Abstract: The use of energy dissipation systems for seismic applications has increased worldwide, thus it is necessary to develop practical and modern criteria for their optimal design. Here, a direct displacement-based seismic design approach for frame buildings with hysteretic energy dissipation systems (HEDS) is applied. The building is constituted by two individual structural systems consisting of: 1) a main elastic structural frame designed for service loads; and 2) a secondary system, corresponding to the HEDS, that controls the effects of lateral loads. The procedure implies to control two design parameters: a) the stiffness ratio (α=Kframe/Ktotal system), and b) the strength ratio (γ=Vdamper/Vtotal system). The proposed damage-controlled approach contributes to the design of a more sustainable and resilient building because the structural damage is concentrated on the HEDS. The reduction of the design displacement spectrum is done by means of a damping factor (recently published) for elastic structural systems with HEDS, located in Mexico City. Two limit states are verified: serviceability and near collapse. Instead of the traditional trial-error approach, a procedure that allows the designer to establish the preliminary sizes of the structural elements of both systems is proposed. The design methodology is applied to an 8-story steel building with buckling restrained braces, located in soft soil of Mexico City. With the aim of choosing the optimal design parameters, a parametric study is developed considering different values of હ and . The simplified methodology is for preliminary sizing, design, and evaluation of the effectiveness of HEDS, and it constitutes a modern and practical tool that enables the structural designer to select the best design parameters.
Abstract: The paper shows the necessity of farm diversification
in accordance with the current trends in agricultural sector of
Georgia. The possibilities for the diversification and the
corresponding economic policy are suggested.
The causes that hinder diversification of farms are revealed,
possibilities of diversification are identified and the ability of
increasing employment through diversification is proved. Index of
harvest diversification is calculated based on the areas used for
cereals and legumes, potatoes and vegetables and other food crops.
Crop and livestock production indexes are analyzed; correlation
between crop capacity index and value added per worker and per
hectare is studied.
Based on the research farm diversification strategies and priorities
of corresponding economic policy are presented. Based on the
conclusions relevant recommendations are suggested.
Abstract: A cold, thin film of liquid impinging on an isothermal
hot, horizontal surface has been investigated. An approximate
solution for the velocity and temperature distributions in the flow
along the horizontal surface is developed, which exploits the
hydrodynamic similarity solution for thin film flow. The approximate
solution may provide a valuable basis for assessing flow and heat
transfer in more complex settings.
Abstract: Honeys are produced by Apis mellifera and stingless
bees (Meliponini) in Ecuador. We studied honey produced in
beeswax combs by Apis mellifera, and honey produced in pots by
Geotrigona and Scaptotrigona bees. Chloroform extracts of honey
were obtained for fast NMR spectra. The 1D spectra were acquired at
298 K, with a 600 MHz NMR Bruker instrument, using a modified
double pulsed field gradient spin echoes (DPFGSE) sequence.
Signals of 1H NMR spectra were integrated and used as inputs for
PCA, PLS-DA analysis, and labelled sets of classes were successfully
identified, enhancing the separation between the three groups of
honey according to the entomological origin: A. mellifera,
Geotrigona and Scaptotrigona. This procedure is therefore
recommended for authenticity test of honey in Ecuador.
Abstract: In this research the effect of moisture at three levels
(47, 57, and 67 w.b.%) on the physical properties of the Pofaki pea
variety including, dimensions, geometric mean diameter, volume,
sphericity index and the surface area was determined. The influence
of different moisture levels (47, 57 and 67 w.b.%), in two loading
orientation (longitudinal and transverse) and three loading speed (4,6
and 8 mm min-1) on the mechanical properties of pea such as
maximum deformation, rupture force, rupture energy, toughness and
the power to break the pea was investigated. It was observed in the
physical properties that moisture changes were affective at 1% on,
dimensions, geometric mean diameter, volume, sphericity index and
the surface area. It was observed in the mechanical properties that
moisture changes were effective at 1% on, maximum deformation,
rupture force, rupture energy, toughness and the power to break.
