Abstract: Stress Corrosion Crack (SCC) in pipeline is a type of
environmentally assisted cracking (EAC), since its discovery in 1965
as a possible cause of failure in pipeline, SCC has caused, on
average, one of two failures per year in the U.S, According to the
NACE SCC DA a pipe line segment is considered susceptible to SCC
if all of the following factors are met: The operating stress exceeds
60% of specified minimum yield strength (SMYS), the operating
temperature exceeds 38°C, the segment is less than 32 km
downstream from a compressor station, the age of the pipeline is
greater than 10 years and the coating type is other than Fusion
Bonded Epoxy(FBE). In this paper as a practical experience in
NISOC, Direct Assessment (DA) Method is used for identification
SCC defect in unpiggable pipeline located downstream of
compressor station.
Abstract: Kuosheng nuclear power plant (NPP) is a BWR/6 type
NPP and located on the northern coast of Taiwan. First, Kuosheng
NPP TRACE model were developed in this research. In order to assess
the system response of Kuosheng NPP TRACE model, startup tests
data were used to evaluate Kuosheng NPP TRACE model. Second, the
overpressurization transient analysis of Kuosheng NPP TRACE model
was performed. Besides, in order to confirm the mechanical property
and integrity of fuel rods, FRAPTRAN analysis was also performed in
this study.
Abstract: Metallic foams have good potential for lightweight
structures for impact and blast mitigation. Therefore it is important to
find out the optimized foam structure (i.e. cell size, shape, relative
density, and distribution) to maximise energy absorption. In this
paper, quasistatic compression and microstructural characterization
of closed-cell aluminium foams of different pore size and cell
distributions have been carried out. We present results for two
different aluminium metal foams of density 0.49-0.51 g/cc and 0.31-
0.34 g/cc respectively that have been tested in quasi-static
compression. The influence of cell geometry and cell topology on
quasistatic compression behaviour has been investigated using optical
microscope and computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis. It is
shown that the deformation is not uniform in the structure and
collapse begins at the weakest point.
Abstract: In this paper the effect of wall waviness of side walls
in a two-dimensional wavy enclosure is numerically investigated.
Two vertical wavy walls and straight top wall are kept isothermal and
the bottom wall temperature is higher and spatially varying with
cosinusoidal temperature distribution. A computational code based on
Finite-volume approach is used to solve governing equations and
SIMPLE method is used for pressure velocity coupling. Test is
performed for several different numbers of undulations. The Prandtl
number was kept constant and the Ra number denotes that the flow is
laminar. Temperature and velocity fields are determined. Therefore,
according to the obtained results a correlation is proposed for average
Nusselt number as a function of number of side wall waves. The
results indicate that the Nusselt number is highly affected by number
of waves and increasing it decreases the wavy walls Nusselt number;
although the Nusselt number is not highly affected by surface
waviness when the number of undulations is below one.
Abstract: This paper is devoted to the study of a viscous
incompressible flow around a circular cylinder performing harmonic
oscillations, especially the steady streaming phenomenon. The
research methodology is based on the asymptotic explanation method
combined with the computational bifurcation analysis. The research
approach develops Schlichting and Wang decomposition method.
Present studies allow to identify several regimes of the secondary
streaming with different flow structures. The results of the research
are in good agreement with experimental and numerical simulation
data.
Abstract: This paper is concerning the issues of behaviour of
lightweight expanded clay aggregates concrete exposed to high
temperature. Lightweight aggregates from expanded clay are
produced by firing of row material up to temperature 1050°C.
Lightweight aggregates have suitable properties in terms of volume
stability, when exposed to temperatures up to 1050°C, which could
indicate their suitability for construction applications with higher risk
of fire. The test samples were exposed to heat by using the standard
temperature-time curve ISO 834. Negative changes in resulting
mechanical properties, such as compressive strength, tensile strength,
and flexural strength were evaluated. Also visual evaluation of the
specimen was performed. On specimen exposed to excessive heat, an
explosive spalling could be observed, due to evaporation of
considerable amount of unbounded water from the inner structure of
the concrete.
