Search results for: reactive MgO cement
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 1646

Search results for: reactive MgO cement

836 An Investigation on Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity of Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concretes

Authors: Soner Guler, Demet Yavuz, Refik Burak Taymuş, Fuat Korkut

Abstract:

Because of the easy applying and not costing too much, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) is one of the most used non-destructive techniques to determine concrete characteristics along with impact-echo, Schmidt rebound hammer (SRH) and pulse-echo. This article investigates the relationship between UPV and compressive strength of hybrid fiber reinforced concretes. Water/cement ratio (w/c) was kept at 0.4 for all concrete mixes. Compressive strength of concrete was targeted at 35 MPa. UPV testing and compressive strength tests were carried out at the curing age of 28 days. The UPV of concrete containing steel fibers has been found to be higher than plain concrete for all the testing groups. It is decided that there is not a certain relationship between fiber addition and strength.

Keywords: ultrasonic pulse velocity, hybrid fiber, compressive strength, fiber

Procedia PDF Downloads 357
835 A Review: Recycled Materials Used in Construction

Authors: Oghenerukome Akponovo, Lynda I. Onyebuchukwu

Abstract:

Construction waste, along with that of many other industries, contributes significantly to the world's annual solid waste totals. Most of these materials, such as ash from rice hulls, slags, cement kiln dust, tire ash, plastic waste (PW), and silica fumes, end up in landfills or waterways. Some of them might even end up polluting the air from high in the atmosphere. It's sustainable, cheap, and environmentally friendly to recycle these items into new building supplies. When constructing a "Green" structure, the materials employed have the potential to either exacerbate environmental imbalance or maintain a stable ecosystem. The purpose of this research is to take stock of what is already known about recycling's potential in the construction industry and to identify its deficiencies. Therefore, this study systematically reviews the wide range of recycled materials that go into building construction. Recognizing that the construction industry's use of recycled materials has an influence on the environment and that investigating these materials may have a substantial economic impact if they were discovered

Keywords: building, construction, recycled materials, waste management

Procedia PDF Downloads 107
834 New Innovation and Sustainability in a Developing Country: The Case of Cameroon

Authors: Lema Catherine Forje

Abstract:

Innovation activates the system of an economy to a new level. Innovation follows a process. The first step in innovation is the idea-generation process. There is widespread appreciation that people go to great lengths, incur expenses: energy and materials to generate innovative ideas. People get inspired, create, and connect. The inspiration also enables the building of a culture of innovation. Data collection was done through a face-to-face interview with the producer of the first Cameroon beer that came out in the early 1960s, a rice producing company, a cement producing company, and 100 women following a type of dressing commonly worn by Cameroonian women (wrappa). There were a total number of one hundred and three interviewees. The implication of this study is for everybody. It sheds light on the factors that are likely to sustain an innovation. Conclusion emphasises continuous research to keep giving the innovation a face lift.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, ideas, innovation, sustainability

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833 Utilising Unground Oil Palm Ash in Producing Foamed Concrete and Its Implementation as an Interlocking Mortar-Less Block

Authors: Hanizam Awang, Mohammed Zuhear Al-Mulali

Abstract:

In this study, the possibility of using unground oil palm ash (UOPA) for producing foamed concrete is investigated. The UOPA used in this study is produced by incinerating palm oil biomass at a temperature exceeding 1000ºC. A semi-structural density of 1300kg/m3 was used with filler to binder ratio of 1.5 and preliminary water to binder ratio of 0.45. Cement was replaced by UOPA at replacement levels of 0, 25, 35, 45, 55 and 65% by weight of binder. Properties such as density, compressive strength, drying shrinkage and water absorption were investigated to the age of 90 days. The mix with a 35% of UOPA content was chosen to be used as the base material of a newly designed interlocking, mortar-less block system.

Keywords: foamed concrete, oil palm ash, strength, interlocking block

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832 Growth and Characterization of Cuprous Oxide (Cu2O) Nanorods by Reactive Ion Beam Sputter Deposition (Ibsd) Method

Authors: Assamen Ayalew Ejigu, Liang-Chiun Chao

Abstract:

