71. Effect of demineralization and ball milling treatments on the properties of Arundo donax and olive stone-derived biocharMariem Zouari, Laetitia Sarah Jennifer Marrot, David Brian DeVallance, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: The structural and physio-chemical properties of biochar are crucial to determining biochar’s quality and the adequate application. Specifically, the large porosity of biochar has been known as a favorable feature, especially for environmental remediation. In this regard, physical and chemical modifications have been used to improve biochar’s porosity which requires high-energy consumption and involves chemical agents. The objective of this study was to prepare biochar with developed porosity using mild treatments. Arundo donax and olive stone were demineralized by a water-washing method. Treated and non-treated biomasses were pyrolyzed, and part of the derived samples was subjected to wet ball milling. Samples were characterized with proximate, Fourier transform infrared, particle size, and physisorption analyses. The effect of demineralization depended on the biomass type, as ash reduction only influenced Arundo donax-derived biochar, which was attributed to the difference in initial ash content that was relatively low for olive stone. The carbonization yield decreased by 46% for the Arundo donax biomass after demineralization. Moreover, demineralization expanded the surface area and total pore volume of the Arundo donax biochar. The ball milling was effective in producing micro-sized biochar particles with a mean size ranging between 30 ± 2 µm and 42 ± 2 µm and between 13 ± 1 µm and 22 ± 2 µm for Arundo donax and olive stone without and with demineralization, respectively. Ball milling increased the surface area of non-demineralized Arundo donax by 47% and demineralized Arundo donax by 124%. Additionally, ball milling increased the surface area of non-demineralized olive stone by 65% and demineralized olive stone by 62%. Keywords: biomass, carbonisation, porosity Published in DiRROS: 13.02.2024; Views: 340; Downloads: 227
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72. A web-application that extends functionality of medical device for tumor treatment by means of electrochemotherapyIvan Pavlović, Peter Kramar, Selma Čorović, David Cukjati, Damijan Miklavčič, 2004, original scientific article Abstract: Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a novel method for efficient tumor treatment in clinical environment. It combines local drug delivery and application of shorthigh voltage pulses, which permeabilize the plasma membrane by electroporation. Drug can enter only the cells with permeabilzed membrane. Recently, medical device CliniporatorTM for controlled electroporation was developed. Here, we present a web-application that extends the functionality of this medical device. The aim of the application is to collect, store and toallow the analysis of every ECT application using this medical device. The application helps transferring data collected by devčce during the electroporation process to the central database, and enables filling of medical records through the web forms. The application is based on technologies ASP, HTML, Flash, JavaScript, XML and others. The application main advantages are easy and rapid data access, scalability and independence of client computer operating system as well as easy application debugging and upgrading. Keywords: neoplasms- drug therapy, drug delivery systems, elektroporation instrumentation Published in DiRROS: 07.02.2024; Views: 421; Downloads: 107
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73. Extending BIM for air quality monitoringMichael Nicolas Mrissa, Jan Vcelak, László Hajdu, Balázs Dávid, Miklós Ferenz Krész, Jakub Michal Sandak, Anna Malgorzata Sandak, Rok Kanduti, Monika Varkonji, Anja Jutraž, Katja Malovrh Rebec, 2020, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: As we spend more than 90% of our time inside buildings, indoor environmental quality is a major concern for healthy living. Recent studies show that almost 80% of people in European countries and the United States suffer from SBS (Sick Building Syndrome), which affects physical health, productivity and psychological well-being. In this context, environmental quality monitoring provides stakeholders with crucial information about indoor living conditions, thus facilitating building management along its lifecycle, from design, construction and commissioning to usage, maintenance and end-of-life. However, currently available modelling tools for building management remain limited to static models and lack integration capacities to efficiently exploit environmental quality monitoring data. In order to overcome these limitations, we designed and implemented a generic software architecture that relies on accessible Building Information Model (BIM) attributes to add a dynamic layer that integrates environmental quality data coming from deployed sensors. Merging sensor data with BIM allows creation of a digital twin for the monitored building where live information about environmental quality enables evaluation through numerical simulation. Our solution allows accessing and displaying live sensor data, thus providing advanced functionality to the end-user and other systems in the building. In order to preserve genericity and separation of concerns, our solution stores sensor data in a separate database available through an application programming interface (API), which decouples BIM models from sensor data. Our proof-of-concept experiments were conducted with a cultural heritage building located in Bled, Slovenia. We demonstrated that it is possible to display live information regarding environmental quality (temperature, relative humidity, CO2, particle matter, light) using Revit as an example, thus enabling end-users to follow the conditions of their living environment and take appropriate measures to improve its quality Keywords: Building Information Model, internet of things, environmental quality monitoring, healthy living Published in DiRROS: 19.01.2024; Views: 437; Downloads: 183
