bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of initial cod concentration and the fraction of N/P on treatment ability of Para grass (Brachiaria mutica) vegetation in the stabilization pond
Authors: Ho V T T , Pham M D , Van T L 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Stabilization pond which is covered by aquatic plant is a environmentally friendly method to treat wastewater. In this study, stabilization pond using Para grass vegetation is applied to treat industrial wastewater and study the effect of intitial COD concentration and the N/P ratio on treatment abliity of para grass vegetation in the stabilization. The influent flow rate is controlled at 0.18 m3/h (corresponding to a retention time of 5.3 days). As inflow COD concentration is 203 ± 5.9 mg/L, COD treatment efficiency reaches 59.6 – 61.7%. When COD concentration in the input wastewater is 349.2 ± 4.5 mg/L, COD removal efficiency decreased to 55.7 0.9%. Continue to increase input COD concentration in the input to 512,6 ± 14,7 mg/l, COD treatment efficiency reduce to 47.9±0.6%. However, when increasing the input COD concentration corresponding to increasing the organic loading rate into the model, reached 10.270 kgCOD/ha.day at COD concentration = 512.6 ± 14,7 mg/L, twice higher than the organic loading rate of the model since COD concentration = 203 ± 5.9 mg/L. The result shows strong adaptability and wastewater treatment ability of facultative waste stabilization pond system covered by Para grass, although the input COD concentration or organic load increase more than doubled. The study also showed that the treatment efficiency of total nitrogen (TN) tends to increase when COD concentration in influent increases, with treatment effiency has reached from 57.2 to 76.4%. Besides, the fraction of nitrogen and phosphorus in influent also surveyed in this study. The fraction of N/P selected to survey in the study is approximately 2.26, 4.16 and 6.11. The results show that when increasing the N/P ratio, the efficiency of Total Nitrogen treatment tends to increase. At N/P ratio = 2.26 ± 0.19, even though the concentration of TN in the inlet is low, but nitrogen metabolism still takes place in the experimental model, so outlet TN concentration decrease to very low. The COD treatment efficiency increases gradually when increasing the N/P ratio. The output COD match Vietnam discharge standard QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT. These results show potential for applying the stabilization pond which is covered by Para grass for treating concentrated industrial wastewater.
Pineapple Peel Waste Adsorbent for Adsorption of Fe(III)
Authors: Abd Ghapar N F , Abu Samah R , Abd Rahman S 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The current study discovers the capability of pineapple peel, which is an agricultural effluent, to be converted into adsorbent to be used in the removal of Fe(III). The adsorbent was prepared from pineapple peel waste using a chemical activation method impregnated with zinc chloride (ZnCl2), and the morphological and functional characterisation of the adsorbent was performed using FTIR and SEM. SEM images show rough surfaces of raw pineapple peel with creases. After the chemical treatment, substances in the pineapple peel waste such as pigments and acid-soluble oligosaccharides were removed, leading to the porous structure. Raw pineapple peel contained more functional groups, including the O–H stretching vibration at 3300 cm−1 and the C–H vibration at 2917 cm−1, compared to the adsorbent with the fading of some characteristic peaks. The ability of the adsorbent to remove Fe(III) ions at different contact times and adsorbent dosages was studied. As the contact time and adsorbent dosage were increased, the adsorption capacity also increased. The results show the potential use of pineapple peel waste as an effective adsorbent for the treatment of wastewater in removing of Fe(III) ions
Performance Study of Micro Combustor Utilising Nickel Based Catalyst on Alumina Foam Porous Support
Authors: Basir N I , Miskam M A , Sukardi M F M , Murat M N 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Alumina foam was utilised as a porous medium support for catalyst in a micro combustion process using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as fuel. Through wet impregnation method, nickel was deposited onto the surface of alumina foam forming catalytic porous medium for micro combustion. In this study, the performance of micro combustion was investigated corresponding to three main factors based on the flame location, flue gas composition and the efficiency of combustion at lean combustion condition. It was found that combustion process started at ambient temperature produced low composition of SO2 and NOx for all experimental samples. Results also showed that combustion efficiency increases with the decrease in porosity of alumina foam used, whereby 22 % of porosity gives the highest combustion efficiency. Experiments with the deposition of active material nickel onto the alumina foam also produced similar results, where 22 % porosity of alumina foam gives the highest combustion efficiency. With nickel as active material deposited onto alumina foam, higher combustion efficiency can be achieved, with results from 40 % up to above 70 % combustion efficiency corresponding to the concentration of catalyst loading from 0.1 M to 1.0 M of Ni(NO3)2·6H2O preparation solution. Several advantages using catalytic combustion includes the capability in reducing the impact of thermal and radical quenching, easy start-up, robust to heat loss, low pollution gas emission, and operation at very lean air-to-fuel ratio condition. It has been found that the use of catalyst using porous alumina support can significantly increase the efficiency of combustion reaction and therefore improve the overall performance of micro combustion.
