Search results for: surface potential

Authors: Pei-Hsing Huang, Wei-Ju Huang

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Investment casting is commonly used in the production of metallic components with complex shapes, due to its high dimensional precision, good surface finish, and low cost. However, the process is cumbersome, and the period between trial casting and final production can be very long, thereby limiting business opportunities and competitiveness. In this study, we replaced conventional wax injection with stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing to speed up the trial process and reduce costs. We also used silicone molds to further reduce costs to avoid the high costs imposed by photosensitive resin.

Keywords: investment casting, stereolithography, wax molding, 3D printing

Procedia PDF Downloads 410

Authors: Akram Khelaifia, Nesreddine Djafar Henni

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Reinforced concrete shear walls are essential components in protecting buildings from seismic forces by providing both strength and stiffness. This study focuses on optimizing the placement of shear walls in a high seismic zone. Through nonlinear analyses conducted on an eight-story building, various scenarios of shear wall positions are investigated to evaluate their impact on seismic performance. Employing a performance-based seismic design (PBSD) approach, the study aims to meet acceptance criteria related to inter-story drift ratio and damage levels. The findings emphasize the importance of concentrating shear walls in the central area of the building during the design phase. This strategic placement proves more effective compared to peripheral distributions, resulting in reduced inter-story drift and mitigated potential damage during seismic events. Additionally, the research explores the use of shear walls that completely infill the frame, forming compound shapes like Box configurations. It is discovered that incorporating such complete shear walls significantly enhances the structure's reliability concerning inter-story drift. Conversely, the absence of complete shear walls within the frame leads to reduced stiffness and the potential deterioration of short beams.

Keywords: performance level, pushover analysis, shear wall, plastic hinge, nonlinear analyses

Procedia PDF Downloads 57

Authors: Geetakshi Arora, Danish Malhotra

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Diabetic wounds are serious health issues and often fail to heal, leading to limb amputation that makes the life of the patient miserable. Delayed wound healing has been characterized by an increase in matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Thus research throughout the world has been going on to develop selective MMP-9 inhibitors for aiding diabetic wound healing. Bioactive constituents from natural sources always served as potential leads in drug development with high rates of success. Considering the need for novel selective MMP-9 inhibitors and the importance of natural bioactive compounds in drug development, we have screened a library of bioactive constituents from plant sources that were effective in diabetic wound healing on human MMP-9 (hMMP-9) using molecular docking studies. Screened constituents are ranked according to their dock score, ∆G value (binding affinity), and Ligand efficiency evaluated from FleXX docking and Hyde scoring modules available with drug designing platform LeadIT. Rhamnocitrin showed the highest correlation between dock score, ∆G value (binding affinity), and Ligand efficiency was further explored for binding interactions with hMMP-9. The overall study suggest that Rhamnocitrin is sufficiently decorated with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic substitutions that perfectly block hMMP-9 and act as a potential lead in the design and development of selective hMMP-9 inhibitors.

Keywords: MMP-9, diabetic wound, molecular docking, phytoconstituents

Procedia PDF Downloads 129

Authors: H. C. Woo, F. Bouanis, C. S. Cojocaur

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Graphene, which consists of a single layer of carbon atoms in a honeycomb lattice, is an interesting potential optoelectronic material because of graphene’s high carrier mobility, zero bandgap, and electron–hole symmetry. Graphene can absorb light and convert it into a photocurrent over a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from the ultraviolet to visible and infrared regimes. Over the last several years, a variety of graphene-based photodetectors have been reported, such as graphene transistors, graphene-semiconductor heterojunction photodetectors, graphene based bolometers. It is also reported that there are several physical mechanisms enabling photodetection: photovoltaic effect, photo-thermoelectric effect, bolometric effect, photogating effect, and so on. In this work, we report a simple approach for the realization of graphene based resistive photo-detection devices and the measurements of their photoelectrical response. The graphene were synthesized directly on the glass substrate by novel growth method patented in our lab. Then, the metal electrodes were deposited by thermal evaporation on it, with an electrode length and width of 1.5 mm and 300 μm respectively, using Co to fabricate simple graphene based resistive photosensor. The measurements show that the graphene resistive devices exhibit a photoresponse to the illumination of visible light. The observed re-sistance response was reproducible and similar after many cycles of on and off operations. This photoelectrical response may be attributed not only to the direct photocurrent process but also to the desorption of oxygen. Our work shows that the simple graphene resistive devices have potential in photodetection applications.

Keywords: graphene, resistive sensor, optoelectronics, photoresponse

Procedia PDF Downloads 289

Authors: M. Eckert, D. Mendes, J P. Gonçalves, C. Moço, M. Oliveira

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The intensive extraction of natural aggregates leads to both depletion of natural resources and unwanted environmental impacts. On the other hand, uncontrolled disposal of Construction and Demolition Wastes (C&DW) causes the lifetime reduction of landfills. It is known that the European Union produces, each year, about 850 million tons of C&DW. For all the member States of the European Union, one of the milestones to be reached by 2020, according to the Resource Efficiency Roadmap (COM (2011) 571) of the European Commission, is to recycle 70% of the C&DW. In this work, properties of different types of recycled C&DW aggregates and natural aggregates were compared. Assays were performed according to European Standards (EN 13285; EN 13242+A1; EN 12457-4; EN 12620; EN 13139) for the characterization of there: physical, mechanical and chemical properties. Not standardized tests such as water absorption over time, mass stability and post compaction sieve analysis were also carried out. The tested recycled C&DW aggregates were classified according to the requirements of the European Standards regarding there potential use in concrete, mortar, unbound layers of road pavements and embankments. The results of the physical and mechanical properties of recycled C&DW aggregates indicated, in general, lower quality properties when compared to natural aggregates, particularly, for concrete preparation and unbound layers of road pavements. The results of the chemical properties attested that the C&DW aggregates constitute no environmental risk. It was concluded that recycled aggregates produced from C&DW have the potential to be used in many applications.

Keywords: recycled aggregate, sustainability, aggregate properties, European Standard Classification

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Authors: Ewa Bednorz, Marek Polrolniczak, Bartosz Czernecki, Arkadiusz Marek Tomczyk

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This study is meant as a contribution to the research of the upwelling phenomenon, which is one of the most pronounced examples of the sea-atmosphere coupling. The aim is to confirm the atmospheric forcing of the sea waters circulation and sea surface temperature along the variously oriented Baltic Sea coasts and to find out macroscale and regional circulation patterns triggering upwelling along different sections of this relatively small and semi-closed sea basin. The mean daily sea surface temperature data from the summer seasons (June–August) of the years 1982–2017 made the basis for the detection of upwelling cases. For the atmospheric part of the analysis, monthly indices of the Northern Hemisphere macroscale circulation patterns were used. Besides, in order to identify the local direction of airflow, the daily zonal and meridional regional circulation indices were constructed and introduced to the analysis. Finally, daily regional circulation patterns over the Baltic Sea region were distinguished by applying the principal component analysis to the gridded mean daily sea level pressure data. Within the Baltic Sea, upwelling is the most frequent along the zonally oriented northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, southern coasts of Sweden, and along the middle part of the western Gulf of Bothnia coast. Among the macroscale circulation patterns, the Scandinavian type (SCAND), with a primary circulation center located over Scandinavia, has the strongest impact on the horizontal flow of surface sea waters in the Baltic Sea, which triggers upwelling. An anticyclone center over Scandinavia in the positive phase of SCAND enhances the eastern airflow, which increases upwelling frequency along southeastern Baltic coasts. It was proved in the study that the zonal circulation has a stronger impact on upwelling occurrence than the meridional one, and it could increase/decrease a chance of upwelling formation by more than 70% in some coastal sections. Positive and negative phases of six distinguished regional daily circulation patterns made 12 different synoptic situations which were analyzed in the terms of their influence on the upwelling formation. Each of them revealed some impact on the frequency of upwelling in some coastal section of the Baltic Sea; however, two kinds of synoptic situations seemed to have the strongest influence, namely, the first kind representing pressure patterns enhancing the zonal flow and the second kind representing synoptic patterns with a cyclone/anticyclone centers over southern Scandinavia. Upwelling occurrence appeared to be particularly strongly reliant on the atmospheric conditions in some specific coastal sections, namely: the Gulf of Finland, the south eastern Baltic coasts (Polish and Latvian-Lithuanian section), and the western part of the Gulf of Bothnia. Concluding, it can be stated that atmospheric conditions strongly control the occurrence of upwelling within the Baltic Sea basin. Both local and macroscale circulation patterns expressed by the location of the pressure centers influence the frequency of this phenomenon; however, the impact strength varies, depending on the coastal region. Acknowledgment: This research was funded by the National Science Centre, Poland, grant number 2016/21/B/ST10/01440.

Keywords: Baltic Sea, circulation patterns, coastal upwelling, synoptic conditions

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Authors: Muhammad Zaman Khan, Vijay Baheti, Jiri Militky

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The present study is focused on the development of multifunctional cotton fabric while having good physiological comfort properties. The functional properties developed include superhydrophobicity (Lotus effect) and UV protection. For this, TiO₂ nanoparticles along with fluorocarbon and organic-inorganic binder have been used to optimize the multifunctional properties. Deposition of TiO₂ nanoparticles with water repellent finish on cotton fabric has been carried out using the pad dry cure method at fix parameters. The morphology and elemental composition of as-deposited particles have been studied by using SEM and EDS. The chemical composition of nanoparticles was determined using energy dispersive spectroscopy. The treated samples exhibited excellent water repellency and UV protection factor. The study of the comfort properties of fabric showed that it had excellent physiological comfort properties. Optimized concentration of water repellent chemical (50g/l) was used in formulations with TiO₂ nanoparticles and organic-inorganic binder. Four formulations were prepared according to the design of the experiment. The formulations were applied to the cotton fabric by roller padding at room temperature (15–20°C). Surface morphology was investigated via SEM images. EDS analysis was also carried out to analyze the composition and atomic percentage of elements. The water contact angle (WCA) of cotton fabric increases with increase in TiO₂ nanoparticles concentration and reaches its maximum value (157°) when the concentration of TiO₂ is 20g/l. The water sliding angle (WSA) decreases and gains minimum value at the same concentration of TiO₂ at which WCA is highest. It was seen samples treated with formulations of TiO₂ nanoparticles exhibits excellent UPF, UV-A and UV-B blocking. However, there was no significant deterioration of air permeability. The water vapor permeability was also slightly decreased (4%) but is acceptable. It can be concluded that there is no significant change in both air and water vapor permeability after nanoparticles coating on the surface of the cotton fabric. The coated cotton fabric has little effect on the stiffness. The stiffness of coated samples was not increased significantly; thus comfort of cotton fabric is not decreased. This functionalized cotton fabric also exhibits good physiological comfort properties. ''The authors are also thankful to student grant competition 21312 provided at Technical University of Liberec''.

Keywords: comfort, functional, nanoparticles, UV protective

Procedia PDF Downloads 152

Authors: Bae Doobyong, Yoo Jaejun, Park Ilgyu, Choi Seowon, Oh Chang Kook

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Variation of slip coefficient in slip-critical connections of curved plates. This paper presents the results of analytical investigations of slip coefficients in slip-critical bolted connections of curved plates. It may depend on the contact stress distribution at interface and the flexibility of spliced plate. Non-linear FEM analyses have been made to simulate the behavior of bolted connections of curved plates with various radiuses of curvature and thicknesses.

