Microbial desalination cells with efficient platinum group metal-free cathode catalysts

Iron-nitrogen-carbon based catalyst was used at the cathode of a microbial desalination cell (MDC) and compared with platinum (Pt) and activated carbon (AC) cathode. Fe-N-C catalyst was prepared using nicarbazin (NCB) as organic precursor by sacrificial support method (SSM). Rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) experiments shows that Fe-NCB had higher electrocatalytic activity compared to AC and Pt. The utilization of Fe-NCB into the cathode improved substantially the performance output with initial maximum power density of 49±2 μWcm-2 in contrast to Pt and AC catalysts which have shown lower values of 34±1 μWcm-2 and 23.5±1.5 μWcm-2, respectively. After four cycles, Fe-NCB catalyst lost 15% of its initial performance but still was 1.3 and 1.8 times more active than Pt and AC, respectively. Solution conductivity (SC) inside the desalination chamber (DC) decreased by 46-55% with every cycle. The pH of the cathodic chamber (CC) and the DC increased up to 10-11 due to the production of OH- during the oxygen reduction reaction and the migration of OH- into the desalination chamber. Chemical organic demand (COD) decreased by 73-83% during each cycle. It was shown that Fe-NCB and Pt had a similar coulombic efficiency (CE) of 39±7% and 38±2%, while AC had lower CE (24±5%)

INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF CONSTRUCTION, ARCHITECTS AND INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF MAZANDARAN PROVINCE

Abstract. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance of construction, architecture and industrial companies in the municipalities of Mazandaran province. This research is descriptive-correlative method and is of applied research type. The statistical population of the study consisted of all construction, architectural and industrial companies in the municipalities of Mazandaran province during 2013 to 2017, in which 50 companies were studied. The data of the research were extracted from the financial statements of the companies and analyzed using regression models using combination data. The research findings showedthat there is a positive and significant relationship between corporate social capital and asset returns and earnings per share of companies, and there is not a significant relationship between corporate social capitals with equity returns.Keywords: Social Responsibility, Financial Performance, Returns on Assets, Return on Equity, Earnings perShare

Ranking agility factors affecting hospitals in Iran

Background: Agility is an effective response to the changing and unpredictable environment and using these changes as opportunities for organizational improvement. Objective: The aim of the present study was to rank the factors affecting agile supply chain of hospitals of Iran. Methods: This applied study was conducted by cross sectional-descriptive method at some point of 2015 for one year. The research population included managers, administrators, faculty members and experts were selected hospitals. A total of 260 people were selected as sample from the health centers. The construct validity of the questionnaire was approved by confirmatory factor analysis test and its reliability was approved by Cronbach's alpha (α=0.97). All data were analyzed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Chi-square and Friedman tests. Findings: The development of staff skills, the use of information technology, the integration of processes, appropriate planning, and customer satisfaction and product quality had a significant impact on the agility of public hospitals of Iran (P<0.001). New product introductions had earned the highest ranking and the development of staff skills earned the lowest ranking. Conclusion: The new product introduction, market responsiveness and sensitivity, reduce costs, and the integration of organizational processes, ratings better to have acquired agility hospitals in Iran. Therefore, planners and officials of hospitals have to, through the promotion quality and variety of services customer-oriented, providing a basis for investing in the hospital and etc to apply for agility supply chain public hospitals of Iran. Keywords: Hospitals, Agility, Satisfaction, New Product, Development of employee skill

Designing Fuel Cell Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts: from Carbon Supports to Membrane Electrode Assembly Evaluation

