Search results for: mineral profile adulteration

Authors: V. Lukášová, P. Peukert, V. Votrubec

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Thermal conductivity in the x, y and z-directions was measured on a pultruded profile that was manufactured by the technology of pulling from glass fibers and a polyester matrix. The results of measurements of thermal conductivity showed considerable variability in different directions. The caused variability in thermal conductivity was expected due fraction variations. The cross-section of the pultruded profile was scanned. An image analysis illustrated an uneven distribution of the fibers and the matrix in the cross-section. The distribution of these inequalities was processed into a Voronoi diagram in the observed area of the pultruded profile cross-section. In order to verify whether the variation of the fiber volume fraction in the pultruded profile can affect its thermal conductivity, the numerical simulations in the ANSYS Fluent were performed. The simulation was based on the geometry reconstructed from image analysis. The aim is to quantify thermal conductivity numerically. Above all, images with different volume fractions were chosen. The results of the measured thermal conductivity were compared with the calculated thermal conductivity. The evaluated data proved a strong correlation between volume fraction and thermal conductivity of the pultruded profile. Based on presented results, a modification of production technology may be proposed.

Keywords: pultrusion profile, volume fraction, thermal conductivity, numerical simulation

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Authors: M. I. Mohammed, U. M. Ahmad

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Analyses of mineral elements were carried out on some coarse grains used as staple food in Kano. The levels of Magnesium, Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Copper and Zinc were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS), and that of Sodium and Potassium were obtained using flame photometer (FES). The result of the study shows that the mean results of the mineral elements ranged from 62.50±0.55 - 84.82±0.74mg/kg sodium, 73.33±0.35 - 317±0.10mg/kg magnesium, 89.22±0.26 - 193.33±0.19mg/kg potassium, 70.00±0.52 - 186.67±0.29mg/kg calcium, 1.00±0.11 - 20.50±1.30mg/kg manganese, 25.00±0.11 - 80.50±0.36mg/kg iron. 4.00±0.08 - 13.00±0.24mg/kg copper and 15.00±0.34 - 50.50±0.24 zinc. There was significant difference (p < 0.05) in levels of sodium, potassium and calcium whereas no significant difference (p > 0.05) occurs in levels of magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc. In comparison with Recommended Daily Allowances of essential and trace metals set by international standard organizations, the coarse grains analysed in this work contribute little to the provision of essential and trace elements requirements.

Keywords: mineral elements, coarse grains, staple food, Kano, Nigeria

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Authors: I. Sani, F. Bello, I. M. Fakai, A. Abdulhamid

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Abelmoschus esculentus L. fruit is very common especially in northern part of Nigeria, but people are ignorant of its medicinal and pharmacological benefits. Preliminary phytochemical screening, antioxidant potential and mineral composition of the dried form of this fruit were determined. The Phytochemical screening was conducted using standard methods. Antioxidant potential screening was carried out using Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power Assay (FRAP) method, while, the mineral compositions were analyzed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer by wet digest method. The result of the qualitative phytochemical screening revealed that the fruits contain saponins, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, and terpenoids, while, anthraquinone, alkaloids, phenols, glycosides, and phlobatannins were not detected. The quantitative analysis revealed that the fruits contain saponnins (380 ± 0.020 mg/g), flavonoids (240±0.01 mg/g), and tannins (21.71 ± 0.66 mg/ml). The antioxidant potential was determined to be 54.1 ± 0.19%. The mineral composition revealed that 100 g of the fruits contains 97.52 ± 1.04 mg of magnesium (Mg), 94.53 ± 3.21 mg of calcium (Ca), 77.10 ± 0.79 mg of iron (Fe), 47.14 ± 0.41 mg of zinc (Zn), 43.96 ± 1.49 mg of potassium (K), 42.02 ± 1.09 mg of sodium (Na), 0.47 ± 0.08 mg of copper (Cu) and 0.10 ± 0.02 mg of lead (Pb). These results showed that the Abelmoschus esculentus L. fruit is a good source of antioxidants, and contains an appreciable amount of phytochemicals, therefore, it has some pharmacological attributes. On the other side, the fruit can serve as a nutritional supplement for Mg, Ca, Fe, Zn, K, and Na, but a poor source of Cu, and contains no significant amount of Pb.

Keywords: Abelmoschus esculentus Fruits, antioxidant potential, mineral composition, phytochemical screening

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Authors: Emmanuel U. Ohaegbulem, Felix N. Nwobi

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Alternative and simple computational arrangements in carrying out multivariate profile analysis when more than two groups (populations) are involved are presented. These arrangements have been demonstrated to not only yield equivalent results for the test statistics (the Wilks lambdas), but they have less computational efforts relative to other arrangements so far presented in the literature; in addition to being quite simple and easy to apply.

