Abstract: This study suggests the estimation method of stress
distribution for the beam structures based on TLS (Terrestrial Laser
Scanning). The main components of method are the creation of the
lattices of raw data from TLS to satisfy the suitable condition and
application of CSSI (Cubic Smoothing Spline Interpolation) for
estimating stress distribution. Estimation of stress distribution for the
structural member or the whole structure is one of the important
factors for safety evaluation of the structure. Existing sensors which
include ESG (Electric strain gauge) and LVDT (Linear Variable
Differential Transformer) can be categorized as contact type sensor
which should be installed on the structural members and also there are
various limitations such as the need of separate space where the
network cables are installed and the difficulty of access for sensor
installation in real buildings. To overcome these problems inherent in
the contact type sensors, TLS system of LiDAR (light detection and
ranging), which can measure the displacement of a target in a long
range without the influence of surrounding environment and also get
the whole shape of the structure, has been applied to the field of
structural health monitoring. The important characteristic of TLS
measuring is a formation of point clouds which has many points
including the local coordinate. Point clouds are not linear distribution
but dispersed shape. Thus, to analyze point clouds, the interpolation is
needed vitally. Through formation of averaged lattices and CSSI for
the raw data, the method which can estimate the displacement of
simple beam was developed. Also, the developed method can be
extended to calculate the strain and finally applicable to estimate a
stress distribution of a structural member. To verify the validity of the
method, the loading test on a simple beam was conducted and TLS
measured it. Through a comparison of the estimated stress and
reference stress, the validity of the method is confirmed.
Abstract: Since 1920, the industry has almost completely
changed the rivets production techniques for the manufacture of
permanent welding join production of structures and manufacture of
other products. The welding arc is the process more widely used in
industries. This is accomplished by the heat of an electric arc which
melts the base metal while the molten metal droplets are transferred
through the arc to the welding pool, protected from the atmosphere
by a gas curtain. The GMAW (Gas metal arc welding) process is
influenced by variables such as: current, polarity, welding speed,
electrode: extension, position, moving direction; type of joint,
welder's ability, among others. It is remarkable that the knowledge
and control of these variables are essential for obtaining satisfactory
quality welds, knowing that are interconnected so that changes in one
of them requiring changes in one or more of the other to produce the
desired results. The optimum values are affected by the type of base
metal, the electrode composition, the welding position and the quality
requirements. Thus, this paper proposes a new methodology, adding
the variable vibration through a mechanism developed for GMAW
welding, in order to improve the mechanical and metallurgical
properties which does not affect the ability of the welder and enables
repeatability of the welds made. For confirmation metallographic
analysis and mechanical tests were made.
Abstract: Residential buildings consume significant amounts of
energy and produce large amount of emissions and waste. However,
there is a substantial potential for energy savings in this sector which
needs to be evaluated over the life cycle of residential buildings. Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology has been employed to study
the primary energy uses and associated environmental impacts of
different phases (i.e., product, construction, use, end of life, and
beyond building life) for residential buildings. Four different
alternatives of residential buildings in Vancouver (BC, Canada) with
a 50-year lifespan have been evaluated, including High Rise
Apartment (HRA), Low Rise Apartment (LRA), Single family
Attached House (SAH), and Single family Detached House (SDH).
Life cycle performance of the buildings is evaluated for embodied
energy, embodied environmental impacts, operational energy,
operational environmental impacts, total life-cycle energy, and total
life cycle environmental impacts. Estimation of operational energy
and LCA are performed using DesignBuilder software and Athena
Impact estimator software respectively.
The study results revealed that over the life span of the buildings,
the relationship between the energy use and the environmental
impacts are identical. LRA is found to be the best alternative in terms
of embodied energy use and embodied environmental impacts; while,
HRA showed the best life-cycle performance in terms of minimum
energy use and environmental impacts. Sensitivity analysis has also
been carried out to study the influence of building service lifespan
over 50, 75, and 100 years on the relative significance of embodied
energy and total life cycle energy. The life-cycle energy requirements
for SDH are found to be a significant component among the four
types of residential buildings. The overall disclose that the primary
operations of these buildings accounts for 90% of the total life cycle
energy which far outweighs minor differences in embodied effects
between the buildings.
