Local Micro Research Articles

Investigating the hydrodynamics of gas–solid bubbling fluidization using recurrence plot

Hydrodynamics of gas–solid fluidized bed was investigated using time series of pressure fluctuations by evaluation of the corresponding recurrence plot (RP). Patterns within RP of the fluidized bed were classified into two groups of local white areas (LWA), showing macro structures, and local bold areas (LBA), showing meso and micro structures. These patterns showed that the fluidized bed system has three different hydrodynamic behaviors as superficial gas velocity increases; at low gas velocities, macro structures become more dominant, further increase in gas velocity empowers influence of finer structures on the hydrodynamic and finally the fluidization regime changes. Additionally, these results were confirmed by recurrence rate (RR) and average cycle frequency. Comparison of RP of the fluidized bed with Lorenz and complete stochastic systems showed that the fluidized bed is more complex than Lorenz system, however, it’s hydrodynamic has not stochastic nature.

Measuring the thermophysical properties of porous fibrous materials with a new unsteady-state method

Abstract In this article, the authors first introduced a theoretical model dealing with unsteady-state heat conduction in porous fabric to assess the effects due to local convection during the testing. A few important issues are analyzed including the criterion for local thermal equilibrium in the fibrous materials and the confidence time region (tmin–tmax) during measuring process. The influence due to different heat source capacities can be ignored if the measuring time is greater than the minimum time duration tmin, yet the heat loss via outside surface becomes negligible if the testing duration is below the maximum allowable value tmax. Accordingly an apparatus that can simultaneously measure two thermophysical properties (the thermal conductivity k and thermal diffusivity a) of fibrous materials is developed in this study, which then leads to the determination of the volumetric capacity via ρC = k/a. In order to minimize the influence of potential local micro heat convection and the contact resistanc...

Enhancing the thermal stability of a single-chain Fv fragment by in vivo global fluorination of the proline residues

Single-chain Fv (scFv) format protein is a commonly used analytical tool for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The usage of scFv antibody fragments in therapeutic applications has demonstrated that they need to have high thermostability. Many rational or irrational methods have been described erstwhile to engineer or improve the stability of scFv proteins by modifications of natural amino acid. Here we have demonstrated an alternate strategy to efficiently improve the thermostability of scFvs by non-canonical amino acid. Previously, fluoroprolines have been proven as a choice to tune the stability of many polypeptides and few globular proteins. Hence we exploited the usage of fluoroproline to enhance the thermal stability of scFv by replacing the natural proline on the framework regions of scFv that influence the folding or stability. To demonstrate our approach, a bacterial cytoplasmic foldable and humanized anti-c-Met scFv (hu-MscFv) was used. The hu-MscFv proline sites were successfully incorporated with (2S,4R)-4-fluoroproline without affecting its structure and function by the in vivo residue specific global replacement method which exploits bacterial auxotrophic system. The time-dependent temperature effect on the activity of fluorinated hu-MscFv revealed its increased stability at 40 °C along with improved half-life than the hu-MscFv with natural proline. Further model based structure analysis on hu-MscFv with fluoroproline indicated that the fluorine atoms were able to establish new favourable dipole interactions with neighbouring polar groups in their local micro environments that rationalizes its improved thermostability. Moreover the scFv sequence based statistical analysis strongly supports the fact that this method can be applied to any target scFv, since they contain high frequency conserved proline sites in their framework regions.

Microelectrochemical patterning of gold surfaces using 4-azidobenzenediazonium and scanning electrochemical microscopy

This work describes for the first time the possibility of performing local micro electrochemical grafting of a gold substrate by 4-azidobenzenediazonium by SECM in a single and simple one step without complications from adsorption. The electrografted spots of diazonium were performed by positioning a Pt tip at a given distance above the gold substrate and the SECM was used in a three-electrode configuration (the Pt tip serving as the microanode) in acetonitrile containing 5mM 4-azidobenzenediazonium and 0.1M Bu4NBF4 during 10ms. The dimensions of the derivatized areas of the substrates were finely tuned by using different experimental conditions (tip distance above the substrate, tip diameter, presence or absence of supporting electrolyte). The use of the azido-derivated diazonium molecule and these preliminary results open the gate to important applications and developments devoted to the local micro functionalization of electrodes by thin layers that allow the implementation of the emerging and attractive interfacial click reaction.

