bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The GDP-switched GAF domain of DcpA modulates the concerted synthesis/hydrolysis of c-di-GMP in Mycobacterium smegmatis
Authors: Chen Hui-Jie , Li Na , Luo Ye , Jiang Yong-Liang , Zhou Cong-Zhao , Chen Yuxing , Li Qiong
Published: March 2018

The second messenger c-di-GMP [bis-(3′-5′)-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate] plays a key role in bacterial growth, survival and pathogenesis, and thus its intracellular homeostasis should be finely maintained. Mycobacterium smegmatis encodes a GAF (mammalian cGMP-regulated phosphodiesterases, Anabaenaadenylyl cyclases and Escherichia coli transcription activator FhlA) domain containing bifunctional enzyme DcpA (diguanylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase A) that catalyzes the synthesis and hydrolysis of c-di-GMP. Here, we found that M. smegmatis DcpA catalyzes the hydrolysis of c-di-GMP at a higher velocity, compared with synthetic activity, resulting in a sum reaction from the ultimate substrate GTP to the final product pGpG [5′-phosphoguanylyl-(3′-5′)-guanosine]. Fusion with the N-terminal GAF domain enables the GGDEF (Gly-Gly-Asp-Glu-Phe) domain of DcpA to dimerize and accordingly gain synthetic activity. Screening of putative metabolites revealed that GDP is the ligand of the GAF domain. Binding of GDP to the GAF domain down-regulates synthetic activity, but up-regulates hydrolytic activity, which, in consequence, might enable a timely response to the transient accumulation of c-di-GMP at the stationary phase or under stresses. Combined with the crystal structure of the EAL (Glu-Ala-Leu) domain and the small-angle X-ray scattering data, we propose a putative regulatory model of the GAF domain finely tuned by the intracellular GTP/GDP ratio. These findings help us to better understand the concerted control of the synthesis and hydrolysis of c-di-GMP in M. smegmatis in various microenvironments.
Accelerating infall and rotational spin-up in the hot molecular core G31.41+0.31
Authors: Beltrán M. T. , Cesaroni R. , Rivilla V. M. , Sánchez-Monge Á. , Moscadelli L. , Ahmadi A. , Allen V. , Beuther H. , Etoka S. , Galli D. , Galván-Madrid R. , Goddi C. , Johnston K. G. , Klaassen P. D. , Kölligan A. , Kuiper R. , Kumar M. S. N. , Maud L. T. , Mottram J. C. , Peters T. , Schilke P. , Testi L. , van der Tak F , Walmsley C. M.
Published: March 2018

As part of our effort to search for circumstellar disks around high-mass stellar objects, we observed the well-known core G31.41 +0.31 with ALMA at 1.4 mm with an angular resolution of ~0.′′22 (~1700 au). The dust continuum emission has been resolved into two cores namely Main and NE. The Main core, which has the stronger emission and is the more chemically rich, has a diameter of ~5300 au, and is associated with two free-free continuum sources. The Main core looks featureless and homogeneous in dust continuum emission and does not present any hint of fragmentation. Each transition of CH3CN and CH3OCHO, both ground and vibrationally excited, as well as those of CH3CN isotopologues, shows a clear velocity gradient along the NE–SW direction, with velocity linearly increasing with distance from the center, consistent with solid-body rotation. However, when comparing the velocity field of transitions with different upper level energies, the rotation velocity increases with increasing energy of the transition, which suggests that the rotation speeds up toward the center. Spectral lines towardtoward the dust continuum peak show an inverse P-Cygni profile that supports the existence of infall in the core. The infall velocity increases with the energy of the transition suggesting that the infall is accelerating toward the center of the core, consistent with gravitational collapse. Despite the monolithic appearance of the Main core, the presence of red-shifted absorption, the existence of two embedded free-free sources at the center, and the rotational spin-up are consistent with an unstable core undergoing fragmentation with infall and differential rotation due to conservation of angular momentum. Therefore, the most likely explanation for the monolithic morphology is that the large opacity of the dust emission prevents the detection of any inhomogeneity in the core.
Assessment of soil compaction properties based on surface wave techniques
Authors: Jafri Nur Jihan Syamimi , Ab Rahim Mohd Asri , Mohd Zahid Mohd Zulham Affandi , Bawadi Nor Faizah , Ahmad Muhammad Munsif , Mansor Ahmad Faizal , Wan Omar Wan Mohd Sabki
Published: March 2018

Soil compaction plays an important role in every construction activities to reduce risks of any damage. Traditionally, methods of assessing compaction include field tests and invasive penetration tests for compacted areas have great limitations, which caused time-consuming in evaluating large areas. Thus, this study proposed the possibility of using non-invasive surface wave method like Multi-channel Analysis of Surface Wave (MASW) as a useful tool for assessing soil compaction. The aim of this study was to determine the shear wave velocity profiles and field density of compacted soils under varying compaction efforts by using MASW method. Pre and post compaction of MASW survey were conducted at Pauh Campus, UniMAP after applying rolling compaction with variation of passes (2, 6 and 10). Each seismic data was recorded by GEODE seismograph. Sand replacement test was conducted for each survey line to obtain the field density data. All seismic data were processed using SeisImager/SW software. The results show the shear wave velocity profiles increase with the number of passes from 0 to 6 passes, but decrease after 10 passes. This method could attract the interest of geotechnical community, as it can be an alternative tool to the standard test for assessing of soil compaction in the field operation.
Parametric Study of Fire Performance of Concrete Filled Hollow Steel Section Columns with Circular and Square Cross-Section
Authors: Rizalman Ahmad Nurfaidhi , Md Tahir Ng Seong Yap Mahmood , Mohammad Shahrin
Published: March 2018

