such as elimination of substrate and product inhibition, high concentration of process substrate, high cell density,and high lactic acid productivity.Conflict of interest: There is no conflict of interest.

  2. The membrane stress response buffers lethal effects of lipid disequilibrium by reprogramming the protein homeostasis network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thibault, Guillaume; Shui, Guanghou; Kim, Woong; McAlister, Graeme C; Ismail, Nurzian; Gygi, Steven P; Wenk, Markus R; Ng, Davis T W

    2012-10-12

    Lipid composition can differ widely among organelles and even between leaflets of a membrane. Lipid homeostasis is critical because disequilibrium can have disease outcomes. Despite their importance, mechanisms maintaining lipid homeostasis remain poorly understood. Here, we establish a model system to study the global effects of lipid imbalance. Quantitative lipid profiling was integral to monitor changes to lipid composition and for system validation. Applying global transcriptional and proteomic analyses, a dramatically altered biochemical landscape was revealed from adaptive cells. The resulting composite regulation we term the "membrane stress response" (MSR) confers compensation, not through restoration of lipid composition, but by remodeling the protein homeostasis network. To validate its physiological significance, we analyzed the unfolded protein response (UPR), one facet of the MSR and a key regulator of protein homeostasis. We demonstrate that the UPR maintains protein biogenesis, quality control, and membrane integrity-functions otherwise lethally compromised in lipid dysregulated cells. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Radiation effects on cell membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koeteles, G.J.

    1982-01-01

    Experimental data are presented concerning the effects of relatively low doses of x radiation and low concentration of tritiated water (HTO) on various receptor functions - concanavalin A, cationized ferritin, poliovirus of plasma membranes of animal and human cells which point to early and temporary disturbances of the composite structures and functions of membranes. References are given to the manifold influence of radiation-induced membrane phenomenon on the development and regeneration of radiation injuries. (author)

  4. Broad Bandwidth or High Fidelity? Evidence from the Structure of Genetic and Environmental Effects on the Facets of the Five Factor Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Briley, Daniel A.; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.

    2017-01-01

    The Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality is well-established at the phenotypic level, but much less is known about the coherence of the genetic and environmental influences within each personality domain. Univariate behavioral genetic analyses have consistently found the influence of additive genes and nonshared environment on multiple personality facets, but the extent to which genetic and environmental influences on specific facets reflect more general influences on higher order factors is less clear. We applied a multivariate quantitative-genetic approach to scores on the CPI-Big Five facets for 490 monozygotic and 317 dizygotic twins who took part in the National Merit Twin Study. Our results revealed a complex genetic structure for facets composing all five factors, with both domain-general and facet-specific genetic and environmental influences. Models that required common genetic and environmental influences on each facet to occur by way of effects on a higher order trait did not fit as well as models allowing for common genetic and environmental effects to act directly on the facets for three of the Big Five domains. These results add to the growing body of literature indicating that important variation in personality occurs at the facet level which may be overshadowed by aggregating to the trait level. Research at the facet level, rather than the factor level, is likely to have pragmatic advantages in future research on the genetics of personality. PMID:22695681

  5. Imaging by atomic force microscopy of the properties difference of the layers covering the facets created during SIMS analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fares, B., E-mail: boubker.fares@hotmail.fr [Université Mohammed V-Agdal, Faculté des Sciences, LPM, B.P. 1014 Rabat (Morocco); Gautier, B.; Albertini, D. [Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon, UMR CNRS 5511, Université de Lyon, 7 Avenue Capelle, 69621 Villeurbanne (France); Mzerd, A.; Loghmarti, M. [Université Mohammed V-Agdal, Faculté des Sciences, LPM, B.P. 1014 Rabat (Morocco)

    2014-07-01

    Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used in tapping mode in order to study the roughness created in the crater bottom during secondary ions mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis in silicon, using O{sub 2}{sup +} primary ions without flooding. Previous studies of the chemical composition of the facets created during the analysis have lead to the conclusion that the facets oriented toward the O{sub 2}{sup +} beam during the ionic bombardment were close to SiO{sub 2} in composition, while the facets hidden from the beam were covered with a sub-stoichiometric oxide SiO{sub x} (with x < 2). We show that the AFM phase contrast during tapping mode observation of the facets reflects this composition difference, revealing a sharp contrast between the facets. The observed contrast may arise from the different chemical composition of the facets, leading to a different energy dissipation of the tip/sample system over Si and SiO{sub 2} due to the different properties of the materials (hardness, adhesion, etc.). As a comparison, an observation of a surface covered with SiO{sub 2} and Si (SiO{sub 2} deposed with a 90 nm or 4 nm thickness, and partially removed from a Si surface) shows the same kind of contrast.

  6. Detection of Occult Erythrocytic Membrane Damages upon Pharmacological Exposures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Yu. Alekseyeva

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Blood administration of pharmaceuticals may cause occult effects of these agents on erythrocytic membranes. These effects may damage and cause additional membrane defects, but may strengthen. The type and degree of the effects of an agent were detected by calibrated irreversible electroporation with a pulsed electric field (PEF. The paper considers the erythrocytic membranous effects of a wide concentration range of agents used in anesthesiology, such as esmerone, tracrium, and mar-caine-adrenaline. Under the action of PEF and esmerone at the normal concentration N, the rate of erythrocytic hemolysis increased by several times as compared with the control. The similar effect also occurred when esmerone was added at the concentration C=10N. Tracrium exerted a fixing effect on erythrocytic membranes. Upon a combined exposure to PEF and tracrium in the normal concentration C=N; erythrocytic hemolysis was slow. So was with the concentration C=10N. The rate of hemolysis of the red blood cells subjected to a combined action of marcaine adrenaline at the normal concentration C=N and even at the concentration C=10N and PEF was comparable with the hemolytic rate of the reference suspension. 

  7. Talocalcaneal Joint Middle Facet Coalition Resection With Interposition of a Juvenile Hyaline Cartilage Graft.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tower, Dyane E; Wood, Ryan W; Vaardahl, Michael D

    2015-01-01

    Talocalcaneal joint middle facet coalition is the most common tarsal coalition, occurring in ≤2% of the population. Fewer than 50% of involved feet obtain lasting relief of symptoms after nonoperative treatment, and surgical intervention is commonly used to relieve symptoms, increase the range of motion, improve function, reconstruct concomitant pes planovalgus, and prevent future arthrosis from occurring at the surrounding joints. Several approaches to surgical intervention are available for patients with middle facet coalitions, ranging from resection to hindfoot arthrodesis. We present a series of 4 cases, in 3 adolescent patients, of talocalcaneal joint middle facet coalition resection with interposition of a particulate juvenile hyaline cartilaginous allograft (DeNovo(®) NT Natural Tissue Graft, Zimmer, Inc., Warsaw, IN). With a mean follow-up period of 42.8 ± 2.9 (range 41 to 47) months, the 3 adolescent patients in the present series were doing well with improved subtalar joint motion and decreased pain, and 1 foot showed no bony regrowth on a follow-up computed tomography scan. The use of a particulate juvenile hyaline cartilaginous allograft as interposition material after talocalcaneal middle facet coalition resection combined with adjunct procedures to address concomitant pes planovalgus resulted in good short-term outcomes in 4 feet in 3 adolescent patients. Copyright © 2015 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Mindfulness facets and problematic Internet use: A six-month longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvete, Esther; Gámez-Guadix, Manuel; Cortazar, Nerea

    2017-09-01

    The aim of this study was to study the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between mindfulness facets and problematic Internet use in adolescents. The sample consisted of 609 adolescents (313 girls, 296 boys; Mean age=14.21years, SD=1.71; age range 11-18). Participants completed a measure of five facets of mindfulness (describing, observing, acting with awareness, non-judging and non-reacting) at the beginning of the year, and measures of several components of problematic Internet use (preference for online social interactions, the use of the Internet to regulate mood, deficient self-regulation and negative outcomes) at beginning of the year and six months later. Findings indicated that non-judging is the only dimension of mindfulness that predicts a decrease in preference for online social interactions over face-to-face relationships. Moreover, non-judging indirectly predicted reductions in the rest of the problematic Internet use components. The observing and acting with awareness dimensions of mindfulness directly predicted less deficient self-regulation of Internet use and indirectly predicted less negative outcomes through their impact on deficient self-regulation. Thus, these dimensions seem to act when the maladaptive use of the Internet is consolidated. These findings suggest that interventions should include approaches to develop those mindfulness facets that protect against the development of problematic Internet use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Tracking and shape errors measurement of concentrating heliostats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coquand, Mathieu; Caliot, Cyril; Hénault, François

    2017-09-01

    In solar tower power plants, factors such as tracking accuracy, facets misalignment and surface shape errors of concentrating heliostats are of prime importance on the efficiency of the system. At industrial scale, one critical issue is the time and effort required to adjust the different mirrors of the faceted heliostats, which could take several months using current techniques. Thus, methods enabling quick adjustment of a field with a huge number of heliostats are essential for the rise of solar tower technology. In this communication is described a new method for heliostat characterization that makes use of four cameras located near the solar receiver and simultaneously recording images of the sun reflected by the optical surfaces. From knowledge of a measured sun profile, data processing of the acquired images allows reconstructing the slope and shape errors of the heliostats, including tracking and canting errors. The mathematical basis of this shape reconstruction process is explained comprehensively. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the measurement accuracy of this "backward-gazing method" is compliant with the requirements of solar concentrating optics. Finally, we present our first experimental results obtained at the THEMIS experimental solar tower plant in Targasonne, France.

  10. Factors Influencing Membrane fouling in the MBR Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parvin Nahid

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Biological processes of wastewater treatmnent have found wide applications due to their lower costs and higher efficiency. Membrane bioreactors (MBR’s form one group of such processes in which membrane fouling is of great importance. Efficiency of critical flux (CF has been proved to be a parameter effective in fouling control (CF. CF is itself influenced by three main groups of variables that include sludge parameters, operating conditions, and membrane types. In this stidy, the effects of such factors as trans-membrane pressure, protein and carbohydrate concentrations in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS, and soluble microbial products (SMP on CF were investigated in a submerged MBR.  Moreover, the effects of such operating conditions as periodic and continuous suctions at two sludge concentrations were studied. It was found that increasing flux led to enhanced membrane fouling rates. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS were found to have no relations with critical flux (CF, probably because EPS are mostly found as bigger flocks. Finally, a reverse relationship was established between CF and carbohydrate concentration of the SMP. Membrane fouling control was observed to be positively affected by the rest modes during periodic suctions.

  11. Vacuum membrane distillation of liquid desiccants Utilizing Hollow Fiber Membranes

    KAUST Repository

    Lefers, Ryan

    2018-01-31

    This paper documents the testing of a vacuum membrane distillation system intended for use with liquid desiccants. Liquid desiccants offer the possibility for low-energy, ambient temperature dehumidification. Effective desalination and purification of diluted desiccants outputs two important products: a concentrated desiccant for reuse in dehumidification and fresh water. In this study, vacuum membrane distillation was used in the laboratory to purify diluted liquid desiccants. Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride were the desiccants selected for testing. Desiccant solutions were pumped through the lumens of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hollow fiber membranes at varying feed inlet temperatures, solution velocity rates and vacuum set points during membrane distillation. An average flux of 8 kg m-2 h-1 was obtained using 30 wt% magnesium chloride solution at a temperature of 50 °C while applying vacuum to achieve 25 mbar absolute pressure on the air side of the membrane. The results are promising for the development of a full-scale vacuum membrane distillation process for desiccant solution regeneration and fresh water recovery. In addition, the recovered condensate was of sufficient quality for use in agricultural irrigation or drinking water.

  12. Vacuum membrane distillation of liquid desiccants Utilizing Hollow Fiber Membranes

    KAUST Repository

    Lefers, Ryan; Srivatsa Bettahalli, N.M.; Fedoroff, Nina V.; Nunes, Suzana Pereira; Leiknes, TorOve

    2018-01-01

    This paper documents the testing of a vacuum membrane distillation system intended for use with liquid desiccants. Liquid desiccants offer the possibility for low-energy, ambient temperature dehumidification. Effective desalination and purification of diluted desiccants outputs two important products: a concentrated desiccant for reuse in dehumidification and fresh water. In this study, vacuum membrane distillation was used in the laboratory to purify diluted liquid desiccants. Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride were the desiccants selected for testing. Desiccant solutions were pumped through the lumens of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hollow fiber membranes at varying feed inlet temperatures, solution velocity rates and vacuum set points during membrane distillation. An average flux of 8 kg m-2 h-1 was obtained using 30 wt% magnesium chloride solution at a temperature of 50 °C while applying vacuum to achieve 25 mbar absolute pressure on the air side of the membrane. The results are promising for the development of a full-scale vacuum membrane distillation process for desiccant solution regeneration and fresh water recovery. In addition, the recovered condensate was of sufficient quality for use in agricultural irrigation or drinking water.

  13. Beyond Conflict: Functional Facets of the Work-Family Interplay

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiese, Bettina S.; Seiger, Christine P.; Schmid, Christian M.; Freund, Alexandra M.

    2010-01-01

    The present paper deals with three positive facets of the work-family interplay, i.e., transfer of competencies, transfer of positive mood, and cross-domain compensation. The latter refers to the experience that engagement in one domain helps dealing with failures in the other domain. In two correlational studies (N[subscript 1] = 107 working…

  14. Three-Dimensional Hetero-Integration of Faceted GaN on Si Pillars for Efficient Light Energy Conversion Devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dong Rip; Lee, Chi Hwan; Cho, In Sun; Jang, Hanmin; Jeon, Min Soo; Zheng, Xiaolin

    2017-07-25

    An important pathway for cost-effective light energy conversion devices, such as solar cells and light emitting diodes, is to integrate III-V (e.g., GaN) materials on Si substrates. Such integration first necessitates growth of high crystalline III-V materials on Si, which has been the focus of many studies. However, the integration also requires that the final III-V/Si structure has a high light energy conversion efficiency. To accomplish these twin goals, we use single-crystalline microsized Si pillars as a seed layer to first grow faceted Si structures, which are then used for the heteroepitaxial growth of faceted GaN films. These faceted GaN films on Si have high crystallinity, and their threading dislocation density is similar to that of GaN grown on sapphire. In addition, the final faceted GaN/Si structure has great light absorption and extraction characteristics, leading to improved performance for GaN-on-Si light energy conversion devices.

  15. Preparation of conductive membranes using poly pyrrole

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Madaeni, S.; Khavaran, B.

    2003-01-01

    Conductive membranes show many benefits including fouling reduction for feeds containing ionic species. These membranes may be prepared either by conductive polymers or coating of the surfaces of non-conductive membranes with conductive polymer. In this research, the commercial micro filtration GVHP membrane manufactured from PVDF was coated with poly pyrrole using two different techniques. The conductivity of the prepared membranes was measured. In this paper, effects of various factors including concentration of the solutions, oxidizing agents, time for leaving the support in the solutions, support type and temperature on membrane conductivity were investigated

  16. Solvothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanocrystals with {001} facets using titanic acid nanobelts for superior photocatalytic activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Yuhui; Zong, Lanlan; Li, Qiuye; Li, Chen; Li, Junli; Yang, Jianjun

    2017-01-01

    Anatase TiO2 nanocrystals exposed with {001} facets were fabricated by solvothermal strategy in HF-C4H9OH mixed solution, using titanic acid nanobelts (TAN) as a precursor. The shape of TAN is a long flat plane with a high aspect ratio, and F- is easily adsorbed on the surface of the nanobelts, inducing a higher exposure of {001} facet of TiO2 nanoparticles during the structure reorganization. The exposed percentage of {001} facets could vary from 40 to 77% by adjusting the amount of HF. The as-prepared samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope. The photocatalytic measurement showed that TiO2 nanocrystals with 77% {001} facets exhibited much superior photocatalytic activity for photodegradation of methyl orange, methylene blue, and rhodamine B. And what's more, the mineralization rate of methyl orange was as high as 96% within 60 min. The photocatalytic enhancement is due to a large amount of the high energetic {001} facets exposing, the special truncated octahedral morphology and a stronger ability for dyes adsorption.

  17. Computational study of the RGD-peptide interactions with perovskite-type BFO-(1 1 1) membranes under aqueous conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hai-long; Bian, Liang; Hou, Wen-ping; Dong, Fa-Qin; Song, Mian-Xin; Zhang, Xiao-yan; Wang, Li-sheng

    2016-07-01

    We elucidated a number of facets regarding arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD)-bismuth ferrite (BFO)-(1 1 1) membrane interactions and reactivity that have previously remained unexplored on a molecular level. Results demonstrate the intra-molecular interaction facilitates a ;horseshoe; structure of RGD adsorbed onto the BFO-(1 1 1) membrane, through the electrostatic (Asp-cation-Fe) and water-bridge (Osbnd H2O and H2Osbnd NH2) interactions. The effect of structural and electron-transfer interactions is attributed to the cation-valences, indicating that the divalent cations are electron-acceptors and the monovalent cations as electron-donors. Notably, the strongly bound Ca2+ ion exerts a ;gluing; effect on the Asp-side-chain, indicating a tightly packed RGD-BFO configuration. Thus, modulating the biological response of BFO-(1 1 1) membrane will allow us to design more appropriate interfaces for implantable diagnostic and therapeutic perovskite-type micro-devices.

