Search results for: macro and micronutrients

Authors: Marinos Dimitropoulos, George Trakakis, Nikolaus Meyerbröker, Raphael Dalpke, Polina Angelova, Albert Schnieders, Christos Pavlou, Christos Kostaras, Costas Galiotis, Konstantinos Dassios

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Intended for purifying water, water separation technologies are widely employed in a variety of contemporary household and industrial applications. Ultrathin Carbon Nanomembranes (CNMs) offer a highly selective, fast-flow, energy-efficient water separation technology intended for demanding water treatment applications as a technological replacement for biological filtration membranes. The membranes are two-dimensional (2D) materials with sub-nm functional pores and a thickness of roughly 1 nm; they may be generated in large quantities on porous supporting substrates and have customizable properties. The purpose of this work was to investigate and analyze the mechanical characteristics of CNMs and their substrates in order to ensure the structural stability of the membrane during operation. Contrary to macro-materials, it is difficult to measure the mechanical properties of membranes that are only a few nanometers thick. The membranes were supported on atomically flat substrates as well as suspended over patterned substrates, and their inherent mechanical properties were tested with atomic force microscopy. Quantitative experiments under nanomechanical loading, nanoindentation, and nano fatigue demonstrated the membranes' potential for usage in water separation applications.

Keywords: carbon nanomembranes, mechanical properties, AFM

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Authors: Linyue Jia, Wenbo Du, Zhaohui Wang, Ke Liu, Shubo Li

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Due to the great potential for weight reduction in aerospace and automotive industries, magnesium-rare earth (Mg-RE) based alloys with outstanding mechanical performance have been widely investigated for decades. However, magnesium alloys are still restricted in engineering applications because of their lower strength and ductility. Hence, there are large spaces and challenges in achieving high-performance Mg alloys. This work reports an Mg-Gd-Er-Zn-Zr alloy with ultrahigh strength and good ductility developed via hot extrusion, pre-deformation, and two-stage aging. The extruded alloy comprises fine dynamically recrystallized (DRXed) grains and coarse worked grains with a large aspect ratio. Pre-deformation has little effect on the microstructure and macro-texture and serves primarily to introduce a large number of dislocations, resulting in strain hardening and higher precipitation strengthening during subsequent aging due to more nucleation sites. As a result, the alloy exhibits a yield strength (YS) of 506 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 549 MPa, and elongation (EL) of 8.2% at room temperature, showing superior strength-ductility balance than the other wrought Mg-RE alloys previously reported. The current study proposes a combination of pre-deformation and two-stage aging to further improve the mechanical properties of wrought Mg alloys for engineering applications.

Keywords: magnesium alloys, mechanical properties, microstructure, pre-deformation, two-stage aging

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Authors: Huei-Fu Lu

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Hosting international major sports events (MSEs) has become a globalized strategy for many countries. Most modern countries believe that MSEs can bring the hosting countries with substantial and considerable economic and non-economic benefits; so many cities also input a huge of resources to bid for hosting MSEs. Despite the growing importance of MSEs, limited longitudinal analysis has been carried out to understand and explain the long term economic effects of such events. This paper is to continue the focus of previous literature on the economic effects of hosting MSEs. The study periods are from 1950 to 2014 and the secondary macro-economic data are selected from the countries that have hosted the Asian Games and the Olympic Games (including summer and winter) to precede a longitudinal analysis. A comparison of the real economic growth rate, investment, employment and international trade of hosting countries and the duration of these economic effects are also explored and discussed. Based on the countries’ attributes and locating area, aiming to ascertain whether hosting MSEs is economically worthwhile and whether the economic effects from MSEs are realized as anticipated. The results indicate that hosting MSEs to create positive economic effects like GDP growth or long-term employment may be a myth even for developing countries. However, the empirical findings can provide the sport management or authority with longitudinal and comprehensive elaboration for biding or hosting MSEs in the future.

Keywords: Asian Games, economic effects, major sports events (MSEs), olympic games

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Authors: M. Ghanbari, S. Hossainpour, G. Rezazadeh

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In this paper, longitudinal vibration of a micro-beam in micro-scale fluid media has been investigated. The proposed mathematical model for this study is made up of a micro-beam and a micro-plate at its free end. An AC voltage is applied to the pair of piezoelectric layers on the upper and lower surfaces of the micro-beam in order to actuate it longitudinally. The whole structure is bounded between two fixed plates on its upper and lower surfaces. The micro-gap between the structure and the fixed plates is filled with fluid. Fluids behave differently in micro-scale than macro, so the fluid field in the gap has been modeled based on micro-polar theory. The coupled governing equations of motion of the micro-beam and the micro-scale fluid field have been derived. Due to having non-homogenous boundary conditions, derived equations have been transformed to an enhanced form with homogenous boundary conditions. Using Galerkin-based reduced order model, the enhanced equations have been discretized over the beam and fluid domains and solve simultaneously in order to obtain force response of the micro-beam. Effects of micro-polar parameters of the fluid as characteristic length scale, coupling parameter and surface parameter on the response of the micro-beam have been studied.

