Search results for: quality properties

Authors: C. S. Paglia, E. Pesenti, A. Krattiger

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Commercially available methacrylate and acrylamide-based acrylic resins for injection in concrete systems have been tested with respect to the sealing performance and the rebar corrosion. Among the different resins, a methacrylate-based type of acrylic resin significantly inhibited the rebar corrosion. This was mainly caused by the relatively high pH of the resin and the resin aqueous solution. This resin also exhibited a relatively high sealing performance, in particular after exposing the resin to durability tests. The corrosion inhibition behaviour and the sealing properties after the exposition to durability tests were maintained up to one year. The other resins either promoted the corrosion of the rebar and/or exhibited relatively low sealing properties.

Keywords: acrylic resin, sealing performance, rebar corrosion, materials

Procedia PDF Downloads 110

Authors: Moustafa M. S. Sanad

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The worsening of energy supply crisis and the exacerbation of climate change by environmental pollution problems have become the greatest threat to human life. One of the ways to confront these problems is to rely on renewable energy and its storage systems. Nowadays, huge attention has been directed to the development of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as efficient tools for storing the clean energy produced by green sources like solar and wind energies. Accordingly, the demand for powerful electrode materials with excellent electrochemical characteristics has been progressively increased to meet fast and continuous growth in the market of energy storage systems. Therefore, the electronic and electrical properties of conversion anode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can be enhanced by introducing lattice defects and oxygen vacancies in the crystal structure. In this regard, the intended presentation will demonstrate new insights and effective ways for enhancing the electrical conductivity and improving the electrochemical performance of different anode materials such as MgFe₂O₄, CdFe₂O₄, Fe₃O₄, LiNbO₃ and Nb₂O₅. The changes in the physicochemical and morphological properties have been deeply investigated via structural and spectroscopic analyses (e.g., XRD, FESEM, HRTEM, and XPS). Moreover, the enhancement in the electrochemical properties of these anode materials will be discussed through Galvanostatic Cycling (GC), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) techniques.

Keywords: structure modification, cationic substitution, non-stoichiometric synthesis, plasma treatment, lithium-ion batteries

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Authors: Sonia Kudlacik-Kramarczyk, Anna Drabczyk, Dagmara Malina, Bozena Tyliszczak, Agnieszka Sobczak-Kupiec

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Introduction: In the preparation of polymer materials, compounds of natural origin are currently gaining more and more interest. This is particularly noticeable in the case of synthesis of materials considered for biomedical use. Then, selected material has to meet many requirements. It should be characterized by non-toxicity, biodegradability and biocompatibility. Therefore special attention is directed to substances such as polysaccharides, proteins or substances that are the basic building components of proteins, i.e. amino acids. These compounds may be crosslinked with other reagents that leads to the preparation of polymer matrices. Such amino acids as e.g. cysteine or histidine. On the other hand, previously mentioned requirements may be met by polymers obtained as a result of biosynthesis, e.g. polyhydroxybutyrate. This polymer belongs to the group of aliphatic polyesters that is synthesized by microorganisms (selected strain of bacteria) under specific conditions. It is possible to modify matrices based on given polymer with substances of various origin. Such a modification may result in the change of their properties or/and in providing the material with new features desirable in viewpoint of specific application. Described materials are synthesized using UV radiation. Process of photopolymerization is fast, waste-free and enables to obtain final products with favorable properties. Methodology: Polymer matrices have been prepared by means of photopolymerization. First step involved the preparation of solutions of particular reagents and mixing them in the appropriate ratio. Next, crosslinking agent and photoinitiator have been added to the reaction mixture and the whole was poured into the Petri dish and treated with UV radiation. After the synthesis, polymer samples were dried at room temperature and subjected to the numerous analyses aimed at the determining their physicochemical properties. Firstly, sorption properties of obtained polymer matrices have been determined. Next, mechanical properties have been characterized, i.e. tensile strength. The ability to deformation under applied stress of all prepared polymer matrices has been checked. Such a property is important in viewpoint of the application of analyzed materials e.g. as wound dressings. Wound dressings have to be elastic because depending on the location of the wound and its mobility, such a dressing has to adhere properly to the wound. Furthermore, considering the use of the materials for biomedical purposes it is essential to determine its behavior in environments simulating these ones occurring in human body. Therefore incubation studies using selected liquids have also been conducted. Conclusions: As a result of photopolymerization process, polymer matrices based on natural compounds have been prepared. These exhibited favorable mechanical properties and swelling ability. Moreover, biocompatibility in relation to simulated body fluids has been stated. Therefore it can be concluded that analyzed polymer matrices constitute an interesting materials that may be considered for biomedical use and may be subjected to the further more advanced analyses using specific cell lines.

