Search results for: green synthesized sequesters

Authors: Mohammad Yahaghifar

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Nowadays Wireless system designers have been facing the continuously increasing demand for high data rates and mobility required by new wireless applications. Evolving future communication network generation cellular wireless networks are envisioned to overcome the fundamental challenges of existing cellular networks, for example, higher data rates, excellent end-to-end performance, and user coverage in hot-spots and crowded areas with lower latency,energy consumption and cost per information transfer. In this paper we propose a potential cellular architecture that separates indoor and outdoor scenarios and discuss various promising technologies for future wireless communication systemssystems, such as massive MIMO, energy-efficient communications,cognitive radio networks, and visible light communications and we disscuse about 5G that is next generation of wireless networks.

Keywords: future challenges in networks, cellur architecture, visible light communication, 5G wireless technologies, spatial modulation, massiva mimo, cognitive radio network, green communications

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Authors: Neha Singh

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Background: Nowadays, the nanoparticle is gaining unexceptional attention in targeted drug delivery. But before proceeding to this episode of accomplishment, the journey and closure of these nanoparticles inside the cells should be disentangle. Being foreign for the cells, nanoparticles will easily getcleared off without any effective outcome. As the cancer cells withhold these nanoparticles for a longer period of time, more will be the drug’s effect. Chlorpromazine is a cationic amphiphilic drug which is believed to inhibit clathrin-coated pit formation by a reversible translocation of clathrin and its adapter proteins from the plasma membrane to intracellular vesicles. Chlorpromazine has a role in increasing the retention of nanoparticles in cancer cells. The mechanism of action how this small molecule increases the retention of nanoparticles is still uncovered. Method: Polymeric nanoparticle (PLGA) with Cyanine3.5 dye were synthesized by solvent evaporation method and characterized for size and zeta potential. FTIR was also done. Pulse and chase studies with and without inhibitor were done to check the retention of nanoparticle using fluorescence microscopy. Mean fluorescence intensity was measured by ImageJ software. Results: Increased retention of nanoparticle with inhibitor was observed in both pulse and chase studies. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that by repurposing these small molecule inhibitor, we can increase the retention of nanoparticle at the targeted site.

Keywords: nanoparticle, endocytosis, clathrin inhibitor, cancer cell

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Authors: M. Kiran Reddy, K. Sreenivasa Rao

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The conventional Hidden Markov Model (HMM)-based speech synthesis system (HTS) uses only a pulse excitation model, which significantly differs from natural excitation signal. Hence, buzziness can be perceived in the speech generated using HTS. This paper proposes an efficient excitation modeling method that can significantly reduce the buzziness, and improve the quality of HMM-based speech synthesis. The proposed approach models the pitch-synchronous residual frames extracted from the residual excitation signal. Each pitch synchronous residual frame is parameterized using 30 wavelet coefficients. These 30 wavelet coefficients are found to accurately capture the perceptually important information present in the residual waveform. In synthesis phase, the residual frames are reconstructed from the generated wavelet coefficients and are pitch-synchronously overlap-added to generate the excitation signal. The proposed excitation modeling method is integrated into HMM-based speech synthesis system. Evaluation results indicate that the speech synthesized by the proposed excitation model is significantly better than the speech generated using state-of-the-art excitation modeling methods.

Keywords: excitation modeling, hidden Markov models, pitch-synchronous frames, speech synthesis, wavelet coefficients

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Authors: Minhee Son, Kyung Nam Kim

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This study explores the plan of the Korean and Japanese governments to transition into the hydrogen economy. Two motor companies, Hyundai Motor Company from Korea and Toyota from Japan, released the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle to monopolize the green energy automobile market. Although, they are the main countries which emit greenhouse gas, hydrogen energy can bring from a certain industry places, such as chemical plants and steel mills. Recent, the two countries have been focusing on the hydrogen industry including a fuel cell vehicle, a hydrogen station, a fuel cell plant, a residential fuel cell. The purpose of this paper is to find out the differences of the policies in the two countries to be hydrogen societies. We analyze the behavior of the public and private sectors in Korea and Japan about hydrogen energy and fuel cells for the transition of the hydrogen economy. Finally we show the similarities and differences of both countries in hydrogen fuel cells. And some cities have feature such as Hydrogen cities. Hydrogen energy can make impact environmental sustainability.

