Search results for: pile capacity

Authors: Aida Rafat, Ramazan Kahraman, Mert Atilhan

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The aggressive corrosion behavior of conventional amine solvents is one of main barriers against large scale commerizaliation of amine absorption process for carbon capture application. Novel CO2 absorbents that exhibit minimal corrosivity against operation conditions are essential to lower corrosion damage and control and ensure more robustness in the capture plant. This work investigated corrosion behavior of carbon steel CS1018 in various CO2 absrobent solvents. The tested solvents included the classical amines MEA, DEA and MDEA, piperazine activated solvents MEA/PZ, MDEA/PZ and MEA/MDEA/PZ as well as mixtures of MEA and Room Temperature Ionic Liquids RTIL, namely MEA/[C4MIM][BF4] and MEA/[C4MIM][Otf]. Electrochemical polarization technique was used to determine the system corrosiveness in terms of corrosion rate and polarization behavior. The process parameters of interest were CO2 loading and solution temperature. Electrochemical resulted showed corrosivity order of classical amines at 40°C is MDEA> MEA > DEA wherase at 80°C corrosivity ranking changes to MEA > DEA > MDEA. Corrosivity rankings were mainly governed by CO2 absorption capacity at the test temperature. Corrosivity ranking for activated amines at 80°C was MEA/PZ > MDEA/PZ > MEA/MDEA/PZ. Piperazine addition seemed to have a dual advanatge in terms of enhancing CO2 absorption capacity as well as nullifying corrosion. For MEA/RTIL mixtures, the preliminary results showed that the partial repalcement of aqueous phase in MEA solution by the more stable nonvolatile RTIL solvents reduced corrosion rates considerably.

Keywords: corrosion, amines, CO2 capture, piperazine, ionic liquids

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Authors: Mohamed Ouzzane, Mahmoud Bady

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Due to energy and environment context, research is looking for the use of clean and energy efficient system in cooling industry. In this regard, the ejector represents one of the promising solutions. The thermal ejector is a passive component used for thermal compression in refrigeration and cooling systems, usually activated by heat either waste or solar. The present study introduces a theoretical analysis of the cooling system which uses a gas ejector thermal compression. A theoretical model is developed and applied for the design and simulation of the ejector, as well as the whole cooling system. Besides the conservation equations of mass, energy and momentum, the gas dynamic equations, state equations, isentropic relations as well as some appropriate assumptions are applied to simulate the flow and mixing in the ejector. This model coupled with the equations of the other components (condenser, evaporator, pump, and generator) is used to analyze profiles of pressure and velocity (Mach number), as well as evaluation of the cycle cooling capacity. A FORTRAN program is developed to carry out the investigation. Properties of refrigerant R134a are calculated using real gas equations. Among many parameters, it is thought that the generator pressure is the cornerstone in the cycle, and hence considered as the key parameter in this investigation. Results show that the generator pressure has a great effect on the ejector and on the whole cooling system. At high generator pressures, strong shock waves inside the ejector are created, which lead to significant condenser pressure at the ejector exit. Additionally, at higher generator pressures, the designed system can deliver cooling capacity for high condensing pressure (hot season).

Keywords: air cooling system, refrigeration, thermal ejector, thermal compression

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Authors: Jeffrey Ansloos

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International trauma education in low and emerging economies requires innovative methods for capacity building in existing social service infrastructures. This study details the findings of a program evaluation used to assess the learning outcomes and community impact of an international trauma-focused graduate degree program in Guyana. Through a collaborative partnership between Lesley University, the Government of Guyana, and UNICEF, a 2-year low-residency masters degree graduate program in trauma-focused assessment, intervention, and treatment was piloted with a cohort of Guyanese mental health professionals. Through an analytical review of the program development, as well as qualitative data analysis of participant interviews and focus-groups, this study will address the efficacy of the programming in terms of preparedness of professionals to understand, evaluate and implement trauma-informed practices across various child, youth, and family mental health service settings. Strengths and limitations of this international trauma-education delivery model will be discussed with particular emphasis on the role of capacity-building interventions, community-based participatory curriculum development, innovative technological delivery platforms, and interdisciplinary education. Implications for further research and subsequent program development will be discussed.

Keywords: mental health promotion, global health promotion, trauma education, innovations in education, child, youth, mental health education

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Authors: Suraj Sharma

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Green infrastructure (GI) offers a contemporary approach for reducing the risk of flooding, improve water quality, and harvesting stormwater for sustainable use. GI promotes landscape planning to enhance sustainable development and urban resilience. However, the existing literature is lacking in ensuring the comprehensive assessment of GI performance in terms of ecosystem function and services for social, ecological, and economical system resilience. We propose a robust indicator set and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) for quantitative and qualitative analysis for sustainable water management to assess the capacity of urban resilience. Green infrastructure in urban resilience water management system (GIUR-WMS) supports decision-making for GI planning through scenario comparisons with urban resilience capacity index. To demonstrate the GIUR-WMS, we develop five scenarios for five sectors of Chandigarh (12, 26, 14, 17, and 34) to test common type of GI (rain barrel, rain gardens, detention basins, porous pavements, and open spaces). The result shows the open spaces achieve the highest green infrastructure urban resilience index of 4.22/5. To implement the open space scenario in urban sites, suitable vacant can be converted to green spaces (example: forest, low impact recreation areas, and detention basins) GIUR-WMS is easy to replicate, customize and apply to cities of different sizes to assess environmental, social and ecological dimensions.

Keywords: green infrastructure, assessment, urban resilience, water management system, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation

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Authors: Sanjeev Mukherjee, Satyendra Mittal

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This paper presents the experimental investigations on the behaviour of a group of single, double and triple helical screw anchors embedded vertically at the same level in sand. The tests were carried out on one, two, three and four numbers of anchors in sand for different depths of embedment keeping shallow and deep mode of behaviour in mind. The testing program included 48 tests conducted on three model anchors installed in sand whose density kept constant throughout the tests. It was observed that the ultimate pullout load varied significantly with the installation depth of the anchor and the number of anchors. The apparent coefficient of friction (f*) between anchor and soil was also calculated based on the test results. It was found that the apparent coefficient of friction varies between 1.02 and 4.76 for 1, 2, 3, and 4 numbers of single, double and triple helical screw anchors. Plate load tests conducted on model soil showed that the value of ф increases from 35o for virgin soil to 48o for soil with four double screw helical anchors. The graphs of ultimate pullout capacity of a group of two, three and four no. of anchors with respect to one anchor were plotted and design equations have been proposed correlating them. Based on these findings, it has been concluded that the load-displacement relationships for all groups can be reduced to a common curve. A 3-D finite element model, PLAXIS, was used to confirm the results obtained from laboratory tests and the agreement is excellent.

