Search results for: gestation weight gain

Authors: P. V. Pantyukhov, T. V. Monakhova, A. A. Popov

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The paper studies the diffusion of low molecular weight components from vegetable fillers into polyethylene matrix during the preparation of biocomposites. In order to identify the diffusible substances a model experiment used where the hexadecane acted as a model of polyethylene. It was determined that polyphenolic compounds and chlorophyll penetrate from vegetable fillers to hexadecane to the maximum extent. There was found a correlation between the amount of polyphenolic compounds diffusible from the fillers to hexadecane and thermal oxidation kinetics of real biocomposites based on polyethylene and vegetable fillers. Thus, it has been assumed the diffusion of polyphenols and chlorophyll from vegetable fillers into polyethylene matrix during the preparation of biocomposites.

Keywords: biocomposite, composite, diffusion, polyethylene, vegetable filler

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Authors: Abigail Amoako Kayser, Brian Kayser

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This study aimed to examine Ghana's 6th-grade Basic School history curriculum to determine how Ghanaian history is taught. We used qualitative methods and document analysis. The document analysis served two primary purposes: (1) To gain insight into what the curriculum materials covered and from whom's perspectives, and (2) To triangulate with teacher interview data. Documents obtained included: (1) Textbooks used by 6th-grade students, (2) Teacher pacing guide provided by the Department of Education in Ghana, and (3) Student work samples. This study was guided through Post-colonial theory and criticisms to explore the remnants of colonial power and hegemony that persist in history curricula used in public schools in Ghana. We also applied African Feminist Thought and Black Feminist Thought to unpack the extent to which issues of patriarchy, race, traditions, underdevelopment, and sexuality impact how we see the experiences of people on the continent. The findings indicated that the remnant of colonial rule persisted in the contents of the history curriculum, and the atrocities of slavery were overlooked or eliminated from the curriculum. The findings also indicated that Ghana's history centered on men's experiences.

Keywords: history, curriculum, decolonialization, culturally relevant pedagogy

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Authors: Dong-Hyun Ha, Young-Min Ko, Chang-Bin Ha, Hyoung-Kyu Song

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In Heterogeneous network (HetNet) can provide high quality of a service in a wireless communication system by composition of small cell networks. The composition of small cell networks improves cell coverage and capacity to the mobile users.Recently, various techniques using small cell networks have been researched in the wireless communication system. In this paper, the cooperative scheme obtaining high reliability is proposed in the small cell networks. The proposed scheme suggests a cooperative small cell system and the new signal transmission technique in the proposed system model. The new signal transmission technique applies a cyclic delay diversity (CDD) scheme based on the multiple input multiple output-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) system to obtain improved performance. The improved performance of the proposed scheme is confirmed by the simulation results.

Keywords: adaptive transmission, cooperative communication, diversity gain, OFDM

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Authors: T. Hamaishi, Y. Morinaga, H. Morita

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Introduction: Rice consumption in Japan has decreased, and Japanese government has recommended use of rice flour in order to expand the consumption of rice. There are two major protein components present in flour, called gliadin and glutenin. Gluten forms when water is added to flour and is mixed. As mixing continues, glutenin interacts with gliadin to form viscoelastic matrix of gluten. Rice flour bread does not expand as much as wheat flour bread. Because rice flour is not included gluten, it cannot construct gluten network in the dough. In recent years, some food additives have been used for dough-improving agent in bread making, especially surfactants has effect in order to improve dough extensibility. Therefore, we focused to fatty acid salt which is one of anionic surfactants. Fatty acid salt is a salt consist of fatty acid and alkali, it is main components of soap. According to JECFA(FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives), salts of Myristic(C14), Palmitic(C16) and Stearic(C18) could be used as food additive. They have been evaluated ADI was not specified. In this study, we investigated to improving bread-making properties of rice flour dough adding fatty acid salt. Materials and methods: The sample of fatty acid salt is myristic (C14) dissolved in KOH solution to a concentration of 350 mM and pH 10.5. Rice dough was consisted of 100 g of flour using rice flour and wheat gluten, 5 g of sugar, 1.7 g of salt, 1.7g of dry yeast, 80 mL of water and fatty acid salt. Mixing was performed for 500 times by using hand. The concentration of C14K in the dough was 10 % relative to flour weight. Amount of gluten in the dough was 20 %, 30 % relative to flour weight. Dough expansion ability test was performed to measure physical property of bread dough according to the methods of Baker’s Yeast by Japan Yeast Industry Association. In this test, 150 g of dough was filled from bottom of the cylinder and fermented at 30 °C，85 % humidity for 120 min on an incubator. The height of the expansion in the dough was measured and determined its expansion ability. Results and Conclusion: Expansion ability of rice dough with gluten content of 20 %, 30% showed 316 mL, 341 mL for 120 min. When C14K adding to the rice dough, dough expansion abilities were 314 mL, 368 mL for 120 min, there was no significant difference. Conventionally it has been known that the rice flour dough contain gluten of 20 %. The considerable improvement of dough expansion ability was achieved when added C14K to wheat flour. The experimental result shows that c14k adding to the rice dough with gluten content more than 20 % was not improving bread-making properties. In conclusion, rice bread made with gluten content more than 20 % without C14K has been suggested to contribute to the formation of the sufficient gluten network.

