Fabrication and characterization of 3D printing scaffold technology by extract oils from plant and its applications in the cardiovascular blood

Extract oils from plants used in 3D polysaccharides modified with natural protein polymer modified polymer scaffolds can help to reduce blood pressure. This study aimed to use extract oils from plant (EOP)as blood pressure-reducing, bind them to magnetic iron nanoparticles (Fe3O4@NPs), then bind them to polymeric 3D print scaffolds [chitosan, polylactic acid, and polyurethane (CS/PLA/PU), modified with natural protein and finally separate them. This method made it possible to investigate different variables for nanoparticles. In this project, synthesis polymer, modified gelatin (Mo-Ge), PEGylation, extract oils from plant loading and release process in nanocarrier with different concentrations were examined and cell proliferation was optimized. The results show that 75% of the extract oils from plant loaded on iron magnetic nanoparticles containing PEGylated polymer scaffolds was released. Cell proliferation was performed for the sample. In this process, modification of scaffolding with polysaccharides modified with natural protein and extract oils from plant increased the efficiency of nanoparticles among the studied Allium sativum and Zingiber officinale. The size of A. sativum and Z. officinale were 29.833 nm and 150.02 nm size, respectively. These behaved very similarly to each other and A. sativum had the biggest effect in lowering blood pressure. The application of extract oils from plant in 3D mode scaffolding has not been studied before and this is the first analysis to do so, using nanoparticles.

Assessment of the Impact of Modification of Calcium Sorbents and the Possibility of Their Use in Desulfurization for Oxy-Fuel Combustion Process

The paper describes the possibilities of simple and effective modification of calcium sorbents used for flue gas desulfurization with a size between of 125–250 µm. The additives to the sorbents in the amount of 0.5% and 1.0% were inorganic sodium and lithium compounds. The research on the reactivity of sorbents was analyzed in the process of simultaneous calcination and sulfation at the temperature of 850 °C. The type of Na+ or Li+ cations and the inorganic salt anions have an influence on the modification of calcium sorbents in order to improve the efficiency of the calcination and sulfation process. Modification of calcium sorbents by adding inorganic sodium and lithium compounds, regardless of the amount, changes the reactivity coefficient RI [mol/mol] and the absolute sorption coefficient CI [g S/kg sorbent]. In the case of inorganic sodium salt (Additive 1), regardless of the amount of modifier added, there was a visible improvement in the reactivity of the sorbent: 1.0% of the additive caused an increase in the RI coefficient in relation to the raw sorbent by over 14%, and in the case of the CI coefficient by over 24%. Additional research was the analysis of the limestone behavior mechanism during the simultaneous calcination and sulfation (SCS) process under conditions of elevated temperature and with variable CO2 and O2 contents in the flue gas. The behavior of sorbents with a size distribution of 125–250 µm was assessed on the basis of the change in mass of the samples by determining the reactivity coefficient RI, [mol/mol] and the absolute sorption coefficient CI, [g S/kg sorbent]. Using the mercury porosimetry technique, the change in sorbent porosity in the subsequent stages of the simultaneous calcination and sulfation process was investigated. The process was carried out in the temperature range corresponding to the oxy-combustion (i.e., from 850 °C to 1000 °C).

Numerical Analysis of the Influence of the Modification of the Ladle Shroud on Fluid Flow Behavior in a One-strand Tundish during Continuous Steel Casting

A tundish is a device from which liquid steel is pour into a mold. Therefore tundish hydrodynamic conditions have a significant impact on solidification during continuous steel casting (CSC) process. Modification of ladle shroud workspace, allows for the modification of liquid steel movement in the tundish. In the following work, numerical simulations were performed which allowed the impact of the modification of the ladle shroud workspace on the liquid steel flow structure in a one-strand tundish to be determined. In order to assess the impact of the modification of the ladle shroud on the behavior of the liquid steel in the tundish, simulations were performed, on the basis of which the percentage share of stagnant, ideal mixing and plug flow zones were determined. In addition, the mixing parameters were determined, allowing the estimation of casting duration during sequential casting. The flow fields of liquid steel for each modification of the ladle shroud were performed. The average velocity of liquid steel flowing through the tundish, the Reynolds number and turbulent intensity were also described. The obtained results showed, among others, that the application of three cylinders with a diameter of 0.041 m into the ladle shroud with a diameter of 0.11 m increases the share of active flow in the tundish in relation to the tundish with Conventional Ladle Shroud. At the same time, applying a ladle shroud with a diameter of 0.11 m during casting is the most favorable in relation to the hydrodynamics of the tundish.