Local heterogeneity in the distribution of iron ions in CR-spinel from Ural ultramafic massifs: Evidence from Mössbauer spectroscopy data

The crystal chemistry of Fe ions in Cr-spinel from the largest Ural ultramafic massifs has been studied by Mossbauer spectroscopy at room temperature and the boiling temperature of liquid nitrogen. The spectra substantially depend on the mineral composition (stoichiometry) and measurement temperature; Fe2+ and Fe3+ doublets significantly overlap; the Fe2+ doublet lines are markedly broadened. According to the Mossbauer data, the degree of iron oxidation is 7–35% and appreciably differs from that in the stoichiometric approximation. The disturbance of integral stoichiometry by di- and trivalent cations (deviation of the Me3+/Me2+ value from 2.0) may be caused not only by partial inversion of the mineral structure but also by local micro- and nanoscale heterogeneity of the mineral, clustering of Fe2+ and Al (Cr, Fe3+) cations, and the appearance of associates. Possible application of the QS-distribution method for analyzing nonequivalent nuclear iron states and the thermal dynamics of Mossbauer spectra for studying local clustering effects of iron cations is discussed. It is shown that these approaches give new information on local heterogeneity of structural sites occupied by iron ions.

Hausdorff와 LBP 거리의 융합을 이용한 개선된 얼굴검출

In this paper, a new face detection method that is more accurate than the conventional methods is proposed. This method utilizes a hybrid of Hausdorff distance based on the geometric similarity between the two sets of points and the LBP distance based on the distribution of local micro texture of an image. The parameters for normalization and the optimal blending factor of the two different metrics were calculated from training sample images. Popularly used face database was used to show that the proposed method is more effective and robust to the variation of the pose, illumination, and back ground than the methods based on the Hausdorff distance or LBP distance. In the particular case, the average error distance between the detected and the true face location was reduced to 47.9% of the result of LBP method, and 22.8% of the result of Hausdorff method.

Sukses Mengembangkan Desain Seni dan Kerajinan Menjahit Aplikasi Berbahan Dasar Limbah Kain (Kain Perca) bagi Industri Rumah Tangga

Arts and craft products are now beginning to be produced by many home industries such as sewing patchwork application products. But the lack of knowledge of art, design and product marketing in this industry making products become less competitive and provide income earning less than the maximum. Besides, home industry players sometimes do not have the high endurance and sustainability in business. As one of the national strategic issues, the arts, crafts and creative industries get serious attention from the government. It is expected with the opening horizons of knowledge in art, design and product marketing in the area of sew patchwork application craft (which is use the waste fabric) will impact the development of entrepreneurship opportunities and support many home industries entrepreneur from local micro become sustainable macro business. This action will also support to further explore the various culture of Indonesian arts, crafts and other creative industries became more creative, innovative and competitive by using waste materials that are environmentally friendly.

Imperialism, the State, and Ngos: Middle Eastern Contexts and Contestations

Since September 11 and the war on terrorism, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the Arab world have acquired a special presence and weight, requiring critical analysis. The increase in NGOs just in the past few years—from an estimated 175,000 in 1995 to about 225,000 in 2003—has raised a number of issues and concerns among intellectuals and social activists alike. This is particularly true with regard to women's NGOs. Some of the issues raised relate to the rationale behind the mushrooming of this phenomenon, that is, whether it is a conscious product of local or national need or the result of external, more specifically, capitalist imperialist interest and pressures in the region, hence serving foreign agendas. At the macro level, questions are raised concerning the role of NGOs vis-à-vis the project of nation and state building, that is, whether this phenomenon plays a positive constructive or negative restrictive role in the nation-building project. In this context some authors perceive NGOs as a socially divisive force leading to the segmentation of the national movement, obliteration of the class struggle, and fragmentation of the social fabric, while others welcome this phenomenon and deem it an important contribution to national development and civil society and a tool for promoting citizenship rights. At a more local micro level of analysis, some concerns are raised regarding the function of the NGO, for example, as a project-driven organization with a limited, transitory role and hence with short-term goals and aims. Important criticisms raised at this level concern the social-cultural domain, where NGOs are seen as a tool of “cultural co-optation,” a source of competition and social division vying for the same source of funding. Finally, the internal structure of NGOs, namely, the all-encompassing role of the “director,” the lack of a grassroots base, and the absence of accessibility to ordinary people, constitutes another concern for some activists and academics alike. These are some of the ideas explored in this article.

