The Influence of the Sequence of Application of Modifying Components on the Protective Properties of a Chemical Ammonia Absorber

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - In this work, a universal sorbent has been obtained that works according to the mechanisms of chemisorption and adsorption by impregnating...     

Sofosbuvir Selects for Drug-Resistant Amino Acid Variants in the Zika Virus RNA-Dependent RNA-Polymerase Complex In Vitro

The nucleotide analog sofosbuvir, licensed for the treatment of hepatitis C, recently revealed activity against the Zika virus (ZIKV) in vitro and in animal models. However, the ZIKV genetic barrier to sofosbuvir has not yet been characterized. In this study, in vitro selection experiments were performed in infected human hepatoma cell lines. Increasing drug pressure significantly delayed viral breakthrough (p = 0.029). A double mutant in the NS5 gene (V360L/V607I) emerged in 3 independent experiments at 40–80 µM sofosbuvir resulting in a 3.9 ± 0.9-fold half- maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) shift with respect to the wild type (WT) virus. A triple mutant (C269Y/V360L/V607I), detected in one experiment at 80 µM, conferred a 6.8-fold IC₅₀ shift with respect to the WT. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that the double mutant V360L/V607I impacts the binding mode of sofosbuvir, supporting its role in sofosbuvir resistance. Due to the distance from the catalytic site and to the lack of reliable structural data, the contribution of C269Y was not investigated in silico. By a combination of sequence analysis, phenotypic susceptibility testing, and molecular modeling, we characterized a double ZIKV NS5 mutant with decreased sofosbuvir susceptibility. These data add important information to the profile of sofosbuvir as a possible lead for anti-ZIKV drug development.     

一种改进的特征匹配算法在碎片云测量建模中的应用

为满足超高速撞击典型Whipple防护构型的损伤评估需求,利用图像处理技术对碎片云序列阴影图像进行深入研究。使用超高速序列激光阴影成像仪得到三组不同实验条件下碎片云发展过程的高清阴影图像,分别对每组最具代表性的2帧进行图像处理分析;根据碎片云图像特点以及碎片运动特性,提出了一种改进的碎片二次特征匹配算法,该方法包含碎片粗定位、特征定义及初匹配和精确匹配三步策略;通过运用改进的匹配算法,对选取的相邻两帧图片完成碎片高效匹配,并提取匹配碎片的运动参数,进而分析碎片的速度分布和飞行角度分布,获取二次碎片云相关运动特性;得到三组实验各自的轨迹模拟图。根据得到的轨迹分析结果分别对三组实验的后板损伤进行估计,并通过与防护构型的实际损伤结果进行比较,验证了该方法的有效性。     

Structural,electronic paramagnetic resonance and magnetic properties of praseodymium-doped rare earth CeO2 semiconductors

In this work, praseodymium (Pr) doped cerium oxide (CeO₂) was prepared using the microwave-assisted hydrothermal method (MAH) and the properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope (FEG-SEM), BET method, Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) and Magnetometry. The results showed that increasing the Pr-doping promotes a structural disorder due to increased oxygen vacancies. XRD confirmed a cubic structure without deleterious phases with modifications in the structure caused by alteration in the cerium oxidation state as well as changes in the crystallite size and strain obtained by Wellinson-Hall method. Raman spectroscopy shows that changing the Pr content results in samples with different defect densities at short range. FEG-SEM showed that the nanocrystals are agglomerated with small particles tend to aggregate spontaneously to decrease the surface energy. BET method showed that the Pr doping results in a gain of specific surface area. PL indicated that Pr³⁺ leads to distinct emissions; red emission associated to oxygen vacancies located near the conduction band (shallow defects), green emission associated to electron-hole recombination and orange emission associated to shallow defects and electron-hole recombination. FTIR indicated the complete process of nucleation with no other phase. UV–Vis showed the transitions between oxygen 2p, cerium 4f and praseodymium 4f states. The EPR signal shows events occurring around 344 mT. These events can be related due the presence of paramagnetic elements containing unpaired electrons, such as Ce (III), which is indicative of cerium reduction caused by Pr ions, as evidenced by Rietveld data. Regardless of the Pr concentration used in this research, the magnetic measurements show a superparamagnetic system below the blocking temperature of ~20 K and a paramagnetic system above this temperature, which indicates no significant changes in the average size of the nanoparticles. Surface area, crystallite size and the temperature are important parameters, which control the magnetic properties of such N-type semiconductors.     