Keywords: slip coefficient, curved plates, slip-critical bolted connection, radius of curvature

Procedia PDF Downloads 521

Authors: Vladimir A. Todiras

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Spatio-temporal models provide new possibilities for real-time action in pest risk analysis. It should be noted that estimation of the possibility and probability of introduction of a pest and of its economic consequences involves many uncertainties. We present a new mapping technique that assesses pest invasion risk using online BioClass software. BioClass is a GIS tool designed to solve multiple-criteria classification and optimization problems based on fuzzy logic and level set methods. This research describes a method for predicting the potential establishment and spread of a plant pest into new areas using a case study: corn rootworm (Diabrotica spp.), tomato leaf miner (Tuta absoluta) and plum fruit moth (Grapholita funebrana). Our study demonstrated that in BioClass we can combine fuzzy logic and geographic information systems with knowledge of pest biology and environmental data to derive new information for decision making. Pests are sensitive to a warming climate, as temperature greatly affects their survival and reproductive rate and capacity. Changes have been observed in the distribution, frequency and severity of outbreaks of Helicoverpa armigera on tomato. BioClass has demonstrated to be a powerful tool for applying dynamic models and map the potential future distribution of a species, enable resource to make decisions about dangerous and invasive species management and control.

Keywords: classification, model, pest, risk

Procedia PDF Downloads 284

Authors: Nadia A. Mohamed, Mehrevan M. Abdel-Moniem

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Zingiber officinale (ginger) has been cultivated for medicinal purposes due to their various proprieties both in vitro and in vivo, so we designed to evaluate the ginger’s potential effect on nephrin m RNA expression in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxic rats. Method: Forty male albino rats were divided into group I was injected (IP) with one ml saline, group II(cisplatin) injected (IP) with a single dose of 12 mg/kg cisplatin, group III (ginger) received (PO) 310 mg/kg for 30 successive days, and group IV(cisplatin and ginger) rats received ginger extract (310 mg/kg) daily for 20 successive days (PO), and then on day 20 of ginger extract administration each rat was injected(IP) with a single dose of 12 mg/kg cisplatin. The blood was sampled to assess urea, creatinine (SC), while the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and paraoxonase (PON1) were measured in kidney tissue homogenate. Expression of urinary nephrin gene (nephrin mRNA) was detected using qRT-PCR. Results: Treatment with ginger significantly decreased the levels of kidney function parameters as well as MDA and NO elevated by cisplatin injection, while PON1 was significantly reduced in the cisplatin group. However, the protection of male rats with ginger significantly increased the levels of nephrin gene expression and PON1 compared with the cisplatin-treated group. Our results generated a proposal on the ameliorating effect of ginger on nephrin mRNA gene expression reduction in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.

Keywords: nephrin mRNA, ginger, cisplatin, nephrotoxicity

Procedia PDF Downloads 149

Authors: Elmo Thiago Lins Cöuras Ford, Valentina Alessandra Carvalho do Vale

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The sun is an inexhaustible source and harnessing its potential both for heating and for power generation is one of the most promising and necessary alternatives, mainly due to environmental issues. However, it should be noted that this has always been present in the generation of energy on the planet, only indirectly, as it is responsible for virtually all other energy sources, such as: Generates the evaporation source of the water cycle, which allows the impoundment and the consequent generation of electricity (hydroelectricity); Winds are caused by large-scale atmospheric induction caused by solar radiation; Oil, coal and natural gas were generated from waste plants and animals that originally obtained the energy needed for its development of solar radiation. Thus, the idea of using solar energy for practical purposes for the benefit of man is not new, as it accompanies the story since the beginning of time, which means that the sun was always of utmost importance in the design of shelters, or homes is, constructed by taking into consideration the use of sunlight, practicing what was being lost through the centuries, until a time when the buildings started to be designed completely independent of the sun. However, the climatic rigors still needed to be fought, only artificially and today seen as unsustainable, with additional facilities fueled by energy consumption. This paper presents a study on the feasibility of using solar energy for heating water in homes, developing a simplified methodology covering the mode of operation of solar water heaters, solar potential existing alternative systems of Brazil, the international market, and barriers encountered.

Keywords: solar energy, solar heating, solar project, water heating

Procedia PDF Downloads 335

Authors: Loice K. Gudukeya, Charles Mbohwa

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The research investigates hydropower plant efficiency with a view to improving the power output while keeping the overall project cost per kilowatt produced within an acceptable range. It reviews the commonly used Pelton and Cross-flow turbines which are employed in the region for micro-hydro power plants. Turbine parameters such as surface texture, material used and fabrication processes are dealt with the intention of increasing the efficiency by 20 to 25 percent for the micro hydro-power plants.

Keywords: hydro, power plant, efficiency, manufacture

Procedia PDF Downloads 435

Authors: Rong Li, Brian D. Wirth, Bing Liu

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Graphite is the matrix, and structural material in the high temperature gas-cooled reactor exhibits an irradiation response. It is of significant importance to analyze the defect production and evaluate the role of graphite under irradiation. A vast experimental literature exists for graphite on the dimensional change, mechanical properties, and thermal behavior. However, simulations have not been applied to the atomistic perspective. Remarkably few molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to study the irradiation response in graphite. In this paper, irradiation-induced damage cascades in graphite were investigated with molecular dynamics simulation. Statistical results of the graphite defects were obtained by sampling a wide energy range (1–30 KeV) and 10 different runs for every cascade simulation with different random number generator seeds to the velocity scaling thermostat function. The chemical bonding in carbon was described using the adaptive intermolecular reactive empirical bond-order potential (AIREBO) potential coupled with the standard Ziegler–Biersack–Littmack (ZBL) potential to describe close-range pair interactions. This study focused on analyzing the number of defects, the final cascade morphology and the distribution of defect clusters in space, the length-scale cascade properties such as the cascade length and the range of primary knock-on atom (PKA), and graphite mechanical properties’ variation. It can be concluded that the number of surviving Frenkel pairs increased remarkably with the increasing initial PKA energy but did not exhibit a thermal spike at slightly lower energies in this paper. The PKA range and cascade length approximately linearly with energy which indicated that increasing the PKA initial energy will come at expensive computation cost such as 30KeV in this study. The cascade morphology and the distribution of defect clusters in space mainly related to the PKA energy meanwhile the temperature effect was relatively negligible. The simulations are in agreement with known experimental results and the Kinchin-Pease model, which can help to understand the graphite damage cascades and lifetime span under irradiation and provide a direction to the designs of these kinds of structural materials in the future reactors.

