King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi

dual phase Ti-(0~6 wt.%) Fe alloys were prepared via sintering and hot rolling process to clarify the effects of Fe contents and the rolling temperature on their microstructures and crystalline orientation. With an increase in the Fe content, the volumetric fraction of the β-Ti phase, contains high Fe solutes, drastically increased. When hot rolled at 750°C (α+β dual-phase temperature), each phase grew immediately after rolling and suppressed each other’s grain growth, resulting in fine microstructure formation and uniform residual strain. In Ti-Fe alloys rolled at 1000°C (single β-phase temperature), a very small amount of residual strain was observed, and acicular α-Ti grains with random crystalline orientations were formed due to the phase transformation from β-Ti grains after rolling.

Sugarcane bagasse fly ash, a residual product resulting from the incineration of biomass to generate power and steam, is rich in SiO2. Sodium silicate is a fundamental material for synthesizing highly porous silica-based adsorbents to serve circular practices. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a significant contaminant in animal feeds, necessitates the integration of adsorbents, crucial for reducing aflatoxin concentrations during the digestive process of animals. This research aimed to synthesize aluminosilicate and zinc silicate derived from sodium silicate based on sugarcane bagasse fly ash, each characterized by a varied molar ratio of aluminum (Al) to silicon (Si) and zinc (Zn) to silicon (Si), respectively. The primary focus of this study was to evaluate their respective capacities for adsorbing AFB1. It was revealed that aluminosilicate exhibited notably superior AFB1 adsorption capabilities compared to zinc silicate and silica. Furthermore, the adsorption efficacy increased with higher molar ratios of Al:Si for aluminosilicate and Zn:Si for zinc silicate. The N2 confirmed AFB1 adsorption within the pores of the adsorbent. In particular, the aluminosilicate variant with a molar ratio of 0.08 (Al:Si) showcased the most substantial AFB1 adsorption capacity, registering at 88.25% after an in vitro intestinal phase. The adsorption ability is directly correlated with the presence of surface acidic sites and negatively charged surfaces. Notably, the kinetics of the adsorption process were best elucidated through the application of the pseudo-second-order model, effectively describing the behavior of both aluminosilicate and zinc silicate in adsorbing AFB1.

BACKGROUND Cellobiose 2‐epimerase (CE) has received great attention due to its potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, a novel CE from mesophilic anaerobic halophilic bacterium Iocasia fonsfrigidae strain SP3‐1 (IfCE) was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli and characterized. RESULTS Unlike other CEs, the purified IfCE shows only epimerization activity toward β‐1,4‐glycosidic linkages of disaccharides, including mannobiose, cellobiose and lactose, but not for monosaccharides, β‐1,4‐glycosidic linkages of trisaccharides and α‐1,4‐glycosidic linkages of disaccharides. Only one epimerization product was obtained from the action of IfCE against mannobiose, cellobiose and lactose. Under optimum conditions, 31.0% of epilactose, a rare and low‐calorie prebiotic sweetener with medicinal and pharmacological properties, was obtained from 10 mg mL⁻¹ lactose. IfCE was highly active against lactose under NaCl concentrations up to 500 mmol L⁻¹, possibly due to the excessive basic (arginine and lysine) and acidic (aspartic and glutamic acids) amino acid residues, which are localized on the surface of the halophilic enzyme structure. These residues may protect the enzyme from Cl⁻ and Na⁺ ions from the environment, respectively. Under normal conditions, IfCE was able to convert lactose present in fresh goat milk to epilactose with a conversion yield of 31% in 10 min. In addition, IfCE has been investigated as a safe enzyme for human allergen. CONCLUSION The results suggested that IfCE is a promising candidate to increase the quality and value of milk and dairy products by converting lactose that causes digestive problems in people with lactose intolerance into epilactose. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fire activity and fire weather in a fire–prone Lower Mekong subregion (mainly encompassing northern Thailand, eastern Myanmar, and northern Laos) were investigated over a long–term 20–year period (2003–2022) using multiple datasets (here, satellite–detected fires, gridded ERA5–based fire weather, gridded land cover, terrain elevation, slope, potential available biomass, and population density). Both fires and fire weather exhibit strong seasonality. In the dry season, fires are intensified, and fire weather promotes them. Dry–season fires contribute dominantly to total fires. Fire grouping was performed to cluster dry–season fires into groups. The log–logistic and exponential models were used to fit daily fine fuel moisture code and fire weather index of the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System, respectively, together with daily fire activity. The calibrated thresholds of the two indices were determined using a slope–based method, partitioning each index into different danger levels. The new calibrated thresholds suggest fires in Lower Southeast Asia being more sensitive to fire weather than in Upper Southeast Asia. A generalized linear model based procedure was used to remove the effects of fire weather on trend (i.e., weather adjustment). The original trends in fire activity are significantly decreasing. The weather–adjusted trends in fire activity also show a decline, confirming effective regional fire management. Differences in the weather–adjusted trends between the first and second half periods suggest that Thailand has maintained effective fire management in the recent years. But Myanmar and Laos may need to strengthen their fire management especially in the forest and agricultural areas, respectively.

