Fuels characterization studies

Current analytical techniques used in the characterization of broadened properties fuels are briefly described. Included are liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. High performance liquid chromatographic ground-type methods development is being approached from several directions, including aromatic fraction standards development and the elimination of standards through removal or partial removal of the alkene and aromatic fractions or through the use of whole fuel refractive index values. More sensitive methods for alkene determinations using an ultraviolet-visible detector are also being pursued. Some of the more successful gas chromatographic physical property determinations for petroleum derived fuels are the distillation curve (simulated distillation), heat of combustion, hydrogen content, API gravity, viscosity, flash point, and (to a lesser extent) freezing point

IMRT QA using machine learning: A multi-institutional validation.

PurposeTo validate a machine learning approach to Virtual intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) quality assurance (QA) for accurately predicting gamma passing rates using different measurement approaches at different institutions.MethodsA Virtual IMRT QA framework was previously developed using a machine learning algorithm based on 498 IMRT plans, in which QA measurements were performed using diode-array detectors and a 3%local/3 mm with 10% threshold at Institution 1. An independent set of 139 IMRT measurements from a different institution, Institution 2, with QA data based on portal dosimetry using the same gamma index, was used to test the mathematical framework. Only pixels with ≥10% of the maximum calibrated units (CU) or dose were included in the comparison. Plans were characterized by 90 different complexity metrics. A weighted poison regression with Lasso regularization was trained to predict passing rates using the complexity metrics as input.ResultsThe methodology predicted passing rates within 3% accuracy for all composite plans measured using diode-array detectors at Institution 1, and within 3.5% for 120 of 139 plans using portal dosimetry measurements performed on a per-beam basis at Institution 2. The remaining measurements (19) had large areas of low CU, where portal dosimetry has a larger disagreement with the calculated dose and as such, the failure was expected. These beams need further modeling in the treatment planning system to correct the under-response in low-dose regions. Important features selected by Lasso to predict gamma passing rates were as follows: complete irradiated area outline (CIAO), jaw position, fraction of MLC leafs with gaps smaller than 20 or 5 mm, fraction of area receiving less than 50% of the total CU, fraction of the area receiving dose from penumbra, weighted average irregularity factor, and duty cycle.ConclusionsWe have demonstrated that Virtual IMRT QA can predict passing rates using different measurement techniques and across multiple institutions. Prediction of QA passing rates can have profound implications on the current IMRT process

Cervical spine injuries from diving accident: A 10-year retrospective descriptive study on 64 patients

SummaryIntroductionNinety percent of the lesions resulting from diving injuries affect the cervical spine and are potentially associated with spinal cord injuries. The objective is to determine the most frequent lesion mechanisms. Evaluate the therapeutic alternatives and the biomechanical evolution (kyphotic deformation) of diving-induced cervical spine injuries. Define epidemiological characteristics of diving injuries.Materials and methodsA retrospective analysis over a period of 10years was undertaken for patients admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery of Montpellier, France, with cervical spinal injuries due to a diving accident. Patients were re-evaluated and clinical and radiological evaluation follow-ups were done.ResultsThis study included 64 patients. Cervical spine injuries resulting from diving predominantly affect young male subjects. They represent 9.5% of all the cervical spine injuries. In 22% of cases, patients presented severe neurological troubles (ASIA A, B, C) at the time of admission. A surgical treatment was done in 85% of cases, mostly using an anterior cervical approach.DiscussionThis is a retrospective study (type IV) with some limitations. The incidence of diving injuries in our region is one of the highest as compared to reports in the literature. Despite an increase of our surgical indications, 55% of these cases end up with a residual kyphotic deformation but there is no relationship between the severity of late vertebral deformity and high Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPDS) scores.Level of evidenceLevel IV, retrospective study

