Search results for: soil properties

Authors: Umar Adli Amran, Tan Choon Chek, Mohd Shahkhirat Norizan, Then Kek Hoe

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Controlled release fertilizer (CRF) enables a regulated nutrients release for more efficient plant uptake compared to the normal granular fertilizer. It reduces nutrients loss via surface run-off and leaching, hence promotes sustainable agriculture. Although the performance of CRF in providing consistent and timely nutrients supply is well known, its expensive price limits it usage in a large scale plantation. This study is conducted to evaluate the properties and performance of bio-based polyurethane (PU)-coated CRF via laboratory and oil palm main nursery trial. The CRF is produced by coating of a normal commercial compound granular fertilizer from FGV Fertiliser Sdn. Bhd., namely Felda 10 (10.5-8-20-3+0.5B), and designated as CRF FGV10. Based on laboratory evaluation, the CRF FGV10 can sustain nutrients release for more than 6 months. Vegetative growth parameters such as girth size, palm height, third frond length, and the total number of fronds produced were recorded. Besides that, dry biomass of the oil palm seedlings was also determined. From the evaluation, it is proved that at 50% reduction of nutrients application rate and for only two times application (T3), CRF FGV10 enabled the oil palm seedlings to achieve similar vegetative growth with the control samples (T1). It is also proven that only PU-coated CRF FGV10 had allowed the reduction of fertilizer rate and application rounds.

Keywords: nutrition, oil palm seedlings, polyurethane, sustainable manuring, vegetative growth

Procedia PDF Downloads 55

Authors: H. Djaaboube, I. Loucif, Y. Bouachiba, R. Aouati, A. Maameri, A. Taabouche, A. Bouabellou

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Thin films of pure and barium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) were prepared using a spray pyrolysis process. The films were deposited on glass substrates at 450°C. The different samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal the formation of a single ZnO Wurtzite structure and the good crystallinity of the films. The substitution of Ba ions influences the texture of the layers and makes the (002) plane a preferential growth plane. At concentrations below 6% Ba, the hexagonal structure of ZnO undergoes compressive stresses due to barium ions which have a radius twice of the Zn ions. This result leads to the decrees of a and c parameters and, therefore, the volume of the unit cell. This result is confirmed by the decrease in the number of crystallites and the increase in the size of the crystallites. At concentrations above 6%, barium substitutes the zinc atom and modifies the structural parameters of the thin layers. The bandgap of ZnO films decreased with increasing doping; this decrease is probably due to the 4d orbitals of the Ba atom due to the sp-d spin-exchange interactions between the band electrons and the localized d-electrons of the substituted Ba ion. Although, the Urbache energy undergoes an increase which implies the creation of energy levels below the conduction band and decreases the band gap width. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO doped 9% Ba was evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue under UV irradiation.

Keywords: barium, doping, photodegradation, spray pyrolysis, ZnO

Procedia PDF Downloads 77

Authors: Berhanu Keno Terfa

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Flash floods are among the most dangerous natural disasters that pose a significant threat to human existence. They occur frequently and can cause extensive damage to homes, infrastructure, and ecosystems while also claiming lives. Although flash floods can happen anywhere in the world, their impact is particularly severe in developing countries due to limited financial resources, inadequate drainage systems, substandard housing options, lack of early warning systems, and insufficient preparedness. To address these challenges, a comprehensive study has been undertaken to analyze and map flood inundation using Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques by considering various factors that contribute to flash flood resilience and developing effective mitigation strategies. Key factors considered in the analysis include slope, drainage density, elevation, Curve Number, rainfall patterns, land-use/cover classes, and soil data. These variables were computed using ArcGIS software platforms, and data from the Sentinel-2 satellite image (with a 10-meter resolution) were utilized for land-use/cover classification. Additionally, slope, elevation, and drainage density data were generated from the 12.5-meter resolution of the ALOS Palsar DEM, while other relevant data were obtained from the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute. By integrating and regularizing the collected data through GIS and employing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique, the study successfully delineated flash flood hazard zones (FFHs) and generated a suitable land map for urban agriculture. The FFH model identified four levels of risk in Bishoftu City: very high (2106.4 ha), high (10464.4 ha), moderate (1444.44 ha), and low (0.52 ha), accounting for 15.02%, 74.7%, 10.1%, and 0.004% of the total area, respectively. The results underscore the vulnerability of many residential areas in Bishoftu City, particularly the central areas that have been previously developed. Accurate spatial representation of flood-prone areas and potential agricultural zones is crucial for designing effective flood mitigation and agricultural production plans. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of flood risk mapping in raising public awareness, demonstrating vulnerability, strengthening financial resilience, protecting the environment, and informing policy decisions. Given the susceptibility of Bishoftu City to flash floods, it is recommended that the municipality prioritize urban agriculture adaptation, proper settlement planning, and drainage network design.

Keywords: remote sensing, flush flood hazards, Bishoftu, GIS.

Procedia PDF Downloads 26

Authors: Sandhyarani Guggilla

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For several reasons no two individuals can be considered identical and hence individualization of therapy is the current trend in treating the patients. Influence of menstrual cycle on the pharmacokinetics of Doxycycline. Twelve healthy female volunteers have been included in the study after obtaining written informed consent. The age ranged from 16 to 25 years. Experimental design: The volunteer selection and recruitment will be carried out after obtaining informed consent from each volunteer. The drug administration will be done to each volunteer at 7 a.m along with a glass of water after an overnight fasting on 3rd, 13th and 23rd day of menstrual cycle. These saliva samples will be stored under frozen conditions until HPLC analysis. Results: In the present study the changes in estrogen levels during ovulatory phase have not shown any influence onAUCo-t of Doxycycline. Only AUCo-t of doxycycline showed an increasing trend with increasing levels of estrogen in ovulatory phase, but not in other phases. Even though the FSH levels differed significantly among volunteers during different phases FSH does not seem to influence the overall pharmacokinetic behavior of Doxycycline during different phases. The present study indicated only the trend that the hormone levels may influence the pharmacokinetic behavior of the Doxycycline. Conclusion: In the present study the changes in hormones have shown an increasing C-max, increasing AUCo-t of Doxycycline pharmacokinetics significantly in follicular phase than ovulatory and luteal phases among volunteers during different phases. In other pharmacokinetic properties like clearance, biological half-life, volume of distribution, mean residence time the change was not significant.

