Search results for: influence area

Authors: Anil Kumar Pandey

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A compact planar monopole antenna with dual-band operation suitable for wireless local area network (WLAN) application is presented in this paper. The antenna occupies an overall area of 18 ×12 mm². The antenna is fed by a coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line and it combines two folded strips, which radiates at 2.4 and 5.2 GHz. In the proposed antenna, by optimally selecting the antenna dimensions, dual-band resonant modes with a much wider impedance matching at the higher band can be produced. Prototypes of the obtained optimized design have been simulated using EM solver. The simulated results explore good dual-band operation with -10 dB impedance bandwidths of 50 MHz and 2400 MHz at bands of 2.4 and 5.2 GHz, respectively, which cover the 2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN operating bands. Good antenna performances such as radiation patterns and antenna gains over the operating bands have also been observed. The antenna with a compact size of 18×12×1.6 mm³ is designed on an FR4 substrate with a dielectric constant of 4.4.

Keywords: CPW antenna, dual-band, electromagnetic simulation, wireless local area network (WLAN)

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Authors: Jessadaporn Achariyopas

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The objectives of this study aim to analyze both the protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye in terms of ideological concepts and narrative techniques which influence the construction of the representation and the relationship between the representation and J. D. Salinger’s views on changes in American society in the 1940s. This area of study might concern two theories: namely, a theory of representation and narratology. In addition, this research is intended to answer the following three questions. Firstly, how is the production of meaning through language in The Catcher in the Rye constructed? Secondly, what are J. D. Salinger’s views on changes in American society in the 1940s? Lastly, how is the relationship between the representation and J. D. Salinger’s views? The findings showed that the protagonist’s views, J. D. Salinger’s views, and changes in American society in the 1940s are obviously interrelated. The production of meaning which is the representation of the protagonist’s views was constructed of narrative techniques. J. D. Salinger’s views on changes in American society in the 1940s were the same antisocial perspectives as Holden Caulfield’s which are phoniness, alienation and meltdown.

Keywords: representation, construction of the representation, systems of representation, phoniness, alienation, meltdown

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Authors: Dawid Sołoducha, Tomasz Borowski, Marian Kordas, Rafał Rakoczy

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The magnetic field in the past few years became an important part of many studies. Magnetic field (MF) may be used to affect the process in many ways; for example, it can be used as a factor to stabilize the system. We can use MF to steer the operation, to activate or inhibit the process, or even to affect the vital activity of microorganisms. Using various types of magnetic field generators is always connected with the delivery of some heat to the system. Heat transfer is a very important phenomenon; it can influence the process positively and negatively, so it’s necessary to measure heat stream transferred from the place of generation and prevent negative influence on the operation. The aim of the presented work was to apply various types of magnetic fields and to measure heat transfer phenomena. The results were obtained by continuous measurement at several measuring points with temperature probes. Results were compilated in the form of temperature profiles. The study investigated the undetermined heat transfer in a custom system equipped with a magnetic field generator. Experimental investigations are provided for the explanation of the influence of the various type of magnetic fields on the heat transfer process. The tested processes are described by means of the criteria which defined heat transfer intensification under the action of magnetic field.

Keywords: heat transfer, magnetic field, undetermined heat transfer, temperature profile

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Authors: Ayal Siegel, Moshe Inbar, Amatzya Peled

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This study examined the characteristic runoff coefficient in different urban areas. The main area studied is located in the city of Haifa, northern Israel. Haifa spreads out eastward from the Mediterranean seacoast to the top of the Carmel Mountain range with an elevation of 300 m. above sea level. For this research project, four watersheds were chosen, each characterizing a different part of the city; 1) Upper Hadar, a spacious suburb on the upper mountain side; 2) Qiryat Eliezer, a crowded suburb on a level plane of the watershed; 3) Technion, a large technical research university which is located halfway between the top of the mountain range and the coast line. 4) Keret, a remote suburb, on the southwestern outskirts of Haifa. In all of the watersheds found suitable, instruments were installed to continuously measure the water level flowing in the channels. Three rainfall gauges scattered in the study area complete the hydrological requirements for this research project. The runoff coefficient C in peak discharge events was determined by the Rational Formula. The main research finding is the significant relationship between the intensity of rainfall, and the impervious area which is connected to the drainage system of the watershed. For less intense rainfall, the full potential of the connected impervious area will not be exploited. As a result, the runoff coefficient value decreases as do the peak discharge rate and the runoff yield from the storm event. The research results will enable application to other areas by means of hydrological model to be be set up on GIS software that will make it possible to estimate the runoff coefficient of any given city watershed.

Keywords: runoff coefficient, rational method, time of concentration, connected impervious area.

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Authors: A. Aloga, A. S. Aloga

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The study examined the influence of instructional supervision on teachers’ performance in secondary schools in Otukpo LGA of Benue State. The study was guided by four research questions and four hypotheses. The study employed a descriptive research design. The population of the study comprised of 579 teachers in 26 public secondary schools out of which 236 respondents were sampled and used as the studied population. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire, titled ‘Instructional Supervision and Teachers Performance Questionnaire (ISTPQ)’ The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions. And Chi-Square Statistics was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study found that instructional supervision has a significant influence on teachers’ lesson planning, effective teaching, teachers’ class attendance and teachers’ classroom management. The study concluded that instructional supervision influences teachers’ performance. It was recommended that; instructional supervisors should always give useful suggestions as regards the best instructional practices needed by teachers in enhancing lesson planning. The government should recruit more trained and qualified instructional supervisors to be able to meet the intending demands of instructional supervision. This will relieve the existing few qualified instructional supervisors from work overload which may result to ineffectiveness and poor performance of their duties. Conferences and seminars should be organized for instructional supervisors from time to time to cater for the professional assistance needed by teachers. The state government should always provide adequate funding for these conferences and seminars since it provides an avenue for acquiring new knowledge in educational development by teachers among others.

