Search results for: Integrated Circuits

Authors: Rian O. Miranda, Lidia V. de Sa, Julio C. Suita

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The Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) is the main manufacturer of radiopharmaceuticals in Brazil. The Nuclear Engineering Institute (IEN), located at Rio de Janeiro, is one of its main centers of research and production, attending public and private hospitals in the state. This radiopharmaceutical production is used in diagnostic and therapy procedures and allows one and a half million nuclear medicine procedures annually. Despite this, the country is not self-sufficient to meet national demand, creating the need for importation and consequent dependence on other countries. However, IEN facilities were designed in the 60's, and today its structure is inadequate in relation to the good manufacturing practices established by sanitary regulator (ANVISA) and radiological protection leading to the need for a new project. In order to adapt and increase production in the country, a new plant will be built and integrated to the existing facilities with a new 30 MeV Cyclotron that is actually in project detailing process. Thus, it is proposed to survey current CNEN and ANVISA standards for radiopharmaceutical production facilities, as well as the radiological protection analysis of each area of the plant, following good manufacturing practices recommendations adopted nationally besides licensing exigencies for radioactive facilities. In this way, the main requirements for proper operation, equipment location, building materials, area classification, and maintenance program have been implemented. The access controls, interlocks, segregation zones and pass-through boxes integrated into the project were also analyzed. As a result, IEN will in future have the flexibility to produce all necessary radioisotopes for nuclear medicine application, more efficiently by simultaneously bombarding two targets, allowing the simultaneous production of two different radioisotopes, minimizing radiation exposure and saving operating costs.

Keywords: cyclotron, legislation, norms, production, radiopharmaceuticals

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Authors: Ho Yeon Park, Kyoung-Jae Kim

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Recently, user’s interests for location-based social network service increases according to the advances of social web and location-based technologies. It may be easy to recommend preferred items if we can use user’s preference, context and social network information simultaneously. In this study, we propose context-aware POI (point-of-interests) recommender systems using location-based network analysis and sentiment analysis which consider context, social network information and implicit user’s preference score. We propose a context-aware POI recommendation system consisting of three sub-modules and an integrated recommendation system of them. First, we will develop a recommendation module based on network analysis. This module combines social network analysis and cluster-indexing collaboration filtering. Next, this study develops a recommendation module using social singular value decomposition (SVD) and implicit SVD. In this research, we will develop a recommendation module that can recommend preference scores based on the frequency of POI visits of user in POI recommendation process by using social and implicit SVD which can reflect implicit feedback in collaborative filtering. We also develop a recommendation module using them that can estimate preference scores based on the recommendation. Finally, this study will propose a recommendation module using opinion mining and emotional analysis using data such as reviews of POIs extracted from location-based social networks. Finally, we will develop an integration algorithm that combines the results of the three recommendation modules proposed in this research. Experimental results show the usefulness of the proposed model in relation to the recommended performance.

Keywords: sentiment analysis, network analysis, recommender systems, point-of-interests, business analytics

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Authors: Guiheng Zhang, Wei Zhang, Jun Fu, Yudong Wang

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A 900 MHz three-stage SiGe power amplifier (PA) with high power gain is presented in this paper. Volterra Series is applied to analyze nonlinearity sources of SiGe HBT device model clearly. Meanwhile, the influence of operating current to IMD3 is discussed. Then a β-helper current mirror bias circuit is applied to improve linearity, since the β-helper current mirror bias circuit can offer stable base biasing voltage. Meanwhile, it can also work as predistortion circuit when biasing voltages of three bias circuits are fine-tuned, by this way, the power gain and operating current of PA are optimized for best linearity. The three power stages which fabricated by 0.18 μm SiGe technology are bonded to the printed circuit board (PCB) to obtain impedances by Load-Pull system, then matching networks are done for best linearity with discrete passive components on PCB. The final measured three-stage PA exhibits 21.1 dBm of output power at 1 dB compression point (OP1dB) with power added efficiency (PAE) of 20.6% and 33 dB power gain under 3.3 V power supply voltage.

Keywords: high gain power amplifier, linearization bias circuit, SiGe HBT model, Volterra series

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Authors: Shu-Hui Jan, Hui-Ping Tserng, Shih-Ping Ho

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Construction project control attempts to obtain real-time as-built schedule information and to eliminate project delays by effectively enhancing dynamic schedule control and management. Suitable platforms for enhancing an as-built schedule visually during the construction phase are necessary and important for general contractors. As the application of building information modeling (BIM) becomes more common, schedule management integrated with the BIM approach becomes essential to enhance visual construction management implementation for the general contractor during the construction phase. To enhance visualization of the updated as-built schedule for the general contractor, this study presents a novel system called the Construction BIM-assisted Schedule Management (ConBIM-SM) system for general contractors in Taiwan. The primary purpose of this study is to develop a web ConBIM-SM system for the general contractor to enhance visual as-built schedule information sharing and efficiency in tracking construction as-built schedule. Finally, the ConBIM-SM system is applied to a case study of a commerce building project in Taiwan to verify its efficacy and demonstrate its effectiveness during the construction phase. The advantages of the ConBIM-SM system lie in improved project control and management efficiency for general contractors, and in providing BIM-assisted as-built schedule tracking and management, to access the most current as-built schedule information through a web browser. The case study results show that the ConBIM-SM system is an effective visual as-built schedule management platform integrated with the BIM approach for general contractors in a construction project.

