Search results for: toxicity monitoring

Authors: Alpana Saini, Sanghamitra Barman

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Investigations were carried out to determine whether low cost peanut hull as adsorbent hold promise in removal of thionine dyes in the biomedical industries. Pollution of water due to presence of colorants is a severe socio-environmental problem caused by the discharge of industrial wastewater. In view of their toxicity, non-biodegradability and persistent nature, their removal becomes an absolute necessity. For the removal of Thionine Dye using Peanut Hull, the 10mg/L concentration of dyes, 0.5g/l of adsorbent and 200 rpm agitation speed are found to be optimum for the adsorption studies. The Spectrophotometric technique was adopted for the measurement of concentration of dyes before and after adsorption at ʎmax 598nm. The adsorption data has been fitted well to Langmuir isotherm than to Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The adsorbent was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).

Keywords: adsorption, langmuir isotherm, peanut hull, thionine

Procedia PDF Downloads 373

Authors: Osama Sassi, Manal Eltorki, Iftikhar Ahmad

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Poor integrity is one of the major causes of leaks and accidents in gas transmission pipelines. To ensure safe operation, it is must to have efficient and effective pipeline integrity management (PIM) system. The corrosion management is one of the important aspects of successful pipeline integrity management program together design, material selection, operations, risk evaluation and communication aspects to maintain pipelines in a fit-for-service condition. The objective of a corrosion management plan is to design corrosion mitigation, monitoring, and inspection strategy, and for maintenance in a timely manner. This paper presents the experience of corrosion management of a gas transmission pipeline from Wafa field to Mellitah gas plant in Libya. The pipeline is 525.5 km long and having 32 inches diameter. It is a buried pipeline. External corrosion on pipeline is controlled with a combination of coatings and cathodic protection while internal corrosion is controlled with a combination of chemical inhibitors, periodic cleaning and process control. The monitoring and inspection techniques provide a way to measure the effectiveness of corrosion control systems and provide an early warning when changing conditions may be causing a corrosion problem. This paper describes corrosion management system used in Mellitah Oil & Gas BV for its gas transmission pipeline based on standard practices of corrosion mitigation and inspection.

Keywords: corrosion mitigation on gas transmission pipelines, pipeline integrity management, corrosion management of gas pipelines, prevention and inspection of corrosion

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Authors: Haiying Zong, Yi Yuan, Pengcheng Li

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Cadmium (Cd), one of the toxic heavy metals, has high solubility and mobility in agricultural soils and is readily taken up by roots and transported to the vegetative and reproductive organs which can cause deleterious effects on crop yield and quality. Excess Cd in plants can interfere with many metabolic processes, such as photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration or nutrients homeostasis. Generally, the main methods to reduce Cd accumulation in plants are to decrease the concentration of Cd in the soil solution through reduction of Cd influx into the soil system, site selection, and management practices. However, these approaches can be very costly and consume a lot of energy Therefore, it is critical to develop effective approaches to reduce the Cd concentration in plants. It is proved that chitooligosaccharide (COS) can enhance the plant's tolerance to abiotic stress including drought stress, salinity stress, and toxic metal stress. However, so far little information is known about whether foliar application with COS modulates Cd-induced toxicity in plants. The metal detoxification processes of plants treated with COS also remain unclear. In this study, edible rape (Brassica rapa L.), one of the most widely consumed leafy vegetables, was selected as an experimental mode plant. The effect of foliar application with COS on reducing Cd accumulation in edible rape was investigated. Moreover, Cd subcellular distribution pattern in response to Cd stress in the rape plant sprayed with COS was further tested in order to explore the potential detoxification mechanisms in plants. The results demonstrated that spraying COS at different concentrations (25, 50,100 and 200 mg L-1) possess diverse functions including growth-promoting,chlorophyll contents-enhancing, malondialdehyde (MDA) level-decreasing in leaves, Cd2+ concentration-decreasingin shoots and roots of edible rape under Cd stress. In addition, it was found that COS can also dramatically improve superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity and peroxidase (POX) activity of edible rape leaves. The relievingeffect of COS was related to theconcentration and COS with 50-100 mg L-1 displayed the best activity. Furtherly, theexperiments results exhibitedthat COS could decrease the proportion of Cd in the organelle fraction of leaves by 40.1% while enhance the proportion of Cd in the soluble fraction by 13.2% at the concentration of 50 mg L-1. The above results showed that COS may have thepotential to improve plant resistance to Cd via promoting antioxidant enzyme activities and altering Cd subcellular distribution. All the results described here open up a new way to study the protection role of COS in alleviating Cd tolerance and lay the foundation for future research about the detoxification mechanism at subcellular level.

Keywords: chitooligosaccharide, cadmium, edible rape (Brassica rapa L.), subcellular distribution

Procedia PDF Downloads 291

Authors: Armanul Hoque Shaon, Md Baizid Mahmud, Askander Nobi, Md. Raju Ahmed, Md. Jiabul Hoque

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In the Internet of Things (IoT), devices are linked to the internet through a wireless network, allowing them to collect and transmit data without the need for a human operator. Agriculture relies heavily on wireless sensors, which are a vital component of the Internet of Things (IoT). This kind of wireless sensor network monitors physical or environmental variables like temperatures, sound, vibration, pressure, or motion without relying on a central location or sink and collaboratively passes its data across the network to be analyzed. As the primary source of plant nutrients, the soil is critical to the agricultural industry's continued growth. We're excited about the prospect of developing an Internet of Things (IoT) solution. To arrange the network, the sink node collects groundwater levels and sends them to the Gateway, which centralizes the data and forwards it to the sensor nodes. The sink node gathers soil moisture data, transmits the mean to the Gateways, and then forwards it to the website for dissemination. The web server is in charge of storing and presenting the moisture in the soil data to the web application's users. Soil characteristics may be collected using a networked method that we developed to improve rice production. Paddy land is running out as the population of our nation grows. The success of this project will be dependent on the appropriate use of the existing land base.

