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The kinetics of Botryococcus braunii pyrolysis was studied using commonly used model-free and model-fitting methods. Differential and integral versions of iso-conversional model-free methods provide effective apparent activation energy as a function of conversion. Reaction-order and Sestak and Berggren (SB) models were considered for the estimation of global single reaction mechanism. It was shown that SB model with an empirical function f(α) = (1 − α)n·αm was the most probable reaction mechanism. The constituents namely carbohydrate, protein and lipid were found to decompose simultaneously. Average activation energy of these components were obtained from Friedman and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) methods. Depending on the iso-conversional method, the activation energy ranges of pseudo-carbohydrate, pseudo-protein and pseudo-lipid were found as 58.3 – 60.5 kJ · mol - 1 , 49.5 – 109 kJ · mol - 1 and 79.1 – 88.5 kJ · mol - 1 , respectively. Model-free methods when applied on biomass as whole or on separate component yielded matching results. Decomposition of pseudo-carbohydrate was 2–3 times faster than other two components. Pseudo-lipid was shown to impede the progress of pyrolytic conversion.

As PCR methods have improved over the last 15 years, there has been an upsurge in the number of new DNA marker tools, which has allowed the generation of high-density molecular maps for all the key Brassica crop types. Biotechnology and molecular plant breeding have emerged as a significant tool for molecular understanding that led to a significant crop improvement in the Brassica napus species. Brassica napus possess a very complicated polyploidy-based genomics. The quantitative trait locus (QTL) is not sufficient to develop effective markers for trait introgression. In the coming years, the molecular marker techniques will be more effective to determine the whole genome impairing desired traits. Available genetic markers using the single-nucleotide sequence (SNP) technique and high-throughput sequencing are effective in determining the maps and genome polymorphisms amongst candidate genes and allele interactions. High-throughput sequencing and gene mapping techniques are involved in discovering new alleles and gene pairs, serving as a bridge between the gene map and genome evaluation. The decreasing cost for DNA sequencing will help in discovering full genome sequences with less resources and time. This review describes (1) the current use of integrated approaches, such as molecular marker technologies, to determine genome arrangements and interspecific outcomes combined with cost-effective genomes to increase the efficiency in prognostic breeding efforts. (2) It also focused on functional genomics, proteomics and field-based breeding practices to achieve insight into the genetics underlying both simple and complex traits in canola.

Mechanical properties of DP (Dual Phase) steels are greatly influenced by the microstructural features such as grain size, morphology and martensite volume fraction (V m %). These microstructural features can be altered by changing the soaking time and temperature within intercritical zone. Present study aims to study the effect of intercritical annealing temperature and soaking time on V m % and its effects on mechanical properties of plain low carbon steel grade (AISI 1020) steel having ferrite-martensitemicrostructure. Nine DP steel specimens with various amount of martensite were produced via intercritical heat treatment. Mechanical properties including TS (Tensile Strength), hardness and toughness were characterized and co-related with martensite volume fraction. It was found that increasing the intercritical annealing temperature and soaking time increases the V m %. The optimum TS and hardness were found at 64V m % and then decrease with further increase in V m %. The toughness was found to have linear relationship with V m %.

The image retrieving system is used to retrieve images from the image database. Two types of Image retrieval techniques are commonly used: content-based and text-based techniques. One of the well-known image retrieval techniques that extract the images in an unsupervised way, known as the cluster-based image retrieval technique. In this cluster-based image retrieval, all visual features of an image are combined to find a better retrieval rate and precisions. The objectives of the study were to develop a new model by combining the three traits i.e., color, shape, and texture of an image. The color-shape and color-texture models were compared to a threshold value with various precision levels. A union was formed of a newly developed model with a color-shape, and color-texture model to find the retrieval rate in terms of precisions of the image retrieval system. The results were experimented on on the COREL standard database and it was found that the union of three models gives better results than the image retrieval from the individual models. The newly developed model and the union of the given models also gives better results than the existing system named cluster-based retrieval of images by unsupervised learning (CLUE).