Keywords: apparent coefficient of friction, helical screw anchor, installation depth, plate load test

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Authors: Alok Madan, Ashok Gupta, Arshad K. Hashmi

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Non-linear dynamic time history analysis is considered as the most advanced and comprehensive analytical method for evaluating the seismic response and performance of multi-degree-of-freedom building structures under the influence of earthquake ground motions. However, effective and accurate application of the method requires the implementation of advanced hysteretic constitutive models of the various structural components including masonry infill panels. Sophisticated computational research tools that incorporate realistic hysteresis models for non-linear dynamic time-history analysis are not popular among the professional engineers as they are not only difficult to access but also complex and time-consuming to use. And, commercial computer programs for structural analysis and design that are acceptable to practicing engineers do not generally integrate advanced hysteretic models which can accurately simulate the hysteresis behavior of structural elements with a realistic representation of strength degradation, stiffness deterioration, energy dissipation and ‘pinching’ under cyclic load reversals in the inelastic range of behavior. In this scenario, push-over or non-linear static analysis methods have gained significant popularity, as they can be employed to assess the seismic performance of building structures while avoiding the complexities and difficulties associated with non-linear dynamic time-history analysis. “Push-over” or non-linear static analysis offers a practical and efficient alternative to non-linear dynamic time-history analysis for rationally evaluating the seismic demands. The present paper is based on the analytical investigation of the effect of distribution of masonry infill panels over the elevation of planar masonry infilled reinforced concrete (R/C) frames on the seismic demands using the capacity spectrum procedures implementing nonlinear static analysis (pushover analysis) in conjunction with the response spectrum concept. An important objective of the present study is to numerically evaluate the adequacy of the capacity spectrum method using pushover analysis for performance based design of masonry infilled R/C frames for near-field earthquake ground motions.

Keywords: nonlinear analysis, capacity spectrum method, response spectrum, seismic demand, near-field earthquakes

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Authors: Oloniyo Rebecca Olajumoke

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The unstable free radicals molecules oxidize cells throughout the body to cause oxidative stress, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases. Thus, the consumption of antioxidant-rich snacks could help to reduce the production of these free radicals in the body. This study aimed at producing antioxidant–rich biscuits from an underutilized pearl millet and agricultural waste from orange peel flour (PMF and OPF, respectively) blends. Biscuits were produced from PMF, and OPF blends using various proportions (95:05; 90:10; 85:15; 80:20 with 100% PMF as control. The functional properties of the flours, as well as the antioxidant properties, physical evaluation, and consumer acceptability of the biscuits, were evaluated. The functional properties of the composite flour showed an increase in oil absorption capacity (7.73-8.80 g/ml), water absorption capacity (6.82-7.21 g/ml), foaming (3.91-5.88 g/ml), and emulsification (52.85-58.82 g/ml) properties. The increased addition of OPF significantly (p<0.05) increased the antioxidant properties of the biscuits produced from the composite flour. For instance, the ferric reducing properties (0.10-0.4 mgAAE/g), total flavonoid (1.20-8.12 mg QE/g), and ABTS radical scavenging (1.17-2.19 mmol/TEAC/g) of the composite flours were increasingly comparable to those of 100% PMF. The physical parameters of the biscuit were significantly different (p<0.05) from one another. The addition of OPF into PMF reduced the weight, diameter, and spread ratio of biscuits produced while contrarily increasing the height of the biscuit. The incorporation of OPF at 5% (95:05) substitution yielded a consumedly acceptable biscuit product. The significant increase in antioxidant properties with an increase in OPF during the production of biscuits would therefore increase the nutritional value and potential health benefits.

Keywords: orange peel, biscuit, antioxidant, pearl millet

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Authors: Cintia Midori Kaminishikawahara, Fernanda Jéssica Mendonça, Moisés Grespan, Elza Iouko Ida, Massami Shimokomaki, Adriana Lourenço Soares

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The quality of broiler breast meat is changing as a result of continuing emphasis on genetically bird’s selection for efficiently higher meat production. The consumer is experiencing a cooked product that is drier and less juicy when consumed. Breast meat has been classified as PSE (pale, soft, exudative), DFD (dark, firm, dry) and normal color meat. However, recently variations of this color have been observed and they are not in line with the specificity of the meat functional properties. Thus, the objective of this work was to report the finding of a new pale meat color group characterized as Pale, Firm and Non-exudative (PFN) based on its pH, color, meat functional properties and micro structural evaluation. Breast meat fillets samples (n=1045) from commercial line were classified into PSE (pH ≤5.8, L* ≥ 53.0), PFN (pH > 5.8 and L* ≥ 53.0) and Normal (pH >5.8 and L* < 53.0), based on pH and L* values. In sequence, a total of 30 samples of each group were analyzed for the water holding capacity (WHC) and shear force (SF). The incidence was 9.1% for PSE meat, 85.7% for PFN and 5.2% for Normal meat. The PSE meat presented lower values of WHC (P ≤ 0.05) followed in sequence by PFN and Normal samples and also the SF values of fresh PFN was higher than PSE meat (P ≤ 0.05) and similar to Normal samples. Under optical microscopy, the cell diameter was 10% higher for PFN in relation to PSE meat and similar to Normal meat. These preliminary results indicate an emerging group of breast meat and it should be considered that the Pale, Firm and Non-exudative should be considered as an ideal broiler breast meat quality.