Keywords: IoT based agriculture monitoring, intelligent irrigation, communicating network, rice production

Procedia PDF Downloads 151

Authors: S. Colclough, V. Costanzo, K. Fabbri, S. Piraccini, P. Griffiths

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The near Zero Energy Building (nZEB) standard is required for all buildings from 2020. The Passive House (PH) standard is a well-established low-energy building standard, having been designed over 25 years ago, and could potentially be used to achieve the nZEB standard in combination with renewables. By comparing measured performance with design predictions, this paper considers if there is a performance gap for a number of monitored properties and assesses if the nZEB standard can be achieved by following the well-established PH scheme. Analysis is carried out based on monitoring results from real buildings located in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Italy respectively, with particular focus on the indoor air quality including the assumed and measured indoor temperature and heating periods for both standards as recorded during a full annual cycle. An analysis is carried out also on the energy performance certificates of each of the dwellings to determine if they meet the near Zero Energy Buildings primary energy consumption targets set in the respective jurisdictions. Each of the dwellings is certified as complying with the passive house standard, and accordingly have very good insulation levels, heat recovery and ventilation systems of greater than 75% efficiency and an airtightness of less than 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pa. It is found that indoor temperature and relative humidity were within the comfort boundaries set in the design stage, while carbon dioxide concentrations are sometimes higher than the values suggested by EN 15251 Standard for comfort class I especially in bedrooms.

Keywords: monitoring campaign, nZEB (near zero energy buildings), Passivhaus, performance gap

Procedia PDF Downloads 145

Authors: Sara Assi, Berthe Hayar, Claudio Pisano, Nadine Darwiche, Walid Saad

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Nanomedicine, the application of nanotechnology to medicine, is an emerging discipline that has gained significant attention in recent years. Current breakthroughs in nanomedicine have paved the way to develop effective drug delivery systems that can be used to target cancer. The use of nanotechnology provides effective drug delivery, enhanced stability, bioavailability, and permeability, thereby minimizing drug dosage and toxicity. As such, the use of nanoparticle (NP) formulations in drug delivery has been applied in various cancer models and have shown to improve the ability of drugs to reach specific targeted sites in a controlled manner. Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide; in particular, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer diagnosed amongst men and women and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths, highlighting the need for novel therapies. Retinoids, consisting of natural and synthetic derivatives, are a class of chemical compounds that have shown promise in preclinical and clinical cancer settings. However, retinoids are limited by their toxicity and resistance to treatment. To overcome this resistance, various synthetic retinoids have been developed, including the adamantyl retinoid ST1926, which is a potent anti-cancer agent. However, due to its limited bioavailability, the development of ST1926 has been restricted in phase I clinical trials. We have previously investigated the preclinical efficacy of ST1926 in CRC models. ST1926 displayed potent inhibitory and apoptotic effects in CRC cell lines by inducing early DNA damage and apoptosis. ST1926 significantly reduced the tumor doubling time and tumor burden in a xenograft CRC model. Therefore, we developed ST1926-NPs and assessed their efficacy in CRC models. ST1926-NPs were produced using Flash NanoPrecipitation with the amphiphilic diblock copolymer polystyrene-b-ethylene oxide and cholesterol as a co-stabilizer. ST1926 was formulated into NPs with a drug to polymer mass ratio of 1:2, providing a stable formulation for one week. The contin ST1926-NP diameter was 100 nm, with a polydispersity index of 0.245. Using the MTT cell viability assay, ST1926-NP exhibited potent anti-growth activities as naked ST1926 in HCT116 cells, at pharmacologically achievable concentrations. Future studies will be performed to study the anti-tumor activities and mechanism of action of ST1926-NPs in a xenograft mouse model and to detect the compound and its glucuroconjugated form in the plasma of mice. Ultimately, our studies will support the use of ST1926-NP formulations in enhancing the stability and bioavailability of ST1926 in CRC.

Keywords: nanoparticles, drug delivery, colorectal cancer, retinoids

Procedia PDF Downloads 96

Authors: Deepak Singh, Rail Kuliev

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This research article explores the significance of advanced data visualization techniques in enhancing decision-making processes within the oil and gas exploration and production domain. With the oil and gas industry facing numerous challenges, effective interpretation and analysis of vast and diverse datasets are crucial for optimizing exploration strategies, production operations, and risk assessment. The article highlights the importance of data visualization in managing big data, aiding the decision-making process, and facilitating communication with stakeholders. Various advanced data visualization techniques, including 3D visualization, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), interactive dashboards, and geospatial visualization, are discussed in detail, showcasing their applications and benefits in the oil and gas sector. The article presents case studies demonstrating the successful use of these techniques in optimizing well placement, real-time operations monitoring, and virtual reality training. Additionally, the article addresses the challenges of data integration and scalability, emphasizing the need for future developments in AI-driven visualization. In conclusion, this research emphasizes the immense potential of advanced data visualization in revolutionizing decision-making processes, fostering data-driven strategies, and promoting sustainable growth and improved operational efficiency within the oil and gas exploration and production industry.

Keywords: augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), interactive dashboards, real-time operations monitoring

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: Farzana Esmailkassam, Usakorn Kunanuvat, Zahraa Mohammed Ali

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Objective: The key barrier in Clozapine treatment of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) includes frequent bloods draws to monitor neutropenia, the main drug side effect. WBC and ANC monitoring must occur throughout treatment. Accurate WBC and ANC counts are necessary for clinical decisions to halt, modify or continue clozapine treatment. The CSAN Pronto point-of-care (POC) analyzer generates white blood cells (WBC) and absolute neutrophils (ANC) through image analysis of capillary blood. POC monitoring offers significant advantages over central laboratory testing. This study evaluated the performance of the CSAN Pronto against the Beckman DxH900 Hematology laboratory analyzer. Methods: Forty venous samples (EDTA whole blood) with varying concentrations of WBC and ANC as established on the DxH900 analyzer were tested in duplicates on three CSAN Pronto analyzers. Additionally, both venous and capillary samples were concomitantly collected from 20 volunteers and assessed on the CSAN Pronto and the DxH900 analyzer. The analytical performance including precision using liquid quality controls (QCs) as well as patient samples near the medical decision points, and linearity using a mix of high and low patient samples to create five concentrations was also evaluated. Results: In the precision study for QCs and whole blood, WBC and ANC showed CV inside the limits established according to manufacturer and laboratory acceptability standards. WBC and ANC were found to be linear across the measurement range with a correlation of 0.99. WBC and ANC from all analyzers correlated well in venous samples on the DxH900 across the tested sample ranges with a correlation of > 0.95. Mean bias in ANC obtained on the CSAN pronto versus the DxH900 was 0.07× 109 cells/L (95% L.O.A -0.25 to 0.49) for concentrations <4.0 × 109 cells/L, which includes decision-making cut-offs for continuing clozapine treatment. Mean bias in WBC obtained on the CSAN pronto versus the DxH900 was 0.34× 109 cells/L (95% L.O.A -0.13 to 0.72) for concentrations <5.0 × 109 cells/L. The mean bias was higher (-11% for ANC, 5% for WBC) at higher concentrations. The correlations between capillary and venous samples showed more variability with mean bias of 0.20 × 109 cells/L for the ANC. Conclusions: The CSAN pronto showed acceptable performance in WBC and ANC measurements from venous and capillary samples and was approved for clinical use. This testing will facilitate treatment decisions and improve clozapine uptake and compliance.