Keywords: building information modeling (BIM), construction schedule management, as-built schedule management, BIM schedule updating mechanism

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Authors: Salma Loukman, Reda Benmrid, Najat Bouchmaa, Hicham Hboub, Rachid El Fatimy, Rachid Benhida

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In this study, it use integrated transcriptomic datasets from the GEO repository with the purpose of investigating immune dysregulation in COVID-19. Thus, in this context, we decided to be focused on NK cells and CD14+ monocytes gene expression, considering datasets GSE165461 and GSE198256, respectively. Other datasets with PBMCs, lung, olfactory, and sensory epithelium and lymph were used to provide robust validation for our results. This approach gave an integrated view of the immune responses in COVID-19, pointing out a set of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets with special regard to standards of physiological conditions. IFI27, MKI67, CENPF, MBP, HBA2, TMEM158, THBD, HBA1, LHFPL2, SLA, and AC104564.3 were identified as key genes from our analysis that have critical biological processes related to inflammation, immune regulation, oxidative stress, and metabolic processes. Consequently, such processes are important in understanding the heterogeneous clinical manifestations of COVID-19—from acute to long-term effects now known as 'long COVID'. Subsequent validation with additional datasets consolidated these genes as robust biomarkers with an important role in the diagnosis of COVID-19 and the prediction of its severity. Moreover, their enrichment in key pathophysiological pathways presented them as potential targets for therapeutic intervention.The results provide insight into the molecular dynamics of COVID-19 caused by cells such as NK cells and other monocytes. Thus, this study constitutes a solid basis for targeted diagnostic and therapeutic development and makes relevant contributions to ongoing research efforts toward better management and mitigation of the pandemic.

Keywords: SARS-COV-2, RNA-seq, biomarkers, severity, long COVID-19, bio analysis

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Authors: Ayesha Iftikhar, Faisal Hafeez, Muhammad Jawad Saleem, Afifa Naeem, Muhammad Sohaib

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To further develop integrated pest management (IPM) tactics against insect pests, demographic toxicology is considered important and efficient to evaluate the long-term effects of pesticides on biological control agents. In this study, lethal and sub-lethal effects of Pyriproxyfen (insect growth regulator) two concentrations of LC10 and LC30 were tested on second instar larvae of convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens (Goeze) in order to evaluate the effect of insecticide on demographic parameters of the predator under laboratory conditions. The life table parameters were analysed statistically by using age-stage, two sex life table procedure. The results of this study show that developmental time for immature was prolonged in treated population (LC30 and LC10) rather than in control. Similarly, male and female longevity was also longer in the control group as compared to the treated population. Adult pre-oviposition period and fecundity were also greater in control as compared to the treated population. In addition, population parameters such as net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) were also greater in control group rather than treated population. However, mean generation time (T) was greater in the treated group. The results revealed that pyriproxyfen, even at low concentrations, has potential to greatly affect the population growth of predatory lady beetle, therefore care should be taken when insect growth regulators are used within an IPM framework.

Keywords: ladybird beetle, IGR, integrated pest management, population inhibition

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Authors: Lucien N. James, Mulala D. Simatele

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As a country that already faces hydrological and climatological challenges, South Africa’s socio-economic situation only complicates water resource management. This is observable through the state of rivers in the Gauteng Province such as the Hennops and Jukskei which are plagued by pollution from surrounding urban areas. While communities in the Hennops River basin contribute to its degradation, their potential in improved water resource management strategies is yet to be established. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the myriad of ways in which stakeholder and community engagement, mobilisation, as well as participation can be harnessed in contested urban spaces to facilitate a sustainable management system for river basins. Through meetings, clean-up campaigns, and a community workshop, the community of Tembisa and several key informants were engaged. The role of communities and their perceptions on an integrated and participatory approach to solving the Hennops River basin’s current pollution crisis were therefore explored. The findings of this study suggest that meaningful participation is tied to the level of awareness within communities as well as the amount of support attributed to active involvement through the initiatives of stakeholders such as NonGovernmental Organisations. For meaningful participation to take place, more needs to be done to shift communities away from a “bystander” position to a more active role. An approach to community engagement is therefore proposed arguing for the further support of stakeholder-driven initiatives and the raising of awareness around environmental challenges in poorer communities. The findings of this study demonstrate the value of engagement with stakeholders and communities, highlighting ways through which better water management and environmental governance can be achieved in South Africa.

Keywords: community participation, integrated water resource management, river basin management, stakeholder engagement

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Authors: Marco Antonio Lara De la Calleja, María Catalina Ovando Chico, Eduardo Lopez Ruiz

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Community empowerment has been proved to be a key element in the solution of the food security problem. As a result of a conceptual analysis, it was found that agricultural production, economic development and governance, are the traditional basis of food security models. Although the literature points to social inclusion as an important factor for food security, no model has considered it as the basis of it. The aim of this research is to identify different dimensions that make an integral model for food security, with emphasis on community empowerment. A diagnosis was made in the study community (Tatoxcac, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla), to know the aspects that impact the level of food insecurity. With a statistical sample integrated by 200 families, the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA) was applied, finding that: in households composed by adults and children, have moderated food insecurity, (ELCSA scale has three levels, low, moderated and high); that result is produced mainly by the economic income capacity and the diversity of the diet on its food. With that being said, a model was developed to promote food security through five dimensions: 1. Regional context of the community; 2. Structure and system of local food; 3. Health and nutrition; 4. Information and technology access; and 5. Self-awareness and empowerment. The specific actions on each axis of the model, allowed a systemic approach needed to attend food security in the community, through the empowerment of society. It is concluded that the self-awareness of local communities is an area of extreme importance, which must be taken into account for participatory schemes to improve food security. In the long term, the model requires the integrated participation of different actors, such as government, companies and universities, to solve something such vital as food security.

