Abstract: In many practical situations, bubbles are dispersed in a
liquid phase. Understanding these complex bubbly flows is therefore
a key issue for applications such as shell and tube heat exchangers,
mineral flotation and oxidation in water treatment. Although a large
body of work exists for bubbles rising in an unbounded medium,
that of bubbles rising in constricted geometries has received less
attention. The particular case of a bubble sliding underneath an
inclined surface is common to two-phase flow systems. The current
study intends to expand this knowledge by performing experiments
to quantify the streamwise flow structures associated with a single
sliding air bubble under an inclined surface in quiescent water. This
is achieved by means of two-dimensional, two-component particle
image velocimetry (PIV), performed with a continuous wave laser
and high-speed camera. PIV vorticity fields obtained in a plane
perpendicular to the sliding surface show that there is significant bulk
fluid motion away from the surface. The associated momentum of the
bubble means that this wake motion persists for a significant time
before viscous dissipation. The magnitude and direction of the flow
structures in the streamwise measurement plane are found to depend
on the point on its path through which the bubble enters the plane.
This entry point, represented by a phase angle, affects the nature and
strength of the vortical structures. This study reconstructs the vorticity
field in the wake of the bubble, converting the field at different
instances in time to slices of a large-scale wake structure. This is, in
essence, Taylor’s ”frozen turbulence” hypothesis. Applying this to the
vorticity fields provides a pseudo three-dimensional representation
from 2-D data, allowing for a more intuitive understanding of the
bubble wake. This study provides insights into the complex dynamics
of a situation common to many engineering applications, particularly
shell and tube heat exchangers in the nucleate boiling regime.
Abstract: College students are expected to engage in an on-the-job training or internship for completion of a course requirement prior to graduation. In this scenario, they are exposed to the real world of work outside their training institution. To find out their readiness both emotionally and academically, this study has been conducted. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed and random sampling technique method was utilized among 265 randomly selected third year college students of PIT, SY 2014-15. A questionnaire on Emotional Intelligence (bearing the four components namely; emotional literacy, emotional quotient competence, values and beliefs and emotional quotient outcomes) was fielded to the respondents and GWA was extracted from the school automate. Data collected were statistically treated using percentage, weighted mean and Pearson-r for correlation.
Results revealed that respondents’ emotional intelligence level is moderately high while their academic performance is good. A high significant relationship was found between the EI component; Emotional Literacy and their academic performance while only significant relationship was found between Emotional Quotient Outcomes and their academic performance. Therefore, if EI influences academic performance significantly when correlated, a possibility that their OJT performance can also be affected either positively or negatively. Thus, EI can be considered predictor of their academic and academic-related performance. Based on the result, it is then recommended that the institution would try to look deeply into the consideration of embedding emotional intelligence as part of the (especially on Emotional Literacy and Emotional Quotient Outcomes of the students) college curriculum. It can be done if the school shall have an effective Emotional Intelligence framework or program manned by qualified and competent teachers, guidance counselors in different colleges in its implementation.
Abstract: This paper compares the findings of two studies conducted to determine the effectiveness of simulation-based, hands-on and feedback mechanism on students learning by answering the following questions: 1). Does the use of simulation improve students’ learning outcomes? 2). How do students perceive the instructional design features embedded in the simulation program such as exploration and scaffolding support in learning new concepts? 3.) What is the effect of feedback mechanisms on students’ learning in the use of simulation-based labs? The paper also discusses the other aspects of findings which reveal that simulation by itself is not very effective in promoting student learning. Simulation becomes effective when it is followed by hands-on activity and feedback mechanisms. Furthermore, the paper presents recommendations for improving student learning through the use of simulation-based, hands-on, and feedback-based teaching methodologies.
Abstract: Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) is a short-range
wireless communication around human body for various applications
such as wearable devices, entertainment, military, and especially
medical devices. WBAN attracts the attention of continuous health
monitoring system including diagnostic procedure, early detection of
abnormal conditions, and prevention of emergency situations.
Compared to cellular network, WBAN system is more difficult to
control inter- and inner-cell interference due to the limited power,
limited calculation capability, mobility of patient, and
non-cooperation among WBANs.
