Abstract: Palm shell obtained from coastal part of southern
India was studied for the removal for the adsorption of Hg (II) ions.
Batch adsorption experiments were carried out as a function of pH,
concentration of Hg (II) ions, time, temperature and adsorbent dose.
Maximum removal was seen in the range pH 4.0- pH 7.0. The palm
shell powder used as adsorbent was characterized for its surface area,
SEM, PXRD, FTIR, ion exchange capacity, moisture content, and
bulk density, soluble content in water and acid and pH. The
experimental results were analyzed using Langmuir I, II, III, IV and
Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The batch sorption kinetics was
studied for the first order reversible reaction, pseudo first order;
pseudo second order reaction and the intra-particle diffusion reaction.
The biomass was successfully used for removal Hg (II) from
synthetic and industrial effluents and the technique appears
industrially applicable and viable.
Abstract: In Algeria, some fruit trees produce fruits in free nature. Such trees are Celtis australis, Crataegus azarolus, Crataegus monogyna and Zizyphus lotus. In spite of their appreciable consumption, their nutritional value remains unknown. The objective of this study is the determination of sugars in the pulpe and almond of the above fruits. The biochemical analysis shows that these fruits present interesting contents of soluble sugars which confers significant caloric intakes to them. As well as significant fibres which give them therapeutic and industrial benefits? The analysis of the almonds shows that it contains considerable contents of sugars which enable them to be an energetic food.
Abstract: Using logarithmic mean Divisia decomposition technique, this paper analyzes the change in industrial energy intensity of Fujian Province in China, based on data sets of added value and energy consumption for 35 selected industrial sub-sectors from 1999 to 2009. The change in industrial energy intensity is decomposed into intensity effect and structure effect. Results show that the industrial energy intensity of Fujian Province has achieved a reduction of 51% over the past ten years. The structural change, a shift in the mix of industrial sub-sectors, made overwhelming contribution to the reduction. The impact of energy efficiency’s improvement was relatively small. However, the aggregate industrial energy intensity was very sensitive to both the changes in energy intensity and in production share of energy-intensive sub-sectors, such as production and supply of electric power, steam and hot water. Pathway to reduce industrial energy intensity for energy conservation in Fujian Province is proposed in the end.
Abstract: 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) is a synthetic estrogen
used as a key ingredient in an oral contraceptives pill. EE2 is an
endocrine disrupting compound, high in estrogenic potency.
Although EE2 exhibits low degree of biodegradability with common
microorganisms in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), this
compound can be biotransformed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria
(AOB) via a co-metabolism mechanism in WWTPs. This study
aimed to investigate the effect of real wastewater on
biotransformation of EE2 by AOB. A preliminary experiment on the
effect of nitrite and pH levels on abiotic transformation of EE2
suggested that the abiotic transformation occurred at only pH
Abstract: This paper present an effective method to accurately reconstruct and measure the 3D curve edges of small industrial parts based on stereo vision. To effectively fit the curve of the measured parts using a series of line segments in the images, a strategy from coarse to fine is employed based on multi-scale curve fitting. After reconstructing the 3D curve of a hole through a curved surface, its axis is adjusted so that it is parallel to the Z axis with least squares error and the dimensions of the hole can be calculated on the XY plane easily. Experimental results show that the presented method can accurately measure the dimensions of round holes through a curved surface.
Abstract: Groundwater has become the most dependable source
of fresh water for agriculture, domestic and industrial uses in the past
few decades. This wide use of groundwater if left uncontrolled and
unseen will lead to overexploitation causing sea water intrusion in the
coastal areas and illegal water marketing. Several Policies and Acts
have been enacted to regulate and manage the use of this valuable
resource. In spite of this the over extraction of groundwater beyond
the recharging capacity of aquifers and depletion in the quality of
groundwater is continuing. The current study aims at reviewing the
Acts and Policies existing in the State of Tamil Nadu and in the
National level regarding groundwater regulation and management.
Further an analysis is made on the rights associated with the usage of
groundwater resources and the gaps in these policies have been
analyzed. Some suggestions are made to reform the existing
groundwater policies for better management and regulation of the
resource.
Abstract: The city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, provides a number of examples of how a growing city can integrate urban planning and water planning to achieve sustainable urban development, environmental protection, liveability and integrated water management outcomes, and move towards becoming a “Water Sensitive City". Three examples are provided - the development at Botanic Ridge, where a 318 hectare residential development is being planned and where integrated water management options are being implemented using a “triple bottom line" sustainability investment approach; the Toolern development, which will capture and reuse stormwater and recycled water to greatly reduce the suburb-s demand for potable water, and the development at Kalkallo where a 1,200 hectare industrial precinct development is planned which will merge design of the development's water supply, sewerage services and stormwater system. The Paper argues that an integrated urban planning and water planning approach is fundamental to creating liveable, vibrant communities which meet social and financial needs while being in harmony with the local environment. Further work is required on developing investment frameworks and risk analysis frameworks to ensure that all possible solutions can be assessed equally.
