The aim of this study is to improve a method to develop an integrated quantitative geomorphic analysis of tectonic activity around the Rudbar Lorestan dam site and powerhouse in the High Zagros Belt ...(HZB), southwest Iran, using several tectonic geomorphic indexes including stream length–gradient index (
SL), drainage basin asymmetry (
Af), hypsometric integral (
Hi), ratio of valley floor width to valley height (
Vf), and transverse topographic symmetry factor (
T). Considering the results obtained from each of the above indexes, as combined and weighted by the “analytic hierarchy process” (AHP) and plotted on the “index map of relative active tectonics” (
Iat) by El Hamdouni et al. (2008), four classes are recognized in the study area; i.e. low, moderate, high, and very high, according to the rate of tectonic activity in the subbasins. Low to moderate intensities correspond to the northeast (along the Main Zagros Reverse Fault: MZRF) and southwest parts of the study area; whereas subbasins in the middle parts, along the Saravand–Baznavid strike-slip fault, are classified into high or very high intensities because of recent activity and the oblique-slip movement of the Saravand–Baznavid fault. The results show that the Rudbar Lorestan dam site and powerhouse are located in an active strike-slip fault zone and that a seismic hazard may occur along this zone in the future.
In the present work, we aim to investigate the impact of impurities co-existing in phosphate rock on reactive crystallization and filtration stages during the phosphoric acid dihydrate process. The ...primary influent impurities were identified by simulating the industrial optimal conditions on a laboratory scale and employing a design of experiments strategy; the positive and negative simultaneous effects for each impurity were elucidated and quantified. In addition, 4 mathematical models describing and predicting their effect on filterability, aspect ratio, thickness, and mean diameter of crystals were established. The obtained results conclude that CO2, F−, Al2O3, and SiO2 impose highly significant contributions and are the most influential species governing the process.
•A new methodology for studying the influence of impurities was developed.•Effects of 8 phosphate rock impurities were investigated.•4 models describing the process industrial performances were established.•Good agreement between experimental and predicted values.
The study of organoclay is a vital subject in current research since various organo-modified clays have become an attractive class of organic–inorganic hybrid materials owing to their potential ...application as precursors in the field of polymer nanocomposites. In the present investigation, a new benzothiazolium salt, N-dodecyl-2-methylbenzothiazolium iodide (Mbzt) was designed and synthesized for use as sodium montmorillonite (NaMt) modification by the traditional cation exchange reaction. The successful intercalation of Mbzt surfactant into the montmorillonite interlayer has been confirmed by FTIR, XRD and TGA analysis. The XRD analysis demonstrated that the intercalated surfactant adopted a tilted monolayer arrangement. The resulting benzothiazolium-modified (Mbzt-Mt) displayed a high thermal stability as compared to the unmodified (NaMt). The desired organoclay was then subsequently mixed with polyamide 6 (PA6) by melt extrusion in a twin-screw extruder. The thermal and morphological properties of the resulting PA6/Mbzt-Mt nanocomposites were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). TGA analysis reveal that the thermal stability of PA6 nanocomposites slightly decrease (393–391 °C) with particles loading from 1 to 5 wt%, against raw PA6 (407 °C), while an increase in the charred residue up to 5.1% was clearly observed. In addition, a good overall dispersion of the organoclay particles in the PA6 matrix was readily observed by SEM images. The mechanical and rheological properties of nanocomposites were also evaluated. A linear increase in Young's modulus and tensile strength from the use of particles when compared to the neat PA6. In particular, a 26% increase in Young's modulus, a 11.5% increase in tensile strength for the case of PA6 nanocomposites containing 5 wt% of clay as compared to that of pure PA6. From a rheological point of view, the addition of organoclay affect the linear viscoelastic behavior of the PA6 matrix, the viscosity of nanocomposites are higher than that of pure PA6, the organoclays particles restrict the movement of PA6 macromolecular chains, which increases the viscosity. These findings are important and relevant to the elaboration of low-cost organoclay as nano-reinforcement for advanced nanocomposite materials in various application.
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•A novel organoclay was prepared via ion exchange using benzothiazolium salt.•PA6/organoclay nanocomposites were obtained by melt-bleding.•Thermal, mechanical and rheological behaviors of the nanocomposites were studied.•Nanocomposite decomposition process was affected in the presence of organoclay.•Young's modulus and tensile strength were improved.
