Search results for: rapid thermal anneal

Authors: Banu Baybars Hawks

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To date, academic attention in social sciences remains inadequate with regard to research and analysis of public opinion in Turkey. Most of the existing research has assessed the public opinion during political election periods. Therefore, it is of great interest to find out what the public thinks about current issues in Turkey, and how to interpret the results to be able to reveal whether they may have any reflections on social, political, and cultural structure of the country. Accordingly, the current study seeks to fill the gap in the social sciences literature in English regarding Turkey’s social and political stand which may be perceived to be very different by other nations. Without timely feedback from public surveys, various programs for improving different services and institutions functioning in the country might not achieve their expected goal, nor can decisions about which programs to implement be made rationally. Additionally, the information gathered may not only yield important insights into public’s opinion regarding current agenda in Turkey, but also into the correlates shaping public policies. Agenda-setting studies including agenda-building, agenda melding, reversed agenda-setting and information diffusion studies will be used to explain the roles of factors and actors in the formation of public opinion in Turkey. Knowing the importance of public agenda in the agenda setting and building process, this paper aims to reveal the social and political tendencies of the Turkish public. For that purpose, a survey will be carried out in December of 2014 to determine the social and political trends in Turkey for that same year. The subjects for the study, which utilize a questionairre in one-on-one interviews, will include 1,000 individuals aged 18 years and older from 26 cities representing general population. A stratified random sampling frame will be used. The topics covered by the survey include: The most important current problem in Turkey; the Economy; Terror; Approaches to the Kurdish Issue; Evaluations of the Government and Opposition Parties; Evaluations of Institutional Efficiency; Foreign Policy; the Judicial System/Constitution; Democracy and the Media; and, Social Relations/Life in Turkey. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Turkey has been undergoing a rapid transformation. The reflections of the changes can be seen in all areas from economics to politics. It is my hope that findings of this study may shed light on the important aspects of institutions, variables setting the agenda, and formation process of public opinion in Turkey.

Keywords: public opinion, media, agenda setting, information diffusion, government, freedom, Turkey

Procedia PDF Downloads 457

Authors: Sarre Nzaba, Bulelwa Ntsendwana, Bekkie Mamba, Alex Kuvarega

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The discharge of azo dyes such as Brilliant black (BB) into the water bodies has carcinogenic and mutagenic effects on humankind and the ecosystem. Conventional water treatment techniques fail to degrade these dyes completely thereby posing more problems. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are promising technologies in solving the problem. Anatase type nitrogen-platinum (N, Pt) co-doped TiO₂ photocatalysts were prepared by a modified sol-gel method using amine terminated polyamidoamine generation 1 (PG1) as a template and source of nitrogen. The resultant photocatalysts were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV‐Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy (RS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that the calcination atmosphere played an important role in the morphology, crystal structure, spectral absorption, oxygen vacancy concentration, and visible light photocatalytic performance of the catalysts. Anatase phase particles ranging between 9- 20 nm were also confirmed by TEM, SEM, and analysis. The origin of the visible light photocatalytic activity was attributed to both the elemental N and Pd dopants and the existence of oxygen vacancies. Co-doping imparted a shift in the visible region of the solar spectrum. The visible light photocatalytic activity of the samples was investigated by monitoring the photocatalytic degradation of brilliant black dye. Co-doped TiO₂ showed greater photocatalytic brilliant black degradation efficiency compared to singly doped N-TiO₂ or Pd-TiO₂ under visible light irradiation. The highest reaction rate constant of 3.132 x 10-2 min⁻¹ was observed for N, Pd co-doped TiO₂ (2% Pd). The results demonstrated that the N, Pd co-doped TiO₂ (2% Pd) sample could completely degrade the dye in 3 h, while the commercial TiO₂ showed the lowest dye degradation efficiency (52.66%).

Keywords: brilliant black, Co-doped TiO₂, polyamidoamine generation 1 (PAMAM G1), photodegradation

Procedia PDF Downloads 172

Authors: Yasser O. Abualnaja1, Alexandra Pavlidou2, Taha Boksmati3, Ahmad Alharbi3, Hammad Alsulmi3, Saleh Omar Maghrabi3, Hassan Mowalad3, Rayan Mutwalli3, James H. Churchill4, Afroditi Androni2, Dionysios Ballas2, Ioannis Hatzianestis2, Harilaos Kontoyiannis2, Angeliki Konstantinopoulou2, Georgios Krokkos1, 5, Georgios Pappas2, Vassilis P. Papadopoulos2, Konstantinos Parinos2, Elvira Plakidi2, Eleni Rousselaki2, Dimitris Velaoras2, Panagiota Zachioti2, Theodore Zoulias2, Ibrahim Hoteit5.

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The coastal areas along the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on both the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf have been witnessing in the past decades an unprecedented economic growth and a rapid increase in anthropogenic activities. Therefore, the Saudi Arabian government has decided to frame a strategy for sustainable development of the coastal and marine environments, which comes in the context of the Vision 2030, aimed at providing the first comprehensive ‘Status Quo Assessment’ of the Kingdom’s coastal and marine environments. This strategy will serve as a baseline assessment for future monitoring activities; this baseline is relied on scientific evidence of the drivers, pressures, and their impact on the environments of the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. A key element of the assessment was the cumulative pressures of the hotspots analysis, which was developed following the principles of the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework and using the cumulative pressure and impact assessment methodology. Ten hotspot sites were identified, eight in the Red Sea and two in the Arabian Gulf. Thus, multidisciplinary research cruises were conducted throughout the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf coastal and marine environments in June/July 2021 and September 2021, respectively, in order to understand the relative impact of hydrography and the various pressures on the quality of seawater and sediments. The main objective was to record the physical and biogeochemical parameters along the coastal waters of the Kingdom, tracing the dispersion of contaminants related to specific pressures. The assessment revealed the effect of hydrography on the trophic status of the southern marine coastal areas of the Red Sea. Jeddah Lagoon system seems to face significant eutrophication and pollution challenges, whereas sediments are enriched in some heavy metals in many areas of the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. This multidisciplinary research in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf coastal waters will pave the way for future detailed environmental monitoring strategies for the Saudi Arabian marine environment.

Keywords: arabian gulf, contaminants, hotspot, red sea

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Authors: Damian Czubak

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The Białowieża Forest is a very valuable natural area, included in the World Natural Heritage at UNESCO, where, due to infestation by the bark beetle (Ips typographus), norway spruce (Picea abies) have deteriorated. This catastrophic scenario led to an increase in fire danger. This was due to the occurrence of large amounts of dead wood and grass cover, as light penetrated to the bottom of the stands. These factors in a dry state are materials that favour the possibility of fire and the rapid spread of fire. One of the objectives of the study was to monitor the quantitative and qualitative changes of combustible material on the permanent decay plots of spruce stands from 2012-2022. In addition, the size of the area with highly flammable vegetation was monitored and a classification of the stands of the Białowieża Forest by flammability classes was made. The key factor that determines the potential fire hazard of a forest is combustible material. Primarily its type, quantity, moisture content, size and spatial structure. Based on the inventory data on the areas of forest districts in the Białowieża Forest, the average fire load and its changes over the years were calculated. The analysis was carried out taking into account the changes in the health status of the stands and sanitary operations. The quantitative and qualitative assessment of fallen timber and fire load of ground cover used the results of the 2019 and 2021 inventories. Approximately 9,000 circular plots were used for the study. An assessment was made of the amount of potential fuel, understood as ground cover vegetation and dead wood debris. In addition, monitoring of areas with vegetation that poses a high fire risk was conducted using data from 2019 and 2021. All sub-areas were inventoried where vegetation posing a specific fire hazard represented at least 10% of the area with species characteristic of that cover. In addition to the size of the area with fire-prone vegetation, a very important element is the size of the fire load on the indicated plots. On representative plots, the biomass of the land cover was measured on an area of 10 m2 and then the amount of biomass of each component was determined. The resulting element of variability of ground covers in stands was their flammability classification. The classification developed made it possible to track changes in the flammability classes of stands over the period covered by the measurements.

