High Performance Removal of Anionic and Cationic Dye Pollutants with Co<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> Modified Nanoclinoptilolite: Kinetics and Adsorption Equilibrium Studies

In this paper Co₃O₄ doped nanoclinoptilolite was synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) techniques. The adsorption efficiency for removing of methylene blue was about 95% in 10 min. The effect of some factors such as adsorbent dose, concentration of analyte and pH was investigated for enhancing the removing efficiency. Moreover Freundlich and Langmuir patterns were plotted for this new nanocomposite. Maximum of adsorption capacity was obtained from slope of Langmuir and was about 25 mg/g. The kinetic study for methylene blue shows a second order kinetic with rate constant about 0.02 g/mg/min. The prepared nanocomposite was successfully applied for removing some color compounds such as methylene blue, methyl green, and methyl red and also binary dye mixtures.     

A multi-view-group non-negative matrix factorization approach for automatic image annotation

Multimedia Tools and Applications - In automatic image annotation (AIA) different features describe images from different aspects or views. Part of information embedded in some views is common for...     

Digital image steganalysis based on the reciprocal singular value curve

Embedding secret messages in steganographic approaches is similar to adding some weak noises to the original media. One of the traditional ways for image steganalysis is computing a feature sets using noise residuals. From another perspective, the disturbance of natural image statistics can be explored to extract the feature vector for steganalysis. In fact, the alteration of natural scene statistics can be investigated to reveal the presence of secret messages embedded in images. Hence, the feature vectors can be constructed using such changes. In the proposed scheme, the alteration of singular value curve is used to construct the steganalysis feature vector. Two spatial and JPEG based feature vectors are extracted in the proposed statistical exploitation. The experimental results illustrate the acceptable performance of the proposed feature vectors for both universal and JPEG based steganalysis methods.

     

Stochastic controller as an active queue management based on B-spline kernel observer via particle swarm optimization

Given the fact that the current Internet is getting more difficult in handling the traffic congestion control, the proposed method is compatible with the stochastic nature of network dynamics. Most conventional active queue management is based on the first stochastic moment. In stochastic theory, the first moment is not efficient for non-Gaussian systems that are the same as the network queue size. We propose a new stochastic active queue management technique, based on stochastic control and B-spline window observer, called intelligent probability density function AQM (IPDF-AQM). The IPDF-AQM is based on a PDF control and particle swarm optimization, which not only considers the average queue length at the current time slot, but also takes into consideration the PDF of queue lengths within a round-trip time. We provide a guideline for the selection of the probability of dropping as control input for TCP/AQM system to make the PDF of queue length converge at a certain PDF target based on B-spline approximation and improve the network performance. Simulation results show that the proposed stochastic AQM scheme does improve the end-to-end performance.     

Additives to prevent the formation of surface defects during poly(vinyl chloride) calendering

Gas checks are visible fleck-shaped defects that occur on the surface of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) films during industrial calendering. Films containing these surface defects often do not meet minimum product specifications and therefore must be disposed of or recycled, resulting in increased cost and material waste. Currently, gas checks are controlled by keeping film gauge low and through trial-and-error modifications of processing parameters by calender operators. In this work, our group developed a series of chemical additives that can be blended with PVC to prevent the formation of gas check defects. We found that a series of poly(caprolactone) (PCL)-based compounds with diester linkers and alkyl chain cappers were all effective at preventing the formation of gas checks during calendering, with additive concentrations as low as 8 phr producing films with no gas checks. We found that the blends produced with our additives had higher melt viscosities than those produced with additives that do not remove gas checks, suggesting that viscosity plays an important role in preventing gas check defects.     

Nanotechnology-based combinational drug delivery systems for breast cancer treatment

Modern chemotherapeutic anticancer treatments have come a long way in the fight against breast cancer, thus bringing science closer to a cure. However, the nature of these drugs is to attack both cancerous and non-cancerous cells at the same time. In our studies, we synthesized Magnetic Cyclodextrin-polyurethane based nano-composite (Fe₃O₄-ECA-PU-CD) which is a drug delivery system using a biocompatible magnetic polymer that directs chemotherapeutic drugs to cancerous regions in the body with an external magnet. This nano-composite was able to facilitate the loading and simultaneous release of the hydrophilic antitumor drug Doxorubicin (DOX) along with the hydrophobic antitumor drug docetaxel. The composite was made using a simple co-precipitation method with magnetic nano-particles (MNPs) followed by a silica coating process and an in situ polymerization process. Verification of synthesis for the drug carrier was carried out using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) to measure magnetic properties. Drug loading and release efficiencies were monitored using an HPLC-UV detector. Finally, an MTT assay was performed in order to evaluate the biocompatibility and toxicity of the synthetic nano-composite on MCF7 cell lines. Our findings present a new biocompatible drug delivery system with a high capacity for loading and directing two different chemotherapeutic drugs simultaneously to cancer sites with little to no toxicity to the surrounding non-cancerous cells. These studies present a viable tool for cancer treatment and research where the cancer is efficiently removed while the patient remains healthy.     