Loading speed was effective on maximum deformation, rupture
force, rupture energy at 1% and it was effective on toughness at 5%.
Loading orientation was effective on maximum deformation, rupture
force, rupture energy, toughness at 1% and it was effective on power
at 5%. The mutual effect of speed and orientation were effective on
rupture energy at 1% and were effective on toughness at 5%
probability. The mutual effect of moisture and speed were effective
on rupture force and rupture energy at 1% and were effective on
toughness 5% probability. The mutual effect of orientation and
moisture on rupture energy and toughness were effective at 1%.
Abstract: Control of honey frauds is needed in Ecuador to
protect bee keepers and consumers because simple syrups and new
syrups with eucalyptus are sold as genuine honeys. Authenticity of
Ecuadorian commercial honeys was tested with a vortex emulsion
consisting on one volume of honey:water (1:1) dilution, and two
volumes of diethyl ether. This method allows a separation of phases
in one minute to discriminate genuine honeys that form three phase
and fake honeys that form two phases; 34 of the 42 honeys analyzed
from five provinces of Ecuador were genuine. This was confirmed
with 1H NMR spectra of honey dilutions in deuterated water with an
enhanced amino acid region with signals for proline, phenylalanine
and tyrosine. Classic quality indicators were also tested with this
method (sugars, HMF), indicators of fermentation (ethanol, acetic
acid), and residues of citric acid used in the syrup manufacture. One
of the honeys gave a false positive for genuine, being an admixture of
genuine honey with added syrup, evident for the high sucrose.
Sensory analysis was the final confirmation to recognize the honey
groups studied here, namely honey produced in combs by Apis
mellifera, fake honey, and honey produced in cerumen pots by
Geotrigona, Melipona, and Scaptotrigona. Chloroform extractions of
honey were also done to search lipophilic additives in NMR spectra.
This is a valuable contribution to protect honey consumers, and to
develop the beekeeping industry in Ecuador.
Abstract: In emerging economies, recycling is an opportunity
for the cities to increase the lifespan of sanitary landfills, reduce the
costs of the solid waste management, decrease the environmental
problems of the waste treatment through reincorporate waste in the
productive cycle and protect and develop people’s livelihoods of
informal waste pickers. However, few studies have analysed the
possibilities and strategies to integrate formal and informal sectors in
the solid waste management for the benefit of both. This study seek
to make a strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat (SWOT)
analysis in three recycling associations of Bogotá with the aim to
understand and determine the situation of recycling from perspective
of informal sector in its transition to enter as authorized waste
providers. Data used in the analysis are derived from multiple
strategies such as literature review, the Bogota’s recycling database,
focus group meetings, governmental reports, national laws and
regulations and specific interviews with key stakeholders. Results of
this study show as the main stakeholders of formal and informal
sector of waste management can identify the internal and internal
conditions of recycling in Bogotá. Several strategies were designed
based on the SWOTs determined, could be useful for Bogotá to
advance and promote recycling as a key strategy for integrated
sustainable waste management in the city.
Abstract: An innovative flooring underlayment was produced
and tested. The composite system is made of common OSB boards
and a layer of eco-friendly non-cement gypsum based material
(GeoGypTM). It was found that the shear bond between the two
materials is sufficient to secure the composite interaction between the
two. The very high compressive strength and relatively high tensile
strength of the non-cement based component together with its high
modulus of elasticity provides enough strength and stiffness for the
composite product to cover wider spacing between the joists. The
initial findings of this study indicate that with joist spacing as wide as
800 mm, the flooring system provides enough strength without
compromising the serviceability requirements of the building codes.
Abstract: Alone with fast urbanization in world, traffic control
became a big issue in urban construction. Having an efficient and
reliable traffic control system is crucial to macro-traffic control.