Abstract: EPA (Ethernet for Plant Automation) resolves the nondeterministic problem of standard Ethernet and accomplishes real-time communication by means of micro-segment topology and deterministic scheduling mechanism. This paper studies the real-time performance of EPA periodic data transmission from theoretical and experimental perspective. By analyzing information transmission characteristics and EPA deterministic scheduling mechanism, 5 indicators including delivery time, time synchronization accuracy, data-sending time offset accuracy, utilization percentage of configured timeslice and non-RTE bandwidth that can be used to specify the real-time performance of EPA periodic data transmission are presented and investigated. On this basis, the test principles and test methods of the indicators are respectively studied and some formulas for real-time performance of EPA system are derived. Furthermore, an experiment platform is developed to test the indicators of EPA periodic data transmission in a micro-segment. According to the analysis and the experiment, the methods to improve the real-time performance of EPA periodic data transmission including optimizing network structure, studying self-adaptive adjustment method of timeslice and providing data-sending time offset accuracy for configuration are proposed.
Abstract: Empirical insights into the implementation of logistics competencies at the top management level are scarce. This paper addresses this issue with an explorative approach which is based on a dataset of 872 observations in the years 2000, 2004 and 2008 using quantitative content analysis from annual reports of the 500 publicly listed firms with the highest global research and development expenditures according to the British Department for Business Innovation and Skills. We find that logistics competencies are more pronounced in Asian companies than in their European or American counterparts. On an industrial level the results are quite mixed. Using partial point-biserial correlations we show that logistics competencies are positively related to financial performance.
Abstract: This paper presents the communication network for
machine vision system to implement to control systems and logistics
applications in industrial environment. The real-time distributed over
the network is very important for communication among vision node,
image processing and control as well as the distributed I/O node. A
robust implementation both with respect to camera packaging and
data transmission has been accounted. This network consists of a
gigabit Ethernet network and a switch with integrated fire-wall is
used to distribute the data and provide connection to the imaging
control station and IEC-61131 conform signal integration comprising
the Modbus TCP protocol. The real-time and delay time properties
each part on the network were considered and worked out in this
paper.
Abstract: Pattern recognition is the research area of Artificial Intelligence that studies the operation and design of systems that recognize patterns in the data. Important application areas are image analysis, character recognition, fingerprint classification, speech analysis, DNA sequence identification, man and machine diagnostics, person identification and industrial inspection. The interest in improving the classification systems of data analysis is independent from the context of applications. In fact, in many studies it is often the case to have to recognize and to distinguish groups of various objects, which requires the need for valid instruments capable to perform this task. The objective of this article is to show several methodologies of Artificial Intelligence for data classification applied to biomedical patterns. In particular, this work deals with the realization of a Computer-Aided Detection system (CADe) that is able to assist the radiologist in identifying types of mammary tumor lesions. As an additional biomedical application of the classification systems, we present a study conducted on blood samples which shows how these methods may help to distinguish between carriers of Thalassemia (or Mediterranean Anaemia) and healthy subjects.
Abstract: In order to define a new model of Tunisian foot
sizes and for building the most comfortable shoes, Tunisian
industrialists must be able to offer for their customers products able
to put on and adjust the majority of the target population concerned.
Moreover, the use of models of shoes, mainly from others
country, causes a mismatch between the foot and comfort of the
Tunisian shoes.
But every foot is unique; these models become uncomfortable for
the Tunisian foot. We have a set of measures produced from a
3D scan of the feet of a diverse population (women, men ...) and we
try to analyze this data to define a model of foot specific to the
Tunisian footwear design.
In this paper we propose tow new approaches to modeling a new
foot sizes model. We used, indeed, the neural networks, and specially
the Kohonen network.
Next, we combine neural networks with the concept of half-foot
size to improve the models already found. Finally, it was necessary to
compare the results obtained by applying each approach and we
decide what-s the best approach that give us the most model of foot
improving more comfortable shoes.
Abstract: Magnesium wastes and scraps, one of the metal wastes, are produced by many industrial activities, all over the world. Their growing size is becoming a future problem for the world. In this study, the use of magnesium wastes as a raw material in the production of the magnesium borate hydrates are aimed. The method used in the experiments is hydrothermal synthesis. The conditions are set to, waste magnesium to B2O3, 1:3 as a molar ratio. Four different reaction times are studied which are 30, 60, 120 and 240 minutes. For the identification analyses X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy techniques are used. As a result at all the reaction times magnesium borate hydrates are synthesized and the most crystalline forms are obtained at a reaction time of 120 minutes. The overall yields of the production are found between the values of 65-80 %.
Abstract: Impinging jets are used in various industrial areas as a cooling and drying technique. The current research is concerned with the means of improving the heat transfer for configurations with a minimum distance of the nozzle to the impingement surface. The impingement heat transfer is described using numerical methods over a wide range of parameters for an array of planar jets. These parameters include varying jet flow speed, width of nozzle, distance of nozzle, angle of the jet flow, velocity and geometry of the impingement surface. Normal pressure and shear stress are computed as additional parameters. Using dimensionless characteristic numbers the parameters and the results are correlated to gain generalized equations. The results demonstrate the effect of the investigated parameters on the flow.