Keywords: menstrual cycle, doxycycline, estrogen, FSH, ovulatory phase

Procedia PDF Downloads 266

Authors: Nadia Allouache

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Energy conservation is one of the major concerns in the modern high tech era due to the limited amount of energy resources and the increasing cost of energy. Predicting an efficient use of energy in thermal systems like heat exchangers can only be achieved if the second law of thermodynamics is accounted for. The performance of heat exchangers can be substantially improved by many passive heat transfer augmentation techniques. These letters permit to improve heat transfer rate and to increase exchange surface, but on the other side, they also increase the friction factor associated with the flow. This raises the question of how to employ these passive techniques in order to minimize the useful energy. The objective of this present study is to use a porous substrate attached to the walls as a passive enhancement technique in heat exchangers and to find the compromise between the hydrodynamic and thermal performances under turbulent flow conditions, by using a second law approach. A modified k- ε model is used to simulating the turbulent flow in the porous medium and the turbulent shear flow is accounted for in the entropy generation equation. A numerical modeling, based on the finite volume method is employed for discretizing the governing equations. Effects of several parameters are investigated such as the porous substrate properties and the flow conditions. Results show that under certain conditions of the porous layer thickness, its permeability, and its effective thermal conductivity the minimum rate of entropy production is obtained.

Keywords: second law approach, annular heat exchanger, turbulent flow, porous medium, modified model, numerical analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 278

Authors: Chia-Feng Lu, Yuh-Jen Wang, Shin Teng, Yu-Te Wu, Sui-Hing Yan

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Brain functional networks based on resting-state EEG data were compared between patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease (mAD) and matched patients with amnestic subtype of mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). We integrated the time–frequency cross mutual information (TFCMI) method to estimate the EEG functional connectivity between cortical regions and the network analysis based on graph theory to further investigate the alterations of functional networks in mAD compared with aMCI group. We aimed at investigating the changes of network integrity, local clustering, information processing efficiency, and fault tolerance in mAD brain networks for different frequency bands based on several topological properties, including degree, strength, clustering coefficient, shortest path length, and efficiency. Results showed that the disruptions of network integrity and reductions of network efficiency in mAD characterized by lower degree, decreased clustering coefficient, higher shortest path length, and reduced global and local efficiencies in the delta, theta, beta2, and gamma bands were evident. The significant changes in network organization can be used in assisting discrimination of mAD from aMCI in clinical.

Keywords: EEG, functional connectivity, graph theory, TFCMI

Procedia PDF Downloads 427

Authors: Ľudmila Ballová, Slavomír Kurhajec, Eva Petrovová, Jarmila Eftimová

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Angiogenesis, a formation of new blood vessels from a pre-existing vasculature, plays an important role in pathologic processes such as the growth and metastasis of tumours. Tumours cannot grow beyond a few millimetres without blood supply from the newly formed blood vessels from the host tissue, a process called tumour-induced angiogenesis. The successful research of antiangiogenic treatment of cancer has focused on nutraceuticals with angiogenesis-modulating properties. Berberine, as a major active component of the bark of Phellodendron amurense Rupr., has shown antitumour activity by intervening into different steps of carcinogenesis. The influence of ethanolic extract of Phellodendron amurese bark on the angiogenesis was tested in vivo on chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). The irritancy of the CAM after the application of the crude bark extract dissolved in normal saline (10 mg/mL) was investigated on embryonic day 7. No significant signs of the irritancy, such as vasoconstriction, hyperaemia, haemorrhage or coagulation were observed which indicates the harmless character of the extract. A significant reduction in vessel sprouting and higher percentage of avascular zone was observed in the case of CAM treated with the extract in comparison with non-treated CAM (control), which is a proof of the antiangiogenic potential of the extract. These results could contribute to the development of novel drugs for the treatment of cancer or other diseases, in which angiogenesis plays a significant role.

Keywords: angiogenesis, berberine, chorioallantoic membrane, irritancy, phellodendron amurense

Procedia PDF Downloads 379

Authors: Emmanuel Agunloye, Asterios Gavriilidis, Luca Mazzei

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Gold nanoparticles are commonly synthesized by reducing chloroauric acid with sodium citrate. This method, referred to as the citrate method, can produce spherical gold nanoparticles (NPs) in the size range 10-150 nm. Gold NPs of this size are useful in many applications. However, the NPs are usually polydisperse and irreproducible. A better understanding of the synthesis mechanisms is thus required. This work thoroughly investigated the only model that describes the synthesis. This model combines mass and population balance equations, describing the NPs synthesis through a sequence of chemical reactions. Chloroauric acid reacts with sodium citrate to form aurous chloride and dicarboxy acetone. The latter organizes aurous chloride in a nucleation step and concurrently degrades into acetone. The unconsumed precursor then grows the formed nuclei. However, depending on the pH, both the precursor and the reducing agent react differently thus affecting the synthesis. In this work, we investigated the model for different conditions of pH, temperature and initial reactant concentrations. To solve the model, we used Parsival, a commercial numerical code, whilst to test it, we considered various conditions studied experimentally by different researchers, for which results are available in the literature. The model poorly predicted the experimental data. We believe that this is because the model does not account for the acid-base properties of both chloroauric acid and sodium citrate.