Keywords: micro-polar theory, Galerkin method, MEMS, micro-fluid

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Authors: Mahdi Saadat, Abbas Taheri

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Understanding the cracking response of crystalline rocks at mineralogical scale is of great importance during the design procedure of mining structures. A grain-based distinct element model (GBM) is employed to numerically study the cracking response of Barre granite at micro- and macro-scales. The GBM framework is augmented with a proposed distinct element-based cohesive model to reproduce the micro-cracking response of the inter- and intra-grain contacts. The cohesive GBM framework is implemented in PFC2D distinct element codes. The microstructural properties of Barre granite are imported in PFC2D to generate synthetic specimens. The microproperties of the model is calibrated against the laboratory uniaxial compressive and Brazilian split tensile tests. The calibrated model is then used to simulate the fracturing behaviour of pre-cracked Barre granite with different flaw configurations. The numerical results of the proposed model demonstrate a good agreement with the experimental counterparts. The GBM framework proposed thus appears promising for further investigation of the influence of grain microstructure and mineralogical properties on the cracking behaviour of crystalline rocks.

Keywords: discrete element modelling, cohesive grain-based model, crystalline rock, fracturing behavior

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Authors: Nidhi Bansal, Upasna Agarwal

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Innovation is a key driver for economic growth and well-being of developed as well as emerging economies like India. Very few studies examined the relationship between IWB and work-family enrichment. Therefore, the present study examines the relationship between work-family enrichment (WFE) and innovative workplace behavior (IWB) and whether it is mediated by positive emotions. Social exchange theory and broaden and build theory explain the proposed relationships. Data were collected from 250 full time dual working parents in different Indian organizations through a survey questionnaire. Snowball technique was used for approaching respondents. Mediation analysis was assessed through PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2012) in SPSS. With correlational analysis, it was explored that all three variables were significantly and positively related. Analysis suggests that work-family enrichment is significantly related to innovative workplace behavior and this relationship is partially mediated by positive emotions. A cross-sectional design, use of self-reported questions and data collected only from dual working parents are few limitations of the study. This is one of the few studies to examine the innovative workplace behavior in response to work-family enrichment and first attempt to examine the mediation effect of emotions between these two variables.

Keywords: dual working parents, emotions, innovative workplace behavior, work-family enrichment

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Authors: Ha-Guk Jeong, Jong-Beom Lee

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Cladding process is very typical technology for manufacturing composite materials by the hydrostatic extrusion. Because there is no friction between the metal and the container, it can be easily obtained in uniform flow during the deformation. The general manufacturing process for a metal-matrix composite in the solid state, mixing metal powders and ceramic powders with a suited volume ratio, prior to be compressed or extruded at the cold or hot condition in a can. Since through a plurality of unit processing steps of dispersing the materials having a large difference in their characteristics and physical mixing, the process is complicated and leads to non-uniform dispersion of ceramics. It is difficult and hard to reach a uniform ideal property in the coherence problems at the interface between the metal and the ceramic reinforcements. Metal hybrid composites, which presented in this report, are manufactured through the traditional plastic deformation processes like hydrostatic extrusion, caliber-rolling, and drawing. By the previous process, the realization of uniform macro and microstructure is surely possible. In this study, as a constituent material, aluminum, copper, and titanium have been used, according to the component ratio, excellent characteristics of each material were possible to produce a metal hybrid composite that appears to maximize. MgB₂ superconductor wire also fabricated via the same process. It will be introduced to their unique artistic and thermal characteristics.

Keywords: cladding process, metal-hybrid composites, hydrostatic extrusion, electronic/thermal characteristics

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Authors: Tharsinithevy Kirupananthan, Thivahary Geretharan

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Since creation of agricultural enterprises going to reflect the micro and macro level development of Sri Lanka, it is vey important to study the entrepreneurial trends of Agricultural Undergraduates. Likert scale scoring method was used to assess the responses of involvement, Role model effect, aware of demands, confidence and willingness. 37.8% were strongly agreed to do full time business. The average score for to do agriculture businesses were between agree and strongly agree. The average scores for role model effects were less than agree. Average score for aware of needs of society was less than agree. 75.7% of them were able to identify the demands of the society. The demands identified were human capital, self sufficient domestic production, safe and nutritional foods. The confidence of having enough skills score was less than agree. 64.1% of them were owned special skills to carry out entrepreneurial activities. Such skills were possession of different human capitals management skills. The willingness responses scores were more than agree. 61.5% of them were discussed their business plan. Their dream plans were development of new food products, Quality planting materials, harmless method of cultivation and floricultural industry. Those were supported by government policies and other related organizations.

