Abstract: Soil washing process with a surfactant solution is a potential technology for the rapid removal of hydrophobic organic compound (HOC) from soil. However, large amount of washed water would be produced during operation and this should be treated effectively by proper methods. The soil washed water for complex contaminated site with HOC and heavy metals might contain high amount of pollutants such as HOC and heavy metals as well as used surfactant. The heavy metals in the soil washed water have toxic effects on microbial activities thus these should be removed from the washed water before proceeding to a biological waste-water treatment system. Moreover, the used surfactant solutions are necessary to be recovered for reducing the soil washing operation cost. In order to simultaneously remove the heavy metals and HOC from soil-washed water, activated carbon (AC) was used in the present study. In an anionic-nonionic surfactant mixed solution, the Cd(II) and phenanthrene (PHE) were effectively removed by adsorption on activated carbon. The removal efficiency for Cd(II) was increased from 0.027 mmol-Cd/g-AC to 0.142 mmol-Cd/g-AC as the mole ratio of SDS increased in the presence of PHE. The adsorptive capacity of PHE was also increased according to the SDS mole ratio due to the decrement of molar solubilization ratios (MSR) for PHE in an anionic-nonionic surfactant mixture. The simultaneous adsorption of HOC and cationic heavy metals using activated carbon could be a useful method for surfactant recovery and the reduction of heavy metal toxicity in a surfactant-enhanced soil washing process.
Abstract: This paper presents the experimental results of silicone rubber polymer insulators for 22 kV systems under salt water dip wheel test based on IEC 62217. Straight shed silicone rubber polymer insulators having leakage distance 685 mm were tested continuously 30,000 cycles. One test cycle includes 4 positions, energized, de-energized, salt water dip and deenergized, respectively. For one test cycle, each test specimen remains stationary for about 40 second in each position and takes 8 second for rotate to next position. By visual observation, sever surface erosion was observed on the trunk near the energized end of tested specimen. Puncture was observed on the upper shed near the energized end. In addition, decreasing in hydrophobicity and increasing in hardness were measured on tested specimen comparing with new specimen. Furthermore, chemical analysis by ATR-FTIR was conducted in order to elucidate the chemical change of tested specimens comparing with new specimen.
Abstract: The notion of Next Generation Network (NGN) is
based on the Network Convergence concept which refers to
integration of services (such as IT and communication services) over
IP layer. As the most popular implementation of Service Oriented
Architecture (SOA), Web Services technology is known to be the
base for service integration. In this paper, we present a platform to
deliver communication services as web services. We also implement
a sample service to show the simplicity of making composite web
and communication services using this platform. A Service Logic
Execution Environment (SLEE) is used to implement the
communication services. The proposed architecture is in agreement
with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and also can be integrated
to an Enterprise Service Bus to make a base for NGN Service
Delivery Platform (SDP).
Abstract: Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is used to reconstruct spatio-temporal data of a fully developed turbulent channel flow with density variation at Reynolds number of 150, based on the friction velocity and the channel half-width, and Prandtl number of 0.71. To apply POD to the fully developed turbulent channel flow with density variation, the flow field (velocities, density, and temperature) is scaled by the corresponding root mean square values (rms) so that the flow field becomes dimensionless. A five-vector POD problem is solved numerically. The reconstructed second-order moments of velocity, temperature, and density from POD eigenfunctions compare favorably to the original Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) data.
Abstract: Digital watermarking in medical images can ensure
the authenticity and integrity of the image. This design paper reviews
some existing watermarking schemes and proposes a reversible
tamper detection and recovery watermarking scheme. Watermark
data from ROI (Region Of Interest) are stored in RONI (Region Of
Non Interest). The embedded watermark allows tampering detection
and tampered image recovery. The watermark is also reversible and
data compression technique was used to allow higher embedding
capacity.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present the role of
myotonometry in assessment muscle viscoelasticity by measurement
of force index (IF) and stiffness (S) at thigh muscle groups. The
results are used for improve the muscle training. The method is based
on mechanic impulse on the muscle group, that involve a muscle
response like acceleration, speed and amplitude curves. From these
we have information about elasticity, stiffness beginning from
mechanic oscillations of muscle tissue. Using this method offer the
possibility for monitoring the muscle capacity for produce mechanic
energy, that allows a efficiency of movement with a minimal tissue
deformation.
