bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A SIMULATION STUDY OF SLOPE STABILITY AFFECTED BY CONSTRUCTION OF NEW BUILDINGS AT UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA, SKUDAI
Authors: Kassim Azman , Kasim Fauziah
Published: July 2024

Landslide occurrences had caused failure of sheet pile wall located about 6 m from Bangunan Tambahan, Fakulti Kejuruteraan Mekanikal (FKM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Skudai, Johor. With the aim of investigating cause(s) of the failure, the slope stability conditions prior and after construction were simulated using SLOPE/W Version 3.03. The results showed that effects of load of a newly filled water tank sited on the top of slope contributed to subsident of the slope surface within the vicinity by creating tension cracks near its raft footing. The slope became more unstable as the soil moisture or pore-water pressure increased due to infiltration of rainwater. This has reduced the shear strength, in particular the cohesion value, c. The simulation also confirmed the hyphothesis that the global soil mass movement started from the hill top where the water tank was located toward the installed sheet pile. The combined mobilized shear force and lateral pressure of the global slope was about 8 times the strength of the sheet pile. The associated stresses are found to be related to the formation of the heave pushing up the soil at the toe of slope and soil under the road pavement adjacent to the new laboratory buildings.
APPLICATION OF PARTIAL STRENGTH CONNECTION IN THE DESIGN OF MULTI-STOREY BRACED STEEL FRAME USING TRAPEZOIDAL WEB PROFILED SECTION
Authors: Md Tahir Mahmood , Cher Siang Tan , Mun Thong Chin
Published: July 2024

Eurocode 3 offers the opportunity to design steel frames as â€žsemi-continuousâ€Ÿ by including the moment resistance of â€žpartial strengthâ€Ÿ connections in plastic hinge analysis of the frame. Semi-continuous construction with partial strength connections offers many benefits for braced frames such as shallower and lighter beams, standardized connections with less complicated geometry, and more robust frames than simple construction. It is expected to give significant savings in frame weight. This paper presents findings on a series of two-bay, four-bay and six-bay braced frames of two-, four-, six- and eight-storey with span ranging from 6 m to 9 m by comparing between Hot-rolled (HR) steel beams designed using simple construction and Trapezoidal Web Profiled (TWP) steel beams designed using the semi-continuous construction method. Flush end-plate and extended end-plate connections were used as partial strength joints whereas for the simple construction, partial depth flexible end-plate connections were used as pin joints. The semi-continuous design method can reduce the frame weight between 13.4% and 20.5% compared to simple construction.
PREDICTION OF CORRODING PIPELINE REMAINING LIFE-TIME USING SEMI-PROBABILISTIC APPROACH
Authors: Md Noor Norhazilan , Yahaya Nordin , Mat Din Mazura , Nor Ozman Nor Apaziah
Published: July 2024

A semi-probabilistic methodology for predicting the remaining strength of submarine pipelines subjected to internal corrosion based on Recommended Practice RP-F101 by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) is described in this paper. It is used to estimate the maximum allowable operating pressure of the corroding pipelines based on series of pigging data, which represents the corrosion pit location and dimension. The introduction of partial safety factors in the DNV code to minimise the effect of uncertainties due to the defect sizing has improved the reliability of pipeline assessment methodology. Nevertheless, the code is still regarded as a fully deterministic approach due to its incapability of predicting the remaining life of corroded pipeline. Thus, we have added prediction capabilities to the capacity equation by introducing a standard deviation model of future defect depth. By doing so, the variation of safety factors of the capacity equation can be fully manipulated where prediction of future pipeline remaining life-time becomes feasible. The paper demonstrates calculation and prediction of pipeline remaining lifetime subjects to internal corrosion. The results shows the standard deviation of corrosion parameter affected the value of partial safety factor as corrosion progressing, hence amplify the conservatism of time to failure. In general, the prediction of pipeline remaining lifetime can effectively assist pipeline operators to evaluate future safe operating strategies including re-inspection and appropriate maintenance schedule. As a result it can minimize the possibility of pipeline failures until it reaches its designed lifetime.
FLOW FIELDS IN FRONT OF AN OBSTACLE
Authors: Yulistiyanto Bambang
Published: July 2024

An experimental investigation, conducted in two different flows Reynolds number, was carried out to study the structure of the flow field upstream of a cylinder obstacle. An ADV Profiler was used to obtain instantaneously the three directions of the mean velocity in the stagnation plane. Results of the experiments show the longitudinal velocities, u , decrease approaching the cylinder, their distribution becomes more uniform and close to the bed a reverse flow is noticeable with increasing importance. The downward velocity component is clearly shown, continuing with the return flow near the bed, forming a vortex. At positions where the vortex appears in the upstream from the cylinder, a large increase of the three components of the turbulence intensities is remarked. Approaching the cylinder, one observes the shear stress decreases, having the opposite direction at positions close to the cylinder. A zero value of shear stress should be at the separation point.
THE MEASUREMENT OF FULL SCALE STRUCTURAL BEAM-COLUMN CONNECTION DEFORMATION USING DIGITAL CLOSE RANGE PHOTOGRAMMETRY TECHNIQUE
Authors: Mustaffar Mushairry , Saari Radzuan , Abu Bakar Suhami , Moghadasi Mostafa , Marsono Kadir
Published: July 2024