Effects of Different Activating Agent on the Physicochemical Properties of Rice Husk Derived Graphene (GRHA)
Authors: Arifin N F T , Yusof N , Nordin N A H M , Jaafar J , Ismail A F , Aziz F , Salleh W N W 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
This paper proposes the preparation of rice husk derived graphene (GRHA) via chemical activation method using two different chemical activating agents namely phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and potassium hydroxide (KOH). The purpose of this study is to study the impact of different activating agent on the physicochemical properties of GRHA. The rice husk was carbonized at 350 °C for 2 h and activated at 900 °C and 700 °C for GRHA-KOH and GRHA-H3PO4 respectively. The prepared GRHA was characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis, Raman Spectroscopy and BET analysis. The crystallinity of each sample shows that the prepared GRHA is in amorphous state. On the other hand, the ID/IG ratio of GRHA-KOH is 0.45 while GRHA-H3PO4 is 0.68 which suggest that both samples have high degree of graphitization. Interestingly, it was discovered that activation using KOH possesses a higher BET specific surface area (BETSSA), 518.11 m2/g as compared to H3PO4 which is only 315.07 m2/g. Thus, it shows that KOH was able to form GRHA with higher surface area and porosity.
Effect of ultrasonic waves on polymorphism and crystal size distributions of mefenamic acid
Authors: Abdul Mudalip S K , Sezali N A , Abu Bakar M R 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Crystallization of pharmaceutical compound that have different polymorphic forms and broad crystal size distributions remain major challenge in industry. In this present work, the potential of ultrasonic intensifications on crystallization of mefenamic acid polymorph is investigated. The effect of sonication times (5 min – 30 min) and ultrasonic powers (153.3 – 766.7 Watt) at frequency of 65 kHz on polymorphic form and crystals size distributions (CSDs) of mefenamic acid crystals during cooling crystallization were investigated using One-Factor-At-a-Time method (OFAT). The polymorphic form, CSD and shape were determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Malvern Mastersizer, optical microscope and X-ray diffractometry, respectively. It was found that ultrasonic power of 766.7 Watt and 30 min of sonication time produce plate-shaped crystals with the narrow CSD. The polymorph was consistent with Form I. The findings justify the suitability of ultrasonic waves to produced plate-like mefenamic acid Form I crystals with narrow CSD.
Effect of CO2 Concentration and Liquid to Gas Ratio on CO2 Absorption from Simulated Biogas Using Monoethanolamine Solution
Authors: Rajiman V , Hairul N A H , Shariff A M 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
In industrial scale, removal of CO2 by chemical absorption from raw biogas represents an imperative treatment and the cutting-edge technology towards improvement of its quality and heat value. In this work, CO2 absorption studies were conducted in an absorption column packed with Sulzer metal gauze packing with simulated biogas absorbed using 30 wt. % of monoethanolamine (MEA) solution. Experimental works were conducted to determine the influence of different CO2 concentrations in feed gas (30 % and 40 %) and L/G ratio (0.6 and 0.7) and subsequently assessed in terms of CO2 absorption efficiency along the column. The results showed that 30 % CO2 in feed gas has higher removal efficiency as compared to 40 % CO2 with the ability to remove 94 % CO2 during the process. In addition, the CO2 absorption studied on the L/G ratio proved that CO2 removal was improved at higher L/G ratio of 0.7.