Keywords: agricultural undergraduates, entrepreneurial trends, likert scale Sri Lanka

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Authors: María de los Ángeles Crespo López, Carmen García García

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The highly competitive nature of today's globalised marketplace requires that brands and stores develop effective commercial strategies to ensure their economic survival. Maintaining the loyalty of existing customers constitutes one key strategy that yields the best results. Although the relationship between consumers' self-congruity and their manifestations of loyalty towards a store has been investigated, the role of store personality in this relationship remains unclear. In this study, multiple parallel mediation analysis was used to examine the effect of Store Personality on the relationship between Self-Congruity of consumers and their Manifestations of Loyalty. For this purpose, 457 Spanish consumers of the Fnac store completed three self-report questionnaires assessing Store Personality, Self-Congruity, and Store Loyalty. The data were analyzed using the SPSS macro PROCESS. The results revealed that three dimensions of Store Personality, namely Exciting, Close and Competent Store, positively and significantly mediated the relationship between Self-Congruity and Manifestations of Loyalty. The indirect effect of Competent Store was the greatest. This means that a consumer with higher levels of Self-Congruity with the store will exhibit more Manifestations of Loyalty when the store is perceived as Exciting, Close or Competent. These findings suggest that more attention should be paid to the perceived personality of stores for the development of effective marketing strategies to maintain or increase consumers' manifestations of loyalty towards stores.

Keywords: multiple parallel mediation, PROCESS, self-congruence, store loyalty, store personality

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Authors: Alvaro Jose Cordova, Hsuan Teh Hu

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The use of concrete masonry constructions in developing countries has become very frequent, especially for domestic purpose. Most of them with asymmetric wall configurations in plan resulting in significant torsional actions when subjected to seismic loads. The study consisted on the finding of a material model for hollow unreinforced concrete masonry and a validation with experimental data found in literature. Numerical simulations were performed to 20 buildings with variations in wall distributions and heights. Results were analyzed by inspection and with a non-linear static method. The findings revealed that eccentricities as well as structure rigidities have a strong influence on the overall response of concrete masonry buildings. In addition, slab rotations depicted more accurate information about the torsional behavior than maximum versus average displacement ratios. The failure modes in low buildings were characterized by high tensile strains in the first floor. Whereas in tall buildings these strains were lowered significantly by higher compression stresses due to a higher self-weight. These tall buildings developed multiple plastic hinges along the height. Finally, the non-linear static analysis exposed a brittle response for all masonry assemblies. This type of behavior is undesired in any construction and the need for a material model for reinforced masonry is pointed out.

Keywords: concrete damaged plasticity, concrete masonry, macro-modeling, nonlinear static analysis, torsional capacity

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Authors: Heide Imai

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Contemporary cities, especially in Japan, have reached an indescribable complexity and excessive, global investments blur formal, rooted structures. Modern urban agglomerations blindly trust a macro understanding, whereas everyday activities which portray the human degree of living space are being suppressed and erased. The paper will draw upon the approach ‘Micro-Urbanism’ which focus on the sensitive and indigenous side of contemporary cities, which in fact can hold the authentic qualities of a city. Related to this approach is the term ‘Micro-Culture’ which is used to clarify the inner realities of the everyday living space on the example of the Japanese urban backstreet. The paper identifies an example of a ‘micro-zone’ in terms of ‘street space’, originally embedded in the landscape of the Japanese city. And although the approach ‘Micro-Urbanism’ is more complex, the understanding of the term can be tackled by a social analysis of the street, as shown on the backstreet called roji and closely linked examples of ‘situated’ urban rituals like (1) urban festivities, (2) local markets/ street vendors and (3) artistic, intellectual tactics. Likewise, the paper offers insights in a ‘community of streets’ which boundaries are specially shaped by cultural activity and social networks.

Keywords: urban rituals, community, streets as micro-zone, everyday space

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Authors: Rajkumar Ghosh

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Fluoride contamination in water and its subsequent impact on agricultural practices is a growing concern in various regions worldwide, including North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India. This study aimed to investigate the extent of fluoride contamination in the region's water sources and evaluate its effects on crop production and quality. A comprehensive survey of water sources, including wells, ponds, and rivers, was conducted to assess the fluoride levels in North 24 Parganas. Water samples were collected and analyzed using standard methods, and the fluoride concentration was determined. The findings revealed significant fluoride contamination in the water sources, surpassing the permissible limits recommended by national and international standards. To assess the effects of fluoride contamination on crops, field experiments were carried out in selected agricultural areas. Various crops commonly cultivated in the region, such as paddy, wheat, vegetables, and fruits, were examined for their growth, yield, and nutritional quality parameters. Additionally, soil samples were collected from the study sites to analyse the fluoride levels and their potential impact on soil health. The results demonstrated the adverse effects of fluoride contamination on crop growth and yield. Reduced plant height, stunted root development, decreased biomass accumulation, and diminished crop productivity were observed in fluoride-affected areas compared to uncontaminated control sites. Furthermore, the nutritional composition of crops, including micronutrients and mineral content, was significantly altered under high fluoride exposure, leading to potential health risks for consumers. The study also assessed the impact of fluoride on soil quality and found a negative correlation between fluoride concentration and soil health indicators, such as pH, organic matter content, and nutrient availability. These findings emphasize the need for sustainable soil management practices to mitigate the harmful effects of fluoride contamination and maintain agricultural productivity. Overall, this study highlights the alarming issue of fluoride contamination in water sources and its detrimental effects on crop production and quality in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India. The findings underscore the urgency for implementing appropriate water treatment measures, promoting awareness among farmers and local communities, and adopting sustainable agricultural practices to mitigate fluoride contamination and safeguard the region's agricultural ecosystem.

