Search results for: food raw material

Authors: Rajaram Kr. Gupta, Bhupendra Kumar, T. V. K. Gupta, D. S. Ramteke

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Machining of hard materials is a recent technology for direct production of work-pieces. The primary challenge in machining these materials is selection of cutting tool inserts which facilitates an extended tool life and high-precision machining of the component. These materials are widely for making precision parts for the aerospace industry. Nickel-based alloys are typically used in extreme environment applications where a combination of strength, corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance material characteristics are required. The present paper reports the theoretical and experimental investigations carried out to understand the influence of machining parameters on the response parameters. Considering the basic machining parameters (speed, feed and depth of cut) a study has been conducted to observe their influence on material removal rate, surface roughness, cutting forces and corresponding tool wear. Experiments are designed and conducted with the help of Central Composite Rotatable Design technique. The results reveals that for a given range of process parameters, material removal rate is favorable for higher depths of cut and low feed rate for cutting forces. Low feed rates and high values of rotational speeds are suitable for better finish and higher tool life.

Keywords: speed, feed, depth of cut, roughness, cutting force, flank wear

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Authors: Mohammad Khoshini, Arman Khoshghalb, Meghdad Payan, Nasser Khalili

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Most of the Earth’s crust surface rocks are technically categorized as weak rocks or weakly bonded geomaterials. Deeply weathered, weakly cemented, friable and easily erodible, they demonstrate complex material behaviour and understanding the overlooked mechanical behaviour of such materials is of particular importance in geotechnical engineering practice. Weakly bonded geomaterials are so susceptible to surface shear and moisture that conventional methods of core drilling fail to extract high-quality undisturbed samples out of them. Moreover, most of these geomaterials are of high heterogeneity rendering less reliable and feasible material characterization. In order to compensate for the unpredictability of the material response, either numerous experiments are needed to be conducted or large factors of safety must be implemented in the design process. However, none of these approaches is sustainable. In this study, a method for dry core drilling of such materials is introduced to take high-quality undisturbed core samples. By freezing the material at certain moisture content, a secondary structure is developed throughout the material which helps the whole structure to remain intact during the core drilling process. Moreover, to address the heterogeneity issue, the natural material was reconstructed artificially to obtain a homogeneous material with very high similarity to the natural one in both micro and macro-mechanical perspectives. The method is verified for both micro and macro scale. In terms of micro-scale analysis, using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), pore spaces and inter-particle bonds were investigated and compared between natural and artificial materials. X-Ray Diffraction, XRD, analyses are also performed to control the chemical composition. At the macro scale, several uniaxial compressive strength tests, as well as triaxial tests, were performed to verify the similar mechanical response of the materials. A high level of agreement is observed between micro and macro results of natural and artificially bonded geomaterials. The proposed methods can play an important role to cut down the costs of experimental programs for material characterization and also to promote the accuracy of the numerical modellings based on the experimental results.

Keywords: Artificial geomaterial, core drilling, macro-mechanical behavior, micro-scale, sample preparation, SEM photography, weakly bonded geomaterials

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Authors: Mohamed Achehboune, Mohammed Khenfouch, Issam Boukhoubza, Bakang Mothudi, Izeddine Zorkani, Anouar Jorio

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Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanostructures have been attracting growing interest in recent years; their optical and electrical properties make them useful as attractive and promising materials for optoelectronic applications. In this study, pure and Hafnium doped ZnO nanostructures were synthesized using a green processing method. The structural, optical and electrical properties of samples were investigated structural and optical spectroscopies and electrical measurements. The synthesis and chemical composition of pure and Hafnium doped ZnO were confirmed by SEM observation. The XRD studies of Hafnium doped ZnO demonstrate the formation of wurtzite structure with preferred c-axis orientation. Moreover, the optical and electrical properties of doped material have improved after the doping process. The experimental results obtained for our material show that Hf doped ZnO nanostructures could be a promising material in optoelectronic applications such as photovoltaic cell and light emitting diode devices.

Keywords: green synthesis, hafnium-doped-zinc oxide, nanostructures, optoelectronic

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Authors: Hygreeva Kiran Namburi, Anna Hojna, Edita Lecianova, Fencl Zdenek

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Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking [IASCC] is one of the most significant environmental degradation in the internal components made from Austenitic stainless steel. This mechanism is still not fully understood and there are no suitable criteria for prediction of the damage during operation. In this work, core basket material 08Ch18N10T austenitic stainless steel acquired from decommissioned NPP Nord / Greifswald Unit 1, VVER 440-230 type, operated for 15 years and irradiated at 5.2 dpa is studied. This material was tensile tested at two different test temperatures and strain rates in air and at the elevated temperature under the water environment. SEM observations of the fracture surface documented ductile fracture of the samples tested in air, but areas of IASCC tested in water. This paper emphasizes on the microscopic examination results from the mechanically tested samples to determine the underlying IASCC physical damage process. TEM observations of thin foils made from the gauge sections that are closer to the fractured surface of the specimen aimed to find variances in interaction of dislocations and grain boundaries owing to different test conditions.

