Abstract: Verification of vented wooden façade system with
bonded joints is presented in this paper. The potential of bonded
joints is studied and described in more detail. The paper presents the results of an experimental and theoretical research about the effects of freeze cycling on the bonded joint. For the purpose of tests spruce
timber profiles were chosen for the load bearing substructure. Planks from wooden plastic composite and Siberian larch are representing facade cladding. Two types of industrial polyurethane adhesives intended for structural bonding were selected. The article is focused on the preparation as well as on the subsequent curing and conditioning of test samples. All test samples were subjected to 15 cycles that represents sudden temperature changes, i.e. immersion in a water bath at (293.15 ± 3) K for 6 hours and subsequent freezing to (253.15 ± 2) K for 18 hours. Furthermore, the retention of bond strength between substructure and cladding wastested and strength in shear was determined under tensile stress.Research data indicate that little, if any, damage to the bond results from freezingcycles. Additionally, the suitability of selected group of adhesives in combination with timber substructure was confirmed.
Abstract: Dental porcelain composites reinforced and toughened
by 20 wt.% tetragonal zirconia (3Y-TZP) were processed by hot
pressing at 1000°C. Two types of particles were tested: yttriastabilized
zirconia (ZrO2–3%Y2O3) agglomerates and pre-sintered
yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO2–3%Y2O3) particles. The composites
as well as the reinforcing particles were analyzed by the means of
optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersion
Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The mechanical
properties were obtained by the transverse rupture strength test. Wear
tests were also performed on the composites and monolithic
porcelain. The best mechanical results were displayed by the
porcelain reinforced with the pre-sintered ZrO2–3%Y2O3
agglomerates.
Abstract: Depositional environment and source potential of the
different organic-rich levels of Devonian age (up to 990m thick) from
the onshore EC-1 well (Southern Tunisia) were investigated based on
the analysis of more than 130 cutting samples by different
geochemical techniques (Rock-Eval pyrolysis, GC-MS). The
obtained results including Rock Eval Pyrolysis data and biomarker
distribution (terpanes, steranes and aromatics) have been used to
describe the depositional environment and to assess the thermal
maturity of the Devonian organic matter. These results show that the
Emsian deposits exhibit poor to fair TOC contents. The associated
organic matter is composed of mixed kerogen (type II/III), as
indicated by the predominance of C29 steranes over C27 and C28
homologous, that was deposited in a slightly reduced environment
favoring organic matter preservation. Thermal maturity assessed from
Tmax, TNR and MPI-1 values shows a mature stage of organic
matter. The Middle Devonian (Eifelian) shales are rich in type II
organic matter that was deposited in an open marine depositional
environment. The TOC values are high and vary between 2 and 7%
indicating good to excellent source rock. The relatively high HI
values (reaching 547 mg HC/g TOC) and the low values of t19/t23
tricyclic terpane ratio (< 0.2) confirm the marine origin of the organic
matter (type II). During the Upper Devonian, the organic matter was
deposited under variable redox conditions, oxic to suboxic which is
clearly indicated by the low C35/C34 hopanes ratio, immature to
marginally mature with the vitrinite reflectance ranging from 0.5 to
0.7 Ro and Tmax value of 426°C-436 °C and the TOC values range
between 0.8% to 4%.
Abstract: After the internet explosion in the 90’s, technology
was immediately integrated into the school system. Technology
which symbolizes advancement in human knowledge was seen as a
setback by many educators. Efforts have been made to help stem this
erroneous believes and help educators realize the benefits of
technology and ways of implementing it in the classrooms especially
in the sciences. This advancement created a constantly expanding gap
between the pupil’s perception on the use of technology within the
learning atmosphere and the teacher’s perception and limitations
hence, the focus of this paper is on the need to refocus on the use of
Science and Technology in enhancing children’s potentials in
learning at school especially in Science for sustainable development
in Nigeria. The paper recommended measures for facilitating the
sustenance of science and technology in Nigerian schools so as to
enhance the potentials of our children in Science and Technology for
a better tomorrow.
