Planning and optimising petroleum supply chain

The purpose of this paper is to develop and implement an integrated framework for planning and optimising petroleum supply chain (SC). The framework consists of two stages; first-stage is to address mathematically the strategic planning and the optimisation of the extracted oil which is needed within the petroleum supply chain. While the second stage focuses on the operational planning of the refinery area using a combined discrete and continues simulation modelling techniques. The simulation model considered the following factors: Input Rate, Oil Quality, Distillation Capacity and Number of Failed Separators which are analysed against the performance measures: Total Products and Equipment Utilisation. The results obtained from the experiment are analysed statistically using SPSS Program

The Schrodinger equation with Hulthen potential plus ring-shaped potential

We present the solutions of the Schr$\ddot{o}$dinger equation with the Hulth$\acute{e}$n potential plus ring-shape potential for $\ell\neq 0$ states within the framework of an exponential approximation of the centrifugal potential.Solutions to the corresponding angular and radial equations are obtained in terms of special functions using the conventional Nikiforov-Uvarov method. The normalization constant for the Hulth$\acute{e}$n potential is also computed.Comment: Typed with LateX,12 Pages, Typos correcte

Investigation of the effect of PD-L1 blockade on triple negative breast cancer cells using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Interactions between programmed death-1 (PD-1) with its ligand PD-L1 on tumor cells can antagonize T cell responses. Inhibiting these interactions using immune checkpoint inhibitors has shown promise in cancer immunotherapy. MDA-MB-231 is a triple negative breast cancer cell line that expresses PD-L1. In this study, we investigated the biochemical changes in MDA-MB-231 cells following treatment with atezolizumab, a specific PD-L1 blocker. Our readouts were Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and flow cytometric analyses. Chemometrical analysis, such as principal component analysis (PCA), was applied to delineate the spectral differences. We were able to identify the chemical alterations in both protein and lipid structure of the treated cells. We found that there was a shift from random coil and ?-helical structure to ?-sheet conformation of PD-L1 on tumor cells due to atezolizumab treatment, which could hinder binding with its receptors on immune cells, ensuring sustained T cell activation for potent immune responses. This work provides novel information about the effects of atezolizumab at molecular and cellular levels. FTIR bio-spectroscopy, in combination with chemometric analyses, may expedite research and offer new approaches for cancer immunology. - 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Diabetes Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), P.O. Box 34110 Doha, Qatar Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), P.O. Box 34110 Doha, Qatar Department of Chemistry and Earth Sciences, Qatar University (QU), P.O. Box 2713 Doha, Qatar Qatar Computing Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), P.O. Box 34110 Doha, Qatar Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), P.O. Box 34110 Doha, Qatar Correspondence: [email protected] (M.H.M.A.); [email protected] (E.E.

Approximate relativistic bound state solutions of the Tietz-Hua rotating oscillator for any -state

Approximate analytic solutions of the Dirac equation with Tietz-Hua (TH) potential are obtained for arbitrary spin-orbit quantum number using the Pekeris approximation scheme to deal with the spin-orbit coupling terms In the presence of exact spin and pseudo-spin (pspin) symmetric limitation, the bound state energy eigenvalues and associated two-component wave functions of the Dirac particle moving in the field of attractive and repulsive TH potential are obtained using the parametric generalization of the Nikiforov-Uvarov (NU) method. The cases of the Morse potential, the generalized Morse potential and non-relativistic limits are studied.Comment: 19 pages; 7 figures; Few-Body Systems (2012) (at press

Comparison of the spine kinematics by defining lumbar as single and multi-segmental in completing critical daily task

The change of the spinal curvature in completing a variety of daily tasks is essential to independent living. There is still a lack of studies highlighting the lumbar segmental contribution during sit-to-stand (STS) and stand-to-flexion (STF) usingnon-invasive study. The purpose of this study is to compare the spine kinematics by defining lumbar as a single and multi-segmental during continuous daily motion in healthy Asian adults using a non-invasive approach. During STS, most subjects implementedkyphotic lumbar curve during the early stage of motion which revealed poor posture implementation and significant differences in the lumbar kinematics which were only noticeable at specific phases between both approaches. A significant difference in multi-segmental behaviour was observed only at the end of the motion. All three segments displayed different time responses during the transition from kyphotic to lordotic curve. Passive/delayed behavior within the lower lumbar segment was observed between 0-50% of motion completion. During STF, statistically significant differences were found between assuming lumbar as a single and multi-segment in all phases. This in vitro study identified characteristic motion patterns in the lumbar spine during daily motions. The results provided a clear description of the healthy spinal condition of adults and may serve to identify specific multi-segmental contribution

β-thalassemia Intermedia In A Brazilian Patient With - 101 (c > T) And Codon 39 (c > T) Mutations