Keywords: influence, instructional supervision, teachers’ performance, secondary schools

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Authors: Bello Yusuf Idi

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The Gongola arm of the Upper Banue Trough, Northeastern Nigeria is predominantly covered by the outcrops of Limestone-bearing rocks in form of Sandstone with intercalation of carbonate clay, shale, basaltic, felsphatic and migmatide rocks at subpixel dimension. In this work, subpixel classification algorithm was used to classify the data acquired from landsat 7 Enhance Thematic Mapper (ETM+) satellite system with the aim of producing fractional distribution image for three most economically important solid minerals of the area: Limestone, Basalt and Migmatide. Linear Spectral Unmixing (LSU) algorithm was used to produce fractional distribution image of abundance of the three mineral resources within a 100Km2 portion of the area. The results show that the minerals occur at different proportion all over the area. The fractional map could therefore serve as a guide to the ongoing reconnaissance for the economic potentiality of the formation.

Keywords: linear spectral un-mixing, upper benue trough, gongola arm, geological engineering

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Authors: M. Attavanich, H. Kobayashi

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Moklen is a sub-group of ethnic minority in Thailand. In the past, they were vagabonds of the sea. Their livelihood relied on the sea but they built temporary shelters to avoid strong wind and waves during monsoon season. Recently, they have permanently settled on land along coastal area and mangrove forest in Phang Nga and Phuket Province, Southern Thailand. Moklen people have their own housing culture: the Moklen ethnic house was built from local natural materials, indicating a unique structure and design. Its wooden structure is joined by rattan ropes. The construction process is very unique because of using body-based unit of measurement for design and construction. However, there are several threats for those unique structures. One of the most important threats on Moklen ethnic house is tsunami. Especially the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami caused widely damage to Southern Thailand and Phang Nga province was the most affected area. In that time, Moklen villages which are located along the coastal area also affected calamitously. In order to recover the damage in affected villages, mostly new modern style houses were provided by aid agencies. This process has caused a significant impact on Moklen housing culture. Not only tsunami, but also modernization has an influence on the changing appearance of the Moklen houses and the effect of modernization has been started to experience before the tsunami. As a result, local construction knowledge is very limited nowadays because the number of elderly people in Moklen has been decreasing drastically. Last but not the least, restrictions of construction materials which are originally provided from accessible mangroves, create limitations in building a Moklen house. In particular, after the Reserved Forest Act, wood chopping without any permission has become illegal. These are some of the most important reasons for Moklen ethnic houses to disappear. Nevertheless, according to the results of field surveys done in 2013 in Phang Nga province, it is found out that some Moklen ethnic houses are still available in Tubpla Village, but only a few. Next survey in the same area in 2014 showed that number of Moklen houses in the village has been started to increase significantly. That proves that there is a high potential to conserve Moklen houses. Also the project of our research team in February 2014 contributed to continuation of Moklen ethnic house. With the cooperation of the village leader and our team, it was aimed to construct a Moklen house with the help of local participants. For the project, villagers revealed the building knowledge and techniques, and in the end, project helped community to understand the value of their houses. Also, it was a good opportunity for Moklen children to learn about their culture. In addition, NGOs recently have started to support ecotourism projects in the village. It not only helps to preserve a way of life, but also contributes to preserve indigenous knowledge and techniques of Moklen ethnic house. This kind of supporting activities are important for the conservation of Moklen ethnic houses.

Keywords: conservation, construction project, Moklen Ethnic House, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

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Authors: Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra, Aartee Jha, Madhu Thapa, Pragati Gautam

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Introduction: High myopia has become a matter of global concern as it is a major risk factor for glaucoma. Various optic nerve head changes occur in high myopia over time. This might lead to difficulty in detecting pathologies associated with high myopia through conventional funduscopy examinations only. Bruch’s Membrane Opening (Area and Minimum Rim Width) is considered an anatomically more accurate and reliable landmark than the conventional clinical disc margin. Study Design: It was a hospital based cross-sectional and non-interventional type of study. Purpose: The purpose of our study was to measure Bruch’s Membrane Opening (area and Minimum Rim Width) in high myopic eyes and correlate it with axial length. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at B.P Koirala Lions Center for Ophthalmic Studies, a tertiary-level eye center in Nepal. 80 eyes of 40 subjects (40% male and 60% female) aged 18-35 years with high myopia (Spherical Equivalent (SE) ≥ -6D) were taken as cases. Among them, RE of 39 and LE of 34 myopic subjects were included in the study. Spectral Domain-Optical Coherence Tomography of both the eyes of myopic patients was performed using Glaucoma Module Premiere Edition (GMPE) with Anatomic Positioning System (APS) to measure Bruch’s Membrane Opening (Area and Minimum Rim Width). Axial length in myopic patients was measured using Partial Coherence Interferometry (IOL Master). Results: Among 40 myopic subjects, 16 (40%) were males, whereas 24 (60%) were females. The mean age of myopic subjects was 24.64 ± 5.10 years, with minimum and maximum ages of 18 years and 35 years, respectively. The mean BMO area was 2.28 0.48 mm² in right eye and 2.15 0.59 mm² in left eye. BMO area in high myopic patient was significantly correlated with axial length. The correlation analysis of BMO area with axial length in RE and LE was found to be statistically significant at (r=0.465, p<0.003) and (r=0.374, p< 0.029), respectively. Likewise, the mean BMO-MRW was 325.69 ± 96µm in right eye and 339.20 ± 79.50µm in left eye. There was a significant correlation of BMO-MRW with axial length in both the eyes of myopic subjects. Moreover, a significant negative correlation of Inferior temporal, Nasal, and Inferior nasal quadrants (p<0.05) of BMO-MRW of right eye was found with axial length of right eye, whereas all the BMO-MRW quadrants of left eye were negatively correlated (p<0.05) with axial length in left eye. No significant differences were found between right eye and left eye on comparing means of refractive error, axial length, BMO area, and BMO-MRW. Conclusion: From this study, it can be concluded that BMO area enlarges in high myopia with an increase in axial length. Additionally, BMO-MRW thinning occurs along with the BMO enlargement and increases with axial length. There were no significant differences in refractive error, axial length, BMO area, and BMO-MRW between right eye and left eye.