Keywords: irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking, core basket material, SEM observations of the fracture surface, microscopic examination results

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Authors: Yu Chen

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Auricular-magnet therapy is the development of auricular acupuncture. It is a powerful, convenient, and quick result-achieving therapeutic method. This therapy works by using magnetic discs to be placed on acupuncture points on the ears to treat diseases and improve health. In this study, the fundamental principles, indications, and contraindications of this therapy are discussed. Five examples, including reducing blood glucose levels, healing gangrene for diabetes patients, and treating Bell's palsy, are presented. Auricular-magnet therapy is a powerful development in acupuncture.

Keywords: auricular-magnet therapy, Bell’s palsy, diabetes mellitus, food craving, insomnia, nausea, obesity

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Authors: Wilson Bastos, Sigal G. Barsade

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Much of what happens in the marketplace revolves around the provision and consumption of goods. Recent research has advanced a useful categorization of these goods—as experiential versus material—and shown that, from the consumers’ perspective, experiences (e.g., a theater performance) are superior to objects (e.g., an electronic gadget) in offering various social and psychological benefits. A common finding in this growing research stream is that consumers gain more happiness from the experiences they have than the objects they own. By focusing solely on those acquiring the experiential or material goods (the consumers), prior research has remained silent regarding another important group of individuals—those providing the goods (the employees). Do employees whose jobs are primarily focused on offering consumers an experience (vs. object) also gain more happiness from their occupation? We report evidence from four experiments supporting an experiential-employee advantage. Further, we use mediation and moderation tests to unearth the mechanism responsible for this effect. Results reveal that work meaningfulness is the primary driver of the experiential-employee advantage. Overall, our findings suggest that employees find it more meaningful to provide people with an experience as compared to a material object, which in turn shapes the happiness they derive from their jobs. We expect this finding to have implications on human development, and to be of relevance to researchers and practitioners interested in how to advance human condition in the workplace.

Keywords: employee happiness, experiential versus material jobs, work meaningfulness

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Authors: Faiza Marniche, Amel Milla, Salah Eddine Doumandji, Samiha Belmania, Ahlem Fadheli

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Within the public discharge of Oum El Bouaghi region through the analysis of balls of rejection that have been picked up during the year 2008 and 2009. The diet of Grand Corbeau Corvus corax tingitanus is studied in relation to food availability represented by prey-insects with a parasitic study, on the balls of the latter. Food stokes are taken to the public discharge of Oum El Bouaghi during all three seasons, autumn (2008), winter (2009) and spring (2009). We note that insects are dominant in the course of three seasons, fall (91.62%), winter (58.95%) and spring (77.78%). The analysis of 42 balls of rejection collected at the level of this station have revealed that insects dominate the diet of Raven over the three seasons whose family the best represented is those of the Formicidae in autumn (43.5%) and spring (24.2%) however in winter is that of family Carabidae with a percentage of 9.1%. Parasitic analysis on the 30 balls of this species has revealed the existence of three endoparasites, Isospora Sp. (Protozoa-Coccidae), Eimeria Sp. (Protozoa-Coccidae) and Nematoda Sp. IND. (Metazoa - Nemathelmintes).

Keywords: big raven Corvus corax tingitanus, diet, garbage dump, Oum El Bouaghi, parasites

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Authors: Mehak Munjal, Raj Kishore Sharma, Gurmeet Singh

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Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) are an alternative sustainable approach that utilize bacteria present in waste water as a bio-catalyst for the production of energy. It is a promising growing technology with minimal requirement for chemical supplements. Here electrode material plays a vital role in its performance. The present study represents CoFe2O4 spinel as a novel anode material in the MFC. It not only improve the bacterial metabolics but also enhance the power output. Generally, biocompatible conductive carbon paper/cloth, graphite and stainless steel are utilised as anode in MFCs. However, these materials lack electrochemical activity for anodic microbial reaction. Therefore, we developed CoFe2O4 on graphite sheet which enhanced the anodic charge transfer process. Redox pair in CoFe2O4 helped in improvement of extracellular electron transfer, thereby enhancing the performance. The physical characterizations (FT-IR, XRD, Raman) and electrochemical measurements demonstrate the strong interaction with E.coli bacteria and thus providing an excellent power density i.e. 1850 mW/m2 .The maximum anode half -cell potential is measured to be 0.65V. Therefore, use of noble metal free anodic material further decrease the cost and the long term cell stability makes it an effective material for practical applications.

