Search results for: fatigue limit
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 2187

Search results for: fatigue limit

657 Turbulent Flow Characteristics and Bed Morphology around Circular Bridge Pier

Authors: Pratik Acharya

Abstract:

Scour is the natural phenomenon brought about by erosive action of the flowing stream in alluvial channels. Frequent scouring around bridge piers may cause damage to the structures. In alluvial channels, a complex interaction between the streamflow and the bed particles results in scouring around piers. Thus, the study of characteristics of flow around piers can give sound knowledge about the scouring process. The present research has been done to investigate the turbulent flow characteristics around bridge piers and corresponding changes in bed morphology. Laboratory experiments were carried out in a tilting flume with a sand bed. The velocities around the pier are measured by Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter. Measurements show that at upstream of the pier velocity and Reynolds stresses are negative near the bed and near the free surface at downstream of the pier. At the downstream of the pier, Reynolds stresses changes rapidly due to the formation of wake vortices. Experimental results show that secondary currents are more predominant at the downstream of the pier. As the flowing stream hits the pier, the flow gets separated in the form of downflow along the face of the pier due to a strong pressure gradient and along the sides of the piers. Separation of flow around the pier leads to scour the bed material and develop the vortex. The downflow hits the bed and removes the bed material, which can be carried forward by the flow circulations along sides of the piers. Eroded bed material is deposited along the centerline at the rear side of the pier and produces hump in the downstream region. Initially, the rate of scouring is high and reduces gradually with increasing time. After a certain limit, equilibrium sets between the erosive capacity of the flowing stream and resistance to the motion by bed particles.

Keywords: acoustic doppler velocimeter, pier, Reynolds stress, scour depth, velocity

Procedia PDF Downloads 145
656 Distinguishing between Bacterial and Viral Infections Based on Peripheral Human Blood Tests Using Infrared Microscopy and Multivariate Analysis

Authors: H. Agbaria, A. Salman, M. Huleihel, G. Beck, D. H. Rich, S. Mordechai, J. Kapelushnik

Abstract:

Viral and bacterial infections are responsible for variety of diseases. These infections have similar symptoms like fever, sneezing, inflammation, vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue. Thus, physicians may encounter difficulties in distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections based on these symptoms. Bacterial infections differ from viral infections in many other important respects regarding the response to various medications and the structure of the organisms. In many cases, it is difficult to know the origin of the infection. The physician orders a blood, urine test, or 'culture test' of tissue to diagnose the infection type when it is necessary. Using these methods, the time that elapses between the receipt of patient material and the presentation of the test results to the clinician is typically too long ( > 24 hours). This time is crucial in many cases for saving the life of the patient and for planning the right medical treatment. Thus, rapid identification of bacterial and viral infections in the lab is of great importance for effective treatment especially in cases of emergency. Blood was collected from 50 patients with confirmed viral infection and 50 with confirmed bacterial infection. White blood cells (WBCs) and plasma were isolated and deposited on a zinc selenide slide, dried and measured under a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microscope to obtain their infrared absorption spectra. The acquired spectra of WBCs and plasma were analyzed in order to differentiate between the two types of infections. In this study, the potential of FTIR microscopy in tandem with multivariate analysis was evaluated for the identification of the agent that causes the human infection. The method was used to identify the infectious agent type as either bacterial or viral, based on an analysis of the blood components [i.e., white blood cells (WBC) and plasma] using their infrared vibrational spectra. The time required for the analysis and evaluation after obtaining the blood sample was less than one hour. In the analysis, minute spectral differences in several bands of the FTIR spectra of WBCs were observed between groups of samples with viral and bacterial infections. By employing the techniques of feature extraction with linear discriminant analysis (LDA), a sensitivity of ~92 % and a specificity of ~86 % for an infection type diagnosis was achieved. The present preliminary study suggests that FTIR spectroscopy of WBCs is a potentially feasible and efficient tool for the diagnosis of the infection type.

Keywords: viral infection, bacterial infection, linear discriminant analysis, plasma, white blood cells, infrared spectroscopy

Procedia PDF Downloads 221
655 Electronic Payment Recording with Payment History Retrieval Module: A System Software

Authors: Adrian Forca, Simeon Cainday III

Abstract:

The Electronic Payment Recording with Payment History Retrieval Module is developed intendedly for the College of Science and Technology. This system software innovates the manual process of recording the payments done in the department through the development of electronic payment recording system software shifting from the slow and time-consuming procedure to quick yet reliable and accurate way of recording payments because it immediately generates receipts for every transaction. As an added feature to its software process, generation of recorded payment report is integrated eliminating the manual reporting to a more easy and consolidated report. As an added feature to the system, all recorded payments of the students can be retrieved immediately making the system transparent and reliable payment recording software. Viewing the whole process, the system software will shift from the manual process to an organized software technology because the information will be stored in a logically correct and normalized database. Further, the software will be developed using the modern programming language and implement strict programming methods to validate all users accessing the system, evaluate all data passed into the system and information retrieved to ensure data accuracy and reliability. In addition, the system will identify the user and limit its access privilege to establish boundaries of the specific access to information allowed for the store, modify, and update making the information secure against unauthorized data manipulation. As a result, the System software will eliminate the manual procedure and replace with an innovative modern information technology resulting to the improvement of the whole process of payment recording fast, secure, accurate and reliable software innovations.

Keywords: collection, information system, manual procedure, payment

Procedia PDF Downloads 160
654 Barriers and Opportunities in Apprenticeship Training: How to Complete a Vocational Upper Secondary Qualification with Intermediate Finnish Language Skills

Authors: Inkeri Jaaskelainen

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The aim of this study is to shed light on what is it like to study in apprenticeship training using intermediate (or even lower level) Finnish. The aim is to find out and describe these students' experiences and feelings while acquiring a profession in Finnish as it is important to understand how immigrant background adult learners learn and how their needs could be better taken into account. Many students choose apprenticeships and start vocational training while their language skills in Finnish are still very weak. At work, students should be able to simultaneously learn Finnish and do vocational studies in a noisy, demanding, and stressful environment. Learning and understanding new things is very challenging under these circumstances, and sometimes students get exhausted and experience a lot of stress - which makes learning even more difficult. Students are different from each other, and so are their ways to learn. Both duties at work and school assignments require reasonably good general language skills, and, especially at work, language skills are also a safety issue. The empirical target of this study is a group of students with an immigrant background who studied in various fields with intensive L2 support in 2016–2018 and who by now have completed a vocational upper secondary qualification. The interview material for this narrative study was collected from those who completed apprenticeship training in 2019–2020. The data collection methods used are a structured thematic interview, a questionnaire, and observational data. Interviewees with an immigrant background have an inconsistent cultural and educational background - some have completed an academic degree in their country of origin while others have learned to read and write only in Finland. The analysis of the material utilizes thematic analysis, which is used to examine learning and related experiences. Learning a language at work is very different from traditional classroom teaching. With evolving language skills, at an intermediate level at best, rushing and stressing makes it even more difficult to understand and increases the fear of failure. Constant noise, rapidly changing situations, and uncertainty undermine the learning and well-being of apprentices. According to preliminary results, apprenticeship training is well suited to the needs of an adult immigrant student. In apprenticeship training, students need a lot of support for learning and understanding a new communication and working culture. Stress can result in, e.g., fatigue, frustration, and difficulties in remembering and understanding. Apprenticeship training can be seen as a good path to working life. However, L2 support is a very important part of apprenticeship training, and it indeed helps students to believe that one day they will graduate and even get employed in their new country.

