Search results for: macro scale parameters

Authors: Inderpreet Kaur, Ravinder Pal Singh, Kamal Kant Sharma

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This paper addresses the different configurations used of optical amplifiers with 16 channels in Wavelength Division Multiplexed system. The systems with 16 channels have been simulated for evaluation of various parameters; Bit Error Rate, Quality Factor, for threshold values for a range of wavelength from 1471 nm to 1611 nm. Comparison of various combination of configurations have been analyzed with EDFA and FRA but EDFA-FRA configuration performance has been found satisfactory in terms of performance indices and stable region. The paper also compared various parameters quantized with different configurations individually. It has been found that Q factor has high value with less value of BER and high resolution for EDFA-FRA configuration.

Keywords: EDFA, FRA, WDM, Q factor, BER

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Authors: Chao-xun Liu, Shi-hong Lu

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In spite of its importance to the aerospace and automobile industries, little or no attention has been devoted to the accurate modeling of the ultrasonic shot peening (USP) process. It is therefore the purpose of this study to conduct finite element analysis of the process using a realistic multiple pin impacts model with the explicit solver of ABAQUS. In this paper, we research the effect of several key parameters on the residual stress distribution within the target, including impact velocity, incident angle, friction coefficient between pins and target and impact number of times were investigated. The results reveal that the impact velocity and impact number of times have obvious effect and impacting vertically could produce the most perfect residual stress distribution. Then we compare the results with the date in USP experiment and verify the exactness of the model. The analysis of the multiple pin impacts date reveal the relationships between peening process parameters and peening quality, which are useful for identifying the parameters which need to be controlled and regulated in order to produce a more beneficial compressive residual stress distribution within the target.

Keywords: ultrasonic shot peening, finite element, multiple pins, residual stress, numerical simulation

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Authors: Mustafa Jahanara

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The aim of present research was to study of the relationship between emotional intelligence, perceived stress, positive religious coping with psychological distress to in a sample of undergraduate students in Polytechnic University in Kabul. One hundred and fifty-tow students (102 male, 50 female) were included in this study. All participants completed the Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 12), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Brief RCOPE. The results revealed that EI was negatively associated with perceived stress and psychological distress. Also emotional intelligence was positively correlated with positive religious coping. Perceived stress was positive related with psychological distress and negatively correlated with positive religious coping. Eventually positive religious coping was significantly and negatively correlated with psychological distress. However, emotional intelligence and positive religious coping could influence on mental health.

Keywords: emotional intelligence, perceived stress, positive religious coping, psychological distress

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Authors: S. S. Sathiesh

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The aim of this project is to study the radiation mechanism synchrotron and Inverse Compton scattering. Theoretically, we discussed spectral energy distribution for both. Programming is done for plotting the graph of Power-law spectrum for synchrotron Radiation using fortran90. The importance of power law spectrum was discussed and studied to infer its physical parameters from the model fitting. We also discussed how to infer the physical parameters from the theoretically drawn graph, we have seen how one can infer B (magnetic field of the source), γ min, γ max, spectral indices (p1, p2) while fitting the curve to the observed data.

Keywords: blazars/quasars, beaming, synchrotron radiation, Synchrotron Self Compton, inverse Compton scattering, mrk421

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Authors: Kaliammah Kumaran, Thilaagheswary Thangadurai

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This study examined the relationship between anxious attachment and avoidant attachment among young adult romantic relationship quality. Our survey was administered to 300 young adult participants (126 males and 174 females) aged 18-24 years old (M= 20.85, SD=1.89), accomplished the English version of the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS) used to measure adult attachment and Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS). All the participants were tertiary level students. Findings of our study indicated that young adults experienced anxious attachment style is negatively correlated with romantic relationship quality as well as young adult from avoidant attachment also negatively correlated with romantic relationship quality among young adults. The results showed that insecure adult attachment styles which are anxious and avoidance adult attachment styles links with reduced quality of romantic relationship.

Keywords: adult attachment style, anxious attachment style, avoidant attachment style, romantic relationship quality

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Authors: Lazhar Belkhiri, Ammar Tiri, Lotfi Mouni

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In this research, we analyzed the groundwater quality index in the El Milia plain, Kebir Rhumel Basin, Algeria. Thirty-three groundwater samples were collected from wells in the El Milia plain during April 2015. In this study, pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were conducted at each sampling well. Eight hydrochemical parameters such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), chlorid (Cl), sulfate (SO4), bicarbonate (HCO3), and Nnitrate (NO3) were analysed. The entropy water quality index (EWQI) method was employed to evaluate the groundwater quality in the study area. Moran’s I and the ordinary kriging (OK) interpolation technique were used to examine the spatial distribution pattern of the hydrochemical parameters in the groundwater. It was found that the hydrochemical parameters Ca, Cl, and HCO3 showed strong spatial autocorrelation in the El Milia plain, indicating a spatial dependence and clustering of these parameters in the groundwater. The groundwater quality was evaluated using the entropy water quality index (EWQI). The results showed that approximately 86% of the total groundwater samples in the study area fall within the moderate groundwater quality category. The spatial map of the EWQI values indicated an increasing trend from the south-west to the northeast, following the direction of groundwater flow. The highest EWQI values were observed near El Milia city in the center of the plain. This spatial pattern suggests variations in groundwater quality across the study area, with potentially higher risks near the city center. Therefore, the results obtained in this research provide very useful information to decision-makers.

Keywords: entropy water quality index (EWQI), moran’s i, ordinary kriging interpolation, el milia plain

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Authors: D. Cole, S. Mahootian, P. Medlock

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This research contributes to existing knowledge of the complexities surrounding women’s relationship to beauty standards by examining their lived experiences. While there is much academic work on the effects of culturally imposed and largely unattainable beauty standards, the arguments tend to fall into two paradigms. On the one hand is the radical feminist perspective that argues that women are subjected to absolute oppression within the patriarchal system in which beauty standards have been constructed. This position advocates for a complete restructuring of social institutions to liberate women from all types of oppression. On the other hand, there are liberal feminist arguments that focus on choice, arguing that women’s agency in how to present themselves is empowerment. These arguments center around what women do within the patriarchal system in order to liberate themselves. However, there is very little research on the lived experiences of women negotiating these two realms: the complex negotiation between the pressure to adhere to cultural beauty standards and the agency of self-expression and empowerment. By exploring beauty standards through the intersection of societal messages (including macro-level processes such as social media and advertising as well as smaller-scale interactions such as families and peers) and lived experiences, this study seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of how women navigate and negotiate their own presentation and sense of self-identity. Current research sees a rise in incidents of body dysmorphia, depression and anxiety since the advent of social media. Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape, but only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in movies and media. It is, therefore, crucial we begin talking about the processes that are affecting self-image and mental health. A question that arises is that, given these negative effects, why do companies continue to advertise and target women with standards that very few could possibly attain? One obvious answer is that keeping beauty standards largely unattainable enables the beauty and fashion industries to make large profits by promising products and procedures that will bring one up to “standard”. The creation of dissatisfaction for some is profit for others. This research utilizes qualitative methods: interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups to investigate women’s relationships to beauty standards and empowerment. To this end, we reached out to potential participants through a video campaign on social media: short clips on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok and a longer clip on YouTube inviting users to take part in the study. Participants are asked to react to images, videos, and other beauty-related texts. The findings of this research have implications for policy development, advocacy and interventions aimed at promoting healthy inclusivity and empowerment of women.

Keywords: women, beauty, consumerism, social media

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Authors: Xiping Guo, Jing Li

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The microstructure of an Si-Al-Y co-deposition coating prepared on an Nb-Si based ultra high temperature alloy by pack cementation process at 1250°C for eight hours was studied. The results showed that the coating was composed of a (Nb,X)Si₂ (X represents Ti, Cr and Hf elements) outer layer, a (Ti,Nb)₅Si₄ middle layer and an Al, Cr-rich inner layer. For comparison, the oxidation behaviors of the coating at 800, 1050 and 1350°C were investigated respectively. Linear oxidation kinetics was found with the parabolic rate constants of 5.29×10⁻², 9×10⁻²and 5.81 mg² cm⁻⁴ h⁻¹, respectively. Catastrophic pesting oxidation has not been found at 800°C even for 100 h. The surface of the scale was covered by compact glassy SiO₂ film. The coating was able to effectively protect the Nb-Si based alloy from oxidation at 1350°C for at least 100 h. The formation process of the scale was testified following an epitaxial growth mechanism. The mechanism responsible for the oxidation behavior of the Si-Al-Y co-deposition coating at 800, 1050 and 1350°C was proposed.

Keywords: Nb-Si based ultra high temperature alloy, oxidation resistance, pack cementation, silicide coating, Al and Y modified

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Authors: Rimma Dzhusupova, Jan Bosch, Helena Holmström Olsson

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) industry has not yet a proven track record in large-scale projects. Since AI solutions for industrial applications became available only recently, deployment experience and lessons learned are still to be built up. Nevertheless, AI has become an attractive technology for organizations looking to automate repetitive tasks to reduce manual work. Meanwhile, the current AI market has started offering various solutions and services. The contribution of this research is that we explore in detail the challenges and obstacles faced in developing and deploying AI in a large-scale project in the EPC industry based on real-life use cases performed in an EPC company. Those identified challenges are not linked to a specific technology or a company's know-how and, therefore, are universal. The findings in this paper aim to provide feedback to academia to reduce the gap between research and practice experience. They also help reveal the hidden stones when implementing AI solutions in the industry.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, innovation, engineering, procurement and construction industry, AI in the EPC industry

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Authors: Ana Staneva, Vessela Stoimenova

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A parametric estimation of the MBP with Power Series offspring distribution family is considered in this paper. The MLE for the parameters is obtained in the case when the observable data are incomplete and consist only with the generation sizes of the family tree of MBP. The parameter estimation is calculated by using the Monte Carlo EM algorithm. The estimation for the posterior distribution and for the offspring distribution parameters are calculated by using the Bayesian approach and the Gibbs sampler. The article proposes various examples with bivariate branching processes together with computational results, simulation and an implementation using R.

