Abstract: Single angle connections, which are bolted to the beam
web and the column flange, are studied to investigate their
moment-rotation behavior. Elastic–perfectly plastic material behavior
is assumed. ABAQUS software is used to analyze the nonlinear
behavior of a single angle connection. The identical geometric and
material conditions with Lipson’s test are used for verifying finite
element models. Since Kishi and Chen’s Power model and Lee and
Moon’s Log model are accurate only for a limited range of mechanism,
simpler and more accurate hyperbolic function models are proposed.
Abstract: In this paper, an autonomous hovering control method
of multicopter using only Web camera is proposed. Recently, various
control method of an autonomous flight for multicopter are proposed.
But, in the previous proposed methods, a motion capture system
(i. e., OptiTrack) and laser range finder are often used to measure
the position and posture of multicopter. To achieve an autonomous
flight control of multicopter with simple equipments, we propose
an autonomous flight control method using AR marker and Web
camera. AR marker can measure the position of multicopter with
Cartesian coordinate in three dimensional, then its position connects
with aileron, elevator, and accelerator throttle operation. A simple
PID control method is applied to the each operation and adjust
the controller gains. Experimental results are given to show the
effectiveness of our proposed method. Moreover, another simple
operation method for autonomous flight control multicopter is also
proposed.
Abstract: Despite the advances made in various new
technologies, application of these technologies for agriculture still
remains a formidable task, as it involves integration of diverse
domains for monitoring the different process involved in agricultural
management. Advances in ambient intelligence technology represents
one of the most powerful technology for increasing the yield of
agricultural crops and to mitigate the impact of water scarcity,
climatic change and methods for managing pests, weeds and diseases.
This paper proposes a GPS-assisted, machine to machine solutions
that combine information collected by multiple sensors for the
automated management of paddy crops. To maintain the economic
viability of paddy cultivation, the various techniques used in
agriculture are discussed and a novel system which uses ambient
intelligence technique is proposed in this paper. The ambient
intelligence based agricultural system gives a great scope.
Abstract: The environmental, cultural, social, and technological
changes have led higher education institutes to question their
traditional roles. Many declarations and frameworks highlight the
importance of fulfilling social responsibility of higher education
institutes. The study aims at developing a framework of university
social responsibility and sustainability (USR&S) with focus on South
Valley University (SVU) as a case study of Egyptian Universities.
The study used meetings with 12 vice deans of community services
and environmental affairs on social responsibility and environmental
issues. The proposed framework integrates social responsibility with
strategic management through the establishment and maintenance of
the vision, mission, values, goals and management systems;
elaboration of policies; provision of actions; evaluation of services
and development of social collaboration with stakeholders to meet
current and future needs of the community and environment. The
framework links between different stakeholders internally and
externally using communication and reporting tools. The results show
that SVU integrates social responsibility and sustainability in its
strategic plans. It has policies and actions however fragmented and
lack of appropriate structure and budgeting. The proposed framework
could be valuable for researchers and decision makers of the
Egyptian Universities. The study proposed recommendations and
highlighted building on the results and conducting future research.
Abstract: Acoustic properties of polymeric liquids are high
sensitive to free gas traces in the form of fine bubbles. Their presence
is typical for such liquids because of chemical reactions, small
wettability of solid boundaries, trapping of air in technological
operations, etc. Liquid temperature influences essentially its
rheological properties, which may have an impact on the bubble
pulsations and sound propagation in the system. The target of the
paper is modeling of the liquid temperature effect on single bubble
dynamics and sound dispersion and attenuation in polymeric solution
with spherical gas bubbles. The basic sources of attenuation (heat
exchange between gas in microbubbles and surrounding liquid,
rheological and acoustic losses) are taken into account. It is supposed
that in the studied temperature range the interface mass transfer has a
minor effect on bubble dynamics. The results of the study indicate
that temperature raise yields enhancement of bubble pulsations and
increase in sound attenuation in the near-resonance range and may
have a strong impact on sound dispersion in the liquid-bubble
mixture at frequencies close to the resonance frequency of bubbles.
Abstract: Numerical studies have been carried out using a
validated two-dimensional standard k-omega turbulence model for
the design optimization of a thrust vector control system using shock
induced self-impinging supersonic secondary double jet. Parametric
analytical studies have been carried out at different secondary
injection locations to identifying the highest unsymmetrical
distribution of the main gas flow due to shock waves, which produces
a desirable side force more lucratively for vectoring. The results from
the parametric studies of the case on hand reveal that the shock
induced self-impinging supersonic secondary double jet is more
efficient in certain locations at the divergent region of a CD nozzle
than a case with supersonic single jet with same mass flow rate. We
observed that the best axial location of the self-impinging supersonic
secondary double jet nozzle with a given jet interaction angle, built-in
to a CD nozzle having area ratio 1.797, is 0.991 times the primary
nozzle throat diameter from the throat location. We also observed
that the flexible steering is possible after invoking ON/OFF facility to
the secondary nozzles for meeting the onboard mission requirements.