Keywords: photopolymerization, polymer matrices, simulated body fluids, swelling properties

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Authors: Karel Frana, Sylvio Simon

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The objective of the paper is a numerical study of heat transfer between perforated metal plates and the surrounding air flows. Different perforation structures can nowadays be found in various industrial products. Besides improving the mechanical properties, the perforations can intensify the heat transfer as well. The heat transfer coefficient depends on a wide range of parameters such as type of perforation, size, shape, flow properties of the surrounding air etc. The paper was focused on three different perforation structures which have been investigated from the point of the view of the production in the previous studies. To determine the heat coefficients and the Nusselt numbers, the numerical simulation approach was adopted. The calculations were performed using the OpenFOAM software. The three-dimensional, unstable, turbulent and incompressible air flow around the perforated surface metal plate was considered.

Keywords: perforations, convective heat transfers, turbulent flows, numerical simulations

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Authors: Junkal Gutierrez, Hernane S. Barud, Sidney J. L. Ribeiro, Agnieszka Tercjak

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Nowadays the interest on green nanocomposites and on the development of more environmental friendly products has been increased. Bacterial cellulose has been recently investigated as an attractive environmentally friendly material for the preparation of low-cost nanocomposites. The formation of cellulose by laboratory bacterial cultures is an interesting and attractive biomimetic access to obtain pure cellulose with excellent properties. Additionally, properties as molar mass, molar mass distribution, and the supramolecular structure could be control using different bacterial strain, culture mediums and conditions, including the incorporation of different additives. This kind of cellulose is a natural nanomaterial, and therefore, it has a high surface-to-volume ratio which is highly advantageous in composites production. Such property combined with good biocompatibility, high tensile strength, and high crystallinity makes bacterial cellulose a potential material for applications in different fields. The aim of this investigation work was the fabrication of novel hybrid inorganic-organic composites based on bacterial cellulose, cultivated in our laboratory, as a template. This kind of biohybrid nanocomposites gathers together excellent properties of bacterial cellulose with the ones displayed by typical inorganic nanoparticles like optical, magnetic and electrical properties, luminescence, ionic conductivity and selectivity, as well as chemical or biochemical activity. In addition, the functionalization of cellulose with inorganic materials opens new pathways for the fabrication of novel multifunctional hybrid materials with promising properties for a wide range of applications namely electronic paper, flexible displays, solar cells, sensors, among others. In this work, different pathways for fabrication of multifunctional biohybrid nanopapers with tunable properties based on BC modified with amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide-b-ethylene oxide) (EPE) block copolymer, sol-gel synthesized nanoparticles (titanium, vanadium and a mixture of both oxides) and functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles will be presented. In situ (biosynthesized) and ex situ (at post-production level) approaches were successfully used to modify BC membranes. Bacterial cellulose based biocomposites modified with different EPE block copolymer contents were developed by in situ technique. Thus, BC growth conditions were manipulated to fabricate EPE/BC nanocomposite during the biosynthesis. Additionally, hybrid inorganic/organic nanocomposites based on BC membranes and inorganic nanoparticles were designed via ex-situ method, by immersion of never-dried BC membranes into different nanoparticle solutions. On the one hand, sol-gel synthesized nanoparticles (titanium, vanadium and a mixture of both oxides) and on the other hand superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION), Fe2O3-PEO solution. The morphology of designed novel bionanocomposites hybrid materials was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In order to characterized obtained materials from the point of view of future applications different techniques were employed. On the one hand, optical properties were analyzed by UV-vis spectroscopy and spectrofluorimetry and on the other hand electrical properties were studied at nano and macroscale using electric force microscopy (EFM), tunneling atomic force microscopy (TUNA) and Keithley semiconductor analyzer, respectively. Magnetic properties were measured by means of magnetic force microscopy (MFM). Additionally, mechanical properties were also analyzed.

Keywords: bacterial cellulose, block copolymer, advanced characterization techniques, nanoparticles

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Authors: Rudi P. Nielsen, Karina H. Hansen, Morten E. Simonsen

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To improve the possibility of the chemical recycling of mixed plastic waste, such as municipal plastic waste, work has been conducted to gain an understanding of the effect of typical polymers from waste (PP, PET, and PA) on the quality of the pyrolysis oil produced. Plastic fractions were pyrolyzed in a lab-scale reactor system, with mixture compositions of up to 15 wt.% PET and five wt.% PA in a PP matrix and processing conditions from 400 to 450°C. The experiments were conducted as a full factorial design and in duplicates to provide reliable results and the possibility to determine any interactions between the parameters. The products were analyzed using FT-IR and GC-MS for compositional information as well as the determination of calorific value, ash content, acid number, density, viscosity, and elemental analysis to provide further data on the fuel quality of the pyrolysis oil. Oil yield was found to be between 61 and 84 wt.%, while char yield was below 2.6 wt.% in all cases. The calorific value of the produced oil was between 32 and 46 MJ/kg, averaging at approx. 41 MJ/kg, thus close to that of heavy fuel oil. The oil product was characterized to contain aliphatic and cyclic hydrocarbons, alcohols, and ethers with chain lengths between 10 and 25 carbon atoms. Overall, it was found that the addition of PET decreased oil yield, while the addition of both PA and PET decreased oil quality in general by increasing acid number (PET), decreasing calorific value (PA), and increasing nitrogen content (PA). Furthermore, it was identified that temperature increased ammonia production from PA during pyrolysis, while ammonia production was decreased by the addition of PET.

