Search results for: Edward Bond

Authors: Meltem Gurunlu

Abstract:

One of the central problems in corporate finance is the allocation of funds. This usually takes two forms: allocation of funds across firms in an economy or allocation of funds across projects or business units within a firm. The first one is typically related to the external markets (the bond market, the stock market, banks and finance companies) whereas the second form of the capital allocation is related to the internal capital markets in which corporate headquarters allocate capital to their business units. (within-group transfers, within-group credit markets, and within-group equity market). The main aim of this study is to investigate the nature of capital allocation dynamics by comparing the relevant studies carried out on external and internal capital markets with paying special significance to the business groups.

Keywords: internal capital markets, external capital markets, capital structure, capital allocation, business groups, corporate finance

Procedia PDF Downloads 175

Authors: K. Y. You, Y. L. Then

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In the recent years, the hair building fiber has become popular, in other words, it is an effective method which helps people who suffer hair loss or sparse hair since the hair building fiber is capable to create a natural look of simulated hair rapidly. In the markets, there are a lot of hair fiber brands that have been designed to formulate an intense bond with hair strands and make the hair appear more voluminous instantly. However, those products have their own set of properties. Thus, in this report, some measurement techniques are proposed to identify those products. Up to five different brands of hair fiber are tested. The electrostatic and dielectric properties of the hair fibers are macroscopically tested using design DC and high-frequency microwave techniques. Besides, the hair fibers are microscopically analysis by magnifying the structures of the fiber using scanning electron microscope (SEM). From the SEM photos, the comparison of the uniformly shaped and broken rate of the hair fibers in the different bulk samples can be observed respectively.

Keywords: hair fiber, electrostatic, dielectric properties, broken rate, microwave techniques

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Authors: Volodymyr Rombakh

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This article was written to substantiate the possibility of detecting the precursors of catastrophic destruction of a structure or device and stopping operation before it. Damage to solids results from breaking the bond between atoms, which requires energy. Modern theories of strength and fracture assume that such energy is due to stress. However, in a letter to W. Thomson (Lord Kelvin) dated December 18, 1856, J.C. Maxwell provided evidence that elastic energy cannot destroy solids. He proposed an equation for estimating a deformable body's energy, equal to the sum of two energies. Due to symmetrical compression, the first term does not change, but the second term is distortion without compression. Both types of energy are represented in the equation as a quadratic function of strain, but Maxwell repeatedly wrote that it is not stress but strain. Furthermore, he notes that the nature of the energy causing the distortion is unknown to him. An article devoted to theories of elasticity was published in 1850. Maxwell tried to express mechanical properties with the help of optics, which became possible only after the creation of quantum mechanics. However, Maxwell's work on elasticity is not cited in the theories of strength and fracture. The authors of these theories and their associates are still trying to describe the phenomena they observe based on classical mechanics. The study of Faraday's experiments, Maxwell's and Rutherford's ideas, made it possible to discover a previously unknown area of electromagnetic radiation. The properties of photons emitted in this reaction are fundamentally different from those of photons emitted in nuclear reactions and are caused by the transition of electrons in an atom. The photons released during all processes in the universe, including from plants and organs in natural conditions; their penetrating power in metal is millions of times greater than that of one of the gamma rays. However, they are not non-invasive. This apparent contradiction is because the chaotic motion of protons is accompanied by the chaotic radiation of photons in time and space. Such photons are not coherent. The energy of a solitary photon is insufficient to break the bond between atoms, one of the stages of which is ionization. The photographs registered the rail deformation by 113 cars, while the Gaiger Counter did not. The author's studies show that the cause of damage to a solid is the breakage of bonds between a finite number of atoms due to the stimulated emission of metastable atoms. The guarantee of the reliability of the structure is the ratio of the energy dissipation rate to the energy accumulation rate, but not the strength, which is not a physical parameter since it cannot be measured or calculated. The possibility of continuous control of this ratio is due to the spontaneous emission of photons by metastable atoms. The article presents calculation examples of the destruction of energy and photographs due to the action of photons emitted during the atomic-proton reaction.

Keywords: atomic-proton reaction, precursors of man-made disasters, strain, stress

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Authors: Behnaz Mahdavi, Hamidreza Khodaei, Leila Karshenas

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Conjugated Linoleic Acid is a group of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids with more than one double bond and a mixture of 28 isomers of Linoleic acid (C 18:2) and it is counted as one of the essential acids. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of CLA on some reproductive hormones in rams. In this study, six rams 3 to 4 years old with an average weight of 90 kg were selected. Rams were randomly divided into 3 groups and were treated by CLA treatment for 30 days. The first group (as a control group) didn’t receive CLA, The second group received 0.5 gr and the third group received 1 gram of CLA. The blood testing was done on rams every 15 days using a 20 ml syringe. Data analysis was performed by SAS software. Also mean comparison was done using Duncan's test method (p<0.05). Obtained results showed that the serum concentration of testosterone hormone was decreased numerically as well as the concentration of FSH hormone however the concentration of LH was increased. CLA in oral form can reduce the concentration of testosterone in rams.

