Abstract: Expansive soils are often encountered in many parts
of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid fields. Such kind of
soils, generally including active clay minerals in low water content,
enlarge in volume by absorbing the water through the surface and
cause a great harm to the light structures such as channel coating,
roads and airports. The expansive soils were encountered on the path
of Apa-Hotamış conveyance channel belonging to the State
Hydraulic Works in the region of Konya. In the research done in this
area, it is predicted that the soil has a swollen nature and the soil
should be filled with proper granular equipments by digging the
ground to 50-60 cm. In this study, for purpose of helping the other
research to be done in the same area, it is thought that instead of
replacing swollen soil with the granular soil, by stabilizing it with
polypropylene fiber and using it its original place decreases effect of
swelling percent, in this way the cost will be decreased. Therefore,
laboratory tests were conducted to study the effects of polypropylene
fiber on swelling characteristics of expansive soil. Test results
indicated that inclusion of fiber reduced swell percent of expansive
soil. As the fiber content increased, the unconfined compressive
strength was increased. Finally, it can be said that stabilization of
expansive soils with polypropylene fiber is an effective method.
Abstract: Facility location is a complex real-world problem
which needs a strategic management decision. This paper provides a
general review on studies, efforts and developments in Facility
Location Problems which are classical optimization problems having
a wide-spread applications in various areas such as transportation,
distribution, production, supply chain decisions and
telecommunication. Our goal is not to review all variants of different
studies in FLPs or to describe very detailed computational techniques
and solution approaches, but rather to provide a broad overview of
major location problems that have been studied, indicating how they
are formulated and what are proposed by researchers to tackle the
problem. A brief, elucidative table based on a grouping according to
“General Problem Type” and “Methods Proposed” used in the studies
is also presented at the end of the work.
Abstract: The right to basic sanitation, was elevated to the
category of fundamental right by the Constitution of 1988 to protect
the ecologically balanced environment, ensuring social rights to
health and adequate housing and put the dignity of the human person
as the foundation of the Brazilian Democratic State. Before their
essentiality to humans, this article seeks to understand why universal
access to basic sanitation is a goal so difficult to achieve in Brazil.
Therefore, this research uses the deductive and analytical method.
Given the nature of the research literature, research techniques were
centered in specialized books on the subject, journals, theses and
dissertations, laws, relevant law case and raising social indicators
relating to the theme. The relevance of the topic stems, among other
things, the fact that sanitation services are essential for a dignified
life, i.e., everyone is entitled to the maintenance of the necessary
existence conditions are satisfied. However, the effectiveness of this
right is undermined in society, since Brazil has huge deficit in
sanitation services, denying thus a worthy life to most of the
population. Thus, it can be seen that the provision of water and
sewage services in Brazil is still characterized by a large imbalance,
since the municipalities with lower population index have greater
disability in the sanitation service. The truth is that the precariousness
of water and sewage services in Brazil is still very concentrated in the
North and Northeast regions, limiting the effective implementation of
the Law 11.445/2007 in the country. Therefore, there is urgent need
for a positive service by the State in the provision of sanitation
services in order to prevent and control disease, improve quality of
life and productivity of individuals, besides preventing contamination
of water resources. More than just social and economic necessity,
there is a government duty to implement such services. In this sense,
given the current scenario, to achieve universal access to basic
sanitation imposes many hurdles. These are mainly in the field of
properly formulated and implemented public policies, i.e., it requires
an excellent institutional organization, management services,
strategic planning, social control, in order to provide answers to
complex challenges.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the
effects of calving season on the production and economic efficiency
of dairy farms in Egypt. Our study was performed at dairy
production farms in the Alexandria, Behera, and Kafr El-Sheikh
provinces of Egypt from summer 2010 to winter 2013. The
randomly selected dairy farms had herds consisting of Baladi,
Holstein-Friesian, or cross-bred (Baladi × Holstein-Friesian) cows.
