Search results for: basic properties of a fundamental particle

Authors: Maysam Shahsavari, Seyed Jamalaldin Haddadi

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There are several methods to localize a mobile robot such as relative, absolute and probabilistic. In this paper, particle filter due to its simple implementation and the fact that it does not need to know to the starting position will be used. This method estimates the position of the mobile robot using a probabilistic distribution, relying on a known map of the environment instead of predicting it. Afterwards, it updates this estimation by reading input sensors and control commands. To receive information from the surrounding world, distance to obstacles, for example, a Kinect is used which is much cheaper than a laser range finder. Finally, after explaining the Adaptive Particle Filter method and its implementation in detail, we will compare this method with the dead reckoning method and show that this method is much more suitable for situations in which we have a map of the environment.

Keywords: particle filter, localization, methods, odometry, kinect

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Authors: M. Moayeri, A. Kaflou

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Decreasing the size of heat exchangers in industries is favorable due to a reduction in the initial costs and maintenance. This can be achieved generally by increasing the heat transfer coefficient, which can be done by increasing tube surface by passive methods named “porous coat”. Since these coatings are often in contact with the fluid, mechanical strength of coatings should be considered as main concept beside permeability and porosity in design, especially in high velocity services. Powder shape affected mechanical property more than other factors. So in this study, the Copper powder with three different shapes (spherical, dendritic and irregular) was coated on Cu-Ni base metal with thickness of ~300µm in a reduction atmosphere (5% H2-N2) and programmable furnace. The morphology and physical properties of coatings, such as porosity, permeability and mechanical strength were investigated. Results show although irregular particle have maximum porosity and permeability but strength level close to spherical powder, in addition, mentioned particle has low production cost, so for creating porous coats in high velocity services these powder recommended.

Keywords: porous coat, permeability, mechanical strength, porosity

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Authors: M. Hossain, H. P. Zhu, A. B. Yu

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This paper presents a numerical investigation of regime transition of flow of ellipsoidal particles and a comparison with that of spherical particle assembly. Particle assemblies constituting spherical and ellipsoidal particle of 2.5:1 aspect ratio are examined at separate instances in similar flow conditions in a shear cell model that is numerically developed based on the discrete element method. Correlations among elastically scaled stress, kinetically scaled stress, coordination number and volume fraction are investigated, and show important similarities and differences for the spherical and ellipsoidal particle assemblies. In particular, volume fractions at points of regime transition are identified for both types of particles. It is found that compared with spherical particle assembly, ellipsoidal particle assembly has higher volume fraction for the quasistatic to intermediate regime transition and lower volume fraction for the intermediate to inertial regime transition. Finally, the relationship between coordination number and volume fraction shows strikingly distinct features for the two cases, suggesting that different from spherical particles, the effect of the shear rate on the coordination number is not significant for ellipsoidal particles. This work provides a glimpse of currently running work on one of the most attractive scopes of research in this field and has a wide prospect in understanding rheology of more complex shaped particles in light of the strong basis of simpler spherical particle rheology.

Keywords: DEM, granular rheology, non-spherical particles, regime transition

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Authors: Abdul Hakim Chikho

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Most international codes allow the use of an equivalent lateral load method for designing practical buildings to withstand earthquake actions. This method requires calculating an approximation to the fundamental mode period of vibrations of these buildings. Several empirical equations have been suggested to calculate approximations to the fundamental periods of different types of structures. Most of these equations are knowing to provide an only crude approximation to the required fundamental periods and repeating the calculation utilizing a more accurate formula is usually required. In this paper, a new formula to calculate a satisfactory approximation of the fundamental period of a practical building is proposed. This formula takes into account the mass and the stiffness of the building therefore, it is more logical than the conventional empirical equations. In order to verify the accuracy of the proposed formula, several examples have been solved. In these examples, calculating the fundamental mode periods of several farmed buildings utilizing the proposed formula and the conventional empirical equations has been accomplished. Comparing the obtained results with those obtained from a dynamic computer has shown that the proposed formula provides a more accurate estimation of the fundamental periods of practical buildings. Since the proposed method is still simple to use and requires only a minimum computing effort, it is believed to be ideally suited for design purposes.