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74. Efficacy of trapping protocols for Agrilus jewel beetles : a multi-country assessmentGiacomo Santoiemma, David Williams, Everett G. Booth, Giacomo Cavaletto, James Connell, Gianfranco Curletti, Maarten De Groot, Sarah M. Devine, Abigail Enston, Joseph A. Francese, Eva Groznik, Tine Hauptman, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: The genus Agrilus is one of the most diverse insect genera worldwide. The larval feeding activity causes extensive damage in both forests and orchards. In addition, more than 30 species have been introduced outside their native range so far, including the emerald ash borer Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire. Thus, the availability of efficient trapping protocols for early detection of Agrilus species at entry points is of utmost importance. In this study we tested whether trapping protocols developed for surveillance of A. planipennis in North America were also effective for other Agrilus species. In particular, through a multi-country assessment we compared the efficacy of detecting Agrilus species on: (i) green glue-coated prism traps vs. green Fluon-coated multi-funnel traps when baited with the green leaf volatile (Z)-3-hexenol or left unbaited; and (ii) green multi-panel traps vs. green multi-panel traps baited with dead adult Agrilus beetles (decoys). A total of 23,481 individuals from 45 Agrilus species were caught. Trap design significantly affected both species richness and abundance of Agrilus species in several of the countries where the trapping experiments were carried out, and green prism traps outperformed green multi-funnel traps in most cases. On the contrary, the addition of a (Z)-3-hexenol lure or dead adult beetle decoys on to traps did not improve trap catches. Our study highlights that reliable trap models to survey Agrilus species are already available, but also that there is the clear need to further investigate chemical ecology of Agrilus species to develop semiochemical lures that can improve detection efficacy. Keywords: biosecurity, early detection, forest pests, lures, traps, visual stimuli, Agrilus, beetles Published in DiRROS: 19.01.2024; Views: 431; Downloads: 314
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75. UvodnikDavid Ožura, 2023, preface, editorial, afterword Keywords: znanstvene revije, založništvo, medicina, onkologija, odprti dostop, indeksiranje, mednarodne bibliografske zbirke, uvodniki Published in DiRROS: 08.01.2024; Views: 348; Downloads: 155
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76. The effect of duct size, sample size, and fuel composition on concurrent flame spread over large cellulose samples in microgravitySandra L. Olson, Gary A. Ruff, Paul V. Ferkul, Jay C. Owens, John Easton, Ya-Ting T. Liao, James S. T'ien, Balazs Toth, Grunde Jomaas, A. Carlos Fernandez-Pello, Guillaume Legros, Augustin Guibaud, Osamu Fujita, Nikolay Smirnov, David L. Urban, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: Concurrent flame spread data for thermally-thin charring solid fuels are presented from Saffire and BASS experiments performed in habitable spacecraft for three duct sizes, five sample sizes, two materials, and two atmospheres. The flame spread rates and flame lengths were strongly affected by duct size even for the relatively large ducts (> 30 cm tall). A transient excess pyrolysis length (i.e., flame length overshoot) was observed for the cotton fabric that burned away, which indicates that the transient excess pyrolysis length phenomenon is caused by more than just the flame moving into the developing boundary layer thickness as was the case with the SIBAL sample. A burnout time, defined as the pyrolysis length divided by the flame spread rate, normalized the pyrolysis length histories into a single curve with a steady burnout time of 22 s for the SIBAL fabric. The transient excess pyrolysis length is hypothesized to be a post-ignition flame growth transient for the essentially two-dimensional flames where the burnout time becomes very long until the preheat and pyrolysis lengths develop. The three-dimensional flames over narrow samples have lateral thermal expansion and lateral oxygen diffusion which allows them to transition to a steady state length without the transient excess pyrolysis length. Surface temperature profiles, nondimensionalized by the pyrolysis length, indicate that the temperature profiles exhibit the same shape across the pyrolysis zone. A surface energy balance calculation in the preheat region revealed that the heat flux increased rapidly at the pyrolysis front to near the critical heat flux for ignition. An estimate of the acceleration of the inviscid core flow in the duct due to thermal expansion and developing boundary layers on the duct walls and the SIBAL sample surface seems to explain the observed spread rate trends across three duct sizes and multiple sample sizes. Keywords: concurrent flame spread, microgravity, duct size, sample size, cellulose fabrics Published in DiRROS: 08.01.2024; Views: 332; Downloads: 64
