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Lightweight and stable robotic arms are essential devices in flexible manufacturing. The paper introduces a scalable robotic arm with 5 degrees of freedom controlled either by mouse or joystick and powered by serial bus servos and discusses its stability, kinematic characteristics and hardware and software implementation. The authors emphasize the benefit of 3D computer design in the mechanical development of scalable robotic arms. Such approach allows a quick and precise evaluation of distances between the joints with direct consequences in kinematic evaluations, interchangeability of bus servos required in scalability and overall an optimized design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy sector as well as daily needs of our day-to-day life depends majorly on the utilization of crude oil and its derived products. Therefore, to overcome the basic demands it is mandatory to extract crude oil from existing matured reservoirs. In this work, we have investigated the mechanistic studies of emulsification as well as nano-emulsification and identifying their role on heavy residual oil recovery. The heavy was oil emulsified using surfactants and polymer which were stable up to 24 hours and this assists in improving the trapped residual oil displacement efficiency, thereby reducing the saturation of residual oil inside the reservoir. On the other hand, when nanoparticles were introduced in the same surfactant-polymer system, nano emulsions were observed whose stability were enhanced at a greater rate (up to days) and thus further assist in improved the residual oil recovery. It was observed that average size of the nanoemulsion in microns were smaller (with a greater number of droplets) as compared to emulsion. This phenomenon thereby enhances the stability period and diverts the displacing fluid to cover more area of the reservoirs resulting in higher oil recovery due to higher sweep efficiency. Moreover, core flooding experiments conducted showed an oil recovery of 18% (residual oil in place, RIOP) and was enhanced to 26% RIOP when nanoparticles were deployed in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moringa oleifera, commonly known as horse radish tree or drumstick tree is a perennial multipurpose tropical tree. It can be used as medicine, cosmetic and functional food, among others. The benefits of using the leaves are ascribed to the presence of a number of antioxidants. Nowadays it is widely cultivated and naturalized in many countries. Simple methods to extract antioxidants from Moringa leaf are lacking, which were established, stability of antioxidants was assessed, and residue left after extraction was explored for use as animal feed, with the aim to scale-up the process to industrial scale. A natural source antioxidant-rich fraction prepared in this study could have applications in protecting against free radical mediated damage, to enhance shelf-life of products, and to prevent and/or cure diseases. Antioxidants are known to have anti-diabetic, antiinflammatory, anti-aging, cardio-and neuro-protective, intestinal microbiota regulatory effects, among others. The optimized procedure consisted of ultrasonication or extraction in a shaking water bath for 40 minutes at 30°C in 45% aq. ethanol at 1:10 (w/v) plant:solvent ratio. A high extraction yield by weight of 31-33% was obtained. The preparation was rich in antioxidants. On dry weight (DW) basis, total phenolics were from 19.6 to 33.5 mg catechin equivalents/g, FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) from 83.3 to 140.7 nmol FeSO4 equivalents/g and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) activity from 8.9 to 18.2 mg Trolox equivalents/g. The HPLC fingerprinting showed the presence of more than a dozen compounds, and the UV spectra were typical for flavonoids and phenolic acids, containing high amounts of chlorogenic acid and rutin. The antioxidants in a liquid state or after freezedrying were stable for over 3 months at room temperature, 4-6°C or - 18°C. The residue left after extraction had 42% crude protein and the essential amino acids contents were as high as that in soymeal. The residue can replace soymeal in dairy and beef cattle diets at 1:1 level by weight, and in fish diet at 30% replacement of fishmeal protein. This can decrease cost of animal feeding by 20-35%, giving higher profit to farmers and industry. Also, this residue is likely to provide health benefit to the animals being rich in catechin and kaempferol. The method developed is low-cost and easy to scale up, especially in a developing country settings. Good stability of the antioxidant preparation makes its attractive for use in cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. It can also be a replacer of synthetic antioxidants in food and feed applications including ethoxyquin (used in fish feed), banned in many countries including the EU. The moringa antioxidant-rich fraction obtained in this study that corresponded to 1 g each of ascorbic acid, ethoxyquin or butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (all synthetic antioxidants) was 3.64 g, 4.3 g and 2.1 g, respectively. This antioxidant potential of moringa is very high, among other known oxidants isolated from plant parts. The study is an important step towards industrial scale development of isolating antioxidant-rich fraction and of incorporating the residue in animal diets, with zero waste - a vital requisite for circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply chain strategy is the combination of key end-user procedure by main suppliers that provide products, services, and data that inject value to consumer. Effective