Abstract: The present research work investigates the seismic
response of reinforced concrete (RC) frame building considering the
effect of modeling masonry infill (MI) walls. The seismic behavior of
a residential 6-storey RC frame building, considering and ignoring
the effect of masonry, is numerically investigated using response
spectrum (RS) analysis. The considered herein building is designed
as a moment resisting frame (MRF) system following the Egyptian
code (EC) requirements. Two developed models in terms of bare
frame and infill walls frame are used in the study. Equivalent
diagonal strut methodology is used to represent the behavior of infill
walls, whilst the well-known software package ETABS is used for
implementing all frame models and performing the analysis. The
results of the numerical simulations such as base shear,
displacements, and internal forces for the bare frame as well as the
infill wall frame are presented in a comparative way. The results of
the study indicate that the interaction between infill walls and frames
significantly change the responses of buildings during earthquakes
compared to the results of bare frame building model. Specifically,
the seismic analysis of RC bare frame structure leads to
underestimation of base shear and consequently damage or even
collapse of buildings may occur under strong shakings. On the other
hand, considering infill walls significantly decrease the peak floor
displacements and drifts in both X and Y-directions.
Abstract: Cesium iodide (CsI) melt was injected into anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and was solidified to CsI column. The controllable AAO channel size (10~500 nm) can makes CsI column size from 10 to 500 nm in diameter. In order to have a shorter light irradiate from each singe CsI column top to bottom the AAO template was coated a TiO2 nano-film. The TiO2 film acts a refraction film and makes X-ray has a shorter irradiation path in the CsI crystal making a stronger the photo-electron signal. When the incidence light irradiate from air (R=1.0) to CsI’s first surface (R=1.84) the first refraction happen, the first refraction continue into TiO2 film (R=2.88) and produces the low angle of the second refraction. Then the second refraction continue into AAO wall (R=1.78) and produces the third refraction after refractions between CsI and AAO wall (R=1.78) produce the fourth refraction. The incidence light through TiO2 filmand the first surface of CsI then arrive to the second surface of CsI. Therefore, the TiO2 film can has shorter refraction path of incidence light and increase the photo-electron conversion efficiency.
Abstract: The paper presents a new method for efficient
innovation process management. Even though the innovation
management methods, tools and knowledge are well established and
documented in literature, most of the companies still do not manage it
efficiently. Especially in SMEs the front end of innovation - problem
identification, idea creation and selection - is often not optimally
performed. Our eMIPS methodology represents a sort of "umbrella
methodology" - a well-defined set of procedures, which can be
dynamically adapted to the concrete case in a company. In daily
practice, various methods (e.g. for problem identification and idea
creation) can be applied, depending on the company's needs. It is
based on the proactive involvement of the company's employees
supported by the appropriate methodology and external experts. The
presented phases are performed via a mixture of face-to-face
activities (workshops) and online (eLearning) activities taking place
in eLearning Moodle environment and using other e-communication
channels. One part of the outcomes is an identified set of
opportunities and concrete solutions ready for implementation. The
other also very important result is connected to innovation
competences for the participating employees related with concrete
tools and methods for idea management. In addition, the employees
get a strong experience for dynamic, efficient and solution oriented
managing of the invention process. The eMIPS also represents a way
of establishing or improving the innovation culture in the
organization. The first results in a pilot company showed excellent
results regarding the motivation of participants and also as to the
results achieved.
Abstract: The capability of exploiting the electronic charge and
spin properties simultaneously in a single material has made diluted
magnetic semiconductors (DMS) remarkable in the field of
spintronics. We report the designing of DMS based on zinc-blend
ZnO doped with Cr impurity. The full potential linearized augmented
plane wave plus local orbital FP-L(APW+lo) method in density
functional theory (DFT) has been adapted to carry out these
investigations. For treatment of exchange and correlation energy,
generalized gradient approximations have been used. Introducing Cr
atoms in the matrix of ZnO has induced strong magnetic moment
with ferromagnetic ordering at stable ground state. Cr:ZnO was found
to favor the short range magnetic interaction that
reflect tendency of Cr clustering. The electronic structure of ZnO is
strongly influenced in the presence of Cr impurity atoms where
impurity bands appear in the band gap.