Keywords: absolute neutrophil counts, clozapine, point of care, white blood cells

Procedia PDF Downloads 89

Authors: Dada Durojaye Joshua

Abstract:

The study examined the combined effect of internal control system and whistle blowing policy while it pursues the following specific objectives, which are to: examine the relationship between monitoring activities and fraud’s detection and prevention; investigate the effect of control activities on fraud’s detection and prevention in Nigerian Deposit Money Banks (DMBs). The population of the study comprises the 89,275 members of staff in the 20 DMBs in Nigeria as at June 2019. Purposive and convenient sampling techniques were used in the selection of the 80 members of staff at the supervisory level of the Internal Audit Departments of the head offices of the sampled banks, that is, selecting 4 respondents (Audit Executive/Head, Internal Control; Manager, Operation Risk Management; Head, Financial Crime Control; the Chief Compliance Officer) from each of the 20 DMBs in Nigeria. A standard questionnaire was adapted from 2017/2018 Internal Control Questionnaire and Assessment, Bureau of Financial Monitoring and Accountability Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. It was modified to serve the purpose for which it was meant to serve. It was self-administered to gather data from the 80 respondents at the respective headquarters of the sampled banks at their respective locations across Nigeria. Two likert-scales was used in achieving the stated objectives. A logit regression was used in analysing the stated hypotheses. It was found that effect of monitoring activities using the construct of conduct of ongoing or separate evaluation (COSE), evaluation and communication of deficiencies (ECD) revealed that monitoring activities is significant and positively related to fraud’s detection and prevention in Nigerian DMBS. So also, it was found that control activities using selection and development of control activities (SDCA), selection and development of general controls over technology to prevent financial fraud (SDGCTF), development of control activities that gives room for transparency through procedures that put policies into actions (DCATPPA) contributed to influence fraud detection and prevention in the Nigerian DMBs. In addition, it was found that transparency, accountability, reliability, independence and value relevance have significant effect on fraud detection and prevention ibn Nigerian DMBs. The study concluded that the board of directors demonstrated independence from management and exercises oversight of the development and performance of internal control. Part of the conclusion was that there was accountability on the part of the owners and preparers of the financial reports and that the system gives room for the members of staff to account for their responsibilities. Among the recommendations was that the management of Nigerian DMBs should create and establish a standard Internal Control System strong enough to deter fraud in order to encourage continuity of operations by ensuring liquidity, solvency and going concern of the banks. It was also recommended that the banks create a structure that encourages whistleblowing to complement the internal control system.

Keywords: internal control, whistleblowing, deposit money banks, fraud prevention, fraud detection

Procedia PDF Downloads 74

Authors: Klaudia Chmielewska, Krystyna Dzierzbicka, Iwona Inkielewicz-Stepniak

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Carnosine, an endogenous peptide consisting of β-alanine and L-histidine has a variety of functions to mention: antioxidant, antiglycation, and reducing the toxicity of metal ions. It has therefore been proposed to act as a therapeutic agent for many pathological states, although its therapeutic index is limited by quick enzymatic cleavage. To overcome this limitation, there’s an urge to create new derivatives which might become less potent to hydrolysis, while preserving the therapeutic effect. The poster summarizes the efficiency of two peptide synthesis methods, which were: (1) the mixed anhydride with isobutyl chloroformate and N-methylmorpholine (NMM) and (2) carbodiimide - mediated coupling method via appropriate reagent condensing, here – CDI. The methods were used to obtain dipeptides which were the derivatives of carnosine. Obtained dipeptides were made in the form of methyl esters and their structures will be confirmed 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MS and elemental analysis techniques. Later on, they will be analyzed for their antioxidant properties, in comparison to carnosine.

Keywords: carnosine, method, peptide, synthesis

Procedia PDF Downloads 155

Authors: Indu Chandran, Shubham Sharma, Rohan Mehta, Vipin Kizheppatt

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Unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly being explored as the most promising solution to disaster monitoring, assessment, and recovery. Current relief operations heavily rely on intelligent robot swarms to capture the damage caused, provide timely rescue, and create road maps for the victims. To perform these time-critical missions, efficient path planning that ensures quick coverage of the area is vital. This study aims to develop a technically balanced approach to provide maximum coverage of the affected area in a minimum time using the optimal number of UAVs. A coverage trajectory is designed through area decomposition and task assignment. To perform efficient and autonomous coverage mission, solution to a TSP-based optimization problem using meta-heuristic approaches is designed to allocate waypoints to the UAVs of different flight capacities. The study exploits multi-agent simulations like PX4-SITL and QGroundcontrol through the ROS framework and visualizes the dynamics of UAV deployment to different search paths in a 3D Gazebo environment. Through detailed theoretical analysis and simulation tests, we illustrate the optimality and efficiency of the proposed methodologies.