Keywords: classification, combustible material, flammable vegetation, Norway spruce

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Authors: Vinit Srivastava, Abhay Singh Thakur, Shivam Dubey, Rahul Vaish, Bharat Singh Rajpurohit

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This study examines the problem of students' poor comprehension of the thermal dependence of resistance by investigating this idea using an evidence-based inquiry approach. It suggests a practical exercise to improve secondary school students' comprehension of how materials' resistance to temperature changes. The suggested exercise uses an Arduino and Peltier device to test the resistance of aluminum and graphite at various temperatures. The study attempts to close the knowledge gap between the theoretical and practical facets of the subject, which students frequently find difficult to grasp. With the help of a variety of resistors made of various materials and pencils of varying grades, the Arduino experiment investigates the resistance of a metallic conductor (aluminum) and a semiconductor (graphite) at various temperatures. The purpose of the research is to clarify for students the relationship between temperature and resistance and to emphasize the importance of resistor material choice and measurement methods in obtaining precise and stable resistance values over dynamic temperature variations. The findings show that while the resistance of graphite decreases with temperature, the resistance of metallic conductors rises with temperature. The results also show that as softer lead pencils or pencils of a lower quality are used, the resistance values of the resistors drop. In addition, resistors showed greater stability at lower temperatures when their temperature coefficients of resistance (TCR) were smaller. Overall, the results of this article show that the suggested experiment is a useful and practical method for teaching students about resistance's relationship to temperature. It emphasizes how crucial it is to take into account the resistor material selection and the resistance measurement technique when designing and picking out resistors for various uses. The results of the study are anticipated to guide the creation of more efficient teaching methods to close the gap between science education's theoretical and practical components.

Keywords: electrical resistance, temperature dependence, science education, inquiry-based activity, resistor stability

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Authors: Erva Akin

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– The use of copyrighted material for machine learning purposes is a challenging issue in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). While machine learning algorithms require large amounts of data to train and improve their accuracy and creativity, the use of copyrighted material without permission from the authors may infringe on their intellectual property rights. In order to overcome copyright legal hurdle against the data sharing, access and re-use of data, the use of copyrighted material for machine learning purposes may be considered permissible under certain circumstances. For example, if the copyright holder has given permission to use the data through a licensing agreement, then the use for machine learning purposes may be lawful. It is also argued that copying for non-expressive purposes that do not involve conveying expressive elements to the public, such as automated data extraction, should not be seen as infringing. The focus of such ‘copy-reliant technologies’ is on understanding language rules, styles, and syntax and no creative ideas are being used. However, the non-expressive use defense is within the framework of the fair use doctrine, which allows the use of copyrighted material for research or educational purposes. The questions arise because the fair use doctrine is not available in EU law, instead, the InfoSoc Directive provides for a rigid system of exclusive rights with a list of exceptions and limitations. One could only argue that non-expressive uses of copyrighted material for machine learning purposes do not constitute a ‘reproduction’ in the first place. Nevertheless, the use of machine learning with copyrighted material is difficult because EU copyright law applies to the mere use of the works. Two solutions can be proposed to address the problem of copyright clearance for AI training data. The first is to introduce a broad exception for text and data mining, either mandatorily or for commercial and scientific purposes, or to permit the reproduction of works for non-expressive purposes. The second is that copyright laws should permit the reproduction of works for non-expressive purposes, which opens the door to discussions regarding the transposition of the fair use principle from the US into EU law. Both solutions aim to provide more space for AI developers to operate and encourage greater freedom, which could lead to more rapid innovation in the field. The Data Governance Act presents a significant opportunity to advance these debates. Finally, issues concerning the balance of general public interests and legitimate private interests in machine learning training data must be addressed. In my opinion, it is crucial that robot-creation output should fall into the public domain. Machines depend on human creativity, innovation, and expression. To encourage technological advancement and innovation, freedom of expression and business operation must be prioritised.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, copyright, data governance, machine learning

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Authors: Pooja Seth, Shruti Aggarwal

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Thermoluminescence dosimetry (TLD) is one of the most effective methods for the assessment of dose during diagnostic radiology and radiotherapy applications. In these applications monitoring of absorbed dose is essential to prevent patient from undue exposure and to evaluate the risks that may arise due to exposure. LiF based thermoluminescence (TL) dosimeters are promising materials for the estimation, calibration and monitoring of dose due to their favourable dosimetric characteristics like tissue-equivalence, high sensitivity, energy independence and dose linearity. As the TL efficiency of a phosphor strongly depends on the preparation route, it is interesting to investigate the TL properties of LiF based phosphor in nanocrystalline form. LiF doped with magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), sodium (Na) and silicon (Si) in nanocrystalline form has been prepared using chemical co-precipitation method. Cubical shape LiF nanostructures are formed. TL dosimetry properties have been investigated by exposing it to gamma rays. TL glow curve structure of nanocrystalline form consists of a single peak at 419 K as compared to the multiple peaks observed in microcrystalline form. A consistent glow curve structure with maximum TL intensity at annealing temperature of 573 K and linear dose response from 0.1 to 1000 Gy is observed which is advantageous for radiotherapy application. Good reusability, low fading (5 % over a month) and negligible residual signal (0.0019%) are observed. As per photoluminescence measurements, wide emission band at 360 nm - 550 nm is observed in an undoped LiF. However, an intense peak at 488 nm is observed in doped LiF nanophosphor. The phosphor also exhibits the intense optically stimulated luminescence. Nanocrystalline LiF: Mg, Cu, Na, Si phosphor prepared by co-precipitation method showed simple glow curve structure, linear dose response, reproducibility, negligible residual signal, good thermal stability and low fading. The LiF: Mg, Cu, Na, Si phosphor in nanocrystalline form has tremendous potential in diagnostic radiology, radiotherapy and high energy radiation application.

Keywords: thermoluminescence, nanophosphor, optically stimulated luminescence, co-precipitation method

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Authors: Naveed Mazhar

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Our cities are known to have significant modifying effects on the local climate. The nature of the modifications depends on a range of physical variables, usually assessed at a wide range of spatial scales. Physical spatial dimensions, such as measured parameters of microclimates and their significant influence on human sensations, are known to have far-reaching effects on human thermal comfort and by corollary a force that influences human perception. Less scholarship has thrown light on the subjective dimension and insufficiently demonstrates a relational approach between human behavior and how it is affected by the phenomenon of urban microclimates. Other than identifying gaps in the most recent scholarship and providing future research opportunities, the scope of this study will help improve urban design guidelines and raise framework standards of socially responsive urban design. This study will help equip future professionals to ameliorate the effects of urban microclimates on participant’s perceptions enabling more frequent usage of the outdoor urban spaces. However, it is informed that the physical parameters of an outdoor open space determine psychological human adaptations and is a measure of the degree to which people are willing to adapt to their surroundings. A large amount of research is available related to urban microclimates. However, very few studies are focused on the elucidation of the critical factors influencing human perceptions of the microclimates in urban spatial configurations. Based on the most recent scholarship, this study has evaluated the role urban microclimatic conditions have in the formation of human perceptions and, by extension, behavioral patterns formulating in outdoor open spaces. Furthermore, this study also defines, in the backdrop of the current scholarly literature, the socio-spatial interdependence of behavioral patterns with relationship to the built urban fabric and its resultant correlation with human perception. A comprehensive review and analysis of the recent research conducted within the scope of the study will help frame gaps, issues, current research methods and future research opportunities.

Keywords: urban design, urban microcliamate, human perception, human behavioral patterns

Procedia PDF Downloads 291

Authors: Rizwan Ahmad, Soomin Chang, Daeun Kwon, Jeonghwan Kim

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Interests in an inorganic membrane are growing rapidly for industrial wastewater treatment due to its excellent chemical and thermal stability over polymeric membrane. Nevertheless, understanding of the membrane rejection and fouling rate caused by the deposit of contaminants on membrane surface and within membrane pores through inorganic porous membranes still requires much attention. Microfiltration alumina membranes were developed and applied for the industrial wastewater treatment to investigate rejection efficiency of organic contaminant and membrane fouling at various operational conditions. In this study, organic rejection and membrane fouling were investigated by using the alumina flat-tubular membrane developed for the treatment of industrial wastewaters. The flat-tubular alumina membranes were immersed in a fluidized membrane reactor added with granular activated carbon (GAC) particles. Fluidization was driven by recirculating a bulk industrial wastewater along membrane surface through the reactor. In the absence of GAC particles, for hazardous anionic dye contaminants, functional group characterized by the organic contaminant was found as one of the main factors affecting both membrane rejection and fouling rate. More fouling on the membrane surface led to the existence of dipolar characterizations and this was more pronounced at lower solution pH, thereby improving membrane rejection accordingly. Similar result was observed with a real metal-plating wastewater. Strong correlation was found that higher fouling rate resulted in higher organic rejection efficiency. Hydrophilicity exhibited by alumina membrane improved the organic rejection efficiency of the membrane due to the formation of hydrophilic fouling layer deposited on it. In addition, less surface roughness of alumina membrane resulted in less fouling rate. Regardless of the operational conditions applied in this study, fluidizing the GAC particles along the surface of alumina membrane was very effective to enhance organic removal efficiency higher than 95% and provide an excellent tool to reduce membrane fouling. Less than 0.1 bar as suction pressure was maintained with the alumina membrane at 25 L/m²hr of permeate set-point flux during the whole operational periods without performing any backwashing and chemical enhanced cleaning for the membrane.

Keywords: alumina membrane, fluidized membrane reactor, industrial wastewater, membrane fouling, rejection

Procedia PDF Downloads 155

Authors: Hamid Fallah

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Undoubtedly, flood is known as a natural disaster, and in practice, flood is considered the most terrible natural disaster in the world both in terms of loss of life and financial losses. From 1988 to 1997, about 390,000 people were killed by natural disasters in the world, 58% of which were related to floods, 26% due to earthquakes, and 16% due to storms and other disasters. The total damages in these 10 years were about 700 billion dollars, which were 33, 29, 28% related to floods, storms and earthquakes, respectively. In this regard, the worrisome point has been the increasing trend of flood deaths and damages in the world in recent decades. The increase in population and assets in flood plains, changes in hydro systems and the destructive effects of human activities have been the main reasons for this increase. During rain and snow, some of the water is absorbed by the soil and plants. A percentage evaporates and the rest flows and is called runoff. Floods occur when the soil and plants cannot absorb the rainfall, and as a result, the natural river channel does not have the capacity to pass the generated runoff. On average, almost 30% of precipitation is converted into runoff, which increases with snow melting. Floods that occur differently create an area called flood plain around the river. River floods are often caused by heavy rains, which in some cases are accompanied by snow melt. A flood that flows in a river without warning or with little warning is called a flash flood. The casualties of these rapid floods that occur in small watersheds are generally more than the casualties of large river floods. Coastal areas are also subject to flooding caused by waves caused by strong storms on the surface of the oceans or waves caused by underground earthquakes. Floods not only cause damage to property and endanger the lives of humans and animals, but also leave other effects. Runoff caused by heavy rains causes soil erosion in the upstream and sedimentation problems in the downstream. The habitats of fish and other animals are often destroyed by floods. The high speed of the current increases the damage. Long-term floods stop traffic and prevent drainage and economic use of land. The supports of bridges, river banks, sewage outlets and other structures are damaged, and there is a disruption in shipping and hydropower generation. The economic losses of floods in the world are estimated at tens of billions of dollars annually.

Keywords: flood, hydrological engineering, gis, dam, small hydropower, suitablity

Procedia PDF Downloads 54

Authors: Mohd Fairus Humar, Ibrahim Sulaiman, Pedro Cruz, Hasry Harun

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This paper presents the propose knowledge transfer program on railway signaling and communication by Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Thales Portugal. The fundamental issue is that there is no rail related course offered by local universities and colleges in Malaysia which could be an option to pursue student career path. Currently, dedicated trainings related to the rail technology are provided by in-house training academies established by the respective rail operators such as Malaysia Railway Academy (MyRA) and Rapid Rail Training Centre. In this matter, the content of training and facilities need to be strengthened to keep up-to-date with the dynamic evolvement of the rail technology. This is because rail products have evolved to be more sophisticated and embedded with high technology components which no longer exist in the mechanical form alone but combined with electronics, information technology and others. These demand for a workforce imbued with knowledge, multi-skills and competency to deal with specialized technical areas. Talent is needed to support sustainability in Southeast Asia. Keeping the above factors in mind, an Industrial Collaboration Program (ICP) was carried out to transfer knowledge on curricula of railway signaling and communication to a selected railway operators and tertiary educational institution in Malaysia. In order to achieve the aim, a partnership was formed between Technical Depository Agency (TDA), Thales Portugal and MyRA for two years with three main stages of program implementation comprising of: i) training on basic railway signaling and communication for 1 month with Thales in Malaysia; ii) training on advance railway signaling and communication for 4 months with Thales in Portugal and; iii) a series of workshop. Two workshops were convened to develop and harmonize curricula of railway signaling and communication course and were followed by one training for installation equipment of railway signaling and Controlled Train Centre (CTC) system from Thales Portugal. With active involvement from Technical Depository Agency (TDA), railway operators, universities, and colleges, in planning, executing, monitoring, control and closure, the program module of railway signaling and communication course with a lab railway signaling field equipment and CTC simulator were developed. Through this program, contributions from various parties help to build committed societies to engage important issues in relation to railway signaling and communication towards creating a sustainable future.

