bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compressed rectangular plates stability beyond the elastic limit
Authors: Mavlonov T , Yuldoshev B , Ismayilov K , Toshev S
Published: July 2020

The paper provides a detailed analysis of the methods for calculating the thin-walled structure stability under static and dynamic loads, and the results of well-known studies related to assessing the stability of thin-walled structures. The paper gives a methodology for assessing the thin-walled structure stability and the analysis of stability loss of rectangular plates beyond the elasticity of the material. The stability loss of rectangular plates beyond the elastic limit of the material is investigated in the paper. A formula is proposed for determining the longitudinal forces in a plate under a state of infinitely small bending. An analytical formula is given to assess stability for the case of a hinged supported rectangular plate compressed in two directions beyond the elastic limit at various widths (b)-thickness (h) ratios of the plate. The proposed diagram of the plate material strain is in good agreement with the Berlin – Dahlem experimental diagram. It was stated that under linear hardening of the material, a square plate of flexibility b/h ≥ 20, loses its stability within the yield strength. Beyond the yield strength, flexibility b/h < 5 corresponds to stability loss.
Physical and mechanical properties of Portland cement clinkers from raw materials of Karakalpakstan
Authors: Orazimbetova G , Namazov Sh , Iskandarova M , Sapaev J , Qobulova L
Published: July 2020

In this article, the development of a technology for the production of clinkers and cements based on them using previously unexplored alternative sources of local raw materials in Karakalpakstan is studied, is an effective solution to the problem of covering the cement industry’s construction industry needs. Development of practical recommendations on the technology for obtaining Portland cement clinkers and cements based on the raw materials of Karakalpakstan. The study of the chemical and mineralogical composition of the raw materials of Karakalpakstan with the aim of their application to obtain high-quality clinkers and cements based on them. For raw mixes, which include limestone from the Dzhamansay-2 deposit, the clay component of the Berkuttau site, an iron-containing cinder from Almalyk mining-and-metallurgical integrated works, and gypsum stone from the Northern Dzhamansay deposit, the optimal firing temperature is 1450 ° C, which corresponds to the classical temperature index Portland cement clinker production. Raw mixtures based on the tested raw materials are highly reactive. When firing two-component feed mixtures using limestone of the Dzhamansay-2 deposit and basalt rock of the Berkuttau section, the optimum clinker sintering interval is 1400-1420 ° C;. Physical and mechanical tests have established that, on the basis of the tested raw materials (limestone of the Dzhamansay-2 deposit, the clay component of the Northern Dzhamansay deposit, the basaltic rock of the Berkuttau site and iron-containing additives), clinkers can be produced for general construction and sulfate-resistant cement grades of at least “400”, according to technological indicators fully meeting the requirements of State standard 10178; State standard 30515 and State standard 222 66.
Underground pipeline damping from the action of rayleigh waves
Authors: Abduvaliev A , Abdulkhayzoda A
Published: July 2020

The question of the depth of laying occupies a special place in the seismic protection of underground structures. With a seismic shock, different waves appear in the ground. Upon impact on the surface of the half-space, surface waves arise that have a destructive force for underground structures. Waves with longitudinal and transverse components of displacement, called Rayleigh waves, can occur on the surface. Rayleigh waves have a maximum effect on the surface and quickly fade with depth. To protect against the action of such waves, underground structures are laid deep on the ground. Reducing the depth of laying allows you to reduce costs and facilitates the maintenance of the structure. It will be possible to reduce the influence of Rayleigh waves at a shallower depth using dynamic dampers installed on the structure. The analysis of the work of a dynamic damper to reduce the displacement of an underground cylindrical structure allows us to conclude that the damping effect can be achieved both in terms of displacement amplitude and in the frequency zone width.
Analysis the results of calculating the monolithic wall in the soil with anchor fastening without distribution beams based on the solution the spatial problem with various topology the element of fencing
Authors: Znamenskiy V , Morozov E , Chunyuk D , Pekin D
Published: July 2020

The article analyzed the results of the calculation of the monolithic trench “wall in soil” (WIS) with fastening attachment anchors without the use of distribution beams based on solving a spatial problem with the different topology of the fence elements. In practice, when solving such problems in a flat arrangement, it is assumed that the WIS is a solid construction in the longitudinal direction, vertical concreting joints are not taken into account, formed between grabs, rupture along horizontal longitudinal reinforcement between adjacent spatial frames, reduction of the rigidity of the WIS structure due to the formation and opening cracks in two directions, as well as inelastic operation of the compressed zone concrete. Analysis of stress-strain state (SSS) of the fence construction structure based on the results of spatial calculation with different topology (flat and volumetric) of finite elements (FE) showed the need to correct the calculation methodology. Based on the results of the calculations, it was found that the values of internal forces in the design obtained using flat FE are significantly overestimated. Based on the numerical method of studies, recommendations on the selection of the design scheme of the monolithic reinforced concrete structure of the pit’s fence are proposed and the calculation methodology is corrected. The subject of the study, the results of which are presented in this article, was the specifics of the operation and calculation of the WIS with anchor attachment without distribution beams and the analysis of the calculation results based on the solution of the spatial problem with different topology (flat and volume) of the FE structure of the fence.
The rationale for taking into account the organizational features of work in the winter when designing
Authors: Zhuravlev P , Marukyan A , Markova I , Khidirov S , Nazarov B
Published: July 2020

