bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictive Analytics of Social Networks
Authors: Yang Ming , Hsu William H. , Kallumadi Surya Teja
Published: December 2015

In this chapter, the authors survey the general problem of analyzing a social network in order to make predictions about its behavior, content, or the systems and phenomena that generated it. They begin by defining five basic tasks that can be performed using social networks: (1) link prediction; (2) pathway and community formation; (3) recommendation and decision support; (4) risk analysis; and (5) planning, especially causal interventional planning. Next, they discuss frameworks for using predictive analytics, availability of annotation, text associated with (or produced within) a social network, information propagation history (e.g., upvotes and shares), trust, and reputation data. They also review challenges such as imbalanced and partial data, concept drift especially as it manifests within social media, and the need for active learning, online learning, and transfer learning. They then discuss general methodologies for predictive analytics involving network topology and dynamics, heterogeneous information network analysis, stochastic simulation, and topic modeling using the abovementioned text corpora. They continue by describing applications such as predicting “who will follow whom?” in a social network, making entity-to-entity recommendations (person-to-person, business-to-business [B2B], consumer-to-business [C2B], or business-to-consumer [B2C]), and analyzing big data (especially transactional data) for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications. Finally, the authors examine a few specific recommender systems and systems for interaction discovery, as part of brief case studies.
On The Reuse of Past Searches in Information Retrieval
Authors: Gutiérrez-Soto Claudio , Hubert Gilles
Published: December 2015

When using information retrieval systems, information related to searches is typically stored in files, which are well known as log files. By contrast, past search results of previously submitted queries are ignored most of the time. Nevertheless, past search results can be profitable for new searches. Some approaches in Information Retrieval exploit the previous searches in a customizable way for a single user. On the contrary, approaches that deal with past searches collectively are less common. This paper deals with such an approach, by using past results of similar past queries submitted by other users, to build the answers for new submitted queries. It proposes two Monte Carlo algorithms to build the result for a new query by selecting relevant documents associated to the most similar past query. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms using several dataset variants. These algorithms were also compared with the baseline approach based on the cosine measure, from which they reuse past results. Simulated datasets were designed for the experiments, following the Cranfield paradigm, well established in the Information Retrieval domain. The empirical results show the interest of our approach.
Determinants of Knowledge Sharing Behaviour among Academics in United Arab Emirates
Authors: Skaik Huda Alami , Othman Roslina
Published: December 2015

The main objectives of this research are to (i) investigate the practice of knowledge sharing among academics, and (ii) examine the relationship between knowledge sharing behaviour and its predictors based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Data were collected through an online survey using a questionnaire from academics in public universities. Using SPSS and PLS-SEM, data analysis process involved (i) analysis of descriptive statistics to evaluate knowledge sharing practice, (ii) assessment of the measurement model to evaluate items reliability and validity, and (iii) assessment of the structural model to evaluate its validity, path coefficients, and test the hypotheses. The results showed a great extent of knowledge sharing practice. They proved that academics' knowledge sharing behaviour is significantly influenced by intention, which is influenced by attitude, subjective norms, and self-efficacy. Contrary to the theory, the results showed that controllability does not influence intention.
The Influence of Individual Characteristics on Knowledge Sharing Practices, Enablers, and Barriers in a Project Management Context
Authors: Marouf Laila N. , Khalil Omar E. M.
Published: December 2015

The knowledge management (KM) literature in general is short on field evidence concerning knowledge sharing (KS) practices in project management settings, where knowledge occupies a central place. In addition, research on KS enablers and barriers has largely overlooked the fact that individual characteristics may influence the choice to share knowledge. This research explored departmental KS practices, enablers and barriers at a Middle-Eastern project management company. It also investigated the influence of a number of individual characteristics on KS, enablers and barriers. The findings confirm that Knowledge is partially shared within departments, and the employees have varying views on KS enablers and barriers. Although many do not perceive organizational enablers as catalysts for KS, they somewhat believe that the information technology (IT) enablers do facilitate KS. The employees, however, do not believe that the identified individual, organizational and IT barriers hinder KS. In addition, gender, age, department type and job type have varying effects on the perceived KS practices, organizational enablers, and IT enablers and barriers. These findings and their implications are further discussed in the paper.
HRM Practices and Knowledge Sharing Behaviour
Authors: Iqbal Salman , Toulson Paul , Tweed David
Published: December 2015

This chapter examines the empirical effect of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices on employees' knowledge-sharing behaviour in Pakistan. A research model is developed for this chapter and hypotheses are formulated. The research sample is comprised of 390 respondents from 19 Knowledge Intensive Firms (KIFs) in Pakistan. The authors have employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques to test the proposed hypotheses. The results suggest that collaborative HRM practices have a positive effect on employees' knowledge sharing behaviour. Surprisingly, they find that employees' knowledge-sharing behaviour is independent of reward systems and employee recognition. This chapter is entirely based on employees' perceptions; therefore, the results of this study are from an employee's perspective, rather than from a management perspective. Therefore, the chapter makes a valuable contribution, given the lack of empirical studies focusing on the South East Asian region. This study is beneficial for researchers, practitioners, and those interested in organisational structure and relationships across organisations in the knowledge context.
Organizational Barriers and Facilitators in Embedding Knowledge Strategy
Authors: Baporikar Neeta
Published: December 2015