Concrete filled hollow steel section column have been widely accepted by structural engineers and designers for high rise construction due to the benefits of combining steel and concrete. The advantages of concrete filled hollow steel section column include higher strength, ductility, energy absorption capacity, and good structural fire resistance. In this paper, comparison on the fire performance between circular and square concrete filled hollow steel section column is established. A three-dimensional finite element package, ABAQUS, was used to develop the numerical model to study the temperature development, critical temperature, and fire resistance time of the selected composite columns. Based on the analysis and comparison of typical parameters, the effect of equal cross-sectional size for both steel and concrete, concrete types, and thickness of external protection on temperature distribution and structural fire behaviour of the columns are discussed. The result showed that concrete filled hollow steel section column with circular cross-section generally has higher fire resistance than the square section.
Microstructural aspects in steel fiber reinforced acrylic emulsion polymer modified concrete
Authors: Hazimmah Dayang , Ayob Afizah , Sie Yee Lau , Chee Cung Wong
Published: March 2018

Scanning electron microscope observations of polymer-free and polymer-modified cements have shown that the polymer particles are partitioned between the inside of hydrates and the surface of anhydrous cement grains. For optimum dosage of acrylic emulsion polymer with 2.5%, the C-S-H gel in this structure is finer and more acicular. Some polymer adheres or deposit on the surface of the C-S-H gel. The presence of acrylic emulsion polymer confines the ionic diffusion so that the Ca(OH)2 crystallized locally to form fine crystals. The void in the structures seems to be smaller but no polymer films appears to be bridging the walls of pores although many polymer bonds or C-S-H spread into the pore spaces. In addition to porosity reduction, acrylic emulsion polymer modified the hydration products in the steel fiber –matrix ITZ. The hydration product C-S-H appeared as a needle like shape. The needle-shaped C-S-H increases and gradually formed the gel, with needles growing into the pore space. The phenomenon is more obvious as curing age increased.
Characteristics Buton Natural Asphalt-Rubber (BNA-R) on the Performance Improvement of Warm Mix Asphalt Using Natural Zeolite
Authors: Wahjuningsih Nurul , Hadiwardoyo Sigit Pranowo , Sumabrata R Jachrizal
Published: March 2018

The decrease in the ability of service of pavement can be caused by the durability factor in the pavement layer in receiving heavy traffic load and the temperature of the pavement. Permanent deformation is one of the criteria of failure of asphalt mixture. Performance assessment of the asphalt mixture can be observed from the rheological properties of asphalt binder. The use of BNA-R in this study is intended to modify the characteristics of bitumen penetration grade 60 / 70 used in warm mix asphalt. Warm mix asphalt with lower temperatures of mixing and compaction than conventional asphalt mixtures was chosen because it is more environmentally friendly. To reduce the temperature in this warm asphalt technology is achieved by using natural zeolite. Both of these materials are local materials that are widely available in Indonesia. The rheology of asphalt 60/70 modified with BNA-R indicates that the addition of BNA-R in the base asphalt increase the complex modulus value and decrease the phase angle value. These values were related to the performance of mixture in the permanent deformation criteria. Reducing the temperature of mixing and compaction should be balanced with modifying the asphalt binder used. Rutting due to permanent deformation can resulted in inconvenience to the passengers and can lead to high costs of road maintenance. To determine the permanent deformation of asphalt mix with material combinations was performed through the wheel tracking test machine with 3,780 cycles for 3 hours. The results shows that after test track over 7 thousand passes have seen permanent deformation characteristics of asphalt concrete mixture with a variation of the characteristics of bitumen.
Psychological distance of pedestrian at the bus terminal area
Authors: Mohamad Ali Mohd Firdaus , Abustan Muhamad Salleh , Abu Talib Siti Hidayah , Abustan Ismail , Abd Rahman Noorhazlinda , Gotoh Hitoshi
Published: March 2018

Walking is a part of transportation modes that is effective for pedestrian in either short or long trips. All people are classified as pedestrian because people do walk every day and the higher number of people walking will lead to crowd conditions and that is the reason of the importance to study about the behaviour of pedestrian specifically the psychological distance in both indoor and outdoor. Nowadays, the number of studies of crowd dynamics among pedestrian have increased due to the concern about the safety issues primarily related to the emergency cases such as fire, earthquake, festival and etc. An observation of pedestrian was conducted at one of the main bus terminals in Kuala Lumpur with the main objective to obtain pedestrian psychological distance and it took place for 45 minutes by using a camcorder that was set up by using a tripod on the upper floor from the area of observation at the main lobby and the trapped area was approximately 100 m2. The analysis was focused on obtaining the gap between pedestrian based on two different categories, which are; (a) Pedestrian with relationship, and (b) Pedestrian without relationship. In total, 1,766 data were obtained during the analysis in which 561 data were obtained for ‘Pedestrian with relationship’ and 1,205 data were obtained for “Pedestrian without relationship”. Based on the obtained results, “Pedestrian without relationship” had shown a slightly higher average value of psychological distance between them compare to “Pedestrian with relationship” with the results of 1.6360m and 1.5909m respectively. In gender case, “Pedestrian without relationship” had higher mean of psychological distance in all three categories as well. Therefore, it can be concluded that pedestrian without relationship tend to have longer distance when walking in crowds.
Reusability Performance of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Degradation of POME
Authors: Zainuri Nur Zarifah , Hairom Nur Hanis Hayati , Sidik Dilaelyana Abu Bakar , Misdan Nurasyikin , Yusof Norhaniza , Mohammad Abdul Wahab
Published: March 2018