The article analyses regulatory and technical documents that regulate the organizational and technological features of building production and establish the requirements for additional resource supply when developing a design and estimate documentation, depending on various climatic conditions of the winter period. Based on the assessment of the initial conditions, as well as the complicating factors of the production of works, taken into account as part of the current standards for winter appreciation, additional resource support for the production of work in the winter is justified. Additional resource support during winter work in areas exposed to winds with a speed of more than 10 m/s, as well as temporary heating and accelerated drying (outside the heating period) to eliminate the increased humidity of structures or work surfaces in the manufacture of finishing and other special works.
Mobile expandable polystyrene road structure production complex
Authors: Filippov D , Yermoshin N , Bukatov D , Biryukov O , Tsyba A
Published: July 2020

The article addresses the plan of development of a mobile expandable polystyrene road structure production complex. The proposed solution could be used for the organization of rapid repairs of roads and highways, eliminating the negative effects caused by natural disasters and other emergencies, building roads in the arctic zone, and ensuring stable functioning of roads in war time. An optimal composition of the process equipment for the mobile expandable polystyrene road structure production complex considered a Plan of construction of a light embankment using EPS-blocks and schematic of an embankment circuit device in various conditions using XPS-plates. The dependence of the time of delivery of the EPS-block objects from the remoteness of construction and feasibility study shows the effectiveness of the use of mobile complexes.
Effect of Temperature, Pressure and Humidity on Carbon Dioxide Concentration—Simulation Study
Authors: Singh Om Prakash , Malarvili MB
Published: July 2020

The growing application of infrared carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor now needs an accurate and precise measurement of human respired CO2 concentrations. CO2 concentration measurement is influenced by a number of environmental parameters. The objective of this study is to perform a simulation study on the list of environmental parameters which have a major influence on the precision and accuracy of the infrared CO2 sensor. Here, we designed a CO2 concentration estimation circuit that comprises temperature, pressure and humidity sensor, Arduino Uno, and liquid crystal display. Besides, a program is written and uploaded to the Arduino board to compute the CO2 concentration. A simple mathematical equation is employed to calculate the instantaneous CO2 concentrations with respective temperature, pressure and relative humidity. We observed a change in CO2 concentration from 31.11% to 30.60% and 21.25% to 26.18% corresponding to changes in temperature from 25oC to 30oC and pressure 21.53kPa to 26.52kPa, respectively while keeping the temperature (250C) and pressure (31.52kPa) constant with respect to each other. In addition, with a change in relative humidity from 28% to 30%, change in CO2 values (6.26% to 9.39%) were observed while temperature kept at 25 0C. Results show that pressure, temperature, and relative humidity have a significant effect on the output of CO2 concentration. Hence, this should not be underestimated while developing a CO2 sensor and barometric pressure, temperature, and relative humidity sensor should be integrated with CO2 sensor for automatic adjustment in CO2 concentration based on the current pressure, temperature and humidity in contrast to manual.
Integrated Mitigation Strategy Model for Carbon Accounting and Sustainability Index to Encounter Palm Oil Mill Weaknesses Holistically
Authors: Jamaludin Nabila Farhana , Muis Zarina Ab , Hashim Haslenda
Published: July 2020

Palm oil industry has received criticism from various parties on the issue of sustainability and greenhouse gases. Effective mitigation plan is needed to improve the process performance and to counter criticsm towards palm oil mill. However, the current framework has limitation to consider sustainability as a whole and may resulting inaccurate selection of further mitigation. This study aims to develop mitigation strategy model based on palm oil mill carbon accounting (POMCFA) and sustainability (POMSI) performances. A result from integrated palm oil mill carbon footprint accounting (POMCFA) and palm oil mill sustainability index (POMSI) framework has been used for the model development in this study. This model is able to predict the best selection to improve the weak performance, forecast new score of palm oil mill carbon accounting (POMCFA) and sustainability (POMSI). A series of mitigation options are selected which impacted any changes to the indicators (in terms of environment and economy aspect). The model is developed and computed using the General Algebraic Modelling System (GAMS). The analysis from integrated assessment shows that highest carbon dioxide equivalent emission was contributed by palm oil mill effluent followed by diesel consumption and water consumption. In terms of sustainability scoring, the results show that the environmental aspect achieved the lowest scores compared to other aspects (social and economy). Weaknesses identified include dust concentration, palm oil mill effluent and boiler emission. The mitigation model been developed shows the optimal mitigation for the weaknesses is to implement high technology boiler. The assessment analysed in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent and sustainability scoring demonstrates its potential to provide comprehensive mitigation selection purposes.
Energy saving potential of 6-component aromatic mixture via Energy Integrated Distillation Columns Sequence (EIDCS) method
Authors: Shahruddin Munawar Zaman , Rahimi Ahmad Nafais , Zubir Muhammad Afiq , Zahran Muhammad Fakhrul Islam , Ibrahim KamarulAsri , Hamid MohdKamaruddinAbd.
Published: July 2020