In recent semiconductor and nanotechnology, quality material synthesis, proper characterizations, and productions are the big challenges. As cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is a promising semiconductor material for photovoltaic (PV) and other optoelectronic applications, this study was aimed at to grow and characterize high quality Cu2O nanorods for the improvement of the efficiencies of thin film solar cells and other potential applications. In this study, well-structured cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanorods were successfully fabricated using IBSD method in which the Cu2O samples were grown on silicon substrates with a substrate temperature of 400°C in an IBSD chamber of pressure of 4.5 x 10-5 torr using copper as a target material. Argon, and oxygen gases were used as a sputter and reactive gases, respectively. The characterization of the Cu2O nanorods (NRs) were done in comparison with Cu2O thin film (TF) deposited with the same method but with different Ar:O2 flow rates. With Ar:O2 ratio of 9:1 single phase pure polycrystalline Cu2O NRs with diameter of ~500 nm and length of ~4.5 µm were grow. Increasing the oxygen flow rates, pure single phase polycrystalline Cu2O thin film (TF) was found at Ar:O2 ratio of 6:1. The field emission electron microscope (FE-SEM) measurements showed that both samples have smooth morphologies. X-ray diffraction and Rama scattering measurements reveals the presence of single phase Cu2O in both samples. The differences in Raman scattering and photoluminescence (PL) bands of the two samples were also investigated and the results showed us there are differences in intensities, in number of bands and in band positions. Raman characterization shows that the Cu2O NRs sample has pronounced Raman band intensities, higher numbers of Raman bands than the Cu2O TF which has only one second overtone Raman signal at 2 (217 cm-1). The temperature dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectra measurements, showed that the defect luminescent band centered at 720 nm (1.72 eV) is the dominant one for the Cu2O NRs and the 640 nm (1.937 eV) band was the only PL band observed from the Cu2O TF. The difference in optical and structural properties of the samples comes from the oxygen flow rate change in the process window of the samples deposition. This gave us a roadmap for further investigation of the electrical and other optical properties for the tunable fabrication of the Cu2O nano/micro structured sample for the improvement of the efficiencies of thin film solar cells in addition to other potential applications. Finally, the novel morphologies, excellent structural and optical properties seen exhibits the grown Cu2O NRs sample has enough quality to be used in further research of the nano/micro structured semiconductor materials.

Keywords: defect levels, nanorods, photoluminescence, Raman modes

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831 Learning Materials for Enhancing Sustainable Colour Fading Process of Fashion Products

Authors: C. W. Kan, H. F. Cheung, Y. S. Lee

Abstract:

This study examines the results of colour fading of cotton fabric by plasma-induced ozone treatment, with an aim to provide learning materials for fashion designers when designing colour fading effects in fashion products. Cotton knitted fabrics were dyed with red reactive dye with a colour depth of 1.5% and were subjected to ozone generated by a commercially available plasma machine for colour fading. The plasma-induced ozone treatment was conducted with different parameters: (i) air concentration = 10%, 30%, 50% and 70%; (ii) water content in fabric = 35% and 45%, and (iii) treatment time = 10 minutes, 20 minutes and 30 minutes. Finally, the colour properties of the plasma–induced ozone treated fabric were measured by spectrophotometer under illuminant D65 to obtain the CIE L*, CIE a* and CIE b* values.

Keywords: learning materials, colour fading, colour properties, fashion products

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830 Improvement of Deficient Soils in Nigeria Using Bagasse Ash - A Review

Authors: Musa Alhassan, Alhaji Mohammed Mustapha

Abstract:

Review of studies carried out on the use of bagasse ash in the improvement of deficient soils in Nigeria, with emphasis on lateritic and black cotton soils is presented. Although, the bagasse ash is mostly used as additive to the conventional soil stabilizer (cement and lime), the studies generally showed improvement of geotechnical properties of the soils either modified or stabilized with the ash. This showed the potentials of using this agricultural waste (bagasse ash) in the improvement of geotechnical properties of deficient soils. Thus suggesting that using this material at large scale level, in geotechnical engineering practice could help in the provision of stable and durable structures, reduce cost of soil improvement and also reduces environmental nuisance caused by the unused waste in Nigeria

Keywords: bagasse ash, black cotton soil, deficient soil, laterite, soil improvement

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829 The Oxidative Damage Marker for Sodium Formate Exposure on Lymphocytes

Authors: Malinee Pongsavee

Abstract:

Sodium formate is the chemical substance used for food additive. Catalase is the important antioxidative enzyme in protecting the cell from oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The resultant level of oxidative stress in sodium formatetreated lymphocytes was investigated. The sodium formate concentrations of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg/mL were treated in human lymphocytes for 12 hours. After 12 treated hours, catalase activity change was measured in sodium formate-treated lymphocytes. The results showed that the sodium formate concentrations of 0.4 and 0.6 mg/mL significantly decreased catalase activities in lymphocytes (P < 0.05). The change of catalase activity in sodium formate-treated lymphocytes may be the oxidative damage marker for detect sodium formate exposure in human.