Abstract: In our research we aimed to test a managerial
approach for the fuzzy front end (FFE) of innovation by creating
controlled experiment/ business case in a breakthrough innovation
development. The experiment was in the sport industry and covered
all aspects of the customer discovery stage from ideation to
prototyping followed by patent application. In the paper we describe
and analyze mile stones, tasks, management challenges, decisions
made to create the break through innovation, evaluate overall
managerial efficiency that was at the considered FFE stage.
We set managerial outcome of the FFE stage as a valid product
concept in hand. In our paper we introduce hypothetical construct
“Q-factor” that helps us in the experiment to distinguish quality of
FFE outcomes.
The experiment simulated for entrepreneur the FFE of innovation
and put on his shoulders responsibility for the outcome of valid
product concept. While developing managerial approach to reach the
outcome there was a decision to look on product concept from the
cognitive psychology and cognitive science point of view. This view
helped us to develop the profile of a person whose projection (mental
representation) of a new product could optimize for a manager or
entrepreneur FFE activities. In the experiment this profile was tested
to develop breakthrough innovation for swimmers. Following the
managerial approach the product concept was created to help
swimmers to feel/sense water. The working prototype was developed
to estimate the product concept validity and value added effect for
customers.
Based on feedback from coachers and swimmers there were strong
positive effect that gave high value for customers, and for the
experiment – the valid product concept being developed by proposed
managerial approach for the FFE.
In conclusions there is a suggestion of managerial approach that
was derived from experiment.
Abstract: Optical radiation emitted from a metal-coated fiber tip apex at liquid-air interface was measured. The intensity of the output radiation was strongly depend on the relative position of the tip to a liquid-air interface and varied with surface fluctuations. This phenomenon permits in-situ real-time investigation of nano-metric vibrations of the liquid surface and provides a basis for development of various origin ultrasensitive vibration detecting sensors. The described method can be used for detection of week seismic vibrations.
Abstract: Predicting the collapse potential of a structure during
earthquakes is an important issue in earthquake engineering. Many
researchers proposed different methods to assess the collapse
potential of structures under the effect of strong ground motions.
However most of them did not consider degradation and softening
effect in hysteretic behavior. In this study, collapse potential of
SDOF systems caused by dynamic instability with stiffness and
strength degradation has been investigated. An equation was
proposed for the estimation of collapse period of SDOF system which
is a limit value of period for dynamic instability. If period of the
considered SDOF system is shorter than the collapse period then the
relevant system exhibits dynamic instability and collapse occurs.
Abstract: High performance turf reinforcement mat (HPTRM) is
one of the most advanced flexible armoring technologies for severe
erosion challenges. The effect of turbulence on the slope stability of
an earthen levee strengthened by high performance turf reinforcement
mat (HPTRM) is investigated in this study for combined storm surge
and wave overtopping conditions. The results show that turbulence
has strong influence on the slope stability during the combined storm
surge and wave overtopping conditions. Among the surge height,
peak wave force and turbulent force. The turbulent force has the
ability to stabilize the earthen levee at the large wave force the
turbulent force has strongest effect on the FS. The surge storm acts as
an independent force on the slope stability of the earthen levee. It just
adds to the effects of the turbulent force and wave force on the slope
stability of HPTRM strengthened levee.
Abstract: The biodegradable family of polymers
polyhydroxyalkanoates is an interesting substitute for convectional
fossil-based plastics. However, the manufacturing and environmental
impacts associated with their production via intracellular bacterial
fermentation are strongly dependent on the raw material used and on
energy consumption during the extraction process, limiting their
potential for commercialization. Industrial wastewater is studied in
this paper as a promising alternative feedstock for waste valorization.