  18. Facetal distraction as treatment for single- and multilevel cervical spondylotic radiculopathy and myelopathy: a preliminary report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goel, Atul; Shah, Abhidha

    2011-06-01

    The authors discuss their successful preliminary experience with 36 cases of cervical spondylotic disease by performing facetal distraction using specially designed Goel cervical facet spacers. The clinical and radiological results of treatment are analyzed. The mechanism of action of the proposed spacers and the rationale for their use are evaluated. Between 2006 and February 2010, 36 patients were treated using the proposed technique. Of these patients, 18 had multilevel and 18 had single-level cervical spondylotic radiculopathy and/or myelopathy. The average follow-up period was 17 months with a minimum of 6 months. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association classification system, visual analog scale (neck pain and radiculopathy), and Odom criteria were used to monitor the clinical status of the patient. The patients were prospectively analyzed. The technique of surgery involved wide opening of the facet joints, denuding of articular cartilage, distraction of facets, and forced impaction of Goel cervical facet spacers into the articular cavity. Additionally, the interspinous process ligaments were resected, and corticocancellous bone graft from the iliac crest was placed and was stabilized over the adjoining laminae and facets after adequately preparing the host bone. Eighteen patients underwent single-level, 6 patients underwent 2-level, and 12 patients underwent 3-level treatment. The alterations in the physical architecture of spine and canal dimensions were evaluated before and after the placement of intrafacet joint spacers and after at least 6 months of follow-up. All patients had varying degrees of relief from symptoms of pain, radiculopathy, and myelopathy. Analysis of radiological features suggested that the distraction of facets with the spacers resulted in an increase in the intervertebral foraminal dimension (mean 2.2 mm), an increase in the height of the intervertebral disc space (range 0.4-1.2 mm), and an increase in the interspinous distance (mean 2

  19. (100) faceted anion voids in electron irradiated fluorite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, E.

    1979-01-01

    High fluence electron irradiation of fluorite crystals in the temperature range 150 to 320 K results in formation of a simple cubic anion void superlattice. Above 320 K the damage structure changes to a random distribution of large [001] faceted anion voids. This voidage behaviour, similar to that observed in a range of irradiated metals, is discussed in terms points defect rather than conventional colour centre terminology. (Auth.)

  20. Preparation of ultrafiltration membrane by phase separation coupled with microwave irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suryani, Puput Eka [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University Jl. Prof. Soedarto, Semarang 50275, Central Java (Indonesia); Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UniversitasMuhammadiyah Surakarta Jl. Jendral Ahmad Yani, Surakarta 57102, Central Java (Indonesia); Purnama, Herry [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UniversitasMuhammadiyah Surakarta Jl. Jendral Ahmad Yani, Surakarta 57102, Central Java (Indonesia); Susanto, Heru, E-mail: heru.susanto@undip.ac.id [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University Jl. Prof. Soedarto, Semarang 50275, Central Java (Indonesia)

    2015-12-29

    Preparation of low fouling ultrafiltration membrane is still a big challenge in the membrane field. In this paper, polyether sulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membranes were prepared by non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) coupled with microwave irradiation. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyethylene glycol methacrylate (PEGMA) were used as additives to improve membrane hydrophilicity. In this study, the concentration of additive, irradiation time and microwave power was varied. The membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, while the performances were tested by adsorptive and ultrafiltration fouling experiments. The results show that the irradiation time and irradiation power are very important parameter that influence the membrane characteristic. In addition, type and concentration of additive are other important parameters. The results suggest that microwave irradiation is the most important parameter influencing the membrane characteristic. Both pure water flux and fouling resistance increase with increasing irradiation time, power irradiation, and additive concentration. PES membrane with addition of 10% w/w PEG and irradiated by 130 W microwave power for 180 seconds is the best membrane performance.

  1. Effective protection of biological membranes against photo-oxidative damage: Polymeric antioxidant forming a protecting shield over the membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mertins, Omar; Mathews, Patrick D; Gomide, Andreza B; Baptista, Mauricio S; Itri, Rosangela

    2015-10-01

    We have prepared a chitosan polymer modified with gallic acid in order to develop an efficient protection strategy biological membranes against photodamage. Lipid bilayers were challenged with photoinduced damage by photosensitization with methylene blue, which usually causes formation of hydroperoxides, increasing area per lipid, and afterwards allowing leakage of internal materials. The damage was delayed by a solution of gallic acid in a concentration dependent manner, but further suppressed by the polymer at very low concentrations. The membrane of giant unilamellar vesicles was covered with this modified macromolecule leading to a powerful shield against singlet oxygen and thus effectively protecting the lipid membrane from oxidative stress. The results have proven the discovery of a promising strategy for photo protection of biological membranes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Cross-cultural evidence for the two-facet structure of pride

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shi, Y.; Chung, J.M.H.; Cheng, J.T.; Tracy, J.L.; Robins, R.W.; Chen, X.; Zheng, Y.

    2015-01-01

    Across six studies conducted in Mainland China and South Korea, the present research extended prior findings showing that pride is comprised of two distinct conceptual and experiential facets in the U.S.: a pro-social, achievement-oriented “authentic pride”, and an arrogant, self-aggrandizing

  3. Which facets of mindfulness are related to problematic eating among patients seeking bariatric surgery?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levin, Michael E; Dalrymple, Kristy; Himes, Susan; Zimmerman, Mark

    2014-04-01

    There has been growing research indicating the potential positive benefits of mindfulness-based interventions for obesity, but few studies have examined the relationship of mindfulness processes to obesity-related behaviors, particularly among clinical populations such as bariatric surgery candidates. The current study examined the relationship of specific mindfulness facets to a variety of problematic eating behaviors assessed through diagnostic interviews in a clinical sample of 820 patients seeking bariatric surgery. Results indicated that greater mindfulness on specific facets, particularly acting with awareness, was related to less binge and emotional eating. Greater mindfulness was also related, though less consistently, to less habitual overeating and grazing. The observing facet was generally unrelated to problematic eating, but in a few cases being more observant related to having greater eating problems. The results of the study and future directions are discussed in relation to research on problematic eating in obesity and mindfulness-based interventions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Comparison of filtration and treatment performance between polymeric and ceramic membranes in anaerobic membrane bioreactor treatment of domestic wastewater

    KAUST Repository

    Jeong, Yeongmi

    2018-02-28

    The feasibility of an anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor (AnCMBR) was investigated by comparison with a conventional anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). With regard to treatment performance, the AnCMBR achieved higher organic removal rates than the AnMBR because the ceramic membranes retained a high concentration of biomass in the reactor. Despite a high mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) concentration, the AnCMBR exhibited lower membrane fouling. To elucidate effects of sludge properties on membrane fouling in the AnCMBR and AnMBR, soluble microbial products (SMPs) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) were analyzed. The SMP and EPS concentrations in the AnCMBR were higher than in the AnMBR. This may be because some suspended solids bio-degraded and likely released protein-like SMPs in the AnCMBR. Hydrophobicity and surface charges were analyzed; the sludge in the AnCMBR was found to be more hydrophobic and less negative than in the AnMBR because protein was abundant in the AnCMBR. Despite the adverse properties of the sludge in the AnCMBR, it showed more stable filtration performance than the AnMBR. This is because the alumina-based ceramic membrane had a superhydrophilic surface and could thus mitigate membrane fouling by hydrophilic-hydrophobic repulsion. The findings from this study have significant implications for extending the application of AnCMBRs to, for example, treatment of high-strength organic waste such as food waste or livestock manure.

  5. Comparison of filtration and treatment performance between polymeric and ceramic membranes in anaerobic membrane bioreactor treatment of domestic wastewater

    KAUST Repository

    Jeong, Yeongmi; Kim, Youngjin; Jin, Yongxun; Hong, Seungkwan; Park, Chanhyuk

    2018-01-01

    The feasibility of an anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor (AnCMBR) was investigated by comparison with a conventional anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). With regard to treatment performance, the AnCMBR achieved higher organic removal rates than the AnMBR because the ceramic membranes retained a high concentration of biomass in the reactor. Despite a high mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) concentration, the AnCMBR exhibited lower membrane fouling. To elucidate effects of sludge properties on membrane fouling in the AnCMBR and AnMBR, soluble microbial products (SMPs) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) were analyzed. The SMP and EPS concentrations in the AnCMBR were higher than in the AnMBR. This may be because some suspended solids bio-degraded and likely released protein-like SMPs in the AnCMBR. Hydrophobicity and surface charges were analyzed; the sludge in the AnCMBR was found to be more hydrophobic and less negative than in the AnMBR because protein was abundant in the AnCMBR. Despite the adverse properties of the sludge in the AnCMBR, it showed more stable filtration performance than the AnMBR. This is because the alumina-based ceramic membrane had a superhydrophilic surface and could thus mitigate membrane fouling by hydrophilic-hydrophobic repulsion. The findings from this study have significant implications for extending the application of AnCMBRs to, for example, treatment of high-strength organic waste such as food waste or livestock manure.

  6. New Facets and a Branch-and-Cut Algorithm for the Weighted Clique Problem

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Michael Malmros

    2001-01-01

    of facet defining inequalities in a branch-and-cut algorithm for the problem. We give a description of this algorithm, including some separation procedures, and present the computational results for different sets of test problems. The computation times that are obtained indicate that this algorithm...... four new classes of facet defining inequalities for the associated b-clique polytope. One of these inequality classes constitutes a generalization of the well known tree inequalities; the other classes are associated with multistars. We utilize these inequality classes together with other classes...... is more efficient than previously described algorithms for the problem....

  7. Morphological, Chemical Surface, and Diffusive Transport Characterizations of a Nanoporous Alumina Membrane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María I. Vázquez

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Synthesis of a nanoporous alumina membrane (NPAM by the two-step anodization method and its morphological and chemical surface characterization by analyzing Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM micrographs and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS spectra is reported. Influence of electrical and diffusive effects on the NaCl transport across the membrane nanopores is determined from salt diffusion measurements performed with a wide range of NaCl concentrations, which allows the estimation of characteristic electrochemical membrane parameters such as the NaCl diffusion coefficient and the concentration of fixed charges in the membrane, by using an appropriated model and the membrane geometrical parameters (porosity and pore length. These results indicate a reduction of ~70% in the value of the NaCl diffusion coefficient through the membrane pores with respect to solution. The transport number of ions in the membrane pores (Na+ and Cl−, respectively were determined from concentration potential measurements, and the effect of concentration-polarization at the membrane surfaces was also considered by comparing concentration potential values obtained with stirred solutions (550 rpm and without stirring. From both kinds of results, a value higher than 0.05 M NaCl for the feed solution seems to be necessary to neglect the contribution of electrical interactions in the diffusive transport.

  8. Evaluation of Water Content in Lumbar Intervertebral Discs and Facet Joints Before and After Physiological Loading Using T2 Mapping MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamabe, Daisuke; Murakami, Hideki; Chokan, Kou; Endo, Hirooki; Oikawa, Ryosuke; Sawamura, Shoitsu; Doita, Minoru

    2017-12-15

    T2 mapping was used to quantify the water content of lumbar spine intervertebral discs (IVDs) and facet joints before and after physiological loading. The aim of this study was to clarify the interaction between lumbar spine IVD and facet joints as load-bearing structures by measuring the water content of their matrix after physiological loading using T2 mapping magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To date, few reports have functionally evaluated lumbar spine IVD and facet joints, and their interaction in vivo. T2 mapping may help detect changes in the water content of IVD and articular cartilage of facet joints before and after physiological loading, thereby enabling the evaluation of changes in interacted water retention between IVD and facet joints. Twenty asymptomatic volunteers (10 female and 10 male volunteers; mean age, 19.3 years; age range, 19-20 years) underwent MRI before and after physiological loading such as lumbar flexion, extension, and rotation. Each IVD from L1/2 to L5/S1 was sliced at center of the disc space, and the T2 value was measured at the nucleus pulposus (NP), anterior annulus fibrosus (AF), posterior AF, and bilateral facet joints. In the NP, T2 values significantly decreased after exercise at every lumbar spinal level. In the anterior AF, there were no significant differences in T2 values at any level. In the posterior AF, T2 values significantly increased only at L4/5. In the bilateral facet joints, T2 values significantly decreased after exercise at every level. There was a significant decrease in the water content of facet joints and the NP at every lumbar spinal level after dynamic loading by physical lumbar exercise. These changes appear to play an important and interactional role in the maintenance of the interstitial matrix in the IVD NP and cartilage in the facet joint. 3.

  9. Considering the Differential Impact of Three Facets of Organizational Health Climate on Employees' Well-Being

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zweber, Zandra M.; Henning, Robert A.; Magley, Vicki J.; Faghri, Pouran

    2015-01-01

    One potential way that healthy organizations can impact employee health is by promoting a climate for health within the organization. Using a definition of health climate that includes support for health from multiple levels within the organization, this study examines whether all three facets of health climate—the workgroup, supervisor, and organization—work together to contribute to employee well-being. Two samples are used in this study to examine health climate at the individual level and group level in order to provide a clearer picture of the impact of the three health climate facets. k-means cluster analysis was used on each sample to determine groups of individuals based on their levels of the three health climate facets. A discriminant function analysis was then run on each sample to determine if clusters differed on a function of employee well-being variables. Results provide evidence that having strength in all three of the facets is the most beneficial in terms of employee well-being at work. Findings from this study suggest that organizations must consider how health is treated within workgroups, how supervisors support employee health, and what the organization does to support employee health when promoting employee health. PMID:26380360

  10. Considering the Differential Impact of Three Facets of Organizational Health Climate on Employees’ Well-Being

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zandra M. Zweber

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available One potential way that healthy organizations can impact employee health is by promoting a climate for health within the organization. Using a definition of health climate that includes support for health from multiple levels within the organization, this study examines whether all three facets of health climate—the workgroup, supervisor, and organization—work together to contribute to employee well-being. Two samples are used in this study to examine health climate at the individual level and group level in order to provide a clearer picture of the impact of the three health climate facets. k-means cluster analysis was used on each sample to determine groups of individuals based on their levels of the three health climate facets. A discriminant function analysis was then run on each sample to determine if clusters differed on a function of employee well-being variables. Results provide evidence that having strength in all three of the facets is the most beneficial in terms of employee well-being at work. Findings from this study suggest that organizations must consider how health is treated within workgroups, how supervisors support employee health, and what the organization does to support employee health when promoting employee health.

  11. Facet-specific interaction between methanol and TiO2 probed by sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Deheng; Li, Yadong; Liu, Xinyi; Cao, Yue; Gao, Yi; Shen, Y Ron; Liu, Wei-Tao

    2018-04-24

    The facet-specific interaction between molecules and crystalline catalysts, such as titanium dioxides (TiO 2 ), has attracted much attention due to possible facet-dependent reactivity. Using surface-sensitive sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy, we have studied how methanol interacts with different common facets of crystalline TiO 2 , including rutile(110), (001), (100), and anatase(101), under ambient temperature and pressure. We found that methanol adsorbs predominantly in the molecular form on all of the four surfaces, while spontaneous dissociation into methoxy occurs preferentially when these surfaces become defective. Extraction of Fermi resonance coupling between stretch and bending modes of the methyl group in analyzing adsorbed methanol spectra allows determination of the methanol adsorption isotherm. The isotherms obtained for the four surfaces are nearly the same, yielding two adsorbed Gibbs free energies associated with two different adsorption configurations singled out by ab initio calculations. They are ( i ) ∼-20 kJ/mol for methanol with its oxygen attached to a low-coordinated surface titanium, and ( ii ) ∼-5 kJ/mol for methanol hydrogen-bonded to a surface oxygen and a neighboring methanol molecule. Despite similar adsorption energetics, the Fermi resonance coupling strength for adsorbed methanol appears to depend sensitively on the surface facet and coverage.

  12. An Examination of Pay Facets and Referent Groups for Assessing Pay Satisfaction of Male Elementary School Principals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, I. Phillip; Young, Karen Holsey; Okhremtchouk, Irina; Castaneda, Jose Moreno

    2009-01-01

    Pay satisfaction was assessed according to different facets (pay level, benefits, pay structure, and pay raises) and potential referent groups (teachers and elementary school principals) for a random sample of male elementary school principals. A structural model approach was used that considers facets of the pay process, potential others as…

  13. Cross-flow filtration of yeast extract with multi-tubular membrane module and rotating-disk membrane module; Makukaitengata heibanmaku module to tankanjomaku module ni yoru kobo hasaieki no cross flow roka

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsushita, K.; Shimizu, Y.; Watanabe, a. [Toto Ltd., Kitakyushu (Japan)

    1994-09-15

    A membrane separation experiment was made with multi-tubular membrane module and rotating-disk membrane module to study the cross-flow filtration of yeast extract. The membrane was an alumina precision filtration membrane with 0.15 micron m diameter pores. A multi-tubular membrane which was 19 in number of channels and 0.113{sup 2} in effective membrane area was fitted to the multi-tubular membrane module. A rotating-disk membrane which was 0.071m{sup 2} in effective membrane area was fitted to the rotating-disk membrane module. Judging from the concentration speed and factor, the rotating-disk type is more advantageous in concentrating the suspension than the multi-tubular type. The soluble high-molecular component was more easily filtrated through the rotating-disk type, which is judged attributable to its possible operation at a high flow rate on the membrane surface without necessitating a high-flow rate circulation pump. As compared with the conventional cross-filtration type, the rotating-disk type gives a high permeate flux even at a high concentration factor. 11 refs., 5 figs.

