Search results for: antibacterial textile materials

Authors: D. Chronopoulos, I. Antoniadis, V. Spitas, D. Koulocheris, V. Polenta

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A concept of a simple linear oscillator, incorporating a negative stiffness element is demonstrated to exhibit extraordinary damping properties. This oscillator shares the same overall (static) stiffness, the same mass and the same damping element with a reference classical linear SDOF oscillator. However, it differs from the original SDOF oscillator by appropriately redistributing the component spring stiffness elements and by re-allocating the damping element. Despite the fact that the proposed oscillator incorporates a negative stiffness element, it is designed to be both statically and dynamically stable. Once such an oscillator is optimally designed, it is shown to exhibit an extraordinary apparent damping ratio, which is even several orders of magnitude higher than that of the original SDOF system, especially in cases where the original damping of the SDOF system is low. This damping behavior is not a result of a novel additional extraordinary energy dissipation mechanism, but a result of the phase difference between the positive and the negative stiffness elastic forces, which is in turn a consequence of the proper re-distribution of the stiffness and the damper elements. This fact ensures that an adequate level of elastic forces exists throughout the entire frequency range, able to counteract the inertial and the excitation forces. Next, Acoustic or Phononic Meta-materials are considered, in which one atom is replaced by the concept of the above simple linear oscillator. The results indicate that not only the damping of the meta-material verifies and exceeds the one expected from the so-called "meta-damping" behavior, but also that the band gap of the meta-material can be significantly increased.

Keywords: wave propagation, periodic structures, wave damping, mechanical engineering

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Authors: Mohammad Reza Ghaani, Niall English

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Hydrogen is looked upon as the next-generation clean-energy carrier; the search for an efficient material and method for storing hydrogen has been, and is, pursued relentlessly. Clathrate hydrates are inclusion compounds wherein guest gas molecules like hydrogen are trapped in a host water-lattice framework. These types of materials can be categorised as potentially attractive hosting environments for physical hydrogen storage (i.e., no chemical reaction upon storage). Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations have been performed to investigate thermal-driven break-up of propane-hydrate interfaces with liquid water at 270-300 K, with the propane hydrate containing either one or no hydrogen molecule in each of its small cavities. In addition, two types of hydrate-surface water-lattice molecular termination were adopted, at the hydrate edge with water: a 001-direct surface cleavage and one with completed cages. The geometric hydrate-ice-liquid distinction criteria of Báez and Clancy were employed to distinguish between the hydrate, ice lattices, and liquid-phase. Consequently, the melting temperatures of interface were estimated, and dissociation rates were observed to be strongly dependent on temperature, with higher dissociation rates at larger over-temperatures vis-à-vis melting. The different hydrate-edge terminations for the hydrate-water interface led to statistically-significant differences in the observed melting point and dissociation profile: it was found that the clathrate with the planar interface melts at around 280 K, whilst the melting temperature of the cage-completed interface was determined to be circa 270 K.

Keywords: hydrogen storage, clathrate hydrate, molecular dynamics, thermal dissociation

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Authors: S. Nqayi, B. Sondezi

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A rare-earth-based Sm₂MnRuO₆₊δ (SMRO) double perovskite was prepared using a high-temperature solid-state reaction. The structural, morphological, chemical, thermodynamic, and magnetic properties were measured with X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. The XRD revealed a tetragonal structure belonging to the I4/mmm space group, number 139, with linear Mn−O−Ru bonds. Replacing the well-studied alkaline earth metal with a rare-earth element increased the Mn-O bond length difference between the shorter equatorial (Mn-Oab) and the axial (Mn-Oc) bonds by approximately 6.3%. The elemental composition showed an O-rich double perovskite with a Ru deficit, which encourages the formation of a Ru⁶⁺ (d²) state. XPS spectra of Sm-3d, Ru-3d, and Mn-2p revealed the coexistence of a double oxidation state for each cation; Sm²⁺, Sm³⁺, Ru³⁺, Ru⁶⁺, Mn²⁺ , and Mn³⁺, in varying proportions. Entropy studies showed drastic ordering of spins at low temperatures (up to 12.4 K), whilst increasing temperatures above this point resulted in a drastic increase of disorder of the spins (up to 43.26 K), beyond which a constant slope of entropy is observed. Magnetic measurements revealed two magnetic ground states at TN = 12.4 K and TC = 43.3 K ordering antiferromagnetically (AFM) and ferromagnetically (FM), respectively. Kneller fit further showed that the materials become completely paramagnetic at TB = 88.1 K, (the blocking temperature). The existence of ferromagnetic (FM) super-exchange coupling in this work originating from Mn³⁺ (t³₂𝓰e¹𝓰)−O−Ru³⁺ (t⁵₂𝓰e⁰𝓰) and Mn²⁺ (t³₂𝓰e²𝓰−O−Ru⁶⁺ (t²₂𝓰e⁰𝓰) which plays an important role in suppressing the Mn/Ru−O−Mn/Ru antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions.