Keywords: microbial fuel cell, cobalt ferrite, E. coli, bioelectricity

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Authors: Büşra Durmaz, Füsun Curaoğlu

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While technology-oriented developments in the modern world change our perceptions of time and speed, they also force our food consumption patterns, such as getting pleasure from what we eat and eating slowly. The habit of eating quickly and hastily causes not only the feeling of not understanding the taste of the food eaten but also the inability to postpone the feeling of satiety and, therefore, many health problems. In this context, especially in the last ten years, in the field of industrial design, food manufacturers for healthy living and consumption have been collaborating with industrial designers on food design. The consumers of the new century, who are in an uncontrolled time intensity, receive support from small snacks as a source of happiness and pleasure in the little time intervals they can spare. At this point, especially chocolate has been a source of happiness for its consumers as a source of both happiness and pleasure for hundreds of years. However, when the portions have eaten cannot be controlled, a pleasure food such as chocolate can cause both health problems and many emotional problems, especially the feeling of guilt. Fast food, which is called food that is prepared and consumed quickly, has been increasing rapidly around the world in recent years. This study covers the process and results of a chocolate design based on the user experience of a university-industry cooperation project carried out within the scope of Eskişehir Technical University graduation projects. The aim of the project is a creative product design that will enable the user to experience chocolate consumption with a healthy eating approach. For this, while concepts such as pleasure, satiety, and taste are discussed; A survey with 151 people and semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 7 people during the experience design process within the scope of the user-oriented design approach, mainly literature review, within the scope of main topics such as mouth anatomy, tongue structure, taste, the functions of the eating action in the brain, hormones and chocolate, video A case study based on the research paradigm of Qualitative Research was structured within the scope of different research processes such as analysis and project diaries. As a result of the research, it has been reached that the melting in the mouth is the preferred experience of the users in order to spread the experience of eating chocolate for a long time based on pleasure while eating chocolate with healthy portions. In this context, researches about the production of sketches, mock-ups and prototypes of the product are included in the study. As a result, a product packaging design has been made that supports the active role of the senses such as sight, smell and hearing, where consumption begins, in order to consume chocolate by melting and to actively secrete the most important stimulus salivary glands in order to provide a healthy and long-term pleasure-based consumption.

Keywords: chocolate, eating habit, pleasure, saturation, sense of taste

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Authors: Miroslava Rysová, Zdena Syrová, Tomáš Zajíc, Petr Exnar

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Currently, attention of tissue engineers has been attracted to novel nanofibrous materials having advanced properties and ability to mimic extracellular matrix (ECM) by structure which makes them interesting candidates for application in regenerative medicine as scaffolding and/or drug delivering material. Throughout the last decade, more than 200 synthetic and natural polymers have been successfully electrospun leading to the formation of nanofibres with a wide range of chemical, mechanical and degradation properties. In this family, inorganic nanofibres represent very specific group offering an opportunity to manufacture inert to body, well degradable and in properties tunable material. Aim of this work, was to reveal unique properties of silica (SiO2, CAS 7631-86-9) nanofibres and their potential in field of regenerative medicine. Silica nanofibres were prepared by sol-gel method from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, CAS 78-10-4) as a precursor and subsequently manufactured by needleless electrospinning on NanospiderTM device. Silica nanofibres thermally stabilized under 200°C were confirmed to be fully biodegradable and soluble in several simulated body fluids. In vitro cytotoxicity tests of eluate (ES ISO 10993-5:1999) and in direct contact (ES ISO 10993-5:2009) showed no toxicity - e.g. cell viabilities reached values exceeding 80%. Those results were obtained equally from two different cell lines (Vero, 3T3). Non-toxicity of silaca nanofibres´ eluate was additionally confirmed in real time by testing on xCelligence (ACEA Biosciences, Inc.) device. Both cell types also showed good adhesion to material. To conclude, all mentioned results lead to resumption that silica nanofibres have a potential as material for regenerative medicine which opens door to further research.

Keywords: cytotoxicity, electrospinning, nanofibres, silica, tissue engineering

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Authors: Rishindra M. Sarviya, Ashish Agrawal

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Solar energy is available abundantly in the world, but it is not continuous and its intensity also varies with time. Due to above reason the acceptability and reliability of solar based thermal system is lower than conventional systems. A properly designed heat storage system increases the reliability of solar thermal systems by bridging the gap between the energy demand and availability. In the present work, two dimensional numerical simulation of the melting of heat storage material is presented in the horizontal annulus of double pipe latent heat storage system. Longitudinal fins were used as a thermal conductivity enhancement. Paraffin wax was used as a heat-storage or phase change material (PCM). Constant wall temperature is applied to heat transfer tube. Presented two-dimensional numerical analysis shows the movement of melting front in the finned cylindrical annulus for analyzing the thermal behavior of the system during melting.

Keywords: latent heat, numerical study, phase change material, solar energy

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Authors: Gloria Inés Martínez Domínguez, Lina María Martínez Sánchez, María de los Ángeles Rodríguez Gázquez, Juan Guillermo Jiménez Jiménez, Johan Sebastián Lopera Valle, Natalia Vargas Grisales, Sara Rojas Jiménez, Alejandra Uribe Ocampo, Sara Correa Pérez, Natalia Perilla Hernández, Juan Sebastián Marín Cárdenas

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The relationship between diet and chronic or degenerative diseases has led to the development of functional foods such as nutraceuticals. Objective: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of consumption of nutraceuticals in undergraduate students. Methodology: Cross-sectional study. It was a simple random sampling with the Statcalc EpiInfo software vr 6.04. It was designed an instrument for collection of demographic data and consumption of nutraceuticals. Statistical analysis used the SPSS program. Results: 427 students, average age 20.8 years (SD 3.1), 56.1% were women. The life prevalence of nutraceuticals consumption was 66.3% and the annual 51.8%. The main reasons for consumption were as food complement 32.8% and prevent diseases 20.1%. Conclusion: The high prevalence of nutraceuticals observed is comparable to that reported in the literature, which suggests an increasing trend in the habit of consumption of dietary supplement which have a preventive or protective effect on health.

