Grape stalk fibers as reinforcing filler for polymer composites with a polystyrene matrix

Lignocellulosic fibers have been one of the most used reinforcements for different types of composites. In this context, grape stalks—often discarded in landfills—can be a potential reinforcement for composites. The present study aimed to incorporate in natura and alkali treated grape stalks into the polystyrene (PS) matrix. Initially, the grape stalks were treated with NaOH and 10, 20, and 30 wt % of stalks were added into the PS matrix. The alkaline treatment of the grape stalk fibers promoted the removal of hemicellulose and the partial removal of lignin, thus increasing the surface roughness and crystallinity index of the fibers. An improvement in the mechanical and dynamic-mechanical properties and an increase in the maximum degradation temperature of the composites were observed. In conclusion, the use of grape stalks is a promising alternative for reinforcing composites, and, in addition, a more proper destination can be given to this type of residue. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47427.     

UPR: deadlock-free dynamic network reconfiguration by exploiting channel dependency graph compatibility

The Journal of Supercomputing - Deadlock-free dynamic network reconfiguration process is usually studied from the routing algorithm restrictions and resource reservation perspective. The dynamic...     

Explanations for over-constrained problems using QuickXPlain with speculative executions

Conflict detection is used in various scenarios ranging from interactive decision making (e.g., knowledge-based configuration) to the diagnosis of potentially faulty models (e.g., using knowledge base analysis operations). Conflicts can be regarded as sets of restrictions (constraints) causing an inconsistency. Junker’s QuickXPlain is a divide-and-conquer based algorithm for the detection of preferred minimal conflicts. In this article, we present a novel approach to the detection of such conflicts which is based on speculative programming. We introduce a parallelization of QuickXPlain and empirically evaluate this approach on the basis of synthesized knowledge bases representing feature models. The results of this evaluation show significant performance improvements in the parallelized QuickXPlain version.

     

The multi-fuzzy N-soft set and its applications to decision-making

Neural Computing and Applications - The goal of this paper is to introduce a novel hybrid model called multi-fuzzy N-soft set, and to design an adjustable decision-making methodology for solving...     

Phytoextraction technologies for mercury- and chromium-contaminated soil: a review

Mercury and chromium represent two important elements of environmental concern and with a strong impact on human health. Several technologies are available to clean up the environment from these kinds of contaminants, but most of them are costly and difficult to use to get optimum results. Currently, phytoextraction is an effective and affordable technological solution used to extract or remove metals from contaminated soil and water by the use of plants as tools. This technology is environment-friendly and potentially cost-effective. This paper aims to compile some information about the two metals mercury and chromium, their effects and their possible treatment by phytoextraction, a branch of phytoremediation technologies aimed to confront metal/metalloid pollution. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry