A rapid and accurate primary Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) method for the determination of moisture in mineral and ester based lubricants has been developed based on the extraction of moisture into dry acetonitrile. A Continuous Oil Analyzer and Treatment (COAT) FTIR system was programmed to allow the automated analysis of acetonitrile extracts, and the methodology was validated by analyzin...

The neural network (NN)-based direct uncertainty quantification (UQ) methods have achieved the state of art performance since first inauguration, known as lower–upper-bound estimation (LUBE) method. However, currently-available cost functions for guided NN training are not always converging, and all converged NNs do generate optimized prediction intervals (PIs). In recent years researchers prop...

Seven pure-culture strains of fungi cultivated by attine ants (ant-garden fungi) were isolated from locally maintained leaf-cutting ant colonies. An ant-garden fungus strain obtained from an Atta cephalotes colony, when offered to ants of the colony from which the fungus was isolated, was accepted as their own. Young fungus cultures were harvested and incorporated into the fungus garden, and cu...

This paper addresses the hazards associated with aerosolized hydraulic fluids and other liquids designed to be relatively non-flammable with respect to flashpoint and vapor pressure. The studies presented seek to understand and quantify conditions and circumstances that can produce such hazardous conditions. US Navy personnel are particularly susceptible to fuel aerosol hazards due to the wides...

The presence of microscopic particles in suspension in industrial fluids is often an early warning of latent or imminent failures in the equipment or processes where they are being used. This manuscript describes work undertaken to integrate different photonic principles with a micro- mechanical fluidic structure and an embedded processor to develop a fully autonomous wear debris sensor for in-...

The antimicrobial and antiplasmid activities of essential oils (orange oil, eucalyptus oil, fennel oil, geranium oil, juniper oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, purified turpentine oil, thyme oil, Australian tea tree oil) and of menthol, the main component of peppermint oil, were investigated. The antimicrobial activities were determined on the Gram (+) Staphylococcus epidermidis and the Gram (...

by the U.S. industry, and it is estimated that approximately 80% of this is spent on correcting chronic failure of machines, system and people.” This clearly indicates the pressing need to reduce these non-product investments, and, in particular, maintenance costs in manufacturing facilities. Another important aspect of non-product investment, especially in the automotive industry, is that moni...

Plant oils have been utilized for a variety of purposes throughout history, with their integration into foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. They are now being increasingly recognized for their effects on both skin diseases and the restoration of cutaneous homeostasis. This article briefly reviews the available data on biological influences of topical skin applications of some plant o...