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Context Dietary manipulations such as reductions in protein or the addition of bioactive feed additives might alleviate the adverse effects of high ambient temperature in poultry. Aims The effects of dietary crude protein (CP) and phytonutrient mixture (PM) on growth performance and physiological responses were evaluated in broilers under circular heat stress (HS). Methods In total, 420 1-day-old broiler chickens were randomly distributed to seven treatments in a factorial arrangement (3 × 2), with three levels of CP (normal, medium (95% of the normal CP content) and low (90% of the normal CP content)) and with or without the addition of PM (mixture of 5 mg/kg carvacrol, 3 mg/kg cinnamaldehyde, and 2 mg/kg capsicum oleoresin). The thermoneutral control (TNC) birds were housed in a thermoneutral chamber and fed with a normal-CP diet without PM supplementation. The other six groups were kept in a HS chamber (33°C) for 8 h (1000 hours to 1800 hours). Key results After 6 weeks, feeding broiler chickens with low-CP diets had adversely affected growth performance and intestinal protease activities, while mortality rate, heterophile to lymphocyte ratio, and serum cortisol concentration of the low-CP group were lower (P < 0.05) than those of the high-CP group. Dietary PM supplementation also positively influenced (P < 0.05) average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, intestinal lipase and trypsin activities and serum T4 concentration. There were the CP × PM interactions (P < 0.05) for jejunal villus height and villus surface area, indicating that the effect of PM on these responses was more marked at the lower dietary CP contents. Conclusions Supplementation with PM can ameliorate the detrimental effects of HS on productive performance and digestive enzyme activities in broilers. The PM supplementation could improve intestinal morphology when applied to the diets of heat-stressed broilers with lower CP contents (95% and 90% of the recommendations). Implications Although growth performance was reduced by feeding low-CP diets (90% of the normal CP content), a beneficial effect was observed on the stress indicators of broilers grown in HS conditions. Dietary supplementation of PM might also be an effective strategy to alleviate the adverse effect of HS.

A quantitative strategy was reported to design and develop Mg-Al-based alloys to achieve high thermal conductivity, in which the specific RE elements can be introduced to reduce the Al concentration in Mg matrix and to suppress the formation of Mg17Al12 phase through the formation of new intermetallic phases. Based on quantitative calculations, the strategy was demonstrated by a novel die-cast Mg3.2Al4.4La0.4Nd (in wt.%) alloy, which provided the thermal conductivity of 114.3 W/(m∙K) at ambient temperature and 137.5 W/(m∙K) at 300 °C, ∼25% higher than the commercial Mg4Al4RE (AE44) alloy. Meanwhile, the alloy also offered excellent ambient yield strength of 143.2 MPa and elongation of 8.2%, and superior strength and ductility than the AE44 alloy at elevated temperatures. CC BY 4.0Corresponding authors: E-mail addresses: xixi.dong@brunel.ac.uk (X. Dong), shouxun.ji@brunel.ac.uk (S. Ji).Financial supports from Innovate UK (Project reference: 10004694) and Husqvarna Group are gratefully acknowledged. Mr. Jon Gadd from BCAST helped in the diecasting.