Distillation column is a well-known unit operation in chemical and petrochemical industries for an intended separation task. However, the energy usage still becomes a problem particularly for a multicomponent system of distillation columns sequence. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the applicability of Thermal Pinch Analysis to be employed in a distillation columns sequence to solve the problem. The method is complemented by the sequencing method of Driving Force which leads to a novel method namely Energy Integrated Distillation Columns Sequence (EIDCS). This systematic method has been designed for optimal distillation columns sequence and further energy saving by Thermal Pinch Analysis. The Driving Force Sequence was firstly determined by the use of Driving Force Plot. Then the shortcut and rigorous simulations have been carried out and the resulting data were extracted for Thermal Pinch Analysis at a fixed value ofΔTminat 10 °C. Next, the Problem Table Algorithm (PTA) was constructed to indicate the possible energy saving for the distillation columns sequence. Finally, the proposed Heat Exchanger Network (HEN) via Grid Diagram that satisfies the energy requirement was constructed. A case study of 6-component Aromatic Mixture has been selected to evaluate the proposed EIDCS method in this study.
Quality prediction and diagnosis of refined palm oil using partial correlation analysis
Authors: Rashid N A , Hoong K W , Shamsuddin A , Rosely N A M , Noor M A M , Jin K W , Lee M H , Hamid M K A
Published: July 2020

Regression technique such as partial correlation analysis has been widely used as tool of prediction in business, finance and biomedical field. However, the application of predictive analysis in chemical process, specifically palm oil refinery process has rarely been done. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to present a quality prediction and diagnosis tool using partial correlation analysis, with the aim to predict the quality of refined palm oil and to diagnose the crude palm oil and process variables. Several statistical analysis are applied in data pre-process to obtain statistical sample size, optimum sampling and processing time of the process. The predictor coefficient is developed using partial correlation analysis while control chart is used to monitor the process behavior of both predicted and actual output value. The monitored out-of-control behavior is then diagnosed using SPE-contribution plot to identify the faulty input variables, thus pre-treatment can be executed before the refining process. The predicted model is successfully developed with MSE value less than 0.01 and three faulty variables are identified.
Performance and Emission Characteristics of Rice Bran Oil in an Oil Burner
Authors: Burhani Burhani M , Jaafar Mohammad N M , Othman Norazila B , Azli Anis A M , Said Mazlan , Rahim Muhammad R , Malik Muhammad S A , Omar Wan Z W
Published: July 2020

The fossil fuels have been the most practical way to produce energy for industries, vehicles and homes due to their lower prices, good combustion properties and their availability compared to other types of fuels. However, in this era of modernization, one of the biggest challenges of humanity is depletion of fossil fuels may result the increasing of the price. Studies have found out that it is possible to improve physical and chemical characteristics of alternative fuel based biodiesel by using the transesterification process and hence act as an alternative to mineral diesel. Therefore, the study about the potentiality of the rice bran oil as biodiesel feedstock is explained in this paper. The aim of this study is determining the performance and emission characteristics of the rice bran oil biodiesel (RBOBD). In addition, the comparison is made for its combustion and emission characteristics to those of conventional diesel fuel (CDF). Results show that RBOBD is very good at minimizing emissions, especially CO and SO2 with the value 60 ppm and 10 ppm, respectively. The establish information may help Malaysia to recognize the potentiality of the rice bran oil in order to replace the conventional fuel in the future.
Rheological Properties of Drilling Mud Consist of CMC Which is Made by Carton Waste and Chemical Additive of Na2CO3 for Reducing Lost Circulation
Authors: Rita Novia , Khalid Idham , Efras Muhammad Ridho
Published: July 2020

The Drilling process has the most important main objective is to reach the reservoir zone safely, quickly, and economically. The important component in the drilling process is drilling fluid commonly called by drilling mud. The drilling mud design needs to be properly planned to avoid problems during drilling. The research was conducted for testing the drilling mud rheology by using CMC from carton waste with the addition of Na2CO3, this research was conducted with several scenarios, which in each scenario have different levels of CMC and Na2CO3, from each result scenario can be seen in the value of density, viscosity, mud cake, pH, and filtrate volume of each mud. Thus it can be seen the best mud rheology from the addition of CMC waste carton waste and Na2CO3 to the drilling mud. The results of this research is the addition of CMC waste carton and N2CO3 in the dominant drilling mud to rheology and aditive function of CMC in increasing the viscosity were in 5 gr sample with 4.5 gr of Na2CO3 addition, with density value: 8.75 ppg, viscosity: 26 cp, mud cake : 0.54 cm, pH: 1, and filtrate volume : 4.42 ml.
Construction Tender Pricing Strategies in Traditional Procurement System
Authors: Qi Liew Mei , Ramly Zuhaili Mohamad , Ariffin Hamizah Liyana Tajul , Mohd Norhazren Izatie , Dzahir Mohd Azwarie Md
Published: July 2020