Keywords: coincident profiles, g-group profile analysis, level profiles, parallel profiles, repeated measures MANOVA

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Authors: A. Al-Sayyad, P. Lama, J. Bardon, P. Hirchenhahn, L. Houssiau, P. Plapper

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Composite metal–polymer materials, in particular titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) to polyamide (PA6.6), fabricated by laser joining, have gained cogent interest among industries and researchers concerned with aerospace and biomedical applications. This work adopts infrared (IR) thermography technique to investigate effects of laser parameters used in the welding process on the three-dimensional temperature profile at the rear-side of titanium, at the region to be welded with polyamide. Cross sectional analysis of welded joints showed correlations between the morphology of titanium and polyamide at the weld zone with the corresponding temperature profile. In particular, spatial temperature profile was found to be correlated with the laser beam energy density, titanium molten pool width and depth, and polyamide heat affected zone depth.

Keywords: laser welding, metals to polymers joining, process monitoring, temperature profile, thermography

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Authors: M. Rizwan, S. Ahmad, U. Farooq, U. Mahmood, S. U. Rehman, P. Akhtar

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This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of supplementation of herbal and mineral mixture on growth performance of boilers. One hundred and eighty birds were randomly distributed into 6 experimental units of 3 replicates (10 birds/replicate) as: negative control (basal diet), positive control (Lincomycin at the rate of 5g/bag), commercially available herbal-mineral product FitFat™ at the rate of 150g/bag and 200g/bag, and herbal-mineral mixture at the rate of 150g/bag and herbal-mineral mixture at the rate of 300g/bag. The data regarding weekly feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio were recorded, and fecal samples were collected at the end of starter and finisher phase for nutrient digestibility trial. The results of body weight gain showed significant (P < 0.05) differences in 3rd week of age (506.90g), also, feed intake showed significant (P < 0.05) results in 1st (297.22g), 3rd (936.7g) and 4th (967.8g) week and feed conversion ratio indicated significant (P < 0.05) variations in 1st (1.14) and 3rd (1.74) week of age. The starter phase indicated significant (P < 0.05) differences among all treatments groups in body weight gain (902.2g), feed intake (1843.9g) and feed conversion ratio (1.78). In case of nutrient digestibility trial, results showed significant (P < 0.05) values of dry matter, crude protein, and crude fat in starter phase as 77.74%, 69.37%, and 61.18% respectively and 77.65%, 68.79% and 61.03% respectively, in finisher phase. Based on overall results, it was concluded that the dietary inclusion of combination of herbs and mineral can increase the production performance of broilers.

Keywords: herbal blend, minerals, crop filling, nutrient digestibility, broiler

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Authors: Sylwia Orzechowska, Andrzej Wróbel, Eugeniusz Rokita

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The mineralization is a curious problem of connective tissues. Factors which may play a decisive role in the regulation of the yellow ligaments (YL) mineralization are still open questions. The aim of the studies was a detailed description of the chemical composition and morphology of mineral deposits in the human yellow ligaments. Investigations of the structural features of deposits were used to explain the impact of various factors on mineralization process. The studies were carried out on 24 YL samples, surgically removed from patients suffer from spinal canal stenosis and the patients who sustained a trauma. The micro-computed tomography was used to describe the morphology of mineral deposits. The X-ray fluorescence method and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were applied to determine the chemical composition of the samples. In order to eliminate the effect of blur in microtomographic images, the correction method of partial volume effect was used. The mineral deposits appear in 60% of YL samples, both in patients with a stenosis and following injury. The mineral deposits have a heterogeneous structure and they are a mixture of the tissue and mineral grains. The volume of mineral grains amounts to (1.9 ± 3.4)*10-3 mm3 while the density distribution of grains occurs in two distinct ranges (1.75 - 2.15 and 2.15-2.5) g/cm3. Application of the partial volume effect correction allows accurate calculations by eliminating the averaging effect of gray levels in tomographic images. The B-type carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite constitutes the mineral phase of majority YLs. The main phase of two samples was calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD). The elemental composition of minerals in all samples is almost identical. This pathology may be independent on the spine diseases and it does not evoke canal stenosis. The two ranges of grains density indicate two stages of grains growth and the degree of maturity. The presence of CPPD crystals may coexist with other pathologies.