This paper presents the use of response surface methodology (RSM) and robust supervised machine learning approaches to model nano-polymeric viscosity. In the absence of studies in the previous research on using these two techniques, this study's key objective was to equate these strategies' efficiency with a nano-polymer solution's viscosity modelling. Synthesized nano-polymer composite is characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The research used the Split-Plot Central Composite Design (SP-CCD) of RSM to model five independent parameters for nano-polymeric composite viscosity, namely shear rate, temperature, and concentration nanoparticles, sodium chloride, and calcium chloride. The findings indicate that the polymer solution's viscosity was not equally crucial to all parameters. Besides, a variance analysis (ANOVA) was conducted, and no evidence of inadequacy in the RSM model was provided. The comparative study of the conventional central composite design model and the supervised machine learning model was conducted. The split-plot central composite model gave R2 of 92% and adjusted R2 of 88%. Amongst all supervised machine learning models used, the XGBoost model recorded the highest R2 accuracy of 90% and lowest prediction errors in terms of mean absolute error and root mean square error. XGBoost when compared to other models in terms of akaike information criterion had the highest likelihood of fit making it the best option in analyzing rheological behavior for hybrid polymeric nanofluid.

Higher fluid loss volumes and suspension capability are the critical shortcomings of water-based muds. It can promote problems during drilling operations. The rheological and filtration properties of all drilling muds have been continually considered the essential characteristics for a successful drilling operation. Various irreversible problems are directly associated with drilling fluids rheological and filtration properties such as differential sticking, formation damage, borehole instability and uncontrollable formation fluids intrusion to the wellbore. Drilling fluid is closely associated with the complications or solutions of the mentioned problems. The control of such properties is of paramount importance, especially at high temperature conditions of the wellbore. This study aims to formulate a low-solid drilling fluid for better performance by replacing bentonite in conventional fluids with an equal amount of xanthan gum and tapioca starch. The effects of tapioca starch on rheological and filtration characteristics of water-based muds (WBMs) in static conditions have been investigated at different temperatures and pressures. Various mud blends were prepared containing tapioca starch (TS) and polyanionic cellulose (PAC) in the presence of xanthan gum (XG) at different replacement levels. The impact of tapioca starch on rheological and filtration characteristics were evaluated using rheometer, filterpress (LPLT and HPHT) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The presence of tapioca starch significantly improved rheological and filtration characteristics of water-based muds (WBMs) and revealed that the low solid blends unveiled an obvious shear thinning behavior. Shear stress (σ) versus shear rate (s−1) data of optimized mud samples was best fitted to the Power Law model with R2 of 0.99. The flow behavior index was decreased from 0.47 to 0.21, while the consistency index was increased from 0.31 to 4.45 with the addition of tapioca starch. Rheological properties were improved with the starch concentration and were found within the American Petroleum Institute (API) recommended range. Filtrate volume for the samples containing tapioca starch in 14 ppb was found 4 ml at a temperature of 212 °F. Filtercake thickness was measured 0.27 mm with the maximum concentration of tapioca starch. SEM images confirmed the tapioca starch showed a slick and compact filtercakes at the temperature of 212 °F. This research helps to encourage the use of biodegradable and renewable additives in drilling fluids for the exploitation and production of hydrocarbons.

The My Faith web (MYF-web) application is an interactive system designed to help an ordinary Muslim to become a better Muslim. The initial motivation for the system is to comply with Qur'an and Sunnah where Muslims are always urged to be better ones and work for the next lives or the afterlives and considering the current lives and do the most that can be to satisfy both lives. The system composed of many components that vary from explaining Islamic concepts to private interactive arguments between the user and the system. The main component or the heart of the system, however, is the Islamic Aspects which consists of three parts: Aqeedah, Akhlaq and Sharia'h. The objective of the system is to enable an individual to do self-assessment for him/her self in order to measure his/her believes and practices in light of Islamic teachings. In addition, the application motivates knowledge worker in Islamic studies to contribute with their knowledge through knowledge sharing with the application. Knowledge management, the processer and intelligent engine, is another major component of the system. This propagation of Islamic knowledge through applications will lead the Muslim Ummah to shape a better interrelated Muslim society for the future.

