Search results for: structure guided saturation mutagenesis

Authors: Ramazan Livaoğlu, Tufan Çakır

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The performance of rectangular tanks during earthquakes has been observed to depend significantly on the existence of water in the container and the presence of the backfill acting on tank wall. Therefore, in design of rectangular tanks, the topics of fluid-structure-backfill interactions and determination of modal characteristics of the interaction system have traditionally been one of the great theoretical and practical controversy. Although finite element method has been and will continue to be used to a significant extent in treating the response of the system, experimental verification of numerical models remains prerequisite for their adoption and reliable application in practice. Thus, in this study, the numerical and experimental investigations were performed on the backfill-exterior wall-fluid interaction system. Firstly, three dimensional finite element model (3D-FEM) was developed to acquire modal frequencies and mode shapes of the system by means of ANSYS. Secondly, a series of in-situ tests were fulfilled to define modal characteristics of same system to determine the applicability of the FEM to a real physical situation under field conditions. Finally, comparing the theoretical predictions from the model to results from experimental measurement, a close agreement was found between theory and experiment. Thus, it can be easily stated that experimental verification provides strong support for the use of proposed model in further investigations.

Keywords: fluid-structure interaction, modal analysis, rectangular tank, soil structure interaction

Procedia PDF Downloads 394

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

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

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

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Authors: H. Ben Khlifa, W. Cheikhrouhou, R. M'nassri

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The Orthorhombic Pr0.8Na0.2MnO3 ceramic was prepared in Polycrystalline form by a Pechini sol–gel method and its structural, magnetic, electrical, and dielectric properties were investigated experimentally. A structural study confirms that the sample is a single phase. Magnetic measurements show that the sample is a charge ordered Manganite. The sample undergoes two successive magnetic phase transitions with the variation of temperature: a charge ordering transition occurred at TCO = 212 K followed by a Paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FM) transition around TC = 115 K. From an electrical point of view, a saturation region was marked in the conductivity as a function of Temperature s(T) curves at a specific temperature. The dc-conductivity (sdc) reaches a maximum value at 240 K. The obtained results are in good agreement with the temperature dependence of the average normalized change (ANC). We found that the conduction mechanism was governed by small polaron hopping (SPH) in the high-temperature region and by variable range hopping (VRH) in the low-temperature region. Complex impedance analysis indicates the presence of a non-Debye relaxation phenomenon in the system. Also, the compound was modeled by an electrical equivalent circuit. Then, the contribution of the grain boundary in the transport properties was confirmed.

Keywords: manganites, preparation methods, magnetization, magnetocaloric effect, electrical and dielectric

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Authors: Isabela S. Gonçalves, Vitor G. P. Lima, Tiago M. B. Campos, Marcos Jacobovitz, Luana M. R. Vasconcellos, Ivone R. Oliveira

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Periodontitis is an infectious disease of multifactorial origin, which originates from a periodontogenic bacterial biofilm that colonizes the surfaces of the teeth, resulting in an inflammatory reaction to microbial aggression. In the absence of adequate treatment, it can lead to the gradual destruction of the periodontal ligaments, cementum and alveolar bone. In guided tissue/bone regeneration therapy (GTR/GBR), a barrier membrane is placed between the fibrous tissues and the bone defect to prevent unwanted incursions of fibrous tissues into the bone defect, thus allowing the regeneration of quality bone. Currently, there are a significant number of biodegradable barrier membranes available on the market. However, a very common problem is that the membranes are not bioactive/osteogenic, that is, they are incapable of inducing a favorable osteogenic response and integration with the host tissue, resulting in many cases in displacement/expulsion of the membrane, requiring a new surgical procedure and replacement of the implant. Aiming to improve the bioactive and osteogenic properties of the membrane, this work evaluated the production of membranes that integrate the biocompatibility of the hydrophilic synthetic polymer (polyvinyl alcohol - PVA) with the osteogenic effects of chlorinated bioactive glasses (BG58S-Cl), using the electrospinning equipment (AeroSpinner L1.0 from Areka) which allows the execution of spinning by high voltage and/or blowing in solution and with a high production rate, enabling development on an industrial scale. In the formulation of bioactive glasses, the replacement of nitrates by chlorinated molecules has shown to be a promising alternative, since the chloride ion is naturally present in the body and, with its presence in the bioactive glass, the biocompatibility of the material increases. Thus, in this work, chlorinated bioactive glasses were synthesized by the sol-gel route using the compounds tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), calcium chloride dihydrate and monobasic ammonium phosphate with pH adjustments with 37% HCl (1.5 or 2.5) and different calcination temperatures (500, 600 and 700 °C) were evaluated. The BG-58S-Cl powders obtained were characterized by pH, conductivity and zeta potential x time curves and by SEM/FEG, FTIR-ATR and Raman tests. The material produced under the selected conditions was evaluated in relation to the milling procedure, obtaining particles suitable for incorporation into PVA polymer solutions to be electrospun (D50 = 22 µm). Membranes were produced and evaluated regarding the influence of the crosslinking agent content as well as the crosslinking treatment temperature (3, 5 and 10 wt% citric acid) and (130 or 175 oC) and were characterized by SEM/FEG, FTIR, TG and DSC. From the optimization of the crosslinking conditions, membranes were prepared by adding BG58S-Cl powder (5 and 10 wt%) to the PVA solutions and were characterized by SEM-FEG, DSC, bioactivity in SBF and behavior in cell culture (cell viability, total protein content, alkaline phosphatase, mineralization nodules). The micrographs showed homogeneity of the distribution of BG58S-Cl particles throughout the sample, favoring cell differentiation.