Keywords: CLA, ram, testosterone, DHT, Conjugated Linoleic Acid

Procedia PDF Downloads 277

Authors: Saeedeh Hajihosseini, Zahra Aghili, Navid Nasirizadeh

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An innovative method of a DNA electrochemical biosensor based on Oracet Blue (OB) as an electroactive label and gold electrode (AuE) for detection of Helicobacter pylori, was offered. A single–stranded DNA probe with a thiol modification was covalently immobilized on the surface of the AuE by forming an Au–S bond. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used to monitor DNA hybridization by measuring the electrochemical signals of reduction of the OB binding to double– stranded DNA (ds–DNA). Our results showed that OB–based DNA biosensor has a decent potential for detection of single–base mismatch in target DNA. Selectivity of the proposed DNA biosensor was further confirmed in the presence of non–complementary and complementary DNA strands. Under optimum conditions, the electrochemical signal had a linear relationship with the concentration of the target DNA ranging from 0.3 nmol L-1 to 240.0 nmol L-1, and the detection limit was 0.17 nmol L-1, whit a promising reproducibility and repeatability.

Keywords: DNA biosensor, oracet blue, Helicobacter pylori, electrode (AuE)

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Authors: Ines Oliveira, Ana Reis

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Magnetic Pulse Welding (MPW) is a cold solid-state welding process, accomplished by the electromagnetically driven, high-speed and low-angle impact between two metallic surfaces. It has the same working principle of Explosive Welding (EXW), i.e. is based on the collision of two parts at high impact speed, in this case, propelled by electromagnetic force. Under proper conditions, i.e., flyer velocity and collision point angle, a permanent metallurgical bond can be achieved between widely dissimilar metals. MPW has been considered a promising alternative to the conventional welding processes and advantageous when compared to other impact processes. Nevertheless, MPW current applications are mostly academic. Despite the existing knowledge, the lack of consensus regarding several aspects of the process calls for further investigation. As a result, the mechanical resistance, morphology and structure of the weld interface in MPW of Al/Cu dissimilar pair were investigated. The effect of process parameters, namely gap, standoff distance and energy, were studied. It was shown that welding only takes place if the process parameters are within an optimal range. Additionally, the formation of intermetallic phases cannot be completely avoided in the weld of Al/Cu dissimilar pair by MPW. Depending on the process parameters, the intermetallic compounds can appear as continuous layer or small pockets. The thickness and the composition of the intermetallic layer depend on the processing parameters. Different intermetallic phases can be identified, meaning that different temperature-time regimes can occur during the process. It is also found that lower pulse energies are preferred. The relationship between energy increase and melting is possibly related to multiple sources of heating. Higher values of pulse energy are associated with higher induced currents in the part, meaning that more Joule heating will be generated. In addition, more energy means higher flyer velocity, the air existing in the gap between the parts to be welded is expelled, and this aerodynamic drag (fluid friction) is proportional to the square of the velocity, further contributing to the generation of heat. As the kinetic energy also increases with the square of velocity, the dissipation of this energy through plastic work and jet generation will also contribute to an increase in temperature. To reduce intermetallic phases, porosity, and melt pockets, pulse energy should be minimized. The bond formation is affected not only by the gap, standoff distance, and energy but also by the mandrel’s surface conditions. No correlation was clearly identified between surface roughness/scratch orientation and joint strength. Nevertheless, the aspect of the interface (thickness of the intermetallic layer, porosity, presence of macro/microcracks) is clearly affected by the surface topology. Welding was not established on oil contaminated surfaces, meaning that the jet action is not enough to completely clean the surface.

Keywords: bonding mechanisms, impact welding, intermetallic compounds, magnetic pulse welding, wave formation

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Authors: Anna Trusek-Holownia, Andrzej Noworyta

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Using an enzyme of known specificity the hydrolysis of protein was carried out in a controlled manner. The aim was to obtain oligopeptides being the so-called active peptides or their direct precursors. An original way of expression of the protein hydrolysis kinetics was introduced. Peptide bonds contained in the protein were recognized as a diverse-quality substrate for hydrolysis by the applied protease. This assumption was positively verified taking as an example the hydrolysis of albumin by thermolysin. Peptide linkages for this system should be divided into at least four groups. One of them is a group of bonds non-hydrolyzable by this enzyme. These that are broken are hydrolyzed at a rate that differs even by tens of thousands of times. Designated kinetic constants were k'F = 10991.4 L/g.h, k'M = 14.83L/g.h, k'S about 10-1 L/g.h for fast, medium and slow bonds, respectively. Moreover, a procedure for unfolding of the protein, conducive to the improved susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis (approximately three-fold increase in the rate) was proposed.