Keywords: dietary supplements, food, health, functional food, Colombia

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Authors: Jitka Hroudova, Jiri Zach

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The majority of contemporary insulation materials commonly used in the building industry is made from non-renewable raw materials; furthermore, their production often brings high energy costs. A long-term trend as far as sustainable development is concerned has been the reduction of energy and material demands of building material production. One of the solutions is the possibility of using easily renewable natural raw material sources which are considerably more ecological and their production is mostly less energy-consuming compared to the production of normal insulations (mineral wool, polystyrene). The paper describes the results of research focused on the development of thermal and acoustic insulation materials based on natural fibres intended for floor constructions. Given the characteristic open porosity of natural fibre materials, the hygrothermal behaviour of the developed materials was studied. Especially the influence of relative humidity and temperature on thermal insulation properties was observed.

Keywords: Green thermal and acoustic insulating materials, natural fibres, technical hemp, flax, floor construction

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Authors: Luis Marquez, Ge Zhu, Vikas Srivastava

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High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is one of the most commonly used thermoplastic polymer materials for water and gas pipelines. Slow crack growth failure is a well-known phenomenon in high-density polyethylene material and causes brittle failure well below the yield point with no obvious sign. The failure of transportation pipelines can cause catastrophic environmental and economic consequences. Using the non-destructive testing method to predict slow crack growth failure behavior is the primary preventative measurement employed by the pipeline industry but is often costly and time-consuming. Phenomenological slow crack growth models are useful to predict the slow crack growth behavior in the polymer material due to their ability to evaluate slow crack growth under different temperature and loading conditions. We developed a quantitative method to assess the slow crack growth behavior in the high-density polyethylene pipeline material under different thermal conditions based on existing physics-based phenomenological models. We are also working on developing an experimental protocol and quantitative model that can address slow crack growth behavior under different chemical exposure conditions to improve the safety, reliability, and resilience of HDPE-based pipeline infrastructure.

Keywords: mechanics of materials, physics-based modeling, civil engineering, fracture mechanics

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Authors: Manuela Amorim, Cláudia S. Marques, Maria Conceição Calhau, Hélder J. Pinheiro, Maria Manuela Pintado

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Recently it has been recognized peptides from different food sources with biological activities. However, no relevant study has proven the potential of brewer yeast peptides in the modulation of gut microbiota. The importance of human intestinal microbiota in maintaining host health is well known. Probiotics, prebiotics and the combination of these two components, can contribute to support an adequate balance of the bacterial population in the human large intestine. The survival of many bacterial species inhabiting the large bowel depends essentially on the substrates made available to them, most of which come directly from the diet. Some of these substrates can be selectively considered as prebiotics, which are food ingredients that can stimulate beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacilli or Bifidobacteria growth in the colon. Moreover, conventional food can be used as vehicle to intake bioactive compounds that provide those health benefits and increase people well-being. In this way, the main objective of this work was to study the potential prebiotic activity of brewer yeast peptide extract (BYP) obtained via hydrolysis of yeast proteins by cardosins present in Cynara cardunculus extract for possible use as a functional ingredient. To evaluate the effect of BYP on the modulation of gut microbiota in diet-induced obesity model, Wistar rats were fed either with a standard or a high-fat diet. Quantified via 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) expression by quantitative PCR (qPCR), genera of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp.) and three main phyla (Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria) were assessed. Results showed relative abundance of Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp. and Bacteroidetes was significantly increased (P < 0.05) by BYP. Consequently, the potential health-promoting effects of WPE through modulation of gut microbiota were demonstrated in vivo. Altogether, these findings highlight the possible intervention of BYP as gut microbiota enhancer, promoting healthy life style, and the incorporation in new food products, leads them bringing associated benefits endorsing a new trend in the improvement of new value-added food products.

Keywords: functional ingredients, gut microbiota, prebiotics, brewer yeast peptide extract

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Authors: Rachid El Aidani, Phuong Nguyen-Tri, Toan Vu-Khanh

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The filter media in synthetic fibre is the most geotextile materials used in aerosol and drainage filtration, particularly for buildings soil reinforcement in civil engineering due to its appropriated properties and its low cost. However, the current understanding of the durability and stability of this material in real service conditions, especially under severe long-term conditions are completely limited. This study has examined the effects of the chemical aging of a filter media in polyester non-woven under different temperatures (50, 70 and 80˚C) and pH (2. 7 and 12). The effect of aging conditions on mechanical properties, morphology, permeability, thermal stability and molar weigh changes is investigated. The results showed a significant reduction of mechanical properties in term of tensile strength, puncture force and tearing forces of the filter media after chemical aging due to the chemical degradation. The molar mass and mechanical properties changes in different temperature and pH showed a complex dependence of material properties on environmental conditions. The SEM and AFM characterizations showed a significant impact of the thermal aging on the morphological properties of the fibers. Based on the obtained results, the lifetime of the material in different temperatures was determined by the use of the Arrhenius model. These results provide useful information to better understand phenomena occurring during chemical aging of the filter media and may help to predict the service lifetime of this material in real used conditions.