Keywords: sodium formate, catalase activity, oxidative damage marker, toxicity

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828 Analysis of the Recovery of Burnility Index and Reduction of CO2 for Cement Manufacturing Utilizing Waste Cementitious Powder as Alternative Raw Material of Limestone

Authors: Kwon Eunhee, Park Dongcheon, Jung Jaemin

Abstract:

In countries around the world, environmental regulations are being strengthened, and Korea is no exception to this trend, which means that environment pollution and the environmental load have recently become a significant issue. For this reason, in this study limestone was replaced with cementitious powder to reduce the volume of construction waste as well as the emission of carbon dioxide caused by Tal-carbonate reaction. The research found that cementitious powder can be used as a substitute for limestone. However, the mix proportions of fine aggregate and powder included in the cementitious powder appear to have a great effect on substitution. Thus, future research should focus on developing a technology that can effectively separate and discharge fine aggregate and powder in the cementitious powder.

Keywords: waste cementitious powder, fine aggregate powder, CO2 emission, decarbonation reaction, calcining process

Procedia PDF Downloads 490
827 A Review of Self-Healing Concrete and Various Methods of Its Scientific Implementation

Authors: Davoud Beheshtizadeh, Davood Jafari

Abstract:

Concrete, with its special properties and advantages, has caused it to be widely and increasingly used in construction industry, especially in infrastructures of the country. On the other hand, some defects of concrete and, most importantly, micro-cracks in the concrete after setting have caused the cost of repair and maintenance of infrastructure; therefore, self-healing concretes have been of attention in other countries in the recent years. These concretes have been repaired with general mechanisms such as physical, chemical, biological and combined mechanisms, each of which has different subsets and methods of execution and operation. Also, some of these types of mechanisms are of high importance, which has led to a special production method, and as this subject is new in Iran, this knowledge is almost unknown or at least some part of it has not been considered at all. The present article completely introduces various self-healing mechanisms as a review and tries to present the disadvantages and advantages of each method along with its scope of application.

Keywords: micro-cracks, self-healing concrete, microcapsules, concrete, cement, self-sensitive

Procedia PDF Downloads 146
826 Characteristic on Compressive Strength of Blast Slag and Fly Ash Hybrid Geopolymer Mortar

Authors: G. S. Ryu, K. T. Koh, H. Y. Kim, G. H. An, D. W. Seo

Abstract:

Geopolymer mortar is produced by alkaline activation of pozzolanic materials such as fly ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) and fly ash (FA). Its unique reaction pathway facilitates rapid strength development in comparison with hydration of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Geopolymer can be fabricated using various types and dosages of alkali-activator, which effectively gives a wider control over the performance of the final product. The present study investigates the effect of types of precursors and curing conditions on the fresh state and strength development characteristics of geopolymers, thereby comparatively exploring the effect of precursors from various sources of origin. The obtained result showed that the setting time and strength development of the specimens with the identical mix proportion but different precursors displayed significant variations.

Keywords: alkali-activated material, blast furnace slag, fly ash, flowability, strength development

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825 Effect of Hydroxyl Functionalization on the Mechanical and Fracture Behaviour of Monolayer Graphene

Authors: Akarsh Verma, Avinash Parashar

Abstract:

The aim of this article is to study the effects of hydroxyl functional group on the mechanical strength and fracture toughness of graphene. This functional group forms the backbone of intrinsic atomic structure of graphene oxide (GO). Molecular dynamics-based simulations were performed in conjunction with reactive force field (ReaxFF) parameters to capture the mode-I fracture toughness of hydroxyl functionalised graphene. Moreover, these simulations helped in concluding that spatial distribution and concentration of hydroxyl functional group significantly affects the fracture morphology of graphene nanosheet. In contrast to literature investigations, atomistic simulations predicted a transition in the failure morphology of hydroxyl functionalised graphene from brittle to ductile as a function of its spatial distribution on graphene sheet.