Keywords: peptide bond hydrolysis, kinetics, enzyme specificity, biologically active peptides

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Authors: Sangil Han, In Su Kim

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Transition-metal-catalyzed C–H bond activation and its subsequent functionalization has been one of the most attractive topics in organic synthesis because of its remarkable potential for atom economy and environmental sustainability. In this addition, a variety of C(sp2)–H functionalization has been developed under metal catalysis in the past decade. Recently, much attention has been moved towards the C(sp3)–H functionalization events, which continue to be a challenging issue. In this area, directing group assisted sp3 C–H functionalization has been explored by use of amides, carboxylic acids, oximes, N-heterocycles, and etc. In particular, 8-methylquinolines have been found as good substrates for sp3 C–H functionalization due to its ability to form cyclometalated complexes. Succinimides have been recognized as privileged structural cores found in a number of bioactive natural products, pharmaceuticals, and functional materials. Furthermore, the reduced derivatives such as pyrrolidines and γ-lactams have been also found in a large number of pharmaceutical relevant molecules, thus making them one of the most important and promising compounds. We herein describe the first C(sp3)–H activation of 8-methylquinolines and subsequent functionalization with maleimides to afford various succinimide derivatives.

Keywords: C(sp3)–H activation, 8-methylquinolines, maleimides, succinimides

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Authors: Karim Hrratha, Khaled Essalahb, Christophe Morellc, Henry Chermettec, Salima Boughdiria

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Among the carbon-carbon bond formation types, allylation of active methylene compounds with cyclic Baylis-Hillman (BH) alcohols is a reliable and widely used method. This reaction is a very attractive tool in organic synthesis of biological and biodiesel compounds. Thus, in view of an insistent and peremptory request for an efficient and straightly method for synthesizing the desired product, a thorough analysis of various aspects of the reaction processes is an important task. The product afforded by the reaction of active methylene with BH alcohols depends largely on the experimental conditions, notably on the catalyst properties. All experiments reported that catalysis is needed for this reaction type because of the poor ability of alcohol hydroxyl group to be as a suitable leaving group. Within the catalysts, several transition- metal based have been used such as palladium in the presence of acid or base and have been considered as reliable methods. Furthemore, acid catalysts such as BF3.OEt2, BiX3 (X= Cl, Br, I, (OTf)3), InCl3, Yb(OTf)3, FeCl3, p-TsOH and H-montmorillonite have been employed to activate the C-C bond formation through the alkylation of active methylene compounds. Interestingly a report of a smoothly process for the ability of 4-imethyaminopyridine(DMAP) to catalyze the allylation reaction of active methylene compounds with cyclic Baylis-Hillman (BH) alcohol appeared recently. However, the reaction mechanism remains ambiguous, since the C- allylation process leads to an unexpected product (noted P1), corresponding to a direct allylation instead of conjugate allylation, which involves the most electrophilic center according to the electron withdrawing group CO effect. The main objective of the present theoretical study is to better understand the role of the DMAP catalytic activity as well as the process leading to the end- product (P1) for the catalytic reaction of a cyclic BH alcohol with active methylene compounds. For that purpose, we have carried out computations of a set of active methylene compounds varying by R1 and R2 toward the same alcohol, and we have attempted to rationalize the mechanisms thanks to the acid–base approach, and conceptual DFT tools such as chemical potential, hardness, Fukui functions, electrophilicity index and dual descriptor, as these approaches have shown a good prediction of reactions products.The present work is then organized as follows: In a first part some computational details will be given, introducing the reactivity indexes used in the present work, then Section 3 is dedicated to the discussion of the prediction of the selectivity and regioselectivity. The paper ends with some concluding remarks. In this work, we have shown, through DFT method at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory that: The allylation of active methylene compounds with cyclic BH alcohol is governed by orbital control character. Hence the end- product denoted P1 is generated by direct allylation.

Keywords: DFT calculation, gas phase pKa, theoretical mechanism, orbital control, charge control, Fukui function, transition state

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Authors: Naveed Ejaz, Liaqat Ali, Amer Nusair

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Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) serve as thermal barriers against the high temperature of the hot regions of the aircraft turbine engines keeping the surface of the turbine blades, vanes and combustion chamber at comparatively lower temperature. The life of these coatings depends on many in-service environmental factors. Among these factors, the behavior of the bond coat as well as the top coat at high temperature aggravated by the corrosive environments having S, V, Na and Cl plays a key role. The incorporation of the 5-15% CaZrO3 in YSZ coatings was studied after hot corrosion in vanadium oxide environment. It was observed that the reactivity of the V gradually switched from Y to Ca making CaV2O4 instead of YVO4; the percentage of CaV2O4 increased with the increase of CaZrO3 in YSZ. It eventually prevented leaching out of the Y from YSZ leaving the YSZ without any harmful phase change. The thermal insulation was found to be improved in case of CaZrO3 incorporated YSZ coatings as compared to only YSZ coating.

Keywords: hot corrosion, thermal barrier coatings, yttria stabilized zirconia, calcium zirconate

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Authors: Bo-Gaun Chen, Chiung-Hui Huang, Mei-Ching Chiang, Kuo-Hsing Lee, Chia-Chen Ho, Chin-Ping Huang, Chin-Heng Tien

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It is known that the natural dyeing of cloth results moderate color, but with poor color fastness. This study points out the correlation between the macroscopic color fastness of natural dye to the cotton fiber and the microscopic binding energy of dye molecule to the cellulose. With the additive metallic mordant, the new-formed coordination bond bridges the dye to the fiber surface and thus affects the color fastness as well as the color appearance. The density functional theory (DFT) calculation is therefore used to explore the most possible mechanism during the dyeing process. Finally, the experimental results reflect the strong effect of three different metal ions on the natural dyeing clothes.