Performance and reusability of different zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-PVP and ZnO-PEG) for photocatalytic degradation of palm-mill oil effluent (POME) has been studied. The nanoparticles properties were characterised with fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM results show that ZnO-PEG nanoparticles exhibit the smaller size than ZnO-PVP with less agglomeration. It was found that ZnO-PEG shows better effectiveness than ZnO-PVP in reducing turbidity, colour and increasing the dissolved oxygen (DO). By using two types of reusability methods: (a) oven drying (b) hot water rinsing, the oven drying method portrayed the most efficient route for POME treatment. This research would be a solution to the palm oil industry for photocatalyst recovering as well as reduction of the chemical usage in order to meet the development of advanced and greener technologies.
Effect of pH, temperature and moisture content during composting of rice straw burning at different temperature with food waste and effective microorganisms
Authors: Zakarya Irnis Azura , Khalib Siti Noor Baya , Mohd Ramzi Norhasykin
Published: March 2018

Rice straw is considered as one of the most important agricultural residues and represented as one of the major by-products from rice production process. Normally, rice straw that produced after harvesting season been directly burned on-farm. Conversion of rice straw into value added compost will improve the productivity of plant, reduction of pollution towards environment and reduction of local pollution due to open burning activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of composting rice straw ash (RSA) with food waste (FW) and effective microorganisms (EM) in term of the compost quality (pH, temperature, moisture content). RSA was prepared by burning the raw rice straw at three different temperature of 300°C, 400°C and 500°C for one hour. EM used during the composting process was prepared by mixing of brown sugar, ‘tempe’ and water that can be used after one week of fermentation process. There are four treatments of RSA-compost; RSA (300°C), RSA (400°C), RSA (500°C) and control (raw rice straw) with the same amount of compost medium; 1kg black soil, 0.5kg RSA, 3L EM and 1kg FW. The composting process happens for 30 days. During the composting process, all the parameters of RSA-compost obtained in a range like; pH value 8-10, temperature 20-50°C and moisture content 40-60%. The result showed that all compost quality of rice straw ash compost obtained in an acceptable range for final compost to establish.
Cultivating Composting Culture Activities among Citizens and Its Beneficial to Prolong the Landfill Lifespan
Authors: Zakarya Irnis Azura , Jamial Khairul Azri , Mat Tanda Norazlinda
Published: March 2018

Currently, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government manage solid waste in Malaysia, with the participation of the private sector. Food waste represents almost 60% of the total municipal solid waste disposed in the landfill. Material valorisation of food waste usually conducted by biological processes such as composting. Compost, an organic amendment, is the final product of the composting process. These processes are efficient, low cost and environmentally friendly alternative for managing food waste and are used extensively worldwide. Therefore, organic solid waste management practices program for the communities in Perlis was conducted. The main objective of this program was to instilling environment awareness especially among Perlis citizens. This study was investigated the impact of food waste or kitchen waste composting to the citizens in Perlis State and the beneficial of compost fertilizer to our environment especially in plant growth. Composting method was taught to the food premises owner, individuals, teachers, and students and their responses to the composting practices were then summarized. In future, we can prolong our landfill lifespan by practicing organic waste composting and can preserving our environment.
Characteristic of Noise-induced Hearing Loss among Workers in Construction Industries
Authors: Mazlan Ain Naadia , Yahya Khairulzan , Haron Zaiton , Mohamed Nik Amsharija , Abdul Rasib Edrin Nazri , Jamaludin Nizam , Darus Nadirah
Published: March 2018

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is among the most common occupational disease in industries. This paper investigates NIHL in construction related industries in Malaysia with particular emphasis on its relation with risk factors. The objectives of this research were to (1) quantify the prevalence of NIHL in construction related industries, and (2) assess the relationship between hearing loss and risk factors and it’s characteristic. The study was conducted using 110 NIHL compensation record collected from Social Security Organisation (SOCSO), Malaysia. Risk factors namely area noise, age, temperature, smoking habit, hobby, diabetic and cardiovascular disease were identified and analysed. Results showed that there was no direct relationship between area noise with hearing impairment while there was only low relationship between age and hearing impairment. The range for area noise and age were between 70 to 140 dB(A) and 20 to 70 years, respectively. The other risk factors classified as categorical data and analysed using frequency method. Grade of impairment does not depend solely on area noise but also in combination with age and other risk factors. Characteristic of NIHL prevailed in construction related industries were presented using scatterplots and can serve as a references for future hazard control on site.
Carbon Dioxide Capture by Deep Eutectic Solvent Impregnated Sea Mango Activated Carbon
Authors: Zulkurnai N.Z. , Md. Ali U.F. , Ibrahim N. , Abdul Manan N.S.
Published: March 2018

