Abstract: Recovering resources from water purification sludge
(WPS) have been gradually stipulated in environmental protection
laws and regulations in many nations. Hence, reusing the WPS is
becoming an important topic, and recovering alum from WPS is one of
the many practical alternatives. Most previous research efforts have
been conducted on studying the amphoteric characteristic of aluminum
hydroxide for investigating the optimum pH range to dissolve the
Al(III) species from WPS, but it has been lack of reaction kinetics or
mechanisms related discussion. Therefore, in this investigation, water
purification sludge (WPS) solution was broken by ultrasound to make
particle size of reactants smaller, specific surface area larger.
According to the reaction kinetics, these phenomena let the dissolved
aluminum salt quantity increased and the reaction rate go faster.
Abstract: Millions of girls are forcibly married during the
transitional period between puberty and adulthood. At a stage of
vulnerability cultural practices, religious rights and social standards
place her in a position where she is catapult into womanhood. An
advocate against forced child marriage could argue that child rights,
cultural rights, religious rights, right to marry, right to life, right to
health, right to education, right to be free from slavery, right to be
free from torture, right to consent to marriage are all violated by the
practice of child marriage. The author is this advocate and this paper
will present how some of these rights are violated and establish the
need for change.
Abstract: Chatter vibrations, occurring during cutting process,
cause vibration between the cutting tool and workpiece, which
deteriorates surface roughness and reduces tool life. The purpose of
this study is to investigate the influence of cutting parameters and
tool construction on surface roughness and vibration in turning of
aluminum alloy AA2024. A new design of cutting tool is proposed,
which is filled up with epoxy granite in order to improve damping
capacity of the tool. Experiments were performed at the lathe using
carbide cutting insert coated with TiC and two different cutting tools
made of AISI 5140 steel. Taguchi L9 orthogonal array was applied to
design of experiment and to optimize cutting conditions. By the help
of signal-to-noise ratio and analysis of variance the optimal cutting
condition and the effect of the cutting parameters on surface
roughness and vibration were determined. Effectiveness of Taguchi
method was verified by confirmation test. It was revealed that new
cutting tool with epoxy granite has reduced vibration and surface
roughness due to high damping properties of epoxy granite in
toolholder.
Abstract: Noninvasive diagnostics of diseases via breath
analysis has attracted considerable scientific and clinical interest for
many years and become more and more promising with the rapid
advancements in nanotechnology and biotechnology. The volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath, which are mainly
blood borne, particularly provide highly valuable information about
individuals’ physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
Additionally, breath analysis is noninvasive, real-time, painless, and
agreeable to patients. We have developed a wireless sensor array
based on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-functionalized single-walled
carbon nanotubes (SWNT) for the detection of a number of
physiological indicators in breath. Seven DNA sequences were used
to functionalize SWNT sensors to detect trace amount of methanol,
benzene, dimethyl sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, acetone, and ethanol,
which are indicators of heavy smoking, excessive drinking, and
diseases such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and diabetes. Our test
results indicated that DNA functionalized SWNT sensors exhibit
great selectivity, sensitivity, and repeatability; and different
molecules can be distinguished through pattern recognition enabled
by this sensor array. Furthermore, the experimental sensing results
are consistent with the Molecular Dynamics simulated ssDNAmolecular
target interaction rankings. Thus, the DNA-SWNT sensor
array has great potential to be applied in chemical or biomolecular
detection for the noninvasive diagnostics of diseases and personal
health monitoring.
Abstract: The practical efficient approach is suggested for
estimation of the seismoacoustic sources energy in C-OTDR
monitoring systems. This approach is represents the sequential plan
for confidence estimation both the seismoacoustic sources energy, as
well the absorption coefficient of the soil. The sequential plan
delivers the non-asymptotic guaranteed accuracy of obtained
estimates in the form of non-asymptotic confidence regions with
prescribed sizes. These confidence regions are valid for a finite
sample size when the distributions of the observations are unknown.