Keywords: binding energy, color fastness, density functional theory (DFT), natural dyeing, metallic mordant

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Authors: Edward K. Boahen, Brunel E. Bouya-Moko, Changda Wang

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The major threat to online social network (OSN) users is account compromisation. Spammers now spread malicious messages by exploiting the trust relationship established between account owners and their friends. The challenge in detecting a compromised account by service providers is validating the trusted relationship established between the account owners, their friends, and the spammers. Another challenge is the increase in required human interaction with the feature selection. Research available on supervised learning (machine learning) has limitations with the feature selection and accounts that cannot be profiled, like application programming interface (API). Therefore, this paper discusses the various behaviours of the OSN users and the current approaches in detecting a compromised OSN account, emphasizing its limitations and challenges. We propose a deep learning approach that addresses and resolve the constraints faced by the previous schemes. We detailed our proposed optimized nonsymmetric deep auto-encoder (OPT_NDAE) for unsupervised feature learning, which reduces the required human interaction levels in the selection and extraction of features. We evaluated our proposed classifier using the NSL-KDD and KDDCUP'99 datasets in a graphical user interface enabled Weka application. The results obtained indicate that our proposed approach outperformed most of the traditional schemes in OSN compromised account detection with an accuracy rate of 99.86%.

Keywords: computer security, network security, online social network, account compromisation

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Authors: Sudheer Moorkoth, Leslie Edward Lewis, Pragna Rao

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Newborn screening (NBS) is a part of routine newborn care in many countries worldwide to detect early any rare treatable conditions and inborn errors of metabolism (IEM). India has not started this program yet. In an attempt to understand the challenges in implementing a national newborn screening program in India, we initiated a pilot newborn screening project funded by the Government of Canada. Along with initiating the newborn screening at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal in South India, for screening six disorders (Congenital Hypothyroidism(CH), Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), Galactosemia, Biotinidase deficiency, Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase deficiency (G-6PD) and Phenylketonurea), we also studied the awareness of various stakeholders on the newborn screening. In a period of nine months from August 2017 to March 2018 we could screen 1915 newborns (999 male and 916 female). The result showed that there were seven babies screened positive. This interim result points to an incidence rate of 1 in 270 children for these rare disorders collectively. This includes three confirmed cases of CH, two cases of G-6PD deficiency, and one case each for Galctosemia and CAH. A questionnaire based study to understand the awareness among various stakeholders revealed that there is little awareness among parents, adolescents and anganwadi workers (public health worker). The interim data points to the need for a national newborn screening programme in India. There is also an immediate need to undertake large-scale awareness programme to create knowledge on NBS among the various stakeholders.

Keywords: awareness, inborn errors of metabolism (IEM), newborn screening, rare disease

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Authors: Aliyu Adamu, Fahrul Huyop, Roswanira Abdul Wahab, Mohd Shahir Shamsir

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Halogenated organic compounds occur in huge amount in biosphere. This is attributable to the diverse use of halogen-based compounds in the synthesis of various industrially important products. Halogenated compound is toxic and may persist in the environment, thereby causing serious health and environmental pollution problems. L-2-haloacid dehalogenases (EC 3.8.1.2) catalyse the specific cleavage of carbon-halogen bond in L-isomers of halogenated compounds, which consequently reverse the effects of environmental halogen-associated pollution. To enhance the efficiency and utility of these enzymes, this study investigates the catalytic amino acid residues and the molecular functional mechanism of DehL, by classical molecular dynamic simulations, MM-PBSA and ab initio fragments molecular orbital (FMO) calculations. The results of the study will serve as the basis for the molecular engineering of the enzyme.

Keywords: DehL, Functional mechanism, Catalytic residues, L-2-haloacid dehalogenase

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Authors: M. N. Nwodo, Y. P. Cheng, N. H. Minh