Electronic commerce has gained the popularity since last two decades, due to its recompenses towards the online transactions. Academicians and e-retailers eagerly want to identify the factors which affect the e-commerce success. The main intention of this study to investigate the factors which are essential to draw the net benefits of e-commerce from an individual perspective rather than the organization perspective. The proposed framework in this paper is based on Mclean and Delone 2003 IS success model along with two extra variables that are privacy and trust. In this paper, the author discussed the result of the pilot study. The authors designed the quantitative research questionnaire by adopting the items from the previous studies and conducted the pilot study to check the reliability of the questionnaire. The overall value for Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 and also the Cronbach's alpha value for individual constructs were greater than 0.7, which indicates that there is a strong relation between the items. This research engrossed on four factors that are system quality, service quality, privacy, trust, that are essential for achieving the user satisfaction which in turn leads to achieve the e-commerce net benefits. In addition to service quality and system quality, trust and privacy are the important factors that affect the net benefits through user satisfaction, hence the modified version of Delone and Mclean IS success model from an individual perspective is proposed.

Malaysia is a modern Muslim country where the research on Halal product identification is at the peak. In this study, the authors have developed the mobile application which is based on Radio frequency identification near field communication RFID/NFC. The author first developed the database based on the data from Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia JAKIM, which is Malaysian Halal logo identification authority then the mobile application which uses the Near Field Communication to detect the Halal food using the Radio Frequency Identification. In this paper authors have performed the experimental analysis by comparing the Barcode system that is comprised of parallel line detected by the simple webcam for the Halal logo identification and the new developed RFID NFC mobile application. Paired sample T-Test was performed by using the SPSS 23.0 version. The results revealed that there is significantly difference between the usability, efficiency, affordability, security and satisfaction. The users are more satisfied with the newly developed mobile application as compared to old halal logo system in Malaysia.

As part of natural products or biologically active compounds, the synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles is becoming incredibly valuable. Palladium is a transition metal that is widely utilized as a catalyst to facilitate carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom coupling; it is used in the synthesis of various heterocycles. This review includes the twelve years of successful indole synthesis using various palladium catalysts to establish carbon-carbon or carbon-nitrogen coupling, as well as the conditions that have been optimized.

Hydrogen (H2) is considered as a zero-emission fuel when produced through biomass pyrolysis. The objective of this review article is to analyze the potential of the pyrolysis process in terms of H2 yield, the maturity of technology, current challenges, future perspective, and its commercialization potential. This review article has three folds. Firstly, a comprehensive overview of the technical state-of-the-art analysis of biohydrogen production from biomass pyrolysis process is presented. Secondly, the technical and critical review of both the conventional fast and slow pyrolysis for H2 production from the viewpoint of mechanisms, catalysts, reactors, and process parameters is provided. Thirdly, the technical readiness level for bio-oil, char, and H2 production is presented. Finaly, challenges and future prospectives are highlighted for further research for researchers and the networking of stakeholders for commercialization to guide policymakers, investors, and commercial enterprises.

To determine the efficacy of locally produced Latanoprost in reducing the intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Open-label, non-comparative, observational case study with non-probability purposive sampling. A total of 48 patients (94 eyes) of either gender were recruited from glaucoma clinic with the diagnosis of POAG, having IOP of more than 21 mmHg. Patients were commenced on locally produced Latanoprost (Vislat 0.005%). IOP was subsequently measured at 4 weeks and 12 weeks, respectively. The primary end point was reduction in IOP at 12 weeks after the initiation of treatment. A total of 48 patients (94 eyes) were recruited from glaucoma clinic. The average IOP of our patients at baseline was 28.6 ± 8.1 mmHg, decreasing to 21.3 ± 10.6 mmHg at 4 weeks, indicating a drop of 19.1% (P

Generalmente, los herbicidas (pesticidas) tienen el potencial de contaminar el medio ambiente. Agua subterránea, estanques, lagos y ríos se ven fuertemente afectados por la contaminación de éstos. Los herbicidas que encuentran su camino en los ríos, arroyos y lagos acabar envenenando la vida marina y tener un efecto adverso en la industria pesquera. Así que, en los estudios de campo, los efectos fitotóxicos de extractos orgánicos de malezas se determinaron en las malezas y cosecha de trigo. El etanol CHCl3 (triclorometano o cloroformo) o extractos de algas palillo de dientes (Ammi visnaga L.) y la enredadera de campo (Convolvulus arvensis L.) se aplicaron en 1 000 y 500 ppm. Un mes después de la siembra de trigo, el extracto de CHCl3 de correhuela a 1 000 ppm y malezas palillo de dientes a 500 ppm, reducido drásticamente la población de malezas (33,67 malezas m-2 cada uno de 101 m-2 en el control sin tratar), pero aumentó el rendimiento de grano de trigo. El extracto CHCl3 de enredadera, aplicada a 500 ppm, dio un rendimiento del trigo máximo (1.2 t ha-1), mientras que el extracto de malezas palillo de dientes en el mismo disolvente y se aplica a 1 000 ppm dio el rendimiento de trigo de 1,1 t ha-1. Se recomiendan medidas de control juiciosas para malas hierbas nocivas de extractos alelopáticos que se adopte para la cosecha de mejor calidad y cantidad de trigo y también evitar la contaminación del aire.

Reflecting upon a decade of research with Muslim youth across the United States, this article highlights the fears and concerns Muslim communities have expressed in the wake of Donald Trump's 2016 U.S. presidential victory. In explicating the concerns expressed by these youth, the author examines the context of Trump's rise and its relationship to American political culture and economy. The article discusses some possibilities and challenges for educational anthropologists to respond to the contemporary political moment.

Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) reduce the negative effects of soil calcification on soil phosphorus (P) nutrition. In this incubation study, we explored the ability of PSB (control and inoculated) to release P from different P sources [single super phosphate (SSP), rock phosphate (RP), poultry manure (PM) and farm yard manure (FYM)] with various soil lime contents (4.78, 10, 15 and 20%) in alkaline soil. PSB inoculation progressively enriched Olsen extractable P from all sources compared to the control over the course of 56 days; however, this increase was greater from organic sources (PM and FYM) than from mineral P sources (SSP and RP). Lime addition to the soil decreased bioavailable P, but this effect was largely neutralized by PSB inoculation. PSB were the most viable in soil inoculated with PSB and amended with organic sources, while lime addition decreased PSB survival. Our findings imply that PSB inoculation can counteract the antagonistic effect of soil calcification on bioavailable P when it is applied using both mineral and organic sources, although organic sources support this process more efficiently than do mineral P sources. Therefore, PSB inoculation combined with organic manure application is one of the best options for improving soil P nutrition.

In this study, graphite-enriched vinyl ester resin (GVER) composites were prepared with 1, 3 and 5% of graphite micro-platelets (GMPs) to investigate thermo-mechanical and thermo-kinetic properties of composites. The thermal degradation behavior of GVER composites has been studied by thermo-gravimetric analysis under non-isothermal conditions in inert nitrogen atmosphere. Different iso-conversional methods such as Kissinger, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose and Tang method were applied for this study. The apparent activation energy (E a) calculated from Kissinger’s method was found to be increased from 117.2 (neat vinyl ester) to 147.3, 150.5 and 155.8 kJ mol−1 for composites containing 1, 3 and 5% GMPs, respectively. The elastic modulus values were found to be increased 83.8, 107 and 71% for composites containing 1, 3 and 5% GMPs, respectively. The glass transition temperature values were increased 23.8% for 1% GMPs and 21.1% for 3 and 5% GMPs.

Intercritical heat treatments attempts were made to enhance the mechanical properties of reinforcing steel bars milled from scrap metal. For this, two grades of steel bars were obtained from different steel mills and their mechanical properties that include hardness, ultimate tensile strength, and percent elongation before and after intercritical heat treatment were determined. Results indicated that 25.5 and 17.6%, improvements in UTS (Ultimate Tensile Strength) and 18.8 and 14.3% improvement in percent elongation in two grades of reinforcing steel samples containing 0.17 and 0.24% carbon respectively was achieved while heating at 750oC for 2h. Appreciable improvement in the mechanical properties was noted due to birth of sufficient quantity of martensite along with ferrite

Plasmonic materials are the artificially manufactured materials (metamaterials) typically composed of nanostructure noble metals which give the unique optical properties superior to naturally occurring materials. Such plasmonic material has ability to give surface plasmon when electromagnetic light wave interact with free electrons in conduction band of the noble metals. Entirely absorption of light wave is the one of the major property of such plasmonicmetamaterials. Recently, these metamaterials has drawn the attention of scientists because of its wide range of applications in harvesting energy and sensors. These applications are strongly dependent on adjusting the absorption band-width, peak position and absorption intensity. In this work we show that using ultra-thin multicomponent (i.e. Au NPs incorporated in mixture of SiO2 and TiO2 matrix) nanocomposite deposited on optically thick gold film through subsequent magnetron sputtering. Experimental results show that one can broaden the bandwidth and peak position to span Ultraviolet up to near infrared wavelength range

Model-free and model-fitting methods were compared for pyrolytic conversion of the coconut shell waste. The apparent activation energy, estimated from differential and integral iso-conversional methods, increased with the progression of pyrolytic conversion. The reaction model, f(α)=(1-α)4·[-ln(1-α)]0.53, indicate that order-based nucleation and growth mechanisms control the solid-state pyrolysis of the coconut shell waste. The active pyrolysis zone was consisted of overlapping multi-component degradation peaks. Average activation energy of the pseudo-components estimated from the Kissinger's method were 21.9kJ.mol-1, 106.4kJ.mol-1 and 108.6kJ.mol-1 for the dehydration, the degradation of pseudo-cellulose and pseudo-hemicellulose, respectively. Pseudo-lignin decomposed over a wide range of temperature with a slower conversion rate as compared to pseudo-hemicellulose and pseudo-cellulose. Average activation energy range of pseudo-lignin was estimated from the combination of model-free and model-fitting methods as 79.1-226.5kJ.mol-1.

The germination response of Lycopersicon esculentum was studied on different salinity levels from control (non-saline), 0.2,0.4,0.6 and 0.8% NaCl solution. Seeds germinating under salt stress exhibited decrease in saline media as compared to respective control. Seeds germinating with salinity and brassinosteroid (applied exogenously through roots and as foliar spray, 0.25 and 0.5 ppm) exhibited promotion in control as compared to their respective saline media. Plants treated with different salts concentrations (60 and 100mM) NaCl exhibited reduction in plant height, root length, number of leaves, number of fruits and biomass as compared to control while brassinosteroid having concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5 ppm (applied through roots and as foliar spray) caused promotion in plant height, root length, number of leaves, number of fruits and biomass in saline and non saline media. Plants treated with different salts concentration of (60 and 100mM) NaCl exhibited increase in Relative water content, leaf water loss, electrolyte leakage, shoot/- root ratio, root/- weight ratio and leaf/- weight ratio at both NaCl concentrations (60 and 100 mM) as compared to control, while stem/- weight ratio showed reduction at both salinity levels as compared to control while brassinosteroid applied in roots and as a foliar spray at 0.25 and 0.5 ppm concentrations exhibited reduction in stem/- weight ratio at high NaCl level (100 mM) as compared to control.

Five maize inbred lines, 20 F1 diallel hybrids and two check genotypes were evaluated through genotype × environment interaction (GEI) and GGE biplot for earliness and yield traits at four locations.; Results: Genotype, environment and GEI showed highly significant differences for all the traits. In total sum of squares, environment and genotype played a primary role, followed by GEI. Larger effects of environment and genotype to total variation influence the earliness and yield traits. However, according to the GGE biplot, the first two principal components (PC1 and PC2) explained 95% of the variation caused by GEI. GGE biplot confirmed the differential response of genotypes across environments. F1 hybrid SWAJK-1 × FRHW-3 had better stability, with a good yield, and was considered an ideal genotype. F1 hybrid FRHW-2 × FRHW-1 showed more earliness at CCRI and Haripur, followed by PSEV3 × FRHW-2 and its reciprocal at Swat and Mansehra, respectively. F1 hybrids FRHW-1 × SWAJK-1, PSEV3 × SWAJK-1 and SWAJK-1 × FRHW-3 at Mansehra and Swat produced maximum grain yield, followed by SWAJK-1 × FRHW-1 and PSEV3 × FRHW-1 at Haripur and CCRI, respectively.; Conclusion: Overall, maize genotypes showed early maturity in plain areas (CCRI and Haripur) but higher yield in hilly areas (Mansehra and Swat). © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

In this article I ask a seemingly simple question—How can a Muslim be a liberal citizen? In order to explore this question I define who and what was indexed by the term “Muslim” at various points in United States history. I argue that the figure of the Muslim has existed as an existential other upon which otherness, violence, and suspicion was written. I ask how the historic construction of Muslim identities fuels contemporary surveillance programs predicated on an intrinsic fear of Muslim bodies. Drawing upon a decade of ethnographic research with Muslim communities across the United States, I examine Countering Violent Extremism programs. I argue that such policing function re-inscribe and normalize White supremacy and Muslim suspicion of, and within, Muslim communities. Finally, I examine the question of citizenship in neoliberal times and ask how we might understand citizenship rights, particularly for Muslim communities, in the contemporary United States.

A study was carried out in Mirpurkhas District of Sindh Province during the year 2015-16, aiming to observe post-harvest losses of onions associated with the cultivators. Following the random sampling 60 respondents were selected from 12 villages of 06 Talukas in the District. Interviews were conducted for the collection of data. Problems expressed were as; high cost of fertilizers (93.33%), high cost of pesticides (93.33%), hand weeding is labour consuming and expensive (91.66%), labour problems during harvesting (85%), ineffective and costly weedicides (80%), lack of knowledge about recommended fertilizers doses for onion crop (80%) and lack of knowledge about improved varieties (68.33%). The problems in marketing of onion include lack of remunerative price (96.66%), fluctuation in market price (93.33%) and high charges of transportation (20%). The present study suggested that training/ awareness programs should be conducted for cultivators regarding establishing technical storage and handling onion problems.

Sargassum spp. of Red Sea origin was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to study the kinetics of pyrolysis. Dried Sargassum spp. samples were non-isothermally heated at 10, 15, 20 and 25 °C·min − 1 from 40 to 900 °C in an inert atmosphere. The differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTG) showed three distinct zones of vaporization and degradation. In the active pyrolysis zone, a mass loss of 65–70% was recorded in a temperature range of 480–950 K. Friedman, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and Starink methods were used to calculate the apparent activation energies ( E a ) from 10% to 90% conversion. The calculated E a was observed to exponentially increase with increasing conversion. The kinetic analysis indicates that the pyrolysis of Sargassum spp. can be kinetically described as five independent parallel reactions. These five independent reactions correspond to five pseudo-components (water, hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin/protein and biochar). The degradations of the pseudo-components were obtained by deconvoluting the peaks in the DTG curves. The apparent E a values of the pseudo-components were calculated from Kissinger's method using the peak maximum temperature ( T m ). T m increased with the increasing heating rate. Cellulose degradation had the highest apparent E a among the components. Cellulose and hemicellulose had the fastest degradation rate during the pyrolysis, whereas lignin and protein had the slowest rate, which implies that lignin and protein degradation was rate-limiting and most difficult to obtain.