scholarly journals Cross-Laminated Secondary Timber: Experimental Testing and Modelling the Effect of Defects and Reduced Feedstock Properties

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Rose ◽  
Dan Bergsagel ◽  
Thibault Dufresne ◽  
Evi Unubreme ◽  
Tianyao Lyu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Commercial Application ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Structural Applications ◽  
Compression Stiffness ◽  
Panel Stiffness ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Novel Concept

The construction industry creates significant volumes of waste timber, much of which has residual quality and value that dissipates in conventional waste management. This research explored the novel concept of reusing secondary timber as feedstock for cross-laminated timber (CLT). If cross-laminated secondary timber (CLST) can replace conventional CLT, structural steel and reinforced concrete in some applications, this constitutes upcycling to displace materials of greater environmental impacts. The fabrication process and mechanical properties of CLST were tested in small-scale laboratory experiments, which showed no significant difference between the compression stiffness and strength of CLST and a control. Finite element modelling suggested that typical minor defects in secondary timber have only a small effect on CLST panel stiffness in compression and bending. Mechanically Jointed Beams Theory calculations to examine the potential impacts of secondary timber ageing on CLST panels found that this has little effect on compression stiffness if only the crosswise lamellae are replaced. Since use of secondary timber to make CLST has a more significant effect on bending stiffness, effective combinations of primary and secondary timber and their appropriate structural applications are proposed. The article concludes with open research questions to advance this concept towards commercial application.

scholarly journals Perceived Influence of Entrepreneurial Intention on Business Success of Start-ups in Food and Beverage Sector of Rivers State

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 87-108
Author(s):  
Onita Uzoma
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
Business Success ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Right ◽  
Rivers State ◽  
Start Ups

This study investigated the perceived influence of entrepreneurial intention on the business success of start-ups in the food and beverage sectors in Rivers State. Two specific objectives, two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A descriptive survey using a quantitative approach was adopted for the study. The population of the study consists of 1,167 small scale businesses across 23 local government areas of Rivers State who are registered with the State Internal Revenue. A sample of 117 small scale business owners in the food and beverage sector of Rivers State was selected using the purposive quota sampling technique. The sample consists of 60 supermarkets and 57 neighbourhood market stores in the business of distributing food and beverages. A self-designed structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was face validated by the researcher’s peers within Federal College of Education (Tech.), Omoku, Rivers State. The instrument was further subjected to reliability using Cronbach alpha to obtain a reliability index of 0.74 and 0.82 for sections A and B, with an average index of 0.78 which shows that the instrument is reliable based on data collected from 15 food and beverage start-ups supermarkets and neighbourhood stores from Bayelsa State. Data collected for the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean, cluster means and standard deviation to answer research questions. An independent t-test was used to test the hypotheses raised at a 0.05 level of significance. The major findings of the study revealed that supermarket and neighbourhood market stores startups in the food and beverage sector of Rivers State are of the opinion that entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial experiences help to increase sales volume and enhance customers’ retention which was the proxies of business success in this study. The results also show that there is no significant difference in the opinion of the respondents on the perceived influence of entrepreneurial intention on the business success of startups in the food and beverage sector of Rivers State. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that entrepreneurs who want to succeed in the food and beverage sector of Rivers State should endeavour to render voluntary services in order to accumulate entrepreneurial experiences and develop the right entrepreneurial mindset for success.

Multilingualism in eastern Indonesia: linguistic evidence of a shift from symmetric to asymmetric multilingualism

2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692110231
Author(s):  
Francesca Romana Moro
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Modelling Language ◽  
Apparent Paradox ◽  
Eastern Indonesia ◽  
Communicative Strategies ◽  
Linguistic Evidence ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Bilingual Communities

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions: The Alorese in eastern Indonesia are an Austronesian community who have inhabited two Papuan-speaking islands for approximately 600 years. Their language presents a paradox: contact with the neighbouring Papuan languages has led to both complexification and simplification. This article argues that these opposite outcomes of contact result from two distinct scenarios, and formulates a hypothesis about a shift in multilingual patterns in Alorese history. Design/Methodology/Approach: To formulate a hypothesis about the discontinuity of multilingual patterns, this article first sketches the past and present multilingual patterns of the Alorese by modelling language contact outcomes in terms of bilingual optimisation strategies. This is followed by a comparison of the two scenarios to pinpoint similarities and differences. Data and Analysis: Previous research shows that two types of contact phenomena are attested in Alorese: (a) complexification arising from grammatical borrowings from Papuan languages, and (b) morphological simplification. The first change is associated with prolonged child bilingualism and is the result of Papuan-oriented bilingual strategies, while the latter change is associated with adult second language (L2) learning and is the result of universal communicative strategies. Findings/Conclusions Complexification and simplification are the results of two different layers of contact. Alorese was first used in small-scale bilingual communities, with widespread symmetric multilingualism. Later, multilingualism became more asymmetric, and the language started to undergo a simplification process due to the considerable number of L2 speakers. Originality: This article is innovative in providing a clear case study showing discontinuity of multilingual patterns, supported by linguistic and non-linguistic evidence. Significance/Implications: This article provides a plausible explanation for the apparent paradox found in Alorese, by showing that different outcomes of contact in the same language are due to different patterns of acquisition and socialisation. This discontinuity should be taken into account by models of language contact.