The fundamental activities carried out by a contractor are estimating and submitting pricing proposal, therefore contractors are required to make decision during pricing of Bills of Quantities (BQ) regarding the most suitable pricing strategies to be applied. Despite numerous of study has been carried out to identify effective pricing strategies to allow competitive pricing, contractor choose no strategies but relied on their instinct and feeling. This study is conducted to identify the current pricing strategies used by contractors and to determine the internal and external variables in making pricing strategies decision. Target respondents for this study are estimator in Grade 7 contractors. Semi-structure interviews and content analysis method is used to analyse the obtained data. The findings show that the tender pricing strategies adopted are cost based pricing, hybrid pricing and the combination of cost based and historical price based strategies. On the other hand, top management decision and company strength and weaknesses are the two internal variables in making pricing decision. Besides, the external variables in selection of pricing strategies is owner’s characteristics. Conclusively, this study can enhance the understandings on tender pricing strategies and outline the viable alternatives way to have a better position in project bidding.
Integrated Transport System: Challenges and Potential Toward Sustainability in the Malaysian Transport System
Authors: Musa Munirah , Hashim N F , Muhammad Rahimah
Published: July 2020

Integrated Transport System (ITS) is the technology of utilising intelligent application in management of transportation systems. Generally, ITS involves the merging of various transport systems of multiple types of transportation, and managing the movement of the cargo or passengers according to data collected, in terms of destination, congestions, routing and costs, to name a few. The idea behind ITS is to facilitate a better experience for moving of cargo and passengers, by integrating suitable modes of transport, based on real-time data of the best available routes, time and cost. ITS also aims for better comfort and efficiency, to beat the typical adverse effects of transport systems, particularly congestions, delays, and subsequent wastes such as pollutions to the environment. This paper examines trend of ITS in Malaysian, particularly in the Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley area, the potential and benefits that ITS can bring to improve on the current transport system.
Influence of Rainfall Characteristics on First Flush Behaviour
Authors: Zuraini Noor Atiqah , Alias Noraliani
Published: July 2020

Urban stormwater with impervious surface often produces runoff with a variety of contaminants. This paper discusses an investigation into the influence of rainfall characteristics toward the first flush behaviour. This study involved field investigations, sampling of urban stormwater runoff, laboratory testing and data analysis. 15 stormwater samples were collected and executed manually in a small catchment, which represents the higher institution area in Skudai, Johor. Data collections were carried out on 9 November 2017. Correlation of pollutants such as total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and zinc with runoff were derived within the evaluation of hyetograph, hydrographs and pollutographs. The concentration varied at different stages of the same rainfall event. The higher strength of first flush was seen in case of TSS, BOD and zinc compared to TDS and COD. The finding shows that high rainfall intensity in the beginning of the event had contributed to the high wash off of some pollutants such as TSS, BOD and zinc. The concept of the first flush cannot be used alone to establish a reliable methodology to design treatment facilities. Additional knowledge and information are necessary.
Technical Information on ISO Shipping Container
Authors: Ling P C H , Tan C S , Lee Y H , Mohammad S
Published: July 2020

Shipping container had become popular among construction industry as alternative building material. However, the information on the shipping container detailing had been lacking and not easily accessible by designer. This paper summarised the technical information of ISO shipping container including geometry properties, materials and structural testing. The information was presented in tables which are easier to interpret and use in structural design.
Estimation of Debris Flow Sedimentation Volume Through Numerical Modelling
Authors: Jamri Heirlina Mawarni , Jusoh Siti Norafida , Marto Aminaton , Nasir Kamarul Azlan Mohd , Hezmi Muhammad Azril bin , Said Khairun Nissa Mat
Published: July 2020

Implementation of potential debris flow hazard in Malaysia has been conducted by JabatanKerja Raya (JKR) in 2011. However, evaluation of this hazard level cannot deny the consequent to the nearest facilities. Thus, run-out analysis based on numerical modelling is easiest and competent way to evaluate the risk level. This paper presents a study on debris flow sedimentation volume with and without sabo dam by numerical simulation using Kanako 2D software. Kanako 2D software is widely being used in Japan and it is equipped with graphical user interface (GUI). A crossed verification upon numerical modelling and actual field data collection, and mitigation situation model that include sabo dam has been conducted. Results showing that Kanako 2D software have a precise output where the sedimentation volume is slightly higher around 5-15 %. It also proven that sabo dam can reduce the impact of debris flow because it can bear the sedimentation volume about 91%. In speeding up the process of setting landform in Kanako 2D, it recommended to use GIS to generate appropriates data. Thus, a laser scanning of topographical data is required.
Risk Assessment of Design Components of Building Construction
Authors: Barrie Alusine , Rohani Jafri Mohd , Kidam Kamarizan , Ismail Mohammad , Sarbini Noor Nabilah , Kamarden Hanafiah , Ali Kherun Nita , Ariffin Hamizah Liyana Tajul , Mohd Norhazren Izatie , Mustaffa Nur Emma , Abdullah Samsiah , Fetri Muhammad Syaiful Ahdat M , Ramuseren  , Ali Nazruddin Mat
Published: July 2020