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In the process of recovering oil in weak sandstone formations, the strength of sandstones around the wellbore is weakened due to the increase of effective stress/load from the completion activities around the cavity. The weakened and de-bonded sandstone may be eroded away by the produced fluid, which is termed sand production. It is one of the major trending subjects in the petroleum industry because of its significant negative impacts, as well as some observed positive impacts. For efficient sand management therefore, there has been need for a reliable study tool to understand the mechanism of sanding. One method of studying sand production is the use of the widely recognized Discrete Element Method (DEM), Particle Flow Code (PFC3D) which represents sands as granular individual elements bonded together at contact points. However, there is limited knowledge of the particle-scale behavior of the weak sandstone, and the parameters that affect sanding. This paper aims to investigate the reliability of using PFC3D and a simple Darcy flow in understanding the sand production behavior of a weak sandstone. An isotropic tri-axial test on a weak oil sandstone sample was first simulated at a confining stress of 1MPa to calibrate and validate the parallel bond models of PFC3D using a 10m height and 10m diameter solid cylindrical model. The effect of the confining stress on the number of bonds failure was studied using this cylindrical model. With the calibrated data and sample material properties obtained from the tri-axial test, simulations without and with fluid flow were carried out to check on the effect of Darcy flow on bonds failure using the same model geometry. The fluid flow network comprised of every four particles connected with tetrahedral flow pipes with a central pore or flow domain. Parametric studies included the effects of confining stress, and fluid pressure; as well as validating flow rate – permeability relationship to verify Darcy’s fluid flow law. The effect of model size scaling on sanding was also investigated using 4m height, 2m diameter model. The parallel bond model successfully calibrated the sample’s strength of 4.4MPa, showing a sharp peak strength before strain-softening, similar to the behavior of real cemented sandstones. There seems to be an exponential increasing relationship for the bigger model, but a curvilinear shape for the smaller model. The presence of the Darcy flow induced tensile forces and increased the number of broken bonds. For the parametric studies, flow rate has a linear relationship with permeability at constant pressure head. The higher the fluid flow pressure, the higher the number of broken bonds/sanding. The DEM PFC3D is a promising tool to studying the micromechanical behavior of cemented sandstones.

Keywords: discrete element method, fluid flow, parametric study, sand production/bonds failure

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Authors: Behnaz Mahdavi, Hamidreza Khodaei, Alireza Banitaba

Abstract:

Conjugated Linoleic Acid is a group of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids with more than one double bond and a mixture of 28 isomers of Linoleic acid (C 18:2) and it is counted as one of the essential acids. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of CLA on some reproductive hormones in rams. In this study, six rams 3 to 4 years old with an average weight of 90 kg were selected. Rams were randomly divided into 3 groups and were treated by CLA treatment for 30 days. The first group (as a control group) did not receive CLA, The second group received 0.5 gr and the third group received 1 gram of CLA. The blood testing was done on rams every 15 days using a 20 ml syringe. Data analysis was performed by SAS software. Also mean comparison was done using Duncan's test method (p<0.05). Obtained results showed that the serum concentration of testosterone hormone was decreased numerically as well as the concentration of FSH hormone however the concentration of LH was increased. Also, the CLA had a significant effect on Leptin concentration. CLA in oral form can reduce the concentration of testosterone in rams.

Keywords: CLA, ram, testosterone, conjugated linoleic acid

Procedia PDF Downloads 287

Authors: Swarnalata Sahoo, Smita Mohanty, S. K. Nayak

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Environmentally friendly Polyurethane(PU) synthesis from Castor oil(CO) has been studied extensively. Probably due to high proportion of fatty hydroxy acids and unsaturated bond, CO showed better performance than other oil, can be easily utilized as commercial applications. In this work, cured PU polymers having different –NCO/OH ratio with and without catalyst were synthesized by using partially biobased Isocyanate with castor oil (CO). Curing time has been studied by observing at the time of reaction, which can be confirmed by AT-FTIR. DSC has been studied to monitor the reaction between CO & Isocyanates using non Isothermal process. Curing kinetics have also been studied to investigate the catalytic effect of the NCO / OH ratio of Polyurethane. Adhesion properties were evaluated from Lapshear test. Tg of the PU polymer was evaluated by DSC which can be compared by DMA. Surface Properties were studied by contact angle measurement. Improvement of the interfacial adhesion between the nonpolar surface of Aluminum substrate and the polar adhesive has been studied by modifying surface.

Keywords: polyurethane, partially bio-based isocyanate, castor oil, catalyst

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Authors: Bai-Jing Peng, Shyh-Chyun Yang

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Organic reactions in water have recently attracted much attention, not only because unique reactivity is often observed in water but also because water is a safe and economical substitute for conventional organic solvents. Thus, development of environmental safe, atom-economical reactions in water is one of the most important goals of synthetic chemistry. The recent paper has documented renewed interest in the use of allylic substrates in the synthesis of new C−C, C−N, and C−O bonds. We have reported our attempts and some successful applications of a process involving the C-O bond cleavage catalyzed by palladium or platinum complexes in water. Because of the importance of heterocycle indole derivatives, much effort has been directed toward the development of methods for functionalization of the indole nucleus at N1 site. In our research, the palladium-catalyzed 2,3-disubstitued indoles with allylic alcohols was investigated under different conditions. Herein, we will establish a simple, convenient, and efficient method, which affords high yields of allylated indoles.

Keywords: palladium-catalyzed, allylic alcohols, indoles, water, allylation

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Authors: Yuanping Yang, Ruolin Zhou, Xingyu Liu, Lianbin Wu

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Based on the challenges of silanization of pharmaceutical glass packaging materials, the silicone oil high-temperature baking method consumes a lot of energy; silicone oil is generally physically adsorbed on the inner surface of the medical vials, leading to protein adsorption on the surface of the silicone oil and fall off, so that the number of particles in the drug solution increases, which brings potential risks to people. In this paper, a new silanizing method is proposed. High-efficiency silanization is achieved by grafting trimethylsilyl groups to the inner surface of medical vials by chemical bond at low temperatures. The inner wall of the vial successfully obtained stable hydrophobicity, and the water contact Angle of the surface reached 100°~110°. With the increase of silicified reagent concentration, the water resistance of corresponding treatment vials increased gradually. This treatment can effectively reduce the risk of pH value increase and sodium ion leaching.