Keywords: graphene, graphene oxide, ReaxFF, molecular dynamics

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824 Mechanism of Veneer Colouring for Production of Multilaminar Veneer from Plantation-Grown Eucalyptus Globulus

Authors: Ngoc Nguyen

Abstract:

There is large plantation of Eucalyptus globulus established which has been grown to produce pulpwood. This resource is not suitable for the production of decorative products, principally due to low grades of wood and “dull” appearance but many trials have been already undertaken for the production of veneer and veneer-based engineered wood products, such as plywood and laminated veneer lumber (LVL). The manufacture of veneer-based products has been recently identified as an unprecedented opportunity to promote higher value utilisation of plantation resources. However, many uncertainties remain regarding the impacts of inferior wood quality of young plantation trees on product recovery and value, and with respect to optimal processing techniques. Moreover, the quality of veneer and veneer-based products is far from optimal as trees are young and have small diameters; and the veneers have the significant colour variation which affects to the added value of final products. Developing production methods which would enhance appearance of low-quality veneer would provide a great potential for the production of high-value wood products such as furniture, joinery, flooring and other appearance products. One of the methods of enhancing appearance of low quality veneer, developed in Italy, involves the production of multilaminar veneer, also named “reconstructed veneer”. An important stage of the multilaminar production is colouring the veneer which can be achieved by dyeing veneer with dyes of different colours depending on the type of appearance products, their design and market demand. Although veneer dyeing technology has been well advanced in Italy, it has been focused on poplar veneer from plantation which wood is characterized by low density, even colour, small amount of defects and high permeability. Conversely, the majority of plantation eucalypts have medium to high density, have a lot of defects, uneven colour and low permeability. Therefore, detailed study is required to develop dyeing methods suitable for colouring eucalypt veneers. Brown reactive dye is used for veneer colouring process. Veneers from sapwood and heartwood of two moisture content levels are used to conduct colouring experiments: green veneer and veneer dried to 12% MC. Prior to dyeing, all samples are treated. Both soaking (dipping) and vacuum pressure methods are used in the study to compare the results and select most efficient method for veneer dyeing. To date, the results of colour measurements by CIELAB colour system showed significant differences in the colour of the undyed veneers produced from heartwood part. The colour became moderately darker with increasing of Sodium chloride, compared to control samples according to the colour measurements. It is difficult to conclude a suitable dye solution used in the experiments at this stage as the variables such as dye concentration, dyeing temperature or dyeing time have not been done. The dye will be used with and without UV absorbent after all trials are completed using optimal parameters in colouring veneers.

Keywords: Eucalyptus globulus, veneer colouring/dyeing, multilaminar veneer, reactive dye

Procedia PDF Downloads 350
823 Power Flow and Modal Analysis of a Power System Including Unified Power Flow Controller

Authors: Djilani Kobibi Youcef Islam, Hadjeri Samir, Djehaf Mohamed Abdeldjalil

Abstract:

The Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) technology is a new advanced solution that increases the reliability and provides more flexibility, controllability, and stability of a power system. The Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC), as the most versatile FACTS device for regulating power flow, is able to control respectively transmission line real power, reactive power, and node voltage. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of the UPFC on the load flow, the power losses, and the voltage stability using NEPLAN software modules, Newton-Raphson load flow is used for the power flow analysis and the modal analysis is used for the study of the voltage stability. The simulation was carried out on the IEEE 14-bus test system.

Keywords: FACTS, load flow, modal analysis, UPFC, voltage stability

Procedia PDF Downloads 516
822 Nonconventional Method for Separation of Rosmarinic Acid: Synergic Extraction

Authors: Lenuta Kloetzer, Alexandra C. Blaga, Dan Cascaval, Alexandra Tucaliuc, Anca I. Galaction

