Search results for: agricultural and financial loss

Authors: Mauricio Quintero Angel, Andrés A. Duque Nivia, Carlos H. Fajardo Toro

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This paper analyzes two approaches of sustainability, the weak and strong, considering a case of study of oil palm production for an industry of biodegradable detergent. In this case, a company demand the oil palm as the active element for washing and through its trademark aims to supply 10% of the Colombian market of washing powders. Under each approach the economic and ecological implications of the palm oil production and especially the implications for crop management are described. The crop production under the weak sustainability implies plantations, intensive use of agrochemicals and the inclusion of new areas of cultivation as the market grows. Under the strong sustainability the production system is limited by the productive vocation of the ecosystem, so that new approaches and creativity for making viable the nature conservancy and the business development are require.

Keywords: agriculture, environmental impacts, oil palm, strong sustainability, weak sustainability

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Authors: S. N. Turkmen Koc, A. S. Kipcak, M. B. Piskin, E. Moroydor Derun, N. Tugrul

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Active carbon can be obtained from agricultural sources. Due to the high surface area, the production of activated carbon from cheap resources is very important. Since the surface area of 1 g activated carbon is approximately between 300 and 2000 m², it can be used to remove both organic and inorganic impurities. In this study, the adsorption of Zn metal was studied with the product of activated carbon, which is obtained from pomegranate peel by microwave and chemical activation methods. The microwave process of pomegranate peel was carried out under constant microwave power of 800 W and 1 to 4 minutes. After the microwave process, samples were treated with H₂SO₄ for 3 h. Then prepared product was used in synthetic waste water including 40 ppm Zn metal. As a result, removal of waste Zn in waste water ranged from 91% to 93%.

Keywords: activated carbon, chemical activation, H₂SO₄, microwave, pomegranate peel

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Authors: Ishiyaku Abdulkadir, Satish Kumar J

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Land Productivity is a measure of the greenness of above-ground biomass in health and potential gain and is not related to agricultural productivity. Monitoring land productivity dynamics is essential to identify, especially when and where the trend is characterized degraded for mitigation measures. This research aims to monitor the land productivity trend of Gombe State between 2001 and 2015. QGIS was used to compute NDVI from AVHRR/MODIS datasets in a cloud-based method. The result appears that land area with improving productivity account for 773sq.km with 4.31%, stable productivity traced to 4,195.6 sq.km with 23.40%, stable but stressed productivity represent 18.7sq.km account for 0.10%, early sign of decline productivity occupied 5203.1sq.km with 29%, declining productivity account for 7019.7sq.km, represent 39.2%, water bodies occupied 718.7sq.km traced to 4% of the state’s area.

Keywords: above-ground biomass, dynamics, land productivity, man-environment relationship

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Authors: Asowata Osamede

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Solar radiation provides the largest renewable energy potential on earth and photovoltaics (PV) are considered a promising technological solution to support the global transformation to a low-carbon economy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency of power conditioning devices with a focus on the Buck and Boost DC-DC converters (12 V, 24 V and 48 V) in a basic off grid PV system with a varying load profile. This would assist in harnessing more of the available solar energy. The practical setup consists of a PV panel that is set to an orientation angle of 0º N, with corresponding tilt angles. Preliminary results, which include data analysis showing the power loss in the system and efficiency, indicate that the 12V DC-DC converter coupled with the load profile had the highest efficiency for a latitude of 26º S throughout the year.

Keywords: poly-crystalline PV panels, DC-DC converters, tilt and orientation angles, direct solar radiation, load profile