Keywords: low-temperature silanization, medical vials, chemical bonding, hydrophobicity

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Authors: Fengmei Li, Li Xu, Guoliang Xia

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Lysozyme is a catalytic enzyme that performs bacterial cell lysis by cleaving the β-1,4-glycosidic bond between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylglucosamine of peptidoglycan in cell walls. In the present study, an invertebrate-type (i-type) lysozyme gene was cloned from Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis (designated as EsLysozyme) based on PCR-based rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technology. The full-length cDNA of EsLysozyme was of 831 bp. SMART and SIGNALP 3.0 program analysis revealed that EsLysozyme contained a signal peptide and a destabilase domain. The five amino acid residues (Tyr63, Trp64, Tyr91, His110, Pro114) and the conserved motif GSLSCG(P/Y)FQI and CL(E/L/R/H)C(I/M)C in i-type lysozymes were also found in EsLysozyme. The high similarity of EsLysozyme with L. vannamei lysozymes and phylogenetic analysis suggested that EsLysozyme should be a new member of i-type lysozyme family.

Keywords: i-type lysozyme, Eriocheir sinensis, cloning, characterization

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Authors: Tomofumi Kubota, Mitsuhiro Okayasu

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In recent years, environmental problems and energy problems typified by global warming are intensifying, and transportation devices are required to reduce the weight of structural materials from the viewpoint of strengthening fuel efficiency regulations and energy saving. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) used in this research is attracting attention as a structural material to replace metallic materials. Among them, thermoplastic CFRP is expected to expand its application range in terms of recyclability and cost. High formability and weldability of the unidirectional CFRP sheets conducted by a proposed hot stamping process were proposed, in which the carbon fiber reinforced plastic sheets are heated by a designed technique. In this case, the CFRP sheets are heated by the high electric voltage applied through carbon fibers. In addition, the electric voltage was controlled by the area ratio of exposed carbon fiber on the sample surfaces. The lower exposed carbon fiber on the sample surface makes high electric resistance leading to the high sample temperature. In this case, the CFRP sheets can be heated to more than 150 °C. With the sample heating, the stamping and welding technologies can be carried out. By changing the sample temperature, the suitable stamping condition can be detected. Moreover, the proper welding connection of the CFRP sheets was proposed. In this study, we propose a fusion bonding technique using thermoplasticity, high current flow, and heating caused by electrical resistance. This technology uses the principle of resistance spot welding. In particular, the relationship between the carbon fiber exposure rate and the electrical resistance value that affect the bonding strength is investigated. In this approach, the mechanical connection using rivet is also conducted to make a comparison of the severity of welding. The change of connecting strength is reflected by the fracture mechanism. The low and high connecting strength are obtained for the separation of two CFRP sheets and fractured inside the CFRP sheet, respectively. In addition to the two fracture modes, micro-cracks in CFRP are also detected. This approach also includes mechanical connections using rivets to compare the severity of the welds. The change in bond strength is reflected by the destruction mechanism. Low and high bond strengths were obtained to separate the two CFRP sheets, each broken inside the CFRP sheets. In addition to the two failure modes, micro cracks in CFRP are also detected. In this research, from the relationship between the surface carbon fiber ratio and the electrical resistance value, it was found that different carbon fiber ratios had similar electrical resistance values. Therefore, we investigated which of carbon fiber and resin is more influential to bonding strength. As a result, the lower the carbon fiber ratio, the higher the bonding strength. And this is 50% better than the conventional average strength. This can be evaluated by observing whether the fracture mode is interface fracture or internal fracture.

Keywords: CFRP, hot stamping, weliding, deforamtion, mechanical property

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Authors: Jie Ding, Yingying Pan, Shammy Raj, Lindy Schaffrick, Jolene Wong, Antoinette Nguyen, Sharada Manchikanti, Larry Unsworth, Peter Kwan, Edward E. Tredget

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Background: Exosomes (EXOs) have been considered a new target that is thought to be involved in and treat wound healing. More research is needed to fully understand the EXO characteristics and mechanisms of EXO-mediated wound healing, especially wound healing after burn injury. Methods: Total EXOs were isolated from 85 serum samples of 29 burn patients and 13 healthy individuals. We characterized the EXOs for morphology and density, serum concentration, protein level, marker expression, size distribution, and cytokine content. After confirmation of EXO uptake by dermal fibroblasts, we also explored functional regulation of primary human normal skin and hypertrophic scar fibroblast cell lines by the EXOs in vitro, including cell proliferation and apoptosis. Results: EXOs dynamically changed their morphology, density, size, and cytokine level during wound healing in burn patients, which were correlated with burn severity and the stages of wound healing. EXOs from both burn patients and healthy individuals stimulated dermal fibroblast proliferation and apoptosis. Conclusion: EXO features may be important signals that influence wound healing after burn injury; however, to understand the mechanisms by which EXOs regulated the fibroblasts in healing wounds, further studies will be required in the future.