Keywords: earthquake, fundamental mode period, design, building

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Authors: Ahmed Khalil, Hatem M. El-Desoky

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The present paper deals with the petrography and geochemistry of the Basic Dokhan Volcanics, Eastern Desert, Egypt. The basalts from Gabal Wassif, Atalla volcanics and Gabal Esh Mellaha were tested for use as aggregates in concrete mixes. The representative twelve samples were collected from areas. These samples were examined by using a petrographic microscope to evaluate sample texture, degree of alteration and the presence of volcanic glass in the matrix. The results obtained indicate that basalt can be used successfully for preparing concrete, but some attention should be paid to the choice of the suitable types of basalt. A general improvement in concrete mix properties has been found by using basalt aggregates in the mix.

Keywords: basic Dokhan volcanics, petrography, geochemistry, petrogenesis and concrete aggregates

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Authors: Phawin Sangsuvan, Chutimet Srinilta

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This Paper presents the applications of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) Method for Thai optical character recognition (OCR). OCR consists of the pre-processing, character recognition and post-processing. Before enter into recognition process. The Character must be “Prepped” by pre-processing process. The PSO is an optimization method that belongs to the swarm intelligence family based on the imitation of social behavior patterns of animals. Route of each particle is determined by an individual data among neighborhood particles. The interaction of the particles with neighbors is the advantage of Particle Swarm to determine the best solution. So PSO is interested by a lot of researchers in many difficult problems including character recognition. As the previous this research used a Projection Histogram to extract printed digits features and defined the simple Fitness Function for PSO. The results reveal that PSO gives 67.73% for testing dataset. So in the future there can be explored enhancement the better performance of PSO with improve the Fitness Function.

Keywords: character recognition, histogram projection, particle swarm optimization, pattern recognition techniques

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Authors: Gulcin Yildiz, Hao Feng

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In recent years there is growing interested in using soy protein because of several advantages compared to other protein sources, such as high nutritional value, steady supply, and low cost. Soy protein isolate (SPI) is the most refined soy protein product. It contains 90% protein in a moisture-free form and has some desirable functionalities. Creating a protein-polysaccharide conjugate to be the emulsifying agent rather than the protein alone can markedly enhance its stability. This study was undertaken to examine the effects of ultrasound treatments on the physicochemical properties of SPI-starch conjugates. The soy protein isolate (SPI, Pro-Fam® 955) samples were obtained from the Archer Daniels Midland Company. Protein concentrations were analyzed by the Bardford method using BSA as the standard. The volume-weighted mean diameters D [4,3] of protein–polysaccharide conjugates were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Surface hydrophobicity of the conjugates was measured by using 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA). Increasing the pH from 2 to 12 resulted in increased protein solubility. The highest solubility was 69.2% for the sample treated with ultrasonication at pH 12, while the lowest (9.13%) was observed in the Control. For the other pH conditions, the protein solubility values ranged from 40.53 to 49.65%. The ultrasound treatment significantly decreased the particle sizes of the SPI-modified starch conjugates. While the D [4,3] for the Control was 731.6 nm, it was 293.7 nm for the samples treated by sonication at pH 12. The surface hydrophobicity (H0) of SPI-starch at all pH conditions were significantly higher than those in the Control. Ultrasonication was proven to be effective in improving the solubility and emulsifying properties of soy protein isolate-starch conjugates.

Keywords: particle size, solubility, soy protein isolate, ultrasonication

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Authors: Masato Saeki

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Presented herein is a novel algorithms for calculating the damping performance of particle dampers. The particle damper is a passive vibration control technique and has many practical applications due to simple design. It consists of granular materials constrained to move between two ends in the cavity of a primary vibrating system. The damping effect results from the exchange of momentum during the impact of granular materials against the wall of the cavity. This damping has the advantage of being independent of the environment. Therefore, particle damping can be applied in extreme temperature environments, where most conventional dampers would fail. It was shown experimentally in many papers that the efficiency of the particle dampers is high in the case of resonant vibration. In order to use the particle dampers effectively, it is necessary to solve the equations of motion for each particle, considering the granularity. The discrete element method (DEM) has been found to be effective for revealing the dynamics of particle damping. In this method, individual particles are assumed as rigid body and interparticle collisions are modeled by mechanical elements as springs and dashpots. However, the computational cost is significant since the equation of motion for each particle must be solved at each time step. In order to improve the computational efficiency of the DEM, the new algorithms are needed. In this study, new algorithms are proposed for implementing the high performance DEM. On the assumption that behaviors of the granular particles in the each divided area of the damper container are the same, the contact force of the primary system with all particles can be considered to be equal to the product of the divided number of the damper area and the contact force of the primary system with granular materials per divided area. This convenience makes it possible to considerably reduce the calculation time. The validity of this calculation method was investigated and the calculated results were compared with the experimental ones. This paper also presents the results of experimental studies of the performance of particle dampers. It is shown that the particle radius affect the noise level. It is also shown that the particle size and the particle material influence the damper performance.