Traffic signal is used to manage conflicting requirement by allocating
different sets of mutually compatible traffic movement during distinct
time interval. Many approaches have been made proposed to solve
this discrete stochastic problem. Recognizing the need to minimize
right-of-way impacts while efficiently handling the anticipated high
traffic volumes, the proposed alternative system gives effective
design. This model allows for increased traffic capacity and reduces
delays by eliminating a step in maneuvering through the freeway
interchange. The concept proposed in this paper involves
construction of bridges and ramps at intersection of four roads to
control the vehicular congestion and to prevent traffic breakdown.
Abstract: Exact solution of an unsteady MHD flow of elasticoviscous
fluid through a porous media in a tube of spherical cross
section under the influence of magnetic field and constant pressure
gradient has been obtained in this paper. Initially, the flow is
generated by a constant pressure gradient. After attaining the steady
state, the pressure gradient is suddenly withdrawn and the resulting
fluid motion in a tube of spherical cross section by taking into
account of the porosity factor and magnetic parameter of the
bounding surface is investigated. The problem is solved in two-stages
the first stage is a steady motion in tube under the influence of a
constant pressure gradient, the second stage concern with an unsteady
motion. The problem is solved employing separation of variables
technique. The results are expressed in terms of a non-dimensional
porosity parameter (K), magnetic parameter (m) and elasticoviscosity
parameter (β), which depends on the Non-Newtonian
coefficient. The flow parameters are found to be identical with that of
Newtonian case as elastic-viscosity parameter and magnetic
parameter tends to zero and porosity tends to infinity. It is seen that
the effect of elastico-viscosity parameter, porosity parameter and
magnetic parameter of the bounding surface has significant effect on
the velocity parameter.
Abstract: Our globalizing world has become almost a small
village and everyone can access any information at any time.
Everyone lets each other know who does whatever in which place.
We can learn which social events occur in which place in the world.
From the perspective of education, the course notes that a lecturer use
in lessons in a university in any state of America can be examined by
a student studying in a city of Africa or the Far East. This dizzying
communication we have mentioned happened thanks to fast
developments in computer and internet technologies. While these
developments occur in the world, Turkey that has a very large young
population and whose electronic infrastructure rapidly improves has
also been affected by these developments. Nowadays, mobile devices
have become common and thus, it causes to increase data traffic in
social networks. This study was carried out on students in the
different age groups in Selcuk University Vocational School of
Technical Sciences, the Department of Computer Technology.
Students’ opinions about the use of internet and social media were
obtained. The features such as using the Internet and social media
skills, purposes, operating frequency, accessing facilities and tools,
social life and effects on vocational education and so forth were
explored. The positive effects and negative effects of both internet
and social media use on the students in this department and findings
are evaluated from different perspectives and results are obtained. In
addition, relations and differences were found out statistically.
Abstract: The textile industry plays a major role in the economy
of India and on the other side of the coin it is the major source for
water pollution. As azo dyes is the largest dye class they are
extensively used in many fields such as textile industry, leather
tanning industry, paper production, food, color photography,
pharmaceuticals and medicine, cosmetic, hair colorings, wood
staining, agricultural, biological and chemical research etc. In
addition to these, they can have acute and/or chronic effects on
organisms depending on their concentration and length of exposure
when they discharged as effluent in the environment. The aim of this
study was to assess the genotoxic and histotoxic potentials of
environmentally relevant concentrations of C. I. Reactive Red 120
(RR 120) on Catla catla, important edible freshwater fingerlings. For
this, healthy Catla catla fingerlings were procured from the
Government Fish Farm and acclimatized in 100 L capacity and
continuously aerated glass aquarium in laboratory for 15 days.
According to APHA some physic-chemical parameters were
measured and maintained such as temperature, pH, dissolve oxygen,
alkalinity, total hardness. Water along with excreta had been changed
every 24 hrs. All fingerlings were fed artificial food palates once a
day @ body weight. After 15 days fingerlings were grouped in 5 (10
in each) and exposed to various concentrations of RR 120 (Control,
10, 20, 30 and 40 mg.l-1) and samples (peripheral blood and gills,
kidney) were collected and analyzed at 96 hrs. All results were
compared with the control. Micronuclei (MN), nuclear buds (NB),
fragmented-apoptotic (FA) and bi-nucleated (BN) cells in blood
smears and in tissues (gills and kidney cells) were observed.
