Abstract: Lyophilization, also called freeze-drying, is an
important dehydration technique mainly used for pharmaceuticals.
Food industry also uses lyophilization when it is important to retain
most of the nutritional quality, taste, shape and size of dried products
and to extend their shelf life. Vacuum-Induced during freezing cycle
(VI) has been used in order to control ice nucleation and,
consequently, to reduce the time of primary drying cycle of
pharmaceuticals preserving quality properties of the final product.
This procedure has not been applied in freeze drying of foods. The
present work aims to investigate the effect of VI on the lyophilization
drying time, final moisture content, density and reconstitutional
properties of mango (Mangifera indica L.) slices (MS) and mango
pulp-maltodextrin dispersions (MPM) (30% concentration of total
solids). Control samples were run at each freezing rate without using
induced vacuum. The lyophilization endpoint was the same for all
treatments (constant difference between capacitance and Pirani
vacuum gauges). From the experimental results it can be concluded
that at the high freezing rate (0.4°C/min) reduced the overall process
time up to 30% comparing process time required for the control and
VI of the lower freeze rate (0.1°C/min) without affecting the quality
characteristics of the dried product, which yields a reduction in costs
and energy consumption for MS and MPM freeze drying. Controls
and samples treated with VI at freezing rate of 0.4°C/min in MS
showed similar results in moisture and density parameters.
Furthermore, results from MPM dispersion showed favorable values
when VI was applied because dried product with low moisture
content and low density was obtained at shorter process time
compared with the control. There were not found significant
differences between reconstitutional properties (rehydration for MS
and solubility for MPM) of freeze dried mango resulting from
controls, and VI treatments.
Abstract: Ceramic obtained on the base of aluminum oxide has
wide application range, because it has unique properties, for example,
wear-resistance, dielectric characteristics, and exploitation ability at
high temperatures and in corrosive atmosphere. Low temperature
synthesis of α-Al2O3 is energo-economical process and it is topical
for developing technologies of corundum ceramics fabrication. In the present work possibilities of low temperature transformation
of oxyhydroxides in α-Al2O3, during the presence of small amount of
rare–earth elements compounds (also Th, Re), have been discussed.
Aluminum unstable oxyhydroxides have been obtained by hydrolysis
of aluminium isopropoxide, nitrates, sulphate, and chloride in
alkaline environment at 80-90ºC temperatures. β-Al(OH)3 has been
received from aluminum powder by ultrasonic development. Drying
of oxyhydroxide sol has been conducted with presence of various
types seeds, which amount reaches 0,1-0,2% (mas). Neodymium,
holmium, thorium, lanthanum, cerium, gadolinium, disprosium
nitrates and rhenium carbonyls have been used as seeds and they
have been added to the sol specimens in amount of 0.1-0.2% (mas)
calculated on metals. Annealing of obtained gels is carried out at 70–
1100ºC for 2 hrs. The same specimen transforms in α-Al2O3 at
1100ºC. At this temperature in case of presence of lanthanum and
gadolinium transformation takes place by 70-85%. In case of
presence of thorium stabilization of γ-and θ-phases takes place. It is
established, that thorium causes inhibition of α-phase generation at
1100ºC, and at the time when in all other doped specimens α-phase is
generated at lower temperatures (1000-1050ºC). Synthesis of various
type compounds and simultaneous consolidation has developed in the
furnace of OXY-GON. Composite materials containing oxide and
non-oxide components close to theoretical data have been obtained in
this furnace respectively. During the work the following devices have
been used: X-ray diffractometer DRON-3M (Cu-Kα, Ni filter,
2º/min), High temperature vacuum furnace OXY-GON, electronic
scanning microscopes Nikon ECLIPSE LV 150, NMM-800TRF,
planetary mill Pulverisette 7 premium line, SHIMADZU Dynamic
Ultra Micro Hardness Tester, DUH-211S, Analysette 12 Dyna sizer.
Abstract: Construction industry plays a vital role in the
economy of the world. However, due to high uncertainty and
variability in the industry, its performance is not as efficient in terms
of quality, lead times, productivity and costs as of other industries.