Keywords: graphite damage cascade, molecular dynamics, cascade morphology, cascade distribution

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Authors: Farnaz Amidi Fazli

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After long period of human experience about food processing from raw eating to canning of food in the last century now it is time to use novel technologies which are sometimes completely different from common technologies. It is possible to decontaminate food without using heat or the foods are stored without using cold chain. Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing is a non-thermal method of food preservation that uses short bursts of electricity, PEF can be used for processing liquid and semi-liquid food products. PEF processing offers high quality fresh-like liquid foods with excellent flavor, nutritional value, and shelf-life. High pressure processing (HPP) technology has the potential to fulfill both consumer and scientific requirements. The use of HPP for over 50 years has found applications in non-food industries. For food applications, ‘high pressure’ can be generally considered to be up to 600 MPa for most food products. After years, freezing has its high potential to food preservation due to new and quick freezing methods. Foods which are prepared by this technology have more acceptability and high quality comparing with old fashion slow freezing. Thus, quick freezing has further been adopted as a widespread commercial method for long-term preservation of perishable foods which improved both the health and convenience of everyone in the industrialised countries. Above parameters are achieved by Fluidised-bed freezing systems, freezing by immersion and Hydrofluidisation on the other hand new thawing methods like high-pressure, microwave, ohmic, and acoustic thawing have a key role in quality and adaptability of final product.

Keywords: quick freezing, thawing, high pressure, pulse electric, hydrofluidisation

Procedia PDF Downloads 323

Authors: Md Monir Hossain, Anne Staples, Kuya Takami, Tomonari Furukawa

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Tire noise has a significant impact on ride quality and vehicle interior comfort, even at low frequency. Reduction of tire noise is especially important due to strict state and federal environmental regulations. The primary sources of tire noise are the low frequency structure-borne noise and the noise that originates from the release of trapped air between the tire tread and road surface during each revolution of the tire. The frequency response of the tire changes at low and high frequency. At low frequency, the tension and bending moment become dominant, while the internal structure and local deformation become dominant at higher frequencies. Here, we analyze tire response in terms of deformation and rolling velocity at low revolution frequency. An Abaqus FEA finite element model is used to calculate the static and dynamic response of a rolling tire under different rolling conditions. The natural frequencies and mode shapes of a deformed tire are calculated with the FEA package where the subspace-based steady state dynamic analysis calculates dynamic response of tire subjected to harmonic excitation. The analysis was conducted on the dynamic response at the road (contact point of tire and road surface) and side nodes of a static and rolling tire when the tire was excited with 200 N vertical load for a frequency ranging from 20 to 200 Hz. The results show that frequency has little effect on tire deformation up to 80 Hz. But between 80 and 200 Hz, the radial and lateral components of displacement of the road and side nodes exhibited significant oscillation. For the static analysis, the fluctuation was sharp and frequent and decreased with frequency. In contrast, the fluctuation was periodic in nature for the dynamic response of the rolling tire. In addition to the dynamic analysis, a steady state rolling analysis was also performed on the tire traveling at ground velocity with a constant angular motion. The purpose of the computation was to demonstrate the effect of rotating motion on deformation and rolling velocity with respect to a fixed Newtonian reference point. The analysis showed a significant variation in deformation and rolling velocity due to centrifugal and Coriolis acceleration with respect to a fixed Newtonian point on ground.

Keywords: natural frequency, rotational motion, steady state rolling, subspace-based steady state dynamic analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 371

Authors: Mattias Bergstrom

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Significance of the Study: This research will provide new insights into the risks with digital embedded infrastructure. Through this research, we will analyze each risk and its potential negation strategies, especially for AI and autonomous automation. Moreover, the analysis that is presented in this paper will convey valuable information for future research that can create more stable, secure, and efficient autonomous systems. To learn and understand the risks, a large IoT system was envisioned, and risks with hardware, tampering, and cyberattacks were collected, researched, and evaluated to create a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks. Potential solutions have then been evaluated on an open source IoT hardware setup. This list shows the identified passive and active risks evaluated in the research. Passive Risks: (1) Hardware failures- Critical Systems relying on high rate data and data quality are growing; SCADA systems for infrastructure are good examples of such systems. (2) Hardware delivers erroneous data- Sensors break, and when they do so, they don’t always go silent; they can keep going, just that the data they deliver is garbage, and if that data is not filtered out, it becomes disruptive noise in the system. (3) Bad Hardware injection- Erroneous generated sensor data can be pumped into a system by malicious actors with the intent to create disruptive noise in critical systems. (4) Data gravity- The weight of the data collected will affect Data-Mobility. (5) Cost inhibitors- Running services that need huge centralized computing is cost inhibiting. Large complex AI can be extremely expensive to run. Active Risks: Denial of Service- It is one of the most simple attacks, where an attacker just overloads the system with bogus requests so that valid requests disappear in the noise. Malware- Malware can be anything from simple viruses to complex botnets created with specific goals, where the creator is stealing computer power and bandwidth from you to attack someone else. Ransomware- It is a kind of malware, but it is so different in its implementation that it is worth its own mention. The goal with these pieces of software is to encrypt your system so that it can only be unlocked with a key that is held for ransom. DNS spoofing- By spoofing DNS calls, valid requests and data dumps can be sent to bad destinations, where the data can be extracted for extortion or to corrupt and re-inject into a running system creating a data echo noise loop. After testing multiple potential solutions. We found that the most prominent solution to these risks was to use a Peer 2 Peer consensus algorithm over a blockchain to validate the data and behavior of the devices (sensors, storage, and computing) in the system. By the devices autonomously policing themselves for deviant behavior, all risks listed above can be negated. In conclusion, an Internet middleware that provides these features would be an easy and secure solution to any future autonomous IoT deployments. As it provides separation from the open Internet, at the same time, it is accessible over the blockchain keys.