Keywords: area coverage, coverage path planning, heuristic algorithm, mission monitoring, optimization, task assignment, unmanned aerial vehicles

Procedia PDF Downloads 211

Authors: Lingling Shui, Shuting Xie

Abstract:

As alternatives to electronic devices, optically active structures from responsive nanomaterials offer great opportunity buildup smart functional sensors. Hereby, we report on droplet microfluidics enabled construction and application of photonic microcapsules (PMCs) for colorimetric temperature microsensors, enabling miniaturization for injectable local micro-area sensing and integration for large-area sensing. Monodispersed PMCs are produced by in-situ photopolymerization of hydrogel shells of cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC)-in-water-in-oil double emulsion droplets prepared using microfluidic devices, with controllable physical structures and chemical compositions. Constructed PMCs exhibit thermal responsive structural color according to the selective Bragg reflection of CLC’s periodical helical structures within the microdroplet’s spherical confinement. Constructed PMCs with tunable size and composition have been successfully applied for monitoring the living cell extracellular temperature via co-incubation with cell suspension, and for detecting human body temperature via a flexible device from assembled PMCs. These PMCs could be flexibly applied in either micro-environment or large-area surface, enabling wide applications for precision temperature monitoring biological activities (e.g. cells or organs), optoelectronic devices working conditions (e.g. temperature indicators under extreme conditions), and etc.

Keywords: droplet, microfluidics, assembly, soft materials, microsensor

Procedia PDF Downloads 77

Authors: Dada Durojaye Joshua

Abstract:

The study examined the combined effect of internal control system and whistle blowing policy while it pursues the following specific objectives, which are to: examine the relationship between monitoring activities and fraud’s detection and prevention; investigate the effect of control activities on fraud’s detection and prevention in Nigerian Deposit Money Banks (DMBs). The population of the study comprises the 89,275 members of staff in the 20 DMBs in Nigeria as at June 2019. Purposive and convenient sampling techniques were used in the selection of the 80 members of staff at the supervisory level of the Internal Audit Departments of the head offices of the sampled banks, that is, selecting 4 respondents (Audit Executive/Head, Internal Control; Manager, Operation Risk Management; Head, Financial Crime Control; the Chief Compliance Officer) from each of the 20 DMBs in Nigeria. A standard questionnaire was adapted from 2017/2018 Internal Control Questionnaire and Assessment, Bureau of Financial Monitoring and Accountability Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. It was modified to serve the purpose for which it was meant to serve. It was self-administered to gather data from the 80 respondents at the respective headquarters of the sampled banks at their respective locations across Nigeria. Two likert-scales was used in achieving the stated objectives. A logit regression was used in analysing the stated hypotheses. It was found that effect of monitoring activities using the construct of conduct of ongoing or separate evaluation (COSE), evaluation and communication of deficiencies (ECD) revealed that monitoring activities is significant and positively related to fraud’s detection and prevention in Nigerian DMBS. So also, it was found that control activities using selection and development of control activities (SDCA), selection and development of general controls over technology to prevent financial fraud (SDGCTF), development of control activities that gives room for transparency through procedures that put policies into actions (DCATPPA) contributed to influence fraud detection and prevention in the Nigerian DMBs. In addition, it was found that transparency, accountability, reliability, independence and value relevance have significant effect on fraud detection and prevention ibn Nigerian DMBs. The study concluded that the board of directors demonstrated independence from management and exercises oversight of the development and performance of internal control. Part of the conclusion was that there was accountability on the part of the owners and preparers of the financial reports and that the system gives room for the members of staff to account for their responsibilities. Among the recommendations was that the management of Nigerian DMBs should create and establish a standard Internal Control System strong enough to deter fraud in order to encourage continuity of operations by ensuring liquidity, solvency and going concern of the banks. It was also recommended that the banks create a structure that encourages whistleblowing to complement the internal control system.

Keywords: internal control, whistleblowing, deposit money banks, fraud prevention, fraud detection

Procedia PDF Downloads 68

Authors: Chiu-Wen Chang, I-Yun Chang, Wei-Ting Chen, Hui-Ping Ho, Chao-Ying Pan, Joh-Jong Huang

Abstract:

Dengue is a ‘community disease’ or ‘environmental disease’, as long as the environment exist suitable container (including natural and artificial) for mosquito breeding, once the virus invade will lead to the dengue epidemic. Surveillance of vector density is critical to effective infectious disease control and play an important role in monitoring the dynamics of mosquitoes in community, such as mosquito species, density, distribution area. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship in vector density survey (Breteau index, Adult index, House index, Container index, and Larvae index) form 2014 to 2016 in Kaohsiung City and evaluate the effects of introducing the Breeding Elimination and Appraisal Team (hereinafter referred to as BEAT) as an intervention measure on eliminating dengue vector breeding site started from May 2016. BEAT were performed on people who were suspected of contracting dengue fever, a surrounding area measuring 50 meters by 50 meters was demarcated as the emergency prevention and treatment zone. BEAT would perform weekly vector mosquito inspections and vector mosquito inspections in regions with a high Gravitrap index and assign a risk assessment index to each region. These indices as well as the prevention and treatment results were immediately reported to epidemic prevention-related units every week. The results indicated that, vector indices from 2014 to 2016 showed no statistically significant differences in the Breteau index, adult index, and house index (p > 0.05) but statistically significant differences in the container index and larvae index (p <0.05). After executing the integrated elimination work, container index and larvae index are statistically significant different from 2014 to 2016 in the (p < 0.05). A post hoc test indicated that the container index of 2014 (M = 12.793) was significantly higher than that of 2016 (M = 7.631), and that the larvae index of 2015 (M = 34.065) was significantly lower than that of 2014 (M = 66.867). The results revealed that effective vector density surveillance could highlight the focus breeding site and then implement the immediate control action (BEAT), which successfully decreased the vector density and the risk of dengue epidemic.

Keywords: Breteau index, dengue control, monitoring method, vector density

Procedia PDF Downloads 185

Authors: Mudafara S. Bengleil, Juma M. Orfi, Iman Abdelgader

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Since nickel is a known toxic and carcinogenic metal, the present study was designed to evaluate the level of nickel released into the saliva of orthodontic patients. Non-stimulated saliva was collected from 18 patients attending The Orthodontic Clinic of Dental Faculty of Benghazi University. Patients were divided into two groups and level of nickel was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Nickel concentration values (mg/L) in first group prior to starting treatment was 0.097± 0.071. An increase in level of nickel was followed by decrease 4 and 8 weeks after applying the arch wire (0.208± 0.112) and (0.077±0.056 mg/L) respectively. Nickel levels in saliva of the second group were showed minimal variation and ranged from 0.061± 0.044mg/L to 0.083±0.054 throughout period of study. It may be concluded that there could be a release of nickel from the appliance used in first group but it doesn't reach toxic level in saliva.