Keywords: expansion ability, fatty acid salt, gluten, rice flour dough

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Authors: Seyed Mohammad Hosein Al Omrani Nejad, Ali Rezvani Aghdam

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This study was done in order to evaluation different irrigation intervals on amount of protein, and gel production in Aloe vera, a traditional medicinal plant. Plants was plnted in Greenhouse and irrigated according to Accumulative Pan Evaporation(APE). The treatments were included 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, and 200 mm APE which has been showed W1,W2, W3, W4, W5, W6, W7, W8,W9 and W10 respectively.The amount of protein and gel production was measured seperately. Results showed that highest protein and fresh weight of gel obtained plants which irrigated W6 and W7 respectively. According to these results can recomend which if plant irrigatedwhen APE reached 120 and 140 mm by Class A Evaporation Pan method gel production and protein would besuitable in north of khozestan province in limited irrigation conditions.

Keywords: irrigation, protein, gel, aloe vera, Iran

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Authors: Naritphol Boonyakiat

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This research attempts to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility and students’ job performance of the Silpakorn University’s internship program within various organizations. The goal of this study is to fill the literature gap by gaining an understanding of corporate social responsibility that fundamentally relate to students’ job performance within the organizations. Thus, this study will focus on the outcomes that derive from selected employers’ qualitative assessment and evaluation forms from various companies. The results represent the perceptions of students towards the corporate social responsibility aspects and their job performance evaluation from the employers in various organizations. The findings indicate that corporate social responsibility has significant effects on students’ job performance. This study may assist us in gaining a better understanding of the integrated aspects of university and workplace environments to discover how to allocate optimally university’s resources and management approaches to gain benefits from corporate social responsibility practices toward students’ job performance within an organizational setting. Therefore, there is good reason to believe that the findings can contribute to research in the area of CSR and students’ job performance as an essential aspect of long-term success sustainability.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, job performance, university students, internship program

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Authors: A. Sivakumar, K. Srinivasan

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The main objective of the study is focused in producing slag based geopolymer concrete obtained with the addition of alkali activator. Test results indicated that the reaction of silicates in slag is based on the reaction potential of sodium hydroxide and the formation of alumino-silicates. The study also comprises on the evaluation of the efficiency of polymer reaction in terms of the strength gain properties for different geopolymer mixtures. Geopolymer mixture proportions were designed for different binder to total aggregate ratio (0.3 & 0.45) and fine to coarse aggregate ratio (0.4 & 0.8). Geopolymer concrete specimens casted with normal curing conditions reported a maximum 28 days compressive strength of 54.75 MPa. The addition of glued steel fibres at 1.0% Vf in geopolymer concrete showed reasonable improvements on the compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural properties of different geopolymer mixtures. Further, comparative assessment was made for different geopolymer mixtures and the reinforcing effects of steel fibres were investigated in different concrete matrix.

Keywords: accelerators, alkali activators, geopolymer, hot air oven curing, polypropylene fibres, slag, steam curing, steel fibres

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Authors: Alia Aldarmaki, Ahmad Elshennawy