Keywords: barrier membranes, chlorinated bioactive glasses, polyvinyl alcohol, tissue regeneration.

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Authors: Retno Ambarwati Sigit Lestari, Wahyudi Budi Sediawan, Sarto Sarto

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This study focused on the removal of sulfide from liquid solution using biofilm on packed bed of salak fruit seeds. Biofilter operation of 444 hours consists of 6 phases of operation. Each phase lasted for approximately 72 hours to 82 hours and run at various inlet concentration and flow rate. The highest removal efficiency is 92.01%, at the end of phase 7 at the inlet concentration of 60 ppm and the flow rate of 30 mL min-1. Mathematic model of sulfide removal was proposed to describe the operation of biofilter. The model proposed can be applied to describe the removal of sulfide liquid using biofilter in packed bed. The simulation results the value of the parameters in process. The value of the rate maximum spesific growth is 4.15E-8 s-1, Saturation constant is 9.1E-8 g cm-3, mass transfer coefisient of liquid is 0.5 cm s-1, Henry’s constant is 0.007, and mass of microorganisms growth to mass of sulfide comsumed is 30. The value of the rate maximum spesific growth in early process is 0.00000004 s-1.

Keywords: biofilm, packed bed, removal, sulfide, salak fruit seeds.

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Authors: Rutuja Upadhyay, Anurag Mehra

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Solid food foams/cellular foods are colloidal systems which impart structure, texture and mouthfeel to many food products such as bread, cakes, ice-cream, meringues, etc. Their heterogeneous morphology makes the quantification of structure/mechanical relationships complex. The porous structure of solid food foams is highly influenced by the processing conditions, ingredient composition, and their interactions. Sensory perceptions of food foams are dependent on bubble size, shape, orientation, quantity and distribution and determines the texture of foamed foods. The state and structure of the solid matrix control the deformation behavior of the food, such as elasticity/plasticity or fracture, which in turn has an effect on the force-deformation curves. The obvious step in obtaining the relationship between the mechanical properties and the porous structure is to quantify them simultaneously. Here, we attempt to research food foams such as bread dough, baked bread and steamed rice cakes to determine the link between ingredients and the corresponding effect of each of them on the rheology, microstructure, bubble size and texture of the final product. Dynamic rheometry (SAOS), confocal laser scanning microscopy, flatbed scanning, image analysis and texture profile analysis (TPA) has been used to characterize the foods studied. In all the above systems, there was a common observation that when the mean bubble diameter is smaller, the product becomes harder as evidenced by the increase in storage and loss modulus (G′, G″), whereas when the mean bubble diameter is large the product is softer with decrease in moduli values (G′, G″). Also, the bubble size distribution affects texture of foods. It was found that bread doughs with hydrocolloids (xanthan gum, alginate) aid a more uniform bubble size distribution. Bread baking experiments were done to study the rheological changes and mechanisms involved in the structural transition of dough to crumb. Steamed rice cakes with xanthan gum (XG) addition at 0.1% concentration resulted in lower hardness with a narrower pore size distribution and larger mean pore diameter. Thus, control of bubble size could be an important parameter defining final food texture.

Keywords: food foams, rheology, microstructure, texture

Procedia PDF Downloads 335

Authors: Fayssal Ynineb, Toufik Hadjersi, Fatsah Moulai, Wafa Achour

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Currently, tremendous attention has been paid to the rational design and synthesis of core/shell heterostructures for high-performance supercapacitors. In this study, the hierarchical NiO/ZnCo₂O₄ Core-Shell Nanorods Arrays were successfully deposited onto ITO substrate via a two-step hydrothermal and electrodeposition methods. The effect of the thin carbon layer between NiO and ZnCo₂O₄ in this multi-scale hierarchical structure was investigated. The selection of this structure was based on: (i) a high specific area of pseudo-capacitive NiO to maximize specific capacitance; (ii) an effective NiO-electrolyte interface to facilitate fast charging/discharging; and (iii) conducting carbon layer between ZnCo₂O₄ and NiO enhance the electric conductivity which reduces energy loss, and the corrosion protection of ZnCo₂O₄ in alkaline electrolyte. The obtained results indicate that hierarchical NiO/ZnCo₂O₄ present a high specific capacitance of 63 mF.cm⁻² at a current density of 0.05 mA.cm⁻² higher than that of pristine NiO and ZnCo₂O₄ of 6 and 3 mF.cm⁻², respectively. The carbon layer improves the electrical conductivity among NiO and ZnCo₂O₄ in the hierarchical NiO/C/ZnCo₂O₄ electrode. As well, the specific capacitance drastically increased to reach 125 mF.cm⁻². Moreover, this multi-scale hierarchical structure exhibits superior cycling stability with ~ 95.7 % capacitance retention after 65k cycles. These results indicate that the NiO/C/ZnCo₂O₄ nanocomposite material is an outstanding electrode material for supercapacitors.