Keywords: Bayesian, branching processes, EM algorithm, Gibbs sampler, Monte Carlo methods, statistical estimation

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Authors: Hiba Mezaache

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The study aims to assess the financial and social efficiency of microfinance institutions in india for the period 2015-2019 by using two models of economies of scale and choosing the output direction of the data envelope analysis (DEA) method and using the MIX MARKET database. The study concluded that microfinance institutions focus on achieving financial efficiency beyond their focus on achieving social efficiency to ensure their continuity in the market. Convergence in the efficiency ratios that have been achieved, but the optimum ratios have been achieved under the changing economies of scale; Efficiency is affected by the depth of reaching low-income groups, as serving this group raises costs and risks. The importance of lending to women in rural areas and raising their awareness to ensure their financial and social empowerment; Make improvements in operating expenses, asset management, and loan personnel control in order to maximize output.

Keywords: microfinance, financial efficiency, social efficiency, mix market, microfinance institutions

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Authors: Lorenzo Petrucci

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This paper is intended to give insight into the potential use of small-scale off-grid trigeneration systems powered by biogas generated in a dairy farm. The off-grid plant object of analysis comprises a dual-fuel Genset as well as electrical and thermal storage equipment and an adsorption machine. The loads are the different apparatus used in the dairy farm, a household where the workers live and a small electric vehicle whose batteries can also be used as a power source in case of emergency. The insertion in the plant of an adsorption machine is mainly justified by the abundance of thermal energy and the simultaneous high cooling demand associated with the milk-chilling process. In the evaluated operational scenario, our research highlights the importance of prioritizing specific small loads which cannot sustain an interrupted supply of power over time. As a consequence, a photovoltaic and thermal panel is included in the plant and is tasked with providing energy independently of potentially disruptive events such as engine malfunctioning or scarce and unstable supplies of fuels. To efficiently manage the plant an energy dispatch strategy is created in order to control the flow of energy between the power sources and the thermal and electric storages. In this article we elaborate on models of the equipment and from these models, we extract parameters useful to build load-dependent profiles of the prime movers and storage efficiencies. We show that under reasonable assumptions the analysis provides a sensible estimate of the generated energy. The simulations indicate that a Diesel Generator sized to a value 25% higher than the total electrical peak demand operates 65% of the time below the minimum acceptable load threshold. To circumvent such a critical operating mode, dump loads are added through the activation and deactivation of small resistors. In this way, the excess of electric energy generated can be transformed into useful heat. The combination of PVT and electrical storage to support the prioritized load in an emergency scenario is evaluated in two different days of the year having the lowest and highest irradiation values, respectively. The results show that the renewable energy component of the plant can successfully sustain the prioritized loads and only during a day with very low irradiation levels it also needs the support of the EVs’ battery. Finally, we show that the adsorption machine can reduce the ice builder and the air conditioning energy consumption by 40%.

Keywords: hybrid power plants, mathematical modeling, off-grid plants, renewable energy, trigeneration

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Authors: Nawel Boucherba, Azzedine Bettache, Abdelaziz Messis, Francis Duchiron, Said Benallaoua

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The impetus for research in the field of bioseparation has been sparked by the difficulty and complexity in the downstream processing of biological products. Indeed, 50% to 90% of the production cost for a typical biological product resides in the purification strategy. There is a need for efficient and economical large scale bioseparation techniques which will achieve high purity and high recovery while maintaining the biological activity of the molecule. One such purification technique which meets these criteria involves the partitioning of biomolecules between two immiscible phases in an aqueous system (ATPS). The Production of xylanases is carried out in 500ml of a liquid medium based on birchwood xylan. In each ATPS, PEG 1000 is added to a mixture consisting of dipotassium phosphate, sodium chloride and the culture medium inoculated with the strain Jonesia denitrificans, the mixture was adjusted to different pH. The concentration of PEG 1000 was varied: 8 to 16 % and the NaCl percentages are also varied from 2 to 4% while maintaining the other parameters constant. The results showed that the best ATPS for purification of xylanases is composed of PEG 1000 at 8.33%, 13.14 % of K2HPO4, 1.62% NaCl at pH 7. We obtained a yield of 96.62 %, a partition coefficient of 86.66 and a purification factor of 2.9. The zymogram showed that the activity is mainly detected in the top phase.