Keywords: community empowerment, food security, model, systemic approach

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Authors: Sergey Kholodkevich, Tatiana Kuznetsova

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The objective assessment of ecological state of water ecosystems is impossible without the use of biological methods of the environmental monitoring capable in the integrated look to reveal negative for biota changes of quality of water as habitats. Considerable interest for the development of such methods of environmental quality control represents biomarker approach. Measuring systems, by means of which register cardiac activity characteristics, received the name of bioelectronic. Bioelectronic systems are information and measuring systems in which animals (namely, benthic invertebrates) are directly included in structure of primary converters, being an integral part of electronic system of registration of these or those physiological or behavioural biomarkers. As physiological biomarkers various characteristics of cardiac activity of selected invertebrates have been used in bioelectronic system.lChanges in cardiac activity are considered as integrative measures of the physiological condition of organisms, which reflect the state of the environment of their dwelling. Greatest successes in the development of tools of biological methods and technologies of an assessment of surface water quality in real time. Essential advantage of bioindication of water quality by such tool is a possibility of an integrated assessment of biological effects of pollution on biota and also the expressness of such method and used approaches. In the report the practical experience of authors in biomonitoring and bioindication of an ecological condition of sea, brackish- and freshwater areas is discussed. Authors note that the method of non-invasive cardiac activity monitoring of selected invertebrates can be used not only for the advancement of biomonitoring, but also is useful in decision of general problems of comparative physiology of the invertebrates.

Keywords: benthic invertebrates, physiological state, heart rate monitoring, water quality assessment

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Authors: D. Manai, J. Alvarez-Marron, M. Inoubli

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The southern Tunisian Atlas is a part of the wide Cenozoic intracontinental deformation that affected North Africa as a result of convergence between African and Eurasian plates. The Southern Tunisian Atlas Front (STAF) corresponds to the chotts area that covers several hundreds of Km² and represents a 60 km wide transition between the deformed Tunisian Atlas to the North and the undeformed Saharan platform to the South. It includes three morphostructural alignments, a fold and thrust range in the North, a wide depression in the middle and a monocline to horizontal zone to the south. Four cross-sections have been constructed across the chotts area to illustrate the structure of the Southern Tunisian Atlas Front based on integrated geological and geophysical data including geological maps, petroleum wells, and seismic data. The fold and thrust zone of the northern chotts is interpreted as related to a detachment level near the Triassic-Jurassic contact. The displacement of the basal thrust seems to die out progressively under the Fejej antiform and it is responsible to the south dipping of the southern chotts range. The restoration of the cross-sections indicates that the Southern Tunisian Atlas front is a weakly deformed wide zone developed during the Cenozoic inversion with a maximum calculated shortening in the order of 1000 m. The wide structure of this STAF has been influenced by a pre-existing large thickness of upper Jurassic-Aptian sediments related to the rifting episodes associated to the evolution of Tethys in the Maghreb. During Jurassic to Aptian period, the chotts area corresponded to a highly subsiding basin.

Keywords: Southern Tunisian Atlas Front, subsident sub- basin, wide deformation, balanced cross-sections.

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Authors: Ilgoun Kim, Jongpil Jeong

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Recently, a connected industrial parks (CIPs) architecture using new technologies such as RFID, cloud computing, CPS, Big Data, 5G 5G, IIOT, VR-AR, and ventral AI algorithms based on IoT has been proposed. This researcher noted the vehicle junction problem (VJP) as a more specific detail of the CIPs architectural models. The VJP noted by this researcher includes 'efficient AI physical connection challenges for vehicles' through ventilation, 'financial and financial issues with complex vehicle physical connections,' and 'welfare and working conditions of the performing personnel involved in complex vehicle physical connections.' In this paper, we propose a public solution architecture for the 'electronic financial problem of complex vehicle physical connections' as a detailed task during the vehicle junction problem (VJP). The researcher sought solutions to businesses, consumers, and Korean social problems through technological advancement. We studied how the beneficiaries of technological development can benefit from technological development with many consumers in Korean society and many small and small Korean company managers, not some specific companies. In order to more specifically implement the connected industrial parks (CIPs) architecture using the new technology, we noted the vehicle junction problem (VJP) within the smart factory industrial complex and noted the process of achieving the vehicle junction problem performance among several electronic processes. This researcher proposes a more detailed, integrated public finance enterprise architecture among the overall CIPs architectures. The main details of the public integrated financial enterprise architecture were largely organized into four main categories: 'business', 'data', 'technique', and 'finance'.

Keywords: enterprise architecture, IT Finance, smart logistics, CIPs

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Authors: Olokor O. Julius, Ngwu E. Onyebuchi, Ajani K. Emmanuel, Omitoyin O. Bamidele, Olokor O. Linda, Akomas Stella

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The study assessed the quality changes of Clarias gariepenus obtained from integrated culture systems (rice, poultry and fish) which were displayed at 31-33oC average daily temperature on the traditional market table used by local fish farmers to sell fish harvested from their ponds and those on an improved table designed for this study. Unlike the conventional table, the improved table was screened against flies and indiscriminate touch by customers. The fishes were displayed on both tables for 9 hours and quality attributes were monitored hourly by trained panelists. For C. gariepinus, the gills, and intestine recorded faster deterioration starting from the fourth and fifth hours while those on the improved table were prolonged by one hour. Scores for skin brightness and texture did not indicate quality deterioration throughout the display period. However, at the end of the storage time, samples on the improved table recorded 1.5 x 104 cfu/g while samples in unscreened table recorded 3.7 x 10 7 cfu/g. The study shows how simple modifications of a traditional practice can help extend keeping qualities of farmed fish, reduce health hazards in local communities where there is no electricity to preserve fish in whatever form despite a boom in aquaculture. Monai community has a fish farm estate of over 200 small holder farmers with annual output capacity of over $10 million dollars. The simple improvement made to farmers practice in this study is to ensure Community hygiene and boost income of peasant fish farmers by improving the market quality of their products.

