Abstract: In this study, out-of-plane free vibrations of a circular
rods is investigated theoretically. The governing equations for
naturally twisted and curved spatial rods are obtained using
Timoshenko beam theory and rewritten for circular rods. Effects of
the axial and shear deformations are considered in the formulations.
Ordinary differential equations in scalar form are solved analytically
by using transfer matrix method. The circular rods of the mass matrix
are obtained by using straight rod of consistent mass matrix. Free
vibrations frequencies obtained by solving eigenvalue problem. A
computer program coded in MATHEMATICA language is prepared.
Circular beams are analyzed through various examples for free
vibrations analysis. Results are compared with ANSYS results based
on finite element method and available in the literature.
Abstract: The present research work investigates the seismic
response of reinforced concrete (RC) frame building considering the
effect of modeling masonry infill (MI) walls. The seismic behavior of
a residential 6-storey RC frame building, considering and ignoring
the effect of masonry, is numerically investigated using response
spectrum (RS) analysis. The considered herein building is designed
as a moment resisting frame (MRF) system following the Egyptian
code (EC) requirements. Two developed models in terms of bare
frame and infill walls frame are used in the study. Equivalent
diagonal strut methodology is used to represent the behavior of infill
walls, whilst the well-known software package ETABS is used for
implementing all frame models and performing the analysis. The
results of the numerical simulations such as base shear,
displacements, and internal forces for the bare frame as well as the
infill wall frame are presented in a comparative way. The results of
the study indicate that the interaction between infill walls and frames
significantly change the responses of buildings during earthquakes
compared to the results of bare frame building model. Specifically,
the seismic analysis of RC bare frame structure leads to
underestimation of base shear and consequently damage or even
collapse of buildings may occur under strong shakings. On the other
hand, considering infill walls significantly decrease the peak floor
displacements and drifts in both X and Y-directions.
Abstract: The following paper presents the results of a study
aimed at achieving a better understanding of the psychological
readiness for mobile learning (m-learning) among Saudi students,
while also evaluating m-learning readiness as a whole in Saudi
Arabia - a topic that has not yet received adequate attention from
researchers. Data was acquired via a questionnaire administered to
131 Saudi students at UK universities, in July 2013. The study
confirmed that students are confident about using mobile devices in
their daily lives, and that they would welcome more opportunities for
mobile learning. The findings also indicated that Saudi higher
education students are very familiar with, and psychologically ready
for, m-learning.
Abstract: Pipa is one of the most important Chinese traditional
plucked instruments, but its directivity has never been measured
systematically. In western, directivity of loudness for western
instruments is deeply researched through analysis of sound pressure
level, whereas the directivity of timbre is seldom studied. In this paper,
a new method for directivity of timbre was proposed, and horizontal
directivity patterns of loudness and timbre of Pipa were measured.
Directivity of Pipa radiation was measured in an anechoic room. The
sound of Pipa played by a musician was recorded simultaneously by
32 microphones with Pipa in the center. The measuring results were
examined through listening test. According to the measurement of
Pipa directivity radiation, we put forward the best localization of Pipa
in the Chinese traditional orchestra and the optimal recording region.
Abstract: The Aptima® HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay is a fully
automated assay on the Panther system. It is based on Transcription-
Mediated Amplification and real time detection technologies. This
assay is intended for monitoring HIV-1 viral load in plasma
specimens and for the detection of HIV-1 in plasma and serum
specimens.
Nine-hundred and seventy nine specimens selected at random
from routine testing at St Thomas’ Hospital, London were
anonymised and used to compare the performance of the Aptima
HIV-1 Quant Dx assay and Roche COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS®
TaqMan® HIV-1 Test, v2.0. Two-hundred and thirty four specimens
gave quantitative HIV-1 viral load results in both assays. The
quantitative results reported by the Aptima Assay were comparable to
those reported by the Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan
HIV-1 Test, v2.0 with a linear regression slope of 1.04 and an
intercept on -0.097.
The Aptima assay detected HIV-1 in more samples than the
COBAS assay. This was not due to lack of specificity of the Aptima
assay because this assay gave 99.83% specificity on testing plasma
specimens from 600 HIV-1 negative individuals. To understand the
reason for this higher detection rate a side-by-side comparison of low
level panels made from the HIV-1 3rd international standard
(NIBSC10/152) and clinical samples of various subtypes were tested
in both assays. The Aptima assay was more sensitive than the
COBAS assay.
