Search results for: physical properties

Authors: Woei-Shyan Lee, Yu-Liang Chuang

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The nano-mechanical properties of as-deposited Cu/Si thin films indented to a depth of 2000 nm are investigated using a nanoindentation technique. The nanoindented specimens are annealed at a temperature of either 160 °C or 210°C, respectively. The microstructures of the as-deposited and annealed samples are then examined via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that both the loading and the unloading regions of the load-displacement curve are smooth and continuous, which suggests that no debonding or cracking occurs during nanoindentation. In addition, the hardness and Young’s modulus of the Cu/Si thin films are found to vary with the nanoindentation depth, and have maximum values of 2.8 GPa and 143 GPa, respectively, at the maximum indentation depth of 2000 nm. The TEM observations show that the region of the Cu/Si film beneath the indenter undergoes a phase transformation during the indentation process. In the case of the as-deposited specimens, the indentation pressure induces a completely amorphous phase within the indentation zone. For the specimens annealed at a temperature of 160°C, the amorphous nature of the microstructure within the indented zone is maintained. However, for the specimens annealed at a higher temperature of 210°C, the indentation affected zone consists of a mixture of amorphous phase and nanocrystalline phase. Copper silicide (η-Cu3Si) precipitates are observed in all of the annealed specimens. The density of the η-Cu3Si precipitates is found to increase with an increasing annealing temperature.

Keywords: nanoindentation, Cu/Si thin films, microstructural evolution, annealing temperature

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Authors: Babatunde Oluwole Ogunsile, Omosola Monisola Fasoranti

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High costs and toxicological hazards associated with the physicochemical methods of producing nanoparticles have limited their widespread use in clinical and biomedical applications. An ethically sound alternative is the utilization of plant bioresources as a low cost and eco–friendly biological approach. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized from aqueous leaf extract of Tithonia diversifolia plant. The UV-Vis Spectrophotometer was used to monitor the formation of the AgNPs at different time intervals and different ratios of plant extract to the AgNO₃ solution. The biosynthesized AgNPs were characterized by FTIR, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Antimicrobial activities of the AgNPs were investigated against ten human pathogens using agar well diffusion method. The AgNPs yields were modeled using a second-order factorial design. The result showed that the rate of formation of the AgNPs increased with respect to time while the optimum ratio of plant extract to the AgNO₃ solution was 1:1. The hydroxyl group was strongly involved in the bioreduction of the silver salt as indicated by the FTIR spectra. The synthesized AgNPs were crystalline in nature, with a uniformly distributed network of the web-like structure. The factorial model predicted the nanoparticles yields with minimal errors. The nanoparticles were active against all the tested pathogens and thus have great potentials as antimicrobial agents.

Keywords: antimicrobial activities, green synthesis, silver nanoparticles, Tithonia diversifolia

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Authors: Cherish Romina Prajitno, Sunisa Thaichinda

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One indicator of facial aging is wrinkles. Not only that, but wrinkles are a key indicator in our world of facial aesthetics. Wrinkles occur where fault lines develop in aging skin. Nowadays, people are more motivated to keep up their appealing and young appearance. Many individuals are seeking a fast recovery time for their aesthetic procedures and are interested in non-invasive techniques that have a proven track record for successful outcomes. The purpose of this study is to see the efficacy of 100% (pure) grapeseed oil for reducing periorbital wrinkles. This study used the split-face, double-blind method, and this treatment was administered for three months at random to fifteen patients, with the grapeseed oil at one side of the face and the other side with the placebo. The main outcome measure was determined by conducting a comparative analysis of the participants' wrinkle results during each visit using the VIsioscan® VC98. Additionally, we evaluated the skin's elasticity and barrier function using the Cutometer® MP 530 and Tewameter® TM300. Furthermore, we administered a satisfaction score questionnaire to the patients in the 12th week. The findings of the study indicate that grapeseed oil exhibited a noteworthy effect in diminishing the appearance of wrinkles in the periorbital region, enhancing the viscoelastic properties of the periorbital skin, and improving the functionality of the skin barrier in the periorbital area.

Keywords: periorbital wrinkles, pure grapeseed oil, split-face method

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Authors: Priya Ruban, Thirunavoukkarasu Manikkannan, Sakthivel Ramasamy

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Sulfide is one of the major pollutants of tannery effluent which is mainly generated during the process of unhairing. Recovery of Hydrogen green fuel from sulfide wastewater using photocatalysis is a ‘Cleaner Production Method’, since renewable solar energy is utilized. It has triple advantages of the generation of H2, waste minimization and odor or pollution control. Designing of safe and green photocatalysts and developing suitable solar photoreactor is important for promoting this technology to large-scale application. In this study, green photocatalyst i.e., spinach derived carbon dots (SCDs 5 wt % and 10 wt %)/TiO2 nanocomposite was synthesized for generation of H2 from sulfide wastewater using lab-scale solar photocatalytic reactor. The physical characterization of the synthesized solar light responsive nanocomposites were studied by using DRS UV-Vis, XRD, FTIR and FESEM analysis. The absorption edge of TiO2 nanoparticles is extended to visible region by the incorporation of SCDs, which was used for converting noxious pollutant sulfide into eco-friendly solar fuel H2. The SCDs (10 wt%)-TiO2 nanocomposite exhibits enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production i.e. ~27 mL of H2 (180 min) from simulated sulfide wastewater under LED visible light irradiation which is higher as compared to SCDs. The enhancement in the photocatalytic generation of H2 is attributed to combining of SCDs which increased the charge mobility. This work may provide new insights to usage of naturally available and cheap materials to design novel nanocomposite as a visible light active photocatalyst for the generation of H2 from sulfide containing wastewater.