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There is a global shift in healthcare systems’ emphasizing engaging different stakeholders in selecting quality improvement initiatives and incorporating their preferences to improve the healthcare efficiency and outcomes. Although experts bring scientific knowledge based on the scientific model and their personal experience, other stakeholders can bring new insights and information into the decision-making process. This study attempts to explore the impact of incorporating different stakeholders’ preference in identifying the most significant criteria that should be considered in healthcare for electing the improvement projects. A Framework based on a modified Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) was built. In addition to, the subject matter experts, doctors/physicians, nurses, administrators, and managers groups contribute to the selection process. The research identifies potential criteria for evaluating projects in healthcare, then utilizes FDM to capture expertise knowledge. The first round in FDM is intended to validate the identified list of criteria from experts; which includes collecting additional criteria from experts that the literature might have overlooked. When an acceptable level of consensus has been reached, a second round is conducted to obtain experts’ and other related stakeholders’ opinions on the appropriate weight of each criterion’s importance using linguistic variables. FDM analyses eliminate or retain the criteria to produce a final list of the critical criteria to select improvement projects in healthcare. Finally, reliability and validity were investigated using Cronbach’s alpha and factor analysis, respectively. Two case studies were carried out in a public hospital in the United Arab Emirates to test the framework. Both cases demonstrate that even though there were common criteria between the experts and the stakeholders, still stakeholders’ perceptions bring additional critical criteria into the evaluation process, which can impact the outcomes. Experts selected criteria related to strategical and managerial aspects, while the other participants preferred criteria related to social aspects such as health and safety and patients’ satisfaction. The health and safety criterion had the highest important weight in both cases. The analysis showed that Cronbach’s alpha value is 0.977 and all criteria have factor loading greater than 0.3. In conclusion, the inclusion of stakeholders’ perspectives is intended to enhance stakeholders’ engagement, improve transparency throughout the decision process, and take robust decisions.

Keywords: Fuzzy Delphi Method, fuzzy number, healthcare, stakeholders

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Authors: B. G. Sheeparamatti, J. S. Kadadevarmath

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Microcantilevers are the basic MEMS devices, which can be used as sensors, actuators, and electronics can be easily built into them. The detection principle of microcantilever sensors is based on the measurement of change in cantilever deflection or change in its resonance frequency. The objective of this work is to explore the analogies between the mechanical and electrical equivalent of microcantilever beams. Normally scientists and engineers working in MEMS use expensive software like CoventorWare, IntelliSuite, ANSYS/Multiphysics, etc. This paper indicates the need of developing the electrical equivalent of the MEMS structure and with that, one can have a better insight on important parameters, and their interrelation of the MEMS structure. In this work, considering the mechanical model of the microcantilever, the equivalent electrical circuit is drawn and using a force-voltage analogy, it is analyzed with circuit simulation software. By doing so, one can gain access to a powerful set of intellectual tools that have been developed for understanding electrical circuits. Later the analysis is performed using ANSYS/Multiphysics - software based on finite element method (FEM). It is observed that both mechanical and electrical domain results for a rectangular microcantilevers are in agreement with each other.

Keywords: electrical equivalent circuit analogy, FEM analysis, micro cantilevers, micro sensors

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Authors: A. Adelhafidhi, I. M. Babaghayou, S. F. Chabira, M. Sebaa

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This study deals with the photodegradation of unformulated polyethylene films for greenhouse covering. The UV range of solar light appears as the most deleterious factor of plastic degradation in outdoor exposure. The reasons of this photosensitivity are structural defects which are light-absorbing. The use of FTIR as an investigation tool has revealed that the material reacts with surrounding oxygen via a photooxidation process. Although the photochemical process is quite complex, it appears through this study than crosslinking and chain scissions are the most important events taking place during aging These two key reactions change irremediably the average molecular weight affecting thus drastically the mechanical properties and reducing, in the same way, the service lifetime of the films.

Keywords: polyethylene, films, unformulated, FTIR, ageing

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Authors: Rohit Kamal, Devaki Perumal Rajaram, Rajam Krishna, Sai Kumar Pindagiri, Silas Danielraj