Abstract: Immunomodulators are substances that alter immune
system via dynamic regulation of messenger molecules. It can be
divided into immunostimulant and immunosuppressant. It can help to
increase immunity of people with a low immune system, and also can
help to normalize an overactive immune system. Aim of this study is
to investigate the effects of in vitro exposure to low and high doses of
several immunomodulators which include caffeine, kaloba and
quercetin on antigen-stimulated whole blood culture cytokine
production. Whole blood samples were taken from 5 healthy males
(age: 32 ± 12 years; weight: 75.7 ± 6.1 kg; BMI: 24.3 ± 1.5 kg/m2)
following an overnight fast with no vigorous activity during the
preceding 24 h. The whole blood was then stimulated with 50 μl of
100 x diluted Pediacel vaccine and low or high dose of
immunomodulators in the culture plate. After 20 h incubation (5%
CO2, 37°C), it was analysed using the Evidence Investigator to
determine the production of cytokines including IL-2, IL-4, IL-10,
IFN-γ, and IL-1α. Caffeine and quercetin showed a tendency towards
decrease cytokine production as the doses were increased. On the
other hand, an upward trend was evident with kaloba, where a high
dose of kaloba seemed to increase the cytokine production. In
conclusion, we found that caffeine and quercetin have potential as
immunosuppressant and kaloba as immunostimulant.
Abstract: The detection of environmental gases, 12CO2, 13CO2,
and CH4, using near-infrared semiconductor lasers with a short
laser path length is studied by means of wavelength-modulation
spectroscopy. The developed system is compact and has high
sensitivity enough to detect the absorption peaks of isotopic 13CO2
of a 3-% CO2 gas at 2 μm with a path length of 2.4 m, where
its peak size is two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the
ordinary 12CO2 peaks. In addition, the detection of 12CO2 peaks of
a 385-ppm (0.0385-%) CO2 gas in the air is made at 2 μm with a
path length of 1.4 m. Furthermore, in pursuing the detection of an
ancient environmental CH4 gas confined to a bubble in ice at the
polar regions, measurements of the absorption spectrum for a trace
gas of CH4 in a small area are attempted. For a 100-% CH4 gas
trapped in a ∼ 1 mm3 glass container, the absorption peaks of CH4
are obtained at 1.65 μm with a path length of 3 mm, and also the
gas pressure is extrapolated from the measured data.
Abstract: In this paper, thick walled Cylindrical tanks or tubes
made of functionally graded material under internal pressure and
temperature gradient are studied. Material parameters have been
considered as power functions. They play important role in the
elastoplastic behavior of these materials. To clarify their role,
different materials with different parameters have been used under
temperature gradient. Finally, their effect and loading effect have
been determined in first yield point. Also, the important role of
temperature gradient was also shown. At the end the study has been
results obtained from changes in the elastic modulus and yield stress.
Also special attention is also given to the effects of this internal
pressure and temperature gradient in the creation of tensile and
compressive stresses.
Abstract: This paper presents a new method to design nonlinear
feedback linearization controller for PEMFCs (Polymer Electrolyte
Membrane Fuel Cells). A nonlinear controller is designed based on
nonlinear model to prolong the stack life of PEMFCs. Since it is
known that large deviations between hydrogen and oxygen partial
pressures can cause severe membrane damage in the fuel cell,
feedback linearization is applied to the PEMFC system so that the
deviation can be kept as small as possible during disturbances or load
variations. To obtain an accurate feedback linearization controller,
tuning the linear parameters are always important. So in proposed
study NSGA (Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm)-II method
was used to tune the designed controller in aim to decrease the
controller tracking error. The simulation result showed that the
proposed method tuned the controller efficiently.
Abstract: Persea declinata (Bl.) Kosterm is a member of the
Lauraceae family, widely distributed in Southeast Asia. It is from the
same genus with avocado (Persea americana Mill), which is widely
consumed as food and for medicinal purposes. In the present study,
we examined the anticancer properties of Persea declinata (Bl.)