Keywords: high myopia, Bruch’s membrane opening, Bruch’s membrane opening minimum rim width, spectral domain optical coherence tomography

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Authors: Nkiru I. Ibeakuzie, Paul D. J. Watson, John F. Pescatore

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In roadway construction, the cost of soil-cement stabilization per unit area is significantly influenced by the binder content, hence the need to optimise cement usage. This research work will characterize the influence of soil fractal geometry on properties of cement-stabilized soil, and strive to determine a correlation between mechanical proprieties of cement-stabilized soil and the mass fractal dimension Dₘ indicated by particle size distribution (PSD) of aggregate mixtures. Since strength development in cemented soil relies not only on cement content but also on soil PSD, this study will investigate the possibility of reducing cement content by changing the PSD of soil, without compromising on strength, reduced permeability, and compressibility. A series of soil aggregate mixes will be prepared in the laboratory. The mass fractal dimension Dₘ of each mix will be determined from sieve analysis data prior to stabilization with cement. Stabilized soil samples will be tested for strength, permeability, and compressibility.

Keywords: fractal dimension, particle size distribution, cement stabilization, cement content

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Authors: Ali Sagiroglu, Sema Noyan Alacali, Guray Arslan

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This paper presents a study on the influence of the safety factor in the concrete contribution to shear strength of high-strength concrete (HSC) beams according to TS500. In TS500, the contribution of concrete to shear strength is obtained by reducing diagonal cracking strength with a safety factor of 0.8. It was investigated that the coefficient of 0.8 considered in determining the contribution of concrete to the shear strength corresponds to which value of failure probability. Also, the changes in the reduction factor depending on different coefficients of variation of concrete were examined.

Keywords: reinforced concrete, beam, shear strength, failure probability, safety factor

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Authors: Hi̇lal Surat

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People who want to get rid of stress and intensive working tempo for a while head for recreation operations in order to get rest and have fun. Therefore, planning recreation operation makes contributions to social, physiological, economic and psychological development of an individual and the community in a way that the needs of people meet regularly and constantly. The rapid increase of world population rate makes necessary of benefit from natural or man-made resources in a multiple way. Dams and reservoirs which are built near urban area with the aim of electrical energy conversion and agricultural irrigation are considered as natural area providing various opportunities such as recreation operations. Dams have a great importance regarding to protection and improvement of water resources and coming into service of community. There should be a priority to protect these water resources, which are essential for nature and living organisms. It should be taken into consideration that these water resources are the most important input in the area and have high nature value to make sustainability of recreation effectiveness. The Deriner reservoir that has been built yet near the province of Artvin with natural and cultural properties is considered as an alternative option for meeting the needs of people for sportive and recreation activities and as a potential for planning of water-based recreation activities. Hence, in this study, activities that meet the expectations of people who get benefit from the area considering to natural, cultural and sportive recreation opportunities will be developed. In the first place, planning criteria for some sportive and water-based recreation operations will be defined in order to use the area for recreation and sportive activities and these criteria will be a base for a macro planning work within the holistic perspective of natural, cultural, and economical structure of the area. After this time, necessities of local people and evaluation of reservoir recreational potential will be determined, end then different socio-economic groups according to their in-come, age groups will be chosen and the questionnaire which has already prepared will be done these groups, as a result of these questionnaire recreational activities in water necessities will determine and we are going to develop different suggestion for this reservoir.

Keywords: dam, dam lakes, Deriner, recreation, water based activities

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Authors: Adedayo Jeremiah Adeyekun, Samuel Olugbemiga Ishola

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This paper is intended to examine how architecture influences its occupants and how is what we design and build be used by its inhabitants. It also reviews the effect of Architecture to our convenience. According to history of architecture, this issue has materialized in various methods with control of space, through philosophy of experience with social and cultural influences and through art. What these all share in common is the area of strategies, when used from an architectural point of view, are thoughtful in nature. We thought of how architecture influences us, and thereafter we provide recommendation. As humans, we are encouraged to develop our houses to suit our living regarding to health, and it is the desire of every good architect to provide houses that will encourage comfort. We have acquired understanding from questions with rational point of views on the impact of Architecture to our health. As a result, this paper will certainly reinforce the requirement for architects to design a structure that will certainly urge the social and cultural convenience of the environment. To accomplish the goals of this study, experts in the discipline of architecture and wellness were interviewed, and information was originated from journals, publications and textbooks associated to architecture in order to establish the influence of architecture to our wellness.