Lack of designer’s knowledge of construction safety risks and HSE personnel’s knowledge of structural designs and means and methods of construction have been highlighted as significant barriers to the implementation of design for construction safety. These barriers often result in poor collaboration among designers and HSE personnel in addressing safety issues that lead to accidents and frequent work stoppages. This study explored the ability of HSE officers, engineers and superintendents to recognize and assess risk associated with constructing structural components of a building (foundation, columns, walls, beams and roofs). The objective was to determine how consensus is risk perceived among the three groups of field personnel. The paper used a quantitative methodology that evaluates safety risks related to performing construction activities to supports designers to carry out construction designs using a risk assessment–based approach. The methodology compares cumulative risks of five designs and ranks the severity level of each design. The methodology also compares risk perception among HSE personnel, engineers and superintendent. Using this method of risk assessment will identify significant risks during design stage and highlight them in advance. Thus, a range of risk elimination or mitigation measures will be implemented before and during construction. The study was done with a survey questionnaire, and 40 construction field personnel (12 HSE, 14 superintendents and 12 engineers) were asked to evaluate risk’s level of severity and time of exposure for each activity. Data collected were analysed with SPSS Statistics using descriptive statistics, general linear models (Multivariate) and Bivariate correlations (Pearson and Spearman). The results of the analysis showed that roof construction was perceived to have the highest risk followed by beam, foundation, wall and column. The differences in risk perceptions among the respondents were found to be non-significant statistically.
Parking Characteristics in Malaysia Public Hospitals
Authors: Ali Abdul Razak , Hassan Sitti Asmah
Published: July 2020

Parking in public hospitals has been a significant issue for public, authorities and parking operators running the facility within the hospital compound. In view to the fact that private vehicles are the preferred mode of choice for commuting in Malaysia, the issue could not get any better. This paper attempts to evaluate parking characteristics in public hospitals in Malaysia. Parking characteristics at six public hospitals in Peninsular Malaysia were investigated. Secondary data were obtained from Ministry of Health. License Plate methodwas used to collect parking demand data as a primary data for a period of 12 hours at public hospitals.Parking duration, parking turnover and parking index were determined to investigate parking scenario at each respective study sites. It was found that long parking hours was a nature in public hospitals with average parking duration of almost 4 hours/veh. Higher parking turnover rate was also observed for public bay area. The average parking index for all hospitals was also more than 100% in which it exceeding the capacity. The actual parking demand was found to be higher than the provided parking space at all public hospitals under investigation and it is also far below the specified various guidelines except for EPU guideline.
Detecting Telecommunication Fraud with Visual Analytics: A Review
Authors: Amin M Mohamed , Zainal A , Azmi N F Mohd. , Ali N A
Published: July 2020

The detection of anomalous events in large multivariate data is sought in many domains. Analysis of data is an important fraud detection procedure in detecting suspicious events and prevent attempts to defraud. While now the data is becoming more complicated and difficult as data scales and complexities increase than ever before, the rich insights within the data may be difficult to identify by traditional means and often remain hidden. People require powerful tools to extract valid conclusions from the data while maintaining trustworthy and interpretable results. Hence, various fraud detection approaches have started to exploit Visual Analytics (VA) techniques to reveal the hidden knowledge in such fraudulent activities. Interactive data visualization tools have substantial potential for making the detection of fraudulent transactions more efficient and effective by allowing the investigator to change the representation of data from text and numeric into graphics and filter out subsets of transactions for further fraud investigation. However, little research to date has directly examined the efficacy of data visualization techniques for fraud detection especially telecommunication fraud. In this paper, we present an overview of several fraud detection solutions that use data visualization techniques to detect fraudulent transactions in the telecommunication domain. The paper concludes by discussing how academic research might proceed in investigating the efficacy of interactive data visualization tools for fraud detection.
Quantification and Localisation of Individual Leaf Disease Lesion for Grading Severity of Late Blight
Authors: Abdu Aliyu M , Mokji Musa M , Sheikh Usman U
Published: July 2020