Measurement and monitoring of structural components such as beams and columns under loading are important in structural analysis and design assessment. Presently, the assessment on structural components on deformation or displacement measurement is carried out through LVDTs or dial gauges. The LVDTs or dial gauges were installed in contact with the structural components, also known as contact method. However, present contact method is subjected to some limitations such as s displacement points of measurement are highly depend on the position of LVDTs available, reliability of LVDTs and dial gauges to measure during the experiments due to possibility of damage sensors and consumption of time on the installation the sensors. Due to the limitations of contact method, this study demonstrates the use of a noncontact method using digital close range photogrammetry technique to measure the deformational behaviour of full-scale structural beams and columns. In this study, a full-scale load tests on structural components were performed under laboratory conditions. A series of digital images of the structural beams and columns under various loads were captured using Nikon DSLR cameras. The digital images then processed and analyzed using digital close range photogrammetric technique to measure and extract the magnitude of the structural beam and column displacements. The deformation and displacement of beam and columns have been validated by comparing the photogrammetric outputs against the results obtained from the LVDTs. The statistical analysis shows the differences obtained between the photogrammetric technique and contact method used were not significant.
ELASTIC-PLASTIC PERFORMANCE OF CALCRETE STABILISED UNBOUND MATERIAL FOR OPTIMISED USE IN PAVEMENT LAYERS IN NORTHERN NAMIBIA
Authors: Silombela Courage , S. Kamara Victor
Published: July 2024

To understand the performance limits and to provide reliable prediction performance of different calcrete and sand mixes, the Elastic-plastic performance model of calcrete stabilised unbound material for optimize use in pavement layers in northern Namibia was investigated through the use of short-term monotonic triaxial tests conducted in the laboratory. General aspects of the behaviour of unbound granular materials were investigated , and results obtained through the use pavement software revealed that pavement performances in Northern Namibia could be not only be improved by at least three folds, but will also significantly reduce long term construction costs. The Rubicon Tool box was used to also describe permanent-deformation behavior of such pavement.
EVALUATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON RUNOFF IN THE KAINJI LAKE BASIN USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK MODEL (ANN)
Authors: Salami Adebayo Wahab , Mohammed Apalando Abdulrasaq , Okeola Olayinka Gafar
Published: July 2024

This paper presents an evaluation of the impacts of climate change on the runoff in the Kainji Lake basin. Hydro-meteorological data used include the minimum and maximum temperature, evaporation, precipitation, runoff and water level were subjected to artificial neural network (ANN) model. The model results revealed a positive relationship between the actual and forecasted runoff for all the selected locations and their correlation coefficient of 0.62, 0.57, 0.55 and 0.57 for Lokoja, Kaiji, Baro and Idah respectively. Runoff values were predicted for the stations and the mean annual predicted runoff were subjected to trend analysis in order to determine their variation. The percentage variations are estimated as -9.75%, +4.58%, -12.07% and - 6.48% for Lokoja, Kainji, Idah and Baro respectively. The trend analysis indicated that the runoff at Lokoja, Baro and Idah are negative while that of Kainji exhibit positive trend. This implies that there is tendency for runoff to decrease at Lokoja, Baro and Idah stations while increases at Kainji. The study revealed that climate change has positive impact on the reservoir inflow at Kainji damand subsequently assure more water for hydropower generation.
MODELING SEWERAGE OVERFLOW IN AN URBAN RESIDENTIAL AREA USING STORM WATER MANAGEMENT MODEL
Authors: A. Obaid Hussein , Shahid Shamsuddin , K.N. Basim K.N. Basim , Shreeshivadasan Chelliapan
Published: July 2024

Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is used in this study for simulating rainfall driven flow in a sewer system that can cause overflow in sewer networks. The simulation is carried out in a residential area located in the Karbala city of Iraq where storm water network is not fully developed. The study reveals that severe rainfall events cause sewer overflow and surface inundation in the area. A number of measures have been proposed including capacity improvement of sewer system, reduction of discharge peak and reduction of exfiltration as a countermeasure to solve the inundation problem. It is expected that the study will help in operational management of the sewerage system and mitigate the flooding problem.
POINT LOAD TESTING OF FLEXURAL BEHAVIOR OF SEGMENTED TUNNEL LINING
Authors: Jusoh Siti Norafida , Mohamad Hisham , Marto Aminaton , Mohd Yunus Nor Zurairahetty
Published: July 2024

In tunnel, design of precast tunnel lining are not merely about the strength, but how much its allow to move to account the deflection comes from movement of surrounding soil and load. Thus, the design of tunnel lining is not straight forward. Understanding the flexural behavior of segmented lining is a bonus to optimize design lining in cost effective way. Tunnel lining are designed in segment and have joint that allows tunnel to become flexural and allow deformation taken by the lining load carrying capacity. The objective of this paper is to present some of the research works on segmented tunnel lining conducted in the laboratory. A series of laboratory testing of point load test have been developed to imitate behavior of segmental tunnel lining condition in real. Two types of support system were introduced namely pin-pin and pinroller condition to imitate both rigid and hinge condition of lining. Support mechanisms of pinroller support condition shows variation trend in stress-strain and moment readings and meanwhile for pin-pin it show mirror trend for both result. High stiffness of lining is important at the edge of segment.
MAXIMUM SCOUR DEPTH AT SUBMERGED SKEWED BRIDGE AND PIER
Authors: Farhangi Amirsaeed , Ali Thamer Ahmad Mohammad , Ghazali Abdul Halim , Yusuf Badronnisa
Published: July 2024