The data were collected from production records and responses to a
structured questionnaire. The average total return differed
significantly (P < 0.05) between the different cattle breeds and
calving seasons. The average total return was highest for the
Holstein- Friesian cows that calved in the winter (29106.42
EGP/cow/year), and it was lowest for Baladi cows that calved in the
summer (12489.79 EGP/cow/year). Differences in total returns
between the cows that calved in the winter or summer or between
the foreign and native breeds, as well as variations in calf prices,
might have contributed to the differences in milk yield. The average
net profit per cow differed significantly (P < 0.05) between the cattle
breeds and calving seasons. The average net profit values for the
Baladi cows that calved in the winter or summer were 2413 and
2994.96 EGP/cow/year, respectively, and those for the Holstein-
Friesian cows were 10744.17 and 7860.56 EGP/cow/year,
respectively, whereas those for the cross-bred cows were 10174.86
and 7571.33 EGP/cow/year, respectively. The variations in net profit
might have resulted from variation in the availability or price of feed
materials, milk prices, or sales volumes. Our results show that the
breed and calving season of dairy cows significantly affected the
economic efficiency of dairy farms in Egypt. The cows that calved
in the winter produced more milk than those that calved in the
summer, which may have been the result of seasonal influences,
such as temperature, humidity, management practices, and the type
of feed or green fodder available.
Abstract: This paper presents the influences on the entrainment
of serpentines by grinding and reagents during copper–nickel sulfide
flotation. The previous bench flotation tests were performed to extract
the metallic values from the ore in Yunnan Mine, China and the
relatively satisfied results with recoveries of 86.92% Cu, 54.92% Ni,
and 74.73% Pt+Pd in the concentrate were harvested at their grades of
4.02%, 3.24% and 76.61 g/t, respectively. However, the content of
MgO in the concentrate was still more than 19%. Micro-flotation tests
were conducted with the objective of figuring out the influences on the
entrainment of serpentines into the concentrate by particle size,
flocculants or depressants and collectors, as well as visual
observations in suspension by OLYMPUS camera. All the tests results
pointed to the presences of both “entrapped-in” serpentines and its
coating on the hydrophobic flocs resulted from strong collectors
(combination of butyl xanthate, butyl ammonium dithophosphate,
even after adding carboxymethyl cellulose as effective depressant.
And fine grinding may escalate the entrainment of serpentines in the
concentrate.
Abstract: In this work, the plastic behaviour of cold-rolled zinc
coated dual-phase steel sheets DP600 and DP800 grades is firstly
investigated with the help of uniaxial, hydraulic bulge and Forming
Limit Curve (FLC) tests. The uniaxial tensile tests were performed in
three angular orientations with respect to the rolling direction to
evaluate the strain-hardening and plastic anisotropy. True stressstrain
curves at large strains were determined from hydraulic bulge
testing and fitted to a work-hardening equation. The limit strains are
defined at both localized necking and fracture conditions according to
Nakajima’s hemispherical punch procedure. Also, an elasto-plastic
localization model is proposed in order to predict strain and stress
based forming limit curves. The investigated dual-phase sheets
showed a good formability in the biaxial stretching and drawing FLC
regions. For both DP600 and DP800 sheets, the corresponding
numerical predictions overestimated and underestimated the
experimental limit strains in the biaxial stretching and drawing FLC
regions, respectively. This can be attributed to the restricted failure
necking condition adopted in the numerical model, which is not
suitable to describe the tensile and shear fracture mechanisms in
advanced high strength steels under equibiaxial and biaxial stretching
conditions.
Abstract: The Multiple Intelligences theory characterizes human
intelligence as a multifaceted entity that exists in all human beings
with varying degrees. The most important contribution of this theory
to the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) is its role in
identifying individual differences and designing more learnercentered
programs. The present study aims at investigating the
relationship between different elements of multiple intelligence and
grammar scores. To this end, 63 female Iranian EFL learner selected
from among intermediate students participated in the study. The
instruments employed were a Nelson English language test, Michigan
Grammar Test, and Teele Inventory for Multiple Intelligences
(TIMI). The results of Pearson Product-Moment Correlation revealed
a significant positive correlation between grammatical accuracy and
linguistic as well as interpersonal intelligence. The results of
Stepwise Multiple Regression indicated that linguistic intelligence
contributed to the prediction of grammatical accuracy.
Abstract: Below-knee amputees commonly experience
asymmetrical gait patterns. It is generally believed that ischemia is
related to the formation of pressure sores due to uneven distribution
of forces. Micro-vascular responses can reveal local malnutrition.