Hybrid Algorithm for the detection of Pixel-based digital image forgery using Markov and SIFT descriptors

Today, image forgery is common due to the massification of low-cost/high-resolution digital cameras, along with the accessibility of computer programs for image processing. All media is affected by this issue, which makes the public doubt the news. Though image modification is a typical process in entertainment, when images are taken as evidence in a legal process, modification cannot be considered trivial. Digital forensics has the challenge of ensuring the accuracy and integrity of digital images to overcome this issue. This investigation introduces an algorithm to detect the main types of pixel-based alterations such as copy-move forgery, resampling, and splicing in digital images. For the evaluation of the algorithm, CVLAB, CASIA V1, Columbia, and Columbia Uncompressed datasets were used. Of 7100 images evaluated, 3666 were unaltered, 791 had resampling, 2213 had splicing, and 430 had copy-move forgeries. The algorithm detected all proposed forgery pixel methods with an accuracy of 91%. The main novelties of the proposal are the reduced number of features needed for identification and its robustness for the file format and image size.

Towards zero carbon dioxide concentration in sweet natural gas product from amine sweetening plant

This work presents a two-step method to reduce CO2 concentration of sweet natural gas product from amine sweetening plant via amine blending (Step 1) followed by minor process modification (Step 2). In Step 1, an industrial natural gas sweetening plant was simulated using Aspen HYSYS and the simulation results were validated against the plant data. Afterwards, different blends of methyl diethanolamine and monoethanolamine (MDEA-MEA) and methyl diethanolamine and diethanolamine (MDEA-DEA) were investigated. Then the optimum amine blend of 28 wt.% MDEA and 10 wt.% MEA was reported. The optimum amine blend achieved a significant reduction in CO2 concentration of sweet natural gas of 99.9% compared to the base case (plant data). In Step 2, two types of amine stream splits, i.e., lean amine stream split and semi-lean amine stream split were studied. The study covered split stream amount, absorber recycle stage, and regenerator stage withdrawal. Both types of stream splits attained a significant reduction in CO2 concentration of sweet natural gas product and amine circulation rate compared to Step 1. However, the semi-lean amine stream split was superior to lean amine split with 69.1% and 63.6% reduction in CO2 concentration of sweet natural gas and lean amine circulation rate, respectively.

An on-chip TVS design to meet system level ESD protection for RS485 transceiver

RS485 interface is widely used in the area of industrial control and remote meter reading, which are often subjected to serious electrostatic damage. A new On-Chip TVS (OCT) structure without extra process modification and a novel electrostatic discharge method for RS485 transceiver IC have been proposed. It is composed of a serie of Zener diodes and fabricated in 5V/18V/24V 0.5µm CDMOS technology. A 100ns pulse width of the Transmission Line Pulsing (TLP) test is performed for this proposed OCT. The driver circuit itself can work as an ESD device as well. The OCT trigger voltage is compatible with the signal level of RS485 standard. The OCT device protection level of human-body-model (HBM) is up to 16.34kV. RS485 transceiver integrated with OCT has also been tested in order to verify its reliability. The results indicate that it can pass the IEC61000-4-2 contact ±10kV stress and IEC 61000−4−4 Electrical Fast Transient (EFT) ±2.2kV without any hard damages and latch-up issues. The RS485 transceiver integrated with the OCT allows error-free data rate transfer up to 500 kbps. The chip occupies a silicon area of 2.4×1.17mm2.

Options for Improved Treatment of Saline Wastewater From Fish and Shellfish Processing

The rapid growth of the aquaculture industry over recent decades, with annual production reaching 94.6 million tonnes in 2018 has resulted in a significant increase in saline wastewater following the use of seawater in both fish and shellfish production and processing. This wastewater contains high concentrations of nutrients, organic compounds, and total nitrogen, resulting in the requirement for significant treatment prior to discharge to meet environmental regulations, which are becoming more stringent. The infrastructure and running costs associated with physico-chemical treatment approaches are generally higher than the implementation of biological approaches; the latter represents both an economic and sustainable technology. However, salinity represents a significant inhibitor to microbial activity, affecting the efficacy of the biological treatment of wastewater. This review aims to 1) identify the major biodegradable components in saline fish wastewater that may result in deleterious effects upon discharge, 2) discuss the current methods used for the treatment of fish processing wastewaters, and 3) identify opportunities for improved processes to be utilised and identify gaps in knowledge that require further research. Total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and total nitrogen (TN) were found to be the most prevalent components in fish effluent. High concentrations of TSS and TN are likely due to the protein content. One method for reducing the environmental impact of the treated wastewater is to enhance nutrient removal (TSS, TN, BOD) through process modification, leading to an increase in active proteolytic activity. Bioaugmentation using immobilised, saline-tolerant proteases or halophilic, protease-producing microorganisms have both shown significant potential in laboratory studies in reducing both the COD and TN content of fish processing wastewater to below discharge limits and therefore may represent commercial options for future treatment processes.