Keywords: particle damping, discrete element method (DEM), granular materials, numerical analysis, equivalent noise level

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Authors: Gabriel Quintero

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This paper presents the result of the implementation of a series of algorithms intended to be used for representing in most of the 3D geographic software, even Google Earth, the subsurface formations properties combining 2D charts or 3D plots over a 3D background, allowing everyone to use them, no matter the economic size of the company for which they work. Besides the existence of complex and expensive specialized software for modeling subsurface formations based on the same information provided to this one, the use of this open source development shows a higher and easier usability and good results, limiting the rendered properties and polygons to a basic set of charts and tubes.

Keywords: chart, earth, formations, subsurface, visualization

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Authors: Ogunsina Babatunde, Aregbesola Omotayo, Adebayo Adewale, Odunlami Johnson

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The physical properties of nine Nigerian staple food flours related to bulk handling and processing were investigated following standard procedures. The results showed that the moisture content, bulk density, angle of repose, water absorption capacity, swelling index, dispersability, pH and wettability of the flours ranged from 9.95 to 11.98%, 0.44 to 0.66 g/cm3, 31.43 to 39.65o, 198.3 to 291.7 g of water/100 g of sample, 5.53 to 7.63, 60.3 to 73.8%, 4.43 to 6.70, and 11 to 150 s. The particle size analysis of the flour samples indicated significant differences (p<0.05). The least gelation concentration of the flour samples ranged from 6 to 14%. The colour of the flours fell between light and saturated, with the exception of cassava, millet and maize flours which appear dark and dull. The properties of food flours depend largely on the inherent property of the food material and may influence their functional behaviour as food materials.

Keywords: properties, flours, staple food, bulk handling

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Authors: R. S. Yadav, J. Havlica, I. Kuřitka, Z. Kozakova, J. Masilko, L. Kalina, M. Hajdúchová, V. Enev, J. Wasserbauer

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Nickel spinel ferrite NiFe2O4 nanoparticles with different particle size at different annealing temperature were synthesized using the starch-assisted sol-gel auto-combustion method. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by conventional powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer. The XRD patterns confirmed the formation of NiFe2O4 spinel ferrite nanoparticles. Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed that particles are of spherical morphology with particle size 5-20 nm at lower annealing temperature. An infrared spectroscopy study showed the presence of two principal absorption bands in the frequency range around 525 cm-1 (ν1) and around 340 cm-1 (ν2); which indicate the presence of tetrahedral and octahedral group complexes, respectively, within the spinel ferrite nanoparticles. Raman spectroscopy study also indicated the change in octahedral and tetrahedral site related Raman modes in nickel ferrite nanoparticles with change of particle size. This change in magnetic behavior with change of particle size of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles was observed.

Keywords: nickel ferrite, nanoparticles, magnetic property, NiFe2O4

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Authors: Rafael Tedrus Bento

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The analysis of proportionality as a test is raised as a basic foundation for the achievement of Fundamental Rights. We used legal dogmatics and empirical analysis to seek the expected results, from the reading of the RV Oakes trial by the Supreme Court of Canada. In cases involving freedom of expression, two tests are used to resolve disputes. The first examines whether, in fact, the case can be characterized as a violation of freedom of expression; the second assesses whether this violation can be justified by the reasonable limit clause. This test was defined in the RV Oakes trial by the Supreme Court of Canada, concluding with the Oakes Test, used worldwide as a proportionality test. Resulting is a proportionality between the effects of the limiting measure and the objective - the more serious the harmful effects of a measure, the more important the objective must be.

Keywords: Oakes, proportionality, fundamental rights, Supreme Court of Canada

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Authors: M. Suresh Kumar, K. Ramani

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This paper proposed the harmonic elimination of Cascaded H-Bridge Multi-Level Inverter by using Selective Harmonic Elimination-Pulse Width Modulation method programmed with Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. PSO method determine proficiently the required switching angles to eliminate low order harmonics up to the 11th order from the inverter output voltage waveform while keeping the magnitude of the fundamental harmonics at the desired value. Results demonstrate that the proposed method does efficiently eliminate a great number of specific harmonics and the output voltage is resulted in minimum Total Harmonic Distortion. The results shown that the PSO algorithm attain successfully to the global solution faster than other algorithms.