Keywords: knowledge transfer program, railway signaling and communication, curricula, module and teaching aid simulator

Procedia PDF Downloads 179

Authors: Teklay Gebrecherkos, Mahmud Abdulkadir

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Abstract: The emergence and subsequent rapid worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have posed a global crisis, with a tremendously increasing burden of infection, morbidity, and mortality risks. Recent studies have suggested that severe cases of COVID-19 are characterized by massive biochemical, hematological, and inflammatory alterations whose synergistic effect is estimated to progress to multiple organ damage and failure. In this regard, biochemical monitoring of COVID-19 patients, based on comprehensive laboratory assessments and findings, is expected to play a crucial role in effective clinical management and improving the survival rates of patients. However, biochemical markers that can be informative of COVID-19 patient risk stratification and predictor of clinical outcomes are currently scarcely available. The study aims to investigate the profiles of common biochemical markers and their influence on the severity of the COVID-19 infection in Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods: A laboratory-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July to August 2020 at Quiha College of Engineering, Mekelle University COVID-19 isolation and treatment center. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Whole blood was collected from each study participant, and serum samples were separated after being delivered to the laboratory. Hematological biomarkers were analyzed using FACS count, while organ tests and serum electrolytes were analyzed using ion-selective electrode methods using a Cobas-6000 series machine. Data was analyzed using SPSS Vs 20. Results: A total of 120 SARS-CoV-2 patients were enrolled during the study. The participants ranged between 18 and 91 years, with a mean age of 52 (±108.8). The majority (40%) of participants were between the ages of 60 and above. Patients with multiple comorbidities developed severe COVID-19, though not statistically significant (p=0.34). Mann-Whitney U test analysis showed that biochemical tests such as neuropile count (p=0.003), AST levels (p=0.050), serum creatinine (p=0.000), and serum sodium (p=0.015) were significantly correlated with severe COVID-19 disease as compared to non-severe disease. Conclusion: The severity of COVID-19 was associated with higher age, organ tests AST and creatinine, serum Na+, and elevated total neutrophile count. Thus, further study needs to be conducted to evaluate the alterations of biochemical biomarkers and their impact on COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19, biomarkers, mortality, Tigray, Ethiopia

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Authors: Dounya Barrit, Ming-Chun Tang, Hoang Dang, Kai Wang, Detlef-M. Smilgies, Aram Amassian

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Several deposition methods have been developed for perovskite film preparation. The one-step spin-coating process has emerged as a more popular option thanks to its ability to produce films of different compositions, including mixed cation and mixed halide perovskites, which can stabilize the perovskite phase and produce phases with desired band gap. The two-step method, however, is not understood in great detail. There is a significant need and opportunity to adopt the two-step process toward mixed cation and mixed halide perovskites, but this requires deeper understanding of the two-step conversion process, for instance when using different cations and mixtures thereof, to produce high-quality perovskite films with uniform composition. In this work, we demonstrate using in situ investigations that the conversion of PbI₂ to perovskite is largely dictated by the state of the PbI₂ precursor film in terms of its solvated state. Using time-resolved grazing incidence wide-angle X-Ray scattering (GIWAXS) measurements during spin coating of PbI₂ from a DMF (Dimethylformamide) solution we show the film formation to be a sol-gel process involving three PbI₂-DMF solvate complexes: disordered precursor (P₀), ordered precursor (P₁, P₂) prior to PbI₂ formation at room temperature after 5 minutes. The ordered solvates are highly metastable and eventually disappear, but we show that performing conversion from P₀, P₁, P₂ or PbI₂ can lead to very different conversion behaviors and outcomes. We compare conversion behaviors by using MAI (Methylammonium iodide), FAI (Formamidinium Iodide) and mixtures of these cations, and show that conversion can occur spontaneously and quite rapidly at room temperature without requiring further thermal annealing. We confirm this by demonstrating improvements in the morphology and microstructure of the resulting perovskite films, using techniques such as in situ quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, SEM and XRD.

Keywords: in situ GIWAXS, lead iodide, mixed cation, perovskite solar cell, sol-gel process, solvate phase

Procedia PDF Downloads 139

Authors: Sundus Mona, Atif Adnan, Babar Ali, Fareeha Arshad, Allah Rakha

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Molecular diversity is the variation in the abundance of species. Forensic entomology is a neglected field in Pakistan. Insects collected from the crime scene should be handled by forensic entomologists who are currently virtually non-existent in Pakistan. Correct identification of insect specimen along with knowledge of their biodiversity can aid in solving many problems related to complicated forensic cases. Inadequate morphological identification and insufficient thermal biological studies limit the entomological utility in Forensic Medicine. Recently molecular identification of entomological evidence has gained attention globally. DNA barcoding is the latest and established method for species identification. Only proper identification can provide a precise estimation of postmortem intervals. Arthropods are known to be the first tourists scavenging on decomposing dead matter. The objective of the proposed study was to identify species by molecular techniques and analyze their phylogenetic importance with barcoded necrophagous insect species of early succession on human cadavers. Based upon this identification, the study outcomes will be the utilization of established DNA bar codes to identify carrion feeding insect species for concordant estimation of post mortem interval. A molecular identification method involving sequencing of a 658bp ‘barcode’ fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene from collected specimens of unknown dipteral species from cadavers of Lahore was evaluated. Nucleotide sequence divergences were calculated using MEGA 7 and Arlequin, and a neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was generated. Three species were identified, Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya saffranea, and Chrysomya rufifacies with low genetic diversity. The fixation index was 0.83992 that suggests a need for further studies to identify and classify forensically relevant insects in Pakistan. There is an exigency demand for further research especially when immature forms of arthropods are recovered from the crime scene.

Keywords: molecular diversity, DNA barcoding, species identification, forensically relevant

Procedia PDF Downloads 135

Authors: Ahmed Aljudaya, Derek Ingham, Lin Ma, Kevin Hughes, Mohammed Pourkashanian

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Researchers, power companies, and state politicians have given concentrated solar power (CSP) much attention due to its capacity to generate large amounts of electricity whereas overcoming the intermittent nature of solar resources. The Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR) is a well-known CSP technology type for being inexpensive, having a low land use factor, and suffering from low optical efficiency. The LFR was considered a cost-effective alternative option to the Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) because of its simplistic design, and this often outweighs its lower efficiency. The LFR has been found to be a promising option for directly producing steam to a thermal cycle in order to generate low-cost electricity, but also it has been shown to be promising for indirect steam generation. The purpose of this important analysis is to compare the annual performance of the Direct Steam Generation (DSG) and Indirect Steam Generation (ISG) of LFR power plants using molten salt and other different Heat Transfer Fluids (HTF) to investigate their technical and economic effects. A 50 MWe solar-only system is examined as a case study for both steam production methods in extreme weather conditions. In addition, a parametric analysis is carried out to determine the optimal solar field size that provides the lowest Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) while achieving the highest technical performance. As a result of optimizing the optimum solar field size, the solar multiple (SM) is found to be between 1.2 – 1.5 in order to achieve as low as 9 Cent/KWh for the direct steam generation of the linear Fresnel reflector. In addition, the power plant is capable of producing around 141 GWh annually and up to 36% of the capacity factor, whereas the ISG produces less energy at a higher cost. The optimization results show that the DSG’s performance overcomes the ISG in producing around 3% more annual energy, 2% lower LCOE, and 28% less capital cost.

Keywords: concentrated solar power, levelized cost of electricity, linear Fresnel reflectors, steam generation

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Authors: M. J. Baum, B. Gibbes, A. Grinham, S. Albert, D. Gale, P. Fisher

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Alongside the rapid expansion of Seawater Reverse Osmosis technologies there is a concurrent increase in the production of hypersaline brine by-products. To minimize environmental impact, these by-products are commonly disposed into open-coastal environments via submerged diffuser systems as inclined dense jet outfalls. Despite the widespread implementation of this process, diffuser designs are typically based on small-scale laboratory experiments under idealistic quiescent conditions. Studies concerning diffuser performance in the field are limited. A set of experiments were conducted to assess the near field characteristics of brine disposal at the Gold Coast Desalination Plant offshore multiport diffuser. The aim of the field experiments was to determine the trajectory and dilution characteristics of the plume under various discharge configurations with production ranging 66 – 100% of plant operative capacity. The field monitoring system employed an unprecedented static array of temperature and electrical conductivity sensors in a three-dimensional grid surrounding a single diffuser port. Complimenting these measurements, Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers were also deployed to record current variability over the depth of the water column and wave characteristics. Recorded data suggested the open-coastal environment was highly active over the experimental duration with ambient velocities ranging 0.0 – 0.5 m∙s^-1, with considerable variability over the depth of the water column observed. Variations in background electrical conductivity corresponding to salinity fluctuations of ± 1.7 g∙kg^-1 were also observed. Increases in salinity were detected during plant operation and appeared to be most pronounced 10 – 30 m from the diffuser, consistent with trajectory predictions described by existing literature. Plume trajectories and respective dilutions extrapolated from salinity data are compared with empirical scaling arguments. Discharge properties were found to adequately correlate with modelling projections. Temporal and spatial variation of background processes and their subsequent influence upon discharge outcomes are discussed with a view to incorporating the influence of waves and ambient currents in the design of brine outfalls into the future.