Keywords: architecture, well-being, health, impact, environment

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Authors: Igor Shardakov, Anton Bykov, Alexey Shestakov, Irina Glot

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This article focuses on the cycle of experimental studies of the formation of cracks and debondings in the concrete reinforced with carbon fiber. This research was carried out in Perm National Research Polytechnic University. A series of CFRP-strengthened RC beams was tested to investigate the influence of preload and crack repairing factors on CFRP debonding. IRT was applied to detect the early stage of IC debonding during the laboratory bending tests. It was found that for the beams strengthened under load after crack injecting, СFRP debonding strain is 4-65% lower than for the preliminary strengthened beams. The beams strengthened under the load had a relative area of debonding of 2 times higher than preliminary strengthened beams. The СFRP debonding strain is weakly dependent on the strength of the concrete substrate. For beams with a transverse wrapping anchorage in support sections FRP debonding is not a failure mode.

Keywords: IC debonding, infrared thermography, non-destructive testing methods, quality control, strengthening

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Authors: Saloni Pandya, Nikhil Sharma, Ajanta Sachan

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Expansive soils in the unsaturated state are part of vadose zone and encountered in several arid and semi-arid parts of the world. Influence of high temperature, low precipitation and alternate cycles of wetting and drying are responsible for the chemical weathering of rocks, which results in the formation of expansive soils. Shrinkage-swelling (expansive) soils cover a substantial portion of area in India. Damages caused by expansive soils to various geotechnical structures are alarming. Matric suction develops in unsaturated soil due to capillarity and surface tension phenomena. Matric suction influences the geometric arrangement of soil skeleton, which induces the volume change behaviour of expansive soil. In the present study, an attempt has been made to evaluate the role of matric suction in the mechanism behind swelling characteristics of expansive soil. Four different soils have been collected from different parts of India for the current research. Soil sample S1, S2, S3 and S4 were collected from Nagpur, Bharuch, Bharuch-Dahej highway and Ahmedabad respectively. DFSI (Differential Free Swell Index) of these soils samples; S1, S2, S3, and S4; were determined to be 134%, 104%, 70% and 30% respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis of samples exhibited that percentage of Montmorillonite mineral present in the soils reduced with the decrease in DFSI. A series of constant volume swell pressure tests and in-contact filter paper tests were performed to evaluate swelling pressure and matric suction of all four soils at 30% saturation and 1.46 g/cc dry density. Results indicated that soils possessing higher DFSI exhibited higher matric suction as compared to lower DFSI expansive soils. Significant influence of matric suction on swelling pressure of expansive soils was observed with varying DFSI values. Higher matric suction of soil might govern the water uptake in the interlayer spaces of Montmorillonite mineral present in expansive soil leading to crystalline swelling.

Keywords: differential free swell index, expansive soils, matric suction, swelling pressure

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Authors: Motwkel M. Alhaj, Bashir M. Elhassan

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The East Nile area is located in Khartoum state. The main source of drinking water in the East Nile Area (Sudan) is groundwater. However, fluoride concentration in the water is more than the maximum allowable dose, which is 1.5 mg/l. This study aims to demonstrate and innovative, affordable, and efficient filter to remove fluoride from drinking water. Many researchers have found that aluminum oxide-coated adsorbent is the most affordable technology for fluoride removal. However, adsorption is pH-dependent, and the water pH in the East Nile area is relatively high (around 8), which is hindering the adsorption process. Locally available charcoal was crushed, sieved, and coated with aluminum oxide. Then, different coating configurations were tested in order to produce an adsorbent with a high pH point of zero charge pH PZC in order to overcome the effect of high pH of water. Moreover, different methods were used to characterize the adsorbent, including: Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Brunauer - Emmett - Teller (BET) method, and pH point of zero charge pH PZC. The produced adsorbent has pH PZC of 8.5, which is essential in enhancing the fluoride adsorption process. A pilot household fluoride filter was also designed and installed in a house that has water with 4.34 mg/l F- and pH of 8.4. The filter was operated at a flow rate 250 cm³/min. The total cost of treating one cubic meter was about 0.63$, while the cost for the same water before adsorbent coating modification was 2.33$⁄cm³.

Keywords: water treatment, fluoride, adsorption, charcoal, Sudan

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Authors: Olorunsanya E. O., Adedeji S. O., Anyanwu A. A.

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Food insecurity is a challenge to many nations Nigeria inclusive. It is increasingly becoming a major problem among farm households due to many factors chief of which is low labour productivity. This study therefore profiles the food security status of a representative randomly selected 90 farming households in Chanchaga area of Nigeria’s Guinea Savana using structured interview schedule Descriptive and inferential statistics were used as analytical tools for the study. The results of the descriptive statistics show that majority (35.56%) of the surveyed household heads fall within the age range of 40 – 49 years and (88.89%) are male while (78.89) are married. More than half of the respondents have formal education. About 43.3% of the household heads have farm experience of 11- 20 years and a modal household size class range of 7 – 12. The results further reveal that majority (68.8%) earned more than N12, 500 (22.73 US Dollar) per month. The result of households’ food expenditure pattern reveals that an average household spends about N3, 644.44 (6.63 US Dollar) on food and food items on a weekly basis. The result of the analysis of food diversity intake in the study area shows that 63.33% of the sampled households fell under the low household food diversity intake, while 33 households, representing 36.67% ranks high in term of household food diversity intake. The result for the food security status shows that the sampled population was food secure (58.89%) while 41.11% falls below the recommended threshold. The result for the logistics regression model shows that age, engagement in off farm employment and household size are significant in determining the food security status of farm household in the study area. The three variables were significant at 10%, 5% and 1% respectively. The study therefore recommends among others, that measures be put in place by stakeholders to make agriculture attractive for youth since age is a significant determinant of food security in the study area. Awareness should also be created by stakeholders on the needs for effective family planning methods to be adopted by farm household in the study area.