Keywords: fuel cell, hydrogen city, hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen station, hydrogen energy

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Authors: Noureddine Benharkat, Abdelkader Chouaih, Nourdine Boukabcha

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A thiourea derivative compound was synthesized and subjected to structural analysis using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD). The crystallographic data unveiled its crystallization in the P21/c space group within the monoclinic system. Examination of the dihedral angles indicated a notable non-planar structure. To support and interpret these resulats, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted utilizing the B3LYP functional along with a 6–311 G (d, p) basis set. Additionally, to assess the contribution of intermolecular interactions, Hirshfeld surface analysis and 2D fingerprint plots were employed. Various types of interactions, whether weak intramolecular or intermolecular, within a molecule can significantly impact its stability. The distinctive signature of non-covalent interactions can be detected solely through electron density analysis. The NCI-RDG analysis was employed to investigate both repulsive and attractive van der Waals interactions while also calculating the energies associated with intermolecular interactions and their characteristics. Additionally, a molecular docking study was studied to explain the structure-activity relationship, revealing that the title compound exhibited an affinity energy of -6.8 kcal/mol when docked with B-DNA (1BNA).

Keywords: computational chemistry, density functional theory, crystallography, molecular docking, molecular structure, powder x-ray diffraction, single crystal x-ray diffraction

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Authors: C. Sancho Salvatierra, J. M. Martinez Nieto, R. García Gonzalez-Gordon, M. I. Martinez Bellido

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Introduction: Nature could act as an asset for human health protecting against possible diseases and promoting the state of both physical and mental health. Goals: This paper aims to determine which natural elements present evidence that show positive influence on human health, on which particular aspects and how. It also aims to determine the best biomarkers to measure such influence. Method: A systematic literature review was carried out. First, a general free text search was performed in databases, such as Scopus, PubMed or PsychInfo. Secondly, a specific search was performed combining keywords in order of increasing complexity. Also the Snowballing technique was used and it was consulted in the CSIC’s (The Spanish National Research Council). Databases: Of the 130 articles obtained and reviewed, 80 referred to natural elements that influenced health. These 80 articles were classified and tabulated according to the nature elements found, the health aspects studied, the health measurement parameters used and the measurement techniques used. In this classification the results of the studies were codified according to whether they were positive, negative or neutral both for the elements of nature and for the aspects of health studied. Finally, the results of the 80 selected studies were summarized and categorized according to the elements of nature that showed the greatest positive influence on health and the biomarkers that had shown greater reliability to measure said influence. Results: Of the 80 articles studied, 24 (30.0%) were reviews and 56 (70.0%) were original research articles. Among the 24 reviews, 18 (75%) found positive results of natural elements on health, and 6 (25%) both positive and negative effects. Of the 56 original articles, 47 (83.9%) showed positive results, 3 (5.4%) both positive and negative, 4 (7.1%) negative effects, and 2 (3.6%) found no effects. The results reflect positive effects of different elements of nature on the following pathologies: diabetes, high blood pressure, stress, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, psychotic, anxiety and affective disorders. They also show positive effects on the following areas: immune system, social interaction, recovery after illness, mood, decreased aggressiveness, concentrated attention, cognitive performance, restful sleep, vitality and sense of well-being. Among the elements of nature studied, those that show the greatest positive influence on health are forest immersion, natural views, daylight, outdoor physical activity, active transport, vegetation biodiversity, natural sounds and the green residences. As for the biomarkers used that show greater reliability to measure the effects of natural elements are the levels of cortisol (both in blood and saliva), vitamin D levels, serotonin and melatonin, blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and skin conductance. Conclusions: Nature is an asset for health, well-being and quality of life. Awareness programs, education and health promotion are needed based on the elements that nature brings us, which in turn generate proactive attitudes in the population towards the protection and conservation of nature. The studies related to this subject in Spain are very scarce. Aknowledgements. This study has been promoted and partially financed by the Environmental Foundation Jaime González-Gordon.

Keywords: health, green areas, nature, well-being

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Authors: Huseyin Canci

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Chlorophylls are green photosynthetic pigment in plants. Therefore, photosynthesis in plants occurs in the leaves. Roles of chlorophylls help plants to get energy from light. The aim of the present study is to compare of chlorophyll contents in some bean species including common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and runner bean (P. coccineous L.) and genotypes. This research was carried out in fields of Faculty of Agriculture, Akdeniz University in Antalya. Species and genotypes were grown in 2 m single row and 50 cm row spacing. A randomized blocks design was used with two replications. Totally, 124 beans species and genotypes which 122 common beans and 2 runner beans were sown on February, 17th 2014 by hand. Chlorophyll a + b (SPAD values) were determined seedling stage, days to flowering 50% and pod setting stage on bean genotypes. Results showed that there were significant differences for genotypes, stages and interaction of genotypes X stages. There was statistically significant relationships between yield and chlorophyll content of bean species and genotypes.