The increment amount of the CO2 emission by years has become a major concern worldwide due to the global warming issue. However, the influence modification of activated carbon (AC) has given a huge revolution in CO2 adsorption capture compare to the unmodified AC. In the present study, the Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) modified surface AC was used for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) capture in the fixed-bed column. The AC underwent pre-carbonization and carbonization processes at 519.8 °C, respectively, with flowing of CO2 gas and then followed by impregnation with 53.75% phosphoric acid (H3PO4) at 1:2 precursor-to-activant ratios. The prepared AC known as sea mango activated carbon (SMAC) was impregnated with DES at 1:2 solid-to-liquid ratio. The DES is composing of choline chloride and urea with ratio 1:2 choline chloride to urea. The optimum adsorption capacity of SMAC was 33.46 mgco2/gsol and 39.40 mgco2/gsol for DES modified AC (DESAC).
Potential of Micro Hydroelectric Generator Embedded at 30,000 PE Effluent Discharge of Sewerage Treatment Plant
Authors: Che Munaaim M.A. , Razali N. , Ayob A. , Hamidin N. , Othuman Mydin M.A.
Published: March 2018

A micro hydroelectric generator is an energy conversion approach to generate electricity from potential (motion) energy to an electrical energy. In this research, it is desired to be implemented by using a micro hydroelectric generator which is desired to be embedded at the continuous flow of effluent discharge point of domestic sewerage treatment plant (STP). This research evaluates the potential of electricity generation from micro hydroelectric generator attached to 30,000 PE sewerage treatment plant. The power output obtained from calculation of electrical power conversion is used to identify the possibility of this system and its ability to provide electrical energy, which can minimize the cost of electric bill especially for the pumping system. The overview of this system on the practical application with the consideration of payback period is summarized. The ultimate aim of the whole application is to have a self-ecosystem electrical power generated for the internal use of STP by using its own flowing water in supporting the sustainable engineering towards renewable energy and energy efficient approach. The results shows that the output power obtained is lower than expected output power (12 kW) and fall beyond of the range of a micro hydro power (5kW - 100kW) since it is only generating 1.58 kW energy by calculation. It is also observed that the estimated payback period is longer which i.e 7 years to recoup the return of investment. A range of head from 4.5 m and above for the case where the flow shall at least have maintained at 0.05 m3/s in the selected plant in order to achieved a feasible power output. In conclusion, wastewater treatment process involves the flowing water (potential energy) especially at the effluent discharge point of STP is possibly harvested for electricity generation by embedding the micro hydroelectric generator. However, the selection of STP needs to have minimum 4.5 meter head with 0.05 m3/s of continuously flowing water to make it feasible to harvest.
The performance and decolourization kinetics of O3/H2O2oxidation of reactive green 19 dye in wastewater
Authors: Sabri S. N. , Abidin C. Z. A. , Fahmi  , Kow S.H. , Razali N. A.
Published: March 2018

The degradations characteristic of azo dye Reactive Green 19 (RG19) was investigated using advanced oxidation process (AOPs). It was evaluated based on colour and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. The effect of operational parameters such as initial dye concentration, initial dosage of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), contact time, and pH was also being studied. The samples were treated by ozonation (O3) and peroxone O3/H2O2process. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) involve two stages of oxidation; firstly is the formation of strong oxidant and secondly the reaction of organic contaminants in water. In addition, the term advanced oxidation is referring to the processes in which oxidation of organic contaminants occurs primarily through reactions with hydroxyl radicals. There are several analyses that use to determine the efficiency of the treatment process, which are UV-Vis absorption spectra, COD, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), and pH. The results demonstrated that the ozone oxidation was efficient in decolourization and good in mineralization, based on the reduction of colour and COD. Additionally, results indicate that H2O2is able to perform better than ozonation in order to decolourize the dye wastewater with 0.5 mL H2O2/L dye dosage of H2O2at different initial concentration, initial pH, with contact time.
Environmental Flow for Sungai Johor Estuary
Authors: Adilah A.Kadir , Zulkifli Yusop , Zainura Z. Noor , N. Bakhiah Baharim
Published: March 2018

Sungai Johor estuary is a vital water body in the south of Johor and greatly affects the water quality in the Johor Straits. In the development of the hydrodynamic and water quality models for Sungai Johor estuary, the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) model was selected. In this application, the EFDC hydrodynamic model was configured to simulate time varying surface elevation, velocity, salinity, and water temperature. The EFDC water quality model was configured to simulate dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), phosphate (PO4), and Chlorophyll a. The hydrodynamic and water quality model calibration was performed utilizing a set of site specific data acquired in January 2008. The simulated water temperature, salinity and DO showed good and fairly good agreement with observations. The calculated correlation coefficients between computed and observed temperature and salinity were lower compared with the water level. Sensitivity analysis was performed on hydrodynamic and water quality models input parameters to quantify their impact on modeling results such as water surface elevation, salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration. It is anticipated and recommended that the development of this model be continued to synthesize additional field data into the modeling process.
Identification of Trihalomethanes (THMs) Levels in Water Supply: A Case Study in Perlis, Malaysia
Authors: Ab Jalil Mohd Faizal , Hamidin Nasrul , Nagoor Gunny Ahmad Anas , Kamarudzaman Ain Nihla
Published: March 2018

