Abstract: The increase of technogenic and natural accidents,
accompanied by air pollution, for example, by combustion products,
leads to the necessity of respiratory protection. This work is devoted to the development of a calorimetric method
and a device which allows investigating quickly the kinetics of
carbon dioxide sorption by chemisorbents on the base of potassium
superoxide in order to assess the protective properties of respiratory
protective closed circuit apparatus. The features of the traditional approach for determining the
sorption properties in a thin layer of chemisorbent are described, as
well as methods and devices, which can be used for the sorption
kinetics study. The authors developed an approach (as opposed to the traditional
approach) based on the power measurement of internal heat sources
in the chemisorbent layer. The emergence of the heat sources is a
result of exothermic reaction of carbon dioxide sorption. This
approach eliminates the necessity of chemical analysis of samples
and can significantly reduce the time and material expenses during
chemisorbents testing. Error of determining the volume fraction of adsorbed carbon
dioxide by the developed method does not exceed 12%. Taking into
account the efficiency of the method, we consider that it is a good
alternative to traditional methods of chemical analysis under the
assessment of the protection sorbents quality.
Abstract: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are
formed mainly because of incomplete combustion of organic
materials during industrial, domestic activities or natural occurrence.
Their toxicity and contamination of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem
have been established. However, with limited validity index, previous
research has focused on PAHs isomer pair ratios of variable
physicochemical properties in source identification. The objective of
this investigation was to determine the empirical validity of Pearson
Correlation Coefficient (PCC) and Cluster Analysis (CA) in PAHs
source identification along soil samples of different land uses.
Therefore, 16 PAHs grouped, as Endocrine Disruption Substances
(EDSs) were determined in 10 sample stations in top and sub soils
seasonally. PAHs was determined the use of Varian 300 gas
chromatograph interfaced with flame ionization detector. Instruments
and reagents used are of standard and chromatographic grades
respectively. PCC and CA results showed that the classification of
PAHs along pyrolitic and petrogenic organics used in source
signature is about the predominance PAHs in environmental matrix.
Therefore, the distribution of PAHs in the studied stations revealed
the presence of trace quantities of the vast majority of the sixteen
PAHs, which may ultimately inhabit the actual source signature
authentication. Therefore, factors to be considered when evaluating
possible sources of PAHs could be; type and extent of bacterial
metabolism, transformation products/substrates, and environmental
factors such as salinity, pH, oxygen concentration, nutrients, light
intensity, temperature, co-substrates, and environmental medium are
hereby recommended as factors to be considered when evaluating
possible sources of PAHs.
Abstract: The article includes the results and conclusions from
empirical researches that had been done. The research focuses on the
impact of investments made in small and medium-sized enterprises
financed from EU funds on the competitiveness of these companies.
The researches includes financial results in sales revenue and net
income, expenses, and many other new products/services on offer,
higher quality products and services, more modern methods of
production, innovation in management processes, increase in the
number of customers, increase in market share, increase in
profitability of production and provision of services. The main
conclusions are that, companies with direct investments under this
measure shall apply the modern methods of production. The
consequence of this is to increase the quality of our products and
services. Furthermore, both small and medium-sized enterprises have
introduced new products and services. Investments were carried out,
thus enabling better work organization in enterprises. Entrepreneurs
would guarantee higher quality of service, which would result in
better relationships with their customers, what is more, noting the rise
in number of clients. More than half of the companies indicated that
the investments contributed to the increase in market share. Same
thing as for market reach and brand recognition of particular
company. An interesting finding is that, investments in small
enterprises were more effective than medium-sized enterprises.