Keywords: solid-state reaction, super-exchange coupling, ferromagnetic, Kneller’s law, entropy

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Authors: Omid Khaiyat, David Hawkes

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Introduction: There remains a lack of information on sophisticated coordination patterns across shoulder girdle muscles. Considering the stability of the shoulder being heavily dependent on coordinated muscle activity during its wide-ranging movements, it is important that key intermuscular relationships are well-defined for a better understanding of underlying pathology. This study investigated shoulder intermuscular coordination during different planes of shoulder elevation. Materials and Methods: EMG was recorded from 14 shoulder muscles in 20 healthy participants during shoulder flexion, scapula plane elevation, abduction, and extension. Cross-correlation by means of Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC) was used to examine the coordination between different muscles and muscle groups. Results: Coordination between rotator cuff and deltoid muscle groups was significantly higher (p =0.020-0.035) during the initial (PCC) = 0.79) and final (PCC = 0.74) phases of elevation compared to the mid-range (PCC = 0.34). Furthermore, a high level of coordination (PCC = 0.89) was noted between the deltoid group and the adductor group (latissimus dorsi and teres major) during the initial stage of shoulder elevation. Conclusion: The destabilising force of the deltoid during the initial stage of shoulder elevation is balanced by coordinated activity of rotator cuff, latissimus dorsi, and teres major. This is also the case for the end-range of movement, where increased demand for stability again leads to higher coordination between the deltoid and rotator cuff muscle groups. Appreciation of the sophistication of normal shoulder function evidence-based rehabilitation strategies for conditions such as subacromial impingement syndrome or shoulder instability can be developed.

Keywords: shoulder, coordination, EMG, muscle activity, upper limb

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Authors: M. Abouleish, R. Umer, Z. Sara

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Nitrate can cause serious environmental and human health problems. Effluent from different industries and excessive use of fertilizers have increased the level of nitrate in ground and surface water. Nitrate can convert to nitrite in the body, and as a result, can lead to Methemoglobinemia and cancer. Therefore, different organizations have set standard limits for nitrate and nitrite. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has set a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) of 10 mg N/L for nitrate and 1 mg N/L for nitrite. The removal of nitrate from water and wastewater is very important to ensure the availability of clean water. Different plant materials such as banana peel, rice hull, coconut and bamboo shells, have been studied as biosorbents for the removal of nitrates from water. The use of abundantly existing plant material as an adsorbent material and the lack of energy requirement for the adsorption process makes biosorption a sustainable approach. Therefore, in this research, the fruit of the plant was investigated for its ability to act as a biosorbent to remove the nitrate from wastewater. The effect of pH on nitrate removal was studied using both the raw and chemically activated fruit (adsorbent). Results demonstrated that the adsorbent needs to be chemically activated before usage to remove the nitrate from wastewater. pH did not have a significant effect on the adsorption process, with maximum adsorption of nitrate occurring at pH 4. SEM/EDX results demonstrated that there is no change in the surface of the adsorbent as a result of the chemical activation. Chemical activation of the adsorbent using NaOH increased the removal of nitrate by 6%; therefore, various methods of activation of the adsorbent will be investigated to increase the removal of nitrate.

Keywords: biosorption, nitrates, plant material, water, and wastewater treatment

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Authors: Wei Wang, Martin Chen

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The reconstitution behaviours of nutritional products could impact user experience. Reconstitution issues such as lump formation and white flecks sticking to bottles surfaces could be very unappealing for the consumers in milk preparation. The controlling steps in dissolving instant milk powders include wetting, swelling, sinking, dispersing, and dissolution as in the literature. Each stage happens simultaneously with the others during milk preparation, and it is challenging to isolate and measure each step individually. This study characterized three adult nutritional products for different properties including particle size, density, dispersibility, stickiness, and capillary wetting to understand the relationship between powder physical properties and their reconstitution behaviours. From the results, the formation of clumps can be caused by different factors limiting the critical steps of powder reconstitution. It can be caused by small particle size distribution, light particle density limiting powder wetting, or the rapid swelling and dissolving of particle surface materials to impede water penetration in the capillary channels formed by powder agglomerates. For the grain or white flecks formation in milk preparation, it was believed to be controlled by dissolution speed of the particles after dispersion into water. By understanding those relationship between fundamental powder structure and their user experience in reconstitution, this information provides us new and multiple perspectives on how to improve the powder characteristics in the commercial manufacturing.

Keywords: characterization, dairy nutritional powder, physical property, reconstitution

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Authors: Jerry John T. M., Sylas V. P., Shijo Joy

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Hydrogen is the most essential gas that can be used for many purposes. During the production of hydrogen using raw materials like Soil and leftover cooked rice water (kanjivellam), the major by-product formed is water. Soil is collected from three different places in kottayam district: Kallara, Meenachilar, and Athirampuzha. Collected samples are mixed with rice water and tested for traces of hydrogen using a biohydrogen sensor after 72 hours. The result was the presence of hydrogen in all the 3 samples. After streaking, PCR and gel electrophoresis detected the bacteria which produced the hydrogen. RGCB Thiruvananthapuram conducted the sequencing of the PCR resultant. And identified the bacterial strains. Five variants of Bacillus bacteria ( (1) Bacillus cereus strain JTM GenBank: OP278839.1 (2) Bacillus toyonensis strain JTM2 GenBank: OP278841.1 (3) Bacillus anthracis strain JTM_SR2989-3-R_H08 GenBank: OP278960.1 (4) Bacillus thuringiensis strain JRY1 GenBank: OP278976.1 (5) Bacillus anthracis strain JTM_SR2989-3-F_H07 GenBank: OP278959.1 ) are identified and successfully registered in NCBI Gen bank. These Bacillus bacteria are major types of Rhizobacteria that can form spores and can survive in the soil for a long time period under harsh environmental conditions. Also, plant growth is enhanced by PGPR (Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria) through the induction of systemic resistance, antibiosis, and competitive omission. The molecular sequencing was submitted to the NCBI Gen Bank, and the accession numbers were allotted for the bacterial cultures.