Keywords: fish spoilage, improved handling, income generation, retail table

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Authors: Jiří Hirš, Jitka Mohelnikova

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A photovoltaic system integrated into a high-rise building façade was studied. The high-rise building is located in the Central Europe region with temperate climate and dominant partly cloudy and overcast sky conditions. The PV façade has been monitored since 2013. The three-year monitoring of the façade energy generation shows that the façade has an important impact on the building energy efficiency and sustainable operation.

Keywords: buildings, energy, PV façade, solar radiation

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Authors: Usama Mohamed, Sam Booth, Aliysn J. Nedoma

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As part of the transition to electric vehicles, there has been a recent increase in demand for battery manufacturing. Cathodes typically account for approximately 50% of the total lithium-ion battery cell cost and are a pivotal factor in determining the viability of new industrial infrastructure. Cathodes which offer lower costs whilst maintaining or increasing performance, such as nickel-rich layered cathodes, have a significant competitive advantage when scaling up the manufacturing process. This project evaluates the techno-economic value proposition of an integrated industrial scale cathode active material (CAM) production process, closing the mass and energy balances, and optimizing the operation conditions using a sensitivity analysis. This is done by developing a process model of a co-precipitation synthesis route using Aspen Plus software and validated based on experimental data. The mechanism chemistry and equilibrium conditions were established based on previous literature and HSC-Chemistry software. This is then followed by integrating the energy streams, adding waste recovery and treatment processes, as well as testing the effect of key parameters (temperature, pH, reaction time, etc.) on CAM production yield and emissions. Finally, an economic analysis estimating the fixed and variable costs (including capital expenditure, labor costs, raw materials, etc.) to calculate the cost of CAM ($/kg and $/kWh), total plant cost ($) and net present value (NPV). This work sets the foundational blueprint for future research into sustainable industrial scale processes for CAM manufacturing.

Keywords: cathodes, industrial production, nickel-rich layered cathodes, process modelling, techno-economic analysis

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Authors: F. O. Danquah, F. Frimpong, E. Owusu Danquah, T. Frimpong, J. Adu, S. K. Amposah, P. Amankwaa-Yeboah, N. E. Amengor

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In the face of global concerns such as population increase, climate change, and limited natural resources, sustainable agriculture practices are critical for ensuring food security and environmental stewardship. The study was conducted in the Forest zones of Ghana during the major and minor seasons of 2023 cropping seasons to evaluate maize yield productivity improvement and profitability of integrating Cajanus cajan (pigeonpea) into a maize production system described as a pigeonpea-maize cropping system. This is towards an integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) with a legume shrub pigeonpea for sustainable maize production while improving smallholder farmers' resilience to climate change. A split-plot design with maize-pigeonpea (Pigeonpea-Maize intercrop – MPP and No pigeonpea/ Sole maize – NPP) and inorganic fertilizer rate (250 kg/ha of 15-15-15 N-P2O5-K2O + 250 kg/ha Sulphate of Ammonia (SoA) – Full rate (FR), 125 kg/ha of 15-15-15 N-P2O5-K2O + 125 kg/ha Sulphate of Ammonia (SoA) – Half rate (HR) and no inorganic fertilizer (NF) as control) was used as the main plot and subplot treatments respectively. The results indicated a significant interaction of the pigeonpea-maize cropping system and inorganic fertilizer rate on the growth and yield of the maize with better and similar maize productivity when HR and FR were used with pigeonpea biomass. Thus, the integration of pigeonpea and its biomass would result in the reduction of recommended fertiliser rate to half. This would improve farmers’ income and profitability for sustainable maize production in the face of climate change.

Keywords: agroforestry tree, climate change, integrated soil fertility management, resource use efficiency

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Authors: Ruxandra Barbulescu, Daniel Ioan, Gabriela Ciuprina

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The saltatory conduction is the way the action potential is transmitted along a myelinated axon. The potential diffuses along the myelinated compartments and it is regenerated in the Ranvier nodes due to the ion channels allowing the flow across the membrane. For an efficient simulation of populations of neurons, it is important to use reduced order models both for myelinated compartments and for Ranvier nodes and to have control over their accuracy and inner parameters. The paper presents a reduced order model of this neural system which allows an efficient simulation method for the saltatory conduction in myelinated axons. This model is obtained by concatenating reduced order linear models of 1D myelinated compartments and nonlinear 0D models of Ranvier nodes. The models for the myelinated compartments are selected from a series of spatially distributed models developed and hierarchized according to their modeling errors. The extracted model described by a nonlinear PDE of hyperbolic type is able to reproduce the saltatory conduction with acceptable accuracy and takes into account the finite propagation speed of potential. Finally, this model is again reduced in order to make it suitable for the inclusion in large-scale neural circuits.

