Removal of Dyes in Aqueous Media with Hydrochar Base of Solid Tanneries Waste: Optimization Process and Application

The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimise the conditions of preparation of activated hydrochar from tannery solid waste by hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC). The main factors such as residence time, moisture content and final carbonisation temperature were investigated during the optimisation of hydrochar preparation conditions. The three responses investigated are hydrochar yield, iodine and methylene blue indices. The results of experimental analyses showed that the yield of hydrochar decreases with increasing final temperature, leading to the formation of micropores inside the carbonaceous solid. The optimum conditions for preparing the following hydrochar were obtained: 83.10%, 390.44 mg∙g−1 and 259.63 mg∙g−1 respectively for the hydrochar yield, the iodine and methylene blue indices. The specific surface area of prepared hydrochar is 849.160 m2/g, SEM micrographs showed a porous heterogeneous surface and particularly, the hydrochar surface also revealed external pores on the hydrochar surface which acted as a pathway to the micropores. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), however, showed a predominance of acid functions on the surface of the carbonaceous solids. Tests were carried out to eliminate indigo carmine in aqueous media. Activated hydrochar showed a high level of activity, with the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms giving an adsorption quantity of 354.610 mol/g and a KF constant of 468.2489, respectively. The findings of the research revealed that hydrochar produced is well adapted for dyes removal.

Prediction of Low Heating Value of Sugar Cane Bagasse as a Fuel for Industrial Boilers in the High Relative Humidity Region: Case of Cameroon

Many attempts have been made to estimate calorific value of bagasse using mathematical equations, which were created based on data from proximate, ultimate, physical and chemical analysis. Questions have been raised on the applicability of these equations in different parts of the globe. This study was initiated to tackle these problems and also check the most suited mathematical models for the Law Heating Value of Cameroonian bagasse. Data and bagasse samples were collected at the Cameroonian sugarcane factory. The effects of cane variety, age of harvesting, source, moisture content, and sucrose on the LHV of Cameroon bagasse have been tested. It was shown that humidity does not change within a variety, but changes from the dry season to the rainy season;the sugar in the rainy season is significantly different from that collected in the dry season. Samples of the same variety have identical LHV. LHV in the dry season is significantly different from LHV in the rainy season. According to the fact that this study was done for cane with different ages of harvesting, the maturity of Cameroonian sugarcane does not affect LHV of bagasse. Tree selected models are much superior tool for the prediction of the LHV for bagasse in Cameroon compared to others. The standard deviation of these validated models is around 200 kJ/kg compared to the experimental. Thus, the models determined in foreign countries, are not necessarily applicable in predicting the LHV of bagasse in other countries with the same accuracy as that in their native country. There was linear relationship between humidity, ash and sugar content in the bagasse. It is possible to build models based on data from physical composition of bagasse using regression analysis.

Evaluation of the Reliability of a System: Approach by Monte Carlo Simulation and Application

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the reliability of a system in its different states (absence of failures, partial failure and total failure) and to propose actions to improve this reliability by an approach based on Monte Carlo simulation. It consists of a probabilistic evaluation based on Markov Chains. In order to achieve this goal, the functionalities of Markov Chains and Monte Carlo simulation steps are deployed. The application is made on a production system. .

Evaluation of IoT Measurement Solutions from a Metrology Perspective

To professionally plan and manage the development and evolution of the Internet of Things(IoT),researchers have proposed several IoT performance measurement solutions.IoT performance measurement solutions can be very valuable for managing the development and evolution of IoT systems,as they provide insights into performance issues,resource optimization,predictive maintenance,security,reliability,and user experience.However,there are several issues that can impact the accuracy and reliability of IoT performance measurements,including lack of standardization,complexity of IoT systems,scalability,data privacy,and security.While previous studies proposed several IoT measurement solutions in the literature,they did not evaluate any individual one to figure out their respective measurement strengths and weaknesses.This study provides a novel scheme for the evaluation of proposed IoT measurement solutions using a metrology-coverage evaluation based on evaluation theory,metrology principles,and software measurement best practices.This evaluation approach was employed for 12 IoT measure categories and 158 IoT measurement solutions identified in a Systematic Literature Review(SLR)from 2010 to 2021.The metrology coverage of these IoT measurement solutions was analyzed from four perspectives:across IoT categories,within each study,improvement over time,and implications for IoT practitioners and researchers.The criteria in this metrology-coverage evaluation allowed for the identification of strengths and weaknesses in the theoretical and empirical definitions of the proposed IoT measurement solutions.We found that the metrological coverage varies significantly across IoT measurement solution categories and did not show improvement over the 2010–2021 timeframe.Detailed findings can help practitioners understand the limitations of the proposed measurement solutions and choose those with stronger designs.These evaluation results can also be used by researchers to improve current IoT measurement solution designs and suggest new solutions with a stronger metrology base.