Keywords: NiO/C/ZnCo₂O₄, specific capacitance, hydrothermal, supercapacitors

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Authors: Jinsiang Shaw, Jeng-Jie Huang

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Active vibration control is good for low frequency excitation, with advantages of light weight and adaptability. This paper employs a macro-fiber composite (MFC) actuator for vibration suppression in a cantilevered beam due to its higher output force to reject the disturbance. A notch filter with an adaptive tuning algorithm, the leaky filtered-X least mean square algorithm (leaky FXLMS algorithm), is developed and applied to the system. Experimental results show that the controller and MFC actuator was very effective in attenuating the structural vibration. Furthermore, this notch filter controller was compared with the traditional skyhook controller. It was found that its performance was better, with over 88% vibration suppression near the first resonant frequency of the structure.

Keywords: macro-fiber composite, notch filter, skyhook controller, vibration suppression

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Authors: Juliana V. Pereira, Adriana S. M. Batista, Jefferson P. Nascimento, Clascídia A. Furtado, Luiz O. Faria

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Exposure to ionizing radiation has been found to induce changes in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) homopolymers. The high dose gamma irradiation process induces the formation of C=C and C=O bonds in its [CH₂-CF₂]_n main chain. The irradiation also provokes crosslinking and chain scission. All these radio-induced defects lead to changes in the PVDF crystalline structure. As a consequence, it is common to observe a decrease in the melting temperature (T_M) and melting latent heat (L_M) and some changes in its ferroelectric features. We have investigated the possibility of preparing nanocomposites of PVDF with graphene oxide (GO) through the radio-induction of molecular bonds. In this work, we discuss how the gamma radiation interacts with the nanocomposite crystalline structure.

Keywords: gamma irradiation, graphene oxide, nanocomposites, PVDF

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Authors: M. Kalbac, T. Verhagen, K. Drogowska, J. Vejpravova

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One- and two-dimensional carbon nano structures with sp2 hybridization of carbon atoms (single walled carbon nano tubes and graphene) are promising materials in future electronic and spintronics devices due to specific character of their electronic structure. In this paper, we present a comparative study of graphene and single-wall carbon nano tubes by Raman spectro-microscopy in strong magnetic field. This unique method allows to study changes in electronic band structure of the two types of carbon nano structures induced by a strong magnetic field.

Keywords: carbon nano structures, magnetic field, raman spectroscopy, spectro-microscopy

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Authors: M. H. Al-Mansoori, W. S. Al-Ghaithi, F. N. Hasoon

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In this paper, we experimentally investigate the performance of an efficient high gain triple-pass L-band Erbium-Doped Fiber (EDF) amplifier structure with a single pump source. The amplifier gain and noise figure variation with EDF pump power, input signal power and wavelengths have been investigated. The generated backward Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) noise of the first amplifier stage is suppressed by using a tunable band-pass filter. The amplifier achieves a signal gain of 55 dB with low noise figure of 3.8 dB at -50 dBm input signal power. The amplifier gain shows significant improvement of 12.8 dB compared to amplifier structure without ASE suppression.

Keywords: optical amplifiers, EDFA, L-band, optical networks

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Authors: Yang Geng, Anqi Zhao

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The misreading theory of Harold Bloom provides a new diachronic perspective as an approach to the consistency between rhetoric of digital technology, dynamic movement of digital images and uncertain meaning of text. Reinterpreting the diachroneity of 'intertextuality' in the context of misreading theory extended the range of the 'intermediality' of transmedia to the intense tension between digital images and symbolic images throughout history of images. With the analogy between six categories of revisionary ratios and six steps of digital transformation, digital rhetoric might be illustrated as a linear process reflecting dynamic, intensive relations between digital moving images and original static images. Finally, it was concluded that two-way framework of the rhetoric of transformation of digital images and reversed served as a renarrative structure to revive static images by reconnecting them with digital moving images.

Keywords: rhetoric, digital art, intermediality, misreading theory

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Authors: Anas El Amraoui, Abdelkhalek Cheddadi, Mohammed Touhami Ouazzani

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Laminar natural convection in a cylindrical annular cavity filled with air and provided with two fins is studied numerically using the discretization of the governing equations with the Centered Finite Difference method based on the Alternating Direction Implicit (ADI) scheme. The fins are attached to the inner cylinder of radius r_i (hot wall of temperature T_i). The outer cylinder of radius r_o is maintained at a temperature T_o (T_o < T_i). Two values of the dimensionless thickness of the fins are considered: 0.015 and 0.203. We consider a low fin height equal to 0.078 and medium fin heights equal to 0.093 and 0.203. The position of the fin is 0.82π and the radius ratio is equal to 2. The effect of Rayleigh number, Ra, on the flow structure and heat transfer is analyzed for a range of Ra from 10³ to 10⁴. The results for established flow structures and heat transfer at low height indicate that the flow regime that occurs is unicellular for all Ra and fin thickness; in addition, the heat transfer rate increases with increasing Rayleigh number and is the same for both thicknesses. At median fin heights 0.093 and 0.203, the increase of Rayleigh number leads to transitions of flow structure which correspond to significant variations of the heat transfer. The critical Rayleigh numbers, Ra_c.app and Ra_c.disp corresponding to the appearance of the bicellular flow regime and its disappearance, are determined and their influence on the change of heat transfer rate is analyzed.

