ALBERT

Description: Pressure ulcers can be a fatal complication. Many immobile wheelchair users face this threat. Current passive and active cushions do reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers and they have different merits. We proposed an active approach to combine their advantages which is based on the concept that the interface pressure can be changed with different supporting shapes. The purpose of this paper is to verify the proposed approach. With practical applications in mind, we have developed a modular system whose support surface is composed by height-adjustable support elements. Each four-element module was self-contained and composed of force sensors, position sensors, linear actuators, signal conditioners, driving circuits, and signal processors. The modules could be chained and assembled together easily to form different-sized support surfaces. Each support element took up a 3 cm × 3 cm supporting area. The displacement resolution was less than 0.1 mm and the force sensor error was less than 1% in the 2000 g range. Each support element of the system could provide 49 N pushing force (408 mmHg over the 3 cm × 3 cm area) at a speed of 2.36 mm/s. Several verification tests were performed to assess the whole system’s feasibility. Further improvements and clinical applications were discussed. In conclusion, this modularized system is capable of actively managing interface pressure in real time.

Description: Heating oil is an extremely important heating fuel to consumers in northeastern United States. This paper studies the fluctuations law and dynamic behavior of heating oil spot and futures prices by setting up their complex network models based on the data of America in recent 30 years. Firstly, modes are defined by the method of coarse graining, the spot price fluctuation network of heating oil (HSPFN) and its futures price fluctuation network (HFPFN) in different periods are established to analyze the transformation characteristics between the modes. Secondly, several indicators are investigated: average path length, node strength and strength distribution, betweeness, etc. In addition, a function is established to measure and analyze the network similarity. The results show the cumulative time of new nodes appearing in either spot or futures price network is not random but exhibits a growth trend of straight line. Meanwhile, the power law distributions of spot and futures price fluctuations in different periods present regularity and complexity. Moreover, these prices are strongly correlated in stable fluctuation period but weak in the phase of sharp fluctuation. Finally, the time distribution characteristics of important modes in the networks and the evolution results of the topological properties mentioned above are obtained.

Description: Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1407: Preparation of a Highly Porous Carbon Material Based on Quinoa Husk and Its Application for Removal of Dyes by Adsorption Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11081407 Authors: Siji Chen Shanshan Tang Yang Sun Gang Wang Huan Chen Xiaoxiao Yu Yingjie Su Guang Chen A porous carbon material was prepared from quinoa husk (QH) by carbonization and chemical activation with KOH. A series of experiments, including SEM (Scanning electron microscopy), FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared), XRD (X-ray diffraction), Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and N2 adsorption/desorption, were carried out on the porous carbon produced from quinoa husk (PC–QH). The results showed that PC–QH was mainly composed of activated carbon and graphite. Moreover, PC–QH exhibited a high level of porosity with a BET (the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller theory) surface area of 1713 m2 g−1. As a representative dye, malachite green (MG) was selected to evaluate the performance of PC–QH to absorb the contaminants in dyeing wastewater. In batch adsorption experiments, PC–QH exhibited a high adsorption rate toward malachite green (MG). An uptake capacity of 599.90 mg g−1 was achieved in the initial 5 min, and the MG adsorption capacity of PC–QH reached 1365.10 mg g−1, which was higher than many other adsorbents. The adsorption data were well fitted with the Freundlich isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. PC–QH also displayed a high absorption rate to rhodamine B (RhB), methyl violet (MV), methylene blue (MB), and methyl orange (MO). The results in this study suggest that PC–QH can be a promising adsorbent for quick treatment of dyeing wastewater.