In this paper, we compare the performance of resource allocation
scheme based on several Pseudo Orthogonal Codewords (POCs) to
mitigate inter-WBAN interference. Previously, the POCs are widely
exploited for a protocol sequence and optical orthogonal code. Each
POCs have different properties of auto- and cross-correlation and
spectral efficiency according to its construction of POCs. To identify
different WBANs, several different pseudo orthogonal patterns based
on POCs exploits for resource allocation of WBANs. By simulating
these pseudo orthogonal resource allocations of WBANs on
MATLAB, we obtain the performance of WBANs according to
different POCs and can analyze and evaluate the suitability of POCs
for the resource allocation in the WBANs system.
Abstract: Environmental security clearly articulates the perfections and developments of various communities around the world irrespective of the region, culture, religion or social inclination. Although, the present state of insecurity has become serious issue devastating the peace, unity, stability and progress of man and his physical environment particularly in developing countries. Recently, measure of security and it management in Nigeria has been a bottle-neck to the effectiveness and advancement of various sectors that include; business, education, social relations, politics and above all an economy. Several measures have been considered on mitigating environment insecurity such as surveillance, demarcation, security personnel empowerment and the likes, but still the issue remains disturbing. In this paper, we present the application of new technology that contributes to the improvement of security surveillance known as “Wireless Sensor Network (WSN)”. The system is new, smart and emerging technology that provides monitoring, detection and aggregation of information using sensor nodes and wireless network. WSN detects, monitors and stores information or activities in the deployed area such as schools, environment, business centers, public squares, industries, and outskirts and transmit to end users. This will reduce the cost of security funding and eases security surveillance depending on the nature and the requirement of the deployment.
Abstract: Biochemical and hormonal changes that occur in both follicular fluid and blood are involved in the control of ovarian physiology. The present study was conducted on follicular fluid and serum samples obtained from 708 buffaloes. Samples were examined for estradiol, progesterone, and cholesterol concentrations in relation to seasonal changes, ovarian follicular size, and stage of estrous cycle. The obtained results revealed that follicular fluid and serum levels of estradiol, progesterone, and cholesterol were significantly lower during summer and autumn when compared to winter and spring seasons. With the increase in follicular size, the follicular fluid levels of progesterone and cholesterol were significantly decreased, while estradiol levels were significantly increased. Estradiol and progesterone levels were significantly higher in follicular fluid than blood, while cholesterol was significantly lower in follicular fluid than serum. In conclusion, the current study threw a light on the hormonal changes in the follicular fluid and blood under the effect of heat stress which could be related to the low fertility of buffalo in the summer.
Abstract: In this work we make a bifurcation analysis for a
single compartment representation of Traub model, one of the most
important conductance-based models. The analysis focus in two
principal parameters: current and leakage conductance. Study of
stable and unstable solutions are explored; also Hop-bifurcation and
frequency interpretation when current varies is examined. This study
allows having control of neuron dynamics and neuron response when
these parameters change. Analysis like this is particularly important
for several applications such as: tuning parameters in learning
process, neuron excitability tests, measure bursting properties of the
neuron, etc. Finally, a hardware implementation results were
developed to corroborate these results.
Abstract: Texture is an important characteristic in real and
synthetic scenes. Texture analysis plays a critical role in inspecting
surfaces and provides important techniques in a variety of
applications. Although several descriptors have been presented to
extract texture features, the development of object recognition is still a
difficult task due to the complex aspects of texture. Recently, many
robust and scaling-invariant image features such as SIFT, SURF and
ORB have been successfully used in image retrieval and object
recognition. In this paper, we have tried to compare the performance
for texture classification using these feature descriptors with k-means
clustering. Different classifiers including K-NN, Naive Bayes, Back
Propagation Neural Network , Decision Tree and Kstar were applied in
three texture image sets － UIUCTex, KTH-TIPS and Brodatz,
respectively. Experimental results reveal SIFTS as the best average
accuracy rate holder in UIUCTex, KTH-TIPS and SURF is
advantaged in Brodatz texture set. BP neuro network works best in the
test set classification among all used classifiers.