Abstract: Many herbal medicinal products are considered
potential anti-hypercholesterolemic agents with encouraging safety
profiles, however only a limited amount of clinical research exists to
support their efficacy. The present study was designed to compare the
antihypercholesterolemic and antioxidant activities of the crude
ethanolic extracts of Citrus reticulata fruit peel, Zingiber officinale
rhizome and Sesamum indicum seeds. Forty-five rats were used throughout the experiment which are
extended for four weeks. These were divided into nine groups, five
rats per each group as follows; group 1 was the normal control group
(rats only fed standard normal rat diet), group 2 was the
hypercholesterolemic control group (rats fed only
hypercholesterolemic diet which contained 1% cholesterol plus 10%
saturated animal fat added to the normal rat diet), groups 3 and 4
were fed hypercholesterolemic diet in addition to Citrus reticulata
ethanolic extract at doses of (250mg/kg (group 3) and 500mg/kg
(group 4)) administered daily via oral route, groups 5 and 6 were
given hypercholesterolemic diet in addition to Zingiber officinale
ethanolic extract at doses of (250mg/kg (group 5) and 500mg/kg
(group 6)) daily through oral route, groups 7 and 8 fed on
hypercholesterolemic diet in addition to Sesamum indicum ethanolic
extract at doses of (250mg/kg (group 7) and 500mg/kg (group 8))
daily orally; and group 9 rats were given hypercholesterolemic diet in
addition to atorvastatin (0.18mg/kg) daily via oral route as a standard
reference antihypercholesterolemic drug. Blood samples from all
groups were drawn from the retro-orbital venous plexus four weeks
following treatment after overnight fasting and the lipid profile (total
cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low
density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride levels) were
measured and the risk ratio (TC/HDL-C) was assessed. The
antioxidant activity of the three plants extracts was determined using
DPPH free-radical antioxidant assay. Results of in vivo and in vitro
antihypercholesterolemic and antioxidant assay respectively, revealed
that the three extracts possess comparable antioxidant and
antihypercholesterolemic activities.
Abstract: The objective of the paper is a numerical study of heat
transfer between perforated metal plates and the surrounding air
flows. Different perforation structures can nowadays be found in
various industrial products. Besides improving the mechanical
properties, the perforations can intensify the heat transfer as well. The
heat transfer coefficient depends on a wide range of parameters such
as type of perforation, size, shape, flow properties of the surrounding
air etc. The paper was focused on three different perforation
structures which have been investigated from the point of the view of
the production in the previous studies. To determine the heat
coefficients and the Nusselt numbers, the numerical simulation
approach was adopted. The calculations were performed using the
OpenFOAM software. The three-dimensional, unstable, turbulent and
incompressible air flow around the perforated surface metal plate was
considered.
Abstract: In this paper, a novel fuzzy approach is developed
while solving the Dynamic Routing and Wavelength Assignment
(DRWA) problem in optical networks with Wavelength Division
Multiplexing (WDM). In this work, the effect of nonlinear and linear
impairments such as Four Wave Mixing (FWM) and amplifier
spontaneous emission (ASE) noise are incorporated respectively. The
novel algorithm incorporates fuzzy logic controller (FLC) to reduce
the effect of FWM noise and ASE noise on a requested lightpath
referred in this work as FWM aware fuzzy dynamic routing and
wavelength assignment algorithm. The FWM crosstalk products and
the static FWM noise power per link are pre computed in order to
reduce the set up time of a requested lightpath, and stored in an
offline database. These are retrieved during the setting up of a
lightpath and evaluated online taking the dynamic parameters like
cost of the links into consideration.
Abstract: The garment manufacturing industry involves
sequential processes that are subjected to uncontrollable variations.
The industry depends on the skill of labour in handling the varieties
of fabrics and accessories, machines, as well as complicated sewing
operation. Due to these reasons, garment manufacturers have created
systems to monitor and to control the quality of the products on a
regular basis by conducting quality approaches to minimize variation.
With that, the aim of this research has been to ascertain the quality
approaches deployed by Malaysian garment manufacturers in three
key areas - quality systems and tools; quality control and types of
inspection; as well as sampling procedures chosen for garment
inspection. Besides, the focus of this research was to distinguish the
quality approaches adopted by companies that supplied finished
garments to both domestic and international markets. Feedback from
each company representative has been obtained via online survey,
which comprised of five sections and 44 questions on the
organizational profile and the quality approaches employed in the
garment industry. As a result, the response rate was 31%. The results
revealed that almost all companies have established their own
mechanism of process control by conducting a series of quality
inspections for daily production, either it was formally set up or
otherwise. In addition, quality inspection has been the predominant
quality control activity in the garment manufacturing, while the level
of complexity of these activities was substantially dictated by the
customers. Moreover, AQL-based sampling was utilized by
companies dealing with exports, whilst almost all the companies that
only concentrated on the domestic market were comfortable using
their own sampling procedures for garment inspection. Hence, this
research has provided insights into the implementation of a number
of quality approaches that were perceived as important and useful in
the garment manufacturing sector, which is truly labour-intensive.