Keywords: PET, plastic waste, polyamide, polypropylene, pyrolysis

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Authors: Anis Eloud, Mohamed Ben Amor

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Tunisia is a semi-arid country on ¾ of its territory. It is characterized by the scarcity of water resources and accentuated by climate variability. The potential water resources are estimated at 4.6 million m3 / year, of which 2.7 million m3 / year represent surface water and 1.9 million m3 / year feed all the layers that make up the renewable groundwater resources. Water available in Tunisia easily exceed health or agricultural salinity standards. Barely 50% of water resources are less than 1.5 g / l divided at 72% of surface water salinity, 20% of deep groundwater and only 8% in groundwater levels. Southern Tunisia has the largest web "of water in the country, these waters are characterized by a relatively high salinity may exceed 4 gl-1. This is the "root of many problems encountered during their operation. In the region of Djérid, Albian wells are numerous. These wells debit a geothermal water with an average flow of 390 L / s. This water is characterized by a relatively high salinity and temperature of which is around 65 ° C at the source. Which promotes the formation of limescale deposits within the water supply pipe and the cooling loss thereby increasing the load in direct relation with enormous expense and circuits to replace these lines when completely plugged. The present work is a study of geothermal water quality of the region Djérid from physico-chemical analyzes.

Keywords: water quality, salinity, geothermal, supply pipe

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Authors: Alvine Sandrine Ndinchout, D. P. Chattopadhyay, Moundipa Fewou Paul, Nyegue Maximilienne Ascension, Varinder Kaur, Sukhraj Kaur, B. H. Patel

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Dacryodes macrophylla is a species of the Burseraceae family that is widespread in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. The only part of D. macrophylla known to use is the pulp contained in the fruit. This very juicy pulp is consumed directly and used in making juices. During consumption, these fruit leaves a dark blackish colour on fingers and garment. This observation means that D. macrophylla fruits must be a good source of natural dye with probably good fastness properties on textile materials. But D. macrophylla has not yet been investigated with reference as a potential source of natural dye to our best knowledge. Natural dye has been extracted using water as solvent by soxhlet extraction method. The extracted color was characterized by spectroscopic studies like UV/Visible and further tested for antimicrobial activity against gram-negative (Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi, Shigella flexneri) and gram-positive (Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. It was observed that the water extract of D. macrophylla showed antimicrobial activities against S. enterica. The results of fastness properties of the dyed fabrics were fair to good. Taken together, these results indicate that D. macrophylla can be used as natural dye not only in textile but also in other domains like food coloring.

Keywords: antimicrobial activity, natural dye, silk, wash fastness, wool

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Authors: Olawole Emmanuel Aina, Liziwe Lizbeth Mugivhisa, Joshua Oluwole Olowoyo, Chikwela Lawrence Obi

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In sustained and consistent efforts to improve food security, numerous and different methods are proposed and used in the production of food crops, and farm produce to meet the demands of consumers. However, unregulated and indiscriminate methods of production present another problem that may expose consumers of these food crops to potential health risks. Therefore, it is imperative that a thorough assessment of farm produce is carried out due to the growing trend of health-conscious consumers preference for minimally processed or raw farm produce. This study evaluated the safety and nutritional quality of food crops. The objectives were to compare the nutritional quality of organic and inorganic farm produce in one hand and, on the other, evaluate the safety of farm produce with respect to trace metal and pathogenic contamination. We conducted a broad systematic search of peer-reviewed published literatures from databases and search engines such as science direct, web-of-science, Google scholar, and Scopus. This study concluded that there is no conclusive evidence to support the notion of nutritional superiority of organic food crops over their inorganic counterparts and there are documented reports of pathogenic and metal contaminations of food crops.

Keywords: food crops, fruits and vegetables, pathogens, nutrition, trace metals

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Authors: Qiong Rao, Xiongqi Peng

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In this work, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and graphene nanoplates (GNPs) were dispersed into epoxy adhesive to investigate their synergy effects on the shear properties, mode I and mode II fracture toughness of unidirectional composite bonded joints. Testing results showed that the incorporation of MWCNTs and GNPs significantly improved the shear strength, the mode I and mode II fracture toughness by 36.6%, 45% and 286%, respectively. In addition, the fracture surfaces of the bonding area as well as the toughening mechanism of nanofillers were analyzed. Finally, a nonlinear cohesive/friction coupled model for delamination analysis of adhesive layer under shear and normal compression loadings was proposed and implemented in ABAQUS/Explicit via user subroutine VUMAT.