Abstract: This article aims to assess the evolution of imperfect competition in selected banking markets, in particular in the banking markets of Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia. Another objective is to assess the evolution of the relationship of imperfect competition and profit development in the banking markets. The article first provides an overview of literature on the topic. It then measures the degree of imperfect competition in individual markets using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. The commonly used indicator of total assets was chosen as an indicator. Based on this measurement, the individual banking sectors are categorized into theoretical definitions of the various types of imperfect competition - namely all surveyed banking sectors falling within the theoretical definition of monopolistic competition. Subsequently, using correlation analysis, i.e., the Pearson correlation coefficient, or the Spearman correlation coefficient, the connection between the evolution of imperfect competition and the development of the gross profit on selected banking markets was surveyed. It was found that with the exception of the banking market in Slovenia, where there is a positive correlation; there is no correlation between the evolution of imperfect competition and profit development in the selected markets. This means a recommendation for the regulators that it is not appropriate to rationalize a higher degree of regulation in granting banking licenses on the size of the profits attained in the banking market, as the relationship between the degree of concentration in the banking market and the amount of profit according to our measurements does not exist.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to examine and identify the issue of linguistic redundancy in two competing grammars of Malay, namely the school grammar and the corpus grammar. The former is a normative grammar which is formally and prescriptively taught in the classroom, whereas the latter is a descriptive grammar that is informally acquired and mastered by the students as native speakers of the language outside the classroom. Corpus grammar is depicted based on its actual used in natural occurring texts, as attested in the corpus. It is observed that the grammar taught in schools is incompatible with the grammar used in the corpus. For instance, a noun phrase containing nominal reduplicated form which denotes plurality (i.e. murid-murid ‘students’ which is derived from murid ‘student’) and a modifier categorized as quantifiers (i.e. semua ‘all’, seluruh ‘entire’, and kebanyakan ‘most’) is not acceptable in the school grammar because the formation (i.e. semua murid-murid ‘all the students’ kebanyakan pelajar-pelajar ‘most of the students’) is claimed to be redundant, and redundancy is prohibited in the grammar. Redundancy is generally construed as the property of speech and language by which more information is provided than is precisely required for the message to be understood, so that, if some information is omitted, the remaining information will still be sufficient for the message to be comprehended. Thus, the correct construction to be used is strictly the reduplicated form (i.e. murid-murid ‘students’) or the quantifier plus the root (i.e. semua murid ‘all the students’) with the intention that the grammatical meaning of plural is not repeated. Nevertheless, the so-called redundant form (i.e. kebanyakan pelajar-pelajar ‘most of the students’) is frequently used in the corpus grammar. This study shows that there are a number of redundant forms occur in the morphology of the language, particularly in affixation, reduplication and combination of both. Apparently, the so-called redundancy has grammatical and socio-cultural functions in communication that is to give emphasis and to stress the importance of the information delivered by the speakers or writers.
Abstract: Improving added value and productivity of services entails improving both value-in-exchange and value-in-use. Value-in-use is realized by value co-creation, where providers and receivers create value together. In higher education services, value-in-use comes from learners achieving learning outcomes (e.g., knowledge and skills) that are consistent with their learning goals. To enhance the learning outcomes of a learner, it is necessary to enhance and utilize the abilities of the teacher along with the abilities of the learner. To do this, however, the learner and the teacher need to build a consensus about their respective roles. Teachers need to provide effective learning content; learners need to choose the appropriate learning strategies by using the learning content through consensus building. This makes consensus building an important factor in value co-creation. However, methods to build a consensus about their respective roles may not be clearly established, making such consensus difficult. In this paper, we propose some strategies for consensus building between a teacher and a learner in value co-creation. We focus on a teacher and learner co-design and propose an analysis method to clarify a collaborative design process to realize value co-creation. We then analyze some counseling data obtained from a university class. This counseling aimed to build a consensus for value-in-use, learning outcomes, and learning strategies between the teacher and the learner.