Keywords: action potential, myelinated segments, nonlinear models, Ranvier nodes, reduced order models, saltatory conduction

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Authors: Ahmed A. A. Fadol, Guangji Tong, Wlaa Mohamed

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This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of food insecurity in Sudan, focusing on consumption patterns and their implications, employing the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) assessment framework. Years of conflict and economic instability have driven large segments of the population in Sudan into crisis levels of acute food insecurity according to the (IPC). A substantial number of people are estimated to currently face emergency conditions, with an additional sizeable portion categorized under less severe but still extreme hunger levels. In this study, we explore the multifaceted nature of food insecurity in Sudan, considering its historical, political, economic, and social dimensions. An analysis of consumption patterns and trends was conducted, taking into account cultural influences, dietary shifts, and demographic changes. Furthermore, we employ logistic regression and random forest analysis to identify significant independent variables influencing food security status in Sudan. Random forest clearly outperforms logistic regression in terms of area under curve (AUC), accuracy, precision and recall. Forward projections of the IPC for Sudan estimate that 15 million individuals are anticipated to face Crisis level (IPC Phase 3) or worse acute food insecurity conditions between October 2023 and February 2024. Of this, 60% are concentrated in Greater Darfur, Greater Kordofan, and Khartoum State, with Greater Darfur alone representing 29% of this total. These findings emphasize the urgent need for both short-term humanitarian aid and long-term strategies to address Sudan's deepening food insecurity crisis.

Keywords: food insecurity, consumption patterns, logistic regression, random forest analysis

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Authors: Nejoud Alostad, Anup Bora, Prashant Dhote

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Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has been producing from its major reservoirs that are well defined and highly productive and of superior reservoir quality. These reservoirs are maturing and priority is shifting towards difficult reservoir to meet future production requirements. This paper discusses the results of the detailed integrated study for one of the satellite complex field discovered in the early 1960s. Following acquisition of new 3D seismic data in 1998 and re-processing work in the year 2006, an integrated G&G study was undertaken to review Lower Cretaceous prospectivity of this reservoir. Nine wells have been drilled in the area, till date with only three wells showing hydrocarbons in two formations. The average oil density is around 300API (American Petroleum Institute), and average porosity and water saturation of the reservoir is about 23% and 26%, respectively. The area is dissected by a number of NW-SE trending faults. Structurally, the area consists of horsts and grabens bounded by these faults and hence compartmentalized. The Wara/Burgan formation consists of discrete, dirty sands with clean channel sand complexes. There is a dramatic change in Upper Wara distributary channel facies, and reservoir quality of Wara and Burgan section varies with change of facies over the area. So predicting reservoir facies and its quality out of sparse well data is a major challenge for delineating the prospective area. To characterize the reservoir of Wara/Burgan formation, an integrated workflow involving seismic, well, petro-physical, reservoir and production engineering data has been used. Porosity and water saturation models are prepared and analyzed to predict reservoir quality of Wara and Burgan 3rd sand upper reservoirs. Subsequently, boundary conditions are defined for reservoir and non-reservoir facies by integrating facies, porosity and water saturation. Based on the detailed analyses of volumetric parameters, potential volumes of stock-tank oil initially in place (STOIIP) and gas initially in place (GIIP) were documented after running several probablistic sensitivity analysis using Montecalro simulation method. Sensitivity analysis on probabilistic models of reservoir horizons, petro-physical properties, and oil-water contacts and their effect on reserve clearly shows some alteration in the reservoir geometry. All these parameters have significant effect on the oil in place. This study has helped to identify uncertainty and risks of this prospect particularly and company is planning to develop this area with drilling of new wells.

Keywords: original oil-in-place, sensitivity, uncertainty, sandstone, reservoir modeling, Monte-Carlo simulation

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Authors: Won-Gon Kim

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Introduction: The clinical value of arterial line filters is still a controversial issue. Proponents of arterial line filtration argue that filters remove particulate matter and undissolved gas from circulation, while opponents argue the absence of conclusive clinical data. We conducted scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies of arterial line filters used clinically in the CPB circuits during adult cardiac surgery and analyzed the types and characteristics of materials entrapped in the arterial line filters. Material and Methods: Twelve arterial line filters were obtained during routine hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass in 12 adult cardiac patients. The arterial line filter was a screen type with a pore size of 40 ㎛ (Baxter Health care corporation Bentley division, Irvine, CA, U.S.A.). After opening the housing, the woven polyester strands were examined with SEM. Results and Conclusion: All segments examined(120 segments, each 2.5 X 2.5 cm in size) contained no embolic particles larger in their cross-sectional area than the pore size of the filter(40 ㎛). The origins of embolic particulates were mostly from environmental foreign bodies. This may suggest a possible need for more aggressive filtration of smaller particulates than is generally carried out at the present time.

Keywords: arterial line filter, tubing wear, scanning electron microscopy, SEM

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Authors: Othman Maklouf, Abdunnaser Tresh

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Land vehicle navigation is subject of great interest today. Global Positioning System (GPS) is the main navigation system for positioning in such systems. GPS alone is incapable of providing continuous and reliable positioning, because of its inherent dependency on external electromagnetic signals. Inertial Navigation (INS) is the implementation of inertial sensors to determine the position and orientation of a vehicle. The availability of low-cost Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) inertial sensors is now making it feasible to develop INS using an inertial measurement unit (IMU). INS has unbounded error growth since the error accumulates at each step. Usually, GPS and INS are integrated with a loosely coupled scheme. With the development of low-cost, MEMS inertial sensors and GPS technology, integrated INS/GPS systems are beginning to meet the growing demands of lower cost, smaller size, and seamless navigation solutions for land vehicles. Although MEMS inertial sensors are very inexpensive compared to conventional sensors, their cost (especially MEMS gyros) is still not acceptable for many low-end civilian applications (for example, commercial car navigation or personal location systems). An efficient way to reduce the expense of these systems is to reduce the number of gyros and accelerometers, therefore, to use a partial IMU (ParIMU) configuration. For land vehicular use, the most important gyroscope is the vertical gyro that senses the heading of the vehicle and two horizontal accelerometers for determining the velocity of the vehicle. This paper presents a field experiment for a low-cost strap down (ParIMU)\GPS combination, with data post processing for the determination of 2-D components of position (trajectory), velocity and heading. In the present approach, we have neglected earth rotation and gravity variations, because of the poor gyroscope sensitivities of our low-cost IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) and because of the relatively small area of the trajectory.

