Abstract: In the past few years, high consumption of soft drinks
has attracted negative attention world-wide due to its possible
adverse effects, leading the health conscious people to find
alternative nutraceutical or herbal health drinks. In the present study,
a nutraceutical soft drink was developed utilizing some easily
available and well known traditional herbs having nutritional
potential. The key ingredients were selected as bael, amla, lemon
juice, ashwagandha and poppy seeds based on their household routine
use in the summer with proven refreshing, cooling and energetic
feeling since ages. After several trials made, the final composition of
nutraceutical summer soft drink was selected as most suitable
combination based on the taste, physicochemical, microbial and
organoleptic point of view. The physicochemical analysis of the
prepared drink found to contain optimum level of titratable acidity,
total soluble solids and pH which were in accordance of the
commercial recommendations. There were no bacterial colonies
found in the product therefore found within limits. During the nine
point’s hedonic scale sensory evaluation, the drink was strongly liked
for colour, taste, flavour and texture. The formulation was found to
contain flavonoids (80mg/100ml), phenolics (103mg/100ml), vitamin
C (250mg/100ml) and has antioxidant potential (75.52%) apart from
providing several other essential vitamins, minerals and healthy
components. The developed nutraceutical drink provides an
economical and feasible option for the consumers with very good
taste combined with potential health benefits. The present drink is
potentially capable to replace the synthetic soft drinks available in the
market.
Abstract: The moisture content of densified biomass is a
limiting parameter influencing the quality of this solid biofuel. It
influences its calorific value, density, mechanical strength and
dimensional stability as well as affecting its production process. This
paper deals with experimental research into the effect of moisture
content of the densified material on the final quality of biofuel in the
form of logs (briquettes or pellets). Experiments based on the singleaxis
densification of the spruce sawdust were carried out with a
hydraulic piston press (piston and die), where the densified logs were
produced at room temperature. The effect of moisture content on the
qualitative properties of the logs, including density, change of
moisture, expansion and physical changes, and compressive and
impact resistance were studied. The results show the moisture ranges
required for producing good-quality logs. The experiments were
evaluated and the moisture content of the tested material was
optimized to achieve the optimum value for the best quality of the
solid biofuel. The dense logs also have high-energy content per unit
volume. The research results could be used to develop and optimize
industrial technologies and machinery for biomass densification to
achieve high quality solid biofuel.
Abstract: In Automotive Industry, sliding door systems that are
also used as body closures are safety members. Extreme product tests
are realized to prevent failures in design process, but these tests
realized experimentally result in high costs. Finite element analysis is
an effective tool used for design process. These analyses are used
before production of prototype for validation of design according to
customer requirement. In result of this, substantial amount of time
and cost is saved. Finite element model is created for geometries that are designed in
3D CAD programs. Different element types as bar, shell and solid,
can be used for creating mesh model. Cheaper model can be created
by selection of element type, but combination of element type that
was used in model, number and geometry of element and degrees of
freedom affects the analysis result. Sliding door system is a good
example which used these methods for this study. Structural analysis
was realized for sliding door mechanism by using FE models. As
well, physical tests that have same boundary conditions with FE
models were realized. Comparison study for these element types,
were done regarding test and analyses results then optimum
combination was achieved.
Abstract: Nitrification is essential to biological processes
designed to remove ammonia and/or total nitrogen. It removes excess
nitrogenous compound in wastewater which could be very toxic to
the aquatic fauna or cause serious imbalance of such aquatic
ecosystem. Efficient nitrification is linked to an in-depth knowledge
of the structure and dynamics of the nitrifying community structure
within the wastewater treatment systems. In this study, molecular
technique was employed for characterizing the microbial structure of
activated sludge [ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite
oxidizing bacteria (NOB)] in a municipal wastewater treatment with
intention of linking it to the plant efficiency. PCR based phylogenetic
analysis was also carried out. The average operating and
environmental parameters as well as specific nitrification rate of plant
was investigated during the study. During the investigation the average temperature was 23±1.5oC.