In Malaysia, chlorination is used for drinking water disinfection at water treatment plants due to its cost-effectiveness and efficiency. However, the use of chlorine poses potential health risks due to the formation of disinfection by-products such as trihalomethanes (THMs). THMs are formed due to the reaction between chlorine and some natural organic matter. The objective of the study is to analyze the level of THMs in the water supply in Perlis, Malaysia. The water samples were collected from end-user tap water near the water treatment plant (WTP) located in Perlis, including Timah Tasoh WTP, Kampung Sungai Baru WTP, Arau Phase I, II, III, and IV WTPs. The THMs were analyzed using a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The results showed that the water supply from Timah Tasoh WTP generates the most THMs, whereas Kuala Sungai Baru shows the fewest amounts of total THMs. In conclusion, the presence of THMs in tap water has caused great concern since these components can cause cancer in humans. Therefore, the identification of THM formation is crucial in order to make sure that the tap water quality remains at acceptable safety levels.
Spatial Interpolation of Historical Seasonal Rainfall Indices over Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Hassan Zulkarnain , Haidir Ahmad , Mohd Saad Farah Naemah , Ayob Afizah , Abdul Rahim Mustaqqim , Ghazaly Zuhayr Md.
Published: March 2018

The inconsistency in inter-seasonal rainfall due to climate change will cause a different pattern in the rainfall characteristics and distribution. Peninsular Malaysia is not an exception for this inconsistency, in which it is resulting extreme events such as flood and water scarcity. This study evaluates the seasonal patterns in rainfall indices such as total amount of rainfall, the frequency of wet days, rainfall intensity, extreme frequency, and extreme intensity in Peninsular Malaysia. 40 years (1975-2015) data records have been interpolated using Inverse Distance Weighted method. The results show that the formation of rainfall characteristics are significance during the Northeast monsoon (NEM), as compared to Southwest monsoon (SWM). Also, there is a high rainfall intensity and frequency related to extreme over eastern coasts of Peninsula during the NEM season.
Preparation and Characterization of Activated Alumina
Authors: Rabia A R. , Ibrahim A.H. , Zulkepli N.N.
Published: March 2018

Activated alumina is a high surface area and highly porous form of aluminum oxide that can be employed for contaminant species adsorb from ether gases or liquids without changing its form. The research in getting this material has generated huge interested. Thus, this paper presented preparation of activated alumina from chemical process. Pure aluminum (99.9% pure) reacted at room temperature with an aqueous NaOH in a reactor to produce a solution of sodium aluminate (NaAlO2). This solution was passed through filter paper and the clear filtrate was neutralized with H2SO4, to pH 6, 7 or 8, resulting in the precipitation of a white gel, Al(OH)3·XH2O. The washed gel for sulfate ions were dried at 80 °C for 6 h, a 60 mesh sieve was to separate and sort them into different sizes. The samples were then calcined (burn) for 3h in a muffle furnace, in air, at a heating rate of 2 °C min–1. The prepared activated alumina was further characterized for better understanding of its physical properties in order to predict its chemical mechanism.
Influence of Courtyard Ventilation on Thermal Performance of Office Building in Hot-Humid Climate: A Case Study
Authors: Abbaas Esra’a Sh. , Saif Ala’eddin A. , Munaaim MAC , Othuman Mydin Md. Azree
Published: March 2018

The influence of courtyard on the thermal performance of Development Department office building in University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP, Pauh Putra campus) is investigated through simulation study for the effect of ventilation on indoor air temperature and relative humidity of the building. The study is carried out using EnergyPlus simulator interface within OpenStudio and SketchUp plug in software to measure both of air temperature and relative humidity hourly on 21 April 2017 as a design day. The results show that the ventilation through the windows facing the courtyard has sufficient effect on reducing the air temperature compared to the ventilation through external windows since natural ventilation is highly effective on driving the indoor warm air out to courtyard. In addition, the relative humidity is reduced due to ventilation since the courtyard has high ability to remove or dilute indoor airborne pollutants coming from indoor sources. This indicates that the presence of courtyard is highly influential on thermal performance of the building.
Acclimatization Study for Biohydrogen Production from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) in Continuous-flow System
Authors: Idris N. , Lutpi N.A. , Wong Y. S. , Izhar T.N. Tengku
Published: March 2018

This research aims to study the acclimatization phase for biohydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) by adapting the microorganism to the new environment in continuous-flow system of thermophilic bioreactor. The thermophilic fermentation was continuously loaded with 0.4 L/day of raw POME for 35 days to acclimatize the microorganism until a steady state of biohydrogen production was obtained. The significance effect of acclimatization phase on parameter such as pH, microbial growth, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and alkalinity were also studied besides the production of biogas. This study had found that the thermophilic bioreactor reach its steady state with 1960 mL/d of biogas produced, which consist of 894 ppm of hydrogen composition.
Density and trace results in generalized fractal networks
Authors: Nicaise Serge , Semin Adrien
Published: March 2018