Keywords: bio hydrogen production, bacterial bio hydrogen production, plant related to bacillus bacteria., bacillus bacteria study

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Authors: Elham Mansouri, Asghar Mesbahi

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Purpose: In the current study, we aimed to investigate the macroscopic and microscopic dose enhancement effect of metallic nanoparticles in interstitial brachytherapy of uterus cancer by Iodin-125 source using a nano-lattice model in MCNPX (5) and MCNP6.1 codes. Materials and methods: Based on a nano-lattice simulation model containing a radiation source and a tumor tissue with cellular compartments loaded with 7mg/g spherical nanoparticles (bismuth, gold, and gadolinium), the energy deposited by the secondary electrons in microscopic and macroscopic level was estimated. Results: The results show that the values of macroscopic DEF is higher than microscopic DEF values and the macroscopic DEF values decreases as a function of distance from the brachytherapy source surface. Also, the results revealed a remarkable discrepancy between the DEF and secondary electron spectra calculated by MCNPX (5) and MCNP6.1 codes, which could be justified by the difference in energy cut-off and electron transport algorithms of two codes. Conclusion: According to the both MCNPX (5) and MCNP6.1 outputs, it could be concluded that the presence of metallic nanoparticles in the tumor tissue of uteruscancer increases the physical effectiveness of brachytherapy by I-125 source. The results presented herein give a physical view of radiosensitization potential of different metallic nanoparticles and could be considered in design of analytical and experimental radiosensitization studies in tumor regions using various radiotherapy modalities in the presence of heavy nanomaterials.

Keywords: MCNPX, MCNP6, nanoparticle, brachytherapy

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Authors: Hamed Nazeri, Pierre Mertiny, Yongsheng Ma, Kajsa Duke

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The background of the present study is the use of environment-friendly biopolymer and biocomposite materials. Among the recently introduced biopolymers, poly (propylene carbonate) (PPC) has been gaining attention. This study focuses on the size of representative volume elements (RVE) in order to simulate PPC composites reinforced by cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as a bio-nanocomposite. Before manufacturing nanocomposites, numerical modeling should be implemented to explore and predict mechanical properties, which may be accomplished by creating and studying a suitable RVE. In other studies, modeling of composites with rod shaped fillers has been reported assuming that fillers are unidirectionally aligned. But, modeling of non-aligned filler dispersions is considerably more difficult. This study investigates the minimum RVE size to enable subsequent FEA modeling. The matrix and nano-fillers were modeled using the finite element software ABAQUS, assuming randomly dispersed fillers with a filler mass fraction of 1.5%. To simulate filler dispersion, a Monte Carlo technique was employed. The numerical simulation was implemented to find composite elastic moduli. After commencing the simulation with a single filler particle, the number of particles was increased to assess the minimum number of filler particles that satisfies the requirements for an RVE, providing the composite elastic modulus in a reliable fashion.

Keywords: biocomposite, Monte Carlo method, nanocomposite, representative volume element

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Authors: Shian Saroop, Dhiren Allopi

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In order to stay competitive and to meet upcoming stricter environmental regulations and customer requirements, designers have a key role in designing civil infrastructure so that it is environmentally sustainable. There is an urgent need for engineers to apply technologies and methods that deliver better and more sustainable performance of civil infrastructure as well as a need to establish a standard of measurement for greener infrastructure, rather than merely use tradition solutions. However, there are no systems in place at the design stage that assesses the environmental impact of design decisions on township infrastructure projects. This paper identifies alternative eco-efficient civil infrastructure design solutions and developed sustainability criteria and a toolkit to analyse the eco efficiency of infrastructure projects. The proposed toolkit is aimed at promoting high-performance, eco-efficient, economical and environmentally friendly design decisions on stormwater, roads, water and sanitation related to township infrastructure projects. These green solutions would bring a whole new class of eco-friendly solutions to current infrastructure problems, while at the same time adding a fresh perspective to the traditional infrastructure design process. A variety of projects were evaluated using the green infrastructure toolkit and their results are compared to each other, to assess the results of using greener infrastructure verses the traditional method of designing infrastructure. The application of ‘green technology’ would ensure a sustainable design of township infrastructure services assisting the design to consider alternative resources, the environmental impacts of design decisions, ecological sensitivity issues, innovation, maintenance and materials, at the design stage of a project.

Keywords: eco-efficiency, green infrastructure, infrastructure design, sustainable development

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Authors: Mimoza Canga, Alketa Qafmolla, Vergjini Mulo, Irene Malagnino

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Aim: Assessment of oral health in young people aged 18-29 years after the Covid-19 pandemic in Albania. Materials and methods: The present study was conducted at the University of Medicine in Tirana, Albania, from March 2023 to September 2023. This is s cross-sectional study. In our research, 104 students participated, of which 64 were females (61.5%) and 40 were males (38.5%). In the present survey, the participants were divided into four age groups: 18-20, 21-23, 24-26, and 27-29 years old. Majority of the sample (69%) were 18-20 years. Participants were instructed to complete the questionnaire. The study had no dropouts. The current study was conducted in accordance to Helsinki declaration. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 23.0, Microsoft Windows Linux, Chicago, IL, USA. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: This study reported that 80 (76.9%) of the participants had passed Covid-19, while 24 (23.1%) of them had not passed Covid-19. Based on our data analysis, 70 (67.3%) of the participants had symptoms such as of fever 38°C- 40.5°C and headache. They stated that were treated with Azithromycin 500 mg tablets, Augmentin 625 mg tablets, Vitamin C 1000 mg, Magnesium, and Vitamin D. 40(38.4%) of the participants noticed hypersensitivity in gums (p = 0.004) and sensitive teeth (p = 0.001) after having passed Covid-19 compared to pre-pandemic. Nearly 40 (38.4%) of the participants who passed Covid-19 were treated with painful relievers for the gums and teeth, such as ibuprofen (Advil), used Sensodyne Toothpaste for sensitive teeth and Clove oil. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study conducted in Albania, can concluded that Covid-19 has a direct impact on oral health.