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Authors: Byron Baron

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Malta is a Mediterranean archipelago presenting a combination of environmental conditions which are less suitable for agriculture. This has resulted in a heavy dependence on agricultural chemicals, as well as over-extraction of groundwater, compounded by concomitant destruction of natural habitat surrounding the land areas used for agriculture. Such prolonged intensive land use has resulted in even greater degradation of Maltese soils. This study was thus designed with the goal of assessing the viability of implementing a sustainable agricultural system based on permaculture practices compared to the traditional local practices applied for intensive farming. The permaculture model was implemented over a period of two years for a number of locally-grown staple crops. The tangible targets included improved soil health, reduced water consumption, increased reliance on renewable energy, increased wild plant and insect diversity, and sustained crop yield. To achieve this in the permaculture test area, numerous practices were introduced. In line with permaculture principles land, tillage was reduced, only natural fertilisers were used, no herbicides or pesticides were used, irrigation was linked to a desalination system with sensors for monitoring soil parameters, mulching was practiced, and a photovoltaic system was installed. Furthermore, areas for wild plants were increased and controlled only by trimming, not mowing. A variety of environmental parameters were measured at regular intervals as well as crop yield (in kilos of produce) in order to quantify if any improvements in crop output and environmental conditions were obtained. The results obtained show a very slight improvement in overall soil health due to the brevity of the test period. Water consumption was reduced by over 50% with no apparent losses or ill effects on the crops. Renewable energy was sufficient to provide all electric power on-site, so apart from the initial investment costs, there were no limitations. Moreover, surrounding the commercial crops with borders of wild plants whilst only taking up less than 15% of the total land area assisted pollination, increased animal visitors, and did not give rise to any pest infestations. The conclusion from this study was that whilst results are promising, more detailed and long-term studies are required to understand the full extent of the implications brought about by such a transition, which hints towards the untapped potential of investing in the available resources on the island with the goal of improving the balance between economic prosperity and ecological sustainability.

Keywords: agronomic measures, ecological amplification, sustainability, permaculture

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Authors: Heather Warfield, Brad Genereux

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Military personnel encounter a number of challenges when separating from military service to include career uncertainty, relational/family dynamics, trauma as a result of military experiences, reconceptualization of identity, and existential issues related to purpose, meaning making and framing of the military experience(s). Embedded within military culture are well-defined rites of passage and a significant sense of belonging. Consequently, transition out of the military can result in the loss of such rites of passage and belongingness. However, a pilgrimage journey can provide the time and space to engage in a new rite of passage, to construct a new pilgrim identity, and a to develop deep social relationships that lead to a sense of belongingness to a particular pilgrim community as well as to the global community of pilgrims across numerous types of pilgrimage journeys. The aims of the current paper are to demonstrate the rationale for why pilgrimage journeys are particularly significant for military veterans, provide an overview of an innovative program that facilitates the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage for military veterans, and discusses the lessons learned from the initial pilot project of a recently established program. Veterans on the Camino (VOC) is an emerging nongovernmental organization in the USA. Founded by a military veteran, after leaving his military career, the primary objective of the organization is to facilitate healing for veterans via the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage journey. As part of the program, participants complete a semi-structured interview at three time points – pre, during, and post journey. The interview items are based on ongoing research by the principal investigator and address such constructs as meaning-making, wellbeing, therapeutic benefits and transformation. In addition, program participants complete The Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (SoMe). The pilot program occurred in the spring of 2017. Five participants were selected after an extensive application process and review by a three-person selection board. The selection criteria included demonstrated compatibility with the program objectives (i.e., prior military experience, availability for a 40 day journey, and awareness of the need for a transformational intervention). The participants were connected as a group through a private Facebook site and interacted with one another for several months prior to the pilgrimage. Additionally, the participants were interviewed prior to beginning the pilgrimage, at one point during the pilgrimage and immediately following the conclusion of the pilgrimage journey. The interviews yielded themes related to loss, meaning construction, renewed hope in humanity, and a commitment to future goals. The lessons learned from this pilot project included a confirmation of the need for such a program, a need for greater focus on logistical details, and the recognition that the pilgrimage experience needs to continue in some manner once the veterans return home.

Keywords: pilgrimage, healing, military veterans, Camino de Santiago

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Authors: Mardiana Ahamad Zabidi, Nurain Abdul Karim, Nur Shazrinna Sazali

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Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) pericarp is considered as agricultural waste and not fully utilized in food products. It is widely reported that mangosteen pericarp contains high antioxidant properties. The objective of this study is to develop novel yellow alkaline noodle (YAN) substituted with different levels of mangosteen pericarp powder (MPP). YAN formulation was substituted with different levels of MPP (0%, 5%, 10% and 15%). The effect on nutritional and antioxidant properties were evaluated. Higher substitution levels of MPP resulted in significant increase (p < 0.05) of ash, fibre, specific mineral elements, and antioxidant properties (total phenolic, total flavonoid, anthocyanin and DPPH) than control sample.