The first aim of this paper is to give different necessary and sufficient conditions that guarantee the density of the set of compactly supported functions into the Sobolev space of order one in infinite p-adic weighted trees. The second goal is to define properly a trace operator in this Sobolev space if it makes sense.
Evaluation on Innovation approaches on Performance from Malaysian perspective: A study on Malaysian Building energy saving
Authors: Amlus M. H. , Ibrahim Amlus , Zaidi Abdullah Ahmad , Azizan Nurhafiza , Naeimah Saraeh Ummi
Published: March 2018

Lately Malaysia energy consumption versus generation rapidly shows increasing due to increasing of load. This phenomenon happened following to advanced country development. Lacking on design and without energy management approach the energy consumption and monthly electrical bill will steadily increased and support the increasing of world carbon emission. Therefore the aim of this work is to approach the simplest innovation task-energy audit , which is load-apportioning strategy. This approach using matching the usage of equipment with fully utilized space and reschedules the time of usage. A one week data was collected by logged power meter at main switchboard at selected building using Fluke Power Recorder. From the data collected, current usage of every load can be determine, then load will be arrange into a group with same portion and same time of usage. The result shows clearly the energy consumption for every single day and indicates the highest and lowest peak. From this work the apportioning strategy implemented by rearrange the load following type of room application. After the arrangement, new measurement was taken and a very good result was established. This work also can be further apply for a huge load that can be save a lot of money for owner especially government by energy saving.
Synthesis and Characterization of Co/Ni/CoNi-ZSM-5 Catalyst for Hydrogen Production
Authors: Widayat Widayat , Nuur Annisa Arianti , Satriadi Hantoro , Syaiful Syaiful
Published: March 2018

Nickel is commonly used as a catalyst in hydrogen production. However, the use of nickel catalysts in the steam reforming process has the disadvantage of coke formation and high cost. Therefore, in this research, Ni/ZSM-5 catalyst synthesis was used to reduce production cost and an addition of cobalt (Co) metal to avoid coke formation. The method consists of a synthesis of ZSM-5 catalyst using hydrothermal process. Furthermore, the crystalline product was impregnated with the metal cobalt, nickel and combination of cobalt-nickel as much as 2% by weight metal/weight of the catalyst. Then the XRD and EDX characterization of Co/ZSM-5, Ni/ZSM-5, and CoNi/ZSM-5 was done followed by catalytic testing in the production of hydrogen from glycerol using steam reforming process. From XRD characterization results showed that Co/ZSM-5 catalyst has a crystallinity of 78.69%, Ni/ZSM-5 catalyst has 70.04% crystallinity and CoNi/ZSM-5 catalyst has 76.99% crystallinity. Catalytic testing on hydrogen production showed that CoNi/ZSM-5 catalyst produced the highest hydrogen concentration of 1,756.33 ppm while Ni/ZSM-5 catalyst produces 1,240 ppm and Co/ZSM-5 catalyst produces 491 ppm.
Using an aerospace monitoring for sensing “lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere” system in order to identify and outline the potential oil and gas fields
Authors: Ageev Alexander , Bortalevich Svetlana , Loginov Evgeny , Shkuta Alexander , Sorokin Dmitry
Published: March 2018

The article focuses on consideration of complex aerospace monitoring of aggregated territories. It is made to assess the processes took place in "lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere" system when exploration of oil and gas fields. The research is based on the remote aerospace sounding's method. As a result of this research we have an access to the complex analysis of huge range of data. We have an opportunity to calculate a "convolution operation" in the systems of complex aerospace monitoring in order to identify the signs that can help to indicate the territory having oil and gas deposits. To sum up, the research reveals the correlation between the huge range of anomalies of the nature and the presence of oil and gas deposits in the earth on the basis of remote aerospace monitoring sounding method.
Organization design of complex technical products in integrated information systems
Authors: Dubrovsky Evgeny , Dmitriev Viktor
Published: March 2018

The article substantiates the necessity of using modern tools for the design of advanced space technology. The problems and consequences are presented in the application of CAD of various profiles within the framework of a single technical project. The decision of problems is resulted. The description of the through design process and the integrated information system is given. The possibilities of integrated information systems and the expected business effect are shown in their implementation and organization of an end-to-end design process.
A search and improvement of the geometric parameter betatron injector
Authors: Kolomeytsev Andrey , Shtein Mikhail
Published: March 2018

The article describes the search for optimal geometric parameters of the betatron injector. First of all, we determine parameters that influence the injection efficiency. Next, we introduce the coefficient that directly connects the geometric parameters of the injector with capture efficiency. The computer model of the betatron injector is recreated. In the injector region, there are forces that are equal in magnitude and direction to forces in a real betatron. We simulate different parameter combinations. After processing the results, tolerances are obtained for the selected parameters. The results of this work can be used as recommendations for the development of design documentation for new three-electrode injectors for betatrons. The research method can be used to study the efficiency of other injector designs, as well as to search for new design alternate.
Mathematical model of a flexible asymmetrical rotor for active magnetic bearing reaction wheel
Authors: Polyakov Miroslav , Lipovtsev Anatoliy , Lyanzburg Vladimir
Published: March 2018