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Introduction: According to WHO, Global health observatory at least 2.8 million people die each year because of obesity and overweight. This is mainly because of the adverse metabolic effects of obesity and overweight on blood pressure, lipid profile especially cholesterol and insulin resistance. To achieve optimum health WHO has set the BMI in the range of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2. Due to modernization of life style, physical exercise in the form of work is no longer a possibility and hence an effective way to burn out calories to achieve the optimum BMI is the need of the hour. Studies have shown that exercising for more than 60 minutes /day helps to maintain the weight and to reduce the weight exercise should be done for 90 minutes a day. Moderate exercise for about 30 min is essential for burning up of calories. People with low endurance fail to perform even the low intensity exercise for minimal time. Hence, it is necessary to find out some effective method to increase the endurance time. Methodology: This study was approved by the Institutional Ethical committee of our college. After getting written informed consent, 25 apparently healthy males between the age group 18-20 years were selected. Subjects are with muscular disorder, subjects who are Hypertensive, Diabetes, Smokers, Alcoholics, taking drugs affecting the muscle strength. To determine the endurance time: Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was measured by asking the participants to squeeze the hand grip dynamometer as hard as possible and hold it for 3 seconds. This procedure was repeated thrice and the average of the three reading was taken as the maximum voluntary contraction. The participant was then asked to squeeze the dynamometer and hold it at 70% of the maximum voluntary contraction while hearing fast tempo music which was played for about ten minutes then the participant was asked to relax for ten minutes and was made to hold the hand grip dynamometer at 70% of the maximum voluntary contraction while hearing slow tempo music. To avoid the bias of getting habituated to the procedure the order of hearing for the fast and slow tempo music was changed. The time for which they can hold it at 70% of MVC was determined by using a stop watch and that was taken as the endurance time. Results: The mean value of the endurance time during fast and slow tempo music was compared in all the subjects. The mean MVC was 34.92 N. The mean endurance time was 21.8 (16.3) seconds with slow tempo music which was more then with fast tempo music with which the mean endurance time was 20.6 (11.7) seconds. The preference was more for slow tempo music then for fast tempo music. Conclusion: Music when played during exercise by some unknown mechanism helps to increase the endurance time by alleviating the symptoms of lactic acid accumulation.

Keywords: endurance time, fast tempo music, maximum voluntary contraction, slow tempo music

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Authors: Nan Ding, Motoki Shino, Nobuyasu Tomokuni, Genki Murata

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The wheelchair is the major means of transport for physically disabled people. However, it cannot overcome architectural barriers such as curbs and stairs. In this paper, the authors proposed a method to avoid falling down of a wheeled inverted pendulum type robotic wheelchair for climbing stairs. The problem of this system is that the feedback gain of the wheels cannot be set high due to modeling errors and gear backlash, which results in the movement of wheels. Therefore, the wheels slide down the stairs or collide with the side of the stairs, and finally the wheelchair falls down. To avoid falling down, the authors proposed a slider control strategy based on skyhook model in order to decrease the movement of wheels, and a rotary link control strategy based on the staircase dimensions in order to avoid collision or slide down. The effectiveness of the proposed fall avoidance control strategy was validated by ODE simulations and the prototype wheelchair.

Keywords: EPW, fall avoidance control, skyhook, wheeled inverted pendulum

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Authors: A. O. Adenaiya, S. F. Curling, O. Y. Ogunsanwo, G . A. Ormondroyd

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Treatment of wood with chemicals in order to prolong its service life may prove difficult in some refractory wood species. This impermeability in wood is usually due to biochemical changes which occur during heartwood formation. Bioincision, which is a short-term, controlled microbial decomposition of wood, is one of the promising approaches capable of improving the amenability of refractory wood to chemical treatments. Gmelina Arborea, a mainstay timber species in Nigeria, has impermeable heartwood due to the excessive tyloses which occlude its vessels. Therefore, the chemical uptake and penetration in Gmelina arborea heartwood bioincised with Inonotus dryophilus fungus was investigated. Five mature Gmelina Arborea trees were harvested at the Departmental plantation in Ajibode, Ibadan, Nigeria and a bolt of 300 cm was obtained from the basal portion of each tree. The heartwood portion of the bolts was extracted and converted into dimensions 20 mm x 20 mm x 60 mm and subsequently conditioned (200C at 65% Relative Humidity). Twenty wood samples each were bioincised with the white-rot fungus Inonotus dryophilus (ID, 999) for 3, 5, 7 and 9 weeks using standard procedure, while a set of sterile control samples were prepared. Ten of each bioincised and control sample were pressure-treated with 5% tanalith preservative, while the other ten of each bioincised and control samples were pressure-treated with a liquid dye for easy traceability of the chemical in the wood, both using a full cell treatment process. The bioincised and control samples were evaluated for their Weight Loss before chemical treatment (WL, %), Preservative Absorption (PA, Kg/m3), Preservative Retention (PR, Kg/m3), Axial Absorption (AA, Kg/m3), Lateral Absorption (LA, Kg/m3), Axial Penetration Depth (APD, mm), Radial Penetration Depth (RPD, mm), and Tangential Penetration Depth (TPD, mm). The data obtained were analyzed using ANOVA at α0.05. Results show that the weight loss was least in the samples bioincised for three weeks (0.09%) and highest after 7 weeks of bioincision (0.48%). The samples bioincised for 3 weeks had the least PA (106.72 Kg/m3) and PR (5.87 Kg/m3), while the highest PA (134.9 Kg/m3) and PR were observed after 7 weeks of bioincision (7.42 Kg/m3). The AA ranged from 27.28 Kg/m3 (3 weeks) to 67.05 Kg/m3 (5 weeks), while the LA was least after 5 weeks of incubation (28.1 Kg/m3) and highest after 9 weeks (71.74 Kg/m3). Significantly lower APD was observed in control samples (6.97 mm) than in the samples bioincised after 9weeks (19.22 mm). The RPD increased from 0.08 mm (control samples) to 3.48 mm (5 weeks), while TPD ranged from 0.38 mm (control samples) to 0.63 mm (9 weeks), implying that liquid flow in the wood was predominantly through the axial pathway. Bioincising G. arborea heartwood with I. dryophilus fungus for 9 weeks is capable of enhancing chemical uptake and deeper penetration of chemicals in the wood through the degradation of the occluding vessel tyloses, which is accompanied by a minimal degradation of the polymeric wood constituents.