Keywords: bean, chlorophyll, Phaseolus, SPAD values

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Authors: Juliane P. De Oliveira, Carlos H. Dos Santos, Marcia Shoji, Maria E. C. Ferreira, Natalia U. Yamaguchi

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The construction sector is considered a major generator of environmental impacts due to the high consumption of natural resources and waste generation. Thus, this article aims to evaluate the performance of a concrete produced by the partial and total replacement of natural coarse aggregate by recycled coarse aggregate, derived from the concrete residue of buildings and demolitions. The study was made by comparing the compressive strength and absorption of three different concrete traces, keeping the water/cement factor of 0.60 and changing only the proportions of recycled coarse aggregate between 0%, 50% and 100%. Traces 50% and 100% obtained good results by comparing the actual specific mass, because the material used is lighter to the natural coarse aggregate. It was concluded that the concrete produced with recycled aggregates, even with inferior results, can be used where it is not needed a structural function, giving an adequate destination to the construction and demolition waste and consequently reducing the extraction and consumption of natural resources.

Keywords: green concrete, recycled aggregate, recycling, sustainable development

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Authors: S. Said, Asmaa A. Abdulrahman

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MoOₓ/Al₂O₃ based catalyst has long been widely used as an active catalyst in oxidative desulfurization reaction due to its high stability under severe reaction conditions and high resistance to sulfur poisoning. In this context, 4 & 9wt.% MoO₃ grafted on mesoporous γ-Al₂O₃ has been synthesized using the modified atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. Another MoO₃/Al₂O₃ sample was prepared by the conventional wetness impregnation (IM) method, for comparison. The effect of the preparation methods on the metal-support interaction was evaluated using different characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N₂-physisorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), H₂- temperature-programmed reduction and FT-IR. Oxidative desulfurization (ODS) reaction of the model fuel oil was used as a probe reaction to examine the catalytic efficiency of the prepared catalysts. ALD method led to samples with much better physicochemical properties than those of the prepared one via the impregnation method. However, the 9 wt.%MoO₃/Al₂O₃ (ALD) catalyst in the ODS reaction of model fuel oil shows enhanced catalytic performance with ~90%, which has been attributed to the more Mo⁶⁺ surface concentrations relative to Al³⁺ with large pore diameter and surface area. The kinetic study shows that the ODS of DBT follows a pseudo first-order rate reaction.

Keywords: mesoporous Al₂O₃, xMoO₃/Al₂O₃, atomic layer deposition, wetness impregnation, ODS, DBT

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Authors: Manasi Roy, Raju Mondal

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During last two decades the synthesis and design of MOFs or novel coordination polymers (CPs) has flourished as an emerging area of research due to their role as functional materials. Accordingly, ten new cobalt-based MOFs have been synthesized using a simple bispyrazole ligand, 4,4′-methylene-bispyrazole (H2MBP), and isophthalic acid (H2IPA) and its four 5-substituted derivatives R-H2IPA (R = COOH, OH, tBu, NH2). The major aim of this study was to validate the mutual influence of temperature and substitutions on the final structural self-assembly. Five different isophthalic acid derivatives were used to study the influence of substituents while each reaction was carried out at two different temperatures to assess the temperature effect. A clear correlation was observed between the reaction temperature and the coordination number of the cobalt atoms which consequently changes the self assembly pattern. Another fact that the periodical change in coordination number did bring about some systematic changes in the structural network via secondary building unit selectivity. With the presence of a tunable cavity inside the network, and unsaturated metal centers, MOFs show highly encouraging photocatalytic degradation of toxic dye with a potential application in waste water purification. Another fascinating aspect of this work is the construction of magnetic coordination polymers with the occurrence of a not-so-common MCE behavior of cobalt-based MOF.

Keywords: MOFs, temperature effect, MCE, dye degradation

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Authors: Heba Fouad, Tarek M. Madkour, Safwan A. Khedr

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This paper investigates multiple factors that impact the formation of geopolymers and their compressive strength to be utilized in construction as an environmentally-friendly material. Bentonite and Kaolinite were thermally calcinated at 750 °C to obtain Metabentonite and Metakaolinite with higher reactivity. Both source materials were activated using a solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Thereafter, samples were cured at different temperatures. The samples were analyzed chemically using a host of spectroscopic techniques. The bulk density and compressive strength of the produced Geopolymer pastes were studied. Findings indicate that the ratio of NaOH solution to source material affects the compressive strength, being optimal at 0.54. Moreover, controlled heat curing was proven effective to improve compressive strength. The existence of characteristic Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) peaks at approximately 1020 cm-1 and 460 cm-1 which corresponds to the asymmetric stretching vibration of Si-O-T and bending vibration of Si-O-Si, hence, confirming the formation of the target geopolymer.