Keywords: GPS, IMU, Kalman filter, materials engineering

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Authors: Shi Yu Wang, Qian Wei Zhang, He Li, Hao Han He, Yun Bo Li

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The spatial controls of electromagnetic (EM) waves have always been a research hot spot in recent years. And the rapid development of metasurface-based technologies has provided more freedoms for manipulating the EM waves. Here we propose the design of reconfigurable and non-reciprocal metasurface with independent controls of transmission gain, attenuation and phase. The proposed meta-atom mainly consists of the cascaded textures including the receiving antenna, the middle layer in which the power amplifiers (PAs), programmable attenuator and phase shifter locate, and the transmitting antenna. The programmable attenuator and phase shifter can realize the dynamic controls of transmission amplitude and phase independently, and the PA devices in the meta-atom can actualize the performance of non-reciprocal transmission. The proposed meta-atom is analyzed applying field-circuit co-simulation and a sample of the meta-atom is fabricated and measured under using two standard waveguides. The measured results verify the ability of the independent manipulation for transmission amplitude and phase of the proposed the meta-atom and the design method has been verified very well correspondingly.

Keywords: active circuits, independent controls of multiple electromagnetic features, non-reciprocal electromagnetic transmission, reconfigurable and programmable

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Authors: M. Alsharqawi, T. Zayed, S. Abu Dabous

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To ensure safety and serviceability of bridge infrastructure, accurate condition assessment and rating methods are needed to provide basis for bridge Maintenance, Repair and Replacement (MRR) decisions. In North America, the common practices to assess condition of bridges are through visual inspection. These practices are limited to detect surface defects and external flaws. Further, the thresholds that define the severity of bridge deterioration are selected arbitrarily. The current research discusses the main deteriorations and defects identified during visual inspection and Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE). NDE techniques are becoming popular in augmenting the visual examination during inspection to detect subsurface defects. Quality inspection data and accurate condition assessment and rating are the basis for determining appropriate MRR decisions. Thus, in this paper, a novel method for bridge condition assessment using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) theory is utilized. The QFD model is designed to provide an integrated condition by evaluating both the surface and subsurface defects for concrete bridges. Moreover, an integrated condition rating index with four thresholds is developed based on the QFD condition assessment model and using K-means clustering technique. Twenty case studies are analyzed by applying the QFD model and implementing the developed rating index. The results from the analyzed case studies show that the proposed threshold model produces robust MRR recommendations consistent with decisions and recommendations made by bridge managers on these projects. The proposed method is expected to advance the state of the art of bridges condition assessment and rating.

Keywords: concrete bridge decks, condition assessment and rating, quality function deployment, k-means clustering technique

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Authors: Ionel Botef

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Studies show that, for qualitative coatings, the knowledge of cold spray technology must focus on a variety of interdisciplinary fields and a framework for problem solving. The integrated disciplines include, but are not limited to, engineering, material sciences, and physics. Due to its importance, the purpose of this paper is to summarize the state of the art of this technology alongside its theoretical and experimental studies, and explore the role and impact of physics upon cold spraying technology.

Keywords: surface engineering, cold spray, physics, modelling

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Authors: Zaide Montes Ortiz, Jorge Alberto Molina, Alejandro Reyes

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Insects are extremely successful organisms. A sophisticated olfactory system is in part responsible for their survival and reproduction. The detection of volatile organic compounds can positively or negatively affect many behaviors in insects. Compounds such as carbon dioxide (CO2), ammonium, indol, and lactic acid are essential for many species of mosquitoes like Anopheles gambiae in order to locate vertebrate hosts. For instance, in A. gambiae, the olfactory receptor AgOR2 is strongly activated by indol, which accounts for almost 30% of human sweat. On the other hand, in some insects of agricultural importance, the detection and identification of pheromone receptors (PRs) in lepidopteran species has become a promising field for integrated pest management. For example, with the disruption of the pheromone receptor, BmOR1, mediated by transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), the sensitivity to bombykol was completely removed affecting the pheromone-source searching behavior in male moths. Then, the detection and identification of olfactory receptors in the genomes of insects is fundamental to improve our understanding of the ecological interactions, and to provide alternatives in the integrated pests and vectors management. Hence, the objective of this study is to propose a bioinformatic workflow to enhance the detection and identification of potential olfactory receptors in genomes of relevant insects. Applying Hidden Markov models (Hmms) and different computational tools, potential candidates for pheromone receptors in Tuta absoluta were obtained, as well as potential carbon dioxide receptors in Rhodnius prolixus, the main vector of Chagas disease. This study showed the validity of a bioinformatic workflow with a potential to improve the identification of certain olfactory receptors in different orders of insects.