Keywords: agricultural ecosystem, water treatment, sustainable agricultural, fluoride contamination

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Authors: Abdullah Kaymakci, Daniel M. Madyira, Hilda Moseme

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Repairing railway wheels by weld build-up is one of the technological solutions that have been applied in the past. However, the effects of this process on the material properties are not well established. The effects of the weld build-up on the mechanical properties of the wheel material in comparison to the required mechanical properties for proper service performance were investigated in this study. A turning process was used to remove the worn surface from the railway wheel. During this process 5mm thickness was removed to ensure that, if there was any weld build-up done in the previous years, it was removed. This was followed by welding a round bar on the sides of the wheel to provide build-up guide. There were two welding processes performed, namely submerged arc welding (SAW) and gas metal arc welding (GMAW). Submerged arc welding (SAW) was used to build up weld on one rim while the other rim was just left with metal arc welding of the round bar at the edges. Both processes produced hardness values that were lower than that of the parent material of 195 HV as the GMAW welds had an average of 184 HV and SAW had an average of 194 HV. Whilst a number of defects were noted on the GMAW welds at both macro and micro levels, SAW welds had less defects and they were all micro defects. All the microstructures were ferritic but with differences in grain sizes. Furthermore, in the SAW weld build up, the grains of the weld build-up appeared to be elongated which was a result of the cooling rate. Using GMAW instead of SAW would result in improved wear and fatigue performance.

Keywords: submerged arc welding, gas metal arc welding, railway wheel, microstructure, micro hardness

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Authors: Siegfried Berhimpon, Jein Dangeubun, Sandra Baulu, Rene Ch. Kepel

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In Indonesia, macro-alga is known as seaweeds or rumput laut and sea grass or lamun, and have been used as vegetables and medicine since long time ago. This studies have been done, to collect data about utilization of seaweed and sea grass as food or medicine in Eastern Indonesia. Six regencies in two provinces have been chosen as sampling areas i.e. South-East Maluku, West-East Maluku, and Aru in province of Maluku; and Sangihe, Sitaro, and Minahasa in province of North Sulawesi. The results shown that in the pass, seaweeds and sea grass have been widely used as food and medicine, and there are similarity between one area and other areas in species and in the way to prepare or to cook the food. Ten species of alga and 2 species of sea grass were consumed as vegetables and desert, and one species of sea grass was used for traditional medicine. Nowadays, because of easier to get terrestrial vegetables, the people in the coastal area rarely consumed marine vegetables, and if there are no attempt to promote and to socialize the custom, the habits trend to disappear. Environmental degradation was another caused has been identified. Seaweed contained high content of Iodine and dietary fiber, therefore, this food can overcomes the problem of iodine deficiency, and to supply an exotic high-fiber foods. In addition, by consuming seaweeds, marine culture industry will be developed, especially in the number of species seaweeds to be cultivated.

Keywords: ethno-botany, seaweed, sea grass, exotic food

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Authors: Thendiyath Roshni, Stefano Pagliara

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Block ramps (BR) or rock chutes are eco-friendly natural river restoration structures. BR are made of ramp of rocks and flows over BR develop turbulence and helps in the entrainment of ambient air. These act as natural aerators in river flow and therefore leads to oxygenation of water. As many of the hydraulic structures in rivers, hinders the natural path for aquatic habitat. However, flows over BR ascertains a natural rocky flow and ensures safe and natural movement for aquatic habitat. Hence, BR is considered as a better alternative for drop structures. As water quality is concerned, turbulent and aerated flows over BR or macro-roughness conditions improves aeration and thereby oxygenation. Hence, the objective of this paper is to study the oxygenation in the turbulent flows over BR. Experimental data were taken for a slope (S) of 27.5% for three discharges (Q = 9, 15 and 21 lps) conditions. Air concentration were measured with the help of air concentration probe for three different discharges in the uniform flow region. Oxygen concentration is deduced from the air concentration as ambient air is entrained in the flows over BR. Air concentration profiles and oxygen profiles are plotted in the uniform flow region for three discharges and found that air concentration and oxygen concentration does not show any remarkable variation in properties in the longitudinal profile in uniform flow region. An empirical relation is developed for finding the average oxygen concentration (Oₘ) for S = 27.5% in the uniform flow region for 9 < Q < 21 lps. The results show that as the discharge increases over BR, there is a reduction of oxygen concentration in the uniform flow region.

Keywords: aeration, block ramps, oxygenation, turbulent flows

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Authors: Carmen J. Savelli, Romy Conzade

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Background: Access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food is a basic human necessity, required to sustain life and promote good health. Food safety and food security are therefore inextricably linked, yet the importance of food safety in this relationship is often overlooked. Methodologies: A literature review and desk study were conducted to examine existing frameworks for discussing food security, especially from an international perspective, to determine the entry points for enhancing considerations for food safety in national and international policies. Major Findings: Food security is commonly understood as the state when all people at all times have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Conceptually, food security is built upon four pillars including food availability, access, utilization and stability. Within this framework, the safety of food is often wrongly assumed as a given. However, in places where food supplies are insufficient, coping mechanisms for food insecurity are primarily focused on access to food without considerations for ensuring safety. Under such conditions, hygiene and nutrition are often ignored as people shift to less nutritious diets and consume more potentially unsafe foods, in which chemical, microbiological, zoonotic and other hazards can pose serious, acute and chronic health risks. While food supplies might be safe and nutritious, if consumed in quantities insufficient to support normal growth, health and activity, the result is hunger and famine. Recent estimates indicate that at least 842 million people, or roughly one in eight, still suffer from chronic hunger. Even if people eat enough food that is safe, they will become malnourished if the food does not provide the proper amounts of micronutrients and/or macronutrients to meet daily nutritional requirements, resulting in under- or over-nutrition. Two billion people suffer from one or more micronutrient deficiencies and over half a billion adults are obese. Access to sufficient amounts of nutritious food is not enough. If food is unsafe, whether arising from poor quality supplies or inadequate treatment and preparation, it increases the risk of foodborne infections such as diarrhoea. 70% of diarrhoea episodes occurring annually in children under five are due to biologically contaminated food. Conclusions: An integrated approach is needed where food safety and nutrition are systematically introduced into mainstream food system policies and interventions worldwide in order to achieve health and development goals. A new framework, “Food for Health” is proposed to guide policy development and requires all three aspects of food security to be addressed in balance: sufficiency, nutrition and safety.

Keywords: food safety, food security, nutrition, policy

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Authors: Seung-Seok Bak, Chang-Mu Jung

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An enough amount supply of industrial complexes is an important national policy in South Korea, which is highly dependent on foreign trade. A development process of the industrial complex can distinguish between the planning stage and the construction stage. The planning stage consists of the process of consulting with many stakeholders on the contents of the development of industrial complex, feasibility study, compliance with the Regional policies, and so on. The industrial complex planning stage, including licensing procedure, usually takes about three years in South Korea. The government determined that the appropriate supply of industrial complexes have been delayed, due to the long licensing period and drafted a law to shorten the license period in 2008. The law was expected to shorten the period of licensing, which was about three years, to six months. This paper attempts to show that the shortening of the licensing period does not positively affect the appropriate supply of industrial complexes. To do this, we used Interrupted Time Series Designs. As a result, it was found that the supply of industrial complexes was influenced more by other factors such as actual industrial complex demand of private sector and macro-level economic variables. In addition, the specific provisions of the law conflict with local policy and cause some problems such as damage to nature and agricultural land, traffic congestion.

Keywords: development of industrial complexes, industrial complexes, interrupted time series designs, simplification of licensing procedures for industrial complexes, time series regression

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Authors: M. Jerold, V. Sivasubramanian

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This study reports the removal of Malachite Green (MG) from simulated wastewater by using marine macro algae Ulva lactuca. Batch biosorption experiments were carried out to determine the biosorption capacity. The biosorption capacity was found to be maximum at pH 10. The effect of various other operation parameters such as biosorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, contact time and agitation was also investigated. The equilibrium attained at 120 min with 0.1 g/L of biosorbent. The isotherm experimental data fitted well with Langmuir Model with R² value of 0.994. The maximum Langmuir biosorption capacity was found to be 76.92 mg/g. Further, Langmuir separation factor RL value was found to be 0.004. Therefore, the adsorption is favorable. The biosorption kinetics of MG was found to follow pseudo second-order kinetic model. The mechanistic study revealed that the biosorption of malachite onto Ulva lactuca was controlled by film diffusion. The solute transfer in a solid-liquid adsorption process is characterized by the film diffusion and/or particle diffusion. Thermodynamic study shows ΔG° is negative indicates the feasibility and spontaneous nature for the biosorption of malachite green. The biosorbent was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and elemental analysis (CHNS: Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Sulphur). This study showed that Ulva lactuca can be used as promising biosorbent for the removal of MG from wastewater.

Keywords: biosorption, Ulva lactuca, wastewater, malachite green, isotherm, kinetics

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Authors: Seung Oh, Satoshi Okada

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This study is information-intensive research that provides insight from the factual history, social perception, and robust ideas derived from the social conflict in the most progressively thriving district in the world, Times Square. The case study provides the socio-environmental setup since the Inceptive Point of the development, the Great Depression, the history archives, and evaluation based on the master-level journals as standard. The Great Depression invited macro-sized changes, including financial systems, to raise fluidity by gutting off the debt limit by the gold value, organizing the labor, and social problems in the major cities. The locality of Times Square was implemented by the socio-political changes, overturning ownerships of properties, including theaters, delocalizing tourism, and re-entering the labors with organizations through infrastructure projects and civil activities for minorities and preservations amid the progressive developments over time. Naturally, chasing the media for factual research before and after Inceptive Points. Times Square is understood not just the ‘tower with subway’ progression but also social conflicts raised for adjustment for civil rights, preservations, and progression to deliver the environmental background to trigger the 42nd Street Development (42DP) in the 1990s.