Keywords: carbon dots, hydrogen fuel, hydrogen sulfide, photocatalysis, sulfide wastewater

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Authors: Nadia Ezzat Al-Kirbasee, Ahlam Hussein Hassan, Shatha Raheem Helal Alhimidi, Doaa Ezzat Al-Kirbasee, Muhsen Abood Muhsen Al-Ibadi

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Through DFT/QTAIM calculations, we have provided new insights into the nature of the M-M, M-H, M-O, and M-C bonds of the (Cp*Ru)n(Cp*Os)3−n(μ3-O)2(μ-H)(Cp* = η5-C5Me5, n= 3,2,1,0). The topological analysis of the electron density reveals important details of the chemical bonding interactions in the clusters. Calculations confirm the absence of bond critical points (BCP) and the corresponding bond paths (BP) between Ru-Ru, Ru-Os, and Os-Os. The position of bridging hydrides and Oxo atoms coordinated to Ru-Ru, Ru-Os, and Os-Os determines the distribution of the electron densities and which strongly affects the formation of the bonds between these transition metal atoms. On the other hand, the results confirm that the four clusters contain a 6c–12e and 4c–2e bonding interaction delocalized over M3(μ-H)(μ-O)2 and M3(μ-H), respectively, as revealed by the non-negligible delocalization indexes calculations. The small values for electron density ρ(b) above zero, together with the small values, again above zero, for laplacian ∇2ρ(b) and the small negative values for total energy density H(b) are shown by the Ru-H, Os-H, Ru-O, and Os-O bonds in the four clusters are typical of open shell interactions. Also, the topological data for the bonds between Ru and Os atoms with the C atoms of the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*) ring ligands are basically similar and show properties very consistent with open shell interactions in the QTAIM classification.

Keywords: metal-metal and metal-ligand interactions, organometallic complexes, topological analysis, DFT and QTAIM analyses

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Authors: Mahnaz Sanjari, Sedigheh Salemi, Mohammad Mirzabeigi

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Nowadays, the world is facing a crisis of workforce and one of the most striking examples is the shortage of nurses. Nursing workforce productivity is related by various factors such as absenteeism, professional effectiveness and quality care. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 700 nurses who work in government hospitals from 35 hospitals of 9 provinces in Iran. The study was approved by the Nursing Council and was carried out with the authorization of the Research Ethics Committee. The questionnaire included 33 questions and 4 sub categories such as human resource, education and management. The reliability was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha (α=0/85). Statistical analyzes were performed, using SPSS version 16. The result showed that nurses emphasized on "respect to nurse-to-bed ratio" and less importance item was "using less experienced nurse". In addition, another important factor in clinical productivity is "Proper physical structure and amenities","good communication with colleagues" and "having good facilities". Also, "human resources at all levels of standard", "promoting on merit" and "well defined relationship in health system" are another important factors in productivity from nurse` view. The main managerial factor is "justice between employees" and the main educational component of productivity is “updating nursing knowledge”. The results show that more than half of the participants emphasized on the management and educational factors. Productivity as one of the main part of the health care quality leads to appropriate use of human and organizational resources, reduce cost services, and organizational development.

Keywords: productivity, nursing services, workforce, cost services

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Authors: Titap Yazicioglu

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Purpose: To determine the etiological factors responsible for the eye removal surgery and to evaluate our surgical results. Material and Methods: Medical records of 226 patients, who underwent eye removal surgery, were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic information, clinical history, surgical procedure, and histopathological data were all collected. Evisceration surgery was performed under general anesthesia in all patients except tumor cases and one patient with rhino-orbital mucormycosis. The patients were followed for an average of 16.46±10.78 months and checked for the possible complications, cosmesis, and functional results.Results: 144 men, and 82 women,with a mean age of 41.78±22.6 years, were underwent enucleation (n=15) or evisceration (n=211) due to traumatic (n=169) and non-traumatic (n=57) causes. In the traumatic group, 79.8% of 169 patients were injured by penetrating and 14.2% by blunt trauma.3.6% of the patients were injured in a traffic accident, and 2.4% of them were injured by explosives. In the non-traumatic group, 40% of 25 patients had post-traumatic endophthalmitis, 32% had endophthalmitis due to corneal ulceration and melting, and 24% had endophthalmitis after cataract surgery. One patient had panophthalmitis due to rhino-orbital mucormycosis. Another cause in the non-traumatic group was glaucoma, of which 92.3% had neovascular glaucoma, and 8.7% had congenital glaucoma. Of the 14 patients who were enucleated for tumor, 35.7% had retinoblastoma, 14.3% had medulloepithelioma, 42.9% had uveal melanoma, and 7.1% had metastatic tumor from paranasal sinuses.The most common complaint in the follow-up period was discharging, seen in all prosthesis-wearing patients. 13.3% of the patients had itching due to ocular prosthesis. 4.4% of the patients were complaining about deep superior sulcus. 4.4% had pyogenic granuloma, and 17.8% had implant exposure. Conclusion: Etiological factors should be carefully evaluated, and precautions should be taken in order to reduce the devastating effect of the physical loss of the eye.