The knowledge that exists within organizations is a sustainable source of competitive advantage. This makes knowledge management a strategic imperative for all. Much has been written on the subject of Knowledge Management (KM), strategy development, and implementation. There are numerous approaches one can take to develop a successful strategy, and there is no one right or wrong way. What ultimately constitutes a successful KM strategy? One that is signed off by management, is resourced, and is allowed to be implemented. Once that is achieved, then one can make all the adjustments needed to ensure strategic alignment with organizational strategy. The value of a KM strategy comes when the strategy is resourced, implemented, and the organization begins to realize the benefits. That is possible only when there is a unified understanding of the organizational barriers and facilitators in embedding knowledge strategy with organizational strategy for successful goal attainment. The objective of this study is to aid researchers in recognizing and understanding the organizational barriers and facilitators in embedding knowledge strategy. This would be indispensable for successful goal attainment in a modern complex economy.
Police Knowledge Management Strategy
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: December 2015

Policing is heavily dependent on information, intelligence, and knowledge. The amount of information police officers come in contact with in the course of their work is often astounding. With a more proactive and preventive approach to crime reduction, police forces have increasingly relied on information and knowledge and associated information technology in terms of knowledge management systems to improve their performance. Accordingly, the management of knowledge is a crucial aspect of police work to promote knowledge development and sharing. This chapter covers key aspects of the police knowledge management strategy, including intelligence for knowledge, management approaches, knowledge integration, knowledge categories, organizational structure, and organizational culture for knowledge management.
QoS Oriented Enhancement based on the Analysis of Dynamic Job Scheduling in HPC
Authors: Raveendran Reshmi , Saravanan D. Shanthi
Published: December 2015

With the advent of High Performance Computing (HPC) in the large-scale parallel computational environment, better job scheduling and resource allocation techniques are required to deliver Quality of Service (QoS). Therefore, job scheduling on a large-scale parallel system has been studied to minimize the queue time, response time, and to maximize the overall system utilization. The objective of this paper is to touch upon the recent methods used for dynamic resource allocation across multiple computing nodes and the impact of scheduling algorithms. In addition, a quantitative approach which explains a trend line analysis on dynamic allocation for batch processors is depicted. Throughout the survey, the trends in research on dynamic allocation and parallel computing is identified, besides, highlights the potential areas for future research and development. This study proposes the design for an efficient dynamic scheduling algorithm based on the Quality-of-Service. The analysis provides a compelling research platform to optimize dynamic scheduling of jobs in HPC.
A Conceptual Proposition
Authors: Ashtiani Ahmad Vazehi , Jayasingam Sharmila
Published: December 2015

This conceptual paper proposes social capital as a possible moderator of the relationship between commonly identified knowledge sharing enablers in the literature and knowledge sharing (KS). A literature review was carried out to determine the contextual influence of the level of social capital within communities of practice (CoPs). Propositions were developed based on a review of past studies addressing KS enablers and KS. The literature review revealed that prior studies built on resource-based theory (RBT) and knowledge-based view of the firm (KBV) focused on organizational enablers of KS without any concern for the contextual influence such as the level of social capital of CoPs. Further analysis indicated that social capital could possibly moderate the impact of commonly identified KS enablers. These insights are presented as propositions in this conceptual paper. This paper addresses a gap in the area of KS. It questions the results of past studies and proposes the needs to consider the level of social capital when identifying appropriate KS enablers.
A Neural Network Assisted On-Line Cleaning of Heat Exchanger Network
Authors: Markowski Mariusz , Trafczyński Marian
Published: December 2015

On-line cleaning of heat exchangers operating in a heat exchanger network (HEN) is aimed at preventing unnecessary losses of energy that can be recovered in HEN. If time behaviour of fouling in each heat exchanger can be estimated on the basis of past experience, then the optimal schedule of cleaning interventions can be determined by maximizing the objective function expressing the economic value of avoidable reduction in the energy recovery [1]. The crucial assumption for the presented paper is that on-line measurements of the mass flow and inlet and outlet temperature are available for each process stream. That made possible to evaluate fouling-induced reduction in the recovered energy flow using neural network model of HEN based on the measurements. The neural network (NN) model of HEN was applied in diagnostics of deposits influence on heat recovery in HEN by taking into account the time behaviour of fouling approximated by NN. The application of a neural network to the evaluation of changes in the energy flow recovered in a HEN has been tested using a simulated heat exchanger network as a reference. The simulation of HEN (implemented in MATLAB software) was based on a dynamic HEN model employing heat exchanger decomposition into interconnected cells whose overall dynamic behaviour is described by an array of lumped-parameter models. Computational aspects of the approach outlined above were studied on the example of a HEN featuring 26 process streams and 31 heat exchangers, operating in a crude distillation unit of 440 t/h processing capacity. A diagnostics of deposits influence on heat recovery in HEN makes it possible to attain a saving of about 5% of recoverable energy with the annual value of about 0,86 million USD.
Numerical Analysis of Shell-Side Fluid Flow in Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger
Authors: Alabrudziński Sławomir
Published: December 2015

