Search results for: narrow fabrics

Authors: Qaisar Fraz, H. M. Jafar, Mojeeb Bin Ihsan

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This paper presents simulation and experimen-tal results for wide band U-shaped side slots loaded linearly polarized rectangular microstrip antenna with broad side radiation characteristics suitable for onboard applications. The structure has been evolved in rugged and compact form to make it suitable for on-board applications. In addition to U-shaped central slot, pair of parallel narrow slots has been embedded close to non-radiating edges. The size and shape of these side slots have been optimized to improve the matching at upper frequency of the band. The impedance bandwidth of 34.8% as compared to 2-5% bandwidth of conventional microstrip antenna has been achieved. The frequency ratio of the two well-matched operating sections is found to be f2 / f1=1.33. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical results.

Keywords: low profile antennas, u-slot antennas, broad band antennas, broad-side radiation pattern, high gain antennas

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Authors: Roopam Gaur, K. Chandramani Singh, Radhapiyari Laishram

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In order to produce lead free piezoceramics with optimum piezoelectric and dielectric properties, KNN modified with Li+ (as an A site dopant) and Sb5+ (as a B site dopant) (K0.49Na0.49Li0.02) (Nb0.96Sb0.04) O3 (referred as KNLNS in this paper) have been synthesized using solid state reaction method and conventional sintering technique. The ceramics were sintered in the narrow range of 10500C-10900C for 2-3 hours to get precise information about sintering parameters. Detailed study of dependence of microstructural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties on sintering conditions was then carried out. The study suggests that the volatility of the highly hygroscopic KNN ceramics is not only sensitive to sintering temperatures but also to sintering durations. By merely reducing the sintering duration for a given sintering temperature we saw an increase in the density of the samples which was supported by the increase in dielectric constants of the ceramics. And since density directly or indirectly affects almost all the associated properties, other dielectric and piezoelectric properties were also enhanced as we approached towards the most suitable sintering temperature and duration combination.

Keywords: piezoelectric, dielectric, Li, Sb, KNN, conventional sintering

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Authors: Yasmine Abu Adla, Racha Soubra, Milana Kasab, Mohamad O. Diab, Aly Chkeir

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Over the past several years, researchers have shown a great interest in assessing the mobility of elderly people to measure their functional status. Usually, such an assessment is done by conducting tests that require the subject to walk a certain distance, turn around, and finally sit back down. Consequently, this study aims to provide an at home monitoring system to assess the patient’s status continuously. Thus, we proposed a technique to automatically detect when a subject sits down while walking at home. In this study, we utilized a Doppler radar system to capture the motion of the subjects. More than 20 features were extracted from the radar signals, out of which 11 were chosen based on their intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC > 0.75). Accordingly, the sequential floating forward selection wrapper was applied to further narrow down the final feature vector. Finally, 5 features were introduced to the linear discriminant analysis classifier, and an accuracy of 93.75% was achieved as well as a precision and recall of 95% and 90%, respectively.

Keywords: Doppler radar system, stand-to-sit phase, TUG test, machine learning, classification

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Authors: Djalal Hamed

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The aim of this paper is to perform an analytic solution of steady state natural convection in a narrow rectangular channel between two vertical parallel MTR-type fuel plates, imposed under a cosine shape heat flux to determine the margin of the nuclear core power at which the natural convection cooling mode can ensure a safe core cooling, where the cladding temperature should not be reach the specific safety limits (90 °C). For this purpose, a simple computer program is developed to determine the principal parameter related to the nuclear core safety such as the temperature distribution in the fuel plate and in the coolant (light water) as a function of the reactor power. Our results are validated throughout a comparison against the results of another published work, which is considered like a reference of this study.

Keywords: buoyancy force, friction force, natural convection, thermal hydraulic analysis, vertical heated rectangular channel

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Authors: Z. Younsi, L. Koufi, H. Gidik, D. Lahem, W. Wim Thielemans

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This study investigated the efficiency of photocatalytic textile to remove the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) present in indoor air. Functionalization of the fabric was achieved by adding a photocatalyst material active in the visible spectrum of light. This is a modified titanium dioxide photocatalyst doped with non-metal ions synthesized via sol-gel process, which should allow the degradation of the pollutants – ideally into H₂O and CO₂ – using photocatalysis based on visible light and no additionnal external energy source. The visible light photocatalytic activity of textile sample was evaluated for toluene and benzene gaseous removal, under the visible irradiation, in a test chamber with the total volume of 1m³. The suggested approach involves experimental investigations of the global behavior of the photocatalytic textile. The experimental apparatus permits simultaneous measurements of the degradation of pollutants and presence of eventually formed by-products. It also allows imposing and measuring concentration variations with respect to selected time scales in the test chamber. The observed results showed that the amount of TiO₂ incorporation improved the photocatalytic efficiency of functionalized textile significantly under visible light. The results obtained with such textile are very promising.