Keywords: calcination of metakaolinite, compressive strength, FTIR analysis, geopolymer, green cement

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Authors: H. Boucheloukh, S. Rouissa, N. Aoun, M. Beloucifa, T. Sehili, F. Parrino, V. Loddo

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To optimize water purification and wastewater treatment by heterogeneous photocatalysis, we used NiFe₂O₄ as a catalyst and solar irradiation as a source of energy. In this concept, an organic substance present in many industrial effluents was chosen: naproxen ((S)-6-methoxy-α-methyl-2-naphthaleneacetic acid or 2-(6-methoxynaphthalenyl) propanoic), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The main objective of this study is to degrade naproxen by an iron and nickel catalyst, the degradation of this organic pollutant by nickel ferrite has been studied in a heterogeneous aqueous medium, with the study of the various factors influencing photocatalysis such as the concentration of matter and the acidity of the medium. The photocatalytic activity was followed by HPLC-UV andUV-Vis spectroscopy. A first-order kinetic model appropriately fitted the experimental data. The degradation of naproxen was also studied in the presence of H₂O₂ as well as in an aqueous solution. The new hetero-system NiFe₂O₄/oxalic acid is also discussed. The fastest naproxen degradation was obtained with NiFe₂O₄/H₂O₂. In a first-place, we detailed the characteristics of the material NiFe₂O₄, which was synthesized by the sol-gel methods, using various analytical techniques: visible UV spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction, FTIR, cyclic voltammetry, luminescent discharge optical emission spectroscopy.

Keywords: naproxen, nickelate, photocatalysis, oxalic acid

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Authors: Z. Younsi, L. Koufi, H. Gidik, D. Lahem, W. Wim Thielemans

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This study investigated the efficiency of photocatalytic textile to remove the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) present in indoor air. Functionalization of the fabric was achieved by adding a photocatalyst material active in the visible spectrum of light. This is a modified titanium dioxide photocatalyst doped with non-metal ions synthesized via sol-gel process, which should allow the degradation of the pollutants – ideally into H₂O and CO₂ – using photocatalysis based on visible light and no additionnal external energy source. The visible light photocatalytic activity of textile sample was evaluated for toluene and benzene gaseous removal, under the visible irradiation, in a test chamber with the total volume of 1m³. The suggested approach involves experimental investigations of the global behavior of the photocatalytic textile. The experimental apparatus permits simultaneous measurements of the degradation of pollutants and presence of eventually formed by-products. It also allows imposing and measuring concentration variations with respect to selected time scales in the test chamber. The observed results showed that the amount of TiO₂ incorporation improved the photocatalytic efficiency of functionalized textile significantly under visible light. The results obtained with such textile are very promising.

Keywords: benzene, C₆H₆, efficiency, photocatalytic degradation, textile fabrics, titanium dioxide, TiO₂, toluene, C₇H₈, visible light

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Authors: Malek Bendjaballah, Hacina Saidi, Sarra Hamidoud

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The aim of this study is to model and optimize the performance of a new electrocoagulation (E.C) process for the treatment of wastewater as well as the energy consumption in order to extrapolate it to the industrial scale. Through judicious application of an experimental design (DOE), it has been possible to evaluate the individual effects and interactions that have a significant influence on both objective functions (maximizing efficiency and minimizing energy consumption) by using aluminum electrodes as sacrificial anode. Preliminary experiments have shown that the pH of the medium, the applied potential and the treatment time with E.C are the main parameters. A factorial design 33 has been adopted to model performance and energy consumption. Under optimal conditions, the pollution reduction efficiency is 93%, combined with a minimum energy consumption of 2.60.10-3 kWh / mg-COD. The potential or current applied and the processing time and their interaction were the most influential parameters in the mathematical models obtained. The results of the modeling were also correlated with the experimental ones. The results offer promising opportunities to develop a clean process and inexpensive technology to eliminate or reduce wastewater,

Keywords: electrocoagulation, green process, experimental design, optimization

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Authors: Amine.Harbia, Hicham. Moutaabbidb, Yann. Le Godecb, Said. Benmokhtara, Mouhammed. Moutaabbida

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This study explores the structural and magnetic characteristics of newly synthesized double perovskite oxides, La₂NiₓCo1-xMnO₆, with x ranging from 0.2 to 0.8. Utilizing X-ray powder diffraction and SQUID magnetometry, we analyzed the compounds that consistently exhibit a monoclinic structure with the P21/n space group at ambient temperature. it findings reveal that as Ni2+ is progressively substituted by Co2+, there is a corresponding decrease in cell parameters, attributable to the smaller ionic radius of Ni2+ (0.69 Å) compared to Co2+ (0.74 Å). The crystal structure features octahedrally coordinated (Co/Ni)2+ and Mn4+ cations with oxygen, forming (Co/Ni)O6 and MnO6 octahedra linked via oxygen atoms along different crystallographic axes. Magnetic characterization conducted over a temperature range of 2 to 300 K in both DC and AC magnetic fields, showed a predominant paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition between 232 K and 260 K, with the Curie temperature notably increasing with higher x values. Samples with x=0.2, 0.25, and 0.5 exhibited a secondary PM-FM transition between 200 K and 208 K. Cation ordering was quantitatively assessed, indicating a higher ordering in Ni2+-rich samples (x=0.75 and 0.8) at over 96%, whereas the sample with x=0.25 showed minimal ordering. Furthermore, the out-of-phase component of the AC susceptibility displayed frequency-dependent transitions between 65 K and 110 K, suggesting the presence of superparamagnetic domains across all samples.