The use of Internet of Things (IoT) networks offers great advantages over wired networks, especially due to their simple installation, low maintenance costs, and automatic configuration. IoT ...facilitates the integration of sensing and communication for various industries, including smart farming and precision agriculture. For several years, many researchers have strived to find new sources of energy that are always “cleaner” and more environmentally friendly. Energy harvesting technology is one of the most promising environment-friendly solutions that extend the lifetime of these IoT devices. In this paper, the state-of-art of IoT energy harvesting capabilities and communication technologies in smart agriculture is presented. In addition, this work proposes a comprehensive architecture that includes big data technologies, IoT components, and knowledge-based systems for innovative farm architecture. The solution answers some of the biggest challenges the agriculture industry faces, especially when handling small files in a big data environment without impacting the computation performance. The solution is built on top of a pre-defined big data architecture that includes an abstraction layer of the data lake that handles data quality following a data migration strategy to ensure the data's insights. Furthermore, in this paper, we compared several machine learning algorithms to find the most suitable smart farming analytics tools in terms of forecasting and predictions.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of nosocomial infections and is often associated with biofilm-mediated antibiotic resistance. The LasR protein is a key component of the quorum system in P. ...aeruginosa, allowing it to regulate its biofilm-induced pathogenicity. When the bacterial population reaches a sufficient density, the accumulation of N-(3-oxododecanoyl) acyl homoserine lactone (3O-C12-HSL) leads to the activation of the LasR receptor, which then acts as a transcriptional activator of target genes involved in biofilm formation and virulence, thereby increasing the bacteria’s antibiotic resistance and enhancing its virulence. In this study, we performed a structure-based virtual screening of a natural food database of 10 997 compounds against the crystal structure of the ligand-binding domain of the LasR receptor (PDB ID: 3IX4). This allowed us to identify four molecules, namely ZINC000001580795, ZINC000014819517, ZINC000014708292, and ZINC000004098719, that exhibited a favorable binding mode and docking scores greater than −13 kcal/mol. Furthermore, the molecular dynamics simulation showed that these four molecules formed stable complexes with LasR during the 150-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, indicating their potential for use as inhibitors of the LasR receptor in P. aeruginosa. However, further experimental validation is needed to confirm their activity.
This work highlights the chemical activation of hydrothermally carbonized biomass with phosphoric acid under static air as activating atmosphere. Argan nut shells were hydrothermally carbonized, and ...then chemically activated with phosphoric acid under oxidizing atmosphere. The activated carbons displayed excellent specific surface areas (from 1200 m2g−1 to 1880 m2g−1) and the material yield were in acceptable level (between 27 and 50%). The varied activation conditions provided a distinctive possibility for creating and controlling the mesoporosity of the activated carbons. At 500 °C, a mesoporosity around of 93% could be reached by an H3PO4 impregnation ratio of 4. The activating temperature 500 °C and the impregnation ratio of 3 were observed as optimum for achieving the best textural properties. The optimized material HC-500-3 exhibited a specific area of 1880 m2g−1, pore volume and average pore diameter of 1.36 cm3g−1 and 2.9 nm, as well as good amount of oxygen functional groups (2.25 mmolg−1) including carboxyl, phenol, and lactone groups. The adsorption performance of optimized material was evaluated using Bisphenol A as a target molecule. The adsorption process could be described by Weber Morris and Langmuir isotherm models. At a temperature of 25 °C, Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity was observed to be 420 mgg−1 which is comparable or higher than those reported previously. The estimated thermodynamic parameters indicate spontaneous and exothermic adsorption process (∆H° = −19.39 kJmol−1; −5.58 kJmol−1 ≤ ∆G° ≤ −4.65 kJmol−1). The mesoporous activated carbon prepared by chemical activation of biomass-derived hydrochar under atmospheric air proved to be very potential adsorbent for Bisphenol A removal.