Keywords: antioxidant properties, Mangosteen pericarp, proximate composition, yellow alkaline noodle

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Authors: Jana Stucke, Sean Tuling, Chris Toomer

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This study focuses on the numerical investigation of the leading edge vortex (LEV) development over a 65° swept delta wing with varying thickness and maximum thickness location and their impact on its overall performance. The tested configurations are defined by a 6% and 12 % thick biconvex aerofoil with maximum thickness location at 30% and 50% of the root chord. The results are compared to a flat plate delta wing configuration of 3.4% thickness. The largest differences are observed for the aerofoils of 12% thickness and are used to demonstrate the trends and aerodynamic characteristics from here on. It was found that the vortex structure changes with change with maximum thickness and overall thickness. This change leads to not only a reduction in lift but also in drag, especially when the maximum thickness is moved forward. The reduction in drag, however, outweighs the loss in lift thus increasing the overall performance of the configuration.

Keywords: aerodynamics, CFD, delta wing, leading edge vortices

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Authors: Sarita D. Jackson

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Agriculture remains a sensitive issue during multilateral trade negotiations within the World Trade Organization (WTO). Similar problems arise at the bilateral level, as in the case of trade talks between the United States and the Dominican Republic. The study explores the determinant of agricultural industry competitiveness in the 21^st century, particularly in the case of U.S. and Dominican agriculture in each other’s market. Complementing existing scholarship on industry competitiveness, the study argues that trade rules that are established under preferential access programs and trade agreements play a significant role in shaping an industry’s ability to compete. The final analysis is used to offer recommendations to the same sector in Cuba. Cuba currently relies heavily on U.S. food imports and is experiencing the gradual opening of trade with the United States.

Keywords: agriculture, bargaining, competitiveness, Dominican Republic, DR-CAFTA, free trade agreement, institutions

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Authors: Jung-Feng Lin, Wei-Tang Chen, Chung-King Hsu, Chun-Pin Lin, Feng-Huei Lin

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One of the objectives of operative dentistry is to maintain pulp health in compromised teeth. Mostly used methods for this purpose are direct pulp capping and pulpotomy, which consist of placement of biocompatible materials and bio-inductors on the exposed pulp tissue to preserve its health and stimulate repair by mineralized tissue formation. In this study, we developed a material (calcium phosphate cement (CPC)/gypsum composite) as the dental pulp capping material for shortening setting time and improving handling properties. We further discussed the influence of five different ratio of gypsum to CPC on HAP conversion, microstructure, setting time, weight loss, pH value, temperature difference, viscosity, mechanical properties, porosity, and biocompatibility.

Keywords: calcium phosphate cement, calcium sulphate hemihydrate, pulp capping, fast setting time

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Authors: Julio Jesus Salazar, Manuel Andres Jesus De Lama

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There are very few models that serve to analyze the use of water in the socio-economic process. On the supply side, the joint use of groundwater has been considered in addition to the simple limits on the availability of surface water. In addition, we have worked on waterlogging and the effects on water quality (mainly salinity). In this paper, a 'complex' water economy is examined; one in which demands grow differentially not only within but also between sectors, and one in which there are limited opportunities to increase consumptive use. In particular, high-value growth, the growth of the production of irrigated crops of high value within the basins of the case study, together with the rapidly growing urban areas, provides a rich context to examine the general problem of water management at the basin level. At the same time, the long-term aridity of nature has made the eco-environment in the basins located on the coast of Peru very vulnerable, and the exploitation and immediate use of water resources have further deteriorated the situation. The presented methodology is the optimization with embedded simulation. The wide basin simulation of flow and water balances and crop growth are embedded with the optimization of water allocation, reservoir operation, and irrigation scheduling. The modeling framework is developed from a network of river basins that includes multiple nodes of origin (reservoirs, aquifers, water courses, etc.) and multiple demand sites along the river, including places of consumptive use for agricultural, municipal and industrial, and uses of running water on the coast of Peru. The economic benefits associated with water use are evaluated for different demand management instruments, including water rights, based on the production and benefit functions of water use in the urban agricultural and industrial sectors. This work represents a new effort to analyze the use of water at the regional level and to evaluate the modernization of the integrated management of water resources and socio-economic territorial development in Peru. It will also allow the establishment of policies to improve the process of implementation of the integrated management and development of water resources. The input-output analysis is essential to present a theory about the production process, which is based on a particular type of production function. Also, this work presents the Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) version of the economic model for water resource policy analysis, which was specifically designed for analyzing large-scale water management. As to the platform for CGE simulation, GEMPACK, a flexible system for solving CGE models, is used for formulating and solving CGE model through the percentage-change approach. GEMPACK automates the process of translating the model specification into a model solution program.

