Abstract: Chitosan is an attractive polysaccharide obtained by
deacetylation of an abundant natural biopolymer called chitin. Chitin
and chitosan are excellent materials. To improve the potential of
chitin and chitosan modification is needed. In the present study,
grafting of maleic acid on to chitosan by cerium ammonium nitrate in
acetic acid solution was investigated with use of a microwave and
reflux system. The grafted chitosan was characterized by using a
Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry. The solubility and swelling
behavior of grafted chitosans were determined in acetate buffer (pH
3.6), citrophosphate buffer (pH 5.6 and pH 7.0), and boric buffer (pH
9.2) solutions. The sample obtained by microwave system with use of
a chitosan/maleic anhydride/ceric ammonium nitrate 0.2/3.922/0.99
gram of raw material within 30 minute showed the maximum
swelling ratio (13.6) in boric buffer solution.
Abstract: Impact is one of very important subjects which always have been considered in mechanical science. Nature of impact is such that which makes its control a hard task. Therefore it is required to present the transfer of impact to other vulnerable part of a structure, when it is necessary, one of the best method of absorbing energy of impact, is by using Thin-walled tubes these tubes collapses under impact and with absorption of energy, it prevents the damage to other parts.Purpose of recent study is to survey the deformation and energy absorption of tubes with different type of cross section (rectangular or square) and with similar volumes, height, mean cross section thickness, and material under loading with different speeds. Lateral loading of tubes are quasi-static type and beside as numerical analysis, also experimental experiences has been performed to evaluate the accuracy of the results. Results from the surveys is indicates that in a same conditions which mentioned above, samples with square cross section ,absorb more energy compare to rectangular cross section, and also by increscent in speed of loading, energy absorption would be more.
Abstract: Mycotoxin (aflatoxins) contamination of peanuts is a
great concern for human health. A total of 72 samples of unripe,
roasted, and salty peanuts were collected randomly from Pothohar
plateau of Pakistan for the assessment of aflatoxin. Samples were
dried, ground and extracted by acetonitrile (84%). The filtered
extracts were cleaned up by MycoSep-226 and analyzed by high
performance liquid chromatography with flourescence detector.
Quantification limit of Aflatoxin was 1 μg/kg and 70% Recovery was
observed in spiked samples in the range 1–10 μg/kg. The screening
of mycotoxins indicated that aflatoxins were present in most of the
samples being detected in 82%, in concentrations from 14.25 μg/kg
to 98.80 μg/kg. Optimal conditions for mycotoxin production and
fungal growth are frequently found in the crop fields as well as in
store houses. Human exposure of such toxin can be controlled by
pointed out such awareness and implemented the regulations.
Abstract: In the present study, the effect of ferrous sulfate concentration and total solids on bioleaching of heavy metals from sewage sludge has been examined using indigenous iron-oxidizing microorganisms. The experiments on effects of ferrous sulfate concentrations on bioleaching were carried out using ferrous sulfate of different concentrations (5-20 g L-1) to optimize the concentration of ferrous sulfate for maximum bioleaching. A rapid change in the pH and ORP took place in first 2 days followed by a slow change till 16th day in all the sludge samples. A 10 g L-1 ferrous sulfate concentration was found to be sufficient in metal bioleaching in the following order: Zn: 69%>Cu: 52%>Cr: 46%>Ni: 45. Further, bioleaching using 10 g/L ferrous sulfate was found to be efficient up to 20 g L-1 sludge solids concentration. The results of the present study strongly indicate that using 10 g L-1 ferrous sulfate indigenous iron-oxidizing microorganisms can bring down pH to a value needed for significant metal solubilization.
Abstract: The objective of this research was to identify the
vegetation-soil relationships in Nodushan arid rangelands of Yazd. 5
sites were selected for measuring the cover of plant species and soil
attributes. Soil samples were taken in 0-10 and 10-80 cm layers. The
species studied were Salsola tomentosa, Salsola arbuscula, Peganum
harmala, Zygophylum eurypterum and Eurotia ceratoides. Canonical
correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to analyze the data. Based
on the CCA results, 74.9 % of vegetation-soil variation was explained
by axis 1-3. Axis 1, 2 and 3 accounted for 27.2%, 24.9 % and 22.8%
of variance respectively. Correlation between axis 1, 2, 3 and speciesedaphic
variables were 0.995, 0.989, 0.981 respectively. Soil texture,
lime, salinity and organic matter significantly influenced the
distribution of these plant species. Determination of soil-vegetation
relationships will be useful for managing and improving rangelands
in arid and semi arid environments.