Keywords: IoT, security, infrastructure, SCADA, blockchain, AI

Procedia PDF Downloads 111

Authors: Sibghat Mansoor Rana, Muhammad Islam, Hamid Saeed, Hummera Rafique, Muhammad Majid, Muhammad Tahir Aqeel, Fariha Imtiaz, Zaman Ashraf

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The 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives Ox-6a-f have been synthesized by incorporating flur- biprofen moiety with the aim to explore the potential of target molecules to decrease the oxidative stress. The title compounds Ox-6a-f were prepared by simple reactions in which a flurbiprofen –COOH group was esterified with methanol in an acid-catalyzed medium, which was then reacted with hydrazine to afford the corresponding hydrazide. The acid hydrazide was then cyclized into 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol by reacting with CS2 in the presence of KOH. The title compounds Ox-6a-f were synthesized by the reaction of an –SH group with various alkyl/aryl chlorides, which involves an S-alkylation reaction. The structures of the synthesized Ox-6a-f derivatives were ascer- tained by spectroscopic data. The in silico molecular docking was performed against target proteins cyclooxygenase-2 COX-2 (PDBID 5KIR) and cyclooxygenase-1 COX-1 (PDBID 6Y3C) to determine the binding affinity of the synthesized compounds with these structures. It has been inferred that most of the synthesized compounds bind well with an active binding site of 5KIR compared to 6Y3C, and especially compound Ox-6f showed excellent binding affinity (7.70 kcal/mol) among all synthesized compounds Ox-6a-f. The molecular dynamic (MD) simulation has also been performed to check the stability of docking complexes of ligands with COX-2 by determining their root mean square deviation and root mean square fluctuation. Little fluctuation was observed in case of Ox-6f, which forms the most stable complex with COX-2. The comprehensive antioxidant potential of the synthesized compounds has been evaluated by determining their free radical scavenging activity, including DPPH, OH, nitric oxide (NO), and iron chelation assay. The derivative Ox-6f showed promising results with 80.23% radical scavenging potential at a dose of 100 μg/mL while ascorbic acid exhibited 87.72% inhibition at the same dose. The anti-inflammatory activity of the final products has also been performed, and inflammatory markers were assayed, such as a thiobarbituric acid-reducing substance, nitric oxide, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and COX-2. The derivatives Ox-6d and Ox-6f displayed higher anti-inflammatory activity, exhibiting 70.56% and 74.16% activity, respectively. The results were compared with standard ibuprofen, which showed 84.31% activity at the same dose, 200 μg/mL. The anti-inflammatory potential has been performed by following the carrageen-induced hind paw edema model, and results showed that derivative Ox-6f exhibited 79.83% reduction in edema volume compared to standard ibuprofen, which reduced 84.31% edema volume. As dry lab and wet lab results confirm each other, it has been deduced that derivative Ox-6f may serve as the lead structure to design potent compounds to address oxidative stress.

Keywords: synthetic chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, oxadiazole derivatives, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer compounds

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Authors: Juliza Hidayati, Sukardi, Ani Suryani, Sugiharto, Anas M. Fauzi

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The idea of making North Sumatera as a barometer of national oil palm industry requires efforts commodities and agro-industry development of oil palm. One effort that can be done is by successful execution plantation revitalization. The plantation Revitalization is an effort to accelerate the development of smallholder plantations, through expansion and replanting by help of palm Estate Company as business partner and bank financed plantation revitalization fund. Business partner agreement obliged and bound to make at least the same smallholder plantation productivity with business partners, so that the refund rate to banks become larger and prosperous people as a plantation owner. Generally low productivity of smallholder plantations under normal potential caused a lot of old and damaged plants with plant material at random. The purpose of revitalizing oil palm plantations is which are to increase their competitiveness through increased farm productivity. The research aims to identify potential criteria in influencing plantation productivity improvement priorities to be observed and followed up in order to improve the competitiveness of destinations and make North Sumatera barometer of national palm oil can be achieved. Research conducted with Analytical Network Process (ANP), to find the effect of dependency relationships between factors or criteria with the knowledge of the experts in order to produce an objective opinion and relevant depict the actual situation.

Keywords: palm barometer, acceleration of plantation development, productivity, revitalization

Procedia PDF Downloads 682

Authors: Álvaro Ramírez Vidal, Martín Muñoz Morales, Francisco Jesús Fernández Morales, Luis Rodríguez Romero, José Villaseñor Camacho, Javier Llanos López

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In recent times, environmental problems have led to the extensive use of biological systems to solve them. Among the different types of biological systems, the use of plants such as aquatic macrophytes in constructed wetlands and terrestrial plant species for treating polluted soils and sludge has gained importance. Though the use of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment is a well-researched domain, the slowness of pollutant degradation and high biomass production pose some challenges. Plants used in CW participate in different mechanisms for the capture and degradation of pollutants that also can retain some pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) that are very persistent in the environment. Thus, these systems present advantages in line with the guidelines published for the transition towards friendly and ecological procedures as they are environmentally friendly systems, consume low energy, or capture atmospheric CO₂. However, the use of CW presents some drawbacks, as the slowness of pollutant degradation or the production of important amounts of plant biomass, which need to be harvested and managed periodically. Taking this opportunity in mind, it is important to highlight that this residual biomass (of lignocellulosic nature) could be used as the feedstock for the generation of carbonaceous materials using thermochemical transformations such as slow pyrolysis or hydrothermal carbonization to produce high-value biomass-derived carbons through sustainable processes as adsorbents, catalysts…, thereby improving the circular carbon economy. Thus, this work carried out the analysis of some PPCPs commonly found in urban wastewater, as salicylic acid or ibuprofen, to evaluate the remediation carried out for the Phragmites Australis. Then, after the harvesting, this biomass can be used to synthesize electrodes through hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and produce high-value biomass-derived carbons with electrocatalytic activity to remove heavy metals and persistent pollutants, promoting circular economy concepts. To do this, it was chosen biomass derived from the natural environment in high environmental risk as the Daimiel Wetlands National Park in the center of Spain, and the rest of the biomass developed in a CW specifically designed to remove pollutants. The research emphasizes the impact of the composition of the biomass waste and the synthetic parameters applied during HTC on the electrocatalytic activity. Additionally, this parameter can be related to the physicochemical properties, as porosity, surface functionalization, conductivity, and mass transfer of the electrodes lytic inks. Data revealed that carbon materials synthesized have good surface properties (good conductivities and high specific surface area) that enhance the electro-oxidants generated and promote the removal of PPCPs and the chemical oxygen demand of polluted waters.

