Strip-Type Embeddable Shape Sensor Based on Fiber Optics for In Situ Composite Consolidation Monitoring.

Carbon fibers and resin used in manufacturing carbon fiber-reinforced plastic composite structures flow before the resin solidifies, resulting in disrupted fiber orientation and non-uniform thickness. This process, known as consolidation, is critical for the quality of the composite structure, but no technology exists to measure the deformation in situ. This study proposes a strip-type embeddable shape sensor based on fiber optics for in situ monitoring of consolidation deformation. The sensor consists of a thin, flexible sheet with optical fibers embedded in the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet, and it can monitor out-of-plane bending deformation in composite materials during consolidation. Finite element analysis and experiments are used to evaluate the basic performance of the shape sensor before it is applied to composite gap/lap monitoring. For the first time, the relaxation of consolidation deformation due to the flow of fiber-resin suspension is measured. The proposed sensor will be a powerful tool for elucidating consolidation mechanisms and for validating composite manufacturing simulations.

Benzalkonium Chloride-Induced Corneal Epithelial Injury in Rabbit Reduced by Rebamipide.

Purpose: We assessed the effect of rebamipide ophthalmic solution on corneal epithelial injury due to benzalkonium chloride (BAK) by fluorescein (FL) staining and corneal resistance (CR). Methods: After determining the absence of corneal epithelial damage by FL and CR, rebamipide ophthalmic solution (50 µL) was instilled five times, each interspaced by 5 min, into one eye of mature New Zealand white rabbits, and likewise physiological saline was instilled into the contralateral eye as the control. After 30 min, eyes were similarly treated with one of the following solutions: BAK solution 0.02%, latanoprost ophthalmic solution (0.02% BAK), or latanoprost ophthalmic solution without BAK. The presence of corneal epithelial damage was quantitated at 10, 30, and 60 min by CR after the last instillation. FL staining was also performed at 60 min after the last instillation. Results: CR ratios (%) at 60 min after the last instillation in rebamipide/BAK and rebamipide/latanoprost (0.02% BAK) groups were significantly increased by 18.3% and 25.6% compared with saline/BAK and saline/latanoprost (0.02% BAK) groups, respectively (P < 0.05). Findings by FL staining were consistent with those by CR; BAK and latanoprost with BAK groups were positive, and eyes with the most severe area and density of corneal epithelial damage (A2D2) were in the saline/BAK group. Conclusion: The rebamipide ophthalmic solution reduces the severity of corneal epithelial injury caused by BAK, an ophthalmic solution preservative.

The Effects of Antiglaucoma Ophthalmic Solutions on the Cornea Revealed by a Corneal Electrical Resistance Device.

Purpose: We sought to evaluate the effect of antiglaucoma ophthalmic solutions on the cornea with a corneal resistance device (CRD), and to compare the results with those by fluorescein staining. Methods: In 6 rabbit groups (n = 7 each), right eyes were administered latanoprost ophthalmic solution containing 0.02% benzalkonium chloride (BAK); dorzolamide/timolol (1%/0.5%) containing 0.005% BAK; dorzolamide/timolol without BAK; dorzolamide/timolol+latanoprost with 0.02% BAK; 0.005% BAK; or 0.02% BAK to the conjunctival sac 3 × at 15-min intervals. Left (control) eyes were administered saline. Baseline and post-treatment corneal resistance (CR) were measured. The CR ratio = CR before versus after treatment. We evaluated superficial punctate keratitis by fluorescein staining using area and density (AD) grades. Results: In the dorzolamide/timolol-without BAK group, there were no significant difference in the CR ratio between the control and treatment eyes at any time point. In the 0.005%-BAK group at 30 min and the other 4 groups at all time points, the CR ratio differed significantly between the control and treatment eyes (P < 0.05). AD grades were 0 in all control eyes and the dorzolamide/timolol-without BAK and 0.005% BAK treatment eyes. Conclusions: Nonpreservative ophthalmic solutions (and those with low BAK concentrations) do not significantly affect corneal electrical resistance. Eye drop ingredients other than BAK may be involved in altering corneal electrical resistance. CRDs may detect corneal epithelium changes not revealed by fluorescein staining.

