Analysis of non-fat soybean powder for the mass fractions of three elements: Copper and zinc by isotope dilution ICP–MS and calcium by ICP–AES

Isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry with “approximate match” approach was developed for the measurement of mass fractions of Cu and Zn. An “approximate match” (within 10%) was made between calibration and sample blends. The method was validated against two certified reference materials, namely NIST SRM 1515 (Apple Leaves) and IAEA-359 (Cabbage). Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry with bracketing technique was developed for the measurement of mass fraction of Ca. NIST RM 8412 (Corn Stalk) was employed for method validation purposes. The validated methods were applied to the measurement of Cu, Zn and Ca in a sample of non-fat soybean pertaining to the international comparison CCQM-P64. The results submitted for the comparison were in excellent agreement with the mean values of all participants’ results. Relative standard uncertainties of about 4% (k = 2, which gives a level of confidence of approximately 95%) were achieved in the measurement of the three elements concerned.     

Application of expert systems to prestressed concrete bridge design

The potential merits of the application of expert systems to prestressed concrete bridge design are discussed. After identifying the areas in the design process to which expert systems can best be applied, attention is focused on the building up of a knowledge base in the domain of conceptual bridge design. The problems involved in the elicitation, validation and representation of the required knowledge are described. A design model is proposed for the selection of different bridge types. Implementation of the model to manipulate design knowledge is illustrated.     

Antioxidant Property,Thymoquinone Content and Chemical Characteristics of Different Extracts from Nigella sativa L. Seeds

In this study, Nigella sativa L. seeds were extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) and Soxhlet. Chemical characteristics, fatty acid composition, antioxidant activity and thymoquinone content of N. sativa L. extracts obtained through different methods were investigated and compared. It was revealed that antioxidant activity and thymoquinone content could be significantly different for SC-CO₂ and Soxhlet extracts. The results for fatty acid composition indicated that linoleic acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid were the main fatty acids in both extracts. The SC-CO₂ extraction could provide an extract with higher quality and antioxidant activity compared to Soxhlet extraction method and can be considered a more appropriate method for attaining a high-quality extract.     

Pillared clays : preparation and characterization of zirconium pillared montmorillonite

Thermally stable zirconium pillared clays and sulfate modified zirconium pillared clays have been synthetized. Precise control of the preparation parameters allows preparation of solids with controlled morphology, texture and acid properties. The preparation of a new type of split clay is discussed. Introduction of sulfate in the pillar structure produces strongly acid pillared clays. The origin of the acidity is discussed in each case.     

Surface functionalities of multi-wall carbon nanotubes after UV/Ozone and TETA treatments

A carbon nanotube (CNT) surface was successfully modified using the UV/Ozone treatment and a triethylenetetramine (TETA) solution for use as the reinforcement for polymer matrix composites. These treatments along with ultra-sonication are aimed to disperse the CNTs uniformly in the resin matrix, as well as to provide the CNT surface with chemical functionalities for adhesion with epoxy resin. Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are performed to evaluate the changes in chemical structure and surface functional groups arising from the UV/O₃ and TETA treatments, confirming the efficiency of the processes. The practical implications of the surface functional groups for improving the interfacial adhesion in CNT-epoxy composites are discussed.     

The individual effect of coating thicknesses and deposition temperatures on Raman spectra of carbon films deposited on silica glass fibers by thermal chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

Carbon films are deposited on silica glass fibers by thermal chemical vapor deposition using pure methane as the precursor gas, and the individual effect of coating thicknesses and deposition temperatures on Raman spectra of carbon films is investigated. The results show that if the temperature is fixed at 950°C, the D peak position, the full‐width‐at‐half maximum of D band, and the integrated intensity ratio of the D band to the G band increase with increasing the coating thickness. This is because the size and number of particles grown on the carbon film surface increase with increasing the coating thickness and the carbon film becomes more disordered. Alternatively, if the coating thickness is fixed at 1200 nm, the D peak position, the full‐width‐at‐half maximum of D band, and the integrated intensity ratio of the D band to the G band decrease with increasing the deposition temperature. This indicates that the carbon film becomes more ordered and its nano‐grain size increases as the deposition temperature increases from 925 to 1025°C.     

Protection of image ROI using chaos-based encryption and DCNN-based object detection

Neural Computing and Applications - Images always contain sensitive information, e.g., a clear face on a photo, which needs to be protected. The simple way is to encrypt the whole image for hiding...     

Evidence of cisplatin-induced senescent-like growth arrest in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

Cellular senescence is a programmed cell response leading to growth arrest in human diploid fibroblasts. We have shown that a nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line, CNE1, following treatment by the DNA-damaging agent cisplatin, can undergo cellular senescent-like growth arrest, similar to fibroblasts, judged by cellular morphological changes and the expression of senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal). This senescent-like change was dose related; at 0.5 microgram/ml, the percentage of cisplatin-induced SA-beta-gal-positive cells was high (40-96%), and the staining was intense. Higher doses (1.0 and 2.0 micrograms/ml) of cisplatin induced lower SA-beta-gal expression (30-70%), and the process was irreversible. This cisplatin-induced cellular senescent-like response was not due to the inhibition of telomerase activity. Our results indicate that cellular senescent-like pathways exist in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and can be induced by cisplatin. Our evidence suggests that cellular senescent-like responses may be a cellular protection mechanism that acts differently in response to different degrees of cellular damage.