Keywords: atomic absorption spectrophotometry, nickel, orthodontic treatment, saliva, toxicity

Procedia PDF Downloads 343

Authors: Gaurav Kumar Sinha

Abstract:

The oil and gas industry, characterized by its complex and global supply chains, faces significant challenges in ensuring security, transparency, and efficiency. Blockchain technology, with its decentralized and immutable ledger, offers a transformative solution to these issues. This paper explores the application of blockchain technology in the oil and gas supply chain, highlighting its potential to enhance data security, improve transparency, and streamline operations. By leveraging smart contracts, blockchain can automate and secure transactions, reducing the risk of fraud and errors. Additionally, the integration of blockchain with IoT devices enables real-time tracking and monitoring of assets, ensuring data accuracy and integrity throughout the supply chain. Case studies and pilot projects within the industry demonstrate the practical benefits and challenges of implementing blockchain solutions. The findings suggest that blockchain technology can significantly improve trust and collaboration among supply chain participants, ultimately leading to more efficient and resilient operations. This study provides valuable insights for industry stakeholders considering the adoption of blockchain technology to address their supply chain management challenges.

Keywords: blockchain technology, oil and gas supply chain, data security, transparency, smart contracts, IoT integration, real-time tracking, asset monitoring, fraud reduction, supply chain efficiency, data integrity, case studies, industry implementation, trust, collaboration.

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Authors: Erika R. Chambriard, Sandro C. Izidoro, Davidson P. Mendes, Douglas E. V. Pires

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Work-related illnesses and disorders have been a constant aspect of work. Although their nature has changed over time, from musculoskeletal disorders to illnesses related to psychosocial aspects of work, its impact on the life of workers remains significant. Despite significant efforts worldwide to protect workers, the disparity between changes in work legislation and actual benefit for workers’ health has been creating a significant economic burden for social security and health systems around the world. In this context, this study aims to propose, test and validate a modular prototype that allows for work environmental aspects to be assessed, monitored and better controlled. The main focus is also to provide a historical record of working conditions and the means for workers to obtain comprehensible and useful information regarding their work environment and legal limits of occupational exposure to different types of environmental variables, as means to improve prevention of work-related accidents and disorders. We show the developed prototype provides useful and accurate information regarding the work environmental conditions, validating them with standard occupational hygiene equipment. We believe the proposed prototype is a cost-effective and adequate approach to work environment monitoring that could help elucidate the links between work and occupational illnesses, and that different industry sectors, as well as developing countries, could benefit from its capabilities.

Keywords: Arduino prototyping, occupational health and hygiene, work environment, work-related disorders prevention

Procedia PDF Downloads 120

Authors: Madina Tynybayeva, Sanya Zhumazhanova, Saltanat Kozhakhmetova, Merey Mussabayeva

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One of the leading indicators of the education quality is the level of students’ educational achievements. The processes of modernization of Kazakhstani education system have predetermined the need to improve the national system by assessing the quality of education. The results of assessment greatly contribute to addressing questions about the current state of the educational system in the country. The monitoring of students’ educational achievements (MEAS) is the systematic measurement of the quality of education for compliance with the state obligatory standard of Kazakhstan. This systematic measurement is independent of educational organizations and approved by the order of the Minister of Education and Scienceof Kazakhstan. The MEAS was conducted in the regions of Kazakhstanfor the first time in 2022 by the National Testing Centre. The measurement does not have legal consequences either for students or for educational organizations. Students’ achievements were measured in three subject areas: reading, mathematics and science literacy. MEAS was held for the first time in April this year, 105 thousand students from 1436 schools of Kazakhstan took part in the testing. The monitoring was accompanied by a survey of students, teachers, and school leaders. The goal is to identify which contextual factors affect learning outcomes. The testing was carried out in a computer format. The test tasks of MEAS are ranked according to the three levels of difficulty: basic, medium, and high. Fourth graders are asked to complete 30 closed-type tasks. The average score of the results is 21 points out of 30, which means 70% of tasks were successfully completed. The total number of test tasks for 9th grade students – 75 questions. The results of ninth graders are comparatively lower, the success rate of completing tasks is 63%. MEAS participants did not reveal a statistically significant gap in results in terms of the language of instruction, territorial status, and type of school. The trend of reducing the gap in these indicators is also noted in the framework of recent international studies conducted across the country, in particular PISA for schools in Kazakhstan. However, there is a regional gap in MOES performance. The difference in the values of the indicators of the highest and lowest scores of the regions was 11% of the success of completing tasks in the 4th grade, 14% in the 9thgrade. The results of the 4th grade students in reading, mathematics, and science literacy are: 71.5%, 70%, and 66.9%, respectively. The results of ninth-graders in reading, mathematics, and science literacy are 69.6%, 54%, and 60.8%, respectively. From the surveys, it was revealed that the educational achievements of students are considerably influenced by such factors as the subject competences of teachers, as well as the school climate and motivation of students. Thus, the results of MEAS indicate the need for an integrated approach to improving the quality of education. In particular, the combination of improving the content of curricula and textbooks, internal and external assessment of the educational achievements of students, educational programs of pedagogical specialties, and advanced training courses is required.

Keywords: assessment, secondary school, monitoring, functional literacy, kazakhstan

Procedia PDF Downloads 101

Authors: Farrin Ghorbanalavi, Nihal Arıoğlu

Abstract:

The concept of enhancing mechanical /thermal/physical properties of architectural materials is being practiced for over five decades. In comparison with other approaches, the current nanotechnology era equally attracted the structural scientists, engineers, and industries. It simply promises that using building blocks with dimensions in the nano size range makes it possible to design and develop new multi-functional materials. This research focuses on understanding the effects of nanotechnology on the building facade and new facade concepts based on the new possibilities of nanotechnology. Mentioned factors are very prosperous for the comfort as well as sustainability of the building itself. Furthermore, the study suggests that the potential for energy conservation and reduced waste, toxicity, non-renewable resource consumption, and carbon emissions through the architectural applications of nanotechnologies significant. More clearly, it provides us the information about what does the future hold for surface structures.

