Abstract: The application of recycle waste tires into civil
engineering practices, namely asphalt paving mixtures and cementbased
materials has been gaining ground across the world. This
review summarizes and compares the recent achievements in the area
of plain rubberized concrete (PRC), in details. Different treatment
methods have been discussed to improve the performance of
rubberized Portland cement concrete. The review also includes the
effects of size and amount of tire rubbers on mechanical and
durability properties of PRC. The microstructure behaviour of the
rubberized concrete was detailed.
Abstract: Tourism can do a great deal of good in destinations,
whether it be by bringing economic benefits to local communities,
helping with conservation efforts or in placing a value on aspects of
cultural heritage. As responsive travelers, we must all try to do more
of the good and less of the negative. This is simply description of the
sustainable tourism. This paper aims to set some criteria of successful
sustainable tourism development and then through these criteria
analyzing the development of some resorts in Egypt known as
sustainable resorts. Hence, a comprehensive improvement of the
touristic areas is certainly needed to ensure a successful sustainable
tourism development radiated the sense of uniformity and coherence.
Egypt can benefit from these criteria to develop its resorts in order to
preserve and revitalize its unique natural character and achieve mixed
uses and tourism development.
Abstract: Many cluster based routing protocols have been
proposed in the field of wireless sensor networks, in which a group of
nodes are formed as clusters. A cluster head is selected from one
among those nodes based on residual energy, coverage area, number
of hops and that cluster-head will perform data gathering from
various sensor nodes and forwards aggregated data to the base station
or to a relay node (another cluster-head), which will forward the
packet along with its own data packet to the base station. Here a
Game Theory based Diligent Energy Utilization Algorithm (GTDEA)
for routing is proposed. In GTDEA, the cluster head selection is done
with the help of game theory, a decision making process, that selects
a cluster-head based on three parameters such as residual energy
(RE), Received Signal Strength Index (RSSI) and Packet Reception
Rate (PRR). Finding a feasible path to the destination with minimum
utilization of available energy improves the network lifetime and is
achieved by the proposed approach. In GTDEA, the packets are
forwarded to the base station using inter-cluster routing technique,
which will further forward it to the base station. Simulation results
reveal that GTDEA improves the network performance in terms of
throughput, lifetime, and power consumption.
Abstract: The occurrence of adult Taenia saginata in major
abattoirs in Port Harcourt metropolis was investigated. Out of 514
cattle investigated, an overall prevalence of 35(6.8%) was recorded.
Infected male and female cattle represented 1.2% (6/514) and 5.6%
(29/514) of the overall prevalence respectively. There was a
statistical significant difference (P< 0.05) in prevalence of adult
Taenaia saginata between male and female cattle examined in the
study area. Old cattle have a significant (P< 0.05) infestation rate
than young ones. Adult Taenia saginata exists in cattle and still
remains a public health concern in the study area. Deliberate effort is
needed from stake-holders and the Government to design and
implement programs that will lead to the prevention and possible
eradication of the parasite.
Abstract: With the strengthened regulation on the mandatory use
of recycled aggregate, development of construction materials using
recycled aggregate has recently increased. This study aimed to secure
the performance of asphalt concrete mixture by developing
recycled-modified asphalt using recycled basalt aggregate from the
Jeju area. The strength of the basalt aggregate from the Jeju area used
in this study was similar to that of general aggregate, while the specific
surface area was larger due to the development of pores. Modified
asphalt was developed using a general aggregate-recycled aggregate
ratio of 7:3, and the results indicated that the Marshall stability
increased by 27% compared to that of asphalt concrete mixture using
only general aggregate, and the flow values showed similar levels.
Also, the indirect tensile strength increased by 79%, and the toughness
increased by more than 100%. In addition, the TSR for examining
moisture resistance was 0.95 indicating that the reduction in the
indirect tensile strength due to moisture was very low (5% level), and
the developed recycled-modified asphalt could satisfy all the quality
standards of asphalt concrete mixture.
Abstract: Energy consumption data, in particular those involving
public buildings, are impacted by many factors: the building structure,
climate/environmental parameters, construction, system operating
condition, and user behavior patterns. Traditional methods for data
analysis are insufficient. This paper delves into the data mining
technology to determine its application in the analysis of building
energy consumption data including energy consumption prediction,
fault diagnosis, and optimal operation. Recent literature are reviewed
and summarized, the problems faced by data mining technology in the
area of energy consumption data analysis are enumerated, and research
points for future studies are given.