Maximum local scour depth around pier due to the submerged skewed bridge along with its rectangular pier under clear water condition has been experimentally studied. In present study, twenty four tests were carried out including; six various aligned bridge models with the different angles such as; 0, 5, 10, 15, 22.5 and 30 degree to the presumptive perpendicular line to the flume wall under two flow types of fully and partially submerged bridge above two different median sizes of uniform sediments. However, in the present study, aligned factor in pressure flow is experimentally evaluated, its results are much less than aligned factor in free flow in the same ratio of rectangular pier length to the pier width. Also, the relationship between dependent and independent variables firstly was determined. Thereafter, an equation was acceptably proposed by using dimensional analysis, collected data and multiple linear regressions.
DEVELOPMENT OF A MICROSCOPIC TRAFFIC SIMULATION FOR DESIGN AND OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS OF TOLL STATIONS
Authors: T. Abdelwahab Hassan
Published: July 2024

Highway toll stations constitute a unique type of transportation system that requires special analysis. Tolls are used as an instrument to finance new road infrastructure throughout the world and collection have become an industry of its own. Modeling toll stations for design, assessment, and traffic operational purposes is a very demanding task as a result of the drivers' complex lane selection behavior and their interaction with other factors such as payment options, queue lengths, and toll station configuration. The objective of this paper is to develop a microscopic traffic simulation model for design, assessment, and operational analysis of toll stations. The model incorporates the stochastic nature of traffic arrival, toll collection time, and driver decision making. The developed simulation model was used to analyze 750 different scenarios of traffic volumes, toll booth capacity, driver types, and configuration of toll station. Recommendations on number of toll booths are presented in order to process peak traffic hours without excessive delay times or long queues. Results showed that at traffic volume equals 2,000 vehicles per hours and more than 50% cash as the means of payment, the number of toll booths should be around 6 to 10. Whereas for traffic volume equals 4,000 vehicles per hours, the number of toll booths should be around 14 to 18.
ANALYTICAL STUDY OF NATURAL DRAUGHT COOLING TOWER ON VERTICAL PILES USING FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
Authors: Krishna N.V.Vamsee , Mohana Rao K. Rama
Published: July 2024

The study aimed to analyse the behavior of natural draught cooling tower (NDCT) resting on a vertical pile foundation specifically focusing on prevailing soil conditions in the coastal areas. 27 different cases of shell thickness variation models are studied. The study adopted FEM analysis of NDCT and its foundation as a composite model which also facilitate to study the impact of providing a vertical pile foundation on the behavior of NDCT super structure. Results demonstrated that the reactions on all the piles are within the allowable pile capacities in all cases 1 to 27. In addition, our arc over which lift occurs in the foundation was 0Âº.The pile support reactions indicate that the horizontal loads on all the piles are varying based on the loads from the superstructure and when the NDCT super structure and its foundation were analysed with composite model.Maximum displacement of the shell and pile forces are reducing by increasing the top level of bottom ring beam.Further, our paper did show the deflection profile and pile reaction variation profile closer to realistic/actual behavior of NDCT than a conventional model.Therefore, the methodology adopted in this paper to study the behavior of 3D modeling of NDCT and its foundation could able to predict the dynamic responses of wind structure. From the results of the study it was established that in coastal areas NDCT can be supported on simple vertical piles instead of conventional raker piles. Further the study also identified optimum shell thickness profiles to be adopted to obtain the optimum foundation and the superstable structure for NDCT resting on vertical pile foundation.
PERFORMANCE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE HOSPITAL BUILDING SUBJECTED TO EARTHQUAKE USING BASE-ISOLATION SYSTEM
Authors: Hasan Md. Abul
Published: July 2024

The frequent occurrence of earthquake in the Bangladesh and up-gradation of seismic design code (BNBC-1993) has heightened the need for investigation of seismic performance of existing lifeline structure specially hospital building. The objective of this study is to evaluate seismic capacity and corresponding improvement of an existing hospital building (Ancillary Building) of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH). For this purpose, a three dimension (3-D) numerical model of Ancillary Building (AB) of CMCH was developed using SAP 2000 finite element program. A non-linear static analysis was performed to determine seismic capacity of the building model. The result indicates the seismic capacity of the hospital building is sufficient to mitigate the seismic demand according to BNBC-1993, whereas the seismic capacity is found insufficient as per revised BNBC. To reduce the seismic effect on AB, base-isolation devices have been designed and were used as link element to the numerical model. The application of base-isolation devices as a retrofitting strategy makes the considered hospital building safer for seismic excitation suggested in revised BNBC.
PREDICTION OF SOAKED CBR USING INDEX PROPERTIES, DRY DENSITY AND UNSOAKED CBR OF LEAN CLAY
Authors: Ahmed Sheikh Shahriar , Hossain Nusaeir , Khan Abdul Jabbar , Islam Mohammad Shariful
Published: July 2024