Keywords: brine disposal, desalination, field study, negatively buoyant discharge

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Authors: Henry Memczak, Marc Hovestaedt, Bernhard Ay, Sandra Saenger, Thorsten Wolff, Frank F. Bier

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The influenza viruses cause flu epidemics every year and serious pandemics in larger time intervals. The only cost-effective protection against influenza is vaccination. Due to rapid mutation continuously new subtypes appear, what requires annual reimmunization. For a correct vaccination recommendation, the circulating influenza strains had to be detected promptly and exactly and characterized due to their antigenic properties. During the flu season 2016/17, a wrong vaccination recommendation has been given because of the great time interval between identification of the relevant influenza vaccine strains and outbreak of the flu epidemic during the following winter. Due to such recurring incidents of vaccine mismatches, there is a great need to speed up the process chain from identifying the right vaccine strains to their administration. The monitoring of subtypes as part of this process chain is carried out by national reference laboratories within the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS). To this end, thousands of viruses from patient samples (e.g., throat smears) are isolated and analyzed each year. Currently, this analysis involves complex and time-intensive (several weeks) animal experiments to produce specific hyperimmune sera in ferrets, which are necessary for the determination of the antigen profiles of circulating virus strains. These tests also bear difficulties in standardization and reproducibility, which restricts the significance of the results. To replace this test a peptide-based assay for influenza virus subtyping from corresponding virus samples was developed. The differentiation of the viruses takes place by a set of specifically designed peptidic recognition molecules which interact differently with the different influenza virus subtypes. The differentiation of influenza subtypes is performed by pattern recognition guided by machine learning algorithms, without any animal experiments. Synthetic peptides are immobilized in multiplex format on various platforms (e.g., 96-well microtiter plate, microarray). Afterwards, the viruses are incubated and analyzed comparing different signaling mechanisms and a variety of assay conditions. Differentiation of a range of influenza subtypes, including H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, as well as fine differentiation of single strains within these subtypes is possible using the peptide-based subtyping platform. Thereby, the platform could be capable of replacing the current antigenic characterization of influenza strains using ferret hyperimmune sera.

Keywords: antigenic characterization, influenza-binding peptides, influenza subtyping, influenza surveillance

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Authors: Hamsasew Hankebo Lemago, Dóra Hessz, Tamás Igricz, Zoltán Erdélyi, , Imre Miklós Szilágyi

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Metal oxide inverse opals are a promising class of photocatalysts with a unique hierarchical structure. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a versatile technique for the synthesis of high-precision metal oxide thin films, including inverse opals. In this study, we report the synthesis of TiO₂, ZnO, and Al₂O₃ inverse opal and their composites photocatalysts using thermal or plasma-enhanced ALD. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized using a variety of techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), ellipsometry, and UV-visible spectroscopy. The results showed that the ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals had a highly ordered structure and a tunable pore size. The PL spectroscopy results showed low recombination rates of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, while the ellipsometry and UV-visible spectroscopy results showed tunable optical properties and band gap energies. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals exhibited high photocatalytic activity, even under visible light irradiation. The composites photocatalysts showed even higher activity than the individual metal oxide inverse opals. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the composites can be attributed to the synergistic effect between the different metal oxides. For example, Al₂O₃ can act as a charge carrier scavenger, which can reduce the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals and their composites are promising photocatalysts for a variety of applications, such as wastewater treatment, air purification, and energy production. The ALD-synthesized metal oxide inverse opals and their composites are promising photocatalysts for a variety of applications, such as wastewater treatment, air purification, and energy production.

Keywords: ALD, metal oxide inverse opals, photocatalysis, composites

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Authors: Safar Ghaedrahmati, Leila Soltani

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Population centralization in urban area and metropolitans, especially in developing countries such as Iran increase metropolitan's problems. For few decades, the population of cities in developing countries, including Iran had a higher growth rate than the total growth rate of countries’ population. While in developed countries, the development of the big cities began decades ago and generally allowed for controlled and planned urban expansion, the opposite is the case in developing countries, where rapid urbanization process is characterized by an unplanned existing urban expansion. The developing metropolitan cities have enormous difficulties in coping both with the natural population growth and the urban physical expansion. Iranian cities are usually the heart of economic and cultural changes that have occurred after the Islamic revolution in 1979. These cities are increasingly having impacts via political–economical arrangement and chiefly by urban management structures. Structural features have led to the population growth of cities and urbanization (in number, population and physical frame) and the main problems in them. On the other hand, the lack of birth control policies and the deceptive attractions of cities, particularly big cities, and the birth rate has shot up, something which has occurred mainly in rural regions and small cities. The population of Iran has increased rapidly since 1956. The 1956 and 1966 decennial censuses counted the population of Iran at 18.9 million and 25.7 million, respectively, with a 3.1% annual growth rate during the 1956–1966 period. The 1976 and 1986 decennial censuses counted Iran’s population at 33.7 and 49.4 million, respectively, a 2.7% and 3.9% annual growth rate during the 1966–1976 and 1976–1986 periods. The 1996 count put Iran’s population at 60 million, a 1.96% annual growth rate from 1986–1996 and the 2006 count put Iran population at 72 million. A recent major policy of urban economic and industrial decentralization is a persistent program of the government. The policy has been identified as a result of the massive growth of Tehran in the recent years, up to 9 million by 2010. Part of the growth of the capitally resulted from the lack of economic opportunities elsewhere and in order to redress the developing primacy of Tehran and the domestic pressures which it is undergoing, the policy of decentralization is to be implemented as quickly as possible. Type of research is applied and method of data collection is documentary and methods of analysis are; population analysis with urban system analysis and urban distribution system

Keywords: population centralization, cities of Iran, urban centralization, urban system

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Authors: Hakan Duger, Alparslan Ersoy, Canan Ersoy