Keywords: multi-level inverter, Selective Harmonic Elimination Pulse Width Modulation (SHEPWM), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)

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Authors: J. Plocek, P. Holec, S. Kubickova, B. Pacakova, I. Matulkova, A. Mantlikova, I. Němec, D. Niznansky, J. Vejpravova

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This article presents summary on preparation and characterization of zinc, copper, cadmium and cobalt chromite nano crystals, embedded in an amorphous silica matrix. The ZnCr2O4/SiO2, CuCr2O4/SiO2, CdCr2O4/SiO2 and CoCr2O4/SiO2 nano composites were prepared by a conventional sol-gel method under acid catalysis. Final heat treatment of the samples was carried out at temperatures in the range of 900–1200 °C to adjust the phase composition and the crystallite size, respectively. The resulting samples were characterized by Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Raman/FTIR spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. Formation of the spinel phase was confirmed in all samples. The average size of the nano crystals was determined from the PXRD data and by direct particle size observation on HRTEM; both results were correlated. The mean particle size (reviewed by HRTEM) was in the range from ~ 4 to 46 nm. The results showed that the sol-gel method can be effectively used for preparation of the spinel chromite nano particles embedded in the silica matrix and the particle size is driven by the type of the cation A2+ in the spinel structure and the temperature of the final heat treatment. Magnetic properties of the nano crystals were found to be just moderately modified in comparison to the bulk phases.

Keywords: sol-gel method, nanocomposites, Rietveld refinement, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, magnetic properties, spinel, chromite

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Authors: Surendra Mund

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At the beginning, the physical entity force was defined mathematically by Sir Isaac Newton in his Principia Mathematica as F ⃗=(dp ⃗)/dt in form of his second law of motion. Newton also defines his Universal law of Gravitational force exist in same outstanding book, but at the end of 20th century and beginning of 21st century, we have tried a lot to specify and unify four or five Fundamental forces or Interaction exist in universe, but we failed every time. Usually, Gravity creates problems in this unification every single time, but in my previous papers and presentations, I defined and derived Field and force equations for Gravitational like Interactions for each and every kind of central systems. This force is named as Variational Force by me, and this force is generated by variation in the scalar field density around the body. In this particular paper, at first, I am specifying which type of Interactions are Fundamental in Universal sense (or in all type of central systems or bodies predicted by my N-time Inflationary Model of Universe) and then unify them in Universal framework (defined and derived by me as Universal Mechanics in a separate paper) as well. This will also be valid in Universal dynamical sense which includes inflations and deflations of universe, central system relativity, Universal relativity, ϕ-ψ transformation and transformation of spin, physical perception principle, Generalized Fundamental Dynamical Law and many other important Generalized Principles of Generalized Quantum Mechanics (GQM) and Central System Theory (CST). So, In this article, at first, I am Generalizing some Fundamental Principles, and then Unifying Variational Forces (General form of Gravitation like Interactions) and Flow Generated Force (General form of EM like Interactions), and then Unify all Fundamental Forces by specifying Weak and Strong Interactions in form of more basic terms - Variational, Flow Generated and Transformational Interactions.

Keywords: Central System Force, Disturbance Force, Flow Generated Forces, Generalized Nuclear Force, Generalized Weak Interactions, Generalized EM-Like Interactions, Imbalance Force, Spin Generated Forces, Transformation Generated Force, Unified Force, Universal Mechanics, Uniform And Non-Uniform Variational Interactions, Variational Interactions

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Authors: Ali Yaro Kankia

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Millennium Development Goals are eight goals set by the 189 United Nations member States with 2015 as its target year of achievement. Since its signing in September 2000, individual nations have been finding ways and means of actualizing them. This paper consider how a refocused basic Mathematics curriculum could serve as an appropriate tool in achieving these goals. This was done by considering the theme in the following sub-headings. Basic Mathematics curriculum before now, basic Mathematics curriculum and the millennium development Goals and challenges of a refocused basic Mathematics curriculum for the MDGs. The appropriate conclusion was reached.

