Multiloop transportation simplex algorithm

In large-scale transportation problems (TPs), various methods have been developed to obtain an optimal solution. One of the methods is the transportation simplex algorithm (TSA), which obtains an optimal solution for TP. Various heuristic methods have been developed to find an initial basic feasible solution for transportation algorithms. These methods differ in terms of computational cost and finding good initial solution. In TSA, the better the basic feasible solution, the less the number of iterations the algorithm will run. At each step, it uses pivoting operation, where a loop involving the nonbasic variable with the largest cost reduction is determined. Then, it eliminates the entering basic variable. However, for large-scale problems, even the best basic feasible solution may result in high number of iterations. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm called multiloop transportation simplex algorithm which finds multiple independent loops during pivoting operation. This causes larger cost reductions in every iteration. We experimentally show that the average number of iterations and runtime to solve the TP are dramatically reduced.     

Analysis of variable-base heating and cooling degree-days for Turkey

The degree-day method is one of the well-known and the simplest methods used in the Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning industry to estimate heating and cooling energy requirements. In this study, the heating and cooling degree-days for Turkey are determined by using long-term recent measured data. Five different base temperatures ranging from 14 to 22°C are chosen in the calculation of heating degree-days. In the case of cooling degree-days, 6 different base temperatures in the range 18 to 28°C are used. Yearly heating and cooling degree-days are given both in tabular form and as counter maps for all the provinces of Turkey (78 weather stations).     

An artificial bee colony algorithm for the economic lot scheduling problem

In this study, we present an artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm for the economic lot scheduling problem modelled through the extended basic period (EBP) approach. We allow both power-of-two (PoT) and non-power-of-two multipliers in the solution representation. We develop mutation strategies to generate neighbouring food sources for the ABC algorithm and these strategies are also used to develop two different variable neighbourhood search algorithms to further enhance the solution quality. Our algorithm maintains both feasible and infeasible solutions in the population through the use of some sophisticated constraint handling methods. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm succeeds to find the all the best-known EBP solutions for the high utilisation 10-item benchmark problems and improves the best known solutions for two of the six low utilisation 10-item benchmark problems. In addition, we develop a new problem instance with 50 items and run it at different utilisation levels ranging from 50 to 99% to see the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm on large instances. We show that the proposed ABC algorithm with mixed solution representation outperforms the ABC that is restricted only to PoT multipliers at almost all utilisation levels of the large instance.     

RECOVERY OF Co,Ni, AND Cu FROM THE TAILINGS OF DIVRIGI IRON ORE CONCENTRATOR

In the Sivas-Divri?i Iron Ore Concentrator, 600,000 t of tailings are discarded annually. There are already 1 million t of tailings deposited in ponds from the previous production activities. The presence of Co, Ni, and Cu in the tailings makes the beneficiation of those tailings attractive. In the experimental work, sulphide concentrates were produced from these two types of tailings by flotation. Under optimum flotation conditions, a bulk sulphide concentrate assaying 0.376% Co, 0.721% Ni, and 0.403% Cu was obtained with 83.1% Co, 57.7% Ni, and 59.0% Cu recoveries from the old tailings. On the other hand, another concentrate containing 0.384% Co, 0.687% Ni, and 0.393% Cu was produced under the same flotation conditions with 94.7% Co, 84.6% Ni, and 76.8% Cu recoveries from the new process tailings.     

利用低门限电压延长电池寿命

降低能量消耗、延长电池寿命,这是每个工程师在设计便携式电子产品时努力的目标.电池技术的进步非常缓慢,所以便携式产品的设计者把延长电池寿命的重点放在电源管理上.     

The effects of Ni-addition on the crystal structure,thermal properties and morphology of Mg-based hydroxyapatites synthesized by a wet chemical method

Four Mg-based hydroxyapatites (HAps) doped with Ni at various amounts of 0, 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8?at% were prepared at the temperature of 870?°C by a wet chemical synthesis. The crystallite size, lattice parameters and crystallinity percent dramatically decreased with adding of Ni. The amount of HAp phase for all the Ni-containing samples is smaller than that of the Ni-free MgHAp. Furthermore, the lattice strain, stress and anisotropic energy density values were affected by the amount of Ni. The differential thermal analysis (DTA) measurements taken in the temperature range from 25 to 1000?°C showed that all the samples are thermally stable. No significant change in the morphology was observed. It was observed that the gradual introduction of Ni caused the Ca-deficiency.     

Biosorption of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution by pine bark (Pinus brutia Ten.)

The biosorption potential of pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) bark in a batch system for the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions was investigated. The biosorption characteristics of Pb(II) ions on the pine bark was investigated with respect to well-established effective parameters including the effects of solution pH, initial Pb(II) concentration, mass of bark, temperature, and interfering ions present, reusability, and desorption. Initial solution pH and contact time were optimized to 4.0 and 4 h, respectively. The Langmuir and Freundlich equilibrium adsorption models were studied and observed to fit well. The maximum adsorption capacity of the bark for Pb(II) was found to be 76.8 mg g⁻¹ by Langmuir isotherms (mass of bark: 1.0 g L⁻¹). The kinetic data fitted the pseudo-second-order model with correlation coefficient greater than 0.99. The thermodynamic parameters Gibbs free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy (ΔH°), and entropy (ΔS°) changes were also calculated, and the values indicated that the biosorption process was spontaneous. Reutilization of the biosorbent was feasible with a 90.7% desorption efficiency using 0.5 M HCl. It was concluded that pine bark can be used as an effective, low cost, and environmentally friendly biosorbent for the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution.     

Effect of xenon arc irradiation on optical whitened polyester woven fabrics

In this study, the CIE whiteness (CIE WI) and whiteness tint (T_w) of optically whitened (OWA) woven (plain and twill) polyester fabrics irradiated with xenon arc light were investigated. The fabrics were whitened in four concentrations using nine different commercial optical whitening agents, and were irradiated with xenon arc light under specific conditions between 0 and 100 h at 10‐h intervals. The reflectance of the OWA fabrics was measured by using spectrophotometer, whereas the CIE WI and T_w values were calculated by using computer software. The results were investigated by statistical methods using analysis of variance and regression curves in which of the CIE WI of OWA polyester fabrics was found to decrease, while the T_w was also affected depending on irradiation time from the xenon arc light. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 2013     

Fabrication of Gentamicin Sulfate-Loaded 3D-Printed Polyvinyl Alcohol/Sodium Alginate/Gelatin-Methacryloyl Hybrid Scaffolds for Skin Tissue Replacement

3D-printed scaffolds can better mimic the function of human skin, both biologically and mechanically. Within the scope of this study, the effect of the addition of different amounts (10, 15, 20 mg) of gentamicin sulfate (GS) to a 10 mL solution of natural and synthetic polymers is investigated. Sodium alginate (SA), gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are chosen as bioactive materials. The surface morphology and pore structures are visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). According to the results, it is observed that the pore sizes of all scaffolds are smaller than 270 µm, the lowest value (130 µm) is obtained in the scaffold loaded with 15 mg GS, and it also has the highest tensile strength value (12.5 ± 7.6 MPa). Similarly, it is observed that the tensile strength (9.7 ± 4.5 MPa) is high in scaffold loaded with 20 mg GS. The biocompatibility test is performed with fibroblast cells, and the results show that the scaffolds are biocompatible with cells. The antibacterial test is carried out against the S.aureous and E. coli and the results indicate that all GS-loaded scaffolds demonstrate antibacterial activity.