Abstract: Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) is one of the
best solutions for removal of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
from industrial processes. In the RTO, VOC in a raw gas are usually
decomposed at 950-1300 K and the combustion heat of VOC is
recovered by regenerative heat exchangers charged with ceramic
honeycombs. The optimization of the treatment of VOC leads to the
reduction of fuel addition to VOC decomposition, the minimization of
CO2 emission and operating cost as well.
In the present work, the thermal efficiency of the RTO was
investigated experimentally in a pilot-scale RTO unit using toluene as
a typical representative of VOC. As a result, it was recognized that the
radiative heat transfer was dominant in the preheating process of a raw
gas when the gas flow rate was relatively low. Further, it was found
that a minimum heat exchanger volume to achieve self combustion of
toluene without additional heating of the RTO by fuel combustion was
dependent on both the flow rate of a raw gas and the concentration of
toluene. The thermal efficiency calculated from fuel consumption and
the decomposed toluene ratio, was found to have a maximum value of
0.95 at a raw gas mass flow rate of 1810 kg·h-1 and honeycombs height
of 1.5m.
Abstract: Currently, the Malaysian construction industry is
focusing on transforming construction processes from conventional
building methods to the Industrialized Building System (IBS). Still,
research on the decision making of IBS technology adoption with the
influence of contextual factors is scarce. The purpose of this paper is
to explore how contextual factors influence the IBS decision making
in building projects which is perceived by those involved in
construction industry namely construction stakeholders and IBS
supply chain members. Theoretical background, theoretical
frameworks and literatures which identify possible contextual factors
that influence decision making towards IBS technology adoption are
presented. This paper also discusses the importance of contextual
factors in IBS decision making, highlighting some possible crossover
benefits and making some suggestions as to how these can be
utilized. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made with
respect to the perception of socio-economic, IBS policy and IBS
technology associated with building projects.
Abstract: In the management of industrial waste, conversion from the use of paper invoices to electronic forms is currently under way in developed countries. Difficulties in such computerization include the lack of synchronization between the actual goods and the corresponding data managed by the server. Consequently, a system which utilizes the incorporation of a QR code in connection with the waste material has been developed. The code is read at each stage, from discharge until disposal, and progress at each stage can be easily reported. This system can be linked with Japanese public digital authentication service of waste, taking advantage of its good points, and can be used to submit reports to the regulatory authorities. Its usefulness was confirmed by a verification test, and put into actual practice.
Abstract: For the characterization of the weld defect region in the radiographic image, looking for features which are invariant regarding the geometrical transformations (rotation, translation and scaling) proves to be necessary because the same defect can be seen from several angles according to the orientation and the distance from the welded framework to the radiation source. Thus, panoply of geometrical attributes satisfying the above conditions is proposed and which result from the calculation of the geometrical parameters (surface, perimeter, etc.) on the one hand and the calculation of the different order moments, on the other hand. Because the large range in values of the raw features and taking into account other considerations imposed by some classifiers, the scaling of these values to lie between 0 and 1 is indispensable. The principal component analysis technique is used in order to reduce the number of the attribute variables in the aim to give better performance to the further defect classification.
Abstract: The architecture of Safavid Dynasty can be considered the epitome of Iranian architectural beauty. Safavid dynasty (1501- 1722 AC) along with Ottoman in Turkey and Mughal Empire in India were the three great Islamic nations of their time (1500 AC) often known as the last Islamic countries with international authority up to the 20th Century. This era approximately coincide with Renaissance in Europe. In this era, large European countries begin amassing power thanks to significant scientific, cultural and religious revolutions of that time and colonizing nations such as England, Spain and Portugal began to influence international trends with in an increasing while other non-industrial nations diminished. The main objective of this paper is to give a typological overview of the development of decoration and ornament in the architecture of Safafid Dynasty in Iran. It is expected that it can start a wider discussion to enrich this nation-s heritage and contribute to the development of Islamic ornament in general.
Abstract: In this experiment, we investigated the performance of
two types of heat sink, swaged- and extruded-type, used in the inverter
of industrial electricity generator. The swaged-type heat sink has 62
fins, and the extruded-type has 38 fins having the same dimension as
that of the swaged-type. But the extruded-type heat sink maintains the
same heat transfer area by the laterally waved surface which has 1 mm
in radius. As a result, the swaged- and extruded-type heat sinks
released 71% and 64% of the heat incoming to the heat sink,
respectively. The other incoming heat were naturally convected and
radiated to the ambient. In spite of 40% decrease in number of fins, the
heat release performance of the extruded-type heat sink was lowered
only 7% than that of the swaged-type. We believe that, this shows the
increment of effective heat transfer area by the laterally waved surface
of fins and the better heat transfer property of the extruded-type heat
sink.