Keywords: FTIR, micro-tomography, mineralization, spinal ligaments

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Authors: M. R. Jokanović, V. M. Tomović, M. T. Jović, S. B. Škaljac, B. V. Šojić, P. M. Ikonić, T. A. Tasić

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Proximate (moisture, protein, total fat, total ash) and mineral (K, P, Na, Mg, Ca, Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn) composition of chicken giblets (heart, liver and gizzard) were investigated. Phosphorous content, as well as proximate composition, were determined according to recommended ISO methods. The content of all elements, except phosphorus, of the giblets tissues were determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), after dry ashing mineralization. Regarding proximate composition heart was the highest in total fat content, and the lowest in protein content. Liver was the highest in protein and total ash content, while gizzard was the highest in moisture and the lowest in total fat content. Regarding mineral composition liver was the highest for K, P, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn, while heart was the highest for Na content. The contents of almost all investigated minerals in analysed giblets tissues of chickens from Vojvodina were similar to values reported in the literature, i.e. in national food composition databases of other countries.

Keywords: chicken giblets, proximate composition, mineral composition, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES)

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Authors: V. Sivakumar, R. Neelakantan

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Mineral mapping on the Moon surface provides the clue to understand the origin, evolution, stratigraphy and geological history of the Moon. Recently, reflectance imaging spectroscopy plays a significant role in identifying minerals on the planetary surface in the Visible to NIR region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) onboard Chandrayaan-1 provides unprecedented spectral data of lunar surface to study about the Moon surface. Here we used the M3 sensor data (hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy) for analysing mineralogy of Orientale basin region on the Moon surface. Reflectance spectrums were sampled from different locations of the basin and continuum was removed using ENvironment for Visualizing Images (ENVI) software. Reflectance spectra of unknown mineral composition were compared with known Reflectance Experiment Laboratory (RELAB) spectra for discriminating mineralogy. Minerals like olivine, Low-Ca Pyroxene (LCP), High-Ca Pyroxene (HCP) and plagioclase were identified. In addition to these minerals, an unusual type of spectral signature was identified, which indicates the probable Fe-Mg-spinel lithology in the basin region.

Keywords: chandryaan-1, moon mineralogy mapper, mineral, mare orientale, moon

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Authors: Irena Baranowska-Bosiacka, Mateusz Bosiacki, Patrycja Kupnicka, Anna Lubkowska, Dariusz Chlubek

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Physical activity and a balanced diet are among the key factors of "healthy ageing". Physical effort, including swimming in cold water (including bathing in natural water reservoirs), is widely recognized as a hardening factor, with a positive effect on the mental and physical health. At the same time, there is little scientific evidence to verify this hypothesis. In the literature to date, it is possible to obtain data on the impact of these factors on selected physiological and biochemical parameters of the blood, at the same time there are no results of research on the effect of immersing in cold water on mineral metabolism, especially bones, hence it seems important to perform such an analysis in relation to the key elements such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and phosphorus (P). Taking the above into account, a hypothesis was put forward about the possibility of a positive effect of exercise in cold water on mineral metabolism and bone density in aging rats. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of an 8-week swimming training on mineral metabolism and bone density in aging rats in response to exercise in cold water (5oC) in comparison to swimming in thermal comfort (36oC) and sedentary (control) rats of both sexes. The examination of the concentration of the examined elements in the bones was carried out using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The mineral density of the femurs of the rats was measured using the Hologic Horizon DEXA System® densitometer. The results of our study showed that swimming in cold water affects bone mineral metabolism in aging rats by changing the Ca, Mg, P concentration and at the same time increasing their bone density. In males, a decrease in Mg concentration and no changes in bone density were observed. In the light of the research results, it seems that swimming in cold water may be a factor that positively modifies the bone aging process by improving the mechanisms affecting their density.

Keywords: swimming in cold water, adaptation to cold water, bone mineral metabolism, aging

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Authors: Owonikoko A. D., Odoje O. F.