A Novel Method and an Equipment for Generating the Standard Moisture in Gas Flowing through a Pipe.

When inert gas containing water molecules flows into a metal pipe, the water molecules cannot exit instantaneously from the outlet of the pipe but are captured at adsorption sites on the inner surface of the pipe until most of the sites are occupied. A theoretical model and a subsequent experiment in this article show that the delay time depends on the amount of moisture level; the higher the moisture-level, the shorter the delay time. Based on the result, we propose a new method and its implementation to the validation of a standard moisture generation to be used in the field measurement such as in factories and pipe lines.

Development of ball surface acoustic wave trace moisture analyzer using burst waveform undersampling circuit.

The measurement and control of trace moisture, where the water concentration is lower than 1 ppmv [-76.2 °C for the frost point (°CFP)], are essential for improving the yield rate of semiconductor devices and for ensuring their reliability. A ball surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor with a sol-gel silica coating exhibited useful characteristics for a trace moisture analyzer (TMA) when the temperature drift of the delay time output was precisely compensated using two-frequency measurement (TFM), where the temperature-compensated relative delay time change (RDTC) was obtained by subtracting the RDTC at the fundamental frequency from that at the third harmonic frequency on an identical propagation path. However, the cost of the measurement circuit was a problem. In this study, a burst waveform undersampling (BUS) circuit based on the theory of undersampling measurement was developed as a practical means. The BUS circuit was useful for precise temperature compensation of the RDTC, and the ball SAW TMA was prototyped by calibrating the RDTC using a TMA based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), which is the most reliable method for trace moisture measurement. The ball SAW TMA outputted a similar concentration to that obtained by the CRDS TMA, and its response time at a set concentration in N2 with a flow rate of 1 l/min was about half that of the CRDS TMA, suggesting that moisture of -80 °CFP was measured within only 1 min. The detection limit at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 was estimated to be 0.05 ppbv, comparable with that of the CRDS TMA. From these results, it was demonstrated that a practical ball SAW TMA can be realized using the developed BUS circuit.

In vitro and in vivo corneal effects of latanoprost combined with brimonidine, timolol, dorzolamide, or brinzolamide.

To examine the relevance of concentration of benzalkonium chloride (BAK) on the cornea, we investigated the effects of latanoprost containing BAK alone and in combination with other antiglaucoma drug classes on corneal epithelium in vitro in a cultured rabbit corneal cell line (SIRC) and in vivo, using a corneal resistance device (CRD). [In vitro] staten's seruminstitut rabbit corneal cells were exposed to 0.005% latanoprost for 30s, followed by either phosphate buffered saline (control), 0.1% brimonidine, 0.5% timolol, 1% dorzolamide, or 1% brinzolamide. The number of viable cells was counted at 8, 15, and 30min. [In vivo] Albino rabbits were administered one drop of 0.005% latanoprost, followed 5min later by one drop of an agent from the in vitro trial. This was repeated every 15min for a total of three times. The change in corneal barrier function was assessed by measuring the corneal resistance at 2 and 30min after the final administration. [In vitro] At 8min, the viable cell count in the latanoprost+dorzolamide group was significantly lower than in the control group. At 15 and 30min, all treatment groups, except the latanoprost+brimonidine group, demonstrated significantly lower viable cell counts than the control group. [In vivo] At 2min after the final eye drop, the latanoprost+timolol group and the latanoprost+brinzolamide group demonstrated significantly lower corneal resistance than did the latanoprost+brimonidine group. No significant difference was observed between the agents at 30min. In conclusion, when combining latanoprost containing benzalkonium chloride with other classes of antiglaucoma drugs, brimonidine may cause the least corneal damage, and the number of drug administrations may be an important factor.

Dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls by iron and its oxides.

The decomposition efficiency of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was determined using elemental iron (Fe) and three iron (hydr)oxides, i.e., α-Fe2O3, Fe3O4, and α-FeOOH, as catalysts. The experiments were performed using four distinct PCB congeners (PCB-209, PCB-153, and the coplanar PCB-167 and PCB-77) at temperatures ranging from 180 °C to 380 °C and under an inert, oxidizing or reducing atmosphere composed of N2, N2+O2, or N2+H2. From these three options N2 showed to provide the best reaction atmosphere. Among the iron compounds tested, Fe3O4 showed the highest activity for decomposing PCBs. The decomposition efficiencies of PCB-209, PCB-167, PCB-153, and PCB-77 by Fe3O4 in an N2 atmosphere at 230 °C were 88.5%, 82.5%, 69.9%, and 66.4%, respectively. Other inorganic chlorine (Cl) products which were measured by the amount of inorganic Cl ions represented 82.5% and 76.1% of the reaction products, showing that ring cleavage of PCBs was the main elimination process. Moreover, the dechlorination did not require a particular hydrogen donor. We used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to analyze the elemental distribution at the catalyst's surface. The O/Fe ratio influenced upon the decomposition efficiency of PCBs: the lower this ratio, the higher the decomposition efficiency. X-ray absorption near edge structure spectra showed that α-Fe2O3 effectively worked as a catalyst, while Fe3O4 and α-FeOOH were consumed as reactants, as their final state is different from their initial state. Finally, a decomposition pathway was postulated in which the Cl atoms in ortho-positions were more difficult to eliminate than those in the para- or meta-positions.

Improving accuracy of acoustic source localization in anisotropic plates.

The acoustic source localization technique for anisotropic plates proposed by the authors in an earlier publication ([1] Kundu et al., 2012) is improved in this paper by adopting some modifications. The improvements are experimentally verified on anisotropic flat and curved composite plates. Difficulties associated with the original technique were first investigated before making any modification. It was noted that the accuracy of this technique depends strongly on the accuracy of the measured time difference of arrivals (TDOA) at different receiving sensors placed in close proximity in a sensor cluster. The sensor cluster is needed to obtain the direction of the acoustic source without knowing the material properties of the plate. Two modifications are proposed to obtain the accurate TDOA. The first one is to replace the recorded full time histories by only their initial parts - the first dip and peak - for the subsequent signal processing. The second modification is to place the sensors in the sensor cluster as close as possible. It is shown that the predictions are improved significantly with these modifications. These modifications are then applied to another sensor cluster based technique called the beamforming technique, to see if similar improvements are achieved for that technique also with these modifications.

PCDD/DF and co-planar PCB emissions from crematories in Japan.

Japan implemented dioxin emission guidelines for crematories in 2000, but the effects of the new guidelines have not been fully evaluated. In this study, concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDDs/DFs) and co-planar polychlorinated biphenyls (co-PCBs) were measured in flue gas, fly ash, and bottom ash (mainly bone) from several crematories as a follow-up investigation. Total concentrations (O2 12% normalized) of PCDDs/DFs and co-PCBs in flue gas ranged from 4.2 to 540 ng/mN(3), and toxic equivalent concentrations ranged from 0.000053 to 11 ng-TEQ/mN(3). Based on these measurements, the average emission factor was estimated to be 1400 ng-TEQ/body. This is approximately one-third the emission factor recorded in 1999. The emission factor distributions from 1999 and our study in 2007 were log-normally distributed. Emission factors were significantly lower in 2007 than in 1999, which suggests that the guidelines have been effective in reducing dioxin emissions. Meanwhile, toxic equivalent concentrations in fly ash ranged from 0.014 to 13 ng-TEQ g(-1). Higher dioxin concentrations in fly ash were observed in facilities that used a heat exchanger as a flue-gas cooling device. Because the concentrations of PCDDs/DFs and co-PCBs in flue gas were also elevated after heat exchangers during the investigation of PCDD/DF- and co-PCB-removal behaviors, secondary formation of PCDDs/DFs and co-PCBs on heat exchanger surfaces unambiguously occurred.