Keywords: double perovskite oxides, magnetic transitions, cation ordering, squid magnetometry

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Authors: I. Ben Kaddour, S. Larbaoui

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Since their first synthesis, the Silicoaluminophosphates materials have proved their efficiency as a good adsorbent and catalyst in several environmental and energetic applications. In this work, the photocatalytic hydrogen production from water splitting reactions has been conducted under visible radiations in the presence of a series of iron and/or titanium-containing microporous silico-alumino-phosphates materials synthesized by hydrothermal method, using triethylamine as an organic structuring agent to obtain the AFI structure type. These photo-catalysts were then characterized by various physicochemical methods to determine their structural, textural and morphological properties such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with X rays microanalysis, nitrogen adsorption measurements, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis-DRS), and X-rays photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the analysis revealed that these materials have significant photocatalytic properties. The hydrogen production process has been followed by photoelectrochemical characterization (PEC). The results showed that hydrogen is the only gas produced, and the reaction takes place in the conduction band where water is reduced to hydrogen. The electron recombination has also been avoided, as holes are entrapped using hole scavengers. In addition, these catalysts have been shown to remain stable during reuse for up to five cycles.

Keywords: photocatalysis, SAPO-5, hydrothermal synthesis, hydrogen production

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Authors: L. G. Abubakar, A. M. El-Okene, M. L. Suleiman, Z. Abubakar

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Fadama tillage in Northern Nigeria and in Zaria in particular, has relied on manual labour and corresponding implements which are associated with drudgery, loss of human energy due to bending and reduced productivity. A survey was conducted to study the present tillage practices and determine the constraints associated with the use of animal traction for mechanized tillage of the Fadama. The study revealed that Fadama farmers (mostly aged between 36 and 60 years) use manual labour with tools like small hoe, big hoe and rake to till during the dry season (October of one year to March of the next year). Most of the Fadama farmers believe that tillage operations like ploughing, harrowing and basin making are very important tillage activities in the preparation of seedbeds for crops like green maize, sugarcane and vegetables, but are constrained to using animal traction for tillage due to beliefs like unsuitability of the workbulls and corresponding implements, Fadama soil being too heavy for the system and the non-attainment of deep tillage required by crops like sugarcane and potato. These were affirmed by local blacksmiths of animal traction implements and agricultural officers of government establishments.

Keywords: snimal traction, Fadama, tillage implements, workbulls

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Authors: Ismail Al-Yahmadi, Abbasher Gismelseed, Fatma Al-Mammari, Ahmed Al-Rawas, Ali Yousif, Imaddin Al-Omari, Hisham Widatallah, Mohamed Elzain

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The influence of Fe-doping on the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Nd₀.₆Sr₀.₄FeₓMn₁₋ₓO₃ (0≤ x ≤0.5) were investigated. The samples were synthesized by auto-combustion Sol-Gel method. The phase purity, crystallinity, and the structural properties for all prepared samples were examined by X-ray diffraction. XRD refinement indicates that the samples are crystallized in the orthorhombic single-phase with Pnma space group. Temperature dependence of magnetization measurements under a magnetic applied field of 0.02 T reveals that the samples with (x=0.0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) exhibit a paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FM) transition with decreasing temperature. The Curie temperature decreased with increasing Fe content from 256 K for x =0.0 to 80 K for x =0.3 due to increasing of antiferromagnetic superexchange (SE) interaction coupling. Moreover, the magnetization as a function of applied magnetic field (M-H) curves was measured at 2 K, and 300 K. the results of such measurements confirm the temperature dependence of magnetization measurements. The magnetic entropy change|∆SM | was evaluated using Maxwell's relation. The maximum values of the magnetic entropy change |-∆SMax |for x=0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 are found to be 15.35, 5.13, 3.36, 1.08 J/kg.K for an applied magnetic field of 9 T. Our result on magnetocaloric properties suggests that the parent sample Nd₀.₆Sr₀.₄MnO₃ could be a good refrigerant for low-temperature magnetic refrigeration.