Kosterm bark methanolic crude extract (PDM). PDM exhibited a
potent antiproliferative effect in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells,
with an IC50 value of 16.68 .g/mL after 48h of treatment. We
observed that PDM caused cell cycle arrest and subsequent apoptosis
in MCF-7 cells, as exhibited by increased population at G0/G1 phase,
higher lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and DNA
fragmentation. Mechanistic studies showed that PDM caused
significant elevation in ROS production, leading to perturbation of
mitochondrial membrane potential, cell permeability, and activation
of caspases-3/7. On the other hand, real-time PCR and Western blot
analysis showed that PDM treatment increased the expression of the
proapoptotic molecule, Bax, but decreased the expression of
prosurvival proteins, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, in a dose-dependent manner.
These findings imply that PDM could inhibit proliferation in MCF-7
cells via cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction, indicating its
potential as a therapeutic agent worthy of further development.
Abstract: The manufacturing technology of band cotton is very
delicate and depends to choice of certain parameters such as torsion
of warp yarn.
The fabric elasticity is achieved without the use of any elastic
material, chemical expansion, artificial or synthetic and it’s capable
of creating pressures useful for therapeutic treatments.
Before use, the band is subjected to treatments of specific
preparation for obtaining certain elasticity, however, during its
treatment, there are some regression parameters. The dependence of
manufacturing parameters on the quality of the chemical treatment
was confirmed.
The aim of this work is to improve the properties of the fabric
through the development of manufacturing technology appropriately.
Finally for the treatment of the strip pancake 100% cotton, a
treatment method is recommended.
Abstract: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has
increased in conjunction with obesity. The accuracy of risk factors
for detecting NAFLD in obese adolescents has not undergone a
formal evaluation. The aim of this study was to evaluate predictors of
NAFLD among Egyptian female obese adolescents. The study
included 162 obese female adolescents. All were subjected to
anthropometry, biochemical analysis and abdominal ultrasongraphic
assessment. Metabolic syndrome (MS) was diagnosed according to
the IDF criteria. Significant association between presence of MS and
NAFLD was observed. Obese adolescents with NAFLD had
significantly higher levels of ALT, triglycerides, fasting glucose,
insulin, blood pressure and HOMA-IR, whereas decreased HDL-C
levels as compared with obese cases without NAFLD. Receiver–
operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis shows that ALT is a
sensitive predictor for NAFLD, confirming that ALT can be used as a
marker of NAFLD.
Abstract: In the present work, the effect of load and sliding
distance on the performance tribology of commercially used
aluminium-silicon engine block and piston was evaluated at ambient
conditions with humidity of 80% under dry sliding conditions using a
pin-on-disc with two different loads of 5N and 20N yielding applied
pressure of 0.30MPa and 1.4MPa, respectively, at sliding velocity of
0.29ms-1 and with varying sliding distance ranging from 260m-
4200m. Factors and conditions that had significant effect were
identified. The results showed that the load and the sliding distance
affect the wear rate of the alloys and the wear rate increased with
increasing load for both the alloys. Wear rate also increases almost
linearly at low loads and increase to a maximum then attain a plateau
with increasing sliding distance. For both applied loads the piston
alloy showed the better performance due to higher Ni and Mg
content. The worn surface and wear debris was characterized by
optical microscope, SEM and EDX analyzer. The worn surface was
characterized by surface with shallow grooves at loads while the
groove width and depth increased as the loads increases. Oxidative
wear was found to be the predominant mechanisms in the dry sliding
of Al-Si alloys at low loads.
Abstract: The article presents the concept of an electromagnetic
circuit generator with permanent magnets mounted on the surface
rotor core designed for single phase work. Computation field-circuit
model was shown. The spectrum of time course of voltages in the
idle work was presented. The cross section with graphically
presentation of magnetic induction in particular parts of
electromagnetic circuits was presented. Distribution of magnetic
induction at the rated load point for each phase was shown. The time
course of voltages and currents for each phases for rated power were
displayed. An analysis of laboratory results and measurement of load
characteristics of the generator was discussed. The work deals with
three electromagnetic circuits of generators with permanent magnet
where output voltage characteristics versus rated power were
expressed.