Keywords: actualizing, curriculum, MDGs, refocused

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Authors: Tigist Girma Kedane

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The purpose of the current research work is to measure the physical properties of bamboo species in Ethiopia on the impact of age, harvesting seasons and culm height. Three representatives of bamboo plants are harvested in three groups of ages, 2 harvesting months, and 3 regions of Ethiopia. Research has not been done on the physical properties of bamboo species in Ethiopia so far. Moisture content and shrinkage of bamboo culm increase when the culm ages younger and moves from top to bottom position. The harvesting month of November has a higher moisture content and shrinkage compared to February. One year old of Injibara, Kombolcha, and Mekaneselam bamboo culm has 40%, 30%, and 33% higher moisture content, 29%, 24%, and 28% higher radial shrinkage, 32%, 37%, and 32% higher tangential shrinkage compared to 3 years old respectively. The bottom position of Injibara, Kombolcha, and Mekaneselam in November have 45%, 28%, and 25% higher moisture content, 41%, 29%, and 34% radial shrinkage, 29%, 28%, and 42% tangential shrinkage than the top position, respectively. The basic density increases as the age of the bamboo becomes older and moves from the bottom to the top position. November has the lowest basic density compared to February. 3 years old of Injibara, Kombolcha, and Mekaneselam at the age of 3 years have 32%, 50%, and 24% higher basic density compared to 1 year, whereas the top position has 35%, 26%, and 22% higher than the bottom position in February, respectively. The current research proposed that 3 years and February are suited for structural purposes and furniture making, but 1 year and November are suited for fiber extraction in the composite industry. The existence of water in the culm improves an easy extraction of the fibers without damage from the culm.

Keywords: bamboo age, bamboo height, harvesting seasons, physical properties

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Authors: Dipti Patra, Guguloth Uma, Smita Pradhan

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Registration is a fundamental task in image processing. It is used to transform different sets of data into one coordinate system, where data are acquired from different times, different viewing angles, and/or different sensors. The registration geometrically aligns two images (the reference and target images). Registration techniques are used in satellite images and it is important in order to be able to compare or integrate the data obtained from these different measurements. In this work, mutual information is considered as a similarity metric for registration of satellite images. The transformation is assumed to be a rigid transformation. An attempt has been made here to optimize the transformation function. The proposed image registration technique hybrid PSO-GA incorporates the notion of Particle Swarm Optimization and Genetic Algorithm and is used for finding the best optimum values of transformation parameters. The performance comparision obtained with the experiments on satellite images found that the proposed hybrid PSO-GA algorithm outperforms the other algorithms in terms of mutual information and registration accuracy.

Keywords: image registration, genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization, hybrid PSO-GA algorithm and mutual information

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Authors: Peyman Aela, Lu Zong, Guoqing Jing

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Recently, there has been growing interest in numerical modeling of ballast railway tracks. A commonly used mechanistic modeling approach for ballast is the discrete element method (DEM). Up to now, the effects of the contact model on ballast particle behavior have not been precisely examined. In this regard, selecting the appropriate contact model is mainly associated with the particle characteristics and the loading condition. Since ballast is cohesionless material, different contact models, including the linear spring, Hertz-Mindlin, and Hysteretic models, could be used to calculate particle-particle or wall-particle contact forces. Moreover, the simulation of a dynamic test is vital to investigate the effect of damping parameters on the ballast deformation. In this study, ballast box tests were simulated by DEM to examine the influence of different contact models on the mechanical behavior of the ballast layer under cyclic loading. This paper shows how the contact model can affect the deformation and damping of a ballast layer subjected to cyclic loading in a ballast box.

Keywords: ballast, contact model, cyclic loading, DEM

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Authors: Yi F. Wu, Ai Q. Li, Hao Wang

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Taking a novel type of bridge bearings with the diameter being 100mm as an example, the theoretical analysis, the experimental research as well as the numerical simulation of the bearing were conducted. Since the normal compression-shear machines cannot be applied to the small-size bearing, an improved device to test the properties of the bearing was proposed and fabricated. Besides, the simulation of the bearing was conducted on the basis of the explicit finite element software ANSYS/LS-DYNA, and some parameters of the bearing are modified in the finite element model to effectively reduce the computation cost. Results show that all the research methods are capable of revealing the fundamental properties of the small-size bearings, and a combined use of these methods can better catch both the integral properties and the inner detailed mechanical behaviors of the bearing.

Keywords: ANSYS/LS-DYNA, compression shear, contact analysis, explicit algorithm, small-size

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Authors: M. Boháč, R. Novotný, F. Frajkorová, R. S. Yadav, T. Opravil, M. Palou

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Properties of Portland cement mixtures with various fractions of metakaolin were studied. 10 % of Portland cement CEM I 42.5 R was replaced by different fractions of high reactivity metakaolin with defined chemical and mineralogical properties. Various fractions of metakaolin were prepared by jet mill classifying system. There is a clear trend between fineness of metakaolin and hydration heat development. Due to metakaolin presence in mixtures the compressive strength development of mortars is rather slower for coarser fractions but 28-day flexural strengths are improved for all fractions of metakaoline used in mixtures compared to reference sample of pure Portland cement. Yield point, plastic viscosity and adhesion of fresh pastes are considerably influenced by fineness of metakaolin used in cement pastes.