Keywords: citrate method, gold nanoparticles, Parsival, population balance equations, Turkevich organizer theory

Procedia PDF Downloads 195

Authors: John Monro, Suman Mishra

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Choosing foods for health benefits requires information that accurately represents the relative effectiveness of foods with respect to specific health end points, or with respect to responses leading to health outcomes. At present consumers must rely on nutrient composition data, and on health claims to guide them to healthy food choices. Nutrient information may be of limited usefulness because it does not reflect the effect of food structure and food component interactions – that is, whole food effects. Health claims demand stringent criteria that exclude most foods, even though most foods have properties through which they may contribute to positive health outcomes in a diet. In this presentation, we show how the functional efficacy of foods may be expressed in the same format as nutrients, with weight units, as virtual food components that allow a nutrition information panel to show not only what a food is, but also what it does. In the presentation, two body responses linked to well-being are considered – glycaemic response and colonic bulk – in order to illustrate the concept. We show how the nutrient information on available carbohydrates and dietary fibre values obtained by food analysis methods fail to provide information of the glycaemic potency or the colonic bulking potential of foods, because of failings in the methods and approach taken to food analysis. It is concluded that a category of food values that represent the functional efficacy of foods is required to accurately guide food choices for health.

Keywords: dietary fibre, glycaemic response, food values, food effects, health

Procedia PDF Downloads 497

Authors: Saksham

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Concrete's versatility and affordability make it a highly competitive building material capable of meeting diverse requirements. However, the increasing demands placed on structures and the need for enhanced durability and performance have driven the development of distinct cementitious materials and concrete composites. One significant aspect of this advancement is the utilization of waste materials from industries, such as fly ash, to improve concrete's properties. Fly ash, a byproduct of coal combustion can enhance concrete's strength and durability while reducing environmental impact. Additionally, steel fibers can enhance concrete's toughness and crack resistance, contributing to improved structural performance. The experimental study aims to optimize the proportion of ingredients in M30-grade concrete, incorporating fly ash and steel fibers. By varying fly ash content (10% to 30%) and steel fiber dosage (0% to 1.5%), the research seeks to determine the optimal combination for achieving the desired compressive strength. Two sets of experiments are conducted: one focusing on varying fly ash content while keeping steel fiber dosage constant, and the other focusing on varying steel fiber dosage while keeping other parameters fixed. Through systematic testing, molding, curing, and evaluation according to specified standards, the research aims to analyze the impact of fly ash and steel fibers on concrete's compressive strength. The findings have the potential to inform engineers about optimized concrete mix designs that balance performance, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability, advancing toward more resilient and environmentally friendly building practices.

Keywords: concrete, sustainability, durability, compressive strength

Procedia PDF Downloads 45

Authors: T. H. Huang, C. L. Fern, Y. K. Tseng

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The design and reliability of solar photovoltaic modules are crucial to the development of solar energy, and efforts are still being made to extend the life of photovoltaic modules to improve their efficiency because natural aging is time-consuming and does not provide manufacturers and investors with timely information, accelerated aging is currently the best way to estimate the life of photovoltaic modules. Bifacial solar cells not only absorb light from the front side but also absorb light reflected from the ground on the back side, surpassing the performance of single-sided solar cells. Due to the asymmetry of the two sides of the light, in addition to the difference in photovoltaic conversion efficiency, there will also be differences in heat distribution, which will affect the electrical properties and material structure of the bifacial solar cell itself. In this study, there are two types of experimental samples: packaged and unpackaged and then irradiated with UVC light sources and halogen lamps for accelerated aging, as well as a control group without aging. After two weeks of accelerated aging, the bifacial solar cells were visual observation, and infrared thermal images were taken; then, the samples were subjected to IV measurement, and samples were taken for SEM, Raman, and XRD analyses in order to identify the defects that lead to failure and chemical changes, as well as to analyze the reasons for the degradation of their characteristics. From the results of the analysis, it is found that aging will cause carbonization of the polymer material on the surface of bifacial solar cells, and the crystal structure will be affected.

Keywords: bifacial solar cell, accelerated aging, temperature, characterization, electrical measurement

Procedia PDF Downloads 101

Authors: Suzan Abd El Majid, Menachem Bamberger, Alexander Katsman

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Two Al-4 wt. % Cu based alloys, A201 and A201+Si were investigated in the as-cast, solution treated and aged conditions. The addition of Si was used to improve the castability of the basic alloy. The all investigated alloys in the as-cast condition contained a eutectic structure along grain boundaries (GBs) with the composition Al-50at. %Cu that was found by HRSEM EDS. Addition of Si refined the grain structure and changed the amount of the eutectic regions, their size and shape. Additionally, the A201+Si microstructure contained Si rods and small amount of Al6Mn4Cu3Fe2Si-phase. Solution treatment (ST) at 550°C for ~ 20 hours resulted in a slight dissolution of the eutectic structure in the A201 alloy while substantial dissolution and change of the eutectic composition was detected in the A201+Si alloy. After ST, the A201alloy contained θ-Al2Cu, Al5Cu2Mn3 and Al9Cu7Mn3(Fe) phases associated to the GBs, while the ST A201+Si alloy contained θ-Al2Cu, Al6Mn4Cu3(Fe,Si) and Si94Mn3Al2Cu phases. Precipitation hardening during aging at 170°C was investigated for both alloys. The microhardness of the ST A201alloy increased during aging and reached the maximum value ~ 140 HV after 2 h of aging. Initial microhardness of the ST A201+Si alloy was distinctly higher than one of the ST A201 alloy, but it decreased during the first hour of aging, then increased and reached the same maximum value ~ 140 HV after ~ 4 h of aging. It was concluded that the Si addition influenced the precipitation sequence and slowed down the age hardening process. The Si induced grain refining and evolution of the eutectic structure during the heat treatments applied are discussed.

