Abstract: Ensuring of continuity of business is basic strategy of
every company. Continuity of organization activities includes
comprehensive procedures that help in solving unexpected situations
of natural and anthropogenic character (for example flood, blaze,
economic situations). Planning of continuity operations is a process
that helps identify critical processes and implement plans for the
security and recovery of key processes. The aim of this article is to
demonstrate application of system approach to managing business
continuity called business continuity management systems in military
issues. This article describes the life cycle of business continuity
management which is based on the established cycle PDCA (Plan-
Do-Check-Act). After this is carried out by activities which are
making by University of Defence during activation of forces and
means of the integrated rescue system in case of emergencies -
accidents at a nuclear power plant in Czech Republic. Activities of
various stages of deployment earmarked forces and resources are
managed and evaluated by using MCMS application (Military
Continuity Management System).
Abstract: Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is an essential
component of an organisation’s strategic procedures, which requires
attention of several factors to envisage a range of long-term outcomes
to support strategic project portfolio decisions. To evaluate overall
efficiency at the portfolio level, it is essential to identify the
functionality of specific projects as well as to aggregate those
findings in a mathematically meaningful manner that indicates the
strategic significance of the associated projects at a number of levels
of abstraction. PPM success is directly associated with the quality of
decisions made and poor judgment increases portfolio costs. Hence,
various Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques have
been designed and employed to support the decision-making
functions. This paper reviews possible options to enhance the
decision-making outcomes in organisational portfolio management
processes using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) both from
academic and practical perspectives and will examine the usability,
certainty and quality of the technique. The results of the study will
also provide insight into the technical risk associated with current
decision-making model to underpin initiative tracking and strategic
portfolio management.
Abstract: A model to predict the plastic zone size for material
under plane stress condition has been developed and verified
experimentally. The developed model is a function of crack size,
crack angle and material property (dislocation density). Simulation
and validation results show that the model developed show good
agreement with experimental results. Samples of low carbon steel
(0.035%C) with included surface crack angles of 45o, 50o, 60o, 70o
and 90o and crack depths of 2mm and 4mm were subjected to low
strain rate between 0.48 x 10-3 s-1 – 2.38 x 10-3 s-1. The mechanical
properties studied were ductility, tensile strength, modulus of
elasticity, yield strength, yield strain, stress at fracture and fracture
toughness. The experimental study shows that strain rate has no
appreciable effect on the size of plastic zone while crack depth and
crack angle plays an imperative role in determining the size of the
plastic zone of mild steel materials.
Abstract: Production fluids are transported from the platform to
tankers or process facilities through transfer pipelines. Water being
one of the heavier phases tends to settle at the bottom of pipelines
especially at low flow velocities and this has adverse consequences
for pipeline integrity. On restart after a shutdown, this could result in
corrosion and issues for process equipment, thus the need to have the
heavier liquid dispersed into the flowing lighter fluid. This study
looked at the flow regime of low water cut and low flow velocity oil
and water flow using conductive film thickness probes in a large
diameter 4-inch pipe to obtain oil and water interface height and the
interface structural velocity. A wide range of 0.1–1.0 m/s oil and
water mixture velocities was investigated for 0.5–5% water cut. Two
fluid model predictions were used to compare with the experimental
results.
Abstract: The modelling of physical phenomena, such as the
earth’s free oscillations, the vibration of strings, the interaction of
atomic particles, or the steady state flow in a bar give rise to Sturm-
Liouville (SL) eigenvalue problems. The boundary applications of
some systems like the convection-diffusion equation, electromagnetic
and heat transfer problems requires the combination of Dirichlet and
Neumann boundary conditions. Hence, the incorporation of Robin
boundary condition in the analyses of Sturm-Liouville problem. This
paper deals with the computation of the eigenvalues and
eigenfunction of generalized Sturm-Liouville problems with Robin
boundary condition using the finite element method. Numerical
solution of classical Sturm–Liouville problem is presented. The
results show an agreement with the exact solution. High results
precision is achieved with higher number of elements.