Modeling the Failure Rate of a Standby Multi-Component System and Improving Reliability

Evaluating the reliability of a system requires knowledge of the failure modes to which it is subjected. Complex topology systems generally require a high level of availability, which is a function of the arrangement of elements (components) in the system. To avoid serious failures for such complex systems, recourse can be had to the redundancy techniques available in the literature. These techniques help to improve system reliability, without affecting the reliability of system components. This paper is interested in the proposal of a model for evaluating the failure rate of a standby multi-components system and in improving the reliability of mechanical systems, arranged in a topology (series, parallel, or mixed).

New Approach of Multi-Cell Stacked Cell Inverter for Solar Photovoltaic System

In this paper, a new inverter topology dedicated to isolated or grid-connected PV systems is proposed. This inverter is based on the structures of a stacked multi-cell converter (SMC) and an H-bridge. This new topology has allowed the voltage stresses of the converter to be distributed among several switching cells. Secondly, divide the input voltage into several fractions to reduce the number of power semiconductors to be switched. In this contribution, the general topology of this micro-inverter has been described and the simulation tests developed to validate its operation have been presented. Finally, we discussed the simulation results, the efficiency of this topology and the feasibility of its use in a grid-connected photovoltaic production system.

Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of a Novel Cobalt(II) Complex Based on 3-Methyl-1-Phenyl-4-(2-Thienoyl)-Pyrazol-5-One

New cobalt(II) complex, [Co(O2C15H11N2S)2(OH2)2]∙2H2O (1∙2H2O), has been synthesized upon reaction of cobalt chloride hexahydrate (Co(Cl)2∙6H2O) with 3-methyl-1-Phenyl-4-(2-thienoyl)-pyrazol-5-one (referred as HL) in ethanol at room temperature. Single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectroscopic methods, and microelemental analyses were used to characterize 1∙2H2O. Compound 1∙2H2O crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with a Pbca space group and with the cobalt atom being pseudo-octahedral coordinated. The broth microdilution technique was used to screen the free ligand (HL) and the complex (1∙2H2O) for antimicrobial activities. HL has a low activity (MIC > 100 μg/mL) on all microorganisms, whereas compound 1∙2H2O displayed moderate activity (10 ∙2H2O exhibited bactericidal and fungicidal activity respectively on all the bacteria and yeasts tested. These findings reveal that the antimicrobial activity of HL was enhanced upon coordination to Co(II) ion against all microorganisms (bacteria and fungus).

Regional Intrusive Signature from the Cameroon Coastal Basins to Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea (Gulf of Guinea) Using Gravity Studies

The Gulf of Guinea constitutes an area of great petroleum potential yet with very limited geophysical research information. Consequently in this study, a Bouguer anomaly map has been computed from gravity data covering regions stretching from the Cameroon coastal basins to Bioko island (formerly Fernando Po) which is part of Equatorial Guinea. The data were further processed for Source Edge Detection (SED), Euler 3D deconvolution, 3D surface oriented models and 3D voxel solutions. The results confirmed the presence of previously identified intrusive bodies around the Douala and Kribi/Campo sedimentary sub-basins and went ahead to suggest a probable continuity between these two. A possible extension of this body offshore the Gulf of Guinea right up to Bioko island with very striking similarities was also highlighted and it shows characteristic variations in the depth to the surface of the body at different locations.

Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of a Novel Cobalt(II) Complex Based on 3-Methyl-1-Phenyl-4-(2-Thienoyl)-Pyrazol-5-One

New cobalt(II) complex, [Co(O2C15H11N2S)2(OH2)2]∙2H2O (1∙2H2O), has been synthesized upon reaction of cobalt chloride hexahydrate (Co(Cl)2∙6H2O) with 3-methyl-1-Phenyl-4-(2-thienoyl)-pyrazol-5-one (referred as HL) in ethanol at room temperature. Single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectroscopic methods, and microelemental analyses were used to characterize 1∙2H2O. Compound 1∙2H2O crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with a Pbca space group and with the cobalt atom being pseudo-octahedral coordinated. The broth microdilution technique was used to screen the free ligand (HL) and the complex (1∙2H2O) for antimicrobial activities. HL has a low activity (MIC > 100 μg/mL) on all microorganisms, whereas compound 1∙2H2O displayed moderate activity (10 ∙2H2O exhibited bactericidal and fungicidal activity respectively on all the bacteria and yeasts tested. These findings reveal that the antimicrobial activity of HL was enhanced upon coordination to Co(II) ion against all microorganisms (bacteria and fungus).

Applying Source Parameter Imaging (SPI) to Aeromagnetic Data to Estimate Depth to Magnetic Sources in the Mamfe Sedimentary Basin

Aeromagnetic data over the Mamfe Basin have been processed. A regional magnetic gridded dataset was obtained from the Total Magnetic Intensity (TMI) data grid using a 3 × 3 convolution (Hanning) filter to remove regional trends. Major similarities in magnetic field orientation and intensities were observed at identical locations on both the regional and TMI data grids. From the regional and TMI gridded datasets, the residual dataset was generated which represents the very shallow geological features of the basin. Processing this residual data grid using the Source Parameter Imaging (SPI) for magnetic depth suggests that the estimated depths to magnetic sources in the basin range from about 271 m to 3552 m. The highest depths are located in two main locations somewhere around the central portion of the study area which correspond to the area with positive magnetic susceptibilities, as well as the areas extending outwards across the eastern boundary of the study area. Shallow magnetic depths are prominent towards the NW portion of the basin and also correspond to areas of negative magnetic susceptibilities. The basin generally exhibits a variation in depth of magnetic sources with high, average and shallow depths. The presence of intrusive igneous rocks was also observed in this basin. This characteristic is a pointer to the existence of geologic resources of interest for exploration in the basin.

Body Composition in Sickle Cell Disease Patients in the Steady State

Introduction: Previous studies in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients have demonstrated low muscle mass (MM) and high fat mass (FM) percentages compared to individuals with normal hemoglobin. The relationship between the evolutions of body composition (BC) parameters in the active SCD population is not well elucidated. The aim of the present study was to assess the body composition in active adult SCD patients in sub-Saharan Africa during the inter-critical period. Methodology: We conducted a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study over an 8-month period. Eighteen SCD patients (sex ratio = 1) reported regular physical activity (RPA) corresponding to level 3 (RPA of moderate intensity) of the 4-level Saltin-Grimby physical activity scale were recruited. Anthropometric and BC parameters such as BMI, percentage FM and percentage MM were evaluated using an impedance meter. Results: The study population had a mean age of 26 ± 7 years and a mean BMI of 20.5 ± 1.9 kg/m2. We found a significantly higher percentage of FM in women compared to the men (25.6% ± 10.2% vs 11.1% ± 2.1%;p = 0.001). For the proportion of MM, all the women had a normal percentage. The men mostly had high levels of MM compared with reference norms. Men had significantly greater MM percentages than women (45.4% ± 1.8% vs. 26.5% ± 1.4%;p Conclusion: RPA appears to have positive effects on BC in active population with SCD, and a greater-than-expected effect was observed on MM in male patients. Promoting regular, adapted physical activity would be a promising way of improving BC parameters and quality of life in the SCD population. Further studies with larger cohorts will be needed to better substantiate these results.

A Maintenance Service Improvement Approach Based on Queue Networks: Application

The quest to increase the performance of production systems that have become complex leads to the transfer to the maintenance function of the responsibility of guaranteeing the availability of such systems. Also, we will never stop saying that maintenance must integrate into all of the company’s initiatives, to affirm its role, which is to ensure greater availability and sustainability of the means of production. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the reliability and availability of a system without knowing the distribution law of the operating times. Among the methods for evaluating dependability criteria (Fault Trees, Petri Nets, etc.), we are interested in queues that have the advantage of taking into account functional dependencies, thus allowing a quantified optimization of maintenance. Indeed, queues make it possible to model parallel or sequential processes, implementing operations taking place at the same time or one after the other, meeting the needs of modeling production systems. The main result of this paper is the study of the influence of availability on the reliability of a multi-state production system.

