Abstract: Food contamination occurs during post process
handling. This leads to spoilage and growth of pathogenic
microorganisms in the food, thereby reducing its shelf life or
spreading of food borne diseases. Several methods are tried and one
of which is use of antimicrobial packaging. Here, papain, a protease
enzyme, is covalently immobilized with the help of glutarldehyde on
polyurethane and used as a food wrap to protect food from microbial
contamination. Covalent immobilization of papain was achieved at a
pH of 7.4; temperature of 4°C; glutaraldehyde concentration of 0.5%;
incubation time of 24h; and 50mg of papain. The formation of -C=Nobserved
in the Fourier transform infrared spectrum confirmed the
immobilization of the enzyme on the polymer. Immobilized enzyme
retained higher activity than the native free enzyme. The modified
polyurethane showed better reduction of Staphylococcus aureus
biofilm than bare polymer film (eight folds reduction in live colonies,
two times reduction in protein and 6 times reduction in
carbohydrates). The efficacy of this was studied by wrapping it over
S. aureus contaminated cottage cheese (paneer) and cheese and
stored at a temperature of 4°C for 7days. The modified film reduced
the bacterial contamination by eight folds when compared to the bare
film. FTIR also indicated reduction in lipids, sugars and proteins in
the biofilm.
Abstract: Collapsible soils go through radical rearrangement of
their particles when triggered by water, stress or/and vibration,
causing loss of volume. This loss of volume in soil as seen in
foundation failures has caused millions of dollars’ worth of damages
to public facilities and infrastructure and so has an adverse effect on
the society and people. Despite these consequences and the several
studies that are available, more research is still required in the study
of soil collapsibility. Discerning the pedogenesis (formation) of soils
and investigating the combined effects of the different geological soil
properties is key to elucidating and quantifying soils collapsibility.
This study presents a novel laboratory testing regime that would be
undertaken on soil samples where the effects of soil type, compactive
variables (moisture content, density, void ratio, degree of saturation)
and loading are analyzed. It is anticipated that results obtained would
be useful in mapping the trend of the combined effect thus the basis
for evaluating soil collapsibility or collapse potentials encountered in
construction with volume loss problems attributed to collapse.
Abstract: South Africa has some regions which are susceptible
to moderate seismic activity. A peak ground acceleration of between
0.1g and 0.15g can be expected in the southern parts of the Western
Cape. Unreinforced Masonry (URM) is commonly used as a
construction material for 2 to 5 storey buildings in underprivileged
areas in and around Cape Town. URM is typically regarded as the
material most vulnerable to damage when subjected to earthquake
excitation. In this study, a three-storey URM building was analysed
by applying seven earthquake time-histories, which can be expected
to occur in South Africa using a finite element approach.
Experimental data was used to calibrate the in- and out-of-plane
stiffness of the URM. The results indicated that tensile cracking of
the in-plane piers was the dominant failure mode. It is concluded that
URM buildings of this type are at risk of failure especially if
sufficient ductility is not provided. The results also showed that
connection failure must be investigated further.
Abstract: Columns have traditionally been constructed of
reinforced concrete or structural steel. Much attention was allocated
to estimate the axial capacity of the traditional column sections to the
detriment of other forms of construction. Other forms of column
construction such as Concrete Filled Double Skin Tubes received
little research attention, and almost no attention when subjected to
eccentric loading. This paper investigates the axial capacity of
columns when subjected to eccentric loading. The experimental axial
capacities are compared to other established theoretical formulae on
concentric loading to determine a possible relationship. The study
found a good correlation between the reduction in axial capacity for
different column lengths and hollow section ratios.
Abstract: Pavement surface unevenness plays a pivotal role on
roughness index of road which affects on riding comfort ability.