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Rosmarinic acid, an ester of caffeic acid and 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) lactic acid, is considered a valuable compound for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries due to its antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, anti-allergic, and anti-inflammatory effects. It can be obtained by extraction from vegetable or animal materials, by chemical synthesis and biosynthesis. Indifferent of the method used for rosmarinic acid production, the separation and purification process implies high amount of raw materials and laborious stages leading to high cost for and limitations of the separation technology. This study focused on separation of rosmarinic acid by synergic reactive extraction with a mixture of two extractants, one acidic (acid di-(2ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid, D2EHPA) and one with basic character (Amberlite LA-2). The studies were performed in experimental equipment consisting of an extraction column where the phases’ mixing was made by mean of a perforated disk with 45 mm diameter and 20% free section, maintained at the initial contact interface between the aqueous and organic phases. The vibrations had a frequency of 50 s⁻¹ and 5 mm amplitude. The extraction was carried out in two solvents with different dielectric constants (n-heptane and dichloromethane) in which the extractants mixture of varying concentration was dissolved. The pH-value of initial aqueous solution was varied between 1 and 7. The efficiency of the studied extraction systems was quantified by distribution and synergic coefficients. For calculating these parameters, the rosmarinic acid concentration in the initial aqueous solution and in the raffinate have been measured by HPLC. The influences of extractants concentrations and solvent polarity on the efficiency of rosmarinic acid separation by synergic extraction with a mixture of Amberlite LA-2 and D2EHPA have been analyzed. In the reactive extraction system with a constant concentration of Amberlite LA-2 in the organic phase, the increase of D2EHPA concentration leads to decrease of the synergic coefficient. This is because the increase of D2EHPA concentration prevents the formation of amine adducts and, consequently, affects the hydrophobicity of the interfacial complex with rosmarinic acid. For these reasons, the diminution of synergic coefficient is more important for dichloromethane. By maintaining a constant value of D2EHPA concentration and increasing the concentration of Amberlite LA-2, the synergic coefficient could become higher than 1, its highest values being reached for n-heptane. Depending on the solvent polarity and D2EHPA amount in the solvent phase, the synergic effect is observed for Amberlite LA-2 concentrations over 20 g/l dissolved in n-heptane. Thus, by increasing the concentration of D2EHPA from 5 to 40 g/l, the minimum concentration value of Amberlite LA-2 corresponding to synergism increases from 20 to 40 g/l for the solvent with lower polarity, namely, n-heptane, while there is no synergic effect recorded for dichloromethane. By analysing the influences of the main factors (organic phase polarity, extractant concentration in the mixture) on the efficiency of synergic extraction of rosmarinic acid, the most important synergic effect was found to correspond to the extractants mixture containing 5 g/l D2EHPA and 40 g/l Amberlite LA-2 dissolved in n-heptane.

Keywords: Amberlite LA-2, di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid, rosmarinic acid, synergic effect

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821 A Study on Behaviour of Normal Strength Concrete and High Strength Concrete Subjected to Elevated Temperatures

Authors: Butchi Kameswara Rao Chittem, Rooban Kumar

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Cement concrete is a complex mixture of different materials. Concrete is believed to have a good fire resistance. Behaviour of concrete depends on its mix proportions and its constituent materials when it is subjected to elevated temperatures. Loss in compressive strength, loss in weight or mass, change in colour and spall of concrete are reported in literature as effects of elevated temperature on concrete. In this paper results are reported on the behaviour of normal strength concrete and high strength concrete subjected to temperatures 200°C, 400°C, 600°C, and 800°C and different cooling regimes viz. air cooling, water quenching. Rebound hammer test was also conducted to study the changes in surface hardness of concrete specimens subjected to elevated temperatures.

Keywords: normal strength concrete, high-strength concrete, temperature, NDT

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820 Power Control of DFIG in WECS Using Backstipping and Sliding Mode Controller

Authors: Abdellah Boualouch, Ahmed Essadki, Tamou Nasser, Ali Boukhriss, Abdellatif Frigui

Abstract:

This paper presents a power control for a Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) using in Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) connected to the grid. The proposed control strategy employs two nonlinear controllers, Backstipping (BSC) and sliding-mode controller (SMC) scheme to directly calculate the required rotor control voltage so as to eliminate the instantaneous errors of active and reactive powers. In this paper the advantages of BSC and SMC are presented, the performance and robustness of this two controller’s strategy are compared between them. First, we present a model of wind turbine and DFIG machine, then a synthesis of the controllers and their application in the DFIG power control. Simulation results on a 1.5MW grid-connected DFIG system are provided by MATLAB/Simulink.

Keywords: backstipping, DFIG, power control, sliding-mode, WESC

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819 Study the Influence of Zn in Zn-MgFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles for CO₂ Gas Sensors

Authors: Maryam Kiani, Xiaoqin Tian, Yu Du, Abdul Basit Kiani

Abstract:

Zn-doped MgFe₂O₄ nanoparticles (ZMFO) (Zn=0.0, 0.2, 0.35, 0.5,) were prepared by Co-precipitation synthesis route. Structural and morphological analysis confirmed the formation of spinel cubic nanostructure by X-Ray diffraction (XRD) data shows high reactive surface area owing to a small average particle size of about 14 nm, which greatly influences the gas sensing mechanism. The gas sensing property of ZMFO for several gases was obtained by measuring the resistance as a function of different factors, like composition and response time in air and in the presence of gas. The sensitivity of spinel ferrite to gases CO₂, O₂, and O₂ at room temperature has been compared. The nanostructured ZMFO exhibited high sensitivity in the order of CO₂>O₂ and showed a good response time of (~1min) to CO₂, demonstrating that this expanse of research can be used in the field of gas sensors devising high sensitivity and good selectivity at 25°C.