Abstract: Revenue leakages are one of the major challenges
manufacturers face in production processes, as most of the input
materials that should emanate as products from the lines are lost as
waste. Rather than generating income from material input which is
meant to end-up as products, losses are further incurred as costs in
order to manage waste generated. In addition, due to the lack of a
clear view of the flow of resources on the lines from input to output
stage, acquiring information on the true cost of waste generated have
become a challenge. This has therefore given birth to the
conceptualization and implementation of waste minimization
strategies by several manufacturing industries. This paper reviews the
principles and applications of three environmental management
accounting tools namely Activity-based Costing (ABC), Life-Cycle
Assessment (LCA) and Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) in
the manufacturing industry and their effectiveness in curbing revenue
leakages. The paper unveils the strengths and limitations of each of
the tools; beaming a searchlight on the tool that could allow for
optimal resource utilization, transparency in production process as
well as improved cost efficiency. Findings from this review reveal
that MFCA may offer superior advantages with regards to the
provision of more detailed information (both in physical and
monetary terms) on the flow of material inputs throughout the
production process compared to the other environmental accounting
tools. This paper therefore makes a case for the adoption of MFCA as
a viable technique for the identification and reduction of waste in
production processes, and also for effective decision making by
production managers, financial advisors and other relevant
stakeholders.
Abstract: Wheat is the first and the most important grain of the
world and its bakery property is due to glutenin and gliadin qualities.
Wheat seed proteins were divided into four groups according to
solubility including albumin, globulin, glutenin and prolamin or
gliadin. Gliadins are major components of the storage proteins in
wheat endosperm. It seems that little information is available about
gliadin genes in Iranian wild relatives of wheat. Thus, the aim of this
study was the evaluation of the wheat wild relatives collected from
different origins of Zagros Mountains in Iran, in terms of coding
gliadin genes using specific primers. For this, forty accessions of
Triticum boeoticum and Triticum urartu were selected for this study.
For each accession, genomic DNA was extracted and PCRs were
performed in total volumes of 15 μl. The amplification products were
separated on 1.5% agarose gels. In results, for Gli-2A locus three
allelic variants were detected by Gli-2As primer pairs. The sizes of
PCR products for these alleles were 210, 490 and 700 bp. Only five
(13%) and two accessions (5%) produced 700 and 490 bp fragments
when their DNA was amplified with the Gli.As.2 primer pairs.
However, 93% of the accessions carried allele 210 bp, and only 8%
did not any product for this marker. Therefore, these germplasm
could be used as rich gene pool to broaden the genetic base of bread
wheat.
Abstract: The UK is leading in online retail and mobile
adoption. However, there is a dearth of information relating to mobile
apparel retail, and developing an understanding about consumer
browsing and purchase behaviour in m-retail channel would provide
apparel marketers, mobile website and app developers with the
necessary understanding of consumers’ needs. Despite the rapid
growth of mobile retail businesses, no published study has examined
shopping behaviour on fashion mobile apps and websites. A mixed method approach helped to understand why fashion
consumers prefer websites on smartphones, when diverse mobile
apps are also available. The following research methods were
employed: survey, eye-tracking experiments, observation, and
interview with retrospective think aloud. The mobile gaze tracking
device by SensoMotoric Instruments was used to understand
frustrations in navigation and other issues facing consumers in
mobile channel. This method helped to validate and compliment
other traditional user-testing approaches in order to optimize user
experience and enhance the development of mobile retail channel.