Based on results from laboratory and pilot-scale experiments, a
conceptual process design, techno-economic analysis and life cycle
assessment are developed for the large-scale production of the most
common type of polyhydroxyalkanoate, polyhydroxbutyrate.
Intracellular polyhydroxybutyrate is obtained via fermentation of
microbial community present in industrial wastewater and the
downstream processing is based on chemical digestion with
surfactant and hypochlorite. The economic potential and
environmental performance results help identifying bottlenecks and
best opportunities to scale-up the process prior to industrial
implementation. The outcome of this research indicates that the
fermentation of wastewater towards PHB presents advantages
compared to traditional PHAs production from sugars because the
null environmental burdens and financial costs of the raw material in
the bioplastic production process. Nevertheless, process optimization
is still required to compete with the petrochemicals counterparts.
Abstract: This paper describes the issues relating to the role of
the flash flood early warning system provided by the Malaysian
Government to the communities in Malaysia, specifically during the
flash flood disaster in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. Normally,
flash flood disasters can occur as a result of heavy rainfall in an area,
and that water may possibly cause flooding via streams or narrow
channels. The focus of this study is the flash flood disaster which
occurred on 23 October 2013 in the Cameron Highlands, and as a
result the Sungai Bertam overflowed after the release of water from
the Sultan Abu Bakar Dam. This release of water from the dam
caused flash flooding which led to damage to properties and also the
death of residents and livestock in the area. Therefore, the effort of
this study is to identify the perceptions of the flash flood victims on
the role of the flash flood early warning system. For the purposes of
this study, data were gathered through face-to-face interviews from
those flood victims who were willing to participate in this study. This
approach helped the researcher to glean in-depth information about
their feelings and perceptions of the role of the flash flood early
warning system offered by the government. The data were analysed
descriptively and the findings show that the respondents of 22 flood
victims believe strongly that the flash flood early warning system was
confusing and dysfunctional, and communities had failed to response
positively to it. Therefore, most of the communities were not well
prepared for the releasing of water from the dam which caused
property damage, and 3 people were killed in the Cameron Highland
flash flood disaster.
Abstract: Rural tourism is usually associated with rural
development because it has strong linkages to rural resources; but it
remains underdeveloped compared to urban tourism. This
underdevelopment of rural tourism serves as a motivation for this
study whose aim is to examine the factors affecting the perceived
satisfaction of rural tourists. The objectives of this study are: to
identify and design theories and models on rural tourism satisfaction,
and to empirically validate these models and theories through a
survey of tourists from the Malealea Lodge which is located in the
Mafeteng District, in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. Data
generated by the collection of questionnaires used by this survey was
analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and correlations in
SPSS after checking the validity and the reliability of the
questionnaire. The main hypothesis behind this study is the
relationship between the demographics of rural tourists, their
motivation, and their satisfaction, as supported by existing literature;
except that motivation is measured in this study according to three
dimensions: push factors, pull factors, and perceived usefulness of
ICTs in the rural tourism experience. Findings from this study
indicate that among the demographics factors, continent of origin and
marital status influence the satisfaction of rural tourists; and their
occupation affects their perceptions on the use of ICTs in rural
tourism. Moreover, only pull factors were found to influence the
satisfaction of rural tourists.
Abstract: The effect of transition metal doping on Pt/Al2O3
catalyst used in propane dehydrogenation reaction at 500°C was
studied. The preparation methods investigated were sequential
impregnation (Pt followed by the 2nd metal or the 2nd metal followed
by Pt) and co-impregnation. The metal contents of these catalysts
were fixed as the weight ratio of Pt per the 2nd metal of around 0.075.