Keywords: A201 alloys, castability, microstructure, micro-hardness

Procedia PDF Downloads 285

Authors: Mairaj Ahmad, L. Paglia, F. Marra, V. Genova, G. Pulci

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This study employed Rene N4 and FSX 414 superalloys, which are used in numerous turbine engine components due of their high strength, outstanding fatigue, creep, thermal, and corrosion-resistant properties. An in-depth examination of corrosion mechanisms with vapor present at high temperature is necessary given the industrial trend toward introducing increasing amounts of hydrogen into combustion chambers in order to boost power generation and minimize pollution in contrast to conventional fuels. These superalloys were oxidized in recent tests for 500, 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 hours at 982±5°C temperatures with a steady airflow at a flow rate of 10L/min and 1.5 bar pressure. These superalloys were also examined for wet corrosion for 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 hours in a combination of air and water vapor flowing at a 10L/min rate. Weight gain, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to assess the oxidation and heat corrosion resistance capabilities of these alloys before and after 500, 1000, and 2000 hours. The oxidation/corrosion processes that accompany the formation of these oxide scales are shown in the graph of mass gain vs time. In both dry and wet oxidation, oxides like Al2O3, TiO2, NiCo2O4, Ni3Al, Ni3Ti, Cr2O3, MnCr2O4, CoCr2O4, and certain volatile compounds notably CrO2(OH)2, Cr(OH)3, Fe(OH)2, and Si(OH)4 are formed.

Keywords: hot corrosion, oxidation, turbine materials, high temperature corrosion, super alloys

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: H. E. Elzain, S. Y. Chung, V. Senapathi, Kye-Hun Park

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Groundwater is considered a significant source for drinking and irrigation purposes in Miryang city, and it is attributed to a limited number of a surface water reservoirs and high seasonal variations in precipitation. Population growth in addition to the expansion of agricultural land uses and industrial development may affect the quality and management of groundwater. This research utilized multidisciplinary approaches of geostatistics such as multivariate statistics, factor analysis, cluster analysis and kriging technique in order to identify the hydrogeochemical process and characterizing the control factors of the groundwater geochemistry distribution for developing risk maps, exploiting data obtained from chemical investigation of groundwater samples under the area of study. A total of 79 samples have been collected and analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) for major and trace elements. Chemical maps using 2-D spatial Geographic Information System (GIS) of groundwater provided a powerful tool for detecting the possible potential sites of groundwater that involve the threat of contamination. GIS computer based map exhibited that the higher rate of contamination observed in the central and southern area with relatively less extent in the northern and southwestern parts. It could be attributed to the effect of irrigation, residual saline water, municipal sewage and livestock wastes. At wells elevation over than 85m, the scatter diagram represents that the groundwater of the research area was mainly influenced by saline water and NO3. Level of pH measurement revealed low acidic condition due to dissolved atmospheric CO2 in the soil, while the saline water had a major impact on the higher values of TDS and EC. Based on the cluster analysis results, the groundwater has been categorized into three group includes the CaHCO3 type of the fresh water, NaHCO3 type slightly influenced by sea water and Ca-Cl, Na-Cl types which are heavily affected by saline water. The most predominant water type was CaHCO3 in the study area. Contamination sources and chemical characteristics were identified from factor analysis interrelationship and cluster analysis. The chemical elements that belong to factor 1 analysis were related to the effect of sea water while the elements of factor 2 associated with agricultural fertilizers. The degree level, distribution, and location of groundwater contamination have been generated by using Kriging methods. Thus, geostatistics model provided more accurate results for identifying the source of contamination and evaluating the groundwater quality. GIS was also a creative tool to visualize and analyze the issues affecting water quality in the Miryang city.

Keywords: groundwater characteristics, GIS chemical maps, factor analysis, cluster analysis, Kriging techniques

Procedia PDF Downloads 165

Authors: Xiaoxiao Yu, Guodu He, Zihua Wu, Yuanyuan Wang, Huaqing Xie

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Core-shell composite structure is a common method to regulate the spectral absorption of nanofluids, but there occur complex preparation processes, which limit the applications in some fields, such as photothermal utilization and catalysis. This work proposed point-mode Cu₂O/TiN plasmonic nanofluids to regulate the spectral capturing ability and simplify the preparation process. Non-noble TiN nanoparticles with the localized surface plasmon resonance effect are dispersed in Cu₂O nanoparticles for forming a multi-point resonance source to enhance the spectral absorption performance. The experimental results indicate that the multiple resonance effect of TiN effectively improves the optical absorption and expands the absorption region. When the radius of Cu₂O nanoparticles is equal to 150nm, the optical absorption of point-mode Cu₂O/TiN plasmonic nanoparticles is best. Moreover, the photothermal conversion efficiency of Cu₂O/TiN plasmonic nanofluid can reach 97.5% at a volume fraction of 0.015% and an optical depth of 10mm. The point-mode nanostructure effectively enhances the optical absorption properties and greatly simplifies the preparation process of the composite nanoparticles, which can promote the application of multi-component photonic nanoparticles in the field of solar energy.

Keywords: solar energy, nanofluid, point-mode structure, Cu₂O/TiN, localized surface plasmon resonance effect

Procedia PDF Downloads 56

Authors: Benhui Fan, Fahmi Bedoui, Jinbo Bai

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Incorporated carbon nanotube-BaTiO₃ hybrids (H-CNT-BT) with core-shell structure, a better dispersion of CNTs can be achieved in a semi-crystalline polymeric matrix, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Carried by BT particles, CNTs are easy to mutually connect which helps to obtain an extremely low percolation threshold (fc). After thermal treatments, the dielectric constants (ε’) of samples further increase which depends on the conditions of thermal treatments such as annealing temperatures, annealing durations and cooling ways. Thus, in order to study more comprehensively about the influence of thermal treatments on composite’s dielectric behaviors, in situ synchrotron X-ray is used to detect re-crystalline behavior of PVDF. Results of wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) show that after the thermal treatment, the content of β polymorph (the polymorph with the highest ε’ among all the polymorphs of PVDF’s crystalline structure) has increased nearly double times at the interfacial region of CNT-PVDF, and the thickness of amorphous layers (La) in PVDF’s long periods (Lp) has shrunk around 10 Å. The evolution of CNT’s network possibly occurs in the procedure of La shrinkage, where the strong interfacial polarization may be aroused and increases ε’ at low frequency. Moreover, an increase in the thickness of crystalline lamella may also arouse more orientational polarization and improve ε’ at high frequency.