Moreover, there are continuous conflicts among the different actors
in the construction supply chains in terms of profit sharing. Previous
studies suggested partnership as an important approach to promote
cooperation among the different actors in the construction supply
chains and thereby it improves the overall performance. Construction
practitioners tried to focus on partnership which can enhance the
performance of construction supply chains but they are not fully
aware of different approaches and techniques for improving
partnership. In this research, a systematic review on partnership in
relation to construction supply chains is carried out to understand
different elements influencing the partnership. The research
development of this domain is analyzed by reviewing selected
articles published from 1996 to 2015. Based on the papers, three
major elements influencing partnership in construction supply chains
are identified: ‘Lean approach’, ‘Relationship building’ and ‘E-commerce
applications’. This study analyses the contributions in the
areas within each element and provides suggestions for future
developments of partnership in construction supply chains.
Abstract: The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology
has a diverse base of applications, but it is also prone to security
threats. There are different types of security attacks which limit the
range of the RFID applications. For example, deploying the RFID
networks in insecure environments could make the RFID system
vulnerable to many types of attacks such as spoofing attack, location
traceability attack, physical attack and many more. Therefore, security
is often an important requirement for RFID systems. In this paper,
RFID mutual authentication protocol is implemented based on mobile
agent technology and timestamp, which are used to provide strong
authentication and integrity assurances to both the RFID readers and
their corresponding RFID tags. The integration of mobile agent
technology and timestamp provides promising results towards
achieving this goal and towards reducing the security threats in RFID
systems.
Abstract: The influence of Islam on arts can be found primarily
in calligraphy, arabesque designs and architecture. Also, geometric
designs were used quite extensively. Muslim craftsmen produced
stunning designs based on simple geometric principles and traditional
motifs which were used to decorate many surfaces. The idea of
interlacing simple rectilinear lines to form the patterns impressed
Arabs. Nomads of Persia, Turks and Mongols were equally
impressed with the designs so they begin to use them in their homes
in carpet weaving. Islamic designs, motifs and colours which were
used became common place and served to influence people’s tastes.
Modern life style and contemporary products have changed the style
of people’s daily lives, however, people still long for the nomadic
way of life. This is clearly reflected in people’s homes. In a great
many Muslim homes, Islamic decorative motifs can be seen along
with traditional ‘Bedouin’ style furnishing, especially in homes of the
Arabian Peninsula.
Abstract: Evaluation of the excavation-induced ground
movements is an important design aspect of support systems in urban
areas. Geological and geotechnical conditions of an excavation area
have significant effects on excavation-induced ground movements and
the related damage. This paper is aimed at studying the performance of
excavation walls supported by nails in jointed rock medium. The
performance of nailed walls is investigated based on evaluating the
excavation-induced ground movements. For this purpose, a set of
calibrated 2D finite element models are developed by taking into
account the nail-rock-structure interactions, the anisotropic properties
of jointed rock, and the staged construction process. The results of this
paper highlight effects of different parameters such as joint
inclinations, anisotropy of rocks and nail inclinations on deformation
parameters of excavation wall supported by nails.
Abstract: An analytical 4-DOF nonlinear model of a de Laval
rotor-stator system based on Energy Principles has been used
theoretically and experimentally to investigate fault symptoms in a
rotating system. The faults, namely rotor-stator-rub, crack and
unbalance are modeled as excitations on the rotor shaft. Mayes
steering function is used to simulate the breathing behaviour of the
crack. The fault analysis technique is based on waveform signal,
orbits and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) derived from simulated and
real measured signals. Simulated and experimental results manifest
considerable mutual resemblance of elliptic-shaped orbits and FFT
for a same range of test data.
