Oedometric study of dredged marine soils admixed with sand for settlement reduction

Dredged marine soils (DMS) can be reused as fill materials for land reclamation project other than dump back to the open sea. However, in Malaysia, dredged marine soils were considered as a geowaste because of it has poor engineering properties. In the present study, dredged marine soils were excavated from the dredging works near the jetty of Kuala Perlis, Malaysia. To investigate the settlement reduction of DMS, a sand-mixed was used in this study and these results were compared with natural DMS (without sand). Oedometer test were conducted to calculate the consolidation properties of DMS and k-value can be obtained from the test. The test results showed that the dissipation of water from soils occurs faster in the sand-mixed compare to the control sample (without sand) due to the drainage path that have been reduced (two-way drainage)

Shear resistance improvement of oil-contaminated ballast layer with rubber shred inclusions

Railway ballast, which form an integral part of rail tracks, is highly susceptible to subsistence due to both vibration transmitted by the passing trains, as well as the breakage of ballasts with repeated impact. The resulting subsistence necessitates regular monitoring and maintenance, involving cost- and time- consuming remedial actions, such as stone-blowing and ballast renewal. Measures to minimize the wear and tear effect are therefore desirable to prolong the lifespan of the ballast layer. It is even more critical when the ballast is contaminated with oil and grease from braking wheels and leakages. This paper describes the inclusion of rubber shreds (≤10 mm in length, 1.5 mm thick) derived from the inner tubes of motorcycle tyres in oil-contaminated ballast layer for shear resistance improvement. The tests are mainly carried out in a standard direct shear test setup, i.e. shear box measuring 60 mm x 60 mm. Granitic stones of suitable sizes were sieved and used as representative samples of typical ballast. The samples were soaked in lubricant oil for 14 days to simulate the contamination. The direct shear test results indicated rubber shreds inclusion could effectively improve the shear resistance of ballast and expedient in deformation control with increased ductility of the composites. This could potentially improve absorption of impact, hence reduction of breakages of the ballasts. Clearly both mechanisms contribute to the overall reduced subsistence, accompanied by an increase in the shear resistance. However, further investigations in a dynamic test setup are necessary for verifications prior to field implementation

Oedometric study of dredged marine soils admixed with sand for settlement reduction

Dredged marine soils (DMS) can be reused as fill materials for land reclamation project other than dump back to the open sea. However, in Malaysia, dredged marine soils were considered as a geowaste because of it has poor engineering properties. In the present study, dredged marine soils were excavated from the dredging works near the jetty of Kuala Perlis, Malaysia. To investigate the settlement reduction of DMS, a sand-mixed was used in this study and these results were compared with natural DMS (without sand). Oedometer test were conducted to calculate the consolidation properties of DMS and k-value can be obtained from the test. The test results showed that the dissipation of water from soils occurs faster in the sand-mixed compare to the control sample (without sand) due to the drainage path that have been reduced (two-way drainage)

Effect of slip and thermal gradient on micropolar nano suspension flow across a moving hydrogen fuel-cell membrane.

The present article examines the micropolar fluid flow with nanofluid suspension across porous stretching/shrinking surfaces with added heat transfer through heat source/sink and radiation. The situation arises in the electrolytic fluid flow across fuel-cell membranes in advanced batteries or fuel cells. To understand the flows and the efficacy of the fuel cell, we study the fluid dynamics of the flow across such shrinking/stretching membranes by converting the non-dimensional governing partial differential equations to ordinary differential equations by using suitable similarity transforms. The energy equation is then analytically solved using hypergeometric series. It is noted that there is a lack of study on nanofluids in the circumstances of micropolar and radiation with porous media. The novelty of the present problem is to examine the influence of micropolar nanofluid flow with heat transfer over permeable surfaces. Analyses show that increasing the rate of shrinking/stretching boundary and increasing the Darcy number decreases the velocity of the fluid while increasing the Eringen number decreases the skin friction decreases dramatically, and increasing the thermal radiation and heat source/sink parameters enhances the thermal boundary layer. Other variations of parameters are also studied and explained graphically. The current work has many useful implications in efficient fuel-cell developments, developing nanofluid has significantly improved the heat transmission process for manufacturing with applications in engineering, biological, and physical sciences