Keywords: apprenticeship training, vocational basic degree, Finnish learning, wee-being

Procedia PDF Downloads 131
653 Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soils at Electronic Waste Activity Sites within the Vicinity of Alaba International Market, Nigeria

Authors: A. A. Adebayo, A. O. Ogunkeyede, A. O. Adeigbe

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Digital globalisation and yarn of Nigeria society to overcome the digital divide have resulted in contamination of soil by heavy metals (HMs) from e-waste activities at Alaba international market, Lagos, Nigeria. The aim of this research was to determine the concentration of various metals {Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), and Lead (Pb)} and identify their ecological and health risks for the people within the study area. A total of 60 soil samples were collected at Alaba market study area. Two types of samples were collected from each sampling points: topsoil (0-15 cm), subsoil (15 -30 cm). The metal concentration results showed that the soils were heavily contaminated by HMs at topsoil and subsoil. The geoaccummulation and ecological risk indices revealed high pollution level from all studied site. The health risk assessment results suggested that there is high possibility of carcinogenic risk to humans because the carcinogenic risk via corresponding exposure pathways exceeded the safety limit of 10-6 (the acceptable level of carcinogenic risk for human). Furthermore, inhalation of soil particles is the main exposure pathway for Cr to enter the human body for all ages. Children in the vicinity are exposed more to ingestion of Pb since they tend to eat earth (pica) and repeatedly suck their fingers. This study provides basic information to create awareness for a need to introduce pollution control measures and the need to protect the ecosystem and human health within the study area at Alaba international market.

Keywords: contaminated soil, ecological risk, hazard index, risk factor, exposure pathways, heavy metals

Procedia PDF Downloads 249
652 Analysis of Pressure Drop in a Concentrated Solar Collector with Direct Steam Production

Authors: Sara Sallam, Mohamed Taqi, Naoual Belouaggadia

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Solar thermal power plants using parabolic trough collectors (PTC) are currently a powerful technology for generating electricity. Most of these solar power plants use thermal oils as heat transfer fluid. The latter is heated in the solar field and transfers the heat absorbed in an oil-water heat exchanger for the production of steam driving the turbines of the power plant. Currently, we are seeking to develop PTCs with direct steam generation (DSG). This process consists of circulating water under pressure in the receiver tube to generate steam directly into the solar loop. This makes it possible to reduce the investment and maintenance costs of the PTCs (the oil-water exchangers are removed) and to avoid the environmental risks associated with the use of thermal oils. The pressure drops in these systems are an important parameter to ensure their proper operation. The determination of these losses is complex because of the presence of the two phases, and most often we limit ourselves to describing them by models using empirical correlations. A comparison of these models with experimental data was performed. Our calculations focused on the evolution of the pressure of the liquid-vapor mixture along the receiver tube of a PTC-DSG for pressure values and inlet flow rates ranging respectively from 3 to 10 MPa, and from 0.4 to 0.6 kg/s. The comparison of the numerical results with experience allows us to demonstrate the validity of some models according to the pressures and the flow rates of entry in the PTC-DSG receiver tube. The analysis of these two parameters’ effects on the evolution of the pressure along the receiving tub, shows that the increase of the inlet pressure and the decrease of the flow rate lead to minimal pressure losses.

Keywords: direct steam generation, parabolic trough collectors, Ppressure drop, empirical models

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651 Graph Neural Network-Based Classification for Disease Prediction in Health Care Heterogeneous Data Structures of Electronic Health Record

Authors: Raghavi C. Janaswamy

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In the healthcare sector, heterogenous data elements such as patients, diagnosis, symptoms, conditions, observation text from physician notes, and prescriptions form the essentials of the Electronic Health Record (EHR). The data in the form of clear text and images are stored or processed in a relational format in most systems. However, the intrinsic structure restrictions and complex joins of relational databases limit the widespread utility. In this regard, the design and development of realistic mapping and deep connections as real-time objects offer unparallel advantages. Herein, a graph neural network-based classification of EHR data has been developed. The patient conditions have been predicted as a node classification task using a graph-based open source EHR data, Synthea Database, stored in Tigergraph. The Synthea DB dataset is leveraged due to its closer representation of the real-time data and being voluminous. The graph model is built from the EHR heterogeneous data using python modules, namely, pyTigerGraph to get nodes and edges from the Tigergraph database, PyTorch to tensorize the nodes and edges, PyTorch-Geometric (PyG) to train the Graph Neural Network (GNN) and adopt the self-supervised learning techniques with the AutoEncoders to generate the node embeddings and eventually perform the node classifications using the node embeddings. The model predicts patient conditions ranging from common to rare situations. The outcome is deemed to open up opportunities for data querying toward better predictions and accuracy.

Keywords: electronic health record, graph neural network, heterogeneous data, prediction

Procedia PDF Downloads 82
650 An Investigation of the Use of Visible Spectrophotometric Analysis of Lead in an Herbal Tea Supplement

Authors: Salve Alessandria Alcantara, John Armand E. Aquino, Ma. Veronica Aranda, Nikki Francine Balde, Angeli Therese F. Cruz, Elise Danielle Garcia, Antonie Kyna Lim, Divina Gracia Lucero, Nikolai Thadeus Mappatao, Maylan N. Ocat, Jamille Dyanne L. Pajarillo, Jane Mierial A. Pesigan, Grace Kristin Viva, Jasmine Arielle C. Yap, Kathleen Michelle T. Yu, Joanna J. Orejola, Joanna V. Toralba

Abstract:

Lead is a neurotoxic metallic element that is slowly accumulated in bones and tissues especially if present in products taken in a regular basis such as herbal tea supplements. Although sensitive analytical instruments are already available, the USP limit test for lead is still widely used. However, because of its serious shortcomings, Lang Lang and his colleagues developed a spectrophotometric method for determination of lead in all types of samples. This method was the one adapted in this study. The actual procedure performed was divided into three parts: digestion, extraction and analysis. For digestion, HNO3 and CH3COOH were used. Afterwards, masking agents, 0.003% and 0.001% dithizone in CHCl3 were added and used for the extraction. For the analysis, standard addition method and colorimetry were performed. This was done in triplicates under two conditions. The 1st condition, using 25µg/mL of standard, resulted to very low absorbances with an r2 of 0.551. This led to the use of a higher concentration, 1mg/mL, for condition 2. Precipitation of lead cyanide was observed and the absorbance readings were relatively higher but between 0.15-0.25, resulting to a very low r2 of 0.429. LOQ and LOD were not computed due to the limitations of the Milton-Roy Spectrophotometer. The method performed has a shorter digestion time, and used less but more accessible reagents. However, the optimum ratio of dithizone-lead complex must be observed in order to obtain reliable results while exploring other concentration of standards.

