Biological Remediation of Cyanide: a Review

Cyanide and its complexes are produced by industries all over the world as waste or effluents. Biodegradation is considered to be the cheapest and the most effective method to get rid of cyanide in the environment. Several studies on different types of microorganisms that can degrade cyanide in the environment have been carried out. Hydrolytic, oxidative, reductive, and substitutive/transfer reactions are some of the common pathways used by microorganisms in cyanide degradation. Biodegradation of cyanide can occur aerobically or an-aerobically depending on the environmental conditions. Immobilised enzymes or microorganisms prove to be very effective method of degradation. Microorganisms such as Klebsiella oxytoca, Corynebacterium nitrophilous, Brevibacterium nitrophilous, Bacillus spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Rhodococcus UKMP-5M have been reported to be very effective in biodegradation of cyanide

A novel composite web service selection based on quality of service

Using the internet, as a dynamic environment thanks to its distributed characteristic, for web service deployment has become a crucial issue in QoS-driven service composition. An accurate adaption should be undertaken to provide a reliable service composition which enables the composited services are being executed appropriately. That is, the critical aspect of service composition is the proper execution of combination of web services while the appropriate service adaption performed with respect to predetermined functional and non-functional characteristics. In this paper, we attempts to deliberate the optimization approaches to devise the appropriate scheme for QoS-based composite web service selection

Gas bubbles investigation in contaminated water using optical tomography based on independent component analysis method

This paper presents the results of concentration profiles for gas bubble flow in a vertical pipeline containing contaminated water using an optical tomography system. The concentration profiles for the bubble flow quantities are investigated under five different flows conditions, a single bubble, double bubbles, 25% of air opening, 50% of air opening, and 100% of air opening flow rates where a valve is used to control the gas flow in the vertical pipeline. The system is aided by the independent component analysis (ICA) algorithm to reconstruct the concentration profiles of the liquid-gas flow. The behaviour of the gas bubbles was investigated in contaminated water in which the water sample was prepared by adding 25 mL of colour ingredients to 3 liters of pure water. The result shows that the application of ICA has enabled the system to detect the presence of gas bubbles in contaminated water. This information provides vital information on the flow inside the pipe and hence could be very significant in increasing the efficiency of the process industries

Optimisation of processing variables of Kenaf derived cellulose reinforce polylactic acid

Optimisation of composite processing variables (temperature and time) was carried out by monitoring both the stabilisation zone (to ensure composite is well mix at sufficient duration) and the maximum mixing temperature (below 200 °C to avoid fibre degradation) by analysing mixing torque curves upon compounding 5 wt % KDC/PLA using Brabender internal mixer at 160-180 °C for 10, 20 and 30 min., respectively. The composites were pressed and cut into tensile test specimens prior to testing. The 5 wt % KDC/PLA composite demonstrated an optimum tensile strength at three combinations of variables, however the best condition was chosen at 170 °C for 30 min for preparation of composites at various KDC loading (0-60 wt %). The effect of KDC loading on the tensile strength and modulus of composites were investigated. The results demonstrated that increasing KDC loading from 0-60 wt % enhanced the tensile strength and the tensile modulus up to 34 and 107 %, respectively. The a-cellulose was initially derived from kenaf fibre (from bast) by removal of lignin and hemicellulose via chemical (chlorination and mercerization) processes. The absence of these components in the FTIR spectral peaks confirms their removal after been chemically treated

Solar Trap for Banana Drying Method

Food drying methods nowadays are mostly in high use of electricity and fuel which lead to high operational cost. This has resulted in a waste of energy and money due to the use of modern tools requires significant costs for implementation. Meanwhile, the traditional food drying process only uses sun rays in their process, where the process is far more efficient than the modern drying method. In this study, the test was conducted to determine the trapped solar heat energy requirements for the process of drying foods such as agricultural products, particularly bananas. The solar trap test by using solar trap container was carried out include determining the thermal energy requirement for drying, preparing equipment (solar trap container) to trap solar energy, handling and drying tests on samples of bananas. The percentage amount of water removal and energy required for the drying process was found to be 48% and 134 J. The results of this study can determine that solar trap drying method is easier, quicker and more effective than the usual method of drying because it use natural solar energy. Several proposals have been suggested for improvement for future study, such as controlling the solar trap air in the container, replacing the trap solar wall with a darker color, examining the floors slope so that more solar traps collected and installing a small hose on the base of the container so that the water evaporated in the solar trap may exit through the route

Kritik al-Quran oleh Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd melalui terapan hermeneutics humanistic

Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd dikenali sebagai seorang tokoh yang lantang mengkritik al-Quran pada abad ini. Beliau mempunyai metode yang tersendiri ketika mentafsir al-Quran iaitu mengaplikasi hermeneutik dengan menerapkan elemen humanistic. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis elemen humanistic yang dibawa oleh Abu Zayd dalam empat aspek iaitu definisi al-Quran, konsep bahawa wahyu, proses penurunan wahyu dan metode pentafsiran. Empat aspek tersebut dibandingkan secara berterusan dengan al-Quran dan al-Sunnah. Untuk mencapai validity data, artikel yang bersifat kualitatif ini menggunakan metode analisis kandungan yang terdiri daripada karyakarya Abu Zayd sebagai sumber pengumpulan data. Manakala analisis data menggunakan kaedah diskriptif dan perbandingan berterusan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan, elemen humanistic yang telah diterapkan kepada al-Quran telah mencetuskan implikasi terhadap al- Quran, konsep wahyu, tafsiran relatif dan liberalisasi hukum syariah

Permeance Based Algorithm For Computation Of Flux Linkage Characteristics Of Non-Linear 6/4 Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM)