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Fresh sample of Eryngium alpinum was purchased and processed for leaf protein concentrates with a view to evaluating its nutritional potential, mineral composition, amino acid characteristics and phytochemical constituents. Using standard analytical methods. The proximate composition of the leaf protein concentrates revealed moisture content;(5.35±0.21)g/100g, ash;(11.37±0.43)g/100g, crude protein;(48.17±0.46)g/100g, crude fat;(15.38±0.07)g/100g, crude fibre (3.05±0.46)g/100g, and Nitrogen free extractive; (16.68±0.30) g/100g. The mineral content was: Na;(51.88±0.23) mg/100g, K;(65.40±0.32)mg/100g, Ca; (86.89±0.46)mg/100g, Mg;(49.27±0.42) mg/100g, Zn;(0.62±0.03)mg/100g, Fe (6.65±0.43)mg/100g, Mn;(0.96±0.54)mg/100g, Cd;(0.28±0.04)mg/100g, P; (8.55±0.97)mg/100g, while selenium, lead and mercury were not detected in the sample indicating that the sample is free of causing risk of metal poisoning. The results of phytochemical constituents showed phytate; (18.34±0.36)mg/100g, flavonoid (0.25±0.41)mg/100g. The sample contain both essential and non-essential amino acid, with the highest value of Glutamic acid (12.26) and the lowest value of Tryptophan 1.05. the content of the leaf protein content shows that the sample is fit for dietary consumption and could as well be processed to be used as food additives.

Keywords: mineral composition, phytochemical analysis, leaf protein concentrates, eryngium alpinum

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Authors: W. Deboucha, M. N. Oudjit, A. Bouzid, L. Belagraa, A.Noui

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The cement manufacturing is the one of the factors that pollutes the atmosphere in the industrial sector. The common way to reduce this pollution is using mineral additions as partial replacement of Portland cement. Particularly, natural pozzolana (NP) is component in which they can be used to decrease the rate of pollution. The main objective of this experimental work is the study of the effect of mineral addition (natural pozzolana) on the capillary water absorption and compressive-flexural strength of cement mortar. The results obtained in the present research showed that the higher dosages of natural pozzolana added could be the principal parameter of such decrease in strength at early and medium term. Further, this increase of incorporated addition has been believed to reduce the capillary water absorption.

Keywords: Natural pozzolana, mortar, strength, capillary absorption

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Authors: H. Zou, B. Wang

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Thermal distortion of the machine tool plays a critical role in its machining accuracy. This study investigates the thermal performance of a high-precision machine frame with future-oriented mineral casting components. A thermo-mechanical finite element model (FEM) was established to evaluate the thermal behavior of the frame under environmental thermal fluctuations. The validity of the presented FEM model was confirmed experimentally by a series of laser interferometer tests. Good agreement between numerical and experimental results demonstrates that the proposed model can accurately predict the thermal deformation of the frame with thermo-mechanical coupling effect. The results also show that keeping the workshop in thermally stable conditions is crucial for improving the machine accuracy of the system with large scale components. The goal of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of innovative mineral casting material applied in high-precision drilling machine and to provide a strategy for machine tool industry seeking a perfect substitute for classic frame materials such as cast iron and granite.

Keywords: thermo-mechanical model, finite element method, laser interferometer, mineral casting frame

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Authors: Adeola Ibukunoluwa Samuel, Afsoon Kazerouni

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Industrial mineral kaolin has many favourable properties such as colour, shape, softness, non-abrasiveness, natural whiteness, as well as chemical stability. It occurs extensively in North of Bedford road Grahamstown, South Africa. The relationship between both the physical and chemical properties as lead to its application in the production of certain industrial products which are used by the public; this includes the prospect of production of paper, ceramics, rubber, paint, and plastics. Despite its interesting economic potentials, kaolinite clay mineral remains undermined, and this is threatening its sustainability in the mineral industry. This research study focuses on a detailed evaluation of the kaolinite mineral and possible ways to increase its lifespan in the industry. The methods employed for this study includes petrographic microscopy analysis, X-ray powder diffraction analysis (XRD), and proper field reconnaissance survey. Results emanating from this research include updated geological information on Grahamstown. Also, mineral transformation phases such as quartz, kaolinite, calcite and muscovite were identified in the clay samples. Petrographic analysis of the samples showed that the study area has been subjected to intense tectonic deformation and cement replacement. Also, different dissolution patterns were identified on the Grahamstown kaolinitic clay deposits. Hence incorporating analytical studies and data interpretations, possible ways such as the establishment of processing refinery near mining plants, which will, in turn, provide employment for the locals and land reclamation is suggested. In addition, possible future sustainable industrial applications of the clay minerals seem to be possible if additives, cellulosic wastes are used to alter the clay mineral.

