Ratiometric Interactions of Anionic Surfactants with Calf Thymus DNA Bound Cationic Surfactants: Study II

Cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) bind to the calf thymus DNA (ct‐DNA) like anionic biopolymers electrostatically, and establish equilibrium in aqueous medium at pH 7. At low concentration, ct‐DNA does not interact with anionic surfactants, sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and sodium dodecylbenzylsulfonate (SDBS). However, in the ground state, anionic surfactant is found to clearly establish equilibrium with ct‐DNA‐bound cationic surfactant whereby the same surfactant–DNA isosbestic point reappears. We herein report a detail ratiometric binding of CPB with ct‐DNA, and interaction of anionic SDBS with DNA‐bound CPB in comparison with the combined ct‐DNA–CTAB–SDS system. Compaction of ct‐DNA in presence of CPB and its decompaction using anionic SDBS is also studied in comparison with CTAB–SDS combination. The techniques used are tensiometry, spectrophotometry, viscometry, cyclic voltammetry, circular dichroism, isothermal titration calorimetry, and density functional theory (DFT)‐based computational calculations. The size and surface charge density of the surfactant headgroups and the phosphate group in DNA have a contributing role in the DNA compaction–decompaction phenomenon.     

Inferential estimation of molecular weights of polybutadiene rubber by neural networks

Molecular weight distribution, which is characterized by its averages like number average (Mn) and weight average (Mw), is one of the important properties of polybutadiene rubber (PBR), and it is difficult to measure. The objective of this work is to develop models to predict Mn and Mw from readily available process variables. Neural networks that are capable of mapping highly complex and non‐linear dependencies have been adapted to develop models for the Mn and Mw of PBR. The molecular weight distribution and its averages of PBR samples collected over a wide range of operating conditions were measured by the conventional Gel Permeable Chromatograph (GPC) method. Neural networks were trained with relevant data to predict Mn and Mw from process variables. The trained networks were found to generalize well when tested with new data. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1611–1618, 2005     

Avalanching flow of cohesive powders

The flow dynamics of cohesive powders is investigated in rotating cylinders with an L : R ratio of 3 : 1 using experiments and DEM simulations. Flow onset and steady-state behavior are compared for free-flowing (cohesionless) dry glass beads, wet glass beads, and “dry” cohesive powders (lactose, microcrystalline cellulose). The avalanching dynamics of powders is substantially different from those observed for free-flowing or wet-cohesive glass beads. Dry cohesive powders exhibit history-dependent flow dynamics, significant dilation, aperiodic avalanche frequencies, and variable avalanche size. These behaviors also provide a route for effective characterization of cohesive forces under dilated conditions characteristic of unconfined flows.     

The effect of hole drilling on fatigue and residual stress properties of shot-peened aluminum panels

The effect of hole drilling after shot peening on the fatigue life and residual stress state of selected aluminum alloys was investigated. Compared to the unpeened condition, the hole drilling after shot peening reduced the fatigue life of the 2024-T351 and 2324-T39 alloys to a small extent. On the other hand, the fatigue life of 7150-T7751 decreased considerably due to hole drilling after shot peening. A compressive residual stress was at the surface of the shot peened specimens. Hole drilling reduced the compressive residual stress by 60%. The excess dislocation density was mostly concentrated at the surface of the specimens.     

Investigation into the Cracking of Cross Members During Forming

An investigation into the cracking of cross members during forming from E-34 grade steel found that the cracking was a result of the presence of stringers of manganese sulfide inclusions, a high free nitrogen content, and a yield strength that was near the upper limit of the specified yield strength. A decrease in sulfur level and free nitrogen contents and a decrease in the yield strength were recommended as the measures to be taken to prevent such cracking.     

An object-based coding scheme for frontal surface of defective fluted ingot

A novel image-based defect identification and coding technique has been proposed for fluted ingots, which are used for the production of locomotive wheels. The edge density map has been used for defect identification and an object-based coding approach has been applied for the storage of defective ingots. The complete scheme has been implemented in one of the integrated steel plants of India.     

Cylindrical gate all around Schottky barrier MOSFET with insulated shallow extensions at source/drain for removal of ambipolarity: a novel approach

In this paper TCAD-based simulation of a novel insulated shallow extension (ISE) cylindrical gate all around (CGAA) Schottky barrier (SB) MOSFET has been reported,to eliminate the suicidal ambipolar behavior (bias-dependent OFF state leakage current) of conventional SB-CGAA MOSFET by blocking the metal-induced gap states as well as unwanted charge sharing between source/channel and drain/channel regions.This novel structure offers low barrier height at the source and offers high ON-state current.The ION/IoFF of ISE-CGAA-SB-MOS-FET increases by 1177 times and offers steeper subthreshold slope (～60 mV/decade).However a little reduction in peak cut off frequency is observed and to further improve the cut-off frequency dual metal gate architecture has been employed and a comparative assessment of single metal gate,dual metal gate,single metal gate with ISE,and dual metal gate with ISE has been presented.The improved performance of Schottky barrier CGAA MOSFET by the incorporation of ISE makes it an attractive candidate for CMOS digital circuit design.The numerical simulation is performed using the ATLAS-3D device simulator.     

Design and evaluation of high-pressure nozzle assembly for laser cutting of thick carbon steel

Laser cutting of carbon steel is extensively used across a range of industries, due to its advantage of high speed, low kerf and high quality. Currently, a 1-kW carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser with its subsonic nozzle assembly can be used only to cut steel plates up to around 10 mm. This paper aims to design and evaluate a high-pressure supersonic laser cutting nozzle assembly, which can enable a 1-kW CO₂ laser to cut steel of up to 50 mm thickness. Basic gas dynamic and compressible flow equations were used to design the supersonic nozzle assembly. The flow of the high-pressure gas jet inside the nozzle assembly was investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the structural integrity of the high-pressure nozzle assembly was ensured using finite element analysis (FEA). The gas flow pattern at the exit of the nozzle assembly was computed and compared with the experimental observation made through a shadowgraph technique. Laser cutting experiments were performed with the developed supersonic nozzle assembly to demonstrate cutting of 50-mm-thick low carbon steel with 1-kW CO₂ laser.