Keywords: dielectric properties, thermal treatments, carbon nanotubes, crystalline structure

Procedia PDF Downloads 321

Authors: Farah Islam, Md. Monirul Islam, Mosammat Salma Akter, Goutam Kumar Kundu

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The continuous variability of climate and the risk associated with it have a significant impact on the fisheries leading to a global concern for about half a billion fishery-based livelihoods. Though in the context of Bangladesh mounting evidence on the impacts of climate change on fishery-based livelihoods or their socioeconomic conditions are present, the country’s inland fisheries sector remains in a negligible corner as compared to the coastal areas which are spotted on the highlight due to its higher vulnerability to climatic hazards. The available research on inland fisheries, particularly river fisheries, has focussed mainly on fish production, pollution, fishing gear, fish biodiversity and livelihoods of the fishers. This study assesses the impacts of climate variability and changes on the Jamuna (a transboundary river called Brahmaputra in India) River fishing communities and their coping and adaptation strategies. This study has used primary data collected from Kalitola Ghat and Debdanga fishing communities of the Jamuna River during May, August and December 2015 using semi-structured interviews, oral history interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and impact matrix as well as secondary data. This study has found that both communities are exposed to storms, floods and land erosions which impact on fishery-based livelihood assets, strategies, and outcomes. The impact matrix shows that human and physical capitals are more affected by climate hazards which in turn affect financial capital. Both communities have been responding to these exposures through multiple coping and adaptation strategies. The coping strategies include making dam with soil, putting jute sac on the yard, taking shelter on boat or embankment, making raised platform or ‘Kheua’ and involving with temporary jobs. While, adaptation strategies include permanent migration, change of livelihood activities and strategies, changing fishing practices and making robust houses. The study shows that migration is the most common adaptation strategy for the fishers which resulted in mostly positive outcomes for the migrants. However, this migration has impacted negatively on the livelihoods of existing fishers in the communities. In sum, the Jamuna river fishing communities have been impacted by several climatic hazards and they have traditionally coped with or adapted to the impacts which are not sufficient to maintain sustainable livelihoods and fisheries. In coming decades, this situation may become worse as predicted by latest scientific research and an enhanced level of response would be needed.

Keywords: climatic hazards, impacts and adaptation, fisherfolk, the Jamuna River

Procedia PDF Downloads 309

Authors: Chayan Gupta, Arun Prasad

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The quick evolution of industrialization causes the scarcity of precious land. Thus, it is vital need to influence the R&D societies to achieve sustainable, economic and social benefits from huge utilization of waste for universal aids. The current study promotes the influence of steel industries waste i.e. ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) in geotechnical properties of jarosite waste (solid waste residues produced from hydrometallurgy operations involved in extraction of Zinc). Numerous strengths tests (unconfined compression (qu) and splitting tensile strength (qt)) are conducted on jarosite-GGBS blends (GGBS, 10-30%) with different curing periods (7, 28 & 90 days). The results indicate that both qu and qt increase with the increase in GGBS content along with curing periods. The increased strength with the addition of GGBS is also observed from microstructural study, which illustrates the occurrence of larger agglomeration of jarosite-GGBS blend particles. The Freezing-Thawing (F-T) durability analysis is also conducted for all the jarosite-GGBS blends and found that the reduction in unconfined compressive strength after five successive F-T cycles enhanced from 62% (natural jarosite) to 48, 42 and 34% at 7, 14 and 28 days curing periods respectively for stabilized jarosite-GGBS samples containing 30% GGBS content. It can be concluded from this study that blending of cementing additives (GGBS) with jarosite waste resulted in a significant improvement in geotechnical characteristics.

Keywords: jarosite, GGBS, strength characteristics, microstructural study, durability analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 165

Authors: Priya Narayanan

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Despite several studies having been conducted on the highly subjective concept of place attachment in the last 60 years, there is a lack of consensus among researchers about how it can be measured empirically. Further, there is no available literature that discusses how a place can be manipulated via design and/or policy to allow people to feel/get attached to it, an aspect that seems to be the need of the hour in a world where a substantial population is living in shelter homes as war/climate/social refugees. Consequently, this paper draws from studies on place, affordance and attachment to conceptualize an objectively measurable entity in place attachment affordance by asking ‘whether and to what degree a place allows one to form attachment bonds with it’ rather than the generally asked ‘whether and to what degree one is/feels attached to a place’. Towards this, the place attachment affordance scale (PAAS) has been developed to not only quantitatively measure place attachment affordance but also act as a point of entry into a more in-depth analysis of both place policy and place properties. To illustrate the validity of the scale, the study uses PAAS to compare shelter homes for women in crisis with the homes they once lived in to glean the degree to which both places afford the formation of place attachment bonds to the residents. PAAS has also been used to compare shelter homes as places of short-/long-term residence for the residents and as places of work for the staff. Based on the results, it is suggested that place attachment and built environment researchers employ the PAAS as an objective measurement tool to better understand not only the presence or absence of attachment bonds with place but also the attributes of place that encourage or discourage the same. The study also briefly discusses the universality of the PAAS, although further fieldwork might be required to substantiate the same.