Keywords: Bioincision, chemical uptake, penetration depth, refractory wood, tyloses

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Authors: Anika Zafiah M. Rus, Nur Munirah Abdullah, M. F. L. Abdullah

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The fabrication and characterization of composite films of graphite- bioepoxy is described. Free-standing thin films of ~0.1 mm thick are prepared using a simple solution mixing with mass proportion of 7/3 (bioepoxy/graphite) and drop casting at room temperature. Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) and Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometer are performed to evaluate the changes in chemical structure and adsorption spectra arising with the increasing of graphite weight loading (wt.%) into the biopolymer matrix. The morphologic study shows a homogeneously dispersed and strong particle bonding between the graphite and the bioepoxy, with conductivity of the film 103 S/m, confirming the efficiency of the processes.

Keywords: absorbance peak, biopolymer, graphite- bioepoxy composites, particle bonding

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Authors: A. Acidi, A. Abbaci

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We present the viability of using thermally stable, practically non-volatile ionic liquids as corrosion inhibitors in aqueous monoethanolamine system. Carbon steel 1020, which widely used as construction material in CO2 capture plants, has been taken as a test material. Corrosion inhibition capacities of typical room-temperature ionic liquids constituting imidazolium cation in concentration range ≤ 3% by weight in CO2 capture applications were investigated. Electrochemical corrosion experiments using the potentiodynamic polarization technique for measuring corrosion current were carried out. The results show that ionic liquids possess ability to suppressing severe operational problems of corrosion in typical CO2 capture plants.

Keywords: carbon dioxide, carbon steel, monoethanolamine, corrosion rate, ionic liquids, tafel fit

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Authors: I. O. Nascimento, J. T. Manzi

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The drying process is an important operation in the chemical industry and it is widely used in the food, grain industry and fertilizer industry. However, for demanding a considerable consumption of energy, such a process requires a deep energetic analysis in order to reduce operating costs. This paper deals with thermodynamic optimization applied to rotary dryers based on the entropy production minimization, aiming at to reduce the energy consumption. To do this, the mass, energy and entropy balance was used for developing a relationship that represents the rate of entropy production. The use of the Second Law of Thermodynamics is essential because it takes into account constraints of nature. Since the entropy production rate is minimized, optimals conditions of operations can be established and the process can obtain a substantial gain in energy saving. The minimization strategy had been led using classical methods such as Lagrange multipliers and implemented in the MATLAB platform. As expected, the preliminary results reveal a significant energy saving by the application of the optimal parameters found by the procedure of the entropy minimization It is important to say that this method has shown easy implementation and low cost.

Keywords: thermodynamic optimization, drying, entropy minimization, modeling dryers

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Authors: Jacqueline Mary Jepson

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This article provides a case study centred on the development of 13 video episodes which have been created to enhance student engagement with a post graduate online course in Project Management. The student group was unique as their online course needed to provide for asynchronistic learning and an adult learning pedagogy. In addition, students had come from a wide range professional backgrounds, with some having no Project Management experience, while others had 20 years or more. Students had to gain an understanding of an advanced body of knowledge and the course needed to achieve the academic requirements to qualify individuals to apply their learning in a range of contexts for professional practice and scholarship. To achieve this, a 13 episode case study was developed along with supportive learning materials based on the relocation of a zoo. This unique project provided a learning environment where the project could evolve over each video episode demonstrating the application of Project Management methodology which was then tied into the learning outcomes for the course and the assessment tasks. Discussion forums provided a way for students to converse and demonstrate their own understanding of content and how Project Management methodology can be applied.

