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[Display omitted] • Non-catalytic and catalytic pyrolysis of electronic plastic waste fractions (WEEE). • In-situ pyrolysis of WEEE using Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , HBeta, HZSM-5 and spent FCC catalysts. • Ex-situ pyrolysis of WEEE using HZSM-5 in micro- and lab-scale reaction systems. • Molecular interactions at interfaces of catalyst active sites and WEEE pyrolyzates. • Higher selectivity of BTX over solid acid microporous catalysts of HBeta and HZSM-5. Non-catalytic and catalytic pyrolysis of two waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) fractions, with two different copper contents (low- and medium-grade WEEE named as LGE and MGE, respectively), were performed using micro- and lab-scale pyrolyzers. This research aimed to fundamentally study the feasibility of chemical recycling of the WEEE fractions via pyrolysis process considering molecular interactions at the interfaces of catalyst active sites and WEEE pyrolyzates which significantly influence the chemical functionality of surface intermediates and catalysis by reorganizing the pyrolyzates near catalytic active sites forming reactive surface intermediates. Hence, Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , HBeta, HZSM-5 and spent FCC catalysts were used in in-situ micro-scale pyrolysis. Results indicated that HBeta and HZSM-5 zeolites were more suitable than other catalysts for selective production of aromatic hydrocarbons and BTX. High acidity and shape selectivity of zeotype surfaces make them attractive frameworks for catalytic pyrolysis processes aiming for light hydrocarbons like BTX. Meanwhile, the ex-situ pyrolysis of LGE and MGE were carried out using HZSM-5 in micro- and lab-scale pyrolyzers to investigate the effect of pyrolysis configuration on the BTX selectivity. Although the ex-situ pyrolysis resulted in higher formation of BTX from LGE, the in-situ configuration was more efficient to produce BTX from MGE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of incident waves, draft depth, and orifice diameter significantly affects the performance of the OWC. This paper evaluated the hydrodynamic response of an OWC with nonlinear PTO imposed on the Caspian Sea wave conditions experimentally. Experimental tests have been done in two stages; first, considering the incident wave frequency constant in 0.4 Hz, two main variables, area ratio, and depth ratio, have considered optimizing the performance by genetic algorithm. The experiments for three area ratios of the orifice equal to 0.5%, 0.75%, and 2%, and the three depth ratio equal to 0.05, 0.14 0.33 have been done. The optimal values of the area and depth ratios are equal to 1% and 0.24, respectively. In the next step, the tests were carried out for a wide range of conditions of the Caspian Sea, and four area ratios and depth ratios, including the optimal values, repeated in the form of 800 tests. The results showed that the converter performance would be optimum for the other frequencies considering the optimal values. The optimal converter can generate 191W, while before the optimization, the highest recorded power was 132W, an increase of 45%. After optimization, the converter pneumatic efficiency has increased to 53.74%. [Display omitted] • Performance of OWC under Caspian sea wave characteristics studied experimentally. • Tests parameters were draft, orifice diameter, wave height, frequency, steepness. • Genetic algorithm optimized the system performance. • Optimal values of the area and depth ratios were equal to 1% and 0.24. • Optimization improved the converter efficiency for 45.38%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent issue highlights the need for a wildlife corridor to mitigate habitat fragmentation and biodiversity degradation caused by intensive urbanization in the country, such as the development of infrastructure, roads, and highways. Indeed, the issues of frequent road and vehicle-animals collisions are ever-increasing in urban corridors. As a result, flora and fauna populations can become isolated, leading to an unbalanced ecosystem. This study developed the Wildlife Corridor Design and Conservation (WCDC) index, assessment model. The study has investigated the wildlife corridor design and conservation features through a systematic literature review, clustered them into three criteria (biophysical, structural, and environmental designs) and twenty-one sub-criteria. The study applied the Analytic Network Process method to measure the weights of features; habitat preservation (W C1.1 = 0.280), species varieties control (W C1.2.