Keywords: development, district, progressive, preservation, social conflict, value chasing

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Authors: Wenjun Zhang, Yunqing Du, Steven W. Cranford, Ming L. Wang

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The beginning of 21st century has witnessed new advancements in the design and use of new materials for biosensing applications, from nano to macro, protein to tissue. Traditional analytical methods lack a complete toolset to describe the complexities introduced by living systems, pathological relations, discrete hierarchical materials, cross-phase interactions, and structure-property dependencies. Materiomics – via systematic molecular dynamics (MD) simulation – can provide structure-process-property relations by using a materials science approach linking mechanisms across scales and enables oriented biosensor design. With this approach, DNA biosensors can be utilized to detect disease biomarkers present in individuals’ breath such as acetone for diabetes. Our wireless sensor array based on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-decorated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) has successfully detected trace amount of various chemicals in vapor differentiated by pattern recognition. Here, we present how MD simulation can revolutionize the way of design and screening of DNA aptamers for targeting biomarkers related to oral diseases and oral health monitoring. It demonstrates great potential to be utilized to build a library of DNDA sequences for reliable detection of several biomarkers of one specific disease, and as well provides a new methodology of creating, designing, and applying of biosensors.

Keywords: biosensor, DNA, biomarker, molecular dynamics simulation

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Authors: Deike Janssen

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In the scenery of the Tyrolean mountains, at an altitude of 1300 meters, stands a building. Residents and activists call it a prison. However, it is not a prison -according to authorities, it is a 'Return Counseling Facility' where migrants and refugees should be "motivated" to return "voluntary" to their countries of origin. This paper argues that the geographical location of the camp functions as a site of exclusion, isolation, and coercion where no one can decide “voluntary” to return, but where people are brought to despair to leave Austria. Through a qualitative case study, this paper documents the heavy impact of offshore detention on the mental, physical and social state of the residents and a variety of human rights problems in the centre. Different developments at the Return Counselling Facility and the law that back up the centre uncover a worrying dynamic that deliberately accepts human rights problems in order to enforce borders, a policy that disregards humanitarian, legal, and ethical stands in order to deport people at all hazards. It, therefore, can be seen as a creative and ultimate exercise of state power, which uses isolated locations to control migration. While the analysis revises the micro and macro implications of the facility and, therefore, the legal and political facets, it also sheds light on the role of the civil society, which tries to increase through constant and collective efforts the human rights efforts of the government.

Keywords: deportation, human rights, migration, refugee detention, voluntary return

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Authors: Muftahu Jibirin Salihu, Hazri Jamil

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The persisting challenge of access and enrolment to higher education in commonwealth countries has been reported in several studies, including reports of the international organization such as World Bank, UNESCO among others however from the macro perspective. The overarching aim of this study is to examine alternative policy practices towards improving access to university education in Nigeria at meso level of policy practice from evidence base policy studies using one university as a case. The study adopted a qualitative approach to gain insightful understanding on the issue of the study employing a semi-structure interview and policy documents as the means for obtaining the data and other relevant information for the study. The participants of the study were purposively chosen which comprise of a number of individuals from the selected university and other related organization which responsible for the policies development and implementation of Nigerian higher education system. From the findings of the study, several initiatives have been taken at meso level to address this challenge including the introduction of the University Matriculation Program as an alternative route for enhancing to access to the university education. However, the study further provided a number of recommendations which aimed at improving access to university education such as improving the entry requirements, society orientation on university education and the issue of ranking of certificate among the Nigerian higher institutions of learning.

Keywords: policy practice, access, enrolment, university, education, Nigeria

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Authors: M. Youngsabanant-Areekijseree, C. Thepsithar, K. Sribuddhachart, J. Tananantayot

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Porcine oviductal fluid (pOF) from oviduct, an unused organ from the slaughterhouse, was effectively used for biotechnology studies. The fluid components consisted of micro- and macro-nutrients, amino acids, carbon source and proteins that played important roles in animal cell and embryo development. This was our knowledge on investigating pOF as growth promoting substance in culture medium of an orchid, Dendrobium mirbelianum. Two-leaf shoots were cultured in liquid Vacin and Went (VW) medium as a standard medium supplemented with 2 g/L peptone (Pe) or 100 g/ L boiled-potato water (Po) alone or in combinations, and added with 0, 1, 3 or 5 ml/L pOF. All explants were cultured in a stationary condition for 8 weeks. It was found that medium added with 100 g/L Po and 1 ml/L pOF provided the best results (1.02 g fresh weight, 4.2 shoots, 0.53 cm shoot height, 4.4 protocorms, 11.0 leaves and 5.7 roots with 100% survival) when compared to other medium, but not statistically significant difference from medium added with 100 g/L Po (0.86 g fresh weight, 4.3 shoots, 0.51 cm shoot height, 4.6 protocorms, 12.4 leaves and 6.6 roots with 100% survival). However, VW medium supplemented with 1 or 3 ml/L pOF alone showed the higher percentage of survival (100%) than VW medium (86.67%). It was shown the potential role of pOF as an organic supplement for promoting growth of plants. Acknowledgements—The project was funded by a grant from Silpakorn University Research & Development Institute (SURDI) and Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Thailand.