Keywords: place attachment, affordance, shelter homes, home, scale, environmental psychology

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Authors: D. Geringswald, B. Hintze

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The miniaturization of circuits is advancing. During chip manufacturing, structures are filled for example by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Since this process reaches its limits in case of very high aspect ratios, the use of alternatives such as the atomic layer deposition (ALD) is possible, requiring the extension of existing coating systems. However, it is an unsolved question to what extent MOCVD can achieve results similar as an ALD process. In this context, this work addresses the characterization of a metal organic vapor deposition of titanium nitride. Based on the current state of the art, the film properties coating thickness, sheet resistance, resistivity, stress and chemical composition are considered. The used setting parameters are temperature, plasma gas ratio, plasma power, plasma treatment time, deposition time, deposition pressure, number of cycles and TDMAT flow. The derived process instructions for unstructured wafers and inside a structure with high aspect ratio include lowering the process temperature and increasing the number of cycles, the deposition and the plasma treatment time as well as the plasma gas ratio of hydrogen to nitrogen (H₂:N₂). In contrast to the current process configuration, the deposited titanium nitride (TiN) layer is more uniform inside the entire test structure. Consequently, this paper provides approaches to employ the MOCVD for structures with increasing aspect ratios.

Keywords: ALD, high aspect ratio, PE-MOCVD, TiN

Procedia PDF Downloads 296

Authors: Chung-Hyeon Ryu, Do-Hyoung Kim, Hak-Sung Kim

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As the use of the composites was increased, the detecting method of hidden damages which have an effect on performance of the composite was important. Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy was assessed as one of the new powerful nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques for fiber reinforced composite structures because it has many advantages which can overcome the limitations of conventional NDE techniques such as x-rays or ultrasound. The THz wave offers noninvasive, noncontact and nonionizing methods evaluating composite damages, also it gives a broad range of information about the material properties. In additions, it enables to detect the multiple-delaminations of various nonmetallic materials. In this study, the pulse type THz spectroscopy imaging system was devised and used for detecting and evaluating the hidden delamination in the glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composite laminates. The interaction between THz and the GFRP composite was analyzed respect to the type of delamination, including their thickness, size and numbers of overlaps among multiple-delaminations in through-thickness direction. Both of transmission and reflection configurations were used for evaluation of hidden delaminations and THz wave propagations through the delaminations were also discussed. From these results, various hidden delaminations inside of the GFRP composite were successfully detected using time-domain THz spectroscopy imaging system and also compared to the results of C-scan inspection. It is expected that THz NDE technique will be widely used to evaluate the reliability of composite structures.

Keywords: terahertz, delamination, glass fiber reinforced plastic composites, terahertz spectroscopy

Procedia PDF Downloads 589

Authors: Rohit Lall

Abstract:

The adoption of Micro Irrigation (MI) technologies in India has helped in achieving higher cropping and irrigation intensity with significant savings on resource savings such as labour, fertilizer and improved crop yields. These technologies have received considerable attention from policymakers, growers and researchers over the years for its perceived ability to contribute towards agricultural productivity and economic growth with the well-being of the growers of the country. Keeping the pace with untapped theoretical potential to cover government had launched flagship programs/centre sector schemes with earmarked budget to capture the potential under these waters saving techniques envisaged under these technologies by way of providing financial assistance to the beneficiaries for adopting these technologies. Micro Irrigation technologies have been in the special attention of the policymakers over the years. India being an agrarian economy having engaged 75% of the population directly or indirectly having skilled, semi-skilled and entrepreneurs in the sector with focused attention and financial allocations from the government under these technologies in covering the untapped potential under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) 'Per Drop More Crop component.' During the year 2004, a Taskforce on Micro Irrigation was constituted to estimate the potential of these technologies in India which was estimated 69.5 million hectares by the Task Force Report on MI however only 10.49 million hectares have been achieved so far. Technology collaborations by leading manufacturing companies in overseas have proved to a stepping stone in technology advancement and product up gradation with increased efficiencies. Joint ventures by the leading MI companies have added huge business volumes which have not only accelerated the momentum of achieving the desired goal but in terms of area coverage but had also generated opportunities for the polymer manufacturers in the country. To provide products matching the global standards Bureau of Indian Standards have constituted a sectional technical committee under the Food and Agriculture Department (FAD)-17 to formulated/devise and revise standards pertaining to MI technologies. The research lobby has also contributed at large by developing in-situ analysis proving MI technologies a boon for farming community of the country with resource conservation of which water is of paramount importance. Thus, Micro Irrigation technologies have proved to be the key tool for feeding the grueling demand of food basket of the growing population besides maintaining soil health and have been contributing towards doubling of farmers’ income.

Keywords: task force on MI, standards, per drop more crop, doubling farmers’ income

Procedia PDF Downloads 114

Authors: Senem Suna, Canan Ece Tamer, Ömer Utku Çopur

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In this research, dried linden (Tilia argentea) leaves and blossoms were used as a raw material for mineral enriched herbal tea beverage production. For this aim, %1 dried linden was infused with boiling water (100 °C) for 5 minutes. After cooling, sucrose, citric acid, ascorbic acid, natural lemon flavor and natural mineral water were added. Beverage samples were plate filtered, filled into 200-mL glass bottles, capped then pasteurized at 98 °C for 15 minutes. Water soluble dry matter, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, pH, minerals (Fe, Ca, Mg, K, Na), color (L*, a*, b*), turbidity, bioaccessible phenolics and antioxidant capacity were analyzed. Water soluble dry matter, titratable acidity, and ascorbic were determined as 7.66±0.28 g/100 g, 0.13±0.00 g/100 mL, and 19.42±0.62 mg/100 mL, respectively. pH was measured as 3.69. Fe, Ca, Mg, K and Na contents of the beverage were determined as 0.12±0.00, 115.48±0.05, 34.72±0.14, 48.67±0.43 and 85.72±1.01 mg/L, respectively. Color was measured as 13.63±0.05, -4.33±0.05, and 3.06±0.05 for L*, a*, and b* values. Turbidity was determined as 0.69±0.07 NTU. Bioaccessible phenolics were determined as 312.82±5.91 mg GAE/100 mL. Antioxidant capacities of chemical (MetOH:H₂O:HCl) and physiological extracts (in vitro digestive enzymatic extraction) with DPPH (27.59±0.53 and 0.17±0.02 μmol trolox/mL), FRAP (21.01±0.97 and 13.27±0.19 μmol trolox/mL) and CUPRAC (44.71±9.42 and 2.80±0.64 μmol trolox/mL) methods were also evaluated. As a result, enrichment with natural mineral water was proposed for the development of functional and nutritional values together with a good potential for commercialization.