Keywords: broiler PSE meat, light microscopy, texture, water holding capacity

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Authors: Ingo Roden, Stefana Lupu, Mara Krone, Jasmin Chantah, Gunter Kreutz, Stephan Bongard, Dietmar Grube

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The present experimental study examined the effects of music and math training on mathematical skills and visuospatial working memory capacity in kindergarten children. For this purpose, N = 54 children (mean age: 5.46 years; SD = .29) were randomly assigned to three groups. Children in the music group (n = 18) received weekly sessions of 60 min music training over a period of eight weeks, whereas children in the math group (n = 18) received the same amount of training focusing on mathematical basic skills, such as numeracy skills, quantity comparison, and counting objectives. The third group of children (n = 18) served as waiting controls. The groups were matched for sex, age, IQ and previous music experiences at baseline. Pre-Post intervention measurements revealed a significant interaction effect of group x time, showing that children in both music and math groups significantly improved their early numeracy skills, whereas children in the control group did not. No significant differences between groups were observed for the visuospatial working memory performances. These results confirm and extend previous findings on transfer effects of music training on mathematical abilities and visuospatial working memory capacity. They show that music and math interventions are similarly effective to enhance children’s mathematical skills. More research is necessary to establish, whether cognitive transfer effects arising from music interventions might facilitate children’s transition from kindergarten to first-grade.

Keywords: music training, mathematical skills, working memory, transfer

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Authors: David Chao, John Lai, Alvin Wu, Carl Wang

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For lithium-ion batteries with multiple cell configurations, some use scenarios can cause uneven aging effects to each cell within the battery because of uneven current distribution. Hence the focus of the study is to explore the aging effect(s) on batteries with different construction designs. In order to systematically study the influence of various factors in some key battery configurations, a detailed analysis of three key battery construction factors is conducted. And those key factors are (1) terminal position; (2) cell alignment matrix; and (3) interconnect resistance between cells. In this study, the 2S2P circuitry has been set as a model multi-cell battery to set up different battery samples, and the aging behavior is studied by a cycling test to analyze the current distribution and recoverable capacity. According to the outcome of aging tests, some key findings are: (I) different cells alignment matrices can have an impact on the cycle life of the battery; (II) symmetrical structure has been identified as a critical factor that can influence the battery cycle life, and unbalanced resistance can lead to inconsistent cell aging status; (III) the terminal position has been found to contribute to the uneven current distribution, that can cause an accelerated battery aging effect; and (IV) the internal connection resistance increase can actually result in cycle life increase; however, it is noteworthy that such increase in cycle life is accompanied by a decline in battery performance. In summary, the key findings from the study can help to identify the key aging factor of multi-cell batteries, and it can be useful to effectively improve the accuracy of battery capacity predictions.

Keywords: multiple cells battery, current distribution, battery aging, cell connection

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Authors: Aparna Radhakrishnan, Jancy Gupta, R. Dileepkumar

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This paper aims at assessing the Socio Economic Vulnerability (SEV) of dairy farmers to Climate Variability and Change (CVC) in 3 states of Western Ghat region in India. For this purpose, a composite SEV index has been developed on the basis of functional relationships amongst sensitivity, exposure and adaptive capacity using 30 indicators related to dairy farming underlying the principles of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Fussel framework for nomenclature of vulnerable situation. Household level data were collected through Participatory Rural Appraisal and personal interviews of 540 dairy farmers of nine taluks, three each from a district selected from Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra, complemented by thirty years of gridded weather data. The data were normalized and then combined into three indices for sensitivity, exposure and adaptive capacity, which were then averaged with weights given using principal component analysis, to obtain the overall SEV index. Results indicated that the taluks of Western Ghats are vulnerable to CVC. The dairy farmers of Pulpally taluka were most vulnerable having the SEV score +1.24 and 42.66% farmers under high-level vulnerability category. Even though the taluks are geographically closer, there is wide variation in SEV components. Policies for incentivizing the ‘climate risk adaptation’ costs for small and marginal farmers and livelihood infrastructure for mitigating risks and promoting grass root level innovations are necessary to sustain dairy farming of the region.

Keywords: climate change, dairy, vulnerability, livelihoods, adaptation strategies

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Authors: Manal M. Hamed, Mosad A. Ghareeb, Abdel-Aleem H. Abdel-Aleem, Amal M. Saad, Mohamed S. Abdel-Aziz, Asmaa H. Hadad

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Natural products derived from medicinal plants provide unlimited opportunities for a new medication leads because of the unmatched accessibility of chemical variation. Six compounds were isolated from the n-butanol extract of Callistemon citrinus (Family Myrtaceae), they were identified as; nepetolide (1), callislignan A (2), 6,8-dimethoxy-4,5-dimethyl-3-methyleneisochroman-1-one (3), 3-methyl-7-O-benzoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), 5, 7, 3', 5'-tetrahydroxy-6, 8-di-C-methyl flavanone (5), and (2R,3R,4S,5S)-2,4-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3,5-dihydroxy-tetrahydropyran (6). The isolated compounds were evaluated as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents. The antioxidant activities of the compounds were determined using DPPH-radical scavenging and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assays. The results indicated that compound (5) was most active in its capacity to scavenge free radicals in the DPPH assay [SC50 value, 4.65 ± 0.74μg/mL] compared to the standard ascorbic acid and exhibited the highest activity in the TAC assay (610.45 ± 1.67mg AAE/g compound). The pure isolates were tested for their antimicrobial activity against four pathogenic microbial strains including Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. Also, the GC/MS analysis of its leaves essential oil presented nine identified compounds representing 91% of the total oil constituents. The outcomes got from this study give a reasonable justification for the medicinal uses of Callistemon citrinus plant.

Keywords: Callistemon citrinus, flavanone, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, essential oil, Myrtaceae

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Authors: Heba Hozyen, Ragab Mohamed, Amal Abd El Hameed, Amal Abo El-Maaty

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This study aimed to investigate the effect of CIDR and ovsynch (Gonadotropin-prostaglandine-gonadotropin GPG) protocols for synchronization of follicular waves of dromedary camels on ovarian hormones, oxidative stress and conception during breeding season. Twelve dark colored dromedary camels were divided into two equal groups. The first group was subjected to CIDR insertion for 7 days and blood samples were collected each other day from the day of CIDR insertion (day 0) till day 21. The other group was subjected to GPG system (Ovsynch) and blood samples were collected daily for 11 days. Progesterone (P4) and estradiol were assayed using commercial ELISA diagnostic EIA kits. Catalase (CAT), total antioxidants capacity (TAC), glutathione reduced (GHD), lipid peroxide product (malondialdehyde, MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) were measured colorimetrically using spectrophotometer. Results revealed that CIDR treated camels had significantly high P4 (P= 0.0001), estradiol (P= 0.0001), CAT (P= 0.034), NO (P= 0.016) and TAC (P= 0.04) but significantly low MDA (P= 0.001) and GHD (P= 0.003) compared to GPG treated ones. Camels inserted with CIDR had higher conception rate (66.7%) compared to those treated with GPG (33%). In conclusion, camels treated with CIDR had higher hormonal response and antioxidant capacity than those synchronized with GPG which positively reflected on their conception rate. The better response of camels to CIDR and the higher conception compared to GPG protocol recommends its use for future reproductive management in camels.