Other operational parameters such as mixed liquor suspended solids
and chemical oxygen demand inversely correlated with ammonia
removal. The dissolved oxygen level in the plant was constantly
lower than the optimum (between 0.24 and 1.267 mg/l) during this
study. The plant was treating wastewater with influent ammonia
concentration of 31.69 and 24.47 mg/L. The influent flow rates
(ML/Day) was 96.81 during period. The dominant nitrifiers include:
Nitrosomonas spp. Nitrobacter spp. and Nitrospira spp. The AOB
had correlation with nitrification efficiency and temperature. This
study shows that the specific ammonia oxidizing rate and the specific
nitrate formation rates can serve as good indicator of the plant overall
nitrification performance.
Abstract: In most existing buildings in hot climate, cooling
loads lead to high primary energy consumption and consequently
high CO2 emissions. These can be substantially decreased with
integrated renewable energy systems. Kuwait is characterized by its
dry hot long summer and short warm winter. Kuwait receives annual
total radiation more than 5280 MJ/m2 with approximately 3347 h of
sunshine. Solar energy systems consist of PV modules and parabolic
trough collectors are considered to satisfy electricity consumption,
domestic water heating, and cooling loads of an existing building.
This paper presents the results of an extensive program of energy
conservation and energy generation using integrated photovoltaic
(PV) modules and Parabolic Trough Collectors (PTC). The program
conducted on an existing institutional building intending to convert it
into a Net-Zero Energy Building (NZEB) or near net Zero Energy
Building (nNZEB). The program consists of two phases; the first
phase is concerned with energy auditing and energy conservation
measures at minimum cost and the second phase considers the
installation of photovoltaic modules and parabolic trough collectors.
The 2-storey building under consideration is the Applied Sciences
Department at the College of Technological Studies, Kuwait. Single
effect lithium bromide water absorption chillers are implemented to
provide air conditioning load to the building. A numerical model is
developed to evaluate the performance of parabolic trough collectors
in Kuwait climate. Transient simulation program (TRNSYS) is
adapted to simulate the performance of different solar system
components. In addition, a numerical model is developed to assess
the environmental impacts of building integrated renewable energy
systems. Results indicate that efficient energy conservation can play
an important role in converting the existing buildings into NZEBs as
it saves a significant portion of annual energy consumption of the
building. The first phase results in an energy conservation of about
28% of the building consumption. In the second phase, the integrated
PV completely covers the lighting and equipment loads of the
building. On the other hand, parabolic trough collectors of optimum
area of 765 m2 can satisfy a significant portion of the cooling load,
i.e about73% of the total building cooling load. The annual avoided
CO2 emission is evaluated at the optimum conditions to assess the
environmental impacts of renewable energy systems. The total annual
avoided CO2 emission is about 680 metric ton/year which confirms
the environmental impacts of these systems in Kuwait.
Abstract: This study presents a hybrid metaheuristic algorithm
to obtain optimum designs for steel space buildings. The optimum
design problem of three-dimensional steel frames is mathematically
formulated according to provisions of LRFD-AISC (Load and
Resistance factor design of American Institute of Steel Construction).
Design constraints such as the strength requirements of structural
members, the displacement limitations, the inter-story drift and the
other structural constraints are derived from LRFD-AISC
specification. In this study, a hybrid algorithm by using teachinglearning
based optimization (TLBO) and harmony search (HS)
algorithms is employed to solve the stated optimum design problem.
These algorithms are two of the recent additions to metaheuristic
techniques of numerical optimization and have been an efficient tool
for solving discrete programming problems. Using these two
algorithms in collaboration creates a more powerful tool and
mitigates each other’s weaknesses. To demonstrate the powerful
performance of presented hybrid algorithm, the optimum design of a
large scale steel building is presented and the results are compared to
the previously obtained results available in the literature.