Keywords: Jonesia denitrificans BN13, xylanase, aqueous two phases system, zymogram

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Authors: Ming-Hong Chen

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In the study, the mechanical and financial feasibility for the compressed air energy storage (CAES) system in the porous media reservoir in Taiwan is evaluated. In 2035, Taiwan aims to install 16.7 GW of wind power and 40 GW of photovoltaic (PV) capacity. However, renewable energy sources often generate more electricity than needed, particularly during winter. Consequently, Taiwan requires long-term, large-scale energy storage systems to ensure the security and stability of its power grid. Currently, the primary large-scale energy storage options are Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) and Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES). Taiwan has not ventured into CAES-related technologies due to geological and cost constraints. However, with the imperative of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, there's a substantial need for the development of a considerable amount of renewable energy. PHS has matured, boasting an overall installed capacity of 4.68 GW. CAES, presenting a similar scale and power generation duration to PHS, is now under consideration. Taiwan's geological composition, being a porous medium unlike salt caves, introduces flow field resistance affecting gas injection and extraction. This study employs a program analysis model to establish the system performance analysis capabilities of CAES. The finite volume model is then used to assess the impact of porous media, and the findings are fed back into the system performance analysis for correction. Subsequently, the financial implications are calculated and compared with existing literature. For Taiwan, the strategic development of CAES technology is crucial, not only for meeting energy needs but also for decentralizing energy allocation, a feature of great significance in regions lacking alternative natural resources.

Keywords: compressed-air energy storage, efficiency, porous media, financial feasibility

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Authors: Huei Jiun Chen, Hui Mei Huan

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Introduction: Pain is an unpleasant experience for hospitalized patients that impacts both their physical and mental well-being. It is important to select appropriate pain assessment tools to ensure effective pain management. Therefore, it is suggested to use Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) instead for better assessment. The Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale(WBS) is a widely used pain assessment tool in Taiwan to help individuals communicate the intensity of their pain. However, in clinical practice, even when using various assessment tools to evaluate pain, Numeric Rating Scale-11 (NRS-11) is still commonly utilized to quantify the intensity of pain. The correlation between NRS and other pain assessment tools has not been extensively explored in Taiwan. Additionally, the influence of gender and education level on pain assessment among elderly individuals has not been extensively studied in Taiwan. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between pain assessment scales (NRS-11, VRS, WBS) in assessing pain intensity among elderly inpatients. The secondary objective of this study is to examine how gender and education level influence pain assessment among individuals, as well as to explore their preferences regarding pain assessment tools. Method: In this study, a questionnaire survey and purposive sampling were employed to recruit participants from a medical center located in central Taiwan. Participants were requested to assess their pain intensity in the past 24 hours using NRS-11, VRS, and WBS. Additionally, the study investigated their preferences for pain assessment tools. Result: A total of 252 participants were included in this study, with a mean age of 71.1 years (SD=6.2). Of these participants, 135 were male (53.6%), and 44.4% had a primary level or below education. Participants were asked to use NRS-11, VRS, and WBS to assess their current, maximum, and minimum pain intensity experienced in the past 24 hours. The findings indicated a significant correlation (p< .01) among all three pain assessment tools. No significant differences were observed in gender across the three pain assessment scales. For severe pain, there were significant differences in self-rated pain scales among the elderly participants with different education levels (F=3.08, p< .01; X²=17.25, X²=17.21, p< .01), but there were no significant differences observed for mild pain. Regarding preferences for pain assessment tools, 158 participants (62.7%) favored VRS, followed by WBS; gender and education level had no influence on their preferences. Conclusion: Most elderly participants prefer using VRS (Verbal Rating Scale) to self-reported their pain. The reason for this preference may be attributed to the verbal nature of VRS, as it is simple and easy to understand. Furthermore, it could be associated with the level of education among the elderly participants. The pain assessment using VRS demonstrated a significant correlation with NRS-11 and WBS, and gender was not found to have any influence on these assessment. Further research is needed to explore the effect of different education levels on self-reported pain intensity among elderly people in Taiwan.

Keywords: pain assessment, elderly, gender, education

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Authors: Seyedtaghi Mirmohammadi, Jamshid Yazdani, Syavash Etemadi Nejad

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One of the main indoor air parameters in classrooms is dust pollution and it depends on the particle size and exposure duration. However, there is a lake of data about the exposure level to PM2.5 concentrations in rural area classrooms. The objective of the current study was exposure assessment for PM2.5 for students in the classrooms. One year monitoring was carried out for fifteen schools by time-series sampling to evaluate the indoor air PM2.5 in the rural district of Sari city, Iran. A hygrometer and thermometer were used to measure some psychrometric parameters (temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed) and Real-Time Dust Monitor, (MicroDust Pro, Casella, UK) was used to monitor particulate matters (PM2.5) concentration. The results show the mean indoor PM2.5 concentration in the studied classrooms was 135µg/m3. The regression model indicated that a positive correlation between indoor PM2.5 concentration and relative humidity, also with distance from city center and classroom size. Meanwhile, the regression model revealed that the indoor PM2.5 concentration, the relative humidity, and dry bulb temperature was significant at 0.05, 0.035, and 0.05 levels, respectively. A statistical predictive model was obtained from multiple regressions modeling for indoor PM2.5 concentration and indoor psychrometric parameters conditions.