Changes in local skin blood supply under various external loading
conditions have been studied for a number of years. Radionuclide
clearance, photo-plethysmography, trans-cutaneous oxygen tension
along with other studies showed that the blood supply would be
influenced by the epidermal forces, and the rate and the amount of
blood supply would decrease with increased epidermal loads being
shear forces or normal forces. Several cases of socket designs were
investigated using Finite Element Model (FEM) and Design of
Experiment (DOE) to increase flexibility and minimize the pressure
at the limb/socket interface using ultra high molecular weight
polyethylene (UHMWPE) and polyamide 6 (PA6) or Duraform. The
pressure reliefs at designated areas where reducing thickness is
involved are seen to be critical in determination of amputees’ comfort
and are very important to clinical applications. Implementing a hole
between the Patellar Tendon (PT) and Distal Tibia (DT) would
decrease stiffness and increase prosthesis range of motion where
flexibility is needed. In addition, displacement and prosthetic energy
storage increased without compromising mechanical efficiency and
prosthetic design integrity.
Abstract: The present work is aimed at examining carbon steel
oil pipelines corrosion using three natural extracts (Eruca Sativa,
Rosell and Mango peels) that are used as inhibitors of different
concentrations ranging from 0.05-0.1wt. %. Two sulphur compounds
are used as corrosion mediums. Weight loss method was used for
measuring the corrosion rate of the carbon steel specimens immersed
in technical white oil at 100ºC at various time intervals in absence
and presence of the two sulphur compounds. The corroded specimens
are examined using the chemical wear test, scratch test and hardness
test. The scratch test is carried out using scratch loads from 0.5 Kg to
2.0 Kg. The scratch width is obtained at various scratch load and test
conditions. The Brinell hardness test is carried out and investigated
for both corroded and inhibited specimens. The results showed that
three natural extracts can be used as environmentally friendly
corrosion inhibitors.
Abstract: The main objective of MEAL is to develop a
pedagogical tool aimed to help teachers and nutritionists (students
and professionals) to acquire, train, promote and deliver to children
basic nutritional education and healthy eating behaviours
competencies. MEAL is focused on eating behaviours and not only in
nutritional literacy, and will use new technologies like Information
and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and serious games (SG)
platforms to consolidate the nutritional competences and habits.
Abstract: The aim of study was to analyze the functioning the
new model of criminal corporate responsibility in Poland. The need
to introduce into the Polish legal system liability of corporate
(collective entities) has resulted, among others, from the Polish
Republic's international commitments, in particular related to
membership in the European Union. The study showed that responsibility of collective entities under
the Act has a criminal nature. The main question concerns the ability
of the collective entity to be brought to guilt under criminal law
sense. Polish criminal law knows only the responsibility of individual
persons. So far, guilt as a personal feature of action, based on the
ability of the offender to feel in his psyche, could be considered only
in relation to the individual person, while the said Act destroyed this
conviction. Guilt of collective entity must be proven under at least
one of the three possible forms: the guilt in the selection or
supervision and so called organizational guilt. In addition, research in
article has resolved the issue how the principle of proportionality in
relation to criminal measures in response of collective entities should
be considered. It should be remembered that the legal subjectivity of
collective entities, including their rights and freedoms, is an
emanation of the rights and freedoms of individual persons which
create collective entities and through these entities implement their
rights and freedoms. The whole study was proved that the adopted Act largely reflects
the international legal regulations but also contains the unknown and
original legislative solutions.
Abstract: As smartphones are equipped with various sensors,
there have been many studies focused on using these sensors to create
valuable applications. Human activity recognition is one such
application motivated by various welfare applications, such as the
support for the elderly, measurement of calorie consumption, lifestyle
and exercise patterns analyses, and so on. One of the challenges one
faces when using smartphone sensors for activity recognition is that
the number of sensors should be minimized to save battery power. In
this paper, we show that a fairly accurate classifier can be built that
can distinguish ten different activities by using only a single sensor
data, i.e., the smartphone accelerometer data. The approach that we
adopt to deal with this twelve-class problem uses various methods.
The features used for classifying these activities include not only the
magnitude of acceleration vector at each time point, but also the
maximum, the minimum, and the standard deviation of vector
magnitude within a time window. The experiments compared the
performance of four kinds of basic multi-class classifiers and the
performance of four kinds of ensemble learning methods based on
three kinds of basic multi-class classifiers. The results show that
while the method with the highest accuracy is ECOC based on
Random forest.