Through our case studies we concluded that the supersonic self-impinging
secondary double jet at predesigned jet interaction angle
and location can provide more flexible steering options facilitating
with 8.81% higher thrust vectoring efficiency than the conventional
supersonic single secondary jet without compromising the payload
capability of any supersonic aerospace vehicle.
Abstract: In recent research copper and manganese systems
were found to be the most active in CO and organic compounds
oxidation among the base catalysts. The mixed copper manganese
oxide has been widely studied in oxidation reactions because of their
higher activity at low temperatures in comparison with single oxide
catalysts. The results showed that the formation of spinel
CuxMn3−xO4 in the oxidized catalyst is responsible for the activity
even at room temperature. That is why the most of the investigations
are focused on the hopcalite catalyst (CuMn2O4) as the best coppermanganese
catalyst. Now it’s known that this is true only for CO
oxidation, but not for mixture of CO and VOCs. The purpose of this
study is to investigate the alumina supported copper-manganese
catalysts with different Cu/Mn molar ratio in terms of oxidation of
CO, methanol and dimethyl ether. The catalysts were prepared by impregnation of γ-Al2O3 with
copper and manganese nitrates and the catalytic activity
measurements were carried out in two stage continuous flow
equipment with an adiabatic reactor for simultaneous oxidation of all
compounds under the conditions closest possible to the industrial. Gas
mixtures on the input and output of the reactor were analyzed with a
gas chromatograph, equipped with FID and TCD detectors. The
texture characteristics were determined by low-temperature (- 196oС)
nitrogen adsorption in a Quantachrome Instruments NOVA 1200e
(USA) specific surface area & pore analyzer. Thermal, XRD and
TPR analyses were performed. It was established that the active component of the mixed Cu-
Mn/γ–alumina catalysts strongly depends on the Cu/Mn molar ratio.
Highly active alumina supported Cu-Mn catalysts for CO, methanol
and DME oxidation were synthesized. While the hopcalite is the best
catalyst for CO oxidation, the best compromise for simultaneous
oxidation of all components is the catalyst with Cu/Mn molar ratio
1:5.
Abstract: Background subtraction and temporal difference are
often used for moving object detection in video. Both approaches are
computationally simple and easy to be deployed in real-time image
processing. However, while the background subtraction is highly
sensitive to dynamic background and illumination changes, the
temporal difference approach is poor at extracting relevant pixels of
the moving object and at detecting the stopped or slowly moving
objects in the scene. In this paper, we propose a simple moving object
detection scheme based on adaptive background subtraction and
temporal difference exploiting dynamic background updates. The
proposed technique consists of histogram equalization, a linear
combination of background and temporal difference, followed by the
novel frame-based and pixel-based background updating techniques.
Finally, morphological operations are applied to the output images.
Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can solve the
drawbacks of both background subtraction and temporal difference
methods and can provide better performance than that of each method.
Abstract: Present work deals with the possible use of fertigation
in agriculture and its impact on the availability of mineral nitrogen
(Nmin) in topsoil and subsoil horizons. The aim of the present study is
to demonstrate the effect of the organic matter presence in fertigation
on microbial transformation and availability of mineral nitrogen
forms. The main investigation reason is the potential use of pretreated
waste water, as a source of organic carbon (Corg) and residual
nutrients (Nmin) for fertigation. Laboratory experiment has been
conducted to demonstrate the effect of the arable land fertilization
method on the Nmin availability in different depths of the soil with
the usage of model experimental containers filled with soil from
topsoil and podsoil horizons that were taken from the precise area.
Tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa) has been chosen as a
model plant. The water source protection zone Brezova nad Svitavou
has been a research area where significant underground reservoirs of
drinking water of the highest quality are located. From the second
half of the last century local sources of drinking water show
nitrogenous compounds increase that get here almost only from
arable lands. Therefore, an attention of the following text focuses on
the fate of mineral nitrogen in the complex plant-soil. Research
results show that the fertigation application with Corg in a
combination with mineral fertilizer can reduce the amount of Nmin
leached from topsoil horizon of agricultural soils. In addition, some
plants biomass production reduces may occur.
Abstract: This paper aims to project the construction of a
prototype azimuthal thruster, mounted with materials of low cost and
easy access, testing in a controlled environment to measure their
performance, characteristics and feasibility of future projects. The
construction of the simulation of dynamic positioning software,
responsible for simulating a vessel and reposition it when necessary.