Keywords: nonwoven membrane, chemical aging, mechanical properties, lifetime, filter media

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Authors: Kunwar Paritosh, Sanjay Mathur, Monika Yadav, Paras Gandhi, Subodh Kumar, Nidhi Pareek, Vivekanand Vivekanand

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A significant fraction of energy is wasted every year managing the biodegradable organic waste inadequately as development and sustainability are the inherent enemies. The management of these waste is indispensable to boost its optimum utilization by converting it to renewable energy resource (here biogas) through anaerobic digestion and to mitigate greenhouse gas emission. Food and yard wastes may prove to be appropriate and potential feedstocks for anaerobic co-digestion for biogas production. The present study has been performed to explore the synergistic effect of co-digesting food waste and yard trimmings from MNIT campus for enhanced biogas production in different ratios in batch tests (37±10C, 90 rpm, 45 days). The results were overwhelming and showed that blending two different organic waste in proper ratio improved the biogas generation considerably, with the highest biogas yield (2044±24 mLg-1VS) that was achieved at 75:25 of food waste to yard waste ratio on volatile solids (VS) basis. The yield was 1.7 and 2.2 folds higher than the mono-digestion of food or yard waste (1172±34, 1016±36mLg-1VS) respectively. The increase in biogas production may be credited to optimum C/N ratio resulting in higher yield. Also Adding TiO2 nanoparticles showed virtually no effect on biogas production as sometimes nanoparticles enhance biogas production. ICP-MS, FTIR analysis was carried out to gain an insight of feedstocks. Modified Gompertz and logistics models were applied for the kinetic study of biogas production where modified Gompertz model showed goodness-of-fit (R2=0.9978) with the experimental results.

Keywords: anaerobic co-digestion, biogas, kinetics, nanoparticle, organic waste

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Authors: Orestis Κ. Efthymiou, Stavros T. Ponis

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In the last decade, a new industrial revolution seems to be emerging, supported -once again- by the rapid advancements of Information Technology in the areas of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication permitting large numbers of intelligent devices, e.g. sensors to communicate with each other and take decisions without any or minimum indirect human intervention. The advent of these technologies have triggered the emergence of a new category of hybrid (cyber-physical) manufacturing systems, combining advanced manufacturing techniques with innovative M2M applications based on the Internet of Things (IoT), under the umbrella term Industry 4.0. Even though the topic of Industry 4.0 has attracted much attention during the last few years, the attempts of providing a systematic literature review of the subject are scarce. In this paper, we present the authors’ initial study of the field with a special focus on the use and applications of Industry 4.0 principles in material handling automations and in-house logistics. Research shows that despite the vivid discussion and attractiveness of the subject, there are still many challenges and issues that have to be addressed before Industry 4.0 becomes standardized and widely applicable.

Keywords: Industry 4.0, internet of things, manufacturing systems, material handling, logistics

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Authors: Martin Cermak, Tomas Karasek, Jaroslav Rojicek

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The key role in phenomenological modelling of cyclic plasticity is good understanding of stress-strain behaviour of given material. There are many models describing behaviour of materials using numerous parameters and constants. Combination of individual parameters in those material models significantly determines whether observed and predicted results are in compliance. Parameter identification techniques such as random gradient, genetic algorithm, and sensitivity analysis are used for identification of parameters using numerical modelling and simulation. In this paper genetic algorithm and sensitivity analysis are used to study effect of 4 parameters of modified AbdelKarim-Ohno cyclic plasticity model. Results predicted by Finite Element (FE) simulation are compared with experimental data from biaxial ratcheting test with semi-elliptical loading path.

Keywords: genetic algorithm, sensitivity analysis, inverse approach, finite element method, cyclic plasticity, ratcheting

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Authors: Laura Rodríguez Amaya

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The impact of natural disasters on food security can be devastating, especially in rural settings where livelihoods are closely tied to their productive assets. In hazards studies, absorptive capacity is seen as a threshold that impacts the degree of people’s recovery after a natural disaster. Increasing our understanding of households’ capacity to absorb natural disaster shocks can provide the international community with viable measurements for assessing at-risk communities’ resilience to food insecurities. The purpose of this study is to identify the most important factors in determining a household’s capacity to absorb the impact of a natural disaster. This is an empirical study conducted in six communities in Costa Rica affected by earthquakes. The Earthquake Impact Index was developed for the selection of the communities in this study. The households coded as total loss in the selected communities constituted the sampling frame from which the sample population was drawn. Because of the study area geographically dispersion over a large surface, the stratified clustered sampling hybrid technique was selected. Of the 302 households identified as total loss in the six communities, a total of 126 households were surveyed, constituting 42 percent of the sampling frame. A list of indicators compiled based on theoretical and exploratory grounds for the absorptive capacity construct served to guide the survey development. These indicators were included in the following variables: (1) use of informal safety nets, (2) Coping Strategy, (3) Physical Connectivity, and (4) Infrastructure Damage. A multivariate data analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results show that informal safety nets such as family and friends assistance exerted the greatest influence on the ability of households to absorb the impact of earthquakes. In conclusion, communities that experienced the highest environmental impact and human loss got disconnected from the social networks needed to absorb the shock’s impact. This resulted in higher levels of household food insecurity.