Keywords: Dendrobium mirbelianum, pig, oviductal fluid, in vitro growth

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Authors: Mbongeni Mabaso, Kandasamy Moodley, Gan Redhi

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The recovery of industrially valuable organic solvents from liquid waste, generated in chemical processes, is economically crucial to countries which need to import organic solvents. In view of this, the main objective of this study was to determine the ability of selected ionic liquids, namely, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulphate, [EMIM] [ESO4] and 1-ethyl-3-methylpyridinium ethylsulphate, [EMpy][ESO4] to recover aromatic components from spent paint solvents. Preliminary studies done on the liquid waste, received from a paint manufacturing company, showed that the aromatic components were present in the range 6 - 21 % by volume. The separation of the aromatic components was performed with the ionic liquids listed above. The phases, resulting from the separation of the mixtures, were analysed with a Gas Chromatograph (GC) coupled to a FID detector. Chromatograms illustrate that the chosen ZB-Wax-Plus column gave excellent separation of all components of interest from the mixtures, including the isomers of xylene. The concentrations of aromatics recovered from the spent solvents were found to be the % ranges 13-33 and 23-49 respectively for imidazolium and pyridinium ionic liquids. These results also show that there is a significant correlation between π-character of ionic liquids and the level of extraction. It is therefore concluded that ionic liquids have the potential for macro-scale recovery of re-useable solvents present in liquid waste emanating from paint manufacture.

Keywords: synthesis, ionic liquid, imidazolium, pyridinium, extraction, aromatic solvents, spent paint organic solvents

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Authors: Shervin Khazaeli, Shahab Haj-zamani

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Recently, advanced geotechnical engineering problems related to soil movement, particle loss, and modeling of local failure (i.e. discontinua) as well as modeling the in-contact structures (i.e. continua) are of the great interest among researchers. The aim of this research is to meet the requirements with respect to the modeling of the above-mentioned two different domains simultaneously. To this end, a coupled numerical method is introduced based on Discrete Element Method (DEM) and eXtended-Finite Element Method (X-FEM). In the coupled procedure, DEM is employed to capture the interactions and relative movements of soil particles as discontinua, while X-FEM is utilized to model in-contact structures as continua, which may consist of different types of discontinuities. For verification purposes, the new coupled approach is utilized to examine benchmark problems including different contacts between/within continua and discontinua. Results are validated by comparison with those of existing analytical and numerical solutions. This study proves that extended-finite-discrete element method can be used to robustly analyze not only contact problems, but also other types of discontinuities in continua such as (i) crack formations and propagations, (ii) voids and bimaterial interfaces, and (iii) combination of previous cases. In essence, the proposed method can be used vastly in advanced soil-structure interaction problems to investigate the micro and macro behaviour of the surrounding soil and the response of the embedded structure that contains discontinuities.

Keywords: contact problems, discrete element method, extended-finite element method, soil-structure interaction

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Authors: Shabnum Shaheen, Nida Haroon, Farah Khan, Sumera Javad, Mehreen Jalal, Samina Sarwar

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Coffee Senna is pharmaceutically very important and used for multiple health disorders such as gastric pains, indigestion, snakebites, asthma and fever, tuberculosis and menstrual problems. However, its immense medicinal value and great demand lead to adulteration issue which could be injurious for users. Some times its adulterant Seena weed (Senna occidentalis L.) is used as its substitute which definitely not as effective as Coffee Senna. Hence, the present study was undertaken to provide some tools for systematic and pharmaceutical authentication of a shrubby plant Coffee Senna (Cassia occidentalis Linn.). These parameters included macro and micro morphological characters, anatomical and palynomorph characterization, solubility, fluorescence and phytochemical analysis. By the application of these parameters acquired results revealed that, these two plants are distinct from each other. The Coffee Seena was found to be an annual shrub with trilobed pollen, diacytic, paracytic and anisocytic stomata whereas the Seena weed stands out as an annual or perennial herb with spheroidal and circular pollen and paracytic type of stomata. The powdered drug of Coffee seena is dark grayish green whereas the powdered drug of Seena weed is light green in color. These findings are constructive in authentic identification of these plants.

Keywords: coffee senna, Senna weed, taxonomic evaluation, pharmaceutical markers

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Authors: Tahani Hallek, Dhaou Akrout, Riadh Ahmadi, Mabrouk Montacer

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The present work is an organo-geochemical study of the Fahdene Formation outcrops at the Mahjouba region belonging to the Eastern part of the Kalaat Senan structure in northwestern Tunisia (the Kef-Tedjerouine area). The analytical study of the organic content of the samples collected, allowed us to point out that the Formation in question is characterized by an average to good oil potential. This fossilized organic matter has a planktonic marine origin (type II), as indicated by the relatively high values of hydrogen index. Tmax values are in the range 440°C and attest a thermal stage of the oil window beginning. Mineralogical study found the existence of macro and micro fractures that are parallel to rock stratification or oblique with a high density. Fill standpoint, the major component of the mineralized veins is the fibrous calcite with bitumen traces. The composition of these fractures is mainly due to the availability of chemical elements scattered in the surrounding rock. As for the origin of these fractures, we assume that fluid pressure processes are heavily involved, together with the regional compressional tectonic stress regime. The Fahdene Formation has a great importance in conventional oil development as a potential source rock, and even in terms of unconventional oil exploitation through the intense fracturing allowing the percolation of gas shale and facilitating its exploitation.