Comfort ability refers to the degree of protection offered to vehicle
occupants from uneven elements in the road surface. So, it is
preferable to have a lower roughness index value for a better riding
quality of road users. Roughness is generally defined as an
expression of irregularities in the pavement surface which can be
measured using different equipments like MERLIN, Bump integrator,
Profilometer etc. Among them Bump Integrator is quite simple and
less time consuming in case of long road sections. A case study is
conducted on low volume roads in West District in Tripura to
determine roughness index (RI) using Bump Integrator at the
standard speed of 32 km/h. But it becomes too tough to maintain the
requisite standard speed throughout the road section. The speed of
Bump Integrator (BI) has to lower or higher in some distinctive
situations. So, it becomes necessary to convert these roughness index
values of other speeds to the standard speed of 32 km/h. This paper
highlights on that roughness index conversional model. Using SPSS
(Statistical Package of Social Sciences) software a generalized
equation is derived among the RI value at standard speed of 32 km/h
and RI value at other speed conditions.
Abstract: This paper discusses about the findings of preliminary
survey on MATLAB software learning among power electronics
students. One of the main focuses of power electronics course is on
DC to DC boost convertors, because boost convertors are generally
used in different industrial and non industrial applications. Population
samples of this study were randomly selected final year bachelor of
electronics and electrical engineering students from University Tun
Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM).As per the results from the survey
questioner analysis, almost eighty percent students are facing
problem and difficulties in Dc to Dc boost convertors experimental
understanding without using MATLAB simulink package. As per
finding of this study it is clear that MATLAB play an effective and
efficient function for better understanding of boost convertors
experimental work among power electronics learners.
Abstract: This paper explains about the voltage output for DC to
DC boost converter between open loop, PID controller and fuzzy
logic controller through Matlab Simulink. Simulink input voltage was
set at 12V and the voltage reference was set at 24V. The analysis on
the deviation of voltage resulted that the difference between reference
voltage setting and the output voltage is always lower. Comparison
between open loop, PID and FLC shows that, the open loop circuit
having a bit higher on the deviation of voltage. The PID circuit
boosts for FLC has a lesser deviation of voltage and proved that it is
such a better performance on control the deviation of voltage during
the boost mode.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new packing strategy to
find a free resource for run-time mapping of application tasks to
NoC-based Heterogeneous MPSoC. The proposed strategy minimizes
the task mapping time in addition to placing the communicating tasks
close to each other. To evaluate our approach, a comparative study is
carried out for a platform containing single task supported PEs.
Experiments show that our strategy provides better results when
compared to latest dynamic mapping strategies reported in the
literature.
Abstract: The bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the best
known of the legumes, and it has a long cultivation tradition in Italy.
The territory of “Subappennino Dauno” (southern Italy) is at around
700 m a.s.l. and is predominantly grown with cereals, olive trees and
grapevines. Ecotypes of white beans to eat dry (such as cannellini
beans) are also grown, which are sought for their palatability, high
digestibility, and ease of cooking. However, these are not easy to find
on the market due to their low production in relatively small areas
and on small family farms that use seeds handed down from
generation to generation. The introduction of these ecotypes in plain
areas of the Puglia region would provide an opportunity to promote
the diffusion of this type of bean. To investigate the adaptability of
these ecotypes in plain environments (Cerignola, in southern Italy) a
comparative trial was carried out between three ‘Monti Dauni’
ecotypes (E1, E2, E3) that are native to mountain areas and the
similar commercial variety, ‘Cannellini’. The data provide useful
information about the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of
these ecotypes when grown in lowland environments. Ecotype E3
provided the greatest bean production (2.34 t ha-1) compared to
‘Cannellini’ (1.28 t ha-1) and the other ecotypes (0.55 and 0.40 t ha-1,
for E1 and E2, respectively), due to its greater plant growth and the
larger size of the seed (and thickness, in particular). Finally, ecotype
E2 provided the greatest protein content (31.2%), although not
significantly different from the commercial cultivar ‘Cannellini’
(32.1%).
Abstract: There are pending discussions over the mapping of
country export potential in order to refocus export strategy of firms
and its evidence-based promotion by the Export Credit Agencies
(ECAs) and other permitted vehicles of governments.
In this paper we develop our version of an applied model that
offers “stepwise” elimination of unattractive markets. We modify and
calibrate the model for the particular features of the Czech Republic
and specific pilot cases where we apply an individual approach to
each sector.