This work presents velocity field and flow resistance analysis on shell-side of shell-and-tube heat exchanger. Numerical investigations have been carried out using a finite volume method implemented in ANSYS Fluent code. In case of heat exchangers with a great number of tubes in bundle, the finite volume method numerical model representing real geometry of the apparatus becomes very complex and results in a high computing power demand. To overcome the above difficulty, an attempt has been made to represent the tube bundle using the continuum approach. The resulting pressure drop values have been compared with e.g. calculation results using HTRI code and exemplary values obtained from the real apparatus.
Influence of Equivolumetric Mixture of Ethyl Levulinate and Fatty Acid Methyl Esters on Chosen Properties of Diesel Fuel
Authors: Frankiewicz Andrzej , Przedlacki Marcin , Janecka Katarzyna
Published: December 2015

. In the paper the influence of equivolumetric mixture of ethyl levulinate and fatty acid methyl esters on chosen properties of diesel fuel was demonstrated. It was found that the aforementioned mixture influences the diesel fuel lubricity positively, it does not increase the cold filter plugging point of diesel fuel and does not affect the cetane number and the flash point of diesel fuel significantly
Investigation of Efficiency of Use of High-Temperature Greases in Steel Rolling - Part 2
Authors: Avdeenko Anatoly P. , Lutovac Mitar , Konovalova Svetlana A. , Fedorynov Mykhailo V.
Published: December 2015

We investigated the friction coefficients (steel-to-steel) for various rolling pressures on application of consistent anti-wear, antiwelding, and metal-cladding greases and 11 metal-working coolants. The protective grease ХАDО (Ukraine) and import anti-wear greases Mol Favorit-2, Shell Albida, and Mobil 461 were found to be effective in steel rolling. The greases containing molybdenum disulfide don’t have high greasing properties in steel rolling, i.e. at plastic deformations of steels. The surface-active substances PEG-4 (Rapeseedamine) and polyoxyethylene alkylether of carboxylic acids (AKYPO RO 90 and AKYPO RO 20) are suitable for creation of new technological metal-working coolants for steel rolling. Considerable decrease in friction coefficient is observed in steel rolling at use of a technological liquid “Universal-1TC”.
Numerical Investigation of Thermal Stresses in Surface Layer of Si3N4 Ceramics in Laser Processing
Authors: Kuzin Valery V. , Fedorov Sergey , Dašić Predrag , Portnoy Mike
Published: December 2015

The laser processing has the ability for effective machining of ceramic materials because of high energy beam acting on a very small area. The stress-strain state of surface layer of Si3N4 ceramics in laser processing was investigated with the use of finite element method to compute the temperature and stress fields. The effect of heat flow on thermal stresses was discussed in terms of the results of the numerical experiment.
Antifriction Plastic Greases Based on Intermediate Products of Oil Refining and Liquid Crystalline Compounds
Authors: Ermakov Sergey , Bogdanov Aleksey , Mulyarchik Valery , Konstantinov Valery , Danishevskii Victor
Published: December 2015

The rheological and triboengineering properties are presented of hydrated calcium plastic greases based on intermediate products of oil refining (hydrofined vacuum gas oil and vacuum distillate). It is shown that application of liquid crystalline cholesterol compounds as an additional component of the dispersion medium of plastic greases permits significant reduction of the wear and losses for friction and boosts the load – bearing capacity of tribocouples.
Improvement of Plate’s Shape for Ingots Upsetting
Authors: Markov Oleg E. , Rudenko Natalia A. , Grachov Igor A. , Ristovski Aleksandar , Radojičić Vladimir
Published: December 2015

A stress-strain state and a resize of an axial defect during upsetting have been investigated in the article. Theoretical research based on a FEM has been conducted. The upsetting of cylindrical steel workpieces which had the axial defect equal to 10 % of the workpiece diameter has been simulated. Upsetting has been carried out by flat, concave-conical and convex plates (solid or with hole). The result of the studies showed that the main influence on the workpiece shape had a ratio of dimensions. The maximal closure of the axial defect provides upsetting by concave-conical solid plates. Upsetting by flat plates does not provide the closure of axial defects. Convex plates provide the uniform stress-strain state along the workpiece cross section. The hole in the plates increases the non-uniformity of strain distribution and also does not provide the axial defects closure.
Reliability Analysis of the Hydro-System of Excavator SchRs 800 Using Weibull Distribution
Authors: Dašić Predrag , Živković Milutin , Karić Marina
Published: December 2015

In this paper is given the use Weibull distribution (WD) as theoretical reliability model for analysis of the hydro-system of excavator SchRs 800, which is accepted on the basis of Pearson (χ2), Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) and Cramér-von Mises (CvM) goodness-of-fit tests. The time of work without failure of the hydro-system of excavator SchRs 800 for accepted Weibull model of reliability for probability of 50 % is T50%=0.3417⋅103[h], for probability of 80 % is T80%=0.1884⋅103[h] and for probability of 90% is T90%=0.127⋅103[h].
Optimal Design of HFC Solar Plant by Using Phase Change Material for Heat Storage
Authors: Kegl Tina
Published: December 2015