Keywords: water economy, simulation, modeling, integration

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Authors: Jyoti Sharma, Raj Kumar Arya

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The coatings of homogeneous ternary solution of Poly(styrene)(PS)-Poly(ethyleneglycol)-6000(PEG) Chlorobenzene (CLB) of two different concentrations (5.05%-4.98%-89.97% and 10.05%-5.12%-84.82%) were studied and dried under quiescent conditions. Residual solvent percentage and coatings thickness were calculated by gravimetric weight loss data. Residual solvent remained lower in case of the single thick layer as compared to layer-by-layer assembly technique. The Results suggests the effectiveness of the single thick layer for minimizing the residual solvent. A single thick layer had an initial coating thickness of 1098 µm and the final thickness of 106 µm which is lower as compared to the dried coatings of nearly the same final thickness by layer-by-layer assembly technique.

Keywords: films, layer-by-layer assembly, polymeric coatings, ternary system

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Authors: Ishan Arora, Anurag Rathore

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The primary objective of this work was to study the effect of resin chemistry, pH and molarity of binding and elution buffer on aggregate removal using Cation Exchange Chromatography and find the optimum conditions which can give efficient aggregate removal with minimum loss of yield. Four different resins were used for carrying out the experiments: Fractogel EMD SO3-(S), Fractogel EMD COO-(M), Capto SP ImpRes and S Ceramic HyperD. Runs were carried out on the AKTA Avant system. Design of Experiments (DOE) was used for analysis using the JMP software. The dependence of the yield obtained using different resins on the operating conditions was studied. Success has been achieved by obtaining yield greater than 90% using Capto SP ImpRes and Fractogel EMD COO-(M) resins. It has also been found that a change in the operating conditions generally has different effects on the yields obtained using different resins.

Keywords: aggregates, cation exchange chromatography, design of experiments, monoclonal antibodies

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Authors: Prateep Wajeetongratana

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The objectives of the research were to examine that how management accounting techniques were perceived and used by companies listed on the stock exchange and to investigate similarities or differences of management accounting practices between companies listed on the stock exchange and Thai SMEs. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. The finding found that almost all of the companies used traditional management accounting techniques more than advanced management accounting techniques. Four management accounting techniques having no significant association with business characteristic were standard costing, job order costing, process costing. The barriers that Thai SMEs encountered were a lack of proper accounting system and the insufficient knowledge in management accounting of the accountants. The comparison results revealed that both companies listed on the stock exchange and Thai SMEs used traditional management accounting techniques more than advanced techniques.

Keywords: companies listed on the stock exchange, financial budget, management accounting, operating budget

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Authors: Ahmad Hashad

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Valley tanks are a kind of rain harvest which is used as ground water storage to overcome drought seasons in some countries. This research displays the rain harvest evolution and introduces some ideas to develop the valley tanks to be more than water storage. These ideas developed the current valley tanks design to become an integrated renaissance project. The suggested design has some changes making it different than the traditional design of valley tanks. These changes allow for the new design to be more flexible for adding additional capacity, water purification units and water pumping units. The suggested valley tanks project will be designed based on studying the rainfall and evaporation rates, as well as land topography and designed agricultural map linked to seasons of rain and drought.

Keywords: valley tanks, rain harvest, volatile nature, integrated renaissance project

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Authors: Derya Nizam

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An alternative understanding of "localization" has gained significance as the ecological and social issues associated with the growing pressure of agricultural homogeneity and standardization become more apparent. Through an analysis of a case study on an alternative food networks in Turkey, this research seeks to critically examine the localization movement. The results indicate that the idea of localization helps to create new niche markets by creating place-based labels, but it also strengthens local identities through social networks that connect rural and urban areas. In that context, localization manifests as a commodification movement that appropriates local and cultural values to generate capitalist profit, as well as a grassroots movement that strengthens the resilience of local communities. This research addresses the potential of community development approaches in the democratization of global agro-food networks.

Keywords: community building, local food, alternative food movements, localization

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Authors: O. Alaa, D. Ahmed, R. Baher, K. Matjaz

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This paper provides a study of the factors influencing the purchasing of low emission vehicles. In order to achieve the objectives of the paper, and in the light of the pool of literature and availability of data, the authors relied on qualitative methods to offers a comparison between Egypt as a developing country and Slovenia as a developed country, through analysing a survey that involves an Egyptian sample and Slovenian samples, it also studies the effect of different push and pull methods on different buyers in order to help the governments as well as the manufacturers to understand the most significant factors that affect the purchasing behaviour of LEV in the future. The results of this paper show the important vehicle performance factors, financial considerations, and environmental considerations along with the gender and age of the consumer show that consumers are more interested in the total price of the car than in different taxes.