Abstract: Silver nano-particles have been used for antibacterial
purpose and it is also believed to have removal of odorous compounds,
oxidation capacity as a metal catalyst. In this study, silver
nano-particles in nano sizes (5-30 nm) were prepared on the surface of
NaHCO3, the supporting material, using a sputtering method that
provided high silver content and minimized conglomerating problems
observed in the common AgNO3 photo-deposition method. The silver
nano-particles were dispersed by dissolving Ag-NaHCO3 into water,
and the dispersed silver nano-particles in the aqueous phase were
applied to remove inorganic odor compounds, H2S, in a scrubbing
reactor. Hydrogen sulfide in the gas phase was rapidly removed by the
silver nano-particles, and the concentration of sulfate (SO4
2-) ion
increased with time due to the oxidation reaction by silver as a
catalyst. Consequently, the experimental results demonstrated that the
silver nano-particles in the aqueous solution can be successfully
applied to remove odorous compounds without adding additional
energy sources and producing any harmful byproducts
Abstract: In today-s era of plasma and laser cutting, machines using oxy-acetylene flame are also meritorious due to their simplicity and cost effectiveness. The objective to devise a Computer controlled Oxy-Fuel profile cutting machine arose from the increasing demand for metal cutting with respect to edge quality, circularity and lesser formation of redeposit material. The System has an 8 bit micro controller based embedded system, which assures stipulated time response. A new window based Application software was devised which takes a standard CAD file .DXF as input and converts it into numerical data required for the controller. It uses VB6 as a front end whereas MS-ACCESS and AutoCAD as back end. The system is designed around AT89C51RD2, powerful 8 bit, ISP micro controller from Atmel and is optimized to achieve cost effectiveness and also maintains the required accuracy and reliability for complex shapes. The backbone of the system is a cleverly designed mechanical assembly along with the embedded system resulting in an accuracy of about 10 microns while maintaining perfect linearity in the cut. This results in substantial increase in productivity. The observed results also indicate reduced inter laminar spacing of pearlite with an increase in the hardness of the edge region.
Abstract: Migration in breast cancer cell wound healing assay
had been studied using image fractal dimension analysis. The
migration of MDA-MB-231 cells (highly motile) in a wound healing
assay was captured using time-lapse phase contrast video microscopy
and compared to MDA-MB-468 cell migration (moderately motile).
The Higuchi fractal method was used to compute the fractal
dimension of the image intensity fluctuation along a single pixel
width region parallel to the wound. The near-wound region fractal
dimension was found to decrease three times faster in the MDA-MB-
231 cells initially as compared to the less cancerous MDA-MB-468
cells. The inner region fractal dimension was found to be fairly
constant for both cell types in time and suggests a wound influence
range of about 15 cell layer. The box-counting fractal dimension
method was also used to study region of interest (ROI). The MDAMB-
468 ROI area fractal dimension was found to decrease
continuously up to 7 hours. The MDA-MB-231 ROI area fractal
dimension was found to increase and is consistent with the behavior
of a HGF-treated MDA-MB-231 wound healing assay posted in the
public domain. A fractal dimension based capacity index has been
formulated to quantify the invasiveness of the MDA-MB-231 cells in
the perpendicular-to-wound direction. Our results suggest that image
intensity fluctuation fractal dimension analysis can be used as a tool
to quantify cell migration in terms of cancer severity and treatment
responses.
Abstract: Multifunctional structures are a potentially disruptive
technology that allows for significant mass savings on spacecraft.
The specific concept addressed herein is that of a multifunctional
power structure. In this paper, a parametric optimisation of the
design of such a structure that uses commercially available battery
cells is presented. Using numerical modelling, it was found that there
exists several trade-offs aboutthe conflict between the capacity of the
panel and its mechanical properties. It was found that there is no
universal optimal location for the cells. Placing them close to the
mechanical interfaces increases loading in the mechanically weak
cells whereas placing them at the centre of the panel increases the
stress inthe panel and reduces the stiffness of the structure.
Abstract: Since the European renewable energy directives set the
target for 22.1% of electricity generation to be supplied by 2010
[1], there has been increased interest in using green technologies
also within the urban enviroment. The most commonly considered
installations are solar thermal and solar photovoltaics. Nevertheless,
as observed by Bahaj et al. [2], small scale turbines can reduce the
built enviroment related CO2 emissions. Thus, in the last few years,
an increasing number of manufacturers have developed small wind
turbines specifically designed for the built enviroment. The present
work focuses on the integration into architectural systems of such
installations and presents a survey of successful case studies.
Abstract: Many experimental results suggest that more precise
spike timing is significant in neural information processing. We
construct a self-organization model using the spatiotemporal patterns,
where Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP) tunes the
conduction delays between neurons. We show that the fluctuation of
conduction delays causes globally continuous and locally distributed
firing patterns through the self-organization.
Abstract: A transient finite element model has been developed
to study the heat transfer and fluid flow during spot Gas Tungsten
Arc Welding (GTAW) on stainless steel. Temperature field, fluid
velocity and electromagnetic fields are computed inside the cathode,
arc-plasma and anode using a unified MHD formulation. The
developed model is then used to study the influence of different
helium-argon gas mixtures on both the energy transferred to the
workpiece and the time evolution of the weld pool dimensions. It is
found that the addition of helium to argon increases the heat flux
density on the weld axis by a factor that can reach 6.5. This induces
an increase in the weld pool depth by a factor of 3. It is also found
that the addition of only 10% of argon to helium decreases
considerably the weld pool depth, which is due to the electrical
conductivity of the mixture that increases significantly when argon is
added to helium.