  14. The Cool and Belkin Faceted Classification of Information Interactions Revisited

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huvila, Isto

    2010-01-01

    Introduction: The complexity of human information activity is a challenge for both practice and research in information sciences and information management. Literature presents a wealth of approaches to analytically structure and make sense of human information activity including a faceted classification model of information interactions published…

  15. Filtration behavior of casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP) in an enzymatic membrane reactor: fouling control by membrane selection and threshold flux operation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Luo, Jianquan; Morthensen, Sofie Thage; Meyer, Anne S.

    2014-01-01

    . In this study, the filtration performance and fouling behavior during ultrafiltration (UF) of CGMP for the enzymatic production of 3′-sialyllactose were investigated. A 5kDa regenerated cellulose membrane with high anti-fouling performance, could retain CGMP well, permeate 3′-sialyllactose, and was found...... to be the most suitable membrane for this application. Low pH increased CGMP retention but produced more fouling. Higher agitation and lower CGMP concentration induced larger permeate flux and higher CGMP retention. Adsorption fouling and pore blocking by CGMP in/on membranes could be controlled by selecting...... a highly hydrophilic membrane with appropriate pore size. Operating under threshold flux could minimize the concentration polarization and cake/gel/scaling layers, but might not avoid irreversible fouling caused by adsorption and pore blocking. The effects of membrane properties, pH, agitation and CGMP...

  16. Performance comparisons of dish type solar concentrator with mirror arrangements and receiver shapes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seo, Joo Hyun; Kim, Yong; Ma, Dae Sung; Seo, Tae Beom [Graduate School, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Inha Univ., Inchon (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Yong Heack [Korea Inst. of Energy Research, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-07-01

    The performance comparisons of dish type solar concentrators are numerically investigated. The dish type solar concentrator considered in this paper consists of a receiver and multi-faceted mirrors. In order to investigate the performance comparisons of dish type solar concentrators, six different mirror arrangements and four different receivers are considered. A parabolic-shaped perfect mirror of which diameter is 1.40 m is considered as the reference for the mirror arrangements. The other mirror arrangements consist of twelve identical parabolic-shaped mirror facets of which diameter are 0.405 m. Their total collecting areas, which are 1.545 m{sup 2}, are the same. Four different solar receiver shapes are a conical, a dome, a cylindrical, and a unicorn type. In order to investigate the thermal performance of the dish type solar concentrator, the radiative heat loss in the receiver should be calculated. For calculation, the net radiation method and the Monte-Carlo method are used. Also, because the thermal performance of the dish type solar concentrator can vary as the receiver surface temperature, the various surface temperatures are considered. Based on the calculation, the unicorn type has the best performance in receiver shapes and the STAR has the best performance in mirror arrangements except the perfect mirror. (orig.)

  17. Accumulation of macular xanthophylls in unsaturated membrane domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisniewska, Anna; Subczynski, Witold K

    2006-05-15

    The distribution of macular xanthophylls, lutein and zeaxanthin, between domains formed in membranes made from an equimolar ternary mixture of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin/cholesterol, called a raft-forming mixture, was investigated. In these membranes, two domains are formed: the raft domain enriched in saturated lipids and cholesterol (detergent-resistant membranes, DRM), and the bulk domain enriched in unsaturated lipids (detergent-soluble membranes, DSM). These membrane domains have been separated using cold Triton X-100 extraction from membranes containing 1 mol% of either lutein or zeaxanthin. The results indicated that xanthophylls are substantially excluded from DRM and remain concentrated in DSM. Concentrations of xanthophylls in DRM and DSM calculated as the mole ratio of either xanthophyll to phospholipid were 0.005 and 0.03, respectively, and calculated as the mole ratio of either xanthophyll to total lipid (phospholipid + cholesterol) were 0.003 and 0.025, respectively. Thus, xanthophylls are over eight times more concentrated in DSM than in DRM. No significant difference in the distribution of lutein and zeaxanthin was found. It was also demonstrated using saturation-recovery EPR that at 1 mol%, neither lutein nor zeaxanthin affect the formation of membrane domains. The location of xanthophylls in domains formed from unsaturated lipids is ideal if they are to act as a lipid antioxidant, which is the most accepted mechanism through which lutein and zeaxanthin protect the retina from age-related macular diseases.

  18. Fouling behavior of poly(ether)sulfone ultrafiltration membrane during concentration of whey proteins: Effect of hydrophilic modification using atmospheric pressure argon jet plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damar Huner, Irem; Gulec, Haci Ali

    2017-12-01

    The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of hydrophilic surface modification via atmospheric pressure jet plasma (ApJPls) on the fouling propensity of polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration (UF) membranes during concentration of whey proteins. The distance from nozzle to substrate surface of 30mm and the exposure period of 5 times were determined as the most effective parameters enabling an increase in ΔG iwi value of the plain membrane from (-) 14.92±0.89mJ/m 2 to (+) 17.57±0.67mJ/m 2 . Maximum hydrophilicity and minimum surface roughness achieved by argon plasma action resulted in better antifouling behavior, while the hydraulic permeability and the initial permeate flux were decreased sharply due to the plasma-induced surface cross-linking. A quite steady state flux was obtained throughout the UF with the ApJPls modified PES membrane. The contribution of R frev to R t , which was 94% for the UF through the plain membrane, decreased to 43% after the plasma treatment. The overall results of this study highlighted the ApJPls modification decreased the fouling propensity of PES membrane without affecting the original protein rejection capability and improved the recovery of initial permeate flux after chemical cleaning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Lignin-based membranes for electrolyte transference

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Xiao; Garcia-Valls, Ricard [Departament d' Enginyeria Quimica, Escola Tecnica Superior d' Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Av. Paisos Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona (Spain); Benavente, Juana [Department of Applied Fisics, Faculty of Science, University of Malaga, Malaga (Spain)

    2005-08-18

    Homogeneous PSf-LS membranes are formed by incorporating Lignosulfonate (LS) into the Polysulfone (PSf) network. LS obtained from sulfite pulping process contains sulfonic acid groups that will act as proton transport media. PSf-LS membranes were characterized by reflectance Infrared and scanning electron microscopy. LS showed significant influence on membrane morphology. Higher LS concentration caused a decrease in macrovoid formation and induced larger pores. Precipitation temperature was investigated as influencing parameter. Proton fluxes through PSf-LS membranes were measured by transport experiments. Impedance analysis confirmed that PSf-LS membranes possess ion conductivity. The selected PSf-LS membranes exhibited high selectivity for proton over methanol, which indicates their potential applicability in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). (author)

  20. Photocatalytic selective oxidation of phenol in suspensions of titanium dioxide with exposed {0 0 1} facets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ye, Hengpeng; Lu, Shaoming

    2013-01-01

    Anatase TiO 2 nanocrystals with exposed {0 0 1} facets were tailored by hydrothermal treatment of Ti(OC 4 H 9 ) 4 –HF–H 2 O mixed solution. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effect of structure of the photocatalyst on the photocatalytic selective oxidation of phenol under UV irradiation was studied. The experiment results showed that (1) the percentage of the exposed {0 0 1} facets of the nanocrystal increases with increasing the nominal atomic ratio of fluorine to titanium (R F ), (2) catechol and hydroquinone are main intermediates detected during photocatalytic oxidation of phenol, and (3) both photocatalytic oxidation of phenol and selectivity (yield) of catechol are positively correlated with the percentage of exposed {0 0 1} facets of the high-energy TiO 2 nanocrystals. The enhanced conversion of phenol and selectivity (yield) of catechol were ascribed to the synergistic effects of the exposed high-energy {0 0 1} facets and surface fluorination. This study may provide new insight into the selective oxidation of organics.

  1. Graft-copolymerization of polyethersulfone microporous membrane with electron beam simultaneous irradiation method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Zhaolei; Meng Fanxia; Wang Yongxia; Liu Xiaoguang; Wang Rong

    2010-01-01

    Polyethersulfone(PES) microporous membrane was grafted with methacrylic acid under electron beam irradiation. Controlling the monomer concentration or the absorbed dose, the relationships of the degree of grafting with the monomer concentration and the absorbed dose were obtained for optimum the monomer concentration and absorbed dose. The grafted membrane was characterized by FT-IR and SEM, and the hydrophilicity contact angle of the membrane was tested. (authors)

  2. Different facets of market orientation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ormrod, Robert P.; Henneberg, Stephan C.

    2009-01-01

    the UK parties generally exhibited similar levels of market orientation on each of the relevant construct dimensions, the German parties had more distinct profiles; thus the applied dimensions of political market orientation show discriminatory power within and across electoral systems. In the UK......In this study we employ the concept of political market orientation to better understand how the main political parties in the UK and Germany relate to other stakeholders in the political sphere through an exploratory content analysis of their core election offering, the manifesto. This study has...... two aims: firstly, we will discuss the different facets of the market orientation of the main UK and German parties in their respective 2005 General Elections through an exploratory content analysis, and secondly, we will compare characteristics of market orientation between the two countries. Whilst...

  3. Innovative Facet Passivation for High-Brightness Laser Diodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-02-05

    processing will prevent oxidation of the front facet, the leading contaminant from the ambient. By keeping the MBE growth temperatures between 400 and 500 ...suitably adjusted Al mole fraction and growth recipes . Specifically, MBE-AlGaAs passivation can apply to slab pumped lasers (e.g. 808 nm), fiber...li ty OHMIC CONTACTS PASSIVATION LAYER 400 OC 500 OC THERMAL “ SWEET SPOT ” POLYCRYTALLINE / LATTICE MIS-MATCHED PASSIVATION OHMIC CONTACT DEGRADATION

  4. Aroma Stripping under various Forms of Membrane Distillation Processes: Experiments and modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jonsson, Gunnar Eigil

    Concentration of fruit juices by membrane distillation is an interesting process as it can be done at low temperature giving a gentle concentration process with little deterioration of the juices. Since the juices contains many different aroma compounds with a wide range of chemical properties...... such as volatility, activity coefficient and vapor pressure, it is important to know how these aroma compounds will eventually pass through the membrane. Experiments have been made on an aroma model solution and on black currant juice in a lab scale membrane distillation set up which can be operated in various types...... of MD configurations: Vacuum Membrane Distillation , Sweeping Gas Membrane Distillation , Direct Contact Membrane Distillation and Osmotic Membrane Distillation. The influence of feed temperature and feed flow rate on the permeate flux and concentration factor for different types of aroma compounds have...

  5. Bioinspired Multifunctional Membrane for Aquatic Micropollutants Removal

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cao, Xiaotong; Luo, Jianquan; Woodley, John

    2016-01-01

    Micropollutants present in water have many detrimental effects on the ecosystem. Membrane technology plays an important role in the removal of micropollutants, but there remain significant challenges such as concentration polarization, membrane fouling, and variable permeate quality. The work...... reported here uses a multifunctional membrane with rejection, adsorption, and catalysis functions to solve these problems. On the basis of mussel-inspired chemistry and biological membrane properties, a multifunctional membrane was prepared by applying "reverse filtration" of a laccase solution...... and subsequent "dopamine coating" on a nanofiltration (NF) membrane support, which was tested on bisphenol A (BPA) removal. Three NF membranes were chosen for the preparation of the multifunctional membranes on the basis of the membrane properties and enzyme immobilization efficiency. Compared with the pristine...

  6. Study of copper pre-oxydation structures by electron diffraction at high energy in relation with (410) and (530) facet formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ponslet, A.; Legrand-Bonnyns, E.

    1975-01-01

    When a copper sample heated at 900 deg C in presence of 10 -6 torr oxygen for a couple of hours is cooled the surface between the (111) or (100) facets breaks up into a very fine structure consisting of facets having their pole almost in coincidence either with a (410) or (530) pole of copper crystal. This occurs at a critical temperature T(c) laying between 620 deg C and 700 deg C depending on type of facets and on surface orientation. The facets will disappear from the surface almost instantaneously by elevating the temperature of the crystal by 25 deg C and they will reappear by cooling down again to T(c) in a very reproducible way: when the copper crystal is cooled oxygen in excess in the bulk will segregate at the surface giving rise to the adsorption structures. The modification of the surface topography was studied by microscopy. The optical microscope and the diffraction apparatus are mounted on the vacuum vessel. The orientation of the facets and their size have been studied by electron microscopy. The crystal surface breaks up into (410) or (530) facets when a bidimensional stable Cu(x)O(y) structure has been formed on the surface was established [fr

  7. Ni And Co Segregations On Selective Surface Facets And Rational Design Of Layered Lithium Transition-metal Oxide Cathodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Pengfei; Zheng, Jianming; Zheng, Jiaxin; Wang, Zhiguo; Teng, Gaofeng; Kuppan, Saravanan; Xiao, Jie; Chen, Guoying; Zhang, Jiguang; Wang, Chong M.; Pan, Feng

    2016-05-05

    The chemical processes occurring on the surface of cathode materials during battery cycling play a crucial role in determining battery’s performance. However, our understanding on such surface chemistry is far from clear due to the complexity of redox chemistry during battery charge/discharge. In this work, through intensive aberration corrected STEM investigation on eight layered oxide cathode materials, we report two important findings on the pristine oxides. First, Ni and Co show strong plane selectivity when building up their respective surface segregation layers (SSL). Specifically, Ni-SSL is exclusively developed on (200)m facet in Li-Mn-rich oxides (monoclinic C2/m symmetry) and (012)h facet in Mn-Ni equally rich oxides (hexagonal R-3m symmetry), while Co-SSL has a strong preference to (20-2)m plane with minimal Co-SSL also developed on some other planes in LMR cathodes. Structurally, Ni-SSLs tend to form spinel-like lattice while Co-SSLs are in a rock-salt-like structure. Secondly, by increasing Ni concentration in these layered oxides, Ni and Co SSLs can be suppressed and even eliminated. Our findings indicate that Ni and Co SSLs are tunable through controlling particle morphology and oxide composition, which opens up a new way for future rational design and synthesis of cathode materials.

  8. Ethanol-water separation by pervaporation using silicone and polyvinyl alcohol membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chinchiw, S.

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available In this research, experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of operating parameters onthe pervaporation performance for the separation of ethanol-water solutions. Composite silicone membranessupported on polysulfone prepared with varied silicone contents and commercial polyvinyl alcohol (Pervap®2211, Sulzer membranes were used. The results showed that the composite silicone/polysulfone membranescoated with 3 wt% of silicone exhibited highest permeation flux with slightly lower separation factor forethanol. Furthermore, it was found that the composite silicone/polysulfone membranes were suitable for theseparation of ethanol from a dilute ethanol solutions. Both the separation factor and permeation flux of the composite membranes increased with increasing temperature and feed concentration. A membrane coated with a 7 wt% silicone gave highest separation factor of 7.32 and permeation flux of 0.44 kg/m2h at 5 wt% ethanol feed concentration and feed temperature of 70ºC. For polyvinyl alcohol membranes, the results showed that the membranes were suitable for the dehydration of concentrated ethanol solutions. The permeation flux increased and the separation factor for water decreased with increasing water feed concentration and temperature. The membrane gave highest separation factor of 248 and permeation flux of 0.02 kg/m2h at 5 wt% water feed concentration and feed temperature of 30ºC.

  9. A numerically accurate and robust expression for bistatic scattering from a plane triangular facet

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wendelboe, Gorm; Jacobsen, Finn; Bell, Judith

    2006-01-01

    This work is related to modeling of synthetic sonar images of naval mines or other objects. Considered here is the computation of high frequency scattering from the surface of a rigid 3D-object numerically represented by plane triangular facets. The far field scattered pressure from each facet...... area was applied instead. The effective ensonified area solution is exact at normal incidence, but at other angles, where singularities also exist, the scattered pressure will be incorrect. This paper presents a frequency domain expression generalized to bistatic scattering written in terms of sinc...