Abstract: As the number of fire accidents is gradually raising, many studies have been reported on evacuation. Previous studies have mostly focused on evaluating the safety of evacuation and the risk of fire in particular buildings. However, studies on effects of various parameters on evacuation have not been nearly done. Therefore, this paper aims at observing evacuation time under the effect of fire initiated location. In this study, evacuation simulations are performed on a 5-floor building located in Seoul, South Korea using the commercial program, Fire Dynamics Simulator with Evacuation (FDS+EVAC). Only the fourth and fifth floors are modeled with an assumption that fire starts in a room located on the fourth floor. The parameter for evacuation simulations is location of fire initiation to observe the evacuation time and safety. Results show that the location of fire initiation is closer to exit, the more time is taken to evacuate. The case having the nearest location of fire initiation to exit has the lowest ratio of successful occupants to the total occupants. In addition, for safety evaluation, the evacuation time calculated from computer simulation model is compared with the tolerable evacuation time according to code in Japan. As a result, all cases are completed within the tolerable evacuation time. This study allows predicting evacuation time under various conditions of fire and can be used to evaluate evacuation appropriateness and fire safety of building.
Abstract: Soil improvement using vibro stone column techniques consists of two main parts: (1) the installed load bearing columns of well-compacted, coarse-grained material and (2) the improvements to the surrounding soil due to vibro compaction. Extensive research work has been carried out over the last 20 years to understand the improvement in the composite foundation performance due to the second part mentioned above. Nevertheless, few of these studies have tried to quantify some of the key design parameters, namely the changes in the stiffness and stress state of the treated soil, or have consider these parameters in the design and calculation process. Consequently, empirical and conservative design methods are still being used by ground improvement companies with a significant variety of results in engineering practice. Two-dimensional finite element study to develop an axisymmetric model of a single stone column reinforced foundation was performed using PLAXIS 2D AE to quantify the effect of the vibro installation of this column in soft saturated clay. Settlement and bearing performance were studied as an essential part of the design and calculation of the stone column foundation. Particular attention was paid to the large deformation in the soft clay around the installed column caused by the lateral expansion. So updated mesh advanced option was taken in the analysis. In this analysis, different degrees of stone column lateral expansions were simulated and numerically analyzed, and then the changes in the stress state, stiffness, settlement performance and bearing capacity were quantified. It was found that application of radial expansion will produce a horizontal stress in the soft clay mass that gradually decrease as the distance from the stone column axis increases. The excess pore pressure due to the undrained conditions starts to dissipate immediately after finishing the column installation, allowing the horizontal stress to relax. Changes in the coefficient of the lateral earth pressure K ٭, which is very important in representing the stress state, and the new stiffness distribution in the reinforced clay mass, were estimated. More encouraging results showed that increasing the expansion during column installation has a noticeable effect on improving the bearing capacity and reducing the settlement of reinforced ground, So, a design method should include this significant effect of the applied lateral displacement during the stone column instillation in simulation and numerical analysis design.
Abstract: Approximately 10,000 different types of dyes and
pigments are being used in various industrial applications yearly,
which include the textile and printing industries. However, these dyes
are difficult to degrade naturally once they enter the aquatic system.
Their high persistency in natural environment poses a potential health
hazard to all form of life. Hence, there is a need for alternative dye
removal strategy in the environment via bioremediation. In this study,
fungi laccase is investigated via commercial agar dyes plates and
submerged fermentation to explore the application of fungi laccase in
textile dye wastewater treatment. Two locally isolated basidiomycetes
were screened for laccase activity using media added with commercial
dyes such as 2, 2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid
(ABTS), guaiacol and Remazol Brillant Blue R (RBBR). Isolate TBB3
(1.70±0.06) and EL2 (1.78±0.08) gave the highest results for ABTS
plates with the appearance of greenish halo on around the isolates.
Submerged fermentation performed on Isolate TBB3 with the
productivity 3.9067 U/ml/day, whereas the laccase activity for Isolate
EL2 was much lower (0.2097 U/ml/day). As isolate TBB3 showed
higher laccase production, it was subjected to molecular
characterization by DNA isolation, PCR amplification and sequencing
of ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. After being compared with
other sequences in National Center for Biotechnology Information
(NCBI database), isolate TBB3 is probably from species Trametes
hirsutei. Further research work can be performed on this isolate by
upscale the production of laccase in order to meet the demands of the
requirement for higher enzyme titer for the bioremediation of textile
dyes.