Intramolecular 2+2 Cycloadditions of Ketenes

The objective of this study was to explore intramolecular ketene cycloadditions with the anticipated results of developing new synthetic methodology for the synthesis of polycyclic compounds difficult to obtain by other procedures. (o-Alkenylphenoxy)ketenes were initially selected for this study because these ketenes provided a favorable proximity for the intramolecular [2+2] cycloaddition reactions. The difunctional precursors, (o-alkenylphenoxy)- acetic acids, were readily prepared from o-alkenylphenols and ∝-halocarboxylic acids and were converted to the corresponding acid chlorides by reaction with oxalyl chloride. The acid chlorides were dehydrochlorinated to the corresponding (o-alkenylphenoxy)ketenes by treatment with triethylamine. The ketenes undergo a facile intramolecular [2+2] cycloaddition to give polycyclic eye 1obutanones. The (o-vinylphenoxy)ketenes are clearly more reactive than the (o-allylphenoxy)ketenes and provide much better yields of the cycloaddition products because of electronic effects in the transition state in the cycloaddition process. The intramolecular [2+2] cycloadditions of keteniminium salts were included in this study as a more electrophilic alternative to ketenes that will react with less nucleophilic carbon-carbon double bonds. However, the use of keteniminium salts instead of ketenes in Intramolecular cycloadditions does have some limitations. The synthesis of benzofurans via the intramolecular [2+2] cycloadditions of (o-acylphenoxy)ketenes was accomplished. The initially formed ß-lactone cycloaddition products spontaneously underwent decarboxylation to the benzofurans. The aromaticity of the benzofurans is apparently a very strong driving force for the cycloaddition. During the course of this study, two new synthetic methods were discovered which in many instances represent a significant Improvement over existing methods. The Wittig Reactions of ketoacids without protecting the carboxyl groups provide a reliable source of the precursor unsaturated acids needed for intramolecular ketene-olefin cycloadditions. Also, the one-pot preparation of intramolecular ketene cycloaddition products from the carboxylic acid via the tosylate represents a new synthetic method. This procedure eliminates the acid halide preparation, isolation and purification step, thereby significantly simplifying the synthesis

Quantity Surveyors’ Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Mixed Method Approach

The COVID-19 outbreak began at the end of 2019, and has evolved to a pandemic threatening various industries’ sustainability. Decisive actions have been taken to tackle the pandemic’s spread, however, various impacts continue to be felt by many industries, including the construction industry. This paper therefore focuses on the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact on Quantity Surveyors’ (QS) construction projects and activities, as a key profession in the industry. A mixed method approach, questionnaire survey followed by expert interviews, was adopted. Subsequently, 199 valid responses for analysis were obtained from the questionnaire distribution, using descriptive statistics and Significance Index. Furthermore, qualitative data were acquired through semi-structured interviews with five experts, and analyzed using a structured thematic analysis. According to the results, 56.78% of respondents experienced project slowdowns, 13.57% experienced project suspensions or terminations, and 12.56% experienced cost overruns. Most respondents acknowledged the pandemic had present changes to projects (84.92%), in the form of changes in organization structure, work culture, technological application, and project objectives. Meanwhile, the Significance Index has successfully established an 11-factors ranking, regarding the pandemic’s impact on QS activities, with impact on the overall project completion as the most profound impact followed by impacts on project scheduling, supply chain, tendering, cost controlling, and claim management. This study’s qualitative and quantitative findings tend to be in accordance, thus, providing some fundamental insights regarding the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact on the construction industry, including direct impacts on project sustainability, technology adoption, and project resiliency issues. In addition, this study also contributes to scientific knowledge by discussing the issues and trends of work culture changes in QS professional activities

Graphic Presentation: An Empirical Examination of the Graphic Novel Approach to Communicate Business Concepts