Keywords: kaolinite, industrial use, sustainability, Grahamstown, clay minerals

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Authors: Veruska C. Dutra, Mary L. G. S. Senna, Felipe S. Spindler

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The State Park Jalapao - PEJ proved to be one of the protected areas that has attracted tourists from all over the world with its unique scenic landscapes. Although the region already has a considerable tourist flow, to our knowledge there is a lack of continuity of studies in the region capable of drawing a plan of activities, such as the profile of the tourist and analysis of their experiences in the region, carried out from 2006-2007. Therefore, this study was proposed to know the profile and experiences of tourists visiting the park today, making a connection with the earlier study, in order to generate subsidies to trace improvement actions. We conducted interviews with tourists in the main tourism season 2015. The results show that after eight years of carrying out the first study, there were no changes, highlighting the lack of a tourism plan for the park.

Keywords: Jalapao, profile tourist, level, satisfaction

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Authors: Zin Min Htet, Tikhomirova Irina Nikolaevna, Karpenko Marina A.

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In this paper, thermal insulation materials based on sodium liquid glass with light fillers as foam glass granules with different sizes and wollastonite - M325 (U.S.A production) were studied. Effective mineral thermal insulation materials are in demand in many industries because of their incombustibility and durability. A method for the preparation of such materials based on mechanically foamed sodium liquid glass and light mineral fillers is proposed. The thermal insulation properties depend on the type, amount of filler and on the foaming factor, which is determined by the concentration of the foaming agent. The water resistance of the material is provided by using an additive to neutralize the glass and transfer it to the silica gel.

Keywords: thermal insulation material, sodium liquid glass, foam glass granules, foaming agent, hardener, thermal conductivity, apparent density, compressive strength

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Authors: Hao Wang, Shengchun Wang, Weidong Wang

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On the influence of train vibration and environmental noise on the measurement of track wear, we proposed a method for automatic extraction of circular arc on the inner or outer side of the rail waist and achieved the high-precision registration of rail profile. Firstly, a polynomial fitting method based on truncated residual histogram was proposed to find the optimal fitting curve of the profile and reduce the influence of noise on profile curve fitting. Then, based on the curvature distribution characteristics of the fitting curve, the interval search algorithm based on dynamic window’s maximum curvature entropy was proposed to realize the automatic segmentation of small circular arc. At last, we fit two circle centers as matching reference points based on small circular arcs on both sides and realized the alignment from the measured profile to the standard designed profile. The static experimental results show that the mean and standard deviation of the method are controlled within 0.01mm with small measurement errors and high repeatability. The dynamic test also verified the repeatability of the method in the train-running environment, and the dynamic measurement deviation of rail wear is within 0.2mm with high repeatability.

Keywords: curvature entropy, profile registration, rail wear, structured light, train-running

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Authors: Xia Chen, Hua-Quan Yang, Shi-Hua Zhou

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Alkali-active sandstone aggregate was ground by vertical and ball mill into particles with residue over 45 μm less than 12%, and investigations have been launched on particles distribution and characterization of ground sandstone powder, fluidity, heat of hydration, strength as well as hydration products morphology of pastes with incorporation of ground sandstone powder. Results indicated that ground alkali-active sandstone powder with residue over 45 μm less than 8% was easily obtainable, and specific surface area was more sensitive to characterize its fineness with extension of grinding length. Incorporation of sandstone powder resulted in higher water demand and lower strength, advanced hydration of C₃A and C₂S within 3days and refined pore structure. Based on its manufacturing, characteristics and influence on properties of pastes, it was concluded that sandstone powder was a good selection for use in concrete as mineral admixture.

Keywords: concrete, mineral admixture, hydration, structure

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Authors: A. I. O. Zaid

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Deep drawing is considered to be the most widely used sheet metal forming processes among the particularly in automobile and aircraft industries. It is widely used for manufacturing a large number of the body and spare parts. In its simplest form it may be defined as a secondary forming process by which a sheet metal is formed into a cylinder or alike by subjecting the sheet to compressive force through a punch with a flat end of the same geometry as the required shape of the cylinder end while it is held by a blank holder which hinders its movement but does not stop it. The punch and die profile radii play In this paper, the effects of punch and die profile radii on the autographic record, the minimum thickness strain location where the cracks normally start and cause the fracture, the maximum deep drawing force and the total consumed work in the drawing flat ended cylindrical brass cups are investigated. Five punches and five dies each having different profile radii were manufactured for this investigation. Furthermore, their effect on the quality of the drawn cups is also presented and discussed. It was found that the die profile radius has more effect on the maximum drawing force and the total consumed work than the punch profile radius.