Keywords: project management, adult learning, video case study, asynchronistic education

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Authors: Hafez Abdo, Rob Ackrill

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Renewable energy (RE) promotion in the UK relies on multiple policy instruments, which are required to overcome the path dependency pressures favouring fossil fuels. These instruments include targeted funding schemes and economy-wide instruments embedded in the tax code. The resulting complexity of incentives raises important questions around the coherence and effectiveness of these instruments for RE generation. This complexity is exacerbated by UK RE policy being nested within EU policy in a multi-level governance (MLG) setting. To gain analytical traction on such complexity, this study will analyse policies promoting the on-farm generation of energy for heat and power, from farm and food waste, via anaerobic digestion. Utilising both primary and secondary data, it seeks to address a particular lacuna in the academic literature. Via a localised, in-depth investigation into the complexity of policy instruments promoting RE, this study will help our theoretical understanding of the challenges that MLG and path dependency pressures present to policymakers of multi-dimensional policies.

Keywords: anaerobic digestion, energy, green, policy, renewable, tax, UK

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Authors: Burcu Akyildiz, Cigdem Kadaifci, Y. Ilker Topcu, Burc Ulengin

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In today’s business environment, companies should make strategic decisions to gain sustainable competitive advantage. Order selection is a crucial issue among these decisions especially for steel production industry. When the companies allocate a high proportion of their design and production capacities to their ongoing projects, determining which customer order should be chosen among the potential orders without exceeding the remaining capacity is the major critical problem. In this study, it is aimed to identify and prioritize the evaluation factors for the customer order selection problem. Conjoint analysis is used to examine the importance level of each factor which is determined as the potential profit rate per unit of time, the compatibility of potential order with available capacity, the level of potential future order with higher profit, customer credit of future business opportunity, and the negotiability level of production schedule for the order.

Keywords: conjoint analysis, order prioritization, profit management, structural steel firm

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Authors: Tatyana Kim

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This paper seeks to explore the academic and sociocultural adaptation experiences of international students studying in Kazakhstan. Using multiple case study design, the research will be undertaken at two private Kazakhstani universities having a relatively large and diverse body of international students. Thus, 20 full-time undergraduate international students from the sampled universities will be interviewed to identify factors that impede or, vice versa, facilitate their academic and sociocultural adaptation in Kazakhstan, as well as to reveal how universities support these students in the process of their adaptation. To investigate the issue more deeply, it was decided to explore the university administrators’ viewpoint of the issue. Thus, six university administrators who are in charge of recruiting and supporting international students and, thus, are particularly knowledgeable about their experiences, have been recruited for this study. Identification of both students’ and administrators’ perspectives on the matter may help reveal miscommunication, if any, and gain greater insight into the phenomenon. The data will be collected between November 5, 2019, and December 10, 2019. Preliminary findings will be presented at the conference. Lysgaard’s U-curve adjustment theory (1955) will be employed as a guiding framework to discuss and interpret the findings.

Keywords: academic adaptation, adaptation, higher education, international students, sociocultural adaptation

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Authors: Tulio Sulbaran, Sandeep Langar

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Architects are an integral part of the construction industry and are continuously incorporating decisions that influence projects during their life cycle. These decisions aim at selecting best alternative from the ones available. Unfortunately, this decision making process is mainly unexplored in the construction industry. No instrument to measure construction decision, based on knowledgebase of decision-makers, has existed. Additionally, limited literature is available on the topic. Recently, an instrument to gain an understanding of the construction decision-making process was developed by Dr. Tulio Sulbaran from the University of Texas, San Antonio. The instrument’s name is 'Construction Decision Making Inventory (CDMI)'. The CDMI is an innovative idea to measure the 'What? When? How? Moreover, Who?' of the construction decision-making process. As an innovative idea, its statistical validity (accuracy of the assessment) is yet to be assessed. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to describe the results of a case study with architects in the south-east of the United States aimed to determine the CDMI validity. The results of the case study are important because they assess the validity of the tool. Furthermore, as the architects evaluated each question within the measurements, this study is also guiding the enhancement of the CDMI.