Keywords: benzene, C₆H₆, efficiency, photocatalytic degradation, textile fabrics, titanium dioxide, TiO₂, toluene, C₇H₈, visible light

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Authors: H. S. S. Abou El-Mal, H. E. M. Sallam

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This paper presents experimental and analytical study on the behavior of repaired and strengthened shear critical RC beams using externally bonded CFRP bi-directional fabrics. The use of CFRP sheets to repair or strengthen RC beams has been repetitively studied and proven feasible. However, the use of combined repair techniques and applying that method to both plain and FRC beams can maximize the shear capacity of RC shear deficient beams. A total of twelve slender beams were tested under four-point bending. The test parameters included CFRP layout, number of layers and fiber direction, injecting cracks before applying repairing sheets, enhancing the flexural capacity to differentiate between shear repair and strengthening techniques, and concrete matrix types. The findings revealed that applying CFRP sheets increased the overall shear capacity, the amount and orientation of wrapping is of prime importance in both repairing and strengthening, CFRP wrapping could change the failure mode from shear to flexural shear, the use of crack injection combined to CFRP wrapping further improved the shear capacity while, applying the previous method to FRC beams enhanced both shear capacity and failure ductility. Acceptable agreement was found between predicted shear capacities using the Canadian code and the experimental results of the current study.

Keywords: CFRP, FRC, repair, shear strengthening

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Authors: Ashaq Hussain

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Under Islam, for the first time since the Achaemenids, all Iranians including those of Central Asia and on the frontiers of India became united under one rule. Islam was rescued from a narrow Bedouin outlook and Bedouin mores primarily by the Iranians, who showed that Islam, both as a religion and, primarily, as a culture, need not be bound solely to the Arabic language and Arab norms of behavior. Instead Islam was to become a universal religion and culture open to all people. This was a fundamental contribution of the Iranians to Islam, although all Iranians had become Muslims by the time of the creation of Saljuq Empire. So, Iran in a sense provided the history, albeit an epic, of pre-Islamic times for Islam. After all, the Arabs conquered the entire Sasanian Empire, where they found full-scale, imperial models for the management of the new Caliphate, whereas only provinces of the Byzantine Empire were overrun by the Arabs. The present paper is an attempt to give reader a detailed introduction, emergence, expansion and spread of Islam in Iran to the end of Qajar period. It is in this context the present paper has been analyzed.

Keywords: Islam, Achaemenids, Bedouin, Central Asia, Iran

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Authors: Hemalatha Rallapalli, K. Lal Kishore

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In comparison to systems that are typically designed to provide capabilities over a narrow frequency range through hardware elements, the next generation cognitive radios are intended to implement a broader range of capabilities through efficient spectrum exploitation. This offers the user the promise of greater flexibility, seamless roaming possible on different networks, countries, frequencies, etc. It requires true paradigm shift i.e., liberalization over a wide band of spectrum as well as a growth path to more and greater capability. This work contributes towards the design and implementation of an open spectrum access (OSA) feature to unlicensed users thus offering a frequency agile radio platform that is capable of performing spectrum sensing over a wideband. Thus, an ultra-wideband (UWB) radio, which has the intelligence of spectrum sensing only, unlike the cognitive radio with complete intelligence, is named as a Smart Software Radio (SSR). The spectrum sensing mechanism is implemented based on energy detection. Simulation results show the accuracy and validity of this method.

Keywords: cognitive radio, energy detection, software radio, spectrum sensing

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Authors: Hossam El-Sayed Emam

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As an essential issue for life, water while it’s important for all living organisms. However, the world is dangerously facing the serious problem for the deficiency of the sources of drinking water. Within the aquatic systems, there are various gases, microbes, and other toxic ingredients (chemical compounds and heavy metals) occurred owing to the draining of agricultural and industrial wastewater, resulting in water pollution. On the other hand, fuel (gaseous, liquid, or in solid phase) is one of the extensively consumable energy sources, and owing to its origin from fossil, it contains some sulfur-, nitrogen- and oxygen-based compounds that cause serious problems (toxicity, catalyst poisoning, corrosion, and gum formation andcarcinogenic effects), to be ascribed as undesirable pollutants.MOFs as porous coordinating polymers are superiorly exploited in the adsorption and separationof contaminants for wastewater treatment and fuel purification. The inclusion of highly adsorbent materials like MOFs to be immobilized within cellulosic materialscould be investigated as a new challenge for the separation of contaminants with high efficiency and opportunity for recyclability. Therefore, the current approach ascribes the exploitation of different MOFsimmobilized within cellulose (powder, films, and fabrics)for applications in environmental. Herein, using cellulose containing MOFs in dye removal (degradation and adsorption), pharmaceutical intermediates removal, and fuel purification were summarized.