Keywords: absorptive capacity, earthquake, food security, rural

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Authors: B.Benalioua, I.Benyamina, A.Bentouami, B.Boury

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The objective of this study is based on the synthesis of a new photocatalyst based on TiO2 and its application in the photo-degradation of an acid dye under the visible light. The material obtained was characterized by different techniques like diffuse reflectance UV–Vis spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic efficiency of the Bi, Zn co-doped TiO2 treated at 670°C for 2 h was tested on the Indigo Carmine under the irradiation of visible light and compared with that of the commercial titanium oxide TiO2-P25 (Degussa). The XRD characterization of the material Bi-Zn-TiO2 (670°C) revealed the presence of the anatase phase and the absence of the rutile phase in comparison of the TiO2 P25 diffractogram. Characterization by UV- visible diffuse reflection (DRS) material showed that the Bi-Zn-TiO2 exhibits redshift (move visible) relative to commercial titanium oxide TiO2-P25, this property promises a photocatalytic activity of Bi-Zn-TiO2 under visible light. Indeed, the efficiency of photocatalytic Bi-Zn-TiO2 as a visible light is shown by a complete discoloration of indigo carmine solution of 16 mg/L after 70 minutes, whereas with the P25-TiO2 discoloration is achieved after 120 minutes.

Keywords: POA, heterogeneous photocatalysis, TiO2, co-doping

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Authors: B. Benalioua, I. Benyamina, A. Bentouami, B. Boury

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The objective of this study is based on the synthesis of a new photocatalyst based on TiO2 and its application in the photo-degradation of an acid dye under the visible light. The material obtained was characterized by different techniques like diffuse reflectance UV–Vis spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic efficiency of the S, N co-doped TiO2 treated at 600°C for 1 h was tested on the Indigo Carmine under the irradiation of visible light and compared with that of the commercial titanium oxide TiO2-P25 (Degussa). The XRD characterization of the material S-N-TiO2 (600°C) revealed the presence of the anatase phase and the absence of the rutile phase in comparison of the TiO2 P25 diffractogram. Characterization by UV- visible diffuse reflection (DRS) material showed that the S-N-TiO2 exhibits redshift (move visible) relative to commercial titanium oxide TiO2-P25, this property promises a photocatalytic activity of S-N-TiO2 under visible light. Indeed, the efficiency of photocatalytic S-N-TiO2 as a visible light is shown by a complete discoloration of indigo carmine solution of 16 mg/L after 40 minutes, whereas with the P25-TiO2 discoloration is achieved after 90 minutes.

Keywords: POA, heterogeneous photocatalysis, TiO2, co-doping

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Authors: Md. Samsuzzaman, M. T. Islam, J. S. Mandeep, N. Misran

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In this article, a compact simple structure modified Swastika shape patch multiband antenna on a substrate of available low cost polymer resin composite material is designed for Wi-Fi and WiMAX applications. The substrate material consists of an epoxy matrix reinforced by woven glass. The designed micro-strip line fed compact antenna comprises of a planar wide square slot ground with four slits and Swastika shape radiation patch with a rectangular slot. The effect of the different substrate materials on the reflection coefficients of the proposed antennas was also analyzed. It can be clearly seen that the proposed antenna provides a wider bandwidth and acceptable return loss value compared to other reported materials. The simulation results exhibits that the antenna has an impedance bandwidth with -10 dB return loss at 3.01-3.89 GHz and 4.88-6.10 GHz which can cover both the WLAN, WiMAX and public safety WLAN bands. The proposed swastika shape antenna was designed and analyzed by using a finite element method based simulator HFSS and designed on a low cost FR4 (polymer resin composite material) printed circuit board. The electrical performances and superior frequency characteristics make the proposed material antenna desirable for wireless communications.

Keywords: epoxy resin polymer, multiband, swastika shaped, wide slot, WLAN/WiMAX

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Authors: Mahshid Asadollahi, Mohammad Akbari Asl

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The restaurant industry is highly competitive, and restaurants are constantly looking for ways to attract new customers and retain their existing ones. Nonverbal communication is an important factor in creating a positive customer experience and can play a significant role in attracting customers to restaurants. Nonverbal communication can include body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and physical proximity, among other things. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of nonverbal communication between restaurant employees and customers on attracting customers in food courts in Tehran. The research method was descriptive-correlational, and the statistical population of this study included all customers of food court restaurants in Tehran, which was about 30 restaurants. The research sample was selected through probability sampling, and 440 customers completed emotional response, customer satisfaction, and nonverbal communication questionnaires in person. The data obtained were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The results showed that vocal language, employee proximity, physical appearance, and speech movements, as components of nonverbal communication of restaurant employees, had an impact on attracting customers. Additionally, positive and negative emotions of customers have a significant relationship with customer attraction in Food Court restaurants. The study shows that various nonverbal communication factors can play a significant role in attracting customers, and that positive and negative customer emotions can affect customer satisfaction. Therefore, restaurant owners and managers should pay attention to nonverbal communication and train their employees accordingly to create a positive and welcoming atmosphere for customers.