Significant research has been done to improve the wear properties of the components used in internal combustion engines. Excessive wear is observed in components such as cylinder liners and rings, which can lead to lower volumetric efficiency of the engine, increase oil consumption, polluting emissions, and scuffing related issues. Since tribological systems in internal combustion engines are complex, the different wear mechanisms involved need to be investigated to improve the life of components. Cast irons are commonly used for engine components, especially compacted graphite irons (CGI) for piston rings and gray cast irons (GCI) for cylinder liners. This work aims to evaluate the tribological behavior of two different microstructures of CGI (pearlitic and ausferritic), sliding on pearlitic GCI. The samples of CGI with different microstructures and hardness were evaluated in a short-stroke reciprocating sliding tester, using Petronas Urania SAE 30 API CF lubricant oil at 100 °C for four hours. The characterization of worn surfaces was made using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and 3D roughness measurements. The coefficient of friction (COF) comparison between the two CGI microstructures showed very similar results with COF = 0.11. The pearlitic CGI showed more severe wear than the austempered one, confirmed by SEM images and the difference in topography parameters before and after the tests. Phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc were detected by EDS analyses in the samples' worn-out regions, indicating the formation of tribo-films, which was further confirmed by the friction tests.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the tool performance when machining compacted graphite iron (CGI) alloys. A comparison was made between solid solution strengthened CGI including various amounts of silicon (Si-CGI) and the pearlitic-ferritic CGI as a reference material. The emphasis was on examining the influence of microstructure and mechanical properties of the material on tool wear in face milling process. Machining experiments were performed on the engine-like test pieces comprised of solid solution strengthened CGI with three different silicon contents and the reference CGI alloy. The results showed up-to 50% lower flank wear when machining Si-CGI alloys, although with comparable hardness and tensile properties. In-depth analysis of the worn tool surfaces showed that the abrasion and adhesion were the dominant wear mechanisms for all investigated alloys. However, the better tool performance when machining Si-CGI alloys was mainly due to a lower amount of abrasive carbo-nitride particles and the suppression of pearlite formation in the investigated solid solution strengthened alloys.

The present study focuses on scratch behaviour of a conventional pearlitic and a number of solid solution strengthened ferritic Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) alloys. This was done by employing a single-pass microscratch test using a sphero-conical diamond indenter under different constant normal loads conditions. Matrix solution hardening was made by alloying with different content of Si alloy; (3.66, 4.09 and 4.59 wt%. Si) which are named as low-Si, medium-Si and high-Si ferritic CGI alloys, respectively. A good correlation between the tensile and scratch test results was observed explaining the influence of CGI’s matrix characteristics on scratch behaviour both for pearlitic and fully ferritic solution strengthened ones. Both the scratch depth and scratch width showed strong tendency to increase with increasing the normal load, however the pearlitic one showed more profound deformation compared to the solution strengthened CGI alloys. Among the investigated alloys, the maximum and minimum scratch resistance was observed for high-Si ferritic CGI and pearlitic alloys, respectively. It was confirmed by the scratched surfaces analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) as well. In addition, the indenter’s depth of penetration value (scratch depth) was found as a suitable measure to ascertain the scratch resistance of CGI alloys.Keywords: Silicon solution strengthening, CGI, Abrasion, Scratch testing, Scratch resistance

mPEG-PLA and PLA-PEG-PLA copolymeric nanoparticles with three different PLA to PEG ratios are synthesized and used for encapsulation of recombinant human Growth hormone (rhGH). The structure and composition of the synthesized copolymers were analyzed by 1H NMR and GPC techniques. Moreover, morphology, encapsulation efficiency (EE), cytotoxicity, release profile and stability of the encapsulated rhGH were measured. Structural analysis of the prepared copolymers showed that they were successfully synthesized with approximately expected molecular weight and relatively low size distribution. It was also revealed that by increasing amounts of PLA/PEG ratio, EE content and size of nanoparticles were increased. Release profile evaluation of rhGH from both formulations indicated that copolymeric nanoparticles of Di-B2 and Tri-B2 exhibited the best results among the synthesized nanospheres, by having initial burst release of 17.5% and 28% and then slow and constant release of rhGH up to 65% and 77% of the encapsulated drug, respectively. Furthermore, results of HPLC, SDS-PAGE and CD analyses showed stability of rhGH during encapsulation and release from nanoparticles. Finally, the results showed that these two formulations provided safe and efficient sustained release of rhGH for more than a month and they have the potential to do further studies under in vivo conditions.

