Oil palm leaf fibre and its suitability for paper-based products

Due to the shortage of wood as origin materials for paper-based production, agro-residue materials have been explored in the quest of finding the best alternative fibre. Oil palm leaf (OPL) is one of agro-residue that has potential due to its comparable characteristics with wood fibre. Studies on chemical compositions, fibre morphology, and mechanical property of OPL have been carried out aiming to evaluate its potential as a substitute raw material for pulp and paper-based production. The chemical compositions were analysed according to the TAPPI standard, Kurscher-Hoffner and chlorite methods accordingly. The mechanical property (tensile, tearing and bursting strengths) were determined as described in TAPPI test methods. Fibre dimensions were determined using Franklin method and analysed under the optical microscope. The content of cellulose in the OPL is determined to be 43.8%. Although, this result is lower than wood fibre (53%), OPL has higher hemicellulose content (36.4%) than the wood fibre (27.5%). In addition, the lignin content (19.7%) of OPL is in the low range of those in wood resources (18 - 25%). These parameters are important components to produce good quality pulp and will provide high mechanical strength of the paper-based products. The measured fibre length of oil palm leaf (1.13 mm) is shorter than the wood fibre (1.90 mm). Meanwhile, the mechanical property of OPL showed lower indexes than wood resources, however, tear (1.80 mN.m2/g) and burst (0.95 kPa.m2/g) indexes of OPL are higher than other published and successful wood resources (Eucalyptus). Based on the analyses, the oil palm leaf is indeed a suitable alternative of raw material for pulp and paper-based industries

A Bestiary of Higher Dimensional Taub-NUT-AdS Spacetimes

We present a menagerie of solutions to the vacuum Einstein equations in six, eight and ten dimensions. These solutions describe spacetimes which are either locally asymptotically adS or locally asymptotically flat, and which have non-trivial topology. We discuss the global structure of these solutions, and their relevance within the context of M-theory.Comment: 11 pages, LaTex(v4: Comments and references added

Exact αs\alpha _s Calculation of b→s+γb\rightarrow s + \gamma , \ b→s+gb\rightarrow s + g

We present an exact $\alpha_s$ calculation of the Wilson coefficients associated with the dipole moment operators. We also give an estimate of the branching ratio for $b\rightarrow s \gamma$. We find that higher dimensional effects are under control within $9\%$ for $BR(b\rightarrow s \gamma)=(4.3\pm 0.37 )\times 10^{-4}$.Comment: 12 pages (plain TeX), 2 postscript figures available upon request. UM-TH-93-20 , IP-ASTP-29-9

The recent advances in the nanotechnology and its applications in food processing : a review.

The objectives of this paper was to discuss the latest development of nanotechnology, especially in food industries, to give clearer picture about the effect of nanotechnology in food industries and to highlight the latest applications of nanotechnology in food processing industry. However, the risk issues involving the use of nanotechnology in food were also explored. The outcome of this research revealed that the nanotechnology could be useful for controlling and manipulating the matter at the nanoscale level during processing. On the other hand, nanotechnology could also help the consumers to modify the food depending on their own nutritional needs and tastes. However, from health viewpoint, the potential risks of nanoscale materials and the possibility of the accumulation and translocation of nanoparticles in the body should be avoided

Higher Dimensional Taub-NUTs and Taub-Bolts in Einstein-Maxwell Gravity

We present a class of higher dimensional solutions to Einstein-Maxwell equations in d-dimensions. These solutions are asymptotically locally flat, de-Sitter, or anti-de Sitter space-times. The solutions we obtained depend on two extra parameters other than the mass and the nut charge. These two parameters are the electric charge, q and the electric potential at infinity, V, which has a non-trivial contribution. We Analyze the conditions one can impose to obtain Taub-Nut or Taub-Bolt space-times, including the four-dimensional case. We found that in the nut case these conditions coincide with that coming from the regularity of the one-form potential at the horizon. Furthermore, the mass parameter for the higher dimensional solutions depends on the nut charge and the electric charge or the potential at infinity.Comment: 11 pages, LaTe

Calculation of αˉQ.E.D.\bar{\alpha}_{\rm Q.E.D.} on the Z

We perform a new, detailed calculation of the hadronic contributions to the running electromagnetic coupling, $\bar{\alpha}$, defined on the Z particle (91 GeV). We find for the hadronic contribution, including radiative corrections, 10^5\times \deltav_{\rm had.}\alpha(M_Z^2)= 2740\pm12, or, excluding the top quark contribution, 10^5\times \deltav_{\rm had.}\alpha^{(5)}(M_Z^2)= 2747\pm12. Adding the pure QED corrections we get a value for the running electromagnetic coupling of $$\bar{\alpha}_{\rm Q.E.D.}(M_Z^2)= {{1}\over{128.965\pm0.017}}.$$Comment: Version to appear in Phys. Rev. D. Plain TeX fil

Gauge Theories with Time Dependent Couplings and their Cosmological Duals

We consider the N=4 SYM theory in flat 3+1 dimensional spacetime with a time dependent coupling constant which vanishes at $t=0$, like $g_{YM}^2=t^p$. In an analogous quantum mechanics toy model we find that the response is singular. The energy diverges at $t=0$, for a generic state. In addition, if $p>1$ the phase of the wave function has a wildly oscillating behavior, which does not allow it to be continued past $t=0$. A similar effect would make the gauge theory singular as well, though nontrivial effects of renormalization could tame this singularity and allow a smooth continuation beyond $t=0$. The gravity dual in some cases is known to be a time dependent cosmology which exhibits a space-like singularity at $t=0$. Our results, if applicable in the gauge theory for the case of the vanishing coupling, imply that the singularity is a genuine sickness and does not admit a meaningful continuation. When the coupling remains non-zero and becomes small at $t=0$, the curvature in the bulk becomes of order the string scale. The gauge theory now admits a time evolution beyond this point. In this case, a finite amount of energy is produced which possibly thermalizes and leads to a black hole in the bulk.Comment: 45 pages, 1 figure; v2. minor modifications; v3: PRD version, conclusions in the field theory case significantly revised to include possible renormalization effects, quantum mechanics toy model unchanged, abstract and introduction revised, additional subsection 4.1 adde

Determination of the HQET Parameters from the B→XsγB \to X_s\gamma Decay

We combine the resummations for radiative corrections and for the heavy quark expansion to study the inclusive radiative decay $B \to X_s\gamma$. The infrared renormalon ambiguity is also taken into account. Including both theoretical and experimental uncertainties, we determine the allowed domain for the HQET parameters ${\bar \Lambda}$ and $\lambda_1$ centered at ${\bar \Lambda}=0.65$ GeV and $\lambda_1=-0.71$ GeV$^2$.Comment: IR renormalon ambiguity is include

Virtual O(\a_s) corrections to the inclusive decay b→sγb \to s \gamma

We present in detail the calculation of the O(\a_s) virtual corrections to the matrix element for b \to s \g. Besides the one-loop virtual corrections of the electromagnetic and color dipole operators $O_7$ and $O_8$, we include the important two-loop contribution of the four-Fermi operator $O_2$. By applying the Mellin-Barnes representation to certain internal propagators, the result of the two-loop diagrams is obtained analytically as an expansion in $m_c/m_b$. These results are then combined with existing O(\a_s) Bremsstrahlung corrections in order to obtain the inclusive rate for B \to X_s \g. The new contributions drastically reduce the large renormalization scale dependence of the leading logarithmic result. Thus a very precise Standard Model prediction for this inclusive process will become possible once also the corrections to the Wilson coefficients are available.Comment: 29 pages, uses epsfig.sty, 12 postscript figures include