Description of the Operation of a Biochemical Reactor by a Diffusion Model

Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering - The operation of an unsteady-state well-stirred flow-through biochemical reactor is studied. Nonlinear boundary-value problems describing the...     

Infrared Spectroscopy Study of Composite Materials Based on Nanoporous High-Silica Glasses Activated with Silver and Lanthanum Ions

Glass Physics and Chemistry - Composite materials (CMs) activated by silver and lanthanum ions based on high-silica porous glass (PG) matrices have been synthesized. The CMs were studied by IR...     

Optimization of Steam Reforming of Methane in a Hydrogen-Filtering Membrane Module with a Nickel Catalyst and a Palladium-Alloy Foil

Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering - A model is proposed for steam reforming of methane in a catalytic reactor, the working section of which includes two cylindrical chambers separated...     

An integrated model for analysing the effects of ultrasonic vibration on tool torque and thermal processes in friction stir welding

An integrated model of ultrasonic vibration enhanced friction stir welding (UVeFSW) is developed by integrating the thermal-fluid model with the ultrasonic field model and tool torque model. The tool torque and the heat generation rate at tool/workpiece contact interfaces are coupled with the interfacial temperature, strain rate and ultrasonic energy density. The model is used in quantitatively analysing the effects of ultrasonic vibration on tool torque and thermal processes in friction stir welding (FSW). The results show that ultrasonic vibration reduces the flow stress, which results in a decreasing of tool torque, interfacial heat generation rate and interfacial temperature. The complicated interaction of ultrasonic energy with the thermal processes in FSW leads to a gentle thermal gradient and an enhanced plastic material flow in UVeFSW. The model is validated by a comparison of the calculated thermal cycles and tool torque at various welding parameters with the experimentally measured ones.     

Fuel-oxidizer mixtures: a lab and field study

ABSTRACT

Improvised explosive may be as primitive as a fuel and oxidizer mixture; yet not all fuel-oxidizer mixtures are explosive. Predicting explosive potential from laboratory-scale tests is desirable to screen a large matrix of potential threats in varying concentrations. Herein the properties of various fuel/oxidizer mixtures were measured at small scale (2 g) with bomb calorimetry and on large scale (5 kg) with high speed photography for detonation velocity and with piezoelectric pressure probes for TNT air blast equivalence. Potassium nitrate (KN), potassium chlorate (KC), potassium permanganate (KMnO₄), potassium iodate (KIO₃), ammonium nitrate (AN), and ammonium perchlorate (AP) were prepared with sucrose (Su) and aluminum (Al) fuel. Results were compared to each other as well as predictions from Cheetah thermochemical code.     

低阶煤颗粒-气/油泡间的诱导时间研究

为表征低阶煤颗粒-气/油泡间矿化过程的差异,通过Sutherland理论下固体颗粒进入泡沫产品的总概率(E)和浮选速率常数(k)之间关系,并结合低阶煤颗粒-气/油泡的浮选速率试验,求得了低阶煤颗粒-气/油泡间的诱导时间。浮选实验研究表明,在相同的捕收剂消耗量下低阶煤-油泡浮选产率均高于低阶煤-气泡浮选产率。诱导时间测试表明,低阶煤颗粒-油泡间的诱导时间(35 ms)要明显低于低阶煤颗粒-气泡间的诱导时间(93 ms)。上述实验结果表明,油泡表面的疏水性要强于传统浮选气泡表面的疏水性。然而,进一步利用Sutherland理论中固体颗粒进入泡沫产品的总概率和浮选速率常数之间的数学关系,并结合低阶煤颗粒-气/油泡的浮选速率试验求得的低阶煤颗粒-气/油泡间的诱导时间分别为9.67和8.46 ms,其与诱导时间测试仪分别测量的诱导时间差异很大。这主要是由于在实际浮选过程中气/油泡的上升速度分别为23.26和22.68 cm/s,其远高于2015EZ型诱导时间仪测试过程中气/油泡碰撞速度(2.0 cm/s)。因此,诱导时间理论计算表明气泡-颗粒间的碰撞速度对颗粒-气泡间的诱导时间影响很大。上述研究结果表明油泡浮选效果优于传统浮选的内在原因在于低阶煤颗粒-油泡间的诱导时间小于低阶煤颗粒-气泡间的诱导时间。