Keywords: herbal tea supplement, lead-dithizone complex, standard addition, visible spectroscopy

Procedia PDF Downloads 380
649 Application of Single Tuned Passive Filters in Distribution Networks at the Point of Common Coupling

Authors: M. Almutairi, S. Hadjiloucas

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The harmonic distortion of voltage is important in relation to power quality due to the interaction between the large diffusion of non-linear and time-varying single-phase and three-phase loads with power supply systems. However, harmonic distortion levels can be reduced by improving the design of polluting loads or by applying arrangements and adding filters. The application of passive filters is an effective solution that can be used to achieve harmonic mitigation mainly because filters offer high efficiency, simplicity, and are economical. Additionally, possible different frequency response characteristics can work to achieve certain required harmonic filtering targets. With these ideas in mind, the objective of this paper is to determine what size single tuned passive filters work in distribution networks best, in order to economically limit violations caused at a given point of common coupling (PCC). This article suggests that a single tuned passive filter could be employed in typical industrial power systems. Furthermore, constrained optimization can be used to find the optimal sizing of the passive filter in order to reduce both harmonic voltage and harmonic currents in the power system to an acceptable level, and, thus, improve the load power factor. The optimization technique works to minimize voltage total harmonic distortions (VTHD) and current total harmonic distortions (ITHD), where maintaining a given power factor at a specified range is desired. According to the IEEE Standard 519, both indices are viewed as constraints for the optimal passive filter design problem. The performance of this technique will be discussed using numerical examples taken from previous publications.

Keywords: harmonics, passive filter, power factor, power quality

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648 Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy-Based Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Through In Situ One-pot Electrochemical Synthesis of 3D Au-Lysate Nanocomposite Structures on Plasmonic Au Electrodes

Authors: Ansah Iris Baffour, Dong-Ho Kim, Sung-Gyu Park

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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is gradually shifting to an endemic phase which implies the outbreak is far from over and will be difficult to eradicate. Global cooperation has led to unified precautions that aim to suppress epidemiological spread (e.g., through travel restrictions) and reach herd immunity (through vaccinations); however, the primary strategy to restrain the spread of the virus in mass populations relies on screening protocols that enable rapid on-site diagnosis of infections. Herein, we employed surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 lysate on an Au-modified Au nanodimple(AuND)electrode. Through in situone-pot Au electrodeposition on the AuND electrode, Au-lysate nanocomposites were synthesized, generating3D internal hotspots for large SERS signal enhancements within 30 s of the deposition. The capture of lysate into newly generated plasmonic nanogaps within the nanocomposite structures enhanced metal-spike protein contact in 3D spaces and served as hotspots for sensitive detection. The limit of detection of SARS-CoV-2 lysate was 5 x 10-2 PFU/mL. Interestingly, ultrasensitive detection of the lysates of influenza A/H1N1 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was possible, but the method showed ultimate selectivity for SARS-CoV-2 in lysate solution mixtures. We investigated the practical application of the approach for rapid on-site diagnosis by detecting SARS-CoV-2 lysate spiked in normal human saliva at ultralow concentrations. The results presented demonstrate the reliability and sensitivity of the assay for rapid diagnosis of COVID-19.

Keywords: label-free detection, nanocomposites, SARS-CoV-2, surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy

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647 Chemiluminescent Detection of Microorganisms in Food/Drug Product Using Reducing Agents and Gold Nanoplates

Authors: Minh-Phuong Ngoc Bui, Abdennour Abbas

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Microbial spoilage of food/drug has been a constant nuisance and an unavoidable problem throughout history that affects food/drug quality and safety in a variety of ways. A simple and rapid test of fungi and bacteria in food/drugs and environmental clinical samples is essential for proper management of contamination. A number of different techniques have been developed for detection and enumeration of foodborne microorganism including plate counting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), polymer chain reaction (PCR), nucleic acid sensor, electrical and microscopy methods. However, the significant drawbacks of these techniques are highly demand of operation skills and the time and cost involved. In this report, we introduce a rapid method for detection of bacteria and fungi in food/drug products using a specific interaction between a reducing agent (tris(2-carboxylethyl)phosphine (TCEP)) and the microbial surface proteins. The chemical reaction was transferred to a transduction system using gold nanoplates-enhanced chemiluminescence. We have optimized our nanoplates synthetic conditions, characterized the chemiluminescence parameters and optimized conditions for the microbial assay. The new detection method was applied for rapid detection of bacteria (E.coli sp. and Lactobacillus sp.) and fungi (Mucor sp.), with limit of detection as low as single digit cells per mL within 10 min using a portable luminometer. We expect our simple and rapid detection method to be a powerful alternative to the conventional plate counting and immunoassay methods for rapid screening of microorganisms in food/drug products.

Keywords: microorganism testing, gold nanoplates, chemiluminescence, reducing agents, luminol

Procedia PDF Downloads 295
646 Evaluation of Water Chemistry and Quality Characteristics of Işıklı Lake (Denizli, Türkiye)

Authors: Abdullah Ay, Şehnaz Şener

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It is of great importance to reveal their current status and conduct research in this direction for the sustainable use and protection of lakes, which are among the most important water resources for meeting water needs and ensuring ecological balance. In this context, the purpose of this study is to determine the hydrogeochemical properties, as well as water quality and usability characteristics of Işıklı Lake within the Lakes Region of Turkey. Işıklı Lake is a tectonic lake located in the Aegean Region of Turkey. The lake has a surface area of approximately 36 km². Temperature (T), electrical conductivity (EC) and hydrogen ion concentration (pH), dissolved oxygen (%, mg/l), Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP; mV), and amount of dissolved solids in water (TDS; mg/l) of water samples taken from the lake values were determined by in situ analysis. Major ion and heavy metal analyses were carried out under laboratory conditions. Additionally, the relationship between major ion concentrations and TDS values of Işıklı Lake water samples was determined by correlation analysis. According to the results obtained, it is seen that especially Mg, Ca and HCO₃ ions are dominant in the lake water, and it has been determined that the lake water is in the Ca-Mg-HCO₃ water facies. According to statistical analysis, a strong and positive relationship was found between the TDS value and bicarbonate and calcium (R² = 0.61 and 0.7, respectively). However, no significant relationship was detected between the TDS value and other chemical elements. Although the waters are generally in water quality class I, they are in class IV in terms of sulfur and aluminum. It is included in the water quality class. This situation is due to the rock-water interaction in the region. When the analysis results of the lake water were compared with the drinking water limit values specified by TSE-266 (2005) and WHO (2017), it was determined that it was not suitable for drinking water use in terms of Pb, Se, As, and Cr. When the waters were evaluated in terms of pollution, it was determined that 50% of the samples carried pollution loads in terms of Al, As, Fe, NO3, and Cu.