These catalysts were characterized by N2-physisorption, TPR, COchemisorption
and NH3-TPD. It was found that the impregnated 2nd
metal had an effect upon reducibility of Pt due to its interaction with
transition metal-containing structure. This was in agreement with the
CO-chemisorption result that the presence of Pt metal, which is a
result from Pt species reduction, was decreased. The total acidity of
bimetallic catalysts is decreased but the strong acidity is slightly
increased. It was found that the stability of bimetallic catalysts
prepared by co-impregnation and sequential impregnation where the
2nd metal was impregnated before Pt were better than that of
monometallic catalyst (undoped Pt one) due to the forming of Pt sites
located on the transition metal-oxide modified surface. Among all
preparation methods, the sequential impregnation method- having Pt
impregnated before the 2nd metal gave the worst stability because this
catalyst lacked the modified Pt sites and some fraction of Pt sites was
covered by the 2nd metal.
Abstract: The Algeria by its location offers a rich and diverse
vegetation. A large number of aromatic and medicinal plants grow
spontaneously. The interest in these plants has continued to grow in
recent years. Their particular properties due to the essential oil
fraction can be utilized to treat microbial infections. To this end, and
in the context of the valuation of the Algerian flora, we became
interested in the species of the family Lamiaceae which is one of the
most used as a global source of spices. The plant on which we have
based our choice is a species of sage "Salvia officinalis" from the
Isser localized region within the province of Boumerdes. This work
focuses on the study of the antimicrobial activity of essential oil
extracted from the leaves of Salvia officinalis. The extraction is
carried out by essential oil hydrodistillation and reveals a yield of
1.06℅. The study of the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil by
the method of at aromatogramme shown that Gram positive bacteria
are most susceptible (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis)
with a strong inhibition of growth. The yeast Candida albicans
fungus Aspergillus niger and have shown moderately sensitive.
Abstract: In this paper we present the efficient parallel
implementation of elastoplastic problems based on the TFETI (Total
Finite Element Tearing and Interconnecting) domain decomposition
method. This approach allow us to use parallel solution and compute
this nonlinear problem on the supercomputers and decrease the
solution time and compute problems with millions of DOFs. In
our approach we consider an associated elastoplastic model with
the von Mises plastic criterion and the combination of linear
isotropic-kinematic hardening law. This model is discretized by
the implicit Euler method in time and by the finite element
method in space. We consider the system of nonlinear equations
with a strongly semismooth and strongly monotone operator. The
semismooth Newton method is applied to solve this nonlinear
system. Corresponding linearized problems arising in the Newton
iterations are solved in parallel by the above mentioned TFETI. The
implementation of this problem is realized in our in-house MatSol
packages developed in MatLab.
Abstract: Cemented carbide balls are usually implemented in
industry under the environment of high speed, high temperature,
corrosiveness and strong collisions. However, its application is limited
due to high fabrication cost, processing efficiency and quality. A novel
eccentric lapping method with two rotatable lapping plates was
proposed in this paper. A mathematical model was constructed to
analyze the influence of each design parameter on this lapping method.
To validate this new lapping method, an orthogonal experiment was
conducted with cemented carbide balls (YG6). The simulation model
was verified and the optimal lapping parameters were derived. The
results show that the surface roundness of the balls reaches to 0.65um
from 2um in 1 hour using this lapping method. So, using this novel
lapping method, it can effectively improve the machining precision
and efficiency of cemented carbide balls.
Abstract: The development of allometric models is crucial to
accurate forest biomass/carbon stock assessment. The aim of this
study was to develop a set of biomass prediction models that will
enable the determination of total tree aboveground biomass for
savannah woodland area in Niger State, Nigeria. Based on the data
collected through biometric measurements of 1816 trees and
destructive sampling of 36 trees, five species specific and one site
specific models were developed. The sample size was distributed
equally between the five most dominant species in the study site
(Vitellaria paradoxa, Irvingia gabonensis, Parkia biglobosa,
Anogeissus leiocarpus, Pterocarpus erinaceous). Firstly, the
equations were developed for five individual species. Secondly these
five species were mixed and were used to develop an allometric
equation of mixed species. Overall, there was a strong positive
relationship between total tree biomass and the stem diameter. The
coefficient of determination (R2 values) ranging from 0.93 to 0.99 P
< 0.001 were realised for the models; with considerable low standard
error of the estimates (SEE) which confirms that the total tree above
ground biomass has a significant relationship with the dbh. F-test
values for the biomass prediction models were also significant at p
Abstract: The paper deals with behaviour of the segment 50+ in
the financial market in the Czech Republic. This segment could be
said as the strong market power and it can be a crucial business
potential for financial business units. The main defined objective of
this paper is analysis of the customers´ behaviour of the segment 50-
60 years in the financial market in the Czech Republic and proposal
making of the suitable marketing approach to satisfy their demands in
the area of product, price, distribution and marketing communication
policy. This paper is based on data from one part of primary
marketing research. Paper determinates the basic problem areas as
well as definition of financial services marketing, defining the
primary research problem, hypothesis and primary research
methodology. Finally suitable marketing approach to selected sub
segment at age of 50-60 years is proposed according to marketing
research findings.