The study involved eight participants - females aged 18 to 35 years
old, who are existing mobile shoppers. The participants used the
Topshop mobile app and website on a smart phone to complete a task
according to a specified scenario leading to a purchase. The
comparative study was based on: duration and time spent at different
stages of the shopping journey, number of steps involved and product
pages visited, search approaches used, layout and visual clues, as
well as consumer perceptions and expectations. The results from the data analysis show significant differences in
consumer behaviour when using a mobile app or website on a smart
phone. Moreover, two types of problems were identified, namely
technical issues and human errors. Having a mobile app does not
guarantee success in satisfying mobile fashion consumers. The
differences in the layout and visual clues seem to influence the
overall shopping experience on a smart phone. The layout of search
results on the website was different from the mobile app. Therefore,
participants, in most cases, behaved differently on different
platforms. The number of product pages visited on the mobile app
was triple the number visited on the website due to a limited visibility
of products in the search results. Although, the data on traffic trends
held by retailers to date, including retail sector breakdowns for visits
and views, data on device splits and duration, might seem a valuable
source of information, it cannot explain why consumers visit many
product pages, stay longer on the website or mobile app, or abandon
the basket. A comprehensive list of pros and cons was developed by
highlighting issues for website and mobile app, and recommendations
provided. The findings suggest that fashion retailers need to be aware of
actual consumers’ behaviour on the mobile channel and their expectations in order to offer a seamless shopping experience. Added
to which is the challenge of retaining existing and acquiring new
customers. There seem to be differences in the way fashion
consumers search and shop on mobile, which need to be explored in
further studies.
Abstract: Polylactic acid (PLA) is the most commercially
available bio-based and biodegradable plastic at present. PLA has
been used in plastic related industries including single-used
containers, disposable and environmentally friendly packaging owing
to its renewability, compostability, biodegradability, and safety.
Although PLA demonstrates reasonably good optical, physical,
mechanical and barrier properties comparable to the existing
petroleum-based plastics, its brittleness and mold shrinkage as well as
its price are the points to be concerned for the production of rigid and
semi-rigid packaging. Blending PLA with other bio-based polymers
including thermoplastic starch (TPS) is an alternative not only to
achieve a complete bio-based plastic, but also to reduce the
brittleness, shrinkage during molding and production cost of the
PLA-based products. TPS is a material produced mainly from starch
which is cheap, renewable, biodegradable, compostable, and nontoxic.
It is commonly prepared by a plasticization of starch under
applying heat and shear force. Although glycerol has been reported as
one of the most plasticizers used for preparing TPS, its migration
caused the surface stickiness of the TPS products. In some cases,
mixed plasticizers or natural fibers have been applied to impede the
retrogradation of starch or reduce the migration of glycerol. The
introduction of fibers into TPS-based materials could reinforce the
polymer matrix as well. Therefore, the objective of the present
research is to study the effect of starch type (i.e. native starch and
phosphate starch), plasticizer type (i.e. glycerol and xylitol with a
weight ratio of glycerol to xylitol of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and
0:100) and fiber content (i.e. in the range of 1-25 %wt) on properties
of PLA/TPS blend and composite. PLA/TPS blends and composites
were prepared using a twin-screw extruder and then converted into
dumbbell-shaped specimens using an injection molding machine. The
PLA/TPS blends prepared by using phosphate starch showed higher
tensile strength and stiffness than the blends prepared by using native
one. In contrast, the blends from native starch exhibited higher
extensibility and heat distortion temperature (HDT) than those from
the modified starch. Increasing xylitol content resulted in enhanced
tensile strength, stiffness and water resistance, but decreased
extensibility and HDT of the PLA/TPS blend. Tensile properties and
hydrophobicity of the blend could be improved by incorporating
silane treated-jute fibers.