Performance of modified epoxy mortar using composite cement containing Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS)
Authors: Md Suhaini N A , Ali N , Abdul Hamid N A , Salleh N , Abdullah S R , Othman N H , Shahidan S 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The applications of modified epoxy mortar have been widely used in civil engineering construction field to reduce the usage of epoxy in strengthening applications. In the construction field, the usage of epoxy resin mortar was known as repair materials. For this research, an experimental work has been conducted on modified mortar containing epoxy with and without hardener. This research was conducted to analyze the compressive strength, density and water absorption of the specimen. The cement used for this study was a composite cement with the combination of 50% ordinary Portland cement and 50% Ground Granulated Blast Slag (GGBS). The mortars were prepared with water-cement ratio of 0.60, sand-cement ratio of 2:1 and the epoxy content of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9% and 100%. In this research, the type of epoxy used is Sikadur -31 CF Normal with and without hardener. The test was carried out by using cube mortar of size 50 mm x 50 mm x 50 mm. From the experimental results, the optimal percentage of epoxy content for compressive strength and water absorption was 3%. Besides, the highest compressive strength was 31.7 MPa of modified epoxy mortar without hardener and 34.8 MPa of modified epoxy mortar with hardener. It was concluded that 3 % of epoxy was the optimal percentage for the modified mortar because of the compressive strength reached the nearest with the control mortar specimen.
Performance of Centralised Trigeneration Plant on Sensitivity Analysis of Total Site System
Authors: Jamaluddin K , Wan Alwi S R , Abd Manan Z , Hamzah K , Klemeš J J 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The progressive rising of high living standards and populations’ growth has led to increasing energy demands. This has led to the energy shortage gap in both developing and developed countries. Government is developing new technology to increase the thermal efficiency of existing power systems. Trigeneration is one of the innovations that can increase the performance of power systems by reusing waste energy for heating and cooling applications. Pinch Analysis (PA) is a methodology that has been commonly applied for more than 40 years to design and optimum configurations of various resource networks. Previous studies have been performed optimisation of trigeneration system in a Total Site system based on the PA method called Trigeneration System Cascade Analysis (TriGenSCA). However, the previous study does not consider the performance of the trigeneration system through overall sensitivity analysis of Total Site system. Overall sensitivity analysis of the Total Site system that includes industrial plant’s maintenance shutdown and production changes affected the performance of the centralized trigeneration system to generate energy to be supplied to the demands. Through this analysis, the size of the trigeneration system and back-up system can be estimated taking into consideration data fluctuations probability. The methodology has been tested on the centralized nuclear trigeneration system in a Total Site system considering four industrial plants as a case study, leading to extra 3.1 MW of Low-Pressure Steam (LPS) and 7.15 MW of Hot Water (HW) are needed from the back-up system if Plant B is shut down as well as extra of 82.4 MW of HW is needed by the back-up system if Plant C is shut down. The size of the boiler and condensate system, hence, need to be improved to overcome the deficit energy as the Plants B and C are shut down.