Abstract: Diminished antioxidant defense or increased
production of reactive oxygen species in the biological system can
result in oxidative stress which may lead to various
neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Microglial activation also contributes to the progression of AD by
producing several proinflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide (NO) and
prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Oxidative stress and inflammation have
been reported to be possible pathophysiological mechanisms
underlying AD. In addition, the cholinergic hypothesis postulates that
memory impairment in patient with AD is also associated with the
deficit of cholinergic function in the brain. Although a number of
drugs have been approved for the treatment of AD, most of these
synthetic drugs have diverse side effects and yield relatively modest
benefits. Marine algae have great potential in pharmaceutical and
biomedical applications as they are valuable sources of bioactive
properties such as anticoagulation, antimicrobial, antioxidative,
anticancer and anti-inflammatory. Hence, this study aimed to provide
an overview of the properties of Malaysian seaweeds (Padina
australis, Sargassum polycystum and Caulerpa racemosa) in
inhibiting oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and cholinesterase
enzymes. These seaweeds significantly exhibited potent DPPH and
moderate superoxide anion radical scavenging ability (P
Abstract: With drug resistance becoming widespread in
Plasmodium falciparum infections, the development of the alternative
drugs is the desired strategy for prevention and cure of malaria. Three
drug targets were selected to screen promising drug molecules from
the GSK library of 13469 molecules. Using an in silico structure-based
drug designing approach, the differences in binding energies of
the substrate and inhibitor were exploited between target sites of
parasite and human to design a drug molecule against Plasmodium.
The docking studies have shown several promising molecules from
GSK library with more effective binding as compared to the already
known inhibitors for the drug targets. Though stronger interaction has
been shown by several molecules as compared to the reference, few
molecules have shown the potential as drug candidates though in
vitro studies are required to validate the results. In case of
thymidylate synthase-dihydrofolatereductase (TS-DHFR), three
compounds have shown promise for future studies as potential drugs.
Abstract: The influences of cell-free solutions (CFSs) of lactic
acid bacteria (LAB) on cadaverine and other biogenic amines
production by Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus
were investigated in lysine decarboxylase broth (LDB) using HPLC.
Cell free solutions were prepared from Lactococcus lactis subsp.
lactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris, Pediococcus
acidilactici and Streptococcus thermophiles. Two different
concentrations that were 50% and 25% CFS and the control without
CFSs were prepared. Significant variations on biogenic amine
production were observed in the presence of L. monocytogenes and S.
aureus (P < 0.05). The function of CFS on biogenic amine production
by foodborne pathogens varied depending on strains and specific
amine. Cadaverine formation by L. monocytogenes and S. aureus in
control were 500.9 and 948.1 mg/L, respectively while the CFSs of
LAB induced 4-fold lower cadaverine production by L.
monocytogenes and 7-fold lower cadaverine production by S. aureus.
The CFSs resulted in strong decreases in cadaverine and putrescine
production by L. monocytogenes and S. aureus, although remarkable
increases were observed for histamine, spermidine, spermine,
serotonin, dopamine, tyramine and agmatine in the presence of LAB
in lysine decarboxylase broth.