Abstract: The connection between past travel experience and
tourists’ revisit behavioral intentions has not been widely explored
but the existing studies suggest a close relationship between them.
Destination image can equally be construed as having effects on the
attitudes of the tourists at the end of their actual visitation and the
satisfaction of a tourist with his or her travel experiences contributes
to a revisit intention towards a particular destination. With strong
marketing efforts, UAE is not only considered to be successful in
attracting foreign investors, but is becoming the most popular tourism
destination in the Arab region. UAE is seriously developing its
tourism image and taking serious initiatives to attract new or repeat
visitations from the international tourists. This study empirically
investigates the causal relationships between tourism destination
image, tourist satisfaction and revisit intention using UAE as a
contextual study setting. A very clear picture emerged which
provides a host country with potential implications for its tourism
industry practitioners, Department of Tourism and Commerce
Marketing and the travel agencies who act as the intermediaries
between the potential tourists and the hotel operators.
Abstract: This study offers a comprehensive review of the
research papers published in the field of cooling towers and gives an
insight into the latest developments of the natural draught cooling
towers. Different modeling, analysis and design techniques are
summarized and the challenges are discussed. The 118 references
included in this paper are mostly concentrated on the review of the
published papers after 2005. The present paper represents a complete
collection of the studies done for cooling towers and would give an
updated material for the researchers and design engineers in the field
of hyperbolic cooling towers.
Abstract: Through this paper we present a method for automatic
generation of ontological model from any data source using Model
Driven Architecture (MDA), this generation is dedicated to the
cooperation of the knowledge engineering and software engineering.
Indeed, reverse engineering of a data source generates a software
model (schema of data) that will undergo transformations to generate
the ontological model. This method uses the meta-models to validate
software and ontological models.
Abstract: This paper presents a study on Proportional Resonant
(PR) current control with additional PR harmonic compensators for
Grid Connected Photovoltaic (PV) Inverters. Both simulation and
experimental results will be presented. Testing was carried out on a
3kW Grid-Connected PV Inverter which was designed and
constructed for this research.
Abstract: Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae), commonly known
as turmeric, has a long history of traditional uses for culinary
purposes as a spice and a food colorant. The present study aimed to
document the ethnobotanical knowledge about Curcuma longa, and
to assess the variation in the herbalists’ experience in Northeastern
Algeria. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires
and direct interviews with 30 herbalists. Ethnobotanical indices,
including the fidelity level (FL%), the relative frequency citation
(RFC), and use value (UV) were determined by quantitative methods.
Diversity in the level of knowledge was analyzed using univariate,
non-parametric, and multivariate statistical methods. Three main
categories of uses were recorded for C. longa: for food, for medicine,
and for cosmetic purposes. As a medicine, turmeric was used for the
treatment of gastrointestinal, dermatological, and hepatic diseases.
Medicinal and food uses were correlated with both forms of
preparation (rhizome and powder). The age group did not influence
the use. Multivariate analyses showed a significant variation in
traditional knowledge, associated with the use value, origin, quality,
and efficacy of the drug. The findings suggested that the geographical
origin of C. longa affected the use in Algeria.
Abstract: The effective development of a geoscience education
and training program takes account of the rapidly changing
environment in the geoscience market, includes information about
resource-rich countries which have international education demands.
In this paper, we introduce the geoscience program run by the
International School for Geoscience Resources at the Korea Institute
of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (IS-Geo of KIGAM), and show
its remarkable performance. To further effective geoscience program
planning and operation, we present recommendations for strategic
management for customer-oriented operation with a more favorable
program format and advanced training aids. Above all, the IS-Geo of
KIGAM should continue improve through ‘plan-do-see-feedback’
activities based on the recommendations.
Abstract: The use of information and communication
technologies such as computers, mobile phones and the Internet is
becoming prevalent in today’s world; and it is facilitating access to a
vast amount of data, services and applications for the improvement of
people’s lives. However, this prevalence of ICTs is hampered by the
problem of low income levels in developing countries to the point
where people cannot timeously replace or repair their ICT devices
when damaged or lost; and this problem serves as a motivation for
this study whose aim is to examine the perceptions of teachers on the
reliability of cellphones when used for teaching and learning
purposes. The research objectives unfolding this aim are of two
types: Objectives on the selection and design of theories and models,
and objectives on the empirical testing of these theories and models.