Abstract: Based on Business and Consumer Survey (BCS) data,
the European Commission (EC) regularly publishes the monthly
Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) for each EU member state. ESI
is conceptualized as a leading indicator, aimed ad tracking the overall
economic activity. In calculating ESI, the EC employs arbitrarily
chosen weights on 15 BCS response balances. This paper raises the
predictive quality of ESI by applying nonlinear programming to find
such weights that maximize the correlation coefficient of ESI and
year-on-year GDP growth. The obtained results show that the highest
weights are assigned to the response balances of industrial sector
questions, followed by questions from the retail trade sector. This
comes as no surprise since the existing literature shows that the
industrial production is a plausible proxy for the overall Croatian
economic activity and since Croatian GDP is largely influenced by
the aggregate personal consumption.
Abstract: The literature on language teaching and second
language acquisition has been largely driven by monolingual
ideology with a common assumption that a second language (L2) is
best taught and learned in the L2 only. The current study challenges
this assumption by reporting learners' positive perceptions of tertiary
level teachers' code switching practices in Vietnam. The findings of
this study contribute to our understanding of code switching practices
in language classrooms from a learners' perspective.
Data were collected from student participants who were working
towards a Bachelor degree in English within the English for Business
Communication stream through the use of focus group interviews.
The literature has documented that this method of interviewing has a
number of distinct advantages over individual student interviews. For
instance, group interactions generated by focus groups create a more
natural environment than that of an individual interview because they
include a range of communicative processes in which each individual
may influence or be influenced by others - as they are in their real
life. The process of interaction provides the opportunity to obtain the
meanings and answers to a problem that are "socially constructed
rather than individually created" leading to the capture of real-life
data. The distinct feature of group interaction offered by this
technique makes it a powerful means of obtaining deeper and richer
data than those from individual interviews. The data generated
through this study were analysed using a constant comparative
approach. Overall, the students expressed positive views of this
practice indicating that it is a useful teaching strategy. Teacher code
switching was seen as a learning resource and a source supporting
language output. This practice was perceived to promote student
comprehension and to aid the learning of content and target language
knowledge. This practice was also believed to scaffold the students'
language production in different contexts. However, the students
indicated their preference for teacher code switching to be
constrained, as extensive use was believed to negatively impact on
their L2 learning and trigger cognitive reliance on the L1 for L2
learning. The students also perceived that when the L1 was used to a
great extent, their ability to develop as autonomous learners was
negatively impacted.
This study found that teacher code switching was supported in
certain contexts by learners, thus suggesting that there is a need for
the widespread assumption about the monolingual teaching approach
to be re-considered.
Abstract: Psyllium gum alone and in combination with
sunflower oil was investigated as a possible alternative edible coating
for improvement of quality and shelf life of fresh-cut papaya.
Different concentrations including 0.5, 1 and 1.5 percent of psyllium
gum were used for coating of fresh-cut papaya. In some samples,
refined sunflower oil was used as a lipid component to increase the
effectiveness of coating in terms of water barrier properties. Soya
lecithin was used as an emulsifier in coatings containing oil.
Pretreatment with 1% calcium chloride was given to maintain the
firmness of fresh-cut papaya cubes. 1% psyllium gum coating was
found to yield better results. Further, addition of oil helped to
maintain the quality and acted as a barrier to water vapour, therefore,
minimizing the weight loss.
Abstract: This work studies the effect of chemical composition
on the activity and selectivity of γ–alumina supported CuO/
MnO2/Cr2O3 catalysts toward deep oxidation of CO, dimethyl ether
(DME) and methanol. The catalysts were prepared by impregnation
of the support with an aqueous solution of copper nitrate, manganese
nitrate and CrO3 under different conditions. Thermal, XRD and TPR
analysis were performed. The catalytic measurements of single
compounds oxidation were carried out on continuous flow equipment
with a four-channel isothermal stainless steel reactor. Flow-line
equipment with an adiabatic reactor for simultaneous oxidation of all
compounds under the conditions that mimic closely the industrial
ones was used. The reactant and product gases were analyzed by
means of on-line gas chromatographs.
On the basis of XRD analysis it can be concluded that the active
component of the mixed Cu-Mn-Cr/γ–alumina catalysts consists of at
least six compounds – CuO, Cr2O3, MnO2, Cu1.5Mn1.5O4,
Cu1.5Cr1.5O4 and CuCr2O4, depending on the Cu/Mn/Cr molar ratio.
Chemical composition strongly influences catalytic properties, this
influence being quite variable with regards to the different processes.