Abstract: In this work, the primary compressive strength
components of human femur trabecular bone are qualitatively
assessed using image processing and wavelet analysis. The Primary
Compressive (PC) component in planar radiographic femur trabecular
images (N=50) is delineated by semi-automatic image processing
procedure. Auto threshold binarization algorithm is employed to
recognize the presence of mineralization in the digitized images. The
qualitative parameters such as apparent mineralization and total area
associated with the PC region are derived for normal and abnormal
images.The two-dimensional discrete wavelet transforms are utilized
to obtain appropriate features that quantify texture changes in medical
images .The normal and abnormal samples of the human femur are
comprehensively analyzed using Harr wavelet.The six statistical
parameters such as mean, median, mode, standard deviation, mean
absolute deviation and median absolute deviation are derived at level
4 decomposition for both approximation and horizontal wavelet
coefficients. The correlation coefficient of various wavelet derived
parameters with normal and abnormal for both approximated and
horizontal coefficients are estimated. It is seen that in almost all cases
the abnormal show higher degree of correlation than normals. Further
the parameters derived from approximation coefficient show more
correlation than those derived from the horizontal coefficients. The
parameters mean and median computed at the output of level 4 Harr
wavelet channel was found to be a useful predictor to delineate the
normal and the abnormal groups.
Abstract: There are many sources trough which the soil get
enriched and contaminated with REEs. The determination of REEs in
environmental samples has been limited because of the lack of
sensitive analytical techniques. Soil samples were collected from
four sites including open cast coal mine, natural coal burning, coal
washery and control in the coal field located in Dhanbad, India.
Total concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) were determined
using the inductively coupled plasma atomic absorption spectrometry
in order to assess enrichment status in the coal field. Results showed
that the mean concentrations of La, Pr, Eu, Tb, Ho, and Tm in open
cast mine and natural coal burning sites were elevated compared to
the reference concentrations, while Ce, Nd, Sm, and Gd were
elevated in coal washery site. When compared to reference soil,
heavy REEs (HREEs) were enriched in open cast mines and natural
coal burning affected soils, however, the HREEs were depleted in the
coal washery sites. But, the Chondrite-normalization diagram showed
significant enrichment for light REEs (LREEs) in all the soils. High
concentration of Pr, Eu, Tb, Ho, Tm, and Lu in coal mining and coal
burning sites may pose human health risks. Factor analysis showed
that distribution and relative abundance of REEs of the coal washery
site is comparable with the control. Eventually washing or cleaning
of coal could significantly decrease the emission of REEs from coal
into the environment.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects
of modality principles in instructional software among first grade
pupils- achievements in the learning of Arabic Language. Two modes
of instructional software were systematically designed and
developed, audio with images (AI), and text with images (TI). The
quasi-experimental design was used in the study. The sample
consisted of 123 male and female pupils from IRBED Education
Directorate, Jordan. The pupils were randomly assigned to any one of
the two modes. The independent variable comprised the two modes
of the instructional software, the students- achievement levels in the
Arabic Language class and gender. The dependent variable was the
achievements of the pupils in the Arabic Language test. The
theoretical framework of this study was based on Mayer-s Cognitive
Theory of Multimedia Learning. Four hypotheses were postulated
and tested. Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) showed that pupils using
the (AI) mode performed significantly better than those using (TI)
mode. This study concluded that the audio with images mode was an
important aid to learning as compared to text with images mode.
Abstract: Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures strengthened
with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) lack in thermal resistance under
elevated temperatures in the event of fire. This phenomenon led to
the lining of strengthened concrete with thin high performance
cementitious composites (THPCC) to protect the substrate against
elevated temperature. Elevated temperature effects on THPCC, based
on different cementitious materials have been studied in the past but
high-alumina cement (HAC)-based THPCC have not been well
characterized. This research study will focus on the THPCC based on
HAC replaced by 60%, 70%, 80% and 85% of ground granulated
blast furnace slag (GGBS). Samples were evaluated by the
measurement of their mechanical strength (28 & 56 days of curing)
after exposed to 400°C, 600°C and 28°C of room temperature for
comparison and corroborated by their microstructure study. Results
showed that among all mixtures, the mix containing only HAC
showed the highest compressive strength after exposed to 600°C as
compared to other mixtures. However, the tensile strength of THPCC
made of HAC and 60% GGBS content was comparable to the
THPCC with HAC only after exposed to 600°C. Field emission
scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images of THPCC
accompanying Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis
revealed that the microstructure deteriorated considerably after
exposure to elevated temperatures which led to the decrease in
mechanical strength.