Keywords: Işıklı Lake, water chemistry, water quality, pollution, arsenic, Denizli

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645 Automation of Pneumatic Seed Planter for System of Rice Intensification

Authors: Tukur Daiyabu Abdulkadir, Wan Ishak Wan Ismail, Muhammad Saufi Mohd Kassim

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Seed singulation and accuracy in seed spacing are the major challenges associated with the adoption of mechanical seeder for system of rice intensification. In this research the metering system of a pneumatic planter was modified and automated for increase precision to meet the demand of system of rice intensification SRI. The chain and sprocket mechanism of a conventional vacuum planter were now replaced with an electro mechanical system made up of a set of servo motors, limit switch, micro controller and a wheel divided into 10 equal angles. The circumference of the planter wheel was determined based on which seed spacing was computed and mapped to the angles of the metering wheel. A program was then written and uploaded to arduino micro controller and it automatically turns the seed plates for seeding upon covering the required distance. The servo motor was calibrated with the aid of labVIEW. The machine was then calibrated using a grease belt and varying the servo rpm through voltage variation between 37 rpm to 47 rpm until an optimum value of 40 rpm was obtained with a forward speed of 5 kilometers per hour. A pressure of 1.5 kpa was found to be optimum under which no skip or double was recorded. Precision in spacing (coefficient of variation), miss index, multiple index, doubles and skips were investigated. No skip or double was recorded both at laboratory and field levels. The operational parameters under consideration were both evaluated at laboratory and field. Even though there was little variation between the laboratory and field values of precision in spacing, multiple index and miss index, the different is not significant as both laboratory and field values fall within the acceptable range.

Keywords: automation, calibration, pneumatic seed planter, system of rice intensification

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644 Safety Tolerance Zone for Driver-Vehicle-Environment Interactions under Challenging Conditions

Authors: Matjaž Šraml, Marko Renčelj, Tomaž Tollazzi, Chiara Gruden

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Road safety is a worldwide issue with numerous and heterogeneous factors influencing it. On the side, driver state – comprising distraction/inattention, fatigue, drowsiness, extreme emotions, and socio-cultural factors highly affect road safety. On the other side, the vehicle state has an important role in mitigating (or not) the road risk. Finally, the road environment is still one of the main determinants of road safety, defining driving task complexity. At the same time, thanks to technological development, a lot of detailed data is easily available, creating opportunities for the detection of driver state, vehicle characteristics and road conditions and, consequently, for the design of ad hoc interventions aimed at improving driver performance, increase awareness and mitigate road risks. This is the challenge faced by the i-DREAMS project. i-DREAMS, which stands for a smart Driver and Road Environment Assessment and Monitoring System, is a 3-year project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. It aims to set up a platform to define, develop, test and validate a ‘Safety Tolerance Zone’ to prevent drivers from getting too close to the boundaries of unsafe operation by mitigating risks in real-time and after the trip. After the definition and development of the Safety Tolerance Zone concept and the concretization of the same in an Advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) platform, the system was tested firstly for 2 months in a driving simulator environment in 5 different countries. After that, naturalistic driving studies started for a 10-month period (comprising a 1-month pilot study, 3-month baseline study and 6 months study implementing interventions). Currently, the project team has approved a common evaluation approach, and it is developing the assessment of the usage and outcomes of the i-DREAMS system, which is turning positive insights. The i-DREAMS consortium consists of 13 partners, 7 engineering universities and research groups, 4 industry partners and 2 partners (European Transport Safety Council - ETSC - and POLIS cities and regions for transport innovation) closely linked to transport safety stakeholders, covering 8 different countries altogether.

Keywords: advanced driver assistant systems, driving simulator, safety tolerance zone, traffic safety

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643 Biogenic Amines Production during RAS Cheese Ripening

Authors: Amr Amer

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Cheeses are among those high-protein-containing foodstuffs in which enzymatic and microbial activities cause the formation of biogenic amines from amino acids decarboxylation. The amount of biogenic amines in cheese may act as a useful indicator of the hygienic quality of the product. In other words, their presence in cheese is related to its spoilage and safety. Formation of biogenic amines during Ras cheese (Egyptian hard cheese) ripening was investigated for 4 months. Three batches of Ras cheese were manufactured using Egyptian traditional method. From each batch, Samples were collected at 1, 7, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after cheese manufacture. The concentrations of biogenic amines (Tyramine, Histamine, Cadaverine and Tryptamine) were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). There was a significant increased (P<0.05) in Tyramine levels from 4.34± 0.07 mg|100g in the first day of storage till reached 88.77± 0.14 mg|100g at a 120-day of storage. Also, Histamine and Cadaverine levels had the same increased pattern of Tyramine reaching 64.94± 0.10 and 28.28± 0.08 mg|100g in a 120- day of storage, respectively. While, there was a fluctuation in the concentration of Tryptamine level during ripening period as it decreased from 3.24± 0.06 to 2.66± 0.11 mg|100g at 60-day of storage then reached 5.38±0.08 mg|100g in a 120- day of storage. Biogenic amines can be formed in cheese during production and storage: many variables, as pH, salt concentration, bacterial activity as well as moisture, storage temperature and ripening time, play a relevant role in their formation. Comparing the obtained results with the recommended standard by Food and Drug Administration "FDA" (2001), High levels of biogenic amines in various Ras cheeses consumed in Egypt exceeded the permissible value (10 mg%) which seemed to pose a threat to public health. In this study, presence of high concentrations of biogenic amines (Tyramine, Histamine, cadaverine and Tryptamine) in Egyptian Ras cheeses reflects the bad hygienic conditions under which they produced and stored. Accordingly, the levels of biogenic amines in different cheeses should be come in accordance with the safe permissible limit recommended by FDA to ensure human safety.