  10. Facets of the Fundamental Content Dimensions: Agency with Competence and Assertiveness—Communion with Warmth and Morality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abele, Andrea E.; Hauke, Nicole; Peters, Kim; Louvet, Eva; Szymkow, Aleksandra; Duan, Yanping

    2016-01-01

    Agency (A) and communion (C) are fundamental content dimensions. We propose a facet-model that differentiates A into assertiveness (AA) and competence (AC) and C into warmth (CW) and morality (CM). We tested the model in a cross-cultural study by comparing data from Asia, Australia, Europe, and the USA (overall N = 1.808). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported our model. Both the two-factor model and the four-factor model showed good fit indices across countries. Participants answered additional measures intended to demonstrate the fruitfulness of distinguishing the facets. The findings support the model's construct validity by positioning the fundamental dimensions and their facets within a network of self-construal, values, impression management, and the Big Five personality factors: In all countries, A was related to independent self-construal and to agentic values, C was related to interdependent self-construal and to communal values. Regarding the facets, AA was always related to A values, but the association of AC with A values fell below our effect size criterion in four of the five countries. A (both AA and AC) was related to agentic impression management. However, C (both CW and CM) was neither related to communal nor to agentic impression management. Regarding the Big Five personality factors, A was related to emotional stability, to extraversion, and to conscientiousness. C was related to agreeableness and to extraversion. AA was more strongly related to emotional stability and extraversion than AC. CW was more strongly related to extraversion and agreeableness than CM. We could also show that self-esteem was more related to AA than AC; and that it was related to CM, but not to CW. Our research shows that (a) the fundamental dimensions of A and C are stable across cultures; and (b) that the here proposed distinction of facets of A and C is fruitful in analyzing self-perception. The here proposed measure, the AC-IN, may be a useful tool

  11. Facets of the Fundamental Content Dimensions: Agency with Competence and Assertiveness-Communion with Warmth and Morality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abele, Andrea E; Hauke, Nicole; Peters, Kim; Louvet, Eva; Szymkow, Aleksandra; Duan, Yanping

    2016-01-01

    Agency (A) and communion (C) are fundamental content dimensions. We propose a facet-model that differentiates A into assertiveness (AA) and competence (AC) and C into warmth (CW) and morality (CM). We tested the model in a cross-cultural study by comparing data from Asia, Australia, Europe, and the USA (overall N = 1.808). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported our model. Both the two-factor model and the four-factor model showed good fit indices across countries. Participants answered additional measures intended to demonstrate the fruitfulness of distinguishing the facets. The findings support the model's construct validity by positioning the fundamental dimensions and their facets within a network of self-construal, values, impression management, and the Big Five personality factors: In all countries, A was related to independent self-construal and to agentic values, C was related to interdependent self-construal and to communal values. Regarding the facets, AA was always related to A values, but the association of AC with A values fell below our effect size criterion in four of the five countries. A (both AA and AC) was related to agentic impression management. However, C (both CW and CM) was neither related to communal nor to agentic impression management. Regarding the Big Five personality factors, A was related to emotional stability, to extraversion, and to conscientiousness. C was related to agreeableness and to extraversion. AA was more strongly related to emotional stability and extraversion than AC. CW was more strongly related to extraversion and agreeableness than CM. We could also show that self-esteem was more related to AA than AC; and that it was related to CM, but not to CW. Our research shows that (a) the fundamental dimensions of A and C are stable across cultures; and (b) that the here proposed distinction of facets of A and C is fruitful in analyzing self-perception. The here proposed measure, the AC-IN, may be a useful tool

  12. Facets of the Fundamental Content Dimensions:Agency with Competence and Assertiveness– Communion with Warmth and Morality.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Elisabeth Abele

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Agency (A and communion (C are fundamental content dimensions. We propose a facet-model that differentiates A into assertiveness (AA and competence (AC and C into warmth (CW and morality (CM. We tested the model in a cross-cultural study by comparing data from Asia, Australia, Europe, and the USA (overall N = 1.808. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported our model. Both the two-factor model and the four-factor model showed good fit indices across countries. Participants answered additional measures intended to demonstrate the fruitfulness of distinguishing the facets. The findings support the model’s construct validity by positioning the fundamental dimensions and their facets within a network of self-construal, values, impression management, and the Big Five personality factors: In all countries, A was related to independent self-construal and to agentic values, C was related to interdependent self-construal and to communal values. Regarding the facets, AA was always related to A values, but the association of AC with A values fell below our effect size criterion in four of the five countries. A (both AA and AC was related to agentic impression management. However, C (both CW and CM was neither related to communal nor to agentic impression management. Regarding the Big Five personality factors, A was related to emotional stability, to extraversion, and to conscientiousness. C was related to agreeableness and to extraversion. AA was more strongly related to emotional stability and extraversion than AC. CW was more strongly related to extraversion and agreeableness than CM. We could also show that self-esteem was more related to AA than AC; and that it was related to CM, but not to CW. Our research shows that (a the fundamental dimensions of A and C are stable across cultures; and (b that the here proposed distinction of facets of A and C is fruitful in analyzing self-perception. The here proposed measure, the AC-IN, may be a

  13. Revealing mechanisms of selective, concentration-dependent potentials of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal to induce apoptosis in cancer cells through inactivation of membrane-associated catalase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauer, Georg; Zarkovic, Neven

    2015-04-01

    Tumor cells generate extracellular superoxide anions and are protected against superoxide anion-mediated intercellular apoptosis-inducing signaling by the expression of membrane-associated catalase. 4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), a versatile second messenger generated during lipid peroxidation, has been shown to induce apoptosis selectively in malignant cells. The findings described in this paper reveal the strong, concentration-dependent potential of 4-HNE to specifically inactivate extracellular catalase of tumor cells both indirectly and directly and to consequently trigger apoptosis in malignant cells through superoxide anion-mediated intercellular apoptosis-inducing signaling. Namely, 4-HNE caused apoptosis selectively in NOX1-expressing tumor cells through inactivation of their membrane-associated catalase, thus reactivating subsequent intercellular signaling through the NO/peroxynitrite and HOCl pathways, followed by the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Concentrations of 4-HNE of 1.2 µM and higher directly inactivated membrane-associated catalase of tumor cells, whereas at lower concentrations, 4-HNE triggered a complex amplificatory pathway based on initial singlet oxygen formation through H2O2 and peroxynitrite interaction. Singlet-oxygen-dependent activation of the FAS receptor and caspase-8 increased superoxide anion generation by NOX1 and amplification of singlet oxygen generation, which allowed singlet-oxygen-dependent inactivation of catalase. 4-HNE and singlet oxygen cooperate in complex autoamplificatory loops during this process. The finding of these novel anticancer pathways may be useful for understanding the role of 4-HNE in the control of malignant cells and for the optimization of ROS-dependent therapeutic approaches including antioxidant treatments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Histological Osteoarthritic Changes in the Human Cervical Spine Facet Joints Related to Age and Gender

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Uhrenholt, Lars; Charles, Annie Vesterby; Gregersen, Markil

    2018-01-01

    STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional autopsy study. OBJECTIVE: Quantify histological changes in the lower cervical spine facet joints with regard to age and gender using systematic random sampling of entire joints. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Neck pain is a common debilitating musculoskeletal condition...... and one of the highest ranked causes of years lived with disability. The cause of neck pain is multifactorial and osteoarthritis is one potential cause. The cervical spine facet joints have been implicated in the aetiology of chronic neck pain. Hence, a detailed description of their anatomy and age......- and gender related changes is needed. METHODS: The lower four cervical spine segments (C4-C7 included) were obtained from 72 subjects during autopsy; 29 females (median age 53 years [22-77]) and 43 males (median age 38 years [20-78]). A total of 1132 articular facets were embedded in toto in hard plastic...

  15. Polyethylenimine-mediated impairment of mitochondrial membrane potential, respiration and membrane integrity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Anna Karina; Malinska, Dominika; Koszela-Piotrowska, Izabela

    2012-01-01

    The 25 kDa branched polyethylenimine (PEI) is a highly efficient synthetic polycation used in transfection protocols, but also triggers mitochondrial-mediated apoptotic cell death processes where the mechanistic issues are poorly understood. We now demonstrate that PEI in a concentration- and time......-dependent manner can affect functions (membrane potential, swelling and respiration) and ultrastructural integrity of freshly isolated rat liver mitochondria. The threshold concentration for detection of PEI-mediated impairment of rat liver mitochondrial functions is 3 µg/mL, however, lower PEI levels still exert...... some effects on mitochondrial morphology and respiration, and these may be related to the inherent membrane perturbing properties of this polycation. The PEI-mediated mitochondrial swelling phase is biphasic, with a fast decaying initial period (most prominent from 4 µg/mL PEI) followed by a slower...

  16. Silver-enhanced block copolymer membranes with biocidal activity

    KAUST Repository

    Madhavan, Poornima

    2014-11-12

    Silver nanoparticles were deposited on the surface and pore walls of block copolymer membranes with highly ordered pore structure. Pyridine blocks constitute the pore surfaces, complexing silver ions and promoting a homogeneous distribution. Nanoparticles were then formed by reduction with sodium borohydride. The morphology varied with the preparation conditions (pH and silver ion concentration), as confirmed by field emission scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Silver has a strong biocide activity, which for membranes can bring the advantage of minimizing the growth of bacteria and formation of biofilm. The membranes with nanoparticles prepared under different pH values and ion concentrations were incubated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and compared with the control. The strongest biocidal activity was achieved with membranes containing membranes prepared under pH 9. Under these conditions, the best distribution with small particle size was observed by microscopy.

  17. Silver-enhanced block copolymer membranes with biocidal activity

    KAUST Repository

    Madhavan, Poornima; Hong, Pei-Ying; Sougrat, Rachid; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

    2014-01-01

    Silver nanoparticles were deposited on the surface and pore walls of block copolymer membranes with highly ordered pore structure. Pyridine blocks constitute the pore surfaces, complexing silver ions and promoting a homogeneous distribution. Nanoparticles were then formed by reduction with sodium borohydride. The morphology varied with the preparation conditions (pH and silver ion concentration), as confirmed by field emission scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Silver has a strong biocide activity, which for membranes can bring the advantage of minimizing the growth of bacteria and formation of biofilm. The membranes with nanoparticles prepared under different pH values and ion concentrations were incubated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and compared with the control. The strongest biocidal activity was achieved with membranes containing membranes prepared under pH 9. Under these conditions, the best distribution with small particle size was observed by microscopy.

  18. The Faceted Discrete Growth and Phase Differentiation During the Directional Solidification of 20SiMnMo5 Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Xiaoping; Li, Dianzhong

    2018-07-01

    The microstructures, segregation and cooling curve were investigated in the directional solidification of 20SiMnMo5 steel. The typical characteristic of faceted growth is identified. The microstructures within the single cellular and within the single dendritic arm, together with the contradictive segregation distribution against the cooling curve, verify the discrete crystal growth in multi-scales. Not only the single cellular/dendritic arm but also the single martensite zone within the single cellular/dendritic arm is produced by the discrete growth. In the viewpoint of segregation, the basic domain following continuous growth has not been revealed. Along with the multi-scale faceted discrete growth, the phase differentiation happens for both the solid and liquid. The differentiated liquid phases appear and evolve with different sizes, positions, compositions and durations. The physical mechanism for the faceted discrete growth is qualitatively established based on the nucleation of new faceted steps induced by the composition gradient and temperature gradient.

  19. The Faceted Discrete Growth and Phase Differentiation During the Directional Solidification of 20SiMnMo5 Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Xiaoping; Li, Dianzhong

    2018-03-01

    The microstructures, segregation and cooling curve were investigated in the directional solidification of 20SiMnMo5 steel. The typical characteristic of faceted growth is identified. The microstructures within the single cellular and within the single dendritic arm, together with the contradictive segregation distribution against the cooling curve, verify the discrete crystal growth in multi-scales. Not only the single cellular/dendritic arm but also the single martensite zone within the single cellular/dendritic arm is produced by the discrete growth. In the viewpoint of segregation, the basic domain following continuous growth has not been revealed. Along with the multi-scale faceted discrete growth, the phase differentiation happens for both the solid and liquid. The differentiated liquid phases appear and evolve with different sizes, positions, compositions and durations. The physical mechanism for the faceted discrete growth is qualitatively established based on the nucleation of new faceted steps induced by the composition gradient and temperature gradient.

  20. FAS grafted superhydrophobic ceramic membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jun; Yu, Yun; Zhou, Jianer; Song, Lixin; Hu, Xingfang; Larbot, Andre

    2009-08-01

    The hydrophobic properties of γ-Al 2O 3 membrane have been obtained by grafting fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) on the surface of the membrane. The following grafting parameters were studied: the eroding time of the original membrane, the grafting time, the concentration of FAS solution and the multiplicity of grafting. Hydrophobicity of the membranes was characterized by contact angle (CA) measurement. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to investigate the weight loss process (25-800 °C) of the fluoroalkylsilane grafted on Al 2O 3 powders under different grafting conditions. The morphologies of the membranes modified under different parameters were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and the surface roughness (Ra) was measured using white light interferometers. A needle-like structure was observed on the membrane surface after modification, which causes the change of Ra. On the results above, we speculated a model to describe the reaction between FAS and γ-Al 2O 3 membrane surface as well as the formed surface morphology.

  1. Associations of identity dimensions with Big Five personality domains and facets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klimstra, T.A.; Luyckx, K.; Goossens, L.; Teppers, E.; De Fruyt, F.

    2013-01-01

    Personality is among the most important factors contributing to individual differences in identity formation. However, previous studies mainly focused on broad personality domains and neglected more specific facets. In addition, it has only recently been recognized that identity formation is guided

  2. Laboratory-scale membrane up-concentration and co-anaerobic digestion for energy recovery from sewage and kitchen waste.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuyet, Nguyen Thi; Dan, Nguyen Phuoc; Vu, Nguyen Cong; Trung, Nguyen Le Hoang; Thanh, Bui Xuan; De Wever, Heleen; Goemans, Marcel; Diels, Ludo

    2016-01-01

    This study assessed an alternative concept for co-treatment of sewage and organic kitchen waste in Vietnam. The goal was to apply direct membrane filtration for sewage treatment to generate a permeate that is suitable for discharge. The obtained chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations in the permeate of ultrafiltration tests were indeed under the limit value (50 mg/L) of the local municipal discharge standards. The COD of the concentrate was 5.4 times higher than that of the initial feed. These concentrated organics were then co-digested with organic kitchen wastes at an organic loading rate of 2.0 kg VS/m(3).d. The volumetric biogas production of the digester was 1.94 ± 0.34 m(3)/m(3).d. The recovered carbon, in terms of methane gas, accounted for 50% of the total carbon input of the integrated system. Consequently, an electrical production of 64 Wh/capita/d can be obtained when applying the proposed technology with the current wastes generated in Ho Chi Minh City. Thus, it is an approach with great potential in terms of energy recovery and waste treatment.

  3. Unknown facets of Well-Known Scientists Series - Part II

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V S Dixit

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available 1st in the series of articles on “Unknown Facets of well-known Scientists” was about Sir Frederick Grant Banting, co-discoverer of Insulin, who also researched in Aviation and Diving Medicines, results of which brought extraordinary benefits for Flight crew during the World War II. The article was published in the previous issue of the Journal Unknown facets could be celebrated attributes, talents or otherwise, but it is necessary that we get to know fully about the “great mind". THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT DR WERNER THEODOR OTTO FORSSMANN, A CARDIOLOGIST, WHO BECAME A UROLOGIST! Does the name Dr Forssmann ring a bell? He shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with “Andre Cournand and Dickinson Richards". The trio was awarded for their “discoveries concerning heart catheterization and pathological changes in the circulatory system". Dr Forssmann was nominated for performing an experiment in which he introduced a catheter into a vein of his arm, further passing it onward into his heart It was risky. This was in the year 1929. Subject of this article is the self-experimentation he carried out and what happened later.

  4. Using MMPI-2-RF Correlates to Elucidate the PCL-R and Its Four Facets in a Sample of Male Forensic Psychiatric Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klein Haneveld, Evelyn; Kamphuis, Jan H; Smid, Wineke; Forbey, Johnathan D

    2017-01-01

    This study documents the associations between the MMPI-2-RF (Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008 ) scale scores and the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003 ) facet scores in a forensic psychiatric sample. Objectives were to determine how the MMPI-2-RF scales might enhance substantive understanding of the nature of the 4 PCL-R facets and to discern possible implications for the treatment of psychopathic patients. A sample of 127 male forensic psychiatric offenders admitted to a Dutch forensic psychiatric hospital completed the PCL-R and the MMPI-2. Exploratory stepwise regression analyses assessed the prediction of the PCL-R total and its facet scores from MMPI-2-RF scales at its 3 hierarchical levels. Conceptually meaningful results emerged at each level of the MMPI-2-RF hierarchy, including several consistent differences between predictor sets across the facets. Interestingly, ideas of persecution (RC6) was a specific predictor of PCL-R Facet 2, a facet noted for its association with treatment failure. Results are compared and contrasted to the extant body of empirical work to date, and some tentative clinical implications are offered.

  5. The Influence of Emulgator on Stability of Emulsion H3PO4 in Topo-Kerosene and Efficiency at Emulsion Membrane Extraction of La and Nd Concentrate Product of Monazite Sand Treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Purwani, MV.; Bintarti, AN.; Subagiono, R.

