Abstract
Currently, the conversion of biomass to produce high-valued biofuels such as biodiesel and bio-jet fuel has attached booming interests, when used for partial replacement of petroleum fuels ...in different ratios is a promising solution due to the problem of depleting petroleum reserves and environmental purposes. Non-edible Jatropha oil can be transformed to biofuel when subjected to were hydrocracking at hydrogen pressure using an activated natural clay as a catalyst in a high pressure batch reactor. The type of product and its quality and quantity depend on the process conditions such as reaction time, temperature, and catalyst type, form, and amount. The present work aims to study the hydrocracking process of Jatropha oil at different operating conditions. The catalyst is characterized using SEM, FTIR, XRF, and XRD. The effect of process conditions variation have been studied and discussed. The results showed the highest yield of 40% bio-jet fuel was achieved at a temperature of 350 °C, H
2
pressure of 4 bar, and reaction time of 18 min. the bio-jet fuel products were tested and their specifications were conformed to ASTM D1655 specifications, viz the freezing point (−56 °C), the flash point (53 °C), and existent gum content (5.9 mg/100 ml).
A library of
-benzylpyridinium-based compounds,
and
, was designed and synthesised as potential acetylcholinesterase) AChE (inhibitors. An
assay for the synthesised compounds showed that most ...compounds had significant AChE inhibitory activities at the nanomolar and submicromolar levels. The benzyl (
) and fluoro (
) derivatives were the most active, with IC
values ≤56 nM. Compound
which had a benzyl moiety, showed the highest potency among all the target compounds, with an IC
value of 7.5 ± 0.19 nM against AChE, which was higher than that of the activities of tacrine (IC
= 30 ± 0.2 nM) and donepezil (IC
= 14 ± 0.12 nM). Compounds with vanillin moieties exhibited antioxidant activity. Among the tested compounds, four derivatives (
,
,
and
) exhibited superior AChE inhibitory activity, with
values of 6-16 nM, which were potent in the same range as the approved drug, donepezil. These compounds showed moderate antioxidant activities, as indicated by the results of the ABTS assay.
In the literature, there is an abundance of promising data on the outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) in patients with Fanconi anemia (FA); however, the data on the outcome of FA ...patients who present with myelodysplasia and/or abnormal clone are sketchy as the entity itself is a rare one, although, it is believed that the presence of any of these factors confers a worse prognosis on the outcome of the transplant. This is an update of our experience in 11 such patients who underwent SCT at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center; 10 from the matched and related donors and 1 from a partially matched unrelated cord blood unit; the conditioning was with the same regimen consisting of cyclophosphamide (total of 20 mg/kg), anti-thymocyte globulin (total dose 160 mg/kg of the equine product or 52 mg/kg of the rabbit product) and total-body irradiation at 450 cGy. Ten patients remain currently alive, well and with no evidence of disease, with a median follow-up of almost 4 years.
•BFRP bar specimens were conditioned in alkaline solution and moist concrete.•The tensile strength and microstructural characteristics of the BFRP bars were evaluated.•The impact of varying the ...conditioning environment was elucidated.•Master curves for service life prediction of conditioned BFRP bars were developed.
The durability performance of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) reinforcing bars conditioned for 3, 6, and 9 months at temperatures of 20, 40, and 60 °C was investigated. BFRP specimens were exposed to two environments: moist concrete and an alkaline solution simulating the concrete pore solution. Correlations among tensile strength, moisture uptake, matrix digestion, and microstructure characteristics were furnished. The degree of deterioration was more sensitive to the conditioning temperature than the conditioning duration. The tensile strength retentions of the specimens conditioned in the alkaline solution at a temperature not exceeding 40 °C were comparable to those conditioned in the moist concrete environment irrespective of the conditioning duration. Conditioning in the alkaline solution at 60 °C for a duration ≥6 months had a more detrimental effect on the microstructure and strength of the BFRP than encasing in moist concrete. After 9 months of exposure at 60 °C, the specimens conditioned in the alkaline solution lost 29% of the initial tensile strength while those encased in moist concrete lost only 15%. The intensified tensile strength reduction caused by the former conditioning scheme was due to disintegration of the matrix and degraded fiber-matrix interfacial bond caused by a higher moisture uptake and development of more hydroxyl groups during conditioning. The accelerated aging test results were utilized to develop a master curve for service life prediction of BFRP bars.
A model-dependent amplitude analysis of the decay B0→D(K0Sπ+π−)K∗0 is performed using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0fb−1, recorded at s√=7 and 8TeV by ...the LHCb experiment. The CP violation observables x± and y±, sensitive to the CKM angle γ, are measured to bex−=−0.15±0.14±0.03±0.01,y−=0.25±0.15±0.06±0.01,x+=0.05±0.24±0.04±0.01,y+=−0.65+0.24−0.23±0.08±0.01,where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second systematic and the third arise from the uncertainty on the D→K0Sπ+π− amplitude model. These are the most precise measurements of these observables. They correspond to γ=(80+21−22)∘ and rB0=0.39±0.13, where rB0 is the magnitude of the ratio of the suppressed and favoured B0→DK+π− decay amplitudes, in a Kπ mass region of ±50MeV around the K∗(892)0 mass and for an absolute value of the cosine of the K∗0 decay angle larger than 0.4.
Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the influence of dike geometry on the breaching of non‐cohesive homogeneous fluvial dikes. Both the channel‐side and floodplain‐side dike slopes and ...the crest length were varied systematically. The time‐evolution of the breach discharge and breach width was monitored. Dikes having a larger volume per unit width lead to a more gradual increase in breach discharge and in breach width during the first stage of breach expansion (i.e., phase of rapid erosion). In contrast, the later stage of gradual breach widening is less influenced by the dike geometry. The breach hydrographs were observed to follow three distinct patterns, which are explained based on the relative magnitude of two characteristic time scales and of a normalized form of the dike unit volume.
Plain Language Summary
Fluvial dikes are structures built along rivers to protect population and property from flooding. However, failure of fluvial dikes leads to devastating human, economic and environmental consequences worldwide. Within this context, we conducted laboratory experiments to assess the influence of dike geometry on the breaching of fluvial dikes made out of homogeneous non‐cohesive material. The side slopes of a trapezoidal dike and its crest length were varied systematically. The time‐evolution of both the breach width and the discharge passing through the breach was recorded. It turned out that dikes having a larger volume per unit width lead to a slower increase in breach discharge and in breach width at the beginning of the experiment (i.e., phase of rapid erosion). In contrast, the rest of the experiment (i.e., phase of gradual breach widening) is less influenced by the dike geometry. It appeared that the breach discharge evolution observed during the different tests follows three distinct patterns, which are explained based on the dike volume per unit width and flow parameters.
Key Points
Based on laboratory experiments, the influence of dike geometry (channel‐side and floodplain‐side slopes and crest length) on breach hydrograph and widening has been assessed
Three types of breach hydrographs have been identified and related to the inflow discharge and the dike geometry
The conditions of occurrence of the three types of breach hydrographs have been clarified based on a simple conceptual model
Production cross-sections of prompt charm mesons are measured with the first data from $pp$ collisions at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of $13\,\mathrm{TeV}$. The data sample corresponds to an ...integrated luminosity of $4.98 \pm 0.19\,\mathrm{pb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment. The production cross-sections of $D^{0}$, $D^{+}$, $D_{s}^{+}$, and $D^{*+}$ mesons are measured in bins of charm meson transverse momentum, $p_{\mathrm{T}}$, and rapidity, $y$, and cover the range $0 < p_{\mathrm{T}} < 15\,\mathrm{GeV}/c$ and $2.0 < y < 4.5$. The ratios of the integrated cross-sections between charm mesons agree with previously measured fragmentation fractions. The inclusive $c\overline{c}$ cross-section within the range of $0 < p_{\mathrm{T}} < 8\,\mathrm{GeV}/c$ is found to be \ \sigma(pp \to c\overline{c}X) = 2940 \pm 3 \pm 180 \pm 160\,\mu\mathrm{b} \ where the uncertainties are due to statistical, systematic and fragmentation fraction uncertainties, respectively.
The $B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi \phi \phi$ decay is observed in $pp$ collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of ...7 TeV and 8 TeV. This is the first observation of this decay channel, with a statistical significance of 15 standard deviations. The mass of the $B_s^0$ meson is measured to be $5367.08\,\pm \,0.38\,\pm\, 0.15$ MeV/c$^2$. The branching fraction ratio $\mathcal{B}(B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi \phi \phi)/\mathcal{B}(B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi \phi)$ is measured to be $0.0115\,\pm\, 0.0012\, ^{+0.0005}_{-0.0009}$. In both cases, the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. No evidence for non-resonant $B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi \phi K^+ K^-$ or $B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi K^+ K^- K^+ K^-$ decays is found.
An angular analysis of the $B^{0}\rightarrow K^{*0}(\rightarrow K^{+}\pi^{-})\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ decay is presented. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $3.0\,{\mbox{fb}^{-1}}$ of $pp$ ...collision data collected at the LHCb experiment. The complete angular information from the decay is used to determine $C\!P$-averaged observables and $C\!P$ asymmetries, taking account of possible contamination from decays with the $K^{+}\pi^{-}$ system in an S-wave configuration. The angular observables and their correlations are reported in bins of $q^2$, the invariant mass squared of the dimuon system. The observables are determined both from an unbinned maximum likelihood fit and by using the principal moments of the angular distribution. In addition, by fitting for $q^2$-dependent decay amplitudes in the region $1.1<q^{2}<6.0\mathrm{\,Ge\kern -0.1em V}^{2}/c^{4}$, the zero-crossing points of several angular observables are computed. A global fit is performed to the complete set of $C\!P$-averaged observables obtained from the maximum likelihood fit. This fit indicates differences with predictions based on the Standard Model at the level of 3.4 standard deviations. These differences could be explained by contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model, or by an unexpectedly large hadronic effect that is not accounted for in the Standard Model predictions.
A search for B0(s)→K0SK∗(892)0 decays is performed using pp collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1, collected with the LHCb detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 ...TeV. The B0s→K0SK∗(892)0 decay is observed for the first time, with a significance of 7.1 standard deviations. The branching fraction is measured to beB(B0s→K0SK∗(892)0)=(10.9±2.5±1.2)×10−6,where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. No evidence is found for the decay B0→K0SK∗(892)0 and an upper limit is set on the branching fraction, B(B0→K0SK∗(892)0)<0.64 ×10−6, at 90% confidence level. All results are consistent with Standard Model predictions.
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