Keywords: punch and die profile radii, deep drawing process, maximum drawing force, total consumed work, quality of produced parts, flat ended cylindrical brass cups

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Authors: Amine Benmoussa, Mebrouk Rebhi, Rahmani Lakhdar

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Mechanically agitated vessels are commonly used for various operations within a wide range process in chemical, pharmaceutical, polymer, biochemical, mineral, petroleum industries. Depending on the purpose of the operation carried out in mixer, the best choice for geometry of the tank and agitator type can vary widely. In this paper, the laminar 2D agitation flow and power consumption of viscoplastic fluids with straight and circular gate impellers in a stirring tank is studied by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), where the velocity profile, the velocity fields and power consumption was analyzed.

Keywords: CFD, mechanical stirring, power consumption, yield stress fluid

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Authors: Bin Liu

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As one of the most important tasks in protein sequence analysis, protein remote homology detection has been studied for decades. Currently, the profile-based methods show state-of-the-art performance. Position-Specific Frequency Matrix (PSFM) is widely used profile. However, there exists noise information in the profiles introduced by the amino acids with low frequencies. In this study, we propose a method to remove the noise information in the PSFM by removing the amino acids with low frequencies called Top frequency profile (TFP). Three new matrix transformation methods, including Autocross covariance (ACC) transformation, Tri-gram, and K-separated bigram (KSB), are performed on these profiles to convert them into fixed length feature vectors. Combined with Support Vector Machines (SVMs), the predictors are constructed. Evaluated on two benchmark datasets, and experimental results show that these proposed methods outperform other state-of-the-art predictors.

Keywords: protein remote homology detection, protein fold recognition, top frequency profile, support vector machines

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Authors: J. U. Santhosh Kumar, V. Krishna, Sebin Sebastian, G. S. Seethapathy, G. Ravikanth, R. Uma Shaanker

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Food is one of the basic needs of human beings. It requires the normal function of the body part and a healthy growth. Recently, food adulteration increases day by day to increase the quantity and make more benefit. Animal source foods can provide a variety of micronutrients that are difficult to obtain in adequate quantities from plant source foods alone. Particularly in the meat industry, products from animals are susceptible targets for fraudulent labeling due to the economic profit that results from selling cheaper meat as meat from more profitable and desirable species. This work presents an overview of the main PCR-based techniques applied to date to verify the authenticity of beef meat and meat products from beef species. We were analyzed 25 market beef samples in South India. We examined PCR methods based on the sequence of the cytochrome b gene for source species identification. We found all sample were sold as beef meat as Bos Taurus. However, interestingly Male meats are more valuable high price compare to female meat, due to this reason most of the markets samples are susceptible. We were used sex determination gene of cattle like TSPY(Y-encoded, testis-specific protein TSPY is a Y-specific gene). TSPY homologs exist in several mammalian species, including humans, horses, and cattle. This gene is Y coded testis protein genes, which only amplify the male. We used multiple PCR products form species-specific “fingerprints” on gel electrophoresis, which may be useful for meat authentication. Amplicons were obtained only by the Cattle -specific PCR. We found 13 market meat samples sold as female beef samples. These results suggest that the species-specific PCR methods established in this study would be useful for simple and easy detection of adulteration of meat products.

Keywords: authentication, meat products, species-specific, TSPY

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Authors: C. Jouhar, B. Rajesh Kamath, M. K. Veeraiah, M. Z. Kurian

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Since long time ago, petroleum-based mineral oils have been used for liquid insulation in high voltage equipments. Mineral oils are widely used as insulation for transmission and distribution power transformers, capacitors and other high voltage equipment. Petroleum-based insulating oils have excellent dielectric properties such as high electric field strength, low dielectric losses and good long-term performance. Due to environmental consideration, an attempt to search the alternate liquid insulation is required. The influence of particles on the voltage breakdown in insulating oil and other liquids has been recognized for many years. Particles influence both AC and DC voltage breakdown in insulating oil. Experiments are conducted under AC voltage. The breakdown process starts with a microscopic bubble, an area of large distance where ions or electrons initiate avalanches. Insulating liquids drive their dielectric strength from the much higher density compare to gases. Experiments are carried out under High Voltage AC (HVAC) in different types of oils namely castor oil, vegetable oil and mineral oil. The Breakdown Voltage (BDV) with presence of moisture and particle contamination in different types of oils is studied. The BDV of vegetable oil is better when compared to other oils without contamination. The BDV of mineral oil is better when compared to other types of oils in presence of contamination.