Detecting incidence and grading the severity of plant diseases caused by pathogens is among the essential activities in precision agriculture. This research proposes novel noetic integration between pathology and advanced yet straightforward image processing technique for grading the severity of vegetable late blight. Until recently, most of the presented image processing techniques had been, and some still are, grading severity based on the visual understanding of disease symptom as a single lesion colony. One of the most significant advantages of the proposed method is quantifying and localising disease symptom colonies into symptomatic and necrotic in accordance with pathological disease analogy for actual severity grading. In the 1st phase of the study, individual symptomatic (RS), necrotic (RN), and blurred (RB, in- between healthy and symptomatic) regions were identified and segmented. The isolated diseased lesions are then quantified and localised for correlationwith a standard area diagram which gives the accurate grading of disease severity. Results obtained indicated great potential for accurate grading by which pathological knowledge and advance computer network operate in proper synergy. It is also envisaged that this research method would provide meaningful insight into the critical current and future role pathological integration in machine learning for food security.
IoT Based Temperature Control for Smart Mosque
Authors: Yusarelan M N A , Hamid S Z A , Rashid R A , Ibrahim A K M
Published: July 2020

Malaysia is a country which has one of the biggest Muslim societies in the world, followed by a large number of mosques scattered in various places and these mosques have maintenance problems especially in energy consumption. Mosques normally experience sudden influx of users at five specified times throughout the day, and the use of the fans in the mosques is very inefficient and wasteful, corresponding with the five daily Islamic prayers. Regarding this matter, this project is conducted in order to reduce mosque energy consumption by developing smart mosque temperature control. The temperature control aims to focus on reading the temperature of mosque and then smartly controls fan according to the temperature reading by applying Internet-of-Things (IoT). The Arduino Uno controller board will read and process the sensors to trigger the fan switch. The act of controlling the fan according to the ambient temperature of the mosques will help to reduce power consumption. The smart mosque temperature control can be applied widely in Malaysia to make mosques smarter and efficient in energy consumption.
Adaptive Sliding Mode Control Design for the Attitude of the Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
Authors: Eltayeb Ahmed , Rahmat Mohd Fua’ad , Basri Mohd Ariffanan Mohd , Mohammed Mansour A M
Published: July 2020

In this article, the adaptive sliding mode controller (ASMC) is developed for the quadrotor attitude subsystem. The proposed ASMC controller aims to reduce/decrease the unwanted chattering phenomena associated with the conventional sliding mode controller, and meanwhile achieving a robust trajectory tracking for the attitude. The stability of the proposed (ASMC) controller has been verified based on Lyapunov stability theorem. The quadrotor UAV model and the performance of the proposed controller have been simulated and tested by simulation using MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. The simulation result is proof that the chattering has been reduced significantly.
Air Flow Analysis and Effect of Angle on Rotation Vane Blade Trough 90° Pipe Bend
Authors: Aiman Y , Mariam S , Musa M N , Syahrullail S
Published: July 2020

The usual problem occurs when fluid flow pass through elbow or 90° pipe bend is that secondary flow will exist which then lead to high pressure drop. The high pressure drop happen will affect the elbow which is erosion will appear. To overcome this problem, a rotation vane blade with different angles are installed at the pipe. The rotation vane blade will reduce the pressure drop that happened. In this paper, analysis of air flow through 90 pipe bend and the effect of angle rotation vane blade toward it is investigated. The process of the investigation is made through experiment. The inlet velocity used in this experiment are 1.20, 1.30, 1.40, 1.45 and 1.50 m/s. Furthermore, all the inlet velocity produced turbulence flow. Then, rotation vane blade of angle 18° and 33° are installed between the pipes by turn before the 90° pipe bend. U-tube manometer are attached at two places which is Section A-A (before elbow) and Section B-B (after elbow). From this experiment, elevation heights that measured by u-tube manometer of the two sections which are located before and after the 90 pipe bend are recorded. Next, the elevation heights will be used in the Bernoulli equation in order to calculate the velocity distribution at all sections, pressure distribution at all sections and pressure drop between both sections. The result of this experiment show that the rotation vane blade produced slower velocity at section B-B and higher pressure at section B-B. Pressure drop between both sections A-A and B-B is lower when using larger angle of rotation vane blade (33°).
Medical Staff’s Posture on Airflow Distribution and Particle Concentration in an Operating Room
Authors: Wong K Y , Kamar H M , Kamsah N
Published: July 2020

During a surgical procedure, each of the medical staffs would have different postures. Supporting medical staff such as anaesthesiologist would stand in upright condition with straighten-forearm, while medical staff that is performing surgical procedures is in bent-forearm posture. The positioning of forearm might interrupt the air supplies from the ceiling-mounted diffuser, that serves to remove the airborne particles from the surgical zone. Consequently, the movement of particles in the surgical zone is affected, and the tendency of particles to fall onto the patient’s wound is increased. This situation could elevate the chances of a patient contracting surgical site infections and could increase the risk of death. The present study aims to examine the effects of medical staff’s forearm posture on the number of particles falling onto the patient. A simplified computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the operating room was developed and validated based on the published data. An RNG k-ε turbulence model based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations was used to simulate the airflow, while a discrete phase model was used to simulate the movement of the airborne particles. Results show that bent-forearm of medical staff obstructed the downward airflow to remove the particles released by the medical staff. Approximately 37 particles/m3 accumulated in the chest region of the medical staff. A high particle accumulation is also observed at the gap between the staff’s legs due to the stagnant airflow.
Brief Review on Dissimilar Welding Using Cold Metal Transfer
Authors: Burhanuddin N M , Redzuan N. , Ahmad N. , Sudin I , Zaharuddin M F A
Published: July 2020