Abstract: Wind energy is rapidly emerging as the primary
source of electricity in the Philippines, although developing an
accurate wind resource model is difficult. In this study, Weather
Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, an open source mesoscale
Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model, was used to produce a
1-year atmospheric simulation with 4 km resolution on the Ilocos
Region of the Philippines. The WRF output (netCDF) extracts the
annual mean wind speed data using a Python-based Graphical User
Interface. Lastly, wind resource assessment was produced using a
GIS software. Results of the study showed that it is more flexible to
use Python scripts than using other post-processing tools in dealing
with netCDF files. Using WRF Model, Python, and Geographic
Information Systems, a reliable wind resource map is produced.
Abstract: The underutilization of biomass resources in the
Philippines, combined with its growing population and the rise in
fossil fuel prices confirms demand for alternative energy sources. The
goal of this paper is to provide a comparison of MODIS-based and
Landsat-based agricultural land cover maps when used in the
estimation of rice hull’s available energy potential. Biomass resource
assessment was done using mathematical models and remote sensing
techniques employed in a GIS platform.
Abstract: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of
supplementing broiler starter diet with different levels of an essential
oil blend (EOB) containing capsaicin, carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde
on the performance of broilers. A total of 300 day-old straight-run
Cobb broiler chicks were randomly assigned to three treatments after
7-day group brooding following a completely randomized design
(CRD). Birds assigned in treatment 1 were given starter basal diet
while those in treatments 2 and 3 were given starter basal diet with
400 mg/kg antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) and 150 mg/kg EOB,
respectively, until the 28th day. Basal finisher feed were given for all
the treatments until harvest. Following 37 d feeding, body weight
gain, feed consumption, feed efficiency, dressing percentage,
livability and jejunal villi height were determined. Results showed no
significant differences (P>0.05) in growth performance. However,
villi height and crypt depth was significantly lower for birds fed
EOB.
Abstract: In this study, the time-dependent behavior of damaged
reinforced concrete shear wall structures strengthened with composite
plates having variable fibers spacing was investigated to analyze their
seismic response. In the analytical formulation, the adherent and the
adhesive layers are all modeled as shear walls, using the mixed Finite
Element Method (FEM). The anisotropic damage model is adopted to
describe the damage extent of the Reinforced Concrete shear walls.
The phenomenon of creep and shrinkage of concrete has been
determined by Eurocode 2. Large earthquakes recorded in Algeria
(El-Asnam and Boumerdes) have been tested to demonstrate the
accuracy of the proposed method. Numerical results are obtained for non-uniform distributions of
carbon fibers in epoxy matrices. The effects of damage extent and the
delay mechanism creep and shrinkage of concrete are highlighted.
Prospects are being studied.
Abstract: Gastric Cancer (GC) has high morbidity and fatality
rate in various countries. It is still one of the most frequent and
deadly diseases. Gastrokine1 (GKN1) and gastrokine2 (GKN2) genes
are highly expressed in the normal stomach epithelium and play
important roles in maintaining the integrity and homeostasis of
stomach mucosal epithelial cells. In this study, 47 paired samples that
were grouped according to the types of gastric cancer and the clinical
characteristics of the patients, including gender and average of age.
They were investigated with gene expression analysis and mutation
screening by monitoring RT-PCR, SSCP and nucleotide sequencing
techniques. Both GKN1 and GKN2 genes were observed significantly
reduced found by (Wilcoxon signed rank test; p
Abstract: Unsteady flow and heat transfer from a circular
cylinder in cross-flow is studied numerically. The governing
equations are solved by using finite volume method. Reynolds
number varies in range of 50 to 200; in this range flow is considered
to be laminar and unsteady. Al2O3 nanoparticle with volume fraction
in range of 5% to 20% is added to pure water. Effects of adding
nanoparticle to pure water on lift and drag coefficient and Nusselt
number is presented. Addition of Al2O3 has inconsiderable effect on
the value of drags and lift coefficient. However, it has significant
effect on heat transfer; results show that heat transfer of Al2O3
nanofluid is about 9% to 36% higher than pure water.