Keywords: antioxidants, camel, CIDR, season, steroid hormones

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Authors: Qian Mao, Xiaozan Wang, Jiarong Zhong, Xiaolin Zou

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Introduction: As a result of the decline of students' physical health level and the increase of study pressure, students’ academic performance is not so good. Objective: This study aims to verify whether the Brain-Break intervention in the fourth-grade classroom of primary school can improve students' physical health and academic performance. Methods: According to the principle of no difference in pre-test data, students from two classes of grade four in Fuhai Road Primary School, Fushan district, Yantai city, Shandong province, were selected as experimental subjects, including 50 students in the experimental class (25 males and 25 females) and 50 students in the control class (24 males and 26 females). The content of the experiment was that the students were asked to perform a 4-minute Brain-Berak program designed by the researcher in the second class in the morning and the afternoon, and the intervention lasted for 12 weeks. In addition, the lung capacity, 50-meter run, sitting body forward bend, one-minute jumping rope and one-minute sit-ups stipulated in the national standards for physical fitness of students (revised in 2014) were selected as the indicators of physical health. The scores of Chinese, Mathematics, and English in the unified academic test of the municipal education bureau were selected as the indicators of academic performance. The independent-sample t-test was used to compare and analyze the data of each index between the two classes. The paired-sample t-test was used to compare and analyze the data of each index in the two classes. This paper presents only results with significant differences. Results: in terms of physical health, lung capacity (P=0.002, T= -2.254), one-minute rope skipping (P=0.000, T=3.043), and one-minute sit-ups (P=0.045, T=6.153) were significantly different between the experimental class and the control class. In terms of academic performance, there is a significant difference between the Chinese performance of the experimental class and the control class (P=0.009, T=4.833). Conclusion: Adding Brain-Berak intervention in the classroom can effectively improve the cardiorespiratory endurance (lung capacity), coordination (jumping rope), and abdominal strength (sit-ups) of fourth-grade students. At the same time, it can also effectively improve their Chinese performance. Therefore, it is suggested to promote micro-sports in the classroom of primary schools throughout the country so as to help students improve their physical health and academic performance.

Keywords: academic performance, brain break, fourth grade, physical health

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Authors: Carly Madge, Melanie Zurba, Ryan Bullock

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The Boreal Forest has experienced some of the most drastic climate change-induced temperature rises in Canada, with average winter temperatures increasing by 3°C since 1948. One of the main concerns of the province of Saskatchewan, and particularly wildfire managers, is the increased risk of wildfires due to climate change. With these concerns in mind Sakaw Askiy Management Inc., a forestry corporation located in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan with operations in the Boreal Forest biome, is developing wildfire risk reduction strategies that are supported by the shareholders of the corporation as well as the stakeholders of the Prince Albert Forest Management Area (which includes citizens, hunters, trappers, cottage owners, and outfitters). In the past, wildfire management strategies implemented through harvesting have been received with skepticism by some community members of Prince Albert. Engagement of the stakeholders of the Prince Albert Management Area through the development of the wildfire risk reduction strategies aims to reduce this skepticism and rebuild some of the trust that has been lost between industry and community. This research project works with the framework of social learning, which is defined as the learning that occurs when individuals come together to form a group with the purpose of understanding environmental challenges and determining appropriate responses to them. The project evaluates the social learning processes that occur through the development of the risk reduction strategies and how the learning has allowed Sakaw to work towards implementing the strategies into their forest harvesting plans. The incorporation of wildfire risk reduction strategies works to increase the adaptive capacity of Sakaw, which in this case refers to the ability to adjust to climate change, moderate potential damages, take advantage of opportunities, and cope with consequences. Using semi-structured interviews and wildfire workshop meetings shareholders and stakeholders shared their knowledge of wildfire, their main wildfire concerns, and changes they would like to see made in the Prince Albert Forest Management Area. Interviews and topics discussed in the workshops were inductively coded for themes related to learning, adaptive capacity, areas of concern, and preferred methods of wildfire risk reduction strategies. Analysis determined that some of the learning that has occurred has resulted through social interactions and the development of networks oriented towards wildfire and wildfire risk reduction strategies. Participants have learned new knowledge and skills regarding wildfire risk reduction. The formation of wildfire networks increases access to information on wildfire and the social capital (trust and strengthened relations) of wildfire personnel. Both factors can be attributed to increases in adaptive capacity. Interview results were shared with the General Manager of Sakaw, where the areas of concern and preferred strategies of wildfire risk reduction will be considered and accounted for in the implementation of new harvesting plans. This research also augments the growing conceptual and empirical evidence of the important role of learning and networks in regional wildfire risk management efforts.

Keywords: adaptive capacity, community-engagement, social learning, wildfire risk reduction

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Authors: Dylber Qema

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Driven by recent developments in technology and the growing concern about the sustainability and environmental impact of conventional fuel use, the possibility of producing clean and sustainable energy in significant quantities from renewable energy sources has sparked interest all over the world. Solar energy is one of the sources for the generation of electricity, with no emissions or environmental pollution. The electricity produced by photovoltaics can supply a home or business and can even be sold or exchanged with the grid operator. A very positive effect of using photovoltaic modules is that they do not produce greenhouse gases and do not produce chemical waste, unlike all other forms of energy production. Photovoltaics are becoming one of the largest investments in the field of renewable generating units. Improving the reliability of the electric power system is one of the most important impacts of the installation of photovoltaics (PV). Renewable energy sources are so large that they can meet the energy demands of the whole world, thus enabling sustainable supply as well as reducing local and global atmospheric emissions. Albania is rated by experts as one of the most favorable countries in Europe for the production of electricity from solar panels. But the country currently produces about 1% of its energy from the sun, while the rest of the needs are met by hydropower plants and imports. Albania has very good characteristics in terms of solar radiation (about 1300–1400 kW/m2). Solar energy has great potential and is a permanent source of energy with greater economic efficiency. Photovoltaic energy is also seen as an alternative, as long periods of drought in Albania have produced crises and high costs for securing energy in the foreign market.

