Wear behaviour of thermal flame sprayed FeCr coatings on plain carbon steel substrate

The principle aim of this study is to investigate the wear behaviour of FeCr coatings on Ni-based bond deposited plain carbon steel substrate for several applications in power generation plants. For this purpose, FeCr and Ni-based powders were sprayed on plain carbon steel substrates using a thermal flame spray technique. Fabricated layers were characterized by using a X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), microhardness and surface roughness testers. FeCr coatings were subjected to sliding wear against AISI 303 stainless steel counter bodies under dry and acidic environments. A pin-on-plate type of apparatus was used with normal loads of 49 and 101 N and sliding speed of 1 Hz. XRD results revealed that FeCr, Fe, Cr, Fe–Cr–Ni, γ-Fe₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄ phases are exist in the coating. In addition, some inhomogenities such as oxides, porosity, cracks, unmelted particles and inclusions were observed by SEM. The surface morphologies of FeCr samples after wear experiments were examined by SEM and EDS. It was found that friction coefficients of the coatings in dry condition are higher than that in acidic environment.     

Neonatal bladder rupture: an unusual complication of umbilical catheterization

Bladder injury in the neonatal period is an exceedingly rare phenomenon that is usually iatrogenic. Bladder rupture as a complication of umbilical catheterization in a newborn with urinary ascites, respiratory distress and hematuria is presented and discussed.     

Long-term follow-up of cranial bone graft in dorsal nasal augmentation

A follow-up of 363 cranial bone grafts for nasal reconstruction is presented. The main indications for the surgery were congenital, posttraumatic, or postrhinoplasty deformity. The results were satisfactory in the vast majority of cases. The complications associated with the grafts and with the donor site are discussed, as are the methods to treat and prevent these complications from occurring.     

Comparative study between corpus cavernosum-electromyography findings and electron microscopy of cavernosal muscle biopsies in erectile dysfunction patients

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The colonic response to obstruction is poorly understood. Thickening of the proximal bowel following colonic stricture may be due to increased protein synthesis. We have investigated the colonic morphology and collagen concentration during the development of left-sided colonic obstruction in an animal model. METHODS: Twelve male Wistar rats received either a silk ligature obstruction of the colon 2.5 cm above the peritoneal reflection (n = 6) or manipulation of the left colon (controls, n = 6). Twenty-four hours later, three colonic specimens from the ligature zone and from 1 cm proximal and distal to this site, or from equivalent regions in controls, were assayed for hydroxyproline concentration. RESULTS: In controls there was no difference in hydroxyproline concentration between colonic sites. In obstructed rats, the hydroxyproline concentration was greater both at the ligature and distally, when compared with the proximal region. The hydroxyproline concentration was higher (p < 0.05) than corresponding control values at the ligature site (14.95 +/- 2.76 vs. 10.97 +/- 1.95 microgram/mg of dry tissue mean +/- s.d.) but not on either side. CONCLUSION: The colonic collagen concentration is equivalent or raised near an obstruction, demonstrating that obstructed colon may possess an enhanced capacity to hold sutures.     

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome due to arteriovenous fistula

A patient with end-stage renal disease presented with reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS) on her left hand 1 month after arteriovenous fistula (AVF) surgery. Magnetic resonance angiography revealed steal syndrome at the AVF level. Bone scintigraphy revealed early-stage RSDS. We considered that arterial insufficiency because of steal phenomenon following AVF surgery and underlying occlusive arterial disease triggered RSDS development.     

Modification of organo-zeolite surface for the removal of reactive azo dyes in fixed-bed reactors

Modification of zeolite (clinoptilolite) surface with a quaternary amine, hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HTAB), to improve the removal efficiency of reactive azo dyes in a zeolite fixed bed was investigated. A series of adsorption tests were conducted to find out the uptake of three types of reactive dyes, i.e. CI Reactive Black 5, Red 239 and Yellow 176. Each run consisted of modifying zeolite with HTAB in the column followed by removal of color from the modified zeolite bed. The breakthrough curves for modification process were constructed under different conditions by plotting the normalized effluent concentration (C/C(0)) versus time or bed volumes (BV). Optimization studies show that 3g/l of HTAB dosage at a flowrate of 0.025l/min showed the best performance. Examination of the dye removal under the optimum modification conditions reveals that the black dye gives the highest breakthrough point among the three dyes tested. This is ascribed to the hydrophobic/hydrophilic match of the zeolite surface with the dye molecule, which depends upon the way zeolite is modified with HTAB. Calculations of the HTAB coverage on zeolite surface indicate that a bilayer formation is the most viable packing that enables maximum removal of the dye.     