Abstract: In this paper, we calculate the two-photon ionization
(TPI) cross-section for pump-probe scheme in Ag neutral cluster. The
pump photon energy is assumed to be close to the surface plasmon
(SP) energy of cluster in dielectric media. Due to this choice, the
pump wave excites collective oscillations of electrons-SP and the
probe wave causes ionization of the cluster. Since the interband
transition energy in Ag exceeds the SP resonance energy, the main
contribution into the TPI comes from the latter. The advantage of Ag
clusters as compared to the other noble metals is that the SP
resonance in silver cluster is much sharper because of peculiarities of
its dielectric function. The calculations are performed by separating
the coordinates of electrons corresponding to the collective
oscillations and the individual motion that allows taking into account
the resonance contribution of excited SP oscillations. It is shown that
the ionization cross section increases by two orders of magnitude if
the energy of the pump photon matches the surface plasmon energy
in the cluster.
Abstract: In the vicinity of red sea about 15 fungi species were
isolated from oil contaminated sites. On the basis of aptitude to
degrade the crude oil and DCPIP assay, two fungal isolates were
selected amongst 15 oil degrading strains. Analysis of ITS-1, ITS-2
and amplicon pyrosequencing studies of fungal diversity revealed
that these strains belong to Penicillium and Aspergillus species. Two
strains that proved to be the most efficient in degrading crude oil was
Aspergillus niger (54%) and Penicillium commune (48%) Subsequent
to two weeks of cultivation in BHS medium the degradation rate
were recorded by using spectrophotometer and GC-MS. Hence, it is
cleared that these fungal strains has capability of degradation and can
be utilize for cleaning the Saudi Arabian environment.
Abstract: Steel extended end plate bolted connections are
recommended to be widely utilized in special moment-resisting frame
subjected to monotonic loading. Improper design of steel beam to
column connection can lead to the collapse and fatality of structures.
Therefore comprehensive research studies of beam to column
connection design should be carried out. Also the performance and
effect of corrugated on the strength of beam column end plate
connection up to failure under monotonic loading in horizontal
direction is presented in this paper. The non-linear elastic–plastic
behavior has been considered through a finite element analysis using
the multi-purpose software package LUSAS. The effect of vertically
and horizontally types of corrugated web was also investigated.
Abstract: The research on thermoelectric has been a blooming field of research for the latest decade, owing to large amount of heat source available to be harvested, being eco-friendly and static in operation. This paper provides the performance of thermoelectric generator (TEG) with bulk material of bismuth telluride, Bi2Te3. Later, the performance of the TEGs is evaluated by considering attaching the TEGs on a plastic (polyethylene sheet) in contrast to the common method of attaching the TEGs on the metal surface.
Abstract: The agenda of showing the scheduled time for
performing certain tasks is known as timetabling. It is widely used in
many departments such as transportation, education, and production.
Some difficulties arise to ensure all tasks happen in the time and
place allocated. Therefore, many researchers invented various
programming models to solve the scheduling problems from several
fields. However, the studies in developing the general integer
programming model for many timetabling problems are still
questionable. Meanwhile, this thesis describes about creating a
general model which solves different types of timetabling problems
by considering the basic constraints. Initially, the common basic
constraints from five different fields are selected and analyzed. A
general basic integer programming model was created and then
verified by using the medium set of data obtained randomly which is
much similar to realistic data. The mathematical software, AIMMS
with CPLEX as a solver has been used to solve the model. The model
obtained is significant in solving many timetabling problems easily
since it is modifiable to all types of scheduling problems which have
same basic constraints.