Keywords: natural convection, fins, critical Rayleigh number, heat transfer, fluid flow regime, horizontal annulus

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Authors: Hui Zhang, Sherif Beskhyroun

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Structural Health monitoring systems (SHM) are commonly used to identify and assess structural damage. In terms of damage detection, SHM needs to periodically collect data from sensors placed in the structure as damage-sensitive features. This includes abnormal changes caused by the strain field and abnormal symptoms of the structure, such as damage and deterioration. Currently, deploying sensors on a large scale in a building structure is a challenge. In this study, a highly stretchable strain sensors are used in this study to collect data sets of strain generated on the surface of full-size reinforced concrete (RC) frames under extreme cyclic load application. This sensing sheet can be switched freely between the test bending strain and the axial strain to achieve two different configurations. On this basis, the deep neural network prediction model of the frame beam and frame column is established. The training results show that the method can accurately predict the strain value and has good generalization ability. The two deep neural network prediction models will also be deployed in the SHM system in the future as part of the intelligent strain sensor system.

Keywords: strain sensing sheets, deep neural networks, strain measurement, SHM system, RC frames

Procedia PDF Downloads 101

Authors: Vaibhav Pandey, K. Chattopadhyay, N. C. Santhi Srinivas, Vakil Singh

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Aluminium alloy 7075 consist of different intermetallic precipitate particles MgZn2, CuAl2, which result in heterogeneity of micro structure and influence the corrosion properties of the alloy. Artificial ageing was found to enhance the strength properties, but highly susceptible to stress-corrosion cracking. Various conventional surface modification techniques are developed for improving corrosion properties of aluminum alloys. This led to development of novel surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) technique the so called ultrasonic shot peening which gives nano-grain structure at surface. In the present investigation the influence of surface mechanical attrition treatment on corrosion behavior of aluminum alloy 7075 was studied in 3.5wt% NaCl solution. Two different size of 1 mm and 3 mm steel balls are used as peening media and SMAT was carried out for different time intervals 5, 15 and 30 minutes. Surface nano-grains/nano-crystallization was observed after SMAT. The formation of nano-grain structure was observed for larger size balls with time of treatment and consequent increase in micro strain. As-SMATed sample with 1 mm balls exhibits better corrosion resistance as compared to that of un-SMATed sample. The enhancement in corrosion resistance may be due to formation of surface nano-grain structure which reduced the electron release rate. In contrast the samples treated with 3 mm balls showed very poor corrosion resistance. A decrease in corrosion resistance was observed with increase in the time of peening. The decrease in corrosion resistance in the shotpeened samples with larger diameter balls may due to increase in microstrain and defect density.

Keywords: aluminum alloy 7075, corrosion, SMAT, ultrasonic shot peening, surface nano-grains

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Authors: Aliyu Isah Agaie, Masrah Azrifah Azmi Murad, Nurfadhlina Mohd Sharef, Aida Mustapha

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Natural Language Interfaces typically support a restricted language and also have scopes and limitations that naïve users are unaware of, resulting in errors when the users attempt to retrieve information from ontologies. To overcome this challenge, an auto-suggest feature is introduced into the querying process where users are guided through the querying process using interactive query construction system. Guiding users to formulate their queries, while providing them with an unconstrained (or almost unconstrained) way to query the ontology results in better interpretation of the query and ultimately lead to an effective search. The approach described in this paper is unobtrusive and subtly guides the users, so that they have a choice of either selecting from the suggestion list or typing in full. The user is not coerced into accepting system suggestions and can express himself using fragments or full sentences.

Keywords: auto-suggest, expressiveness, habitability, natural language interface, query interpretation, user guidance

Procedia PDF Downloads 474

Authors: Ahmed Abada, Kadda Amara, Said Hiadsi, Bouhalouane Amrani

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Half-metallic properties of new predicted Mn2-based full Heusler alloys Mn2ZrSi and Mn2ZrGe have been studied by first-principles full-potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbital (FP-LAPW+lo) method based on density functional theory (DFT). Our investigation is focused on the structural, elastic, electronic and magnetic properties of these compounds. The AlCu2Mn-type structure is found to be energetically more favorable than the CuHg2Ti-type structure for both compounds and are half-metallic ferrimagnets (HMFIs) with total magnetic moments of 2.000 µB per formula unit, well consistent with Slater-Pauling rule (Mtot = ( 24 – Ztot ) µB). Calculations show that both the alloys have an indirect band gaps, in the majority-spin channel, with values of 0.505 eV and 0.278 eV for Mn2ZrSi and Mn2ZrGe, respectively. It was found that Mn2ZrSi and Mn2ZrGe preserved their half-metallicity for lattice constants range of 5.85–6.38 Å and 6.05–6.38 Å, respectively, and kept a 100% of spin polarization at the Fermi level. Moreover, the calculated formation energies and elastic constants confirm that these compounds are stable chemically and mechanically, and the good crystallographic compatibility with the lattice of semiconductors used industrially makes them promising magnetic materials in spintronic applications.