Keywords: low emission vehicles, purchasing behavior, developed countries, developing countries

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Authors: Adewusi Adeoluwawale, Oronti Iyabosola Busola, Akinola Iretiayo, Komolafe Olusola Aderibigbe

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The complex and radial structure of the low voltage distribution network (415V) makes it vulnerable to faults which are due to system and the environmental related factors. Besides these, the protective scheme employed on the low voltage network which is the fuse cannot be monitored remotely such that in the event of sustained fault, the utility will have to rely solely on the complaint brought by customers for loss of supply and this tends to increase the length of outages. A microcontroller based fault detection scheme is hereby developed to detect low voltage and high voltage fault conditions which are common faults on this network. Voltages below 198V and above 242V on the distribution feeders are classified and detected as low voltage and high voltages respectively. Results shows that the developed scheme produced a good response time in the detection of these faults.

Keywords: fault detection, low voltage distribution feeders, outage times, sustained faults

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Authors: Zhaoming Yang, Qi Xiang, Qian He, Michael Havbro Faber, Enrico Zio, Huai Su, Jinjun Zhang

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Resilience is one of the key factors for system safety assessment and optimization, and resilience studies of natural gas pipeline systems (NGPS), especially in terms of process descriptions, are still being explored. Based on the three main stages, which are function loss process, recovery process, and waiting process, the paper has built functions and models which are according to the practical characteristics of NGPS and mainly analyzes the characteristics of deterministic interruptions. The resilience of NGPS also considers the threshold of the system function or users' satisfaction. The outcomes, which quantify the resilience of NGPS in different evaluation views, can be combined with the max flow and shortest path methods, help with the optimization of extra gas supplies and gas routes as well as pipeline maintenance strategies, the quick analysis of disturbance effects and the improvement of NGPS resilience evaluation accuracy.

Keywords: natural gas pipeline system, resilience, process modeling, deterministic disturbance

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Authors: Douglas E. Mainhart, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Bradley Christoffersen, Charlotte Reemts

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Semi-arid ecosystems across the globe have faced land conversion for agriculture and resource extraction activities, posing a threat to the important ecosystem services they provide. Revegetation-centered restoration efforts in these regions face low success rates due to limited soil water availability and high temperatures leading to elevated seedling mortality after planting. Typical methods to alleviate these stresses require costly post-planting interventions aimed at improving soil moisture status. We set out to evaluate the efficacy of applying in-nursery treatments to address transplant shock. Four native Tamaulipan thornscrub species were compared. Three treatments were applied: elevated CO2, drought hardening (four-week exposure each), and antitranspirant foliar spray (the day prior to planting). Our goal was to answer two primary questions: (1) Do treatments improve survival and growth of seedlings in the early period post-planting? (2) If so, what underlying physiological changes are associated with this improved performance? To this end, we measured leaf gas exchange (stomatal conductance, light saturated photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency), leaf morphology (specific leaf area), and osmolality before and upon the conclusion of treatments. A subset of seedlings from all treatments have been planted, which will be monitored in coming months for in-field survival and growth.First month field survival for all treatment groups were high due to ample rainfall following planting (>85%). Growth data was unreliable due to high herbivory (68% of all sampled plants). While elevated CO2 had infrequent or no detectable influence on all aspects of leaf gas exchange, drought hardening reduced stomatal conductance in three of the four species measured without negatively impacting photosynthesis. Both CO2 and drought hardening elevated leaf osmolality in two species. Antitranspirant application significantly reduced conductance in all species for up to four days and reduced photosynthesis in two species. Antitranspirants also increased the variability of water use efficiency compared to controls. Collectively, these results suggest that antitranspirants and drought hardening are viable treatments for reducing short-term water loss during the transplant shock period. Elevated CO2, while not effective at reducing water loss, may be useful for promoting more favorable water status via osmotic adjustment. These practices could improve restoration outcomes in Tamaulipan thornscrub and other semi-arid systems. Further research should focus on evaluating combinations of these treatments and their species-specific viability.