    2002-01-01

    The making of La and Nd concentrate from monazite sand have been done. The separation of La and Nd by emulsion 1M H 3 PO 4 in 5 % TOPO-Kerosene membrane extraction. The feed or aqueous phase was La and Nd concentrate in 1M HNO 3 . Emulgator Span-80 and Tween-80 were used to stabilize emulsion membrane. The influence parameters were percentage of Span-80 and ratio of Span-80 and Tween-80. After formation of emulsion membrane, the extraction process was carried out. Ratio of volume of feed : volume membrane phase = 1 : 1, ratio of volume of 5% TOPO - Kerosene : ratio of volume of 1M H 3 PO 4 1 : 1. The best yield were obtained time of emulsification was 10 minutes with the speed of emulsion was 6000 rpm and concentration of span-80 was 5%. At this condition was obtained the extraction efficiency of La was 55.55%, the extraction efficiency of Nd was 41.6% the stripping efficiency of La was 35.05%, the stripping efficiency of Nd was 87.32 %, the total efficiency of La was 19.46%, the total efficiency of Nd was 36.30% and Separation factor of Nd and La = 1.87. (author)

  6. Anaerobic membrane bioreactor under extreme conditions (poster)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Munoz Sierra, J.D.; De Kreuk, M.K.; Spanjers, H.; Van Lier, J.B.

    2013-01-01

    Membrane bioreactors ensure biomass retention by the application of micro or ultrafiltration processes. This allows operation at high sludge concentrations. Previous studies have shown that anaerobic membrane bioreactors is an efficient way to retain specialist microorganisms for treating

  7. The {0 0 1} facets-dependent superior photocatalytic activities of BiOCl nanosheets under visible light irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Yingjun [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021 (China); Wang, Qin, E-mail: qinwang@imu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021 (China); Inner Mongolia Key Lab of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021 (China); Liu, Baocang [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021 (China); Inner Mongolia Key Lab of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021 (China); Zhang, Jun, E-mail: cejzhang@imu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021 (China); Inner Mongolia Key Lab of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021 (China)

    2015-09-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • BiOCl nanosheets were selectively synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. • The percentage of {0 0 1} facets over BiOCl nanosheets were well controlled. • These samples manifest superior catalytic activity for the degradation of RhB dyes. - Abstract: BiOCl nanosheets with tunable lamella thickness and dominantly exposed {0 0 1} facets were selectively synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. By modifying the synthetic parameters, such as the amount of P123 and mannitol, the reaction time, types of surfactants, the size, thickness, morphologies, and percentage of {0 0 1} facets over BiOCl nanosheets were well controlled. The exposed {0 0 1} facets with high surface energy and high density of oxygen atoms are not only conducive to the adsorption of the rhodamine B (RhB) dye but also can accumulate the photo-generated electrons, which can be captured by O{sub 2} and converted into reactive oxygen species O{sub 2}{sup −}·. Therefore, the resultant ultrathin BiOCl nanosheets with exposed {0 0 1} facets exhibit superior catalytic activity for dye photosensitization degradation under visible light irradiation. Impressively, the ultrathin BiOCl nanosheets prepared with P123 and mannitol manifest superior catalytic activity and RhB was completely degraded within 20 min. Our current work is expected to offer a new insight into photocatalytic theory for better understanding of visible light photocatalytic reactions and rational design of highly active photocatalysts.

  8. MR-guided facet joint injection therapy using an open 1.0-T MRI system: an outcome study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freyhardt, Patrick; Bucourt, Maximilian de; Maurer, Martin; Renz, Diane; Gebauer, Bernhard; Hamm, Bernd; Streitparth, Florian; Hartwig, Tony; Teichgraeber, Ulf K.M.

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the accuracy, safety and efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided facet joint injection therapy using a 1.0-T open MRI. One hundred and sixty-six facet joint blocks in 45 patients with lower back pain were performed under MR fluoroscopic guidance using a proton-density-weighted turbo-spin-echo sequence. An in-room monitor, wireless MR-mouse for operator-controlled multiplanar navigation, a flexible surface coil and MR-compatible 20-G needle were used. Clinical outcome was evaluated by questionnaire before intervention and after 1 week, 3, 6 and 12 months using a numerical visual analogue scale (VAS). All facet joint blocks were considered technically successful with distribution of the injectant within and/or around the targeted facet joint. No major complications occurred. The final outcome analysis included 38 patients. An immediate effect was reported by 63 % of the patients. A positive mid-/long-term effect was seen in 13 patients (34 %) after 6 months and in 9 patients (24 %) after 12 months. Mean VAS was reduced from 7.1 ± 1.7 (baseline) to 3.5 ± 2.2, 4.1 ± 3.0, 3.8 ± 2.9 and 4.6 ± 2.9 at 1 week, 3, 6 and 12 months (P < 0.01). MR-guided facet joint injection therapy of the lumbosacral spine is accurate, safe and efficient in the symptomatic treatment of lower back pain. (orig.)

  9. Optimized cervical spine bone SPET for detection of facet joint injury after whiplash injury

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cardaci, G T; Bower, G D; Taylor, J [Perth and Perth Pain Management, South Perth, WA (Australia). Mount Medical Centre, Isotope Imaging

    1999-04-01

    Full text: The most frequent origin for chronic cervical pain in patients with a remote history of whiplash injury is the cervical facet joints. Exact localization of facet joint injury is difficult and currently advocated methods include multiple invasive diagnostic injections. Optimization of {sup 99}Tc{sup m}-HDP cervical SPET (CSPET) to accurately localize facet joint pathology was attempted and the results correlated with clinical localization relying on focal joint tenderness and passive movement methods. Imaging was performed on a dual-headed gamma camera system using an elliptical orbit over 360 deg. The patient's neck was flexed to eliminate the cervical lordosis. Reconstructed CSPET images were reorientated into the long axis of the vertebral bodies. CSPET studies were independently scored by two observers blinded to the clinical and other imaging information and correlated with clinical localization and response to radiofrequency ablation. 54 patients have been studied using this technique in a prospective study. Early patient follow-up data will be presented. CSPET was felt to be clinically useful by pain therapists in targeting treatment.

  10. Optimized cervical spine bone SPET for detection of facet joint injury after whiplash injury

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cardaci, G.T.; Bower, G.D.; Taylor, J.

    1999-01-01

    Full text: The most frequent origin for chronic cervical pain in patients with a remote history of whiplash injury is the cervical facet joints. Exact localization of facet joint injury is difficult and currently advocated methods include multiple invasive diagnostic injections. Optimization of 99 Tc m -HDP cervical SPET (CSPET) to accurately localize facet joint pathology was attempted and the results correlated with clinical localization relying on focal joint tenderness and passive movement methods. Imaging was performed on a dual-headed gamma camera system using an elliptical orbit over 360 deg. The patient's neck was flexed to eliminate the cervical lordosis. Reconstructed CSPET images were reorientated into the long axis of the vertebral bodies. CSPET studies were independently scored by two observers blinded to the clinical and other imaging information and correlated with clinical localization and response to radiofrequency ablation. 54 patients have been studied using this technique in a prospective study. Early patient follow-up data will be presented. CSPET was felt to be clinically useful by pain therapists in targeting treatment

  11. Desmoid type fibromatosis in the facet joint of lumbar spine: Case report and review of literature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, So Jung; Ha, Doo Hoe; Lee, Sang Min; Kang, Hae Youn [CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-10-15

    Desmoid type fibromatosis is a benign fibroblastic tumor arising from the fascia or musculoaponeurosis. It may occur in various locations, but most commonly in the shoulder girdle and neck; to our knowledge, there has been no reported case originating from a facet joint of the spine. We report CT and MR imaging findings of a desmoid type fibromatosis, involving the facet joint of the L3-4 spine with bone involvement.

  12. PEMBUATAN MEMBRAN ULTRAFILTRASI DARI POLIMER SELULOSA ASETAT DENGAN METODE INVERSI FASA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agus Mirwan

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Clean water treatment with membrane technology is a water treatment process with very good quality and suitable for drinking water treatment in developing countries because the membrane has a lot of advantages. One type of membrane separation operation is with ultrafiltration membranes. Ultrafiltration is a process of filtering particles in the size range of colloids, namely liquid while large molecules detained on the surface of the membrane and the solute with very small size can pass through the membrane. The purpose of this study was to determine the best composition of %wt of dimethylformamide in the manufacture of ultrafiltration membranes. Ultrafiltration membrane is made by varying the concentration of the additive of dimethylformamide which serves for the determination of membrane pore size and the concentration of acetone. Mixing materials done by stirring for ± 6 hours, polymer film printouts is coagulated for 1 hour in ice water (± 4 ° C and then washed with running water and stored in a container containing formalin. Then conducted testing on the membrane using peat water where permeate that generated is measured the volume of each interval of 5 minutes to determine the membrane flux. Then analyzing the concentration of permeate to determine the coefficient of rejection, where the expected rejection is> 90%. Based on the research results, the best ultrafiltration membrane was membrane with composition wt% of dimethylformamide of 20; 24 and 28, where rejection coefficient average respectively was 98.15; 92.80 and 95.41%.

  13. Bipolar membranes in forward bias region for fuel cell reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lobyntseva, Elena; Kallio, Tanja; Kontturi, Kyoesti

    2006-01-01

    Three bipolar membranes, two home-made composed of commercial cation (DuPont) and anion (FuMA-Tech) exchange membranes (called Nafion/FT-FAA and Nafion/FT-FAS) and a commercial one, BP-1 from FuMA-Tech, were investigated in order to characterize their suitability to use in a H 2 /O 2 fuel cell intended to produce hydrogen peroxide on the cathode instead of water. The Nafion/FT-FAA and Nafion/FT-FAS membranes were prepared using a hot-pressing method. The optimal hot-pressing conditions were determined by measuring the ionic conductivity of the membranes. The latter was observed to depend on the relative humidity of the bipolar membrane. Of the studied bipolar membranes, Nafion/FT-FAA showed the best performance. The transport number of protons measured in a concentration cell was observed to depend on the direction of the proton diffusion flux through these membranes so that transport numbers of ca. unity were obtained when the cation exchange side faced the solution with higher proton concentration. In the opposite case, when the higher concentration faced anion exchange side, the transport number of proton was clearly lower, indicating the usefulness of the bipolar membranes for hydrogen peroxide production in the fuel cell

  14. Intraarticular Facet Injections for Low Back Pain: Design Considerations, Consensus Methodology to Develop the Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mars, Tom; Ellard, David R; Antrobus, James H L; Cairns, Melinda; Underwood, Martin; Haywood, Kirstie; Keohane, Susie; Sandhu, Harbinder; Griffiths, Frances

    2015-01-01

    Since the publication of guidelines by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the American Pain Society guidelines for low back pain in 2009 there have been deep divisions in the pain treatment community about the use of therapeutic intraarticular facet joint injections. While evidence for the effectiveness or not of intraarticular facet joint injections remains sparse, uncertainty will remain. The Warwick feasibility study, along with a concurrent study with a different design led by another group, aims to provide a stable platform from which the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of intraarticular facet joint injections added to normal care could be evaluated in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). To reach consensus on key design considerations for the Warwick facet feasibility study from which the study protocol and working manuals will be developed. A consensus conference involving expert professionals and lay members. Preliminary work identified 5 key design considerations for deliberation at our consensus conference. Three concerned patient assessment and treatment: diagnosis of possible facet joint pain, interaarticular facet joint injection technique, and best usual care. Two concerned trial analysis: a priori sub-groups and minimally important difference and are reported elsewhere. We did systematic evidence reviews of the design considerations and summarized the evidence. Our design questions and evidence summaries were distributed to all delegates. This formed the basis for discussions on the day. Clinical experts in all aspects of facet joint injection from across the UK along with lay people were invited via relevant organizations. Nominal group technique was used in 15 facilitated initial small group discussions. Further discussion and ranking was undertaken in plenary. All small group and plenary results were recorded and checked and verified post conference. Where necessary participants were contacted via email to

  15. Plasma treatment of polyethersulfone membrane for benzene removal from water by air gap membrane distillation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedram, Sara; Mortaheb, Hamid Reza; Arefi-Khonsari, Farzaneh

    2018-01-01

    In order to obtain a durable cost-effective membrane for membrane distillation (MD) process, flat sheet polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were modified by an atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium plasma generated using a dielectric barrier discharge in a mixture of argon and hexamethyldisiloxane as the organosilicon precursor. The surface properties of the plasma-modified membranes were characterized by water contact angle (CA), liquid entry pressure, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The water CA of the membrane was increased from 64° to 104° by depositing a Si(CH 3 )-rich thin layer. While the pristine PES membrane was not applicable in the MD process, the modified PES membrane could be applied for the first time in an air gap membrane distillation setup for the removal of benzene as a volatile organic compound from water. The experimental design using central composite design and response surface methodology was applied to study the effects of feed temperature, concentration, and flow rate as well as their binary interactions on the overall permeate flux and separation factor. The separation factor and permeation flux of the modified PES membrane at optimum conditions were comparable with those of commercial polytetrafluoroethylene membrane.

  16. Analytical solution for the normal emission portion of the averaged Yarkovsky-O'Keefe-Radzvieskii-Paddack coefficient for a single facet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albuja, Antonella A.; Scheeres, Daniel J.

    2015-02-01

    The Yarkovsky-O'Keefe-Radzvieskii-Paddack (YORP) effect has been well studied for asteroids. This paper develops an analytic solution to find the normal emission YORP component for a single facet. The solution presented here does not account for self-shadowing or self-heating. The YORP coefficient for all facets can be summed together to find the total coefficient of the asteroid. The normal emission component of YORP has been shown to be the most important for asteroids and it directly affects the rate of change of the asteroid's spin period. The analytical solution found is a sole function of the facet's geometry and the obliquity of the asteroid. This solution is universal for any facet and its orientation. The behaviour of the coefficient is analysed with this analytical solution. The closed-form solution is used to find the total YORP coefficient for the asteroids Apollo and 1998 ML14 whose shape models are composed of different numbers of facets. The results are then compared to published results and those obtained through numerical quadrature for validation.

  17. Membrane shape modulates transmembrane protein distribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aimon, Sophie; Callan-Jones, Andrew; Berthaud, Alice; Pinot, Mathieu; Toombes, Gilman E S; Bassereau, Patricia

    2014-01-27

    Although membrane shape varies greatly throughout the cell, the contribution of membrane curvature to transmembrane protein targeting is unknown because of the numerous sorting mechanisms that take place concurrently in cells. To isolate the effect of membrane shape, we used cell-sized giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) containing either the potassium channel KvAP or the water channel AQP0 to form membrane nanotubes with controlled radii. Whereas the AQP0 concentrations in flat and curved membranes were indistinguishable, KvAP was enriched in the tubes, with greater enrichment in more highly curved membranes. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching measurements showed that both proteins could freely diffuse through the neck between the tube and GUV, and the effect of each protein on membrane shape and stiffness was characterized using a thermodynamic sorting model. This study establishes the importance of membrane shape for targeting transmembrane proteins and provides a method for determining the effective shape and flexibility of membrane proteins. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. A Pervaporation Study of Ammonia Solutions Using Molecular Sieve Silica Membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xing Yang

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available An innovative concept is proposed to recover ammonia from industrial wastewater using a molecular sieve silica membrane in pervaporation (PV, benchmarked against vacuum membrane distillation (VMD. Cobalt and iron doped molecular sieve silica-based ceramic membranes were evaluated based on the ammonia concentration factor downstream and long-term performance. A modified low-temperature membrane evaluation system was utilized, featuring the ability to capture and measure ammonia in the permeate. It was found that the silica membrane with confirmed molecular sieving features had higher water selectivity over ammonia. This was due to a size selectivity mechanism that favoured water, but blocked ammonia. However, a cobalt doped silica membrane previously treated with high temperature water solutions demonstrated extraordinary preference towards ammonia by achieving up to a 50,000 mg/L ammonia concentration (a reusable concentration level measured in the permeate when fed with 800 mg/L of ammonia solution. This exceeded the concentration factor expected by the benchmark VMD process by four-fold, suspected to be due to the competitive adsorption of ammonia over water into the silica structure with pores now large enough to accommodate ammonia. However, this membrane showed a gradual decline in selectivity, suspected to be due to the degradation of the silica material/pore structure after several hours of operation.