Keywords: first-principles calculations, full Heusler structure, half-metallic ferrimagnets, elastic properties

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Authors: S. Amirhossein Tabatabaei, Abdulghader A. Aldaeef, Mohammad T. Rayhani

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As the permafrost continues to melt in the northern regions due to global warming, a soil-water mixture is left behind with drastically lower strength; a phenomenon that directly impacts the resilience of existing structures and infrastructure systems. The frozen soil-structure interaction, which in ice-poor soils is controlled by both interface shear and ice-bonding, changes its nature into a sole frictional state. Adfreeze, the controlling mechanism in frozen soil-structure interaction, diminishes as the ground temperature approaches zero. The main purpose of this paper is to capture the altered behaviour of frozen interface with respect to rising temperature, especially near melting states. A series of pull-out tests are conducted on model piles inside a cold room to study how the strength parameters are influenced by the phase change in ice-poor soils. Steel model piles, embedded in artificially frozen cohesionless soil, are subjected to both sustained pull-out forces and constant rates of displacement to observe the creep behaviour and acquire load-deformation curves, respectively. Temperature, as the main variable of interest, is increased from a lower limit of -10°C up to the point of melting. During different stages of the temperature rise, both skin deformations and temperatures are recorded at various depths along the pile shaft. Significant reduction of pullout capacity and accelerated creep behaviour is found to be the primary consequences of rising temperature. By investigating the different pull-out capacities and deformations measured during step-wise temperature change, characteristics of the transition from frozen to unfrozen soil-structure interaction are studied.

Keywords: Adfreeze, frozen soil-structure interface, ice-poor soils, pull-out capacity, warming permafrost

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Authors: Mnasri Faiza, El Ganaoui Mohammed, Khelifa Mourad, Gabsi Slimane

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The main objective of this paper is to describe the hydrothermal behavior through porous material of construction due to temperature gradient. The construction proposed a bi-layer structure which composed of two different materials. The first is a bio-sourced panel named IBS-AKU (inertia system building), the second is the Neopor material. This system (IBS-AKU Neopor) is developed by a Belgium company (Isohabitat). The study suggests a multi-layer structure of the IBS-AKU panel in one dimension. A numerical method was proposed afterwards, by using the finite element method and a refined mesh area to strong gradients. The evolution of temperature fields and the moisture content has been processed.

Keywords: heat transfer, moisture diffusion, porous media, composite IBS-AKU, simulation

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Authors: Tawfig Alghbaili

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LP3D Field is located near the center of the Sirt Basin in the Marada Trough approximately 215 km south Marsa Al Braga City. The Marada Trough is bounded on the west by a major fault, which forms the edge of the Beda Platform, while on the east, a bounding fault marks the edge of the Zelten Platform. The main reservoir in the LP3D Field is Upper Paleocene Beda Formation. The Beda Formation is mainly limestone interbedded with shale. The reservoir average thickness is 117.5 feet. To develop a better understanding of the characterization and distribution of the Beda reservoir, quantitative seismic data interpretation has been done, and also, well logs data were analyzed. Six reflectors corresponding to the tops of the Beda, Hagfa Shale, Gir, Kheir Shale, Khalifa Shale, and Zelten Formations were picked and mapped. Special work was done on fault interpretation part because of the complexities of the faults at the structure area. Different attribute analyses were done to build up more understanding of structures lateral extension and to view a clear image of the fault blocks. Time to depth conversion was computed using velocity modeling generated from check shot and sonic data. The simplified stratigraphic cross-section was drawn through the wells A1, A2, A3, and A4-LP3D. The distribution and the thickness variations of the Beda reservoir along the study area had been demonstrating. Petrophysical analysis of wireline logging also was done and Cross plots of some petrophysical parameters are generated to evaluate the lithology of reservoir interval. Structure and Stratigraphic Framework was designed and run to generate different model like faults, facies, and petrophysical models and calculate the reservoir volumetric. This study concluded that the depth structure map of the Beda formation shows the main structure in the area of study, which is north to south faulted anticline. Based on the Beda reservoir models, volumetric for the base case has been calculated and it has STOIIP of 41MMSTB and Recoverable oil of 10MMSTB. Seismic attributes confirm the structure trend and build a better understanding of the fault system in the area.