Prominent histopathological alterations were noticed in gills such as
aneurism, hyperplasia, degenerated central axis, lifting of gill
epithelium, curved secondary gill lamellae etc. Similarly kidney
showed some detrimental changes like shrunken glomeruli with
increased periglomerular space, degenerated renal tubules etc. Both
haematological and histopathological changes clearly reveal the toxic
potential of RR 120. This work concludes that water pollution
assessment can be done by these two biomarkers which provide
baseline to the further chromosomal or molecular work.
Abstract: There are several possibilities of reducing the required
amount of cement in concrete production. Natural zeolite is one of
the raw materials which can partly substitute Portland cement. The
effort to reduce the amount of Portland cement used in concrete
production is brings both economical as well as ecological benefits.
The paper presents the properties of concrete containing natural
zeolite as an active admixture in the concrete which partly substitutes
Portland cement. The properties discussed here bring information
about the basic mechanical properties and frost resistance of concrete
containing zeolite. The properties of concretes with the admixture of
zeolite are compared with a reference concrete with no content of
zeolite. The properties of the individual concretes are observed for
360 days.
Abstract: In the current work, a three-dimensional geometry of a
75% stenosed blood vessel is analyzed. Large eddy simulation (LES)
with the help of a dynamic subgrid scale Smagorinsky model is
applied to model the turbulent pulsatile flow. The geometry, the
transmural pressure and the properties of the blood and the elastic
boundary were based on clinical measurement data. For the flexible
wall model, a thin solid region is constructed around the 75%
stenosed blood vessel. The deformation of this solid region was
modelled as a deforming boundary to reduce the computational cost
of the solid model. Fluid-structure interaction is realized via a twoway
coupling between the blood flow modelled via LES and the
deforming vessel. The information of the flow pressure and the wall
motion was exchanged continually during the cycle by an arbitrary
Lagrangian-Eulerian method. The boundary condition of current time
step depended on previous solutions. The fluctuation of the velocity
in the post-stenotic region was analyzed in the study. The axial
velocity at normalized position Z=0.5 shows a negative value near
the vessel wall. The displacement of the elastic boundary was
concerned in this study. In particular, the wall displacement at the
systole and the diastole were compared. The negative displacement at
the stenosis indicates a collapse at the maximum velocity and the
deceleration phase.
Abstract: Employer branding is considered as a useful tool for
addressing the global-local problem facing complex organisations
that have operations scattered across the globe and face challenges of
dealing with the local environment alongside. Despite being an
established field of study within the Western developed world, there
is little empirical evidence concerning the relevance of employer
branding to global companies that operate in the under-developed
economies. This paper fills this gap by gaining rich insight into the
implementation of employer branding programs in a foreign
multinational operating in Pakistan dealing with the global-local
problem. The study is qualitative in nature and employs semistructured
and focus group interviews with senior/middle managers
and local frontline employees to deeply examine the phenomenon in
case organisation. Findings suggest that authenticity is required in
employer brands to enable them to respond to the local needs thereby
leading to the resolution of the global-local problem. However, the
role of signaling theory is key to the development of authentic
employer brands as it stresses on the need to establish an efficient and
effective signaling environment where in signals travel in both
directions (from signal designers to receivers and backwards) and
facilitate firms with the global-local problem. The paper also
identifies future avenues of research for the employer branding field.