Keywords: Ras cheese, biogenic amines, tyramine, histamine, cadaverine

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642 Laser Writing on Vitroceramic Disks for Petabyte Data Storage

Authors: C. Busuioc, S. I. Jinga, E. Pavel

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The continuous need of more non-volatile memories with a higher storage capacity, smaller dimensions and weight, as well as lower costs, has led to the exploration of optical lithography on active media, as well as patterned magnetic composites. In this context, optical lithography is a technique that can provide a significant decrease of the information bit size to the nanometric scale. However, there are some restrictions that arise from the need of breaking the optical diffraction limit. Major achievements have been obtained by employing a vitoceramic material as active medium and a laser beam operated at low power for the direct writing procedure. Thus, optical discs with ultra-high density were fabricated by a conventional melt-quenching method starting from analytical purity reagents. They were subsequently used for 3D recording based on their photosensitive features. Naturally, the next step consists in the elucidation of the composition and structure of the active centers, in correlation with the use of silver and rare-earth compounds for the synthesis of the optical supports. This has been accomplished by modern characterization methods, namely transmission electron microscopy coupled with selected area electron diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The influence of laser diode parameters, silver concentration and fluorescent compounds formation on the writing process and final material properties was investigated. The results indicate performances in terms of capacity with two order of magnitude higher than other reported information storage systems. Moreover, the fluorescent photosensitive vitroceramics may be integrated in other applications which appeal to nanofabrication as the driving force in electronics and photonics fields.

Keywords: data storage, fluorescent compounds, laser writing, vitroceramics

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641 Ayurvastra: A Study on the Ancient Indian Textile for Healing

Authors: Reena Aggarwal

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The use of textile chemicals in the various pre and post-textile manufacturing processes has made the textile industry conscious of its negative contribution to environmental pollution. Popular environmentally friendly fibers such as recycled polyester and organic cotton have been now increasingly used by fabrics and apparel manufacturers. However, after these textiles or the finished apparel are manufactured, they have to be dyed in the same chemical dyes that are harmful and toxic to the environment. Dyeing is a major area of concern for the environment as well as for people who have chemical sensitivities as it may cause nausea, breathing difficulties, seizures, etc. Ayurvastra or herbal medical textiles are one step ahead of the organic lifestyle, which supports the core concept of holistic well-being and also eliminates the impact of harmful chemicals and pesticides. There is a wide range of herbs that can be used not only for dyeing but also for providing medicinal properties to the textiles like antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, antidepressant and for treating insomnia, skin diseases, etc. The concept of herbal dyeing of fabric is to manifest herbal essence in every aspect of clothing, i.e., from production to end-use, additionally to eliminate the impact of harmful chemical dyes and chemicals which are known to result in problems like skin rashes, headache, trouble concentrating, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, dizziness, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat and seizures. Herbal dyeing or finishing on textiles will give an extra edge to the textiles as it adds an extra function to the fabric. The herbal extracts can be applied to the textiles by a simple process like the pad dry cure method and mainly acts on the human body through the skin for aiding in the treatment of disease or managing the medical condition through its herbal properties. This paper, therefore, delves into producing Ayurvastra, which is a perfect amalgamation of cloth and wellness. The aim of the paper is to design and create herbal disposable and non-disposable medical textile products acting mainly topically (through the skin) for providing medicinal properties/managing medical conditions. Keeping that in mind, a range of antifungal socks and antibacterial napkins treated with turmeric and aloe vera were developed, which are recommended for the treatment of fungal and bacterial infections, respectively. Both Herbal Antifungal socks and Antibacterial napkins have proved to be efficient enough in managing and treating fungal and bacterial infections of the skin, respectively.

Keywords: ayurvastra, ayurveda, herbal, pandemic, sustainable

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640 Simultaneous Removal of Phosphate and Ammonium from Eutrophic Water Using Dolochar Based Media Filter

Authors: Prangya Ranjan Rout, Rajesh Roshan Dash, Puspendu Bhunia

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With the aim of enhancing the nutrient (ammonium and phosphate) removal from eutrophic wastewater with reduced cost, a novel media based multistage bio filter with drop aeration facility was developed in this work. The bio filter was packed with a discarded sponge iron industry by product, ‘dolochar’ primarily to remove phosphate via physicochemical approach. In the multi stage bio-filter drop, aeration was achieved by the process of percolation of the gravity-fed wastewater through the filter media and dropping down of wastewater from stage to stage. Ammonium present in wastewater got adsorbed by the filter media and biomass grown on the filter media and subsequently, got converted to nitrate through biological nitrification in the aerobic condition, as realized by drop aeration. The performance of the bio-filter in treating real eutrophic wastewater was monitored for a period of about 2 months. The influent phosphate concentration was in the range of 16-19 mg/L, and ammonium concentration was in the range of 65-78 mg/L. The average nutrient removal efficiency observed during the study period were 95.2% for phosphate and 88.7% for ammonium, with mean final effluent concentration of 0.91, and 8.74 mg/L, respectively. Furthermore, the subsequent release of nutrient from the saturated filter media, after completion of treatment process has been undertaken in this study and thin layer funnel analytical test results reveal the slow nutrient release nature of spent dolochar, thereby, recommending its potential agricultural application. Thus, the bio-filter displays immense prospective for treating real eutrophic wastewater, significantly decreasing the level of nutrients and keeping the effluent nutrient concentrations at par with the permissible limit and more importantly, facilitating the conversion of the waste materials into usable ones.

Keywords: ammonium removal, phosphate removal, multi-stage bio-filter, dolochar

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639 Ferromagnetic Potts Models with Multi Site Interaction

Authors: Nir Schreiber, Reuven Cohen, Simi Haber

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The Potts model has been widely explored in the literature for the last few decades. While many analytical and numerical results concern with the traditional two site interaction model in various geometries and dimensions, little is yet known about models where more than two spins simultaneously interact. We consider a ferromagnetic four site interaction Potts model on the square lattice (FFPS), where the four spins reside in the corners of an elementary square. Each spin can take an integer value 1,2,...,q. We write the partition function as a sum over clusters consisting of monochromatic faces. When the number of faces becomes large, tracing out spin configurations is equivalent to enumerating large lattice animals. It is known that the asymptotic number of animals with k faces is governed by λᵏ, with λ ≈ 4.0626. Based on this observation, systems with q < 4 and q > 4 exhibit a second and first order phase transitions, respectively. The transition nature of the q = 4 case is borderline. For any q, a critical giant component (GC) is formed. In the finite order case, GC is simple, while it is fractal when the transition is continuous. Using simple equilibrium arguments, we obtain a (zero order) bound on the transition point. It is claimed that this bound should apply for other lattices as well. Next, taking into account higher order sites contributions, the critical bound becomes tighter. Moreover, for q > 4, if corrections due to contributions from small clusters are negligible in the thermodynamic limit, the improved bound should be exact. The improved bound is used to relate the critical point to the finite correlation length. Our analytical predictions are confirmed by an extensive numerical study of FFPS, using the Wang-Landau method. In particular, the q=4 marginal case is supported by a very ambiguous pseudo-critical finite size behavior.