Removal of basic dyes from aqueous solutions by crosslinked‐acrylic acid/acrylamidopropane sulfonic acid hydrogels

In this study, Acrylic acid (AA)/2‐acrylamido‐2‐methlypropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) hydrogels were prepared by free radical polymerization in aqueous solutions of AA, AMPS, and N,N‐methylenebisacrylamide (NMBA) as crosslinker. Potassium persulfate (PPS)/potassium bisulfide (PBS) were used as initiator and accelerator pair. The water absorption capacities and dye adsorption properties of the hydrogels were investigated. Adsorption properties of the hydrogels were evaluated by depending on different adsorption conditions such as different initial dye concentration and contact time. The concentrations of the dyes were determined using UV/Vis Spectrophotometer at wavelength 530 nm for safranine T (ST) and 622 nm for brilliant cresyl blue (BCB). Adsorption kinetic studies showed that pseudo‐first order kinetic model is suitable to explain the adsorption kinetic data of the hydrogels. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were used to describe adsorption data. The result revealed that the adsorption of basic dyes onto hydrogels fit very well both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Determination of the optimum conditions in the removal of Bomaplex Red CR-L dye from the textile wastewater using O3, H2O2, HCO3- and PAC

Bomaplex Red CR-L textile dye was used in the experimental studies. Taguchi method was applied to determine optimum conditions in the removal of dye from synthetic textile wastewater. After the parameters were determined to remove Bomaplex Red CR-L dye from synthetic textile wastewater, the experimental studies were realized. The chosen experimental parameters and their ranges: HCO3- (mM), 0-39; temperature (degrees C), 18-70; ozone-air flow rate (l min-1), 5-15; the dye concentration (ppm), 200-600; particulate activated carbon (PAC) (g), 0-1.5; H2O2 (mM), 0-0056; pH, 3-12; and treatment time (min), 10-30, respectively. An orthogonal array L18 (2(1)x3(7)) for experimental plan and the smaller the better performance statistics formula were selected to define optimum conditions. The optimum conditions were found to be as follows: HCO3- (mM), 0; temperature (degrees C), 70; ozone-air flow rate (l min-1), 10; the dye concentration (ppm), 200; particulate activated carbon (PAC) (g), 1; H2O2 (mM), 0.056; pH, 12; and time (min), 20. Under these optimum conditions, it was determined that the Bomaplex Red CR-L removal efficiency from textile wastewater was 99%.     

Studies on accumulation of uranium by fungus Lentinus sajor-caju

The untreated, heat- and alkali-treated Lentinus sajor-caju mycelia were used for the recovery of uranium from aqueous solutions. The effect of pH, temperature, initial concentration of UO(2)(2+) ions and contact time parameters were investigated in a batch system. The particles sizes of the fungal mycelia were ranging from 100 to 200 microm. Biosorption equilibriums were established in about 30 min and the correlation regression coefficients show that the adsorption process can be well defined by the Freundlich equation. The alkali treated form had a high biosorption capacity (378 mg/g) than those of the untreated (268 mg/g) and heat-treated fungal mycelia (342 mg/g). Optimum biosorption was observed at pH 4.5 for all the tested fungal preparations and was independent of temperature (5-35 degrees C). In addition, the polarity and surface energy of the fungal biomass film preparations were determined by contact angle measurement. The fungal biomass could be regenerated using 10mM sodium carbonate, with up to 93% recovery. The biosorbents were used in six biosorption-desorption cycles and no considerable loss in the biosorption capacity was observed.