Contesting the Global Consumption Ethos: Reterritorialization of Rock in Turkey

This article contributes to the debates on globalization by studying the reterritorialization of rock music in Turkey to illustrate why and how heterogeneity exists in markets. Four years of data collection suggest that in Turkey, rockers have discovered ways to create their own modes of producing and consuming rock music that is no longer regarded as foreign. Such reterritorialization suggests that the authors reconsider the categories to interpret the meanings in and across global—local contexts and micro— macro linkages. The article also illustrates and discusses rock as a postmodern self-marketing commodity with a dialogical evolution.

Optical Characterization of Surface Profiles of Various Si1-xGex/Si Wafers Before and After Annealing Step

During the steps of semiconductor processing, a wafer goes through global and local (macro and micro) surface profile and strain/stress changes due to chemical reactions and physical changes brought about by changes in the wafer's environment. In the case of Si1-xGex/Si, intentional local strain generation is introduced to enhance device performance by adding tens of atomic percents of Ge in Si. Process induced surface profile changes in TiN/NiPt/Si1-xGex/Si (100) and Si1-xGex/Si (100) wafers are characterized before and after various annealing techniques and conditions using the newly developed, very high magnification optical surface profilometry (OSP-300) system. Spike anneal steps induced significant global and local changes of wafer surface profiles in TiN/NiPt/Si1-xGex/Si (100) and Si1-xGex/Si (100) wafers, which were compared to a conventional lamp-based RTP step.

Deterministic and stochastic components of regular surface texture generated by a special grinding process

Abstract Regular surface texture may be generated by an unconventional grinding operation. The simple version of the method consists in grinding with the wheel having helical grooves which are deeper than the grinding depth. The wheel active surface is reproduced on the work-material in the form of regularly arranged grooves separated from each other. Regular surface texture consists of two components: deterministic, resulting from the nominal wheel surface, and stochastic, resulting from the random shape and arrangement of abrasive grains. Simulations and experiments revealed the limited contribution of the stochastic component of the surface structure of the work-material. Random arrangement of abrasive grains is important only at local (micro) level and affects the roughness of groove bottoms, while the dimensions and arrangement of the grooves are affected only to a minimal degree.

Drug Delivery Systems for Local Anesthetics

Although technological innovations in the area of drug delivery claim for varied benefits, increasing the drug therapeutic index for human clinical application is the main goal pursued. Drug delivery systems for local anesthetics (LA) have attracted researchers due to many biomedical advantages associated to their application. Formulation approaches to systemically deliver LA include the encapsulation in liposomes, complexation in cyclodextrins, association with biopolymers and others carrier systems. Topical delivery systems for LA are characteristically composed by a diversity of adjuvants (viscosity inducing agents, preservatives, permeation enhancers, emollients,) and presentations such as semisolid (gel, creams, ointments), liquid (o/w and w/o emulsions, dispersions) and solid (patches) pharmaceutical forms. The proposed formulations aims to reduce the LA concentration used, increase its permeability and absorption, keep the LA at the target site for longer periods prolonging the anesthetic or analgesic effect and, finally, to decrease the clearance, local and systemic toxicity. This review deals with the innovations pertaining to formulations and techniques for drug-delivery of topical and injectable local anesthetics, as described in recent patents.

Ambiguities and paradoxes in children's talk about marketing breakfast cereals with toys

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand, from children's perspectives, the commercial marketing strategy of selling breakfast cereals with “insert toys” targeted at children.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on four focus group interviews conducted with 16 children (8‐9 years of age) concerning 18 different breakfast cereal packages. The theoretical framework integrates childhood sociology, critical discourse analysis and talk‐in‐interaction. This theoretical and methodological combination is used to show how children, in local micro settings of talk, make use of the discourses that are available to them to produce and reproduce social and cultural values about marketing with “insert toys”.FindingsThe present findings suggest that, from children's perspectives, “insert toys” are constituted by cultural and social patterns extending far beyond the “insert toy” itself. For example, the analysis shows that it is not biological age that defines what and how consumption is understood.Research limitations/implicationsThe focus group material provides understandings of marketing strategies and consumption practices from children's perspectives. When the children talk about children and adults, hybrid agents of the “child‐adult”, the “adult‐child” and the “childish child” are constructed. These hybrids contradict research that dichotomizes children and adults likewise children's understandings of consumption based on age stages. Accordingly, age is rationalized into an empirically investigated category rather than being used as a preset category set out to explain children's behaviours.Originality/valueAnalysis of the focus group interactions shows that the way the market and marketing as well as children and adults are talked about is crucial to understanding children's and parents' actions as consumers.