Load bearing capacity of subgrade soil is of great importance to the integrity of pavement. Soaked CBR of subgrade soil is used as a design parameter for determining the total thickness of a pavement for an estimated ESAL. However, determination of soaked CBR values for pavement design involves soaking a large number of representative soil samples for four days. This is both time consuming and economically discouraging. Establishment of mathematical models for determining soaked CBR values for different types of soils using their index properties, dry densities and unsoaked CBR values is likely to aid design more quickly. With this background in mind, in this study soil samples were collected from sub-grade of an existing flexible pavement in Savar Cantonment Area, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The soil samples were then tested and the index properties were determined. The tested soil samples were identified as Lean Clay and CBR test was performed both in soaked and unsoaked conditions at different densities. The test results of the sample soil have led to the formulation of three empirical equations for predicting soaked CBR values. Index properties of soil from grain size analysis, Atterberg limits test and compaction characteristics from CBR test are used in the first equation to predict soaked CBR value of this lean clay soil. The second equation relates dry density with soaked CBR whereas the third equation relates unsoaked CBR with soaked CBR values for a varying range of dry densities. These equations may be used to predict soaked CBR value where the sub-grade consists of Lean Clay.
DETERMINISTIC SEISMIC HAZARD ANALYSIS OF AMBIKAPUR DISTRICT HEADQUARTER OF CHHATTISGARH STATE [INDIA]
Authors: Parashar Ashish Kumar , Atmapoojya Sohanlal , S.S. Rathore S.S. Rathore
Published: July 2024

Seismic hazard analysis, an approach to get an estimate of the strong ground-motions at any particular site, is mainly intended for earthquake resistant designs or for seismic safety assessments. The hazard analysis usually attempts to analyze two different kinds of anticipated ground motions, â€œThe Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysisâ€ (PSHA) and â€œThe Deterministic Seismic Hazard Analysisâ€ (DSHA). A sincere effort is made herein to perform seismic hazard analysis for Ambikapur District of Chattisgarh state using a Deterministic approach. The study broadly consists of two parts, the first part basically gives a detailed overview of the seismicity of the region and identification of various faults existing within the district with all their particulars and the second part includes DSHA analysis for the same. An effort was made to compile the occurrence of past and recent seismic activities within 300 km radius, around the District Headquarter Ambikapur. The main benchmark and indicator that needs to be involved in carrying out the hazard analysis which is the correctness and completeness of the data was attained to the utmost. The knowledge presented in this paper helps in evaluating the seismicity of the region around, District Headquarter Ambikapur after statistical analysis of the database. Finally the results are furnished in the form of peak ground acceleration (PGA) which can be used directly by engineers as fundamental considerations, for generating earthquake-resistant design of structures in and around District Headquarter Ambikapur.
PHYSICAL MODELLING OF LOCAL SCOUR AROUND BRIDGE PIER
Authors: Tabarestani Mojtaba Karimaee , Salamatian S. Amin
Published: July 2024

Accurate estimation of local scour around bridge pier is important for economic and safe design of bridges. Due to the complexity of the phenomenon and weak relationship between laboratory and field data, the conventional method such as laboratory-derived equations may fail in determining the accurate scour depth. In the present study, a new method was developed to determine the temporal variation of scour depth and final scour extension around bridge pier. Accordingly, using the rules of physical modelling for rivers, a simple method was established for physical modelling of local scour around bridge pier. To demonstrate the accuracy of the method, a typical prototype was chosen and the method was applied for determining different dimensions of the model. Based on the sediment density scale, low density sediment with Ïs=1.05 kg/m3 was considered in the model for scour experiment. The results of the experiment including temporal variation of scour depth, equilibrium time and scour depth and final extension of scour hole were then scaled up to the prototype. Finally, empirical equations were utilized to predict maximum scour depth for the typical prototype. Results showed that the value of equilibrium scour depth from the present method was in the range of empirical equations prediction.
EROSION CHARACTERISTICS OF A MEDIUM SAND BREACHED EMBANKMENT
Authors: Yusof Zainab Mohamed , Hamzah Syura Fazreen , Amerudin Shahabuddin
Published: July 2024

Embankment breaching dam studies have been carried out since 1980s and researchers who carried out physical experiments have contributed the understanding in the breaching process. This includes lacking in data and understanding in upgrading the breach models. Therefore, this study is to analyse erosion characteristics of a medium sand of embankment breaching due to overtopping and to produce the breached outflow hydrographs for different inflow rates. Parameters such as sediment sizes, embankment slope and inflow rates were applied to examine the effects of breach parameters towards the breaching process. Experimental works on the breaching embankment were conducted to collect data needed and a dimensional analysis was proposed to get relationship of the dominant parameters that affect the failure of the embankment. The result obtained was presented in hydrographs analysis and a combination of dimensionless group of breached erosion. The finding concluded that the finer sediment produces higher peak outflow compared to a medium sediment size and controlling parameters such as particle diameter, d50, velocity, ub, and water density, Ïw are the significant parameters that affect the process of embankment breached. It also observed that the velocity after the breaching process increases once the water flow through an embankment dam and it started to decrease after passing through the middle of embankment due to the large surface area.
EFFECTS OF PALM OIL CLINKER AS COARSE AGGREGATES REPLACEMENT IN SELF CURING CONCRETE
Authors: Mohd.Sam Abdul Rahman , Mohamed Azman , Abd Khalid Nur Hafizah , Abd Kadir Mariyana Aida , Abdul Shukor Lim Nor Hasanah , Sulaiman Muhd Fauzy
Published: July 2024