The good sensitivity, specificity and agreement with other
commercial assays make the HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay appropriate for
both viral load monitoring and detection of HIV-1 infections.
Abstract: Technology, multimedia in Open Educational
Resources, can contribute positively to student performance in an
online instructional environment. Student performance data of past
four years were obtained from an online course entitled Applied
Calculus (MA139). This paper examined the data to determine
whether multimedia (independent variable) had any impact on
student performance (dependent variable) in online math learning,
and how students felt about the value of the technology. Two groups
of student data were analyzed, group 1 (control) from the online
applied calculus course that did not use multimedia instructional
materials, and group 2 (treatment) of the same online applied calculus
course that used multimedia instructional materials. For the MA139
class, results indicate a statistically significant difference (p = .001)
between the two groups, where group 1 had a final score mean of
56.36 (out of 100), group 2 of 70.68. Additionally, student
testimonials were discussed in which students shared their experience
in learning applied calculus online with multimedia instructional
materials.
Abstract: Chrome tannery wastewater causes serious environmental hazard due to its high pollution potential. As a result, rigorous treatment is necessary for abatement of pollution from this type of wastewater. There are many research studies on chrome tannery wastewater treatment in the field of physical, chemical, and biological methods. In general, biological treatment process is found ineffective for direct application because of adverse effects by toxic chromium, sulphide, chloride etc. However, biological methods were employed mainly for a few sub processes generating significant amount of organic matter and without chromium, chlorides etc. In this context the present paper reviews the characteristics feature and pollution potential of wastewater generated from chrome tannery units and treatment of the same. The different biological processes used earlier and their chronological development for treatment of the chrome tannery wastewater are thoroughly reviewed in this paper. In this regard, the scope of hybrid bioreactor - an advanced technology option has also been explored, as this kind of treatment is well suited for the wastewater having inhibitory substances.
Abstract: In this study, ultrasonic assisted machining (UAM) technique is applied in side-surface milling experiment for glass-ceramic workpiece material. The tungsten carbide cutting-tool with diamond coating is used in conjunction with two kinds of cooling/lubrication mediums such as water-soluble (WS) cutting fluid and minimum quantity lubricant (MQL). Full factorial process parameter combinations on the milling experiments are planned to investigate the effect of process parameters on cutting performance. From the experimental results, it tries to search for the better process parameter combination which the edge-indentation and the surface roughness are acceptable. In the machining experiments, ultrasonic oscillator was used to excite a cutting-tool along the radial direction producing a very small amplitude of vibration frequency of 20KHz to assist the machining process. After processing, toolmaker microscope was used to detect the side-surface morphology, edge-indentation and cutting tool wear under different combination of cutting parameters, and analysis and discussion were also conducted for experimental results. The results show that the main leading parameters to edge-indentation of glass ceramic are cutting depth and feed rate. In order to reduce edge-indentation, it needs to use lower cutting depth and feed rate. Water-soluble cutting fluid provides a better cooling effect in the primary cutting area; it may effectively reduce the edge-indentation and improve the surface morphology of the glass ceramic. The use of ultrasonic assisted technique can effectively enhance the surface finish cleanness and reduce cutting tool wear and edge-indentation.
Abstract: The principle of the seismic performance evaluation methods is to provide a measure of capability for a building or set of buildings to be damaged by an earthquake. The common objective of many of these methods is to supply classification criteria. The purpose of this study is to present a method for assessing the seismic performance of structures, based on Pushover method; we are particularly interested in reinforced concrete frame structures, which represent a significant percentage of damaged structures after a seismic event. The work is based on the characterization of seismic movement of the various earthquake zones in terms of PGA and PGD that is obtained by means of SIMQK_GR and PRISM software and the correlation between the points of performance and the scalar characterizing the earthquakes will developed.