Abstract: As a result of the ambiguity and complexity
surrounding anaerobic digester foaming, efforts have been made by
various researchers to understand the process of anaerobic digester
foaming so as to proffer a solution that can be universally applied
rather than site specific. All attempts ranging from experimental
analysis to comparative review of other process has not fully
explained the conditions and process of foaming in anaerobic
digester. Studying the current available knowledge on foam
formation and relating it to anaerobic digester process and operating
condition, this piece of work presents a succinct and enhanced
understanding of foaming in anaerobic digesters as well as
introducing a simple method to identify the onset of anaerobic
digester foaming based on analysis of historical data from a field
scale system.
Abstract: In this article was evaluated the protective effect of
the alternative concrete obtained from the binary mixture of fly ash,
and iron and steel slag. After mixing the cement with aggregates,
structural steel was inserted in the matrix cementitious. The study
was conducted comparatively with specimens exposed to natural
conditions free of chloride ion. The chloride ion effect on the
specimens accelerated under controlled conditions (3.5% NaCl and
25°C temperature). The impedance data were acquired in a range of 1
mHz to 100 kHz.
Abstract: A field experiment was conducted in the Agricultural
Research Station, at El-Ghoraieb, Assiut to study dry seed yield
performance of two locally adapted cultivars (‘Azmerly’ and ‘Cream
7’) and two line introductions (IT81D-1032 and IT82D-812) of
common cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) grown at three
different within-row spaces (20, 30 and 40 cm) and two planting
dates in the summer (April 15th and 30th) and in the fall season (Aug.
12th and 27th) of two successive seasons. The data showed that total
dry-seed yield produced by plants grown at 20 cm was greater than at
30 cm in all cvs/lines in both years. Increases in 1000-seed weight
were detected in cv ‘Azmerly’ and line IT82D-812 when they were
grown at 30 cm as compared with 20 cm in the summer season.
However, in the fall season such increases were found in all cvs/lines.
Planting at 40 cm produced seeds of greater weight than planting at
30 cm for all cvs/lines in the fall season and also in cv. Cream 7 and
line IT82D-812 in the summer season, while all cvs/lines in the fall
Planting on April 15th in the summer and also planting on Aug. 12th
in the fall had plants which showed increases in 1000-seed weight
and total dry-seed yield. The greatest 1000-seed weight was found in
the line IT81D-1032 in the summer season and in the line IT82D-812
in the fall season. The sum up results revealed that ‘Azmerly’
produced greater dry-seed yield than ‘Cream 7’ and both of them
were superior to the line IT82D-812 and IT81D-1032 in the summer
season. In the fall, however, the line IT82D-812 produced greater
dry-seed yield than the other cultivars/lines.
Abstract: The post-rain puddles problem that occurs in the first
yard of Prambanan Temple are often disturbing visitor activity. A
poodle layer and a drainage system had ever built to avoid such a
problem, but puddles still did not stop appearing after rain.
Permeability parameter needs to be determined by using a simpler
procedure to find exact method of solution. The instrument modelling
was proposed according to the development of field permeability
testing instrument. This experiment used a proposed Constant
Discharge method. Constant Discharge method used a tube poured
with constant water flow from unsaturated until saturated soil
condition. Volumetric water content (θ) were monitored by soil
moisture measurement device. The results were correlations between
k and θ which were drawn by numerical approach from Van
Genutchen model. Parameters θr optimum value obtained from the
test was at very dry soil. Coefficient of permeability with a density of
19.8 kN/m3 for unsaturated conditions was in range of 3 x 10-6
cm/sec (Sr=68%) until 9.98 x 10-4 cm/sec (Sr=82%). The equipment
and testing procedure developed in this research was quite effective,
simple and easy to be implemented on determining field soil
permeability coefficient value of sandy soil. Using constant discharge
method in proposed permeability test, value of permeability
coefficient under unsaturated condition can be obtained without
establish soil water characteristic curve.