Keywords: manganite perovskite, magnetocaloric effect, X-ray diffraction, relative cooling power

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Authors: A. Hegazy, Ahmed Elsayed, Essam El Shenawy, N. Allam, Hala Handal, K. R. Mahmoud

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Highly crystalline, TiO₂ pristine sub-10 nm anatase nanocrystals were fabricated at low temperatures by post hydrothermal treatment of the as-prepared TiO₂ nanoparticles. This treatment resulted in bandgap narrowing and increased photocurrent density value (3.8 mA/cm²) when this material was employed in water splitting systems. The achieved photocurrent values are among the highest reported ones so far for the fabricated nanoparticles at this low temperature. This might be explained by the increased surface defects of the prepared nanoparticles. It resulted in bandgap narrowing that was further investigated using positron annihilation experiments by measuring positron lifetime and Doppler broadening. Besides, homogeneous spherical TiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized in large diameter and high surface area and the high percentage of (001) facet by sol-gel method using potassium persulfate (K₂S₂O₈) as an oxidizing agent. The fabricated particles exhibited high exposed surface area, high photoactivity and reduced band gap. Enhanced performance for water splitting applications was displayed by formed TiO₂ nanoparticles. Their morphological and structural properties were studied to optimize their synthesis parameters in an attempt to construct more applicable fuel cells in the industry for hydrogen fuel production.

Keywords: positron annihilation, solar energy, TiO2 nanoparticles, water splitting

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Authors: Mallikarjunachari Gangapuram

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Stimuli-responsive hydrogel nanocomposite membranes are gaining significant attention these days due to their potential applications in various engineering fields. For example, sensors, soft actuators, drug delivery, remote controlled therapy, water treatment, shape morphing, and magnetic refrigeration are few advanced applications of hydrogel nanocomposite membranes. In this work, hydrogel nanocomposite membranes are synthesized by embedding nanometer-sized (diameter - 300 nm) Fe₃O₄ magnetic particles into the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer. To understand the large deformation characteristics of these membranes, a well-known experimental method ball indentation technique is used. Different designing parameters such as membrane thickness, the concentration of magnetic particles and ball diameter on the viscoelastic properties are studied. All the experiments are carried out without and with a static magnetic field. Finite element simulations are carried out to validate the experimental results. It is observed, the creep response decreases and Young’s modulus increases as the thickness and concentration of magnetic particles increases. Image analysis revealed the hydrogel membranes are undergone global deformation for ball diameter 18 mm and local deformation when the diameter decreases from 18 mm to 0.5 mm.

Keywords: ball indentation, hydrogel membranes, nanocomposites, Young's modulus

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Authors: Nour Aljafari, Mariam, S. Maani, Serter Atabay, Tarig Ali, Said Daker, Lara Daher, Hamad Bukhammas, Mohammed Abou Shakra

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This paper aims at determining the soil characteristics that influence the irrigation process of green landscapes and deciding on the optimum amount of water needed for irrigation. The laboratory experiments were conducted using the constant head methodology to determine the soil infiltration rates. The steady state infiltration rate was reached after 10 minutes of infiltration at a rate of 200 mm/hr. The effects of different water heads on infiltration rates were also investigated, and the head of 11 cm was found to be the optimum head for the test. The experimental results showed consistent infiltration results for the range between 11 cm and 15 cm. The study also involved finding the initial moisture content, which ranged between 5% and 25%, and finding the organic content, which occupied 1% to 2% of the soil. These results will be later utilized, using the water balance approach, to estimate the optimum amount of water needed for irrigation for changing weather conditions.

Keywords: infiltration rate, moisture content, grass type, organic content

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Authors: Oualid Walid Ben Ali

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Big Data has become one of the buzzwords today. The recent explosion of digital data has led the organization, either private or public, to a new era towards a more efficient decision making. At some point, business decided to use that concept in order to learn what make their clients tick with phrases like ‘sales funnel’ analysis, ‘actionable insights’, and ‘positive business impact’. So, it stands to reason that Big Data was viewed through green (read: money) colored lenses. Somewhere along the line, however someone realized that collecting and processing data doesn’t have to be for business purpose only, but also could be used for other purposes to assist law enforcement or to improve policing or in road safety. This paper presents briefly, how Big Data have been used in the fields of policing order to improve the decision making process in the daily operation of the police. As example, we present a big-data driven system which is sued to accurately dispatch the patrol cars in a geographic environment. The system is also used to allocate, in real-time, the nearest patrol car to the location of an incident. This system has been implemented and applied in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

Keywords: big data, big data analytics, patrol car allocation, dispatching, GIS, intelligent, Abu Dhabi, police, UAE