Keywords: albania, Covid19, cross-sectional study, oral health

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Authors: Zohreh Fallah, Edward P. L. Roberts

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One of the big challenges for produced water treatment is removing oil from water in the form of emulsified droplets which are not easily separated. An attractive approach is adsorption, as it is a simple and effective process. However, adsorbents must be regenerated in order to make the process cost effective. Several sorbents have been tested for treating oily wastewater. However, some issues such as high energy consumption for activated carbon thermal regeneration have been reported. Due to their significant electrical conductivity, Graphite Intercalation Compounds (GIC) were found to be suitable to be regenerated electrochemically. They are non-porous materials with low surface area and fast adsorptive capacity which are useful for removal of low concentration of organics. An innovative adsorption/regeneration process has been developed at the University of Manchester in which adsorption of organics are done by using a patented GIC adsorbent coupled with subsequent electrochemical regeneration. The oxidation of adsorbed organics enables 100% regeneration so that the adsorbent can be reused over multiple adsorption cycles. GIC adsorbents are capable of removing a wide range of organics and pollutants; however, no comparable report is available for removal of emulsified oil in produced water using abovementioned process. In this study the performance of this technology for the removal of emulsified oil in wastewater was evaluated. Batch experiments were carried out to determine the adsorption kinetics and equilibrium isotherm for both real produced water and model emulsions. The amount of oil in wastewater was measured by using the toluene extraction/fluorescence analysis before and after adsorption and electrochemical regeneration cycles. It was found that oil in water emulsion could be successfully treated by the treatment process and More than 70% of oil was removed.

Keywords: adsorption, electrochemical regeneration, emulsified oil, produced water

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Authors: Salwa M. Elmesallamy, Ahmed A. Farag, Magd M. Badr, Dalia S. Fathy, Ahmed Bakry, Mona A. El-Etre

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The term green environment is an international trend. It is become imperative to treat the corrosion of steel with a green coating to protect the environment. From the potential adverse effects of the traditional materials.A series of polybenzoxazine/henna composites (PBZ/henna), with different weight percent (3,5, and 7 wt % (of henna), were prepared for corrosion protection of carbon steel. The structures of the prepared composites were verified using FTIR analysis. The mechanical properties of the resins, such as adhesion, hardness, binding, and tensile strength, were also measured. It was found that the tensile strength increases by henna loading up to 25% higher than the tidy resin. The thermal stability was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) the loading of lawsone (henna) molecules into the PBZ matrix increases the thermal stability of the composite. UV stability was tested by the UV weathering accelerator to examine the possibility that henna can also act as an aging UV stabilizer. The effect of henna content on the corrosion resistance of composite coatings was tested using potentiostatic polarization and electrochemical spectroscopy. The presence of henna in the coating matrix enhances the protection efficiency of polybenzoxazine coats. Increasing henna concentration increases the protection efficiency of composites. The quantum chemical calculations for polybenzoxazine/henna composites have resulted that the highest corrosion inhibition efficiency, has the highest EHOMO and lowest ELUMO; which is in good agreement with results obtained from experiments.

Keywords: polybenzoxazine, corrosion, green chemistry, carbon steel

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Authors: Kusum Kumari, Ramesh Banoth, V. S. Reddy Channu

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Organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PrSCs) have emerged as a promising solar photovoltaic technology in terms of realizing high power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, their limited lifetime and poor device stability limits their commercialization in future. In this regard, interface engineering of the electron transport layer (ETL) using 2D materials have been currently used owing to their high carrier mobility, high thermal stability and tunable work function, which in turn enormously impact the charge carrier dynamics. In this work, we report an easy and effective way of simultaneously enhancing the efficiency of PrSCs along with the long-term stability through interface engineering via the incorporation of 2D-Molybdenum disulfide (2D-MoS₂, few layered nanoflakes) in mesoporous-Titanium dioxide (mp-TiO₂)scaffold electron transport buffer layer, and using poly 3-hexytheophene (P3HT) as hole transport layers. The PSCs were fabricated in ambient air conditions in device configuration, FTO/c-TiO₂/mp-TiO₂:2D-MoS₂/CH3NH3PbI3/P3HT/Au, with an active area of 0.16 cm². The best device using c-TiO₂/mp-TiO₂:2D-MoS₂ (0.5wt.%) ETL exhibited a substantial increase in PCE ~13.04% as compared to PCE ~8.75% realized in reference device fabricated without incorporating MoS₂ in mp-TiO₂ buffer layer. The incorporation of MoS₂ nanoflakes in mp-TiO₂ ETL not only enhances the PCE to ~49% but also leads to better device stability in ambient air conditions without encapsulation (retaining PCE ~86% of its initial value up to 500 hrs), as compared to ETLs without MoS₂.

