Control of attendance applied in higher education through mobile NFC technologies

This paper presents an improved attendance control system, required for continuous evaluation which has become compulsory following the Bologna Process. It provides a solution based on NFC technology and is based on a real project developed and pilot tested at the “Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, Campus Madrid”.     

Optical,electrical, mechanical,and thermal properties and non-isothermal decomposition behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol)–ZnO nanocomposites

Iranian Polymer Journal - Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposites incorporated with ZnO nanofiller were prepared and examined to study the influence of nanofiller on their properties. All the...     

Analysis of Porcine Gelatin DNA in a Commercial Capsule Shell Using Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction for Halal Authentication

The presence of pig derivatives, such as porcine gelatin, in any products is prohibited to be consumed by Muslim community. This study is intended to develop a specific primer from mytochondrial D-loop capable of amplifying DNA from porcine gelatin in commercial capsule shells. Two pairs of primers designed from mitochondrial D-loop region were tested in order to confirm the primer specificity in gelatin sources (pork, beef, and catfish) and fresh tissue (pig, cows, goat, chickens, and rat). Primers were then used to perform sensitivity test of six dilution series (1000, 200, 100, 10, 5, and 1 pg/µL) of porcine gelatin and porcine capsule shell. The amplification was also performed on capsule shell from porcine-bovine mixture gelatin at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 100% concentration. The repeatability test was performed by measuring amplification capsule shells from porcine–bovine gelatin mixture. Real time polymerase chain reaction method using primers designed was further applied to analyze capsule shells purchased from markets. From two primers have been designed specifically, only primer D-Loop 108 (forward: 5’-CGT ATG CAA AAA ACC ACG CCA-3’; reverse: 5’-CTT ACT ATA GGG AGC TGC ATG-3’) had the capability to identify the presence of porcine DNA in fresh tissue and gelatin sources at optimum annealing temperature of 58.4ºC. Sensitivity of the developed method expressed as limit of detection of DNA in gelatin and capsule shells is 5 pg.     

Heat and mass transfer effects on MHD flow of a couple‐stress fluid in a horizontal wavy channel with viscous dissipation and porous medium

This paper looks at heat and mass transfer effects on an unsteady MHD flow of a couple‐stress fluid in a horizontal wavy porous space with travelling thermal waves in the presence of a heat source and viscous dissipation. Initially the temperatures of the walls are maintained at different constant temperatures. The analytical expressions for velocity, temperature, and concentration field are obtained by the regular perturbation technique. The results are presented graphically for various values of emerging dimensionless parameters of the problem and are discussed to show interesting aspects of the solution. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj). DOI 10.1002/htj.21040 PACS: 44.15.+a, 44.30.+f, 44.27.nd, 47.50.Cd     

Comparing Procurement Methods for Design-Build Projects

The design-build delivery method is increasingly used in the United States due to numerous advantages it can offer a project. An important issue associated with design-build delivery is the procurement method used to select the design-build team. It is a critical decision that involves several key project team members, including the owner, designer, and contractor organizations, and requires the owner to carefully choose the design-build procurement method that will be used to select the team that will deliver the project. This research quantitatively analyzed the correlation between the design-build procurement method and the performance of the design-build project with regard to cost, time, and quality metrics. The procurement methods studied were sole source, qualifications-based, best value, and low bid selection. Data were collected through surveys from 76 design-build projects in the United States. Based on the patterns and relationships identified from these data, a better understanding of the procurement process and how it influences project performance is achieved. The impact of project-specific factors and guidelines are presented to assist owners in selecting the design-build team procurement method that responds to their project goals.     

Efficacy of mycosynthesised AgNPs from Earliella scabrosa as an in vitro antibacterial and wound healing agent

The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with their unique chemical and physical properties are proving as a new therapeutical agent. In the present study, the AgNPs synthesised from an aqueous extract of a macrofungus, Earliella scabrosa, were characterised by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDX), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and further evaluate for its in vitro antibacterial and wound healing efficacy. The mycosynthesised AgNPs exhibited the surface plasmon resonance peak at 410 nm with good stability over a period of a month. The FESEM and EDX analyses revealed the spherical‐shaped AgNPs of an average size of 20 nm and the presence of elemental Ag, respectively. The XRD pattern showed the crystalline nature of AgNPs. The FTIR spectra confirmed the conversion of Ag⁺ ions to AgNPs due to reduction by biomolecules of macrofungus extract. The mycosynthesised AgNPs showed effective antibacterial activity against two Gram‐positive bacteria, namely Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, and two Gram‐negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The pathogens were highly sensitive to AgNPs, whereas less sensitive to AgNO₃. The mycosynthesised AgNPs showed significant wound healing potential with 68.58% of wound closure.Inspec keywords: surface plasmon resonance, wounds, X‐ray diffraction, nanoparticles, molecular biophysics, nanomedicine, antibacterial activity, biomedical materials, reduction (chemical), silver, microorganisms, X‐ray chemical analysis, nanofabrication, transmission electron microscopy, particle size, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectraOther keywords: high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, healing efficacy, mycosynthesised AgNPs, spherical‐shaped AgNPs, wound healing agent, in vitro antibacterial efficacy, Earliella scabrosa, silver nanoparticles, physical properties, chemical properties, therapeutical agent, aqueous extract, macrofungus, field emission scanning electron microscopy, FESEM, energy dispersive X‐ray analysis, EDX, X‐ray diffraction, XRD, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance peak, crystalline nature, biomolecules, Gram‐positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Gram‐negative bacteria, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, pathogens, wound closure, Ag     

Influence of surface treatment on properties of Cocos nucifera L. Var typica fiber reinforced polymer composites

Natural fibers are a powerful competitor in the polymer composite market due to their availability, sustainability, obtainability, cost, and biodegradability. The surface of natural fibers was changed to increase mechanical qualities, hydrophobicity, and bonding with polymer matrix. This study exposes the influence of several surface treatments of coconut tree peduncle fibers (CTPFs) on the thermomechanical and water absorption properties of CTPF-reinforced polymer composites. The CTPFs were treated with sodium hydroxide, benzoyl peroxide, potassium permanganate and stearic acid at a constant 40 wt% and individually reinforced in an unsaturated polyester resin matrix containing 60 wt% CTPFs. Chemically treated CTPFs improved reinforcement-matrix adhesion and enhanced composite mechanical characteristics. In addition, the scanning electron microscope fractographical study of stressed composite specimens shows improved reinforcement-matrix bonding. Moreover, the treated CTPFs have a higher cellulose wt%, which improves the composites crystalline nature, hydrophobicity and thermal stability. The potassium permanganate treated CTPF composite's maximum tensile strength of 128 MPa, flexural strength of 119 MPa, impact strength of 9.9 J/cm², hardness value of 99 HRRW and thermal stability up to 193°C make them appropriate for lightweight mobility and structural applications.     

Carbon black–polybenzoxazine nanocomposites for high K dielectric applications

This work involves the development of surface functionalized carbon black (FCB) reinforced polybenzoxazine (PBZ) nanocomposites, using a benzoxazine monomer and varying weight percentages of functionalized carbon black (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt%) through ring opening polymerization via thermal cure. Data from the morphological studies indicate that the nanosized FCB particles are homogeneously distributed in the polybenzoxazine matrix. The incorporation of FCB improves the dielectric constant, electrical conductivity, and reduction in resistivity of the resulting FCB–PBZ nanocomposites when compared to neat PBZ. A significant improvement observed in glass transition temperature and thermal stability of resulting FCB–PBZ nanocomposites, when compared to neat PBZ. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:2121–2128, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers