In this research, the removal of cadmium (Cd) from simulated wastewater was investigated by using a fixed bed bio-electrochemical reactor. The effects of the main controlling factors on the performance of the removal process such as applied cell voltage, initial Cd concentration, pH of the catholyte, and the mesh number of the cathode were investigated. The results showed that the applied cell voltage had the main impact on the removal efficiency of cadmium where increasing the applied voltage led to higher removal efficiency. Meanwhile increasing the applied voltage was found to be given lower current efficiency and higher energy consumption. No significant effect of initial Cd concentration on the removal efficiency of cadmium but increasing the initial concentration would be given higher current efficiency and lower energy consumption. The results established that using a pH value lower than three results in a sharp decrease in the removal efficiency as well as using a pH value higher than seven results in decreasing the removal efficiency. Using a mesh number higher than 30 gave a lower removal efficiency. The best operating conditions were found to be an applied potential of 1.8 V, an initial Cd concentration of 125 ppm, and a pH of 7. Under these operating conditions with the using a stack of stainless with mesh number 30 as a packed bed cathode, a complete removal efficiency of Cd(100%) was obtained at a current efficiency of 83.57% and energy consumption of 0.57 kWh/kg Cd.
Background: Obesity tends to appear in modern societies and constitutes a significant public health problem with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Objective: This study aims to determine the agreement between actual and perceived body image in the general population.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted with a sample size of 300. The data were collected from eight major populated areas of Northern district of Karachi Sindh with a period of six months (10th January 2020 to 21st June 2020). The Figure rating questionnaire scale (FRS) was applied to collect the demographic data and perception about body weight. Body mass index (BMI) used for ass
... Show MoreCryptographic applications demand much more of a pseudo-random-sequence
generator than do most other applications. Cryptographic randomness does not mean just
statistical randomness, although that is part of it. For a sequence to be cryptographically
secure pseudo-random, it must be unpredictable.
The random sequences should satisfy the basic randomness postulates; one of them is
the run postulate (sequences of the same bit). These sequences should have about the same
number of ones and zeros, about half the runs should be of length one, one quarter of length
two, one eighth of length three, and so on.The distribution of run lengths for zeros and ones
should be the same. These properties can be measured determinis
The heat exchanger is a device used to transfer heat energy between two fluids, hot and cold. In this work, an output feedback adaptive sliding mode controller is designed to control the temperature of the outlet cold water for plate heat exchanger. The measurement of the outlet cold temperature is the only information required. Hence, a sliding mode differentiator was designed to estimate the time derivative of outlet hot water temperature, which it is needed for constructing a sliding variable. The discontinuous gain value of the sliding mode controller is adapted according to a certain adaptation law. Two constraints which imposed on the volumetric flow rate of outlet cold (control input) were considered within the rules of the proposed
... Show MoreThe importance of the construction sector and its Great role in the provision of services and infrastructure, reduce poverty, improve living conditions and improve the economic situation in the country, impose attention to the way in which the projects implemented for its improvement and to get successful projects. The objective of this research was to determine the criteria for success as well as critical success and failure factors that have a significant impact on project success. A selected 75 engineer (department managers, project managers and engineers) are asked to fill the questionnaire form, Sixty-seven valid questionnaire forms were analyzed statistically to get search results, which were as follows : Twe
... Show MoreIn this paper, previous studies about Fuzzy regression had been presented. The fuzzy regression is a generalization of the traditional regression model that formulates a fuzzy environment's relationship to independent and dependent variables. All this can be introduced by non-parametric model, as well as a semi-parametric model. Moreover, results obtained from the previous studies and their conclusions were put forward in this context. So, we suggest a novel method of estimation via new weights instead of the old weights and introduce
Paper Type: Review article.
another suggestion based on artificial neural networks.
The performance quality and searching speed of Block Matching (BM) algorithm are affected by shapes and sizes of the search patterns used in the algorithm. In this paper, Kite Cross Hexagonal Search (KCHS) is proposed. This algorithm uses different search patterns (kite, cross, and hexagonal) to search for the best Motion Vector (MV). In first step, KCHS uses cross search pattern. In second step, it uses one of kite search patterns (up, down, left, or right depending on the first step). In subsequent steps, it uses large/small Hexagonal Search (HS) patterns. This new algorithm is compared with several known fast block matching algorithms. Comparisons are based on search points and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR). According to resul
... Show MoreSub-threshold operation has received a lot of attention in limited performance applications.However, energy optimization of sub-threshold circuits should be performed with the concern of the performance limitation of such circuit. In this paper, a dual size design is proposed for energy minimization of sub-threshold CMOS circuits. The optimal downsizing factor is determined and assigned for some gates on the off-critical paths to minimize the energy at the maximum allowable performance. This assignment is performed using the proposed slack based genetic algorithm which is a heuristic-mixed evolutionary algorithm. Some gates are heuristically assigned to the original and the downsized design based on their slack time determined by static tim
... Show MoreAbstract Aim: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which affects communication and social interaction of children. It is a heterogeneous disease with various clinical presentations. Some genes are involved in its pathogenesis. It has been suggested that environmental exposure to lead can increase the risk of autism. The aim of our study was to compare blood lead levels among autistic and non-autistic children. Material and Method: This retrospective study included 107 children (60 with autism and 47 without autism) referred from the different Iraqi provinces, in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, to the poisoning consultation center in Baghdad. Data collection including age, gender, residence, referral source, family history and blood lead l
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