Keywords: bioinformatic workflow, insects, olfactory receptors, protein prediction

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Authors: George Charkoftakis, Panagiotis Liosatos, Nicolas-Alexander Tatlas, Dimitrios Goustouridis, Stelios M. Potirakis

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E-maintenance is a relatively new concept, generally referring to maintenance management by monitoring assets over the Internet. One of the key links in the chain of an e-maintenance system is data acquisition and transmission. Specifically for the case of a fleet of heavy-duty vehicles, where the main challenge is the diversity of the vehicles and vehicle-embedded self-diagnostic/reporting technologies, the design of the data acquisition and transmission unit is a demanding task. This clear if one takes into account that a heavy-vehicles fleet assortment may range from vehicles with only a limited number of analog sensors monitored by dashboard light indicators and gauges to vehicles with plethora of sensors monitored by a vehicle computer producing digital reporting. The present work proposes an adaptable internet of things (IoT) sensor node that is capable of addressing this challenge. The proposed sensor node architecture is based on the increasingly popular single-board computer – expansion boards approach. In the proposed solution, the expansion boards undertake the tasks of position identification by means of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), cellular connectivity by means of 3G/long-term evolution (LTE) modem, connectivity to on-board diagnostics (OBD), and connectivity to analog and digital sensors by means of a novel design of expansion board. Specifically, the later provides eight analog plus three digital sensor channels, as well as one on-board temperature / relative humidity sensor. The specific device offers a number of adaptability features based on appropriate zero-ohm resistor placement and appropriate value selection for limited number of passive components. For example, although in the standard configuration four voltage analog channels with constant voltage sources for the power supply of the corresponding sensors are available, up to two of these voltage channels can be converted to provide power to the connected sensors by means of corresponding constant current source circuits, whereas all parameters of analog sensor power supply and matching circuits are fully configurable offering the advantage of covering a wide variety of industrial sensors. Note that a key feature of the proposed sensor node, ensuring the reliable operation of the connected sensors, is the appropriate supply of external power to the connected sensors and their proper matching to the IoT sensor node. In standard mode, the IoT sensor node communicates to the data center through 3G/LTE, transmitting all digital/digitized sensor data, IoT device identity, and position. Moreover, the proposed IoT sensor node offers WiFi connectivity to mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) equipped with an appropriate application for the manual registration of vehicle- and driver-specific information, and these data are also forwarded to the data center. All control and communication tasks of the IoT sensor node are performed by dedicated firmware. It is programmed with a high-level language (Python) on top of a modern operating system (Linux). Acknowledgment: This research has been co-financed by the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, under the call RESEARCH—CREATE—INNOVATE (project code: T1EDK- 01359, IntelligentLogger).

Keywords: IoT sensor nodes, e-maintenance, single-board computers, sensor expansion boards, on-board diagnostics

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Authors: Yu-Yao Wang, Xiao-Meng Hu, Joanne Yeung, Xiao-Yan Li

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The high private cost and unquantified external cost limit the development of reclaimed water. In this study, an integrated framework comprising life cycle assessment (LCA), quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), and life cycle costing (LCC) was developed to evaluate both costs of reclaimed water supply in water systems of various scales. LCA assesses the environmental impacts, and QMRA estimates the associated pathogenic impacts. These impacts are monetized as external costs and analyzed with the private cost by LCC to count the total life cycle cost. The framework evaluated the Hong Kong urban water system in the baseline scenario (BS) and five wastewater reuse scenarios (RS). They are RSI: substituting freshwater for toilet flushing only, RSII: substituting both freshwater and seawater for toilet flushing, RSIII: using reclaimed water for all non-potable uses, RSIV: using reclaimed water for all non-potable uses and indirect potable uses, and RSV: non-potable use and indirect potable use by conveying 100% reclaimed water to recharge the reservoirs. The results show that substituting freshwater and seawater for toilet flushing has the least total life cycle cost, exhibiting that it is the most cost-effective option for Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the evaluation results show that the external cost of each scenario is comparable to the corresponding private cost, indicating the importance of the inclusion of comprehensive external cost evaluation in private cost assessment of water systems with reclaimed water supply.

Keywords: life cycle assessment, life cycle costing, quantitative microbial risk assessment, water reclamation, reclaimed water, alternative water resources

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Authors: Agnes J. Otjen, Sarah Keller

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A Montana university has used applied consumer research in experiential learning with non-profit clients for over a decade. Through trial and error, a successful protocol has been established from problem statement through formative research to integrated marketing campaign execution. In this paper, we describe the protocol and its applications. Analysis was completed to determine the effectiveness of the campaigns and the results of how pre- and post-consumer research mark societal change because of media.

Keywords: consumer, research, marketing, communications

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Authors: Ibrahim Hakeem

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Biosolids are stabilised sewage sludge produced from wastewater treatment processes. Biosolids contain valuable plant nutrient which facilitates their beneficial reuse in agricultural land. However, the increasing levels of legacy and emerging contaminants such as heavy metals (HMs), PFAS, microplastics, pharmaceuticals, microbial pathogens etc., are restraining the direct land application of biosolids. Pyrolysis of biosolids can effectively degrade microbial and organic contaminants; however, HMs remain a persistent problem with biosolids and their pyrolysis-derived biochar. In this work, we demonstrated the integrated processing of biosolids involving the acid pre-treatment for HMs removal and selective reduction of ash-forming elements followed by the bench-scale pyrolysis of the treated biosolids to produce quality biochar and bio-oil enriched with valuable platform chemicals. The pre-treatment of biosolids using 3% v/v H₂SO₄ at room conditions for 30 min reduced the ash content from 30 wt% in raw biosolids to 15 wt% in the treated sample while removing about 80% of limiting HMs without degrading the organic matter. The preservation of nutrients and reduction of HMs concentration and mobility via the developed hydrometallurgical process improved the grade of the treated biosolids for beneficial land reuse. The co-removal of ash-forming elements from biosolids positively enhanced the fluidised bed pyrolysis of the acid-treated biosolids at 700 ℃. Organic matter devolatilisation was improved by 40%, and the produced biochar had higher surface area (107 m²/g), heating value (15 MJ/kg), fixed carbon (35 wt%), organic carbon retention (66% dry-ash free) compared to the raw biosolids biochar with surface area (56 m²/g), heating value (9 MJ/kg), fixed carbon (20 wt%) and organic carbon retention (50%). Pre-treatment also improved microporous structure development of the biochar and substantially decreased the HMs concentration and bioavailability by at least 50% relative to the raw biosolids biochar. The integrated process is a viable approach to enhancing value recovery from biosolids.