Recent years have witnessed a huge upsurge of interest in internet of things (IoT) throughout the world. This shift has led to the emergence of new challenges associated with this novel paradigm. They all need to be addressed properly by experts and scholars in the field. In this paper, an integrated approach using fuzzy analytic network process (FANP) was applied to carry out the following tasks: first, to identify the most important IoT technology development challenges in Iran and secondly, to prioritize the aforementioned factors. The implemented approach took into account that technological factors, privacy and security issues, business related factors, legal and regulatory challenges, and cultural elements are the main factors which have an impact on IoT technology development. Besides, it was also taken into consideration that several correlations among the aforementioned classes exist. The results indicate that “technological” and “privacy and security” challenges are the most significant factors which affect IoT. Furthermore, “business model”, “architecture and design” and “education and training” were ranked as the most considerable sub-factors respectively.

This study focuses on the modelling and simulation of local mechanical properties of compacted graphite iron cast at different section thicknesses and three different levels of silicon, ranging from about 3.6% up to 4.6%. The relationship between tensile properties and microstructure is investigated using microstructural analysis and statistical evaluation. Models are generated using response surface methodology, which reveal that silicon level and nodularity mainly affect tensile strength and 0.2% offset yield strength, while Young′s modulus is primarily affected by nodularity. Increase in Si content improves both the yield and tensile strength, while reduces elongation to failure. Furthermore, mechanical properties enhance substantially in thinner section due to the high nodularity. The obtained models have been implemented into a casting process simulation, which enables prediction of local mechanical properties of castings with complex geometries. Very good agreement is observed between the me...

This paper proposes a novel hybrid BSC-DEA framework for performance evaluation in sustainable supply chains. The proposed DEA model is capable of dealing with both qualitative and quantitative indicators while accounting for desirable and undesirable indicators. A tailored network DEA model involving a set of comprehensive sustainability indicators is applied to rank different supply chains from sustainability viewpoint to find the efficient and benchmarked units at each echelon. Then, sustainability indicators are classified into four groups according to BSC perspectives to help policy makers and top managers to have a more comprehensive and thorough understanding of the sustainability with respect to the long- and short term strategies. Finally, a number of sensitivity analyses are performed to identify the effective factors and strengths and weaknesses of each supply chain are identified based on BSC perspectives. To demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed approach, this framework is implemented for performance evaluation of plastic recycling companies in Mazandaran and Golestan provinces of Iran and some helpful managerial insights are derived from the numerical results.

Entrepreneurs are known as the engine of economic growth and prosperity. Entrepreneurs have relocated resources for the aim of introducing new economic, social, or socio-economic values. Revolutionary technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) have provided opportunities for entrepreneurs. The IoT is globally known as a new paradigm that rose from the world of ICT and changed dynamics of businesses and communities. However, there has been a lack of guidelines for promoting entrepreneurial initiatives by using of the IoT in industries. By conducting a comprehensive investigation of more than 120 commercialised IoT-based cases, this chapter identified 80 opportunity areas, and categorised them into the 13 main industries/sectors. Analysing 29 Iranian corporate, social, and SME entrepreneurs with the use of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique, this chapter measured the importance of each industry. Based on the results, this chapter presents recommendations to promote entrepreneurial activities.

This study investigates the scratch load effect, from 100 to 2000 mN, on micro-mechanisms involved during scratching. A pearlitic and three ferritic Compacted Graphite Irons (CGI) solution strengthened through addition of 3.66, 4.09, and 4.59 Si wt% were investigated. Good correlation was observed between hardness measurements, tensile testing, and scratch results explaining the influence of matrix characteristics on scratch behaviour for investigated alloys. A significant matrix deformation, change in frictional force and scratch coefficient of friction was observed by increase in scratch load. In all cases, microscratch depth and width increased significantly with load increasing, however pearlitic CGI showed most profound deformation, while the maximum and minimum scratch resistances were observed for high-Si ferritic and pearlitic CGI alloys, respectively. The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Knowledge Foundation under ProSpekt scheme [GNR. 20170021], and Vinnova under FFI-programme [GRN. 2012_137 2.4.2]. MAN Diesel & Turbo Denmark, Swerea SWECAST, and Volvo Powertrain Skövde are also greatly acknowledged for their materials support.