Keywords: breakdown voltage, high voltage AC, insulating oil, oil breakdown

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Authors: Mahesh Gupta

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The main goal in the design of a die for extrusion of a complex profile is to obtain a uniform velocity at the die exit. If the velocity at the exit of an extrusion die is not uniform, the shape of the extrudate profile can change significantly after the polymer exits the die. To rectify the extrudate distortion caused by non-uniform exit velocity, calibrators and sizers are often installed along the extrudate cooling system. Furthermore, the profile shape in calibrators and sizers is sometimes gradually changed to intentionally deform the extrudate to the required final product shape. This is exploited to simplify extrusion die design, because a relatively simple profile at the die exit can be modified to obtain a more complex profile by deforming it in calibrators or sizers. The gradual change in the shape of calibrator or sizer profiles can also be used to extrude slightly different profiles from the same die. In the present work, a combined flow, thermal and structural analysis is used to accurately predict distortion of extrudate profile after the polymer leaves a die. Simulations of the flow and extrudate deformation in two different bilayer coextrusion dies with gradually changing profile shape in successive calibrators and sizers will be presented. The effect of non-uniform exit velocity, cooling shrinkage and shape of sizer profiles on extrudate deformation is included in the simulation. The predicted extrudate shape and layer structure is found to match accurately with those in a coextruded product.

Keywords: coextrusion, extrusion die design, finite element method, polymers

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Authors: Deepa S N, Srinivasan a D, Veeramanju K T

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The power transformer is a critical equipment in the transmission and distribution network that must be managed to ensure uninterrupted power service. The liquid insulation is essential for the proper functioning of the transformer, as it serves as both coolant and insulating medium, which influences the transformer’s durability. Further, the insulating state of a power transformer has a significant impact on its reliability. Mineral oil derived from petroleum crude oil has been employed as liquid dielectrics for decades due to its superior functional characteristics, however as a resource for the same are getting depleted over the years. Research is undertaken across the globe to identify a viable substitute for mineral oil. Further, alternate insulating oils are being investigated for better environmental impact, biodegradability and economics. Several combinations of vegetable oil derived natural esters are being inspected by researchers across the globe in these domains. In this work, mineral oil is blended with soyabean oil with various proportions and dielectric properties such as dielectric breakdown voltage, relative permittivity, dissipation factor, viscosity, flash and fire point have been investigated according to international standards. A quantitative comparison is made among various samples and is observed that the blended oil sample of equal proportion of mineral oil and soyabean oil, MO50+SO50 exhibits superior dielectric properties such as breakdown voltage of 65kV, dissipation factor of 0.0044, relative permittivity of 3.1680 that are closer to the range of values recommended for power transformer applications. Also, Breakdown voltage values of all the investigated oil samples obeyed the Weibull and Normal probability distribution.

Keywords: blended oil, dielectric breakdown, liquid insulation, power transformer

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Authors: I. L. Ibrahim, A. Mann, A. Ndanaimi

Abstract:

The research involved phytochemical screening, antibacterial activities and mineral determination by flame photometry of the crude extract of Brysocarpus coccineus schum indeed were carried out. The result of Phytochemical screening reveal tha saponins, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, and anthraquinones were present. This suggests that the plant extract could be used as anti-inflammatory and anti-bleeding agents. Estimation of mineral content shows that the crude extract of B. coccineus contains 0.73 (Na+), 1.06 (K+) and 1.98 (Ca+) which justifies its use to be safe for hypertensive patients and could be used to lower blood pressure. The antibacterial properties of aqueous and ethanol extract were studied against some bacteria; pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Bacilus subtilis, Klebsilla penmuoniae by disc diffusion method. The aqueous extract showed significant activity against the organisms while the ethanol at concentrations 5-10mg/ml ethanol extract showed significant zone of inhibition against the organisms, E. coli, (19 mm), B. cereus (12 mm), P. aeruginosa (11 mm), K. pnemuoniae (11 mm). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was carried with considerable effect of inhibition on the organisms. The MIC values observed were 1, 24, 16 and 19 mm against E. coli, B. cereus, P. aeruginosa and K. pnemuoniae respectively. Therefore, the plant could be a potential source of antibacterial agent although more pharmacological and clinical study may be recommended.