Keywords: perovskite solar cells, MoS₂, nanoflakes, electron transport layer

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Authors: Aleksandra Kondraciuk

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The reconstruction of post-war architecture in Warsaw is an important and complex project that requires physical restoration and cultural preservation. The incorporation of 18th-century art within the renovated structures of the urban area forms a crucial aspect of the reconstruction procedure. Information was gathered by interviewing current residents, examining additional data, and researching archival materials. This form of art was once a thriving cultural centre in Warsaw, playing a significant role in its history. Adding it to the rebuilt structures links them to the city’s vibrant past, making them more meaningful for locals and visitors. The reconstructed buildings showcase 18th-century art forms, including sketches, drawings, and paintings, accurately replicating the original buildings’ architectural details and decorative elements. These art forms elevate the buildings from mere functional spaces to works of art themselves, thus augmenting the beauty and distinctiveness of the city, setting it apart from other cities worldwide. Furthermore, this art form symbolises the city’s tenacity in adversity and destruction. Revitalising Warsaw requires rebuilding its physical structures, restoring its cultural identity, and preserving its rich history. Incorporating 18th-century art into the post-war architectural reconstruction process is a powerful way to achieve these goals and maintain the city. This approach acknowledges the city’s history and cultural significance, fostering a sense of continuity between the past and present, which is crucial for the city’s future growth and prosperity.

Keywords: 18th-century art, building reconstruction, cultural preservation, post-war architecture

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Authors: Zeynep Dikmen, Vural Bütün

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Electron donor or acceptor capability to participate in electron conjugation is the requirement for an electroactive material. Conjugated molecules and polymers bearing heterocyclic units have potential as optically electroactive materials. Thiazolo thiazole based compounds have attention for last two decades, because they have attractive electronic and optical properties, these compounds are useful for electronic application areas such as dye sentisized solar cells (DSSCs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and field effect transistors (FETs). Thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole is bicyclic aromatic structure contains N and S atoms which act as electron donor. A new electron accepting or donating group bound to thiazolo [5,4-d] thiazole fused ring can change the electronic, spectroscopic, stability and dyeing properties of the new material. Polyphenylene(thiazolo [5,4-d] thiazole) (p-PhTT) compound was synthesized via condensation reaction of terephthalaldehyde with dithiooxamide. The chemical structure was determined with solid state 13C NMR spectroscopy. Optical properties (i.e. absorbance and band gap) was determined via solid UV-vis spectroscopy. The insoluble polymer was quarternized with 4-vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC). Colorless VBC changed into a yellow liquid. AgNO3 complex were prepared and optical properties were investigated with UV-Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy and X-ray spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry studies were examined in this research. This structure exhibits good absorbance and fluorescence in UV-vis region. Synthesis scheme of PyTT and preparation of metal complexes are given. PyTT has absorbance at ~360 nm and fluorescence at ~420 nm.

Keywords: thiazolo thiazole, quarternized polymers, polymeric ligands, Ag complexes

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Authors: B. Karthik Vasan, Rachil Maliwal, Somnath Basu

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Generation of solid waste is a major problem confronting the iron and steel industry around the world. Disposal of untreated wastes is no longer a viable solution in view of the environmental regulations becoming more and more stringent, as well as an increase in community awareness about the long-term hazards of indiscriminate waste disposal. The current work explores the possibility of converting some of the ‘problematic’ solid wastes generated during steel manufacturing operations, viz. dust from primary steelmaking, iron ore handling, and flux calcination processes, into value-added products instead of environmentally hazardous disposal practices. It was possible to develop a synthetic calcium ferrite, which helped to enhance the dissolution of calcined basic fluxes (e.g. CaO) and reduce the overall energy consumption during steel making. This, in turn, increased process efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The preliminary results from laboratory-scale experiments clearly demonstrate the potential of utilizing these ‘waste materials’ that are generated in-house in iron and steel manufacturing plants. The energy required for synthesis of the ferrite may be reduced further by partially utilizing the waste heat from the exhaust gases. In the longer run, it would result in significant financial benefits due to reduced dependence on purchased fluxes. The synthesized ferrite is non-hygroscopic and this provides an additional benefit during its storage and transportation, relative to calcined lime (CaO) that is widely used as a basic flux across the steel making industry.

Keywords: calcium ferrite, flux, slag formation, solid waste

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Authors: Popoola Sulaimon Akorede, Muinat A. Agbabiaka-Mustapha

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The Quranic / piazza school where the rudiments of Islam are being imparted from the teaching of Arabic/ Quranic alphabets which later metamorphosized to higher fundamental principles of Islam is the major determinant of the existence of Islam in any part of south western Nigeria. In other words, one can successfully say that where there is a few or non-existence of such schools in that part of the country, the practice of the religion of Islam would be either very low or not existing at all. However, it has been discovered in the modern worlds that several challenges are militating against the development of these schools and among these challenges are poor admission policy, inadequate facilities such as learning environment and instructional materials, curriculum inadequacy and the management and the administration of the schools which failed to change in order to meet the modern contemporary Educational challenges. The focus of this paper therefore is to improve the conditions of these basic Islamic schools through the introduction of quality assurance and integrating accreditation Exercise to improve their status in order to enhance economic empowerment and to further their educational career in the future so that they will be able to compete favourably among the graduates of conventional universities. The scope of this study is limited to only seven (7) states of yorubaland and with only three (3) proprietors/ schools from each state which are Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and parts of Kwara State. The study revealed that quality assurance as well as accreditation exercise are lacking in all the local Arabic/Quranic schools. Suggestions are proffered towards correcting the anomalies in these schools so that they can meet the modern Educational standard.