Abstract: Red pepper (Capsicum annum L.) has long been
recognized as a good source of antioxidants, being rich in ascorbic
acid and other phytochemicals. In Turkish cuisine red pepper is
sometimes consumed raw in salads and baked as a garnish, but its
most wide consumption type is red pepper paste. The processing of
red pepper into pepper paste includes various thermal treatment steps
such as heating and pasteurizing. There are reports demonstrating an
enhancement or reduction in antioxidant activity of vegetables after
thermal treatment. So this study was conducted to investigate the
total phenolic, ascorbic acid and total carotenoids as well as free
radical scavenging activity of raw red pepper and various red pepper
pastes obtainable on the market. The samples were analyzed for
radical-scavenging activity (RSA) and total polyphenol (TP) content
using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Folin-Ciocalteu
methods, respectively. Total carotenoids and ascorbic acid contents
were determined spectrophotometrically. Results suggest that hot
pepper paste contained significantly (P0.05) difference in RSA, ascorbic acid and total carotenoids
content between sweet and hot red pepper paste products. It is
concluded that the red pepper paste, that has a wide range of
consumption in Turkish cuisine, presents a good dose of phenolic
compounds and antioxidant capacity and it should be regarded as a
functional food.
Abstract: A problem of complex mineral resources development is urgent and priority, it is aimed at realization of the processes of their ecologically safe development, one of its components is revealing the influence of the forms of element compounds in raw materials and in the processing products. In view of depletion of the precious metal reserves at the traditional deposits in the XXI century the large-size open cast deposits, localized in black shale strata begin to play the leading role. Carbonaceous (black) shales carry a heightened metallogenic potential. Black shales with high content of carbon are widely distributed within the scope of Bureinsky massif. According to academician Hanchuk`s data black shales of Sutirskaya series contain generally PGEs native form. The presence of high absorptive towards carbonaceous matter gold and PGEs compounds in crude ore results in decrease of valuable components extraction because of their sorption into dissipated carbonaceous matter.
Abstract: Zinc borate is an important inorganic hydrate borate
material, which can be used as a flame retardant agent and corrosion
resistance material. This compound can loss its structural water
content at higher than 290°C. Due to thermal stability; Zinc Borate
can be used as flame retardant at high temperature process of plastic
and gum. In this study, the ultrasonic reaction of zinc borates were
studied using hydrozincite (Zn5(CO3)2·(OH)6) and boric acid
(H3BO3) raw materials. Before the synthesis raw materials were
characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform
Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Ultrasonic method is a new
application on the zinc borate synthesis. The synthesis parameters
were set to 90°C reaction temperature and 55 minutes of reaction
time, with 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5 molar ratio of starting materials
(Zn5(CO3)2·(OH)6 : H3BO3). After the zinc borate synthesis, the
products were analyzed by XRD and FT-IR. As a result, optimum
molar ratio of 1:5 is determined for the synthesis of zinc borates with
ultrasonic method.
Abstract: Lyophilization, also called freeze-drying, is an
important dehydration technique mainly used for pharmaceuticals.
Food industry also uses lyophilization when it is important to retain
most of the nutritional quality, taste, shape and size of dried products
and to extend their shelf life. Vacuum-Induced during freezing cycle
(VI) has been used in order to control ice nucleation and,
consequently, to reduce the time of primary drying cycle of
pharmaceuticals preserving quality properties of the final product.
This procedure has not been applied in freeze drying of foods. The
present work aims to investigate the effect of VI on the lyophilization
drying time, final moisture content, density and reconstitutional
properties of mango (Mangifera indica L.) slices (MS) and mango
pulp-maltodextrin dispersions (MPM) (30% concentration of total
solids). Control samples were run at each freezing rate without using
induced vacuum. The lyophilization endpoint was the same for all
treatments (constant difference between capacitance and Pirani
vacuum gauges). From the experimental results it can be concluded
that at the high freezing rate (0.4°C/min) reduced the overall process
time up to 30% comparing process time required for the control and
VI of the lower freeze rate (0.1°C/min) without affecting the quality
characteristics of the dried product, which yields a reduction in costs
and energy consumption for MS and MPM freeze drying. Controls
and samples treated with VI at freezing rate of 0.4°C/min in MS
showed similar results in moisture and density parameters.
Furthermore, results from MPM dispersion showed favorable values
when VI was applied because dried product with low moisture
content and low density was obtained at shorter process time
compared with the control. There were not found significant
differences between reconstitutional properties (rehydration for MS
and solubility for MPM) of freeze dried mango resulting from
controls, and VI treatments.