This work presents the properties of Mg/Br-codoped formamidinium tin iodide, which are obtained from the density functional theory (DFT), and the photovoltaic characteristics of the solar cells with the Mg/Br-codoped formamidinium tin iodide absorber layers, which are investigated by a drift-diffusion model including the tunneling mechanism. The elastic, electronic, and optical properties of Mg/Br-codoped formamidinium tin iodide attained from the DFT are promising for flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs). The predicted properties of the perovskite materials as well as the calculated current density–voltage characteristics and external quantum efficiency of the FPSCs are discussed and in agreement with both theoretical and experimental data in the literature. The Nyquist and Bode phase plots from the impedance spectroscopy simulation of the Mg/Br-codoped formamidinium tin iodide FPSCs indicate the long carrier lifetimes and the small accumulation of photogenerated carriers in the absorber layers, resulting in their high efficiency.

Syngas produced from biomass fuels is studied for renewable energy in combustion engines. Syngas used in dual fuel modes can reduce diesel consumption in diesel engines, but exhaust products are increased. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) can increase fuel efficiency and decrease exhaust emissions. Therefore, the research aims to study the performance and emission of a diesel-engine generator at 3,000 rpm and various loads, fueled with dual fuel modes by adding syngas, air, and EGR. Syngas was generated from wood pellet by a downdraft gasifier. Flow rates of syngas and air were added at 93 lpm and 86 lpm, respectively. EGR was expanded from 0.36 to 1.92 lpm. The best engine performance in dual fuel modes was found at 3.82 kW. The increase of syngas, air, and EGR flow rates led to the changes of engine performance and exhaust products. Regular diesel combined with syngas-air-EGR blend by increasing syngas, air, and EGR at 93 lpm, 86 lpm, and 0.84 lpm led to the addition of engine performance and the reduction of exhaust emissions. Outstandingly, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitric oxides, and particulate matter were decreased by 2.98%, 10.08%, 12.64%, and 2.60%, respectively. The regular diesel saving was raised by 43.33% compared with the mode of only regular diesel.

Our study proposes a MATLAB simulation to analyze the hysteresis loss in single-phase transformers under a frequency of 50 Hz, calculating the variables and the relationship between the magnetic flux density (B) and the magnetic field intensity (H) in the theoretical equation to design used in numerous conditions, including consideration of parameter of the ferromagnetic silicon steel core material, sizes, power rated, and amplitude of alternating current (AC) sinusoid that affects the B-H curve, and saturations point in the time domain. Comparing the hysteresis loss characteristics between the model and empirical experiments and the experiment test results are given in this paper.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are innovative eco-friendly technologies that advance a circular economy by enabling the conversion of both organic and inorganic substances in wastewater to electricity. While conceptually promising, there are lingering questions regarding the performance and stability of MFCs in real industrial settings. To address this research gap, we investigated the influence of specific operational settings, regarding the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and organic loading rate (OLR) on the performance of MFCs used for treating sulfide-rich wastewater from a canned pineapple factory. Experiments were performed at varying hydraulic retention times (2 days and 4 days) during both low and high seasonal production. Through optimization, we achieved a current density generation of 47±15 mA/m², a COD removal efficiency of 91±9%, and a sulfide removal efficiency of 86±10%. Microbiome analysis revealed improved MFC performance when there was a substantial presence of electrogenic bacteria, sulfide-oxidizing bacteria, and methanotrophs, alongside a reduced abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogens. In conclusion, we recommend the following operational guidelines for applying MFCs in industrial wastewater treatment: (i) Careful selection of the microbial inoculum, as this step significantly influences the composition of the MFC microbial community and its overall performance. (ii) Initiating MFC operation with an appropriate OLR is essential. This helps in establishing an effective and adaptable microbial community within the MFCs, which can be beneficial when facing variations in OLR due to seasonal production changes. (iii) Identifying and maintaining MFC-supporting microbes, including those identified in this study, should be a priority. Keeping these microbes as an integral part of the system’s microbial composition throughout the operation enhances and stabilizes MFC performance.