Keywords: enucleation, evisceration, ocular injury, etiology, frequency

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Authors: Muhammad Zaheer Awan, Adnan Qadir, Zeeshan Anjum

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Housefly, Musca domestica Linnaeus is ubiquitous and hazardous for Homo sapiens and livestock in sundry venerations. Musca domestica cart 100 different pathogens, such as typhoid, salmonella, bacillary dysentery, tuberculosis, anthrax and parasitic worms. The flies in rural areas usually carry more pathogens. Houseflies feed on liquid or semi-liquid substances besides solid materials which are softened by saliva. Neem botanically known as Azadirachta indica belongs to the family Meliaceae and is an indigenous tree to Pakistan. The neem tree is also one such tree which has been revered by the Pakistanis and Kashmiris for its medicinal properties. Present study showed neem seed extract has potentially toxic ability that affect Total Haemocyte Count (THC) and Differential Haemocytes Count (DHC) in insect’s blood cells, of the housefly. A significant variation in haemolymph density was observed just after application, 30 minutes and 60 minutes post treatment in term of THC and DHC in comparison with novastar. The study strappingly acclaim use of neem seed extract as insecticide as compare to artificial insecticides.

Keywords: neem, Azadirachta indica, Musca domestica, differential haemocyte count (DHC), total haemocytes count (DHC), novastar

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Authors: Chaiyakrit Raoupatham, Ram Hari Dhakal, Chalermchai Wanichlamlert

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Fresh concrete that is on bound to be rejected due to belated use either from delay construction process or unflavored traffic cause delay on concrete delivering can recover the slump and use once again by introduce second dose of superplasticizer(naphthalene based type F) into system. By adding superplasticizer as solution for recover unusable slump loss concrete may affects other concrete properties. Therefore, this paper was observed setting time and compressive strength of concrete after being re-dose with chemical admixture type F (superplasticizer, naphthalene based) for slump recovery. The concrete used in this study was fly ash concrete with fly ash replacement of 0%, 30% and 50% respectively. Concrete mix designed for test specimen was prepared with paste content (ratio of volume of cement to volume of void in the aggregate) of 1.2 and 1.3, water-to-binder ratio (w/b) range of 0.3 to 0.58, initial dose of superplasticizer (SP) range from 0.5 to 1.6%. The setting time of concrete were tested both before and after re-dosed with different amount of second dose and time of dosing. The research was concluded that addition of second dose of superplasticizer would increase both initial and final setting times accordingly to dosage of addition. As for fly ash concrete, the prolongation effect was higher as the replacement of fly ash is increase. The prolongation effect can reach up to maximum about 4 hours. In case of compressive strength, the re-dosed concrete has strength fluctuation within acceptable range of ±10%.

Keywords: compressive strength, fly ash concrete, second dose of superplasticizer, setting times

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Authors: Marina Kartseva, Polina Kuznetsova

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In our work, we estimate the contribution of inequality of opportunity to inequality in the health of the Russian population aged 25 to 74 years. The empirical basis of the study is the nationally representative data of the RLMS for 2018. Individual health is measured using a self-reported status on five-point scale. The startconditions are characterized by parental education and place of birth (country, type of settlement). Personal efforts to maintain health include the level of education, smoking status, and physical activity. To understand how start opportunities affect an individual's health, we use the methodology proposed in (Trannoy et al., 2010), which takes into account both direct and indirect (through the influence on efforts) effects. Regression analysis shows that all other things being equal, the starting capabilities of individuals have a significant impact on their health. In particular, parental education has a positive effect on self-reported health. Birth in another country, in another settlement, and in an urban area, on the contrary, reduceself-reported health. This allows to conclude that there exists an unfair inequality in health, namely inequality caused by factors that are independent of a person's own efforts. We estimate the contribution of inequality of opportunity to inequality in health using a nonparametric approach (Checchi, Peragine, 2010; Lazar, 2013). According to the obtained results, the contribution of unfair inequality as 72-74% for the population as a whole, being slightly higher for women (62-74% and 60-69% for men and women, respectively) and for older age (59- 62% and 67-75% for groups 25-44 years old and 45-74 years old, respectively). The obtained estimates are comparable with the results for other countries and indicate the importance of the problem of inequality of opportunities in health in Russia.

Keywords: inequality of opportunity, inequality in health, self-reported health, efforts, health-related lifestyle, Russia, RLMS

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Authors: Byeong-Uk Lim, Young-Ran Song, Sang-Ho Baik

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This study aimed to develop yeast starters for scientific alcohol production and systematic quality control of whisky. A total of 389 yeast strains were isolated from traditional Korean fermentation starter (nuruk) and rice wine (makgeolli), and ten strains were finally selected for their high alcohol productivities, in which their alcohol productions were above 17.3% (v/v) during 10 days under two steps of glucose feeding condition (30% and then 15%, w/v). By 18s rDNA sequence analysis, all strains were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC), and they can grow well under 50% (w/v) glucose and 10% (v/v) ethanol conditions. Furthermore, the capability of ten different SC strains to ferment rice wine for whisky was studied. Rice wine was fermented with only steamed rice, water, and two types of enzymes (glucoamylase and α-amylase) during 14 days at 25 °C, and then their oenological properties have been determined. As the results, the fermented rice wines indicated the final pH range of 4.24-4.38 and acidity range of 0.12-0.18. The highest ethanol production of 20.2% (v/v) was found in the fermentation with a SC-156 strain, whereas SC-92 (16.8%) and SC-119 (16.4%) showed significantly lowest ethanol productions. In addition, the residual sugar contents showed negative correlation with alcohol contents. Moreover, this study focused on nucleotide polymorphisms in the MSN2 and MSN4 genes to investigate the cause of the defective stress responses in yeast. Consequently, it was also confirmed that the deletion of the N termini of Msn4p from identified point mutations in SC-63, SC-95, SC-156, SC-158, and SC-160 strains.