Keywords: MgFe₂O₄ nanoparticles, hydrothermal synthesis, gas sensing properties, XRD

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818 Marketing in Post-Pandemic Environment

Authors: Mohammad Mehdizadeh

Abstract:

COVID-19 forced marketers to change their marketing strategies, focusing less on reactive approaches and more on proactive approaches, primarily social media. The next few years will be dominated by employee engagement and customer experience, leading to businesses focusing more on "long-term customer relationships." A large number of marketing strategies need to be employed in an ever-evolving online environment, which is both filled with opportunities and dangers, as well as being an intimidating platform to use, incorporating new and exciting opportunities for businesses and organizations as it constantly evolves. In this article, we examine the effect of social networks on marketing in post-pandemic environments. A descriptive survey is used as the research method. The results show that social networks have a positive and significant impact on marketing in a post-pandemic environment. Among the social networks studied, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have the most positive effect on marketing advancement.

Keywords: COVID-19, customers, marketing, post-pandemic

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817 MicroRNA Expression Distinguishes Neutrophil Subtypes

Authors: R. I. You, C. L. Ho, M. S. Dai, H. M. Hung, S. F. Yen, C. S. Chen, T. Y. Chao

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Neutrophils are the most abundant innate immune cells to against invading microorganisms. Numerous data shown neutrophils have plasticity in response to physiological and pathological conditions. Tumor-associated neutrophils (TAN) exist in distinct types of tumor and play an important role in cancer biology. Different transcriptomic profiles of neutrophils in tumor and non-tumor samples have been identified. Several miRNAs have been recognized as regulators of gene expression in neutrophil, which may have key roles in neutrophil activation. However, the miRNAs expression patterns in TAN are not well known. To address this question, magnetic bead isolated neutrophils from tumor-bearing mice were used in this study. We analyzed production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assay. The expression of miRNAs targeting NADPH oxidase, ROS generation and autophagy was explored using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Our data suggest that tumor environment influence neutrophil develop to differential states of activation via miRNAs regulation.

Keywords: tumor-associated neutrophil, miRNAs, neutrophil, ROS

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816 The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Nanodiamond Particles and Lipoic Acid on Rats' Cardiovascular System

Authors: Beata Skibska, Andrzej Stanczak, Agnieszka Skibska

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Nanodiamond (ND) is a carbon nanomaterial that has high biocompatibility, and it has a very positive effect on a number of biochemical processes. NDs have great potential in treating multiple inflammation-associated diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of nanodiamonds and lipoic acid (LA) (as antioxidants) on rats' cardiovascular systems after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration. Animal experiments enabled the determination of how nanodiamonds act when applied independently or in combination with lipoic acid. The effect of NDs and LA on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and heart edema was evaluated. NDs and LA administered after LPS administration attenuated heart edema and significantly decreased the CRP level. The results suggest that NDs and LA play an important role in LPS-induced inflammation in the heart. NDs find new applications in modern biomedical science and biotechnologies.

Keywords: nanodiamonds, lipoic acid, inflammation, cardiovascular system

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815 Promoting Incubation Support to Youth Led Enterprises: A Case Study from Bangladesh to Eradicate Hazardous Child Labour through Microfinance