This work investigates the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mechanism on Pt nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed on several carbon blacks with various physicochemical properties (i.e. specific surface area ranging from 80 to 900 m2 g-1, different graphitization degree, etc.). Using the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) along with various electrochemical characterizations, it was determined that the rate determining step (RDS) of the ORR is a proton-independent step when the density of Pt NPs on the surface of the carbon support is high. Upon decrease of the density of Pt NPs on the surface, the RDS of the ORR starts involving a proton, as denoted by an increase of the KIE &gt; 1. This underlined the critical role played by the carbon support in the oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysis by Pt supported on high surface area carbon. Furthermore, two of these carbon supports were selected and using the same synthesis methods, different loadings of Pt NPs were deposited on them. This allowed us to investigate the effect of catalyst loading, thus, take another approach to assess the particle proximity effect on the ORR. The durability and performance of the selected electrocatalysts were also explored in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in real-world operational conditions of automotive fuel cells. The effect of the loading of the platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) supported on two of the carbon supports with different morphologies (93 vs. 890 m2 g-1) on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was also investigated. The correlation between their electrochemical performances with their physico-chemical properties was suggested. The experiments were extended from bench-scale lab tests to pilot-size membrane electrode assembly (MEA) fuel cell testing where the performance and durability of the in-house synthesized electrocatalyst was investigated. On the result basis, it was confirmed that low platinum loading on a high surface area carbon support resulted in a contribution of the latter to the ORR (see Chapter II for additional details). Moreover, it was observed that in the MEA systems, when using electrocatalyst with a large loading of Pt on the electrode – and thus a thin catalytic layer on the cathode side – at high current densities, flooding would partially block the Pt active site and thus limits the fuel cell performances. Finally, the heterogeneity of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) catalyst degradation was studied under varied relative humidity and type of feed gas. Accelerated stress tests (AST) were performed on four membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) under wet and dry conditions in air or nitrogen environment for 30,000 square cycles from 0.60 V to 0.95 V (or open circuit voltage (OCV) for air since during cycling in air the OCV drops to values below 0.9 V). It was observed that the largest electrochemical active area (ECSA) loss during the ASTs was for MEA in wet conditions under nitrogen gas. This was mainly attributed to higher upper potential limit (UPL) of 0.95 V that was maintained during experiment and to higher water content in the MEA enabling higher Pt2+ mobility. In air the OCV was lower than 0.95 V during cycling reducing the overall upper potential limit (UPL) to below 0.95 V and thus reducing the rate of platinum oxide (PtO) formation and dissolution. Micro XRD was performed on end of life (EOL) MEAs to show Pt particle size distribution under lands and channels and in various MEA locations. Largest Pt sizes were observed for wet conditions and under the lands. Both represent locations in MEAs with higher water content. AST in air and wet environment showed the highest Pt particle size growth from inlet to outlet, which is due to larger water content at the outlet compared to the inlet. Micro XRF shows that Pt redistribution is a local phenomenon and Pt loading remains relatively uniform within the MEA. Additional diagnostics were used to understand morphology of the MEA at the EOL and confirmed that catalyst layer support structure does not change during AST. Conclusively, the ORR mechanism is subject to different environmental factors, including the morphological and surface characterization of the carbon support, density of the Pt NPs deposited on the support and operation conditions. A wide range of characterization methods and investigations protocols and procedures, ranging from bench-size lab scale tests to pilot-size automotive operation condition fuel cells was implemented. We hypothesized the ORR mechanism, investigated the effect of surface density and particle proximity of Pt NPs and showed the heterogeneity in the MEAs degradation processes

HappyFeet: Embodiments for Joint Remote Dancing

Prior research has demonstrated that exercise is more fun and engaging when we exercise with others. Yet for many people, it is challenging to exercise with partners that are co-present due to several reasons (e.g. lack of access to a partner). In this thesis, I explore the challenge of designing an exercise system that effectively embodies a remote participant. The result of my exploration is HappyFeet, a dancing system that supports the dancing experience for remotely located partners. HappyFeet uses 3D representations of dancers’ feet in a shared virtual dance space to emphasize timing and placement of feet. My work demonstrates that the feet embodiment provides the dancers with a better understanding of dance moves, helps them to synchronize timing of their dance steps, and provides them with a dance space in which they can freely create dance moves with their partners

An assessment of agility in selected hospitals of Mazandaran province, Iran

Introduction: Evaluating agility effectively and efficiently is necessary and challenging for organizations. Therefore, this article aimed to assess the performance of hospitals with organizational agility (OA) approach. Materials and methods: A descriptive-analytical study was done in which the statistical population consisted of managers and experts of hospital courses including medicine, nursing, midwifery, and paramedics. A total of 283 managers and experts were enrolled as the sample using the Krejcie and Morgan table with stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed using one-sample t test with SPSS20. Results: Among 13 elements of agility, the results showed that competence (P=0.032) had a significant difference with customer satisfaction (P=0.029). The results also showed that OA was not optimal in selected hospitals of Mazandaran province, Iran. Concerning the indicators, introduction of new product (8.56) and staff skill development indicator (5.32) were maximum and minimum, respectively. Conclusion: The results showed that OA was not optimal in selected hospitals. Introduction of new product scored the top, while staff skill development was the lowest. As a result, health policy makers are recommended to plan for customer satisfaction, timely utilization of facilities, elimination of weak points, lost cost reduction, encouragement and punishment system for staff, and staff empowerment