An assessment of dioxin contamination from the intermittent operation of a municipal waste incinerator in Japan and associated remediation.

Significant dioxin (polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs)/polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDFs)) pollution from a municipal solid waste incinerator was discovered in 1997 in Osaka prefecture/Japan. The cause and mechanism of pollution was identified by a detailed assessment of the environment and incinerator plant. The primary sources of PCDD/PCDF pollution were high dioxin releases from an intermittently operated waste incinerator with PCDD/PCDF emissions of 150 ng-TEQ/Nm(3). PCDD/PCDF also accumulated in the wet scrubber system (3,000 µg TEQ/L) by adsorption and water recirculation in the incinerator. Scrubber water was air-cooled with a cooling tower located on the roof of the incinerator. High concentrations of dioxins in the cooling water were released as aerosols into the surrounding and caused heavy soil pollution in the area near the plant. These emissions were considered as the major contamination pathway from the plant. Decontamination and soil remediation in and around the incinerator plant were conducted using a variety of destruction technologies (including incineration, photochemical degradation and GeoMelt technology). Although the soil remediation process was successfully finished in December 2006 about 3% of the waste still remains. The case demonstrates that releases from incinerators which do not use best available technology or which are not operated according to best environmental practices can contaminate their operators and surrounding land. This significant pollution had a large impact on the Japanese government's approach toward controlling dioxin pollution. Since this incident, a ministerial conference on dioxins has successfully strengthened control measures.

Methods of determining lead speciation in fly ash by X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy and a sequential extraction procedure.

Understanding the chemical state of lead in fly ash generated from a waste thermal treatment is important, since the toxicity and solubility of the element depends on its chemical state. This study identified three potential methods for obtaining quantitative information regarding the chemical state of lead in fly ash: X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analysis, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis, and the sequential extraction procedure. The result of this procedure was strongly affected by the pH and sample matrix, and did not necessarily accurately reflect the chemical state. It was difficult to quantitatively examine the chemical species using only EXAFS. However, an XANES fitting enabled direct quantification of the chemical species. An XANES analysis showed that PbSiO(3), PbCl(2), or Pb(2)O(OH)(2) was the predominant chemical species in fly ash. We concluded that multiple analyses should be compared multilaterally to improve the accuracy of the final analysis.

Decomposition of 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl with iron supported on an activated carbon from an ion-exchange resin.

An activated carbon (AC) containing a high concentration (374mgg(-1)) of Fe was prepared by carbonization of an ion-exchange resin. To examine its chemical reactivity as a catalyst to decompose 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-153), the decomposition parameters of temperature and time were varied under air or N(2). Decomposition at 350°C was achieved within 15min under air and 30min under N(2), and the efficiency of PCB-153 decomposition was 99.7% and 98.0%, respectively. An analysis of inorganic chloride ions revealed that PCB-153 was mineralized effectively during the decomposition. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and pore volume of the AC were measured to assess the adsorption capacity before and after the decomposition. The differences between decomposition under air and N(2) reflected the differences in the BET surface and pore volume measurements. A decomposition pathway was postulated, and the reactive characteristics of chlorine atoms loaded on the benzene rings followed the order of para>meta>ortho, which agrees with the calculated results from a density functional theory study.

Characteristics of biosolids in dimethyl ether dewatering method.