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The improvement of surgical techniques in recent years has reduced the frequency of postoperative complications in kidney transplant recipients. Novel immunosuppressive agents have reduced rates of graft loss due to acute rejection to less than 1%. However, surgical complications may still lead graft loss and morbidity in recipients. Because of potent immunosuppression, impaired wound healing and complications are frequent after transplantation. We compared the frequency of post-operative surgical complications in diabetic and non-diabetic patients after kidney transplantation. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study conducted in consecutive patients (213 females, 285 males, median age 39 years) who underwent kidney transplant surgery at our center between December 2005 and October 2015. The patients were divided into two groups: diabetics (46 ± 10 year, 26 males, 16 females) and non-diabetics (39 ± 12 year, 259 males, 197 females). Characteristics of both groups were obtained from medical records. Results: We performed 225 living and 273 deceased donor transplantations. Renal replacement type was hemodialysis in 60.8%, peritoneal dialysis in 17.3% and preemptive in 12%. The mean body mass indexes of the recipients were 24 ± 4.6 kg/m², donor age was 48.6 ± 14.3 years, cold ischemic time was 11.3 ± 6.1 hours, surgery time was 4.9 ± 1.2 hours, and recovery time was 54±31 min. The mean hospitalization duration was 19.1 ± 13.5 days. The frequency of postoperative surgical complications was 43.8%. There was no significant difference between the ratios of post-operative surgical complications in non-diabetic (43.5%) and diabetic (47.4%) groups (p=0.648). Post-operative surgical complications were lymphocele (24.6% vs. 23.7%), delayed wound healing (13.2% vs. 7.6%), hematoma (7.8% vs.15.8 %), urinary leak (4.6% vs. 5.3%), hemorrhage (5.1% vs. 0%), hydronephrosis (2.2% vs. 0%), renal artery thrombosis (1.5% vs. 0%), renal vein thrombosis (1% vs. 2.6%), urinoma (0.7% vs. 0%), urinary obstruction (0.5% vs. 0%), ureteral stenosis (0.5% vs. 0%) and ureteral reflux (0.2% vs. 0%) in non-diabetic and diabetic groups, respectively (p > 0.05). Mean serum creatinine levels in non-diabetics and diabetics were 1.43 ± 0.81 and 1.61 ± 0.96 mg/dL at 1st month (p=0.198). At the 6th month, the mean graft and patient survival times in patients with post-operative surgical complications were significantly lower than in those who did not (162.9 ± 3.4 vs. 175.6 ± 1.5 days, p=0.008, and 171 ± 2.9 vs. 176.1 ± 1.6 days, p=0.047, respectively). However, patient survival durations of non-diabetic (173 ± 27) and diabetic (177 ± 13 day) groups were comparable (p=0.396). Conclusion: As a result, we concluded that surgical complications such as lymphocele and delayed wound healing were common and that frequency of these complications in diabetic recipients did not differ from non-diabetic one. All persons involved in the postoperative care of kidney transplant recipients be aware of the potential surgical complications for rapid diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: kidney transplantation, diabetes mellitus, surgery, complication

Procedia PDF Downloads 173

Authors: M. R. Vijayakumar, K. Priyanka, Ramoji Kosuru, Lakshmi, Sanjay Singh

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Trans resveratrol (RES) is a non-flavonoid poly-phenolic compound proved for its therapeutic and preventive effect against various types of cancer. However, the practical application of RES in cancer treatment is limited because of its higher dose (up to 7.5 g/day in humans), low biological half life, rapid metabolism and faster elimination in mammals. PEGylated core-shell type lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles are the novel drug delivery systems for long circulation and improved anti cancer effect of its therapeutic payloads. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to extend the biological half life (long circulation) and improve the therapeutic efficacy of RES through core shell type of nanoparticles. D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (vitamin E TPGS), a novel surfactant is applied for the preparation of PEGylated lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles. The prepared nanoparticles were evaluated by various state of the art techniques such as dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique for particle size and zeta potential, TEM for shape, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for interaction analysis and XRD for crystalline changes of drug. Entrapment efficiency and invitro drug release were determined by ultracentrifugation method and dialysis bag method, respectively. Cancer cell viability studies were performed by MTT assay, respectively. Pharmacokinetic studies after i.v administration were performed in sprague dawley rats. The prepared NPs were found to be spherical in shape with smooth surfaces. Particle size and zeta potential of prepared NPs were found to be in the range of 179.2±7.45 to 266.8±9.61 nm and -0.63 to -48.35 mV, respectively. DSC revealed absence of potential interaction. XRD study revealed presence of amorphous form in nanoparticles. Entrapment efficiency was found to be 83.7 % and drug release was found to be in controlled manner. MTT assay showed low MEC and pharmacokinetic studies showed higher AUC of nanoformulaition than its pristine drug. All these studies revealed that the RES loaded PEG modified core-shell type lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles can be an alternative tool for chemopreventive and therapeutic application of RES in cancer.

Keywords: trans resveratrol, cancer nanotechnology, long circulating nanoparticles, bioavailability enhancement, core shell nanoparticles, lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles

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Authors: Min Chang Shin, Byung Hun Jeong, Jeong Sik Han, Jung Hoon Park

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In modern times, as flight speeds have increased due to improvements in aircraft and missile engine performance, thermal loads have also increased. Because of the friction heat of air flow with high speed on the surface of the vehicle, it is not easy to cool the superheat of the vehicle by the simple air cooling method. For this reason, a cooling method through endothermic heat is attracting attention by using a fuel that causes an endothermic reaction in a high-speed vehicle. There are two main ways of cooling the fuel through the endothermic reaction. The first is physical heat absorption. When the temperature rises, there is a sensible heat that accompanies it. The second is the heat of reaction corresponding to the chemical heat absorption, which absorbs heat during the fuel decomposes. Generally, since the decomposition reaction of the fuel proceeds at a high temperature, it does not achieve a great efficiency in cooling the high-speed flight body. However, when the catalyst is used, decomposition proceeds at a low temperature thereby increasing the cooling efficiency. However, when the catalyst is used as a powder, the catalyst enters the engine and damages the engine or the catalyst can deteriorate the performance due to the sintering. On the other hand, when used in the form of pellets, catalyst loss can be prevented. However, since the specific surface of pellet is small, the efficiency of the catalyst is low. And it can interfere with the flow of fuel, resulting in pressure loss and problems with fuel injection. In this study, we tried to maximize the performance of the catalyst by preparing a hollow fiber type pellet for zeolite ZSM-5, which has a higher amount of heat absorption, than other conventional pellets. The hollow fiber type pellet was prepared by phase inversion method. The hollow fiber type pellet has a finger-like pore and sponge-like pore. So it has a higher specific surface area than conventional pellets. The crystal structure of the prepared ZSM-5 catalyst was confirmed by XRD, and the characteristics of the catalyst were analyzed by TPD/TPR device. This study was conducted as part of the Basic Research Project (Pure-17-20) of Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

Keywords: catalyst, endothermic reaction, high-speed vehicle cooling, zeolite, ZSM-5

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Authors: Lily Farris, Chantel E. Canessa, Rena Heathcote, Susan Shumay, Suzanna V. McRae, Alissa Collingridge, Minna K. Miller

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Objective: To describe how the Lean approach can be applied to improve access, quality and safety of care in an ambulatory pediatric primary care setting. Background: Lean was originally developed by Toyota manufacturing in Japan, and subsequently adapted for use in the healthcare sector. Lean is a systematic approach, focused on identifying and reducing waste within organizational processes, improving patient-centered care and efficiency. Limited literature is available on the implementation of the Lean methodologies in a pediatric ambulatory care setting. Methods: A strategic continuous improvement event or Rapid Process Improvement Workshop (RPIW) was launched with the aim evaluating and structurally supporting clinic workflow, capacity building, sustainability, and ultimately improving access to care and enhancing the patient experience. The Lean process consists of five specific activities: Current state/process assessment (value stream map); development of a future state map (value stream map after waste reduction); identification, quantification and prioritization of the process improvement opportunities; implementation and evaluation of process changes; and audits to sustain the gains. Staff engagement is a critical component of the Lean process. Results: Through the implementation of the RPIW and shifting workload among the administrative team, four hours of wasted time moving between desks and doing work was eliminated from the Administrative Clerks role. To streamline clinic flow, the Nursing Assistants completed patient measurements and vitals for Nurse Practitioners, reducing patient wait times and adding value to the patients visit with the Nurse Practitioners. Additionally, through the Nurse Practitioners engagement in the Lean processes a need was recognized to articulate clinic vision, mission and the alignment of NP role and scope of practice with the agency and Ministry of Health strategic plan. Conclusions: Continuous improvement work in the Pediatric Primary Care NP Clinic has provided a unique opportunity to improve the quality of care delivered and has facilitated further alignment of the daily continuous improvement work with the strategic priorities of the Ministry of Health.