Abstract: An experimental study with four different types of bed
conditions was carried out to understand the effect of roughness in
open channel flow at two different Reynolds numbers. The bed
conditions include a smooth surface and three different roughness
conditions, which were generated using sand grains with a median
diameter of 2.46 mm. The three rough conditions include a surface
with distributed roughness, a surface with continuously distributed
roughness and a sand bed with a permeable interface. A commercial
two-component fibre-optic LDA system was used to conduct the
velocity measurements. The variables of interest include the mean
velocity, turbulence intensity, correlation between the streamwise and
the wall normal turbulence, Reynolds shear stress and velocity triple
products. Quadrant decomposition was used to extract the magnitude
of the Reynolds shear stress of the turbulent bursting events. The
effect of roughness was evident throughout the flow depth. The
results show that distributed roughness has the greatest roughness
effect followed by the sand bed and the continuous roughness.
Compared to the smooth bed, the streamwise turbulence intensity
reduces but the vertical turbulence intensity increases at a location
very close to the bed due to the introduction of roughness. Although
the same sand grain is used to create the three different rough bed
conditions, the difference in the turbulence intensity is an indication
that the specific geometry of the roughness has an influence on
turbulence structure.
Abstract: Financial inclusion has become a crucially important
factor in debates on economic inequality posing challenges to the
financial systems of countries around the world. Nowadays
governments and banks are concerned about creating products that
allow access to wide sectors of the population. The creation of
banking products by the financial sector for people with low incomes
tends to lead to improvements in the quality of life of vulnerable parts
of the population. In countries with notable social and economic
inequalities, financial inclusion is a key aspect for equitable
economic growth. This study is based on the case of Colombia, which is a country
with a strong record of economic growth over the past decade.
Nevertheless, corruption, unemployment, and poverty contribute to
uncertainty regarding the country’s future growth prospects. This study wants to explain the situation of financial exclusion and
financial inclusion with respect to the Colombian case. Financial
inclusion is going to be studied from the perspective of social
innovation.
Abstract: The influence of Islam on arts can be found primarily
in calligraphy, arabesque designs and architecture. Also, geometric
designs were used quite extensively. Muslim craftsmen produced
stunning designs based on simple geometric principles and traditional
motifs which were used to decorate many surfaces. The idea of
interlacing simple rectilinear lines to form the patterns impressed
Arabs. Nomads of Persia, Turks and Mongols were equally
impressed with the designs so they begin to use them in their homes
in carpet weaving. Islamic designs, motifs and colours which were
used became common place and served to influence people’s tastes.
Modern life style and contemporary products have changed the style
of people’s daily lives, however, people still long for the nomadic
way of life. This is clearly reflected in people’s homes. In a great
many Muslim homes, Islamic decorative motifs can be seen along
with traditional ‘Bedouin’ style furnishing, especially in homes of the
Arabian Peninsula.
Abstract: Food supply chain is one of the most complex supply
chain networks due to its perishable nature and customer oriented
products, and food safety is the major concern for this industry. IT
system could help to minimize the production and consumption of
unsafe food by controlling and monitoring the entire system.
However, there have been many issues in adoption of IT system in
this industry specifically within SMEs sector. With this regard, this
study presents a novel approach to use IT and tractability systems in
the food supply chain, using application of RFID and central
database.
Abstract: Tannins are a unique category of plant phytochemicals
especially in terms of their vast potential health-benefiting properties.
Researchers have described the capacity of tannins to enhance
glucose uptake and inhibit adipogenesis, thus being potential drugs
for the treatment of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Thus,
the present research was conducted to find out tannin content of food
products. The percentage of tannin in various analyzed sources
ranged from 0.0 to 108.53%; highest in kathaa and lowest in ker and
mango bark. The percentage of tannins present in the plants,
however, varies. Numerous studies have confirmed that the naturally
occurring polyphenols are key factor for the beneficial effects of the
herbal medicines. Isolation and identification of active constituents
from plants, preparation of standardized dose & dosage regimen can
play a significant role in improving the hypoglycaemic action.