Abstract: Nonlinear evolution of broadband ultrasonic pulses
passed through the rock specimens is studied using the apparatus
“GEOSCAN-02M”. Ultrasonic pulses are excited by the pulses of Qswitched
Nd:YAG laser with the time duration of 10 ns and with the
energy of 260 mJ. This energy can be reduced to 20 mJ by some light
filters. The laser beam radius did not exceed 5 mm. As a result of the
absorption of the laser pulse in the special material – the optoacoustic
generator–the pulses of longitudinal ultrasonic waves are excited with
the time duration of 100 ns and with the maximum pressure
amplitude of 10 MPa. The immersion technique is used to measure
the parameters of these ultrasonic pulses passed through a specimen,
the immersion liquid is distilled water. The reference pulse passed
through the cell with water has the compression and the rarefaction
phases. The amplitude of the rarefaction phase is five times lower
than that of the compression phase. The spectral range of the
reference pulse reaches 10 MHz. The cubic-shaped specimens of the
Karelian gabbro are studied with the rib length 3 cm. The ultimate
strength of the specimens by the uniaxial compression is (300±10)
MPa. As the reference pulse passes through the area of the specimen
without cracks the compression phase decreases and the rarefaction
one increases due to diffraction and scattering of ultrasound, so the
ratio of these phases becomes 2.3:1. After preloading some horizontal
cracks appear in the specimens. Their location is found by one-sided
scanning of the specimen using the backward mode detection of the
ultrasonic pulses reflected from the structure defects. Using the
computer processing of these signals the images are obtained of the
cross-sections of the specimens with cracks. By the increase of the
reference pulse amplitude from 0.1 MPa to 5 MPa the nonlinear
transformation of the ultrasonic pulse passed through the specimen
with horizontal cracks results in the decrease by 2.5 times of the
amplitude of the rarefaction phase and in the increase of its duration
by 2.1 times. By the increase of the reference pulse amplitude from 5
MPa to 10 MPa the time splitting of the phases is observed for the
bipolar pulse passed through the specimen. The compression and
rarefaction phases propagate with different velocities. These features
of the powerful broadband ultrasonic pulses passed through the rock
specimens can be described by the hysteresis model of Preisach-
Mayergoyz and can be used for the location of cracks in the optically
opaque materials.
Abstract: Research has shown that techno-entrepreneurship is
economically significant. Therefore, it is suggested that teaching
techno-entrepreneurship may be important because such programmes
would prepare current and future generations of learners to recognise
and act on high-technology opportunities. Education in technoentrepreneurship
may increase the knowledge of how to start one’s
own enterprise and recognise the technological opportunities for
commercialisation to improve decision-making about starting a new
venture; also it influence decisions about capturing the business
opportunities and turning them into successful ventures. Universities
can play a main role in connecting and networking technoentrepreneurship
students towards a cooperative attitude with real
business practice and industry knowledge. To investigate and answer
whether education for techno-entrepreneurs really helps, this paper
choses a comparison of literature reviews as its method of research.
After reviewing literature related to the impact of technoentrepreneurship
education on self-employment 6 studies which had
similar aim and objective to this paper were. These particular papers
were selected based on a keywords search and as their aim,
objectives, and gaps were close to the current research. In addition,
they were all based on the influence of techno-entrepreneurship
education in self-employment and intention of students to start new
ventures. The findings showed that teaching techno-entrepreneurship
education may have an influence on students’ intention and their
future self-employment, but which courses should be covered and the
duration of programmes, needs further investigation.
Abstract: Heart is the most important part in the body of living
organisms. It affects and is affected by any factor in the body.
Therefore, it is a good detector for all conditions in the body. Heart
signal is a non-stationary signal; thus, it is utmost important to study
the variability of heart signal. The Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has
attracted considerable attention in psychology, medicine and has
become important dependent measure in psychophysiology and
behavioral medicine. The standards of measurements, physiological
interpretation and clinical use for HRV that are most often used were
described in many researcher papers, however, remain complex
issues are fraught with pitfalls. This paper presents one of the nonlinear
techniques to analyze HRV. It discusses many points like, what
Poincaré plot is and how Poincaré plot works; also, Poincaré plot's
merits especially in HRV. Besides, it discusses the limitation of
Poincaré cause of standard deviation SD1, SD2 and how to overcome
this limitation by using complex correlation measure (CCM). The
CCM is most sensitive to changes in temporal structure of the
Poincaré plot as compared toSD1 and SD2.