With the growing environmental concerns and an emergent demand, a growing attention is turned to eco-friendly superabsorbent hydrogels instead of synthetic counterparts. Hydrogels based on cellulose ...derivatives can absorb and retain a huge amount of water in the interstitial sites of their structures, stimulating their uses in various useful industrial purposes. In this work, cross-linked superabsorbent composite hydrogel films (CHF) were designed, manufactured and characterized, by taking advantage of the combination of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and newly developed regenerated cellulose (RC) spheres. RC with sphere-like shape was successfully prepared using a green method based on cold phosphoric acid-mediated dissolution of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) followed by regeneration process using water as anti-solvent. Prior to be used, the morphological and structural properties of RC spheres, with an average diameter of 477 ± 270 nm, were examined by SEM, AFM, XRD, FTIR and TGA techniques. CHF crosslinked with citric acid were, in fact, prepared by solvent casting method with different RC weight fractions (i.e. 0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 15 wt%), then the crosslinking reaction was triggered by thermal treatment at 80 °C during 8 h. Prepared CHF were then characterized in terms of their structural, thermal, tensile and transparency properties. Swelling tests were carried at three different aqueous media (i.e. with a pH = 3, 6.4 or 11) to evaluate the water retention capacity of hydrogel films, as well as, the pH effect on their swelling and hydrolytic degradation properties. Collected results reveal that CHF with low RC content (i.e. RC weight fraction of 2.5 or 5 wt%) have the best tensile and swelling properties, with a tensile strength and a swelling capacity (at pH = 6.4) up to 95 MPa and 4000%, respectively.
Superabsorbent composite hydrogel based on carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) and newly developed regenerated cellulose (RC) spheres, crosslinked with citric acid. Display omitted
•Spherical cellulose II particles were developed via dissolution and regeneration processes.•All-cellulose cross-linked superabsorbent composite hydrogel films were designed and prepared.•Swelling behavior of hydrogels was studied at different pH values showing high pH-sensitivity.•All-cellulose composite hydrogel films showed high swelling capacity and good tensile properties.
Recently, the development of biopolymer/organoclay nanocomposites for food packaging, where at least one of the components is derived from nature or even biomass, has attracted much attention since ...the properties of polymers can be enhanced and controlled by nanotechnology. In this context, four thiabendazolium surfactants have been synthesized, characterized and used for the organo-modification of sodium montmorillonite (Ms) through cationic exchange procedure. The resulting thiabendazolium-montmorillonite (Mt) exhibits a large d-spacing from 1.17 nm to 1.87 nm between silicate layers. Mt at fixed content (5 wt%) was incorporated in chitosan/Polyvinyl alcohol (CS/PVA) matrix using casting method to produce a new bio-composite films based on chitosan/Polyvinyl alcohol (CS/PVA) and modified thiabendazolium-montmorillonite (Mt). The microstructure and the morphology of these bio-composites were studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The morphological characterization in the bio-composites, show a better dispersion/distribution of Mt and a strong interaction with the polymer chains, these results can be enhanced the mechanical properties of the new bio-films in term of Young's modulus, tensile strength (from 66.98 to 143.43 MPa and from 24.95 to 34.65 MPa, respectively). Further, the antimicrobial test proved the new films to have a good antimicrobial activities against all the bacterium taken for the test (aeruginosa, S. aureus and E. coli) compared to the neat film (CS/PVA). From the results, it is clear that the composite-films have the potential for possible utilization in active packaging applications.
Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) pose a significant threat to global agricultural productivity, necessitating effective control measures. Although chemical nematicides have demonstrated efficacy, ...their adverse environmental, human health, and climate change impacts raise concerns. However, the use of organic amendments such as compost and vermicompost offers sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives for PPNs management, thereby promoting environmental preservation and human safety as well as mitigating climate changes and global worming influences. The Potential of compost and vermicompost to control PPNs has been widely investigated. However, the key mechanisms by which compost and vermicompost control PPNs have not yet been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this review comprehensively evaluates the effectiveness of compost and vermicompost in managing PPNs, and elucidates the key mechanisms underlying their nematicidal activity. These mechanisms encompass changes in soil properties including pH, organic matter, and humic material; the release of nematotoxic compounds such as nitrogenous compounds, phenolic substances, and fatty acids; and overall enhancement of plant physiological strategies that contribute to the enhancement of plant defense against PPNs. By synthesizing and criticizing existing research, this review lays a foundation for further exploration of biocontrol strategies against PPNs using compost and vermicompost, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, preserving environment and mitigating reliance on chemical interventions.
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•Compost and vermicompost sustainably manage plant parasitic nematodes (PPN), reducing reliance on chemical nematicides.•Compost and vermicompost create an inhospitable environment for PPN survival.•Compost and vermicompost modulate plant physiological and molecular processes to combat PPN.•Compost and vermicompost are hand-in-hand with environmental preservation objectives.