Insulin-like growth factor 2 is produced by antral follicles and promotes preantral follicle development in macaques†
Authors: Tkachenko Olena Y , Wolf Shally , Lawson Maralee S , Ting Alison Y , Rodrigues Jhenifer K , Xu Fuhua , Bishop Cecily V , Stouffer Richard L , Xu Jing 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are known for their involvement in endocrine and paracrine regulation of ovarian function. Although IGF2 is the predominant circulating and intraovarian form of IGFs in primate species, the stage-specific follicular expression, action, and regulation of IGF2 are not well defined. Therefore, experiments were conducted to investigate the follicular IGF production in response to steroid hormone regulation and the direct IGF actions on follicular development and function in vitro. Preantral follicles were isolated from rhesus macaque ovaries and cultured to the antral stage in media supplemented with follicle-stimulating hormone and insulin. Follicles were randomly assigned to treatment groups: (a) control, (b) trilostane (a steroid synthesis inhibitor), (c) trilostane + estradiol, (d) trilostane + progesterone, and (e) trilostane + dihydrotestosterone. Media was analyzed for IGF concentrations, which were correlated to follicle growth. Follicles produced IGF2, but not IGF1, at the antral stage. Steroid depletion decreased, whereas steroid replacement increased, IGF2 production by antral follicles. Media IGF2 levels correlated positively with antral follicle diameters. Macaque preantral follicles and granulosa cells were subsequently cultured without (control) and with recombinant human IGF2 supplementation. Follicle survival, growth, and paracrine factor production, as well as granulosa cell proliferation and gonadotropin receptor gene expression, were assessed. IGF2 addition increased follicle survival rates, diameters and inhibin B production, as well as granulosa cell proliferation. These data demonstrate that IGF2 produced by antral follicles, in response to steroid hormone regulation, could act as a paracrine factor that positively impacts preantral follicle development and function in primates.
Identifying the views of adolescents in five European countries on the drivers of obesity using group model building
Authors: Savona Natalie , Macauley Talia , Aguiar Anaely , Banik Anna , Boberska Monika , Brock Jessica , Brown Andrew , Hayward Joshua , Holbæk Helene , Rito Ana Isabel , Mendes Sofia , Vaaheim Fredrik , van Houten Marloes , Veltkamp Gerlieke , Allender Steven , Rutter Harry , Knai Cecile 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Background
To make effective progress towards a global reduction in obesity prevalence, there needs to be a focus on broader structural factors, beyond individual-level drivers of diet and physical activity. This article describes the use of a systems framework to develop obesity prevention policies with adolescents. The aim of this research was to use the group model building (GMB) method to identify young people’s perceptions of the drivers of adolescent obesity in five European countries, as part of the EU-funded Co-Create project.

Methods
We used GMB with four groups of 16–18-year-olds in schools in each of the five European countries (The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal and the UK) to create causal loop diagrams (CLDs) representing their perceptions of the drivers of adolescent obesity. The maps were then merged into one, using a new protocol.

Results
Two hundred and fifty-seven participants, aged 16–18 years, engaged in 20 separate system mapping groups, each of which generated 1 CLD. The findings were largely congruent between the countries. Three feedback loops in the merged diagram particularly stand out: commercial drivers of unhealthy diets; mental health and unhealthy diets; social media use, body image and motivation to exercise.

Conclusions
GMB provides a novel way of eliciting from young people the system-based drivers of obesity that are relevant to them. Mental health issues, social media use and commercial practices were considered by the young people to be key drivers of adolescent obesity, subjects that have thus far had little or no coverage in research and policy.
Service crops improve a degraded monoculture system by changing common bean rhizospheric soil microbiota and reducing soil-borne fungal diseases
Authors: Abán Carla L , Verdenelli Romina , Gil Silvina Vargas , Huidobro Dina Jorgelina , Meriles José M , Brandan Carolina Pérez 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACT
Intensive agricultural practices have resulted in progressive soil degradation, with consequences on soil ecosystem services. The inclusion of service crops is a promising alternative to support the sustainability of the agricultural system. The aim of this study was to analyze in a six-year field experiment the effect of Brachiaria brizantha (perennial tropical grass) and Zea mays as service crops in a degraded common bean monoculture system in northwest Argentina. After six years, service crop treatments revealed a significant increase in most physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil (enzyme activities, microbial biomass, respiration and glomalin-related soil protein), compared with common bean monoculture. Also, a lower disease incidence was observed under B. brizantha treatments, associated with increased populations of Trichoderma spp. and Gliocladium spp. The phospholipid fatty acid profiles detected higher values of total microbial biomass under service crops. Our results suggest that the inclusion of several cycles of B. brizantha constitutes a promising soil management for recovering degraded agroecosystems.