Keywords: calorimetry, cement, metakaolin fineness, rheology, strength

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Authors: M. Jalali Azizpour, H.Mohammadi Majd

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In this paper, the effect of WC-12Co particle Temperature in HVOF thermal spraying process on the coating thickness has been studied. The statistical results show that the spray distance and oxygen-to-fuel ratio are more effective factors on particle characterization and thickness of HVOF thermal spraying coatings. Spray Watch diagnostic system, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction and thickness measuring system were used for this purpose.

Keywords: HVOF, temperature, thickness, velocity, WC-12Co

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Authors: Amna Abdalla Mohammed Khalid, Pietro Parisse, Silvia Onesti, Loredana Casalis

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Basic cellular processes as DNA replication are crucial to cell life. Understanding at the molecular level the mechanisms that govern DNA replication in proliferating cells is fundamental to understand disease connected to genomic instabilities, as a genetic disease and cancer. A key step for DNA replication to take place, is unwinding the DNA double helix and this carried out by proteins called helicases. The archaeal MCM (minichromosome maintenance) complex from Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus have being studied using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), imaging in air and liquid (Physiological environment). The accurate analysis of AFM topographic images allowed to understand the static conformations as well the interaction dynamic of MCM and DNA double helix in the present of ATP.

Keywords: DNA, protein-DNA interaction, MCM (mini chromosome manteinance) complex, atomic force microscopy (AFM)

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Authors: Yousef I. Salamin

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Theoretical investigations, analytical as well as numerical, have shown that electrons can be accelerated to GeV energies by the process of cyclotron auto-resonance acceleration (CARA). In CARA, the particle would be injected along the lines of a uniform magnetic field aligned parallel to the direction of propagation of a plane-wave radiation field. Unfortunately, an accelerator based on CARA would be prohibitively too long and too expensive to build and maintain. However, the process stands a better chance of success near the polar cap of a compact object (such as a neutron star, a black hole or a magnetar) or in an environment created in the wake of a binary neutron-star or blackhole merger. Dynamics of the nuclides ₁H¹, ₂He⁴, ₂₆Fe⁵⁶, and ₂₈Ni⁶², in such astrophysical conditions, have been investigated by single-particle calculations and many-particle simulations. The investigations show that these nuclides can reach ZeV energies (1 ZeV = 10²¹ eV) due to interaction with super-intense radiation of wavelengths = 1 and 10 m and = 50 pm and magnetic fields of strengths at the mega- and giga-tesla levels. Examples employing radiation intensities in the range 10³²-10⁴² W/m² have been used. Employing a two-parameter model for representing the radiation field, CARA is analytically generalized to include any state of polarization, and the basic working equations are derived rigorously and in closed analytic form.

Keywords: compact objects, cosmic-ray acceleration, cyclotron auto-resonance, polarization effects, zevatron

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Authors: S. L. J. Tan, N. Billa, C. J. Roberts

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Oral delivery of amphotericin B (AmpB) potentially eliminates constraints and side effects associated with intravenous administration, but remains challenging due to the physicochemical properties of the drug such that it results in meagre bioavailability (0.3%). In an advanced formulation, 1) nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) were formulated as they can accommodate higher levels of cargoes and restrict drug expulsion and 2) a mucoadhesion feature was incorporated so as to impart sluggish transit of the NLC along the gastrointestinal tract and hence, maximize uptake and improve bioavailability of AmpB. The AmpB-loaded NLC formulation was successfully formulated via high shear homogenisation and ultrasonication. A chitosan coating was adsorbed onto the formed NLC. Physical properties of the formulations; particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency (%EE), aggregation states and mucoadhesion as well as the effect of the variable pH on the integrity of the formulations were examined. The particle size of the freshly prepared AmpB-loaded NLC was 163.1 ± 0.7 nm, with a negative surface charge and remained essentially stable over 120 days. Adsorption of chitosan caused a significant increase in particle size to 348.0 ± 12 nm with the zeta potential change towards positivity. Interestingly, the chitosan-coated AmpB-loaded NLC (ChiAmpB NLC) showed significant decrease in particle size upon storage, suggesting 'anti-Ostwald' ripening effect. AmpB-loaded NLC formulation showed %EE of 94.3 ± 0.02 % and incorporation of chitosan increased the %EE significantly, to 99.3 ± 0.15 %. This suggests that the addition of chitosan renders stability to the NLC formulation, interacting with the anionic segment of the NLC and preventing the drug leakage. AmpB in both NLC and ChiAmpB NLC showed polyaggregation which is the non-toxic conformation. The mucoadhesiveness of the ChiAmpB NLC formulation was observed in both acidic pH (pH 5.8) and near-neutral pH (pH 6.8) conditions as opposed to AmpB-loaded NLC formulation. Hence, the incorporation of chitosan into the NLC formulation did not only impart mucoadhesive property but also protected against the expulsion of AmpB which makes it well-primed as a potential oral delivery system for AmpB.