The rate of CO oxidation rapidly decrease with increasing of
chromium content in the active component while for the DME was
observed the reverse trend. It was concluded that the best
compromise are the catalysts with Cu/(Mn + Cr) molar ratio 1:5 and
Mn/Cr molar ratio from 1:3 to 1:4.
Abstract: Mitigating soil erosion, especially in Mediterranean
countries such as Greece, is essential in order to maintain
environmental and agricultural sustainability. In this paper, scientific
publications related to soil erosion studies in Greece were reviewed
and categorized. To accomplish this, the online search engine of
Scopus was used. The key words were “soil”, “erosion” and
“Greece.” An analysis of the published articles was conducted at
three levels: i) type of publication, ii) chronologic and iii) thematic. A
hundred and ten publications published in scientific journals were
reviewed. The results showed that the awareness regarding the soil
erosion in Greece has increased only in the last decades. The
publications covered a wide range of thematic categories such as the
type of studied areas, the physical phenomena that trigger and
influence the soil erosion, the negative anthropogenic impacts on
them, the assessment tools that were used in order to examine the
threat and the proper management. The analysis of these articles was
significant and necessary in order to find the scientific gaps of soil
erosion studies in Greece and help enhance the sustainability of soil
management in the future.
Abstract: Cyberspace has become a more viable arena for
budding artists to share musical acts through digital forms. The
increasing relevance of online communities has attracted scholars
from various fields demonstrating its influence on social capital. This
paper extends this understanding of social capital among Filipino
music artists belonging to the SoundCloud Philippines Facebook
Group.
The study makes use of various qualitative data obtained from
key-informant interviews and participant observation of online and
physical encounters, analyzed using the case study approach.
Soundcloud Philippines has over seven-hundred members and is
composed of Filipino singers, instrumentalists, composers, arrangers,
producers, multimedia artists and event managers. Group interactions
are a mix of online encounters based on Facebook and SoundCloud
and physical encounters through meet-ups and events. Benefits
reaped from the community are informational, technical,
instrumental, promotional, motivational and social support. Under the
guidance of online group administrators, collaborative activities such
as music productions, concerts and events transpire. Most conflicts
and problems arising are resolved peacefully. Social capital in
SoundCloud Philippines is mobilized through recognition, respect
and reciprocity.
Abstract: The Chair of Thermal Engineering at Poznan
University of Technology has been conducted research works on the
possibilities of using carbon nanostructures in energy and mechanics
applications for a couple of years. Those studies have provided results in a form of co-operation with foreign research centres, numerous publications and patent
applications.
Authors of this paper have studied the influence of multi-walled
carbon nanostructures on changes in static friction arising when steel
surfaces were moved. Tests were made using the original test stand
consisting of automatically controlled inclined plane driven by
precise stepper motors. Computer program created in the LabView
environment was responsible for monitoring of the stand operation,
accuracy of measurements and archiving the obtained results. Such a
solution enabled to obtain high accuracy and repeatability of all
conducted experiments.
Tests and analysis of the obtained results allowed us to determine
how additional layers of carbon nanostructures influenced on changes
of static friction coefficients. At the same time, we analyzed the
potential possibilities of applying nanostructures under consideration
in mechanics.
Abstract: Perception, evaluation and representation of the
environment have been the subject of many disciplines including
psychology, geography and architecture. In environmental and social
psychology literature there are several evidences which suggest that
cognitive representations about a place consisted of not only
geographic items but also social and cultural. Mental representations
of residence area or a country are influenced and determined by
social-demographics, the physical and social context. Thus, all
mental representations of a given place are also social
representations. Cognitive maps are the main and common
instruments that are used to identify spatial images and the difference
between physical and subjective environments. The aim of the
current study is investigating the mental and social representations of
Turkey in university students’ minds. Data was collected from 249
university students from different departments (i.e. psychology,
geography, history, tourism departments) of Ege University.
Participants were requested to reflect Turkey in their mind onto the
paper drawing sketch maps. According to the results, cognitive maps
showed geographic aspects of Turkey as well as the context of
symbolic, cultural and political reality of Turkey. That is to say, these
maps had many symbolic and verbal items related to critics on social
and cultural problems, ongoing ethnic and political conflicts, and
actual political agenda of Turkey. Additionally, one of main
differentiations in these representations appeared in terms of the East
and West side of the Turkey, and the representations of the East and
West was varied correspondingly participants’ cultural background,
their ethnic values, and where they have born. The results of the
study were discussed in environmental and social psychological
perspective considering cultural and social values of Turkey and
current political circumstances of the country.