Hybrid joint configuration nowadays has been an essential process for fabrication in both industrial and construction industry. However, the challenges in welding two varied materials need to consider both metal characteristics since the joint of the different metals from various properties cause the formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) layers can cause the failure. Various parameters (i.e; welding current, welding speed) and factors (i.e; materials’ thickness and properties) need to be considered when joining two different metals using welding. Common methods use for joining two different metals are friction stir welding, laser welding, resistant spot welding and gas metal arc welding (GMAW). Cold metal transfer method (CMT) is new technique that recently applied for joining dissimilar metal weld especially for thin metals of 0.3∼2.0 mm. Major advantage of CMT is using low power and green technology process. This review provides explanation of common field which applying dissimilar metal welding and discuss the previous related researches with example of different materials being used. This including factors that need to be concerned to produce good welding joint and the current research using cold metal transfer for hybrid joint configuration.
Gallium vacancies—common non-radiative defects in ternary GaAsP and quaternary GaNAsP nanowires
Authors: Stehr J E , Jansson M , La R , Tu C W , Chen W M , Buyanova I A
Published: July 2020

Nanowires (NWs) based on ternary GaAsP and quaternary GaNAsP alloys are considered as very promising materials for optoelectronic applications, including in multi-junction and intermediate band solar cells. The efficiency of such devices is expected to be largely controlled by grown-in defects. In this work we use the optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) technique combined with photoluminescence measurements to investigate the origin of point defects in Ga(N)AsP NWs grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si substrates. We identify gallium vacancies, which act as non-radiative recombination centers, as common defects in ternary and quaternary Ga(N)AsP NWs. Furthermore, we show that the presence of N is not strictly necessary for, but promotes, the formation of gallium vacancies in these NWs.
Matrix stiffness-sensitive long noncoding RNA NEAT1 seeded paraspeckles in cancer cells
Authors: Todorovski Vanja , Fox Archa H. , Choi Yu Suk
Published: July 2020

Using polyacrylamide hydrogels with either physiological (≈3 kPa soft) or pathological (≈40 kPa stiff) tissue stiffness, we have discovered an inverse relationship between matrix stiffness and paraspeckle abundance in several cancer cell lines including triple negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231.
Maternal Hypertension-Related Genotypes and Congenital Heart Defects
Authors: Lei Yunping , Ludorf Katherine L , Yu Xiao , Benjamin Renata H , Gu Xue , Lin Ying , Finnell Richard H , Mitchell Laura E , Musfee Fadi I , Malik Sadia , Canfield Mark A , Morrison Alanna C , Hobbs Charlotte A , Van Zutphen Alissa R , Fisher Sarah , Agopian A J
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

Maternal hypertension has been associated with congenital heart defect occurrence in several studies. We assessed whether maternal genotypes associated with this condition were also associated with congenital heart defect occurrence.

METHODS

We used data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study to identify non-Hispanic white (NHW) and Hispanic women with (cases) and without (controls) a pregnancy in which a select simple, isolated heart defect was present between 1999 and 2011. We genotyped 29 hypertension-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We conducted logistic regression analyses separately by race/ethnicity to assess the relationship between the presence of any congenital heart defect and each SNP and an overall blood pressure genetic risk score (GRS). All analyses were then repeated to assess 4 separate congenital heart defect subtypes.

RESULTS

Four hypertension-related variants were associated with congenital heart defects among NHW women (N = 1,568 with affected pregnancies). For example, 1 intronic variant in ARHGAP2, rs633185, was associated with conotruncal defects (odds ratio [OR]: 1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1–1.6). Additionally, 2 variants were associated with congenital heart defects among Hispanic women (N = 489 with affected pregnancies). The GRS had a significant association with septal defects (OR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2–3.5) among NHW women.

CONCLUSIONS

We replicated a previously reported association between rs633185 and conotruncal defects. Although additional hypertension-related SNPs were also associated with congenital heart defects, more work is needed to better understand the relationship between genetic risk for maternal hypertension and congenital heart defects occurrence.
Single Dose Abacavir Pharmacokinetics and Safety in Neonates Exposed to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Authors: Bekker Adrie , Decloedt Eric H , Slade Gretchen , Cotton Mark F , Rabie Helena , Cressey Tim R
Published: July 2020

Abacavir is a potential option for prophylaxis and early treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but no data are available in neonates. Ten neonates administered a single abacavir dose of 8 mg/kg before 15 days of life had substantially higher exposures than those reported in infants and children, with no reported adverse events.
Divergence and constraint in the thermal sensitivity of aquatic insect swimming performance
Authors: Shah Alisha A , Bacmeister Eva M S , Rubalcaba Juan G , Ghalambor Cameron K
Published: July 2020