Keywords: Amphotericin B, mucoadhesion, nanostructured lipid carriers, oral delivery

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Authors: Jan Podkowik

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The article discusses issues of mutual relationships of human dignity and personal autonomy. According to constitutions of many countries and international human rights law, human dignity is a fundamental and inviolable value. It is the source of all freedoms and rights, including personal autonomy. Human dignity, as an inherent, inalienable and non-gradable value comprising an attribute of all people, justifies freedom of action according to one's will and following one's vision of good life. On the other hand, human dignity imposes immanent restrictions to personal autonomy regarding decisions on commercialization of the one’s body, etc. It points to the paradox of dignity – the source of freedom and conditions (basic) of its limitations. The paper shows the theoretical concept of human dignity as an objective value among legal systems, determining the boundaries of legal protection of personal autonomy. It is not, therefore, the relevant perception of human dignity and freedom as opposite values. Reference point has been made the normative provisions of the Polish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms as well as judgments of constitutional courts.

Keywords: autonomy, constitution, human dignity, human rights

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Authors: P. M. Fonseca Alfonso, E. A. Murillo Ruiz, M. Diaz Lagos

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Understanding the physicochemical properties and mineralogy of fly ash from a particular source is essential for to protect the environment and considering its possible applications, specifically, in the production of geopolymeric materials that solidify/stabilize heavy metals ions. The results of the characterization of three fly ash samples are shown in this paper. The samples were produced in the TERMOPAIPA IV thermal power plant in the State of Boyaca, Colombia. The particle size distribution, chemical composition, mineralogy, and molecular structure of three samples were analyzed using laser diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy respectively. The particle size distribution of the three samples probably ranges from 0.128 to 211 μm. Approximately 59 elements have been identified in the three samples. It is noticeable that the ashes are made up of aluminum and silicon compounds. Besides, the iron phase in low content was also found. According to the results found in this study, the fly ash samples type F has a great potential to be used as raw material for the manufacture of geopolymers with potential use in the stabilization/solidification of heavy metals; mainly due to the presence of amorphous aluminosilicates typical of this type of ash, which react effectively with alkali-activator.

Keywords: fly ash, geopolymers, molecular structure, physicochemical properties.

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Authors: Nur Azilina Abdul Aziz, Tuti Katrina Abdullah, Ahmad Azmin Mohamad

Abstract:

Lithium-transition metals and some of their oxides, such as LiCoO2, LiMn2O2, LiFePO4, and LiNiO2 have been used as cathode materials in high performance lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Among the cathode materials, LiCoO2 has potential to been widely used as a lithium-ion battery because of its layered crystalline structure, good capacity, high cell voltage, high specific energy density, high power rate, low self-discharge, and excellent cycle life. This cathode material has been widely used in commercial lithium-ion batteries due to its low irreversible capacity loss and good cycling performance. However, there are several problems that interfere with the production of material that has good electrochemical properties, including the crystallinity, the average particle size and particle size distribution. In recent years, synthesis of nanoparticles has been intensively investigated. Powders prepared by the traditional solid-state reaction have a large particle size and broad size distribution. On the other hand, solution method can reduce the particle size to nanometer range and control the particle size distribution. In this study, LiCoO2 was synthesized using the sol–gel preparation method, which Lithium acetate and Cobalt acetate were used as reactants. The stoichiometric amounts of the reactants were dissolved in deionized water. The solutions were stirred for 30 hours using magnetic stirrer, followed by heating at 80°C under vigorous stirring until a viscous gel was formed. The as-formed gel was calcined at 700°C for 7 h under a room atmosphere. The structural and morphological analysis of LiCoO2 was characterized using X-ray diffraction and Scanning electron microscopy. The diffraction pattern of material can be indexed based on the α-NaFeO2 structure. The clear splitting of the hexagonal doublet of (006)/(102) and (108)/(110) in this patterns indicates materials are formed in a well-ordered hexagonal structure. No impurity phase can be seen in this range probably due to the homogeneous mixing of the cations in the precursor. Furthermore, SEM micrograph of the LiCoO2 shows the particle size distribution is almost uniform while particle size is between 0.3-0.5 microns. In conclusion, LiCoO2 powder was successfully synthesized using the sol–gel method. LiCoO2 showed a hexagonal crystal structure. The sample has been prepared clearly indicate the pure phase of LiCoO2. Meanwhile, the morphology of the sample showed that the particle size and size distribution of particles is almost uniform.