Keywords: yeast, high-alcohol, whisky, rice wine

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Authors: Natasha Khan, Muhammad Arif

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The Chakdara granite gneiss is an extension of Swat granite gneisses. It is characterized by biotite bands and the occurrence of fluorite and blue beryl. Younger phases (quartzofeldspathic veins) occur within gneisses are characterized by various mineral phases that include beryl, biotite, phlogopite, annite, muscovite, ilmenite-pyrophanite, monazite, zircon, apatite, magnetite and minor amounts of sphene, rutile, and ulvöspinel. The present paper is an attempt to address the detailed mineral chemistry and genesis of minerals occurring in these younger phases. These quartzofeldspathic veins are assumed to be of hydrothermal origin on the basis of Th2O content in monazite, Zr/Hf ratio in zircon, REE enrichment, and Ce/Y ratio of allanite. Biotite in the present study is characterized by high F content. Muscovite is phengitic and contains very high amounts of Fe as compared to the normal muscovites. The Th2O content for monazite is low (0.81-1.56 wt. %) like those of hydrothermal origin. The Zr/Hf ratio in zircon is variable for different analyses but mostly falls in the range of ~ 41 and above. Allanite is generally unaltered and characterized by LREE enrichment. The properties of beryl and columbite in the present study show pegmatitic features.

Keywords: Beryl, Chakdarra granite gneiss, micas, quartzofeldspathic veins

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Authors: Zhengkun Yi

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Surface texture discrimination using artificial tactile sensors has attracted increasing attentions in the past decade as it can endow technical and robot systems with a key missing ability. However, as a major component of texture, roughness has rarely been explored. This paper presents an approach for tactile surface roughness discrimination, which includes two parts: (1) design and fabrication of a bioinspired artificial fingertip, and (2) tactile signal processing for tactile surface roughness discrimination. The bioinspired fingertip is comprised of two polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layers, a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bar, and two perpendicular polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) film sensors. This artificial fingertip mimics human fingertips in three aspects: (1) Elastic properties of epidermis and dermis in human skin are replicated by the two PDMS layers with different stiffness, (2) The PMMA bar serves the role analogous to that of a bone, and (3) PVDF film sensors emulate Meissner’s corpuscles in terms of both location and response to the vibratory stimuli. Various extracted features and classification algorithms including support vector machines (SVM) and k-nearest neighbors (kNN) are examined for tactile surface roughness discrimination. Eight standard rough surfaces with roughness values (Ra) of 50 μm, 25 μm, 12.5 μm, 6.3 μm 3.2 μm, 1.6 μm, 0.8 μm, and 0.4 μm are explored. The highest classification accuracy of (82.6 ± 10.8) % can be achieved using solely one PVDF film sensor with kNN (k = 9) classifier and the standard deviation feature.

Keywords: bioinspired fingertip, classifier, feature extraction, roughness discrimination

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Authors: Amalia Dwi Berliyanti Amel

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Streptococcus mutants bacteria are bacteria that are believed to be the cause of the growth of dental plaque which can further adversely affect dental caries if left unchecked. Previous research has shown that Moringa leaf extract can slow down the growth rate of this bacterium. This study aims to make the best formulation of mouthwash with the active ingredient of Moringa leaf extract based on its antibacterial and organoleptic test results. Nine mouthwash variations were carried out with two factors and three levels, namely a comparison of the concentration of sorbitol (A) with three levels namely 15% (A1), 20% (A2), and 25% (A3), and peppermint added (B) with three levels, namely 0.2% (B1), 0.25% (B2), and 0.3% (B3). The test parameters performed as the determination of the best mouthwash are based on physicochemical properties which include pH and viscosity as well as organoleptic test results which include color, viscosity, aroma, taste, sensation in the mouth, and general appearance. The results showed that the bright zone as a test for the antibacterial activity of Streptococcus mutants began to be seen at a concentration of 5%. Moringa leaf mouthwash formulation has a pH value between 6 - 7, with a control of 6. Whereas the mucosa leaf mouthwash vascularity produced between 1.1 - 1.7 cP with a control of 1.1 cP. Moringa leaf mouthwash and control have the same total number of microbes, namely 0 colonies / mL. Based on organoleptic tests performed with 20 panelists, it was shown that the best mouthwash formulation was formulation A1B3 with sorbitol composition 15% and peppermint 0.3%.