Keywords: exosome, burn, wound healing, hypertrophic scarring, cytokines

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Authors: Ali Alzeyadi, Edward Loffill, Rafid Alkhaddar Ali Alattabi

Abstract:

Phosphate, ammonium, and nitrates are forms of nutrients; they are released from different sources. High nutrient levels contribute to the eutrophication of water bodies by accelerating the extraordinary growth of algae. Recently, many filtration and treatment systems were developed and used for different removal processes. Due to enhanced operational aspects for the up-flow, continuous, granular Media filter researchers became more interested in further developing this technology and its performance for nutrient removal from wastewater. Environmental factors significantly affect the filtration process performance, and understanding their impact will help to maintain the nutrient removal process. Phosphate removal by phosphate sorption materials PSMs and nitrogen removal biologically are the methods of nutrient removal that have been discussed in this paper. Hence, the focus on the factors that influence these processes is the scope of this work. The finding showed the presence of factors affecting both removal processes; the size, shape, and roughness of the filter media particles play a crucial role in supporting biofilm formation. On the other hand, all of which are effected on the reactivity of surface between the media and phosphate. Many studies alluded to factors that have significant influence on the biological removal for nitrogen such as dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH; this is due to the sensitivity of biological processes while the phosphate removal by PSMs showed less affected by these factors. This review work provides help to the researchers in create a comprehensive approach in regards study the nutrient removal in up flow filtration systems.

Keywords: nitrogen biological treatment, nutrients, psms, upflow filter, wastewater treatment

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Authors: Ivashkina Elizaveta

Abstract:

Despite significant research on the positive effects of houseplants on human life, we know almost nothing about how people perceive plants and their attitudes toward them. The following study seeks to fill this void by applying para-social relationships (PSRs) theory to analyze individuals’ perceptions of houseplants. We reveal how people form and maintain PSRs with indoor plants using 15 semi-structured in-depth interviews with Russian-speaking university students who had a close bond with their indoor plants when the study was conducted. The findings indicate that the process of forming PSRs is influenced by factors such as exposure and homophily. Students develop a sense of companionship with their indoor plants, which contributes to establishing a PSR. Participants reported engaging in various activities, such as regular care, communication, and interaction with their plants. The insights gained from this research have implications for horticultural therapy, environmental psychology, and indoor gardening practices.

Keywords: para-social relationships, plants, people-plant interaction, indoor plants, qualitative research

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Authors: Rohaya Abdul Wahab, Raja Mohd Fuad Tengku Aziz, Nazaliza Othman, Sharifah Saleh, Nabihah Razali, Rozaimah Baharim, Md Hanif Md Nasir

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This paper will discuss flip chip methodology, in which I/O pads, standard cells, macros and bump cells array are placed in the floorplan, then routed using Astro place and route tool. Final DRC and LVS checking is done using Calibre verification tool. The design vehicle to run this methodology is an OpenRISC design targeted to Silterra 0.18 micrometer technology with 6 metal layers for routing. Astro has extensive support for flip chip placement and routing. Astro tool commands for flip chip are straightforward approach like the conventional standard wire bond packaging. However since we do not have flip chip commands in our Astro tool, no LEF file for bump cell and no LEF file for flip chip I/O pad, we create our own methodology to prepare for future flip chip tapeout. 

Keywords: methodology, flip chip, bump cell, LEF, astro, calibre, SCHEME, TCL

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Authors: Fares Jnaid, Riyad Aboutaha

Abstract:

In this paper, a nonlinear Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was carried out using ANSYS software to build a model able of predicting the behavior of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams with unbonded reinforcement. The FEA model was compared to existing experimental data by other researchers. The existing experimental data consisted of 16 beams that varied from structurally sound beams to beams with unbonded reinforcement with different unbonded lengths and reinforcement ratios. The model was able to predict the ultimate flexural strength, load-deflection curve, and crack pattern of concrete beams with unbonded reinforcement. It was concluded that when the when the unbonded length is less than 45% of the span, there will be no decrease in the ultimate flexural strength due to the loss of bond between the steel reinforcement and the surrounding concrete regardless of the reinforcement ratio. Moreover, when the reinforcement ratio is relatively low, there will be no decrease in ultimate flexural strength regardless of the length of unbond.

Keywords: FEA, ANSYS, unbond, strain

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Authors: Milton Ayoki, Edward Bbaale

Abstract:

This paper analyses the relationship between innovation and employment at firm level with the objective of understanding the contribution of the different innovation strategies in fostering employment growth in Uganda. We use National Innovation Survey (micro-data of 705 Ugandan firms) for the period 2011-2014 and follow closely Harrison et al. (2014) structured approach, and relate employment growth to process innovations and to the growth of sales separately due to innovative and unchanged products. We find positive effects of product innovation on employment at firm level, while process innovation has no discernable impact on employment. Although there is evidence to suggest displacement of labour in some cases where firms only introduce new process, this effect is compensated by growth in employment from new products, which for most firms are introduced simultaneously with new process. Results suggest that source of innovation as well as size of innovating firms or end users of innovation matter for job growth. Innovation that develops from within the firm itself (user) and involving larger firms has greater impact on employment than that developed from outside or coming from within smaller firms. In addition, innovative firms are one and half times more likely to survive in the innovation driven economy environment than those that do not innovate. These results have important implications for policymakers and stakeholders in innovation ecosystem. Supporting policies need to be correctly tailored since the impacts depend on the innovation strategy (type) and characteristics and sector of the innovative firms (small, large, industry, etc.). Policies to spur investment, particularly in innovative sectors and firms with high growth potential would have long lasting effects on job creation. JEL Classification: D24, J0, J20, L20, O30.