Keywords: LP3D Field, Beda Formation, reservoir models, Seismic attributes

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Authors: N. Umasuthan, S. D. N. K. Bathige, W. S. Thulasitha, I. Whang, J. Lee

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The MyD88 is an evolutionarily conserved host-expressed adaptor protein that is essential for proper TLR/ IL1R immune-response signaling. A previously identified complete cDNA (1626 bp) of OfMyD88 comprised an ORF of 867 bp encoding a protein of 288 amino acids (32.9 kDa). The gDNA (3761 bp) of OfMyD88 revealed a quinquepartite genome organization composed of 5 exons (with the sizes of 310, 132, 178, 92 and 155 bp) separated by 4 introns. All the introns displayed splice signals consistent with the consensus GT/AG rule. A bipartite domain structure with two domains namely death domain (24-103) coded by 1st exon, and TIR domain (151-288) coded by last 3 exons were identified through in silico analysis. Moreover, homology modeling of these two domains revealed a similar quaternary folding nature between human and rock bream homologs. A comprehensive comparison of vertebrate MyD88 genes showed that they possess a 5-exonic structure. In this structure, the last three exons were strongly conserved, and this suggests that a rigid structure has been maintained during vertebrate evolution. A cluster of TATA box-like sequences were found 0.25 kb upstream of cDNA starting position. In addition, putative 5'-flanking region of OfMyD88 was predicted to have TFBS implicated with TLR signaling, including copies of NFB1, APRF/ STAT3, Sp1, IRF1 and 2 and Stat1/2. Using qPCR technique, a ubiquitous mRNA expression was detected in liver and blood. Furthermore, a significantly up-regulated transcriptional expression of OfMyD88 was detected in head kidney (12-24 h; >2-fold), spleen (6 h; 1.5-fold), liver (3 h; 1.9-fold) and intestine (24 h; ~2-fold) post-Fla challenge. These data suggest a crucial role for MyD88 in antibacterial immunity of teleosts.

Keywords: MyD88, innate immunity, flagellin, genomic analysis

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Authors: M. C. Padma, R. J. Prathibha

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Parts of speech tagging is the process of assigning appropriate parts of speech tags to the words in a given text. The critical or crucial information needed for tagging a word come from its internal structure rather from its neighboring words. The internal structure of a word comprises of its morphological features and grammatical information. This paper presents a morpheme based parts of speech tagger for Kannada language. This proposed work uses hierarchical tag set for assigning tags. The system is tested on some Kannada words taken from EMILLE corpus. Experimental result shows that the performance of the proposed system is above 90%.

Keywords: hierarchical tag set, morphological analyzer, natural language processing, paradigms, parts of speech

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Authors: Tatiana S. Ogneva

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Aluminum and nickel-based intermetallic compounds have attracted the attention of scientific community as promising materials for heat-resistant and wear-resistant coatings in such manufacturing areas as microelectronics, aircraft and rocket building and chemical industries. Magnetron sputtering makes possible to coat materials without formation of liquid phase and improves the mechanical and functional properties of nickel aluminides due to the possibility of nanoscale structure formation. The purpose of the study is the investigation of structure and properties of intermetallic coatings produced by magnetron sputtering technique. The feature of this work is the using of composite targets for sputtering, which were consisted of two semicircular sectors of cp-Ni and cp-Al. Plates of alumina, silicon, titanium and steel alloys were used as substrates. To estimate sputtering conditions on structure of intermetallic coatings, a series of samples were produced and studied in detail using scanning and transition electron microcopy and X-Ray diffraction. Besides, nanohardness and scratching tests were carried out. The varying parameters were the distance from the substrate to the target, the duration and the power of the sputtering. The thickness of the obtained intermetallic coatings varied from 0.05 to 0.5 mm depending on the sputtering conditions. The X-ray diffraction data indicated that the formation of intermetallic compounds occurred after sputtering without additional heat treatment. Sputtering at a distance not closer than 120 mm led to the formation of NiAl phase. Increase in the power of magnetron from 300 to 900 W promoted the increase of heterogeneity of the phase composition and the appearance of intermetallic phases NiAl, Ni₂Al₃, NiAl₃, and Al under the aluminum side, and NiAl, Ni₃Al, and Ni under the nickel side of the target. A similar trend is observed with increasing the distance of sputtering from 100 to 60 mm. The change in the phase composition correlates with the changing of the atomic composition of the coatings. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the coatings have a nanoscale grain structure. In this case, the substrate material and the distance from the substrate to the magnetron have a significant effect on the structure formation process. The size of nanograins differs from 10 to 83 nm and depends not only on the sputtering modes but also on material of a substrate. Nanostructure of the material influences the level of mechanical properties. The highest level of nanohardness of the coatings deposited during 30 minutes on metallic substrates at a distance of 100 mm reached 12 GPa. It was shown that nanohardness depends on the grain size of the intermetallic compound. Scratching tests of the coatings showed a high level of adhesion of the coating to substrate without any delamination and cracking. The results of the study showed that magnetron sputtering of composite targets consisting of nickel and aluminum semicircles makes it possible to form intermetallic coatings with good mechanical properties directly in the process of sputtering without additional heat treatment.