Authors: Md Maruf Hossain Koli

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The issue of child labor is enormous and cannot be ignored in Bangladesh. The problem of child exploitation is a socio-economic reality of Bangladesh. This paper will indicate the causes, consequences, and possibilities of using microfinance as remedies of hazardous child labor in Bangladesh. Poverty is one of the main reasons for children to become child laborers. It is an indication of economic vulnerability, inadequate law, and enforcement system and cultural and social inequities along with the inaccessible and low-quality educational system. An attempt will be made in this paper to explore and analyze child labor scenario in Bangladesh and will explain holistic intervention of BRAC, the largest nongovernmental organization in the world to address child labor through promoting incubation support to youth-led enterprises. A combination of research methods were used to write this paper. These include non-reactive observation in the form of literature review, desk studies as well as reactive observation like site visits and, semi-structured interviews. Hazardous Child labor is a multi-dimensional and complex issue. This paper was guided by the answer following research questions to better understand the current context of hazardous child labor in Bangladesh, especially in Dhaka city. The author attempted to figure out why child labor should be considered as a development issue? Further, it also encountered why child labor in Bangladesh is not being reduced at an expected pace? And finally what could be a sustainable solution to eradicate this situation. One of the most challenging characteristics of child labor is that it interrupts a child’s education and cognitive development hence limiting the building of human capital and fostering intergenerational reproduction of poverty and social exclusion. Children who are working full-time and do not attend school, cannot develop the necessary skills. This leads them and their future generation to remain in poor socio-economic condition as they do not get a better paying job. The vicious cycle of poverty will be reproduced and will slow down sustainable development. The outcome of the research suggests that most of the parents send their children to work to help them to increase family income. In addition, most of the youth engaged in hazardous work want to get training, mentoring and easy access to finance to start their own business. The intervention of BRAC that includes classroom and on the job training, tailored mentoring, health support, access to microfinance and insurance help them to establish startup. This intervention is working in developing business and management capacity through public-private partnerships and technical consulting. Supporting entrepreneurs, improving working conditions with micro, small and medium enterprises and strengthening value chains focusing on youth and children engaged with hazardous child labor.

Keywords: child labour, enterprise development, microfinance, youth entrepreneurship

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814 Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium Study in Solvent Extraction of o-Cresol from Coal Tar

Authors: Dewi Selvia Fardhyanti, Astrilia Damayanti

Abstract:

Coal tar is a liquid by-product of the process of coal gasification and carbonation, also in some industries such as steel, power plant, cement, and others. This liquid oil mixture contains various kinds of useful compounds such as aromatic compounds and phenolic compounds. These compounds are widely used as raw material for insecticides, dyes, medicines, perfumes, coloring matters, and many others. This research investigates thermodynamic modelling of liquid-liquid equilibria (LLE) in solvent extraction of o-Cresol from the coal tar. The equilibria are modeled by ternary components of Wohl, Van Laar, and Three-Suffix Margules models. The values of the parameters involved are obtained by curve-fitting to the experimental data. Based on the comparison between calculated and experimental data, it turns out that among the three models studied, the Three-Suffix Margules seems to be the best to predict the LLE of o-Cresol for those system.

Keywords: coal tar, o-Cresol, Wohl, Van Laar, three-suffix margules

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813 Compensation of Power Quality Disturbances Using DVR

Authors: R. Rezaeipour

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One of the key aspects of power quality improvement in power system is the mitigation of voltage sags/swells and flicker. Custom power devices have been known as the best tools for voltage disturbances mitigation as well as reactive power compensation. Dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) which is the most efficient and effective modern custom power device can provide the most commercial solution to solve several problems of power quality in distribution networks. This paper deals with analysis and simulation technique of DVR based on instantaneous power theory which is a quick control to detect signals. The main purpose of this work is to remove three important disturbances including voltage sags/swells and flicker. Simulation of the proposed method was carried out on two sample systems by using MATLAB software environment and the results of simulation show that the proposed method is able to provide desirable power quality in the presence of wide range of disturbances.

Keywords: DVR, power quality, voltage sags, voltage swells, flicker

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812 Physical and Thermo-Physical Properties of High Strength Concrete Containing Raw Rice Husk after High Temperature Effect

Authors: B. Akturk, N. Yuzer, N. Kabay

Abstract:

High temperature is one of the most detrimental effects that cause important changes in concrete’s mechanical, physical, and thermo-physical properties. As a result of these changes, especially high strength concrete (HSC), may exhibit damages such as cracks and spallings. To overcome this problem, incorporating polymer fibers such as polypropylene (PP) in concrete is a very well-known method. In this study, using RRH as a sustainable material instead of PP fiber in HSC to prevent spallings and improve physical and thermo-physical properties were investigated. Therefore, seven HSC mixtures with 0.25 water to binder ratio were prepared, incorporating silica fume and blast furnace slag. PP and RRH were used at 0.2-0.5% and 0.5-3% by weight of cement, respectively. All specimens were subjected to high temperatures (20 (control), 300, 600 and 900˚C) with a heating rate of 2.5˚C/min and after cooling, residual physical and thermo-physical properties were determined.

Keywords: high temperature, high strength concrete, polypropylene fiber, raw rice husk, thermo-physical properties

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811 Improvement of Soft Clay Soil with Biopolymer

Authors: Majid Bagherinia

Abstract:

Lime and cement are frequently used as binders in the Deep Mixing Method (DMM) to improve soft clay soils. The most significant disadvantages of these materials are carbon dioxide emissions and the consumption of natural resources. In this study, three different biopolymers, guar gum, locust bean gum, and sodium alginate, were investigated for the improvement of soft clay using DMM. In the experimental study, the effects of the additive ratio and curing time on the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) of stabilized specimens were investigated. According to the results, the UCS values of the specimens increased as the additive ratio and curing time increased. The most effective additive was sodium alginate, and the highest strength was obtained after 28 days.