Abstract: Continuous upflow filters can combine the nutrient
(nitrogen and phosphate) and suspended solid removal in one unit
process. The contaminant removal could be achieved chemically or
biologically; in both processes the filter removal efficiency depends
on the interaction between the packed filter media and the influent. In
this paper a residence time distribution (RTD) study was carried out
to understand and compare the transfer behaviour of contaminants
through a selected filter media packed in a laboratory-scale
continuous up flow filter; the selected filter media are limestone and
white dolomite. The experimental work was conducted by injecting a
tracer (red drain dye tracer –RDD) into the filtration system and then
measuring the tracer concentration at the outflow as a function of
time; the tracer injection was applied at hydraulic loading rates
(HLRs) (3.8 to 15.2 m h-1). The results were analysed according to
the cumulative distribution function F(t) to estimate the residence
time of the tracer molecules inside the filter media. The mean
residence time (MRT) and variance σ2 are two moments of RTD that
were calculated to compare the RTD characteristics of limestone with
white dolomite. The results showed that the exit-age distribution of
the tracer looks better at HLRs (3.8 to 7.6 m h-1) and (3.8 m h-1) for
limestone and white dolomite respectively. At these HLRs the
cumulative distribution function F(t) revealed that the residence time
of the tracer inside the limestone was longer than in the white
dolomite; whereas all the tracer took 8 minutes to leave the white
dolomite at 3.8 m h-1. On the other hand, the same amount of the
tracer took 10 minutes to leave the limestone at the same HLR. In
conclusion, the determination of the optimal level of hydraulic
loading rate, which achieved the better influent distribution over the
filtration system, helps to identify the applicability of the material as
filter media. Further work will be applied to examine the efficiency
of the limestone and white dolomite for phosphate removal by
pumping a phosphate solution into the filter at HLRs (3.8 to 7.6 m h-1).
Abstract: This article aims to analyze the static stability and
pseudostatic slope by using different methods such as: Bishop
method, Junbu, Ordinary, Morgenstern-price and GLE. The two
dimensional modeling of slope stability under various loading as: the
earthquake effect, the water level and road mobile charges. The
results show that the slope is stable in the static case without water,
but in other cases, the slope lost its stability and give unstable. The
calculation of safety factor is to evaluate the stability of the slope
using the limit equilibrium method despite the difference between the
results obtained by these methods that do not rely on the same
assumptions. In the end, the results of this study illuminate well the
influence of the action of water, moving loads and the earthquake on
the stability of the slope.
Abstract: Socio-economic development, which is seen around
the world today, has contributed to the emergence of new problems
of a social nature. Different political, historical, geographical or
economic conditions cause that, in addition to global issues of social
policy such as an aging population, unemployment, migration,
countries, regions, there are also specific new problems that require
diagnosis, individualized approach and efficient, planned solutions.
These should include, among others, digital addiction, peer violence,
obesity among children, the problem of ‘legal highs’, stress,
depression, diseases associated with environmental pollution etc. The
central authorities, selected most often with the tools specific to
representative democracy, that is, the general election, for many
reasons, inter alia, organizational, communication, are not able to
effectively diagnose their intensity, territorial distribution, and thus to
effectively fight them. This article aims to show how in Poland,
citizens influence solving problems related to the broader social
policy implemented at the local government level and indicates the
possibilities of improving those solutions. The conclusions of
theoretical analysis have been supported by empirical studies, which
tested the use of instruments of participatory democracy in the
planning and creation of communal strategies for solving social
problems in one of the Polish voivodeships.
Abstract: The degradation of concrete due to various hygrochemo-
mechanical actions is inevitable for the structures particularly
built to store water. Therefore, it is essential to determine the material
properties of dam-like structures due to ageing to predict the behavior
of such structures after a certain age. The degraded material
properties are calculated by introducing isotropic degradation index.
The predicted material properties are used to study the behavior of
aged dam at different ages. The dam is modeled by finite elements
and displacement and is considered as an unknown variable. The
parametric study reveals that the displacement is quite larger for
comparatively lower design life of the structure because the
degradation of elastic properties depends on the design life of the
dam. The stresses in dam cam be unexpectedly large at any age with
in the design life. The outcomes of the present study indicate the
importance of the consideration ageing effect of concrete exposed to
water for the safe design of dam throughout its life time.