Keywords: classrooms, concentration, humidity, particulate matters, regression

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Authors: Hecson Christian, Joel Macwan

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Landfill site selection in an urban area is a critical issue in the planning process. With the growth of the urbanization, it has a mammoth impact on the economy, ecology, and environmental health of the region. Outsized amount of wastes are produced and the problem gets soared every day. Hence, selection of ideal site for sanitary landfill is a challenge for urban planners and solid waste managers. Disposal site is a function of many parameters. Among all, Geotechnical parameters are very vital as the same is related to surrounding open land. Moreover, the accessible safe and acceptable land is also scarce. Therefore, in this paper geotechnical parameters are used to develop a GIS model to identify an ideal location for landfill purpose. Metropolitan city of Surat is highly populated and fastest growing urban area in India. The research objectives are to conduct field experiments to collect data and to transfer the facts in GIS platform to evolve a model, to find ideal location. Planners’ preferences were obtained to use analytical hierarchical process (AHP) to find weights of each parameter. Integration of GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) techniques are applied to improve decision-making. It augments an environment for transformation and combination of geographical data and planners’ preferences. GIS performs deterministic overlay and buffer operations. MCDA methods evaluate alternatives based on the decision makers’ subjective values and priorities. Research results have shown many alternative locations. Economic analysis of selected site from actual operations point of view is not included in this research.

Keywords: GIS, AHP, MCDA, Geo-technical

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Authors: Erkan Talay, Mustafa Yigit Yagci

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For the systems like sliding door, designers should predict not only strength but also dynamic behavior of the system and this prediction usually becomes more critical if design has radical changes refer to previous designs. Also, sometimes physical tests could cost more than expected, especially for rail geometry changes, since this geometry affects design of the body. The aim of the study is to observe and understand the dynamics of the sliding door in virtual environment. For this, multibody dynamic model of the sliding door was built and then affects of various parameters like rail geometry, roller diameters, or center of mass detected. Also, a design of experiment study was performed to observe interactions of these parameters.

Keywords: design of experiment, minimum closing effort, multibody simulation, sliding door

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Authors: Nikhil Deshpande, Rahul Mahajan

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Laser Beam Machining (LBM) is a non-traditional machining process that has inherent problems like dross, striation, and Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) which reduce the quality of machining. In the present day scenario, these problems are controlled only by iteratively adjusting a large number of process parameters. This paper applies Axiomatic Design principles to design LBM process so as to eliminate the problem of dross and striation and minimize the effect of HAZ. Process parameters and their ranges are proposed to set-up the LBM process, execute the cut and finish the workpiece so as to obtain the best quality cut.

Keywords: laser beam machining, dross, striation, heat affected zone, axiomatic design

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Authors: I Lamri, L Arabet, M. Hidjeb

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The direct shear test was used to determine the shear strength parameters C and Ø of a series of samples with different cement content. Samples stabilized with a certain percentage of cement showed a substantial gain in compressive strength and a significant increase in shear strength parameters. C and Ø. The laboratory equipment used in UCS tests consisted of a conventional 102mm diameter sample triaxial loading machine. Beyond 4% cement content a very important increase in shear strength was observed. It can be deduced from a comparative study of shear strength of soil samples with 4%, 7%, and 10% cement with sample containing 2 %, that the sample with a 4% cement content showed 90% increase in shear strength while those with 7% and 10% showed an increase of around 13 and 21 fold.

Keywords: cement, compression strength, shear stress, cohesion, angle of internal friction

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Authors: Fatemeh Yousefi, Narges Fallah, Mohsen Kian, Mehrzad Pakzadeh

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The petrochemical complex releases wastewater, which is rich in organic pollutants and could not be treated easily. Treatment of the wastewater from a petrochemical industry has been investigated using a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR). For this purpose, a pilot-scale submerged MBR with a flat-sheet ultrafiltration membrane was used for treatment of petrochemical wastewater according to Bandar Imam Petrochemical complex (BIPC) Aromatic plant. The testing system ran continuously (24-h) over 6 months. Trials on different membrane fluxes and hydraulic retention time (HRT) were conducted and the performance evaluation of the system was done. During the 167 days operation of the MBR at hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 18, 12, 6, and 3 and at an infinite sludge retention time (SRT), the MBR effluent quality consistently met the requirement for discharge to the environment. A fluxes of 6.51 and 13.02 L m-2 h-1 (LMH) was sustainable and HRT of 6 and 12 h corresponding to these fluxes were applicable. Membrane permeability could be fully recovered after cleaning. In addition, there was no foaming issue in the process. It was concluded that it was feasible to treat the wastewater using submersed MBR technology.