Keywords: phytochemicals, microorganisms, screenings, mineral ions

Procedia PDF Downloads 409

Authors: Khandoker Akib Mohammad

Abstract:

While analyzing time-to-event data, it is possible that a certain fraction of subjects will never experience the event of interest, and they are said to be cured. When this feature of survival models is taken into account, the models are commonly referred to as cure models. In the presence of covariates, the conditional survival function of the population can be modelled by using the cure model, which depends on the probability of being uncured (incidence) and the conditional survival function of the uncured subjects (latency), and a combination of logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards (PH) regression is used to model the incidence and latency respectively. In this paper, we have shown the asymptotic normality of the profile likelihood estimator via asymptotic expansion of the profile likelihood and obtain the explicit form of the variance estimator with an implicit function in the profile likelihood. We have also shown the efficient score function based on projection theory and the profile likelihood score function are equal. Our contribution in this paper is that we have expressed the efficient information matrix as the variance of the profile likelihood score function. A simulation study suggests that the estimated standard errors from bootstrap samples (SMCURE package) and the profile likelihood score function (our approach) are providing similar and comparable results. The numerical result of our proposed method is also shown by using the melanoma data from SMCURE R-package, and we compare the results with the output obtained from the SMCURE package.

Keywords: Cox PH model, cure model, efficient score function, EM algorithm, implicit function, profile likelihood

Procedia PDF Downloads 136

Authors: Ezra Yehuwalashet, Alireza Malehmir

Abstract:

Blötberget mining area in central Sweden, part of the Bergslagen mineral district, is well known for its various type of mineralization particularly iron-oxide deposits since the 1600. To shed lights on the knowledge of the host rock structures, depth extent and tonnage of the mineral deposits and support deep mineral exploration potential in the study area, new ground gravity and existing aeromagnetic data (from the Geological Survey of Sweden) were used for interpretations and modelling. A major boundary separating a gravity low from a gravity high in the southern part of the study area is noticeable and likely representing a fault boundary separating two different lithological units. Gravity data and modeling offers a possible new target area in the southeast of the known mineralization while suggesting an excess high-density region down to 800 m depth.

Keywords: gravity, magnetics, ore deposit, geophysics

Procedia PDF Downloads 55

Authors: Prasanjit Das, M. M. K. Khan, M. G. Rasul, Jie Wu, I. Youn

Abstract:

Mineral scale formation is undoubtedly a more serious problem in the mineral industry than other process industries. To better understand scale growth and suppression, an experimental model is proposed in this study for supersaturated crystallised solutions commonly found in mineral process plants. In this experiment, surface crystallisation of potassium nitrate (KNO3) on the wall of the agitation tank and agitation effects on the scale growth and suppression are studied. The new quantitative scale suppression model predicts that at lower agitation speed, the scale growth rate is enhanced and at higher agitation speed, the scale suppression rate increases due to the increased flow erosion effect. A lab-scale agitation tank with and without baffles were used as a benchmark in this study. The fluid dynamic effects on scale growth and suppression in the agitation tank with three different size impellers (diameter 86, 114, 160 mm and model A310 with flow number 0.56) at various ranges of rotational speed (up to 700 rpm) and solution with different concentration (4.5, 4.75 and 5.25 mol/dm3) were investigated. For more elucidation, the effects of the different size of the impeller on wall surface scale growth and suppression rate as well as bottom settled scale accumulation rate are also discussed. Emphasis was placed on applications in the mineral industry, although results are also relevant to other industrial applications.

Keywords: agitation tank, crystallisation, impeller speed, scale

Procedia PDF Downloads 212

Authors: C. Busuioc, G. Voicu, S. I. Jinga

Abstract:

The field of tissue engineering brings new challenges in terms of proposing original solutions for ongoing medical issues, improving the biological performances of existing clinical systems and speeding the healing process for a faster recovery and a more comfortable life as patient. In this context, we propose the obtaining of 3D porous scaffolds of mineral nature, dedicated to bone repairing and regeneration purposes or employed as bioactive filler for bone cements. Thus, bacterial cellulose - calcium phosphates composite materials have been synthesized by successive immersing of the polymeric membranes in the precursor solution containing Ca2+ and [PO4]3- ions. The mineral phase deposited on the surface of biocellulose fibers was varied as amount through the number of immersing cycles. The intermediary composites were subjected to thermal treatments at different temperatures in order to remove the organic part and provide the formation of a self-sustained 3D architecture. The resulting phase composition consists of common phosphates, while the morphology largely depends on the preparation parameters. Thus, the aspect of the 3D mineral scaffolds can be tuned from a loose microstructure composed of large grains connected via monocrystalline nanorods to a trabecular pattern crossed by parallel internal channels, just like the natural bone. The bioactivity and biocompatibility of the obtained materials have been also assessed, with encouraging results in the clinical use direction. In conclusion, the compositional, structural, morphological and biological characterizations sustain the suitability of the reported biostructures for integration in hard tissue engineering applications.

Keywords: bacterial cellulose, bone reconstruction, calcium phosphates, mineral scaffolds

Procedia PDF Downloads 189