Keywords: employment, process innovation, product innovation, Sub-Saharan Africa

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Authors: Zohreh Fallah, Edward P. L. Roberts

Abstract:

One of the big challenges for produced water treatment is removing oil from water in the form of emulsified droplets which are not easily separated. An attractive approach is adsorption, as it is a simple and effective process. However, adsorbents must be regenerated in order to make the process cost effective. Several sorbents have been tested for treating oily wastewater. However, some issues such as high energy consumption for activated carbon thermal regeneration have been reported. Due to their significant electrical conductivity, Graphite Intercalation Compounds (GIC) were found to be suitable to be regenerated electrochemically. They are non-porous materials with low surface area and fast adsorptive capacity which are useful for removal of low concentration of organics. An innovative adsorption/regeneration process has been developed at the University of Manchester in which adsorption of organics are done by using a patented GIC adsorbent coupled with subsequent electrochemical regeneration. The oxidation of adsorbed organics enables 100% regeneration so that the adsorbent can be reused over multiple adsorption cycles. GIC adsorbents are capable of removing a wide range of organics and pollutants; however, no comparable report is available for removal of emulsified oil in produced water using abovementioned process. In this study the performance of this technology for the removal of emulsified oil in wastewater was evaluated. Batch experiments were carried out to determine the adsorption kinetics and equilibrium isotherm for both real produced water and model emulsions. The amount of oil in wastewater was measured by using the toluene extraction/fluorescence analysis before and after adsorption and electrochemical regeneration cycles. It was found that oil in water emulsion could be successfully treated by the treatment process and More than 70% of oil was removed.

Keywords: adsorption, electrochemical regeneration, emulsified oil, produced water

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Authors: Ameer A. Jebur, William Atherton, Rafid M. Alkhaddar, Edward Loffill

Abstract:

Understanding the behaviour of the piles under the action of the independent lateral loads and the precise prediction of the capacity of piles subjected to different lateral loads are vital topics in foundation design and analysis. Moreover, the laterally loaded behaviour of deep foundations penetrated in cohesive and non-cohesive soils is basically analysed by the Winkler Model (beam on elastic foundation), in which the interaction between the pile embedded depth and contacted soil is simulated by nonlinear p–y curves. The presence of many approaches to interpret the behaviour of soil-pile interaction has resulted in numerous outputs and indicates that no general approach has yet been adopted. The current study presents the result of numerical modelling of the behaviour of steel tubular piles (25.4mm) outside diameter with various embedment depth-to-diameter ratios (L/d) embedded in a sand calibrated chamber of known relative density. The study revealed that the shear strength parameters of the sand specimens and the (L/d) ratios are the most significant factor influencing the response of the pile and its capacity while taking into consideration the complex interaction between the pile and soil. Good agreement has been achieved when comparing the application of this modelling approach with experimental physical modelling carried out by another researcher.

Keywords: deep foundations, slenderness ratio, soil-pile interaction, winkler model (beam on elastic foundation), non-cohesive soil

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Authors: Jyoti Ranjan Sahoo

Abstract:

Communication is a social phenomenon which mediates to our everyday life and it creates, maintains, builds, circulates, and propagates for a common identity the society. The symbolic forms of communication such as aural, sounds, oral expressions, signs, and language as means of communication are being used in everyday life in helping to identify as construction of social reality. These symbolic forms of communication are treated as the social process in everyday life. Therefore, there is an intrinsic relationship between communication and culture to understand media life for village communities. Similarly, the interface of communication with social life is reflected upon it’s formulation of the notions of social structure and culture. It has been observed that there is an overlapping and new phenomenonal change of media life among marginalized communities in general and village communities in particular. Therefore, this paper is an outcome of decadal stock of literature and an empirical investigation on understanding of communication in a tribal village in India. It has examined the idea of American scientist Edward T. Hall “the culture is communication, and the communication is culture” in village society on understanding media life. Thus, the Harold Innis’s theoretical idea of “communication” has been critically examined in these contexts since author tries to explore and understand the inter-disciplinarity on understanding media life through communication and culture which is embedded in socio-cultural life bearing on epistemological and ontological implications. The paper tries to explore and understand the inter-disciplinary and historical trajectories of communication embedded with other social science disciplines; and also tries to map these studies relevant for the future directions and engagement which would have bearing on epistemological and ontological implications in the field of media and communication.

Keywords: culture, communication, history, media, oral, tradition

Procedia PDF Downloads 341