Abstract: The aims of study were investigation on chemical
composition essential oil and the effect of extract of Coronilla varia
on antimicrobial and cytotoxicity activity. The essential oils of
Coronilla varia is obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by
(GC/MS) for determining their chemical composition and
identification of their components. Antibacterial activity of plant
extract was determined by disc diffusion method and anticancer
activity measured by MTT assay. The major components in essential
oil were Caryophyllene Oxide (60.19%), Alphacadinol (4.13%) and
Homoadantaneca Robexylic Acid (3.31%). The extracts from
Coronilla varia had interesting activity against Proteus mirabilis in
the concentration of 700 μg/disc and did not show any activity
against Staphylococus aureus, Bacillus subtillis, Klebsiella
pneumonia and Entrobacter cloacae. The positive control,
Ampicillin, Chloramphenicol and Cenphalothin had shown zone of
inhibition resistant all bacteria. The ethanol extract of Corohilla varia
inhibited on MCF7 cell lines. IC50 0.6(mg/ml) was the optimum
concentration of extract from Coronilla varia inhibition of cell line
growth. The MCF7 cancer cell line and Proteus mirabilis were more
sensitive to Coronilla varia ethanol extract.
Abstract: It is the patient compliance and stability in
combination with controlled drug delivery and biocompatibility that
forms the core feature in present research and development of
sustained biodegradable patch formulation intended for wound
healing. The aim was to impart sustained degradation, sterile
formulation, significant folding endurance, elasticity,
biodegradability, bio-acceptability and strength. The optimized
formulation comprised of polymers including Hydroxypropyl methyl
cellulose, Ethylcellulose, and Gelatin, and Citric Acid PEG Citric
acid (CPEGC) triblock dendrimers and active Curcumin. Polymeric
mixture dissolved in geometric order in suitable medium through
continuous stirring under ambient conditions. With continued stirring
Curcumin was added with aid of DCM and Methanol in optimized
ratio to get homogenous dispersion. The dispersion was sonicated
with optimum frequency and for given time and later casted to form a
patch form. All steps were carried out under strict aseptic conditions.
The formulations obtained in the acceptable working range were
decided based on thickness, uniformity of drug content, smooth
texture and flexibility and brittleness. The patch kept on stability
using butter paper in sterile pack displayed folding endurance in
range of 20 to 23 times without any evidence of crack in an
optimized formulation at room temperature (RT) (24 ± 2°C). The
patch displayed acceptable parameters after stability study conducted
in refrigerated conditions (8±0.2°C) and at RT (24 ± 2°C) up to 90
days. Further, no significant changes were observed in critical
parameters such as elasticity, biodegradability, drug release and drug
content during stability study conducted at RT 24±2°C for 45 and 90
days. The drug content was in range 95 to 102%, moisture content
didn’t exceeded 19.2% and patch passed the content uniformity test.
Percentage cumulative drug release was found to be 80% in 12h and
matched the biodegradation rate as drug release with correlation
factor R2>0.9. The biodegradable patch based formulation developed
shows promising results in terms of stability and release profiles.
Abstract: This paper introduces a method to optimal design of a
hybrid Wind/Photovoltaic/Fuel cell generation system for a typical
domestic load that is not located near the electricity grid. In this
configuration the combination of a battery, an electrolyser, and a
hydrogen storage tank are used as the energy storage system. The aim
of this design is minimization of overall cost of generation scheme
over 20 years of operation. The Matlab/Simulink is applied for
choosing the appropriate structure and the optimization of system
sizing. A teaching learning based optimization is used to optimize the
cost function. An overall power management strategy is designed for
the proposed system to manage power flows among the different
energy sources and the storage unit in the system. The results have
been analyzed in terms of technical and economic. The simulation
results indicate that the proposed hybrid system would be a feasible
solution for stand-alone applications at remote locations.
Abstract: The primary objective of this work was to study the
effect of resin chemistry, pH and molarity of binding and elution
buffer on aggregate removal using Cation Exchange Chromatography
and find the optimum conditions which can give efficient aggregate
removal with minimum loss of yield. Four different resins were used
for carrying out the experiments: Fractogel EMD SO3
-(S), Fractogel EMD COO-(M), Capto SP ImpRes and S Ceramic HyperD. Runs
were carried out on the AKTA Avant system. Design of Experiments
(DOE) was used for analysis using the JMP software. The
dependence of the yield obtained using different resins on the
operating conditions was studied. Success has been achieved in
obtaining yield greater than 90% using Capto SP ImpRes and
Fractogel EMD COO-(M) resins. It has also been found that a change
in the operating conditions generally has different effects on the
yields obtained using different resins.