Keywords: conservation, drought conditioning, semi-arid restoration, plant physiology

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Authors: Siti Nur Izati Azmi, Zatil Afifah Omar, Kathi Swaran, Navin Kumar

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Organophilic Clays, also known as Organoclays, is used as a viscosifier in Oil based Drilling fluids. Most often, Organophilic clay are produced from modified Sodium and Calcium based Bentonite. Many studies and data show that Organophilic Clay using Hectorite based clays provide the best yield and good fluid loss properties in an oil-based drilling fluid at a higher cost. In terms of the manufacturing process, the two common methods of manufacturing organophilic clays are a Wet Process and a Dry Process. Wet process is known to produce better performance product at a higher cost while Dry Process shorten the production time. Hence, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the various formulation of an organophilic clay and its performance vs. the cost, as well as to determine the most efficient and cost-effective method of manufacturing organophilic clays.

Keywords: organophilic clay, viscosifier, wet process, dry process

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Authors: Jayanta K. Behera, Ashwini K. Sinha

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The study has pointed out the relationship of energetic particle precipitation (EPP) during high speed solar wind streams (HSS) to the ionization characteristics and subsequent NOx production in the polar atmosphere. Over the last few decades, it has been shown that production of NOx in the mesosphere region during the precipitation of charged particles (with energy range >30 KeV to 1 MeV) is directly related to the ozone loss in the polar middle atmosphere, extending from mesosphere to upper stratosphere. This study has dealt with the analysis of the interplanetary parameters such as interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), solar wind velocity (Vs), charged particle density (Ns), convection field enhancement (Ec) during such HSS events and their link to the rate of production of NOx in the mesosphere. Moreover, the analysis will be used to validate or, to modify the current ion-chemistry models which describe the ionization rate and NOx production in the polar atmosphere due to EPP.

Keywords: energetic particle precipitation (EPP), NOx, ozone depletion, polar vortex

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Authors: Pietro P. Falciglia, Erica Gagliano, Vincenza Brancato, Alfio Catalfo, Guglielmo Finocchiaro, Guido De Guidi, Stefano Romano, Paolo Roccaro, Federico G. A. Vagliasindi

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Cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) is a major radionuclide in spent nuclear fuel processing, and it represents the most important cause of contamination related to nuclear accidents. Cesium-137 has long-term radiological effects representing a major concern for the human health. Several physico-chemical methods have been proposed for ¹³⁷Cs removal from impacted water: ion-exchange, adsorption, chemical precipitation, membrane process, coagulation, and electrochemical. However, these methods can be limited by ionic selectivity and efficiency, or they present very restricted full-scale application due to equipment and chemical high costs. On the other hand, adsorption is considered a more cost-effective solution, and activated carbons (ACs) are known as a low-cost and effective adsorbent for a wide range of pollutants among which radionuclides. However, adsorption of Cs onto ACs has been investigated in very few and not exhaustive studies. In addition, exhausted activated carbons are generally discarded in landfill, that is not an eco-friendly and economic solution. Consequently, the regeneration of exhausted ACs must be considered a preferable choice. Several alternatives, including conventional thermal-, solvent-, biological- and electrochemical-regeneration, are available but are affected by several economic or environmental concerns. Microwave (MW) irradiation has been widely used in industrial and environmental applications and it has attracted many attentions to regenerating activated carbons. The growing interest in MW irradiation is based on the passive ability of the irradiated medium to convert a low power irradiation energy into a rapid and large temperature increase if the media presents good dielectric features. ACs are excellent MW-absorbers, with a high mechanical strength and a good resistance towards heating process. This work investigates the feasibility of MW irradiation for the regeneration of Cs-exhausted ACs. Adsorption batch experiments were carried out using commercially available granular activated carbon (GAC), then Cs-saturated AC samples were treated using a controllable bench-scale 2.45-GHz MW oven and investigating different adsorption-regeneration cycles. The regeneration efficiency (RE), weight loss percentage, and textural properties of the AC samples during the adsorption-regeneration cycles were also assessed. Main results demonstrated a relatively low adsorption capacity for Cs, although the feasibility of ACs was strictly linked to their dielectric nature, which allows a very efficient thermal regeneration by MW irradiation. The weight loss percentage was found less than 2%, and an increase in RE after three cycles was also observed. Furthermore, MW regeneration preserved the pore structure of the regenerated ACs. For a deeper exploration of the full-scale applicability of MW regeneration, further investigations on more adsorption-regeneration cycles or using fixed-bed columns are required.

