Optimization and comparison of polysiloxane acrylic hybrid latex synthesis methods

Two methods were used to prepare polysiloxane-functionalized acrylic latexes via emulsion polymerization. Ethyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate were used in both methods as acrylic phase. In the first method, an acrylic core was prepared with addition of a coupling agent, 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate, after which cyclic siloxane monomer (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane) was reacted with the coupling agent. In the second method, a silane-terminated polysiloxane (H-PDMS) was reacted with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and then copolymerized with ethyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate in a batch emulsion polymerization. Particle size distribution and particle morphology were evaluated by using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. Core-shell morphology was observed in TEM for the first preparation method as proposed. After film formation, surface tension, morphology and dynamic mechanical properties were investigated. Stratification of polysiloxane was examined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). Energy dispersive X-ray data indicated that only the second preparation method had higher silicon content at film-air interface than film-substrate interface. In both methods, storage modulus and surface energy of latex films decreased after grafting polysiloxane.     

Ammonia removal by air stripping in a semi-batch jet loop reactor

Ammonia is very toxic chemical and it can be removed by air stripping at high pH. JLRs have found applications in wastewater treatment processes due to their high mass transfer rates. In JLRs, intrinsic high turbulence result in a very large air-liquid surface area for greater mass transfer. Therefore, in this study, ammonia removal by air stripping from synthetically prepared ammonia solution at the high pH in a semi-batch JLR due to its high mass transfer capabilities have been investigated. Investigated parameters in a JLR were initial ammonia concentration (10–500 mg/L), temperature (20–50 °C), air flow rate (5–50 L/min) and liquid circulation rate (35–50 L/min). While it was demonstrated that temperature and air flow rate have a significant effect on the ammonia removal, it was determined that initial ammonia concentration and liquid circulation rate have no significant effect on the ammonia removal. The overall volumetric mass transfer coefficients (K_La) have been calculated from obtained model and it was determined that increasing temperature and air flow rate have a very significant effect on K_La. It was concluded that JLR provides higher mass transfer capabilities than other type of reactors even if less air is given.     

Assessment of cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of enniatin-A in vitro

Enniatin A (EN-A) is a Fusarium mycotoxin which is a common contaminant in grains and especially in maize and it causes serious loss of product. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effects using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay in human cervix carcinoma (HeLa) cell line, and genotoxic effects of EN-A using chromosome aberrations (CAs), sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), micronuclei (MN) and comet assays in human lymphocytes. The cells were treated with 0.07, 0.14, 0.29, 0.57, 1.15, 2.29, 4.59 and 9.17 μM concentrations of EN-A. It exhibited cytotoxic effects in HeLa cell lines especially when the concentrations were increased. The half-inhibitory value (IC₅₀) was determined as 1.15 μM concentration for 24 h and 0.57 μM concentration for 48 h. However, EN-A failed to affect the frequency of CAs, SCEs and MN in human lymphocytes. Only a slight increase was observed in the frequency of SCEs at 0.57 μM concentration over 48 h. The replication (RI) and nuclear division (NDI) indices were not affected. On the contrary, EN-A decreased the mitotic index (MI) significantly at all concentrations compared to the negative control and solvent control (except at 0.29 μM for 24 h, and except at 0.14, 0.29 and 0.57 μM for 48 h). Treatments over 2.29 μM showed toxic effects in human lymphocytes. EN-A significantly increased comet tail intensity (except at 0.07 and 0.57 μM) in isolated human lymphocytes. The results of this study demonstrate that EN-A has an obvious cytotoxic effect especially when the EN-A concentration was increased. In addition, EN-A could exhibit a mild genotoxic effect.     

Behaviour of reinforced and concrete-encased composite columns subjected to biaxial bending and axial load

An experimental investigation of the behaviour of reinforced concrete columns and a theoretical procedure for analysis of both short and slender reinforced and composite columns of arbitrarily shaped cross section subjected to biaxial bending and axial load are presented. In the proposed procedure, nonlinear stress–strain relations are assumed for concrete, reinforcing steel and structural steel materials. The compression zone of the concrete section and the entire section of the structural steel are divided into adequate number of segments in order to use various stress–strain models for the analysis. The slenderness effect of the member is taken into account by using the Moment Magnification Method. The proposed procedure was compared with test results of 12 square and three L-shaped reinforced concrete columns subjected to short-term axial load and biaxial bending, and also some experimental results available in the literature for composite columns compared with the theoretical results obtained by the proposed procedure and a good degree of accuracy was obtained.     

COD, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) and toxicity removal from synthetic wastewater in a rotating perforated-tubes biofilm reactor

Synthetic wastewater containing different concentrations of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) was biologically treated using a novel rotating perforated-tubes biofilm reactor (RTBR) for chemical oxygen demand (COD), TCP and toxicity removal. Performance of the reactor was investigated as function of major operating variables such as the feed TCP and COD concentrations and A/Q (biofilm surface area/feed flow rate) ratio. A Box-Behnken statistical experiment design method was used by considering the feed TCP (0-400 mg L(-1)), COD (1,000-4,000 mg L(-1)) and A/Q ratio (23-163 m(2)dm(-3)) as the independent variables while percent TCP, COD, and toxicity removals were the objective functions. The results were correlated with the quadratic model since this was found to be the most suitable one. Response function coefficients were determined by correlating the experimental data with the response function. Percent TCP, COD and toxicity removals estimated from the response functions were in good agreement with the experimental results. TCP, COD and toxicity removals increased with increasing A/Q ratio and decreasing feed TCP concentrations. Percent toxicity removals were always lower than TCP removals indicating presence or formation of some toxic by products from TCP biodegradation. For the feed TCP of 400 mg L(-1), the optimum conditions resulting in maximum COD (99%), TCP (100%) and toxicity (93%) removals were A/Q ratio of nearly 165 m(2)dm(-3) and feed COD of 2,985 mg L(-1).     