Keywords: verbal language, proximity of employees, physical appearance, speech gestures, nonverbal communication, customer emotions, customer attraction

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Authors: Phenias Nsabimana, Jérôme W. Some, Hilda Vasanthakaalam, Stefaan De Henauw, Souheila Abbeddou

Abstract:

Tools for the dietary assessment in adults are limited in low- and middle-income settings. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) against the multiple pass-24 h recall tool for use in urban and rural Rwanda. A total of 212 adults (154 females and 58 males), 18-49 aged, including 105 urban and 107 rural residents, from the four regions of Rwanda, were recruited in the present study. A multiple-pass 24- H recall technique was used to collect dietary data in both urban and rural areas in four different rounds, on different days (one weekday and one weekend day), separated by a period of three months, from November 2020 to October 2021. The details of all the foods and beverages consumed over the 24h period of the day prior to the interview day were collected during face-to-face interviews. A list of foods, beverages, and commonly consumed recipes was developed by the study researchers and ten research assistants from the different regions of Rwanda. Non-standard recipes were collected when the information was available. A single semi-quantitative FFQ was also developed in the same group discussion prior to the beginning of the data collection. The FFQ was collected at the beginning and the end of the data collection period. Data were collected digitally. The amount of energy and macro-nutrients contributed by each food, recipe, and beverage will be computed based on nutrient composition reported in food composition tables and weight consumed. Median energy and nutrient contents of different food intakes from FFQ and 24-hour recalls and median differences (24-hour recall –FFQ) will be calculated. Kappa, Spearman, Wilcoxon, and Bland-Altman plot statistics will be conducted to evaluate the correlation between estimated nutrient and energy intake found by the two methods. Differences will be tested for their significance and all analyses will be done with STATA 11. Data collection was completed in November 2021. Data cleaning is ongoing and the data analysis is expected to be completed by July 2022. A developed and validated semi-quantitative FFQ will be available for use in dietary assessment. The developed FFQ will help researchers to collect reliable data that will support policy makers to plan for proper dietary change intervention in Rwanda.

Keywords: food frequency questionnaire, reproducibility, 24-H recall questionnaire, validation

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Authors: Timilehin Martins Oyinloye, Won Byong Yoon

Abstract:

Simulation technology is being adopted in many industries, with research focusing on the development of new ways in which technology becomes embedded within production, services, and society in general. 3D printing (3DP) technology is fast developing in the food industry. However, the limited processability of high-performance material restricts the robustness of the process in some cases. Significantly, the printability of materials becomes the foundation for extrusion-based 3DP, with residual stress being a major challenge in the printing of complex geometry. In many situations, the trial-a-error method is being used to determine the optimum printing condition, which results in time and resource wastage. In this report, the analysis of 3 moisture levels for surimi paste was investigated for an optimum 3DP material and printing conditions by probing its rheology, flow characteristics in the nozzle, and post-deposition process using the finite element method (FEM) model. Rheological tests revealed that surimi pastes with 82% moisture are suitable for 3DP. According to the FEM model, decreasing the nozzle diameter from 1.2 mm to 0.6 mm, increased the die swell from 9.8% to 14.1%. The die swell ratio increased due to an increase in the pressure gradient (1.15107 Pa to 7.80107 Pa) at the nozzle exit. The nozzle diameter influenced the fluid properties, i.e., the shear rate, velocity, and pressure in the flow field, as well as the residual stress and the deformation of the printed sample, according to FEM simulation. The post-printing stability of the model was investigated using the additive layer manufacturing (ALM) model. The ALM simulation revealed that the residual stress and total deformation of the sample were dependent on the nozzle diameter. A small nozzle diameter (0.6 mm) resulted in a greater total deformation (0.023), particularly at the top part of the model, which eventually resulted in the sample collapsing. As the nozzle diameter increased, the accuracy of the model improved until the optimum nozzle size (1.0 mm). Validation with 3D-printed surimi products confirmed that the nozzle diameter was a key parameter affecting the geometry accuracy of 3DP of surimi paste.