Abstract: In the deep south of Thailand, checkpoints for people
verification are necessary for the security management of risk zones,
such as official buildings in the conflict area. In this paper, we
propose an automatic checkpoint system that verifies persons using
information from ID cards and facial features. The methods for a
person’s information abstraction and verification are introduced
based on useful information such as ID number and name, extracted
from official cards, and facial images from videos. The proposed
system shows promising results and has a real impact on the local
society.
Abstract: Pedagogical approaches in Asia nowadays are
imported from the West. In Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC),
however, there is a dichotomy between the perceived benefits of
Western pedagogies and the real classroom practices in Chinese
societies. The success of Hong Kong students in large-scale
international assessments has proved that both the strengths of both
Western pedagogies and CHC educational approaches should be
integrated for the sake of the students. University students aim to equip themselves with employability
skills upon graduation. Formative assessments allow students to
receive detailed, positive, and timely feedback and they can identify
their strengths and weaknesses before they start working. However,
there remains a question of whether university year 1 students who
come from an examination-driven secondary education background
are ready to respond to more formative assessments. The findings show that year 1 students are less concerned about
competition in the university and more open to new teaching
approaches that will allow them to improve as professionals in their
major study areas.
Abstract: A 15-storey RC building, studied in this paper, is
representative of modern building type constructed in Madina City in
Saudi Arabia before 10 years ago. These buildings are almost
consisting of reinforced concrete skeleton i.e. columns, beams and
flat slab as well as shear walls in the stairs and elevator areas
arranged in the way to have a resistance system for lateral loads
(wind – earthquake loads). In this study, the dynamic properties of
the 15-storey RC building were identified using ambient motions
recorded at several, spatially-distributed locations within each
building. Three dimensional pushover analysis (Nonlinear static
analysis) was carried out using SAP2000 software incorporating
inelastic material properties for concrete, infill and steel. The effect
of modeling the building with and without infill walls, on the
performance point as well as capacity and demand spectra due to EQ
design spectrum function in Madina area has been investigated. ATC-
40 capacity and demand spectra are utilized to get the modification
factor (R) for the studied building. The purpose of this analysis is to
evaluate the expected performance of structural systems by
estimating, strength and deformation demands in design, and
comparing these demands to available capacities at the performance
levels of interest. The results are summarized and discussed.
Abstract: With the increasing number of people reviewing
products online in recent years, opinion sharing websites has become
the most important source of customers’ opinions. Unfortunately,
spammers generate and post fake reviews in order to promote or
demote brands and mislead potential customers. These are notably
destructive not only for potential customers, but also for business
holders and manufacturers. However, research in this area is not
adequate, and many critical problems related to spam detection have
not been solved to date. To provide green researchers in the domain
with a great aid, in this paper, we have attempted to create a highquality
framework to make a clear vision on review spam-detection
methods. In addition, this report contains a comprehensive collection
of detection metrics used in proposed spam-detection approaches.
These metrics are extremely applicable for developing novel
detection methods.
Abstract: Ambient Computing or Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is
emerging area in computer science aiming to create intelligently
connected environments and Internet of Things. In this paper, we
propose communication middleware architecture for AmI. This
middleware architecture addresses problems of communication,
networking, and abstraction of applications, although there are other
aspects (e.g. HCI and Security) within general AmI framework.
Within this middleware architecture, any application developer might
address HCI and Security issues with extensibility features of this
platform.
Abstract: Concrete is an essential building material which is
widely used in construction industry all over the world due to its
compressible strength. Curing of concrete plays a vital role in
durability and other performance necessities. Improper curing can
affect the concrete performance and durability easily. When areas
like scarcity of water, structures is not accessible by humans external
curing cannot be performed, so we opt for internal curing. Internal
curing (or) self curing plays a major role in developing the concrete
pore structure and microstructure. The concept of internal curing is to
enhance the hydration process to maintain the temperature uniformly.
The evaporation of water in the concrete is reduced by self curing
agent (Super Absorbing Polymer – SAP) there by increasing the
water retention capacity of the concrete. The research work was
carried out to reduce water, which is prime material used for concrete
in the construction industry. Concrete curing plays a major role in
developing hydration process. Concept of self curing will reduce the
evaporation of water from concrete. Self curing will increase water
retention capacity as compared to the conventional concrete. Proper
self curing (or) internal curing increases the strength, durability and
performance of concrete. Super absorbing Polymer (SAP) used as
internal curing agent. In this study 0.2% to 0.4% of SAP was varied
in different grade of high strength concrete. In the experiment
replacement of cement by silica fumes with 5%, 10% and 15% are
studied. It is found that replacement of silica fumes by 10 % gives
more strength and durability when compared to others.