Abstract: Snake bite cases in Malaysia most often involve the
species Naja-naja and Calloselasma rhodostoma. In keeping with the
need for a rapid snake venom detection kit in a clinical setting, plate
and dot-ELISA test for the venoms of Naja-naja sumatrana,
Calloselasma rhodostoma and the cobra venom fraction V antigen
was developed. Polyclonal antibodies were raised and further used to
prepare the reagents for the dot-ELISA test kit which was tested in
mice, rabbit and virtual human models. The newly developed dot-
ELISA kit was able to detect a minimum venom concentration of
244ng/ml with cross reactivity of one antibody type. The dot-ELISA
system was sensitive and specific for all three snake venom types in
all tested animal models. The lowest minimum venom concentration
detectable was in the rabbit model, 244ng/ml of the cobra venom
fraction V antigen. The highest minimum venom concentration was
in mice, 1953ng/ml against a multitude of venoms. The developed
dot-ELISA system for the detection of three snake venom types was
successful with a sensitivity of 95.8% and specificity of 97.9%.
Abstract: This paper deals with the helical flow of a Newtonian
fluid in an infinite circular cylinder, due to both longitudinal and
rotational shear stress. The velocity field and the resulting shear
stress are determined by means of the Laplace and finite Hankel
transforms and satisfy all imposed initial and boundary conditions.
For large times, these solutions reduce to the well-known steady-state
solutions.
Abstract: Soil stabilization has been widely used to improve
soil strength and durability or to prevent erosion and dust generation.
Generally to reduce problems of clayey soils in engineering work and
to stabilize these soils additional materials are used. The most
common materials are lime, fly ash and cement. Using this materials,
although improve soil property , but in some cases due to financial
problems and the need to use special equipment are limited .One of
the best methods for stabilization clayey soils is neutralization the
clay particles. For this purpose we can use ion exchange materials.
Ion exchange solution like CBR plus can be used for soil
stabilization. One of the most important things in using CBR plus is
determination the amount of this solution for various soils with
different properties. In this study a laboratory experiment is conduct
to evaluate the ion exchange capacity of three soils with various
plasticity index (PI) to determine amount or required CBR plus
solution for soil stabilization.
Abstract: In this communication an expression for mean
velocity of waste flow via an open channel is proposed which
is an improvement over Manning formula. The discharges,
storages and depths are computed at all locations of the Lyari river
by utilizing proposed expression. The results attained through
proposed expression are in good agreement with the observed data
and better than those acquired using Manning formula.
Abstract: Diagnosis can be achieved by building a model of a
certain organ under surveillance and comparing it with the real time
physiological measurements taken from the patient. This paper deals
with the presentation of the benefits of using Data Mining techniques
in the computer-aided diagnosis (CAD), focusing on the cancer
detection, in order to help doctors to make optimal decisions quickly
and accurately. In the field of the noninvasive diagnosis techniques,
the endoscopic ultrasound elastography (EUSE) is a recent elasticity
imaging technique, allowing characterizing the difference between
malignant and benign tumors. Digitalizing and summarizing the main
EUSE sample movies features in a vector form concern with the use
of the exploratory data analysis (EDA). Neural networks are then
trained on the corresponding EUSE sample movies vector input in
such a way that these intelligent systems are able to offer a very
precise and objective diagnosis, discriminating between benign and
malignant tumors. A concrete application of these Data Mining
techniques illustrates the suitability and the reliability of this
methodology in CAD.
Abstract: Australian government agencies have a natural desire
to provide migrants a wide range of opportunities. Consequently,
government online services should be equally available to migrants
with a non-English speaking background (NESB). Despite the
commendable efforts of governments and local agencies in Australia
to provide such services, in reality, many NESB communities are not
taking advantage of these services. This article–based on an
extensive case study regarding the use of online government services
by the Arabic NESB community in Australia–reports on the
possible reasons for this issue, as well as suggestions for
improvement. The conclusion is that Australia should implement
ICT-based or e-government policies, programmes, and services that
more accurately reflect migrant cultures and languages so that
migrant integration can be more fully accomplished. Specifically, this
article presents an NESB Model that adopts the value of usercentricity
or a more individual-focused approach to government
online services in Australia.
Abstract: Science and technology of ultrasonic is widely used in
recent years for industrial and medicinal application. The acoustical
properties of 2-mercapto substituted pyrimidines viz.,2- Mercapto-4-
(2’,4’ –dichloro phenyl) – 6-(2’ – hydroxyl -4’ –methyl-5’ –
chlorophenyl) pyrimidine and 2 –Mercapto – 4-(4’ –chloro phenyl) –
6-(2’ – hydroxyl -4’ –methyl-5’ –chlorophenyl) pyrimidine have been
investigated from the ultrasonic velocity and density measurements at
different concentration and different % in dioxane-water mixture at
305K. The adiabatic compressibility (βs), acoustic impedance (Z),
intermolecular free length (Lf), apparent molar volume(ϕv) and
relative association (RA) values have been calculated from the
experimental data of velocity and density measurement at
concentration range of 0.01- 0.000625 mol/lit and 70%,75% and 80%
dioxane water mixture. These above parameters are used to discuss
the structural and molecular interactions.