The paper introduces the mathematical model of rotor for active magnetic bearing reaction/momentum wheels, used as actuator in spacecraft attitude and orbit control system. Developed model is used for estimation of critical speeds and forced oscillation magnitudes with a glance of the rotor modes. Rotor is considered as a two-mass system, consisting of a shaft and a rim, active magnetic bearings are assumed to be a linear elastic springs. The equations of the rotor motion are derived using the Lagrange equation. Developed model is verified by comparing the calculated Campbell diagrams with the results of the finite-element modal analysis, performed in the ANSYS software.
Analysis of methods for measuring the liquid level in the annular space of an oil well
Authors: Shinyakov Juriy , Sukhorukov Maxim , Torgaeva Daria , Soldatov Andrey , Shalyapina Natalia , Li Dmitriy
Published: March 2018

One of the most important diagnostic parameters of an oil well operation is the dynamic liquid level in the annular space. In paper the main methods for determination of the dynamic liquid level that does not require suspension of the well work and its depressurization are considered. Also the comparative analysis of these methods is given.
Genetic and Functional Characterization of ADAMTS13 Variants in a Patient Cohort with Upshaw–Schulman Syndrome Investigated in Germany
Authors: Obser Tobias , Bode Julia , Oyen Florian , Budde Ulrich , Schneppenheim Sonja , Schneppenheim Reinhard , Brehm Maria , Hassenpflug Wolf
Published: March 2018

Upshaw–Schulman syndrome (USS) is caused by severe ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13) deficiency due to homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the ADAMTS13 gene. Previous studies suggest three possible disease mechanisms: (1) reduced secretion of ADAMTS13 variants, (2) impaired proteolytic activity, (3) defective biosynthesis due to nonsense-mediated decay. Expression studies have failed to establish a clear genotype/phenotype correlation that could explain the significant variability in the age of onset and patients' clinical courses. In this study, we investigated ADAMTS13 sequence variations in 30 USS patients and identified 31 disease-causing mutations; among them 10 novel variants. While none of the recombinant proteins exhibited significant retention in the endoplasmic reticulum, secretion and activity analysis revealed defective release for all but one missense mutant. The latter exhibited normal secretion but impaired activity due to inactivation of the catalytic domain. Truncated mutants showed secretion and residual activity even though the patients suffered from a severe phenotype. The expression systems which we used may not be appropriate here, as they do not assess nonsense-mediated decay causing degradation of mRNA. In some patients, phenotypic severity could be explained by the combined effects of two mutations. Genetic screening in combination with in vitro characterization of ADAMTS13 variants from both alleles is a valuable tool to predict the phenotypic severity of USS. When necessary, supplementary methods, such as kinetics under flow conditions and mRNA processing assays, can be included. Such data are helpful to identify patients who are at high risk for severe attacks and therefore might benefit from prophylactic treatment.
Atemwegsmanagement in der Thoraxanästhesie mit dem Doppellumentubus
Authors: Loop Torsten , Spaeth Johannes
Published: March 2018

Die Seitentrennung der Lungen mit konsekutiver Ein-Lungen-Ventilation ist der zentrale Bestandteil des Atemwegsmanagements in der Thoraxanästhesie. Das Indikationsspektrum umfasst dabei die thoraxchirurgischen und prozedurbezogenen Notwendigkeiten wie auch die patientenspezifischen Faktoren. Von der Vielzahl der technischen Möglichkeiten der Separation der Lungenflügel bleiben routinemäßig nur die Anwendung des Doppellumentubus oder des Bronchusblockers übrig. Die ausgewiesene Kenntnis der tracheobronchialen Anatomie bis zur Segmentebene durch den Anästhesisten ist ebenso notwendig wie der standardmäßige Einsatz einer flexiblen Fiberoptik. Diese Arbeit gibt grundlegende Empfehlungen für die klinische Routine, stellt eine Übersicht zum derzeitigen Stellenwert im Atemwegsmanagement in der Thoraxanästhesie mit dem Doppellumentubus dar und berücksichtigt kontroverse Diskussionen zu Größe und Design.
Rolle der Vitamine im Alter – Evidenz und praktische
Umsetzung
Authors: Weber Peter
Published: March 2018

Der Anstieg der Lebenserwartung ist ein globaler Trend, der gerade in den
Industrieländern in den letzten Jahrzehnten sehr deutlich zulegte. Auch
Deutschland ist davon nicht ausgenommen: Nach jüngsten Schätzungen des
Statistischen Bundesamtes Wiesbaden wird erwartet, dass der Anteil der über
65-Jährigen von ca. 13 % in 2013 auf ca. 33 % in 2016 angestiegen sein wird
1. Dies ist natürlich eine sehr
erfreuliche Entwicklung, die aber auch mit einer Reihe von Herausforderungen
einhergeht. Davon ist auch die Ernährung betroffen.
Aktuelle Bewertung von Homocystein als Risikofaktor für
Demenz
Authors: Obeid Rima
Published: March 2018