Validation tests were performed in the form of partial or complete
system. These tests validate the system manually or automatically.
The system provides an interface to the user and simulates the
conditions unfavorable positioning of a vessel, accurately calculates
the azimuth angle, the direction of rotation of the helix and the time
that this should be turned on so that the vessel back to position
original. A serial communication connects the Simulation Dynamic
Positioning System with Embedded System causing the usergenerated
data to simulate the DP system arrives in the form of
control signals to the motors of the propellant. This article addresses
issues in the marine industry employees.
Abstract: The study is in application and analysis of two tourism
management tools that can contribute to making public managers
decision: the Barometer of Tourism Sustainability (BTS) and the
Ecological Footprint (EF). The results have shown that BTS allows
you to have an integrated view of the tourism system, awakening to
the need for planning of appropriate actions so that it can achieve the
positive scale proposed (potentially sustainable). Already the
methodology of ecological tourism footprint is an important tool to
measure potential impacts generated by tourism to tourist reality.
Abstract: Zn alloy and composite coatings are widely used in
buildings and structures, automobile and fasteners industries to
protect steel component from corrosion. In this paper, Zn-Ni-Al2O3
nanocomposite coatings were electrodeposited on mild steel using a
novel sol enhanced electroplating method. In this method, transparent
Al2O3 sol was added into the acidic Zn-Ni bath to produced Zn-Ni-
Al2O3 nanocomposite coatings. The effect of alumina sol on the
electrodeposition process, and coating properties was investigated
using cyclic voltammetry, XRD, ESEM and Tafel test. Results from
XRD tests showed that the structure of all coatings was single γ-
Ni5Zn21 phase. Cyclic voltammetry results showed that the
electrodeposition overpotential was lower in the presence of alumina
sol in the bath, and caused the reduction potential of Zn-Ni to shift to
more positive values. Zn-Ni-Al2O3 nanocomposite coatings produced
more uniform and compact deposits, with fine grained microstructure
when compared to Zn-Ni coatings. The corrosion resistance of Zn-Ni
coatings was improved significantly by incorporation of alumina
nanoparticles into the coatings.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present a modeling and
control of a quarter-car active suspension system with unknown
mass, unknown time-delay and road disturbance. The objective of
designing the controller is to derive a control law to achieve stability
of the system and convergence that can considerably improve ride
comfort and road disturbance handling. This is accomplished by
using Routh-Hurwitz criterion based on defined parameters.
Mathematical proof is given to show the ability of the designed
controller to ensure the target of design, implementation with the
active suspension system and enhancement dispersion oscillation of
the system despite these problems. Simulations were also performed
to control quarter car suspension, where the results obtained from
these simulations verify the validity of the proposed design.
Abstract: Contemporary theories of sustainability, concerning
the natural and built environment, have recently introduced an
environmental attitude towards the architectural design that, in turn,
affects the practice of conservation and reuse of the existing building
stock. This paper presents an environmentally friendly approach
towards the conservation of vernacular architecture and it is based on
the results of a research program which involved the investigation of
sustainable design elements of traditional buildings in Cyprus. The
research in question showed that Cypriot vernacular architecture gave
more emphasis on cooling rather than heating strategies. Another
notable finding of the investigation was the great importance given to
courtyards as they enhance considerably, and in various ways, the
microclimatic conditions of the immediate environment with
favorable results throughout the year. Moreover, it was shown that
the reduction in temperature fluctuation observed in the closed and
semi-open spaces, compared to the respective temperature fluctuation
of the external environment -due to the thermal inertia of the building
envelope- helps towards the achievement of more comfortable living
conditions within traditional dwellings. This paper concludes with a
proposal of a sustainable approach towards the conservation of the
existing environment and the introduction of new environmental
criteria for the conservation of traditional buildings, beyond the
aesthetic, morphological and structural ones that are generally
applied.
Abstract: Sodium formate is the chemical substance used for
food additive. Catalase is the important antioxidative enzyme in
protecting the cell from oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species
(ROS). The resultant level of oxidative stress in sodium formatetreated
lymphocytes was investigated. The sodium formate
concentrations of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg/mL were treated in
human lymphocytes for 12 hours. After 12 treated hours, catalase
activity change was measured in sodium formate-treated
lymphocytes. The results showed that the sodium formate
concentrations of 0.4 and 0.6 mg/mL significantly decreased catalase
activities in lymphocytes (P < 0.05). The change of catalase activity
in sodium formate-treated lymphocytes may be the oxidative damage
marker for detect sodium formate exposure in human.