Thus, suggested estimates are non-asymptotic and nonparametric,
and also these estimates guarantee the prescribed estimation accuracy
in form of prior prescribed size of confidence regions, and prescribed
confidence coefficient value.
Abstract: This paper discusses the thematic structure of Yoruba
popular music of Southwest Nigeria. It examines the use of themes
and variations in early and contemporary Juju music. The work is an
outcome of a research developed by the author in his doctoral studies
at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, with the aim of analyzing the
thematic and motivic developments in Yoruba popular genres.
Observations, interviews, live recordings and CDs were used as
methods for eliciting information. Field recordings and CDs of
selected musical samples were also transcribed and notated. The
research established the prevalent use of string of themes by Juju
musicians as a compositional technique in moving from one musical
section to another, as they communicate the verbal messages in their
song. These themes consist of the popular ‘call and response’ form
found in most African music, analogous to the western ‘subject and
answer’ style of the fugue or sonata form, although without the tonic–
dominant relations. Due to the short and repetitive form of African
melodies and rhythms, a theme is restated as a variation, where its
rhythmic and melodic motifs are stylistically developed and repeated,
but still retaining its recognizable core musical structure. The
findings of this study showed that Juju musicians generally often
employ a thematic plan where new themes are used to arrange the
songs into sections, and each theme is developed into variations in
order to further expand the music, eliminate monotony, and create
musical aesthetics, serving as hallmark of its musical identity. The
study established the musical and extra-musical attributes of the
genre, while recommending further research towards analyzing the
various compositional techniques employed in African popular
genres.
Abstract: The customers use the best compromise criterion
between price and quality of service (QoS) to select or change
their Service Provider (SP). The SPs share the same market and
are competing to attract more customers to gain more profit. Due
to the divergence of SPs interests, we believe that this situation is a
non-cooperative game of price and QoS. The game converges to an
equilibrium position known Nash Equilibrium (NE). In this work, we
formulate a game theoretic framework for the dynamical behaviors
of SPs. We use Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to find the price and
QoS strategies that maximize the profit for each SP and illustrate
the corresponding strategy in NE. In order to quantify how this NE
point is performant, we perform a detailed analysis of the price of
anarchy induced by the NE solution. Finally, we provide an extensive
numerical study to point out the importance of considering price and
QoS as a joint decision parameter.
Abstract: Fading noise degrades the performance of cellular
communication, most notably in femto- and pico-cells in 3G and 4G
systems. When the wireless channel consists of a small number of
scattering paths, the statistics of fading noise is not analytically
tractable and poses a serious challenge to developing closed
canonical forms that can be analysed and used in the design of
efficient and optimal receivers. In this context, noise is multiplicative
and is referred to as stochastically local fading. In many analytical
investigation of multiplicative noise, the exponential or Gamma
statistics are invoked. More recent advances by the author of this
paper utilized a Poisson modulated-weighted generalized Laguerre
polynomials with controlling parameters and uncorrelated noise
assumptions. In this paper, we investigate the statistics of multidiversity
stochastically local area fading channel when the channel
consists of randomly distributed Rayleigh and Rician scattering
centers with a coherent Nakagami-distributed line of sight component
and an underlying doubly stochastic Poisson process driven by a
lognormal intensity. These combined statistics form a unifying triply
stochastic filtered marked Poisson point process model.