Abstract: Since the advent of the law 86/14 concerning the
exploitation of the national territory by foreign companies in
partnership with the Algerian oil and gas company, the problem of
hydrocarbons metering in the sharing production come out.
More generally, good management counting hydrocarbons can
provide data on the production wells, the field and the reservoir for
medium and long term planning, particularly in the context of the
management and field development.
In this work, we are interested in the transactional metering which
is a very delicate and crucial period in the current context of the new
hydrocarbon’s law characterized by assets system between the
various activities of Sonatrach and its foreign partners.
After a state of the art on hydrocarbons metering devices in
Algeria and elsewhere, we will decline the advantages and
disadvantages of each system, and then we describe the problem to
try to reach an optimal solution.
Abstract: Sclareolide is made from sclareol by oxidiative synthesis and subsequent crystallization, while the crystallization mother liquor still contains 15%~30%wt of sclareolide to be reclaimed. With the reaction material of sclareol is provided as plant extract, many sorts of complex impurities exist in the mother liquor. Due to the difficulty in recycling sclareolide after solvent recovery, it is common practice for the factories to discard the mother liquor, which not only results in loss of sclareolide, but also contributes extra environmental burden. In this paper, a process based on adsorption and elution has been presented for recycling of sclareolide from mother liquor. After pretreatment of the crystallization mother liquor by HZ-845 resin to remove parts of impurities, sclareolide is adsorbed by HZ-816 resin. The HZ-816 resin loaded with sclareolide is then eluted by elution solvent. Finally, the eluent containing sclareolide is concentrated and fed into the crystallization step in the process. By adoption of the recycle from mother liquor, total yield of sclareolide increases from 86% to 90% with a stable purity of the final sclareolide products maintained.
Abstract: 10 clinically healthy hemal nodes were collected from male bulls aged 2-3 years. Light microscopy revealed a capsule of connective tissue consisted mainly of collagen fiber surrounding hemal node, numerous erythrocytes were found in wide subcapsular sinus under the capsule. The parenchyma of the hemal node was divided into cortex and medulla. Diffused lymphocytes, and lymphoid follicles, having germinal centers were the main components of the cortex, while in the medulla there was wide medullary sinus, diffused lymphocytes and few lymphoid nodules. The area occupied with lymph nodules was larger than that occupied with non-nodular structure of lymphoid cords and blood sinusoids. Electron microscopy revealed the cellular components of hemal node including elements of circulating erythrocytes intermingled with lymphocytes, plasma cells, mast cells, reticular cells, macrophages, megakaryocytes and endothelial cells lining the blood sinuses. The lymphocytes were somewhat triangular in shape with cytoplasmic processes extending between adjacent erythrocytes. Nuclei were triangular to oval in shape, lightly stained with clear nuclear membrane indentation and clear nucleoli. The reticular cells were elongated in shape with cytoplasmic processes extending between adjacent lymphocytes, rough endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes and few lysosomes were seen in their cytoplasm. Nucleus was elongated in shape with less condensed chromatin. Plasma cells were oval to irregular in shape with numerous dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum containing electron lucent material occupying the whole cytoplasm and few mitochondria were found. Nuclei were centrally located and oval in shape with heterochromatin emarginated and often clumped near the nuclear membrane. Occasionally megakaryocytes and mast cells were seen among lymphocytes. Megakaryocytes had multilobulated nucleus and free ribosomes often appearing as small aggregates in their cytoplasm, while mast cell had their characteristic electron dense granule in the cytoplasm, few electron lucent granules were found also, we conclude that, the main function of the hemal node of cattle is proliferation of lymphocytes. No role for plasma cell in erythrophagocytosis could be suggested.