Abstract: The using of waste materials in the construction
industry can reduce the dependence on the natural aggregates which
are going at the end to deplete. The glass waste is generated in a huge
amount which can make one of its disposals in concrete industry
effective not only as a green solution but also as an advantage to
enhance the performance of mechanical properties and durability of
concrete. This article reports the performance of concrete specimens
containing different percentages of milled glass waste as a partial
replacement of cement (Powder), when they are subject to cycles of
freezing and thawing. The tests were conducted on 75-mm cubes and
75 x 75 x 300-mm prisms. Compressive strength based on laboratory
testing and non-destructive ultrasonic pulse velocity test were
performed during the action of freezing-thawing cycles (F/T). The
results revealed that the incorporation of glass waste in concrete
mixtures is not only feasible but also showed generally better strength
and durability performance than control concrete mixture. It may be
said that the recycling of waste glass in concrete mixes is not only a
disposal way, but also it can be an exploitation in concrete industry.
Abstract: This paper presents the design, development and
evaluation of an application prototype developed to support
tuberculosis (TB) patients’ treatment adherence. The system makes
use of graphics and voice reminders as opposed to text messaging to
encourage patients to follow their medication routine. To evaluate the
effect of the prototype applications, participants were given mobile
phones on which the reminder system was installed. Thirty-eight
people, including TB health workers and patients from Zanzibar,
Tanzania, participated in the evaluation exercises. The results
indicate that the participants found the mobile image-based
application is useful to support TB treatment. All participants
understood and interpreted the intended meaning of every image
correctly. The study findings revealed that the use of a mobile visualbased
application may have potential benefit to support TB patients
(both literate and illiterate) in their treatment processes.
Abstract: SARA is a common and serious metabolic disorder in
early lactation in dairy cattle and in finishing beef cattle, caused by
diets with high inclusion of cereal grain. This experiment was
performed to determine the efficacy of Megasphaera elsdenii, a
major lactate-utilizing bacterium in prevention/treatment of SARA in
vivo. In vivo experimentation, it was used eight ruminally cannulated
rams and it was applied the rapid adaptation with the mixture of grain
based on wheat (80% wheat, 20% barley) and barley (80% barley,
20% wheat). During the systematic adaptation, it was followed the
probability of SARA formation by being measured the rumen pH
with two hours intervals after and before feeding. After being
evaluated the data, it was determined the ruminal pH ranged from
5.2-5.6 on the condition of feeding with 60 percentage of grain
mixture based on barley and wheat, that assured the definite form of
subacute acidosis. In four days SARA period, M. elsdenii (1010 cfu
ml-1) was inoculated during the first two days. During the SARA
period, it was observed the decrease of feed intake with M. elsdenii
inoculation. Inoculation of M. elsdenii was caused to differentiation
of rumen pH (P
Abstract: The work aims to develop a robot in the form of
autonomous vehicle to detect, inspection and mapping of
underground pipelines through the ATmega328 Arduino platform.
Hardware prototyping is very similar to C / C ++ language that
facilitates its use in robotics open source, resembles PLC used in
large industrial processes. The robot will traverse the surface
independently of direct human action, in order to automate the
process of detecting buried pipes, guided by electromagnetic
induction. The induction comes from coils that send the signal to the
Arduino microcontroller contained in that will make the difference in
intensity and the treatment of the information, and then this
determines actions to electrical components such as relays and
motors, allowing the prototype to move on the surface and getting the
necessary information. This change of direction is performed by a
stepper motor with a servo motor. The robot was developed by
electrical and electronic assemblies that allowed test your application.
The assembly is made up of metal detector coils, circuit boards and
microprocessor, which interconnected circuits previously developed
can determine, process control and mechanical actions for a robot
(autonomous car) that will make the detection and mapping of buried
pipelines plates. This type of prototype can prevent and identifies
possible landslides and they can prevent the buried pipelines suffer an
external pressure on the walls with the possibility of oil leakage and
thus pollute the environment.
Abstract: In this paper a novel color image compression
technique for efficient storage and delivery of data is proposed. The
proposed compression technique started by RGB to YCbCr color
transformation process. Secondly, the canny edge detection method is
used to classify the blocks into the edge and non-edge blocks. Each
color component Y, Cb, and Cr compressed by discrete cosine
transform (DCT) process, quantizing and coding step by step using
adaptive arithmetic coding. Our technique is concerned with the
compression ratio, bits per pixel and peak signal to noise ratio, and
produce better results than JPEG and more recent published schemes
(like CBDCT-CABS and MHC). The provided experimental results
illustrate the proposed technique that is efficient and feasible in terms
of compression ratio, bits per pixel and peak signal to noise ratio.