This paper deals with an optimal design solar tower power plant. Special attention is focused on the central receiver system and heat storage materials. In order to get an effective power plant, a simple mathematical model to calculate the solar energy, concentrated on the solar receiver during one year, is developed. The model can predict the delivered energy in dependence on the arrangement of the heliostats and the height of the solar receiver. By using an optimizer, a plant of 5 MW power is optimized in order to produce a maximum of electrical energy during the year on the prescribed area. On the basis of analysis of heat storage materials, KNO3, acting as phase change material (PCM), is shown to be suitable for heat storage from the thermal, physical, kinetic, chemical, and economic point of view.
Research on the Influence of Dynamic Load on Suspended Monorail
Authors: Gutarevych Viktor , Vodolaskaya Nataliia , Jakupović Esad , Mirjanić Dragoljub
Published: December 2015

The influence of the moving load on suspended monorail was studied. During the movement of suspended carriages were established inertial forces, which lead to the additional monorail curvature. Found the dependence of the maximum dynamic load of the trucks speed along the monorail. Established speed of truck at which load of the monorail is practically static. The dependence of the bending section of the monorail under the influence of moving dynamic forces and the value of dynamic coefficient for suspended monorail track were found.
Application of Intelligent Technological Systems in Order to Increase Efficiency of the Lock Chamber System in Hydro Power Plants
Authors: Vujović Aleksandar , Krivokapić Zdravko , Jovanović Jelena
Published: December 2015

The paper is a result of research at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty in Podgorica and represents the aspiration of authors to combine scientific and technical experience in order to achieve improvement in a real system. It is a complex system of lock chambers in a hydroelectric power plant. Based on a detailed analysis of the initial state, through the process modeling of complex real system, the authors identify possible areas where the intervening and applying modern systems with greater flexibility is necessary to achieve higher levels of automation. Also, proposed in the paper are measures for ensuring the security of information that rise system performance to a higher level compared to the competition and create an advantage in the global market.
Particularity of the Forming Barcode Image on the Surface of Machine Parts when Marking with a Pulsed Laser
Authors: Ganzulenko Oksana , Petkova Ani
Published: December 2015

The article is devoted to some aspects of laser marking technology for machine parts. We consider the local impact zone effect of the pulse laser beam on the surface of metal materials. The results describing the influence of process parameters on the quality of the being marked images by pulsed laser are submitted. The examples of using barcode marking on several materials for machine parts in selected technological modes of installation are given.
Flexural Strength Analysis of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Composite Layup Structure
Authors: Muqsit Hanif , Mengal Ali Nawaz , Karupannan Saravanan
Published: December 2015

In this study, the focus was on the optimum design of laminate stacking sequences (LSS) of basalt fiber reinforced composite (BFRP) structure. Eleven rectangular composite panels with different stacking sequences and fiber orientations were analyzed. A three-point flexural test according to ASTM D790 was carried out in ANSYS to simulate the basalt fiber reinforced composite layup flexural strength. From the results, it was found that the composite structure layup of [0/0/45/0/0]shas the highest strength among all samples.
Influence of Different Matrices on the Tensile and Impact Properties of Treated Kenaf Composites
Authors: Bakar Noor Haznida , Hyie Koay Mei , Jumahat A. , Latip Eli Nadia A. , Kalam Anizah , Salleh Z.
Published: December 2015

This study investigated the mechanical behavior of the treated and untreated kenaf with different matrix resin (epoxy and polyester) using the tensile and low velocity test. The long kenaf fibre was treated with 6% of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution for twelve hours in room temperature. The tensile properties of composites at different weight percentage (10,15,20 and 25%) were studied by using Instron Universal Testing Machine according to the standard ASTM D638. Impact test was conducted using an instrumented drop tower device at 10J incident energy level according to the standard ASTM D3763. The results of the study indicated that the epoxy resin reinforced with treated kenaf fibre exhibited higher tensile properties. On the other hand, the impact properties of polyester resin reinforced with treated kenaf fibre show better matrix bonding compared to those with epoxy resin matrices.
rHDPE/Wood Fiber Composites: Effect of Phthalic Anhydride on Tensile Properties, Swelling Behavior and X-Ray Diffraction
Authors: Supri A.Ghani , Hanif M.P.M.
Published: December 2015

The effect of phthalic anhydride (PAH) as a coupling agent on the tensile properties, swelling behavior, and x-ray diffraction of recycled high density polyethylene/wood fiber (rHDPE/WF) composites were studied. rHDPE/WF and rHDPE/WFPAH composites were prepared using Brabender plasticorder at temperature of 160°C with rotor speed of 50 rpm. The results indicate that rHDPE/WFPAH composites showed higher tensile strength and percentages of equilibrium water absorption, but lower interparticle spacing (d) compared to rHDPE/WF composites.
The Effect of NiO Content on the Physical Properties of NiO–Samarium Doped Ceria Carbonate Composite Anode Powder for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Authors: Muhammed Ali S.A. , Muchtar Andanastuti , Rao Somalu Mahendra
Published: December 2015