Keywords: nanofillers, adhesive joints, fracture toughness, cohesive zone model

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Authors: Peter J. H. Carnell, Panayiotis Theophanous

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Natural gas due to its cleaner combustion characteristics is expected to be the most widely used fuel in the move towards less polluting and renewable energy sources. Thus, the developed world is supplied by a complex network of gas pipelines and natural gas is becoming a major source of fuel. Natural gas delivered directly from the well will differ in composition from gas derived from LNG or produced by anaerobic digestion processes. Each will also have specific contaminants and properties although gas from all sources is likely to enter the distribution system and be blended to provide the desired characteristics such as Higher Heating Value and Wobbe No. The absence of a standard gas composition poses problems when the gas is used as a chemical feedstock, in specialised furnaces or on gas turbines. The chemical industry has suffered in the past as a result of variable gas composition. Transition metal catalysts used in ammonia, methanol and hydrogen plants were easily poisoned by sulphur, chlorides and mercury reducing both activity and catalyst expected lives from years to months. These plants now concentrate on purification and conditioning of the natural gas feed using fixed bed technologies, allowing them to run for several years and having transformed their operations. Similar technologies can be applied to the power industry reducing maintenance requirements and extending the operating life of gas turbines.

Keywords: gas composition, gas conditioning, gas turbines, power generation, purification

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Authors: Fikile Xaki, Zendy Magayiyana

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The increasing population and urbanization, with the demand for land and development, has had adverse impacts on wetland areas which has resulted in changing the hydrology and water chemistry of wetlands, affecting the water supply and water quality in urban areas like the Highland View, a residential area in Mbizana, South Africa. The settlement development in Highland View has led to wetland degradation due to land uses like agriculture and conversion of wetland for settlement development. Interviews with the local community were conducted to show how settlement development on wetland affects them. The results indicated that the environmental rights of people as according to Section 24 of the South African Constitution are compromised, and sustainable development was not put into consideration during development. With the results from the survey - through questionnaires for the Mbizana Local Municipality and the community, it was clear that the community needs education and capacity building on wetland management and conservation. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used to map physical properties of the Highland View wetland and houses built on the wetland. With all the information gathered from the research, it was clear that local municipality, together with hydrologists, needs to develop an environmental management framework to protect the wetlands.

Keywords: sustainable development, wetlands, human settlement, water

Procedia PDF Downloads 319

Authors: Anita Paddy, Millicent Obodai, Lebbaeus Asamani

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The management of sickle cell disease requires a multidisciplinary team for better outcomes. Thus, literature on the application of the biopsychosocial model for the management and explanation of chronic pain in sickle cell disease (SCD) and other chronic diseases abound. However, there is limited research on the use of the biopsychosocial model, together with a spiritual component (biopsychosocial-spiritual model). The study investigated the extent to which healthcare providers utilized the biopsychosocial-spiritual model in the management of chronic pain to improve the quality of life (QoL) of patients with SCD. This study employed the descriptive survey design involving a consecutive sampling of 261 patients with SCD who were between the ages of 18 to 79 years and were accessing hematological services at the Clinical Genetics Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. These patients willingly consented to participate in the study by appending their signatures. The theory of integrated quality of life, the gate control theory of pain and the biopsychosocial(spiritual) model were tested. An instrument for the biopsychosocial-spiritual model was developed, with a basis from the literature reviewed, while the World Health Organisation Quality of Life BREF (WHOQoLBref) and the spirituality rating scale were adapted and used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages) and partial least square structural equation modeling. The study revealed that healthcare providers had a great leaning toward the biological domain of the model compared to the other domains. Hence, participants’ QoL was not fully improved as suggested by the biopsychosocial(spiritual) model. Again, the QoL and spirituality of patients with SCD were quite high. A significant negative impact of spirituality on QoL was also found. Finally, the biosocial domain of the biopsychosocial-spiritual model was the most significant predictor of QoL. It was recommended that policymakers train healthcare providers to integrate the psychosocial-spiritual component in health services. Also, education on SCD and its resultant impact from the domains of the model should be intensified while health practitioners consider utilizing these components fully in the management of the condition.

Keywords: biopsychosocial (spritual), sickle cell disease, quality of life, healthcare, accra

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Authors: Khattab E. A., Gehan A. Amin

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The aim of the experiment was to investigate yield and yield components under effect of three different tillage systems and three faba bean varieties on clay-loamy soils. The experiment was conducted as split plot design having tillage systems in main plot and varieties in subplot. A field trial was conducted during the winter seasons of 2021-2022 and 2022-2-23, respectively in private of the agricultural lands of Shobra Beddin village, which belongs to Mansoura District of Dakahlia Province 31°, (04457)- N latitude and 31°4757- E longitude. The soil was prepared. The Seeds covered with a thin layer of soil, sown and watered. Three weeks later, the developed plants were thinned. Finally, the plants collected after 110 days of growth. Growth, yield and chemical contents determined. The results showed that the highest yield in the traditional tillage system corresponds to the superior to other tillage systems. In addition, In the variety comparison, the Sakha 1 variety was characterized by the highest yield as well as the highest values of plant growth properties among the three varieties. Conclusion: The traditional tillage system is increase grain yield of variety Sakha 1 compared with other varieties.

