Search

Fast neutron radiography (FNR) has a great potential as a nondestructive technique for testing large objects. A FNR system developed based on a deuterium-tritium neutron generator is presented. Resolution of the FNR system is analyzed using the modulation transfer function (MTF). FNR experiments based on film and charge-coupled device imaging are carried out, respectively. The experimental results of image resolution are compared with the results of MTF calculation. Moreover, the impacts of various system components on signal degradation are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty alleviation work is in full swing in China, and the acceleration of poverty alleviation work is the key to China's fight against poverty. The development of rural tourism has promoted the development of rural economy. However, the rural tourism evaluation system in many areas is incomplete, which leads to serious environmental damage and short-term economic behavior in rural tourism. In this paper, the evaluation method of rural economic development potential is analyzed in detail, based on the principle of three evaluation methods: factor analysis, compound weight method and classical domain method. An evaluation index system for tourist villages in the Yangtze River Economic Zone, China has been established from three aspects: economy, society and environment. This evaluation system was used to analyze the development potential of rural tourism in the Yangtze River Economic Zone. Through analysis, it is concluded that the economic, social and environmental development of rural tourism in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is uneven. From the perspective of economic impact, the Sichuan and Anhui Provinces are higher, while the Shanghai City and the Guizhou Province are lower. The highest economic impact is 22.52 times that of the lowest. From the perspective of social influence, the Sichuan and Jiangsu Provinces have higher social influence, while Shanghai City and the Guizhou Province have lower social influence. The highest is 7.07 times the lowest. From the perspective of environmental impact, the Guizhou Province is higher. The maximum environmental impact value is 3.84 times the minimum value. On the whole, the economy has the greatest impact on rural tourism, followed by social impact, and finally environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tuffs of the Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin are sedimentary rocks generated under a special background. In-depth research will play an important role in analyzing and determining the tectonic environment of the upper and lower strata in the tuff, the type of original basin, and the coupling relationship between the southern area of the Ordos Basin and the Qinling Orogenic Belt. In this paper, a number of modern analysis and testing techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, energy spectrum analysis and main trace elements are used to conduct in-depth research on the geochemical characteristics of the Yanchang Formation tuff. The results show that the tuff is mainly composed of feldspar and clay minerals. The neutral igneous rock are mainly derived from the active continental margin and partly from the dynamic continental margin and the oceanic island arc. In the traditional sense, the Yanchang Formation tuffs are divided into three types: tuffs with relatively weak volcanic ash alteration, obvious tuff structure, and relatively gentle HREE; porphyry with strong volcanic ash alteration, vague tuff structure, and depleted HREE; Tuffs with relatively high Ba content, developed siliceous bands or silicalite, and enriched HREE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fog computing has become a popular concept in the application of internet of things (IoT). With the superiority in better service providing, the edge cloud has become an attractive solution to IoT networks. The data outsourcing scheme of IoT devices demands privacy protection as well as computation verification since the lightweight devices not only outsource their data but also their computation. Existing solutions mainly deal with the operations over encrypted data, but cannot support the computation verification in the same time. In this paper, we propose a data outsourcing scheme based on an encrypted database system with linear computation as well as efficient query ability, and enhance the interlayer program in the original system with homomorphic message authenticators so that the system could perform computational verifying. The tools we use to construct our scheme have been proven secure and valid. With our scheme, the system could check if the cloud provides the correct service as the system asks. The experiment also shows that our scheme could be as effective as the original version, and the extra load in time is neglectable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different polymorphic forms can affect the performance of the drug product. In addition, isomorphic crys tals show different chemical and physical properties due to the changes in the crystal habit. However, it is unclear whether the crystal habit results in different pharmacological activity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the pharmacological effect of ibuprofen could be affected due to the variety of the crystal habit. Solvent change technique and conventional fusion method were carried out to modify the characteristics of ibuprofen. The physicochemical properties of each were investigated using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed differences in the surface characteristics of the crystals obtained. Further study revealed that the samples crystallized exhibited the remarkable variation