Keywords: entropic sampling, lattice animals, phase transitions, Potts model

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638 Recurrent Neural Networks for Complex Survival Models

Authors: Pius Marthin, Nihal Ata Tutkun

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Survival analysis has become one of the paramount procedures in the modeling of time-to-event data. When we encounter complex survival problems, the traditional approach remains limited in accounting for the complex correlational structure between the covariates and the outcome due to the strong assumptions that limit the inference and prediction ability of the resulting models. Several studies exist on the deep learning approach to survival modeling; moreover, the application for the case of complex survival problems still needs to be improved. In addition, the existing models need to address the data structure's complexity fully and are subject to noise and redundant information. In this study, we design a deep learning technique (CmpXRnnSurv_AE) that obliterates the limitations imposed by traditional approaches and addresses the above issues to jointly predict the risk-specific probabilities and survival function for recurrent events with competing risks. We introduce the component termed Risks Information Weights (RIW) as an attention mechanism to compute the weighted cumulative incidence function (WCIF) and an external auto-encoder (ExternalAE) as a feature selector to extract complex characteristics among the set of covariates responsible for the cause-specific events. We train our model using synthetic and real data sets and employ the appropriate metrics for complex survival models for evaluation. As benchmarks, we selected both traditional and machine learning models and our model demonstrates better performance across all datasets.

Keywords: cumulative incidence function (CIF), risk information weight (RIW), autoencoders (AE), survival analysis, recurrent events with competing risks, recurrent neural networks (RNN), long short-term memory (LSTM), self-attention, multilayers perceptrons (MLPs)

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637 Effect of Slope Angle on Gougerd Landslide Stability in Northwest of Iran

Authors: Akbar Khodavirdizadeh

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Gougerd village landslide with area about 150 hectares is located in southwest of Khoy city in northwest of the Iran. This Landslide was commenced more than 21 years and caused some damages in houses like some fissures on walls and some cracks on ground and foundations. The main mechanism of landslide is rotational with the high different of top and foot is about 230 m. The thickness of slide mass based on geoelectrical investigation is about 16m obtained. The upper layer of slope is silty sand and the lower layer of clayey gravel. In this paper, the stability of landslide are analyzed based in static analysis under different groundwater surface conditions and at slope angle changes with limit eqlibrium method and the simplified Bishop method. The results of the 72 stability analysis showed that the slope stability of Gougerd landslide increased with increasing of the groundwater surface depth of slope crown. And especially when decreased of slope angle, the safety facter more than in previous state is increased. The required of safety factor for stability in groundwater surface depth from slope crown equal 14 m and with decreased of slope angle to 3 degree at decrease of groundwater surface depth from slope crown equal 6.5 m obtained. The safety factor in critical conditions under groundwater surface depth from slope crown equal 3.5 m and at decreased of slope angle to 3 degree equal 0.5 m obtained. At groudwater surface depth from slope crown of 3 m, 7 m and 10 m respectively equal to 0.97, 1.19 and 1.33 obtained. At groudwater surface depth from slope crown of 3 m, 7 m and 10 m with decreased of slope angle to 3 degree, respectively equal to 1.27, 1.54 and 1.72 obtained. According to the results of this study, for 1 m of groundwater level decrease, the safety factor increased by 5%, and for 1 degree of reduction of the slope angle, safety factor increased by 15%. And the effect of slope angle on Gougerd landslide stability was felt more than groundwater effect.

Keywords: Gougerd landslide, stability analysis, slope angle, groundwater, Khoy

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636 Performance Evaluation of Cement Mortar with Crushed Stone Dust as Fine Aggregates

Authors: Pradeep Kumar

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The present work is based on application of cement mortar with natural sand and discontinuous steel fiber through which bending behavior of skinny beam was evaluated. This research is to study the effects of combining reinforcing steel meshes (continuous steel reinforcement) with discontinuous fibers as reinforcement in skinny walled Portland cement based cement mortar with crushed stone dust as a fine aggregate. The term ‘skinny’ means thickness of the beams is less than 25 mm. The main idea behind this combination is to satisfy the ultimate strength limit state through the steel mesh reinforcement (as a main reinforcement) and to control the cracking under service loads through fiber (Recron 3s) reinforcement (as secondary reinforcement). The main object of this study is to carry out the bending behavior of mortar reinforced thin beam with only one layer of steel mesh (with various transfer wire spacing) and with a recron 3s (Reliance) fifers. The wide experimental program with bending tests is undertaken. The following variables are investigated: (a) the reference mesh size - 25.4 x 25.4 mm and 50.8 x 50.8 mm; (b) the transverse wire spacing - 25.4 mm, 50.8 mm, and no transverse wires; (c) the type of fibers – Reliance (Recron 3s, 6mm length); and (d) the fiber volume fraction – 0.1% and 0.25%. Some of the main conclusions are: (a) the use of recron 3s fibers leads to a little better overall performance than that with no fiber; (b) an increase in equivalent stress is observed when 0.1% RF,0.25% R Fibers are used; (c) when 25.4 x 50.8 size steel mesh is used, no noticeable change in behavior is observed in comparison to specimens without fibers; and (d) for no fibers 0.1% and o.1% RF the transverse wire spacing has some little effect on the equivalent stress for RF fibers, the transverse wire has no influence but the equivalent stress are increased.

Keywords: cement mortar, crushed stone dust, fibre, steel mesh

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635 Investigation of the Physicochemistry in Leaching of Blackmass for the Recovery of Metals from Spent Lithium-Ion Battery

Authors: Alexandre Chagnes

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Lithium-ion battery is the technology of choice in the development of electric vehicles. This technology is now mature, although there are still many challenges to increase their energy density while ensuring an irreproachable safety of use. For this goal, it is necessary to develop new cathodic materials that can be cycled at higher voltages and electrolytes compatible with these materials. But the challenge does not only concern the production of efficient batteries for the electrochemical storage of energy since lithium-ion battery technology relies on the use of critical and/or strategic value resources. It is, therefore, crucial to include Lithium-ion batteries development in a circular economy approach very early. In particular, optimized recycling and reuse of battery components must both minimize their impact on the environment and limit geopolitical issues related to tensions on the mineral resources necessary for lithium-ion battery production. Although recycling will never replace mining, it reduces resource dependence by ensuring the presence of exploitable resources in the territory, which is particularly important for countries like France, where exploited or exploitable resources are limited. This conference addresses the development of a new hydrometallurgical process combining leaching of cathodic material from spent lithium-ion battery in acidic chloride media and solvent extraction process. Most of recycling processes reported in the literature rely on the sulphate route, and a few studies investigate the potentialities of the chloride route despite many advantages and the possibility to develop new chemistry, which could get easier the metal separation. The leaching mechanisms and the solvent extraction equilibria will be presented in this conference. Based on the comprehension of the physicochemistry of leaching and solvent extraction, the present study will introduce a new hydrometallurgical process for the production of cobalt, nickel, manganese and lithium from spent cathodic materials.