The microstructure, specific surface area, and pore size distribution of nickel oxide–samarium doped ceria carbonate (NiO–SDCC) composite anodes were investigated with respect to wt.% NiO. Four types of composite anode powders were prepared by mechanically mixing NiO with SDCC electrolytes at different wt.% (50:50, 60:40, 70:30 and 80:20). XRD results demonstrated that the crystalline phase structure of NiO and SDCC does not show any phase change, but only exhibits the NiO and SDCC interface within the NiO–SDCC composite anode powder. SEM and BET results show that wt.% NiO considerably influenced the particle connectivity between NiO and SDCC, particle size, specific surface area, and pore size distribution. Specific surface area, and pore size increased whereas particle size decreased with an increase in wt.% NiO. The highest surface area (11.9 m2/g) and the largest pore volume (0.14 cm3/g) were obtained for NiO–SDCC (60:40) composite anode powder. Therefore, the composite anode with large specific surface area displays the highest catalytic activity and the lowest interfacial polarization resistance at the anode/electrolyte interface.
Effect of Natural Weathering on Tensile Properties of Low Density Polyethylene/Thermoplastic Soya Spent Powder Blends
Authors: Nuradibah M.A. , Sam Sung Ting , Noriman N.Z. , Ragunathan Santiagoo , Ismail H.
Published: December 2015

The effect of natural weathering on tensile properties of low density polyethylene/ thermoplastic soya spent powder (TSSP) was studied. TSSP was produced by mixing the soya spent powder (SSP) with glycerol. Both blends were prepared by using internal mixer (brabender) at 150 °C with the SSP/TSSP content ranged from 0 to 25 wt%. Then, all the dumb-bell samples were exposed to Perlis environment located at Kubang Gajah, Perlis for 6 months period. The tensile properties were tested by using a universal testing machine (UTM) according to ASTM D638. LDPE/SSP blends presented lower strength and elongation at break (Eb) than LDPE/ TSSP blends meanwhile there were no Young’s Modulus values for 20 wt% onwards of both blends due to the brittle samples after 6 months of weathering.
Rheological Properties and Extrusion Performance Evaluation of Silica Filled Epoxidized Natural Rubber (ENR) Compounds as Compared to Natural Rubber/Butadiene Rubber (NR/BR) Compound
Authors: Zaeimoedin Teku Zakwan , Mustafa Kamal Mazlina , Che Aziz Ahmad Kifli
Published: December 2015

In tyre industries, rheological and processability properties of rubber and polymer are great of importance since there are alot extrusion processes involved in the tyre manufacturing other than calendaring and moulding processes. Uniformity and consistency in the flow behaviour and processability of rubber are essential in providing the solution to the rubber industries in order to improve productivity, products quality and energy conservation. In this works, effects of silane coupling agent on rheological behaviour and extrusion performance of silica filled ENR tread compounds were studied and compared to NR/BR tread compound. The compounds were prepared by melt mixing in tangential internal mixer, while the rheological properties of compounds were determined by Capillary Rheometer, Cure Rheometer and Mooney viscometer. The compound were further examined for its extrudability performance evaluation by extruded the rubber through 30mm cold feed extruder machine using ASTM Extrusion Die, ‘Garvey’ type. Results showed that, ENR/silica compounds exhibit higher shear viscosity curves as compared to NR/BR compound at low shear rate regime. However an opposite trend was observed towards high shear rate regime tested which ENR/silica compounds gave slightly lower shear viscosity curve compared to NR/BR compound. As for extrudability performance evaluation, NR/BR compound gave better extrusion characteristics and appearance as compared to ENR/silica compounds.
Scaling Effects for Compression Loaded of Corrugated-Core Sandwich Panels
Authors: Mat Rejab Mohd Ruzaimi , Zaid N.Z.M. , Siregar Januar Parlaungan , Bachtiar Dandi
Published: December 2015

The compressive responses and failure investigations of corrugated-core sandwich panels subjected to lateral compression are presented. The results of finite element (FE) analysis using ABAQUS/CAE are compared with experimental results from tests on sandwich panels based on corrugations of aluminum alloy, glass fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP) and carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP). Particular focus is placed on identifying the scaling effects of number of unit cells and the thickness of the cell walls in dominating the overall deformation and local collapse of the panel. The effect of increasing the number of unit cells and cell wall thickness are investigated. The FE predictions have been shown to in reasonably agreement with the experimental measurements. The evidence suggests that corrugated composite cores offer significant potential as lightweight cores materials in sandwich construction.
Solvent Debinding of Inconel 718 Fabricated via Metal Injection Molding
Authors: bin Suleiman @ Ahmad Muhammad Jabir , binti Johari Nurhaslina , bin Ahmad Mohamad Azmirruddin , bin Ibrahim Rosdi , bin Abu Talib A.B.D. Rahim , bin Harmin Mohammad Yazdi
Published: December 2015