Keywords: accreditation, quality assurance, Quranic schools, South-western Nigeria

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Authors: Ikechi Gilbert

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Oral communication is the transmission of ideas or messages through the speech process. Acquiring competence in this area which, by its volatile nature, is prone to errors and inaccuracies would require the adoption of a well-suited teaching methodology. Efficient oral communication facilitates exchange of ideas and easy accomplishment of day-to-day tasks, by means of a demonstrated mastery of oral expression and the making of fine presentations to audiences or individuals while recognizing verbal signals and body language of others and interpreting them correctly. In Anglophone states such as Nigeria, Ghana, etc., the French language, for instance, is studied as a foreign language, being used majorly in teaching learners who have their own mother tongue different from French. The same applies to Francophone states where English is studied as a foreign language by people whose official language or mother tongue is different from English. The ideal approach would be to teach these languages in these environments through a pedagogical approach that properly takes care of the oral perspective for effective understanding and application by the learners. In this article, we are examining the communicative approach as a methodology for teaching oral communication in a foreign language. This method is a direct response to the communicative needs of the learner involving the use of appropriate materials and teaching techniques that meet those needs. It is also a vivid improvement to the traditional grammatical and audio-visual adaptations. Our contribution will focus on the pedagogical component of oral communication improvement, highlighting its merits and also proposing diverse techniques including aspects of information and communication technology that would assist the second language learner communicate better orally.

Keywords: communication, competence, methodology, pedagogical component

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Authors: Lutfi Abosrra, Alseddeq Alabaoub, Nuri Elhaloudi

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Corrosion processes in the Oil & Gas industry can lead to failures that are usually costly to repair, costly in terms of loss of contaminated product, in terms of environmental damage and possibly costly in terms of human safety. This article describes the results of the corrosion review and criticality assessment done at Mellitah Gas (SRU unit) for pressure equipment and piping system. The information gathered through the review was intended for developing a qualitative RBI study. The corrosion criticality assessment has been carried out by applying company procedures and industrial recommended practices such as API 571, API 580/581, ASME PCC 3, which provides a guideline for establishing corrosion integrity assessment. The corrosion review is intimately related to the probability of failure (POF). During the corrosion study, the process units are reviewed by following the applicable process flow diagrams (PFDs) in the presence of Mellitah’s personnel from process engineering, inspection, and corrosion/materials and reliability engineers. The expected corrosion damage mechanism (internal and external) was identified, and the corrosion rate was estimated for every piece of equipment and corrosion loop in the process units. A combination of both Consequence and Likelihood of failure was used for determining the corrosion risk. A qualitative consequence of failure (COF) for each individual item was assigned based on the characteristics of the fluid as per its flammability, toxicity, and pollution into three levels (High, Medium, and Low). A qualitative probability of failure (POF)was applied to evaluate the internal and external degradation mechanism, a high-level point-based (0 to 10) for the purpose of risk prioritizing in the range of Low, Medium, and High.

Keywords: corrosion, criticality assessment, RBI, POF, COF

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Authors: Haniyeh Okhovat, Mahmood Hosseini, Omid Kaveh Ahangari, Mona Zaryoun

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Shavadoon is a type of underground living space, formerly used in urban residences of Dezful and Shooshtar cities in southwestern Iran. In spite of their high efficiency in creating cool spaces for hot summers of that area, Shavadoons were abandoned, like many other components of vernacular architecture, as a result of the modernism movement. However, Shavadoons were used by the local people as shelters during the 8-year Iran-Iraq war, and although several cases of bombardment happened during those years, no case of damage was reported in those two cities. On this basis, and regarding the high seismicity of Iran, the use of Shavadoons as post-disasters shelters can be considered as a good issue for research. This paper presents the results of a thorough study conducted on these spaces and their seismic behavior. First, the architectural aspects of Shavadoon and their construction technique are presented. Then, the results of seismic evaluation of a sample Shavadoon, conducted by a series of time history analyses, using Plaxis software and a set of selected earthquakes, are briefly explained. These results show that Shavadoons have good stability against seismic excitations. This stability is mainly because of the high strength of conglomerate materials inside which the Shavadoons have been excavated. On this basis, and considering other merits of this components of vernacular architecture in southwest of Iran, it is recommended that the revival of these components is seriously reconsidered by both architects and civil engineers.

Keywords: Shavadoon, Iran high seismicity, Conglomerate, Modeling in Plaxis, Vernacular sustainable architecture

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Authors: Linda Chularojmontri, Seewaboon Sireeratawong, Suvara Wattanapitayakul

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Terminalia arjuna Roxb. (family Combretaceae) is commonly known as ‘Sa maw thet’ in Thai. The fruit is used in traditional medicine as natural mild laxatives, carminative and expectorant. Aim of the study: This research aims to study the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities of Terminalia arjuna extract by using animal models in comparison to the reference drugs. Materials and Methods: The anti-inflammatory study was conducted by two experimental animal models namely ethyl phenylpropionate (EPP)-induced ear edema and carrageenan-induced paw edema. The study of analgesic activity used two methods of pain induction including acetic acid and heat-induced pain. In addition, the antipyretic activity study was performed by induced hyperthermia with yeast. Results: The results showed that the oral administration of Terminalia arjuna extract possessed acute anti-inflammatory effect in carrageenan-induced paw edema. Terminalia arjuna extract showed the analgesic activity in acetic acid-induced writhing response and heat-induced pain. This indicates its peripheral effect by inhibiting the biosynthesis and/or release of some pain mediators and some mechanism through Central nervous system. Moreover, Terminalia arjuna extract at the dose of 1000 and 1500 mg/kg body weight showed the antipyretic activity, which might be because of the inhibition of prostaglandins. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that the Terminalia arjuna extract possesses the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities in animals.