on the dissolution profiles in different dissolution medium. Moreover, in vivo antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory findings demonstrated that the crystal habit modifications resulted in the different therapeutic efficacy. Taken together, these results indicate that the modification of the crystal habit had a great influence on the in vivo pharmacological activity of ibuprofen crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, hybrid materials carbon-doped ordered mesoporous silica containing tungsten species were successfully synthesized through one-pot selfassembly process, and employed as catalysts for heterogeneous oxidative desulfurization of aromatic organic sulfur compounds. Various techniques such as vibrational spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, Transmission electron microscopy, and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were employed to study the structure and composition of catalysts. The sulfur removal could reach 100% in 30 min under mild conditions. It was also found that carbon-doping could play an important role in retaining ordered mesoporous structure in the silica framework. The sulfur removal of the catalyst could still reach over 90% after recycling for ten times, indicating an approved prospect toward potential application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Veterinary Archives / Veterinarski Arhiv is the property of University of Zagreb, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In general, modem factories have recovered the most of industrial waste water before discharging. However, high concentration of phosphorus (P) and ammonium (NH4+) are commonly found. Simultaneous removal of P and NH4+ is therefore of great urgency and high priority. The purpose of this study is to fabricate a novel absorbent of CaCO3/zeolite (CCZ) composite, and explore the effect of synthesis conditions on the removal efficiency of synthesized composite to NH4+ and P simultaneously. Experimental data show that the adsorption capacity of composite to P is compressed by calcination even though the removal of NH4+ is subtly improved. Furthermore, the stirring speed and synthesis time have minor effect on the simultaneous removal ability to NH4+ and P. In order to further improve the properties, zeolite is pretreated with mild acid, mild base and high concentration of NaCl solution before the synthesis of composite. However, the properties of composite samples are insignificantly changed although the ion-exchange capacity of zeolite can be promoted. Finally, the optimized CCZ composite can be obtained under ideal conditions with great potential in simultaneous removal of NH4+ and P from waste water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excess of chemical fertilizer use in croplands has increased N and P losses in runoff to aquatic environments bringing in the serious contamination problem (especially eutrophication). Thus, it is a great challenge to develop simple and environmentally friendly method to reduce the concentration of ammonium (NH4+) and phosphate (PO43-) in waterbody. Thus, it is a great challenge to develop a simple and environmentally friend method for the synthesis of calcium carbonate /montmorillonite (CCM) composite for simultaneous removal of ammoniumand phosphate. The synthesized CCM shows the different morphology from natural montmorillonite with flower-like crystalline. The batch experimental data suggest that the simultaneous adsorption isotherms of ammonium and phosphate by the synthesized CCM obey the monolayer Langmuir model. The simultaneous uptake amount of phosphate on the surface of CCM reaches the maximum at ∼0.23 mmol/g, while ammonium reaches 0.15 mmol/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) currently have been used in many fields. However, soil and water environments are inevitably contaminated by the excess of artificial TiO2 NPs. Meanwhile, phosphate is widely present in water body. Therefore, it is important to study the dispersion and aggregation behavior of TiO2 NPs in the presence of phosphate to predict the transport of TiO2 NPs in aquatic environments. In this study, the dispersion kinetics of anatase and rutile TiO2 NPs (20 nm and 50 ran) in phosphate solution were studied by changing time, particle size, NaNO3 concentration and solution pH. The likely mechanism is investigated using the combination techniques of batch adsorption, Zeta potential and Fourier Transform Infra Red. The experimental results indicated that rutile TiO2 NPs are more stable than anatase in solution; and the aggregation of 20 nm TiO2 NPs tends to be easier than 50 nm TiO2 NPs. Especially, the dispersion of TiO2 NPs is facilitated by the presence of phosphate due to more negative zeta potential and the stronger repulsive force between nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As the social economy develops rapidly, resources are developed and used in large scale, therefore, urban solid wastes are increasing. On issues which exist in the current hazardous waste management, a real-time monitoring information management platform in the process of storing and transporting wastes has been established with RFID, GPRS and GIS Technology, to provide objective and accurate basis for pollution control and environmental enforcement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article compares the frequency of six single nucleotide polymorphisms of insulin-like growth factors (IGF)-1 and IGF2 in a large scale case control study to determine whether genetic variations of IGF modify pancreatic cancer risk. Based on the results, the authors stated that the polymorphic variants of the IGF genes may serve as a susceptibility factor for pancreatic cancer.