The demand for components manufactured by Metal Injection Molding (MIM) has been increased due to a diverse range of applications on the high temperature mechanical properties and corrosion/oxidation resistance. Super alloy utilize the inherent physical properties of heat-resisting alloy based on iron-nickel, or cobalt specifically high purity and fine particle size distributions, which can enhance sintering and maximize the density of the final component. The development of super alloy Inconel 718 (IN718) using MIM is discussed. IN718 powder with binder formulation consists of polyethylene (PE) / palm stearin (PS) were mixed homogeneously and injected to produce green compacts. The binders then were removed through solvent extraction process from various heating temperature and duration of time. The binder removal was quantified by weight loss measurements and the evolution of pore structure for the debound specimens was observed using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Result shows that complete extraction of PS from the green parts can be concluded during 60 °C of heating and 6 hours of immersion in heptane.
The Effect of Different Composition of Stainless Steel (SS316L) Foam via Space Holder Method
Authors: Mahammad Rafter Murni Faridah , Ahmad Sufizar , Ibrahim Rosdi
Published: December 2015

Stainless Steel materials (SS316L) generally known as a highly wear performance and resistant to corrosion. The purpose in this study is to produce the stainless steel foam and physical properties of sintered 316L stainless steel materials produced by powder metallurgy (P/M) method. In this paper, the method is based on using spherical urea as space holder was investigated. Then, the foams will be given to consider the properties of SS316L foam after sintering process. Powder metallurgy process needs to go through the mixing, pressing, sintering and analysis. The selected compositions of SS316L were varied from 50 wt % to 60 wt % SS316L, respectively while the remaining percentages are foaming agent. The SS316L powders were cold-pressed with 8 tons pressure and sintered at 1200°C via tube furnace. The SS316L foams were then characterised using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for morphological characterisation of the samples after sintering process. Lastly, porosity and density were tested for this sample. As a result, the composition with 60 wt % SS316L is provided higher bulk density and lower porosity which are 4.34 g/cm3 and 69.03 %, respectively.
Synthesis of Alumina Based Alkaline Catalyst for Biodiesel-Derived Glycerol to Polyglycerol
Authors: Ayoub Muhammad , Inayat Abrar , Hailegiorgis Sintayehu Mekuria , Bhat Aamir Hussain
Published: December 2015

Biodiesel which comes from pure renewable resources provide an alternative fuel option for future. The rapid growth of the biodiesel industry will result in overproduction of less value glycerol and create a superfluity of this impure by-product. The synthesis of alkaline alumina catalyst for polyglycerol production via solvent free base-catalyzed etherification of low value glycerol is reported. The etherification of biodiesel derived glycerol to polyglycerol was studied in a heterogeneous catalysis under solvent free system, using alkalines over γ – alumina catalysts. All the catalysts were prepared by incipient-wetness impregnation of an aqueous solution of alkaline compounds on γ – alumina as a support. The effects of alkaline compound, reaction temperature, catalyst amount, and reaction time in conversion of glycerol to polyglycerol were investigated. The catalyst with potassium loaded on γ -alumina gave the highest basicity and the best catalytic activity for this reaction. The highest glycerol conversion into polyglycerol production was obtained with high yield 79.5% over prepared catalyst respectively. Industrially, the findings attained in this study might contribute towards promoting the biodiesel industry through utilization of its by-products.
Effect of Polyaniline Loading on Tensile Properties, Electrical Conductivity and Swelling Behavior of Poly(Vinyl Chloride)/Poly(Ethylene Oxide) Conductive Films
Authors: Siti Hajar Mohd Din , Supri A.G. , Jalilah Abd Jalil
Published: December 2015

Polymer conductive films based on poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC), polyaniline (PANI) were prepared using solution casting method. The effect of polyaniline loading on the tensile properties, swelling behavior, and electrical conductivity of PVC/PEO conductive films were studied. The tensile strength of PVC/PEO conductive films decrease with increasing of PANI loading. The mass swell percentages and electrical conductivity increased with the increasing polyaniline loading of PVC/PEO conductive films.
Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Thin Films by Modified Sol-Gel Route for Solar Water Splitting
Authors: Sarip Nurulnadia , Kamaruddin Sharul Ashikin , Mahmud Farhanahani , Mohd Tawil Siti Nooraya , Sahdan Mohd Zainizan
Published: December 2015

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the promising candidates for solar water splitting application. Due to immerging of nanotechnology, ZnO nanostructures have been extensively studied and the properties are still under debate. Vertically aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs) offer higher surface-to-volume ration compared to other shapes and become the most seeked by researches ever since. The facile growth of vertically aligned ZnO NRs thin films out of two different zinc salt, namely , zinc acetate and zinc nitrate using the modified sol-gel route were performed with the assistant of ultrasonic rinse. Sonication of ZnO NRs thin films has significant improvement on the structural and optical properties. Several sonication periods have been employed to synthesize these ZnO NRs thin films. Deposited ZnO NRs films were characterized under FE-SEM, AFM, XRD and UV-Vis. Comparative investigation performed on acetate and nitrate precursor materials showed a preferable (0 0 2) with homogeneous surface formation single crystal growth, high quality transparent thin film of 3.23 eV in acetate precursor material at 30 seconds sonication were reported in this paper.
Deposition of Electroless Nickel Boron as Printed Circuit Board Surface Finish
Authors: Kahar Hardinnawirda , Abd Malek Zetty Akhtar , Idris Siti Rabiatull Aisha , Ishak Mahadzir
Published: December 2015