Keywords: analgesic activity, anti-inflammatory activity, antipyretic activity, Terminalia arjuna extract

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Authors: Ayelet Siman-Tov, Shlomo Kaniel

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Objectives: The research validates a multivariate model that predicts parental adjustment to coping successfully with an autistic child. The model comprises four elements: parental stress, parental resources, parental adjustment and the child's autism symptoms. Background and aims: The purpose of the current study is the construction and validation of a model for the adjustment of parents and a child with autism. The suggested model is based on theoretical views on stress and links personal resources, stress, perception, parental mental health and quality of marriage and child adjustment with autism. The family stress approach focuses on the family as a system made up of a dynamic interaction between its members, who constitute interdependent parts of the system, and thus, a change in one family member brings about changes in the processes of the entire family system. From this perspective, a rise of new demands in the family and stress in the role of one family member affects the family system as a whole. Materials and methods: 176 parents of children aged between 6 to 16 diagnosed with ASD answered several questionnaires measuring parental stress, personal resources (sense of coherence, locus of control, social support), adjustment (mental health and marriage quality) and the child's autism symptoms. Results: Path analysis showed that a sense of coherence, internal locus of control, social support and quality of marriage increase the ability to cope with the stress of parenting an autistic child. Directions for further research are suggested.

Keywords: stress, adjustment, resources, Autism, parents, coherence

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Authors: Natida Thongsima, Patompong Satapornpong

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Introduction: Lamotrigine is widely used in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder. However, lamotrigine leads to adverse drug reactions (ADRs) consist of severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) include Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS). Moreover, lamotrigine-induced SCARs are usually manifested between 2 and 8 weeks after treatment initiation. According to a previous study, the association between HLA-B*15:02 and lamotrigine-induced cutaneous adverse drug reactions in the Thai population (odds ratio 4.89; 95% CI 1.28–18.66; p-value = 0.014) was found. Therefore, the distribution of pharmacogenetics markers a major role in predicting the culprit drugs for SCARs in many populations. Objective: In this study, we want to investigate the prevalence of HLA-B allele, which correlates with lamotrigine-induced SCARs in the healthy Thai population. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 350 healthy Thai individuals and were approved by the ethics committee of Rangsit University. HLA-B alleles were genotyped by the Lifecodes HLA SSO typing kits (Immucor, West Avenue, Stamford, USA). Results: The results presented HLA-B allele frequency in healthy Thai population were 14.71% (HLA-B*46:01), 8.57% (HLA-B*15:02), 6.71% (HLA-B*40:01), 5.86% (HLA-B*13:01), 5.71% (HLA-B*58:01), 5.14% (HLA-B*38:02), 4.86% (HLA-B*18:01), 4.86% (HLA-B*51:01), 3.86% (HLA-B*44:03) and 2.71% (HLA-B*07:05). Especially, HLA-B*15:02 allele was the high frequency in the Thais (8.57%), Han Chinese (7.30%), Vietnamese (13.50%), Malaysian (6.06%) and Indonesian (11.60%). Nevertheless, this allele was much lower in other populations, namely, Africans, Caucasians, and Japanese. Conclusions: Although the sample size of the healthy Thai population in this research was limited, there were found the frequency of the HLA-B*15:02 allele could predispose them toward to lamotrigine-induced SCARs in Thailand.

Keywords: lamotrigine, cutaneous adverse drug reactions, HLA-B, Thai population

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Authors: Massimo Zucchetti

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In the US, the SPARC-ARC projects of compact tokamaks are being developed: both are aimed at the technological demonstration of fusion power reactors with cutting-edge technology but following different design approaches. However, they show more similarities than differences in the fuel cycle, safety, radiation protection, environmental, waste and decommissioning aspects: all reactors, either experimental or demonstration ones, have to fulfill certain "essential" requirements to pass from virtual to real machines, to be built in the real world. The paper will discuss these "essential" requirements. Some of the relevant activities in these fields, carried out by our research group (ESSENTIAL group), will be briefly reported, with the aim of showing some methodology aspects that have been developed and might be of wider interest. Also, a non-competitive comparison between our results for different projects will be included when useful. The question of advanced D-He3 fuel cycles to be used for those machines will be addressed briefly. In the past, the IGNITOR project of a compact high-magnetic field D-T ignition experiment was found to be able to sustain limited D-He3 plasmas, while the Candor project was a more decisive step toward D-He3 fusion reactors. The following topics will be treated: Waste management and radioactive safety studies for advanced fusion power plants; development of compact high-field advanced fusion reactors; behavior of nuclear materials under irradiation: neutron-induced radioactivity due to side DT reactions, radiation damage; accident analysis; reactor siting.

Keywords: advanced fuel fusion reactors, deuterium-helium3, high-field tokamaks, fusion safety

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Authors: Johannes Bibinger, Sebastian Eibl, Hans-Joachim Gudladt

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This study considers the influence of different irradiation scenarios on the thermal degradation of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP). Real threats are simulated, such as fires with long-lasting low heat fluxes and nuclear heat flashes with short-lasting high heat fluxes. For this purpose, coated and uncoated quasi-isotropic samples of the commercially available CFRP HexPly® 8552/IM7 are thermally irradiated from one side by a cone calorimeter and a xenon short-arc lamp with heat fluxes between 5 and 175 W/cm² at varying time intervals. The specimen temperature is recorded on the front and backside as well as at different laminate depths. The CFRP is non-destructively tested with ultrasonic testing, infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and micro-focused computed X-Ray tomography (μCT). Destructive tests are performed to evaluate the mechanical properties in terms of interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), compressive and tensile strength. The irradiation scenarios vary significantly in heat flux and exposure time. Thus, different heating rates, radiation effects, and temperature distributions occur. This leads to unequal decomposition processes, which affect the sensitivity of the strength type and damage behaviour of the specimens. However, with the use of surface coatings, thermal degradation of composite materials can be delayed.