Keywords: constructed wetlands, carbon materials, heavy metals, pharmaceutical and personal care products, hydrothermal carbonization

Procedia PDF Downloads 98

Authors: N.Benachour, S. Chouchane, J. P. Chopart

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The zinc-nickel deposition on stainless steel substrate was obtained in a chloride bath composed of ZnCl2 (1.8M), NiCl2.6H2O (1.1M), boric acid H3BO3 (1M) and NH4Cl (4M). One configuration was studied the amplitude or field B (0.5 et1T) is parallel to the surface of the working electrodes .the other share the study of various layer was carried out by XRD. The study of the effect of ammonium chloride in combination with the magnetohydrodynamic effect gave several deposits supposedly good physical properties.

Keywords: ammonium chloride, magnetic field, nickel-zinc alloys, co-deposition

Procedia PDF Downloads 278

Authors: Esmael Makarian, Ayub Elyasi, Fatemeh Saberi, Olusegun Stanley Tomomewo

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Geothermal reservoirs (GTRs) have garnered global recognition as a sustainable energy source. The Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) integration coupling proves to be a practical and effective method for optimizing production in GTRs. The study outcomes demonstrate that THMC coupling serves as a versatile and valuable tool, offering in-depth insights into GTRs and enhancing their operational efficiency. This is achieved through temperature analysis and pressure changes and their impacts on mechanical properties, structural integrity, fracture aperture, permeability, and heat extraction efficiency. Moreover, THMC coupling facilitates potential benefits assessment and risks associated with different geothermal technologies, considering the complex thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and chemical interactions within the reservoirs. However, THMC-coupling utilization in GTRs presents a multitude of challenges. These challenges include accurately modeling and predicting behavior due to the interconnected nature of processes, limited data availability leading to uncertainties, induced seismic events risks to nearby communities, scaling and mineral deposition reducing operational efficiency, and reservoirs' long-term sustainability. In addition, material degradation, environmental impacts, technical challenges in monitoring and control, accurate assessment of resource potential, and regulatory and social acceptance further complicate geothermal projects. Addressing these multifaceted challenges is crucial for successful geothermal energy resources sustainable utilization. This paper aims to illuminate the challenges and opportunities associated with THMC coupling in enhanced geothermal systems. Practical solutions and strategies for mitigating these challenges are discussed, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary approaches, improved data collection and modeling techniques, and advanced monitoring and control systems. Overcoming these challenges is imperative for unlocking the full potential of geothermal energy making a substantial contribution to the global energy transition and sustainable development.

Keywords: geothermal reservoirs, THMC coupling, interdisciplinary approaches, challenges and opportunities, sustainable utilization

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Authors: Dada Kolawole Segun

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Transdermal drug delivery has gained popularity as a non-invasive method for controlled drug release compared to traditional delivery routes. Dissolvable transdermal patches have emerged as a promising platform for delivering a variety of drugs due to their ease of use. The objective of this research was to create and characterize dissolvable transdermal patches using various compositions and ratios of hyaluronic acid and zinc oxide nanoparticles. A micromolding technique was utilized to fabricate the patches, which were subsequently characterized using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and tensile strength testing. In vitro drug release studies were conducted to evaluate the drug release kinetics of the patches. The study found that the mechanical strength and dissolution properties of the patches were influenced by the hyaluronic acid and zinc oxide nanoparticle ratios used in the fabrication process. Moreover, the patches demonstrated controlled delivery of model drugs through the skin, highlighting their potential for transdermal drug delivery applications. The results suggest that dissolvable transdermal patches can be tailored to meet specific requirements for drug delivery applications using different compositions and ratios of hyaluronic acid and zinc oxide nanoparticles. This development has the potential to improve treatment outcomes and patient compliance in various therapeutic areas.

Keywords: transdermal drug delivery, characterization, skin permeation, biodegradable materials

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Authors: Tanvir A. Uddin, Blake Goud

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Emerging trends in FinTech-enabled alternative finance, which includes channels and instruments emerging outside the traditional financial system, heralds unprecedented opportunities to improve financial intermediation and increase access to finance. With widespread criticism of the mainstream Islamic banking and finance sector as either mimicking the conventional system, failing to achieve inclusive growth or both, industry stakeholders are turning to technology to show that finance can be done differently. This paper will outline the critical elements for successful deployment of technology to maximize benefit and minimize potential for harm from introduction of Islamic FinTech and propose recommendations for Islamic financial institutions, FinTech companies, regulators and other stakeholders who are integrating or who are considering introducing FinTech solutions. The paper will present an overview of literature, present relevant case studies and summarize the lessons from interviews conducted with Islamic FinTech founders from around the world. With growing central bank concerns about leveraged loans and ballooning private credit markets globally (estimated at $1.4 trillion), current and future Islamic FinTech operators are at risk of contributing to the problems they aim to solve by operating in a 'shadow banking' system. The paper will show that by systematising a robust theory of change linked to positive outcomes, utilising objective impact frameworks (e.g., the Impact Measurement Project) and instilling a risk management culture that is proactive about potential social harm (e.g., irresponsible lending), FinTech can enable the Islamic finance industry to support positive social impact and minimize harm in support of the maqasid. The adoption of FinTech within the Islamic finance context is still at a nascent stage and the recommendations we provide based on the limited experience to date will help address some of the major cross-cutting issues related to FinTech. Further research will be needed to elucidate in more detail issues relating to individual sectors and countries within the broader global Islamic finance industry.