Keywords: intermetallic coatings, magnetron sputtering, mechanical properties, structure

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Authors: A. Pietro Rimoldi, B. Anilkumar Gopinath, C. Minimol Korulla

Abstract:

Coastal engineering structure is conventionally designed for a shorter planning horizon usually 20 years. These structures are subjected to different offshore climatic externalities like waves, tides, tsunamis etc. during the design life period. The probability of occurrence of these different offshore climatic externalities varies. The impact frequently caused by these externalities on the structures is of concern because it has a significant bearing on the capital /operating cost of the project. There can also be repeated short time occurrence of these externalities in the assumed planning horizon which can cause heavy damage to the conventional coastal structure which are mainly made of rock. A replacement of the damaged portion to prevent complete collapse is time consuming and expensive when dealing with hard rock structures. But if coastal structures are made of Geo-synthetic containment systems such replacement is quickly possible in the time period between two successive occurrences. In order to have a better knowledge and to enhance the predictive capacity of these occurrences, this study estimates risk of encounter within the design life period of various externalities based on the concept of exponential distribution. This gives an idea of the frequency of occurrences which in turn gives an indication of whether replacement is necessary and if so at what time interval such replacements have to be effected. To validate this theoretical finding, a pilot project has been taken up in the field so that the impact of the externalities can be studied both for a hard rock and a Geosynthetic tube structure. The paper brings out the salient feature of a case study which pertains to a project in which Geosynthetic tubes have been used for reformation of a seawall adjacent to a conventional rock structure in Alappuzha coast, Kerala, India. The effectiveness of the Geosystem in combatting the impact of the short-term externalities has been brought out.

Keywords: climatic externalities, exponential distribution, geosystems, planning horizon

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Authors: Stephen O. Amaraihu

Abstract:

This research investigated the effect of Computer Based Instruction on Students’ interest, achievement, and retention in Algebra in Abia State College of Education (Technical), Arochukwu. Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. Two instruments, Maths Achievement Test (MAT) and Maths Interest Inventory were employed, to test a population of three hundred and sixteen (316) NCE 1 students in algebra. It is expected that this research will lead to the improvement of students’ performance and enhance their interest and retention of basic algebraic concept. It was found that the majority of students in the college are not proficient in the use of ICT as a result of a lack of trained personnel. It was concluded that the state government was not ready to implement the usage of mathematics in Abia State College of Education. The paper recommends, amongst others, the employment of mathematics Lectures with competent skills in ICT and the training of lecturers of mathematics.

Keywords: achievement, computer based instruction, interest, retention

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Authors: Li Zhu, Binghua Wang, Yong Sun

Abstract:

China is experiencing the rural development process, with the agritourism complex becoming one of the significant modes. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the energy performance of agritourism complex. This study focuses on a typical case of the agritourism complex and simulates the energy consumption performance on condition of the regular energy system. It was found that HVAC took 90% of the whole energy demand range. In order to optimize the energy supply structure, the hierarchical analysis was carried out on the level of architecture with three main factors such as construction situation, building types and energy demand types. Finally, the energy planning suggestion of the agritourism complex was put forward and the relevant results were obtained.

Keywords: agritourism complex, energy planning, energy demand simulation, hierarchical structure model

Procedia PDF Downloads 194

Authors: Nader Mohamed

Abstract:

The Late Cretaceous deposits are well developed through-out Egypt. This is due to a ‎transgression phase associated with the subsidence caused by the neo-Tethyan rift event that ‎took place across the northern margin of Africa, resulting in a period of dominantly marine ‎deposits in the Gulf of Suez. The Late Cretaceous Nezzazat Group represents the Cenomanian, ‎Turonian and clastic sediments of the Lower Senonian. The Nezzazat Group has been divided ‎into four formations namely, from base to top, the Raha Formation, the Abu Qada Formation, ‎the Wata Formation and the Matulla Formation. The Cenomanian Raha and the Lower Senonian ‎Matulla formations are the most important clastic sequence in the Nezzazat Group because they ‎provide the highest net reservoir thickness and the highest net/gross ratio. This study emphasis ‎on Matulla formation located in the eastern part of the Gulf of Suez. The three stratigraphic ‎surface sections (Wadi Sudr, Wadi Matulla and Gabal Nezzazat) which represent the exposed ‎Coniacian-Santonian sediments in Sinai are used for correlating Matulla sediments of Ras ‎Budran field. Cutting description, petrographic examination, log behaviors, biostratigraphy with ‎outcrops are used to identify the reservoir characteristics, lithology, facies environment logs and ‎subdivide the Matulla formation into three units. The lower unit is believed to be the main ‎reservoir where it consists mainly of sands with shale and sandy carbonates, while the other ‎units are mainly carbonate with some streaks of shale and sand. Reservoir modeling is an ‎effective technique that assists in reservoir management as decisions concerning development ‎and depletion of hydrocarbon reserves, So It was essential to model the Matulla reservoir as ‎accurately as possible in order to better evaluate, calculate the reserves and to determine the ‎most effective way of recovering as much of the petroleum economically as possible. All ‎available data on Matulla formation are used to build the reservoir structure model, lithofacies, ‎porosity, permeability and water saturation models which are the main parameters that describe ‎the reservoirs and provide information on effective evaluation of the need to develop the oil ‎potentiality of the reservoir. This study has shown the effectiveness of; 1) the integration of ‎geological data to evaluate and subdivide Matulla formation into three units. 2) Lithology and ‎facies environment interpretation which helped in defining the nature of deposition of Matulla ‎formation. 3) The 3D reservoir modeling technology as a tool for adequate understanding of the ‎spatial distribution of property and in addition evaluating the unlocked new reservoir areas of ‎Matulla formation which have to be drilled to investigate and exploit the un-drained oil. 4) This ‎study led to adding a new room of production and additional reserves to Ras Budran field. ‎