  19. CT-guided intradiscal ozone injection combined with intervertebral facet joint steroid injection for lumbar disk herniation accompanied with intervertebral arthritis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Li; Chen Zhaohui; Sun Xijun; Liu Jianping; Li Jiakai

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To compare the clinical effectiveness of ozone (O 3 ) nucleus pulposus ablation only with that of O 3 nucleus pulposus ablation combined with intervertebral facet joint injection of compound Betamethasome in treating lumbar disk herniation accompanied with intervertebral facet arthritis. Methods: Eighty patients with lumbar disk herniation and intervertebral facet arthritis were equally and randomly divided into two groups. Under CT guidance, O 3 nucleus pulposus ablation was performed in patients of group A(n=40), while O 3 nucleus pulposus ablation combined with intervertebral facet joint injection of compound Betamethasome (0.5-1 ml) was carried out in patients of group B(n=40). Using double blind method the therapeutic effectiveness was evaluated before and 1 week,3,6-months after the procedure by an Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire. Results: One week after the procedure the effective rate of group A and group B was 65% and 82.5% respectively. Three and six months after the treatment, the effective rate was 75% and 70% respectively for group A, while it was 90% and 92.5% respectively for group B. The difference between two groups was significant (P 3 combined with intervertebral facet joint injection of compound Betamethasome is an effective and safe treatment for lumbar disk herniation accompanied with intervertebral facet arthritis.It is worth popularizing this technique in clinical practice. (authors)

  20. Diagnostics Challenges for FACET-II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clarke, Christine

    2015-10-07

    FACET-II is a prospective user facility at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The facility will focus on high-energy, high-brightness beams and their interaction with plasma and lasers. The accelerator is designed for high-energy-density electron beams with peak currents of approximately 50 kA (potentially 100 kA) that are focused down to below 10x10 micron transverse spot size at an energy of 10 GeV. Subsequent phases of the facility will provide positron beams above 10 kA peak current to the experiment station. Experiments will require well characterised beams; however, the high peak current of the electron beam can lead to material failure in wirescanners, optical transition radiation screens and other instruments critical for measurement or delivery. The radiation environment and space constraints also put additional pressure on diagnostic design.

  1. A Teoria das Facetas: noções básicas Facet Theory: basic notions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wolfgang Bilsky

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available A Teoria das Facetas é um procedimento de pesquisa metateórico. Ela oferece um marco de referência formal que facilita o desenvolvimento de teorias e o estabelecimento de hipóteses, utiliza métodos que requerem um mínimo de restrições estatísticas e inter-relaciona sistematicamente delineamento de pesquisa, coleta de dados e análise estatística. Neste artigo esboçam-se os componentes básicos desta teoria, ilustra-se a aplicação da análise da estrutura de similaridades - um método freqüentemente empregado no contexto da Teoria das Facetas - e esquematizam-se os diversos papéis que as facetas desempenham na análise multidimensional. Isto é realizado usando como ilustração exemplos advindos da pesquisa de motivação e de valores, bem como estudos sobre medo do delito.Facet Theory is a meta-theoretical approach to research. It offers a formal frame of reference for theory construction and hypothesis building, uses methods that require a minimum of statistical assumptions, and interrelates research design, data collection and statistical analysis systematically. In this article, the basic components of Facet Theory are outlined, the application of Similarity Structure Analysis, a method frequently used in the context of Facet Theory, is illustrated, and the different roles that facets are likely to play in multidimensional analysis are sketched out. This is accomplished by using examples from motivational and values research, as well as studies on fear of crime.

  2. Facet personality and surface-level diversity as team mental model antecedents: implications for implicit coordination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, David M; Bell, Suzanne T; Dierdorff, Erich C; Belohlav, James A

    2012-07-01

    Team mental models (TMMs) have received much attention as important drivers of effective team processes and performance. Less is known about the factors that give rise to these shared cognitive structures. We examined potential antecedents of TMMs, with a specific focus on team composition variables, including various facets of personality and surface-level diversity. Further, we examined implicit coordination as an important outcome of TMMs. Results suggest that team composition in terms of the cooperation facet of agreeableness and racial diversity were significantly related to team-focused TMM similarity. TMM similarity was also positively predictive of implicit coordination, which mediated the relationship between TMM similarity and team performance. Post hoc analyses revealed a significant interaction between the trust facet of agreeableness and racial diversity in predicting TMM similarity. Results are discussed in terms of facilitating the emergence of TMMs and corresponding implications for team-related human resource practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. Fouling distribution in forward osmosis membrane process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Junseok; Kim, Bongchul; Hong, Seungkwan

    2014-06-01

    Fouling behavior along the length of membrane module was systematically investigated by performing simple modeling and lab-scale experiments of forward osmosis (FO) membrane process. The flux distribution model developed in this study showed a good agreement with experimental results, validating the robustness of the model. This model demonstrated, as expected, that the permeate flux decreased along the membrane channel due to decreasing osmotic pressure differential across the FO membrane. A series of fouling experiments were conducted under the draw and feed solutions at various recoveries simulated by the model. The simulated fouling experiments revealed that higher organic (alginate) fouling and thus more flux decline were observed at the last section of a membrane channel, as foulants in feed solution became more concentrated. Furthermore, the water flux in FO process declined more severely as the recovery increased due to more foulants transported to membrane surface with elevated solute concentrations at higher recovery, which created favorable solution environments for organic adsorption. The fouling reversibility also decreased at the last section of the membrane channel, suggesting that fouling distribution on FO membrane along the module should be carefully examined to improve overall cleaning efficiency. Lastly, it was found that such fouling distribution observed with co-current flow operation became less pronounced in counter-current flow operation of FO membrane process. Copyright © 2014 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Concentration gradient driven molecular dynamics: a new method for simulations of membrane permeation and separation† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Additional simulation settings, results and snapshots. See DOI: 10.1039/c6sc04978h Click here for additional data file.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozcan, Aydin; Perego, Claudio; Salvalaglio, Matteo; Parrinello, Michele

    2017-01-01

    In this study, we introduce a new non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation method to perform simulations of concentration driven membrane permeation processes. The methodology is based on the application of a non-conservative bias force controlling the concentration of species at the inlet and outlet of a membrane. We demonstrate our method for pure methane, ethane and ethylene permeation and for ethane/ethylene separation through a flexible ZIF-8 membrane. Results show that a stationary concentration gradient is maintained across the membrane, realistically simulating an out-of-equilibrium diffusive process, and the computed permeabilities and selectivity are in good agreement with experimental results. PMID:28966778

  5. Zernike-like systems in polygons and polygonal facets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreira, Chelo; López, José L; Navarro, Rafael; Sinusía, Ester Pérez

    2015-07-20

    Zernike polynomials are commonly used to represent the wavefront phase on circular optical apertures, since they form a complete and orthonormal basis on the unit disk. In [Opt. Lett.32, 74 (2007)10.1364/OL.32.000074OPLEDP0146-9592] we introduced a new Zernike basis for elliptic and annular optical apertures based on an appropriate diffeomorphism between the unit disk and the ellipse and the annulus. Here, we present a generalization of this Zernike basis for a variety of important optical apertures, paying special attention to polygons and the polygonal facets present in segmented mirror telescopes. On the contrary to ad hoc solutions, most of them based on the Gram-Smith orthonormalization method, here we consider a piecewise diffeomorphism that transforms the unit disk into the polygon under consideration. We use this mapping to define a Zernike-like orthonormal system over the polygon. We also consider ensembles of polygonal facets that are essential in the design of segmented mirror telescopes. This generalization, based on in-plane warping of the basis functions, provides a unique solution, and what is more important, it guarantees a reasonable level of invariance of the mathematical properties and the physical meaning of the initial basis functions. Both the general form and the explicit expressions for a typical example of telescope optical aperture are provided.

  6. Metamaterial membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Restrepo-Flórez, Juan Manuel; Maldovan, Martin

    2017-01-01

    We introduce a new class of metamaterial device to achieve separation of compounds by using coordinate transformations and metamaterial theory. By rationally designing the spatial anisotropy for mass diffusion, we simultaneously concentrate different compounds in different spatial locations, leading to separation of mixtures across a metamaterial membrane. The separation of mixtures into their constituent compounds is critically important in biophysics, biomedical, and chemical applications. We present a practical case where a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen diffusing through a polymeric planar matrix is separated. This work opens doors to new paradigms in membrane separations via coordinate transformations and metamaterials by introducing novel properties and unconventional mass diffusion phenomena. (paper)

  7. Flux recovery of ceramic tubular membranes fouled with whey proteins: Some aspects of membrane cleaning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Popović Svetlana S.

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Efficiency of membrane processes is greatly affected by the flux reduction due to the deposits formation at the surface and/or in the pores of the membrane. Efficiency of membrane processes is affected by cleaning procedure applied to regenerate flux. In this work, flux recovery of ceramic tubular membranes with 50 and 200 nm pore size was investigated. The membranes were fouled with reconstituted whey solution for 1 hour. After that, the membranes were rinsed with clean water and then cleaned with sodium hydroxide solutions or formulated detergents (combination of P3 Ultrasil 67 and P3 Ultrasil 69. Flux recovery after the rinsing step was not satisfactory although fouling resistance reduction was significant so that chemical cleaning was necessary. In the case of 50 nm membrane total flux recovery was achieved after cleaning with 1.0% (w/w sodium hydroxide solution. In the case of 200 nm membrane total flux recovery was not achieved irrespective of the cleaning agent choice and concentration. Cleaning with commercial detergent was less efficient than cleaning with the sodium hydroxide solution.

  8. Membrane Technologies in Wine Industry: An Overview.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Rayess, Youssef; Mietton-Peuchot, Martine

    2016-09-09

    Membrane processes are increasingly reported for various applications in wine industry such as microfiltration, electrodialysis, and reverse osmosis, but also emerging processes as bipolar electrodialysis and membrane contactor. Membrane-based processes are playing a critical role in the field of separation/purification, clarification, stabilization, concentration, and de-alcoholization of wine products. They begin to be an integral part of the winemaking process. This review will provide an overview of recent developments, applications, and published literature in membrane technologies applied in wine industry.

  9. Osmotically-driven membrane processes for water reuse and energy recovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Achilli, Andrea

    Osmotically-driven membrane processes are an emerging class of membrane separation processes that utilize concentrated brines to separate liquid streams. Their versatility of application make them an attractive alternative for water reuse and energy production/recovery. This work focused on innovative applications of osmotically-driven membrane processes. The novel osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) system for water reuse was presented. Experimental results demonstrated high sustainable flux and relatively low reverse diffusion of solutes from the draw solution into the mixed liquor. Membrane fouling was minimal and controlled with osmotic backwashing. The OMBR system was found to remove greater than 99% of organic carbon and ammonium-nitrogen. Forward osmosis (FO) can employ different draw solution in its process. More than 500 inorganic compounds were screened as draw solution candidates, the desktop screening process resulted in 14 draw solutions suitable for FO applications. The 14 draw solutions were then tested in the laboratory to evaluate water flux and reverse salt diffusion through the membrane. Results indicated a wide range of water flux and reverse salt diffusion depending on the draw solution utilized. Internal concentration polarization was found to lower both water flux and reverse salt diffusion by reducing the draw solution concentration at the interface between the support and dense layer of the membrane. A small group of draw solutions was found to be most suitable for FO processes with currently available FO membranes. Another application of osmotically-driven membrane processes is pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). PRO was investigated as a viable source of renewable energy. A PRO model was developed to predict water flux and power density under specific experimental conditions. The predictive model was tested using experimental results from a bench-scale PRO system. Previous investigations of PRO were unable to verify model predictions due to

  10. Carbon dioxide (hydrogen sulfide) membrane separations and WGS membrane reactor modeling for fuel cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Jin

    Acid-gas removal is of great importance in many environmental or energy-related processes. Compared to current commercial technologies, membrane-based CO2 and H2S capture has the advantages of low energy consumption, low weight and space requirement, simplicity of installation/operation, and high process flexibility. However, the large-scale application of the membrane separation technology is limited by the relatively low transport properties. In this study, CO2 (H2S)-selective polymeric membranes with high permeability and high selectivity have been studied based on the facilitated transport mechanism. The membrane showed facilitated effect for both CO2 and H2S. A CO2 permeability of above 2000 Barrers, a CO2/H2 selectivity of greater than 40, and a CO2/N2 selectivity of greater than 200 at 100--150°C were observed. As a result of higher reaction rate and smaller diffusing compound, the H2S permeability and H2S/H2 selectivity were about three times higher than those properties for CO2. The novel CO2-selective membrane has been applied to capture CO 2 from flue gas and natural gas. In the CO2 capture experiments from a gas mixture with N2 and H2, a permeate CO 2 dry concentration of greater than 98% was obtained by using steam as the sweep gas. In CO2/CH4 separation, decent CO 2 transport properties were obtained with a feed pressure up to 500 psia. With the thin-film composite membrane structure, significant increase on the CO2 flux was achieved with the decrease of the selective layer thickness. With the continuous removal of CO2, CO2-selective water-gas-shift (WGS) membrane reactor is a promising approach to enhance CO conversion and increase the purity of H2 at process pressure under relatively low temperature. The simultaneous reaction and transport process in the countercurrent WGS membrane reactor was simulated by using a one-dimensional non-isothermal model. The modeling results show that a CO concentration of less than 10 ppm and a H2 recovery of greater

  11. Enhanced starch hydrolysis using α-amylase immobilized on cellulose ultrafiltration affinity membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konovalova, Viktoriia; Guzikevich, Kateryna; Burban, Anatoliy; Kujawski, Wojciech; Jarzynka, Karolina; Kujawa, Joanna

    2016-11-05

    In order to prepare ultrafiltration membranes possessing biocatalytic properties, α-amylase has been immobilized on cellulose membranes. Enzyme immobilization was based on a covalent bonding between chitosan and a surface of cellulose membrane, followed by an attachment of Cibacron Blue F3G-A dye as affinity ligand. Various factors affecting the immobilization process, such as enzyme concentration, pH of modifying solution, zeta-potential of membrane surface, and stability of immobilized enzyme were studied. The applicability of immobilized α-amylase has been investigated in ultrafiltration processes. The immobilization of α-amylase on membrane surface allows to increase the value of mass transfer coefficient and to decrease the concentration polarization effect during ultrafiltration of starch solutions. The enzyme layer on the membrane surface prevents a rapid increase of starch concentration due to the amylase hydrolysis of starch in the boundary layer. The presented affinity immobilization technique allows also for the regeneration of membranes from inactivated enzyme. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Fabrication of bioinspired composite nanofiber membranes with robust superhydrophobicity for direct contact membrane distillation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Yuan; Wang, Rong; Fane, Anthony G

    2014-06-03

    The practical application of membrane distillation (MD) for water purification is hindered by the absence of desirable membranes that can fulfill the special requirements of the MD process. Compared to the membranes fabricated by other methods, nanofiber membranes produced by electrospinning are of great interest due to their high porosity, low tortuosity, large surface pore size, and high surface hydrophobicity. However, the stable performance of the nanofiber membranes in the MD process is still unsatisfactory. Inspired by the unique structure of the lotus leaf, this study aimed to develop a strategy to construct superhydrophobic composite nanofiber membranes with robust superhydrophobicity and high porosity suitable for use in MD. The newly developed membrane consists of a superhydrophobic silica-PVDF composite selective skin formed on a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) porous nanofiber scaffold via electrospinning. This fabrication method could be easily scaled up due to its simple preparation procedures. The effects of silica diameter and concentration on membrane contact angle, sliding angle, and MD performance were investigated thoroughly. For the first time, the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) tests demonstrate that the newly developed membranes are able to present stable high performance over 50 h of testing time, and the superhydrophobic selective layer exhibits excellent durability in ultrasonic treatment and a continuous DCMD test. It is believed that this novel design strategy has great potential for MD membrane fabrication.

  13. A Best-Evidence Systematic Appraisal of the Diagnostic Accuracy and Utility of Facet (Zygapophysial) Joint Injections in Chronic Spinal Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boswell, Mark V; Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Kaye, Alan D; Bakshi, Sanjay; Gharibo, Christopher G; Gupta, Sanjeeva; Jha, Sachin Sunny; Nampiaparampil, Devi E; Simopoulos, Thomas T; Hirsch, Joshua A

    2015-01-01

    Spinal zygapophysial, or facet, joints are a source of axial spinal pain and referred pain in the extremities. Conventional clinical features and other noninvasive diagnostic modalities are unreliable in diagnosing zygapophysial joint pain. A systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of spinal facet joint nerve blocks. To determine the diagnostic accuracy of spinal facet joint nerve blocks in chronic spinal pain. A methodological quality assessment of included studies was performed using Quality Appraisal of Reliability Studies (QAREL). Only diagnostic accuracy studies meeting at least 50% of the designated inclusion criteria were utilized for analysis. The level of evidence was classified as Level I to V based on the grading of evidence utilizing best evidence synthesis. Data sources included relevant literature identified through searches of PubMed and other electronic searches published from 1966 through March 2015, Cochrane reviews, and manual searches of the bibliographies of known primary and review articles. Studies must have been performed utilizing controlled local anesthetic blocks. The criterion standard must have been at least 50% pain relief from baseline scores and the ability to perform previously painful movements. The available evidence is Level I for lumbar facet joint nerve blocks with the inclusion of a total of 17 studies with dual diagnostic blocks, with at least 75% pain relief with an average prevalence of 16% to 41% and false-positive rates of 25% to 44%. The evidence for diagnosis of cervical facet joint pain with cervical facet joint nerve blocks is Level II based on a total of 11 controlled diagnostic accuracy studies, with significant variability among the prevalence in a heterogenous population with internal inconsistency. The prevalence rates ranged from 36% to 67% with at least 80% pain relief as the criterion standard and a false-positive rate of 27% to 63%. The level of evidence for the diagnostic accuracy of thoracic facet

  14. Abnormal growth of faceted (WC) grains in a (Co) liquid matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Y.J.; Yoon, D.Y.