Keywords: membrane bioreactor (MBR), petrochemical wastewater, COD removal, biological treatment

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Authors: Mitakshara Sharma, S. K. Nema, Sanjeev Narang

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Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by metabolic abnormalities, chronic hyperglycaemia and long term macrovascular & microvascular complications. Vascular complications are due to platelet hyperactivity and dysfunction, increased inflammation, altered coagulation and endothelial dysfunction. Large proportion of patients with Type II DM suffers from preventable vascular angiopathies, and there is need to develop risk factor modifications and interventions to reduce impact of complications. These complications are attributed to platelet activation, recognised by increase in Platelet Volume Indices (PVI) including Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) and Platelet Distribution Width (PDW). The current study is prospective analytical study conducted over 2 years. Out of 1100 individuals, 930 individuals fulfilled inclusion criteria and were segregated into three groups on basis of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C): - (a) Diabetic, (b) Non-Diabetic and (c) Subjects with Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) with 300 individuals in IFG and non-diabetic groups & 330 individuals in diabetic group. Further, diabetic group was divided into two groups on the basis of presence or absence of known diabetes related vascular complications. Samples for HbA1c and PVI were collected using Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) as anticoagulant and processed on SYSMEX-X-800i autoanalyser. The study revealed gradual increase in PVI from non-diabetics to IFG to diabetics. PVI were markedly increased in diabetic patients. MPV and PDW of diabetics, IFG and non diabetics were (17.60 ± 2.04)fl, (11.76 ± 0.73)fl, (9.93 ± 0.64)fl and (19.17 ± 1.48)fl, (15.49 ± 0.67)fl, (10.59 ± 0.67)fl respectively with a significant p value 0.00 and a significant positive correlation (MPV-HbA1c r = 0.951; PDW-HbA1c r = 0.875). MPV & PDW of subjects with diabetes related complications were higher as compared to those without them and were (17.51±0.39)fl & (15.14 ± 1.04)fl and (20.09 ± 0.98) fl & (18.96 ± 0.83)fl respectively with a significant p value 0.00. There was a significant positive correlation between PVI and duration of diabetes across the groups (MPV-HbA1c r = 0.951; PDW-HbA1c r = 0.875). However, a significant negative correlation was found between glycaemic levels and total platelet count (PC- HbA1c r =-0.164). This is multi-parameter and comprehensive study with an adequately powered study design. It can be concluded from our study that PVI are extremely useful and important indicators of impending vascular complications in all patients with deranged glycaemic control. Introduction of automated cell counters has facilitated the availability of PVI as routine parameters. PVI is a useful means for identifying larger & active platelets which play important role in development of micro and macro angiopathic complications of diabetes leading to mortality and morbidity. PVI can be used as cost effective markers to predict and prevent impending vascular events in patients with Diabetes mellitus especially in developing countries like India. PVI, if incorporated into protocols for management of diabetes, could revolutionize care and curtail the ever increasing cost of patient management.

Keywords: diabetes, IFG, HbA1C, MPV, PDW, PVI

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Authors: Pyar Singh Jassal, Priti Rani, Rajni Johar

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The adsorption of Pb(II) ions from wastewater using ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether cross-linked magnetic chitosan beads (EGDE-MCB) was carried out by considering a number of parameters. The removal efficiency of the metal ion by magnetic chitosan beads (MCB) and its cross-linked derivatives depended on viz contact time, dose of the adsorbent, pH, temperature, etc. The concentration of Cd( II) at different time intervals was estimated by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPSAV) using 797 voltametric analyzer computrace. The adsorption data could be well interpreted by Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption model. The equilibrium parameter, RL values, support that the adsorption (0Keywords: magnetic chitosan beads, ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, equilibrium parameters, desorption

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Authors: Corinne Zurmuehle, Andreas Christoph Weber