The first type of objectives is achieved using content analysis in an
extensive literature survey: and the second type of objectives is
achieved through a survey of high school teachers from the ILembe
and UMgungundlovu districts in the KwaZulu-Natal province of
South Africa. Data collected from this questionnaire based survey is
analysed in SPSS using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations
after checking the reliability and validity of the questionnaires. The
main hypothesis driving this study is that there is a relationship
between the demographics and the attribution identity of teachers on
one hand, and their perceptions on the reliability of cellphones on the
other hand, as suggested by existing literature; except that attribution
identities are considered in this study under three angles: intention,
knowledge and ability, and action. The results of this study confirm
that the perceptions of teachers on the reliability of cellphones for
teaching and learning are affected by the school location of these
teachers, and by their perceptions on learners’ cellphones usage
intentions and actual use.
Abstract: The handwriting is a physical demonstration of a
complex cognitive process learnt by man since his childhood. People
with disabilities or suffering from various neurological diseases are
facing so many difficulties resulting from problems located at the
muscle stimuli (EMG) or signals from the brain (EEG) and which
arise at the stage of writing. The handwriting velocity of the same
writer or different writers varies according to different criteria: age,
attitude, mood, writing surface, etc. Therefore, it is interesting to
reconstruct an experimental basis records taking, as primary
reference, the writing speed for different writers which would allow
studying the global system during handwriting process. This paper
deals with a new approach of the handwriting system modeling based
on the velocity criterion through the concepts of artificial neural
networks, precisely the Radial Basis Functions (RBF) neural
networks. The obtained simulation results show a satisfactory
agreement between responses of the developed neural model and the
experimental data for various letters and forms then the efficiency of
the proposed approaches.
Abstract: At-site flood frequency analysis is used to estimate
flood quantiles when at-site record length is reasonably long. In
Australia, FLIKE software has been introduced for at-site flood
frequency analysis. The advantage of FLIKE is that, for a given
application, the user can compare a number of most commonly
adopted probability distributions and parameter estimation methods
relatively quickly using a windows interface. The new version of
FLIKE has been incorporated with the multiple Grubbs and Beck test
which can identify multiple numbers of potentially influential low
flows. This paper presents a case study considering six catchments in
eastern Australia which compares two outlier identification tests
(original Grubbs and Beck test and multiple Grubbs and Beck test)
and two commonly applied probability distributions (Generalized
Extreme Value (GEV) and Log Pearson type 3 (LP3)) using FLIKE
software. It has been found that the multiple Grubbs and Beck test
when used with LP3 distribution provides more accurate flood
quantile estimates than when LP3 distribution is used with the
original Grubbs and Beck test. Between these two methods, the
differences in flood quantile estimates have been found to be up to
61% for the six study catchments. It has also been found that GEV
distribution (with L moments) and LP3 distribution with the multiple
Grubbs and Beck test provide quite similar results in most of the
cases; however, a difference up to 38% has been noted for flood
quantiles for annual exceedance probability (AEP) of 1 in 100 for one
catchment. This finding needs to be confirmed with a greater number
of stations across other Australian states.
Abstract: Self-service technologies (SSTs) make an important
contribution to the daily life of people nowadays. However, the
introduction of SST does not lead to its usage. Thereby, this paper
was an attempt on discovery of the most preferred SST in the
customers’ point of view. To fulfill this aim, the Analytical Hierarchy
Process (AHP) was applied based on Saaty’s questionnaire which
was administered to the customers of e-banking services located in
Golestan providence, northern Iran. This study used qualitative
factors in association with the intention of consumers’ usage of SSTs
to rank three SSTs: ATM, mobile banking and internet banking. The
results showed that mobile banking get the highest weight in
consumers’ point of view. This research can be useful both for
managers and service providers and also for customers who intend to
use e-banking.