Abstract: This study proposes a basic molecular formula for all
proteins. A total of 10,739 proteins belonging to 9 different protein
groups classified on the basis of their functions were selected
randomly. They included enzymes, storage proteins, hormones,
signalling proteins, structural proteins, transport proteins,
immunoglobulins or antibodies, motor proteins and receptor proteins.
After obtaining the protein molecular formula using the ProtParam
tool, the H/C, N/C, O/C, and S/C ratios were determined for each
randomly selected sample. In this case, H, N, O, and S coefficients
were specified per carbon atom. Surprisingly, the results
demonstrated that H, N, O, and S coefficients for all 10,739 proteins
are similar and highly correlated. This study demonstrates that
despite differences in the structure and function, all known proteins
have a similar basic molecular formula CnH1.58 ± 0.015nN0.28 ± 0.005nO0.30
± 0.007nS0.01 ± 0.002n. The total correlation between all coefficients was
found to be 0.9999.
Abstract: We measured the major and trace element contents
and Rb-Sr isotopic compositions of 12 tektites from the Maoming
area, Guandong province (south China). All the samples studied are
splash-form tektites which show pitted or grooved surfaces with
schlieren structures on some surfaces. The trace element ratios Ba/Rb
(avg. 4.33), Th/Sm (avg. 2.31), Sm/Sc (avg. 0.44), Th/Sc (avg. 1.01) ,
La/Sc (avg. 2.86), Th/U (avg. 7.47), Zr/Hf (avg. 46.01) and the rare
earth elements (REE) contents of tektites of this study are similar to the
average upper continental crust. From the chemical composition, it is
suggested that tektites in this study are derived from similar parental
terrestrial sedimentary deposit which may be related to post-Archean
upper crustal rocks. The tektites from the Maoming area have high
positive εSr(0) values-ranging from 176.9~190.5 which indicate that
the parental material for these tektites have similar Sr isotopic
compositions to old terrestrial sedimentary rocks and they were not
dominantly derived from recent young sediments (such as soil or
loess). The Sr isotopic data obtained by the present study support the
conclusion proposed by Blum et al. (1992)[1] that the depositional age
of sedimentary target materials is close to 170Ma (Jurassic). Mixing
calculations based on the model proposed by Ho and Chen (1996)[2]
for various amounts and combinations of target rocks indicate that the
best fit for tektites from the Maoming area is a mixture of 40% shale,
30% greywacke, 30% quartzite.
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to demonstrate
prevalence of post-exposure preventive measures (PEP) after needlestick
injuries and its relationship with locus of control beliefs in a
sample of medical students. In this cross-sectional study, 300 medical
students with history of having experienced needle stick injuries
(NSI) for at least once filled in a questionnaire to determine if they
perceived themselves to be responsible and effective in preventing
blood born infections after NSI. About 38% of students did not seek
any professional consult or PEP after NSI due to lack of enough time
or access, anxiety about tests results, belief in uselessness of followup
and not being able to change destiny. These 114 students were not
different from others regarding their scores on NSI specific scale of
locus of health control. Thus, the potentiality of NSI locus of control
beliefs in predicting PEP was not seen in this study.
Abstract: Project managers are the ultimate responsible for the
overall characteristics of a project, i.e. they should deliver the project
on time with minimum cost and with maximum quality. It is vital for
any manager to decide a trade-off between these conflicting
objectives and they will be benefited of any scientific decision
support tool. Our work will try to determine optimal solutions (rather
than a single optimal solution) from which the project manager will
select his desirable choice to run the project. In this paper, the
problem in project scheduling notated as
(1,T|cpm,disc,mu|curve:quality,time,cost) will be studied. The
problem is multi-objective and the purpose is finding the Pareto
optimal front of time, cost and quality of a project
(curve:quality,time,cost), whose activities belong to a start to finish
activity relationship network (cpm) and they can be done in different
possible modes (mu) which are non-continuous or discrete (disc), and
each mode has a different cost, time and quality . The project is
constrained to a non-renewable resource i.e. money (1,T). Because
the problem is NP-Hard, to solve the problem, a meta-heuristic is
developed based on a version of genetic algorithm specially adapted
to solve multi-objective problems namely FastPGA. A sample project
with 30 activities is generated and then solved by the proposed
method.
Abstract: Bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV) is a
potyvirus with a worldwide distribution. This virus causes serious
economic losses in Iran in many leguminoses. During 20008,
samples were collected from soybeans fields in Tehran Province.
Four isolates (S1, S2 and S3) were inoculated on 15 species of
Cucurbitaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Solanacae and Leguminosae.
Chenopodium quinoa and C. amaranticolor.
Did not developed any symptoms.all isolates caused mosaic
symptoms on Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Red Kidney and P. vulgaris cv.