Keywords: capacity, ministry of tourism and environment, obstacles, photovoltaic energy, sustainable

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Authors: Cora Bulmău

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Soil polluted with hydrocarbons spills is a major global concern today. As a response to this issue, our experimental study tries to put in evidence the option to choose for one environmentally friendly method: use of the biochar, despite to a classical procedure; incineration of contaminated soil. Biochar represents the solid product obtained through the pyrolysis of biomass, its additional use being as an additive intended to improve the quality of the soil. The positive effect of biochar addition to soil is represented by its capacity to adsorb and contain petroleum products within its pores. Taking into consideration the capacity of the biochar to interact with organic contaminants, the purpose of the present study was to experimentally establish the effects of the addition of wooden biomass-derived biochar on a soil contaminated with oil. So, the contaminated soil was amended with biochar (10%) produced by pyrolysis in different operational conditions of the thermochemical process. After 25 days, the concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons from soil treated with biochar was measured. An analytical method as Soxhlet extraction was adopted to estimate the concentrations of total petroleum products (TPH) in the soil samples: This technique was applied to contaminated soil, also to soils remediated by incineration/adding biochar. The treatment of soil using biochar obtained from pyrolysis of the Birchwood led to a considerable decrease in the concentrations of petroleum products. The incineration treatments conducted under experimental stage to clean up the same soil, contaminated with petroleum products, involved specific parameters: temperature of about 600°C, 800°C and 1000°C and treatment time 30 and 60 minutes. The experimental results revealed that the method using biochar has registered values of efficiency up to those of all incineration processes applied for the shortest time.

Keywords: biochar, biomass, remediaton, soil, TPH

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Authors: Sayan Munshi, Subrajit Banerjee, Indrani Chakraborty

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Tourism is a prime sector in the economic development of many countries in particular the Indian sub-continent. Tourism is considered an integral pillar in the Make in India Program under the Government of India. The statistics of tourism in India had evolved from a past with the formation of History. The sector had shown dynamic changes in the statistics since 1980. With the evolving tourism along with destinations, this sector has been converted into the prime industry, as it not only impacts the destination but on the other hand supports the periphery of the destination. Tourism boost revenue and creates varied economic possibilities for the residents. Due to the influx of tourism in the cities, a load on the infrastructure and services can be observed, specifically in the Physical Infrastructure sectors. Due to the floating population in the designated tourism core of the Urban / Peri-Urban area, issues pertaining to Solid waste management and Transportation are highly observed. Thus, a need for capacity building arises for the infrastructure impacted by tourism, which may result in the upgradation of the lifestyle of the city and its permanent users. As tourism of a region has a dependency on the infrastructure, the paper here focuses on the relationship between tourism potential of a region and the infrastructural determinants of the city or region and hence to derive a structural equation supporting the relationship, further determine a coefficient and suggest the domain of in need of upgradation or retrofitting possibilities. The outcome of the paper is to suggest possible recommendations towards the formation of policies on an urban level to support the tourism potential of the region.

Keywords: urban planning, tourism planning, infrastructure, transportation, solid waste management

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Authors: Somit Dutta, Pallab Kar, Arnab Kumar Chakraborty, Arnab Sen, Tapas Kumar Chaudhuri

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In the present study three species of Clerodendrum; Clerodendrum indicum, Volkameria inermis and Clerodendrum colebrookianum were used to investigate the possible activity against oxidative stress. A detailed in-vivo and in-vitro antioxidant profiling, directly associated with inflammation-related carcinogenesis, has been executed with a motive to evaluate the free radical scavenging activity of Clerodendrum extract. Measurement of cell viability and ROS generation in HEK-293 (Human Embryonic Kidney Cell Line) cells was also estimated. The immune cell proliferative properties (MTT) and in-vitro assay for evaluation of their antioxidant activities including hydroxyl radical, nitric oxide, singlet oxygen, peroxinitrate and hydrogen peroxide, etc. were investigated. GC-MS and FTIR analyses have been performed to identify the active biological compounds. These active biological compounds were further studied to assess their potential medicinal properties, aided by molecular docking and interaction analysis between the active compounds and different proteins related to oxidative stress leading to progression of carcinogenesis. The research article clearly demonstrates the role of ROS in various phases of carcinogenesis. Therefore, the antioxidant and free radical scavenging capacity of all the Clerodendrum species might prove beneficial for the immune system. It might be concluded that this plant species offers great promise for cancer prevention and therapy due to the presence of several bioactive compounds and potent antioxidant capacity of C. colebrookianum.

Keywords: antioxidant, cancer, oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS)

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Authors: Sima Shakoorjavan, Mahdieh Eskafi, Dawid Stawski, Somaye Akbari