Abstract: In the present paper the design of plate heat exchangers
is formulated as an optimization problem considering two
mathematical modelling. The number of plates is the objective
function to be minimized, considering implicitly some parameters
configuration. Screening is the optimization method used to solve the
problem. Thermal and hydraulic constraints are verified, not viable
solutions are discarded and the method searches for the convergence to
the optimum, case it exists. A case study is presented to test the
applicability of the developed algorithm. Results show coherency with
the literature.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a new segmentation approach
for focal liver lesions in contrast enhanced ultrasound imaging. This
approach, based on a two-cluster Fuzzy C-Means methodology,
considers type-II fuzzy sets to handle uncertainty due to the image
modality (presence of speckle noise, low contrast, etc.), and to
calculate the optimum inter-cluster threshold. Fine boundaries are
detected by a local recursive merging of ambiguous pixels. The
method has been tested on a representative database. Compared to
both Otsu and type-I Fuzzy C-Means techniques, the proposed
method significantly reduces the segmentation errors.
Abstract: Constructed Wetland (CW) is a reasonable method to
treat wastewater. Current study was carried out to co-treat landfill
leachate and domestic wastewater using a CW system. Typha
domingensis was transplanted to CW, which encloses two substrate
layers of adsorbents named ZELIAC and zeolite. Response surface
methodology and central composite design were employed to
evaluate experimental data. Contact time (h) and leachate-towastewater
mixing ratio (%; v/v) were selected as independent
factors. Phenols and manganese removal were selected as dependent
responses. At optimum contact time (48.7 h) and leachate-towastewater
mixing ratio (20.0%), removal efficiencies of phenols and
manganese removal efficiencies were 90.5%, and 89.4%,
respectively.
Abstract: The composite flour blend consisting of corn, pearl
millet, black gram and wheat bran in the ratio of 80:5:10:5 was taken
to prepare the extruded product and their effect on physical properties
of extrudate was studied. The extrusion process was conducted in
laboratory by using twin screw extruder. The physical characteristics
evaluated include lateral expansion, bulk density, water absorption
index, water solubility index, and rehydration ratio and moisture
retention. The Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) was
used to decide the level of processing variables i.e. feed moisture
content (%), screw speed (rpm), and barrel temperature (oC) for the
experiment. The data obtained after extrusion process were analyzed
by using response surface methodology. A second order polynomial
model for the dependent variables was established to fit the
experimental data. The numerical optimization studies resulted in
127°C of barrel temperature, 246 rpm of screw speed, and 14.5% of
feed moisture as optimum variables to produce acceptable extruded
product. The responses predicted by the software for the optimum
process condition resulted in lateral expansion 126%, bulk density
0.28 g/cm3, water absorption index 4.10 g/g, water solubility index
39.90%, rehydration ratio 544% and moisture retention 11.90% with
75% desirability.
Abstract: Different designs of attenuator systems have been
studied in this research; new analysis have been done on existed
designs considering fibers effect on air flow; it was comprehended
that, at fibers presence, there is an air flow which agglomerates fibers
as a negative effect. So some new representations have been designed
and CFD analysis has been done on them. Afterwards, one of these
representations selected as the most optimum and effective design
which is brought in this paper.
Abstract: Tannase (tannin acyl hydrolase, E.C.3.1.1.20) is an
important hydrolysable enzyme with innumerable applications and
industrial potential. In the present study, a kinetic model has been
developed for the batch fermentation used for the production of
tannase by A.flavus MTCC 3783. Maximum tannase activity of
143.30 U/ml was obtained at 96 hours under optimum operating
conditions at 35oC, an initial pH of 5.5 and with an inducer tannic
acid concentration of 3% (w/v) for a fermentation period of 120
hours. The biomass concentration reaches a maximum of 6.62 g/l at
96 hours and further there was no increase in biomass concentration
till the end of the fermentation. Various unstructured kinetic models
were analyzed to simulate the experimental values of microbial
growth, tannase activity and substrate concentration. The Logistic
model for microbial growth , Luedeking - Piret model for production
of tannase and Substrate utilization kinetic model for utilization of
substrate were capable of predicting the fermentation profile with
high coefficient of determination (R2) values of 0.980, 0.942 and
0.983 respectively. The results indicated that the unstructured models
were able to describe the fermentation kinetics more effectively.