Social sperm freezing
Authors: Pennings Guido , Couture Vincent , Ombelet Willem 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIncreased paternal age has been associated with lower fertility and higher genetic risk for the offspring. One way to prevent these consequences is to freeze sperm at a young age. Social sperm freezing could be developed in a way similar to social oocyte freezing. The main difference between freezing oocytes and sperm is that social sperm freezing is much less focussed on fertility preservation and much more on avoiding increased genetic risk. Contrary to what some people seem to believe, sperm freezing is more complicated than it looks at first sight. This article considers three practical aspects: freezing, storage and testing. It is concluded that the remedy (cryopreservation) may itself cause damage to the quality of the spermatozoon and to its genetic integrity, thus undoing the possible benefits in terms of fertility and health of offspring.
Semirobust analysis of an H(div)-conforming DG method with semi-implicit time-marching for the evolutionary incompressible Navier–Stokes equations
Authors: Han Yongbin , Hou Yanren 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
In this paper, we present a fully discrete analysis of an H(div)-conforming DG method with semi-implicit time-marching for the evolutionary incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. We use a semi-implicit time-discrete scheme in which the convection velocity is treated explicitly for the convection term. A stability analysis and a priori error estimates are given, in which the constants are independent of the negative powers of the viscosity. For inf-sup stable H(div)-conforming finite element pairs $BDM_k/P_{k-1}$ and $RT_k/P_k$, the rate of convergence $k+1/2$ is proved for the $L^2$ error of the velocity in the case of $\nu \leq C h$, where $k$ is the degree of the polynomials in the velocity approximation. In particular, for the inf-sup stable finite element pair $RT_k/P_k$, the convergence rate of the pressure is also $k+1/2$ when $\nu \leq C h$. The numerical experiments verify the analytical results.
Political Humor, Sharing, and Remembering: Insights from Neuroimaging
Authors: Coronel Jason C , O’Donnell Matthew B , Pandey Prateekshit , Delli Carpini Michael X , Falk Emily B 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Over the last two decades, news-oriented comedy programs have risen to compete with traditional hard news media as sources of information about politics. To the extent that a politically knowledgeable electorate is necessary for a thriving democracy, understanding the mechanisms underlying the extent to which political comedy facilitates or inhibits a well-informed citizenry is critical. Across two studies, we use behavioral experiments and neuroimaging to examine the causal effects of humor on the desire to share and the capacity to remember political information. We find that humor increases the likelihood to share political information with others and enhances people’s memory for information. Humor also increases brain response in regions associated with understanding other people’s mental states (i.e., mentalizing), which advances a theoretical framework that humor may facilitate considerations of others’ views (e.g., how other people will respond to shared political information).
Haplotype analysis from unmanned aerial vehicle imagery of rice MAGIC population for the trait dissection of biomass and plant architecture
Authors: Ogawa Daisuke , Sakamoto Toshihiro , Tsunematsu Hiroshi , Kanno Noriko , Nonoue Yasunori , Yonemaru Jun-ichi 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are popular tools for high-throughput phenotyping of crops in the field. However, their use for evaluation of individual lines is limited in crop breeding because research on what the UAV image data represent is still developing. Here, we investigated the connection between shoot biomass of rice plants and the vegetation fraction (VF) estimated from high-resolution orthomosaic images taken by a UAV 10 m above a field during the vegetative stage. Haplotype-based genome-wide association studies of multi-parental advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) lines revealed four quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for VF. VF was correlated with shoot biomass, but the haplotype effect on VF was better correlated with that on shoot biomass at these QTLs. Further genetic characterization revealed the relationships between these QTLs and plant spreading habit, final shoot biomass and panicle weight. Thus, genetic analysis using high-throughput phenotyping data derived from low-altitude, high-resolution UAV images during early stages of rice growing in the field provides insights into plant growth, architecture, final biomass, and yield.