Abstract: Nanotechnology in pristine sense refers to building of
structures at atomic and molecular scale. Meticulously
nanotechnology encompasses the nanomaterials with at least one
dimension size ranging from 1 to 100 nanometres. Unlike the literal
meaning of its name, nanotechnology is a massive concept beyond
imagination. This paper predominantly deals with relevance of
nanotechnology in automotive industries. New generation of
automotives looks at nanotechnology as an emerging trend of
manufacturing revolution. Intricate shapes can be made out of fairly
inexpensive raw materials instead of conventional fabrication
process. Though the current era have enough technology to face
competition, nanotechnology can give futuristic implications to pick
up the modern pace. Nanotechnology intends to bridge the gap
between automotives with superior technical performance and their
cost fluctuation. Preliminarily, it is an area of great scientific interest
and a major shaper of many new technologies. Nanotechnology can
be an ideal building block for automotive industries, under constant
evolution offering a very wide scope of activity. It possesses huge
potential and is still in the embryonic form of research and
development.
Abstract: The early-stage damage detection in offshore
structures requires continuous structural health monitoring and for the
large area the position of sensors will also plays an important role in
the efficient damage detection. Determining the dynamic behavior of
offshore structures requires dense deployment of sensors. The wired
Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems are highly expensive
and always needs larger installation space to deploy. Wireless sensor
networks can enhance the SHM system by deployment of scalable
sensor network, which consumes lesser space. This paper presents the
results of wireless sensor network based Structural Health Monitoring
method applied to a scaled experimental model of offshore structure
that underwent wave loading. This method determines the
serviceability of the offshore structure which is subjected to various
environment loads. Wired and wireless sensors were installed in the
model and the response of the scaled BLSRP model under wave
loading was recorded. The wireless system discussed in this study is
the Raspberry pi board with Arm V6 processor which is programmed
to transmit the data acquired by the sensor to the server using Wi-Fi
adapter, the data is then hosted in the webpage. The data acquired
from the wireless and wired SHM systems were compared and the
design of the wireless system is verified.
Abstract: This paper presents the experimental results of 11 kV
and 33 kV silicon composite insulators under artificial salt and urea
polluted conditions. The tests were carried out under different
seasons like summer, winter, and monsoon. The artificial pollution is
prepared by properly dissolving the salt and urea in the water. The
prepared salt and urea pollutions are sprayed on the insulators and
dried up for sufficiently large time. The process is continued until a
uniform layer is formed on the surface of insulator. For each insulator
rating, four samples were tested. The maximum leakage current and
breakdown voltage were measured. From experimental data,
performance of test specimen is evaluated by comparing breakdown
voltage and leakage current during different seasons when exposed to
salt and urea polluted conditions. From these results the performance
of the insulators can be predicted when they are installed in
industrial, agricultural, and coastal areas. The experimental tests were
carried out in the High Voltage laboratory using two stage cascade
transformer having the rating of 1000 kVA, 500 kV.
Abstract: Energy consumption of a hotel can be a hot topic in
smart city; it is difficult to evaluate the contribution of impact factors
to energy consumption of a hotel. Therefore, grasping the key impact
factors has great effect on the energy saving management of a hotel.
Based on the SPIRTPAT model, we establish the identity with the
impact factors of occupancy rate, unit area of revenue, temperature
factor, unit revenue of energy consumption. In this paper, we use the
LMDI (Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index) to decompose the impact
factors of energy consumption of hotel from Jan. to Dec. in 2001. The
results indicate that the occupancy rate and unit area of revenue are the
main factors that can increase unit area of energy consumption, and the
unit revenue of energy consumption is the main factor to restrain the
growth of unit area of energy consumption. When the energy
consumption of hotel can appear abnormal, the hotel manager can
carry out energy saving management and control according to the
contribution value of impact factors.
Abstract: Advances in spatial and spectral resolution of satellite
images have led to tremendous growth in large image databases. The
data we acquire through satellites, radars, and sensors consists of
important geographical information that can be used for remote
sensing applications such as region planning, disaster management.
Spatial data classification and object recognition are important tasks
for many applications. However, classifying objects and identifying
them manually from images is a difficult task. Object recognition is
often considered as a classification problem, this task can be
performed using machine-learning techniques. Despite of many
machine-learning algorithms, the classification is done using
supervised classifiers such as Support Vector Machines (SVM) as the
area of interest is known. We proposed a classification method,
which considers neighboring pixels in a region for feature extraction
and it evaluates classifications precisely according to neighboring
classes for semantic interpretation of region of interest (ROI). A
dataset has been created for training and testing purpose; we
generated the attributes by considering pixel intensity values and
mean values of reflectance. We demonstrated the benefits of using
knowledge discovery and data-mining techniques, which can be on
image data for accurate information extraction and classification from
high spatial resolution remote sensing imagery.