Keywords: adsorption mechanisms, cesium, granular activated carbons, microwave regeneration

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Authors: Jean-Pierre Lomaliza, Kwang-Seok Moon, Hanhoon Park

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It is well-known that Ramer Douglas Peucker (RDP) algorithm greatly depends on the method of choosing starting points. Therefore, this paper focuses on finding such starting points that will optimize the results of RDP algorithm. Specifically, this paper proposes a curve approximation algorithm that finds flat points, called essential points, of an input curve, divides the curve into corner-like sub-curves using the essential points, and applies the RDP algorithm to the sub-curves. The number of essential points play a role on optimizing the approximation results by balancing the degree of shape information loss and the amount of data reduction. Through experiments with curves of various types and complexities of shape, we compared the performance of the proposed algorithm with three other methods, i.e., the RDP algorithm itself and its variants. As a result, the proposed algorithm outperformed the others in term of maintaining the original shapes of the input curve, which is important in various applications like pattern recognition.

Keywords: curve approximation, essential point, RDP algorithm

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Authors: Agman Gupta, Rajashekar Badam, Noriyoshi Matsumi

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Introduction: Recently, silicon has been recognized as one of the potential alternatives as anode active material in Li-ion batteries (LIBs) to replace the conventionally used graphite anodes. Silicon is abundantly present in the nature, it can alloy with lithium metal, and has a higher theoretical capacity (~4200 mAhg-1) that is approximately 10 times higher than graphite. However, because of a large volume expansion (~400%) upon repeated de-/alloying, the pulverization of Si particles causes the exfoliation of electrode laminate leading to the loss of electrical contact and adversely affecting the formation of solid-electrolyte interface (SEI).1 Functional polymers as binders have emerged as a competitive strategy to mitigate these drawbacks and failure mechanism of silicon anodes.1 A variety of aqueous/non-aqueous polymer binders like sodium carboxy-methyl cellulose (CMC-Na), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), poly(acrylic acid), and other variants like mussel inspired binders have been investigated to overcome these drawbacks.1 However, there are only a few reports that mention the attempt of addressing all the drawbacks associated with silicon anodes effectively using a single novel functional polymer system as a binder. In this regard, here, we report a novel highly robust n-type bisiminoacenaphthenequinone (BIAN)-paraphenylene-based crosslinked polymer as a binder for Si anodes in lithium-ion batteries (Fig. 1). On its application, crosslinked-BIAN binder was evaluated to provide mechanical robustness to the large volume expansion of Si particles, maintain electrical conductivity within the electrode laminate, and facilitate in the formation of a thin SEI by restricting the extent of electrolyte decomposition on the surface of anode. The fabricated anodic half-cells were evaluated electrochemically for their rate capability, cyclability, and discharge capacity. Experimental: The polymerized BIAN (P-BIAN) copolymer was synthesized as per the procedure reported by our group.2 The synthesis of crosslinked P-BIAN: a solution of P-BIAN copolymer (1.497 g, 10 mmol) in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) (150 ml) was set-up to stir under reflux in nitrogen atmosphere. To this, 1,6-dibromohexane (5 mmol, 0.77 ml) was added dropwise. The resultant reaction mixture was stirred and refluxed at 150 °C for 24 hours followed by refrigeration for 3 hours at 5 °C. The product was obtained by evaporating the NMP solvent under reduced pressure and drying under vacuum at 120 °C for 12 hours. The obtained product was a black colored sticky compound. It was characterized by 1H-NMR, XPS, and FT-IR techniques. Results and Discussion: The N 1s XPS spectrum of the crosslinked BIAN polymer showed two characteristic peaks corresponding to the sp2 hybridized nitrogen (-C=N-) at 399.6 eV of the diimine backbone in the BP and quaternary nitrogen at 400.7 eV corresponding to the crosslinking of BP via dibromohexane. The DFT evaluation of the crosslinked BIAN binder showed that it has a low lying lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) that enables it to get doped in the reducing environment and influence the formation of a thin (SEI). Therefore, due to the mechanically robust crosslinked matrices as well as its influence on the formation of a thin SEI, the crosslinked BIAN binder stabilized the Si anode-based half-cell for over 1000 cycles with a reversible capacity of ~2500 mAhg-1 and ~99% capacity retention as shown in Fig. 2. The dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (DEIS) characterization of crosslinked BIAN-based anodic half-cell confirmed that the SEI formed was thin in comparison with the conventional binder-based anodes. Acknowledgement: We are thankful to the financial support provided by JST-Mirai Program, Grant Number: JP18077239