In this study, a method for removing water from biosolids that uses dimethyl ether (DME) as an extractant was considered. This study evaluates the applicability of the DME dewatering method to biosolid cakes by using a DME flow-type experimental apparatus. It was found that a high dewatering ratio is clearly achieved by increasing the liquefied DME/biosolid ratio and lowering the liquefied DME linear velocity. As the liquefied DME/biosolid ratio was increased, the carbon content in dewatered biosolid showed a slight decrease and the TOC concentration in separated liquid increased significantly. Finally, the input energy Es to remove 1 kg of water from the biosolid cake, using both the DME dewatering method and the conventional drying method was estimated. The calculation shows that Es for the DME dewatering process is approximately a third of Es for the conventional thermal drying process.

Acoustic source localization in anisotropic plates.

The conventional triangulation technique cannot locate the acoustic source in an anisotropic plate because this technique requires the wave speed to be independent of the propagation direction which is not the case for an anisotropic plate. All methods proposed so far for source localization in anisotropic plates require either the knowledge of the direction dependent velocity profile or a dense array of sensors. In this paper for the first time a technique is proposed to locate the acoustic source in large anisotropic plates with the help of only six sensors without knowing the direction dependent velocity profile in the plate. Experimental results show that the proposed technique works for both isotropic and anisotropic structures. For isotropic plates the required number of sensors can be reduced from 6 to 4.

Deodorization and dewatering of biosolids by using dimethyl ether.

We proposed a method for the deodorising and dewatering of biosolids. In the proposed method, liquefied dimethyl ether (DME) was used as an extractant for odorous components and water. We developed a bench-scale experiment to almost completely deodorize and dewater biosolids by using liquefied DME at room temperature. The deodorized and dewatered biosolids have sufficient caloric density and can be used as a carbon neutral fuel.

Real-time gas-phase analysis of mono- to tri-chlorobenzenes generated from heated MSWI fly ashes containing various metal compounds: application of VUV-SPI-IT-TOFMS.

We measured sensitive real-time change of low-chlorinated (Cl(1)-Cl(3)) benzenes in gas phase from heated model and real solid samples using the recently developed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) single-photon ionization (SPI) ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometer (VUV-SPI-IT-TOFMS). Model solid samples that contained activated carbon, potassium chloride, silicon dioxide, and trace metallic compounds (copper, iron, lead, and zinc) were used to simulate fly ash at a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI). The concentrations of chlorobenzenes determined by integrating the area for 30 min using VUV-SPI-IT-TOFMS were correlated with gas-phase concentrations analyzed by GC/MS. Real-time changes had characteristic patterns dependent on metal species and compounds. Comparing gas-phase real-time patterns of low-chlorinated benzenes between real and model fly ashes, copper chloride- and oxide-like compounds in real fly ash at the postcombustion zone in a MSWI may play key factors in the formation of low-chlorinated benzenes. Lead and zinc compounds and iron oxide in solid phase did not affect the formation of low-chlorinated benzenes in gas phase. VUV-SPI-IT-TOFMS can be applied to the time-dependent characterization of volatile low-chlorinated benzenes in gas phase in various artificial and environmental processes.

Nitric oxide inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and its own production through the cGMP signaling pathway in murine microglia BV-2 cells.

The present study examined the effect of the nitric oxide (NO) donor NOC18 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO production to investigate a regulation mechanism of NO production by microglial cells. LPS increased the levels of NO and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) protein in BV-2 murine microglial cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Pretreatment with NOC18 for 24 h concentration-dependently attenuated the LPS-induced iNOS protein expression and NO production. The inhibitory effect of NOC18 on LPS-induced NO production was partially blocked by LY83583, a soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor. Pretreatment with dibutyryl guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (DBcGMP), a cell-permeable cGMP analogue, for 24 h attenuated partially LPS-induced iNOS protein expression and NO production. Furthermore, the effects of LPS on iNOS and NO production were inhibited by the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125, and LPS-induced phosphorylation of JNK and c-Jun was inhibited by NOC18 and DBcGMP. These results suggest that NO production by microglial cells is controlled by a negative feedback mechanism via the NO/cGMP signaling pathway.