Keywords: cellulose, MOFs, dye removal, pharmaceutical intermediates, fuel purification

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Authors: Tripti Singh

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Digital tools are merging boundaries of different mediums as endeavoured artists exploring new areas. Digital fabric printing has motivated artists to create prints by combining images acquired by photograph, scanned images, computer graphics and microscopic imaginary etc to name few, with traditional media such as hand drawing, weaving, hand printed patterns, printing making techniques and so on. It opened whole new world of possibilities for artists to search, research and combine old and contemporary mediums for their unique art prints. As artistic medium digital art fabrics have aesthetic values which have impact and influence on not only on a personality but also interiors of a living or work space. In this way it can be worn, as fashion statement and also an interior decoration. Digital art fabric prints gives opportunity to print almost everything on any fabric with long lasting prints quality. Single edition and limited editions are possible for maintaining scarcity and uniqueness of an art form. These fabric prints fulfill today’s need, as they are eco-friendly in nature and they produce less wastage compared to traditional fabric printing techniques. These prints can be used to make unique and customized curtains, quilts, clothes, bags, furniture, dolls, pillows, framed artwork, costumes, banners and much, much more. This paper will explore the procedure, process, and progress techniques of digital art fabric printing in depth with suitable pictorial examples.

Keywords: digital art, fabric prints, digital fabric prints, new media

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Authors: Francisca Margarita Ocran

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Underwear, and more particularly bras and panties, are defined as intimate clothing. Strictly speaking, they enhance the place of women in the public or private satchel. Therefore, women's lingerie is a complex garment with a high involvement profile, motivating consumers to buy it not only by its functional utility but also by the multisensory experience it provides them. Customer behavior models are generally based on customer data mining, and each model is designed to answer questions at a specific time. Predicting the customer experience is uncertain and difficult. Thus, knowledge of consumers' tastes in lingerie deserves to be treated as an experiential product, where the dimensions of the experience motivating consumers to buy a lingerie product and to remain faithful to it must be analyzed in detail by the manufacturers and retailers to engage and retain consumers, which is why this research aims to identify the variables that push consumers to choose their lingerie product, based on an in-depth analysis of the types of fabrics used to make lingerie. The data used in this study comes from online purchases. Machine learning approach with the use of Python programming language and Pycaret gives us a precision of 86.34%, 85.98%, and 84.55% for the three algorithms to use concerning the preference of a buyer in front of a range of lingerie. Gradient Boosting, random forest, and K Neighbors were used in this study; they are very promising and rich in the classification of preference in the textile industry.

Keywords: consumer behavior, data mining, lingerie, machine learning, preference

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Authors: Lazzat M. Zhamaliyeva, Nurgul A. Abenova, Gauhar S. Dilmagambetova, Ziyash Zh. Tanbetova, Moldir B. Ahmetzhanova, Tatyana P. Ostretcova, Aliya A. Yegemberdiyeva

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Introduction: There are many reasons for the weak training of family doctors in Kazakhstan: the unified national educational program is not focused on competencies, the role of a general practitioner (GP) is not clear, poor funding for the health care and education system, outdated teaching and assessment methods, inefficient management. We highlight two issues in particular. Firstly, academic teachers of family medicine (FM) in Kazakhstan do not practice as family doctors; most of them are narrow specialists (pediatricians, therapists, surgeons, etc.); they usually hold one-time consultations; clinical mentors from practical healthcare (non-academic teachers) do not have the teaching competences, and the vast majority of them are also narrow specialists. Secondly, clinical sites (polyclinics) are unprepared for general practice and do not follow the principles of family medicine; residents do not like to be in primary health care (PHC) settings due to the chaos that is happening there, as well as due to the lack of the necessary equipment for mastering and consolidating practical skills. Aim: We present the concept of the family physicians’ training office (FPTO), which is being created as a friendly learning environment for young general practitioners and for the involvement of academic teachers of family medicine in the practical work and innovative development of PHC. Methodology: In developing the conceptual framework and identifying practical activities, we drew on literature and expert input, and interviews. Results: The goal of the FPTO is to create a favorable educational and clinical environment for the development of the FM residents’ competencies, in which the residents with academic teachers and clinical mentors could understand and accept the principles of family medicine, improve clinical knowledge and skills, and gain experience in improving the quality of their practice in scientific basis. Three main areas of office activity are providing primary care to the patients, improving educational services for FM residents and other medical workers, and promoting research in PHC and innovations. The office arranges for residents to see outpatients at least 50% of the time, and teachers of FM departments at least 1/4 of their working time conduct general medical appointments next to residents. Taking into account the educational and scientific workload, the number of attached population for one GP does not exceed 500 persons. The equipment of the office allows FPTO workers to perform invasive and other manipulations without being sent to other clinics. In the office, training for residents is focused on their needs and aimed at achieving the required level of competence. International methodologies and assessment tools are adapted to local conditions and evaluated for their effectiveness and acceptability. Residents and their faculty actively conduct research in the field of family medicine. Conclusions: We propose to change the learning environment in order to create teams of like-minded people, to unite residents and teachers even more for the development of family medicine. The offices will also invest resources in developing and maintaining young doctors' interest in family medicine.