supply chain management is the key factor for creating and sustaining the competitive advantage of farmers' products in the market. Hence, regarding the value of creation of optimized chains for different agricultural products, in the current research, the process of the agricultural products supply chain in Peru has been investigated. The current research was conducted with the aim of identifying and ranking the resilience indicators of the supply chain in the food industry. The indicators of the supply chain in each of the four dimensions of agility, flexibility, green product and stability were determined by studying and examining the theoretical foundations. Through the analysis, the results showed that the supply chain stability dimension with a weight of 0.62 was chosen as the most important dimension, followed by agility, green product and flexibility. It can be concluded that the establishment of the timing chain in the agricultural sector can be established through the creation of a new partnership between farmers, producers and retailers, and by creating a centralized market, it creates the field of productivity for the production and market of products and services in an effective and efficient manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The slowdown in economic activity is already noticeable and "self-explanatory," and uncertainty continues to slow investment, which can lead the economy into a vicious cycle of alternating phases between growth, stagnation, and recession. There is no "free lunch" or accelerated economic growth without strategic (specialized) determination, and fairness, uniformity, and convergence are harder to finance precisely when the need for them is growing. Another problem occurs in countries and regions that have "lagged behind" in development. In these countries and regions, there are significant constraints in terms of financial resources, workforce, and the technological base for change. Even when the "will" (political and technical) is there, there are often too many priorities, raising questions about what development priorities should be set at the regional and national levels (individually and then collectively) and whether there is sufficient capacity to implement them. Exploring the causes and consequences of these movements is the main reason for the research and is a contribution to the field. The focus of this paper and the importance of the results obtained are therefore on the following fundamental challenges for research, but also for policy: 1) the state behavior of inflation during global recessions, 2) growth and development in difference: beyond inflation in Croatia, and 3) overcoming the curse of destiny: what are the opportunities for the EU in times of instability? At the same time, "united in diversity" as a basic description of the EU (single market of non-united economies) takes on a different meaning. However, membership in the EU and the Eurozone contributes to the "superiority and resilience of the club". In any case, inflation has been underestimated - worldwide. So the question is who will feel Friedman's hangover after almost 40 years of exciting growth periods in Croatia and what is our destiny? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a short period, Perovskite solar cell (PSC) technology gained high efficiency and broad attention because of its key enabling physical and morphological features. One of the main obstacles to the PSC industrialization and commercialization deals with the demonstration of stable devices by adopting low-cost and reliable materials and fabrication methods. In the n-i-p structure, the organic hole-transporting layer and the metal counter-electrodes are the main causes of instability and high cost. Here, we substituted these two elements with a low-temperature and low-cost carbon-based counter electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The states of the Western Balkans are located in a very favorable geostrategic position for the times of war that we are living between Russia and Ukraine. The Balkan Peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the northwest, the Ionian Sea in the southwest, the Aegean Sea in the south, the Turkish straits in the east, and the Black Sea in the northeast. It is important to understand that all the states of the Western Balkans are in support of peace and stability, also in the same cone, they have many problems among them, which makes this region unpredictable in some aspects, not only social and economic, but also political and strategic. Many of the countries of the Western Balkans seek integration in the EU and have come a long way to fulfil all the recommendations of the EU, on the other hand, the EU is very interested in this region as it wants the integration of these countries to ensure stability and democracy in this region. It is an important step to integrate these countries as soon as possible precisely to prevent the spread of conflict and the degradation of the social and political situation, the membership of these countries as soon as possible will mean cooperation and stability for the region and a combined inhibition of wars possible in the future, undertaking joint initiatives for economic, social and political well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibilities and prospects of a solar sail using to solve new problems of space systems control are discussed. The economic and environmental benefits that can be obtained with this control method for interplanetary transitions or for the functioning of the space system in the near-planetary space are considered. This type of control is carried out through the use of special