Keywords: ambulatory care, lean, pediatric primary care, system efficiency

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Authors: M. De Iuliis, O. Kammouh, G. P. Cimellaro, S. Tesfamariam

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Community Resilience has gained a significant attention due to the recent unexpected natural and man-made disasters. Resilience is the process of maintaining livable conditions in the event of interruptions in normally available services. Estimating the resilience of systems, ranging from individuals to communities, is a formidable task due to the complexity involved in the process. The most challenging parameter involved in the resilience assessment is the 'downtime'. Downtime is the time needed for a system to recover its services following a disaster event. Estimating the exact downtime of a system requires a lot of inputs and resources that are not always obtainable. The uncertainties in the downtime estimation are usually handled using probabilistic methods, which necessitates acquiring large historical data. The estimation process also involves ignorance, imprecision, vagueness, and subjective judgment. In this paper, a fuzzy-based approach to estimate the downtime of building structures following earthquake events is proposed. Fuzzy logic can integrate descriptive (linguistic) knowledge and numerical data into the fuzzy system. This ability allows the use of walk down surveys, which collect data in a linguistic or a numerical form. The use of fuzzy logic permits a fast and economical estimation of parameters that involve uncertainties. The first step of the method is to determine the building’s vulnerability. A rapid visual screening is designed to acquire information about the analyzed building (e.g. year of construction, structural system, site seismicity, etc.). Then, a fuzzy logic is implemented using a hierarchical scheme to determine the building damageability, which is the main ingredient to estimate the downtime. Generally, the downtime can be divided into three main components: downtime due to the actual damage (DT1); downtime caused by rational and irrational delays (DT2); and downtime due to utilities disruption (DT3). In this work, DT1 is computed by relating the building damageability results obtained from the visual screening to some already-defined components repair times available in the literature. DT2 and DT3 are estimated using the REDITM Guidelines. The Downtime of the building is finally obtained by combining the three components. The proposed method also allows identifying the downtime corresponding to each of the three recovery states: re-occupancy; functional recovery; and full recovery. Future work is aimed at improving the current methodology to pass from the downtime to the resilience of buildings. This will provide a simple tool that can be used by the authorities for decision making.

Keywords: resilience, restoration, downtime, community resilience, fuzzy logic, recovery, damage, built environment

Procedia PDF Downloads 155

Authors: Surya Chandra Tiwari, Kamal Kishore Pant, Sreedevi Upadhyayula

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CO2 capture using benign cost-effective solvents is an essential unit operation not only in the process industry for CO2 separation and recovery from industrial off-gas streams but also for direct capture from air to clean the environment. Several solvents are identified, by researchers, with high CO2 capture efficiency due to their favorable chemical and physical properties, interaction mechanism with CO2, and low regeneration energy cost. However, N-Methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) is the most frequently used solvent for CO2 capture with promoters such as piperazine (Pz) and monoethanolamine (MEA). These promoters have several issues such as low thermal stability, heat-stable salt formation, and being highly degradable. Therefore, new class promoters need to be used to overcome these issues. Functionalized ionic liquids (FILs) have the potential to overcome these limitations. Hence, in this work, four different new class functionalized ionic liquids (FILs) were used as promoters and determined their effectivity toward enhancement of the CO2 absorption performance. The CO2 absorption is performed at different pressure (2 bar, 4.4 bar, and 7 bar) and different temperature (303, 313, and 323K). The results confirmed that CO2 loading increases around 18 to 22% after 5wt% FILs blended in the MDEA. It was noticed that the CO2 loading increases with increasing pressure and decreases with increasing temperature for all absorbents systems. Further, the absorption kinetics was determined, and results showed that all the FILs provide an excellent absorption rate enhancement. Additionally, for the interaction mechanism study, 13C NMR analysis was performed for the blend aqueous MDEA-CO2 system. The results suggested that the FILs blend MDEA system produced a high amount of carbamates and bicarbonates during CO2 absorption, which further decreases with increasing temperature. Eventually, regeneration energy was calculated, and results confirmed that the energy heat duty penalty was lower in the [TETAH][Im] blend MDEA system. Overall, [TETAH][Pz], [TETAH][Im], [DETAH][Im] and [DETAH][Tz] showed the promising ability as promoters to enhance CO2 capturing performance of MDEA.

Keywords: CO2 capture, interaction mechanism, kinetics, Ionic liquids

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Authors: Yi-Chiang Huang, Hsu-Feng Lee, Yu-Chao Tseng, Wen-Yao Huang

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Proton exchange membranes as a key component in fuel cells have been widely studying over the past few decades. As proton exchange, membranes should have some main characteristics, such as good mechanical properties, low oxidative stability and high proton conductivity. In this work, trifluoromethyl groups had been introduced on polymer backbone and phenyl side chain which can provide densely located sulfonic acid group substitution and also promotes solubility, thermal and oxidative stability. Herein, a series of novel sulfonated aromatic hydrocarbon polyelectrolytes was synthesized by polycondensation of 4,4''''-difluoro-3,3''''- bis(trifluoromethyl)-2'',3''-bis(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1,1':4',1'':4'',1''':4''',1''''-quinquephenyl with 2'',3''',5'',6''-tetraphenyl-[1,1':4',1'': 4'',1''':4''',1''''-quinquephenyl]-4,4''''-diol and post-sulfonated was through chlorosulfonic acid to given sulfonated polymers (SFC3-X) possessing ion exchange capacities ranging from 1.93, 1.91 and 2.53 mmol/g. ¹H NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy were applied to confirm the structure and composition of sulfonated polymers. The membranes exhibited considerably dimension stability (10-27.8% in length change; 24-56.5% in thickness change) and excellent oxidative stability (weight remain higher than 97%). The mechanical properties of membranes demonstrated good tensile strength on account of the high rigidity multi-phenylated backbone. Young's modulus were ranged 0.65-0.77GPa which is much larger than that of Nafion 211 (0.10GPa). Proton conductivities of membranes ranged from 130 to 240 mS/cm at 80 °C under fully humidified which were comparable or higher than that of Nafion 211 (150 mS/cm). The morphology of membranes was investigated by transmission electron microscopy which demonstrated a clear hydrophilic/hydrophobic phase separation with spherical ionic clusters in the size range of 5-20 nm. The SFC3-1.97 single fuel cell performance demonstrates the maximum power density at 1.08W/cm², and Nafion 211 was 1.24W/cm² as a reference in this work. The result indicated that SFC3-X are good candidates for proton exchange membranes in fuel cell applications. Fuel cell of other membranes is under testing.