Abstract: These days, the industrial trend is moving away from heavy and bulky passive components to power converter systems that use more and more semiconductor elements. Also, it is difficult to connect the traditional converters to the high and medium voltage. For these reasons, a new family of multilevel inverters has appeared as a solution for working with higher voltage levels. Different modulation topologies like Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM), Selective Harmonic Elimination Pulse Width Modulation (SHE-PWM) are available for multilevel inverters. In this work, different hybrid modulation techniques which are combination of fundamental frequency modulation and multilevel sinusoidal-modulation are compared. The main characteristic of these modulations are reduction of switching losses with good harmonic performance and balanced power loss dissipation among the device. The proposed hybrid modulation schemes are developed and simulated in Matlab/Simulink for cascaded H-bridge inverter. The results validate the applicability of the proposed schemes for cascaded multilevel inverter.
Abstract: This paper treats different aspects of entropy measure
in classical information theory and statistical quantum mechanics, it
presents the possibility of extending the definition of Von Neumann
entropy to image and array processing. In the first part, we generalize
the quantum entropy using singular values of arbitrary rectangular
matrices to measure the randomness and the quality of denoising
operation, this new definition of entropy can be implemented to
compare the performance analysis of filtering methods. In the second
part, we apply the concept of pure state in quantum formalism
to generalize the maximum entropy method for narrowband and
farfield source localization problem. Several computer simulation
results are illustrated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed
techniques.
Abstract: In this paper, monitoring and control of tap changer
mechanism of a transformer implementation in an Intelligent
Electronic Device (IED) is discussed. It has been a custom for
decades to provide a separate panel for on load tap changer control
for monitoring the tap position. However, this facility cannot either
record or transfer the information to remote control centers. As there
is a technology shift towards the smart grid protection and control
standards, the need for implementing remote control and monitoring
has necessitated the implementation of this feature in numerical
relays. This paper deals with the programming, settings and logic
implementation which is applicable to both IEC 61850 compatible
and non-compatible IEDs thereby eliminating the need for separate
tap changer control equipment. The monitoring mechanism has been
implemented in a 28MVA, 110 /6.9kV transformer with 16 tap
position with GE make T60 IED at Ultratech cement limited
Gulbarga, Karnataka and is in successful service.
Abstract: Useful lifetime evaluation of chevron rubber spring
was very important in design procedure to assure the safety and
reliability. It is, therefore, necessary to establish a suitable criterion
for the replacement period of chevron rubber spring. In this study, we
performed characteristic analysis and useful lifetime prediction of
chevron rubber spring. Rubber material coefficient was obtained by
curve fittings of uniaxial tension equibiaxial tension and pure shear
test. Computer simulation was executed to predict and evaluate the
load capacity and stiffness for chevron rubber spring. In order to
useful lifetime prediction of rubber material, we carried out the
compression set with heat aging test in an oven at the temperature
ranging from 50°C to 100°C during a period 180 days. By using the
Arrhenius plot, several useful lifetime prediction equations for rubber
material was proposed.
Abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship
between expectation, satisfaction and loyalty of South Korean
tourists visiting Turkey. In the research, a questionnaire was used as a
data collecting tool. The questionnaires are filled by South Korean
tourists coming to Turkey through package tours and individual. The
survey was conducted in 2014 in Nevsehir (Cappadocia Region) and
Istanbul. Tourist guides and agency staff have helped the
implementation of surveys. The survey questions are composed of 4
parts, which are “demographic characteristics of tourists”, “travel
behavior characteristics”, “perception of expectations on destination
attributes” and “perception of destination loyalty”. 5-point Likert
type scale including 28 destination attributes was used to measure the
expectations of South Korean tourists coming to Turkey. Questions
were directed to the tourists to measure the destination loyalty. The
questions relating to destination loyalty are “Talking about Turkey to
others”, “Recommendation Turkey to others” and “Tourists’
intentions to revisit Turkey”. The basic hypothesis of the research is
that there is a statistically significant relationship among
expectations, satisfactions and destination loyalty of South Korean
tourists coming to Turkey. The results indicated that the expectation
had a significant effect on overall satisfaction. In addition it was seen
that between overall satisfaction of tourists and destination loyalty
had a significant relationship. Based on findings, some suggestions
for tour operators and travel agencies were made.