Mit zunehmendem Lebensalter steigen die Homocysteinwerte im Blutplasma,
unter anderem bedingt durch einen Mangel an B-Vitaminen wie Folat und den
Vitaminen B6 und B12. In jüngeren Studien erwies sich die
Homocysteinämie als ein modifizierbarer Risikofaktor für Demenz. Eine Senkung
des Plasma-Homocysteins bei Patienten mit leichter kognitiver Dysfunktion und
mehr als 14 µmol/l Gesamthomocystein könnte eventuell den kognitiven
Leistungsabbau bremsen.
Anisotropic charge transport in highly oriented films of semiconducting polymer prepared by ribbon-shaped floating film
Authors: Tripathi Atul S. M. , Pandey Manish , Sadakata Shifumi , Nagamatsu Shuichi , Takashima Wataru , Hayase Shuzi , Pandey Shyam S.
Published: March 2018

Fabrication of large area and uniform thin films with preferred edge-on orientation is highly demanded for flexible organic electronic devices. In this work, utilization of a newly designed slider in the floating film transfer method to assist unidirectional film spreading led to the fabrication of uniform and macroscopically edge-on oriented ribbon-shaped floating films (15 cm × 2 cm) having very large optical anisotropy (>20). The results pertaining to the in-plane grazing angle incident X-ray diffraction (GIXD) and φ-scan measurements revealed the well-stacked polymer backbone conformation with edge-on orientation without any inter-mixing of face-on oriented counterparts. Optical anisotropy dependent charge transport in organic field effect transistors using anisotropic poly(3,3‴-didodecyl-quaterthiophene) films has also been shown, and the results are supported by polarized electronic absorption and GIXD measurements.
Quasi-monoenergetic proton acceleration from cryogenic hydrogen microjet by ultrashort ultraintense laser pulses
Authors: Sharma A. , Tibai Z. , Hebling J. , Fülöp J. A.
Published: March 2018

Laser-driven proton acceleration from a micron-sized cryogenic hydrogen microjet target is investigated using multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. With few-cycle (20-fs) ultraintense (2-PW) laser pulses, high-energy quasi-monoenergetic proton acceleration is predicted in a new regime. A collisionless shock-wave acceleration mechanism influenced by Weibel instability results in a maximum proton energy as high as 160 MeV and a quasi-monoenergetic peak at 80 MeV for 1022 W/cm2 laser intensity with controlled prepulses. A self-generated strong quasi-static magnetic field is also observed in the plasma, which modifies the spatial distribution of the proton beam.
A model of spreading of sudden events on social networks
Authors: Wu Jiao , Zheng Muhua , Zhang Zi-Ke , Wang Wei , Gu Changgui , Liu Zonghua
Published: March 2018

Information spreading has been studied for decades, but its underlying mechanism is still under debate, especially for those ones spreading extremely fast through the Internet. By focusing on the information spreading data of six typical events on Sina Weibo, we surprisingly find that the spreading of modern information shows some new features, i.e., either extremely fast or slow, depending on the individual events. To understand its mechanism, we present a susceptible-accepted-recovered model with both information sensitivity and social reinforcement. Numerical simulations show that the model can reproduce the main spreading patterns of the six typical events. By this model, we further reveal that the spreading can be speeded up by increasing either the strength of information sensitivity or social reinforcement. Depending on the transmission probability and information sensitivity, the final accepted size can change from continuous to discontinuous transition when the strength of the social reinforcement is large. Moreover, an edge-based compartmental theory is presented to explain the numerical results. These findings may be of significance on the control of information spreading in modern society.
Hierarchical modeling of molecular energies using a deep neural network
Authors: Lubbers Nicholas , Smith Justin S. , Barros Kipton
Published: March 2018

We introduce the Hierarchically Interacting Particle Neural Network (HIP-NN) to model molecular properties from datasets of quantum calculations. Inspired by a many-body expansion, HIP-NN decomposes properties, such as energy, as a sum over hierarchical terms. These terms are generated from a neural network—a composition of many nonlinear transformations—acting on a representation of the molecule. HIP-NN achieves the state-of-the-art performance on a dataset of 131k ground state organic molecules and predicts energies with 0.26 kcal/mol mean absolute error. With minimal tuning, our model is also competitive on a dataset of molecular dynamics trajectories. In addition to enabling accurate energy predictions, the hierarchical structure of HIP-NN helps to identify regions of model uncertainty.
Thermally tunable VO2-SiO2 nanocomposite thin-film capacitors
Authors: Sun Yifei , Narayanachari K. V. L. V. , Wan Chenghao , Sun Xing , Wang Haiyan , Cooley Kayla A. , Mohney Suzanne E. , White Doug , Duwel Amy , Kats Mikhail A. , Ramanathan Shriram
Published: March 2018

We present a study of co-sputtered VO2-SiO2 nanocomposite dielectric thin-film media possessing continuous temperature tunability of the dielectric constant. The smooth thermal tunability is a result of the insulator-metal transition in the VO2 inclusions dispersed within an insulating matrix. We present a detailed comparison of the dielectric characteristics of this nanocomposite with those of a VO2 control layer and of VO2/SiO2 laminate multilayers of comparable overall thickness. We demonstrated a nanocomposite capacitor that has a thermal capacitance tunability of ∼60% between 25 °C and 100 °C at 1 MHz, with low leakage current. Such thermally tunable capacitors could find potential use in applications such as sensing, thermal cloaks, and phase-change energy storage devices.