There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

[신간의 별자리x] 우리/미술, 그리고 ‘슬픔의 박물관’

비만아 부모의 돌봄 경험: q 방법론

Leu-M

As the fossil fuels are depleting day by day, there is a need to find out an alternative fuel to fulfill the energy demand of the world. Biodiesel is one of the best available resources that have come to the forefront recently. In this paper, a detailed review has been conducted to highlight different related aspects to biodiesel industry. These aspects include, biodiesel feedstocks, extraction and production methods, properties and qualities of biodiesel, problems and potential solutions of using vegetable oil, advantages and disadvantages of biodiesel, the economical viability and finally the future of biodiesel. The literature reviewed was selective and critical. Highly rated journals in scientific indexes were the preferred choice, although other non-indexed publications, such as Scientific Research and Essays or some internal reports from highly reputed organizations such as International Energy Agency (IEA), Energy Information Administration (EIA) and British Petroleum (BP) have also been cited. Based on the overview presented, it is clear that the search for beneficial biodiesel sources should focus on feedstocks that do not compete with food crops, do not lead to land-clearing and provide greenhouse-gas reductions. These feedstocks include non-edible oils such as Jatropha curcas and Calophyllum inophyllum , and more recently microalgae and genetically engineered plants such as poplar and switchgrass have emerged to be very promising feedstocks for biodiesel production. It has been found that feedstock alone represents more than 75% of the overall biodiesel production cost. Therefore, selecting the best feedstock is vital to ensure low production cost. It has also been found that the continuity in transesterification process is another choice to minimize the production cost. Biodiesel is currently not economically feasible, and more research and technological development are needed. Thus supporting policies are important to promote biodiesel research and make their prices competitive with other conventional sources of energy. Currently, biodiesel can be more effective if used as a complement to other energy sources.

A comprehensive review on biodiesel as an alternative energy resource and its characteristics

Microstructure and interface characteristics of B4C, SiC and Al2O3 reinforced Al matrix composites: a comparative study

Three aluminium metal matrix composites containing reinforcing particles of B4C, SiC and Al2O3 (0-20 vol. %) were processed. The stir-casting manufacturing route followed by hot extrusion was utilized, being one of the cost-effective industrial methods. In this study, the feasibility of processing B4C reinforced Al composite was investigated and a comparison was made with the other two composites. The microstructural distribution of reinforcing particles in all three composites was studied by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The distribution and chemical composition of the phases formed at matrix/particulate interface of the processed composites were also investigated by SEM and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). A clear interfacial reaction product/layer was found at Al/SiC interface for composites held for a relatively long processing time (> 30 minutes). No reaction product was observed at Al/B4C and Al/Al2O3 interfaces at the resolution limit of the SEM used. On the other hand, two secondary phases (alumina and another phase containing aluminium, boron and carbon) were found in the aluminum matrix away from the interface in Al-B4C composites. From the fracture surface analysis, B4C reinforced Al composite seemed to exhibit a better interfacial bonding compared to the other two composites.

Recently one dimensional (1-D) nanostructured metal-oxides have attracted much attention because of their potential applications in gas sensors. 1-D nanostructured metal-oxides provide high surface to volume ratio, while maintaining good chemical and thermal stabilities with minimal power consumption and low weight. In recent years, various processing routes have been developed for the synthesis of 1-D nanostructured metal-oxides such as hydrothermal, ultrasonic irradiation, electrospinning, anodization, sol-gel, molten-salt, carbothermal reduction, solid-state chemical reaction, thermal evaporation, vapor-phase transport, aerosol, RF sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy, chemical vapor deposition, gas-phase assisted nanocarving, UV lithography and dry plasma etching. A variety of sensor fabrication processing routes have also been developed. Depending on the materials, morphology and fabrication process the performance of the sensor towards a specific gas shows a varying degree of success. This article reviews and evaluates the performance of 1-D nanostructured metal-oxide gas sensors based on ZnO, SnO2, TiO2, In2O3, WOx, AgVO3, CdO, MoO3, CuO, TeO2 and Fe2O3. Advantages and disadvantages of each sensor are summarized, along with the associated sensing mechanism. Finally, the article concludes with some future directions of research.

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Gas sensors based on one dimensional nanostructured metal-oxides: a review.

Biodiesel, derived from the transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats, is composed of saturated and unsaturated long-chain fatty acid alkyl esters. In spite of having some application problems, recently it is being considered as one of the most promising alternative fuels in internal combustion engine. From scientific literatures, this paper has collected and analyzed the data on both advantages and disadvantages of biodiesel over conventional diesel. Since the aim of this study is to evaluate the biodiesel feasibility in automobiles, the first section is dedicated to materials compatibility in biodiesel as compared to that in diesel. The highest consensus is related to enhanced corrosion of automotive parts due to its compositional differences. In the subsequent sections, data on performance, emission and engine durability have been analyzed and compared. In this case, the highest consensus is found in reducing emissions as well as in increasing moving parts sticking, injector coking and filter plugging. This paper has also summarized the factors of biodiesel in contributing these technical performances.

A.S.M.A. Haseeb

Papers

Microstructure and interface characteristics of B4C, SiC and Al2O3 reinforced Al matrix composites: a comparative study

Microstructure and interface characteristics of B4C, SiC and Al2O3 reinforced Al matrix composites: a comparative study

Gas sensors based on one dimensional nanostructured metal-oxides: a review.

Biodiesel feasibility study: An evaluation of material compatibility; performance; emission and engine durability

Compatibility of automotive materials in biodiesel: A review