scholarly journals Improved Antioxidant Capacity of Black Tea Waste Utilizing PlantCrystals

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham M. Abraham ◽  
Reem M. Alnemari ◽  
Jana Brüßler ◽  
Cornelia M. Keck
Keyword(s):  
Antioxidant Capacity ◽  
Aqueous Media ◽  
Natural Antioxidants ◽  
Black Tea ◽  
Pharmaceutical Products ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Plant Waste

Antioxidants are recommended to prevent and treat oxidative stress diseases. Plants are a balanced source of natural antioxidants, but the poor solubility of plant active molecules in aqueous media can be a problem for the formulation of pharmaceutical products. The potential of PlantCrystal technology is known to improve the extraction efficacy and antioxidant capacity (AOC) of different plants. However, it is not yet proved for plant waste. Black tea (BT) infusion is consumed worldwide and thus a huge amount of waste occurs as a result. Therefore, BT waste was recycled into PlantCrystals using small-scale bead milling. Their characteristics were compared with the bulk-materials and tea infusion, including particle size and antioxidant capacity (AOC) in-vitro. Waste PlantCrystals possessed a size of about 280 nm. Their AOC increased with decreasing size according to the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) assays. The AOC of the waste increased about nine-fold upon nanonization, leading to a significantly higher AOC than the bulk-waste and showed no significant difference to the infusion and the used standard according to DPPH assay. Based on the results, it is confirmed that the PlantCrystal technology represents a natural, cost-effective plant-waste recycling method and presents an alternative source of antioxidant phenolic compounds.

scholarly journals Racism and Antiracism in the Liberal International Order

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Zoltán I. Búzás
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
Racial Diversity ◽  
International Order ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Racial Equality ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Current Regime ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Comprehensive Framework

Abstract Formal racial equality is a key aspect of the current Liberal International Order (LIO). It is subject to two main challenges: resurgent racial nationalism and substantive racial inequality. Combining work in International Relations with interdisciplinary studies on race, I submit that these challenges are the latest iteration of struggles between two transnational coalitions over the LIO's central racial provisions, which I call racial diversity regimes (RDRs). The traditional coalition has historically favored RDRs based on racial inequality and racial nationalism. The transformative coalition has favored RDRs based on racial equality and nonracial nationalism. I illustrate the argument by tracing the development of the liberal order's RDR as a function of intercoalitional struggles from one based on racial nationalism and inequality in 1919 to the current regime based on nonracial nationalism and limited equality. Today, racial nationalists belong to the traditional coalition and critics of racial inequality are part of the transformative coalition. The stakes of their struggles are high because they will determine whether we will live in a more racist or a more antiracist world. This article articulates a comprehensive framework that places race at the heart of the liberal order, offers the novel concept of “embedded racism” to capture how sovereignty shields domestic racism from foreign interference, and proposes an agenda for mainstream International Relations that takes race seriously.

Comparative Study for the Assay of Plant Derived Chemicals in Pharmaceutical Formulation Using Methods Dependent on Factorized Spectra

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nesma M Fahmy ◽  
Adel M Michael
Keyword(s):  
Pharmaceutical Formulations ◽  
Pharmaceutical Formulation ◽  
Ternary Mixtures ◽  
Ratio Method ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Accuracy And Precision ◽  
Validation Parameters ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Background Modern built-in spectrophotometer software supporting mathematical processes provided a solution for increasing selectivity for multicomponent mixtures. Objective Simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of the three naturally occurring antioxidants—rutin(RUT), hesperidin(HES), and ascorbic acid(ASC)—in bulk forms and combined pharmaceutical formulation. Method This was achieved by factorized zero order method (FZM), factorized derivative method (FD1M), and factorized derivative ratio method (FDRM), coupled with spectrum subtraction(SS). Results Mathematical filtration techniques allowed each component to be obtained separately in either its zero, first, or derivative ratio form, allowing the resolution of spectra typical to the pure components present in Vitamin C Forte® tablets. The proposed methods were applied over a concentration range of 2–50, 2–30, and 10–100 µg/mL for RUT, HES, and ASC, respectively. Conclusions Recent methods for the analysis of binary mixtures, FZM and FD1M, were successfully applied for the analysis of ternary mixtures and compared to the novel FDRM. All were revealed to be specific and sensitive with successful application on pharmaceutical formulations. Validation parameters were evaluated in accordance with the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. Statistical results were satisfactory, revealing no significant difference regarding accuracy and precision. Highlights Factorized methods enabled the resolution of spectra identical to those of pure drugs present in mixtures. Overlapped spectra of ternary mixtures could be resolved by spectrum subtraction coupled FDRM (SS-FDRM) or by successive application of FZM and FD1M.

scholarly journals Using green infrastructure to stimulate discourse with and for planning practice: experiences with fuzzy concepts from a pan-European, a national and a local perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rieke Hansen ◽  
Martina van Lierop ◽  
Werner Rolf ◽  
Damjana Gantar ◽  
Ina Šuklje Erjavec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Planning Practice ◽  
Regional Project ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Guidance Documents ◽  
Novel Concept

AbstractConcepts such as green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and ecosystem services gained popularity in recent discourses on urban planning. Despite their recognition as innovative concepts, all of them share a degree of ambiguity. Fuzziness can be a weakness but also an opportunity to shape novel concepts together with the stakeholders that are supposed to implement them in the planning practice. The paper traces concept development processes of green infrastructure through transdisciplinary knowledge exchange in three different projects, a European and a national research project and a local city-regional project as part of an EU regional cooperation project. In all projects, the green infrastructure concept evolved in different stages. Stakeholder involvement during these stages span from consultation to co-creation. The cases reveal two different approaches: concepts that are developed “for planning practice” might be based on a plethora of insight via consultation, while those “with planning practice” foster co-creation and might result in high acceptance among the involved stakeholders. Depending on the purpose of the novel concept, each approach can be beneficial and result in practice-related and operational products, such as guidance documents or planning strategies. However, the cases also show that in any new context an exchange about fuzzy concepts is not only needed but also a chance to stimulate cooperation and joint understanding about urban challenges and how to address them.

scholarly journals CD5 costimulation induces stable Th17 development by promoting IL-23R expression and sustained STAT3 activation

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (23) ◽  
pp. 6107-6114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelle de Wit ◽  
Yuri Souwer ◽  
Astrid J. van Beelen ◽  
Rosa de Groot ◽  
Femke J. M. Muller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Th17 Cells ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor Β ◽  
Orphan Receptor ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cd28 Costimulation ◽  
Th17 Differentiation ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Transcription 3 ◽  
Lymphocyte Receptors

Abstract IL-17–producing CD4+ T helper (Th17) cells are important for immunity against extracellular pathogens and in autoimmune diseases. The factors that drive Th17 development in human remain a matter of debate. Here we show that, compared with classic CD28 costimulation, alternative costimulation via the CD5 or CD6 lymphocyte receptors forms a superior pathway for human Th17-priming. In the presence of the Th17-promoting cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-23, and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), CD5 costimulation induces more Th17 cells that produce higher amounts of IL-17, which is preceded by prolonged activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), a key regulator in Th17 differentiation, and enhanced levels of the IL-17–associated transcription factor retinoid-related orphan receptor-γt (ROR-γt). Strikingly, these Th17-promoting signals critically depend on CD5-induced elevation of IL-23 receptor (IL-23R) expression. The present data favor the novel concept that alternative costimulation via CD5, rather than classic costimulation via CD28, primes naive T cells for stable Th17 development through promoting the expression of IL-23R.

scholarly journals A Threat of Farmers’ Suicide and the Opportunity in Organic Farming for Sustainable Agricultural Development in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karthikeyan Mariappan ◽  
Deyi Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Conventional Farming ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Input Cost

Agriculture is the main sources of income for humans. Likewise, agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy. In India, Tamil Nadu regional state has a wide range of possibilities to produce all varieties of organic products due to its diverse agro-climatic condition. This research aimed to identify the economics and efficiency of organic farming, and the possibilities to reduce farmers’ suicides in the Tamil Nadu region through the organic agriculture concept. The emphasis was on farmers, producers, researchers, and marketers entering the sustainable economy through organic farming by reducing input cost and high profit in cultivation. A survey was conducted to gather data. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been used to test the hypothesis regards the cost and profit of rice production. The results showed that there was a significant difference in profitability between organic and conventional farming methods. It is very transparent that organic farming is the leading concept of sustainable agricultural development with better organic manures that can improve soil fertility, better yield, less input cost and better return than conventional farming. The study suggests that by reducing the cost of cultivation and get a marginal return through organic farming method to poor and small scale farmers will reduce socio-economic problems such as farmers’ suicides in the future of Indian agriculture.

scholarly journals Phylogenetic Core Groups: a promising concept in search of a consistent methodological framework

Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Pascual-García
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Ecology ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
Traditional Classification ◽  
Taxonomical Classification ◽  
Novel Concept

AbstractIn this comment, we analyse the conceptual framework proposed by Aguirre de Cárcer (Microbiome 7:142, 2019), introducing the novel concept of Phylogenetic Core Groups (PCGs). This notion aims to complement the traditional classification in operational taxonomic units (OTUs), widely used in microbial ecology, to provide a more intrinsic taxonomical classification which avoids the use of pre-determined thresholds. However, to introduce this concept, the author frames his proposal in a wider theoretical framework based on a conceptualization of selection that we argue is a tautology. This blurs the subsequent formulation of an assembly principle for microbial communities, favouring that some contradictory examples introduced to support the framework appear aligned in their conclusions. And more importantly, under this framework and its derived methodology, it is not possible to infer PCGs from data in a consistent way. We reanalyse the proposal to identify its logical and methodological flaws and, through the analysis of synthetic scenarios, we propose a number of methodological refinements to contribute towards the determination of PCGs in a consistent way. We hope our analysis will promote the exploration of PCGs as a potentially valuable tool, helping to bridge the gap between environmental conditions and community composition in microbial ecology.

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