Abstract: Introduction: Researchers globally have strived to explore diverse factors that augment the continuation and uptake of family planning methods. Clients’ satisfaction is one of the core determinants facilitating continuation of family planning methods. There is a major debate yet scanty evidence to contrast public and private sectors with respect to client satisfaction. The objective of this study is to compare quality-of-care provided by public and private sectors of Pakistan through a client satisfaction lens. Methods: We used Pakistan Demographic Heath Survey 2012-13 dataset on 3133 women. Ten different multivariate models were made. to explore the relationship between client satisfaction and dependent outcome after adjusting for all known confounding factors and results are presented as OR and AOR (95% CI). Results: Multivariate analyses showed that clients were less satisfied in contraceptive provision from private sector as compared to public sector (AOR 0.92, 95% CI 0.63-1.68) even though the result was not statistically significant. Clients were more satisfied from private sector as compared to the public sector with respect to other determinants of quality-of-care follow-up care (AOR 3.29, 95% CI 1.95-5.55), infection prevention (AOR 2.41, 95% CI 1.60-3.62), counseling services (AOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.27-3.18, timely treatment (AOR 3.37, 95% CI 2.20-5.15), attitude of staff (AOR 2.23, 95% CI 1.50-3.33), punctuality of staff (AOR 2.28, 95% CI 1.92-4.13), timely referring (AOR 2.34, 95% CI 1.63-3.35), staff cooperation (AOR 1.75, 95% CI 1.22-2.51) and complications handling (AOR 2.27, 95% CI 1.56-3.29). Discussion: Public sector has successfully attained substantial satisfaction levels with respect to provision of contraceptives, but it contrasts previous literature from a multi country studies. Our study though in is concordance with a study from Tanzania where public sector was more likely to offer family planning services to clients as compared to private facilities. Conclusion: In majority of the developing countries, public sector is more involved in FP service provision; however, in Pakistan clients’ satisfaction in private sector is more, which opens doors for public-private partnerships and collaboration in the near future.
Abstract: Reflux condensation occurs in vertical channels and tubes when there is an upward core flow of vapour (or gas-vapour mixture) and a downward flow of the liquid film. The understanding of this condensation configuration is crucial in the design of reflux condensers, distillation columns, and in loss-of-coolant safety analyses in nuclear power plant steam generators. The unique feature of this flow is the upward flow of the vapour-gas mixture (or pure vapour) that retards the liquid flow via shear at the liquid-mixture interface. The present model solves the full, elliptic governing equations in both the film and the gas-vapour core flow. The computational mesh is non-orthogonal and adapts dynamically the phase interface, thus produces a sharp and accurate interface. Shear forces and heat and mass transfer at the interface are accounted for fundamentally. This modeling is a big step ahead of current capabilities by removing the limitations of previous reflux condensation models which inherently cannot account for the detailed local balances of shear, mass, and heat transfer at the interface. Discretisation has been done based on finite volume method and co-located variable storage scheme. An in-house computer code was developed to implement the numerical solution scheme. Detailed results are presented for laminar reflux condensation from steam-air mixtures flowing in vertical parallel plate channels. The results include velocity and gas mass fraction profiles, as well as axial variations of film thickness.
Abstract: Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) is the dominant transport technology used in numerous high capacity backbone networks, based on optical infrastructures. Given the importance of costs (CapEx and OpEx) associated to these networks, resource management is becoming increasingly important, especially how the optical circuits, called “lightpaths”, are routed throughout the network. This requires the use of efficient algorithms which provide routing strategies with the lowest cost. We focus on the lightpath routing and wavelength assignment problem, known as the RWA problem, while optimizing wavelength fragmentation over the network. Wavelength fragmentation poses a serious challenge for network operators since it leads to the misuse of the wavelength spectrum, and then to the refusal of new lightpath requests. In this paper, we first establish a new Integer Linear Program (ILP) for the problem based on a node-link formulation. This formulation is based on a multilayer approach where the original network is decomposed into several network layers, each corresponding to a wavelength. Furthermore, we propose an efficient heuristic for the problem based on a greedy algorithm followed by a post-treatment procedure. The obtained results show that the optimal solution is often reached. We also compare our results with those of other RWA heuristic methods
Abstract: Steel tubular towers serving as support structures for large wind turbines are subjected to several hundred million stress cycles caused by the turbulent nature of the wind. This causes highcycle fatigue, which could govern the design of the tower. Maintaining the support structure after the wind turbines reach its typical 20-year design life has become a common practice; however, quantifying the changes in the reliability on the tower is not usual. In this paper the effect of fatigue damage in the wind turbine structure is studied whit the use of fracture mechanics, and a method to estimate the reliability over time of the structure is proposed. A representative wind turbine located in Oaxaca, Mexico is then studied. It is found that the system reliability is significantly affected by the accumulation of fatigue damage.