Keywords: yield, tillage system, varieties, faba bean

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Authors: Muhammet Baldan, Emel Timuçin

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Generally, absorption and bioavailability increase if solubility increases; therefore, it is crucial to predict them in drug discovery applications. Molecular descriptors and Molecular properties are traditionally used for the prediction of water solubility. There are various key descriptors that are used for this purpose, namely Drogan Descriptors, Morgan Descriptors, Maccs keys, etc., and each has different prediction capabilities with differentiating successes between different data sets. Another source for the prediction of solubility is structural features; they are commonly used for the prediction of solubility. However, there are little to no studies that combine three or more properties or descriptors for prediction to produce a more powerful prediction model. Unlike available models, we used a combination of those features in a random forest machine learning model for improved solubility prediction to better predict and, therefore, contribute to drug discovery systems.

Keywords: solubility, random forest, molecular descriptors, maccs keys

Procedia PDF Downloads 23

Authors: Olokor O. Julius, Ngwu E. Onyebuchi, Ajani K. Emmanuel, Omitoyin O. Bamidele, Olokor O. Linda, Akomas Stella

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The study assessed the quality changes of Clarias gariepenus obtained from integrated culture systems (rice, poultry and fish) which were displayed at 31-33oC average daily temperature on the traditional market table used by local fish farmers to sell fish harvested from their ponds and those on an improved table designed for this study. Unlike the conventional table, the improved table was screened against flies and indiscriminate touch by customers. The fishes were displayed on both tables for 9 hours and quality attributes were monitored hourly by trained panelists. For C. gariepinus, the gills, and intestine recorded faster deterioration starting from the fourth and fifth hours while those on the improved table were prolonged by one hour. Scores for skin brightness and texture did not indicate quality deterioration throughout the display period. However, at the end of the storage time, samples on the improved table recorded 1.5 x 104 cfu/g while samples in unscreened table recorded 3.7 x 10 7 cfu/g. The study shows how simple modifications of a traditional practice can help extend keeping qualities of farmed fish, reduce health hazards in local communities where there is no electricity to preserve fish in whatever form despite a boom in aquaculture. Monai community has a fish farm estate of over 200 small holder farmers with annual output capacity of over $10 million dollars. The simple improvement made to farmers practice in this study is to ensure Community hygiene and boost income of peasant fish farmers by improving the market quality of their products.

Keywords: fish spoilage, improved handling, income generation, retail table

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Authors: Johnson Opoku-Asante, Emmanuel Bobobee, Joseph Akowuah, Eric Amoah Asante

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In recent years, the issue of postharvest losses has become a serious concern in Sub-Saharan Africa. Postharvest technology development and adaptation need urgent attention, particularly for small and medium-scale rice farmers in Africa. However, to better develop any postharvest technology, knowledge of the mechanical properties of different varieties of paddy rice is vital. There is also the issue of the development of new rice cultivars. The objectives of this research are to (1) determine the mechanical properties of the selected paddy rice varieties at varying moisture content. (2) conduct a comparative analysis of the mechanical properties of selected rice paddy for different variety-moisture content interactions. (3) determine the significant statistical differences between the mean values of the various variety-moisture content interactions The mechanical properties of AGRA rice, CRI-Amankwatia, CRI-Enapa and CRI-Dartey, four local varieties developed by Crop Research Institute of Ghana are compared at 11.5%, 13.0% and 16.5% dry basis moisture content. The mechanical properties measured are Sphericity, Aspect ratio, Grain mass, 1000 Grain mass, Bulk Density, True Density, Porosity and Angle of Repose. Samples were collected from the Kwadaso Agric College of the CRI in Kumasi. The samples were threshed manually and winnowed before conducting the experiment. The moisture content was determined on a dry basis using the Moistex Screw-Type Digital Grain Moisture Meter. Other equipment used for data collection were venire calipers and Citizen electronic scale. A 4×3 factorial arrangement was used in a completely randomized design in three replications. Tukey's HSD comparisons test was conducted during data analysis to compare all possible pairwise combinations of the various varieties’ moisture content interaction. From the results, it was concluded that Sphericity recorded 0.391 mm³ to 0.377 mm³ for CRI-Dartey at 16.5% and CRI-Enapa at 13.5%, respectively, whereas Aspect Ratio recorded 0.298 mm³ to 0.269 mm³ for CRI-Dartey at 16.5% and CRI-Enapa at 13.5% respectively. For grain mass, AGRA rice at 13.0% also recorded 0.0312 g as the highest score and CRI-Enapa at 13.0% obtained 0.0237 as the lowest score. For the GM1000, it was observed that it ranges from 29.33 g for CRI-Amankwatia at 16.5% moisture content to 22.54 g for CRI-Enapa at 16.5% interactions. Bulk Density ranged from 654.0 kg/m³ to 422.9 kg/m³ for CRI-Amankwatia at 16.5% and CRI-Enapa at 11.5% as the highest and lowest recordings, respectively. It was also observed that the true Density ranges from 1685.8 kg/m3 for AGRA rice at 13.0% moisture content to 1352.5 kg/m³ for CRI-Enapa at 16.5% interactions. In the case of porosity, CRI-Enapa at 11.5% received the highest score of 70.83% and CRI-Amankwatia at 16.5 received the lowest score of 55.88%. Finally, in the case of Angle of Repose, CRI-Amankwatia at 16.5% recorded the highest score of 47.3o and CRI-Enapa at 11.5% recorded the least score of 34.27o. In all cases, the difference in mean value was less than the LSD. This indicates that there were no significant statistical differences between their mean values, indicating that technologies developed and adapted for one variety can equally be used for all the other varieties.