Spivakian Concepts of Essentialism and Imperialism in Gabriel Garcia's “The Autumn of the Patriarch”

In 1980, an Indian critic, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak announced strategic essentialism as a major concept in postcolonial theory. It is a special form of essentialism which involves greater scopes of post-colonial studies such as subaltern, otherness, and strategic essentialism; this term can become meaningful in an imperialistic context where oppression and suppressions are as part of thecountry. With the increase of colonialism in nineteenth century and its consequences in twentieth century, which was almost the end of this era, many writers try to demonstrate it through literature. The mentioned concepts are traceable in countries which were experiencing the imperialism; then strategic essentialism helps the margins of society to find their true identity and by using it, they can survive. This paper is an attempt to represent essentialism and imperialism in Gabriel Garcia’s The Autumn of the Patriarch. The findings of this paper may affect those countries which are still under the pressure of colonialism. The major conclusion is that if inferiors of the society unite with each other, find their true identity and stand against oppressions, then they can get rid of the oppressions

Revisiting Iran through women’s memoirs: alternative narratives from insider within

Life narratives of the Iranian women in the diaspora, which have become very popular in recent years, have long served as a model for understanding Iran for western readers. This popularity is emanated from the curiosity and interest in the west that was raised after 9/11 and the ensuing political aftermath. Written to unveil the lives of Iranian women in the Islamic Republic, these diasporic narratives have been ‘growingly commodified, circulated and consumed uncritically’ in the west. Much ink has been spilled on the surge of diasporic Iranian women’s life narratives, the politics of their reception and circulation in the west, and their liability to furthering imperialist ideologies. We have no intention of continuing the debate over how some of these life narratives facilitate and promote imperialistic agendas. Rather, we would like to embark on an untrodden path, a fascinating journey through the growing body of life narratives by and about Iranian women from inside the Islamic Republic, equipped with accounts that vitiate the orientalist assumptions and diasporic narratives’ generalisations. This paper seeks to introduce and analyse these alternative narratives. By developing a theory of the ‘insider within,’ this paper exhibits how alternative narratives from within can serve as a better model for understanding Iran and Iranian women

Effect of Modified Atmosphere Packaging on Aril Physico-chemical and Microbial Properties of Two Pomegranate Cultivars (Punica granatum L.) Grown in Iran

Background and Objectives: Edible parts of pomegranate fruits are a rich source of bioactive compounds. The present research examines the effect of modified atmosphere packaging on the fruit physico-chemical and microbial properties of two commercial pomegranate cultivars grown in Iran. Materials and Methods: The arils were packaged and stored under four different atmospheres. All of the packaged samples were stored at 4 &deg;C for 15 days. Results: The results revealed an increase in total acidity of all treatments. The highest total soluble solid (TSS) was observed in &lsquo;Yousef-Khani&rsquo;&shy; stored in 10% O2 + 15% CO2, while &lsquo;Malas-e-Saveh&rsquo; treated with 20% O2 + 5% CO2 showed the highest degree of TSS. The mean value of a* in &lsquo;Malas-e-Saveh&rsquo; arils packed with normal and (15% O2 + 10% CO2 + 75% N2) atmosphere increased significantly. The L* showed a decrease in &lsquo;Yousef-Khani&rsquo;&shy;. Total phenolic compounds gradually increased during storage. After storage, decreases in total anthocyanin contents ranged from 12 to 30% for &lsquo;Yousef-Khani&rsquo;&shy;. The overall antioxidant activity of arils in &lsquo;Yousef-Khani&rsquo; showed a 6-15% increase during storage. However, a reverse effect was observed for &lsquo;Malas-e-Saveh&rsquo;. The lowest microbial counts were recorded under the atmosphere containing 10 and 15% CO2. Conclusions: Packaging of &lsquo;Malas-e-Saveh&rsquo; arils in 15% O2 + 10% CO2 and &lsquo;Yousef-Khani&rsquo; in 15% O2 + 10% CO2 or 10% O2 + 15% CO2 is recommended to extend the shelf-life of ready-to-eat arils. Keywords: Pomegranate, Modified atmosphere, Phenolic compounds, Anthocyanin, Antioxidant activit