Keywords: antibasteria, formula, moringa leaf, mouthwash

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Authors: Khaled Hamdan, Abid Amorri, Fatima Hamdan

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Involving students in English language learning process and achieving an adequate English language proficiency in the target language can be a great challenge for both teachers and students. This can prove even a far greater challenge to engage students with special needs (Dyslexia) if they have physical impairment and inadequate mastery of basic communicative language competence/proficiency in the target language. From this perspective, technology like robots can probably be used to enhance learning process for the special needs students who have extensive communication needs, who face continuous struggle to interact with their peers and teachers and meet academic requirements. Robots, precisely NAO, can probably provide them with the perfect opportunity to practice social and communication skills, and meet their English academic requirements. This research paper aims to identify to what extent robots can be used to improve students’ social interaction and communication skills and to understand the potential for robotics-based education in motivating and engaging UAEU dyslexic students to meet university requirements. To reach this end, the paper will explore several factors that come into play – Motion Level-involving cognitive activities, Interaction Level-involving language processing, Behavior Level -establishing a close relationship with the robot and Appraisal Level- focusing on dyslexia students’ achievement in the target language.

Keywords: dyslexia, robot technology, motion, interaction, behavior and appraisal levels, social and communication skills

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Authors: Bita Mohajernia, R. J. Urbanic

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Mold making techniques have focused on meeting the customers’ functional and process requirements; however, today, molds are increasing in size and sophistication, and are difficult to manufacture, transport, and set up due to their size and mass. Presently, mold weight saving techniques focus on pockets to reduce the mass of the mold, but the overall size is still large, which introduces costs related to the stock material purchase, processing time for process planning, machining and validation, and excess waste materials. Reducing the overall size of the mold is desirable for many reasons, but the functional requirements, tool life, and durability cannot be compromised in the process. It is proposed to use Finite Element Analysis simulation tools to model the forces, and pressures to determine where the material can be removed. The potential results of this project will reduce manufacturing costs. In this study, a light weight structure is defined by an optimal distribution of material to carry external loads. The optimization objective of this research is to determine methods to provide the optimum layout for the mold structure. The topology optimization method is utilized to improve structural stiffness while decreasing the weight using the OptiStruct software. The optimized CAD model is compared with the primary geometry of the mold from the NX software. Results of optimization show an 8% weight reduction while the actual performance of the optimized structure, validated by physical testing, is similar to the original structure.

Keywords: finite element analysis, plastic injection molding, topology optimization, weight reduction

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Authors: Leah Gwatimba, Nanga Raymond Raselekoane

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The incidences of youth who engage in unlawful or criminal activities are of great concern for the criminal justice system and government in South Africa. In terms of the juvenile justice system in South Africa, under-age youth who have been found guilty and sentenced to serve a jail term cannot be sent to the same detention facility as adults. The juvenile justice system is meant to protect young offenders from physical, emotional and mental exploitation by adult prisoners. Under-age young offenders should be assisted and exposed to educational, entrepreneurial and behavioral programmes that can equip them with the much needed skills that will turn them into law-abiding and economically productive citizens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the justice system in South Africa in the rehabilitation young offenders. A qualitative method was used. The study used the non-probability purposive sampling to select the respondents. In-depth interviews, focus groups, observation and thematic coding were used to collect and analyse the data respectively. The study population consisted of social workers and offending youth. The sample comprised of 16 respondents (i.e. 4 social workers and twelve offending youth (6 males and 6 females). The study indicated that there is worrying recurrence of the anti-social behavior by some of the young offenders. According to this study, the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system in the rehabilitation of the offending youth can be achieved by paying serious attention to follow-up services, participation of families of the offending youth in the diversion programmes and by improving the socio-economic conditions in the homes and communities of the offending youth.

Keywords: juvenile delinquent, juvenile justice system, diversion programmes, rehabilitation, restorative justice

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Authors: Angad S. Kushwaha, Rajeev Kumar, Monika Srivastava, S. K. Srivastava

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A lot of research work is going on in the field of graphene based SPR biosensor. In the conventional SPR based biosensor, graphene is used as a biomolecular recognition element. Graphene adsorbs biomolecules due to carbon based ring structure through sp2 hybridization. The proposed SPR based biosensor configuration will open a new avenue for efficient biosensing by taking the advantage of Graphene and its fascinating nanofabrication properties. In the present study, we have studied an SPR biosensor based on graphene mediated by Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Gold. In the proposed structure, prism (BK7) base is coated with Zinc Oxide followed by Gold and Graphene. Using the waveguide approach by transfer matrix method, the proposed structure has been investigated theoretically. We have analyzed the reflectance versus incidence angle curve using He-Ne laser of wavelength 632.8 nm. Angle, at which the reflectance is minimized, termed as SPR angle. The shift in SPR angle is responsible for biosensing. From the analysis of reflectivity curve, we have found that there is a shift in SPR angle as the biomolecules get attached on the graphene surface. This graphene layer also enhances the sensitivity of the SPR sensor as compare to the conventional sensor. The sensitivity also increases by increasing the no of graphene layer. So in our proposed biosensor we have found minimum possible reflectivity with optimum level of sensitivity.