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: Cortisol is essential to the regulation of the immune
system and yawning is a pathological symptom of multiple sclerosis
(MS). Electromyography activity (EMG) in the jaw muscles typically
rises when the muscles are moved and with yawning is highly
correlated with cortisol levels in healthy people. Saliva samples from
59 participants were collected at the start and after yawning, or at the
end of the presentation of yawning-provoking stimuli, in the absence
of a yawn, together with EMG data and questionnaire data: Hospital
Anxiety and Depression Scale, Yawning Susceptibility Scale,
General Health Questionnaire, demographic, health details. Exclusion
criteria: chronic fatigue, diabetes, fibromyalgia, heart condition, high
blood pressure, hormone replacement therapy, multiple sclerosis,
stroke. Significant differences were found between the saliva cortisol
samples for the yawners, t (23) = -4.263, p = 0.000, as compared with
the non-yawners between rest and post-stimuli, which was nonsignificant.
Significant evidence was found to support the Thompson
Cortisol Hypothesis suggesting that rises in cortisol levels are
associated with yawning. Further research is exploring the use of
cortisol as an early diagnostic tool for MS. Ethics approval granted
and professional code of conduct, confidentiality, and safety issues
are approved therein.
Abstract: A large amount of blast furnace slag is generated in
China. Most ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) however
ends up in low-grade applications. Blast furnace slag, ground to an
appropriate fineness, can be used as a partial replacement of
cementitious material in concrete. The potential for using GGBS in
structural concrete, e.g. concrete beams and columns is investigated
at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). With 50% of CEM
I cement replaced with GGBS, peak hydration temperatures
determined in a suspended concrete slab reduced by 20%. This
beneficiary effect has not been further improved with 70% of CEM I
replaced with GGBS. Partial replacement of CEM I with GGBS has a
retardation effect on the early-age strength of concrete. More GGBS
concrete mixes will be conducted to identify an ‘optimum’
replacement level which will lead to a reduced thermal loading,
without significantly compromising the early-age strength of
concrete.
Abstract: Freelancing in IT has seen an increased popularity
during the last years mainly because of the fast Internet adoption in
the countries with emerging economies, correlated with the
continuous seek for reduced development costs as well with the rise
of online platforms which address planning, coordination and various
development tasks. This paper conducts an overview of the most
relevant Freelance Marketplaces available and studies the market
structure, distribution of the workforce and trends in IT freelancing.
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: Family has a crucial role in maintaining the
physical, social and mental health of the children. Most of the
mental and anxiety problems of children reflect the complex
interpersonal situations among family members, especially parents.
In other words, anxiety problems of the children are correlated
with deficit relationships of family members and improper
childrearing styles. The parental child rearing styles leads to
positive and negative consequences which affect the children’s
mental health. Therefore, the present research was aimed to
compare the parental childrearing styles and anxiety of children
with stuttering and normal population. It was also aimed to study
the relationship between parental child rearing styles and anxiety
of children. The research sample included 54 boys with stuttering
and 54 normal boys who were selected from the children (boys) of
Tehran, Iran in the age range of 5 to 8 years in 2013. In order to
collect data, Baum-rind Childrearing Styles Inventory and Spence
Parental Anxiety Inventory were used. Appropriate descriptive
statistical methods and multivariate variance analysis and t test for
independent groups were used to test the study hypotheses.
Statistical data analyses demonstrated that there was a significant
difference between stuttering boys and normal boys in anxiety (t =
7.601, p< 0.01); but there was no significant difference between
stuttering boys and normal boys in parental childrearing styles (F =
0.129). There was also not found significant relationship between
parental childrearing styles and children anxiety (F = 0.135, p<
0.05). It can be concluded that the influential factors of children’s
society are parents, school, teachers, peers and media. So, parental
childrearing styles are not the only influential factors on anxiety of
children, and other factors including genetic, environment and
child experiences are effective in anxiety as well. Details are
discussed.
Abstract: The objective of the article was to identify the impacts of gamification on customers' behaviour. The most important applications of games in marketing and mechanisms of gamification are presented in the article. A detailed analysis of the influence of gamification on customers using two brands, Foursquare and Nike, was also presented. Research studies using auditory survey methods were carried out among 176 young respondents, who are potential targets of gamification. The studies confirmed a huge participation of young people in customer loyalty programs with relatively low participation in other gamificationbased marketing activities. The research findings clearly indicate that gamification mechanisms are the most attractive.