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78. Cost-benefit analysis of fire protection in buildings : application of a present net value approachThomas Gernay, Shuna Ni, David Unobe, Andrea Lucherini, Ranjit Kumar Chaudhary, Ruben Van Coile, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: In fire safety engineering, cost–benefit analysis provides a systematic method to assess whether the projected benefits from a fire safety measure outweigh its costs. However, there remains a wide discrepancy between methods used in the field for cost–benefit analysis, as well as a lack of quantitative data on the costs and economic impact of fire protection in buildings. In a recent research project, a reference methodology was proposed based on Present Net Value evaluation and on a combination of specialized construction database, fire statistics, and numerical modeling for estimation of the cost components. This paper presents the application of the methodology to four case studies. The case studies allow describing the methodology, the collection of data, fire statistics, and loss estimation, as well as illustrating how the methodology can support decision-making when multiple alternatives are compared. Under the assumptions adopted for the single-family house and the residential timber building case studies, it is found that for every 1\$, invested in sprinklers, \$1.06 is saved. This benefit–cost ratio increases with increasing valuation of indirect losses and statistical value of life. Sensitivity analyses are provided to explore the robustness of the investment recommendations. The results of evaluations, adapted from the presented case studies with project-specific inputs, can support decision making for policy makers, insurance companies, and individual building owners. Keywords: fire safety, cost-benefit analysis, fire protection, fire statistics, sprinklers, compartmentation Published in DiRROS: 29.11.2023; Views: 524; Downloads: 141
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80. Hydrothermal synthesis of rare-earth modified titania : influence on phase composition, optical properties, and photocatalytic activityNejc Rozman, David Maria Tobaldi, Uroš Cvelbar, Harinarayanan Puliyalil, Joao Antonio Labrincha, Andraž Legat, Andrijana Sever Škapin, 2019, original scientific article Abstract: In order to expand the use of titania indoor as well as to increase its overall performance, narrowing the band gap is one of the possibilities to achieve this. Modifying with rare earths (REs) has been relatively unexplored, especially the modification of rutile with rare earth cations. The aim of this study was to find the influence of the modification of TiO2 with rare earths on its structural, optical, morphological, and photocatalytic properties. Titania was synthesized using TiOSO4 as the source of titanium via hydrothermal synthesis procedure at low temperature (200 °C) and modified with selected rare earth elements, namely, Ce, La, and Gd. Structural properties of samples were determined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and the phase ratio was calculated using the Rietveld method. Optical properties were analyzed by ultraviolet and visible light (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) was used to determine the morphological properties of samples and to estimate the size of primary crystals. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the chemical bonding properties of samples. Photocatalytic activity of the prepared photocatalysts as well as the titania available on the market (P25) was measured in three different setups, assessing volatile organic compound (VOC) degradation, NOx abatement, and water purification. It was found out that modification with rare earth elements slows down the transformation of anatase and brookite to rutile. Whereas the unmodified sample was composed of only rutile, La- and Gd-modified samples contained anatase and rutile, and Ce-modified samples consisted of anatase, brookite, and rutile. Modification with rare earth metals has turned out to be detrimental to photocatalytic activity. In all cases, pure TiO2 outperformed the modified samples. Cerium-modified TiO2 was the least active sample, despite having a light absorption tail up to 585 nm wavelength. La- and Gd-modified samples did not show a significant shift in light absorption when compared to the pure TiO2 sample. The reason for the lower activity of modified samples was attributed to a greater Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio and a large amount of hydroxyl oxygen found in pure TiO2. All the modified samples had a smaller Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio and less hydroxyl oxygen Keywords: TiO2, photocatalytic activity, rare earths, modification, visible light activity Published in DiRROS: 22.11.2023; Views: 496; Downloads: 229
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