Abstract: Taking into account the significance of measuring the
daily use of the study space in the libraries in order to develop and
reorganize the space for enhancing the efficiency of the study space,
the current study aimed to apply GIS in analyzing the study halls of
the Central Library and Document Center of Tehran University in
order to determine how study desks and chairs were used by the
students. The study used a combination of survey-descriptive and
system design method. In order to gather the required data, surveydescriptive
method was used. For implementing and entering data
into ArcGIS and analyzing the data and displaying the results on the
maps of the study halls of the library, system design method was
utilized. The design of the spatial database of the use of the study
halls was measured through the extent of occupancy of the space by
the library users and the maps of the study halls of the central library
of Tehran University as the case study. The results showed that
Abooreyhan hall had the highest rate of occupancy of the desks and
chairs compared to the other halls. The Hall of Science and
Technology, with an average occupancy rate of 0.39 for the tables
represented the lowest number of users and Rashid al-Dins hall, and
Science and Technology hall with an average occupancy rate (0.40)
had the lowest number of users for seats. In this study, the
comparison of the space occupied at different periods in the morning,
evenings, afternoons, and several months was performed through
GIS. This system analyzed the space relationships effectively and
efficiently. The output of this study would be used by administrators
and librarians to determine the exact extent of use of the equipment
of the study halls and librarians can use the output map to design the
space more efficiently at the library.
Abstract: Experimental production methods of Chevreul’s salt
being an intermediate stage product in copper recovery were
investigated on this article. Chevreul’s salt, Cu2SO3.CuSO3.2H2O,
being a mixed valence copper sulphite compound, has been obtained
by using different methods and reagents. Chevreul’s salt has an
intense brick-red color. It is highly stable and expensive. The
production of Chevreul’s salt plays a key role in hydrometallurgy.
Thermodynamic tendency on precipitation of Chevreul’s salt is
related to pH and temperature. Besides, SO2 gaseous is a versatile
reagent for precipitating of copper sulphites, Using of SO2 for
selective precipitation can be made by appropriate adjustments of pH
and temperature. Chevreul’s salt does not form in acidic solutions if
those solutions contains considerable amount of sulfurous acid. It is
necessary to maintain between pH 2–4.5, because, solubility of
Chevreul’s salt increases with decreasing of pH values. Also, the
region which Chevreul’s salt is stable can be seen from the potentialpH
diagram.
Abstract: The mechanisms underlying the association between
obesity and asthma may be related to a decreased immunological
tolerance induced by a defective function of regulatory T cells
(Tregs). The aim of this study is to establish the potential link
between these diseases and CD4+, CD25+ FoxP3+ Tregs as well as T
helper cells (Ths) in children. This is a prospective case control
study. Obese (n:40), asthmatic (n:40), asthmatic obese (n:40) and
healthy children (n:40), who don't have any acute or chronic diseases,
were included in this study. Obese children were evaluated according
to WHO criteria. Asthmatic patients were chosen based on GINA
criteria. Parents were asked to fill up the questionnaire. Informed
consent forms were taken. Blood samples were marked with CD4+,
CD25+ and FoxP3+ in order to determine Tregs and Ths by flow
cytometric method. Statistical analyses were performed. p≤0.05 was
chosen as meaningful threshold. Tregs exhibiting anti-inflammatory
nature were significantly lower in obese (0,16%; p≤0,001), asthmatic
(0,25%; p≤0,01) and asthmatic obese (0,29%; p≤0,05) groups than
the control group (0,38%). Ths were counted higher in asthma group
than the control (p≤0,01) and obese (p≤0,001) groups. T cell
immunity plays important roles in obesity and asthma pathogeneses.
Decreased numbers of Tregs found in obese, asthmatic and asthmatic
obese children may help to elucidate some questions in
pathophysiology of these diseases. For HOMA-IR levels, any
significant difference was not noted between control and obese
groups, but statistically higher values were found for obese
asthmatics. The values obtained in all groups were found to be below
the critical cut off points. This finding has made the statistically
significant difference observed between Tregs of obese, asthmatic,
obese asthmatic and control groups much more valuable. These
findings will be useful in diagnosis and treatment of these disorders
and future studies are needed. The production and propagation of
Tregs may be promising in alternative asthma and obesity treatments.