Keywords: fuel cells, polyelectrolyte, proton exchange membrane, sulfonated polymers

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Authors: Neha Dimri, Varsha Gupta

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Purpose: Fast Fashion trend promotes consumption of low cost high fashion garments at a rapid rate. Frequent change in fashion trend results in higher disposability of Fast Fashion products. To cater for the Fast Fashion appetite of the present day consumer, fashion giants have ramped up production of garments, thus imposing a massive strain on the planet’s natural resources. Also, ethical issues related to cheaper methods of production are of concern. India being a large consumer base has a major role to play in proliferation of the Fast Fashion trend. This paper is an attempt to study the effect of fast fashion trends on the Indian consumer’s behaviour. It also attempts to ascertain the awareness of the consumer about the detrimental effect that the fast fashion trends manifest on the environment. Design /methodology/approach: The survey was conducted using a questionnaire targeted at a set of urban Indian consumers of varied age, profession and socio economic backgrounds. Trends regarding frequency of purchase, expenditure on clothing, disposal methods and awareness about environmental issues were analyzed using the obtained data. Findings: The result of the study indicates that urban Indian consumer has a strong affinity towards fast fashion trends, but is largely unaware of its detrimental effect on the environment and strain on natural resources. Research Limitation/implications: The sample size for survey was only of a hundred consumers, and the same could be expanded for a better estimate of trends. Also, the sample consumers were mostly urban. A big chunk of Indian fashion consumers reside in small towns and the same could be included in the survey. Practical implications: As the true cost of Fast Fashion in terms of environmental and ethical aspects is getting realized worldwide, a big market like India cannot remain isolated from this phenomenon. Globally there has been an increase in demand of ethically produced clothing. It is imperative that the Indian consumer be made aware about the unsustainable nature of Fast Fashion so that he can contribute towards conservation of natural resources and ethical production of garments. Originality/value The research attempts to ascertain consumption pattern of the Indian fashion consumer and also his awareness about the true cost and consequences of Fast Fashion. The inferences may be used by fashion giants to use ‘Green Marketing’ and ‘Social Marketing’ techniques to make the Indian consumer more aware about sustainable fashion and to market their own products as ‘Sustainable, Green and Ethical’.

Keywords: consumption, disposable, fast fashion, Indian consumer

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Authors: Mukhammad Fatkhullah, Ayla Karina Budita, Cut Rizka Al Usrah, Kanita Khoirun Nisa, Muhammad Alhada Fuadilah Habib, Siti Muslihatul Mukaromah

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Batik industry has become one of the leading industries in the economy of Indonesia. Since the recognition of batik as one of cultural wealth and national identity of Indonesia by UNESCO, batik production keeps increasing as a result of increasing demands for batik, whether from domestically or abroad. One of the rapid development batik industries in Indonesia is batik industry in Lawean Village, Solo, Central Java, Indonesia. This batik industry generally uses putting-out system where batik workers work in their own houses. With the implementation of this system, therefore employers don’t have to prepare Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA), social security for workers, overtime payment, space for working, and equipment for working. The implementation of putting-out system causes many problems, starting from environmental pollution, the loss of social rights of workers, and even exploitation of workers by batik entrepreneurs. The data used to describe this reality is the primary data from qualitative research with in-depth interview data collection technique. Informants were determined purposively. The theory used to perform data interpretation is the phenomenology of Alfred Schutz. Both qualitative and phenomenology are used in this study to describe batik workers exploitation in terms of the implementation of putting-out system on home batik industry in Lawean. The research result showed that workers in batik industry sector in Lawean were exploited with the implementation of putting-out system. The workers were strictly employed by the entrepreneurs, so that their job cannot be called 'part-time' job anymore. In terms of labor and time, the workers often work more than 12 hours per day and they often work overtime without receiving any overtime payment. In terms of work safety, the workers often have contact with chemical substances contained in batik making materials without using any protection, such as clothes work, which is worsened by the lack of standard or procedure in work that can cause physical damage, such as burnt and peeled off skin. Moreover, exposure and contamination of chemical materials make the workers and their families vulnerable to various diseases. Meanwhile, batik entrepreneurs did not give any social security (including health cost aid). Besides that, the researchers found that batik industry in home industry sector is not environmentally friendly, even damaging ecosystem because industrial waste disposed without EIA.

Keywords: exploitation, home batik industry, occupational health and safety, putting-out system

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Authors: Krishna Nand, Mohammad Taufik

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Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is one of the most popular additive manufacturing (AM) technology. In FFF technology, a wire form material (filament) is fed inside a heated chamber, where it gets converted into semi-solid form and extruded out of a nozzle to be deposited on the build platform to fabricate the part. FFF technology is expanding and covering the market at a very rapid rate, so the need of raw materials for 3D printing is also increasing. The cost of 3D printing is directly affected by filament cost. To make 3D printing more economic, a compact and portable filament/wire extrusion system is needed. Wire extrusion systems to extrude ordinary wire/filament made of a single material are available in the market. However, extrusion system to make a composite wire/filament are not available. Hence, in this study, initial efforts have been made to develop a table-top composite wire extruder. The developed system is consisted of mechanical parts, electronics parts, and a control system. A multiple channel hopper, extrusion screw, melting chamber and nozzle, cooling zone, and spool winder are some mechanical parts. While motors, heater, temperature sensor, cooling fans are some electronics parts, which are used to develop this system. A control board has been used to control the various process parameters like – temperature and speed of motors. For the production of composite wire/filament, two different materials could be fed through two channels of hopper, which will be mixed and carried to the heated zone by extrusion screw. The extrusion screw is rotated by a motor, and the speed of this motor will be controlled by the controller as per the requirement of material extrusion rate. In the heated zone, the material will melt with the help of a heating element and extruded out of the nozzle in the form of wire. The developed system occupies less floor space due to the vertical orientation of its heating chamber. It is capable to extrude ordinary filament as well as composite filament, which are compatible with 3D printers available in the market. Further, the developed system could be employed in the research and development of materials, processing, and characterization for 3D printer. The developed system presented in this study could be a better choice for hobbyists and researchers dealing with the fused filament fabrication process to reduce the 3D printing cost significantly by recycling the waste material into 3D printer feed material. Further, it could also be explored as a better alternative for filament production at the commercial level.

Keywords: additive manufacturing, 3D Printing, filament extrusion, pellet extrusion

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Authors: Dinesh Kumar Srivastava

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After liberalization of the economy, technical education has seen rapid growth in India. A large number of institutions are offering various engineering and management programmes. Every year, a number of students complete B. Tech/M. Tech and MBA programmes of different institutes, universities in India and search for jobs in the industry. A large number of companies visit educational institutes for campus placements. These companies are interested in hiring competent managers. Most students show preference for jobs from reputed companies and jobs having high compensation. In this context, this study was conducted to understand career preference of postgraduate students and junior executives. Personality characteristics influence work life as well as personal life. In the last two decades, five factor model of personality has been found to be a valid predictor of job performance and job satisfaction. This approach has received support from studies conducted in different countries. It includes neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Similarly three social needs, namely, achievement, affiliation and power influence motivation and performance in certain job functions. Both approaches have been considered in the study. The objective of the study was first, to analyse the relationship between personality characteristics and career preference of students and executives. Secondly, the study analysed the relationship between personality characteristics and skills of students. Three managerial skills namely, conceptual, human and technical have been considered in the study. The sample size of the study was 266 including postgraduate students and junior executives. Respondents have completed BE/B. Tech/MBA programme. Three dimensions of career preference namely, identity, variety and security and three managerial skills were considered as dependent variables. The results indicated that neuroticism was not related to any dimension of career preference. Extraversion was not related to identity, variety and security. It was positively related to three skills. Openness to experience was positively related to skills. Conscientiousness was positively related to variety. It was positively related to three skills. Similarly, the relationship between social needs and career preference was examined using correlation. The results indicated that need for achievement was positively related to variety, identity and security. Need for achievement was positively related to managerial skills Need for affiliation was positively related to three dimensions of career preference as well as managerial skills Need for power was positively related to three dimensions of career preference and managerial skills Social needs appear to be stronger predictor of career preference and managerial skills than big five traits. Findings have implications for selection process in industry.

Keywords: big five traits, career preference, personality, social needs

Procedia PDF Downloads 268