Abstract: With the advancement of knowledge about the utility
and impact of sustainability, its feasibility has been explored into
different walks of life. Scientists, however; have established their
knowledge in four areas viz environmental, economic, social and
cultural, popularly termed as four pillars of sustainability. Aspects of
environmental and economic sustainability have been rigorously
researched and practiced and huge volume of strong evidence of
effectiveness has been founded for these two sub-areas. For the social
and cultural aspects of sustainability, dependable evidence of
effectiveness is still to be instituted as the researchers and
practitioners are developing and experimenting methods across the
globe. Therefore, the present research aimed to identify globally used
practices of social and cultural sustainability and through evidence
synthesis assess their outcomes to determine the effectiveness of
those practices. A PICO format steered the methodology which
included all populations, popular sustainability practices including
walkability/cycle tracks, social/recreational spaces, privacy, health &
human services and barrier free built environment, comparators
included ‘Before’ and ‘After’, ‘With’ and ‘Without’, ‘More’ and
‘Less’ and outcomes included Social well-being, cultural coexistence,
quality of life, ethics and morality, social capital, sense of
place, education, health, recreation and leisure, and holistic
development. Search of literature included major electronic
databases, search websites, organizational resources, directory of
open access journals and subscribed journals. Grey literature,
however, was not included. Inclusion criteria filtered studies on the
basis of research designs such as total randomization, quasirandomization,
cluster randomization, observational or single studies
and certain types of analysis. Studies with combined outcomes were
considered but studies focusing only on environmental and/or
economic outcomes were rejected. Data extraction, critical appraisal
and evidence synthesis was carried out using customized tabulation,
reference manager and CASP tool. Partial meta-analysis was carried
out and calculation of pooled effects and forest plotting were done.
As many as 13 studies finally included for final synthesis explained
the impact of targeted practices on health, behavioural and social
dimensions. Objectivity in the measurement of health outcomes
facilitated quantitative synthesis of studies which highlighted the
impact of sustainability methods on physical activity, Body Mass
Index, perinatal outcomes and child health. Studies synthesized
qualitatively (and also quantitatively) showed outcomes such as
routines, family relations, citizenship, trust in relationships, social
inclusion, neighbourhood social capital, wellbeing, habitability and
family’s social processes. The synthesized evidence indicates slight
effectiveness and efficacy of social and cultural sustainability on the
targeted outcomes. Further synthesis revealed that such results of this
study are due weak research designs and disintegrated implementations. If architects and other practitioners deliver their
interventions in collaboration with research bodies and policy
makers, a stronger evidence-base in this area could be generated.
Abstract: The social logic of 'Sequina' slum area in Alexandria details the integral measure of space syntax at the room-level of twenty-building samples. The essence of spatial structure integrates the central 'visitor' domain with the 'living' frontage of the 'children' zone against the segregated privacy of the opposite 'parent' depth. Meanwhile, the multifunctioning of shallow rooms optimizes the integral 'visitor' structure through graph and visibility dimensions in contrast to the 'inhabitant' structure of graph-tails out of sight. Common theme of the layout integrity increases in compensation to the decrease of room visibility. Despite the 'pheno-type' of collective integration, the individual layouts observe 'geno-type' structure of spatial diversity per room adjoins. In this regard, the layout integrity alternates the cross-correlation of the 'kitchen & living' rooms with the 'inhabitant & visitor' domains of 'motherhood' dynamic structure. Moreover, the added 'grandparent' restructures the integral measure to become the deepest space, but opens to the 'living' of 'household' integrity. Some isomorphic layouts change the integral structure just through the 'balcony' extension of access, visual or ignored 'ringiness' of space syntax. However, the most integrated or segregated layouts invert the 'geno-type' into a shallow 'inhabitant' centrality versus the remote 'visitor' structure. Overview of the multivariate social logic of spatial integrity could never clarify without the micro-data analysis.
Abstract: Manufacturing process has been considered as one of
the most important activity in business process. It correlates with
productivity and quality of the product so industries could fulfill
customer’s demand. With the increasing demand from customer,
industries must improve their manufacturing ability such as shorten
lead-time and reduce wastes on their process. Lean manufacturing
has been considered as one of the tools to waste elimination in
manufacturing or service industry. Workforce development is one
practice in lean manufacturing that can reduce waste generated from
operator such as waste of unnecessary motion. Anthropometric
approach is proposed to determine the recommended measurement in
operator’s work area. The method will get some dimensions from
Indonesia people that related to piston workstation. The result from
this research can be obtained new design for the work area
considering ergonomic aspect.