Abstract: This article presents modeling studies of NiAl alloy
under solid-particle erosion and liquid-drop erosion. In the
solid-particle erosion simulation, attention is paid to the oxide scale
thickness variation on the alloy in high-temperature erosion
environments. The erosion damage is assumed to be deformation wear
and cutting wear mechanisms, incorporating the influence of the oxide
scale on the eroded surface; thus the instantaneous oxide thickness is
the result of synergetic effect of erosion and oxidation. For liquid-drop
erosion, special interest is in investigating the effects of drop velocity
and drop size on the damage of the target surface. The models of
impact stress wave, mean depth of penetration, and maximum depth of
erosion rate (Max DER) are employed to develop various maps for
NiAl alloy, including target thickness vs. drop size (diameter), rate of
mean depth of penetration (MDRP) vs. drop impact velocity, and
damage threshold velocity (DTV) vs. drop size.
Abstract: This article discusses event monitoring options for
heterogeneous event sources as they are given in nowadays
heterogeneous distributed information systems. It follows the central
assumption, that a fully generic event monitoring solution cannot
provide complete support for event monitoring; instead, event source
specific semantics such as certain event types or support for certain
event monitoring techniques have to be taken into account.
Following from this, the core result of the work presented here is
the extension of a configurable event monitoring (Web) service for a
variety of event sources. A service approach allows us to trade
genericity for the exploitation of source specific characteristics. It
thus delivers results for the areas of SOA, Web services, CEP and
EDA.
Abstract: The problem of toughening in brittle materials
reinforced by fibers is complex, involving all of the mechanical
properties of fibers, matrix and the fiber/matrix interface, as well as
the geometry of the fiber. Development of new numerical methods
appropriate to toughening simulation and analysis is necessary. In
this work, we have performed simulations and analysis of toughening
in brittle matrix reinforced by randomly distributed fibers by means
of the discrete elements method. At first, we put forward a
mechanical model of toughening contributed by random fibers. Then
with a numerical program, we investigated the stress, damage and
bridging force in the composite material when a crack appeared in the
brittle matrix. From the results obtained, we conclude that: (i) fibers
of high strength and low elasticity modulus are beneficial to
toughening; (ii) fibers of relatively high elastic modulus compared to
the matrix may result in substantial matrix damage due to spalling
effect; (iii) employment of high-strength synthetic fibers is a good
option for toughening. We expect that the combination of the discrete
element method (DEM) with the finite element method (FEM) can
increase the versatility and efficiency of the software developed. The
present work can guide the design of ceramic composites of high
performance through the optimization of the parameters.
Abstract: Fixed-geometry hydrodynamic journal bearings are
one of the best supporting systems for several applications of rotating
machinery. Cylindrical journal bearings present excellent loadcarrying
capacity and low manufacturing costs, but they are subjected
to the oil-film instability at high speeds. An attempt of overcoming
this instability problem has been the development of non-circular
journal bearings. This work deals with an analysis of oil-lubricated
elliptical journal bearings using the finite element method. Steadystate
and dynamic performance characteristics of elliptical bearings
are rendered by zeroth- and first-order lubrication equations obtained
through a linearized perturbation method applied on the classical
Reynolds equation. Four-node isoparametric rectangular finite
elements are employed to model the bearing thin film flow. Curves of
elliptical bearing load capacity and dynamic force coefficients are
rendered at several operating conditions. The results presented in this
work demonstrate the influence of the bearing ellipticity on its
performance at different loading conditions.
Abstract: Significant quota of Municipal Electrical Energy
consumption is related to Decentralized Air Conditioning which is
mostly provided by evaporative coolers. So the aim is to optimize
design of air conditioners to increase their efficiencies. To achieve
this goal, results of practical standardized tests for 40 evaporative
coolers in different types collected and simultaneously results for
same coolers based on one of EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio)
modeling styles are figured out. By comparing experimental results
of different coolers standardized tests with modeling results,
preciseness of used model is assessed and after comparing gained
preciseness with international standards based on EER for cooling
capacity, aeration, and also electrical energy consumption, energy
label from A (most effective) to G (less effective) is classified; finally
needed methods to optimize energy consumption and coolers’
classification are provided.