Biodiesel is regarded as a significant alternative fuel to petrodiesel due to its excellent combustion features and renewable character. The water content in the reactant mixtures needs to be considered so as to retard the conversion rate and it is suggested to be kept as low as possible. The fluid characteristics of biodiesel might be affected by initial water content; however, the optimum ratio of water content added to raw oil for achieving superior fluid characteristics of biodiesel has not yet been studied. Hence, this study empirically investigated the influences of the initial water content added to raw feedstock oil on the fluid characteristics of biodiesel. The experimental results show that an adequate amount of water content in the reactant mixture was found effective for improving the transesterification reaction and, in turn, the fluid characteristics. The biodiesel made from raw oil with 0.05 wt. % water content added was observed to bear the lowest water content, acid va... [more]

Oxidative stress (OS) and neuroinflammatory stress affect many neurological disorders. Despite the clinical significance of oxidative damage in neurological disorders, still, no effective and safe treatment methods for neuro diseases are available. With this, molecular hydrogen (H2) has been recently reported as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent to treat several oxidative stress-related diseases. In animal and human clinical trials, the routes for H2 administration are mainly categorized into three types: H2 gas inhalation, H2 water dissolving, and H2-dissolved saline injection. This review explores some significant progress in research on H2 use in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, neonatal disorders of the brain, and other NDs (retinal ischemia and traumatic brain injury). Even though most neurological problems are not currently curable, these studies have shown the therapeutic potential for prevention, treatment, and mitig... [more]

For decades, industrial companies have been collecting and storing high amounts of data with the aim of better controlling and managing their processes. However, this vast amount of information and hidden knowledge implicit in all of this data could be utilized more efficiently. With the help of data mining techniques unknown relationships can be systematically discovered. The production of semiconductors is a highly complex process, which entails several subprocesses that employ a diverse array of equipment. The size of the semiconductors signifies a high number of units can be produced, which require huge amounts of data in order to be able to control and improve the semiconductor manufacturing process. Therefore, in this paper a structured review is made through a sample of 137 papers of the published articles in the scientific community regarding data mining applications in semiconductor manufacturing. A detailed bibliometric analysis is also made. All data mining applications are... [more]

The storage of large numbers of batteries and accumulators is associated with an increased risk of their ignition, which results in the release of significant amounts of hydrogen into the environment. The aim of the study was to reconstruct hazardous zones after hydrogen and liquefied propane−butane (reference gas) release for different industrial processes with the use of numerical methods. Two numerical tools (Fire Dynamics Simulator and Ansys software) were applied for the three-dimensional reconstruction of flammable gas release. Propane−butane was produced from aerosol packages, and hydrogen was produced during battery charging. Emission was analyzed in an industrial building, and both emissions were independent processes. The obtained results indicated that the hazardous zones correspond to the lower explosive level concentrations for both analyzed gasses. Moreover, the high-resolution computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model for flammable gas emissions provided noninvasive and di... [more]

The control of ice growth inside channels of aqueous solution flows is important in numerous fields, including (a) cold-energy transportation plants and (b) the preservation of supercooled human organs for transplantation. A promising method for this control is to add a substance that influences ice growth in the flows. However, limited results have been reported on the effects of such additives. Using a microscope, we measured the growth of ice from one sidewall toward the opposite sidewall of a mini-channel, where aqueous solutions of sodium chloride and antifreeze protein flowed. Our aim was to considerably suppress ice growth by mixing the two solutes. Inclined interfaces, the overlapping of serrated interfaces, and interfaces with sharp and flat tips were observed in the cases of the protein-solution, salt-solution, and mixed-solution flows, respectively. In addition, it was found that the average interface velocity in the case of the mixed-solution flow was the lowest and decreas... [more]

The impulse water turbine is a promising energy conversion device that can be used as mechanical power or a micro hydro generator, and its application can effectively ease the current energy crisis. This paper aims to clarify the mechanism of liquid acting on runner blades, the hydraulic performance, and energy conversion characteristics in the runner domain of an impulse water turbine with a splitter blade by using experimental tests and numerical simulations. The runner was divided into seven areas along the flow direction, and the power variation in the runner domain was analyzed to reflect its energy conversion characteristics. The obtained results indicate that the critical area of the runner for doing the work is in the front half of the blades, while the rear area of the blades does relatively little work and even consumes the mechanical energy of the runner to produce negative work. The high energy area is concentrated in the flow passage facing the nozzle. The energy is gradua... [more]