Keywords: cathode material, LiCoO2, lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, Sol-Gel method

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Authors: Abdelmessih Malak Sadek Labib

Abstract:

Ceramic materials are known for their stability in harsh environments and excellent electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. They have been widely used in various applications despite the emergence of new materials such as plastics and composites. However, ceramics are often brittle, which can lead to catastrophic failure. The fragility of ceramics and the mechanisms behind their failure have been a topic of extensive research, particularly in load-bearing applications like veneers. Porcelain, a type of traditional pottery, is commonly used in such applications. Traditional pottery consists of clay, silica, and feldspar, and the presence of quartz in the ceramic body can lead to microcracks and stress concentrations. The mullite hypothesis suggests that the strength of porcelain can be improved by increasing the interlocking of mullite needles in the ceramic body. However, there is a lack of reports on Young's moduli in the literature, leading to erroneous conclusions about the mechanical behavior of porcelain. This project aims to investigate the role of quartz and mullite on the mechanical strength of various porcelains while considering factors such as particle size, flexural strength, and fractographic forces. Research Aim: The aim of this research project is to assess the role of quartz and mullite in enhancing the mechanical strength of different porcelains. The project will also explore the effect of reducing particle size on the properties of porcelain, as well as investigate flexural strength and fractographic techniques. Methodology: The methodology for this project involves using scientific expressions and a mix of modern English to ensure the understanding of all attendees. It will include the measurement of Young's modulus and the evaluation of the mechanical behavior of porcelains through various experimental techniques. Findings: The findings of this study will provide a realistic assessment of the role of quartz and mullite in strengthening and reducing the fragility of porcelain. The research will also contribute to a better understanding of the mechanical behavior of ceramics, specifically in load-bearing applications. Theoretical Importance: The theoretical importance of this research lies in its contribution to the understanding of the factors influencing the mechanical strength and fragility of ceramics, particularly porcelain. By investigating the interplay between quartz, mullite, and other variables, this study will enhance our knowledge of the properties and behavior of traditional ceramics. Data Collection and Analysis Procedures: Data for this research will be collected through experiments involving the measurement of Young's modulus and other mechanical properties of porcelains. The effects of quartz, mullite, particle size, flexural strength, and fractographic forces will be examined and analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques and fractographic analysis. Questions Addressed: This research project aims to address the following questions: (1) How does the presence of quartz and mullite affect the mechanical strength of porcelain? (2) What is the impact of reducing particle size on the properties of porcelain? (3) How do flexural strength and fractographic forces influence the behavior of porcelains? Conclusion: In conclusion, this research project aims to enhance the understanding of the role of quartz and mullite in strengthening and reducing the fragility of porcelain. By investigating the mechanical properties of porcelains and considering factors such as particle size, flexural strength, and fractographic forces, this study will contribute to the knowledge of traditional ceramics and their potential applications. The findings will have practical implications for the use of ceramics in various fields.

Keywords: stability, harsh environments, electrical, techniques, mechanical disadvantages, materials

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Authors: Peter Pfeifer, Julian Pfeifer, Niko Pfeifer

Abstract:

Information processing is the focus of brain and cognition research. This work has a different perspective; it starts with behaviors. The detailed analysis of behaviors leads to the discovery that a significant proportion of them are based on only five basic drives. These basic drives are combinable, and the combinations result in the diversity of human behavior and thinking. The key elements are drive memories. They collect memories of drive-related situations and feelings. They contain variations of basic drives in numerous areas of life and build combinations with different meanings depending on the area. Human thinking could be explained with variations on these nested combinations of basic drives.

Keywords: cognition, psycholinguistics, psychology, psychophysiology of cognition

Procedia PDF Downloads 161