Abstract: We consider fast and accurate solutions of scattering
problems by large perfectly conducting objects (PEC) formulated
by an optimization of the Method of Auxiliary Sources (MAS). We
present various techniques used to reduce the total computational cost
of the scattering problem. The first technique is based on replacing
the object by an array of finite number of small (PEC) object with the
same shape. The second solution reduces the problem on considering
only the half of the object.These t
Abstract: The increase of technogenic and natural accidents,
accompanied by air pollution, for example, by combustion products,
leads to the necessity of respiratory protection. This work is devoted to the development of a calorimetric method
and a device which allows investigating quickly the kinetics of
carbon dioxide sorption by chemisorbents on the base of potassium
superoxide in order to assess the protective properties of respiratory
protective closed circuit apparatus. The features of the traditional approach for determining the
sorption properties in a thin layer of chemisorbent are described, as
well as methods and devices, which can be used for the sorption
kinetics study. The authors developed an approach (as opposed to the traditional
approach) based on the power measurement of internal heat sources
in the chemisorbent layer. The emergence of the heat sources is a
result of exothermic reaction of carbon dioxide sorption. This
approach eliminates the necessity of chemical analysis of samples
and can significantly reduce the time and material expenses during
chemisorbents testing. Error of determining the volume fraction of adsorbed carbon
dioxide by the developed method does not exceed 12%. Taking into
account the efficiency of the method, we consider that it is a good
alternative to traditional methods of chemical analysis under the
assessment of the protection sorbents quality.
Abstract: Sub-Saharan Africa is described as the second fastest
growing in mobile phone penetration in the world more than in the
United States or the European Union. Mobile phones have been used
to provide a lot of opportunities to improve people’s lives in the
region such as in banking, marketing, entertainment, and paying for
various bills such as water, TV, and electricity. However, the
potential of mobile phones to enhance teaching and learning has not
been explored. This study presents an experience of developing and
delivering SMS based quiz questions used to assess mastery of
subject content knowledge of science and mathematics secondary
school teachers in Tanzania. The SMS quizzes were used as a follow
up support mechanism to 500 teachers who participated in a project
to upgrade subject content knowledge of teachers in science and
mathematics subjects in Tanzania. Quizzes of 10-15 questions were
sent to teachers each week for 8 weeks and the results were analyzed
using SPSS. Results show that teachers who participated in chemistry
and biology subjects have better performance compared to those who
participated in mathematics and physics subjects. Teachers reported
some challenges that led to poor performance, This research has
several practical implications for those who are implementing or
planning to use mobile phones in teaching and learning especially in
rural secondary schools in sub-Saharan Africa.
Abstract: The aim of sustainable architecture is to design
buildings with the least adverse effects on the environment and
provide better conditions for people. What building forms make the
best use of land? This question was addressed in the late 1960s at the
center of Land Use and Built Form Studies in Cambridge. This led to
a number of influential papers which had a great influence on the
practice of urban design. This paper concentrates on the results of
sustainability caused by climatic conditions in Iranian traditional
architecture in hot-arid regions. As people spent a significant amount
of their time in houses, it was very important to have such houses to
fulfill their needs physically and spiritually as well as satisfying their
cultural and religious aspects of their lifestyles. In a vast country such
as Iran with different climatic zones, traditional builders have
presented series of logical solutions for human comfort. These
solutions have been able to response to the environmental problems
for a long period of time. As a result, by considering the experience
in traditional architecture of hot–arid climate in Iran, it is possible to
attain sustainable architecture.
Abstract: The paper will focus on the strategic development
deriving from the evolution of the traditional courtyard spatial
organization towards a new, contemporary sustainable way of living.
New sustainable approaches that engulf the social issues, the notion
of place, the understanding of weather architecture blended together
with the bioclimatic behavior will be seen through a series of
experimental case studies in the island of Cyprus, inspired and
originated from its traditional wisdom, ranging from small scale of
living to urban interventions. Weather and nature will be seen as co-architectural authors with
architects. Furthermore, the building will be seen not as an object but
rather as a vessel of human activities. This will further enhance the
notion of merging the material and immaterial, the built and unbuilt,
subject-human, and the object-building. This eventually will enable
to generate the discussion of the understanding of the building in
relation to the place and its inhabitants, where the human topography
is more important than the material topography. The specificities of
the divided island and the dealing with sites that are in vicinity with
the diving Green Line will further trigger explorations dealing with
the regeneration issues and the social sustainability offering
unprecedented opportunities for innovative sustainable ways of
living. Opening up a discourse with premises of weather-nature, materialimmaterial,
human-material topographies in relation to the contested
sites of the borders will lead us to develop innovative strategies for a
profound, both technical and social sustainability, which fruitfully
yields to innovative living built environments, responding to the ever
changing environmental and social needs. As a starting point, a case study in Kaimakli in Nicosia, a
refurbishment with an extension of a traditional house, already
engulfs all the traditional/ vernacular wisdom of the bioclimatic
architecture. The project focusses on the direct and quite obvious
bioclimatic features such as south orientation and cross ventilation.