= 0187), and conduit for movement (W C1.3. = 0.100) play critical roles in wildlife corridor design and conservation. The Weighted Sum Method verified the WCDC model through a case study (Red Earth overpass, Canada). The model assigns certification labels (Gold, Silver, Bronze, or not-certified); accordingly, it ranked the evaluated site as Gold, which means the Red Earth overpass performs intimately in biophysical, structural, and environmental preservation of mammal habitat. The study conducted regression analysis for model validation, determining a significant association between the base and case-study models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nations have attempted to commit to the Kyoto Protocol and effectively reduce hazardous emissions through energy-efficient design techniques, strategies, and policies (optimized building orientation and location, and photovoltaic systems and green materials). However, there are shortcomings in achieving these goals. The Energy Efficiency Directive, Energy Performance Directive of Buildings, and Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers have recently focused on dynamic façade design that can considerably contribute to energy-efficient building design and low-emission development. This study comprehensively investigates and identifies dynamic façade typologies, technologies, and techniques while comparing and synthesizing them against architectural design, structural engineering, and material science. In particular, the study investigated the applications, functionalities, and state-of-the-art (SOTA) of dynamic façades. In addition, the structural and architectural characteristics, environmental performance, and effectiveness of dynamic façades (clustered into opaque, transparent, and semi-transparent surface types) have been explored and synthesized. The study concludes that applying the dynamic façade concept entails challenges and opportunities for building developers, users, and auditors. Furthermore, dynamic façade design is a trade-off between environmental analysis data (such as luminance and solar radiation) and user comfort and satisfaction with both the light and thermal intensity of external and internal environments. In addition, dynamic façades can actively and selectively control the heat transfer and energy flow while potentially reducing the internal heating and cooling loads. Therefore, adaptive façades are designed based on behavior changes at the micro-scale (i.e., material structure) or macro-scale (i.e., moving part configuration). • Dynamic façade types are opaque, transparent, and semi-transparent. • Dynamic façades considerably contribute to a building's energy saving. • Dynamic façade design is a trade-off between environmental quality and user comfort. • Dynamic façades effectively control the heat transfer and energy flow indoors. • The dynamic façade design is based on material, and structural behavior changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hexane extract of the flowerRheum ribesL., which was collected from north-western Iran, was obtained by Soxhlet apparatus, and the essential oil composition was obtained by hydro distillation and analyzed by using GC-GC/MS. The extract from the flowers was characterized by a high amount of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) (66.0 %) and some long chain hydrocarbon compounds. The main components of the hexane extract were 9-octadecenoic acid (ω-9) (42.8 %), 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid (linoleic acid or ω-6) (19.6 %), hexadecanoic acid, (palmitic acid) (8.6 %), 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid diisooctyl (5.7 %), dodecane (3.7 %) and γ-linolenic acid (3.6 %). The hexane extract from theRheum ribesflowers detected an important source of ω-6 and ω-9 compounds. This study revealed that the flowers of this plant have a good source of oily components, especially the essential ones. It also showed that the flowers have natural source of unsaturated fatty acids. Twenty three compounds representing 97.5% of the distilled oil ofR. ribesflowers were identified. The major constituents were germacrene D (22.3 %), α-pinene (13.5 %), terpinolene (12.4%), p-cymene (10.6 %), bicyclogermacrene (9.6 %) and limonene (8.6 %). The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil and hexane extract were compared with some bacteria, and both samples had a moderate effect on the some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The antioxidant activity of the extract and essential oil were evaluated by DPPH method. The results indicated that hexane extract of this plant flowers possessed considerable antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) as high organic wastewater is a promising substrate in the scenario of algae bloom, by enhancing its lipid production to be further used in biofuel manufacturing. In this research, effect of POME as high nutritional substrate, different cultivation scales such as flask or hybrid photo bioreactor (HPBR), carbon-to-total nitrogen (C:TN) ratio, various light and dark cycles, and diverse organic loading rates (OLR) on the lipid productivity of microalgaeChlorella pyrenoidosawas assessed. Results demonstrated high microalgae growth rate (1.80 d−1) at 250 mg COD/L of substrate, while moderate increase (1.37 d−1) and growth inhibition (0.80 d−1) were recorded at 500 mg COD/L and 1,000 mg COD/L of substrate concentration, respectively. Furthermore, a result proved that low-volume cultivation of microalgae in a flask with lipid productivity at 1.78 mg/L d significantly restricted microalgae production compared with larger scale such as HPBR with lipid productivity at 230 mg/L d. Moreover, highest lipid production at 44.5, 114.9, and 100.5 mg/L d, C:TN ratio at 100:6 and OLR at 36 kg COD/m3 d, respectively, were documented for continuous illuminaion (24 h). The combination of above conditions can be optimal setting to reach the highest lipid productivity by microalgaeC. pyrenoidosa. In addition, the results of this study can be further considered in microalgae lipid production using other wastewaters in order to enhance the lipid production as well as wastewater treating functions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To develop a simple rapid procedure for biologically synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using methanol extract ofViburnum lantanaleaves, the synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV-visible spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. These phytosynthesized silver nanoparticles were tested for antibacterial and antifungal activities using disc diffusion method. The TEM study showed the formation of silver nanoparticles in the 20–80 nm range and average 48.1 nm in size. SEM showed the formation of silver nanoparticles with a mean size of 41.9 nm. The XRD study showed that the particles are crystalline in nature, with a face centered cubic structure. The silver nanoparticles showed the biological activity against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria.V. lantanawas found to display strong potential for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents by rapid reduction of silver ions (Ag+to Agº). The approach of phytosynthesized silver nanoparticles usingV. lantanaappears to be cost efficient, eco-friendly and easy alternative to conventional methods of synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Transmembrane CD34 glycoprotein is the most important marker for identification, isolation and enumeration of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). We aimed in this study to clone the cDNA coding for human CD34 from KG1a cell line and stably express in mouse fibroblast cell line NIH-3T3. Such artificial cell line could be useful as proper immunogen for production of mouse monoclonal antibodies. Methods: CD34 cDNA was cloned from KG1a cell line after total RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis. Pfu DNA polymerase-amplified specific band was ligated to pGEMT-easy TA-cloning vector and sub-cloned in pCMV6-Neo expression vector. After transfection of NIH-3T3 cells using 3 μg of recombinant construct and 6 µl of JetPEI transfection reagent, stable expression was obtained by selection of cells by G418 antibiotic and confirmed by surface flow cytometry. Results: 1158 bp specific band was aligned completely to reference sequence in NCBI database corresponding to long isoform of human CD34. Transient and stable expression of human CD34 on transfected NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblast cells was achieved (25% and 95%, respectively) as shown by flow cytometry. Conclusion: Cloning and stable expression of human CD34 cDNA was successfully performed and validated by standard flow cytometric analysis. Due to murine origin of NIH-3T3 cell line, CD34-expressing NIH-3T3 cells could be useful as immunogen in production of diagnostic monoclonal antibodies against human CD34. This approach could bypass the need for purification of recombinant proteins produced in eukaryotic expression systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Selection and employment of clerks and managers is a crucial factor in modern organization and, recruiters try to select the best candidates in all organizational levels. One challenge which has been harmful for management stability is Similar-to-me (STM) effect. This effect explains that people usually tend to select a person with whom they have common demographic and attitudinal characteristics. Determination of all factors and challenges related to STM was the main objective of the present study. Method: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study performed on all managers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). A four-dimension questionnaire was applied with more than 0.7 α Chronbach coefficient for all dimensions. Moreover, its content validity was approved by experts' perspectives. SPSS 18 and Person correlation were used in to analyze the data. Results: According to the results obtained with the participation of 60 mangers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, narcissism had a significant correlation with STM effect (0.805). Also a positive correlation was observed between STM and groupthinking (0.875). Another result of the current research was the negative impact of functional conflict on STM (-0.685) Conclusion: Findings of the study revealed that the destructive consequences of similar-to-me effect through narcissism, groupthinking and functional conflict avoidance can affect the performance of SUMS managers negatively. These behaviors should be studied and prevented in order to achieve the goals of this system in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a full HALE (high altitude, long endurance) aircraft, nonlinear, aeroelastic analysis is being performed. Nonlinear, general, flexible, Euler–Bernoulli beam equations are being used to model the wings and the tails, and the linear, Euler–Bernoulli beam equation is used to model the fuselage. A unified formulation for modeling flexible components