Keywords: biosensor, sensitivity, surface plasmon resonance, transfer matrix method

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Authors: Khushboo Bhavsar, Nisha K. Shah, Neha Parekh

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The status of wastewater treatment needs a novel and quick method for treating the wastewater containing ammoniacal nitrogen. Adsorption behavior of ammoniacal nitrogen from wastewater using the nanoparticles loaded coconut coir was investigated in the present work. Manganese Oxide (MnO2) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were prepared and used for the further adsorption study. Manganese nanoparticles loaded coconut coir (MNLCC) and Zinc nanoparticles loaded coconut coir (ZNLCC) were prepared via a simple method and was fully characterized. The properties of both MNLCC and ZNLCC were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Adsorption characteristics were studied using batch technique considering various parameters like pH, adsorbent dosage, time, temperature and agitation time. The NH3-N adsorption process for MNLCC and ZNLCC was thoroughly studied from both kinetic and equilibrium isotherm view-points. The results indicated that the adsorption efficiency of ZNLCC was better when compared to MNLCC. The adsorption kinetics at different experimental conditions showed that second order kinetic model best fits ensuring the monovalent binding sites existing in the present experimental system. The outcome of the entire study suggests that the ZNLCC can be a smart option for the treatment of the ammoniacal nitrogen containing wastewater.

Keywords: ammoniacal nitrogen, MnO2, Nanoparticles, ZnO

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Authors: Tamar Trop, Ido Izhaki

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Small natural freshwater bodies (SNFWBs), which are vital for many waterbird species, are considered endangered habitats due to their progressive loss and extensive degradation. While SNFWBs are becoming extinct, studies have indicated that many waterbird species may greatly benefit from various types of small artificial waterbodies (SAWBs), such as floodwater and treated water reservoirs. If designed and managed with care, SAWBs hold significant potential to serve as alternative or complementary habitats for birds, and thus mitigate the adverse effects of SNFWBs loss. Currently, most reservoirs are built as infrastructural facilities and designed according to engineering best practices and site-specific considerations, which do not include catering for waterbirds' needs. Furthermore, as things stand, there is still a lack of clear and comprehensive knowledge regarding the additional factors that should be considered in tackling the challenge of attracting waterbirds' to reservoirs, without compromising on the reservoirs' original functions. This study attempts to narrow this knowledge gap by performing a systematic review of the various factors (e.g., bird attributes; physical, structural, spatial, climatic, chemical, and biological characteristics of the waterbody; and anthropogenic activities) affecting the occurrence, abundance, richness, and diversity of waterbirds in SNFWBs. The methodical review provides a concise and relatively unbiased synthesis of the knowledge in the field, which can inform decision-making and practice regarding the planning, design, and management of reservoirs with birds in mind. Such knowledge is especially beneficial for arid and semiarid areas, where natural water sources are deteriorating and becoming extinct even faster due to climate change.

Keywords: artificial waterbodies, reservoirs, small waterbodies, waterbirds

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Authors: Li-Hua Luu, Alexis Doghmane, Abbas Farhat, Mohammad Sanayei, Pierre Philippe, Pablo Cuellar

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Suction buckets are promising innovative foundations for offshore wind turbines. They generally feature the shape of an inverted bucket and rely on a suction system as a driving agent for their installation into the seabed. Water is pumped out of the buckets that are initially placed to rest on the seabed, creating a net pressure difference across the lid that generates a seepage flow, lowers the soil resistance below the foundation skirt, and drives them effectively into the seabed. The stability of the suction mechanism as well as the possibility of a piping failure (i.e., localized fluidization within the internal soil plug) during their installation are some of the key questions that remain open. The present work deals with an experimental study of localized fluidization by suction within a fixed bucket partially embedded into a submerged artificial soil made of spherical beads. The transient process, from the onset of granular motion until reaching a stationary regime for the fluidization at the embedded bucket wall, is recorded using the combined optical techniques of planar laser-induced fluorescence and refractive index matching. To conduct a systematic study of the piping threshold for the seepage flow, we vary the beads size, the suction pressure, and the initial depth for the bucket. This experimental modelling, by dealing with erosion-related phenomena from a micromechanical perspective, shall provide qualitative scenarios for the local processes at work which are missing in the offshore practice so far.

Keywords: fluidization, micromechanical approach, offshore foundations, suction bucket

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Authors: Saba Gachpaz, Hamid Reza Heidari

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The sharp increase in population growth leads to more pressure on agricultural areas to satisfy the food supply. To achieve this, more resources should be consumed and, besides other environmental concerns, highlight sustainable agricultural development. Land-use management is a crucial factor in obtaining optimum productivity. Machine learning is a widely used technique in the agricultural sector, from yield prediction to customer behavior. This method focuses on learning and provides patterns and correlations from our data set. In this study, nine physical control factors, namely, soil classification, electrical conductivity, normalized difference water index (NDWI), groundwater level, elevation, annual precipitation, pH of water, annual mean temperature, and slope in the alluvial plain in Khuzestan (an agricultural hotspot in Iran) are used to decide the best agricultural land use for both rainfed and irrigated agriculture for ten different crops. For this purpose, each variable was imported into Arc GIS, and a raster layer was obtained. In the next level, by using training samples, all layers were imported into the python environment. A random forest model was applied, and the weight of each variable was specified. In the final step, results were visualized using a digital elevation model, and the importance of all factors for each one of the crops was obtained. Our results show that despite 62% of the study area being allocated to agricultural purposes, only 42.9% of these areas can be defined as a suitable class for cultivation purposes.