Abstract: Ficus deltoidea from the Moraceae family is a popular
medicinal herb in Malaysia. It possesses strong antioxidant and antiinflammatory
properties. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory
effects of F. deltoidea extract on UVB-irradiated HaCaT
Keratinocytes were investigated. HaCaT Keratinocytes were UVBirradiated
(12.5 mJ/cm3) and were treated with 0.05, 0.08 or 0.1% of
F. deltoidea extract. Cell viability following UVB irradiation was
significantly higher in the groups treated with the F. deltoidea extract
at doses of 0.05, 0.08 or 0.1% than in control group with UVB
irradiation only. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1α
(IL-1α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) play
primary roles in the inflammation process upon UV irradiation and
are known to be stimulated by UVB irradiation. Treatment with the
F. deltoidea extract dramatically inhibited the UV-induced TNF-α,
IL-1α, IL-6, and COX-2 expression. These results suggest that the F.
deltoidea extract inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory
cytokines and may be an effective protective agent for the treatment
of skin diseases.
Abstract: Load carrying capacity of an oil lubricated two-axial
groove journal bearing is simulated by taking into account the
viscosity variations in lubricant due to the addition of TiO2
nanoparticles as lubricant additive. Shear viscosities of TiO2
nanoparticle dispersions in oil are measured for various nanoparticle
additive concentrations. The viscosity model derived from the
experimental viscosities is employed in a modified Reynolds
equation to obtain the pressure profiles and load carrying capacity of
two-axial groove journal bearing. Results reveal an increase in load
carrying capacity of bearings operating on nanoparticle dispersions as
compared to plain oil.
Abstract: The study deals with the challenges in developing a
test rig to test the performance of water lubricated journal bearing.
The test rig is designed to simulate the working conditions of the
bearing in order to understand their performance before they are put
in operation. The bearing that is studied is the commercially available
water lubricated bearing which has a rubber liner bonded with a rigid
metal shell. The lubricant enters the bearing axially through a
pressurized inlet tank and exits to an outlet tank which is at
sufficiently low pressure. The load on the bearing is applied through
the dead weight system which acts both in upward and downward
direction so that net load acts on the bearing. The issues in feeding
the lubricant into the bearing from the inlet side and preventing the
leakage of the lubricant is discussed. The application of the load on
the test bearing while maintaining the bearing afloat is also discussed.
Abstract: This paper deals with the issue of biomass and sorted
municipal waste gasification and cogeneration using hot-air turbo-set.
It brings description of designed pilot plant with electrical output 80
kWe. The generated gas is burned in secondary combustion chamber
located beyond the gas generator. Flue gas flows through the heat
exchanger where the compressed air is heated and consequently
brought to a micro turbine. Except description, this paper brings our
basic experiences from operating of pilot plant (operating parameters,
contributions, problems during operating, etc.). The principal
advantage of the given cycle is the fact that there is no contact
between the generated gas and the turbine. So there is no need for
costly and complicated gas cleaning which is the main source of
operating problems in direct use in combustion engines because the
content of impurities in the gas causes operation problems to the units
due to clogging and tarring of working surfaces of engines and
turbines, which may lead as far as serious damage to the equipment
under operation. Another merit is the compact container package
making installation of the facility easier or making it relatively more
mobile. We imagine, this solution of cogeneration from biomass or
waste can be suitable for small industrial or communal applications,
for low output cogeneration.
Abstract: Red River Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) is a tree
of the genus Eucalyptus widely distributed in Algeria and in the
world. The value of its aromatic secondary metabolites offers new
perspectives in the pharmaceutical industry. This strategy can
contribute to the sustainable development of our country. Preliminary
tests performed on the essential oil of Eucalyptus camendulensis
showed that this oil has antibacterial activity vis-à-vis the bacterial
strains (Enterococcus feacalis, Enterobacter cloaceai, Proteus
microsilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa) and antifungic (Fusarium sporotrichioide and Fusarium
graminearum). The culture medium used was nutrient broth Muller
Hinton. The interaction between the bacteria and the essential oil is
expressed by a zone of inhibition with diameters of MIC indirectly
expression of. And we used the PDA medium to determine the fungal
activity. The extraction of the aromatic fraction (essentially oilhydrolat)
of the fresh aerian part of the Eucalyptus camendulensis
was performed by hydrodistillation. The average essential oil yield is
0.99%. The antimicrobial and fungal study of the essential oil and
hydrosol showed a high inhibitory effect on the growth of pathogens.