Bountiful. The molecular weights of coat protein using SDS-PAGE
and western blotting were estimated at 33 kDa. Reverse transcription
polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed using one
primer pairs designed by L. XU et al. An approximately 920 bp
fragment was amplified with a specific primer.
Abstract: This work involved the use of phytoremediation to
remediate an aged soil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs). At microcosm scale, tests were prepared using soil samples
that have been collected in an industrial area with a total PCBs
concentration of about 250 μg kg-1. Medicago sativa and Lolium
italicum were the species selected in this study that is used as
“feasibility test" for full scale remediation. The experiment was
carried out with the addition of a mixture of randomly methylatedbeta-
cyclodextrins (RAMEB). At the end of the experiment analysis
of soil samples showed that in general the presence of plants has led
to a higher degradation of most congeners with respect to not
vegetated soil. The two plant species efficiencies were comparable
and improved by RAMEB addition with a final reduction of total
PCBs near to 50%. With increasing the chlorination of the congeners
the removal percentage of PCBs progressively decreased.
Abstract: This paper presents a new hardware interface using a
microcontroller which processes audio music signals to standard
MIDI data. A technique for processing music signals by extracting
note parameters from music signals is described. An algorithm to
convert the voice samples for real-time processing without complex
calculations is proposed. A high frequency microcontroller as the
main processor is deployed to execute the outlined algorithm. The
MIDI data generated is transmitted using the EIA-232 protocol. The
analyses of data generated show the feasibility of using
microcontrollers for real-time MIDI generation hardware interface.
Abstract: The effects of coatings based on sodium alginate (S.A) and carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) on the color and moisture characteristics of potato round slices were investigated. It is the first time that this combination of polysaccharides is used as edible coating which alone had the best performance as inhibitor of potato color discoloration during the storage of 15 days at 4oC. When ascorbic acid (AA) and green tea (GT) were added in the above edible coating its effects on potato round slices changed. The mixtures of sodium alginate and carboxyl methyl cellulose with ascorbic acid or with green tea behave as a potential moisture barrier, resulting to the extent of potato samples self–life. These data suggests that both GT and AA are potential inhibitors of dehydration in potatoes and not only natural antioxidants.
Abstract: Task of object localization is one of the major
challenges in creating intelligent transportation. Unfortunately, in
densely built-up urban areas, localization based on GPS only
produces a large error, or simply becomes impossible. New
opportunities arise for the localization due to the rapidly emerging
concept of a wireless ad-hoc network. Such network, allows
estimating potential distance between these objects measuring
received signal level and construct a graph of distances in which
nodes are the localization objects, and edges - estimates of the
distances between pairs of nodes. Due to the known coordinates of
individual nodes (anchors), it is possible to determine the location of
all (or part) of the remaining nodes of the graph. Moreover, road
map, available in digital format can provide localization routines
with valuable additional information to narrow node location search.
However, despite abundance of well-known algorithms for solving
the problem of localization and significant research efforts, there are
still many issues that currently are addressed only partially. In this
paper, we propose localization approach based on the graph mapped
distances on the digital road map data basis. In fact, problem is
reduced to distance graph embedding into the graph representing area
geo location data. It makes possible to localize objects, in some cases
even if only one reference point is available. We propose simple
embedding algorithm and sample implementation as spatial queries
over sensor network data stored in spatial database, allowing
employing effectively spatial indexing, optimized spatial search
routines and geometry functions.
Abstract: The effect of concentration of reduction agent of
sodium borohydrate (NaBH4) on the properties of silicon
nanoparticles synthesized via microemulsion route is reported. In
this work, the concentration of the silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) that
served as silicon source with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and
polyethylene glycol (PEG) as stabilizer and surfactant, respectively,
are keep fixed. Four samples with varied concentration of NaBH4
from 0.05 M to 0.20 M were synthesized. It was found that the lowest
concentration of NaBH4 gave better formation of silicon
nanoparticles.
Abstract: The Bangnanglee Sub-district Administrative Office,
Thailand had initiated a policy to environmental protection with
encouraging household waste management in order to promote civil
responsibility for domestic hygienic. This research studied the
household behaviors on solid waste and wastewater management. A
sample population of 306 families answered a questionnaire. The
study showed that, on average, domestic activities had produced 1.93
kilograms of waste per household per day. It has been found that 79%
of the households made several attempts to reduce their own amount
of waste. 80% of the households stationed their own garbage bins.
71% managed their waste by selling recyclable products. As for the
rest of the waste, 51% burned them, while 29% disposed their waste
in the nearby public trashcans and other 13% have them buried. As
for wastewater, 60% of the households disposed it into the sewage,
whereas 30% disposed them right from their elevated house.