Abstract: Adopting Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) for the
government procurement projects has become popular in Taiwan. As
time pass by, the problems of MAT has appeared gradually. People
condemn two points that are the result might be manipulated by a
single committee member’s partiality and how to make a fair decision
when the winner has two or more. Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem
proposed that the best scoring method should meet the four reasonable
criteria. According to these four criteria this paper constructed an
“Illegitimate Scores Checking Scheme” for a scoring method and used
the scheme to find out the illegitimate of the current evaluation method
of MAT. This paper also proposed a new scoring method that is called
the “Standardizing Overall Evaluated Score Method”. This method
makes each committee member’s influence tend to be identical. Thus,
the committee members can scoring freely according to their partiality
without losing the fairness. Finally, it was examined by a large-scale
simulation, and the experiment revealed that the it improved the
problem of dictatorship and perfectly avoided the situation of cyclical
majorities, simultaneously. This result verified that the Standardizing
Overall Evaluated Score Method is better than any current evaluation
method of MAT.
Abstract: Radial profiles of particle velocities were investigated
in a 6.1m high methanol-to-olefins cold model experimental device
using a TSI laser Doppler velocimeter. The effect of axial height on
flow development was not obvious in fully developed region under the
same operating condition. Superficial gas velocity and solid
circulating rate had significant influence on particle velocity in the
center region of the riser. Besides, comparisons among rising,
descending and average particle velocity were conducted. The particle
average velocity was similar to the rising particle velocity and higher
than the descending particle velocity in radial locations except the wall
region of riser.
Abstract: The notion of power and gender domination is one of
the inseparable aspects of themes in postmodern literature. The
reason of its importance has been discussed frequently since the rise
of Michel Foucault and his insight into the circulation of power and
the transgression of forces. Language and society operate as the basic
grounds for the study, as all human beings are bound to the set of
rules and norms which shape them in the acceptable way in the
macrocosm. How different genders in different positions behave and
show reactions to the provocation of social forces and superiority of
one another is of great interest to writers and literary critics. Mamet’s
works are noticeable for their controversial but timely themes which
illustrate human conflicts with the society and greed for power. Many
critics like Christopher Bigsby and Harold Bloom have discussed
Mamet and his ideas in recent years. This paper is the study of
Oleanna, Mamet’s masterpiece about the teacher-student relationship
and the circulation of power between a man and woman. He shows
the very breakable boundaries in the domination of a gender and the
downfall of speech as the consequence of transgression and freedom.
The failure of the language the teacher uses and the abuse of his own
words by a student who seeks superiority and knowledge are the
main subjects of the discussion. Supported by the ideas of Foucault,
the language Mamet uses to present his characters becomes the
fundamental premise in this study. As a result, language becomes
both the means of achievement and downfall.
Abstract: Experimental investigations of the DC electric field effect on thermal decomposition of biomass, formation of the axial flow of volatiles (CO, H2, CxHy), mixing of volatiles with swirling airflow at low swirl intensity (S ≈ 0.2-0.35), their ignition and on formation of combustion dynamics are carried out with the aim to understand the mechanism of electric field influence on biomass gasification, combustion of volatiles and heat energy production. The DC electric field effect on combustion dynamics was studied by varying the positive bias voltage of the central electrode from 0.6 kV to 3 kV, whereas the ion current was limited to 2 mA. The results of experimental investigations confirm the field-enhanced biomass gasification with enhanced release of volatiles and the development of endothermic processes at the primary stage of thermochemical conversion of biomass determining the field-enhanced heat energy consumption with the correlating decrease of the flame temperature and heat energy production at this stage of flame formation. Further, the field-enhanced radial expansion of the flame reaction zone correlates with a more complete combustion of volatiles increasing the combustion efficiency by 3% and decreasing the mass fraction of CO, H2 and CxHy in the products, whereas by 10% increases the average volume fraction of CO2 and the heat energy production downstream the combustor increases by 5-10%
Abstract: In the years followed independence, an economic
crisis and some conflicts led to the displacement of many people
inside Georgia. The growing poverty, unemployment, low income
and its unequal distribution limited access to basic social service have
had a clear direct impact on Georgian population dynamics and its
age-sex structure. Factors influencing the changing population age
structure and urbanization include mortality, fertility, migration and
expansion of urban. In this paper presents the main factors of
changing the distribution by urban and rural areas. How different are
the urban and rural age and sex structures? Does Georgia have the
same age-sex structure among their urban and rural populations since
1950s?