Graphic novels have been increasingly incorporated into business communication forums. Despite potential benefits, little research has examined the merits of the graphic novel approach. In response, we engage in a two-study approach. Study 1 explores the potential of graphic novels to affect learning outcomes and finds that the graphic novel was related to high levels of learning experiences. Study 2 compares the impact of graphic novels with that of traditional textbooks and finds that verbatim recognition was superior with graphic novel texts. Overall, we provide the first comprehensive examination of the graphic novel as a tool for effective business communication.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Production and characterization of biopowders made from gel-forming polymers

To date, many bioactive compounds have been encapsulated within microparticles to achieve specific purpose such as stabilization, protection, isolation, controlled-release, taste-masking, improving aesthetic and handling qualities. However, much work is still needed particularly to determine the way to control the size and shape of microparticles produced using the air-atomization method. In addition, the effect of drying on the properties of dried biopowders has yet to be evaluated. These problems form the missing gap that will be addressed by this project. In this work, alginate was chosen as a model polymeric material to form the biopowders. The first part of this work was to determine the key physical properties of the polymer solution since they have significant influence on the characteristics (i.e. size) of the particles formed. The density of Na-alginate solution increased slightly as the alginate concentration increased whereas the solution apparent viscosity at zero shear rates exhibited a typical exponential increment. A new method, LCP coefficient method, to measure surface tension of viscous biopolymer solutions has been developed. The surface tension at low alginate concentration (5 -20 g/L) was about 68 -72mN/m and it showed a decreasing trend as the concentration increased. Air-assist external mixing atomization with low mair/rituqwas developed to produce wet particles of wide range of mean diameters, from 50 to 2300 µm. A semi-empirical size prediction model was developed to assist and enhanced the productivity of desired size by changing the physical properties of the operating conditions. Increased in Weber number produced smaller particles size, wider particles size distribution and more spherical particles. Finally, biopowders were formed by drying the wet particles. The results showed that drying temperature, intermittent mixing, sample thickness and wet particle size were among factors affecting the drying kinetics. Effective diffusivity value of wet alginate particles was ranged from 5.4 x 10·10 to 8.0 x 10·9 m2/s while the activation energy was ranged from 15 to 20 KJ/mol. The drying kinetic was modelled according to a logarithmic model. In addition, smaller wet particles (75 µm) were found to agglomerate during the oven-drying process whereas larger particles (1300 µm) did not agglomerate. Freeze­drying process did not cause agglomeration for both particle sizes. The type of drying method (oven-drying or freeze-drying) was found to have significant influence on the size, size distribution and physical appearance of the biopowders formed

Segmentations of through-the-wall radar images

In this paper, we examine the use of image segmentation approaches for target detection in TWRI. The betweenclass variance thresholding, entropy-based segmentation, and Kmeans clustering are applied to segment target and clutter regions. Real 2D polarimetric images are used to demonstrate that simple histogram-based segmentation methods produce either comparable or improved performance over the Likelihood Ratio Tests (LRT) detector. Specifically, the results show that, for the cases considered, the entropy-based segmentation outperforms the other image segmentation methods and the LRT detector

Wireless local area network in a prehospital environment

BACKGROUND: Wireless local area networks (WLANs) are considered the next generation of clinical data network. They open the possibility for capturing clinical data in a prehospital setting (e.g., a patient's home) using various devices, such as personal digital assistants, laptops, digital electrocardiogram (EKG) machines, and even cellular phones, and transmitting the captured data to a physician or hospital. The transmission rate is crucial to the applicability of the technology in the prehospital setting. METHODS: We created two separate WLANs to simulate a virtual local are network environment such as in a patient's home or an emergency room (ER). The effects of different methods of data transmission, number of clients, and roaming among different access points on the file transfer rate were determined. RESULTS: The present results suggest that it is feasible to transfer small files such as patient demographics and EKG data from the patient's home to the ER at a reasonable speed. Encryption, user control, and access control were implemented and results discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing a WLAN in a centrally managed and multiple-layer-controlled access control server is the key to ensuring its security and accessibility. Future studies should focus on product capacity, speed, compatibility, interoperability, and security management