Effect of Adding Transition Metals to Copper on the Dehydrogenation Reaction of Ethanol

The present work aims to investigate the effect adding Ag, Co, Ni, Cd and Pt to copper on ethanol dehydrogenation. The catalysts synthesized by deposition–precipitation method were characterized using various physicochemical methods such as N₂ adsorption–desorption, TPR, SEM–EDX, XRD, XPS and TGA–DSC-MS. Catalytic evaluation results revealed that the predominant product of the reaction was acetaldehyde. Monometallic copper or mixed with Cd, Ag or Co show good catalytic performances. Adding nickel to copper improves the process conversion but reduces acetaldehyde selectivity, giving rise to methane in produced hydrogen. Pt-Cu/SiO₂ catalyst guides the reaction towards diethyl ether. Time on stream tests performed during 12 h at 260 °C, showed that adding Cd to Cu enhances its stability by over 30% of conversion, this is explained by the reduction of copper crystallites sintering, which makes Cd-Cu/SiO₂ a promising catalyst for the production of acetaldehyde by ethanol dehydrogenation.

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DPV: a taxonomy for utilizing deep learning as a prediction technique for various types of cancers detection

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Deep learning (DL) is a type of machine learning capable of processing large quantities of data to provide analytic results based on a particular...     

Dynamics of Plug Formation in a Circular Cylinder Under Low Bond Number Conditions: Experiment and Simulation

The goal of the current study is to investigate the dynamics of two phase interface under a low Bond number condition. Silicone oil is injected into a cylinder under a Bond number of about 0.47 via a side tube forming a T-junction with the former. The time evolution of the interface of silicon oil in a cylinder is captured using a high speed camera. The volume at which the plug is formed is then determined using an image processing tool to analyze the captured images. A numerical simulation is carried out where fluid is injected into a cylinder, under a less than unity Bond number condition, via a side tube. Numerical and experimental results are then compared.     

Environmental Effects Of The Dead Sea-Red Sea Canal

A project to link the Dead Sea to the Red Sea via a canal is undergoing extensive study. This project will transform the physical and chemical characteristics of the Sea and therefore has significant environmental impacts. The predicted behaviour of the Dead Sea with a canal project was examined in this study, and the environmental impacts were then identified and classified into positive and negative. The main positive impact of the canal is the restoration of the Dead Sea into its 1930s level, and the improvement in life quality in the area. Negative impacts include the risk of groundwater contamination, the re-establishment of stratification condition, seasonal precipitation of chemicals, and the growth of micro-organisms in the Sea.     

Preliminary investigation of a vapor-open envelope tailored for subtropical climate

Concerning global warming and resource depletion, the impact of buildings in subtropical regions is becoming even greater due to a high growth rate of urbanized areas. From the viewpoint of building physics, the main problem concerning subtropical climate is the high level of humidity in combination with high temperature. In this study, a flexible building envelope consisting of wood and clay components was developed so that the materials and the assemblies can be easily tailored to comply with local climatic conditions. The movement and accumulation of moisture in the wall was of prime concern. This has been investigated by means of testing full scale walls in a climate chamber and the corresponding one dimensional transient heat and transfer simulation. In order to achieve a consistency between calculation and measurement, the individual materials were tested for their hygric and thermal properties. Based on these findings attempts were made to calculate the behavior of an optimized wall assembly under real climatic conditions of central Japan. As a result, it was shown that the hygrothermal behavior of the envelope is predictable by means of the models and the simulation program used, and that no risk of interstitial condensation and mold growth was predicted under the real climatic conditions of Kyoto.     

Increasing the aqueous solubility of acetaminophen in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone and investigation of the mechanisms involved

It was shown that the aqueous solubility of acetaminophen in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) increased. The solubility at 25°C increased from 14.3 mg mL^-1 in the absence of PVP, to 19.7 mg mL^-1 in the presence of 4% w/v PVP, and to 26.7 mg mL^-1 in the presence of 8% w/v PVP. Dialysis studies indicated that there is a potential of binding between PVP and acetaminophen in their aqueous solutions. Dialysis studies also revealed that the nature of interaction between PVP and acetaminophen is physical and reversible, and there was no strong binding between PVP and acetaminophen in their solutions. Infrared spectroscopy of acetaminophen/PVP solid dispersion indicated that the mechanism of interaction between PVP and acetaminophen is via hydrogen bonding. Therefore, the increase in solubility of acetaminophen in the presence of PVP is probably attributed to its ability to form a water-soluble complex with PVP.     

Retrofitting of reinforced concrete beams using composite laminates

This paper presents the results of an experimental study to investigate the behaviour of structurally damaged full-scale reinforced concrete beams retrofitted with CFRP laminates in shear or in flexure. The main variables considered were the internal reinforcement ratio, position of retrofitting and the length of CFRP. The experimental results, generally, indicate that beams retrofitted in shear and flexure by using CFRP laminates are structurally efficient and are restored to stiffness and strength values nearly equal to or greater than those of the control beams. It was found that the efficiency of the strengthening technique by CFRP in flexure varied depending on the length. The main failure mode in the experimental work was plate debonding in retrofitted beams.     

CMOS photodiode with enhanced responsivity for the UV/blue spectralrange

A new photodiode for the UV/blue spectral range, which can be integrated monolithically with CMOS circuits, is presented. Such optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs) with a high sensitivity in the UV/blue spectral range are needed in near-future optical storage systems like digital versatile disk (DVD) or digital video recording (DVR). At 400 nm, our so-called finger photodiode achieves a responsivity of 0.23 A/W corresponding to a quantum efficiency η of 70% [with an antireflection coating (ARC)] and rise and fall times of 1.0 ns and 1.1 ns, respectively. The finger photodiode can be used in the red spectral range, too. At 638 nm, the responsivity is 0.49 A/W (η=95%) and rise and fall times of less than 2.3 ns are achieved. For the integration of the finger photodiode in an industrial 1 μm twin-well CMOS process, only one additional mask is needed in order to block out the threshold voltage implantation in the photo-active region     

Use of ion-pairing reversed-phase liquid chromatography in separation of solanidine and solasodine

A method based on ion-pairing reversed-phase liquid chromatography was developed to separate and quantify the total alkaloid content inS. ptycanthum (eastern black nightshade). The method is shown to separate satisfactorily the aglycones and some of the glycoalkaloids. The mobile phase used was aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate-acetonitrile.     

Severe manifestations in carrier females in X linked retinitis pigmentosa

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of menopause on circadian profile of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in the normotensive pre- and postmenopausal women. Systolic BP (SBP), diagnostic BP (DBP) and HR were monitored every 30 min for 48 hrs using noninvasive ambulatory BP monitoring in 24 premenopausal and 40 postmenopausal women. Mean 48-hours, daytime (awake), and nighttime (sleeping) SBP, DBP and HR values were analyzed by reviewing the patients' diaries, and the nocturnal reduction rate (NRR) of SBP, DBP and HR were calculated according to the following formula. NRR (%9 = [(daytime mean-nighttime mean)/daytime mean] x 100. The study subjects were then divided into two groups according to the presence (dipper) or absence (nondipper) of a significant reduction in nocturnal BP (> 10%). Mean SBP, DBP and HR measured over 48 hours were similar between the premenopausal and the postmenopausal group. The NRR of DBP and HR in the postmenopausal group were significantly smaller than those in the premenopausal group (17.1 +/- 6.0% vs. 13.5 +/- 7.0%, 241.1 +/- 6.0% vs. 19.8 +/- 9.0%: p < 0.05). There tended to be higher prevalence of nondipper in the postmenopausal (37%) than in the premenopausal group (29%).