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Authors: Vishal Kumar Gupta

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Purpose: This study has been undertaken to develop novel pH sensitive interpenetrating network hydrogel beads. Methods: The pH sensitive PAAM-g-Guar gum copolymer was synthesized by free radical polymerization followed by alkaline hydrolysis. Beads of guar gum-grafted-polyacrylamide and sodium Carboxy methyl cellulose (Na CMC) loaded with Pantoprazole sodium were prepared and evaluated for pH sensitivity, swelling properties, drug entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release characteristics. Seven formulations were prepared for the drug with varying polymer and cross linker concentrations. Results: The grafting and alkaline hydrolysis reactions were confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry was carried out to know the compatibility of encapsulated drug with the polymers. Scanning electron microscopic study revealed that the IPN beads were spherical. The entrapment efficiency was found to be in the range of 85-92%. Particle size analysis was carried out by optical microscopy. As the pH of the medium was changed from 1.2 to 7.4, a considerable increase in swelling was observed for all beads. Increase in the copolymer concentration showed sustained the drug release up to 12 hrs. Drug release from the beads followed super case II transport mechanism. Conclusion: It was concluded that guar gum-acrylamide beads, cross-linked with aluminum chloride offer an opportunity for controlled drug release of pantoprazole sodium.

Keywords: IPN, hydrogels, DSC, SEM

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Authors: Shoufeng Cao, Kim Bryceson, Damian Hine

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The existing supply chain risk management (SCRM) research is currently chaotic and somewhat disorganized, and the topic has been addressed conceptually more often than empirically. This paper, using both qualitative and quantitative data, employs a modified Meta-study method to investigate the SCRM empirical research published in quality journals over the period of 12 years (2004-2015). The purpose is to outline the extent research trends and the employed research methodologies (i.e., research method, data collection and data analysis) across the sub-field that will guide future research. The synthesized findings indicate that empirical study on risk ripple effect along an entire supply chain, industry-specific supply chain risk management and global/export supply chain risk management has not yet given much attention than it deserves in the SCRM field. Besides, it is suggested that future empirical research should employ multiple and/or mixed methods and multi-source data collection techniques to reduce common method bias and single-source bias, thus improving research validity and reliability. In conclusion, this paper helps to stimulate more quality empirical research in the SCRM field via identifying promising research directions and providing some methodology guidelines.

Keywords: empirical research, meta-study, methodology guideline, research direction, supply chain risk management

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Authors: Neda Mehdipour, Mohammad Hasan Gerami, Reza Rahnama, Ali Hamzehpour, Hanieh Nemati

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Laurencia caspica (red macroalgae) Enteromorpha intestinalis and Cladophora glomerata (green macroalgae) are three major macroalgae that grow along the southern coasts of the Caspian Sea. We investigated spatial and temporal variation of these three macroalgal species on hard substrates and their relation with environmental factors in 2014. Sampling was done seasonally from spring to winter 2014 from eight sites. Results indicated that of these three species had heterogeneity distribution along southern parts of the Caspian Sea. In addition, C. glomerata was dominant taxa in all stations and had maximum contribution in dissimilarities between sampling sites. According to BIO-ENV salinity, pH and Silicate were the best subset variables for explaining changes in the abundance over time of the hard-substrates macroalgae fauna under study. However, the position of species in Redundancy Analysis (RDA) plot revealed that L. caspica associated with temperature, E. intestinalis with pH and C. glomerata associated with phosphate and silicate.

Keywords: macroalgae, distribution, environmental factors, Caspian Sea

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Authors: Rakesh Hajiyani, Chetan Chauhan, Harshkant Jethva, Mihir Joshi

Abstract:

Metal bis-thiourea type organo-metallic crystals are popular as non-linear optical materials. Bis-thiourea nickel barium chloride was synthesized and crystals were grown by slow aqueous solvent evaporation technique. The transparent and colorless crystals having maximum dimensions of 13 mm x 8 mm x 2.2 mm were obtained. The EDAX was carried out to estimate the content of nickel and barium in the grown crystals. The powder XRD analysis suggested orthorhombic crystal structure with unit cell parameters as: a= 9.70 Å, b= 10.68 Å and c= 17.95 Å. The FTIR spectroscopy study confirmed the presence of various functional groups. The UV-vis spectroscopy study indicated that the crystals were transparent in the visible region with 90% transmittance level further optical parameters were studied. From the TGA it was found that the crystals remained stable up to 170 0C and then decomposed through two decomposition stages. The dielectric study was carried out in the frequency range of applied field from 500 Hz to 1 MHz. The variations of dielectric constant, dielectric loss were studied with frequency. It was found that the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss decreased as the frequency of applied field increased. The results are discussed.

Keywords: crystal growth, dielectric study, optical parameters, organo-metallic crystals, powder xrd, slow evaporation technique, TGA

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Authors: Fatemeh Soltani, Simindokht Shirvani Arani, Ali Bahrami Samani, Mahdi Sadeghi, Kamal Yavari

Abstract:

Cerium-141 [T1/2 = 32.501 days, Eβ (max) = 0.580 (29.8%) and 0.435(70.2%) MeV, Eγ=145.44 (48.2%) keV] possesses radionuclidic properties suitable for use in palliative therapy of bone metastases. 141Ce also has gamma energy of 145.44 keV, which resembles that of 99mTc. Therefore, the energy window is adjustable on the Tc-99m energy because of imaging studies. 141Ce can be produced through a relatively easy route that involves thermal neutron bombardment on natural CeO2 in medium flux research reactors (4–5×1013 neutrons/cm2•s). The requirement for an enriched target does not arise. Ethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphonic acid (EDTMP) was synthesized and radiolabeled with 141Ce. Complexation parameters were optimized to achieve maximum yields (>99%). The radiochemical purity of 141Ce-EDTMP was evaluated by radio-thin layer chromatography. The stability of the prepared formulation was monitored for one week at room temperature, and results showed that the preparation was stable during this period (>99%). Biodistribution studies of the complexes carried out in wild-type rats exhibited significant bone uptake with rapid clearance from blood. The properties of produced 141Ce-EDTMP suggest applying a new efficient bone pain palliative therapeutic agent to overcome metastatic bone pains.

Keywords: bone pain palliative, cerium-141, EDTMP, radiopharmaceutical

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Authors: Ximena Castillo, Jaime Pizarro

Abstract:

This research describes the development of a very cheap mesoporous silica material similar to hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) and using a silicate extract as precursor. This precursor is obtained from cheap fly ash by an easy calcination process at 850 °C and a green extraction with water. The obtained mesoporous fly ash material had a surface area of 282 m2 g-1 and a pore size of 5.7 nm. It was functionalized with ethylene diamino moieties via the well-known SAMMS method, followed by a DRIFT analysis that clearly showed the successful functionalization. An excellent adsorbent was obtained for the adsorption of sulfate anions by the solid’s modification with copper forming a copper-ethylenediamine complex. The adsorption of sulfates was studied in a batch system ( experimental conditions: pH=8.0; 5 min). The kinetics data were adjusted according to a pseudo-second order model with a high coefficient of linear regression at different initial concentrations. The adsorption isotherm that best fitted the experimental data was the Freundlich model. The maximum sulfate adsorption capacity of this very cheap fly ash based adsorbent was 146.1 mg g-1, 3 times greater than the values reported in literature and commercial adsorbent materials.

Keywords: fly ash, mesoporous materials, SAMMS, sulfate

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Authors: Lynda Golea, Rachid Chebaki

Abstract:

Schiff bases contain heterocyclic structural units with N and O donor atoms which plays an important role in coordination chemistry. Azomethine groups are a broad class of widely used compounds with applications in many fields, including analytical, inorganic chemistry and biological. Schiff's base is of promising research interest due to the widespread antibacterial resistance in medical science. In addition, the research is essential to generate Schiff base metal complexes with various applications. Schiff complexes have been used as drugs and have antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. The various donor atoms they contain offer a special ability for metal binding. In this research on the physicochemical properties of azomethine groups, we synthesized and studied the Schiff base compounds by a condensation reaction of tryptamines and acetophenone in ethanol. The structure of the prepared compound was interpreted using 1H NMR, 13C NMR, UV-vis and FT-IR. A computational analysis at the level of DFT with functional B3LYP in conjunction with the base 6-311+G (d, p) was conducted to study its electronic and molecular structure. The biological study was performed on three bacterial strains usually causing infection, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative, for antibacterial activity. Results showed moderate biological activity and proportional activity with increasing concentration.

Keywords: azomethine, HOMO, LUMO, RMN, molecular docking

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Authors: Rungrot Trongsakul

Abstract:

This paper was aimed to study the model of education cooperation during Thailand and neighbor countries, especially the countries which the territory-cohesion border with Thailand used “Soft Power” to enhance the good relationship. This research employed qualitative method, analyzed and synthesized the content of cooperation projects, policies, laws, relevant theories, relevant research papers and documents and used SWOT analysis. The research findings revealed that Thailand’s education cooperation projects with neighbor countries had two characteristics: 1) education cooperation projects/programs were a part in economic cooperation projects, and 2) there were directly education cooperation projects. The suggested education cooperation model was based on the concept of “Soft Power”, thus the determination of action plans or projects as key factors of public and private organizations should be based on sincere participation among people, communities and relevant organizations of the neighbor countries. Adoption of education-cultural exchange, learning and sharing process is a key to strengthen good relationship of the countries’ cooperation. The roles of education in this included sharing and acceptance of culture and local wisdom, human resource development, knowledge management, integration and networking building could enhance relationship between agents of related organizations of Thailand and neighbors countries.

Keywords: education, soft-power, relationship, cooperation, Thailand neighboring countries

Procedia PDF Downloads 364