Keywords: deep mixing method, soft clays, ground improvement, biopolymers, unconfined compressive strength

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810 Zinc Oxide Thin Films Deposition by Spray Pyrolysis

Authors: Bourfaa Fouzia, Meryem Lamri Zeggar, Adjimi Amel, Mohammed Salah Aida, Nadir Attaf

Abstract:

Semiconductor photocatalysts such as ZnO has attracted much attention in recent years due to their various applications for the degradation of organic pollutants in water, air and in dye sensitized photovoltaic solar cell. In the present work, ZnO thin films were prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis by using different precursors namely: Acetate, chloride and zinc nitrate in order to investigate their influence on ZnO photocatalytic activity. The films crystalline structure was studied by mean of X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD) and the films surface morphology by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The films optical properties were studied by mean of UV–visible spectroscopy. The prepared films were tested for the degradation of the red reactive dye largely used in textile industry. As a result, we found that the zinc nitrate is the best precursor to prepare ZnO thin films suitable for a good photocatalytic activity.

Keywords: precursor, thins films, spray pyrolysis, zinc oxide

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809 Performance Analysis of Shunt Active Power Filter for Various Reference Current Generation Techniques

Authors: Vishal V. Choudhari, Gaurao A. Dongre, S. P. Diwan

Abstract:

A number of reference current generation have been developed for analysis of shunt active power filter to mitigate the load compensation. Depending upon the type of load the technique has to be chosen. In this paper, six reference current generation techniques viz. instantaneous reactive power theory(IRP), Synchronous reference frame theory(SRF), Perfect harmonic cancellation(PHC), Unity power factor method(UPF), Self-tuning filter method(STF), Predictive filtering method(PFM) are compared for different operating conditions. The harmonics are introduced because of non-linear loads in the system. These harmonics are eliminated using above techniques. The results and performance of system simulated on MATLAB/Simulink platform. The system is experimentally implemented using DS1104 card of dSPACE system.

Keywords: SAPF, power quality, THD, IRP, SRF, dSPACE module DS1104

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808 Artificial Neural Networks Controller for Active Power Filter Connected to a Photovoltaic Array

Authors: Rachid Dehini, Brahim Berbaoui

Abstract:

The main objectives of shunt active power filter (SAPF) is to preserve the power system from unwanted harmonic currents produced by nonlinear loads, as well as to compensate the reactive power. The aim of this paper is to present a (PAPF) supplied by the Photovoltaic cells ,in such a way that the (PAPF) feeds the linear and nonlinear loads by harmonics currents and the excess of the energy is injected into the power system. In order to improve the performances of conventional (PAPF) This paper also proposes artificial neural networks (ANN) for harmonics identification and DC link voltage control. The simulation study results of the new (SAPF) identification technique are found quite satisfactory by assuring good filtering characteristics and high system stability.

Keywords: SAPF, harmonics current, photovoltaic cells, MPPT, artificial neural networks (ANN)

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807 CCK/Gastrin Immunoreactivity in Gastrointestinal Tract of Vimba vimba

Authors: Nurgül Şenol, Melda Azman

Abstract:

In this study, gastrointestinal immunohistochemistry in the Vimba vimba and the localization of CCK/gastrin were determined. Although there are a number of studies which relate to the gastrointestinal histochemistry and the localization of the peptides, a literature research in this field revealed that no histochemical or immunohistochemical study covering also the species had been found in our country. In this research, species will be provided from Vimba vimba located in Eğirdir lake. Stomach samples and intestinal samples of these fish will be exposed to routine histological tissue process, embedded in paraffin blocks, and 5-6 μ -thick sections will be taken. Using the PAP (Peroxidase anti-peroxidase) method, localization of the peptides CCK/gastrin was to be found. The densities of peptides of this species were compared, and then the findings obtained were to be evaluated through the statistical analysis methods (SPSS). Endocrine cells reactive to gastrin/CCK antiserum were demonstrated in the stomach and intestinal mucosa. There is a significant difference between gastrin and CCK when compared to regions.

Keywords: CCK, gastrin, immunoreactivity, vimba vimba

Procedia PDF Downloads 312