    1996-01-01

    If the grains dispersed in a liquid matrix are spherical, their surface atomic structure is expected to be rough (diffuse), and their coarsening has been observed to be controlled by diffusion in the matrix. They do not, furthermore, undergo abnormal growth. On the other hand, in some compound material systems, the grains in liquid matrices are faceted and often show abnormal coarsening behavior. Their faceted surface planes are expected to be singular (atomically flat) and therefore grow by a defect-assisted process and two-dimensional (2-D) nucleation. Contrary to the usual coarsening theories, their growth velocity is not linearly dependent on the driving force arising from the grain size difference. If the growth of the faceted grains occurs by 2-D nucleation, the rate is expected to increase abruptly at a critical supersaturation, as has been observed in crystal growth in melts and solutions. It is proposed that this growth mechanism leads to the abnormal grain coarsening. The 2-D nucleation theory predicts that there is a threshold initial grain size for the abnormal grain growth (AGG), and the propensity for AGG will increase with the heat-treatment temperature. The AGG behavior will also vary with the defects in the grains. These predictions are qualitatively confirmed in the sintered WC-Co alloy prepared from fine (0.85-microm) and coarse (5.48-microm) WC powders and their mixtures. The observed dependence of the AGG behavior on the sintering temperature and the milling of the WC powder is also qualitatively consistent with the predicted behavior

  15. Preparation of mixed matrix PES-based nanofiltration membrane filled with PANI-co-MWCNT composite nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bagheripour, Ehsan; Moghadassi, Abdolreza; Hosseini, Sayed Mohsen [Faculty of Engineering, Arak University, Arak (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-04-15

    Mixed matrix polyethersulfone/PANI-co-MWCNTs composite nanoparticle nanofiltration membrane was prepared by casting solution technique. Polyvinylpyrrolidone was also used as membrane pore former in membrane fabrication. The effect of polyaniline-co-multi walled carbon nanotubes composite nanoparticle concentration in the casting solution on membrane structure and performance was investigated. Scanning optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, FTIR analysis, porosity, mean pore size, contact angle, water content, NaCl/Na2SO4 rejection, water flux, tensile strength measurements and 3D surface image were also carried out in membrane characterization. SOM images showed nanoparticle agglomeration at high additive loading ratio. SEM images showed the membrane sub-layer porosity and thickness were changed by use of nanoparticles in membrane matrix. The membrane water content, porosity and pore size were increased by increase of nanoparticle concentration, except for 1%wt. Use of PANI-co- MWCNT nanoparticles in the membrane matrix caused a decrease of membrane contact angle from 63.43 to 46.76o. Salt rejection and water flux were improved initially by increase of nanoparticle concentration up to 0.1%wt and then decreased by more additive concentration. In addition, the membranes tensile strength was reduced by increase of PANI-co-MWCNTs composite nanoparticle concentration. 3D surface images showed a smoother surface for mixed matrix membrane filled with 0.1wt% PANI-co-MWCNTs. Modified membrane containing 0.1wt% composite nanoparticles showed better performance compared to others.

  16. Preparation of mixed matrix PES-based nanofiltration membrane filled with PANI-co-MWCNT composite nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagheripour, Ehsan; Moghadassi, Abdolreza; Hosseini, Sayed Mohsen

    2016-01-01

    Mixed matrix polyethersulfone/PANI-co-MWCNTs composite nanoparticle nanofiltration membrane was prepared by casting solution technique. Polyvinylpyrrolidone was also used as membrane pore former in membrane fabrication. The effect of polyaniline-co-multi walled carbon nanotubes composite nanoparticle concentration in the casting solution on membrane structure and performance was investigated. Scanning optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, FTIR analysis, porosity, mean pore size, contact angle, water content, NaCl/Na2SO4 rejection, water flux, tensile strength measurements and 3D surface image were also carried out in membrane characterization. SOM images showed nanoparticle agglomeration at high additive loading ratio. SEM images showed the membrane sub-layer porosity and thickness were changed by use of nanoparticles in membrane matrix. The membrane water content, porosity and pore size were increased by increase of nanoparticle concentration, except for 1%wt. Use of PANI-co- MWCNT nanoparticles in the membrane matrix caused a decrease of membrane contact angle from 63.43 to 46.76o. Salt rejection and water flux were improved initially by increase of nanoparticle concentration up to 0.1%wt and then decreased by more additive concentration. In addition, the membranes tensile strength was reduced by increase of PANI-co-MWCNTs composite nanoparticle concentration. 3D surface images showed a smoother surface for mixed matrix membrane filled with 0.1wt% PANI-co-MWCNTs. Modified membrane containing 0.1wt% composite nanoparticles showed better performance compared to others.

  17. On the practical modeling of conceptual overlap among multiple facets in ontology domain concepts (Mini-thesis)

    OpenAIRE

    Rodriguez-Castro, Benedicto; Glaser, Hugh; Carr, Leslie

    2007-01-01

    This report presents a study on the practical modelling of the conceptual overlap that might exist among the multiple facets that define a particular ontology domain concept. The notions of conceptual overlap and facet are defined, together with their relation to scenarios of multiple inheritance in ontology models. Starting from the notion of a value partition, a terminology of ontology modelling constructs is introduced that allows the characterization of two types of conceptual overlap wit...

  18. Association between facet joint osteoarthritis and the Oswestry Disability Index.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maataoui, Adel; Vogl, Thomas J; Middendorp, Marcus; Kafchitsas, Konstantinos; Khan, M Fawad

    2014-11-28

    To investigate the correlation of facet joint osteoarthritis (FJOA) at lumbar levels L4/L5 and L5/S1 and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The study involved lumbar MRIs of 591 patients with a mean age of 47.3 years. The MRIs of the lumbar spine were performed on a 1.5 Tesla scanner (Magnetom(®) Avanto, Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany) using a dedicated receive only spine coil. After initial blinding, each dataset was evaluated by 2 board certified radiologist with more than 5 years experience in musculoskeletal imaging. In total 2364 facet joints were graded. Degenerative changes of the facet joints were evaluated according to the 4-point scale as proposed by Weishaupt et al Functional status was assessed using the ODI. The index is scored from 0 to 100 and interpreted as follows: 0%-20%, minimal disability; 20%-40%, moderate disability; 40%-60%, severe disability; 60%-80%, crippled; 80%-100%, patients are bedbound. Spearman's coefficient of rank correlation was used for statistical analysis, with significance set at P disability had a minimum of 0% and a maximum of 91.11% with an arithmetic mean of 32.77% ± 17.02%. The majority of patients (48.39%) had moderate functional disability (21%-40%). There was no significant correlation between FJOA and ODI on both sides of lumbar level L4/5 and on the left side of lumbar level L5/S1. A weak positive correlation was evaluated between ODI and FJOA on the right side of lumbar level L5/S1. The missing correlation of FJOA and ODI confirms our clinical experience that imaging alone is an insufficient approach explaining low back pain. Clinical correlation is imperative for an adequate diagnostic advance in patients with low back pain.

  19. Three Facets of Equity in Steffe's Research Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tillema, Erik; Hackenberg, Amy

    2017-01-01

    The [National Council of Teachers of Mathematics] NCTM research committee made a recent, urgent call for mathematics education researchers to "examine and deeply reflect on our research practices through an equity lens." With this in mind, we use this paper to reflect on the ways in which Steffe's work has contributed to three facets of…

  20. Selectivity of NF membrane for treatment of liquid waste containing uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, Elizabeth E.M.; Barbosa, Celina C.R.; Afonso, Julio C.

    2013-01-01

    The performance of two nanofiltration membranes were investigated for treatment of liquid waste containing uranium through two conditions permeation: permeation test and concentration test of the waste. In the permeation test solution permeated returned to the feed tank after collected samples each 3 hours. In the test of concentration the permeated was collected continuously until 90% reduction of the feed volume. The liquid waste ('carbonated water') was obtained during conversion of UF 6 to UO 2 in the cycle of nuclear fuel. This waste contains uranium concentration on average 7.0 mg L -1 , and not be eliminated to the environmental. The waste was permeated using a cross-flow membrane cell in the pressure of the 1.5 MPa. The selectivity of the membranes for separation of uranium was between 83% and 90% for both tests. In the concentration tests the waste was concentrated around for 5 times. The surface layer of the membranes was evaluated before and after the tests by infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), field emission microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force spectroscopy (AFM). The membrane separation process is a technique feasible to and very satisfactory for treatment the liquid waste. (author)

  1. Lumbar facet septic arthritis. Report of two cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Manuel Velasco

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available We report two cases with isolated septic arthritis of a lumbar facet after a non articular infection, and sepsis. Being a rarity, it is a condition that goes frequently unnoticed, unless taken into account directly. If it is not treated on time, it can leave serious sequelae. The treatment may vary, according to the time of diagnosis. It might have a good response to antibiotic therapy alone, or it may be necessary to associate surgical drainage.

  2. Simultaneous determination of free calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium ion concentrations in simulated milk ultrafiltrate and reconstituted skim milk using the Donnan Membrane Technique

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gao, R.; Temminghoff, E.J.M.; Leeuwen, van H.P.; Valenberg, van H.J.F.; Eisner, M.D.; Boekel, van M.A.J.S.

    2009-01-01

    This study focused on determination of free Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+ concentrations in a series of CaCl2 solutions, simulated milk ultrafiltrate and reconstituted skim milk using a recently developed Donnan Membrane Technique (DMT). A calcium ion selective electrode was used to compare the DMT

  3. Lipid membrane partitioning of lysolipids and fatty acids: Effects of membrane phase structure and detergent chain length

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Høyrup, Lise Pernille Kristine; Davidsen, Jesper; Jørgensen, Kent

    2001-01-01

    gel phase and at high temperatures in the disordered fluid phase of the phospholipid membrane vesicles. The long saturated acyl chains of the lysolipids and fatty acids varied from 10 to 16 carbon atoms and all titrations were performed below the critical micellar concentrations (cmc...... of magnitude higher when the saturated acyl chain of the detergents increases by two carbon atoms. The obtained partition coefficients are of importance in relation to a deeper understanding of the interplay between global aqueous and local membrane concentrations of the detergents and the functional influence...

  4. Simple membrane-based model of the Min oscillator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrášek, Zdeněk; Schwille, Petra

    2015-01-01

    Min proteins in E. coli bacteria organize into a dynamic pattern oscillating between the two cell poles. This process identifies the middle of the cell and enables symmetric cell division. In an experimental model system consisting of a flat membrane with effectively infinite supply of proteins and energy source, the Min proteins assemble into travelling waves. Here we propose a simple one-dimensional model of the Min dynamics that, unlike the existing models, reproduces the sharp decrease of Min concentration when the majority of protein detaches from the membrane, and even the narrow MinE maximum immediately preceding the detachment. The proposed model thus provides a possible mechanism for the formation of the MinE ring known from cells. The model is restricted to one dimension, with protein interactions described by chemical kinetics allowing at most bimolecular reactions, and explicitly considering only three, membrane-bound, species. The bulk solution above the membrane is approximated as being well-mixed, with constant concentrations of all species. Unlike other models, our proposal does not require autocatalytic binding of MinD to the membrane. Instead, it is assumed that two MinE molecules are necessary to induce the dissociation of the MinD dimer and its subsequent detachment from the membrane. We investigate which reaction schemes lead to unstable homogeneous steady states and limit cycle oscillations, and how diffusion affects their stability. The suggested model qualitatively describes the shape of the Min waves observed on flat membranes, and agrees with the experimental dependence of the wave period on the MinE concentration. These results highlight the importance of MinE presence on the membrane without being bound to MinD, and of the reactions of Min proteins on the membrane. (paper)

  5. Estimates of dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) from light metal packaging using food consumption and packaging usage data: a refined deterministic approach and a fully probabilistic (FACET) approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oldring, P K T; Castle, L; O'Mahony, C; Dixon, J

    2014-01-01

    The FACET tool is a probabilistic model to estimate exposure to chemicals in foodstuffs, originating from flavours, additives and food contact materials. This paper demonstrates the use of the FACET tool to estimate exposure to BPA (bisphenol A) from light metal packaging. For exposure to migrants from food packaging, FACET uses industry-supplied data on the occurrence of substances in the packaging, their concentrations and construction of the packaging, which were combined with data from a market research organisation and food consumption data supplied by national database managers. To illustrate the principles, UK packaging data were used together with consumption data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) dietary survey for 19-64 year olds for a refined deterministic verification. The UK data were chosen mainly because the consumption surveys are detailed, data for UK packaging at a detailed level were available and, arguably, the UK population is composed of high consumers of packaged foodstuffs. Exposures were run for each food category that could give rise to BPA from light metal packaging. Consumer loyalty to a particular type of packaging, commonly referred to as packaging loyalty, was set. The BPA extraction levels used for the 15 types of coating chemistries that could release BPA were in the range of 0.00005-0.012 mg dm(-2). The estimates of exposure to BPA using FACET for the total diet were 0.0098 (mean) and 0.0466 (97.5th percentile) mg/person/day, corresponding to 0.00013 (mean) and 0.00059 (97.5th percentile) mg kg(-1) body weight day(-1) for consumers of foods packed in light metal packaging. This is well below the current EFSA (and other recognised bodies) TDI of 0.05 mg kg(-1) body weight day(-1). These probabilistic estimates were compared with estimates using a refined deterministic approach drawing on the same input data. The results from FACET for the mean, 95th and 97.5th percentile exposures to BPA lay between the

  6. Preparation and characterization of hydroxyapatite/gelatin composite membranes for immunoisolation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Jyh-Ping; Chang, Feng-Nian

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Cross-linking gelatin in the presence of hydroxyapatite forms composite membranes. ► The membrane was used for immunoisolation and encapsulation of cells. ► Encapsulated islet cells secrete insulin in response to glucose concentrations. ► The membrane is a good candidate for bioartificial pancreas development. - Abstract: Composite membranes are fabricated from hydroxyapatite (HAP) and gelatin for immunoisolation of cells. The films were fabricated by crosslinking 5 wt%, 10 wt%, and 20 wt% gelatin with 1 wt% glutaraldehyde (GA) in the presence of HAP. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirms imide bond formation between GA and gelatin, while the crystal structure of HAP powder remains unchanged from X-ray diffraction analysis. The degree of crosslinking depends on crosslinking time and gelatin concentration. For 5% and 10% gelatin, the degree of crosslinking levels off at 90% within 48 h. From scanning electron microscopy micrographs, the microstructure of the composite membrane depends on the amount of gelatin used in the crosslinking reaction. The mechanical strength of the composite membrane could be enhanced by increasing the gelatin concentration. BET analysis indicates that pore size of the micropores on the surface HAP/gelatin agglomerates decreases with increasing gelatin concentration. However, the macropore, through which diffusion of molecules occurs, is larger at higher gelatin concentrations. The permeability coefficients of different molecules through a HAP/gelatin composite membrane increase with increasing gelatin concentration and is inversely correlated with the molecular weight of the molecule. For immunoisolation of cells, the diffusion of large molecules stimulated by the immune system can be rejected by a chamber constructed from the HAP/gelatin membrane. Insulinoma cells were encapsulated in alginate-poly-L-lysine-alginate microcapsules and enclosed in a HAP/gelatin chamber. The chamber did not impair

  7. Preparation and characterization of hydroxyapatite/gelatin composite membranes for immunoisolation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Jyh-Ping, E-mail: jpchen@mail.cgu.edu.tw [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen Hwa 1st Rd., Kwei-San, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan (China); Chang, Feng-Nian [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen Hwa 1st Rd., Kwei-San, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan (China)

    2012-12-01

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cross-linking gelatin in the presence of hydroxyapatite forms composite membranes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The membrane was used for immunoisolation and encapsulation of cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Encapsulated islet cells secrete insulin in response to glucose concentrations. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The membrane is a good candidate for bioartificial pancreas development. - Abstract: Composite membranes are fabricated from hydroxyapatite (HAP) and gelatin for immunoisolation of cells. The films were fabricated by crosslinking 5 wt%, 10 wt%, and 20 wt% gelatin with 1 wt% glutaraldehyde (GA) in the presence of HAP. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirms imide bond formation between GA and gelatin, while the crystal structure of HAP powder remains unchanged from X-ray diffraction analysis. The degree of crosslinking depends on crosslinking time and gelatin concentration. For 5% and 10% gelatin, the degree of crosslinking levels off at 90% within 48 h. From scanning electron microscopy micrographs, the microstructure of the composite membrane depends on the amount of gelatin used in the crosslinking reaction. The mechanical strength of the composite membrane could be enhanced by increasing the gelatin concentration. BET analysis indicates that pore size of the micropores on the surface HAP/gelatin agglomerates decreases with increasing gelatin concentration. However, the macropore, through which diffusion of molecules occurs, is larger at higher gelatin concentrations. The permeability coefficients of different molecules through a HAP/gelatin composite membrane increase with increasing gelatin concentration and is inversely correlated with the molecular weight of the molecule. For immunoisolation of cells, the diffusion of large molecules stimulated by the immune system can be rejected by a chamber constructed from the HAP/gelatin membrane. Insulinoma cells were encapsulated in alginate

  8. Modeling of interactions between nanoparticles and cell membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ban, Young-Min

    Rapid development of nanotechnology and ability to manufacture materials and devices with nanometer feature size leads to exciting innovations in many areas including the medical and electronic fields. However, the possible health and environmental impacts of manufactured nanomaterials are not fully known. Recent experimental reports suggest that some of the manufactured nanomaterials, such as fullerenes and carbon nanotubes, are highly toxic even in small concentrations. The goal of the current work is to understand the mechanisms responsible for the toxicity of nanomaterials. In the current study coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are employed to investigate the interactions between NPs and cellular membranes at a molecular level. One of the possible toxicity mechanisms of the nanomaterials is membrane disruption. Possibility of membrane disruption exposed to the manufactured nanomaterials are examined by considering chemical reactions and non-reactive physical interactions as chemical as well as physical mechanisms. Mechanisms of transport of carbon-based nanoparticles (fullerene and its derivative) across a phospholipid bilayer are investigated. The free energy profile is obtained using constrained simulations. It is shown that the considered nanoparticles are hydrophobic and therefore they tend to reside in the interior of the lipid bilayer. In addition, the dynamics of the membrane fluctuations is significantly affected by the nanoparticles at the bilayer-water interface. The hydrophobic interaction between the particles and membrane core induces the strong coupling between the nanoparticle motion and membrane deformation. It is observed that the considered nanoparticles affect several physical properties of the membrane. The nanoparticles embedded into the membrane interior lead to the membrane softening, which becomes more significant with increase in CNT length and concentration. The lateral pressure profile and membrane energy in the membrane

  9. Structural models of faceted-faceted eutectic system vanillin-acenaphthene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, B.L.