Extraction of PCBs and water from river sediment using liquefied dimethyl ether as an extractant.

We investigated whether polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and water could be simultaneously removed from river sediment by solvent extraction using liquefied dimethyl ether (DME) as the extractant. DME exists in a gaseous state at normal temperature and pressure and can dissolve organic substances and some amount of water; therefore, liquefied DME under moderate pressure (0.6-0.8 MPa) at room temperature can be effectively used to extract PCBs and water from contaminated sediment, and it can be recovered from the extract and reused easily. First, we evaluated the PCB and water extraction characteristics of DME from contaminated sediment. We found that 99% of PCBs and 97% of water were simultaneously extracted from the sediment using liquefied DME at an extraction time of 4320 s and a liquefied DME/sediment ratio of 60 mL g(-1). The extraction rate of PCBs and water was expressed in terms of a pseudo-first-order reaction rate. Second, we estimated the amount of DME that was recovered after extraction. We found that 91-92% of DME could be recovered. In other words, approximately 5-10% of DME was lost during extraction and recovery. It is necessary to optimize this process in order to recover DME efficiently. The extraction efficiency of the recovered DME is similar to that of the pure DME. From the results, we conclude that solvent extraction using liquefied DME is suitable for extracting PCBs and water from contaminated sediment.

Influence of Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn chlorides and oxides on formation of chlorinated aromatic compounds in MSWI fly ash.

Model fly ashes containing admixed Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn chlorides and oxides were heated at a temperature corresponding to the postcombustion zone of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI), resulting in the formation of chlorinated aromatic compounds, including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and furans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlorobenzenes (CBzs). The concentrations of these compounds were measured and compared with those occurring in real fly ash. The order with respect generative capacity of each metal additive was calculated from principal component analysis of the concentrations of the different chlorinated aromatic compounds as CuCl(2)*2H(2)O > Cu(2)(OH)(3)Cl > FeCl(3)*6H(2)O > FeCl(2)*4H(2)O > CuO > Fe(2)O(3) > PbCl(2) > blank (no metal added) > ZnCl(2) > PbO > ZnO. From hierarchical cluster analysis of the concentrations and congener distribution patterns of the PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs, and CBzs, the metallic compounds were divided into five groups: Group A (CuCl(2)*2H(2)O and Cu(2)(OH)(3)Cl), B (FeCl(3)*6H(2)O and FeCl(2)*4H(2)O), C (CuO and PbCl(2)), D (Fe(2)O(3), blank, and ZnCl(2)), and E (PbO and ZnO). Cluster analysis showed the congener distribution patterns of model fly ashes to be similar to the pattern of real MSWI fly ash. The formation of PCDDs was influenced mainly by group B, blank, and PbO; PCDFs, mainly by CuO, Fe(2)O(3) and ZnCl(2); PCBs, mainly by groups B and C; and CBzs, mainly by groups A and B. Thus, the multiple promotion of chlorinated aromatic compound formation by metallic chlorides and oxides in the fly ashes of MSWIs and other thermal processes has considerable importance for the environment.

Comparison of two types of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ashes with different alkaline reagents in washing experiments.

In this study, we propose a "washing-calcination-conversion of washed fly ash into cement material with bottom ash" (WCCB) system to reduce the amount of fly ash that must be specially treated so it can be used as raw cement material. Calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) is widely used in air-pollution control devices of incinerators while sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is not. We conducted single-, double-, and triple-washing experiments to compare the washing characteristics of two types of fly ash. Unlike NaHCO3 fly ash, Ca(OH)2 fly ash has almost twice as much washed residue and almost 2.5 times more chlorine after the same washing procedure. After washing once, the washing frequency is also important for NaHCO3 fly ash, while the mixing time and liquid/solid ratio are more critical for Ca(OH)2 fly ash. The use of NaHCO3 is more suitable for the WCCB system.