Furthermore, it tries to reinvent the adaptation of these parameters in
order to turn the whole house to a contemporary living environment.
In order to succeed this, evolutions of traditional architectural
elements and spatial conditions are integrated in a way that does not
only respond to some certain weather conditions, but they integrate
and blend the weather within the built environment. A series of
innovations aiming at maximum flexibility is proposed. The house
can finally be transformed into a winter enclosure, while for the most
part of the year it turns into a ‘camping’ living environment. Parallel to experimental interventions in existing traditional units,
we will proceed examining the implementation of the same
developed methodology in designing living units and complexes.
Malleable courtyard organizations that attempt to blend the
traditional wisdom with the contemporary needs for living, the
weather and nature with the built environment will be seen tested in
both horizontal and vertical developments. Social activities are seen as directly affected and forged by the
weather conditions thus generating a new social identity of people where people are directly involved and interacting with the weather.
The human actions and interaction with the built, material
environment in order to respond to weather will be seen as the result
of balancing the social with the technological sustainability, the
immaterial, and the material aspects of the living environment.
Abstract: Experience is what makes a man perfect. Though we
tend to learn many a different things in life through practice still we
need to go an extra mile to gain experience which would be profitable
only when it is integrated with regular practice. A clear phenomenal
idea is that every teacher is a learner. The centralized idea of this paper would focus on the integrated
practices carried out among the students of Jizan University which
enhances learning through experiences. Integrated practices like
student-directed activities, balanced curriculum, phonological based
activities and use of consistent language would enlarge the vision and
mission of students to earn experience through learning. Students
who receive explicit instruction and guidance could practice the skills
and strategies through student-directed activities such as peer tutoring
and cooperative learning. The second effective practice is to use
consistent language. Consistent language provides students a model
for talking about the new concepts which also enables them to
communicate without hindrances. Phonological awareness is an
important early reading skill for all students. Students generally have
phonemic awareness in their home language can often transfer that
knowledge to a second language. And also a balanced curriculum
requires instruction in all the elements of reading. Reading is the
most effective skill when both basic and higher-order skills are
included on a daily basis. Computer based reading and listening skills
will empower students to understand language in a better way.
English language learners can benefit from sound reading instruction
even before they are fully proficient in English as long as the
instruction is comprehensible. Thus, if students have to be well
equipped in learning they should foreground themselves in various
integrated practices through multifarious experience for which
teachers are moderators and trainers. This type of learning prepares
the students for a constantly changing society which helps them to
meet the competitive world around them for better employability
fulfilling the vision and mission of the institution.
Abstract: Green concrete are generally composed of recycling
materials as hundred or partial percent substitutes for aggregate,
cement, and admixture in concrete. To reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, efforts are needed to develop environmentally friendly
construction materials. Using of fly ash based geopolymer as an
alternative binder can help reduce CO2 emission of concrete. The
binder of geopolymer concrete is different from the ordinary Portland
cement concrete. Geopolymer Concrete specimens were prepared
with different concentration of NaOH solution M10, M14, and, M16
and cured at 60ºC in duration of 24 hours and 8 hours, in addition to
the curing in direct sunlight. Thus, it is necessary to study the effects
of the geopolymer binder on the behavior of concrete. Concrete is
made by using geopolymer technology is environmental friendly and
could be considered as part of the sustainable development. In this
study, the Local Alkaline Activator in Egypt and crashed stone as
coarse aggregate in fly ash based-geopolymer concrete was
investigated. This paper illustrates the development of mechanical
properties. Since the gained compressive strength for geopolymer
concrete at 28 days was in the range of 22.5MPa – 43.9MPa.