Keywords: alternative finance, FinTech, Islamic finance, maqasid, theory of change

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Authors: Seng Sing Tan

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Clamping of the umbilical cord after birth is widely practiced as a part of labor management. Further improvements were proposed to produce a smaller, lighter and more comfortable clamp while still maintaining current standards of clamping. A detachable holder was also developed to facilitate the clamping process. This pilot study on the efficacy of the mini-clamp was conducted to evaluate a tightness of the seal and a firm grip of the clamp on the umbilical cord. The study was carried out at National University Hospital, using 5 sets of placental cord. 18 samples of approximate 10 cm each were harvested. The test results showed that the mini-clamp was able to stop the flow through the cord after clamping without rupturing the cord. All slip tests passed with a load of 0.2 kg. In the pressure testing, 30kPa of saline was exerted into the umbilical veins. Although there was no physical sign of fluid leaking through the end secured by the mini-clamp, the results showed the pressure was not able to sustain the pressure set during the tests. 12 out of the 18 test samples have more than 7% of pressure drop in 30 seconds. During the pressure leak test, it was observed on several samples that when pressurized, small droplets of saline were growing on the outer surface of the cord lining membrane. It was thus hypothesized that the pressure drop was likely caused by the perfusion of the injected saline through the Wharton’s jelly and the cord lining membrane. The average pressure in the umbilical vein is roughly 2.67kPa (20 mmHg), less than 10% of 30kPa (~225mmHg), set for the pressure testing. As such, the pressure set could be over-specified, leading to undesirable outcomes. The development of the mini-clamp was an attempt to increase the comfort of newly born babies while maintaining the usability and efficacy of hospital grade umbilical cord clamp. The pressure leak in this study would be unfair to fully attribute it to the design and efficacy of the mini-clamp. Considering the unexpected leakage of saline through the umbilical membrane due to over-specified pressure exerted on the umbilical veins, improvements can definitely be made to the existing experimental setup to obtain a more accurate and conclusive outcome. If proven conclusive and effective, the mini-clamp with a detachable holder could be a smaller and potentially cheaper alternative to existing umbilical cord clamps. In addition, future clinical trials could be conducted to determine the user-friendliness of the mini-clamp and evaluate its practicality in the clinical setting by labor ward clinicians. A further potential improvement could be proposed on the sustainability factor of the mini-clamp. A biodegradable clamp would revolutionise the industry in this increasingly environmentally sustainability world.

Keywords: leak test, mini-clamp, slip test, umbilical cord

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Authors: Abraham Castro-Alvarez, Luisaldo Sandate-Flores, Roberto Parra-Saldivar

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The losing of crops during the whole production process is a problem that is affecting farmers in the whole world, as climate change affects the weather behavior. Stenocereus spp. is a tropical, exotic and endemic columnar cacti, it produces a colored and expensive fruit known how “pitaya”. The quality and value of the fruit, these species represent an attractive option for economical development in arid and semi-arid regions. This fruits are produced in Mexico, mainly in 4 regions, Mixteca Oaxaca-Puebla, Michoacan, Sinaloa-Sonora, Jalisco-Zacatecas. Pitaya can be an option to try mixed crop in this states due to the resistance to hard weather conditions. And also because of the marginalization problems that exist in these townships. As defined by the Population National Council it consists in the absence of development opportunities and the lack of capacity to get them. According to an analysis done in EsriPress ArcGis 10.1 the potential area in the country is almost the half of the territory being the total area of Mexico 1,965,249 km2 and the area with potential to produce pitaya 960,527 km2. This area covers part of the most affected townships that also have a few options of maize varieties making even harder the production of maize and exposing farmers to crop losing if conditions are good enough. Making pitaya a good option for these farmers to have an economic backup in their productions.

Keywords: maize, pitaya, rain fed, Stenocereus

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Authors: Meiliana, Achmad Eko Prabowo, Muhammad Fathan Mubina

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AFTA agreement in 2015 will bring a significant impact on Indonesian society. Indonesia’s people will face competition both in the economic, political, and cultural regionally among ten countries in ASEAN. Indonesia is a rich country in culture and has a large enough demographic bonus when compared to other ASEAN countries. Indonesia also has a lot of cultural enrichment in every its region. It’s mean, the role of society and culture of Indonesia's abundant if combined properly it will help Indonesia in the face of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. This paper will discuss the role of one-stop culture workshop (OSCW) concept at Saung Angklung Udjo (SAU), a cultural tourist area of Angklung which is located in Bandung. OSCW is a concept that implemented a cultural tour in SAU that invites the visitor to engage in the cultural empowerment. In this research, we will answer how the concepts are applied by SAU can be an alternative to re-discover the potential of Indonesia in the face of the AEC 2015. Units of analysis that we used is among the programs, outcomes, and community empowerment. This study used a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews and observation. The finding of this study prove that OSCW concept is an opportunity for Indonesia to encourage a culture to go international. The concept of OSCW can really be used other communities to develop cultures of Indonesia so that later institutionalized culture that not only can be used as a tourist attraction but also as an educational laboratory for the community.