Keywords: decision, support, inventory, architect

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Authors: Alireza Lavaei, Alireza Lohrasbi, Mohammadali M. Shahlaei

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To reduce the overall time of structural optimization for earthquake loads two strategies are adopted. In the first strategy, a neural system consisting self-organizing map and radial basis function neural networks, is utilized to predict the time history responses. In this case, the input space is classified by employing a self-organizing map neural network. Then a distinct RBF neural network is trained in each class. In the second strategy, an improved genetic algorithm is employed to find the optimum design. A 72-bar space truss is designed for optimal weight using exact and approximate analysis for the El Centro (S-E 1940) earthquake loading. The numerical results demonstrate the computational advantages and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Keywords: optimization, genetic algorithm, neural networks, self-organizing map

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Authors: B. A. Behrens, H. J. Maier, A. Neumann, J. Moritz, S. Hübner, T. Gretzki, F. Nürnberger, A. Spiekermeier

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Press-hardened profiles are used e.g. for automotive applications in order to improve light weight construction due to the high reachable strength. The application of interior water-air spray cooling contributes to significantly reducing the cycle time in the production of heat-treated tubes. This paper describes a new manufacturing method for producing press-hardened hollow profiles by means of an additional interior cooling based on a water-air spray. Furthermore, this paper provides the results of thorough investigations on the properties of press-hardened tubes in dependence of varying spray parameters.

Keywords: 22MnB5, press hardening, water-air spray cooling, hollow profiles, tubes

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Authors: Fawzia Al-Sakeer, Hassan Aldeeb

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Development in the communications field is proceeding at an amazing speed, which has led researchers to improve and develop electronic circuits by increasing their efficiency and reducing their size to reduce the weight of electronic devices. One of the most important of these circuits is the band-pass filter, which is what made us carry out this research, which aims to use an alternate technology to design a dual band-pass filter by using a stepped impedance microstrip transmission line. We designed a filter that works at two center frequency bands by designing with the ADS program, and the results were excellent, as we obtained the two design frequencies, which are 1 and 3GHz, and the values of insertion loss S11, which was more than 21dB with a small area.

Keywords: band pass filter, dual band band-pass filter, ADS, microstrip filter, stepped impedance

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Authors: V. Singh, S. Singh, S. S. Garewal

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Metal matrix composites with aluminum as the matrix material have been heralded as the next great development in advanced engineering materials. Aluminum metal matrix composites (AMMC) refer to the class of light weight high performance material systems. Properties of AMMCs can be tailored to the demands of different industrial applications by suitable combinations of matrix, reinforcement and processing route. AMMC finds its application in automotive, aerospace, defense, sports and structural areas. This paper presents an overview of AMMC material systems on aspects relating to processing, types and applications with case studies.

Keywords: aluminum metal matrix composites, applications of aluminum metal matrix composites, lighting material processing of aluminum metal matrix composites

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Authors: Basharat Yousuf, Abhaya K. Srivastava

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Psyllium gum alone and in combination with sunflower oil was investigated as a possible alternative edible coating for improvement of quality and shelf life of fresh-cut papaya. Different concentrations including 0.5, 1 and 1.5 percent of psyllium gum were used for coating of fresh-cut papaya. In some samples, refined sunflower oil was used as a lipid component to increase the effectiveness of coating in terms of water barrier properties. Soya lecithin was used as an emulsifier in coatings containing oil. Pretreatment with 1% calcium chloride was given to maintain the firmness of fresh-cut papaya cubes. 1% psyllium gum coating was found to yield better results. Further, addition of oil helped to maintain the quality and acted as a barrier to water vapour, therefore, minimizing the weight loss.

Keywords: coating, fresh-cut, gum, papaya, psylllium

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Authors: In-Lee Choi, Sung Mi Hong, Min Jae Jeong, Jun Pill Baek, Ho-Min Kang

Abstract:

Gomchwi (Ligularia fischeri) is grown in the wetland of the deep mountains in Korea and East Asia and has properties that are, inflammation control, whitening, antimutagenic and antigenotoxic. Jangajji is a type of pickle in Korean fermented food which is made by pickling or marinating vegetables in a sauce, such as soy sauce, chili pepper paste, soybean paste, or diluted vinegar for a long period of time. Handaeri-gomchwi jangajii is generally packed a film that has very low or no gas permeability in the Korean domestic market, so packages have a risk of swelling or bursting as a result of internal gas generation during storage or sale This study was conducted to improve secure distribution of Handaeri-gomchwi (Ligularia fischeri var. spiciformis Nakai) Jangajji using laser ablation OTR (oxygen transmission rate) films. Handaeri-gomchwi cultivated in Yangu, Gangwon province, Republic of Korea (Ligularia fischeri var. spiciformis Nakai) was processed in to Jangajji using soy sauce. They were packed by different OTR films, and were stored for 90 days in 7℃(10,000 cc, 20,000 cc, 40,000 cc and 80,000 cc O2/m²• day • atm), 20 days in 20℃ (10,000 cc, 30,000 cc, 70,000 cc and 100,000 cc) and compared with the control film(PP film, 1,300cc). The fresh weight loss, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and ethylene concentrations of Handaeri–gomchwi packages were measured during storage. On the final day of storage, incidence rate of fungi, pH, salinity, firmness, and off-flavor were measured. The fresh weight loss rate of Handaeri–gomchwi was less than 2.0% in 10,000cc OTR films at two different storage periods and temperatures. At 80,000cc(7℃) and 100,000cc(20℃), carbon dioxide contents were 2.0% and 6.4% respectively, whereas the control treatment had the highest concentration. Which was 35%(20℃) and 15%(7℃) , that resulted the packages to swell during storage. The control treatment Showed the lowest oxygen concentration at 2.5% in 7℃ and 0.8% in 20℃. Packages in 7℃ (0.3-1.7μL/L) showed very lower ethylene concentration than in 20℃(10-25μL/L), they also had no significant relation. On the final storage day, fungi were found in every film at both temperatures, except the 10,000cc, as oxygen permeability increased so did the pH, while the salinity decreased. Firmness and off-flavor Showed the best results at 10,000cc in both temperatures best result at 10,000cc in both temperature. Following the results, 10,000cc film is the most reasonable treat in storing Handaeri–gomchwi. For it had a suitable oxygen transmission rate, which prevents billowing, and maintained good qualities in both temperatures.

Keywords: carbon dioxide, Korean pickle, marketable, oxygen

Procedia PDF Downloads 276

Authors: Endang Ghani Ashfiya

Abstract:

This study explores corporate social responsibility (CSR) planning in a downstream business of multinational oil and gas company in Indonesia from managerial perspectives. The institutional logic is employed in this research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the way the MNC manages the socio-cultural aspects in the host countries, especially in the process of translation and adaptation of the company’s CSR global guidelines. The interviews are conducted with fifteen managers in that company, both at the top managerial level and operational level. In the beginning, this research explains the Indonesian society’s conception of CSR from the managerial standpoints. The society’s understanding of the CSR concept becomes the fundamental foundations of the company in developing CSR programs. This study found the company’s approach to its CSR in two ways. First, proactive CSR which reflects the global CSR guidelines. Second, reactive CSR which do not show any explicit relations to the global guidelines, but conform with society’s demands. The findings stimulate discussions regarding the power of an MNC vis-à-vis the socio-cultural implication in society’s demand for CSR.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility planning, Indonesia, institutional logic, multinational company, oil and gas company, socio-cultural aspects

Procedia PDF Downloads 154

Authors: S. Tayyebi, F. Mirjalili, H. Samadi, A. Nemati

Abstract:

In this study, hydroxyapatite-Alumina nano composite powder, containing 15,20 and 25% weight percent of reinforced alumina were prepared by chemical precipitation from the reaction between calcium nitrate tetrahydrate and di-ammonium hydrogen phosphate with ratio of Ca / p = 1.67 and different percentage of aluminum nitrate nona hydrate in different pH of 9,10 and 11. The microstructure and thermal stability of samples were measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the presence of reinforced alumina phase reduced the degree of crystallinity of hydroxyapatite phase and increased its decomposition to tricalcium phosphate phase. Microstructural analysis showed that the hydroxyapatite-alumina nano composite powder was obtained with spherical shape and size of less than 100 nm.

Keywords: biomaterial, hydroxyapatite, alumina, nano composite, precipitation method

Procedia PDF Downloads 534

Authors: Tayfun Cay, Fazil Nacar

Abstract:

Energy investments have increased in North Mediterranean Ceyhan and Yumurtalık districts of Turkey in the last years because of the treaties which are signed between Turkey and other countries for petroleum and natural gas transmission. Authority of land use has passed to district and metropolitan municipalities from town municipalities because of changes in coast legislation and local management legislation. Also Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning and Ministry of Industry and Commerce have had a right to comment on planning unofficially. Public investments increase in area and related planning and expropriation services continue. On the other hand, a lot of private sectors invest in organised industrial sites and industrial areas and it causes a rapid change in ownership status. Also Ceyhan-yumurtalık region is the tourism centre of North Mediterranean. Tourism investments continue in this district. Especially construction sector gain speed and a lot of country sites and apartments are built. In these studies, changes in planning activities in management of different administrative organisations and changes in ownership status and changes in private properties will be presented.

Keywords: coast management, land management, land use, property, public interest

Procedia PDF Downloads 511