dynamics based on kinetic energy coupling is also being employed to model the behavior of fully flexible aircrafts. Aerodynamic forces and moments on the wings and horizontal tails are modeled based on the Wagner's function and the Jones approximation. The results of flutter properties and nonlinear time response of the limit cycle oscillations are validated. The time response, the flutter boundary, the post flutter limit cycle oscillations of wings and tails, and the vibration behavior of the fuselage are investigated, and the effect of the fuselage rigidity on the system behavior is examined. The results show that to accurately predict the aeroelastic behavior, a full aircraft analysis is necessary, especially when the amount of the bending and the torsional rigidity of the fuselage is close to the amounts of the wings and tails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the effect of installation depth optimization on the performance of an OWC has been studied experimentally. The converter's efficiency was considered as an objective function, and draft depth was optimized; the dimensionless coefficients, including pressure, damping, and transmitted wave, were defined to describe the hydrodynamic behavior of the system. OWC was tested for three dimensionless water draft depths for a variety range of Caspian Sea waves. The results showed that at the average draft depth OWC performs better than the others from the AEP point of view, which is estimated to generate 2059.2 MWh. Therefore, the optimal draft depth was obtained by implementing the genetic algorithm method. All tests were repeated for the optimal water draft depth. According to the results by considering the optimal value, the maximum and average efficiency increased by 25% and 10% compared to before optimization, respectively; the analysis of the hydrodynamic coefficients also showed that the pressure, damping, and transmitted wave coefficients increased by 27%, decreased by 14% and increased by 5%, respectively. Since the pressure coefficient is the most critical factor in power generation, the optimization of water draft depth significantly affects it and, consequently, the maximum efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the mean activity coefficients of NaCl in the (NaCl + Na2HCit + H2O) ternary mixed electrolyte system were determined using the potentiometric method. The potentiometric measurements were carried out on the galvanic cell without liquid junction of the type: Na-ISE/NaCl (m1), Na2HCit (m2), H2O/Ag-AgCl over total ionic strengths from (0.01 to 4.000) mol · kg-1. Different series of the salt molal ratios r (r = mNaCl/mNa2HCit = 0.1, 1, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0) and pure NaCl were used for the measurement at T = (298.2 and 308.2) K and P = 0.1 MPa. The results were interpreted by using Pitzer ion-interaction model with and without higher-order electrostatic effects. The mixing parameters obtained were used to calculate the values of the mean activity coefficients of Na2HCit, the osmotic coefficients, solvent activity and the excess Gibbs free energies for the whole series of the studied mixed electrolyte system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the flow characteristics through symmetric stenosis artery are investigated. The shape of eccentricity for stenotic flows is limited by circularcross sections and plaques usually assumed to be oriented concentrically. The governing equations are the usual Navier-Stokes equations and are numerically solved by using finite volume method in arbitrary orthogonal curvilinear coordinates. In addition, three-dimensional (3D) elliptic grid is presented, which the generating system is based on the solution of a partial differential system. To prevent serious distortion or overlapping of mesh lines, grid regularity is verified by some controlling parameter like Skewness value and maximum grid aspect ratio (MAR). The main objective of the present study is to investigate different degrees of the stenosis (45%, 55%, 65%, and 75% by area reduction) and finding the critical one playing a significant role in the development of forming sediment in the vessel wall. It is shown that the magnitude of inlet Reynolds number has strong relationship with the velocity, pressure, and wall shear stress (WSS) distributions as expected. The most important conclusion obtained from this model is the high WSS, pressure drop, and formation of large recirculation regions found in the downstream of the stenosis, especially in the case of severe stenosis that could create various pathological diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential oil composition of the seeds of Arnebia linearifolia was obtained by hydro distillation and the hexane extract was obtained by Soxhlet apparatus and analyzed by using GC and GC-MS. Twenty- one compounds representing 96.4% of the distilled oil of A. linearifolia were identified, among them β-copaene (24.1%), octyl acetate (23.6%), cis-β-ocimene (9.9%), α-pinene (6.1%), β-cedrene (4.5%), osthol (3.7%) and clovene (3.3%) were the major constituents. The hexane extract was characterized by higher amount of linolenic acid (ω-3) (45.4%), linoleic acid (ω- 6) (21.8%) and 6, 9, 12- octadecatrienoic acid (10.3%). Hexane extract of seeds from A. linearifolia detected as an important source of ω-3 and ω-6 compounds. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil and extract were evaluated by DPPH method. The results indicate that hexane extract of this plant possess considerable antioxidant activity. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil and extract was determined against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as three fungi. The bioassay showed that both oils exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity. This study reveals that the hexanic extract from seeds of this plant is attractive sources of ω-3 and ω-6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study conducted to evaluate the capabilities of active public and private hospitals in Shiraz regarding attraction of tourists' base on accreditation standards. It is noted that for collecting data, a checklist of international accreditation standards based on Joint Commission International (JCI) was applied.

A new acetylated chalcone glycoside, trans-2′,6′-dihydroxy-4′-O-(4″-acetyl-rhamnoside)-4-methoxychalcone (1) and a new biflavonoid glycosides, 5,3′,5″,4″′-tetrahydroxy-3″′,5″′dimethoxy-biflavone (4′ → 8″)-7-O-((2-rhamnoside) rhamnoside) (2) were isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the methanol extract obtained from Trigonosciadium brachytaenium and have been purified by column chromatography and preparative TLC. Those structures were elucidated by UV, 1H NMR and 13C NMR, HMBC, EI-MS and IR spectra. The antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate extract was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl method. The results indicate that ethyl acetate extract from aerial part of T. brachytaenium possesses considerable antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a cross-sectional and qualitative study conducted to prepare and design for health care marketing. It is noted that Delphi's technique was used for validity check and health care management specialists who had studied in medical tourist fields reviewed the checklist. It is stated that 8 aspects and 79 indexes were included in the final checklist.

Flavonoids are secondary metabolites providing Ultraviolet-visible (UV) spectroscopy protection and color in almost all terrestrial plants and fruits. They have a fused ring system consisting of an aromatic ring and a benzopyran ring with a phenyl substituent. As their biological activities have an impact on human health, they serve as target molecules in the development of new drugs. The objective of this research was to study the antioxidant activity and chemical analysis of the luteoline from Centaurea behen L. (Compositae family). The aerial parts of powdered and dried C. behen were extracted with methanol (MeOH) in a Soxhlet apparatus over a period of 2 days. The concentrated total extract was extracted with petroleum ether, diethylether, and methanol. From the methanol extract of the aerial parts of C. behen, the flavonoid derivative (luteoline) was identified. The aerial parts' extract demonstrated effective antioxidant activity measured in terms of half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). The product extract has been isolated by UV, column chromatography (CC), and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The structures involved were elucidated by ¹H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation (HMBC) spectra. The compound identified had not been reported in previous studies of C. behen L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the flower, leaf and stem of Falcaria vulgaris Bernh., which is endemic to Iran, were analysed by GC and GC/MS (samples were from two different localities: A from Ardabil and B from Khalkhal). α-Pinene was the major constituent in all the three oils (flower, leaf and stem) from sample A (43.8%, 33.0% and 50.9%, respectively). The oil of F. vulgaris flower was characterised by a higher amount of β-caryophyllene (25.2%) and 1,8-cineole (12.8%) among the eight components comprising 96.2% of the total oil detected. α-Terpinyl acetate (23.2%) and limonene (14.4%) predominated in the leaf oil. In the oils of sample B, α-pinene (16.1% in the flower oil, 31.5% in the leaf oil and 34.5% in the stem oil) was the major compound. Limonene (14.2%) and germacrene D (32.1%) were also the main constituents found in the leaf oil from sample B. α-Terpinyl acetate (21.9% in the leaf oil) and limonene (29.8% in stem oil) were the other major compounds obtained from this sample. Antibacterial activity was determined by the measurement of growth inhibitory zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used as a new approach for the determination of the relations between drag coefficient and Cavitation Number with cavity geometry in supercavitating flows which have been most widely used in the hydrodynamics researches. Also the result of the ANNs as a cost function potentially will be used in an optimization algorithm. Instead of complex differential equations and limited experimental data, faster and simpler solutions were obtained using equations derived from the ANN model. For training of the ANN the numerical results are used that are obtained from a