Abstract: This research was conducted in an automotive company in Indonesia to overcome the problem of high logistics cost. The problem causes high of additional truck delivery. From the breakdown of the problem, chosen one route, which has the highest gap value, namely for RE-04. Research methodology will be started from calculating the ideal condition, making simulation, calculating the ideal logistic cost, and proposing an improvement. From the calculation of the ideal condition, box arrangement was done on the truck has efficiency with three trucks delivery per day. Route simulation making uses Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software as a visualization for the company about how the system is occurred on route RE-04 in ideal condition. The last step is proposing improvements on the area of route RE-04. The route arrangement is done by Saving Method and sequence of each supplier with the Nearest Neighbor. The results of the proposed improvements are three new route groups, where was expected to decrease logistics cost and increase the average of the truck efficiency per day.
Abstract: Ocean current is always available around the
surrounding of SHELL Sabah Water Platform and data are collected
every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, for a period of 365 days. Due to
low current speed, conventional hydrokinetic power generation is not
feasible, thus leading to the study of low current enabled vortex
induced vibration power generation application. In this case, the
design of a vortex induced vibration application is studied to obtain
an optimum design for the VIV oscillator. Power output is then
determined to study the feasibility of the VIV application in low
current condition.
Abstract: Due to the fast and flawless technological innovation
there is a tremendous amount of data dumping all over the world in
every domain such as Pattern Recognition, Machine Learning, Spatial
Data Mining, Image Analysis, Fraudulent Analysis, World Wide
Web etc., This issue turns to be more essential for developing several
tools for data mining functionalities. The major aim of this paper is to
analyze various tools which are used to build a resourceful analytical
or descriptive model for handling large amount of information more
efficiently and user friendly. In this survey the diverse tools are
illustrated with their extensive technical paradigm, outstanding
graphical interface and inbuilt multipath algorithms in which it is
very useful for handling significant amount of data more indeed.
Abstract: This paper presents comparative analysis of
photovoltaic systems (PVS) and propose practical techniques to
improve operational efficiency of the PVS. The best engineering and
construction practices for PVS are identified and field oriented
recommendation are made. Comparative analysis of central and
string inverter based, as well as 600 and 1000VDC PVS are
performed. In addition, direct current (DC) and alternating current
(AC) photovoltaic (PV) module based systems are compared.
Comparison shows that 1000V DC String Inverters based PVS is the
best choice.
Abstract: New and more powerful communications technologies
continue to emerge at a rapid pace and their uses in education are
widespread and the impact remarkable in the developing societies.
This study investigates Mobile Collaboration Learning Technique
(MCLT) on learners’ outcome among students in tertiary institutions
of developing nations (a case of Nigeria students). It examines the
significance of retention achievement scores of students taught using
mobile collaboration and conventional method. The sample consisted
of 120 students using Stratified random sampling method. Five
research questions and hypotheses were formulated, and tested at
0.05 level of significance. A student achievement test (SAT) was
made of 40 items of multiple-choice objective type, developed and
validated for data collection by professionals. The SAT was
administered to students as pre-test and post-test. The data were
analyzed using t-test statistic to test the hypotheses. The result
indicated that students taught using MCLT performed significantly
better than their counterparts using the conventional method of
instruction. Also, there was no significant difference in the post-test
performance scores of male and female students taught using MCLT.
Based on the findings, the following submissions was made that:
Mobile collaboration system be encouraged in the institutions to
boost knowledge sharing among learners, workshop and training
should be organized to train teachers on the use of this technique,
schools and government should consistently align curriculum
standard to trends of technological dictates and formulate policies
and procedures towards responsible use of MCLT.
Abstract: The growing concerns for physical wellbeing and
health have been reflected in the way we choose food in our table.
Nowadays, we are all more informed consumers and choose healthier
foods. On the other hand, stroke, cancer and atherosclerosis may be
somehow minimized by the intake of some bioactive compounds
present in food, the so-called nutraceuticals and functional foods. The
aim of this work was to make a revision of the published studies
about the effects of some bioactive compounds, namely lycopene in
human health, in the prevention of diseases, thus playing the role of a
functional food. Free radical in human body can induce cell damage
and consequently can be responsible for the development of some
cancers and chronic diseases. Lycopene is one of the most powerful
antioxidants known, being the predominant carotenoid in tomato. The
respective chemistry, bioavailability, and its functional role in the
prevention of several diseases will be object of this work. On the
other hand, the inclusion of lycopene in some foods can also be made
by biotechnology and represents a way to recover the wastes in the
tomato industry with nutritional positive effects in health.