Keywords: biosolids, pyrolysis, biochar, heavy metals

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Authors: Catelyn Coyle, Helena Kwakwa

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Objective: As novel and better tolerated therapies become available, effective HCV testing and care models become increasingly necessary to not only identify individuals with active infection but also link them to HCV providers for medical evaluation and treatment. Our aim is to describe an effective HCV testing and linkage to care model piloted in a network of five community health centers located in Philadelphia, PA. Methods: In October 2012, National Nursing Centers Consortium piloted a routine opt-out HCV testing model in a network of community health centers, one of which treats HCV, HIV, and co-infected patients. Key aspects of the model were medical assistant initiated testing, the use of laboratory-based reflex test technology, and electronic medical record modifications to prompt, track, report and facilitate payment of test costs. Universal testing on all adult patients was implemented at health centers serving patients at high-risk for HCV. The other sites integrated high-risk based testing, where patients meeting one or more of the CDC testing recommendation risk factors or had a history of homelessness were eligible for HCV testing. Mid-course adjustments included the integration of dual HIV testing, development of a linkage to care coordinator position to facilitate the transition of HIV and/or HCV-positive patients from primary to specialist care, and the transition to universal HCV testing across all testing sites. Results: From October 2012 to June 2015, the health centers performed 7,730 HCV tests and identified 886 (11.5%) patients with a positive HCV-antibody test. Of those with positive HCV-antibody tests, 838 (94.6%) had an HCV-RNA confirmatory test and 590 (70.4%) progressed to current HCV infection (overall prevalence=7.6%); 524 (88.8%) received their RNA-positive test result; 429 (72.7%) were referred to an HCV care specialist and 271 (45.9%) were seen by the HCV care specialist. The best linkage to care results were seen at the test and treat the site, where of the 333 patients were current HCV infection, 175 (52.6%) were seen by an HCV care specialist. Of the patients with active HCV infection, 349 (59.2%) were unaware of their HCV-positive status at the time of diagnosis. Since the integration of dual HCV/HIV testing in September 2013, 9,506 HIV tests were performed, 85 (0.9%) patients had positive HIV tests, 81 (95.3%) received their confirmed HIV test result and 77 (90.6%) were linked to HIV care. Dual HCV/HIV testing increased the number of HCV tests performed by 362 between the 9 months preceding dual testing and first 9 months after dual testing integration, representing a 23.7% increment. Conclusion: Our HCV testing model shows that integrated routine testing and linkage to care is feasible and improved detection and linkage to care in a primary care setting. We found that prevalence of current HCV infection was higher than that seen in locally in Philadelphia and nationwide. Intensive linkage services can increase the number of patients who successfully navigate the HCV treatment cascade. The linkage to care coordinator position is an important position that acts as a trusted intermediary for patients being linked to care.

Keywords: HCV, routine testing, linkage to care, community health centers

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Authors: Rahul Patel, S. P. Dave, M. V Shah

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Ahmedabad is a rapidly growing city in western India that is experiencing significant urbanization and industrialization. With projections indicating that it will become a metropolitan city in the near future, various construction activities are taking place, making soil testing a crucial requirement before construction can commence. To achieve this, construction companies and contractors need to periodically conduct soil testing. This study focuses on the process of creating a spatial database that is digitally formatted and integrated with geotechnical data and a Geographic Information System (GIS). Building a comprehensive geotechnical Geo-database involves three essential steps. Firstly, borehole data is collected from reputable sources. Secondly, the accuracy and redundancy of the data are verified. Finally, the geotechnical information is standardized and organized for integration into the database. Once the Geo-database is complete, it is integrated with GIS. This integration allows users to visualize, analyze, and interpret geotechnical information spatially. Using a Topographic to Raster interpolation process in GIS, estimated values are assigned to all locations based on sampled geotechnical data values. The study area was contoured for SPT N-Values, Soil Classification, Φ-Values, and Bearing Capacity (T/m2). Various interpolation techniques were cross-validated to ensure information accuracy. The GIS map generated by this study enables the calculation of SPT N-Values, Φ-Values, and bearing capacities for different footing widths and various depths. This approach highlights the potential of GIS in providing an efficient solution to complex phenomena that would otherwise be tedious to achieve through other means. Not only does GIS offer greater accuracy, but it also generates valuable information that can be used as input for correlation analysis. Furthermore, this system serves as a decision support tool for geotechnical engineers. The information generated by this study can be utilized by engineers to make informed decisions during construction activities. For instance, they can use the data to optimize foundation designs and improve site selection. In conclusion, the rapid growth experienced by Ahmedabad requires extensive construction activities, necessitating soil testing. This study focused on the process of creating a comprehensive geotechnical database integrated with GIS. The database was developed by collecting borehole data from reputable sources, verifying its accuracy and redundancy, and organizing the information for integration. The GIS map generated by this study is an efficient solution that offers greater accuracy and generates valuable information that can be used as input for correlation analysis. It also serves as a decision support tool for geotechnical engineers, allowing them to make informed decisions during construction activities.

Keywords: arcGIS, borehole data, geographic information system (GIS), geo-database, interpolation, SPT N-value, soil classification, φ-value, bearing capacity

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