solar sail designs that allow the maximum use of light pressure. The very idea of the solar sail control is connected with the search for new ways to use solar energy, as well as with the expansion of the nanotechnology application field on Earth and in space. When designing the solar sail, the possibility is immediately taken into account that when it is deployed to its working position in orbit, it will be used to control the spacecraft (SC) during flight. At the same time, the question of the physical and optical properties of the real sail in space conditions is extremely important. The use of new technologies to significantly improve such properties should contribute to the prospect of the solar sail possible use as a space engine based on the direct use of an unlimited solar radiation energy source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the study site is a limestone quarry Ain El-Kebira located in the wilaya of Setif (Northwest -Algeria) producing limestone for cement manufacturing. The present work represents a study to measure the granulometric distribution of the blasted rock using the digital image processing software WipFrag and empirical model KuzRam, in order to evaluate the efficiency of the blasting operation and ensure the stability of the benches. In this work, we will simulate the method of exploitation while analyzing the effect of exploitation (digging trenches cutting by explosive) on the stability of the northern flank of Ain El-Kebira quarry. The calculation was carried out by phases (excavation sequence taking into account the phase before the exploitation) in different areas of the steps (5 blasts) in order to target the dangerous working platforms. It can be seen as a conclusion that the measurement of rock size by both empirical and numerical methods (KuzRam and WipFrag) gave almost similar results with accuracy of WipFrag. The change of some parameters of the blasting plan having an important influence on the blasting area, the use of large quantity of explosive negatively influenced the dimension of the fragmented rocks and the stability of the quarry edge, the use of stability software targeted the dangerous zones of the blasting (in our case software phase2 gave ideal results), these results helped the engineer for better design of the blasting plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a synthesis of the results of the GoldenEye project type H2020 No. 869398 regarding the state of the Cuibarul waste dump of the Rosia Poieni Open Pit in Romania, its chemical and mechanical stability which jeopardizes the surrounding environment. During the project, the factors that influence the stability of the dump were followed, such as: -dumping technology; the geological, hydrogeological and hydrological conditions of the location; the geomorphological conditions of the dump site, the physical-mechanical properties of the rocks at the base of the dump; the physical-mechanical properties of the material that constitutes the dump. Detailed topographic surveys were carried out both on the ground and using drone topographic measurements. The Cuibarul dump represents the most important waste deposit within the Rosia Poieni exploitation perimeter. It has an occupied area of 81ha and a stored volume of approx. 49,400 thousand m3 of tailings. The total available area was only 78.5 ha, with a projected capacity of 85,600 thousand m3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, quantum dots sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) have attracted significant attention due to the quantum dots sensitiser's unique properties, including, its non-precious synthesis, size-tuneable bandgaps; excellent photostability, the ability to generate multiple excitons, and high absorption coefficient that led possible to increase power conversion efficiency (PCE) to more than 15% due to their higher molar extinction coefficient and tuneable photo-response. This review article outlines a comprehensive overview of the development of the performance of QDSSCs including their components fabrications and highlights the challenges and limitations of the QDSSCs' components such as narrow absorption areas and the charge recombination happening at the photoanode/electrolyte interfaces and discusses the prospects for the development of highly efficient and stable QDSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high performance characteristics of Peltier thermoelectric modules (TEM) in comparison with compressor cooling systems are determined by the convenience of their use for both cooling and heating, technological advantages due to the absence of moving parts, etc. To effectively regulate the temperature conditions of TEM, it is necessary to develop automatic control systems with specified characteristics. Modeling and design of such systems is complicated by the essentially nonlinear properties of the constituent units, as well as the control object - the Peltier module. To analyze the nonlinear stability of a trigenerative climate control system based on TEM, a mathematical model of the system in the form of transfer characteristics based on approximation by piecewise linear functions has been developed. The relations defining the conditions of absolute stability of the model in the nonlinear mode according to the Popov criterion are obtained. As a result of the simulation, the stability areas of the system are calculated with varying parameters of the component links. The directions for the further use of the proposed methodology for the subsequent optimization and synthesis of TEM control systems are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosthetic legs are needed by individuals with a lower limb amputee to improve their quality of life. However, the current designs have several limitations that requires substantial training for adaptation to improve posture and gait. As an emerging technology, virtual reality (VR) provides prospective capability for such rehabilitation training. This study aimed to propose a framework of VR-based training system for improving stability and gait of prosthetic users, focused on lower limb prosthetic and transfemoral or above-knee amputations. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of VR to improve both stability and gait. However, the training system used seems to diverse. Based on an extensive literature study, we concluded that the VR-based training system should consider the following three subsystems: technology, content, and feedback. Each sub-system has its alternative combinations. Finally, this study proposes a framework that can be used to test the system efficacy and overall acceptance of the VR-based system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship in Oman is still in the developing stage considering the business policies and structures and currently, the government is focusing on strengthening the SME in the country. Administering the challenges among the SMEs in Oman proving that there is scope for growth of entrepreneurs in the country. Oman 2040 vision has a specific emphasis on small and medium enterprises and is the key to the long-term economic growth of the country. The literature review proved that SMEs in Oman are facing challenges in developing and implementing their strategies. The study attempt to identify ways and means, which will establish and sustain the vibrancy for Omani SME entrepreneurs so that they can play a vital role as the engine of growth in Oman’s economic development efforts in the form of independent variables such as capacity building, employment generation, promoting competitive market, technological development. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 174 SME entrepreneurs from the Sultanate of Oman and was analyzed with stepwise multiple regression to study the impact of independent variables on growth, stability, and economic development. However, it is revealed that the overall regression model is a good fit for the data. This study shall highlight the opportunities for Omani to encourage and facilitate new business startups. It is therefore recommended that there needs a strong partnership with industries that can mutually benefit and provide support to the new startups in the country. The author concludes by examining the factors affecting the economic development and the steps to be taken by the authorities to evolve a conducive environment to encourage more new SMEs in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coarse Mesh Finite Difference (CMFD) method is a very effective method to accelerate the iterations for neutron transport calculation. But it can degrade and even fail when the optical thickness of the mesh becomes large. Therefore several methods, including partial current-based CMFD (pCMFD) and optimally diffusive CMFD (odCMFD), have been proposed to stabilize the conventional CMFD method. Recently, a category of "higherorder" prolongation CMFD (hpCMFD) methods was proposed to use both the local and neighboring coarse mesh fluxes to update the fine cell flux, which can solve the fine cell scalar flux discontinuity problem between the fine cells at the bounary of the coarse mesh. One of the hpCMFD methods, refered as lpCMFD, was proposed to use a linear prolongation to update the fine cell scalar fluxes. Method of Characteristics (MOC) is a very popular method to solve neutron transport equations. In this paper, lpCMFD is applied on the MOC code MPACT for a variety of fine meshes. A track-based centroids calculation method is introduced to find the centroids coordinates for random shapes of fine cells. And the numerical results of a 2D C5G7 problem are provided to demonstrate the stability and efficiency of lpCMFD method on MOC. It shows that lpCMFD can stabilize the CMFD iterations in MOC method effectively and lpCMFD method performs better than odCMFD on reducing the outer MOC iterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Joining Nature and Divinity, man has been working for tens of thousands of years not only to invent new plants, but also to improve plants, to discover develop and create new varieties of plants with high productivity, high energy value, resistant to disease, pests, low temperatures and drought. With results protected by a special law, a sui-generis law that deviates even from the golden rule of intellectual property, that of not protecting ideas and discoveries as they must belong to everyone and to no one at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While in the previous study we presented the premises of the emergence of what is the economic and monetary Union today, and we demonstrated that in this process the European Council had a fundamental role to play even before it was enshrined in primary Community law, whose manifestation of will takes the form of public international law acts, in the present study we will address the economic and monetary Union after its consecration in the Maastricht Treaty. Normally, this approach should lead us to analyze the institutional structure of EMU in accordance with the Treaties on which the European Union is founded, but, apparently paradoxically, careful analysis shows that even after the said consecration, the mixed use of instruments of international law to fill possible gaps in union law has not been completely abandoned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]