Schwoebel barriers on Si(111) steps and kinks

Motivated by our previous work using the Stillinger-Weber potential, which shows that the [$\overline{2}11$] step on 1$\times$1 reconstructed Si(111) has a Schwoebel barrier of 0.61$\pm$0.07 eV, we calculate here the same barrier corresponding to two types of kinks on this step - one with rebonding between upper and lower terrace atoms (type B) and the other without (type A). From the binding energy of an adatom, without additional relaxation of other atoms, we find that the Schwoebel barrier must be less than 0.39 eV (0.62 eV) for the kink of type A (type B). From the true adatom binding energy we determine the Schwoebel barrier to be 0.15$\pm$0.07eV (0.50$\pm$0.07 eV). The reduction of the Schwoebel barrier due to the presence of rebonding along the step edge or kink site is argued to be a robust feature. However, as the true binding energy plots show discontinuities due to significant movement of atoms at the kink site, we speculate on the possibility of multi-atom processes having smaller Schwoebel barriers.Comment: Manuscript in revtex twocolumn format (7pgs - which includes 14 postscript files). Submitted to the The Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology (Proceedings of the Physics and Chemistry of Semi- conductor Interfaces - 23 (1996)

CFD Modeling of Crossflow Membrane Filtration- Integration of Filtration Model and Fluid Transport Model

Cross-flow membrane filtration has become a promising technique for waste-water treatment as compared to conventional treatment methods. One of the reasons is that the membrane techniques offer separation that can be achieved at ambient temperature with minimum energy. It is also an innovation for the application of cross-flow filtration in oil and gas industry especially as an integral part for the oil-in-water analysis of produced water prior to offshore disposal. However, good fouling control is essential for the efficiency of the cross-flow filtration unit. With the fact that membrane is not a passive entity, the understanding of particle deposition phenomena is vital for reducing fouling. In this paper, filtration will be modeled through the relationship between hydrodynamics of the cross-flows and the transfer of flows across the membrane. The results of FLUENT simulated model are in good agreement with experimental results. Simulation results of the model are presented and then validated using experimental data for distilled (DI) water. From the model, some connecting variables are identified and established in this modeling work. By attaining these connections, optimization of membrane filtration can be achieved by adjusting the operating parameters

Investigating diet as the source of tetrodotoxin in Pleurobranchaea maculata

The origin of tetrodotoxin (TTX) is highly debated; researchers have postulated either an endogenous or exogenous source with the host accumulating TTX symbiotically or via food chain transmission. The aim of this study was to determine whether the grey side-gilled sea slug (Pleurobranchaea maculata) could obtain TTX from a dietary source, and to attempt to identify this source through environmental surveys. Eighteen non-toxic P. maculata were maintained in aquariums and twelve were fed a TTX-containing diet. Three P. maculata were harvested after 1 h, 24 h, 17 days and 39 days and TTX concentrations in their stomach, gonad, mantle and remaining tissue/fluids determined using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Tetrodotoxin was detected in all organs/tissue after 1 h with an average uptake of 32%. This decreased throughout the experiment (21%, 15% and 9%, respectively). Benthic surveys at sites with dense populations of toxic P. maculata detected very low or no TTX in other organisms. This study demonstrates that P. maculata can accumulate TTX through their diet. However, based on the absence of an identifiable TTX source in the environment, in concert with the extremely high TTX concentrations and short life spans of P. maculata, it is unlikely to be the sole TTX source for this species

Mechanisms Of Fracturing In Structures Built From Topologically Interlocked Blocks

Failure of materials is in many cases associated with initiation and subsequent propagation of macroscopic fractures. Consequently, in order to increase the strength, one needs to inhibit either crack initiation or propagation. The principle of topological interlocking provides a unique opportunity to construct materials and structures in which both routes of the strength increase can be realised. Materials and structures built on the basis of this principle consist of many elements which are hold together by the special geometry of their shape, together with an external constrain. The absence of the binder phase between the elements allows the interfaces to arrest macroscopic crack propagation. In addition, with sufficiently small size of the elements an increase in local strength and, possibly, in the stress for crack initiation can be achieved by capitalising on the size effect. Furthermore, the ability of some interlocking structures to tolerate missing elements can serve to prevent the avalanche-type failure initiated by failure of one of the elements. In this paper, experimental results and a theoretical analysis with regard to this possibility are presented

The scenario of two-dimensional instabilities of the cylinder wake under EHD forcing: A linear stability analysis