Keywords: OSCW concept, citizen empowerment, cultural tour, AEC 2015

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Authors: Ayat-Allah Bouramdane

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Solar Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) do not burn fossil fuels and, therefore, could meet the world's needs for low-carbon power generation as they do not release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as they generate electricity. The power output of the solar PV module and CSP collector is proportional to the temperature and the amount of solar radiation received by their surface. Hence, the determination of the most convenient locations of PV and CSP systems is crucial to maximizing their output power. This study aims to provide a hands-on and plausible approach to the multi-criteria evaluation of site suitability of PV and CSP plants using a combination of Geographic Referenced Information (GRI) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Applying the GRI-based AHP approach is meant to specify the criteria and sub-criteria, to identify the unsuitable areas, the low-, moderate-, high- and very high suitable areas for each layer of GRI, to perform the pairwise comparison matrix at each level of the hierarchy structure based on experts' knowledge, and calculate the weights using AHP to create the final map of solar PV and CSP plants suitability in Morocco with a particular focus on the Dakhla city. The results recognize that solar irradiation is the main decision factor for the integration of these technologies on energy policy goals of Morocco but explicitly account for other factors that cannot only limit the potential of certain locations but can even exclude the Dakhla city classified as unsuitable area. We discuss the sensitivity of the PV and CSP site suitability to different aspects, such as the methodology, the climate conditions, and the technology used in each source, and provide the final recommendations to the Moroccan energy strategy by analyzing if actual Morocco's PV and CSP installations are located within areas deemed suitable and by discussing several cases to provide mutual benefits across the Food-Energy-Water nexus. The adapted methodology and conducted suitability map could be used by researchers or engineers to provide helpful information for decision-makers in terms of sites selection, design, and planning of future solar plants, especially in areas suffering from energy shortages, such as the Dakhla city, which is now one of Africa's most promising investment hubs and it is especially attractive to investors looking to root their operations in Africa and import to European markets.

Keywords: analytic hierarchy process, concentrated solar power, dakhla, geographic referenced information, Morocco, multi-criteria decision-making, photovoltaic, site suitability

Procedia PDF Downloads 188

Authors: Vijay Kumar, Mack Moyo, Johannes Van Staden

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Lachenalia viridiflora is a critically endangered bulbous plant with high potential on the international floriculture market. In the present study, an efficient protocol for in vitro plantlet regeneration through somatic embryogenesis was developed. Embryogenic callus was established on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with various concentrations and combinations of picloram and thidiazuron (TDZ). A high number of SEs (28.5 ± 1.49) with at different developmental stages of somatic embryos (SEs: globular embryos, torpedo and cotyledon embryo with bipolar characteristics) was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) (Murashige and Skoog 1962) medium with 2.5 μM picloram, and 1.0 μM TDZ. Histological and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis confirmed the presence of somatic embryos. Mature somatic embryos germinated and developed into plantlets after 6 weeks on half/full strength MS medium. High plant regeneration frequency (91.11 %) was achieved on full-strength MS medium supplemented with 5 μM phloroglucinol (PG). Well-developed healthy plantlets were successfully acclimatized in the greenhouse with a survival rate of 80%. The result of this study is beneficial in the mass propagation of high-quality Lachenalia viridiflora clonal plants for the commercial horticultural market and also provides a platform for future genetic transformation studies on the plant.

Keywords: horticultural plant, Lachenalia viridiflora, phloroglucinol, somatic embryogenesis, thidiazuron

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Authors: Matheus Madureira Matos, Alexandre Rodrigues Farias

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Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a vital imaging technique used in both clinical and pre-clinical areas to obtain detailed anatomical and functional information. However, MRI scans can be expensive, time-consuming, and often require the use of anesthetics to keep animals still during the imaging process. Anesthetics are commonly administered to animals undergoing MRI scans to ensure they remain still during the imaging process. However, prolonged or repeated exposure to anesthetics can have adverse effects on animals, including physiological alterations and potential toxicity. Minimizing the duration and frequency of anesthesia is, therefore, crucial for the well-being of research animals. In recent years, various sampling trajectories have been investigated to reduce the number of MRI measurements leading to shorter scanning time and minimizing the duration of animal exposure to the effects of anesthetics. Compressed sensing (CS) and sampling trajectories, such as cartesian, spiral, and radial, have emerged as powerful tools to reduce MRI data while preserving diagnostic quality. This work aims to apply CS and cartesian, spiral, and radial sampling trajectories for the reconstruction of MRI of the abdomen of mice sub-sampled at levels below that defined by the Nyquist theorem. The methodology of this work consists of using a fully sampled reference MRI of a female model C57B1/6 mouse acquired experimentally in a 4.7 Tesla MRI scanner for small animals using Spin Echo pulse sequences. The image is down-sampled by cartesian, radial, and spiral sampling paths and then reconstructed by CS. The quality of the reconstructed images is objectively assessed by three quality assessment techniques RMSE (Root mean square error), PSNR (Peak to Signal Noise Ratio), and SSIM (Structural similarity index measure). The utilization of optimized sampling trajectories and CS technique has demonstrated the potential for a significant reduction of up to 70% of image data acquisition. This result translates into shorter scan times, minimizing the duration and frequency of anesthesia administration and reducing the potential risks associated with it.

Keywords: compressed sensing, magnetic resonance, sampling trajectories, small animals

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Authors: Chelsea-Anne Edwards, Paul Parker

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Flight school members are facing a major disruption in the technologies available for them to fly as electric planes enter the aviation industry. The year 2020 marked a new era in aviation with the first type certification of an electric plane. The Pipistrel Velis Electro is a two-seat electric aircraft (e-plane) designed for flight training. Electric flight training has the potential to deeply reduce emissions, noise, and cost of pilot training. Though these are all attractive features, understanding must be developed on the perceptions of the essential actor of the technology, the pilot. This study asks student pilots, flight instructors, flight center managers, and other members of flight schools about their perceptions of e-planes. The questions were divided into three categories: safety and trust of the technology, expected costs in comparison to conventional planes, and interest in the technology, including their desire to fly electric planes. Participants were recruited from flight schools using a protocol approved by the Office of Research Ethics. None of these flight schools have an e-plane in their fleet so these views are based on perceptions rather than direct experience. The results revealed perceptions that were strongly positive with many qualitative comments indicating great excitement about the potential of the new electric aviation technology. Some concerns were raised regarding battery endurance limits. Overall, the flight school community is clearly in favor of introducing electric propulsion technology and reducing the environmental impacts of their industry.

Keywords: electric planes, flight training, green aircraft, student pilots, sustainable aviation

Procedia PDF Downloads 172