Keywords: Niger State, Guinea Savana, food diversity, logit regression model and food security

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Authors: Hamesh Babu Nanvala, Madhuri Malhal Rao

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The overall development of the Institution is dependent on the approach and attitude of the principal. Influence of principal’s professionalism on overall development of the Institution is the aim of this paper. Professionalism means conducting oneself with responsibility, integrity, accountability and excellence. The predominant characteristic of professionalism is the temperament of oneself to work in the public interest. By summarizing the observations based on authors’ experience regarding professionalism of principals towards the development of their respective institutions and correlating these observations with the findings in the literature and opinion of other principals and staff, the authors conceived a conceptual approach with its attributes by practicing suggested approach principals that can achieve overall development of their institutions.

Keywords: achiever, development, institution, principal, professionalism, student, teacher

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Authors: B. Gepts, E. Meex, E. Nuyts, E. Knaepen, G. Verbeeck

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The importance of resource efficiency and environmental impact assessment has raised the interest in knowing the amount of materials used in buildings. If no BIM model or energy performance certificate is available, material quantities can be obtained through an estimation or time-consuming calculation. For the interior wall area, no validated estimation method exists. However, in the case of environmental impact assessment or evaluating the existing building stock as future material banks, knowledge of the material quantities used in interior walls is indispensable. This paper presents a validated method for the estimation of the interior wall area for dwellings based on easy-to-collect building characteristics. A database of 4963 residential buildings spread all over Belgium is used. The data are collected through onsite measurements of the buildings during the construction phase (between mid-2010 and mid-2017). The interior wall area refers to the area of all interior walls in the building, including the inner leaf of exterior (party) walls, minus the area of windows and doors, unless mentioned otherwise. The two predictive modelling techniques used are 1) a (stepwise) linear regression and 2) a decision tree. The best estimation method is selected based on the best R² k-fold (5) fit. The research shows that the building volume is by far the most important variable to estimate the interior wall area. A stepwise regression based on building volume per building, building typology, and type of house provides the best fit, with R² k-fold (5) = 0.88. Although the best R² k-fold value is obtained when the other parameters ‘building typology’ and ‘type of house’ are included, the contribution of these variables can be seen as statistically significant but practically irrelevant. Thus, if these parameters are not available, a simplified estimation method based on only the volume of the building can also be applied (R² k-fold = 0.87). The robustness and precision of the method (output) are validated three times. Firstly, the prediction of the interior wall area is checked by means of alternative calculations of the building volume and of the interior wall area; thus, other definitions are applied to the same data. Secondly, the output is tested on an extension of the database, so it has the same definitions but on other data. Thirdly, the output is checked on an unrelated database with other definitions and other data. The validation of the estimation methods demonstrates that the methods remain accurate when underlying data are changed. The method can support environmental as well as economic dimensions of impact assessment, as it can be used in early design. As it allows the prediction of the amount of interior wall materials to be produced in the future or that might become available after demolition, the presented estimation method can be part of material flow analyses on input and on output.

Keywords: buildings as material banks, building stock, estimation method, interior wall area

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Authors: Bec Strating

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This paper examines the ways that domestic politics and pressure–generated through lobbying, public diplomacy campaigns and other tools of soft power-contributes to the formation of short-term and long-term national interests, priorities and strategies of states in their international relations. It primarily addresses the conceptual problems regarding the kinds of influence that lobby groups wield in foreign policy and how this influence might be assessed. Scholarly attention has been paid to influential foreign policy lobbies and interest groups, particularly in the areas of US foreign policy. Less attention has been paid to how lobby groups might influence the foreign policy of a middle power such as Australia. This paper examines some of the methodological complexities in developing and conducting a research project that can measure the nature and influence of lobbies on foreign affairs priorities and activities. This paper will use Australian foreign policy in the context of its historical bilateral relationship with Indonesia as a case study for considering the broader issues of domestic influences on foreign policy. Specifically, this paper will use the so-called ‘pro-Jakarta lobby’ as an example of an interest group. The term ‘pro-Jakarta lobby’ is used in media commentary and scholarship to describe an amorphous collection of individuals who have sought to influence Australian foreign policy in favour of Indonesia. The term was originally applied to a group of Indonesian experts at the Australian National University in the 1980s but expanded to include journalists, think tanks and key diplomats. The concept of the ‘pro-Jakarta lobby’ was developed largely through criticisms of Australia’s support for Indonesia’s sovereignty of East Timor and West Papua. Pro-Independence supporters were integral for creating the ‘lobby’ in their rhetoric and criticisms about the influence on Australian foreign policy. In these critical narratives, the ‘pro-Jakarta lobby’ supported a realist approach to relations with Indonesia during the years of President Suharto’s regime, which saw appeasement of Indonesia as paramount to values of democracy and human rights. The lobby was viewed as integral in embedding a form of ‘foreign policy exceptionalism’ towards Indonesia in Australian policy-making circles. However, little critical and scholarly attention has been paid to nature, aims, strategies and activities of the ‘pro-Jakarta lobby.' This paper engages with methodological issues of foreign policy analysis: what was the ‘pro-Jakarta lobby’? Why was it considered more successful than other activist groups in shaping policy? And how can its influence on Australia’s approach to Indonesia be tested in relation to other contingent factors shaping policy? In addressing these questions, this case study will assist in addressing a broader scholarly concern about the capacities of collectives or individuals in shaping and directing the foreign policies of states.