We propose to study the stability properties of an air flow wake forced by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuator, which is a type of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) actuator. These actuators add momentum to the flow around a cylinder in regions close to the wall and, in our case, are symmetrically disposed near the boundary layer separation point. Since the forcing frequencies, typical of DBD, are much higher than the natural shedding frequency of the flow, we will be considering the forcing actuation as stationary. In the first part, the flow around a circular cylinder modified by EHD actuators will be experimentally studied by means of particle image velocimetry (PIV). In the second part, the EHD actuators have been numerically implemented as a boundary condition on the cylinder surface. Using this boundary condition, the computationally obtained base flow is then compared with the experimental one in order to relate the control parameters from both methodologies. After validating the obtained agreement, we study the Hopf bifurcation that appears once the flow starts the vortex shedding through experimental and computational approaches. For the base flow derived from experimentally obtained snapshots, we monitor the evolution of the velocity amplitude oscillations. As to the computationally obtained base flow, its stability is analyzed by solving a global eigenvalue problem obtained from the linearized Navier–Stokes equations. Finally, the critical parameters obtained from both approaches are compared

Peroxidase extraction from jicama skin peels for phenol removal

Phenol and its derivatives exist in various types of industrial effluents, and are known to be harmful to aquatic lives even at low concentrations. Conventional treatment technologies for phenol removal are challenged with long retention time, high energy consumption and process cost. Enzymatic treatment has emerged as an alternative technology for phenol removal from wastewater. These enzymes interact with aromatic compounds including phenols in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, forming free radicals which polymerize spontaneously to produce insoluble phenolic polymers. This work aims to extract peroxidase from agricultural wastes materials and establish its application for phenol removal. Peroxidase was extracted from jicama skin peels under varying extraction conditions of pH, sample-to-buffer ratio (w/v %) and temperature. Experimental results showed that extraction process conducted at pH 10, 40% w/v and 25oC demonstrated a peroxidase activity of 0.79 U/mL. Elevated temperatures slightly enhanced the peroxidase activities. Jicama peroxidase extracted at optimum extraction conditions demonstrated a phenol removal efficiency of 87.5% at pH 7. Phenol removal efficiency was ∼ 97% in the range of 30 - 40oC, and H2O2 dosage has to be kept below 100 mM for maximum removal under phenol concentration tested

Megaoesophagus secondary to oesophagitis and oesophageal stricture associated with doxycycline therapy in a domestic shorthair kitten

Oesophageal strictures associated with doxycycline therapy in cats are a rare occurrence but several cases have been reported. A 3-month-old kitten was presented to University Veterinary Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UVH-UPM) with the primary complaint of persistent vomiting. The kitten was prescribed with doxycycline two weeks prior to presentation. Regurgitation was observed during hospitalisation. Radiographs and endoscopy performed revealed findings consistent with a megaesophagus cranial to an oesophageal stricture located at the region of the second thoracic vertebrae

Novel image reconstruction algorithm for a UWB cylindrical microwave imaging system

A theoretical and experimental study of a novel image reconstruction algorithm for an Ultra Wide band (UWB) Microwave Imaging System aiming at detecting and locating small targets in a homogenous circular cylindrical dielectric body is presented. The system uses a double circular scan in which the second scan is achieved after rotating by a small angle the antenna sub-system or the imaged body. The obtained two sets of data serve the purpose of subtracting the background that masks the target. Assuming that the target is asymmetric with respect to the axis of rotation, the difference data includes the original target and its negative "ghost". In order to eliminate the "ghost" only the positive valued difference data is extracted. This data is scaled and mapped to show the original target location. The validity of the proposed image reconstruction algorithm is demonstrated in an example of a cylindrical plastic container filled with a vegetable oil and small cylindrical targets. © 2010 IEEE

An Evolutionary Algorithm with Advanced Goal and Priority Specification for Multi-objective Optimization

This paper presents an evolutionary algorithm with a new goal-sequence domination scheme for better decision support in multi-objective optimization. The approach allows the inclusion of advanced hard/soft priority and constraint information on each objective component, and is capable of incorporating multiple specifications with overlapping or non-overlapping objective functions via logical 'OR' and 'AND' connectives to drive the search towards multiple regions of trade-off. In addition, we propose a dynamic sharing scheme that is simple and adaptively estimated according to the on-line population distribution without needing any a priori parameter setting. Each feature in the proposed algorithm is examined to show its respective contribution, and the performance of the algorithm is compared with other evolutionary optimization methods. It is shown that the proposed algorithm has performed well in the diversity of evolutionary search and uniform distribution of non-dominated individuals along the final trade-offs, without significant computational effort. The algorithm is also applied to the design optimization of a practical servo control system for hard disk drives with a single voice-coil-motor actuator. Results of the evolutionary designed servo control system show a superior closed-loop performance compared to classical PID or RPT approaches