Abstract: Synchrophasor technology is fast being deployed in
electric power grids all over the world and is fast changing the way
the grids are managed. This trend is to continue until the entire
power grids are fully connected so they can be monitored and
controlled in real-time. Much achievement has been made in the
synchrophasor technology development and deployment, and there
are still much more to be achieved. For instance, real-time power
grid control and protection potentials of synchrophasor are yet to be
explored. It is of necessity that researchers keep in view the various
challenges that still need to be overcome in expanding the frontiers
of synchrophasor technology. This paper outlines the major
challenges that should be dealt with in order to achieve the goal of
total power grid visualization, monitoring, and control using
synchrophasor technology.
Abstract: The liberalisation of the education industry has
exposed the institute of higher learning (IHL) in Malaysia to the
financial challenges. Without good financial standing, public
institution will rely on the government funding. Ostensibly, this
contradicts with the government’s aspiration to make universities
self-sufficient. With stiff competition from private institutes of higher
learning, IHL need to be prepared at the forefront level. The
corporate identity itself is the entrance to the world of higher learning
and it is in this uniqueness, it will be able to distinguish itself from
competitors. This paper examined the perception of the stakeholders
at one of the public universities in the east coast region in Malaysia
on the perceived reputation and how the university communicate its
preparedness for self-sustainability through corporate identity. The
findings indicated while the stakeholders embraced the challenges in
facing the stiff competition and struggling market conditions, most of
them felt the university should put more efforts in mobilising the
corporate identity to its constituencies.
Abstract: Local steel slag is produced as a by-product during the
oxidation of steel pellets in an electric arc furnace. Using local steel
slag waste as a hundred substitutes of crashed stone in construction
materials would resolve the environmental problems caused by the
large-scale depletion of the natural sources of crashed stone. This
paper reports the experimental study to investigate the influence of a
hundred replacement of crashed stone as a coarse aggregate with
local steel slag, on the fresh and hardened geopolymer concrete
properties. The investigation includes traditional testing of hardening
concrete, for selected mixes of cement and geopolymer concrete. It
was found that local steel slag as a coarse aggregate enhanced the
slump test of the fresh state of cement and geopolymer concretes.
Nevertheless, the unit weight of concretes was affected. Meanwhile,
the good performance was observed when fly ash used as geopolymer
concrete based.
Abstract: Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) routing is complex
due to its dynamic nature, computational overhead, limited battery
life, non-conventional addressing scheme, self-organization, and
sensor nodes limited transmission range. An energy efficient routing
protocol is a major concern in WSN. LEACH is a hierarchical WSN
routing protocol to increase network life. It performs self-organizing
and re-clustering functions for each round. This study proposes a
better sensor networks cluster head selection for efficient data
aggregation. The algorithm is based on Tabu search.
Abstract: Intermediate cities which also called medium size
cities have an important role in the process of globalization. It is
argued that, in some cases this type of cities may be depopulated or in
otherwise may be transformed as the periphery of metropolitans, so
that the personal identity of the city and its local cultural heritage
could suffer from its neighbor metropolitan. Over the last decades,
the role of tourism in the development process and the cultural
heritage has increased. The impact of tourism on socioeconomic
growth makes motivation for the study of tourism development in
regional and urban planning process. There are evidences that
tourism has a positive impact in local development and makes
economic motivations for cultural heritage protection. In this study,
by considering the role of tourism in local development, especially by
its economic and socio-cultural impacts, it is tried to introduce a
strategy for tourism development through a method of urban planning
for intermediate cities called as Base plan. Damavand is an
intermediate city located in Tehran province, Iran with a high
potential in tourism by its local specific characteristic like social
structure, antiquities and natural attractions. It’s selected as a suitable
case study for intended strategy which is a combination of urban
planning and tourism development methods. Focusing on recognition
of the historical and cultural heritage of Damavand, in this paper
through “base plan methodology” a strategy of urban planning
toward tourism development is prepared in order to make tourism
development as a support for cultural heritage of this city.