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In this study, poly (amidoamine) dendritic material (PAMAM) and poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) as polycation and polyanion were deposited on surface charged polylactide (PLA) nonwoven to study the relationship of dye absorption capacity of layered-PLA with the number of deposited layers. To produce negatively charged-PLA, acrylic acid (AA) was grafted on the PLA surface (PLA-g-AA) through a chemical redox reaction with the strong oxidizing agent. Spectroscopy analysis, water contact measurement, and FTIR-ATR analysis confirm the successful grafting of AA on the PLA surface through the chemical redox reaction method. In detail, an increase in dye absorption percentage by 19% and immediate absorption of water droplets ensured hydrophilicity of PLA-g-AA surface; and the presence of new carbonyl bond at 1530 cm-¹ and a wide peak of hydroxyl between 3680-3130 cm-¹ confirm AA grafting. In addition, PLA as linear polyester can undergo aminolysis, which is the cleavage of ester bonds and replacement with amid bonds when exposed to an aminolysis agent. Therefore, to produce positively charged PLA, PAMAM as amine-terminated dendritic material was introduced to PLA molecular chains at different conditions; (1) at 60 C for 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 hours of aminolysis and (2) at room temperature (RT) for 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours of aminolysis. Weight changes and spectrophotometer measurements showed a maximum in weight gain graph and K/S value curve indicating the highest PAMAM attachment at 60 C for 1 hour and RT for 2 hours which is considered as an optimum condition. Also, the emerging new peak around 1650 cm-1 corresponding to N-H bending vibration and double wide peak at around 3670-3170 cm-1 corresponding to N-H stretching vibration confirm PAMAM attachment in selected optimum condition. In the following, regarding the initial surface charge of grafted-PLA, lbl deposition was performed and started with PAA or PAMAM. FTIR-ATR results confirm chemical changes in samples due to deposition of the first layer (PAA or PAMAM). Generally, spectroscopy analysis indicated that an increase in layer number costed dye absorption capacity. It can be due to the partial deposition of a new layer on the previously deposited layer; therefore, the available PAMAM at the first layer is more than the third layer. In detail, in the case of layer-PLA starting lbl with negatively charged, having PAMAM as the first top layer (PLA-g-AA/PAMAM) showed the highest dye absorption of both cationic and anionic model dye.

Keywords: surface modification, layer-by-layer technique, dendritic materials, PAMAM, dye absorption capacity, PLA nonwoven

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Authors: A. M. Tarola, R. Preti, A. M. Girelli, P. Campana

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Safeguarding, studying and enhancing biodiversity play an important and indispensable role in re-launching agriculture. The ancient local varieties are therefore a precious resource for genetic and health improvement. In order to protect biodiversity through the recovery and valorization of autochthonous varieties, in this study we analyzed 12 samples of four ancient apple cultivars representative of Friuli Venezia Giulia, selected by local farmers who work on a project for the recovery of ancient apple cultivars. The aim of this study is to evaluate the polyphenolic profile and the antioxidant capacity that characterize the organoleptic and functional qualities of this fruit species, besides having beneficial properties for health. In particular, for each variety, the following compounds were analyzed, both in the skins and in the pulp: gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, ferulic acid, rutin, phlorizin, phloretin and quercetin to highlight any differences in the edible parts of the apple. The analysis of individual phenolic compounds was performed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a diode array UV detector (DAD), the antioxidant capacity was estimated using an in vitro essay based on a Free Radical Scavenging Method and the total phenolic compounds was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteau method. From the results, it is evident that the catechins are the most present polyphenols, reaching a value of 140-200 μg/g in the pulp and of 400-500 μg/g in the skin, with the prevalence of epicatechin. Catechins and phlorizin, a dihydrohalcone typical of apples, are always contained in larger quantities in the peel. Total phenolic compounds content was positively correlated with antioxidant activity in apple pulp (r² = 0,850) and peel (r² = 0,820). Comparing the results, differences between the varieties analyzed and between the edible parts (pulp and peel) of the apple were highlighted. In particular, apple peel is richer in polyphenolic compounds than pulp and flavonols are exclusively present in the peel. In conclusion, polyphenols, being antioxidant substances, have confirmed the benefits of fruit in the diet, especially as a prevention and treatment for degenerative diseases. They demonstrated to be also a good marker for the characterization of different apple cultivars. The importance of protecting biodiversity in agriculture was also highlighted through the exploitation of native products and ancient varieties of apples now forgotten.

Keywords: apple, biodiversity, polyphenols, antioxidant activity, HPLC-DAD, characterization

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Authors: Márcia Afonso, Cristina Fael, Marisa Dinis-Almeida

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Population growth in cities has led to an increase in the infrastructures construction, including buildings and roadways. This aspect leads directly to the soils waterproofing. In turn, changes in precipitation patterns are developing into higher and more frequent intensities. Thus, these two conjugated aspects decrease the rainwater infiltration into soils and increase the volume of surface runoff. The practice of green and sustainable urban solutions has encouraged research in these areas. The porous asphalt pavement, as a green infrastructure, is part of practical solutions set to address urban challenges related to land use and adaptation to climate change. In this field, permeable pavements with porous asphalt mixtures (PA) have several advantages in terms of reducing the runoff generated by the floods. The porous structure of these pavements, compared to a conventional asphalt pavement, allows the rainwater infiltration in the subsoil, and consequently, the water quality improvement. This green infrastructure solution can be applied in cities, particularly in streets or parking lots to mitigate the floods effects. Over the years, the pores of these pavements can be filled by sediment, reducing their function in the rainwater infiltration. Thus, double layer porous asphalt (DLPA) was developed to mitigate the clogging effect and facilitate the water infiltration into the lower layers. This study intends to deepen the knowledge of the performance of DLPA when subjected to clogging. The experimental methodology consisted on four evaluation phases of the DLPA infiltration capacity submitted to three precipitation events (100, 200 and 300 mm/h) in each phase. The evaluation first phase determined the behavior after DLPA construction. In phases two and three, two 500 g/m² clogging cycles were performed, totaling a 1000 g/m² final simulation. Sand with gradation accented in fine particles was used as clogging material. In the last phase, the DLPA was subjected to simple sweeping and vacuuming maintenance. A precipitation simulator, type sprinkler, capable of simulating the real precipitation was developed for this purpose. The main conclusions show that the DLPA has the capacity to drain the water, even after two clogging cycles. The infiltration results of flows lead to an efficient performance of the DPLA in the surface runoff attenuation, since this was not observed in any of the evaluation phases, even at intensities of 200 and 300 mm/h, simulating intense precipitation events. The infiltration capacity under clogging conditions decreased about 7% on average in the three intensities relative to the initial performance that is after construction. However, this was restored when subjected to simple maintenance, recovering the DLPA hydraulic functionality. In summary, the study proved the efficacy of using a DLPA when it retains thicker surface sediments and limits the fine sediments entry to the remaining layers. At the same time, it is guaranteed the rainwater infiltration and the surface runoff reduction and is therefore a viable solution to put into practice in permeable pavements.