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In 2019, the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen (SFISM) conducted a mixed-methods study on the Swiss elite sports system, which yielded a large quantity of research data. In a quantitative online survey, 1151 elite sports athletes, 542 coaches, and 102 Performance Directors of national sports federations (NF) have submitted their perceptions of the national support measures of the Swiss elite sports system. These data provide an essential database for the further development of the Swiss elite sports system. The results were published in a report presenting the results divided into 40 Olympic summer and 14 winter sports (Olympic classification). The authors of this paper assume that, in practice, this division is too unspecific to assess where further measures would be needed. The aim of this paper is to find appropriate parameters for data visualization in order to identify disparities in sports promotion that allow an assessment of where further interventions by Swiss Olympic (NF umbrella organization) are required. Method: First, the variable 'salary earned from sport' was defined as a variable to measure the impact of elite sports promotion. This variable was chosen as a measure as it represents an important indicator for the professionalization of elite athletes and therefore reflects national level sports promotion measures applied by Swiss Olympic. Afterwards, the variable salary was tested with regard to the correlation between Olympic classification [a], calculating the Eta coefficient. To estimate the appropriate parameters for data visualization, the correlation between salary and four further parameters was analyzed by calculating the Eta coefficient: [a] sport; [b] prioritization (from 1 to 5) of the sports by Swiss Olympic; [c] gender; [d] employment level in sports. Results & Discussion: The analyses reveal a very small correlation between salary and Olympic classification (ɳ² = .011, p = .005). Gender demonstrates an even small correlation (ɳ² = .006, p = .014). The parameter prioritization was correlating with small effect (ɳ² = .017, p = .001) as did employment level (ɳ² = .028, p < .001). The highest correlation was identified by the parameter sport with a moderate effect (ɳ² = .075, p = .047). The analyses show that the disparities in sports promotion cannot be determined by a particular parameter but presumably explained by a combination of several parameters. We argue that the possibility of combining parameters for data visualization should be enabled when the analysis is provided to Swiss Olympic for further strategic decision-making. However, the inclusion of multiple parameters massively multiplies the number of graphs and is therefore not suitable for practical use. Therefore, we suggest to apply interactive dashboards for data visualization using Business Intelligence Software. Practical & Theoretical Contribution: This contribution provides the first attempt to use Business Intelligence Software for strategic decision-making in national level sports regarding the prioritization of national resources for sports and athletes. This allows to set specific parameters with a significant effect as filters. By using filters, parameters can be combined and compared against each other and set individually for each strategic decision.

Keywords: data visualization, business intelligence, Swiss elite sports system, strategic decision-making

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Authors: Ayoub Daoudi, Javad Eslami, Anne-Lise Beaucour, Martin Vigroux, Albert Noumowé

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As a fact, many cultural heritage masonry buildings have undergone violent fires during their history. In order to investigate the high temperature behaviour of stone masonry, six French limestones were heated to 600 °C at a rate of 9 °C/min. The main focus is the comparison between the high temperature behaviour of stones at the material and at the structural scale. In order to evaluate the risk of spalling, the tests have been carried out on the stone blocks (12x30x30 cm) instrumented with thermocouples and subjected to an unidirectional heating on one face. Thereafter, visual assessments and non-destructive measurements (dynamic elastic modulus) performed on blocks demonstrate a different behaviour from what was observed at the material scale. Finally, a series of thermo-mechanical computations, using finite element method, allowed us to highlight the difference between the behaviour of stones at material and block scales.

Keywords: limestones, hight temperature behaviour, damage, thermo-mechanical modeling, material and blocks scales, color change

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Authors: Baha Vural Kök, Mehmet Yilmaz, Mustafa Akpolat, Cihat Sav

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Various types of additives are used frequently in order to improve the rheological and mechanical properties of bituminous mixtures. Small devices instead of full scale machines are used for bitumen modification in the laboratory. These laboratory scale devices vary in terms of their properties such as mixing rate, mixing blade and the amount of binder. In this study, the effect of mixing rate and time during the bitumen modification processes on conventional and rheological properties of pure and crumb rubber modified binder were investigated. Penetration, softening point, rotational viscosity (RV) and dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests were applied to pure and CR modified bitumen. It was concluded that the penetration and softening point test did not show the efficiency of CR obtained by different mixing conditions. Besides, oxidation that occurred during the preparation processes plays a great part in the improvement effects of the modified binder.

Keywords: bitumen, crumb rubber, modification, rheological properties

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Authors: Pawit Tangviroon, Apichit Svang-Ariyaskul

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Rubber seed oil is an attractive alternative feedstock for biodiesel production because it is not related to food-chain plant. Rubber seed oil contains large amount of free fatty acids, which causes problem in biodiesel production. Free fatty acids can react with alkaline catalyst in biodiesel production. Acid esterification is used as pre-treatment to convert unwanted compound to desirable biodiesel. Phase separation of oil and methanol occurs at low ratio of methanol to oil and causes low reaction rate and conversion. Acid esterification requires large excess of methanol in order to increase the miscibility of methanol in oil and accordingly, it is a more expensive separation process. In this work, the kinetics of esterification of rubber seed oil with methanol is developed from available experimental results. Reactive distillation process was designed by using Aspen Plus program. The effects of operating parameters such as feed ratio, molar reflux ratio, feed temperature, and feed stage are investigated in order to find the optimum conditions. Results show that the reactive distillation process is proved to be better than conventional process. It consumes less feed methanol and less energy while yielding higher product purity than the conventional process. This work can be used as a guideline for further development to industrial scale of biodiesel production using reactive distillation.