Keywords: 3D printing, deformation analysis, die swell, numerical simulation, surimi paste

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Authors: Peter Križan, Juraj Beniak, Ľubomír Šooš, Miloš Matúš

Abstract:

Biomass treatment through densification is very suitable and important technology before its effective energy recovery. Densification process of biomass is significantly influenced by various technological and also material parameters which are ultimately reflected on the final solid Biofuels quality. The paper deals with the experimental research of the relationship between technological and material parameters during densification of fast-growing trees, roundly fast-rowing willow. The main goal of presented experimental research is to determine the relationship between pressing pressure raw material fraction size from a final briquettes density point of view. Experimental research was realized by single-axis densification. The impact of fraction size with interaction of pressing pressure and stabilization time on the quality properties of briquettes was determined. These parameters interaction affects the final solid biofuels (briquettes) quality. From briquettes production point of view and also from densification machines constructions point of view is very important to know about mutual interaction of these parameters on final briquettes quality. The experimental findings presented here are showing the importance of mentioned parameters during the densification process.

Keywords: briquettes density, densification, fraction size, pressing pressure, stabilization time

Procedia PDF Downloads 366

Authors: Marian Agbugui

Abstract:

The West African Lung fishes are fishes rich in protein and serve as an important source of food supply for man. The kind of food ingested by this group of fishes is dependent on the alimentary canal as well as the fish’s digestive processes which provide suitable modifications for maximum utilization of food taken. A study of the alimentary canal of P. annectens will expose the best information on the anatomy and histology of the fish. Samples of P. annectens were dissected to reveal the liver, pancreas and entire gut wall. Digital pictures of the mouth, jaws and the Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) were taken. The entire gut was identified, sectioned and micro graphed. P. annectens was observed to possess a terminal mouth that opens up to 10% of its total body length, an adaptive feature to enable the fish to swallow the whole of its pry. Its dentition is made up of incisors- scissor-like teeth which also help to firmly grip, seize and tear through the skin of prey before swallowing. A short, straight and longitudinal GIT was observed in P. annectens which is known to be common feature in lungfishes, though it is thought to be a primitive characteristic similar to the lamprey. The oesophagus is short and distensible similar to other predatory and carnivorous species. Food is temporarily stored in the stomach before it is passed down into the intestine. A pyloric aperture is seen at the end of the double folded pyloric valve which leads into an intestine that makes up 75% of the whole GIT. The intestine begins at the posterior end of the pyloric aperture and winds down in six coils through the whole length intestine and ends at the cloaca. From this study it is concluded that P. annectens possess a composite GIT with organs similar to other lung fishes; it is a detritor with carnivorous abilities.

Keywords: gastrointestinal tract, incisors scissor-like teeth, intestine, mucus, Protopterus annectens, serosa

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Authors: Ritula Thakur, Babankumar S. Bansod, Puneet Mehta, S. Chatterji

Abstract:

Moisture plays an important role in storage, harvesting and processing of food grains and related agricultural products. It is an important characteristic of most agricultural products for maintenance of quality. Accurate knowledge of the moisture content can be of significant value in maintaining quality and preventing contamination of cereal grains. The present work reports the design and development of microcontroller based low cost non-destructive moisture meter, which uses complex impedance measurement method for moisture measurement of wheat using parallel plate capacitor arrangement. Moisture can conveniently be sensed by measuring the complex impedance using a small parallel-plate capacitor sensor filled with the kernels in-between the two plates of sensor, exciting the sensor at 30 KHz and 100 KHz frequencies. The effects of density and temperature variations were compensated by providing suitable compensations in the developed algorithm. The results were compared with standard dry oven technique and the developed method was found to be highly accurate with less than 1% error. The developed moisture meter is low cost, highly accurate, non-destructible method for determining the moisture of grains utilizing the fast computing capabilities of microcontroller.

Keywords: complex impedance, moisture content, electrical properties, safety of food

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Authors: Shivdayal Patel, Suhail Ahmad

Abstract:

Safety assurance and failure prediction of composite material component of an offshore structure due to low velocity impact is essential for associated risk assessment. It is important to incorporate uncertainties associated with material properties and load due to an impact. Likelihood of this hazard causing a chain of failure events plays an important role in risk assessment. The material properties of composites mostly exhibit a scatter due to their in-homogeneity and anisotropic characteristics, brittleness of the matrix and fiber and manufacturing defects. In fact, the probability of occurrence of such a scenario is due to large uncertainties arising in the system. Probabilistic finite element analysis of composite plates due to low-velocity impact is carried out considering uncertainties of material properties and initial impact velocity. Impact-induced damage of composite plate is a probabilistic phenomenon due to a wide range of uncertainties arising in material and loading behavior. A typical failure crack initiates and propagates further into the interface causing de-lamination between dissimilar plies. Since individual crack in the ply is difficult to track. The progressive damage model is implemented in the FE code by a user-defined material subroutine (VUMAT) to overcome these problems. The limit state function is accordingly established while the stresses in the lamina are such that the limit state function (g(x)>0). The Gaussian process response surface method is presently adopted to determine the probability of failure. A comparative study is also carried out for different combination of impactor masses and velocities. The sensitivity based probabilistic design optimization procedure is investigated to achieve better strength and lighter weight of composite structures. Chain of failure events due to different modes of failure is considered to estimate the consequences of failure scenario. Frequencies of occurrence of specific impact hazards yield the expected risk due to economic loss.

Keywords: composites, damage propagation, low velocity impact, probability of failure, uncertainty modeling

Procedia PDF Downloads 277