Electroless Nickel Boron had been appointed as potential coating in several applications in industry like aeronatics, petrochemical industry, electronics and firearms due to its desirable physical and mechanical properties such as high wear resistance and high hardness including provides uniformity in coating thickness. However, in semiconductor sector, the usage of Nickel Boron as coating layer still insufficient due to lack of study in term of its potential as coating on printed circuit board. This study aims to investigate the mechanical and physical properties of electroless Nickel Boron as potential printed circuit board coating layer. The study conducted by cutting Copper substrates to 50mm x 7mm x 1.5mm and then subjected to surface pre-treatment before soak in Nickel Boron plating bath solution that contain of different concentration of Sodium Borohydrate (NaBH4), 0.4, 0.6,0.8,1.0 and 1.2 g/l. Surface roughness was evaluated using 3D Roughness Reconstruction software. For mechanical properties, the hardness test was conducted by using Vickers Hardness Test MMT-X7 Matsuzawa and surface structure was evaluate using ProgRes C3 IM7200 Optical Microscope and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). It was found that the surface roughness and hardness resistance were affected by Sodium Borohydrate (NaBH4) that correlate with the surface microstructure.
Thermoluminescence Characteristics of Cylindrical Optical Fibers with Different Diameters in Radiation Dosimetry Subjected to Electron Irradiation
Authors: Mat Nawi Siti Nurasiah , Wahib Norfadira , Zulkepely Nurul Najua , Mohd Amin Yusoff , Ngie Min Ung , Bradley David Andrew , Abdul Sani Siti Fairus , Maah Mohd Jamil
Published: December 2015

Thermoluminescence (TL) characteristics for various cross-sections of 6 mole% of tailor-made Ge-doped cylindrical optical fibers were determined. The general TL characteristic i.e., dose rate dependence, energy dependence, dose response and reproducibility of the samples have been investigated. The samples were irradiated using electron beam (Linac) and been exposed to dose ranging from 1 to 4 Gy. The cylindrical optical fibers provide highly linear dose response within the clinical relevant dose range, independence of radiation energy over the range of energies investigated, independence of dose rate and excellent reproducibility. This research shows that germanium doped silica fibers have high potential of dosimetric properties and suitable as TL-mode detectors in instances of radiotherapy (clinical dosimetry).
Thermoluminescence Response of Germanium-Doped Silica (SiO2) Optical Fibers Subjected to X-Ray Irradiation
Authors: Wahib Norfadira , Mat Nawi Siti Nurasiah , Zulkepely Nurul Najua , Mohd Amin Yusoff , Seong Ling Yap , Bradley David Andrew , Abdul Sani Siti Fairus , Maah Mohd Jamil
Published: December 2015

We have investigated the suitability of 8% mole of tailor-made germanium (Ge)- doped silica (Si02) cylindrical fibers to use as the detector, to map dose that received by the patient during the treatment especially for X-ray radiation. The diameters of these cylindrical optical fibers are; 362μm, 483μm and 604μm with different in masses and have been supplied by Telekom Malaysia (TM) group. To study the thermoluminescence reponse of these fibers, X-ray source with 60 kVp, 80 kVp and 100 kVp were used to irradiate the samples. The dosage of X-ray source was measured by the calibrated ionization chamber. The potential of these (Ge) - doped silica (Si02) cylindrical fibers as an efficient thermoluminescence (TL) material was investigated comparing the thermoluminescence response of the fibers with standard TLD 100. In confronting the variation of the dopant concentration (Germanium) along the core of the optical fibers, the individual calibrations so called as Elemental Correction Coefficient (ECC) were carried out. The results showed that, the best annealing temperature and time (to erase the previous signal) for the samples are 400 °C for one hour. The TL Yield (measured in counts per second per unit mass of fiber) increases as the dose of X-ray beams increases from 0.08 Gy up until 2.8 Gy. The results were clearly indicated that the TL response of SiO2 fibers were energy dependent. It can be concluded that, Ge-doped optical Silica (SiO2) optical fibers is very suitable to use as TLD to measure dose in medical applications.
Effect of Diluted Nano-Oil on the Anti-Wear and Friction Properties
Authors: Hakimi Chua Abdullah Muhammad Ilman , bin Abdollah Mohd Fadzli , Amiruddin Hilmi , Tamaldin Noreffendy , Mat Nuri Nur Rashid
Published: December 2015

Experimental work procedures on the anti-wear and friction properties were conducted to investigate the effect of nano-oil diluted with biodiesel fuel. In this work, an optimal composition (0.5 vol.%) of 70nm hBN nanoparticles was dispersed into SAE15W40 diesel engine oil by using sonication technique as a nano-oil. The homogenize nano-oil then was diluted by four difference percentages of B100 biodiesel fuel (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%). The anti-wear and friction tests were performed using four-ball tribometer according to the ASTM D-4172 standard. Result found that the addition of biodiesel fuel into homogenize nano-oil increases the coefficient of friction (COF) drastically by 25 ~ 96%, as compared with nano-oil and the wear rate also increase approximately by 9.68 ~ 19.50%.
XRD Analysis and Morphological Studies of Spin Coated LiNbO3 Nano Photonic Crystal Prepared for Optical Waveguide Application
Authors: Fakhri Makram A. , Al-Douri Y. , Hashim Uda , Salim Evan T.
Published: December 2015