Keywords: sustainable, nano materials, façade, energy efficiency

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Authors: V. Ivanov, J. Chu, V. Stabnikov

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Different biotechnological methods for the production of construction materials and for the performance of construction processes in situ are developing within a new scientific discipline of Construction Biotechnology. The aim of this research was to develop and test new biotechnologies and biotechnological grouts for the minimization of the hydraulic conductivity of the fractured rocks and porous soil. This problem is essential to minimize flow rate of groundwater into the construction sites, the tunneling space before and after excavation, inside levies, as well as to stop water seepage from the aquaculture ponds, agricultural channels, radioactive waste or toxic chemicals storage sites, from the landfills or from the soil-polluted sites. The conventional fine or ultrafine cement grouts or chemical grouts have such restrictions as high cost, viscosity, sometime toxicity but the biogrouts, which are based on microbial or enzymatic activities and some not expensive inorganic reagents, could be more suitable in many cases because of lower cost and low or zero toxicity. Due to these advantages, development of biotechnologies for biogrouting is going exponentially. However, most popular at present biogrout, which is based on activity of urease- producing bacteria initiating crystallization of calcium carbonate from calcium salt has such disadvantages as production of toxic ammonium/ammonia and development of high pH. Therefore, the aim of our studies was development and testing of new biogrouts that are environmentally friendly and have low cost suitable for large scale geotechnical, construction, and environmental applications. New microbial biotechnologies have been studied and tested in the sand columns, fissured rock samples, in 1 m3 tank with sand, and in the pack of stone sheets that were the models of the porous soil and fractured rocks. Several biotechnological methods showed positive results: 1) biogrouting using sequential desaturation of sand by injection of denitrifying bacteria and medium following with biocementation using urease-producing bacteria, urea and calcium salt decreased hydraulic conductivity of sand to 2×10-7 ms-1 after 17 days of treatment and consumed almost three times less reagents than conventional calcium-and urea-based biogrouting; 2) biogrouting using slime-producing bacteria decreased hydraulic conductivity of sand to 1x10-6 ms-1 after 15 days of treatment; 3) biogrouting of the rocks with the width of the fissures 65×10-6 m using calcium bicarbonate solution, that was produced from CaCO3 and CO2 under 30 bars pressure, decreased hydraulic conductivity of the fissured rocks to 2×10-7 ms-1 after 5 days of treatment. These bioclogging technologies could have a lot of advantages over conventional construction materials and processes and can be used in geotechnical engineering, agriculture and aquaculture, and for the environmental protection.

Keywords: biocementation, bioclogging, biogrouting, fractured rocks, porous soil, tunneling space

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Authors: Yu-Wen Chen, Szu-Wei Huang, Chung-Hsiang Mu, Kelvin Cheng

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This paper developed a data-driven based model to deal with the causality between the Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS, by Environmental Protection Administration, Taiwan) in industrial factories, and the air quality around environment. Compared to the heavy burden of traditional numerical models of regional weather and air pollution simulation, the lightweight burden of the proposed model can provide forecasting hourly with current observations of weather, air pollution and emissions from factories. The observation data are included wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, temperature and others. The observations can be collected real time from Open APIs of civil IoT Taiwan, which are sourced from 439 weather stations, 10,193 qualitative air stations, 77 national quantitative stations and 140 CEMS quantitative industrial factories. This study completed a causal inference engine and gave an air pollution forecasting for the next 12 hours related to local industrial factories. The outcomes of the pollution forecasting are produced hourly with a grid resolution of 1km*1km on IIoTC (Industrial Internet of Things Cloud) and saved in netCDF4 format. The elaborated procedures to generate forecasts comprise data recalibrating, outlier elimination, Kriging Interpolation and particle tracking and random walk techniques for the mechanisms of diffusion and advection. The solution of these equations reveals the causality between factories emission and the associated air pollution. Further, with the aid of installed real-time flue emission (Total Suspension Emission, TSP) sensors and the mentioned forecasted air pollution map, this study also disclosed the converting mechanism between the TSP and PM2.5/PM10 for different region and industrial characteristics, according to the long-term data observation and calibration. These different time-series qualitative and quantitative data which successfully achieved a causal inference engine in cloud for factory management control in practicable. Once the forecasted air quality for a region is marked as harmful, the correlated factories are notified and asked to suppress its operation and reduces emission in advance.

Keywords: continuous emission monitoring system, total suspension particulates, causal inference, air pollution forecast, IoT

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: Mihai-Alexandru Florea, Veronica Drumea, Roxana Nita, Cerasela Gird, Laura Olariu

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The aim of this study was to investigate the residues of pesticide found in tea water infusions. A multi-residues method to determine 147 pesticides has been developed using the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, Safe) procedure and dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) for the cleanup the pesticides from complex matrices such as plants and tea. Sample preparation was carefully optimized for the efficient removal of coextracted matrix components by testing more solvent systems. Determination of pesticides was performed using GC-MS/MS (100 of pesticides) and LC-MS/MS (47 of pesticides). The selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode was chosen to achieve low detection limits and high compounds selectivity and sensitivity. Overall performance was evaluated and validated according to DG-SANTE Guidelines. To assess the pesticide residue transfer rate (qualitative) from dried tea in infusions the samples (tea) were spiked with a mixture of pesticides at the maximum residues level accepted for teas and herbal infusions. In order to investigate the release of the pesticides in tea preparations, the medicinal plants were prepared in four ways by variation of water temperature and the infusion time. The pesticides from infusions were extracted using two methods: QuEChERS versus solid-phase extraction (SPE). More that 90 % of the pesticides studied was identified in infusion.