Keywords: foreign policy, interests groups, Australia, Indonesia

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Authors: S. Yousefi Oderji, B. Chen, M. A. Yazdi, J. Yang

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This study investigates the influence of water-binder ratio, mineral admixtures (silica fume and ground granulated blast furnace slag), and copper coated steel fiber on fluidity diameter, compressive and flexural strengths of reactive powder concrete (RPC). The test results show that the binary combination of silica fume and blast-furnace slag provided a positive influence on the mechanical properties of RPC. Although the addition of fibers reduced the workability, results indicated a higher mechanical strength in the inclusion of fibers.

Keywords: RPC, steel fiber, fluidity, mechanical properties

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Authors: W. Thongwat, B. Terakulsatit

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The study area is Kham Sakaesaeng District in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, the south section of Northeastern Thailand, located in the Lower Khorat-Ubol Basin. This region is the one of saline soil area, located in a dry plateau and regularly experience standing with periods of floods and alternating with periods of drought. Especially, the drought in the summer season causes the major saline soil and saline water problems of this region. The general cause of dry land salting resulted from salting on irrigated land, and an excess of water leading to the rising water table in the aquifer. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship of physical and chemical properties between the soil and groundwater. The soil and groundwater samples were collected in both rainy and summer seasons. The content of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), chloride and salinity were investigated. The experimental result of soil and groundwater samples show the slightly pH less than 7, EC (186 to 8,156 us/cm and 960 to 10,712 us/cm), TDS (93 to 3,940 ppm and 480 to 5,356 ppm), chloride content (45.58 to 4,177,015 mg/l and 227.90 to 9,216,736 mg/l), and salinity (0.07 to 4.82 ppt and 0.24 to 14.46 ppt) in the rainy and summer seasons, respectively. The distribution of chloride content and salinity content were interpolated and displayed as a map by using ArcMap 10.3 program, according to the season. The result of saline soil and brined groundwater in the study area were related to the low-lying topography, drought area, and salt-source exposure. Especially, the Rock Salt Member of Maha Sarakham Formation was exposed or lies near the ground surface in this study area. During the rainy season, salt was eroded or weathered from the salt-source rock formation and transported by surface flow or leached into the groundwater. In the dry season, the ground surface is dry enough resulting salt precipitates from the brined surface water or rises from the brined groundwater influencing the increasing content of chloride and salinity in the ground surface and groundwater.

Keywords: environmental geology, soil salinity, geochemistry, groundwater hydrology

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Authors: Goreti Botelho, Filomena Gomes, Fernanda M. Ferreira, Ilda Caldeira

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The strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) is a small tree or shrub from botanical Ericaceae family that grows spontaneously nearby the Mediterranean basin and produce edible red fruits. A traditional processed fruit application, in Mediterranean countries, is the production of a spirit (known as aguardente de medronho, in Portugal) obtained from the fermented fruit. The main objective of our study was to contribute to the knowledge about the influence of the degree of maturation of fruits in the volatile composition and quality of arbutus spirit. The major volatiles in the three distillates fractions (head, heart and tail) obtained from fermentation of two different fruit maturation levels were quantified by GC-FID analysis and ANOVA one-way was performed. Additionally, the total antioxidant capacity and total phenolic compounds of both arbutus fruit spirits were determined, by ABTS and Folin-Ciocalteau method, respectively. The methanol concentration is superior (1022.39 g/hL a.a.) in the spirit made from fruits with highest total soluble solids, which is a value above the legal limit (1000 g/hL a.a.). Overall, our study emphasizes, for the first time, the influence of maturation degree of arbutus fruits in the spirit volatile composition and quality.

Keywords: arbutus fruit, maturation, quality, spirit

Procedia PDF Downloads 381

Authors: Chih-Wen Fan

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Backgrounds/ Research goals : School improvement requires change leadership, which often means discomfort. Principals are the key people that determine the effectiveness of schools. In an era of organization’s pursuit of speed and effectiveness, school administration has to be accountable and innovative. Effective principals work to improve achievement by focusing on the administrative and teaching quality of improvement. However, there is a lack of literature addressing the relevant case studies on school change leadership. This article explores how principals can use change leadership to drive school change. It analyze the driving factors of principal changes in the case school, the beliefs of change leadership, specific methods, and what impact they have. Methods: This study applies the case study research method to the selected primary school located in an urban area for case study, which has achieved excellent performance after reform and innovation. The researchers selected an older primary school located in an urban area that was transformed into a high-performance primary school after changes were enacted by the principal. The selected case was recommended by three supervisors of the Education Department. The case school underwent leadership change by the new principal during his term, and won an award from the Ministry of Education. Total of 8 teachers are interviewed. The data encoding includes interviews and documents. Expected results/ conclusions: The conclusions of the study are, as follows: (1) The influence for Principal Lin's change leadership is from internal and external environmental development and change pressures. (2) The principal's belief in change leadership is to recognize the sense of crisis, and to create a climate of change and demand for change. (3) The principal's specific actions are intended to identify key members, resolve resistance, use innovative thinking, and promote organizational learning. (4) Principal Lin's change leadership can enhance the professional functions of all employees through appropriate authorization. (5) The effectiveness of change leadership lies in teachers' participation in decision-making; the school's reputation has been enhanced through featured courses.