mPEG-PLA and PLA-PEG-PLA copolymeric nanoparticles with three different PLA to PEG ratios are synthesized and used for encapsulation of recombinant human Growth hormone (rhGH). The structure and composition of the synthesized copolymers were analyzed by

Despite the increased usage of pearlitic compacted graphite iron (CGI) in heavy vehicle engines, poor machinability of this material remains as one of the main technical challenges as compared to conventional lamellar iron. To minimise the machining cost, it is believed that solution-strengthened CGI material with a ferritic matrix could bring an advantage. The present study focuses on the effect of solution strengthening of silicon and section thickness on tensile, microstructure and hardness properties of high-Si CGI materials. To do so, plates with thicknesses from 7 to 75 mm were cast with three different target silicon levels 3.7, 4.0 and 4.5 wt%. For all Si levels, the microstructure was ferritic with a very limited pearlite content. The highest nodularity was observed in 7 and 15 mm plate sections, respectively, however, it decreased as the plate thickness increased. Moreover, increasing Si content to 4.5 wt% resulted in substantial improvement up to 65 and 50% in proof stress and tensile strength,...

Plastic deformation of the matrix during the wear process results in closing the graphite flakes. In this study, the relationship between the deformation of the matrix and the closing tendency of flake graphite was investigated, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Two representative piston rings, which belonged to the same two-stroke marine engine but were operated for different periods of time, were studied. Initial microstructural observations indicated a uniform distribution of graphite flakes on unworn surfaces, whereas worn surfaces demonstrated a tendency towards a preferred orientation. Approximately 40% of the open flakes of the unworn surfaces were closed during sliding, which may result in the deterioration of the self-lubricating capability of cast iron. Moreover, flakes within the orientation range of 0 to 30° relative to the sliding direction showed a maximum closing tendency when subjected to sliding. The closing tendency gradually decreased as the angle increased, approaching a minimum between 30 and 70°. A slight increase in the closing tendency was observed for flakes with orientations between 70 and 90°. A similar trend was observed on both rings. Furthermore, SEM and EDS analysis indicated substantial deformation of the matrix in the area around the flakes. An insignificant corrosion attack was observed on both worn piston ring surfaces. European project entitled Helios

The aim of this study was to investigate educational philosophy and philosophical mindedness of Iranian physical education and sports science lecturers (state-run Universities and Islamic Azad Universities). 150 questionnaires were randomly distributed among them, 123 filled questionnaires returned and finally 98 were confirmed. Two major instruments of Philosophy Preference Assessment (PPA) constructed by Wiles and Bondi (2010) with Cronbach’s alpha = 0.859, and Philosophical Mindedness (PM) constructed by Soltani (1996) with Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86 based on Smith model were used to examine the research hypotheses. The results showed that experimentalism and realism were the first and second educational philosophy of Iranian physical education lecturers, respectively (p = 0.001). Also, comprehensiveness, penetration, and flexibility are the first, second, and third philosophical mindedness preference, respectively (p = 0.001). It is difficult for many people to build their beliefs based on a philosophical thought and special philosophical principles; therefore eclecticism is the combination of concepts from philosophical aspects in form of a harmonic belief. Thoughtful combination of beliefs builds a mature philosophical viewpoint. Also, it seems that it is necessary for lecturers to have comprehensiveness, penetration, and flexibility equally and consonantly, so we can say that they were equipped with philosophical mindedness.