Keywords: clogging, double layer porous asphalt, infiltration capacity, rainfall intensity

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Authors: Chui-Hsin Chen, Yu-Ting Chen

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Special concentrically braced frames is one of the seismic load resisting systems, which dissipates seismic energy when bracing members within the frames undergo yielding and buckling while sustaining their axial tension and compression load capacities. Most of the inelastic deformation of a buckling bracing member concentrates in the mid-length region. While experiencing cyclic loading, the region dissipates most of the seismic energy being input into the frame. Such a concentration makes the braces vulnerable to failure modes associated with low-cycle fatigue. In this research, a strategy to improve the cyclic behavior of the conventional steel bracing member is proposed by filling the Hollow Structural Shape (HSS) member with reinforcement. It prevents the local section from concentrating large plastic deformation caused by cyclic loading. The infill helps spread over the plastic hinge region into a wider area hence postpone the initiation of local buckling or even the rupture of the braces. The finite element method is introduced to simulate the complicated bracing member behavior and member-versus-infill interaction under cyclic loading. Fifteen 3-D-element-based models are built by ABAQUS software. The verification of the FEM model is done with unreinforced (UR) HSS bracing members’ cyclic test data and aluminum honeycomb plates’ bending test data. Numerical models include UR and filled HSS bracing members with various compactness ratios based on the specification of AISC-2016 and AISC-1989. The primary variables to be investigated include the relative bending stiffness and the material of the filling reinforcement. The distributions of von Mises stress and equivalent plastic strain (PEEQ) are used as indices to tell the strengths and shortcomings of each model. The result indicates that the change of relative bending stiffness of the infill is much more influential than the change of material in use to increase the energy dissipation capacity. Strengthen the relative bending stiffness of the reinforcement results in additional energy dissipation capacity to the extent of 24% and 46% in model based on AISC-2016 (16-series) and AISC-1989 (89-series), respectively. HSS members with infill show growth in 𝜂Local Buckling, normalized energy cumulated until the happening of local buckling, comparing to UR bracing members. The 89-series infill-reinforced members have more energy dissipation capacity than unreinforced 16-series members by 117% to 166%. The flexural rigidity of infills should be less than 29% and 13% of the member section itself for 16-series and 89-series bracing members accordingly, thereby guaranteeing the spread over of the plastic hinge and the happening of it within the reinforced section. If the parameters are properly configured, the ductility, energy dissipation capacity, and fatigue-life of HSS SCBF bracing members can be improved prominently by the infill-reinforced method.

Keywords: special concentrically braced frames, HSS, cyclic loading, infill reinforcement, finite element analysis, PEEQ

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Authors: K. Bala Subramanian, A. Siva, S. Swaminathan, Arul. M. G. Ajin

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Concrete is an essential building material which is widely used in construction industry all over the world due to its compressible strength. Curing of concrete plays a vital role in durability and other performance necessities. Improper curing can affect the concrete performance and durability easily. When areas like scarcity of water, structures is not accessible by humans external curing cannot be performed, so we opt for internal curing. Internal curing (or) self-curing plays a major role in developing the concrete pore structure and microstructure. The concept of internal curing is to enhance the hydration process to maintain the temperature uniformly. The evaporation of water in the concrete is reduced by self-curing agent (Super Absorbing Polymer – SAP) thereby increasing the water retention capacity of the concrete. The research work was carried out to reduce water, which is prime material used for concrete in the construction industry. Concrete curing plays a major role in developing hydration process. Concept of self-curing will reduce the evaporation of water from concrete. Self-curing will increase water retention capacity as compared to the conventional concrete. Proper self-curing (or) internal curing increases the strength, durability and performance of concrete. Super absorbing Polymer (SAP) used as internal curing agent. In this study 0.2% to 0.4% of SAP was varied in different grade of high strength concrete. In the experiment replacement of cement by silica fumes with 5%, 10% and 15% are studied. It is found that replacement of silica fumes by 10 % gives more strength and durability when compared to others

Keywords: compressive strength, high strength concrete rapid chloride permeability, super absorbing polymer

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Authors: Cyrillus Prabandana

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Supply chain optimisation requires multiple factors as consideration or constraints. These factors are including but not limited to demand forecasting, raw material fulfilment, production capacity, inventory level, facilities locations, transportation means, and manpower availability. By knowing all manageable factors involved and assuming the uncertainty with pre-defined percentage factors, an integrated supply chain model could be developed to manage various business scenarios. This paper analyse the utilisation of geographical point of view to develop an integrated supply chain network model to optimise the distribution of finished product appropriately according to forecasted demand and available supply. The supply chain optimisation model shows that small change in one supply chain constraint is possible to largely impact other constraints, and the new information from the model should be able to support the decision making process. The model was focused on three areas, i.e. raw material fulfilment, production capacity and finished products transportation. To validate the model suitability, it was implemented in a project aimed to optimise the concrete supply chain in a mining location. The high level of operations complexity and involvement of multiple stakeholders in the concrete supply chain is believed to be sufficient to give the illustration of the larger scope. The implementation of this geographical supply chain network modeling resulted an optimised concrete supply chain from raw material fulfilment until finished products distribution to each customer, which indicated by lower percentage of missed concrete order fulfilment to customer.

Keywords: decision making, geographical supply chain modeling, supply chain optimisation, supply chain

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Authors: A. Al Hinai, H. Jayasuriya, H. Kotagama

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Most Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with oil-based economy like Oman are looking for other potential revenue generation options as the crude oil price is regularly fluctuating due to changing geopolitical environment. Oman has advantage of possessing world-heritage nature tourism hotspots around the country and the government is making investments and strategies to uplift the tourism industry following Oman Vision 2040 strategies. Oman’s agriculture is not significantly contributing to the economy, but possesses specific and diversified arid cropping systems. Oman has modern farms; nevertheless some of the agricultural production activities are done with cultural practices and styles that would be attractive to tourists. The aim of this paper is to investigate the potentials for promoting agritourism industry in Oman; recognize potential sites, commodities and activities, and predict potential revenue generation as a projection from that of the tourism sector. Moreover, the study enables to foresee possible auxiliary advantages of agritourism such as, empowerment of women and youth, enhancement in the value-addition industry for agricultural produce through technology transfer and capacity building, and producing export quality products. Agritourism could increase employability, empowerment of women and youth, improve value-addition industry and export-oriented agribusiness. These efforts including provision of necessary technology-transfer and capacity-building should be rendered by the collaboration of academic institutions, relevant ministries and other public and private sector stakeholders.