Electron Microscopy Study of γ-Al2O3 Supported Cobalt Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis Catalysts

Three supported catalysts containing 20 wt% cobalt and 0.5 wt% rhenium were subjected to electron microscopy studies in their calcined state. The catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of γ-Al₂O₃ supports of different pore characteristics with aqueous solutions of cobalt nitrate hexahydrate and perrhenic acid. The influence of the support on the Co₃O₄ crystallite size and distribution was studied by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. There was a positive correlation between the pore diameter of the support and the post calcination Co₃O₄ crystallite size. On all three γ-Al₂O₃ supports, Co₃O₄ was present as aggregates of many crystallites (20–270 nm in size). Cobalt oxide did not crystallise as independent crystallites, but as an interconnected network, with a roughly common crystallographic orientation, within the matrix pore structure. The internal variations in crystallite size between the catalysts were maintained after reduction. Fischer–Tropsch synthesis was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor at industrial conditions (T = 483 K, P = 20 bar, H₂/CO = 2.1). Although the cobalt-time yields varied significantly (4.6–6.7 × 10^?3 mol CO/mol Co s), the site-time yields were constant (63–68 × 10^?3 s^?1) for the three samples. The C₅₊ selectivity could not be correlated to the cobalt oxide aggregate size and is more likely related to the cobalt particle size and chemical properties of the γ-Al₂O₃ support.     

Investigation on hydrophilicity of micro-arc oxidized TiO2 nano/micro-porous layers

Titania porous layers with a rough surface were synthesized via micro-arc oxidation (MAO) and the effect of the applied voltage and electrolyte concentration on surface structure, and chemical composition of the layers was studied. Morphological and topographical investigations, performed by SEM and AFM, revealed that pore size and surface roughness of the layers increased with the applied voltage and the electrolyte concentration. Based on the XRD and XPS results, the grown layers consisted of anatase and rutile phases with varying fractions depending on growth conditions. It was found that anatase/rutile relative content reached its maximum value at medium applied voltages or electrolyte concentrations. Finally, hydrophilicity of the grown layers was determined using a water contact angle apparatus, and a correlation between measured contact angles and MAO-parameters was suggested. It was observed that the layers synthesized under the applied voltage of 400 V in the electrolytes with a concentration of 10 g l⁻¹ exhibited the highest hydrophilicity.     

Investigation of the creep behavior of graphene oxide nanoplatelet-reinforced adhesively bonded joints

In this paper, the effect of adding graphene oxide nano-platelets (GONPs) into the adhesive layer was investigated on the creep behavior of adhesively bonded joints. The neat and GONP-reinforced adhesive joints were manufactured and tested under creep loading with different stress and temperature levels. 0.1?wt% GONPs revealed the highest improvement on the adhesive joint creep behavior amongst the studied weight percentages. Furthermore, the effect of GONPs on the creep behavior of adhesive joints was more significant at higher temperatures. It was found that adding 0.1?wt% of GONPs into the adhesive layer imposed reductions of 21%, 31% and 34% in the elastic shear strains and reductions of 24%, 31% and 37% in the creep shear strains of SLJs under testing temperatures of 30, 40 and 50?°C, respectively. The Burgers rheological model was employed for simulating the creep behavior of the neat and GONP-reinforced adhesive joints. The Burgers model parameters were obtained as functions of testing temperature, creep shear stress and GONP weight percentage using a response surface methodology. Reasonable agreement was obtained between the modeled and experimental creep behaviors of the adhesive joints.     

From enabling to levelling: the need to change the policy rationale of the intermediary liability regime

On the spectrum of policy formulation, the current intermediary liability regime is strongly rooted in the extreme end of policy formulation. The main focus of this policy choice is to provide an ‘enabling’ governance structure. Other options, such as providing a level playing field or exploring how and to what extent the intermediary liability regime will need to even constrain undesired digital behaviour, have hardly been given consideration. The immunities granted under the intermediary liability regime have hence successfully enabled novel business models and assured freedom of expression on the internet, leaving, however, significantly declining investment rates in music an unaddressed policy issue. According to estimates of this study, the cumulative investments lost in the UK, Germany and France alone amounted to up to nearly 4 billion Euro between 2008 and 2014. For the European Union, this situation posits a challenge with important ramifications in the long run. If Europe continues to lose out on investments in creative content, it risks losing its international competitiveness. It is thus proposed to revisit the underlying policy rationale of the intermediary liability regime and explore what steps are needed to provide a more equal level playing field for all types of market participants, be they the traditional music industry or novel forms of online intermediaries.