Introduction: A simple alternative removal of iron and copper before the determination of nickel was proposed. The procedure was based on sampling a milligram sample and a micro-milliliter operation. Methods: The method has been applied to jewelry items. A 50 mg sample was digested by 5 mL of nitric acid with heating. The obtained solution was added to KSCN before passing through polyurethane foam (PUF) (1 cm i.d. × 8 cm length). Some metal ions-SCN complexes (e.g., Fe(III) and Cu(II)) were retained in the column while Ni(II) ions were kept in the eluate. A 200- 500 μL aliquot was added with 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) as the color reagent. At least 30 μL of a portion was measured for the absorbance of the color product using a handy spectrometer. Results: The positively charged foam could remove iron and copper altogether before determining nickel. A standard calibration was a plot of absorbance versus Ni(II) concentration for 1-30 mg/L: absorbance = 0.0123[Ni(II), mg/L] + 0.0435 (R2=0.9945) with a limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.24 mg/L and 0.81 mg/L, respectively. Two bracelet samples showed the presence of nickel at 0.97 ± 0.25 and 0.27 ± 0.04 mg/g, respectively, and agreed with the reference FlameAAS method. Conclusion: The proposed method could be used to assay nickel in samples containing high levels of iron and copper, such as jewelry. This will benefit general wearers with health concerns associated with nickel, particularly in case of inexpensive accessories. The handy spectrometer used in the study might make be helpful to carry out these studies with a limited tight budget.

Lifecycle-based methods for the assessment of circular economy (CE) systems are under consideration by the technical committee ISO/TC 323, CE of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This study reviews the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) in CE to introduce a potential framework for a comprehensive environmental assessment and circularity quantification of circular product systems and to contribute to the agenda of ISO/TC 323, CE. The study is conducted in two steps. In the first step, the methodological approaches of LCA and CE are defined and the conceptual relationship between them is also explained. In the second step, the potentialities, and limitations of the application of LCA in CE have been identified. A diverse interpretation of the CE concept is identified as one of the main limitations that obstruct transforming the product systems from linear to circular and makes the application of LCA in CE challenging. A framework has been introduced by adapting the standardized LCA methodology regarding the requirements of CE design strategies and integrating it with the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI). The proposed framework can aid in transforming linear product systems into circular ones and investigate whether an increase in circularity improves or impairs the environmental performance of the targeted circular product systems. However, a careful assessment is required from the LCA experts and practitioners to establish links amongst all phases in an LCA study while incorporating CE design strategies into a product/service life cycle.

Lack of an effective early sign language learning framework for a hard-of-hearing population can have traumatic consequences, causing social isolation and unfair treatment in workplaces. Alphabet and digit detection methods have been the basic framework for early sign language learning but are restricted by performance and accuracy, making it difficult to detect signs in real life. This article proposes an improved sign language detection method for early sign language learners based on the You Only Look Once version 8.0 (YOLOv8) algorithm, referred to as the intelligent sign language detection system (iSDS), which exploits the power of deep learning to detect sign language-distinct features. The iSDS method could overcome the false positive rates and improve the accuracy as well as the speed of sign language detection. The proposed iSDS framework for early sign language learners consists of three basic steps: (i) image pixel processing to extract features that are underrepresented in the frame, (ii) inter-dependence pixel-based feature extraction using YOLOv8, (iii) web-based signer independence validation. The proposed iSDS enables faster response times and reduces misinterpretation and inference delay time. The iSDS achieved state-of-the-art performance of over 97% for precision, recall, and F1-score with the best mAP of 87%. The proposed iSDS method has several potential applications, including continuous sign language detection systems and intelligent web-based sign recognition systems.

This study introduces a new modification of the conjugate gradient (CG) method (IMRMIL). Additionally, two spectral CG algorithms (SCG1 and SCG2) are constructed for unconstrained optimization functions with practical applications. Unlike the modified search methods, the search directions in these algorithms satisfy the important descent property without imposing additional restrictions and are independent of the line search. The global convergence of the new algorithms is established under suitable Wolfe line search conditions by assuming that the gradient g(x) of a continuously differentiable function f is Lipschitz continuous. Numerical computations on both optimization functions and image restoration problems demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.