The Developmental Impact of Asian Drivers on Ethiopia with Emphasis on Small‐scale Footwear Producers

Abstract(1252) Tegegne Gebre‐EgziabherThis paper examines the developmental impact of China and India on Ethiopia by examining macro‐level trade, investment and aid relation, and micro‐level impacts on local micro and small‐scale footwear producers. Both secondary and primary data were used. At macro level there are clear evidences of an increase in trade between Ethiopia on the one hand and China and India on the other, though the trade balance disfavours Ethiopia. China has displaced other countries as export destinations for Ethiopia. Similarly, the presence of China and India is also felt in the areas of investment and aid. At local level, Chinese imports of footwear have forced local enterprises to downsize their activity and lose assets and money. At the same time, however, firms have followed both the high road of competition (design and quality improvement, investment in machinery, product specialisation) and the low road of competition (lowering price and profit, reducing raw materials and inputs, and joining the informal sector) to withstand the impact of Chinese imports. The long‐term effect of Chinese imports is to crowd out local efforts of using the sector as the basis for industrialisation. Government, non‐government organisations and local producers should work together in order to withstand the negative impacts of footwear imports by raising the competitiveness of the local producers.

Modeling failure of heterogeneous viscoelastic solids under dynamic/impact loading due to multiple evolving cracks using a two-way coupled multiscale model

This paper presents a model for predicting damage evolution in heterogeneous viscoelastic solids under dynamic/impact loading. Some theoretical developments associated with the model have been previously reported. These are reviewed briefly, with the main focus of this paper on new developments and applications. A two-way coupled multiscale approach is employed and damage is considered in the form of multiple cracks evolving in the local (micro) scale. The objective of such a model is to develop the ability to consider energy dissipation due to both bulk dissipation and the development of multiple cracks occurring on multiple length and time scales. While predictions of these events may seem extraordinarily costly and complex, there are multiple structural applications where effective models would save considerable expense. In some applications, such as protective devices, viscoelastic materials may be preferred because of the considerable amount of energy dissipated in the bulk as well as in the fracture process. In such applications, experimentally based design methodologies are extremely costly, therefore suggesting the need for improved models. In this paper, the authors focus on the application of the newly developed multiscale model to the solution of some example problems involving dynamic and impact loading of viscoelastic heterogeneous materials with growing cracks at the local scale.

A comparative study of tensile properties of non-crimp 3D orthogonal weave and multi-layer plain weave E-glass composites. Part 2: Comprehensive experimental results

This Part 2 paper presents results of comparative experimental study of progressive damage in 2D and 3D woven glass/epoxy composites under in-plane tensile loading. As Part 1, this Part 2 work is focused on the comparison of in-plane tensile properties of two non-crimp single-ply 3D orthogonal weave E-glass fibre composites on one side and a laminate reinforced with four plies of E-glass plain weave on the other. The damage investigation methodology combines mechanical testing with acoustic emission registration (that provides damage initiation thresholds), progressive cracks observation on transparent samples, full-field surface strain mapping and cracks observation on micrographs, altogether enabling for a thorough characterisation of the local micro- and meso-damage modes of the studied composites. The obtained results demonstrate that the non-crimp 3D orthogonal woven composites have significantly higher in-plane strengths, failure strains and damage initiation thresholds than their 2D woven laminated counterpart. The growth of transverse cracks in the yarns of 3D composites is delayed, and they are less prone to a yarn–matrix interfacial crack formation and propagation. Delaminations developing between the plies of plain weave fabric in the laminate at certain load level never appear in the 3D woven single-ply composites.