Abstract: Increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has
increased the interest in early and late indicators of gaining weight.
Cell blood counts may be indicators of pro-inflammatory states. The
aim was to evaluate associations of hematological parameters,
including hematocrit (HTC), hemoglobin, blood cell counts and their
indices with the degree of obesity in pediatric population. A total of
249; -139 morbidly obese (MO), 82 healthy normal weight (NW) and
28 overweight (OW) children were included into the scope of the
study. WHO BMI-for age percentiles were used to form age- and sexmatched
groups. Informed consent forms and the Ethics Committee
approval were obtained. Anthropometric measurements were
performed. Hematological parameters were determined. Statistical
analyses were performed using SPSS. The degree for statistical
significance was p≤0.05. Significant differences (p=0.000) between
waist-to-hip ratios and head-to- neck ratios (hnrs) of MO and NW
children were detected. A significant difference between hnrs of OW
and MO children (p=0.000) was observed. Red cell distribution width
(RDW) was higher in OW children than NW group (p=0.030). Such
finding couldn’t be detected between MO and NW groups. Increased
RDW was prominent in OW children. The decrease in mean
corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) values in MO
children was sharper than the values in OW children (p=0.006 vs
p=0.042) compared to those in NW group. Statistically higher HTC
levels were observed between MO-NW (p=0.014), but none between
OW-NW. Though the cause-effect relationship between obesity and
erythrocyte indices still needs further investigation, alterations in
RDW, HTC, MCHC during obesity may be of significance in the
early life.
Abstract: Many organizations are investing in web applications
and technologies in order to be competitive, some of them could not
achieve its goals. The quality of web-based applications could play
an important role for organizations to be competitive. So the aim of
this study is to investigate the impact of quality of web-based
applications to achieve a competitive advantage. A new model has
been developed. An empirical investigation was performed on a
banking sector in Jordan to test the new model. The results show that
impact of web-based applications on competitive advantage is
significant. Finally, further work is planned to validate and evaluate
the proposed model using several domains.
Abstract: Experimental study of natural convection heat transfer
inside smooth and rough surfaces of vertical and inclined equilateral
triangular channels of different inclination angles with a uniformly
heated surface are performed. The inclination angle is changed from
15º to 90º. Smooth and rough surface of average roughness (0.02mm)
are used and their effect on the heat transfer characteristics are
studied. The local and average heat transfer coefficients and Nusselt
number are obtained for smooth and rough channels at different heat
flux values, different inclination angles and different Rayleigh
numbers (Ra) 6.48 × 105 ≤ Ra ≤ 4.78 × 106. The results show that
the local Nusselt number decreases with increase of axial distance
from the lower end of the triangular channel to a point near the upper
end of channel, and then, it slightly increases. Higher values of local
Nusselt number for rough channel along the axial distance compared
with the smooth channel. The average Nusselt number of rough
channel is higher than that of smooth channel by about 8.1% for
inclined case at θ = 45o and 10% for vertical case. The results
obtained are correlated using dimensionless groups for both rough
and smooth surfaces of the inclined and vertical triangular channels.
Abstract: Background - The TrendCare Patient Dependency
System is currently used by a large number of maternity Services
across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. In 2012, 2013 and
2014 validation studies were initiated in all three countries to validate
the acuity tools used for women in labour, and postnatal mothers and
babies. This paper will present the findings of the validation study.
Aim - The aim of this study was to; identify if the care hours
provided by the TrendCare acuity system was an accurate reflection
of the care required by women and babies; obtain evidence of
changes required to acuity indicators and/or category timings to
ensure the TrendCare acuity system remains reliable and valid across
a range of maternity care models in three countries.
Method - A non-experimental action research methodology was
used across maternity services in four District Health Boards in New
Zealand, a large tertiary and a large secondary maternity service in
Singapore and a large public maternity service in Australia.
Standardised data collection forms and timing devices were used to
collect midwife contact times, with women and babies included in the
study. Rejection processes excluded samples when care was not
completed/rationed, and contact timing forms were incomplete. The
variances between actual timed midwife/mother/baby contact and the
TrendCare acuity category times were identified and investigated.