This study investigates the effect of austempering temperature and time on the microstructural and mechanical properties of unalloyed Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) with an initially ferritic matrix structure. The as-cast CGI samples were first austenitised at 900 °C for 60 min in a furnace, then austempered in a closed salt bath at three austempering temperatures – 275, 325, and 375 °C – for different times; 30, 60, 90, and 120 min. Tensile properties, Brinell, Vickers and Rockwell C hardness values were evaluated for the as-cast and austempered CGI ones. LOM and SEM, EBSD analysis techniques were used for microstructure and phase analysis. A mixture of acicular ferrite and retained austenite was achieved in the austempered CGI samples. In general, a decrease in austempering temperature resulted in a decrease in retained austenite content, corresponding improvements in hardness and tensile strength, and a decrease in elongation values. This research was supported by the Stiftelsen för kunskaps- och kompetensutveckling (KK-Foundation), Sweden under the ProSpekt scheme under grant number [GNR. 20170021]. Federal-Mogul AB, Bodycote, and Dollet Shifo Rapheal are greatly acknowledged for their material support and helping with the heat treatments, respectively. The authors thank Ingvar L. Svensson for providing the Matlab Script for analysing the tensile curves.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different levels of crude protein (CP) and dietary electrolyte balance (DEB) on productive performance, egg quality, and blood biochemical parameters of laying hens reared during hot summer months. The average minimum and maximum room temperatures recorded from 32 to 42 weeks of age were 27.2 and 36.5 °C, respectively, with relative humidity ranging from 48 to 56 %. A total of 144 Lohmann LSL-Lite laying hens were assigned to each of four dietary treatments with six replicate cages of six birds. The treatments were as follows: CP 15.4 % + DEB 165 mEq/kg (group 1), CP 15.4 % + DEB 250 mEq/kg (group 2), CP 13.9 % + DEB 165 mEq/kg (group 3), and CP 13.9 % + DEB 250 mEq/kg (group 4). In groups 3 and 4, feed conversion ratio and blood uric acid were decreased (P 0.05); but the plasma triglyceride level was increased (P 0.05) compared to groups 1 and 2. Low-CP diet with DEB 250 (group 4) also induced significant increases of average egg production and eggshell thickness compared to group 1. Blood pH, Na(+), and HCO3 (-) values were also higher (P 0.05) in groups 2 and 4 than in the other groups. These results indicate that, under tropical conditions, using a DEB of 250 mEq/kg achieves a correction of the lay-induced metabolic acidosis and induces a positive effect on eggshell quality when the hens were fed low-protein diet.

This study was performed to evaluate the effects of adding methionine supplements to low-protein diets and subsequent re-feeding with a normal diet on the productive performance, slaughter parameters, leukocyte profiles and antibody response in broiler chickens reared under heat stress conditions. During the whole experimental period (6–49 days), the birds were raised in battery cages located in high ambient temperature in an open-sided housing system. A total of 360 6-day-old male chickens were divided into six treatments in six replicates with ten chicks each. Six isoenergetic diets, with similar total sulfur amino acids levels, were formulated to provide 100 and 100 (control), 85 and 100 (85S), 70 and 100 (70S), 85 and 85 (85SG), 70 and 85 (70S85G), and 70 and 70 % (70SG) of National Research Council recommended levels for crude protein during the starter (6–21 day) and grower (22–42 day) periods, respectively. Subsequently, all groups received a diet containing the same nutrients during the finisher period (43–49 day). The results showed that, under heat stress conditions, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio and performance index from day 6 to 49, breast and thigh yields and antibody titer against Newcastle disease in the birds fed diets 85S, 70S and 85SG were similar to those of birds fed control diet, whereas feeding diets 70S85G and 70SG significantly decreased the values of above-mentioned parameters. Additionally, diets 85S, 70S and 85SG significantly decreased mortality rate and heterophil:lymphocyte ratio compared with the control diet. In conclusion, the results indicate that supplementation of methionine to diets 85S, 70S and 85SG, and then re-feeding with a conventional diet is an effective tool to maintain productive performance and to improve health indices and heat resistance in broilers under high ambient temperature conditions.