Keywords: fluid pressure, fracturation, oil exploration, organic matter

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Authors: Mustafa M. Donma, Orkide Donma

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Obesity is known to be associated with many clinically important diseases including metabolic syndrome (MetS). Vitamin B₁₂ plays essential roles in fat and protein metabolisms and its cooperation with vitamin B₉ is well-known. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible contributions as well as associations of these micronutrients upon obesity and MetS during childhood. A total of 128 children admitted to Namik Kemal University, Medical Faculty, Department of Pediatrics Outpatient Clinics were included into the scope of this study. The mean age±SEM of 92 morbid obese (MO) children and 36 with MetS were 118.3±3.8 months and 129.5±6.4 months, respectively (p > 0.05). The study was approved by Namık Kemal University, Medical Faculty Ethics Committee. Written informed consent forms were obtained from the parents. Demographic features and anthropometric measurements were recorded. WHO BMI-for age percentiles were used. The values above 99 percentile were defined as MO. Components of MetS [waist circumference (WC), fasting blood glucose (FBG), triacylglycerol (TRG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-Chol), systolic pressure (SP), diastolic pressure (DP)] were determined. Routine laboratory tests were performed. Serum vitamin B₁₂ concentrations were measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Vitamin B₉ was analyzed by an immunoassay analyzer. Values for vitamin B₁₂ < 148 pmol/L, 148-221 pmol/L, > 221 pmol/L were accepted as low, borderline and normal, respectively. Vitamin B₉ levels ≤ 4 mcg/L defined deficiency state. Statistical evaluations were performed by SPSSx Version 16.0. p≤0.05 was accepted as statistical significance level. Statistically higher body mass index (BMI), WC, hip circumference (C) and neck C were calculated in MetS group compared to children with MO. No difference was noted for head C. All MetS components differed between the groups (SP, DP p < 0.001; WC, FBG, TRG p < 0.01; HDL-Chol p < 0.05). Significantly decreased vitamin B₉ and vitamin B₁₂ levels were detected (p < 0.05) in children with MetS. In both groups percentage of folate deficiency was 5.5%. No cases were below < 148 pmol/L. However, in MO group 14.3% and in MetS group 22.2% of the cases were of borderline status. In MO group B₁₂ levels were negatively correlated with BMI, WC, hip C and head C, but not with neck C. WC, hip C, head C and neck C were all negatively correlated with HDL-Chol. None of these correlations were observed in the group of children with MetS. Strong positive correlation between FBG and insulin as well as strong negative correlation between TRG and HDL-Chol detected in MO children were lost in MetS group. Deficiency state end-products of both B₉ and B₁₂ may interfere with the expected profiles of MetS components. In this study, the alterations in MetS components affected vitamin B₁₂ metabolism and also its associations with anthropometric body measurements. Further increases in vitamin B₁₂ and vitamin B₉ deficiency in MetS associated with the increased vitamin B₁₂ as well as vitamin B₉ deficiency metabolites may add to MetS parameters.

Keywords: children, cobalamin, folate, metabolic syndrome, obesity

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Authors: Zhehao Zhang

Abstract:

Walking has become an indispensable and sustainable way of travel for college students in their daily lives; campus street is an important carrier for students to walk and take part in a variety of activities, improving the walkability of campus streets plays an important role in optimizing the quality of campus space environment, promoting the campus walking system and inducing multiple walking behaviors. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of campus layout, facility distribution, and location site selection on the walkability of campus streets, and assess the street design qualities from the elements of imageability, enclosure, complexity, transparency, and human scale, and further examines the relationship between street-level urban design perceptual qualities and walkability and its effect on walking behavior in the campus. Taking Tianjin University as the research object, this paper uses the optimized walk score method based on walking frequency, variety, and distance to evaluate the walkability of streets from a macro perspective and measures the urban design qualities in terms of the calculation of street physical environment characteristics, as well as uses behavior annotation and street image data to establish temporal and spatial behavior database to analyze walking activity from the microscopic view. In addition, based on the conclusions, the improvement and design strategy will be presented from the aspects of the built walking environment, street vitality, and walking behavior.

Keywords: walkability, streetscapes, pedestrian activity, walk score

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Authors: Mirvat Shamseddine, Issam Lakkis

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We present an efficient, three-dimensional parallel multi-scale Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) algorithm for the simulation of unsteady rarefied gas flows in micro/nanosystems. The algorithm employs a novel spatiotemporal adaptivity scheme. The scheme performs a fully dynamic multi-level grid adaption based on the gradients of flow macro-parameters and an automatic temporal adaptation. The computational domain consists of a hierarchical octree-based Cartesian grid representation of the flow domain and a triangular mesh for the solid object surfaces. The hybrid mesh, combined with the spatiotemporal adaptivity scheme, allows for increased flexibility and efficient data management, rendering the framework suitable for efficient particle-tracing and dynamic grid refinement and coarsening. The parallel algorithm is optimized to run DSMC simulations of strongly unsteady, non-equilibrium flows over multiple cores. The presented method is validated by comparing with benchmark studies and then employed to improve the design of micro-scale hotwire thermal sensors in rarefied gas flows.

Keywords: DSMC, oct-tree hierarchical grid, ray tracing, spatial-temporal adaptivity scheme, unsteady rarefied gas flows

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