Abstract: To tackle the air pollution issues, Plug-in Hybrid
Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) are proposed as an appropriate solution.
Charging a large amount of PHEV batteries, if not controlled, would
have negative impacts on the distribution system. The control process
of charging of these vehicles can be centralized in parking lots that
may provide a chance for better coordination than the individual
charging in houses. In this paper, an optimization-based approach is
proposed to determine the optimum PHEV parking capacities in
candidate nodes of the distribution system. In so doing, a profile for
charging and discharging of PHEVs is developed in order to flatten
the network load profile. Then, this profile is used in solving an
optimization problem to minimize the distribution system losses. The
outputs of the proposed method are the proper place for PHEV
parking lots and optimum capacity for each parking. The application
of the proposed method on the IEEE-34 node test feeder verifies the
effectiveness of the method.
Abstract: A bauxite ore can be utilized in Bayer Process, if the
mass ratio of Al2O3 to SiO2 is greater than 10. Otherwise, its FexOy
and SiO2 content should be removed. On the other hand, removal of
TiO2 from the bauxite ore would be beneficial because of both
lowering the red mud residue and obtaining a valuable raw material
containing TiO2 mineral. In this study, the low grade diasporic
bauxite ore of Yalvaç, Isparta, Turkey was roasted under reducing
atmosphere and subjected to magnetic separation. According to the
experimental results, 800°C for reduction temperature and 20000
Gauss of magnetic intensity were found to be the optimum
parameters for removal of iron oxide and rutile from the nonmagnetic
ore. On the other hand, 600°C and 5000 Gauss were
determined to be the optimum parameters for removal of silica from
the non-magnetic ore.
Abstract: In recent years, honeycomb fiber reinforced plastic
(FRP) sandwich panels have been increasingly used in various
industries. Low weight, low price and high mechanical strength are
the benefits of these structures. However, their mechanical properties
and behavior have not been fully explored. The objective of this
study is to conduct a combined numerical-statistical investigation of
honeycomb FRP sandwich beams subject to torsion load. In this
paper, the effect of geometric parameters of sandwich panel on
maximum shear strain in both face and core and angle of torsion in a
honeycomb FRP sandwich structures in torsion is investigated. The
effect of Parameters including core thickness, face skin thickness,
cell shape, cell size, and cell thickness on mechanical behavior of the
structure were numerically investigated. Main effects of factors were
considered in this paper and regression equations were derived.
Taguchi method was employed as experimental design and an
optimum parameter combination for the maximum structure stiffness
has been obtained. The results showed that cell size and face skin
thickness have the most significant impacts on torsion angle,
maximum shear strain in face and core.
Abstract: The lifetime of a wireless sensor network can be
effectively increased by using scheduling operations. Once the
sensors are randomly deployed, the task at hand is to find the largest
number of disjoint sets of sensors such that every sensor set provides
complete coverage of the target area. At any instant, only one of these
disjoint sets is switched on, while all other are switched off. This
paper proposes a heuristic search method to find the maximum
number of disjoint sets that completely cover the region. A
population of randomly initialized members is made to explore the
solution space. A set of heuristics has been applied to guide the
members to a possible solution in their neighborhood. The heuristics
escalate the convergence of the algorithm. The best solution explored
by the population is recorded and is continuously updated. The
proposed algorithm has been tested for applications which require
sensing of multiple target points, referred to as point coverage
applications. Results show that the proposed algorithm outclasses the
existing algorithms. It always finds the optimum solution, and that
too by making fewer number of fitness function evaluations than the
existing approaches.