Abstract: Despite the benefits of innovation diffusion in the
South African public service, implementation thereof seems to be
problematic, particularly with regard to e-governance which would
enhance the quality of service delivery, especially accessibility,
choice, and mode of operation. This paper reports on differences
between the public service and the private sector in terms of
innovation diffusion. Innovation diffusion will be investigated to
explore identified obstacles that are hindering successful
implementation of e-governance. The research inquiry is underpinned
by the diffusion of innovation theory, which is premised on the
assumption that innovation has a distinct channel, time, and mode of
adoption within the organisation. A comparative thematic document
analysis was conducted to investigate organisational differences with
regard to innovation diffusion. A similar approach has been followed
in other countries, where the same conceptual framework has been
used to guide document analysis in studies in both the private and the
public sectors. As per the recommended conceptual framework, three
organisational characteristics were emphasised, namely the external
characteristics of the organisation, the organisational structure, and
the inherent characteristics of the leadership. The results indicated
that the main difference in the external characteristics lies in the
focus and the clientele of the private sector. With regard to
organisational structure, private organisations have veto power,
which is not the case in the public service. Regarding leadership,
similarities were observed in social and environmental responsibility
and employees’ attitudes towards immediate supervision. Differences
identified included risk taking, the adequacy of leadership
development, organisational approaches to motivation and
involvement in decision making, and leadership style. Due to the
organisational differences observed, it is recommended that
differentiated strategies be employed to ensure effective innovation
diffusion, and ultimately e-governance. It is recommended that the
results of this research be used to stimulate discussion on ways to
improve collaboration between the mentioned sectors, to capitalise on
the benefits of each sector.
Abstract: Hydrologic models are increasingly used as tools to
predict stormwater quantity and quality from urban catchments.
However, due to a range of practical issues, most models produce
gross errors in simulating complex hydraulic and hydrologic systems.
Difficulty in finding a robust approach for model calibration is one of
the main issues. Though automatic calibration techniques are
available, they are rarely used in common commercial hydraulic and
hydrologic modelling software e.g. MIKE URBAN. This is partly
due to the need for a large number of parameters and large datasets in
the calibration process. To overcome this practical issue, a
framework for automatic calibration of a hydrologic model was
developed in R platform and presented in this paper. The model was
developed based on the time-area conceptualization. Four calibration
parameters, including initial loss, reduction factor, time of
concentration and time-lag were considered as the primary set of
parameters. Using these parameters, automatic calibration was
performed using Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC). ABC is
a simulation-based technique for performing Bayesian inference
when the likelihood is intractable or computationally expensive to
compute. To test the performance and usefulness, the technique was
used to simulate three small catchments in Gold Coast. For
comparison, simulation outcomes from the same three catchments
using commercial modelling software, MIKE URBAN were used.
The graphical comparison shows strong agreement of MIKE URBAN
result within the upper and lower 95% credible intervals of posterior
predictions as obtained via ABC. Statistical validation for posterior
predictions of runoff result using coefficient of determination (CD),
root mean square error (RMSE) and maximum error (ME) was found
reasonable for three study catchments. The main benefit of using
ABC over MIKE URBAN is that ABC provides a posterior
distribution for runoff flow prediction, and therefore associated
uncertainty in predictions can be obtained. In contrast, MIKE
URBAN just provides a point estimate. Based on the results of the
analysis, it appears as though ABC the developed framework
performs well for automatic calibration.
Abstract: In order to understand whether there is a better than the
learning function of learning methods and improve the CAD Courses
for enterprise’s design human resource development, this research is
applied in learning practical learning computer graphics software. In
this study, Revit building information model for learning content,
design of two different modes of learning curriculum to learning,
learning functions, respectively, and project learning. Via a post-test,
questionnaires and student interviews, etc., to study the effectiveness
of a comparative analysis of two different modes of learning. Students
participate in a period of three weeks after a total of nine-hour course,
and finally written and hands-on test. In addition, fill in the
questionnaire response by the student learning, a total of fifteen
questionnaire title, problem type into the base operating software,
application software and software-based concept features three
directions. In addition to the questionnaire, and participants were
invited to two different learning methods to conduct interviews to
learn more about learning students the idea of two different modes.
The study found that the ad hoc short-term courses in learning, better
learning outcomes. On the other hand, functional style for the whole
course students are more satisfied, and the ad hoc style student is
difficult to accept the ad hoc style of learning.