Keywords: linden, herbal tea beverage, bioaccessibility, antioxidant capacity

Procedia PDF Downloads 165

Authors: D. Baratian, A. Cavalli, D. van den Ende, F. Mugele

Abstract:

The morphology of liquid bridges inside complex geometries is the subject of interest for many years. These efforts try to find stable liquid configuration considering the boundary condition and the physical properties of the system. On the other hand precise manipulation of droplets is highly significant in many microfluidic applications. The liquid configuration in a complex geometry can be switched by means of external stimuli. We show manipulation of droplets in a wedge structure. The profile and position of a drop in a wedge geometry has been calculated analytically assuming negligible contact angle hysteresis. The characteristic length of liquid bridge and its interfacial tension inside the surrounding medium along with the geometrical parameters of the system determine the morphology and equilibrium position of drop in the system. We use electrowetting to modify one the governing parameters to manipulate the droplet. Electrowetting provides the capability to have precise control on the drop position through tuning the voltage and consequently changing the contact angle. This technique is employed to tune drop displacement and control its position inside the wedge. Experiments demonstrate precise drop movement to its predefined position inside the wedge geometry. Experimental results show promising consistency as it is compared to our geometrical model predictions. For such a drop manipulation, appealing applications in microfluidics have been considered.

Keywords: liquid bridges, microfluidics, drop manipulation, wetting, electrowetting, capillarity

Procedia PDF Downloads 471

Authors: Elaheh Talebi, Fariba Yavari, Lucy Philip, Lesley Town

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The mining industry generates vast amounts of data, necessitating robust data management systems and advanced analytics tools to achieve better decision-making processes in the development of mining production and maintaining safety. This paper highlights the advantages of Power BI, a powerful intelligence tool, over traditional Excel-based approaches for effectively managing and harnessing mining data. Power BI enables professionals to connect and integrate multiple data sources, ensuring real-time access to up-to-date information. Its interactive visualizations and dashboards offer an intuitive interface for exploring and analyzing geotechnical data. Advanced analytics is a collection of data analysis techniques to improve decision-making. Leveraging some of the most complex techniques in data science, advanced analytics is used to do everything from detecting data errors and ensuring data accuracy to directing the development of future project phases. However, while Power BI is a robust tool, specific visualizations required by geotechnical engineers may have limitations. This paper studies the capability to use Python or R programming within the Power BI dashboard to enable advanced analytics, additional functionalities, and customized visualizations. This dashboard provides comprehensive tools for analyzing and visualizing key geotechnical data metrics, including spatial representation on maps, field and lab test results, and subsurface rock and soil characteristics. Advanced visualizations like borehole logs and Stereonet were implemented using Python programming within the Power BI dashboard, enhancing the understanding and communication of geotechnical information. Moreover, the dashboard's flexibility allows for the incorporation of additional data and visualizations based on the project scope and available data, such as pit design, rock fall analyses, rock mass characterization, and drone data. This further enhances the dashboard's usefulness in future projects, including operation, development, closure, and rehabilitation phases. Additionally, this helps in minimizing the necessity of utilizing multiple software programs in projects. This geotechnical dashboard in Power BI serves as a user-friendly solution for analyzing, visualizing, and communicating both new and historical geotechnical data, aiding in informed decision-making and efficient project management throughout various project stages. Its ability to generate dynamic reports and share them with clients in a collaborative manner further enhances decision-making processes and facilitates effective communication within geotechnical projects in the mining industry.

Keywords: geotechnical data analysis, power BI, visualization, decision-making, mining industry

Procedia PDF Downloads 85

Authors: Mohd Adil, Rosina Khan, Danishuddin, Asad U. Khan

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the crude and active solvent fraction of Trachyspermum ammi on S. mutans cariogenicity, effect on expression of genes involved in biofilm formation and caries development in rats. GC–MS was carried out to identify the major components present in the crude and the active fraction of T. ammi. The crude extract and the solvent fraction exhibiting least MIC were selected for further experiments. Scanning electron microscopy was carried out to observe the effect of the extracts on S. mutans biofilm. Comparative gene expression analysis was carried out for nine selected genes. 2-Isopropyl-5-methyl-phenol was found as major compound in crude and the active fraction. Binding site of this compound within the proteins involved in biofilm formation was mapped with the help of docking studies. Real-time RT-PCR analyses revealed significant suppression of the genes involved in biofilm formation. All the test groups showed reduction in caries (smooth surface as well as sulcal surface caries) in rats. Moreover, it also provides new insight to understand the mechanism influencing biofilm formation in S. mutans. Furthermore, the data suggest the putative cariostatic properties of T. Ammi and hence can be used as an alternative medicine to prevent caries infection.