Concrete, if properly design, can be one of the most durable material and widely used in construction due to its availability and good compressive strength. A good quality concrete can be produced not only through good design of concrete mix proportions but also good and proper curing process that ensure a complete hydration process of the cement. However, sometimes proper curing process was not provided during concreting on site due to various reasons. This study investigates the effects of 10 mm crushed Palm Oil Clinker (POC) as partial aggregates replacement to act as internal reservoirs in concrete to provide internal curing process of cement. This process or technique is also popularly known as self-curing process for concrete. The POC which has the density of 780 kg/m3 was used to replace 20% of the coarse aggregates. A water/cement ratio of 0.53 was used in the concrete mix design. Three different curing conditions were employed, namely, normal water curing, air curing and 7 days in water plus outside curing conditions. The workability of the POC and control concretes was determined through slump test. The concrete samples were tested for compression at the age of 3, 7 and 28 days while concrete prisms and cylindrical samples were tested at the age of 7 and 28 days. The experimental results show that the inclusion of POC was found to increase the workability of concrete by 27% but reduced the concrete compressive strength by about 6% compared with the control concrete. In addition, the flexural and tensile strengths of POC concrete were found to be less than the control concrete due to the properties of the POC which was lightweight and porous. The experimental results show that the porous structure of the POC aggregates can be utilised as water reservoir for the process of internal curing for the self-curing concrete.
BOND DURABILITY OF STEEL PLATE TO CONCRETE PRISM USING STRUCTURAL ADHESIVES AFTER EXPOSURE TO 7-YEARS IN LABORATORY ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Mokhtar Nor Izzah , Abu Hassan Shukur , Mohd. Sam Abdul Rahman , Ahmad Yusof , Omar Balqis , Abd Kader Ab Saman
Published: July 2024

Structural integrity and durability has long been an area of study that is critical in order to ensure structures such as buildings, bridges etc. are safe enough to stand erected for many years. The technique of bonding steel plates to the surface of concrete using epoxy adhesives system has been used on a number of structures throughout the world to enhance load transferring capability. Deterioration in strength of concrete structures due to corrosion of steel can cause premature failure in existing structures or buildings. The objective of this study is to investigate the bond performance of steel to concrete using structural epoxy system. The sample at hand was prepared and left exposed for 7 years under normal ambient laboratory environments. This study focused on the outcome of bond performances of the bonded steel plate to concrete prism under pull out load. The sample (SPECS-7) that used in this study is approximately 7 years old with the steel plates surfaces was corroded and being compared with sample (SPECS-1) tested in 2008. The maximum load and maximum extension recorded at failure by sample SPECS-7 is 76.85kN and 3.04 mm at 181.8s which shows a decrease by 7 kN or 8% and 5.70 mm to 3.04 mm or 46% compared with sample SPECS-1 respectively. The extension comparison with SPEC-1 shows a reduction from 5.70 mm to 3.04 mm which is about 46 % less. There was significant amount of corrosion developed over the years which does not show to have affected the overall performance of the bonded system. Nevertheless, there was on average a small increase in bond strength with time although the controlled sample failed at a marginally lower load
LIFETIME EXTENSION OF AGEING OFFSHORE STRUCTURES BY GLOBAL ULTIMATE STRENGTH ASSESSMENT (GUSA)
Authors: Mat Soom Ezanizam , Abu Husain Mohd Khairi , Mohd Zaki Noor Irza , Kamal M Nor M Nasrul , Najafian G.
Published: July 2024

Malaysia is the second largest oil and gas producer in Southeast Asia. Majority ofjacket platforms in Malaysia have exceeded their design life with various types of underwaterstructure irregularities. Therefore, it is essential to address the reliability of the jacket platformsin Malaysia due to ageing, increasing environmental loading and demand to prolong theproduction for a further 25 years. The main purpose of this analyses is to determine thestructureâ€™s risk level over its remaining service life which is a vital information in managingageing facilities to cater for the demand of continuous production. Global Ultimate StrengthAssessment (GUSA) methodology was used to support detailed reassessment applied inmanaging safety, integrity analyses and reliability by evaluating the existing platformâ€™s loading.It is a tool for high-end analysis of structures for Risk-based Assessment (RBA). In this paper,the reassessment of an ageing platform over 30-year-old, still in production is presented todemonstrate GUSA capability to perform the platformâ€™s life extension evaluation. The outcomefrom these analyses can effectively assist in understanding the structure platformâ€™s failuremechanism and correctly identify mitigation actions required. As part of the analyses, non-linearanalysis and probabilistic model as practiced in the industry were used in order to get ReserveStrength Ratio (RSR) and Annual Probability of Failure (POF) results. The accuracy andcomprehensiveness of this method will assist the industry, especially oil and gas fieldsâ€™ operators,in decision-making, specifically in identifying problem-oriented-solutions as part of theirbusiness risk management in managing ageing facilities.
BIVARIATE FLOOD FREQUENCY ANALYSIS USING GUMBEL COPULA
Authors: Ismail Tarmizi , Ahmed Kamal , Alamgir Mahiuddin , Noor Kakar Mohammad , Fadzil Abu Bakar
Published: July 2024