Regular Surface Texture Generated by Special Grinding Process

Most of the methods for generating regular surface texture (RST) consist of shaping a set of regular grooves (cavities) arranged in a regular way. This paper presents possibilities for regular surface texture generation by so-called “pattern grinding” with the wheel prepared in a special way. The simple variant of the method involves grinding with the wheel having helical grooves. The grooves shaped on the work material are the result of specific wheel surface reproduction. The ratio between work-material feed and wheel speed is an important factor, determining the layout of the grooves generated on the work-material and the shape of the groove sides. Surface texture consists of two components: deterministic, resulting from the nominal wheel active surface, and random, resulting from the random shape and arrangement of abrasive grains. The limited contribution of the random component of surface texture is discussed based on the ratio between the undeformed chip thickness and the sizes of the grooves. Kinematical analysis of the wheel reproduction process is performed for description of nominal surface texture. Experimental results of flat and cylindrical surfaces, obtained with pattern grinding are also provided. Two critical values of the ratio between work-material feed and wheel speed were derived, and three ranges of this ratio are discussed. The kinematical approach provided relationships between input data of the process (wheel shape and grinding parameters) and nominal groove dimensions and groove layout. The geometrical characteristics of the work-material nominal surface texture are presented for each of the three types of surface texture. It is important to ensure that the work feeds are greater than the lower critical value. For achievable work feeds the shape of the sides of the grooves is cycloid. Experiments revealed the limited contribution of the random component of the surface structure of the work material. Random arrangement of abrasive grains is important only at local (micro-) level and affects the roughness of groove bottoms, while the dimensions and arrangement of the grooves are affected only to a minimal degree.

Design of composites using a generic unit cell model coupled with a hybrid genetic algorithm

Structural optimization for any kind of laminate or weave composite material is a computationally expensive and intense process. In this study, two research objectives are addressed: (i) to introduce architecturally independent, adaptive unit cells and representative volume elements, and (ii) to use a hybrid genetic algorithm procedure for composite structural optimization. By employing this approach, state parameters and non-uniform homogenization are adopted, resulting in high prediction accuracy and low computational cost without loss of the local (micro) detail of the composite structure. Furthermore, genetic algorithm optimization procedures necessitated in determining the type of reinforcing material, architecture (stacking sequence of laminates, woven type of fabric), shape and size of the final product in order to meet certain design deliverables are explored. The prospective unit cells contain the information required to form a laminate, or woven, composite and record different modes of crack propagation. Unit cells are built such that they become discrete entities, easily adopted to build a geometric architecture. The attention is primarily focused on the applicability of genetic algorithms in promoting improved analytical and finite element computations of specific objective functions. This paper demonstrates the process of building and combining UCs to form any desired structure and architecture, and illustrates its implementation and effectiveness with the developed hybrid genetic algorithm with memory model. To this end, issues such as efficient coding, selection procedures and effects of anisotropic material properties are particularly emphasized.

A variational deduction of second gradient poroelasticity I: general theory

Second gradient theories have to be used to capture how local micro heterogeneities macroscopically affect the behavior of a continuum. In this paper a configurational space for a solid matrix filled by an unknown amount of fluid is introduced. The Euler–Lagrange equations valid for second gradient poromechanics, generalizing those due to Biot, are deduced by means of a Lagrangian variational formulation. Starting from a generalized Clausius–Duhem inequality, valid in the framework of second gradient theories, the existence of a macroscopic solid skeleton Lagrangian deformation energy, depending on the solid strain and the Lagrangian fluid mass density as well as on their Lagrangian gradients, is proven.

NEW PRODUCTS OF MICROBIOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION OF SCLAREOL: CHARACTERISTICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY

For the first time, the active strains of local micro fungus were selected, responsible for the transformation of sclareol molecule at the peripheral level of oxidation-reduction reactions have been selected. The speed of biodegradation of sclareol and the optimal conditions for preparative gathering of the precious metabolites of sclareol by the active fungus of ggAspergillus and Penicillium have been thoroughly investigated. There were obtained new products of the sclareol biotransformation, with activity against some phytopathogens. The physiological and biochemical characteristics of active strains of Penicillium sp.176, Aspergillus sp. 120 were formulated, with their further identification; the strains Penicillium camemberti CNM-FP-03 and Aspergillus alliaceus CNM-FA-01 were identified and deposited in the NCNM as the strains of microorganisms capable to the transformation of sclareol.