A simple experiment such as the batch distillation of an ethanol–water binary mixture can be performed in a 3-h laboratory session using a very rudimentary apparatus consisting of a still pot and two thermocouples. Yet, the results can lead to very interesting insights to distillation and chemical engineering thermodynamics. The present article describes how one can exploit this simple laborato...

We develop a new method for building a hierarchical tree from binary sequence data. It is based on an ancestral mixture model. The sieve parameter in the model plays the role of time in the evolutionary tree of the sequences. By varying the sieve parameter, one can create a hierarchical tree that estimates the population structure at each fixed backward point in time. Application to the cluster...

Exploiting the mapping between a binary mixture and the Ising model we have analyzed the critical fluctuations by means of the density-matrix renormalization group technique. The calculations have been carried out for a two-dimensional Ising strip subject to equally strong surface fields. It was found that the critical Casimir force has significantly different behavior on opposite sides of the ...

OBJECTIVE Over-the-counter vaginal lubricants have been shown to negatively affect in vitro sperm motility. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of vaginal lubricant use during procreative intercourse on natural fertility. METHODS Women aged 30-44 years with no history of infertility who had been trying to conceive for less than 3 months completed a baseline questionnaire on...

The thermal diffusion factor, aT, for a binary gas mixture is calculated on the basis of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. A new formula for aT is derived and this factor is given for several paris of gases according to this formula.

Ultra-thin lubricant films are essential in the design of nanoscale systems and devices as surface effects become increasingly important on the nanoscale. We have used molecular dynamics simulations to quantify terraced spreading of perfluoropolyether lubricant on a flat substrate as a function of polymer chain length, lubricant thickness, and functional end groups of the lubricant and the subs...

Some drugs have low bioavailability due to their poor aqueous solubility and/or slowdissolution rate in biological fluids. Stiripentol (STP) is a novel anticonvulsant drug that isstructurally unrelated to the currently available antiepileptics. It has poor aqueous solubilityand its solubility has to be enhanced accordingly. Polyethyleneglycol 6000 (PEG-6000) iscommonly utilized as a hydrophilic...

Boat lubricants are continuously released into the marine environment and thereby cause chronic oil pollution. This study aims to isolate lubricant-degrading microorganisms from Thai coastal areas as well as to apply a selected strain for removal of boat lubricants. Ten microorganisms in the genera of Gordonia, Microbacterium, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Brucella, Enterococcus and Candida were ...

The binary mixture tablets of papain and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCP), carrageenan, tragacanth, and agar were prepared by direct compression. Carrageenan, tragacanth, and agar provided maximum protection to enzyme activity compared to MCC and DCP. However, stability studies indicated highest loss of enzyme activity with carrageenan, tragacanth, and agar....

A deterministic theory describing the behavior of an ultrathin lubricant film between two atomically-smooth solid surfaces is proposed. For the description of lubricant state the parameter of excess volume arising due to chaotization of solid medium structure in the course of melting is introduced. Thermodynamic and shear melting is described consistently. Dependences of friction force on tempe...