A copula based methodology is presented in this study for bivariate flood frequency analysis over a station over a Kelantan river basin located in Northeast Malaysia. The joint dependence structures of three flood characteristics, namely, peak flow, flood volume and flood duration were modelled using Gumble Copula. Various univariate distribution functions of flood variables were fitted with observed flood variables to find the best distributions (eg. generalized pareto, log-normal, exponential, gamma distribution, weibull, gumbel, cauchy). The results of study revealed that different variable fits with different distributions and the correlation analysis among variables showed a strong association. Cumulative joint distribution functions (CDF) of peakflow and volume, peakflow and duration and volume and duration revealed that return period of joint return periods are much higher.
BUBNOV-GALERKIN METHOD FOR THE ELASTIC BUCKLING OF EULER COLUMNS
Authors: I.O. Ofondu , E. U Ikwueze , C. C. Ike
Published: July 2024

In this work the Bubnov-Galerkin variational method was applied to determine the critical buckling load for the elastic buckling of columns with fixed-pinned ends. Coordinate shape functions for Euler column with fixed-pinned ends are used in the Bubnov-Galerkin variational integral equation to obtain the unknown parameters. One parameter and two parameter shape functions were used. In each case, the Bubnov-Galerkin method reduced the boundary value problem to an algebraic eigen-value problem. The solution of the characteristic homogeneous equations yielded the buckling loads. One parameter coordinate shape function yielded relative error of 4% compared with the exact solution. Two parameter coordinate shape function gave a relative error of 0.77%, which is negligible.
EFFECT OF SYNTHETIC DRILL CUTTINGS ON MORTAR PROPERTIES
Authors: H. Almabrok Magdi , G. McLaughlan Robert , Vessalas Kirk
Published: July 2024

Drill cuttings from oil exploration are recognised as a major environmental concern. Current cost-effective treatment technologies often involve sending treated products to landfill without any potential end-use thereby rendering these solutions unsustainable. There is potential for using drill cuttings comprising of oily, saline and clayey waste materials as fine aggregate replacements in structural concretes requiring characteristic compressive strength from 20-32 MPa. Research into the hydration process as well as evaluating the fresh and hardened properties of mortars incorporating synthetic drill cuttings were undertaken. Replacement of sand by synthetic drill cuttings (up to 25% by weight) produced mortar with accelerated hydration as well as reduced flow and density. In addition, the 28-day compressive strength of mortar incorporating synthetic drill cuttings decreased by up to 50%. Satisfactory strength for all sand replacement levels evaluated in mortars was still attainable for reuse of these synthetic of drill cuttings as fine aggregate replacements in structural concretes.
AN OVERVIEW OF ARC/lNFO A TOOL.BOX APPROACHED GIS
Authors: Mohamed A. Hamid
Published: July 2024

ARC/INFO is an integrated system in which database and graphics are combined together in onc system, and the relationship between them is mainlained. In the graphics section. geographical data can be processed in several modules which have different roles. This means that ARC/INFO splits its GIS functions (tools) in several places which intersupport each other. This new method of data handling and manipulating is known as a tool-box approach. The purpose of this article is to investigate the capability and suitability of ARC/INFO and the significance of the tool-box approach in order to provide a very outstanding system to fulfill the user's ever changing needs.
O Federalismo e a Difusão de Políticas Públicas de Acessibilidade e Inclusão nas Constituições Estaduais Brasileiras
Authors: Silva Filho Fernando Luís Barroso da , Martinez Victor Dantas de Maio , Morilas Luciana Romano
Published: July 2024

Este artigo analisa o federalismo brasileiro quanto à constitucionalização de políticas públicas de acessibilidade e inclusão, bem como fornece uma base de dados empírica sobre sua difusão em constituições estaduais, a fim de estimular as pesquisas sobre o constitucionalismo estadual e os direitos das pessoas com deficiência. Para tanto, realizou-se uma pesquisa empírica, de cunho comparativo, para estudar a difusão de normas constitucionais de acessibilidade e inclusão, perpassando aspectos quantitativos e qualitativos, sobre o conteúdo da Constituição Federal, das Constituições dos Estados-membros e a Lei Orgânica do Distrito Federal. Em termos de extensão, as Constituições Estaduais tendem a possuir mais dispositivos normativos do que a Constituição Federal. Porém, em termos de quantidade de caracteres por dispositivo, a Constituição Federal aparece em primeiro lugar. Em termos qualitativos, identificou-se que os Estados que deram tratamento especial a esses direitos, criando seções, capítulos ou títulos específicos, em média, fizeram emendas mais rapidamente do que os outros Estados, sugerindo relação entre a especialização do tratamento e o efetivo exercício do poder constituinte decorrente. A atividade legislativa estadual referente a tais normas independe de a população de pessoas com deficiência ser significativa no território do Estado, indicando que a preocupação com a tutela desses direitos não está ligada a uma ideia utilitarista da positivação da norma. Por fim, a disponibilização da base empírica de dados pode fomentar pesquisas futuras, como estabelecer conexões temporais sobre o status da norma, respondendo à pergunta se ela já surge constitucional ou se é constitucionalizada a posteriori.
Ordenamento Jurídico Italiano enquanto Laboratório de Combate aos Movimentos Neofascistas: Experiências na Construção Mecanismos de Proteção da Ordem Democrática (1948-2023)
Authors: Dal Ri Jr. Arno
Published: July 2024