Keywords: bio-film, Streptococcus mutans, dental caries, bio-informatic

Procedia PDF Downloads 471

Authors: A. M. Daneshian Moghaddam, J. Shayegh, J. Dolghari Sharaf

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This study was conducted to assessment the antibacterial activities of different part of basil essential oil on the standard gram-negative bacteria include Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and gram-positive ones including Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogen. The basil essential oil was provided from two part of plant (leaf and herb) at the two different developmental stage. The antibacterial properties of basil essential oil was studied Also agar disk diffusion, minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were detected. The results of agar disk diffusion tests showed the inhibition zones as follow: Listeria monocytogen 17.11-17.42 mm, St. aureus 29.20-30.56 mm, B. cereus 14.73-16.06 mm, E. coli 21.60-23.58 mm, Salmonella typhi 21.63-24.80 mm and for P. aeruginosa the maximum inhibition zones were seen on leaf essential oil. From the herb part of basil almost similar results were obtained: Listeria monocytogen 17.02-17.67 mm, St. aureus 29.60-30.41 mm, B. cereus 10.66-16.11 mm, E. coli 17.48-23.54 mm, Salmonella typhi 21.58-21.64 mm and for P. aeruginosa the maximum inhibition zones were seen. The MICs for gram-positive bacteria were as: B. cereus ranging 36-18 μg/mL, S. aureus 18 μg/mL, Listeria monocytogen 18-36 μg/mL and for gram-negative bacteria of E. coli, Salmonella typhi and P. aeruginosa were 18-9 μg/mL.

Keywords: basil (Ocimum basilicum) essential oil, gram-positive and gram negative bacteria, antibacterial activity, MIC, MBC

Procedia PDF Downloads 438

Authors: Michael G. Pantelyat

Abstract:

Fundamental basics of pure and applied research in the area of magneto-thermo-mechanical numerical analysis and design of innovative electromagnetic devices (modern induction heaters, novel thermoelastic actuators, rotating electrical machines, induction cookers, electrophysical devices) are elaborated. Thus, mathematical models of magneto-thermo-mechanical processes in electromagnetic devices taking into account main interactions of interrelated phenomena are developed. In addition, graphical representation of coupled (multiphysics) phenomena under consideration is proposed. Besides, numerical techniques for nonlinear problems solution are developed. On this base, effective numerical algorithms for solution of actual problems of practical interest are proposed, validated and implemented in applied 2D and 3D computer codes developed. Many applied problems of practical interest regarding modern electrical engineering devices are numerically solved. Investigations of the influences of various interrelated physical phenomena (temperature dependences of material properties, thermal radiation, conditions of convective heat transfer, contact phenomena, etc.) on the accuracy of the electromagnetic, thermal and structural analyses are conducted. Important practical recommendations on the choice of rational structures, materials and operation modes of electromagnetic devices under consideration are proposed and implemented in industry.

Keywords: electromagnetic devices, multiphysics, numerical analysis, simulation and design

Procedia PDF Downloads 382

Authors: Tsukasa Ogawa, Mitsuhiro Okayasu

Abstract:

To examine the generation properties of electric power for piezoelectric (PbZrTiO3) ceramic plates, the electric-power generation characteristics were examined experimentally and numerically during cyclic bending under various loading fixtures with different contact condition, i.e., point and area contact. In the low applied loading condition between 10 and 50 N, increasing the load-contact area on the piezoelectric ceramic led to a nonlinear decrease in the generated voltage. Decreasing contact area, including the point contact, basically enhanced the generated voltage, although the voltage saturated during loading when the contact area is less than ϕ5 mm, which was attributed to the high strain status, resulting in the material failure, i.e., high stress concentration. In this case, severe plastic deformation and the domain switching were dominated failure modes in the ceramic. From this approach, it is clear that the applied load became more larger (50 ~100 N), larger contact area (ϕ10 ~ ϕ20 mm) became advantageous for power generation. Based upon this cyclic loading was carried out to investigate the fatigue characteristics of the piezoelectric ceramic late. For all contact conditions, electric voltage dropped in the beginning of the cyclic loading, although the higher electric generation was stable in the further cyclic loading for the contact area of ϕ10 ~ ϕ20 mm. In constant, further decrement of electric generation occurred for the point contact condition, and the low electric voltage was generated for the larger contact condition.

Keywords: electric power generation, piezoelectric ceramic, lead zirconate titanate ceramic, loading conditions

Procedia PDF Downloads 164

Authors: Vinay Kumar Vanjakula, Frank Adam

Abstract:

The generation of electricity through wind power is one of the leading renewable energy generation methods. Due to abundant higher wind speeds far away from shore, the construction of offshore wind turbines began in the last decades. However, the installation of offshore foundation-based (monopiles) wind turbines in deep waters are often associated with technical and financial challenges. To overcome such challenges, the concept of floating wind turbines is expanded as the basis of the oil and gas industry. For such a floating system, stabilization in harsh conditions is a challenging task. For that, a robust heavy-weight gravity anchor is needed. Transportation of such anchor requires a heavy vessel that increases the cost. To lower the cost, the gravity anchor is designed with ballast chambers that allow the anchor to float while towing and filled with water when lowering to the planned seabed location. The presence of such a large structure may influence the flow field around it. The changes in the flow field include, formation of vortices, turbulence generation, waves or currents flow breaking and pressure differentials around the seabed sediment. These changes influence the installation process. Also, after installation and under operating conditions, the flow around the anchor may allow the local seabed sediment to be carried off and results in Scour (erosion). These are a threat to the structure's stability. In recent decades, rapid developments of research work and the knowledge of scouring on fixed structures (bridges and monopiles) in rivers and oceans have been carried out, and very limited research work on scouring around a bluff-shaped gravity anchor. The objective of this study involves the application of different numerical models to simulate the anchor towing under waves and calm water conditions. Anchor lowering involves the investigation of anchor movements at certain water depths under wave/current. The motions of anchor drift, heave, and pitch is of special focus. The further study involves anchor scour, where the anchor is installed in the seabed; the flow of underwater current around the anchor induces vortices mainly at the front and corners that develop soil erosion. The study of scouring on a submerged gravity anchor is an interesting research question since the flow not only passes around the anchor but also over the structure that forms different flow vortices. The achieved results and the numerical model will be a basis for the development of other designs and concepts for marine structures. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) numerical model will build in OpenFOAM and other similar software.

Keywords: anchor lowering, anchor towing, gravity anchor, computational fluid dynamics, scour

Procedia PDF Downloads 163