Keywords: self-healing binder, n-type binder, thin solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI), high-capacity silicon anodes, low-LUMO

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Authors: Ahmed I. Alutabi, Naghmeh Dezhabad, Sudhakar Ganti

Abstract:

Data centers have been growing in size and dema nd continuously in the last two decades. Planning for the deployment of resources has been shallow and always resorted to over-provisioning. Data center operators try to maximize the availability of their services by allocating multiple of the needed resources. One resource that has been wasted, with little thought, has been energy. In recent years, programmable resource allocation has paved the way to allow for more efficient and robust data centers. In this work, we examine the predictability of resource usage in a data center environment. We use a number of models that cover a wide spectrum of machine learning categories. Then we establish a framework to guarantee the client service level agreement (SLA). Our results show that using prediction can cut energy loss by up to 55%.

Keywords: machine learning, artificial intelligence, prediction, data center, resource allocation, green computing

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Authors: Hammad Riaz, Abubakr Saeed

Abstract:

Environmental Management System (EMS), i.e., ISO 14001 helps to build corporate reputation, legitimacy and can also be considered as firms’ strategic response to institutional pressure to reduce the impact of business activity on natural environment. The financial outcomes of certifying with ISO 14001 are still unclear and equivocal. Drawing on institutional and market learning theories, the impact of ISO 14001 on firms’ market performance is examined for Chinese firms. By employing rigorous event study approach, this paper compared ISO 14001 certified firms with non-certified counterpart firms based on different matching criteria that include size, return on assets and industry. The results indicate that the ISO 14001 has been negatively signed by the investors both in the short and long-run. This paper suggested implications for policy makers, managers, and other nonprofit organizations.

Keywords: ISO 14001, legitimacy, institutional forces, event study approach, emerging markets

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Authors: Zhao Pengcheng, Yin Siyuan

Abstract:

Fintech is the new hot topic of the 21st century, a discipline that combines financial theory with computer modelling. It can provide both digital analysis methods for investment banks and investment decisions for users. Given the variety of services available, it is necessary to provide a superior method of requirements elicitation to ensure that users' needs are addressed in the software development process. The accuracy of traditional software requirements elicitation methods is not sufficient, so this study attempts to use a multi-perspective based requirements heuristic framework. Methods such as interview and questionnaire combination, card sorting, and model driven are proposed. The collection results from PCA show that the new methods can better help with requirements elicitation. However, the method has some limitations and, there are some efficiency issues. However, the research in this paper provides a good theoretical extension that can provide researchers with some new research methods and perspectives viewpoints.

Keywords: requirement elicitation, FinTech, mobile application, survey, interview, model-driven

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Authors: Farah Lazzali, Yamina Ait Meziane

Abstract:

Recent earthquakes in Algeria have demonstrated the need for seismic risk reduction. In fact, the latest major earthquake that affected the Algiers-Boumerdes region in 2003 caused excessive levels of loss of life and property. Economic, social and environmental damage were also experienced. During the three days following the event, a relatively weak coordination of public authority was noted. Many localities did not receive any relief due to lack of information from concerned authorities and delay in connecting damaged roads. Following this event, Algerian government and civil society has recognized the urgent need for an appropriate and immediate seismic risk mitigation strategy. This paper describes procedures for emergency response following past earthquakes in Algeria and provides a brief review of risk mitigation activities since 1980. The paper also aims to provide measures to reduce earthquake risk through general strategy and practical implementation of the mitigation actions.

Keywords: earthquake, hazard, prevention, strategy, risk reduction

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Authors: Osama Terra, Hatem Hussein

Abstract:

Calibration of Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) is crucial for the accurate determination of loss budget for long optical fiber links. In this paper, the calibration of the attenuation scale of an OTDR using two different techniques is discussed and implemented. The first technique is the external modulation method (EM). A setup is proposed to calibrate an OTDR over a dynamic range of around 15 dB based on the EM method. Afterwards, the OTDR is calibrated using two standard reference fibers (SRF). Both SRF are calibrated using cut-back technique; one of them is calibrated at our home institute (the National Institute of Standards – NIS) while the other at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) of the United Kingdom to confirm our results. In addition, the parameters contributing the calibration uncertainty are thoroughly investigated. Although the EM method has several advantages over the SRF method, the uncertainties in the SRF method is found to surpass that of the EM method.

Keywords: optical time domain reflectometer, fiber attenuation measurement, OTDR calibration, external source method

Procedia PDF Downloads 458