Keywords: agritourism, nature-based tourism, potentials, revenue generation, value addition

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Authors: Wirat Sonchan, Pratoom Moungmee, Anek Sootmongkol

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This study aimed to examine the effects of a circuit training program on muscle strength, agility, anaerobic performance and cardiovascular endurance. The study involved 24 freshmen (age 18.87+0.68 yr.) male students of the Faculty of Sport Science, Burapha University. They sample study were randomly divided into two groups: Circuit Training group (CT; n=12) and a Control group (C; n=12). Baseline data on height, weight, muscle strength (hand grip dynamometer and leg strength dynamometer), agility (agility T-Test), and anaerobic performance (Running-based Anaerobic Sprint Test) and cardiovascular endurance (20 m Endurance Shuttle Run Test) were collected. The circuit training program included one circuit of eight stations of 30/60 seconds of work/rest interval with two cycles in Week 1-4, and 60/90 seconds of work/rest interval with three cycles in Week 5-8, performed three times per week. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and independent sample t-test. Statistically significance level was set at 0.05. The results show that after 8 weeks of a training program, muscle strength, agility, anaerobic capacity and cardiovascular endurance increased significantly in the CT Group (p < 0.05), while significant increase was not observed in the C Group (p < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that the circuit training program improved muscle strength, agility, anaerobic capacity and cardiovascular endurance of the study subjects. This program may be used as a guideline for selecting a set of exercise to improve physical fitness.

Keywords: circuit training, physical fitness, cardiovascular endurance, anaerobic performance

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Authors: Claudius Peter Van Wyk

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Given the increasingly manifest phenomena, as described in complexity theory, of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), Taleb's notion of 'antifragility, has a significant contribution to make to positive psychology applied to wellbeing. Antifragility is argued to be fundamentally different from the concepts of resiliency; as the ability to recover from failure, and robustness; as the ability to resist failure. Rather it describes the capacity to reorganise in the face of stress in such a way as to cope more effectively with systemic challenges. The concept, which has been applied in disciplines ranging from physics, molecular biology, planning, engineering, and computer science, can now be considered for its application in individual human and social wellbeing. There are strong correlations to Antonovsky's model of 'salutogenesis' in which an attitude and competencies are developed of transforming burdening factors into greater resourcefulness. We demonstrate, from the perspective of neuroscience, how technology measuring nervous system coherence can be coupled to acquired psychodynamic approaches to not only identify contextual stressors, utilise biofeedback instruments for facilitating greater coherence, but apply these insights to specific life stressors that compromise well-being. Employing an on-going case study with BMW South Africa, the neurological mapping is demonstrated together with 'reframing' and emotional anchoring techniques from neurolinguistic programming. The argument is contextualised in the discipline of psychoneuroimmunology which describes the stress pathways from the CNS and endocrine systems and their impact on immune function and the capacity to restore homeostasis.

Keywords: antifragility, complexity, neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, salutogenesis, volatility

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Authors: Preeti Pal, Anjali Pal

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Chitosan is an effective sorbent for removal of contaminants from wastewater. However, the ability of pure chitosan is specific because of its cationic charge. It causes repulsion in the removal process of various cationic charged molecules. The present study has been carried out for the successful removal of Pb²⁺ ions from aqueous solution by modified chitosan beads. Surface modification of chitosan (CS) beads was performed by using the anionic surfactant (AS), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Micelle aggregation property of SDS has been utilized for the formation of bilayer over the CS beads to produce surfactant modified chitosan (SMCS) beads. Prepared adsorbents were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to find out their composition and surface morphology. SMCS beads, when compared to the pure CS beads, showed three times higher adsorption. This higher adsorption is believed to be due to the adsolubilization of Pb²⁺ ions on SDS bilayer. This bilayer provides more adsorption sites for quick and effective removal of Pb²⁺ ions from the aqueous phase. Moreover, the kinetic and adsorption isotherm models were employed to the obtained data for the description of the lead adsorption processes. It was found that the removal kinetics follows pseudo-second order model. Adsorption isotherm data fits well to the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained is 100 mg/g at the dosage of 0.675 g/L for 50 mg/L of Pb²⁺. The adsorption capacity is subject to increase with increasing the Pb²⁺ ions concentration in the solution. The results indicated that the prepared hydrogel beads are efficient adsorbent for removal of Pb²⁺ ions from the aqueous medium.

Keywords: adsolubilisation, anionic surfactant, bilayer, chitosan, Pb²⁺

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Authors: Ye Ling, Ruan Haihui

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Aqueous Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors (AZHSCs) pertain to a new type of electrochemical energy storage device that has received considerable attention. They integrate the advantages of high-energy Zn-ion batteries and high-power supercapacitors to meet the demand for low-cost, long-term durability, and high safety. Nevertheless, the challenge caused by the finite ion adsorption/desorption capacity of carbon electrodes gravely limits their energy densities. This work describes titanium nitride@nitrogen-doped carbon nanocage (TiN@NCNC) composite cathodes for AZHSCs to achieve a greatly improved energy density, and the composites can be facile synthesized based on the calcination of a mixture of tetrabutyl titanate and zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 in argon atmosphere. The resulting composites are featured by the ultra-fine TiN particles dispersed uniformly on the NCNC surfaces, enhancing the Zn2+ storage capabilities. Using TiN@NCNC cathodes, the AZHSCs can operate stably with a high energy density of 154 Wh kg-¹ at a specific power of 270 W kg-¹ and achieve a remarkable capacity retention of 88.9% after 104 cycles at 5 A g-¹. At an extreme specific power of 8.7 kW kg-1, the AZHSCs can retain an energy density of 97.2 Wh kg-1. With these results, we stress that the TiN@NCNC cathodes render high-performance AZHSCs, and the facile one-pot method can easily be scaled up, which enables AZHSCs a new energy-storage component for managing intermitted renewable energy sources.

Keywords: Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors, ion absorption/desorption reactions, titanium nitride, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8

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