Keywords: tea, solid-phase extraction (SPE), selected reaction monitoring (SRM), QuEChERS

Procedia PDF Downloads 210

Authors: Ren Moses, Jaqueline Masaki

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This paper addresses the need for accurate and updated vehicle classification system through a thorough evaluation of vehicle class categories to identify errors arising from the existing system and proposing modifications. The data collected from two permanent traffic monitoring sites in Florida were used to evaluate the performance of the existing vehicle classification table. The vehicle data were collected and classified by the automatic vehicle classifier (AVC), and a video camera was used to obtain ground truth data. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) vehicle classification definitions were used to define vehicle classes from the video and compare them to the data generated by AVC in order to identify the sources of misclassification. Six types of errors were identified. Modifications were made in the classification table to improve the classification accuracy. The results of this study include the development of updated vehicle classification table with a reduction in total error by 5.1%, a step by step procedure to use for evaluation of vehicle classification studies and recommendations to improve FHWA 13-category rule set. The recommendations for the FHWA 13-category rule set indicate the need for the vehicle classification definitions in this scheme to be updated to reflect the distribution of current traffic. The presented results will be of interest to States’ transportation departments and consultants, researchers, engineers, designers, and planners who require accurate vehicle classification information for planning, designing and maintenance of transportation infrastructures.

Keywords: vehicle classification, traffic monitoring, pavement design, highway traffic

Procedia PDF Downloads 175

Authors: Pedro B. Antunes, Paulo J. Ramísio

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Road runoff is a linear source of diffuse pollution that can cause significant environmental impacts. During rainfall events, pollutants from both stationary and mobile sources, which have accumulated on the road surface, are dragged through the superficial runoff. Road runoff in coastal zones may present high levels of salinity and chlorides due to the proximity of the sea and transported marine aerosols. Appearing to be correlated to this process, organic matter concentration may also be significant. This study assesses this phenomenon with the purpose of identifying the relationships between monitored water quality parameters and intrinsic site variables. To achieve this objective, an extensive monitoring program was conducted on a Portuguese coastal highway. The study included thirty rainfall events, in different weather, traffic and salt deposition conditions in a three years period. The evaluations of various water quality parameters were carried out in over 200 samples. In addition, the meteorological, hydrological and traffic parameters were continuously measured. The salt deposition rates (SDR) were determined by means of a wet candle device, which is an innovative feature of the monitoring program. The SDR, variable throughout the year, appears to show a high correlation with wind speed and direction, but mostly with wave propagation, so that it is lower in the summer, in spite of the favorable wind direction in the case study. The distance to the sea, topography, ground obstacles and the platform altitude seems to be also relevant. It was confirmed the high salinity in the runoff, increasing the concentration of the water quality parameters analyzed, with significant amounts of seawater features. In order to estimate the correlations and patterns of different water quality parameters and variables related to weather, road section and salt deposition, the study included exploratory data analysis using different techniques (e.g. Pearson correlation coefficients, Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis), confirming some specific features of the investigated road runoff. Significant correlations among pollutants were observed. Organic matter was highlighted as very dependent of salinity. Indeed, data analysis showed that some important water quality parameters could be divided into two major clusters based on their correlations to salinity (including organic matter associated parameters) and total suspended solids (including some heavy metals). Furthermore, the concentrations of the most relevant pollutants seemed to be very dependent on some meteorological variables, particularly the duration of the antecedent dry period prior to each rainfall event and the average wind speed. Based on the results of a monitoring case study, in a coastal zone, it was proven that SDR, associated with the hydrological characteristics of road runoff, can contribute for a better knowledge of the runoff characteristics, and help to estimate the specific nature of the runoff and related water quality parameters.

Keywords: coastal zones, monitoring, road runoff pollution, salt deposition

Procedia PDF Downloads 235

Authors: Nateepat Srivarom, Weng Jingnong, Serm Chinnarat

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Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique is use to improve accuracy by using precise satellite orbit and clock correction data, but this technique is complicated methods and high costs. Currently, there are several online processing service providers which offer simplified calculation. In the first part of this research, we compare the efficiency and precision of four software. There are three popular online processing service providers: Australian Online GPS Processing Service (AUSPOS), CSRS-Precise Point Positioning and CenterPoint RTX post processing by Trimble and 1 offline software, RTKLIB, which collected data from 10 the International GNSS Service (IGS) stations for 10 days. The results indicated that AUSPOS has the least distance root mean square (DRMS) value of 0.0029 which is good enough to be calculated for monitoring the movement of tectonic plates. The second, we use AUSPOS to process the data of geodetic network of Thailand. In December 26, 2004, the earthquake occurred a 9.3 MW at the north of Sumatra that highly affected all nearby countries, including Thailand. Earthquake effects have led to errors of the coordinate system of Thailand. The Royal Thai Survey Department (RTSD) is primarily responsible for monitoring of the crustal movement of the country. The difference of the geodetic network movement is not the same network and relatively large. This result is needed for survey to continue to improve GPS coordinates system in every year. Therefore, in this research we chose the AUSPOS to calculate the magnitude and direction of movement, to improve coordinates adjustment of the geodetic network consisting of 19 pins in Thailand during October 2013 to November 2017. Finally, results are displayed on the simulation map by using the ArcMap program with the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method. The pin with the maximum movement is pin no. 3239 (Tak) in the northern part of Thailand. This pin moved in the south-western direction to 11.04 cm. Meanwhile, the directional movement of the other pins in the south gradually changed from south-west to south-east, i.e., in the direction noticed before the earthquake. The magnitude of the movement is in the range of 4 - 7 cm, implying small impact of the earthquake. However, the GPS network should be continuously surveyed in order to secure accuracy of the geodetic network of Thailand.

Keywords: precise point positioning, online processing service, geodetic network, inverse distance weighting

Procedia PDF Downloads 185

Authors: Carolin Lutz, Jörg Matthes, Patrick Waibel, Ulrich Precht, Krassimir Garbev, Günter Beuchle, Uwe Schweike, Peter Stemmermann, Hubert B. Keller

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Online measurement of the product quality is a challenging task in cement production, especially in the production of Celitement, a novel environmentally friendly hydraulic binder. The mineralogy and chemical composition of clinker in ordinary Portland cement production is measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X ray fluorescence (XRF), where only crystalline constituents can be detected. But only a small part of the Celitement components can be measured via XRD, because most constituents have an amorphous structure. This paper describes the development of algorithms suitable for an on-line monitoring of the final processing step of Celitement based on NIR-data. For calibration intermediate products were dried at different temperatures and ground for variable durations. The products were analyzed using XRD and thermogravimetric analyses together with NIR-spectroscopy to investigate the dependency between the drying and the milling processes on one and the NIR-signal on the other side. As a result, different characteristic parameters have been defined. A short overview of the Celitement process and the challenging tasks of the online measurement and evaluation of the product quality will be presented. Subsequently, methods for systematic development of near-infrared calibration models and the determination of the final calibration model will be introduced. The application of the model on experimental data illustrates that NIR-spectroscopy allows for a quick and sufficiently exact determination of crucial process parameters.