Manifestações que reúnem elementos que constituem o crime de “apologia ao fascismo” previsto no interior do ordenamento jurídico italiano têm sido realizadas com cada vez mais frequência nas cidades da velha península. De modo indireto, por meio da proibição de condutas visando a reorganização do partido fascista presente na XII Disposição Transitória da Constituição da República Italiana, promulgada em 1. de janeiro de 1948, a criminalização de tais condutas – que podem representar também um atentado contra a ordem democrática e o Estado de Direito –, é objeto de análise nesse artigo. A proposta é de verificar os contornos nos quais foi originalmente concebido tal crime e o sucessivo processo de expansão do enquadramento penal dado às condutas que formam o núcleo duro da expressão “apologia ao fascismo” a partir da promulgação da Constituição de 1948. Para isso, a análise vai percorrer os itinerários normativos e jurisprudenciais que as instituições da República Italiana elaboraram nos últimos 75 anos – assim como, subsidiariamente examinar o impacto desses na imprensa local e europeia –, no intuito de gerar os pressupostos e consolidar a aplicação de mecanismos de combate aos movimentos neofascistas e de defesa do sistema democrático.
Constitución Y Realidad: Un Problema Capital
Authors: Ferreyra Raúl Gustavo
Published: July 2024

La Constitución es un objeto complejo que se encuentra en el mundo y que posee cuatro piezas: composición, entorno, mecanismos y estructura. Al tratarse de un instrumento eminentemente normativo presenta una suerte de doble rostro: los problemas relacionados con la existencia de las reglas y los problemas vinculados con la eficacia de las mismas. La naturaleza y alcance de esos problemas, es decir, entre la normatividad y la facticidad de la Constitución ya fueron alertados desde fines del siglo XVIII, con menciones en el siglo anterior. Los estudios se mantuvieron desde entonces y hasta la actualidad y son una preocupación constante de la teoría constitucional, universal o particular. Por tales razones, la fuerza normativa de la Constitución constituye una afirmación elemental, en tanto todas las realizaciones antinormativas llevadas a cabo, en especial, por los servidores públicos, deberían carecer de existencia. Afirmar, pues, la fuerza normativa de la Constitución significa que hay un Derecho positivo de la Constitución que ha sido creado para ser cumplido y una conciencia de una ciudadanía que desea y aspirar a vivir y coexistir con base en reglas de Derecho.
Protestas y estallidos sociales: representaciones mediáticas, discursos, derecho a la información y nuevas formas de expresión ciudadana
Authors:   Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Published: July 2024

La Catedra XXVIII Cátedra Unesco de Comunicación se caracterizó por la oportunidad de abordar temas en plena coyuntura del estallido social, cuando el descontento posibilitó abrir el debate en torno a los sucesos que cambiaban el tono de lo que sucedía en la calle, y la manera como los medios comerciales lo contaban de manera tergiversada y sesgada. Fue evidente cómo, gracias a esta diferencia, se abrían nuevos discursos, se amplificaban las voces a través de otros medios, así como desde las redes de información y comunicación. Al tiempo, se recuperaba la memoria desde los más diversos rincones, para evitar que se tergiverse cuando se teje como memoria viva, y evitar así que paso del tiempo la desvirtúe. Con gran éxito tanto en asistencia como en calidad de contenidos, invitados y gestión, finalizó la XXVIII Cátedra Unesco de Comunicación. Fue un trabajo colaborativo y participativo. Gracias a tod@s por la contribución desde cada una de sus especificidades. Armamos un rompecabezas para analizar, debatir e interpretar las protestas, los estallidos sociales y las nuevas formas de expresión ciudadana. Las movilizaciones sociales “no tienen, sin embargo, una direccionalidad única, ni un solo punto de llegada, vuelven a poner de relieve las tensiones entre desigualdades y democracia, reflejan diferentes modos de canalizar ese malestar, nos hablan de las promesas incumplidas de la transición democrática” (Murillo, 2021). Las movilizaciones de la sociedad y las diversas formas de protesta social, son modos de ejercer la libertad de expresión, de pensamiento, en el marco del derecho a la información, la comunicación y la libertad de prensa. En Colombia son un derecho fundamental, consagrado en el artículo 37 de la Constitución Política. Son un instrumento constitucionalmente legítimo de reivindicación de los derechos humanos siempre y cuando se desarrolle de manera pacífica y empleando diversos modos de expresión y comunicación ciudadana (Pereira y Sabbagh, 2023).
Data Privacy Preserving for Centralized Robotic Fault Diagnosis With Modified Dataset Distillation
Authors: Wang Tao , Huang Yu , Liu Ying , Chen Chong
Published: July 2024