    2003-01-01

    Thermodynamic model for the eutectic system vanillin-acenaphthene has been developed by analysing the excess functions computed from its experimentally determined solidus-liquidus equilibrium data. Spontaneous nucleation model has been explored from the maximum limit of undercooling of the system and verified by the experimental evidences of dislocation mechanism governing the anisotropic velocity of crystallisation determined at different undercoolings. Viscosity measurements of eutectic and non-eutectic melts at different temperatures revealed the essence of peculiar structural changes and specific energy interactions in the eutectic melt in the temperature range near its melting temperature. The rheological activation energy, E vis for eutectic and non-eutectic melts is found to be a function of temperature. Crystalline faceted structure of the system has been furnished with morphological evidences obtained from microscopic studies at different growth rates, whereas whisker reinforced structural model has been accomplished with mechanical properties computed for both isotropic and anisotropic modes of growth. Of greater interest is the special reference of moderate anisotropic growth, since experimental confirmation was obtained for the theoretical shape of parabolic variation in the mechanical properties of eutectic composite material with growth velocity. Direct evidence of three- to four-fold increase in strength properties of the eutectic material at its moderate anisotropic growth velocity (3.11x10 -7 m 3 s -1 ) in comparison with its isotropic growth in an ice bath (∼273 K), confirms a complete composite microstructure with whiskers in equilibrium with the matrix, embedded parallel to the growth direction

  10. "Do unto others"? Distinct psychopathy facets predict reduced perception and tolerance of pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brislin, Sarah J; Buchman-Schmitt, Jennifer M; Joiner, Thomas E; Patrick, Christopher J

    2016-07-01

    Recent research has sought to understand how individuals high in psychopathic traits perceive pain in others (Decety, Skelly, & Kiehl, 2013; Marsh et al., 2013). Perception of pain in others is presumed to act as a prosocial signal, and underreactivity to others' pain may contribute to engagement in exploitative-aggressive behaviors among individuals high in psychopathic traits (Jackson, Meltzoff, & Decety, 2005). The current study tested for associations between facets of psychopathy as defined by the triarchic model (Patrick, Fowles, & Krueger, 2009) and decreased sensitivity to pain in 105 undergraduates tested in a laboratory pain assessment. A pressure algometer was used to index pain tolerance, and participants also rated their perceptions of and reactivity to the algometer-induced pain during the assessment and again 3 days later. A unique positive relationship was found between pain tolerance and the meanness facet of psychopathy, which also predicted reduced fear of painful algometer stimulation. Other psychopathy facets (boldness, disinhibition) showed negative relations with fear of pain stimulation during testing and at follow-up. Findings from this study extend the nomological network surrounding callousness (meanness) and suggest that increased pain tolerance may be a mechanism contributing to insensitivity to expressions of discomfort in others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  11. Comparison between a conventional membrane bioreactor (C-MBR and a biofilm membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR for domestic wastewater treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. L. Subtil

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the influence of biofilm carriers in a MBR on the performance of organic matter and nitrogen removal and the influence on membrane fouling were evaluated. The configurations studied included a Conventional Membrane Bioreactor (C-MBR and a Biofilm Membrane Bioreactor (BF-MBR operated in parallel, both fed with domestic wastewater. Regarding organic matter removal, no statistically significant differences were observed between C-MBR and BF-MBR, producing an effluent with a Soluble COD concentration of 27 ± 9.0 mgO2/L and 26 ±1.0 mgO2/L and BOD concentration of 6.0 ± 2.5 mgO2/L and 6.2 ± 2.1 mgO2/L, respectively. On the other hand, the BF-MBR produced a permeate with lower ammonia and total nitrogen concentrations, which resulted in a removal efficiency of 98% and 73%, respectively. It was also observed that the fouling rate was about 35% higher in the C-MBR than that for the BF-MBR, which also presented a reduction of total membrane resistance, about 29%, and increased operational cycle length around 7 days, compared to C-MBR.

  12. Up-regulation of p55 TNF alpha-receptor in dorsal root ganglia neurons following lumbar facet joint injury in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakuma, Yoshihiro; Ohtori, Seiji; Miyagi, Masayuki; Ishikawa, Tetsu; Inoue, Gen; Doya, Hideo; Koshi, Takana; Ito, Toshinori; Yamashita, Masaomi; Yamauchi, Kazuyo; Suzuki, Munetaka; Moriya, Hideshige; Takahashi, Kazuhisa

    2007-08-01

    The rat L5/6 facet joint is multisegmentally innervated from the L1 to L6 dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a known mediator of inflammation. It has been reported that satellite cells are activated, produce TNF and surround DRG neurons innervating L5/6 facet joints after facet injury. In the current study, changes in TNF receptor (p55) expression in DRG neurons innervating the L5/6 facet joint following facet joint injury were investigated in rats using a retrograde neurotransport method followed by immunohistochemistry. Twenty rats were used for this study. Two crystals of Fluorogold (FG; neurotracer) were applied into the L5/6 facet joint. Seven days after surgery, the dorsal portion of the capsule was cut in the injured group (injured group n = 10). No injury was performed in the non-injured group (n = 10). Fourteen days after the first application of FG, bilateral DRGs from T13 to L6 levels were resected and sectioned. They were subsequently processed for p55 immunohistochemistry. The number of FG labeled neurons and number of FG labeled p55-immunoreactive (IR) neurons were counted. FG labeled DRG neurons innervating the L5/6 facet joint were distributed from ipsilateral L1 to L6 levels. Of FG labeled neurons, the ratio of DRG neurons immunoreactive for p55 in the injured group (50%) was significantly higher than that in the non-injured group (13%). The ratio of p55-IR neurons of FG labeled DRG neurons was significantly higher in total L1 and L2 DRGs than that in total L3, 4, 5 and 6 DRGs in the injured group (L1 and 2 DRG, 67%; L3, 4, 5 and 6 DRG, 37%, percentages of the total number of p55-IR neurons at L1 and L2 level or L3-6 level/the total number of FG-labeled neurons at L1 and L2 level or L3-6 level). These data suggest that up-regulation of p55 in DRG neurons may be involved in the sensory transmission from facet joint injury. Regulation of p55 in DRG neurons innervating the facet joint was different between upper DRG innervated

  13. In-situcross-linked PVDF membranes with enhanced mechanical durability for vacuum membrane distillation

    KAUST Repository

    Zuo, Jian; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

    2016-01-01

    A novel and effective one-step method has been demonstrated to fabricate cross-linked polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes with better mechanical properties and flux for seawater desalination via vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). This method involves the addition of two functional nonsolvent additives; namely, water and ethylenediamine (EDA), into the polymer casting solution. The former acts as a pore forming agent, while the latter performs as a cross-linking inducer. The incorporation of water tends to increase membrane flux via increasing porosity and pore size but sacrifices membrane mechanical properties. Conversely, the presence of EDA enhances membrane mechanical properties through in-situ cross-linking reaction. Therefore, by synergistically combining the effects of both functional additives, the resultant PVDF membranes have shown good MD performance and mechanical properties simultaneously. The parameters that affect the cross-link reaction and membrane mechanical properties such as reaction duration and EDA concentration have been systematically studied. The membranes cast from an optimal reaction condition comprising 0.8 wt % EDA and 3-hour reaction not only shows a 40% enhancement in membrane Young's Modulus compared to the one without EDA but also achieves a good VMD flux of 43.6 L/m2-h at 60°C. This study may open up a totally new approach to design next-generation high performance MD membranes. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 4013–4022, 2016

  14. In-situcross-linked PVDF membranes with enhanced mechanical durability for vacuum membrane distillation

    KAUST Repository

    Zuo, Jian

    2016-05-12

    A novel and effective one-step method has been demonstrated to fabricate cross-linked polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes with better mechanical properties and flux for seawater desalination via vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). This method involves the addition of two functional nonsolvent additives; namely, water and ethylenediamine (EDA), into the polymer casting solution. The former acts as a pore forming agent, while the latter performs as a cross-linking inducer. The incorporation of water tends to increase membrane flux via increasing porosity and pore size but sacrifices membrane mechanical properties. Conversely, the presence of EDA enhances membrane mechanical properties through in-situ cross-linking reaction. Therefore, by synergistically combining the effects of both functional additives, the resultant PVDF membranes have shown good MD performance and mechanical properties simultaneously. The parameters that affect the cross-link reaction and membrane mechanical properties such as reaction duration and EDA concentration have been systematically studied. The membranes cast from an optimal reaction condition comprising 0.8 wt % EDA and 3-hour reaction not only shows a 40% enhancement in membrane Young\\'s Modulus compared to the one without EDA but also achieves a good VMD flux of 43.6 L/m2-h at 60°C. This study may open up a totally new approach to design next-generation high performance MD membranes. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 4013–4022, 2016

  15. Effect of operating parameters and membrane characteristics on air gap membrane distillation performance for the treatment of highly saline water

    KAUST Repository

    Xu, Jingli; Singh, Yogesh Balwant; Amy, Gary L.; Ghaffour, NorEddine

    2016-01-01

    , such as feed temperatures, feed flow velocities and salt concentrations reaching 120 g/L, and different membrane characteristics, such as membrane material, thickness, pore size and support layer, using a locally designed and fabricatd AGMD module and spacer

  16. Biofouling behavior and performance of forward osmosis membranes with bioinspired surface modification in osmotic membrane bioreactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Fang; Cheng, Qianxun; Tian, Qing; Yang, Bo; Chen, Qianyuan

    2016-07-01

    Forward osmosis (FO) has received considerable interest for water and energy related applications in recent years. Biofouling behavior and performance of cellulose triacetate (CTA) forward osmosis membranes with bioinspired surface modification via polydopamine (PD) coating and poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) grafting (PD-g-PEG) in a submerged osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) were investigated in this work. The modified membranes exhibited lower flux decline than the pristine one in OMBR, confirming that the bioinspired surface modification improved the antifouling ability of the CTA FO membrane. The result showed that the decline of membrane flux related to the increase of the salinity and MLSS concentration of the mixed liquid. It was concluded that the antifouling ability of modified membranes ascribed to the change of surface morphology in addition to the improvement of membrane hydrophilicity. The bioinspired surface modifications might improve the anti-adhesion for the biopolymers and biocake. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Luxación facetaria unilateral lumbosacra postraumática. [ Post-traumatic lumbosacral unilateral facet dislocation].

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel González Murillo

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available In the literature have been reported around fifty cases of lumbosacral dislocations; treated most bilateral facet dislocations. We report the case of a female 42 year old with unilateral lumbosacral facet dislocation of one month duration after accident. Circumferential instrumented fusion L5-S1 with interbody cage and pedicle screws L5-S1 was performed.   The lumbosacral dislocation is a rare injury that occurs due to the combination of a high-energy mechanism predisposing anatomical factors. Recent publications advocate the surgical reduction and stabilization with instrumentation as standard treatment.

  18. Constructing Functional Ionic Membrane Surface by Electrochemically Mediated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fen Ran

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The sodium polyacrylate (PAANa contained polyethersulfone membrane that was fabricated by preparation of PES-NH2 via nonsolvent phase separation method, the introduction of bromine groups as active sites by grafting α-Bromoisobutyryl bromide, and surface-initiated electrochemically atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-eATRP of sodium acrylate (AANa on the surface of PES membrane. The polymerization could be controlled by reaction condition, such as monomer concentration, electric potential, polymerization time, and modifier concentration. The membrane surface was uniform when the monomer concentration was 0.9 mol/L, the electric potential was −0.12 V, the polymerization time was 8 h, and the modifier concentration was 2 wt.%. The membrane showed excellent hydrophilicity and blood compatibility. The water contact angle decreased from 84° to 68° and activated partial thromboplastin increased from 51 s to 84 s after modification of the membranes.

  19. Boron Removal in Radioactive Liquid Waste by Forward Osmosis Membrane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Dooseong; Choi, Hei Min; Lee, Kune Woo; Moon Jeikwon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-05-15

    These wastes contain about 0.3-0.8 wt% boric acid and have been concentrated through an evaporation treatment. Boric acid tends to crystallize owing to its solubility, and to plug the evaporator. The volume reduction obtained through evaporation is limited by the amount of boric acid in the waste. As an emerging technology, forward osmosis (FO) has attracted growing interest in wastewater treatment and desalination. FO is a membrane process in which water flows across a semi-permeable membrane from a feed solution of lower osmotic pressure to a draw solution of higher osmotic pressure. However, very few studies on the removal of boron by FO have been performed. The objective of this study is to evaluate the possibility of boron separation in radioactive liquid waste by FO. In this study, the performance of FO was investigated to separate boron in the simulated liquid waste under the factors such as pH, osmotic pressure, ionic strength of the solution, and membrane characteristic. The boron separation in radioactive borate liquid waste was investigated with an FO membrane. When the feed solution containing boron is treated by the FO membrane, the boron permeation depends on the type of membrane, membrane orientation, pH of the feed solution, salt and boron concentration in the feed solution, and osmotic pressure of the draw solution. The boron flux begins to decline from pH 7, and increases with an increase in the osmotic driving force. The boron flux of the CTA-ES and ALFD membrane orientation is higher than those of the CTA-NW and ALFF orientation, respectively. The boron permeation rate is constant regardless of the osmotic pressure and membrane orientation. The boron flux decreases slightly with the salt concentration, but it is not heavily influenced at a low salt concentration.

  20. Boron Removal in Radioactive Liquid Waste by Forward Osmosis Membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Dooseong; Choi, Hei Min; Lee, Kune Woo; Moon Jeikwon

    2014-01-01

    These wastes contain about 0.3-0.8 wt% boric acid and have been concentrated through an evaporation treatment. Boric acid tends to crystallize owing to its solubility, and to plug the evaporator. The volume reduction obtained through evaporation is limited by the amount of boric acid in the waste. As an emerging technology, forward osmosis (FO) has attracted growing interest in wastewater treatment and desalination. FO is a membrane process in which water flows across a semi-permeable membrane from a feed solution of lower osmotic pressure to a draw solution of higher osmotic pressure. However, very few studies on the removal of boron by FO have been performed. The objective of this study is to evaluate the possibility of boron separation in radioactive liquid waste by FO. In this study, the performance of FO was investigated to separate boron in the simulated liquid waste under the factors such as pH, osmotic pressure, ionic strength of the solution, and membrane characteristic. The boron separation in radioactive borate liquid waste was investigated with an FO membrane. When the feed solution containing boron is treated by the FO membrane, the boron permeation depends on the type of membrane, membrane orientation, pH of the feed solution, salt and boron concentration in the feed solution, and osmotic pressure of the draw solution. The boron flux begins to decline from pH 7, and increases with an increase in the osmotic driving force. The boron flux of the CTA-ES and ALFD membrane orientation is higher than those of the CTA-NW and ALFF orientation, respectively. The boron permeation rate is constant regardless of the osmotic pressure and membrane orientation. The boron flux decreases slightly with the salt concentration, but it is not heavily influenced at a low salt concentration