FDM preparation of bio-compatible UHMWPE polymer for artificial implant

Due to its properties of high wear, creep resistance, high stiffness and strength, Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) was developed to eliminate most metallic wear in artificial implant, which conventionally found in stainless steel, Cobalt Chromium (Co-Cr) and Titanium (Ti) alloys. UHMWPE has an ultra-high viscosity that renders continuous melt-state processes including one of the additive manufacturing processes, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) ineffective for making UHMWPE implant. Attempt to overcome this problem and adapting this material to FDM is by blending UHMWPE with other polyethylene including High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polyethylene-Glycol (PEG) which provide adequate mechanical properties for biomedical application along with the improvement in extrudability. It was demonstrated that the inclusion of 60% HDPE fraction has improved the flowability of UHMWPE in MFI test and showing adequate thermal stability in TGA

Tracking human movement in office environment using video processing

In this paper, we proposed an approach of multi-person movement tracking in office environment without any identity conflicts. Simple image processing with frame differentiation method is applied to identify multiple human motion. An Expert System is applied to predict next camera occurrence of the tracking human. The main objective of this work is to detect and track multi-human motion using single camera in more than a room in an office

Normal soaking extraction (NSE) of rotenone from Derris elliptica

Derris elliptica or the tuba plant contains rotenone, bio-active compound known that has the potential to be used as bio-pesticide. Bio-pesticide is the best-known alternative bio-pesticide which has the potential to replace the use of conventional pesticides, as it is more environmentally friendly. The main objective of the paper is to obtain the best extraction solvent for optimizing the yield in rotenone extraction. Rotenone was extracted from Derris root using three different parts of roots and three types of solvent in Normal Soaking Extraction (NSE). The types of Derris roots are: (1) Fine root (2) Coarse root (3) Stem. The three types of solvent system are: (1) Acetone 95 % (v/v), (2) Chloroform 99.9 % (v/v) and (3) a mixture of ethanol: H2O (9:1) added with oxalic acid (1mg/ml). The liquid crude extracts were further cleaned up to remove the fine debris of roots. The presence of rotenone was confirmed using qualitative analysis Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and thereupon the determination of rotenone content was carried out using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). From the results obtained, it was found that the Normal Soaking Extraction (NSE) using acetone 95 % (v/v) was the best method to extract the highest yield of rotenone; 1.14 % (w/w)

The thermoluminescence response of doped SiO2 optical fibres subjected to fast neutrons

This paper describes a preliminary study of the thermoluminescence (TL) response of doped SiO2 optical fibres subjected to 241AmBe neutron irradiation. The TL materials, which comprise Al- and Ge-doped silica fibres, were exposed in close contact with the 241AmBe source to obtain fast neutron interactions through use of measurements obtained with and without a Cd filter (the filter being made to entirely enclose the fibres). The neutron irradiations were performed for exposure times of 1-, 2-, 3-, 5- and 7-days in a neutron tank filled with water. In this study, use was also made of the Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNPTM) code version 5 (V5) to simulate the neutron irradiations experiment. It was found that the commercially available Ge-doped and Al-doped optical fibres show a linear dose response subjected to fast neutrons from 241AmBe source up to seven days of irradiations. The simulation performed using MCNP5 also exhibits a similar pattern, albeit differing in sensitivity. The TL response of Ge-doped fibre is markedly greater than that of the Al-doped fibre, the total absorption cross section for Ge in both the fast and thermal neutrons region being some ten times greater than that of Al

Rapid Alcoholysis of Jatropha Curcas Oil for Biodiesel Production Using Ultrasound Irradiation

The biodiesel synthesis through alcoholysis process of triglyceride from Jatropha curcas using different type of alcohol, such as: methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and tert-butanol, was conducted in the presence of potassium hydroxide (KOH) as catalyst under 35 kHz frequency ultrasound irradiation. The optimum conditions, such as: alcohol to jatropha oil molar ratio, concentration of catalyst, reaction temperature, and reaction time, were found  to be 7:1 of alcohol to jatropha oil molar ratio, 0.5 % of KOH, temperature of reaction at 35 0C, within the reaction times of 15 minutes. The results obtained for the different types of alcohol were 62.77 %, 57.93 %, 51.64 %, and 46.77 % for methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and tert-butanol, respectively. Copyright © 2017 BCREC Group. All rights reservedReceived: 11st November 2016; Revised: 8th March 2017; Accepted: 9th March 2017; Available online: 27th October 2017; Published regularly: December 2017How to Cite: Irwan, M., Saidi, H., Rachman, M.A., Ramli, R., Marlinda, M. (2017). Rapid Alcoholysis of Jatropha Curcas Oil for Biodiesel Production Using Ultrasound Irradiation. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 12 (3): 306-311 (doi:10.9767/bcrec.12.3.801.306-311)

To Get or Not to Get the Kaust Library E-Resources Acquisition Experience

In the challenging times of budget cuts and reviews, libraries are faced with issues such as justifying acquisition, negotiating deals and reviewing current subscriptions (pertaining to electronic resources) among others. With the rapid growth of electronic resources, libraries have to continuously assess their acquisition models and policies to constantly ensure that they are balancing their budget and users’ needs as well. This paper highlights the role played by Technical and Digital Services (TADS) section of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) library (Saudi Arabia) in acquiring the electronic resources (electronic books, electronic journals, databases, image and reference) for the community. It will describe the processes during the early days when KAUST library was inaugurated; how electronic resources were acquired and what went through during those days. The paper will elaborate further how the acquisition model has evolved and the various important roles played by the library staff in ensuring that acquisitions/subscriptions are justified, within the budget and provides ROI for the library. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is a graduate research university which opened in September 2009 with its first cohort of 800 graduate students (25% female) taught by 100 faculties. The focus of study and research in the university are: Mathematics and Computer Science, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences. The university library started with 10 staff. The library has a “state-of-the-art learning and information resource center supporting graduate education and advanced scientific research” (KAUST, 2010)