Environmental temperature variation may play a significant role in the adaptive evolutionary divergence of ectotherm thermal performance curves (TPCs). However, divergence in TPCs may also be constrained due to various causes. Here, we measured TPCs for swimming velocity of temperate and tropical mayflies (Family: Baetidae) and their stonefly predators (Family: Perlidae) from different elevations. We predicted that differences in seasonal climatic regimes would drive divergence in TPCs between temperate and tropical species. Stable tropical temperatures should favor the evolution of “specialists” that perform well across a narrow range of temperatures. Seasonally, variable temperatures in temperate zones, however, should favor “generalists” that perform well across a broad range of temperatures. In phylogenetically paired comparisons of mayflies and stoneflies, swimming speed was generally unaffected by experimental temperature and did not differ among populations between latitudes, suggesting a maintenance of performance breadth across elevation and latitude. An exception was found between temperate and tropical mayflies at low elevation where climatic differences between latitudes are large. In addition, TPCs did not differ between mayflies and their stonefly predators, except at tropical low elevation. Our results indicate that divergence in TPCs may be constrained in aquatic insects except under the most different thermal regimes, perhaps because of trade-offs that reduce thermal sensitivity and increase performance breadth.
What Does an Insect Hear? Reassessing the Role of Hearing in Predator Avoidance with Insights from Vertebrate Prey
Authors: Yack Jayne E , Raven Brianna H , Leveillee Michelle B , Naranjo Mairelys
Published: July 2020

Synopsis

Insects have a diversity of hearing organs known to function in a variety of contexts, including reproduction, locating food, and defense. While the role of hearing in predator avoidance has been extensively researched over the past several decades, this research has focused on the detection of one type of predator-echolocating bats. Here we reassess the role of hearing in antipredator defense by considering how insects use their ears to detect and avoid the wide range of predators that consume them. To identify the types of sounds that could be relevant to insect prey, we first review the topic of hearing-mediated predator avoidance in vertebrates. Sounds used by vertebrate prey to assess predation risk include incidental sound cues (e.g., flight sounds, rustling vegetation, and splashing) produced by an approaching predator or another escaping prey, as well as communication signals produced by a predator (e.g., echolocation calls, songs) or nonpredator (e.g., alarm calls). We then review what is known, and what is not known, about such sounds made by the main predators and parasitoids of insects (i.e., birds, bats, terrestrial vertebrates, and invertebrates) and how insects respond to them. Three key insights emerged from our review. First, there is a lack of information on how both vertebrate and insect prey use passive sound cues produced by predators to avoid being captured. Second, while there are numerous examples of vertebrate prey eavesdropping on the calls and songs of predators and nonpredators to assess risk, there are currently no such examples for eared insect prey. Third, the hearing sensitivity of many insects, including those with ears considered to be dedicated to detecting bats or mates, overlaps with both sound cues and signals generated by nonbat predators. Sounds of particular relevance to insect prey include the flight sounds and calls of insectivorous birds, the flight sounds of insect predators and parasitoids, and rustling vegetation sounds of birds and terrestrial predators. We conclude that research on the role of insect hearing in predator avoidance has been disproportionally focused on bat-detection, and that acoustically-mediated responses to other predators may have been overlooked because the responses of prey may be subtle (e.g., ceasing activity, increasing vigilance). We recommend that researchers expand their testing of hearing-mediated risk assessment in insects by considering the wide range of sounds generated by predators, and the varied responses exhibited by prey to these sounds.
Donor Cytomegalovirus Transmission Patterns in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients With Primary Infection
Authors: Hasing Maria E , Pang Xiaoli L , Mabilangan Curtis , Preiksaitis Jutta K
Published: July 2020

Background

The epidemiology of single versus multiple cytomegalovirus (CMV) strain transmission from donor (D+) to seronegative solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients (R−) is uncertain, as is whether “relapsing” recipient infection represents changing strain predominance when multiple strains are transmitted. Here we characterized CMV strain transmission patterns in D+/R− SOT recipients.

Methods

We studied pairs or groups of D+/R− SOT recipients who received organs from a common donor (group A) and recipients who experienced ≥2 waves of CMV DNAemia (group B). CMV in plasma was characterized by genotype-specific real-time PCR for genes gB and gH.

Results

Single concordant genotypes were identified in 12 of 18 recipient pairs/group sharing a common donor (group A); at least 6 of 18 (33%) donors transmitted > 1 strain. A single CMV strain was detected in 14 of 15 recipients in group B; only 1 recipient had coinfection. A shift in CMV strain predominance occurred after the first posttransplant year in at least 4 recipients with coinfection.

Conclusions

Using a common donor approach, we confirmed that multiple CMV strain transmission from donors to R− SOT recipients is not uncommon. D+/R− SOT recipients with CMV coinfection can undergo changes in strain predominance in late waves of CMV DNAemia.