Keywords: angle of repose, aspect ratio, bulk density, porosity, sphericity, mechanical properties

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Authors: Merve Ozer, Tolga Gokkurt, Yasemen Gokkurt, Ezgi Bozbey

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In this study, we investigated the recovery of Polyethylene terephthalate/Polypropylene (PET/PP)-containing automotive textile waste from post-product and post-consumer phases in the automotive sector according to the upcycling technique and the methods of formulation and production that would allow these wastes to be substituted as PP/PET alloys instead of original PP raw materials used in plastic edge band production. The laminated structure of the stated wastes makes it impossible to separate the incompatible PP and PET phases in content and thus produce a quality raw material or product as a result of recycling. Within the scope of a two-stage production process, a comprehensive process was examined using block copolymers and maleic grafted copolymers with different features to ensure that these two incompatible phases are compatible. The mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of the plastic raw materials, which will be referred to as PP/PET blends obtained as a result of the process, were examined in detail and discussed their substitutability instead of the original raw materials.

Keywords: mechanical recycling, melt blending, plastic blends, polyethylene, polypropylene, recycling of plastics, terephthalate, twin screw extruders

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Authors: Yoshinori Kitsutaka, Kusumi Shingo, Matsuzawa Koichi, Kunieda Yoichiro, Yagisawa Yasuei

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In this study, the pull-out properties of various mechanical anchor bolts embedded in concrete were investigated. Five kinds of mechanical anchor bolts were selected which were ordinarily used for concrete anchoring. Tensile tests for mechanical anchor bolts embedded in φ300mm x 100mm size concrete were conducted to measure the load - load displacement curves. The loading conditions were a monotonous loading and a repeating loading. The fracture energy for each mechanical anchor bolts was estimated by the analysis of consumed energy calculated by the load - load displacement curve. The effect of the types of mechanical anchor bolts on the pull-out properties of concrete subjected in monotonous loading and a repeating loading was cleared.

Keywords: concrete, cyclic loading, mechanical anchor bolt, pull-out strength

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Authors: R. S. Yadav, J. Havlica, I. Kuřitka, Z. Kozakova, J. Masilko, M. Hajdúchová, V. Enev, J. Wasserbauer

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In this present work, CoFe2-xNdxO4 (0.0 ≤ x ≥0.1) spinel ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized by starch-assisted sol-gel auto-combustion method. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns were revealed the formation of cubic spinel ferrite with the signature of NdFeO3 phase at higher Nd3+ concentration. The field emission scanning electron microscopy study demonstrated the spherical nanoparticle in the size range between 5-15 nm. Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared spectra supported the formation of the spinel ferrite structure in the nanocrystalline form. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the presence of Co2+ and Fe3+ at octahedral as well as a tetrahedral site in CoFe2-xNdxO4 nanoparticles. The change in magnetic properties with a variation of concentration of Nd3+ ions in cobalt ferrite nanoparticles was observed.

Keywords: nanoparticles, spinel ferrites, sol-gel auto-combustion method, CoFe2-xNdxO4

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Authors: Aziatul Niza Sadikin, Norasikin Othman, Mohd Ghazali Mohd Nawawi, Umi Aisah Asli, Roshafima Rasit Ali, Rafiziana Md Kasmani

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Non-woven fibrous filter media from empty fruit bunches were fabricated by using chitosan as a binder. Chitosan powder was dissolved in a 1 wt% aqueous acetic acid and 1 wt% to 4 wt% of chitosan solutions was prepared. Chitosan-filled empty fruit bunches filter media have been prepared via wet-layup method. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed to study various thermal properties of the fibrous filter media. It was found that the fibrous filter media have undergone several decomposition stages over a range of temperatures as revealed by TGA thermo-grams, where the temperature for 10% weight loss for chitosan-filled EFB filter media and binder-less filter media was at 150oC and 300oC, Respectively.

Keywords: empty fruit bunches, chitosan, filter media, thermal property

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Authors: Betim Bahtiri, B. Arash, R. Rolfes

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Epoxy-based materials are frequently exposed to high-humidity environments in many engineering applications. As a result, their material properties would be degraded by water absorption. A full characterization of the material properties under hygrothermal conditions requires time- and cost-consuming experimental tests. To gain insights into the physics of diffusion mechanisms, atomistic simulations have been shown to be effective tools. Concerning the diffusion of water in polymers, spatial trajectories of water molecules are obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations allowing the interpretation of diffusion pathways at the nanoscale in a polymer network. Conventional MD simulations of water diffusion in amorphous polymers lead to discrepancies at low temperatures due to the short timescales of the simulations. In the proposed model, this issue is solved by using a combined scheme of autonomous basin climbing (ABC) with kinetic Monte Carlo and reactive MD simulations to investigate the diffusivity of water molecules in epoxy resins across a wide range of temperatures. It is shown that the proposed simulation framework estimates kinetic properties of water diffusion in epoxy resins that are consistent with experimental observations and provide a predictive tool for investigating the diffusion of small molecules in other amorphous polymers.