Abstract: Asphalt concrete pavements have a short life cycle,
failing mainly due to temperature changes, traffic loading and ageing.
Modified asphalt mixtures provide the technology to produce a
bituminous binder with improved viscoelastic properties, which
remain in balance over a wider temperature range and loading
conditions. In this research, 60/70 penetration grade asphalt binder
was modified by adding 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 percent by weight of asphalt
binder following the wet process and the mineral aggregate was
modified by adding 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 percent crumb rubber by volume
of the mineral aggregate following the dry process. The LDPE
modified asphalt binder rheological properties were evaluated. The
laboratory results showed an increase in viscosity, softening point
and stiffness of the binder. The modified asphalt was then used in
preparing asphalt mixtures by Marshall Mix design procedure. The
Marshall Stability values for mixes containing 2% crumb rubber and
4% LDPE were found to be 30% higher than the conventional asphalt
concrete mix.
Abstract: Health of a person plays a vital role in the collective
health of his community and hence the well-being of the society as a
whole. But, in today’s fast paced technology driven world, health
issues are increasingly being associated with human behaviors – their
lifestyle. Social networks have tremendous impact on the health
behavior of individuals. Many researchers have used social network
analysis to understand human behavior that implicates their social
and economic environments. It would be interesting to use a similar
analysis to understand human behaviors that have health
implications. This paper focuses on concepts of those behavioural
analyses that have health implications using social networks analysis
and provides possible algorithmic approaches. The results of these
approaches can be used by the governing authorities for rolling out
health plans, benefits and take preventive measures, while the
pharmaceutical companies can target specific markets, helping health
insurance companies to better model their insurance plans.
Abstract: Students of Higher Education Technical School of
Professional Studies in Novi Sad follow the subject ‘Maintenance of
Electric Power Equipment’ at the Electrotechnical Department. This
paper presents educational plan and program of the subject
Maintenance of Electric Power Equipment. The course deals with the
problems of preventive and investing maintenance of transformer
stations (TS), performing and maintenance of grounding of TS and
pillars, as well as tracing and detection the location of the cables
failure. There is a special elaborated subject concerning the safe work
conditions for the electrician during network maintenance, as well as
the basics of making and keeping technical documentation of the
equipment.
Abstract: Target of this study was the analysis of the impact of
crude glycerol on canine spermatozoa motility, morphology,
viability, and membrane integrity. Experiments were realized in vitro.
In the study, semen from 5 large dog breeds was used. They were
typical representatives of large breeds, coming from healthy rearing,
regularly vaccinated and integrated to the further breeding. Semen
collections were realized at the owners of animals and in the
veterinary clinic. Subsequently the experiments were realized at the
Department of Animal Physiology of the SUA in Nitra. The
spermatozoa motility was evaluated using CASA analyzer
(SpermVisionTM, Minitub, Germany) at the temperature 5 and 37°C
for 5 hours. In the study, 13 motility parameters were evaluated.
Generally, crude glycerol has generally negative effect on
spermatozoa motility. Morphological analysis was realized using
Hancock staining and the preparations were evaluated at
magnification 1000x using classification tables of morphologically
changed spermatozoa. Data clearly detected the highest number of
morphologically changed spermatozoa in the experimental groups
(know twisted tails, tail torso and tail coiling). For acrosome
alterations swelled acrosomes, removed acrosomes and acrosomes
with undulated membrane were detected. In this study also the effect
of crude glycerol on spermatozoa membrane integrity were analyzed.
The highest crude glycerol concentration significantly affects
spermatozoa integrity. Results of this study show that crude glycerol
has effect of spermatozoa motility, viability, and membrane integrity.
Detected changes are related to crude glycerol concentration,
temperature, as well as time of incubation.