Keywords: land suitability, machine learning, random forest, sustainable agriculture

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Authors: Y. T. van Popta

Abstract:

This paper focuses on the never thoroughly examined yet in native relevant late medieval maritime cultural landscape of the former Zuiderzee (A.D. 1170-1932) in the center part of the Netherlands. Especially the northeastern part of the region, nowadays known as the Noordoostpolder, testifies of the dynamic battle of the Dutch against the water. This highly dynamic maritime region developed from a lake district into a sea and eventually into a polder. By linking physical and cognitive datasets from the Noordoostpol-der region in a spatial environment, new information on a late medieval maritime culture is brought to light, giving the opportunity to: (i) create a modern day perception on the late medieval maritime cultural landscape of the region and (ii) to underline the value of interdisciplinary and spatial research in maritime archaeology in general. Since the large scale reclamations of the region (A.D. 1932-1968), many remains have been discovered of a drowned and eroded late medieval maritime culture, represented by lost islands, drowned settlements, cultivated lands, shipwrecks and socio-economic networks. Recent archaeological research has proved the existence of this late medieval maritime culture by the discovery of the remains of the drowned settlement Fenehuysen (Veenhuizen) and its surroundings. The fact that this settlement and its cultivated surroundings remained hidden for so long proves that a large part of the maritime cultural landscape is ‘invisible’ and can only be found by extensive interdisciplinary research.

Keywords: drowned settlements, late middle ages, lost islands, maritime cultural landscape, the Netherlands

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Authors: Fourar Ali, Fourar Fatima Zohra

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Knowledge of sediment characteristics is fundamental to understanding their sedimentary functioning: sedimentation, settlement, and erosion processes of cohesive sediments are controlled by complex interactions between physical, chemical, and biological factors. Sediment transport is of primary importance in river hydraulics and river engineering. Indeed, the displacement of sediments can lead to lasting modifications of the bed in terms of its elevation, slope and roughness. The protection of a bank, for example, is likely to initiate a local incision of the river bed, which, in turn, can lead to the subsidence of the bank. The flows in the natural environment occur in general with heterogeneous boundary conditions because of the distribution of the roughnesses of the fixed or mobile bottoms and of the important deformations of the free surface, especially for the flows with a weak draft considering the irregularity of the bottom. Bedforms significantly influence flow resistance. The arrangement of particles lining the bottom of the stream bed or experimental channel generates waveforms of different sizes that lead to changes in roughness and consequently spatial variability in the turbulent characteristics of the flow. The study which is focused on the laws of friction in alluvial beds, aims to analyze the characteristics of flows and materials constituting the natural channels. Experimental results were obtained by simulating these flows on a rough bottom in an experimental channel at the Hydraulics Laboratory of the University of Batna 2. The system of equations governing the problem is solved using the program named: CLIPPER.5 and ACP.

Keywords: free surface flow, heterogeneous sand, moving bottom bed, friction coefficient, bottom roughness

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Authors: S. Mezghani, E. Perrin, J. L. Bodnar, J. Marthe, B. Cauwe, V. Vrabie

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Non contact evaluation of the thickness of paint coatings can be attempted by different destructive and nondestructive methods such as cross-section microscopy, gravimetric mass measurement, magnetic gauges, Eddy current, ultrasound or terahertz. Infrared thermography is a nondestructive and non-invasive method that can be envisaged as a useful tool to measure the surface thickness variations by analyzing the temperature response. In this paper, the thermal quadrupole method for two layered samples heated up with a pulsed excitation is firstly used. By analyzing the thermal responses as a function of thermal properties and thicknesses of both layers, optimal parameters for the excitation source can be identified. Simulations show that a pulsed excitation with duration of ten milliseconds allows to obtain a substrate-independent thermal response. Based on this result, an experimental setup consisting of a near-infrared laser diode and an Infrared camera was next used to evaluate the variation of paint coating thickness between 60 µm and 130 µm on two samples. Results show that the parameters extracted for thermal images are correlated with the estimated thicknesses by the Eddy current methods. The laser pulsed thermography is thus an interesting alternative nondestructive method that can be moreover used for non conductive substrates.

Keywords: non destructive, paint coating, thickness, infrared thermography, laser, heterogeneity

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Authors: Syue-Liang Lin, C. Allen Chang

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Luminescence imaging is an important technique used in biomedical research and clinical diagnostic applications in recent years. Concurrently, the development of NIR luminescence probes / imaging contrast agents has helped the understanding of the structural and functional properties of cells and animals. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is used clinically to treat a wide range of medical conditions, but the therapeutic efficacy of general PDT for deeper tumor was limited by the penetration of excitation source. The tumor targeting biomedical nanomaterials UCNP@PS (upconversion nanoparticle conjugated with photosensitizer) for photodynamic therapy and near-infrared imaging of cancer will be developed in our study. Synthesis and characterization of biomedical nanomaterials were completed in this studies. The spectrum of UCNP was characterized by photoluminescence spectroscopy and the morphology was characterized by Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). TEM and XRD analyses indicated that these nanoparticles are about 20~50 nm with hexagonal phase. NaYF₄:Ln³⁺ (Ln= Yb, Nd, Er) upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with core / shell structure, synthesized by thermal decomposition method in 300°C, have the ability to emit visible light (upconversion: 540 nm, 660 nm) and near-infrared with longer wavelength (downconversion: NIR: 980 nm, 1525 nm) by absorbing 800 nm NIR laser. The information obtained from these studies would be very useful for applications of these nanomaterials for bio-luminescence imaging and photodynamic therapy of deep tumor tissue in the future.