Keywords: epoxy resins, water diffusion, autonomous basin climbing, kinetic Monte Carlo, reactive molecular dynamics

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Authors: Wiem Gadri

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This study delves into the intriguing properties of Pisot and Salem numbers within the framework of formal Laurent series over finite fields, a domain where these numbers’ spectral charac-teristics, Λm(β) and lm(β), have yet to be fully explored. Utilizing a methodological approach that combines algebraic number theory with the analysis of power series, we extend the foundational work of Erdos, Joo, and Komornik to this new setting. Our research uncovers bounds for lm(β), revealing how these depend on the degree of the minimal polynomial of β and thus offering a novel characterization of Pisot and Salem formal power series. The findings significantly contribute to our understanding of these numbers, highlighting their distribution and properties in the context of formal power series. This investigation not only bridges number theory with formal power series analysis but also sets the stage for further interdisciplinary research in these areas.

Keywords: Pisot numbers, Salem numbers, formal power series, over a finite field

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Authors: Ali Jahanfar, Brajesh Dubey, Bahram Gharabaghi, Saber Bayat Movahed

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Ever increasing population growth of major urban centers and environmental challenges in siting new landfills have resulted in a growing trend in design of mega-landfills some with extraordinary heights and dangerously steep slopes. Landfill failure mobility risk analysis is one of the most uncertain types of dynamic rheology models due to very large inherent variabilities in the heterogeneous solid waste material shear strength properties. The waste flow of three historic dumpsite and two landfill failures were back-analyzed using run-out modeling with DAN-W model. The travel distances of the waste flow during landfill failures were calculated approach by taking into account variability in material shear strength properties. The probability distribution function for shear strength properties of the waste material were grouped into four major classed based on waste material compaction (landfills versus dumpsites) and composition (high versus low quantity) of high shear strength waste materials such as wood, metal, plastic, paper and cardboard in the waste. This paper presents a probabilistic method for estimation of the spatial extent of waste avalanches, after a potential landfill failure, to create maps of vulnerability scores to inform property owners and residents of the level of the risk.

Keywords: landfill failure, waste flow, Voellmy rheology, friction coefficient, waste compaction and type

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Authors: Alime Cengiz, Talip Kahyaoglu

Abstract:

Roasting process has the major importance to obtain desired aromatic taste of nuts. In this study, two kinds of roasting process were applied to hulled sesame seeds - vacuum oven and hot air roasting. Efficiency of Gene Expression Programming (GEP), a new soft computing technique of evolutionary algorithm that describes the cause and effect relationships in the data modelling system, and response surface methodology (RSM) were examined in the modelling of roasting processes over a range of temperature (120-180°C) for various times (30-60 min). Color attributes (L*, a*, b*, Browning Index (BI)), textural properties (hardness and fracturability) and moisture content were evaluated and modelled by RSM and GEP. The GEP-based formulations and RSM approach were compared with experimental results and evaluated according to correlation coefficients. The results showed that both GEP and RSM were found to be able to adequately learn the relation between roasting conditions and physical and textural parameters of roasted seeds. However, GEP had better prediction performance than the RSM with the high correlation coefficients (R2 >0.92) for the all quality parameters. This result indicates that the soft computing techniques have better capability for describing the physical changes occuring in sesame seeds during roasting process.

Keywords: genetic expression programming, response surface methodology, roasting, sesame seed

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Authors: Gurjinder Singh, Ankur Gill, Amardeep Singh Kang

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In the present work an effort has been made to study the influence of the welding parameters on tensile strength of friction stir welding of aluminum. Three process parameters tool rotation speed, welding speed, and shoulder diameter were selected for the study. Two level factorial design of eight runs was selected for conducting the experiments. The mathematical model was developed from the data obtained. The significance of coefficients and adequacy of developed models were tested by ‘t’ test and ‘F’ test respectively. The effects of process parameters on mechanical properties have been represented in the form of graphs for better understanding.

Keywords: friction stir welding, aluminium alloy, mathematical model, welding speed

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Authors: Benchalak Muangmeesri

Abstract:

Glazes ceramics are ceramic materials produced through controlled crystallization of a parent glass. The great variety of compositions and the possibility of developing special micro structures with specific technological properties have allowed glass ceramic materials to be used in a wide range of applications. At the same time, glazes ceramics need to improvement in the mechanical and chemical properties of glazed. The pick and place station is equipped with a three-axis module. test piece housings placed on the vacuum are detected module picks up a test piece insert from the slide and places it on the test piece housing. Overall, glazes ceramics are compared with automatically and manually of speed and position control. The handling modules of automatic transfer are a new generation of high speed and precision then these color results from absorption and thickness than manual is also included.