Lithium niobate nanostructured thin films were deposited on (100) N-type Si substrates. Spin coating technique was used employed the polymeric precursor method (Pechini process) . The prepared films were Annealing in static air and oxygen atmosphere was performed at 500 _C for 2 h. X-ray diffraction analysis and SEM properties was carried out for films prepared at different mol concentration (0.25,0.50,0.75,1.00) Mol%. The results show a good enhancement in both structural and surface morphology of the films with increasing the concentration
Fabrication of Ag/ZnO Nanoparticles Using Ascorbic Acid as Reducing Agent
Authors: Andas Jeyashelly , Subri Nor Wahida
Published: December 2015

High surface area Ag/ZnO with an average diameter of 13.95 nm was successfully synthesized through a facile route, using ascorbic acid and silica rice husk as reducing agent and amorphous support respectively. This nanomaterial was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption, atomic absorption spectrometry and particle size analyzer. This simple method resulted in the production of almost spherical Ag/ZnO nanoparticles with high BET surface area and large pore volume of 341.46 m2g-1 and 0.59 cm3g-1 respectively. This preliminary study revealed the successful inclusion of metal cations into the silica framework without damaging the mesoporosity nature of silica.
Synthesis of Silver Decorated Silica Nanospheres for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Substrates
Authors: Siti Shafiqah Ahmad Shaharuddin , Md Nor Roslan , Amin Y.M. , Bradley David A.
Published: December 2015

A sol-gel technique has been used to synthesize silver decorated silica nanospheres for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. X- Ray diffraction (XRD) spectra shows peak at 2θ = 38.1, 44.6, 64.7, and 77.5°confirming the presence of Ag nanoparticles on the substrates. The Ag- decorated silica nanospheres were applied as SERS substrates using Rhodamine 6G (R6G) as probe molecule. From Raman analysis, the highest SERS enhancement factor at R6G concentration of 102was calculated around ~1010.
Effect on Variation of KMnO4 Amount for Production of Graphene Oxide (GO)
Authors: Hidayah Nur Md Said , Liu Wei Wen , Chin Wei Lai , Noriman N.Z. , Hashim Uda
Published: December 2015

Mass production of GO has always been an issue. Generally, there are 3 general methods available, namely Brodie’s, Staudenmaier’s and Hummer’s Method. These three methods differ in the type of oxidation agents used. There are plenty of developed methods to produce GO were reported in the literature including the improved Hummer’s method. This method is associated with the use of mixture of sulphuric acid/phosphoric acid (H2SO4/H3PO4) in 9:1 ratio without the presence of sodium nitrate (NaNO3).The amount of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) was set at 9.0g. This method allows high yield and ease of control. In this reaction, one of the important indicators was the colour changes during the addition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into the mixture. However, with the large amount of KMnO4 added, the colour change was hardly observed. Therefore, one possible way to cope with that was to vary the amount of added KMnO4. Subsequently, the produced GO were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Solar-Photocatalytic Degradation of Waste from CO2 Removal System Using Metal Doped TiO2 Photocatalysts: Effect of TiO2 Support
Authors: Riaz Nadia , Bustam Mohamad Azmi , Ullah Sami , Elkhalifah Ali E.I. , Gonfa Girma , Shariff Azmi M.
Published: December 2015

The wastewater containing the spent alkanolamines and its derivatives emerging from the natural gas industries into water has become a critical concern. In the present study, Titanium dioxides was used as photocatalysts to investigate for their efficiency for the photodegradation of Diisopropanolamine (DIPA) containing wastewater under the visible light irradiation. DIPA was used as a model alkanolamine while different commercially available TiO2 were tested for photodegradation of DIPA under the visible light source. The physico-chemical properties of the prepared photocatalysts were analyzed using different characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and N2-physisorption (BET).
Development of Ionothermal Synthesis of Titania Nanomaterial for Waste-Water Treatment
Authors: Chowdhury Sujan , Mandal Pradip Chandra , Zulfiqar Muhammad , Subbarao Duvvuri
Published: December 2015

In this study, ionothermal synthesis process has been used for the preparation of two different types of Titania nanomaterials and that were utilized in the degradation of waste-water like (sulfan blue). The ionic liquid were used as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethyl phosphate ([Bmim] DMP) as (TP) and 1-butyl-3-methypyridium dicyanamide ([Bmpm]DCN) as (TCN) respectively for the synthesis of anatase type Titania nanomaterials and confirmed with X-Ray diffraction pattern (XRD). The particle sizes and surface morphology were characterized by field emission scanning electron microsopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The sizes of the particle were found to be approximately 35±5 nm from the microscopic picture analysis. The nitrogen adsorption analysis measured a surface area of 455 and 220 m2 g-1 and pore volume of 0.25 and 0.15 cm3 g-1 for ([Bmim]DMP) and ([Bmpm]DCN) related synthesis TiO2 nanomaterials respectively.The degradation rate of sulfan blue is higher in the presence of TP as compared to TCN owing to the larger surface area.