Industrial robots generate monitoring data rich in sensitive information, often making enterprises reluctant to share, which impedes the use of data in fault diagnosis modeling. Dataset distillation (DD) is an effective approach to condense large dataset into smaller, synthesized forms, focusing solely on fault-related features, which facilitates secure and efficient data transfer for diagnostic purposes. However, the challenge of achieving satisfactory fault diagnosis accuracy with distilled data stems from the computational complexity in data distillation process. To address this problem, this article proposes a modified KernelWarehouse (MKW) network-based DD method to achieve accurate fault diagnosis with the distilled dataset. In this algorithm, DD first generates distilled training and testing dataset, followed by the training of an MKW-based network based on these distilled datasets. Specifically, MKW reduces network complexity through the division of static kernels into disjoint kernel cells, which are then computed as linear mixtures from a shared warehouse. An experimental study based on the real-world robotic dataset reveals the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method can achieve a fault diagnosis accuracy of 86.3% when only trained with distilled data.
Using deep learning to improve the intelligibility of a target speaker in noisy multi-talker environments for people with normal hearing and hearing loss
Authors: Thoidis Iordanis , Goehring Tobias
Published: July 2024

Understanding speech in noisy environments is a challenging task, especially in communication situations with several competing speakers. Despite their ongoing improvement, assistive listening devices and speech processing approaches still do not perform well enough in noisy multi-talker environments, as they may fail to restore the intelligibility of a speaker of interest among competing sound sources. In this study, a quasi-causal deep learning algorithm was developed that can extract the voice of a target speaker, as indicated by a short enrollment utterance, from a mixture of multiple concurrent speakers in background noise. Objective evaluation with computational metrics demonstrated that the speaker-informed algorithm successfully extracts the target speaker from noisy multi-talker mixtures. This was achieved using a single algorithm that generalized to unseen speakers, different numbers of speakers and relative speaker levels, and different speech corpora. Double-blind sentence recognition tests on mixtures of one, two, and three speakers in restaurant noise were conducted with listeners with normal hearing and listeners with hearing loss. Results indicated significant intelligibility improvements with the speaker-informed algorithm of 17% and 31% for people without and with hearing loss, respectively. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that deep learning-based speaker extraction can enhance speech intelligibility in noisy multi-talker environments where uninformed speech enhancement methods fail.
Associations of Cognitively Active Versus Passive Sedentary Behaviors and Cognition in Older Adults
Authors: Wingood Mariana , Gell Nancy M. , Rosenberg Dori E. , Stoddard Gregory J. , Bouldin Erin D.
Published: July 2024

Background: Cognitively stimulating sedentary behavior (SB) may positively impact cognition. This study aimed to (1) describe participation across types of SB among older adults with and without cognitive impairment and (2) examine how baseline SB participation impacts cognition, longitudinally. Methods: We used National Health and Aging Trends Study data from rounds 6 to 11 for cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Participants were 2244 community-dwelling older adults who were selected for the SB module in round 6. The SBs were categorized as active (eg, hobbies) and passive (eg, television). Participants were also categorized as having intact or impaired orientation, memory, and executive function based on tests of orientation, recall, and the clock-drawing test. We calculated descriptive statistics characterizing SB by cognitive status. Aim 2 involved competing risks proportional hazard models of participants with intact cognition (n = 1574) to identify associations between baseline SB and changes in cognition, moves to institutional care, and death over 6 years. Results: Participants (40% ≥ 80 years, 55% female, 77% White non-Hispanic) averaged 8.75 (SD = 4.42) hours of daily SB, including 4.05 (SD = 2.32) hours of passive SB and 4.75 (SD = 3.13) hours of active SB. Active SB >3 hours per day was associated with a lower risk of impaired orientation (subdistribution hazard models = 0.60; P = .048) and memory (subdistribution hazard models = 0.62; P = .02). Baseline participation in passive SB did not impact the risk of having a change in cognition during rounds 7 to 11. Conclusion: Cognitive decline was lower among older adults who participated in more active SB. Thus, type of SB should be considered in examining the impact on cognition.
Chrom-seq identifies RNAs at chromatin marks
Authors: Fan Ligang , Sun Wei , Lyu Yitong , Ju Furong , Sun Wenju , Chen Jie , Ma Haiqian , Yang Shifei , Zhou Xiaomin , Wu Nan , Yi Wenkai , Chen Erfei , Villaseñor Rodrigo , Baubec Tuncay , Yan Jian
Published: July 2024

Chromatin marks are associated with transcriptional regulatory activities. However, very few lncRNAs have been characterized with the role in regulating epigenetic marks, largely due to the technical difficulty in identifying chromatin-associating RNA. Current methods are largely limited by the availability of ChIP-grade antibody and the crosslinking, which generates high noise. Here, we developed a method termed Chrom-seq to efficiently capture RNAs associated with various chromatin marks in living cells. Chrom-seq jointly applies highly specific chromatin mark reader with APEX2, which catalyzes the oxidation of biotin-aniline to label the adjacent RNAs for isolation by streptavidin-coated beads. Using the readers of mCBX7/dPC, mCBX1, and mTAF3, we detected RNA species significantly associated with H3K27me3, H3K9me3, and H3K4me3, respectively. We demonstrated that Chrom-seq outperformed other equivalent methods in terms of sensitivity, efficiency, and cost of practice. It provides an antibody-free approach to systematically map RNAs at chromatin marks with potential regulatory roles in epigenetic events.