Keywords: Near Infrared (NIR), lanthanide, core-shell structure, upconversion, theranostics

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Authors: Sara Kamalisiahroudi, Zhang Jianbo, Bin Wu, Jun Huang, Laisuo Su

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The temperature rising within a battery cell depends on the level of heat generation, the thermal properties and the heat transfer around the cell. The rising of temperature is a serious problem of Lithium-Ion batteries and the internal resistance of battery is the main reason for this heating up, so the heat generation rate of the batteries is an important investigating factor in battery pack design. The delivered power of a battery is directly related to its capacity, decreases in the battery capacity means the growth of the Solid Electrolyte Interface (SEI) layer which is because of the deposits of lithium from the electrolyte to form SEI layer that increases the internal resistance of the battery. In this study two identical cylindrical Lithium-Ion (NCR18650)batteries from the same company with noticeable different in capacity (a fresh and a used battery) were compared for more focusing on their heat generation parameters (entropy coefficient and internal resistance) according to Brandi model, by utilizing potentiometric method for entropy coefficient and EIS method for internal resistance measurement. The results clarify the effect of capacity difference on cell electrical (R) and thermal (dU/dT) parameters. It can be very noticeable in battery pack design for its Safety.

Keywords: heat generation, Solid Electrolyte Interface (SEI), potentiometric method, entropy coefficient

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Authors: Sabiha Chouchane, Azzedine Hani, Jean-Paul Chopart, Alexandra Levesque

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The electrodeposition of Zn-Ni alloy is mostly studied for its high degree of corrosion and mechanical properties. In this work, the zinc–nickel alloy coatings elaborated from sulfate bath have been carried out under low and high applied magnetic field. The effect of alloy stuctural parameters upon corrosion behavior is studied. It has been found that the magnetically induced convection changes the phase composition, promoting the zinc phase in spite of the γ-Ni₅Zn₂₁. Low magnetic field acts also on the morphology of the deposits as a levelling agent and a refiner by lowering the deposit roughness Ra and the spot size. For alloy obtained with low magnetic field (up to 1T) superimposition, surface morphology modification has no significant influence on corrosion behavior whereas for low nickel content alloy, the modification of phase composition, induced by applied magnetic field, favours higher polarization resistance. When high magnetic field amplitude is involved (up to12T), the phase composition modifications are the same that for low applied B and the morphology is not largely modified. In this case, the hydrogen reduction current dramatically decreases that leads to a large shift of the corrosion potential. It is suggested that the surface reactivity of electrodeposited alloys depends on the magnetically induced convection that is efficient during the codeposition process.

Keywords: magnetic field, Zn-Ni alloy, corrosion, corrosive medium

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Authors: Sahar Esmaeili, Ramezanali Ghaderi sanavi, Masoomeh Maarefvand, Samaneh Hosseinzadeh

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Introduction: Conducted researches reveal that nowadays, 60 percent of women around the world are the households. The adverse economic condition causes female-headed households and their children to be the most vulnerable people against social harm. Mainly a symptoms of mental illness such as depression, anxiety, obsession and aggression can be seen in female-headed households and their children are potentially exposed to issues such as crime-work, child labor in the black and informal jobs, education deprivation and malnutrition. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of Orem self-care education with the FGC technique on the public health of female-headed households. Methods: Sixty-four Female-headed householders who were supported by Saleh Foundation participated in a clinical trial study and were assigned to the case (n=32) and control (n=32) groups. The case group received 4-session Orem’s self-care education with family group conferencing technique. Data were collected using the demographic questionnaire and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) prior to intervention and post-intervention. ANOVA was used to evaluate outcomes. Results: The results showed significant improvement of the intervention group in GHQ (P<0.001) and subscales of Physical Health (P<0.001) Agitation and Insomnia (P<0.001) and Social disorder (P<0.001) and Depression (P<0.001) compared with the control group after the intervention. Conclusion: The intervention of Orem’s self-care education with family group conferencing technique was effective in improving the General Health of Female-headed households

Keywords: orem’s self-care, female-headed households, general health, group

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Authors: Juliani Rianto, Emma Lumby, Tracey Smith

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Cancer patients’ survival are growing with the new approach and therapy in oncology medicine. Cancer is now a new chronic disease, and rehabilitation program has become an ongoing program as part of cancer care. The focus of Cancer rehabilitation is maximising person’s physical and emotional function, stabilising general health and reducing unnecessary hospital admission. In Australia there are 150000 newly diagnosed cancer every year, and the most common Cancer are prostate, Breast, Colorectal, Melanoma and Lung Cancer. Through referral from the oncology team, we recruited cancer patient into our cancer rehabilitation program. Patients are assessed by our multi-disciplinary team including rehabilitation specialist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietician, exercise physiologist, and psychologist. Specific issues are identified, including pain, side effect of chemo and radiation therapy and mental well-being. The goals were identified and reassessed every fortnight. Common goals including nutritional status, improve endurance and exercise performance, working on balance and mobility, improving emotional and vocational state, educational program for insomnia and tiredness, and reducing hospitalisation are identified and assessed. Patients are given 2 hours exercise program twice a week for 6 weeks with focus on aerobic and weight exercises and education sessions. Patients are generally benefited from the program. The quality of life is improved, support and interaction from the therapist has played an important factor in directing patient for their goals.

Keywords: cancer, exercises, benefit, mental health

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