Results - Thirty two (88.9%) of the 36 TrendCare acuity category
timings, fell within the variance tolerance levels when compared to
the actual timings recorded for midwifery care. Four (11.1%)
TrendCare categories provided less minutes of care than the actual
timings and exceeded the variance tolerance level. These were all
night shift category timings. Nine postnatal categories were not able
to be compared as the sample size for these categories was
statistically insignificant. 100% of labour ward TrendCare categories
matched actual timings for midwifery care, all falling within the
variance tolerance levels.
The actual time provided by core midwifery staff to assist lead
maternity carer (LMC) midwives in New Zealand labour wards
showed a significant deviation to previous studies. The findings of
the study demonstrated the need for additional time allocations in
TrendCare to accommodate an increased level of assistance given to
LMC midwives.
Conclusion - The results demonstrated the importance of regularly
validating the TrendCare category timings with actual timings of the
care hours provided. It was evident from the findings that variances
to models of care and length of stay in maternity units have increased
midwifery workloads on the night shift. The level of assistance
provided by the core labour ward staff to the LMC midwife has
increased substantially.
Outcomes - As a consequence of this study, changes were made to
the night duty TrendCare maternity categories, additional acuity
indicators were developed and times for assisting LMC midwives in
labour ward increased. The updated TrendCare version was delivered
to maternity services in 2014.
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: Image segmentation plays an important role in
medical imaging applications. Therefore, accurate methods are
needed for the successful segmentation of medical images for
diagnosis and detection of various diseases. In this paper, we have
used maximum entropy to achieve image segmentation. Maximum
entropy has been calculated using Shannon, Renyi and Tsallis
entropies. This work has novelty based on the detection of skin lesion
caused by the bite of a parasite called Sand Fly causing the disease is
called Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.
Abstract: Problems insulation of building structures is often
closely connected with the problem of moisture remediation. In the
case of historic buildings or if only part of the redevelopment of
envelope of structures, it is not possible to apply the classical external
thermal insulation composite systems. This application is mostly
effective thermal insulation plasters with high porosity and controlled
capillary properties which assures improvement of thermal properties
construction, its diffusion openness towards the external environment
and suitable treatment capillary properties of preventing the
penetration of liquid moisture and salts thereof toward the outer
surface of the structure.
With respect to the current trend of reducing the energy
consumption of building structures and reduce the production of CO2
is necessary to develop capillary-active materials characterized by
their low density, low thermal conductivity while maintaining good
mechanical properties. The aim of researchers at the Faculty of Civil
Engineering, Brno University of Technology is the development and
study of hygrothermal behaviour of optimal materials for thermal
insulation and rehabilitation of building structures with the possible
use of alternative, less energy demanding binders in comparison with
conventional, frequently used binder, which represents cement.
The paper describes the evaluation of research activities aimed at
the development of thermal insulation and repair materials using
lightweight aggregate and alternative binders such as metakaolin and
finely ground fly ash.
Abstract: In medical investigations, uncertainty is a major
challenging problem in making decision for doctors/experts to
identify the diseases with a common set of symptoms and also has
been extensively increasing in medical diagnosis problems. The
theory of cross entropy for intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFS) is an
effective approach in coping uncertainty in decision making for
medical diagnosis problem. The main focus of this paper is to
propose a new intuitionistic fuzzy cross entropy measure (IFCEM),
which aid in reducing the uncertainty and doctors/experts will take
their decision easily in context of patient’s disease. It is shown that
the proposed measure has some elegant properties, which
demonstrates its potency. Further, it is also exemplified in detail the
efficiency and utility of the proposed measure by using a real life
case study of diagnosis the disease in medical science.