Abstract: By enhancing the applicatıon of grounds for
establishment and due to the lack of appropriate sites, engineers
attempt to seek out a new method to reduce the weakness of soils. İn
aspect of economic situation, various ways have been used to
decrease the weak grounds. Because of the rapid development of
infrastructural facilities, spreading the construction operation is an
obligation. Furthermore, in various sites with the really bad soil
situation, engineers have considered obvious problems. One of the
most essential ways for developing the weak soils is stone column.
Obviously, the method was introduced in France in 1830 to improve
a native soil initially. Stone columns have an expanding range of
usage in different rough foundation sites all over the world to
increase the bearing capacity, to reduce the whole and differential
settlements, to enhance the rate of consolidation, to stabilize slopes
stability of embankments and to increase the liquefaction resistance
as well. A recent procedure called installing vertical nails along the
round stone columns in order to make better the performance of
considered columns is offered. Moreover, thanks to the enhancing the
nail diameter, number and embedment nail depth, the positive points
of vertical circumferential nails increases. Based on the result of this
study, load caring capacity will be develop with enhancing the length
and the power of reinforcements in vertical encasement stone column
(CESC). In this study, the main purpose is comparing two methods of
stone columns (installed a nail surrounding the stone columns and
using geogrid on clay) for enhancing the bearing capacity, decreasing
the whole and various settlements.
Abstract: Consumers are demanding novel beverages that are
healthier, convenient and have appealing consumer acceptance. The
objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of adding grape
polyphenols and the influence of presenting health claims on the
sensory acceptability of wines. Fresh red sorrel calyces were
fermented into wines. The total soluble solids of the pectinase-treated
sorrel puree were from 4°Brix to 23.8°Brix. Polyphenol in the form
of grape pomace extract was added to sorrel wines (w/v) in specified
levels to give 0. 25. 50 and 75 ppm. A focus group comprising of 12
panelists was use to select the level of polyphenol to be added to
sorrel wines for sensory preference The sensory attributed of the
wines which were evaluated were colour, clarity, aroma, flavor,
mouth-feel, sweetness, astringency and overall preference. The sorrel
wine which was most preferred from focus group evaluation was
presented for hedonic rating. In the first stage of hedonic testing, the
sorrel wine was served chilled at 7°C for 24 h prior to sensory
evaluation. Each panelist was provided with a questionnaire and was
asked to rate the wines on colour, aroma, flavor, mouth-feel,
sweetness, astringency and overall acceptability using a 9-point
hedonic scale. In the second stage of hedonic testing, the panelist
were instructed to read a health abstract on the health benefits of
polyphenolic compounds and again to rate sorrel wine with added 25
ppm polyphenol. Paired t-test was used for the analysis of the
influence of presenting health information on polyphenols on hedonic
scoring of sorrel wines. Focus groups found that the addition of
polyphenol addition had no significant effect on sensory color and
aroma but affected clarity and flavor. A 25 ppm wine was liked
moderately in overall acceptability. The presentation of information
on the health benefit of polyphenols in sorrel wines to panelists had
no significant influence on the sensory acceptance of wine. More
than half of panelists would drink this wine now and then. This wine
had color L 19.86±0.68, chroma 2.10±0.12, hue° 16.90 ±3.10 and
alcohol content of 13.0%. The sorrel wine was liked moderately in
overall acceptability with the added polyphenols.
Abstract: This paper presents a fully Lagrangian coupled
Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) solver for simulations of
fluid-structure interactions, which is based on the Moving Particle
Semi-implicit (MPS) method to solve the governing equations
corresponding to incompressible flows as well as elastic structures.
The developed solver is verified by reproducing the high velocity
impact loads of deformable thin wedges with three different materials
such as mild steel, aluminium and tin during water entry. The present
simulation results for aluminium are compared with analytical solution
derived from the hydrodynamic Wagner model and linear Wan’s
theory. And also, the impact pressure and strain on the water entry
wedge with three different materials, such as mild steel, aluminium
and tin, are simulated and the effects of hydro-elasticity are discussed.