Experimental study on the type change of liquid flow in broken coal samples

A test system of the permeability of broken coal samples mainly consists of a CMT5305 electronic universal test machine, crushed rock compaction containing cylinder and a self-designed seepage circuit, which is composed of a gear pump, a reversing valve, a relief valve and other components. By using the steady penetration method, the permeability and non-Darcy flow β factor of broken coal samples under five different porosity levels were measured, the grain diameters of the coal samples were selected as 2.5-5 mm, 5-10 mm, 10-15 mm, 15-20 mm, 20-25 mm and 2.5-25 ram, respectively. After measuring the permeability under each porosity, the overfall pressure of the relief valve continuously increased until the coal sample was broken down. In this way, the flow type of liquid inside the broken coal samples changed from seepage to pipe flow. The correlation between breakdown pressure gradient （BPG） and porosity was analyzed, and the BPG was compared with the pressure gradient when seepage instability occurred. The results show that, ①the non-Darcy flow β factor was negative before broken coal samples with six kinds of diameters were broken down; ②the BPG of coal samples with a grain size of 2.5-25 mm was lower than that of the others; ③ the BPG of coal samples with a single diameter under the same porosity increased as the grain size increased; ④ the BPG could be fitted by an exponential function with porosity, and the exponent decreased as the grain size increased for coal samples with a single diameter; ⑤ the BPG was slightly less than the seepage instability pressure gradient. The change in liquid flow type from seepage to pipe flow could be regarded as the performance of the seepage instability.

Kinetics and mechanism of adsorptive removal of copper from aqueous solution with poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel

Recently, a renewed interest in techniques for heavy metal removal of wastewater has been growing because of embarking opportunities for industrial applications. We investigated the adsorption capacity of the copper on the poly（vinyl alcohol） hydrogel from the aqueous solution. Chemical structure and water absorption of the hydrogel were studied using FTIR and water uptake measurement, respectively. The results showed that the poly（vinyl alcohol） was crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, and the hydrogel highly exhibited the equilibrium swelling ratio because of its hydrophilicity property. Additionally, it was found that the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the mechanism diffusion was controlled by particle and film diffusions.

Synthesis and characterization of X-shaped oligo(para-phenylene) derivatives functionalized with fluorene ethynylene

A series of linear and X-shaped oligo（para-phenylene） derivatives functionalized with fluorene ethynylenes 1,3 and 4 were synthesized through sequent Sonogashira coupling and Suzuki-Miyaura reaction in high yield.The electron-donating group-OCH3 and electron-withdrawing counterparts-CF3 were introduced to tune the spectra properties of compounds 3 and 4.The detail investigation of their photophysical properties in solution and film indicated that the introduction of both -OCH3 and -CF3 makes maximum emission distinct red-shift in comparison with parent compound 1,but the latter more prominently.

The Socio-Economic Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Change on the Inhabitants of Mount Bambouto Caldera of the Western Highlands of Cameroon

This work assessed the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) change on the socio-economic conditions of the inhabitants in the Mount Bambouto Caldera from 1980-2016. To achieve this, three time series satellite images;Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) (1980), Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) (2001), and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) (2016) scenes were employed to investigate the changes in LULC. The use of satellite images was supplemented with individual interviews, discussions with focus groups and key informants, and direct field observations. Five categories of LULC classes were identified namely: thick woody vegetation (natural forest and oil palms), light vegetation (croplands), savannah (grasslands), buildings (settlements), and bare grounds. The results showed that between 1980 and 2016, croplands, buildings and bare lands increased by 4%, 0.43% and 5.7% respectively while savannah/grassland and natural forest decreased by 4.4% and 5.8% respectively. Household survey revealed soil fertility decline and lack of credit schemes to be major constraints to crop production. Many religious holidays contribute to seasonal food shortages and the community faces a host of socio-economic and institutional challenges. Consequently, majority of house-holds are destitute, live in abject poverty;which is an indication of the need for interventions by government and other development stakeholders to tackle the problems of soil fertility, land use change and food insecurity.