Keywords: CFRP, one-sided thermal damage, high heat flux, heating rate, non-destructive and destructive testing

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Authors: K. F. Khan, Samsuddin Khan

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The Paleoproterozoic phosphorite deposit of Sallopat block of Banswara district of Rajasthan belongs to kalinjara formation of lunavada group of Aravalli Super Group. The phosphorites are found to occur as massive, brecciated, laminated and stromatolitic associated with calcareous quartzite, interbedded dolomite and multi coloured chert. The phosphorites are showing alternate brown and grey coloured concentric rims which are composed of phosphate, calcite and quartz minerals. Petro-mineralogical studies of phosphorite samples using petrological microscope, XRD, FEG- SEM and EDX reveal that apatite-(CaF) and apatite-(CaOH) are phosphate minerals which are intermixed with minor amount of carbonate materials. Sporadic findings of the uniform tiny granules of partially anisotropic apatite-(CaF) along with dolomite, calcite, quartz, muscovite, zeolite and other gangue minerals have been observed with the replacement of phosphate material by quartz and carbonate. The presence of microbial filaments of organic matter and alternate concentric rims of stromatolitic structure may suggest that the deposition of the phosphate took place in shallow marine oxidizing environmental conditions leading to the formation of phosphorite layers as primary biogenic precipitates by bacterial or algal activities. Different forms and texture of phosphate minerals may be due to environmental vicissitudes at the time of deposition followed by some replacement processes and biogenic activities.

Keywords: apatite, petro-mineralogy, phosphorites, sallopat, stromatolites

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Authors: Hafsa Qabool, Rashna Sukhia, Mubassar Fida

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Introduction: Success of orthodontic mechanotherapy is highly dependent upon patient cooperation and compliance throughout the duration of treatment. This study was conducted to assess the cooperation and compliance of adult orthodontic patients during the leveling and alignment, space closure/molar correction, and finishing stages of tooth movement. Materials and Methods: Patient cooperation and compliance among three stages of orthodontic treatment were assessed using the Orthodontic Patient Cooperation Scale (OPCS) and Clinical Compliance Evaluation (CCE) form. A sample size of 38 was calculated for each stage of treatment; therefore, 114 subjects were included in the study. Shapiro-Wilk test identified that the data were normally distributed. One way ANOVA was used to evaluate the percentage cooperation and compliance among the three stages. Pair-wise comparisons between the three stages were performed using Post-hoc Tukey. Results: Statistically significant difference was seen for scores of patient compliance using CCE (p = 0.01); however, the results of the OPCS showed a non-significant difference for patient cooperation (p = 0.16) among the three stages of treatment. Post-hoc analysis showed significant differences (p = 0.01) in patient cooperation and compliance between space closure and the finishing stage. Highly significant (p < 0.001) decline in oral hygiene was found with the progression of orthodontic treatment. Conclusions: Improvement in the cooperation and compliance levels for adult orthodontic patients was observed during space closure & molar correction stage, which then showed a decline as treatment progressed. Oral hygiene was progressively compromised as orthodontic treatment progressed.

Keywords: patient compliance, adult orthodontics, orthodontic motivation, orthodontic patient adherence

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Authors: Shuangxin Wu

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Superalloy ultra-thin-walled components occupy a considerable proportion of aero engines and play an increasingly important role in structural weight reduction and performance improvement. To solve problems such as high deformation resistance and poor formability at room temperature, the introduction of pulse current in the processing process can improve the plasticity of metal materials, but the influence mechanism of pulse current on the forming limit of superalloy ultra-thin sheet is not clear, which is of great significance for determining the material processing window and improving the micro-forming process. The effect of pulse current on the microstructure evolution of superalloy thin plates was observed by optical microscopy (OM) and X-ray diffraction topography (XRT) by applying pulse current to GH3039 with a thickness of 0.2mm under plane strain and uniaxial tensile states. Compared with the specimen without pulse current applied at the same temperature, the internal void volume fraction is significantly reduced, reflecting the non-thermal effect of pulse current on the growth of micro-pores. ED (electrically deforming) specimens have larger and deeper dimples, but the elongation is not significantly improved because the pulse current promotes the void coalescence process, resulting in material fracture. The electro-plastic phenomenon is more obvious in the plane strain state, which is closely related to the effect of stress triaxial degree on the void evolution under pulsed current.

Keywords: pulse current, superalloy, ductile fracture, void damage

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Authors: Nadeem Hassan, Farooq Ahmad

Abstract:

The quality of education has a direct impact on individual, family, society, economy in general and the mankind as a whole. Because of that thousands of research papers and articles are written on the quality of education, billions of dollars are spent and continuously being spent on research and enhancing the quality of education. Academic programs accredited agencies define the various criterion of quality of education; academic institutions obtain accreditation from these agencies to ensure degree programs offered at their institution are of international standards. This R&D aims to build a web based analytical tool (OptiBaha) that finds the gaps in AlBaha University education system by taking input from stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff and management. The input/online-data collected by this tool will be analyzed on core areas of education as proposed by accredited agencies, CAC of ABET and NCAAA of KSA, including student background, language, culture, motivation, curriculum, teaching methodology, assessment and evaluation, performance and progress, facilities, availability of teaching materials, faculty qualification, monitoring, policies and procedures, and more. Based on different analytical reports, gaps will be highlighted, and remedial actions will be proposed. If the tool is implemented and made available through a continuous process the quality of education at AlBaha University can be enhanced, it will also help in fulfilling criterion of accreditation agencies. The tool will be generic in nature and ultimately can be used by any academic institution.

Keywords: academic quality, accreditation agencies, higher education, policies and procedures

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