Keywords: lithium-ion battery, recycling, hydrometallurgy, leaching, solvent extraction

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634 Duplex Real-Time Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Simultaneous Detection of Beef and Pork

Authors: Mi-Ju Kim, Hae-Yeong Kim

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Product mislabeling and adulteration have been increasing the concerns in processed meat products. Relatively inexpensive pork meat compared to meat such as beef was adulterated for economic benefit. These food fraud incidents related to pork were concerned due to economic, religious and health reasons. In this study, a rapid on-site detection method using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was developed for the simultaneous identification of beef and pork. Each specific LAMP primer for beef and pork was designed targeting on mitochondrial D-loop region. The LAMP assay reaction was performed at 65 ℃ for 40 min. The specificity of each primer for beef and pork was evaluated using DNAs extracted from 13 animal species including beef and pork. The sensitivity of duplex LAMP assay was examined by serial dilution of beef and pork DNAs, and reference binary mixtures. This assay was applied to processed meat products including beef and pork meat for monitoring. Each set of primers amplified only the targeted species with no cross-reactivity with animal species. The limit of detection of duplex real-time LAMP was 1 pg for each DNA of beef and pork and 1% pork in a beef-meat mixture. Commercial meat products that declared the presence of beef and/or pork meat on the label showed positive results for those species. This method was successfully applied to detect simultaneous beef and pork meats in processed meat products. The optimized duplex LAMP assay can identify simultaneously beef and pork meat within less than 40 min. A portable real-time fluorescence device used in this study is applicable for on-site detection of beef and pork in processed meat products. Thus, this developed assay was considered to be an efficient tool for monitoring meat products.

Keywords: beef, duplex real-time LAMP, meat identification, pork

Procedia PDF Downloads 218
633 Dietary Risk Assessment of Green Leafy Vegetables (GLV) Due to Heavy Metals from Selected Mining Areas

Authors: Simon Mensah Ofosu

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Illicit surface mining activities pollutes agricultural lands and water bodies and results in accumulation of heavy metals in vegetables cultivated in such areas. Heavy metal (HM) accumulation in vegetables is a serious food safety issues due to the adverse effects of metal toxicities, hence the need to investigate the levels of these metals in cultivated vegetables in the eastern region. Cocoyam leaves, cabbage and cucumber were sampled from selected farms in mining areas (Atiwa District) and non -mining areas (Yilo Krobo and East Akim District) of the region for the study. Levels of Cadmium, Lead, Mercury and Arsenic were investigated in the vegetables with Atomic Absorption Spectrometer, and the results statistically analyzed with Microsoft Office Excel (2013) Spread Sheet and ANOVA. Cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) were the highest and least concentrated HM in the vegetables sampled, respectively. The mean concentrations of Cd and Pb in cabbage (0.564 mg/kg, 0.470 mg/kg), cucumber (0.389 mg/kg, 0.190 mg/kg), cocoyam leaves (0.410 mg/kg, 0.256 mg/kg) respectively from the mining areas exceeded the permissible limits set by Joint FAO/WHO. The mean concentrations of the metals in vegetables from the mining and non-mining areas varied significantly (P<0.05). The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) was used to assess the health risk posed to the human population via vegetable consumption. The THQ values of cadmium, mercury, and lead in adults and children through vegetable consumption in the mining areas were greater than 1 (THQ >1). This indicates the potential health risk that the children and adults may be facing. The THQ values of adults and children in the non-mining areas were less than the safe limit of 1 (THQ<1), hence no significant health risk posed to the population from such areas.

Keywords: food safety, risk assessment, illicit mining, public health, contaminated vegetables

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632 Distributive Justice through Constitution

Authors: Rohtash

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Academically, the concept of Justice in the literature is vast, and theories are voluminous and definitions are numerous but it is very difficult to define. Through the ages, justice has been evolving and developing reasoning that how individuals and communities do the right thing that is just and fair to all in that society. Justice is a relative and dynamic concept, not absolute one. It is different in different societies based on their morality and ethics. The idea of justice cannot arise from a single morality but interaction of competing moralities and contending perspectives. Justice is the conditional and circumstantial term. Therefore, justice takes different meanings in different contexts. Justice is the application of the Laws. It is a values-based concept in order to protect the rights and liberties of the people. It is a socially created concept that has no physical reality. It exists in society on the basis of the spirit of sharing by the communities and members of society. The conception of justice in society or among communities and individuals is based on their social coordination. It can be effective only when people’s judgments are based on collective reasoning. Their behavior is shaped by social values, norms and laws. People must accept, share and respect the set of principles for delivering justice. Thus justice can be a reasonable solution to conflicts and to coordinate behavior in society. The subject matter of distributive justice is the Public Good and societal resources that should be evenly distributed among the different sections of society on the principles developed and established by the State through legislation, public policy and Executive orders. The Socioeconomic transformation of the society is adopted by the constitution within the limit of its morality and gives a new dimension to transformative justice. Therefore, both Procedural and Transformative justice is part of Distributive justice. Distributive justice is purely an economic phenomenon. It concerns the allocation of resources among the communities and individuals. The subject matter of distributive justice is the distribution of rights, responsibilities, burdens and benefits in society on the basis of the capacity and capability of individuals.