The concept of permeance is used in the analysis of flux linkage of 6/4 SRM. The aim of this paper is to develop an efficient algorithm exploiting the nonlinear feature of the 6/4 SRM using the aforementioned concept of permeance. The first step is to generate the relevant equations related to permeances of the 6/4 SRM under study. The 6/4 SRM’s magnetization curve is then derived from the summation of mmf drops at various blocks representing the motor. The air gap permeances are derived at various angles and 3-D leakage effects are taken into account. These permeances are used for the mmf drop computation. The algorithm is capable of efficiently computing mmf drop at every block to consequently yield a complete accurate nonlinear flux linkage feature of the 6/4 switched reluctance motor. In this way, the capability of the SRM to produce the expected four times the specific output torque due to operation in high saturation region compared to an equivalent induction motor as special the attribute of the SRM is demonstrated

Influence of traffic vehicles against ground fundamental frequency prediction using ambient vibration technique

Ambient vibration (AV) technique is widely used nowadays for ground fundamental frequency prediction. This technique is easy, quick, non-destructive, less operator required and reliable result. The input motions of ambient vibration are originally collected from surrounding natural and artificial excitations. But, careful data acquisition controlled must be implemented to reduce the intrusion of short period noise that could imply the quality of frequency prediction of an investigated site. In this study, investigation on the primary noise intrusion under peak (morning, afternoon and evening) and off peak (early morning) traffic flows (only 8 meter from sensor to road shoulder) against the stability and quality of ground fundamental frequency prediction were carried out. None of specific standard is available for AV data acquisition and processing. Thus, some field and processing parameters recommended by previous studies and guideline were considered. Two units of 1 Hz tri-axial seismometer sensor were closely positioned in front of the main entrance Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. 15 minutes of recording length were taken during peak and off peak periods of traffic flows. All passing vehicles were counted and grouped into four classes. Three components of ambient vibration time series recorded in the North-South: NS, East-West: EW and vertical: UD directions were automatically computed into Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR), by using open source software of GEOPSY for fundamental ground frequency, Fo determination. Single sharp peak pattern of HVSR curves have been obtained at peak frequencies between 1.33 to 1.38 Hz which classified under soft to dense soil classification. Even identical HVSR curves pattern with close frequencies prediction were obtained under both periods of AV measurement, however the total numbers of stable and quality windows selected for HVSR computation were significantly different but both have satisfied the requirement given by SESAME (2004) guideline. Besides, the second peak frequencies from the early morning HVSR curve was clearly indicated between 8.23 to 8.55 Hz at very low amplitude (Ao < 2), but it should be neglected according to the similar guideline criteria. In conclusion, the ground fundamental frequency using HVSR method was successfully determined by 1 Hz seismometer instrument with recommended to specific parameters consideration on field as well as data processing, without disruption from the nearest traffic excitations

Implementing an efficient expert system for services center management by fuzzy logic controller

Expert System (ES) is considered to be the prominent reasoning practices which are commonly employed towards various application domains. Considering expert systems, human understanding regarding specific proficiency in accomplishing specific tasks could be signified as facts and rules towards their knowledge base, which finds and employs the data delivered by means of a manipulator. Reasoning procedure has been further employed towards the specified expertise by means of heuristic methods for formulating the elucidation. Mechanisms which employ knowledge based approaches are considered to be more candid when compared to other conservative approaches. Knowledge could be signified clearly towards knowledge base, thereby capable in alteration with comparative easiness, which commonly employs the concept of rules. Inference engines employ knowledge base subjects for solving specific problems based on user responses by means of interface (for instance, specify the situations needed for car assessment). This inference unit deeds with knowledge for applying this knowledge for specific problems. There are numerous approaches for control systems that are applied in all the major areas in industry. In all these approaches for controlling the systems, fuzzy has been deemed to be the best methodology, mainly because of its increased speed and cost-efficiency. For machine regulation, fuzzy logic is found to be vividly employed. This paper mainly focuses in designing the simulation model for fuzzy logic regulator in advising the supervisor of service center in maintaining definite delay in service towards acceptable limit

Developmental neurotoxic effects of chronic endosulfan exposure in the zebrafish larvae

Endosulfan was listed as a member of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) and the usage was banned, yet this pesticide is still widely used in many developing countries. The usage of this pesticide can reach aquatic system through runoff from agricultural areas. Due to their persistent characteristic in the environment, human population are posed to continuous exposure to endosulfan. Consequently, endosulfan was found in the cord blood and breast milk of pregnant women, thus may induced adverse effects to the developing nervous system. In this study, we focused to determine the developmental neurotoxicity effects of chronic embryonic exposure to endosulfan in the zebrafish larvae. The zebrafish embryos were exposed to several concentrations of endosulfan in a semi static condition, where half of the medium was renewed for every 24 h from 5 hours post fertilization (hpf) until hatching. We measured spontaneous tail coiling at 24 hpf; heart rate at 48 hpf and mortality rate at 72 hpf. We found that, endosulfan decreased the spontaneous tail coiling, heart rate and increased the total percentage of mortality as the concentration increased. At 6 days post fertilization (dpf), we measured the swimming activity of individual larva and found that endosulfan significantly decreased the swimming activity behaviour at 40nM-200nM. The zebrafish larvae exposed to endosulfan higher than 200nM were unable to survive until 6 dpf. We further evaluated anxiety behaviour in the group of 5 larvae at 6 dpf exposed to 200nM endosulfan, with and without visual stimuli. Caffeine (100mg/L) was used as an anxiogenic drug. Caffeine increased the anxiety behaviour while endosulfan decreased the anxiety behaviour in the zebrafish larvae. Our result showed that zebrafish embryos can be an alternative research model to study the developmental neurotoxicity testing at high-throughput screenings