Formulation and Evaluation of Sorafenib Tosylate Immediate Release Tablets

The present work is to develop a solid oral dosage form of Sorafenib tosylate and it‟s comparision with innovator drug (Nexavar). The formulation of tablets were done to match the in-vitro drug release with respect to the reference drug and carry out the stability studies as per the ICH guidelines. Sorafenib tosylate posses Longer half life and hence it was a good candidate for Immediate release drug delivery system. The identification of drug was carried out by HPLC and melting point. The physicochemical parameters such as appearance, solubility study were performed by suitable methods. The analytical profile of drug was evaluated for development of standard curve and percentage purity of drug. Compatibility of drug and ingredients was done by performing HPLC and DSC study. It was concluded that there was no interaction between the drug and disintegrants as the Impurities present in the drug were found unaltered in the HPLC chromatogram and peaks in the DSC thermogram of drug disintegrant physical mixture. The powder blend was prepared by blending the various ingredients in mortar and pestle for 20 min and evaluated for bulk density, tapped density, carr‟s index, hausner‟s ratio and angle of repose the immediate release tablets of Sorafenib tosylate was feasible and may be manufactured with reproducible characteristics with the aid of Croscarmellose sodium as super disintegrants. From the above all trials we conclude that formulation-5 obeys all the results within the Standard limits as that of innovator product. However it needs further in depth animal studies on suitable animal models with statistical clinical data for a dependable and successful pharmaceutical marketing formulation

Regulation of Sli15/INCENP, kinetochore, and Cdc14 phosphatase functions by the ribosome biogenesis protein Utp7

The Sli15–Ipl1–Bir1 chromosomal passenger complex is essential for proper kinetochore–microtubule attachment and spindle stability in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. During early anaphase, release of the Cdc14 protein phosphatase from the nucleolus leads to the dephosphorylation of Sli15 and redistribution of this complex from kinetochores to the spindle. We show here that the predominantly nucleolar ribosome biogenesis protein Utp7 is also present at kinetochores and is required for normal organization of kinetochore proteins and proper chromosome segregation. Utp7 associates with and regulates the localization of Sli15 and Cdc14. Before anaphase onset, it prevents the premature nucleolar release of Cdc14 and the premature concentration of Sli15 on the spindle. Furthermore, Utp7 can regulate the localization and phosphorylation status of Sli15 independent of its effect on Cdc14 function. Thus, Utp7 is a multifunctional protein that plays essential roles in the vital cellular processes of ribosome biogenesis, chromosome segregation, and cell cycle control

A refined baseline methodology for large scale lighting retrofit projects

Abstract: The residential sector is one of the major consumers of energy produced in the world. According to International Energy Balances (IEA, 2013), the residential sector demand represents about a quarter of the primary energy used in the world. Therefore, most energy efficiency programmes targeting large savings on a national or regional level pay particular attention to the opportunities in the residential sector. Lighting retrofitting on a large number of sites constitutes one of the most used strategies of energy conservation in the residential sector. However, given the large number of sites involved in this type of project, conventional measurement and verification (M&V) techniques based on the audit of each site, are not cost effective. Often, a statistical assessment approach based on the audit of a limited number of sites is the methodology used to mitigate the cost and the logistical challenges associated with the project. The major challenge in projects of this nature is to accurately estimate the energy consumption of a large number of sites using the measurement performed on a sample of sites selected from the overall population. In this research, baseline methodologies used in a selected number of light retrofitting projects have been analysed and, based on the observations made during this analysis, some improvements are suggested. The proposed methodology has been tested on a number of residences located on the premises of the University of Johannesburg. This paper describes the existing baseline methodologies and presents the improvements suggested to enhance the credibility of M&V results. The key results of the experimental phase of this project are also presented in this paper