Keywords: geology, oil and gas, geoscience, sequence stratigraphy

Procedia PDF Downloads 106

Authors: Rui Tu, Yakui Bai, Huailin Li

Abstract:

The lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) alloy is a promising candidate of coolant in the fast neutron reactors and accelerator-driven systems (ADS) because of its good properties, such as low melting point, high neutron yields and high thermal conductivity. Although the corrosion of the structure materials caused by the liquid metal (LM) coolant is a challenge to the safe operating of a lead-bismuth eutectic nuclear reactor. Thermodynamic theories, experiential formulas and experimental data can be used for explaining the maintenance of the protective oxide layers on stainless steels under satisfaction oxygen concentration, but the atomic scale insights of such anti-corrosion mechanisms are little known. In the present work, the first-principles calculations are carried out to study the effects of oxygen partial pressure on the formation energies of the liquid metal coolant relevant impurity defects in the anti-corrosion oxide films on the surfaces of the structure materials. These approaches reveal the microscope mechanisms of the corrosion of the structure materials, especially for the influences from the oxygen partial pressure. The results are helpful for identifying a crucial oxygen concentration for corrosion control, which can ensure the systems to be operated safely under certain temperatures.

Keywords: oxygen partial pressure, liquid metal coolant, TDDFT, anti-corrosion layer, formation energy

Procedia PDF Downloads 132

Authors: Surajit Das Barman, Rakibuzzaman Shah, Apurv Kumar

Abstract:

Bushfire is known as one of the ascendant factors to create pyrocumulus thundercloud that causes the ignition of new fires by pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) lightning strikes and creates major losses of lives and property worldwide. A conceptual model-based risk planning would be beneficial to predict the lightning striking zones on the surface of the earth underneath the pyroCb thundercloud. PyroCb thundercloud can generate both positive cloud-to-ground (+CG) and negative cloud-to-ground (-CG) lightning in which +CG tends to ignite more bushfires and cause massive damage to nature and infrastructure. In this paper, a simple line charge structured thundercloud model is constructed in 2-D coordinates using the method of image charge to predict the probable +CG lightning striking zones on the earth’s surface for two conceptual thundercloud charge configurations: titled dipole and conventional tripole structure with excessive lower positive charge regions that lead to producing +CG lightning. The electric potential and surface charge density along the earth’s surface for both structures via continuously adjusting the position and the charge density of their charge regions is investigated. Simulation results for tilted dipole structure confirm the down-shear extension of the upper positive charge region in the direction of the cloud’s forward flank by 4 to 8 km, resulting in negative surface density, and would expect +CG lightning to strike within 7.8 km to 20 km around the earth periphery in the direction of the cloud’s forward flank. On the other hand, the conceptual tripole charge structure with enhanced lower positive charge region develops negative surface charge density on the earth’s surface in the range |x| < 6.5 km beneath the thundercloud and highly favors producing +CG lightning strikes.

Keywords: pyrocumulonimbus, cloud-to-ground lightning, charge structure, surface charge density, forward flank

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Authors: Oluwatobi Emmanuel Olaniyi, Babafemi George Ogunjemite

Abstract:

The high rate of infrastructural development in Ikogosi warm spring towards harnessing her great ecotourism potentials calls for a serious concern, as more forest areas are been opened up for public access and the landscape is modified. On this note, we investigated the implication of ecotourism development on the floristic composition and forest structure in Ikogosi. The study aimed at identifying the past and present status of infrastructural development, assessing and comparing the floristic composition and structure of the built- up/ recreational areas and undisturbed forested areas, to infer on the impact of ecotourism development on the study site. We conducted stakeholder interview and field observation to identify the past and present status of infrastructural development respectively. A total of ten quadrants were employed in the vegetation assessment to characterize the woody tree species composition, diameter at breast height and height, to obtain mean indices characterizing each part of the site. These indices were compared using T – test analysis. A total of 49 different woody tree species distributed in 21 families were identified in the built-in/ recreational areas while 67 different woody tree species belonging to 25 families were recorded in the undeveloped forested areas. Although, the latter has a higher mean diameter at breast height of woody trees, it was not significantly different from the former (T-test = -0.74, p = 0.46). On the contrary, the built-up area had a higher mean trees height than the undeveloped areas, but the difference was not statistically significant (T-test= 1.04, p = 0.30). Despite these, the slight reduction in richness and diversity of the woody tree species in the built- up/ recreational areas implies mitigating the negative effects of infrastructural development on the warm spring's vegetation.

Keywords: ecosystem services, forest structure, vegetation assessment, warm-spring

Procedia PDF Downloads 511