Keywords: biodiesel, reactive distillation, rubber seed oil, transesterification

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Authors: Sheeba Farhan

Abstract:

This study is conducted to explore the predictive relationship of perceived stress and self-esteem with social support of students and to explore the factors, which contribute to develop or enhance the level of stress in students of private universities in Karachi-Pakistan. After literature review following hypotheses were formulated; 1)social support would predict perceived stress of students of business administration of private organizations of Higher education, 2) social support would predict the self-esteem of students of private organizations of Higher education, 3) there will be a relationship of perceived stress and self-esteem of students of private organizations of Higher education, 4) there will be a relationship of self esteem and social support of students of private organizations of Higher education. Sample of the study is comprise of 100 students of private organizations of Higher education in Karachi- Pakistan (i.e. males= 50 & females= 50). The age range of participants is 18-26 years. The measures, used in the study are: Demographic information form, a semi structured interview form, Rosenberg self esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and perceived stress scale (Cohen, Kamarck, and Mermelstein, 1983) and multidimensional scale of perceived social support (Zimet, 1988) Descriptive statistics is used for getting a better statistical view of characteristics of sample. Regression analysis is used to explore the predictive relationship of study related stress and self esteem with academic achievement of students of private organizations of Higher education. Percentages and ratios were calculated to explore the level of perceived stress with respect to Socio-demographic characteristics in students of private organizations of Higher education. Finding shows that social support is significantly associated with the higher level of self-esteem among students of graduation but insignificantly associated with stress that has been experienced by them. These results are correlated with a wide variety of studies in which social support has proposed to be a predictor of well being for the students.

Keywords: private universities of Karachi-Pakistan, Self-esteem, social support, stress

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Authors: M. O. Eyankware, D. O. Ufomata

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Groundwater samples were collected from Otovwodo-Ughelli and Environ with the aim of assessing groundwater quality of the area. Twenty (20) water samples from Boreholes (BH) (six) and Hand Dug Wells (HDW) (fourteen) were randomly sampled and were analysed for different physiochemical and bacteriological parameters. The following 16 parameters have been considered viz: pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, total hardness, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, phosphate, sulphate, chloride, nitrate, calcium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, and total suspended solids. On comparing the results against drinking quality standards laid by World Health Organization and Nigeria industrial standard, it was found that the water quality parameters were not above the (WHO, 2011 and NIS, 2007) permissible limit. Microbial analysis reveals the presence of coliform and E.coli in two hand-dug well (HDW7 and 13) and one borehole well (BH20). These contaminations are perhaps traceable to have originated from human activities (septic tanks, latrines, dumpsites) and have affected the quality of groundwater in Otovwodo-Ughelli. From the piper trilinear diagram, the dominant ionic species is alkali bicarbonate water type, with bicarbonate as the predominant ion (Na+ + K+)-HCO3.

Keywords: groundwater, surface water, Ughelli, Nigeria industrial standard, who standard

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Authors: Haruo Okabayashi

Abstract:

Human biological signals (pulse wave and brain wave, etc.) have a rhythm which shows fluctuations. This study investigates the relationship between fluctuations of biological signals which are shown by a finger plethysmogram (i.e., finger pulse wave) in conversation and anthropophobic tendency, and identifies whether the fluctuation could be an index of mental health. 32 college students participated in the experiment. The finger plethysmogram of each subject was measured in the following conversation situations: Fun memory talking/listening situation and regrettable memory talking/ listening situation for three minutes each. Lyspect 3.5 was used to collect the data of the finger plethysmogram. Since Lyspect calculates the Lyapunov spectrum, it is possible to obtain the largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE). LLE is an indicator of the fluctuation and shows the degree to which a measure is going away from close proximity to the track in a dynamical system. Before the finger plethysmogram experiment, each participant took the psychological test questionnaire “Anthropophobic Scale.” The scale measures the social phobia trend close to the consciousness of social phobia. It is revealed that there is a remarkable relationship between the fluctuation of the finger plethysmography and anthropophobic tendency scale in talking about a regrettable story in conversation: The participants (N=15) who have a low anthropophobic tendency show significantly more fluctuation of finger pulse waves than the participants (N=17) who have a high anthropophobic tendency (F (1, 31) =5.66, p<0.05). That is, the participants who have a low anthropophobic tendency make conversation flexibly using large fluctuation of biological signal; on the other hand, the participants who have a high anthropophobic tendency constrain a conversation because of small fluctuation. Therefore, fluctuation is not an error but an important drive to make better relationships with others and go towards the development of interaction. In considering mental health, the fluctuation of biological signals would be an important indicator.

Keywords: anthropophobic tendency, finger plethymogram, fluctuation of biological signal, LLE

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