Keywords: change leadership, empowerment, crisis awareness, case study

Procedia PDF Downloads 138

Authors: Seyed Mohammad Ali Zahedi

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This field experiment was conducted in Isfahan in 2011 in order to study the effect of plant density and planting pattern on growth, yield and quality of silage corn (SC 704) using a randomized complete block design with split plot layout and four replications. The main plot consisted of three planting patterns (60 and 75 cm single planting row and 75 cm double planting row referred to as 60S, 75S and 75T, respectively). The subplots consisted of four levels of plant densities (65000, 80000, 95000 and 110000 plants per hectare). Each subplot consisted of 7 rows, each with 10m length. Vegetative and reproductive characteristics of plants at silking and hard dough stages (when the plants were harvested for silage) were evaluated. Results of variance analysis showed that the effects of planting pattern and plant density were significant on leaf area per plant, leaf area index (at silking), plant height, stem diameter, dry weights of leaf, stem and ear in silking and harvest stages and on fresh and dry yield, dry matter percentage and crude protein percentage at harvest. There was no planting pattern × plant density interaction for these parameters. As row space increased from 60 cm with single planting to 75 cm with single planting, leaf area index and plant height increased, but leaf area per plant, stem diameter, dry weight of leaf, stem and ear, dry matter percentage, dry matter yield and crude protein percentage decreased. Dry matter yield reduced from 24.9 to 18.5 t/ha and crude protein percentage decreased from 6.11 to 5.60 percent. When the plant density increased from 65000 to 110000 plant per hectare, leaf area index, plant height, dry weight of leaf, stem and ear and dry matter yield increased from 19.2 to 23.3 t/ha, whereas leaf area per plant, stem diameter, dry matter percentage and crude protein percentage decreased from 6.30 to 5.25. The best results were obtained with 60 cm row distance with single planting and 110000 plants per hectare.

Keywords: silage corn, plant density, planting pattern, yield

Procedia PDF Downloads 338

Authors: Fahsai Pawapootanont, Sasithon Yuwakosol

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The objectives of this research study are as follows: 1) Study the information-seeking behavior of followers of influencers on Facebook in making hotel booking decisions and 2) Study the characteristics of travel influencers that affect their followers' hotel booking decisions. The Data was collected by interviewing 35 key informants, consisting of 25 Thai tourists who were followers of travel influencers and 10 travel influencers, as well as collecting data using online questionnaires from a sample of 400 Thai tourists and using statistical data analysis: percentage, standard deviation, mean, T-Test and One-Way Analysis of Variance: ANOVA. The results of the influence of travel influencers on Facebook on hotel booking decisions in Thailand revealed the following: People in different age groups have different information-seeking behaviours. Depends on experience and aptitude in using technology. The sample group did not seek information from only one source. There is also a search for information from various places in order to get comparative information and the most truthful information to make decisions. In addition, travel influencers should be those who present honest, clear, and complete content. And present services honestly. In addition to the characteristics of travel influencers affecting hotel booking decisions, Presentation formats and platforms also affect hotel booking decisions. But it must be designed and presented to suit the behavior of the group of people we want. As for the influence of travel influencers, it can be concluded that The influence of travel influencers can influence their followers' interests and hotel booking decisions. However, it was found that there are other factors that followers of travel influencers on Facebook will factor into their decision to book a hotel, such as Whether the hotel's comfort meets your needs or not; location, price, and promotions also play an important role in deciding to book a hotel.

Keywords: influencer, travel, facebook, hotel booking decisions, Thailand

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Authors: Natia Gigauri, Aleksandre Surmava

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According to observational data, experimental measurements, and numerical modeling, is assessed pollution of one of the industrial centers of Georgia, Rustavi city’s atmosphere with microaerosols. Monthly, daily and hourly changes of the concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 in the city atmosphere are analyzed. It is accepted that PM2.5 concentrations are always lower than PM10 concentrations, but their change curve is the same. In addition, it has been noted that the maximum concentrations of particles in the atmosphere of Rustavi city will be reached at any part of the day, which is determined by the total impact of the traffic flow and industrial facilities. By numerical modeling has calculated the influence of background western light air and gentle and fresh breeze on the distribution of PM particles in the atmosphere. Calculations showed that background light air and gentle breeze lead to an increase the concentrations of microaerosols in the city's atmosphere, while fresh breeze contribute to the dispersion of dusty clouds. As a result, the level of dust in the city is decreasing, but the distribution area is expanding.