Keywords: glaze, PID control, pick and place, ceramic

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Authors: Kei Okubo, Yosuke Kurihara, Takashi Kaburagi, Kajiro Watanabe

Abstract:

Many of the ever-growing elderly population require exercise, such as running, for health management. One important element of a runner’s training is the choice of shoes for exercise; shoes are important because they provide the interface between the feet and road. When we purchase shoes, we may instinctively choose a pair after trying on many different pairs of shoes. Selecting the shoes instinctively may work, but it does not guarantee a suitable fit for running activities. Therefore, if we could select suitable shoes for each runner from the viewpoint of brain activities, it would be helpful for validating shoe selection. In this paper, we describe how brain activities show different characteristics during particular task, corresponding to different properties of shoes. Using five subjects, we performed a verification experiment, applying weight, softness, and flexibility as shoe properties. In order to affect the shoe property’s differences to the brain, subjects run for ten min. Before and after running, subjects conducted a paced auditory serial addition task (PASAT) as the particular task; and the subjects’ brain activities during the PASAT are evaluated based on oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin relative concentration changes, measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). When the brain works actively, oxihemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentration drastically changes; therefore, we calculate the maximum values of concentration changes. In order to normalize relative concentration changes after running, the maximum value are divided by before running maximum value as evaluation parameters. The classification of the groups of shoes is expressed on a self-organizing map (SOM). As a result, deoxyhemoglobin can make clusters for two of the three types of shoes.

Keywords: brain activities, NIRS, PASAT, running shoes

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Authors: Gizachew Assefa Tessema, Mohammad Afzal Mahmood, Judith Streak Gomersall, Caroline O. Laurence

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Introduction: Improving access to quality family planning services is the key to improving health of women and children. However, there is currently little evidence on the quality and scope of family planning services provided by private facilities, and this compares to the services provided in public facilities in Ethiopia. This is important, particularly in determining whether the government should further expand the roles of the private sector in the delivery of family planning facility. Methods: This study used the 2014 Ethiopian Services Provision Assessment Plus (ESPA+) survey dataset for comparing the structural aspects of quality of care in family planning services. The present analysis used a weighted sample of 1093 primary health care facilities (955 public and 138 private). This study employed logistic regression analysis to compare key structural variables between public and private facilities. While taking the structural variables as an outcome for comparison, the facility type (public vs private) were used as the key exposure of interest. Results: When comparing availability of basic amenities (infrastructure), public facilities were less likely to have functional cell phones (AOR=0.12; 95% CI: 0.07-0.21), and water supply (AOR=0.29; 95% CI: 0.15-0.58) than private facilities. However, public facilities were more likely to have staff available 24 hours in the facility (AOR=0.12; 95% CI: 0.07-0.21), providers having family planning related training in the past 24 months (AOR=4.4; 95% CI: 2.51, 7.64) and possessing guidelines/protocols (AOR= 3.1 95% CI: 1.87, 5.24) than private facilities. Moreover, comparing the availability of equipment, public facilities had higher odds of having pelvic model for IUD demonstration (AOR=2.60; 95% CI: 1.35, 5.01) and penile model for condom demonstration (AOR=2.51; 95% CI: 1.32, 4.78) than private facilities. Conclusion: The present study suggests that Ethiopian government needs to provide emphasis towards the private sector in terms of providing family planning guidelines and training on family planning services for their staff. It is also worthwhile for the public health facilities to allocate funding for improving the availability of basic amenities. Implications for policy and/ or practice: This study calls policy makers to design appropriate strategies in providing opportunities for training a health care providers working in private health facility.

Keywords: quality of care, family planning, public-private, Ethiopia

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Authors: Aftab Khan, Ashfaq Khan

Abstract:

The research paper focuses on an interesting challenge faced in Blind Image Deblurring (BID). It relates to the estimation of arbitrarily shaped or non-parametric Point Spread Functions (PSFs) of motion blur caused by camera handshake. These PSFs exhibit much more complex shapes than their parametric counterparts and deblurring in this case requires intricate ways to estimate the blur and effectively remove it. This research work introduces a novel blind deblurring scheme visualized for deblurring images corrupted by arbitrarily shaped PSFs. It is based on Genetic Algorithm (GA) and utilises the Blind/Reference-less Image Spatial QUality Evaluator (BRISQUE) measure as the fitness function for arbitrarily shaped PSF estimation. The proposed BID scheme has been compared with other single image motion deblurring schemes as benchmark. Validation has been carried out on various blurred images. Results of both benchmark and real images are presented. Non-reference image quality measures were used to quantify the deblurring results. For benchmark images, the proposed BID scheme using BRISQUE converges in close vicinity of the original blurring functions.

Keywords: blind deconvolution, blind image deblurring, genetic algorithm, image restoration, image quality measures

Procedia PDF Downloads 430