DILIGENT: integrating digital library and Grid technologies for a new Earth observation research infrastructure

This paper introduces DILIGENT, a digital library infrastructure built by integrating digital library and Grid technologies and resources. This infrastructure allows different communities to dynamically build specialised digital libraries capable to support the entire e-Science knowledge production and consumption life-cycle by using shared computing, storage, content, and application resources. The paper presents some of the main software services that implement the DILIGENT system. Moreover, it exemplifies the provided features by presenting how the DILIGENT infrastructure is being exploited in supporting the activity of user communities working in the Earth Science Environmental sector. This work is partially funded by the European Commission in the context of the DILIGENT project, under the 2nd call of FP6 IST priority.     

Lead recovery from aqueous environment by using porous carbon of citrus fruits waste: equilibrium,kinetics and thermodynamic studies

ABSTRACT

The mixture of citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit, mandarin, and lemon) wastes was utilized to obtain high surface area activated carbon (AC) by H₃PO₄ activation. The production conditions were optimized and the optimum conditions were determined. The optimal-activated carbon (CFWAC) was characterized by various physicochemical techniques. CFWAC was also used as a sorbent for Pb (II) ions from water. Batch experiments were performed to explore the adsorption capacity and mechanism. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model showed good fitness to the experimental data. The maximum Pb (II) adsorption capacity of CFWAC was found to be 163.93 mg/g.     

Colour and COD removal from textile effluent by coagulation and advanced oxidation processes

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of coagulation, Fenton's oxidation (Fe²⁺/H₂O₂) and ozonation for the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and colour from biologically pretreated textile wastewater. FeSO₄ and FeCl₃ were used as coagulants at varying doses and varying colour removal efficiency was measured. For the Fenton process, COD and colour removal efficiencies were found to be 78% and 95% for the Fenton process, and to be 64% and 71% for the Fenton-like process (Fe³⁺/H₂O₂), respectively. Ozonation experiments were conducted at different initial pH values and fixed ozone doses. Ozonation resulted in 43% COD and 97% colour removal whereas these rates increased to 54% and 99% when 5 mg/l hydrogen peroxide was added to the wastewater before ozonation at the same dose. The operating costs of all proposed treatment systems were also evaluated in this study.     

Supply chain network design using an integrated neuro-fuzzy and MILP approach: A comparative design study

In this study, an integrated supply chain (SC) design model is developed and a SC network design case is examined for a reputable multinational company in alcohol free beverage sector. Here, a three echelon SC network is considered under demand uncertainty and the proposed integrated neuro-fuzzy and mixed integer linear programming (MILP) approach is applied to this network to realize the design effectively. Matlab 7.0 is used for neuro-fuzzy demand forecasting and, the MILP model is solved using Lingo 10.0. Then Matlab 7.0 is used for artificial neural network (ANN) simulation to supply a comparative study and to show the applicability and efficiency of ANN simulation for this type of problem. By evaluating the output data, the SC network for this case is designed, and the optimal product flow between the factories, warehouses and distributors are calculated. Also it is proved that the ANN simulation can be used instead of analytical computations because of ensuring a simplified representation for this method and time saving.     

An extract of <i>Hypericum perforatum</i> induces wound healing through inhibitions of Ca²⁺ mobilizations,mitochondrial oxidative stress and cell death in epithelial cells: Involvement of TRPM2 channels

The wound is induced by several mechanical and metabolic factors. In the etiology of the wound recovery, excessive oxidative stress, calcium ion (Ca²⁺) influx, and apoptosis have important roles. Ca²⁺-permeable TRPM2 channel is activated by oxidative stress. Protective roles of Hypericum perforatum extract (HP) on the mechanical nerve injury-induced apoptosis and oxidative toxicity through regulation of TRPM2 in the experimental animals were recently reported. The potential protective roles in HP treatment were evaluated on the TRPM2-mediated cellular oxidative toxicity in the renal epithelium (MPK) cells. The cells were divided into three groups as control, wound, and wound + HP treatment (75 µM for 72 h). Wound diameters were more importantly decreased in the wound+HP group than in the wound group. In addition, the results of laser confocal microscopy analyses indicated protective roles of HP and TRPM2 antagonists (N-(p-Amylcinnamoyl) anthranilic acid and 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate) against the wound-induced increase of Ca²⁺ influx and mitochondrial ROS production. The wound-induced increase of early (annexin V-FITC) apoptosis and late (propidium iodide) apoptosis were also decreased in the cells by the HP treatment. In conclusion, HP treatment acted protective effects against wound-mediated oxidative cell toxicity and apoptosis through TRPM2 inhibition. These effects may be attributed to their potent antioxidant effect.     

Effect of Deep Cryogenic Treatment on Wear Resistance of AISI 52100 Bearing Steel

In this study, the effects of deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) on the wear resistance of AISI 52100 bearing steel were investigated. For this purpose, a number of bearing steel samples were held for different times (12, 24, 36, 48, 60 h) at deep cryogenic temperatures (?145 °C). The wear experiments were carried out in a ball–disk arrangement, by applying loads of 10 and 20 N and a sliding velocity of 0.15 m/s. After conducting the experimental studies, 36 h was found to be the optimal holding time. At this holding time, the wear rate and friction coefficient were decreased, while the hardness reached to maximum values. It was observed that DCT led to significant microstructural changes, which resulted in improved tribological properties.     

Relative brittleness characterization of some selected granitic building stones: Influence of mineral grain size

Being crystalline materials, brittleness may be an important issue for granitic rocks, especially when they are subject to certain loading conditions. Therefore, in practice, more specifically in their usage as a natural building stone, there is a need for their brittleness characterization. This paper reports a study carried out on some selected granitic rock types in order to determine their relative brittleness index values and relate it to their mineral grain size. For this purpose, three different types of granitic rocks similar in mineral composition, but diverse in grain sizes were selected for the execution of the study. The relative brittleness index values of the studied rock types were determined from the size effect method by using the point load test apparatus. Based on the results of this investigation it is was concluded that, rather than the proportions of the rock forming minerals such as quartz and feldspars, the grain size of feldspars could be the dominant parameter affecting relative brittleness values of the tested rocks.     

Disrupted temporal control in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease.

Huntington’s disease is characterized by corticostriatal dysfunction and degeneration of the striatum with progressive loss of the medium spiny neurons. These circuits are important for instrumental responding, interval timing, and temporal control over motor output. We investigated the acquisition of timed operant responding in two R6/2 Huntington’s Disease models, differing in CAG repeat length and genetic background (115 and 250 CAG repeats, and a mixed CBAxC57 or pure C57 background) and their corresponding wild type controls using the peak procedure. Both mouse lines exhibited similar response control deficits. In unreinforced peak trials, mice either did not learn to terminate an ongoing response past reinforcement time or required more trials to acquisition compared to the wild type mice. While transgenic and wild type mice did not exhibit differences in temporal accuracy, response curves were flatter in transgenic mice, suggesting decreased temporal control over operant responding. The results are discussed in terms of the neurobiology of interval timing, instrumental responding, and the neuropathology of HD and R6/2 mice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)