Augmented reality-based border management

Virtual Reality - A proficient border management has typically been tied to its capability to support information structuring and to make exchanges from the distributed sources. The lack of a...     

Spatial transition management for improving outdoor cinematic augmented reality experience of the TV show

Virtual Reality - There have been attempts to provide new cinematic experiences by connecting TV or movie content to suitable locations through augmented reality (AR). However, few studies have...     

Smart systems for determination of drug’s solubility

The solubility of drugs is a crucial physicochemical property in the drug discovery or development process and for improving the bioavailability of drugs. There are various methods for evaluating the solubility of drugs including manual measurement methods, mathematical methods, and smart methods. Manual measurement and mathematical methods have some defects which make the smart systems more reliable and important in this field. In this review, various instruments used for the solubility determination, along with the smart systems, have been discussed. Mechanism and applications of each method have been elaborated in detail. Moreover, unique characteristics as well as some limitations of discussed methods are also described.     

Partial oxidation of13C-labeled ethylene in methane over Ca/Ni/K catalysts

The relative reactivity of ethane and ethylene compared to methane over the Ca/Ni/K catalyst was determined. The reactivities are in the order of ethylene > ethane methane. The catalyst was also studied using temperature-programmed reaction, desorption and decomposition.     

Co-liquefaction of swine manure with waste vegetable oil for enhanced bio-oil production

Waste vegetable oil was co-liquefied with swine manure to determine the bio-oil potential in this study. The result shows that co-liquefaction of waste vegetable oil with swine manure can improve the bio-oil production and decarboxylation of waste vegetable oil. The weight ratio of swine manure to waste vegetable oil exerted a great effect on both the yield and quality of the bio-oil. The optimum weight ratio of swine manure to waste cooking oil was 1:3, where a maximum oil yield of 80% was obtained with higher calorific value up to 38 MJ/kg.     

Physical and tensile properties of epoxy laminated magnetic bacterial cellulose nanocomposite films

Despite many potential applications, the adverse impacts of magnetic nanoparticles on the tensile properties of magnetic cellulose papers and films are well established. On the other hand, water absorption and thickness swelling of cellulose materials are important limiting factors in many engineering applications. These challenges caused limited applications of magnetic cellulose nanocomposites. The aim of this study is to examine the possibility of modifying the physical and mechanical behaviors of magnetic bacterial cellulose films by epoxy resin lamination. Results showed that the tensile modulus and strength of the magnetic bacterial cellulose film, respectively, increased about 280% and 240% after epoxy lamination while they maintained their desirable magnetic and flexibility properties. Furthermore, the water absorption and thickness swelling of the epoxy laminated magnetic nanocomposite films, respectively, improved about 43% and 42%. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45118.     

Bio-oil production and upgrading research: A review

Biomass can be utilized to produce bio-oil, a promising alternative energy source for the limited crude oil. There are mainly two processes involved in the conversion of biomass to bio-oil: flash pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction. The cost of bio-oil production from biomass is relatively high based on current technologies, and the main challenges are the low yield and poor bio-oil quality. Considerable research efforts have been made to improve the bio-oil production from biomass. Scientific and technical developments towards improving bio-oil yield and quality to date are reviewed, with an emphasis on bio-oil upgrading research. Furthermore, the article covers some major issues that associated with bio-oil from biomass, which includes bio-oil basics (e.g., characteristics, chemistry), application, environmental and economic assessment. It also points out barriers to achieving improvements in the future.     

Effects of nozzle arrangement angle on the performance of partially admitted turbines

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - This paper presents the experimental and numerical evaluations of the effects of a supersonic Nozzle arrangement angle (NAA) on the performance of an...     

Dummy template molecularly imprinted polymer for omeprazole and the study of its drug binding and release properties

In this study, we tried to prepare an omeprazole (OMP)‐imprinted polymer and study its binding and release properties in an aqueous media. Because of the instability of OMP under polymerization conditions and the inability of the molecule to form effective interactions with monomers, pantoprazole (PANTO) was used as a dummy template for the imprinting process. Different monomers and solvents were evaluated in polymerization. The optimized imprinted polymer was prepared in chloroform as a porogen. Also, 4‐vinylpyridine and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were selected as a functional monomer and a crosslinker, respectively. The optimized imprinted polymer was evaluated in a binding study. The binding and release properties of the polymer were then investigated at different pHs. Our data indicated a higher affinity of the imprinted polymer to PANTO and OMP than that of nonimprinted polymer (NIP). The maximum percentage of OMP released from the imprinted polymer was 36–41%, whereas that for the NIP was 74–85%. These data were related to the 38–43 and 29–34 μg of OMP released from the imprinted polymer and NIP, respectively. Also, the protective effect of the imprinted polymer for OMP at pH 2 was greater than that of the nonimprinted one. This study revealed that the dummy template molecular imprinting was an effective method for preparing selective imprinted cavities in a polymeric matrix, especially for the molecules that were unstable during polymerization or unable to establish effective bonds with the monomers. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 4165–4170, 2013     

Partial oxidation of methane and the effect of sulfur on catalytic activity and selectivity

Partial oxidation of methane into syngas was conducted over fresh and sulfided catalysts at a temperature range of 450–750 °C. The temperature dependence of conversion, H₂/CO ratio, and the CO₂ concentration were measured for both fresh and sulfided catalysts. Regardless of metal type, metal loading, support type, and the methods of preparation it appears that all the fresh catalysts were very active and conversions of higher than 70% with H₂/CO ratio of about 2 were observed at 750 °C. Pulse sulfidation appears to be reversible for some of the catalysts but not for all. Under pulse sulfidation conditions, the Rh(0.5%)/Al₂O₃ and NiMg₂O_x-1100 °C (solid solution) catalysts were fully regenerated after reduction with hydrogen. Rh catalyst showed the best overall activity, less carbon deposition, both fresh and when it was exposed to pulses of H₂S. Sulfidation under steady-state conditions, flowing H₂S/Ar mixture over the catalysts, significantly reduce catalyst activity. The catalysts were characterized before and after reaction with H₂S using temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) and reduction (TPR), X-ray diffraction, and XPS.