boundary element method (BEM). At this problem, a two-dimensional supercavitation potential inviscid flow pasts a symmetric two-dimensional cavitator, which is placed perpendicular to the flow in a channel of infinite width and immediately a cavity is formed behind the cavitator. It was found that the coefficient of multiple determination ( R2-value) between the actual and ANN predicted data is equal to about 0.9998 for the drag coefficient and Cavitation number. As seen from the obtained results, the calculated cavity geometry for all drag coefficients and Cavitation Numbers are obviously within acceptable limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (PTCC 24860) growth on pretreated sugar beet molasses was an optimized via statistical approach. In order to liberate all monomeric sugars, pretreated sugar beet molasses with dilute acid was obtained. The influence of process parameters such as sugar concentration, nitrogen source, pH and incubation time on the cell growth were investigated by a design expert software with the application of a central composite design (CCD) under response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal culture conditions were pH of 5.3, incubation time of 24 h and medium composition of 35 g reduced sugars, 1.5 g NH4Cl and 1 g yeast extract per liter of the media. At optimal cell growth conditions and incubation time of 12 h, the maximum ethanol production of 14.87 g/L was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water distilled essential oils from leaves, stems and roots of Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Bernh. were analyzed by GC and GC/MS methods. The oil of leaf was characterized by higher amount of camphor (56.3%).In the stem oils of plant, camphor (26%), trans-β-ocimene (23.6%) and germacrene-d (15.0%) were also the predominating compounds. The main components of the root oil were α-pinene (49.9%), trans-β- farnesene (13.7%) and bicyclogermacrene (10.9%). Antibacterial activity of the leaf, stem were evaluated using the micro- dilution broth method. The oil showed good inhibitory effects on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petrochemical products could be produced from circular feedstock, such as waste plastics. Most plants that utilize syngas in their production are today equipped with entrained flow gasifiers, as this type of gasifier generates the highest syngas quality. However, feeding of circular feedstocks to an entrained flow gasifier can be problematic. Therefore, in this work, a two-step process was studied, in which polypropylene was pre-treated by pyrolysis to produce a liquid intermediate that was easily fed to the gasifier. The products from both pyrolysis and gasification were thoroughly characterized. Moreover, the product yields from the individual steps, as well as from the entire process chain, are reported. It was estimated that the yields of CO and H2 from the two-step process were at least 0.95 and 0.06 kg per kg of polypropylene, respectively, assuming that the pyrolysis liquid and wax can be combined as feedstock to an entrained flow gasifier. On an energy basis, the energy content of CO and H2 in the produced syngas corresponded to approximately 40% of the energy content of the polypropylene raw material. This is, however, expected to be significantly improved on a larger scale where losses are proportionally smaller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) platforms are among the most important platforms in the offshore oil and gas industry. These platforms are generally anchored to the seabed through mooring lines. Usually, the FPSO and the oil tanker are nearby before starting the offloading operation. In this research, the hydrodynamic interactions between a turret-moored FPSO and shuttle tanker were examined using the boundary element method for coupled time-domain dynamic analyses. To apply the sea conditions, the environmental conditions of the Caspian Sea were considered. In this regard, considering the values of hydrodynamic forces on the shuttle tanker, the main purpose of this study was to evaluate the most appropriate vertical position of the shuttle tanker in the vicinity of FPSO. Therefore, 19 vertical center-to-center distances with steps of 20 m (from 80 m to 440 m) were considered between the two vessels. A comprehensive assessment of the dynamic responses of the two floating vessels was then conducted at different angular positions of the shuttle tanker relative to the FPSO. The numerical results indicated that the minimum hydrodynamic force was applied to the shuttle tanker for the distance of 400 m between the centers of the vessels. Also, the 60-degree position of the shuttle tanker relative to the FPSO within a 400-m radius was the most critical position in terms of hydrodynamic forces on the shuttle tanker. • The hydrodynamic interactions between FPSO and shuttle tanker were calculated. • The optimum vertical distance between the centers of the vessels was investigated. • The dynamic evaluation of the vessels was examined in single and multi-body cases. • Effects of angular positions of shuttle tanker relative to the FPSO were examined. • Effects of different wavelengths were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]