Optical beam-shaping design based on aspherical lenses for circularization, collimation, and expansion of elliptical laser beams

We present two optical system designs using aspherical lenses for beam circularization, collimation, and expansion of semiconductor lasers for possible application in lidar systems. Two different optical lens systems are investigated; namely, two aspherical lens and single aspherical lens systems. Software package programs of ZEMAX and MATLAB to simulate the optical designs are used. The beam reshaping results are presented for one specific laser beam output.     

Experimental characterization of collapse-mode CMUT operation

This paper reports on the experimental characterization of collapse-mode operation of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs). CMUTs are conventionally operated by applying a direct current (DC) bias voltage less than the collapse voltage of the membrane, so that the membrane is deflected toward the bottom electrode. In the conventional regime, there is no contact between the membrane and the substrate; the maximum alternating current (AC) displacement occurs at the center of the membrane. In collapse-mode operation, the DC bias voltage is first increased beyond the collapse voltage, then reduced without releasing the collapsed membrane. In collapse-mode operation, the center of the membrane is always in contact with the substrate. In the case of a circular membrane, the maximum AC displacement occurs along the ring formed between the center and the edge of the membrane. The experimental characterization presented in this paper includes impedance measurements in air, pulse-echo experiments in immersion, and one-way optical displacement measurements in immersion for both conventional and collapse-mode operations. A 205-microm x 205-microm 2-D CMUT array element composed of circular silicon nitride membranes is used in the experiments. In pulse-echo experiments, a custom integrated circuit (IC) comprising a pulse driver, a transmit/receive switch, a wideband low-noise preamplifier, and a line driver is used. By reducing the parasitic capacitance, the use of a custom IC enables pulse-echo measurements at high frequencies with a very small transducer. By comparing frequency response and efficiency of the transducer in conventional and collapse regimes, experimental results show that a collapsed membrane can be used to generate and detect ultrasound more efficiently than a membrane operated in the conventional mode. Furthermore, the center frequency of the collapsed membrane can be changed by varying the applied DC voltage. In this study, the center frequency of a collapsed transducer in immersion is shown to vary from 20 MHz to 28 MHz with applied DC bias; the same transducer operates at 10 MHz in the conventional mode. In conventional mode, the maximum peak-to-peak pressure is 370 kPa on the transducer surface for a 40-ns, 25-V unipolar pulse excitation. In collapse mode, a 25-ns, 25-V unipolar pulse generates 590 kPa pressure at the surface of the transducer.     

Comparison of conventional and collapsed region operation of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers

We report experimental results from a comparative study on collapsed region and conventional region operation of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) fabricated with a wafer bonding technique. Using ultrasonic pulse-echo and pitch-catch measurements, we characterized single elements of 1-D CMUT arrays operating in oil. The experimental results from this study agreed with the simulation results: a CMUT operating in the collapsed region produced a higher maximum output pressure than a CMUT operated in the conventional region at 90% of its collapse voltage (3 kPa/V vs. 16.1 kPa/V at 2.3 MHz). While the pulse-echo fractional bandwidth (126%) was higher in the collapsed region operation than in the conventional operation (117%), the pulse-echo amplitude in collapsed region operation was 11 dB higher than in conventional region operation. Furthermore, within the range of tested bias voltages, the output pressure monotonously increased with increased bias during collapsed region operation. It was also found that in the conventional mode, short AC pulses (larger than the collapse voltage) could be applied without collapsing the membranes. Finally, while no significant difference was observed in reflectivity of the CMUT face between the two regions of operation, hysteretic behavior of the devices was identified in the collapsed region operation.     

Determination of the quality and purity characteristics of olive oils obtained from different regions of Turkey,depending on climatic changes

Virgin olive oils (VOOs) obtained from olives grown in different regions of Turkey under changing climatic conditions sometimes show different sensory and chemical properties. This study was planned to determine whether these deviations are due to climatic changes or not. For this purpose, five different olive varieties (Ayvalık, Memecik, Gemlik, Nizip Yağlık, Kilis Yağlık) of commercial importance were harvested from the provinces/districts (four different region) where cultivation is intense during the 2017/2018–2020/2021 harvest years. Every year, olive samples were collected from 3 orchards from 13 provinces/districts. One hundred and fifty-six samples were subjected to the purity, quality and sensory analysis. Basic climatic values (average, minimum and maximum temperature, humidity and precipitation) were examined for four consecutive years. All of the examined olive oil samples were determined within the legal limits in terms of fatty acid composition and fatty acid ethyl ester values. However, delta-7-stigmastenol value from the sterol composition was found to be above 0.5% in some samples in all the years studied (total 21 samples). Delta-7-stigmastenol values of olive oil samples varied between 0.16% and 1.14%. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied using a genetic algorithm-based inverse least squares method to determine whether there is a relationship between climate data and delta-7-stigmastenol values. According to this result, it has been determined that the delta-7-stigmastenol value is high when the annual average relative humidity is low and the annual average temperature is high. There is an urgent need to make forward-looking plans due to climate change.