Keywords: distributive justice, constitutionalism, institutionalism, constitutional morality

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631 Ethnobotanical Study, Phytochemical Screening, and Biological Activity of Culinary Spices Commonly Used in Ommdurman, Sudan

Authors: Randa M. T. Mohamed

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Spices have long been used as traditional ingredients in the kitchen for seasoning, coloring, aromatic and food preservative properties. Besides, spices are equally used for therapeutic purposes. The objective of this study was to survey and document the medicinal properties of spices commonly used in the Sudanese kitchen for different food preparations. Also, extracts from reported spices were screened for the presence of secondary metabolites as well as their antioxidant and beta-lactamase inhibitory properties. This study was conducted in the Rekabbya Quartier in Omdurman, Khartoum State, Sudan. Information was collected by carrying out semi-structured interviews. All informants (30) in the present study were women. Spices were purchased from Attareen shop in Omdurman. Essential oils from spices were extracted by hydrodistillation, and ethanolic extracts by maceration. Phytochemical screening was performed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The antioxidant capacity of essential oils and ethanolic extracts was investigated through TLC bioautography. Beta lactamase inhibitory activity was performed by the acidimetric test. Ethnobotany study showed that a total of 16 spices were found to treat 36 ailments belonging to 10 categories. The most frequently claimed medicinal uses were for the digestive system diseases treated by 14 spices and respiratory system diseases treated by 8 spices. Gynecological problems were treated with 4 spices. Dermatological diseases were cured by 5 spices, while infections caused by tapeworms and other microbes causing dysentery were treated by 3 spices. 4 spices were used to treat bad breath, bleeding gum and toothache. Headache, eyes infection, cardiac stimulation and epilepsy were treated with one spice each. Other health problems like fatigue and loss of appetite, and low breast milk production were treated by 1, 3 and 2 spices, respectively. The majority (69%, 11/16) of spices were exported from different countries like India, China, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Egypt and Nigeria, while 31% (5/16) was cultivated in Sudan. Essential oils of all spices were rich in terpenes, while ethanolic extracts contained variable classes of secondary metabolites. Both essential oils and ethanolic extracts of all spices exerted considerable antioxidant activity. Only one extract, Syzygium aromaticum, possessed beta-lactamase inhibitory activity. In conclusion, this study could contribute to conserving information on traditional medicinal uses of spices in Sudan. Also, the results demonstrated the potential of some of these spices to exert beneficial antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. Detailed phytochemical and biological assays of these spices are recommended.

Keywords: spices, enthnobotany, antioxidant, betalactamase inhibition

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630 Dewatering of Brewery Sludge through the Use of Biopolymers

Authors: Audrey Smith, M. Saifur Rahaman

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The waste crisis has become a global issue, forcing many industries to reconsider their disposal methods and environmental practices. Sludge is a form of waste created in many fields, which include water and wastewater, pulp and paper, as well as from breweries. The composition of this sludge differs between sources and can, therefore, have varying disposal methods or future applications. When looking at the brewery industry, it produces a significant amount of sludge with a high water content. In order to avoid landfilling, this waste can further be processed into a valuable material. Specifically, the sludge must undergo dewatering, a process which typically involves the addition of coagulants like aluminum sulfate or ferric chloride. These chemicals, however, limit the potential uses of the sludge since it will contain traces of metals. In this case, the desired outcome of the brewery sludge would be to produce animal feed; however, these conventional coagulants would add a toxic component to the sludge. The use of biopolymers like chitosan, which act as a coagulant, can be used to dewater brewery sludge while allowing it to be safe for animal consumption. Chitosan is also a by-product created by the shellfish processing industry and therefore reduces the environmental imprint since it involves using the waste from one industry to treat the waste from another. In order to prove the effectiveness of this biopolymer, experiments using jar-tests will be utilised to determine the optimal dosages and conditions, while variances of contaminants like ammonium will also be observed. The efficiency of chitosan can also be compared to other polysaccharides to determine which is best suited for this waste. Overall a significant separation has been achieved between the solid and liquid content of the waste during the coagulation-flocculation process when applying chitosan. This biopolymer can, therefore, be used to dewater brewery sludge such that it can be repurposed as animal feed. The use of biopolymers can also be applied to treat sludge from other industries, which can reduce the amount of waste produced and allow for more diverse options for reuse.

Keywords: animal feed, biopolymer, brewery sludge, chitosan

Procedia PDF Downloads 153
629 Optimizing Bridge Deck Construction: A Deep Neural Network Approach for Limiting Exterior Grider Rotation

Authors: Li Hui, Riyadh Hindi

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In the United States, bridge construction often employs overhang brackets to support the deck overhang, the weight of fresh concrete, and loads from construction equipment. This approach, however, can lead to significant torsional moments on the exterior girders, potentially causing excessive girder rotation. Such rotations can result in various safety and maintenance issues, including thinning of the deck, reduced concrete cover, and cracking during service. Traditionally, these issues are addressed by installing temporary lateral bracing systems and conducting comprehensive torsional analysis through detailed finite element analysis for the construction of bridge deck overhang. However, this process is often intricate and time-intensive, with the spacing between temporary lateral bracing systems usually relying on the field engineers’ expertise. In this study, a deep neural network model is introduced to limit exterior girder rotation during bridge deck construction. The model predicts the optimal spacing between temporary bracing systems. To train this model, over 10,000 finite element models were generated in SAP2000, incorporating varying parameters such as girder dimensions, span length, and types and spacing of lateral bracing systems. The findings demonstrate that the deep neural network provides an effective and efficient alternative for limiting the exterior girder rotation for bridge deck construction. By reducing dependence on extensive finite element analyses, this approach stands out as a significant advancement in improving safety and maintenance effectiveness in the construction of bridge decks.

Keywords: bridge deck construction, exterior girder rotation, deep learning, finite element analysis

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628 Fenton Sludge's Catalytic Ability with Synergistic Effects During Reuse for Landfill Leachate Treatment

Authors: Mohd Salim Mahtab, Izharul Haq Farooqi, Anwar Khursheed

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Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on Fenton are versatile options for treating complex wastewaters containing refractory compounds. However, the classical Fenton process (CFP) has limitations, such as high sludge production and reagent dosage, which limit its broad use and result in secondary contamination. As a result, long-term solutions are required for process intensification and the removal of these impediments. This study shows that Fenton sludge could serve as a catalyst in the Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ reductive pathway, allowing non-regenerated sludge to be reused for complex wastewater treatment, such as landfill leachate treatment, even in the absence of Fenton's reagents. Experiments with and without pH adjustments in stages I and II demonstrated that an acidic pH is desirable. Humic compounds in leachate could improve the cycle of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ under optimal conditions, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was 22±2% and 62±2%% in stages I and II, respectively. Furthermore, excellent total suspended solids (TSS) removal (> 95%) and color removal (> 80%) were obtained in stage II. The processes underlying synergistic (oxidation/coagulation/adsorption) effects were addressed. The design of the experiment (DOE) is growing increasingly popular and has thus been implemented in the chemical, water, and environmental domains. The relevance of the statistical model for the desired response was validated using the explicitly stated optimal conditions. The operational factors, characteristics of reused sludge, toxicity analysis, cost calculation, and future research objectives were also discussed. Reusing non-regenerated Fenton sludge, according to the study's findings, can minimize hazardous solid toxic emissions and total treatment costs.

Keywords: advanced oxidation processes, catalysis, Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ cycle, fenton sludge

Procedia PDF Downloads 85