Keywords: pollution, modelling, PM2.5, PM10, experimental measurement

Procedia PDF Downloads 89

Authors: Sherly Shelton, Zhaohui Lin

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In recent decades, the inter-annual variability of summer precipitation over the India and Sri Lanka has intensified significantly with an increased frequency of both abnormally dry and wet summers. Therefore prediction of the inter-annual variability of summer precipitation is crucial and urgent for water management and local agriculture scheduling. However, none of the hypotheses put forward so far could understand the relationship to monsoon variability and related factors that affect to the South West Monsoon (SWM) variability in Sri Lanka. This study focused to identify the spatial and temporal variability of SWM rainfall events from June to September (JJAS) over Sri Lanka and associated trend. The monthly rainfall records covering 1980-2013 over the Sri Lanka are used for 19 stations to investigate long-term trends in SWM rainfall over Sri Lanka. The linear trends of atmospheric variables are calculated to understand the drivers behind the changers described based on the observed precipitation, sea surface temperature and atmospheric reanalysis products data for 34 years (1980–2013). Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was applied to understand the spatial and temporal behaviour of seasonal SWM rainfall variability and also investigate whether the trend pattern is the dominant mode that explains SWM rainfall variability. The spatial and stations based precipitation over the country showed statistically insignificant decreasing trends except few stations. The first two EOFs of seasonal (JJAS) mean of rainfall explained 52% and 23 % of the total variance and first PC showed positive loadings of the SWM rainfall for the whole landmass while strongest positive lording can be seen in western/ southwestern part of the Sri Lanka. There is a negative correlation (r ≤ -0.3) between SMRI and SST in the Arabian Sea and Central Indian Ocean which indicate that lower temperature in the Arabian Sea and Central Indian Ocean are associated with greater rainfall over the country. This study also shows that consistently warming throughout the Indian Ocean. The result shows that the perceptible water over the county is decreasing with the time which the influence to the reduction of precipitation over the area by weakening drawn draft. In addition, evaporation is getting weaker over the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Sri Lankan landmass which leads to reduction of moisture availability required for the SWM rainfall over Sri Lanka. At the same time, weakening of the SST gradients between Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal can deteriorate the monsoon circulation, untimely which diminish SWM over Sri Lanka. The decreasing trends of moisture, moisture transport, zonal wind, moisture divergence with weakening evaporation over Arabian Sea, during the past decade having an aggravating influence on decreasing trends of monsoon rainfall over the Sri Lanka.

Keywords: Arabian Sea, moisture flux convergence, South West Monsoon, Sri Lanka, sea surface temperature

Procedia PDF Downloads 132

Authors: Hamed Hosseinkazemi, Esmaeil Biazar

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For tissue engineering of bone, anatomical and operational reconstructions of damaged tissue seem to be vital. This is done via reconstruction of bone and appropriate biological joint with bone tissues of damaged areas. In this study the condition of biodegradable bed Nanofibrous PHBV and USSC cells were used to accelerate bone repair of damaged area. Hollow nanofabrication scaffold of damageable life was designed as PHBV by electrospinning and via determining the best factors such as the kind and amount of solvent, specific volume and rate. The separation of osseous tissue infiltration and evaluating its nature by flow cytometrocical analysis was done. Animal test including USSC as well as PHBV condition in the damaged bone was done in the rat. After 8 weeks the implanted area was analyzed using CT scan and was sent to histopathology ward. Finally, the rate and quality of reconstruction were determined after H and E coloring. Histomorphic analysis indicated a statistically significant difference between the experimental group of PHBV, USSC+PHBV and control group. Besides, the histopathologic analysis showed that bone reconstruction rate was high in the area containing USSC and PHBV, compared with area having PHBV and control group and consequently the reconstruction quality of bones and the relationship between the new bone tissues and surrounding bone tissues were high too. Using PHBR scaffold and USSC together could be useful in the amending of wide range of bone lesion.

Keywords: bone lesion, nanofibrous PHBV, stem cells, umbilical cord blood

Procedia PDF Downloads 318

Authors: D. Mokhtari

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Any variation in environmental characteristics of geomorphosites would lead to destabilisation of their geotouristic values all around the planet. The Urmia lake, with an area of approximately 5,500 km2 and a catchment area of 51,876 km2, and to which various reasons over time, especially in the last fifty years have seen a sharp decline and have decreased by about 93 % in two recent decades. These variations are not only driving significant changes in the morphology and ecology of the present lake landscape, but at the same time are shaping newly formed morphologies, which vanished some valuable geomorphosites or develop into smaller geomorphosites with significant value from a scientific and cultural point of view. This paper analyses and discusses features and evolution in several representative coastal and island geomorphosites. For this purpose, a total of 23 geomorphosites were studied in two data series (1963 and 2015) and the respective data were compared and analysed. The results showed, The total loss in geomorphosites area in a half century amounted to a loss of more than 90% of the valuable geomorphosites. Moreover, the comparison between the mean yearly value of coastal area lost over the entire period and the yearly average calculated for the shorter period (1998-2014) clearly indicates a pattern of acceleration. This acceleration in the rate of reduction in lake area was seen in most of the southern half of the lake. In the region as well, the general water-level falling is not only causing the loss of a significant water resource, which is followed by major impact on regional ecosystems, but is also driving the most marked recent (last century) changes in the geotouristic landscapes. In fact, the disappearance of geomorphosites means the loss of tourism phenomenon. In this context attention must be paid to the question of conservation. The action needed to safeguard geomorphosites includes: 1) Preventive action, 2) Corrective action, and 3) Sharing knowledge.

Keywords: geomorphosite, environmental changes, changing lake, Urmia lake, northwest of Iran

Procedia PDF Downloads 378

Authors: Naser Ahmadi Sani, Karim Solaimani, Lida Razaghnia, Jalal Zandi

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In recent decades, rapid and incorrect changes in land-use have been associated with consequences such as natural resources degradation and environmental pollution. Detecting changes in land-use is one of the tools for natural resource management and assessment of changes in ecosystems. The target of this research is studying the land-use changes in Haraz basin with an area of 677000 hectares in a 15 years period (1996 to 2011) using LANDSAT data. Therefore, the quality of the images was first evaluated. Various enhancement methods for creating synthetic bonds were used in the analysis. Separate training sites were selected for each image. Then the images of each period were classified in 9 classes using supervised classification method and the maximum likelihood algorithm. Finally, the changes were extracted in GIS environment. The results showed that these changes are an alarm for the HARAZ basin status in future. The reason is that 27% of the area has been changed, which is related to changing the range lands to bare land and dry farming and also changing the dense forest to sparse forest, horticulture, farming land and residential area.

Keywords: Haraz basin, change detection, land-use, satellite data

Procedia PDF Downloads 415