A six-week trial was conducted to evaluate the inclusion of date pits and olive pulps into corn-based diets (CDs) and their effects on performance, egg quality traits, serum lipid profiles and blood leucocytes subsets in laying hens. A total of 144 32-week-old Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL-Lite) laying hens were randomly distributed in 24 cages (six treatments and four replicates per treatment). The treatments were CD, wheat-based diets (WD), corn- and wheat-based diet (CWD), CD replaced with 20% date pits (DP) or 20% olive pulps (OP), or 10% date pits and 10% olive pulps (DP + OP). The results showed that the egg production and egg mass in the birds fed by-product diets were statistically (p

Nowadays, in order to attain their goals and also gain a competitive advantage in a complicated atmosphere, successful organisations need to pay more attention to their human resources (HRs). In order to achieve HR excellence, companies need to be aware of the impact of criteria on each other and also the analysis of relationships between the people criterion and the people results criterion in the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model. The aim of this article is the evaluation of the relationships between people criteria and people results in the EFQM Excellence Model in the Tavanir Company in Iran. To this end, all the EFQM model data of Tavanir Company were collected. The research method used for this article is descriptive correlation. To assess the relationships between the criteria, canonical correlation analysis was used. The results confirm the previous findings on the issue and show that the people criterion is strongly related to the people results criterion. All th...

Problem statement: In trying to finding phytogenic antibiotic-substitutes this study was done and effects of adding graded levels of Medicinal Herbs (MH) including garlic (Allium sativum) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) to laying hens’ diet on productive performance investigated. Approach: A total number of 108 Lohmann LSL-Lite hens after production peak were randomly divided in 18 cages (n = 6). Three iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous experimental diets (ME = 2720 Kcal Kg-1 and CP = 154.2 g Kg-1) including three levels (0, 1 and 2 g kg-1) of ground mixture of garlic and thyme (1:1) were fed to hens with 6 replicates per diet during 6 week trial period. Collected data of Feed Intake (FI), Egg Production (EP), Egg Mass (EM) and calculated Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) as well as egg traits were analyzed based on completely randomized design using GLM procedure of SAS. Results: Dietary treatment did not have significant effect on EP, EM and FCR in laying hens (p>0.05). Dietary inclusion of MH decreased FI in weeks 1-6 (p≤0.05). Including diet with 0.1% MP improved means of egg weight (g) comparing to the other two experimental diets. Adding 0.2% MH to diet increased egg yolk color as well as blood lymphocyte counts and decreased egg shell weight comparing to other dietary treatments (p≤0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, dietary inclusion of garlic and thyme can have beneficial effects on performance of laying hens in terms of improving egg weight and yolk color.

Knowledge management (KM) is globally known as an enabler for supply chain management (SCM). By developing the literature of 'sustainability' in SCMs, sustainable supplier selections (SSS) have widely been recognised as an important issue. The current research aims at investigating the relationship between knowledge management process capability (KMPC) and SSS in one of the Iranian automobile manufacturer, so called 'SAIPA'. After reviewing the related literature, the research's model was extracted. Meanwhile, well-designed questionnaires were distributed among the 191 SAIPA Corp's experts who have had the adequate understanding of KM. Besides, in this study an applied research has been used as a research method, and a canonical correlation coefficient for collecting the data. Furthermore, cross-sectional study has been utilised. Based on the results, in regards to the SAIPA's SCM, there is a meaningful, as well as positive linkage between KMPC and SSS criteria.

This study focuses on the graphite flakes extrusion mechanism during microindenting and microscratching of cast iron. Observations on the graphite response under abrasive conditions revealed that the matrix deformation which is occurred during a sliding wear condition could have a significant influence on its lubricating performance. Simple microindentation and microscratch tests were conducted to explore the lamellar graphite contribution to tribofilm formation under abrasive wear conditions. The results obtained showed that induced plastic deformation which developed adjacent to the graphite compressed the lamellas and in turn resulting in extrusion of the graphite from its natural position. Further investigations on both indentation and scratch tests indicated that, surprisingly, the graphite began to be fractured and extruded from the centre of graphite lamellas, irrespective of the lamella size. Additionally, a mechanism was proposed to explain the self-lubricating and the extrusion behaviour of the lamellar graphite as a result of indentation. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2011) under grant agreement no. 265861 (Helios). Helios