Abstract: The introduction of degradable plastic materials into
agricultural sectors has represented a promising alternative to
promote green agriculture and environmental friendly of modern
farming practices. Major challenges of developing degradable
agricultural films are to identify the most feasible types of
degradation mechanisms, composition of degradable polymers and
related processing techniques. The incorrect choice of degradable
mechanisms to be applied during the degradation process will cause
premature losses of mechanical performance and strength. In order to
achieve controlled process of agricultural film degradation, the
compositions of degradable agricultural film also important in order
to stimulate degradation reaction at required interval of time and to
achieve sustainability of the modern agricultural practices. A set of
photodegradable polyethylene based agricultural film was developed
and produced, following the selective optimization of processing
parameters of the agricultural film manufacturing system. Example of
agricultural films application for oil palm seedlings cultivation is
presented.
Abstract: Phelipanche ramosa is the most damaging obligate
flowering parasitic weed on wide species of cultivated plants. The
semi-arid regions of the world are considered the main centers of this
parasitic plant that causes heavy infestation. This is due to its
production of high numbers of seeds (up to 200,000) that remain
viable for extended periods (up to 20 years). In this study, 13
treatments for the control of Phelipanche were carried out, which
included agronomic, chemical, and biological treatments and the use
of resistant plant methods. In 2014, a trial was performed at the
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of
Foggia (southern Italy), on processing tomato (cv ‘Docet’) grown in
pots filled with soil taken from a field that was heavily infested by P.
ramosa). The tomato seedlings were transplanted on May 8, 2014,
into a sandy-clay soil (USDA). A randomized block design with 3
replicates (pots) was adopted. During the growing cycle of the
tomato, at 70, 75, 81 and 88 days after transplantation, the number of
P. ramosa shoots emerged in each pot was determined. The tomato
fruit were harvested on August 8, 2014, and the quantitative and
qualitative parameters were determined. All of the data were
subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the JMP software
(SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC, USA), and for comparisons of means
(Tukey's tests). The data show that each treatment studied did not
provide complete control against P. ramosa. However, the virulence
of the attacks was mitigated by some of the treatments tried: radicon
biostimulant, compost activated with Fusarium, mineral fertilizer
nitrogen, sulfur, enzone, and the resistant tomato genotype. It is
assumed that these effects can be improved by combining some of
these treatments with each other, especially for a gradual and
continuing reduction of the “seed bank” of the parasite in the soil.
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: The flora of Bozdağ (Konya) and its surroundings
were investigated between 2003 and 2005 years; 700 herbarium
specimens belonging to 482 taxa, 257 genera and 57 families were
collected and identified from the area. The families which have the
most taxa in research area are Asteraceae 67 (14.0%), Fabaceae 60
(12.6%), Lamiaceae 57 (11.9%), Brassicaceae 34 (7.1%), Poaceae
30 (6.3%), Rosaceae 24 (5.0%), Caryophyllaceae 23 (4.8%),
Liliaceae 19 (4.0%), Boraginaceae 17 (3.6%), and Apiaceae 13
(2.7%).
The research area is in the district of Konya and is in the B4
square according to the Grid System. The phytogeographic elements
are represented in the study area as follows; Irano-Turanian 91
(18.9%), Mediterranean 72 (14.9%), Euro-Siberian 21 (4.3%). The
phytogeographic regions of 273 (56.6%) taxa are either multi-regional
or unknown. The number of endemic taxa is 79 (16.3%).
Abstract: In this paper, we introduced a gradient-based inverse
solver to obtain the missing boundary conditions based on the
readings of internal thermocouples. The results show that the method
is very sensitive to measurement errors, and becomes unstable when
small time steps are used. The artificial neural networks are shown to
be capable of capturing the whole thermal history on the run-out
table, but are not very effective in restoring the detailed behavior of
the boundary conditions. Also, they behave poorly in nonlinear cases
and where the boundary condition profile is different.
GA and PSO are more effective in finding a detailed
representation of the time-varying boundary conditions, as well as in
nonlinear cases. However, their convergence takes longer. A
variation of the basic PSO, called CRPSO, showed the best
performance among the three versions. Also, PSO proved to be
effective in handling noisy data, especially when its performance
parameters were tuned. An increase in the self-confidence parameter
was also found to be effective, as it increased the global search
capabilities of the algorithm. RPSO was the most effective variation
in dealing with noise, closely followed by CRPSO. The latter
variation is recommended for inverse heat conduction problems, as it
combines the efficiency and effectiveness required by these
problems.