Influence of Soil Salt on Growth, Development and Seed Productivity of Artichoke Varieties

The seed productivity of the artichoke varieties Green Gold, Imperial Star, Violetto was revealed in the conditions of medium saline soils of the Bukhara region. The data obtained showed that seed productivity is directly proportional to fruit crowns. The soil and climatic conditions of the studied area significantly affect the ontogeny of varieties.

Synthesis, Spectroscopic, Molecular Modeling and Anti-Fungal Studies of Some Divalent Metal Complexes of 4-Hydroxyacetophenone Isonicotinoyl Hydrazone

A novel ligand N-4-hydroxyacetophenone isonicotinoyl hydrazone and its manganese(II) and nickel(II) metal complexes have been synthesized. The synthesized Schiff base and its metal complexes have been characterized by physical state determination, melting point and solubility measurements in different solvents, infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometric and powder X-ray spectroscopic techniques. The thermal properties of the prepared compounds were obtained from TG/DTG measurements. On the basis of the analytical techniques, the ligand was found to be bidentate in nature coordinating to the metal ions through the azomethine nitrogen and carbonyl oxygen atoms leading to distorted octahedral geometries of the metal complexes which were modeled using MM2 force field. The ligand and its metal(II) complexes were evaluated for antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans and Rhizopus stolonifera. The antifungal evaluation results revealed an enhanced activity upon coordination of the ligand with the metal(II) ions. The activity of the metal complex to the tested fungal strains was in the order Ni(II) > Mn(II).

Serotypes of Bacteria Encountered in Childhood Purulent Meningitis in Children in Parakou (Benin) in 2011

Introduction: In the North-Benin, there are three agents causing pediatric purulent meningitis outside the neonatal period. These are: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae type b. The aim of this research work was to investigate bacteria serotypes that caused childhood purulent meningitis in the pediatric unit of the Borgou à Regional University Teaching Hospital (CHUD-Borgou) located in Parakou (North-Benin). Patients and Methods: Through a prospective and descriptive study centered on children aged 0 to 5 years old suspected of meningitis and hospitalized, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of those children were analyzed at the WHO reference laboratory in Banjul for serotyping by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR). Results: Among the 1396 children hospitalized during that period, 366 were suspected of meningitis and had benefitted from lumbar puncture. Among those 366 suspected cases, 51 cases of purulent meningitis were confirmed after CSF cytobacteriological and biochemical test at the CHUD-Borgou laboratory. Among 51 CSF samples in which purulent meningitis was confirmed, 44 were sent to Banjul. In addition, 310 CSF samples from non-confirmed cases of meningitis were also sent to Banjul. In the whole set of samples sent for real time PCR, 151 cases of Streptococcus pneumoniae (42.7%) were found, 5 cases of Neisseria meningitidis (1.4%) and 1 case of Haemophilus influenzae (0.3%) were also encountered. As regards Streptococcus pneumonia, the serotypes encountered were: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7F, 8, 9V, 9V/9A, 9N/9L, 14, 18C, 19A, 23F, 33F as well as non typed and non typable serotypes. As for Neisseria meningitidis, only serogroup A was found in it. For Haemophilus influenzae, only serotype b was identified. Conclusion: Four non vaccine serotypes (8, 9V/9A, 9N/9L and 33F), non typed and non typable serotypes which are not covered by 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV 13) were identified. This highlights the need to enhance surveillance of pediatric purulent meningitis and serotyping by RT/PCR of all CSF samples in order to adapt if necessary future new pneumococcal vaccines to circulating non vaccine serotypes.

ELECTROCHROMETIC STUDIES ON POLAR MULTILAYERS OF LIQUID CRYSTALLINE POLYMERS

Electrochrometic measurements were carried on the Z-type Langmuir-Blodgett films of two liquid crystalline polymers: mono-{6-[4-(phenylazo) naphthyloxy] hexyl} (1a) and mono-{6-[4-(anthraquinone-1-azo) naphthyloxy] hexyl} (2a) ester of polymaleic acid. It was found that for both polymers, poling fields parallel and antiparallel to dipole moments of the polymer side chains induce red and blue shift in absorption bands, respectively. For polymer 1a blue shift is accompanied by absorbance increase, while red shift by absorbance decrease;but for polymer 2a only decrease in absorbance is observed. A simple model was proposed to analyze the results.