Keywords: calibration model, celitement, cementitious material, NIR spectroscopy

Procedia PDF Downloads 496

Authors: L. I. Izhar, T. Stathaki, K. Howell

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Analyzing and interpreting of thermograms have been increasingly employed in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases thanks to its non-invasive, non-harmful nature and low cost. In this paper, a novel system is proposed to improve diagnosis and monitoring of morphoea skin disorder based on integration with the published lines of Blaschko. In the proposed system, image registration based on global and local registration methods are found inevitable. This paper presents a modified normalized gradient cross-correlation (NGC) method to reduce large geometrical differences between two multimodal images that are represented by smooth gray edge maps is proposed for the global registration approach. This method is improved further by incorporating an iterative-based normalized cross-correlation coefficient (NCC) method. It is found that by replacing the final registration part of the NGC method where translational differences are solved in the spatial Fourier domain with the NCC method performed in the spatial domain, the performance and robustness of the NGC method can be greatly improved. It is shown in this paper that the hybrid NGC method not only outperforms phase correlation (PC) method but also improved misregistration due to translation, suffered by the modified NGC method alone for thermograms with ill-defined jawline. This also demonstrates that by using the gradients of the gray edge maps and a hybrid technique, the performance of the PC based image registration method can be greatly improved.

Keywords: Blaschko’s lines, image registration, morphoea, thermal imaging

Procedia PDF Downloads 304

Authors: Badar Khalid Hakim Alshabibi

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This study aims to examine the determinants of corporate board diligence in the listed firm in Sultanate of Oman, using four corporate board characteristics, the board size, board independence, board gender diversity, and nationality diversity. Design/methodology/approach: Using a sample comprised of all companies listed in the Muscat Securities Exchange over a ten-year period (2009–2019), the study applies Pooled OLS regression to examine the determinants of corporate board diligence. Findings: Drawing from the agency theory and institutional theory, the results reveal that the number of independent board members had statistical significance, suggesting that board independence can improve corporate board diligence, though board size and nationality diversity were found to have a negative association with corporate board diligence. There is no evidence, however, that board gender diversity improves corporate board diligence. Practical implications: The study provides insights for both the investors and regulatory authorities in developing economies. For the investors to be aware about the corporate board characteristics which enhance board monitoring, and for the regulatory authorities to consider revising the corporate governance codes which enhance the quality of governance practices. Originality/value: The study provides new evidence documenting the determinants of corporate board diligence in a developing country such as the Sultanate of Oman, which has a high potential for growth and attracting foreign investment, as stated in Oman vision 2040. In addition, this paper is the first to examine the association between corporate board diligence and corporate board diversity aspects.

Keywords: board diligence, board monitoring, board composition, board diversity, oman

Procedia PDF Downloads 211

Authors: V. Ziegler, F. Schneider, M. Pesch

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With the EDM264, GRIMM offers a solution for mobile short- and long-term measurements in outdoor areas and at production sites. For research as well as permanent areal observations on a near reference quality base. The model EDM264 features a powerful and robust measuring cell based on optical particle counting (OPC) principle with all the advantages that users of GRIMM's portable aerosol spectrometers are used to. The system is embedded in a compact weather-protection housing with all-weather sampling, heated inlet system, data logger, and meteorological sensor. With TSP, PM10, PM4, PM2.5, PM1, and PMcoarse, the EDM264 provides all fine dust fractions real-time, valid for outdoor applications and calculated with the proven GRIMM enviro-algorithm, as well as six additional dust mass fractions pm10, pm2.5, pm1, inhalable, thoracic and respirable for IAQ and workplace measurements. This highly versatile instrument performs real-time monitoring of particle number, particle size and provides information on particle surface distribution as well as dust mass distribution. GRIMM's EDM264 has 31 equidistant size channels, which are PSL traceable. A high-end data logger enables data acquisition and wireless communication via LTE, WLAN, or wired via Ethernet. Backup copies of the measurement data are stored in the device directly. The rinsing air function, which protects the laser and detector in the optical cell, further increases the reliability and long term stability of the EDM264 under different environmental and climatic conditions. The entire sample volume flow of 1.2 L/min is analyzed by 100% in the optical cell, which assures excellent counting efficiency at low and high concentrations and complies with the ISO 21501-1standard for OPCs. With all these features, the EDM264 is a world-leading dust monitor for precise monitoring of particulate matter and particle number concentration. This highly reliable instrument is an indispensable tool for many users who need to measure aerosol levels and air quality outdoors, on construction sites, or at production facilities.

Keywords: aerosol research, aerial observation, fence line monitoring, wild fire detection

Procedia PDF Downloads 146

Authors: Konstantza Tonova, Ivan Svinyarov, Milen G. Bogdanov

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Ionic liquids consisting of pairs of imidazolium or phosphonium cation and chloride or saccharinate anion were synthesized and compared with respect to their extraction efficiency towards the fermentative L-lactic acid. The acid partitioning in the equilibrated biphasic systems of ionic liquid and water was quantified through the extraction degree and the partition coefficient. The water transfer from the aqueous into the ionic liquid-rich phase was also always followed. The effect of pH, which determines the state of lactic acid in the aqueous source was studied. The effect of other salting-out substances that modify the ionic liquid/water equilibrium was also investigated in view to reveal the best liquid-liquid system with respect to low toxicity, high extraction and back extraction efficiencies and performance simplicity.

Keywords: ionic liquids, biphasic system, extraction, lactic acid

Procedia PDF Downloads 472