Context: We verified molecular alterations in a 72-year-old Brazilian male patient with a clinical course of homozygous β-thalassemia intermedia, who had undergone splenectomy and was surviving without regular blood transfusions. The blood cell count revealed microcytic and hypochromic anemia (hemoglobin = 6.5 g/dl, mean cell volume = 74 ft, mean cell hemoglobin = 24 pg) and hemoglobin electrophoresis showed fetal hemoglobin = 1.3%, hemoglobin A 2 = 6.78% and hemoglobin A = 79.4%. Objective: To identify mutations in a patient with the symptoms of β-thalassemia intermedia. Design: Molecular inquiry into the mutations possibly responsible for the clinical picture described. Setting: The structural molecular biology and genetic engineering center of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil. Procedures: DNA extraction was performed on the patient's blood samples. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done using five specific primers that amplified exons and the promoter region of the β globin gene. The samples were sequenced and then analyzed via computer programs. Results: Two mutations that cause the disease were found: -101 (C > T) and codon 39 (C > T). Conclusions: This cases represents the first description of -101 (C > T) mutation in a Brazilian population and it is associated with a benign clinical course.12112830Baysal, E., Carver, M.F.H., The beta and delta-thalassemia repository (1995) Hemoglobin., 19 (3-4), pp. 213-236Zago, M.A., Costa, F., Bottura, C., Beta-thalassemia in Brazil (1981) Braz. J. Med. Biol. Res., 14 (6), pp. 383-388Ewing, B., Green, P., Base-calling of automated sequencer traces using Phred. II Error probabilities (1998) Genome Res., 8 (3), pp. 186-194Green, P., (2002), http://bozeman.genome.washington.edu/phrap.docs/phrap.html, The Phred/Phrap/Consed System Home Page. Phrap Assembler. Available at URL September 30Gordon, D., Abajian, C., Green, P., Consed: A graphical tool for sequence finishing (1998) Genome Res., 8 (3), pp. 195-20

A new eco-friendly initiative for last food mile delivery in urban areas

The last food mile delivery involves the final step of delivering food products to the end customers. By developing e-commerce channels, home delivery is considered the final mile of food delivery. However, although home food delivery has received much welcome from consumers, it is still one of the costliest and most polluting segments in the food supply chain, and its optimisation is highly felt. Thus, this paper proposes a new initiative to reduce the environmental impacts of home food deliveries from retailers in urban areas. Last food mile models for both the conventional approach in which each retailer has its own dark store and for a proposed approach in which all retailers have only one common dark store for home food delivery are developed. A Vehicle Route Problem with Time Window (VRPTW) and heterogeneous fleet are developed to minimise both CO2 emission and transportation cost simultaneously and implemented using a simulated annealing algorithm that is programmed in MATLAB software. The obtained results revealed that the proposed initiative's application can significantly impact the reduction of both CO2 emission and transportation costs

Improving Design of Piezoelectric Braille Cell for Braille Display Devices

The braille system is one of the most recognizable language systems for those with visual disabilities. With the advance of technology, the use of braille system is not only limited to physical books with raised dots, but it is also has been implemented in mechanical devices. This allows digital information to also be displayed to be read by the visually impaired, using the devices called braille displays. However, one of the key components in braille displays are braille cells, which shows the desired braille characters. This technology is yet to be available in many countries especially in Malaysia, whereas the purchase of one set of the braille cells is often very expensive. More ever, the commercial braille cell has a cap breaking loose issue where it is easily being detached, disassembled and broken. Thus, this research aims to improve and resolve this issue by designing and fabricating a braille cell that consists of lock mechanisms. The result shows that by having this lock mechanics, it can resolve the cap breaking loose issues that happened in a commercial braille cell. On the other hand, this study also aims to evaluate the quality and feasibility of using 3D printing technology in fabricating braille cells to mimic the commercial ones. This can be done by analyzing the performance in term of dots stroke between the fabricated and commercial braille cell. The result shows that fabricated braille cell obtains a larger stroke length compare to the commercial braille cell at 0.75 mm against 0.7 mm respectively. This indicates that the fabricated braille cell dots would be more distinguishable for the blind people fingertips when they are reading the braille alphabets or characters. The greater increase in stroke length will result in clearer reading to the user and thus desirable

Plant growth-promoting microorganisms as biocontrol agents of plant diseases: Mechanisms, challenges and future perspectives

Plant diseases and pests are risk factors that threaten global food security. Excessive chemical pesticide applications are commonly used to reduce the effects of plant diseases caused by bacterial and fungal pathogens. A major concern, as we strive toward more sustainable agriculture, is to increase crop yields for the increasing population. Microbial biological control agents (MBCAs) have proved their efficacy to be a green strategy to manage plant diseases, stimulate plant growth and performance, and increase yield. Besides their role in growth enhancement, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria/fungi (PGPR/PGPF) could suppress plant diseases by producing inhibitory chemicals and inducing immune responses in plants against phytopathogens. As biofertilizers and biopesticides, PGPR and PGPF are considered as feasible, attractive economic approach for sustainable agriculture; thus, resulting in a “win-win” situation. Several PGPR and PGPF strains have been identified as effective BCAs under environmentally controlled conditions. In general, any MBCA must overcome certain challenges before it can be registered or widely utilized to control diseases/pests. Successful MBCAs offer a practical solution to improve greenhouse crop performance with reduced fertilizer inputs and chemical pesticide applications. This current review aims to fill the gap in the current knowledge of plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM), provide attention about the scientific basis for policy development, and recommend further research related to the applications of PGPM used for commercial purposes