Keywords: educational environment, family medicine residents, family physicians’ training office, primary care research

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Authors: Alok Srivastava, Vidit Gupta, Aparna Singh, Chandra Sekher Yerramalli

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Carbon-fiber epoxy composites show extremely high modulus and strength in the uniaxial direction. However, they are prone to fail under low load in transverse direction due to the weak nature of the interface between the carbon-fiber and epoxy. In the current study, we have coated graphene nano-platelets (GNPs) on the carbon-fibers in an attempt to strengthen the interface/interphase between the fiber and the matrix. Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding (VARTM) has been used to make the laminates of eight cross-woven fabrics. Tensile, flexural and fracture toughness tests have been performed on pristine carbon-fiber composite (P-CF), GNP coated carbon-fiber composite (GNP-CF) and functionalized-GNP coated carbon-fiber composite (F-GNP-CF). The tensile strength and flexural strength values are pretty similar for P-CF and GNP-CF. The micro-structural examination of the GNP coated carbon-fibers, as well as the fracture surfaces, have been carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The micrographs reveal the deposition of GNPs onto the carbon fibers in transverse and longitudinal direction. Fracture surfaces show the debonding and pull outs of the carbon fibers in P-CF and GNP-CF samples.

Keywords: carbon fiber, graphene nanoplatelets, strength, VARTM, Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Moulding

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Authors: Hamed Djalal

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The aim of this paper is to perform a thermal-hydraulic analysis of the IAEA 10 MW benchmark reactor solving analytically and numerically, by mean of the finite volume method, respectively the steady state and transient forced convection in rectangular narrow channel between two parallel MTR-type fuel plates, imposed under a cosine shape heat flux. A comparison between both solutions is presented to determine the minimal coolant velocity which can ensure a safe reactor core cooling, where the cladding temperature should not reach a specific safety limit 90 °C. For this purpose, a computer program is developed to determine the principal parameter related to the nuclear core safety, such as the temperature distribution in the fuel plate and in the coolant (light water) as a function of the inlet coolant velocity. Finally, a good agreement is noticed between the both analytical and numerical solutions, where the obtained results are displayed graphically.

Keywords: forced convection, pressure drop, thermal hydraulic analysis, vertical heated rectangular channel

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Authors: Bita Bayatsarmadi, Shi-Zhang Qiao

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Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance of iron and nitrogen co-doped porous carbon nanoparticles (Fe-NPC) with various physical and (electro) chemical properties have been investigated. Fe-NPC nanoparticles are synthesized via a facile soft-templating procedure by using Iron (III) chloride hexa-hydrate as iron precursor and aminophenol-formaldehyde resin as both carbon and nitrogen precursor. Fe-NPC nanoparticles shows high surface area (443.83 m2g-1), high pore volume (0.52 m3g-1), narrow mesopore size distribution (ca. 3.8 nm), high conductivity (IG/ID=1.04), high kinetic limiting current (11.71 mAcm-2) and more positive onset potential (-0.106 V) compared to metal-free NPC nanoparticles (-0.295V) which make it high efficient ORR metal-free catalysts in alkaline solution. This study may pave the way of feasibly designing iron and nitrogen containing carbon materials (Fe-N-C) for highly efficient oxygen reduction electro-catalysis.

Keywords: electro-catalyst, mesopore structure, oxygen reduction reaction, soft-template

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Authors: Wen-Hsi Lee, C.G. Kao

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In this study, Cu paste was prepared and printed with narrow line screen printing process on polycrystalline Si solar cell which has already finished the back Al printing and deposition of double anti-reflection coatings (DARCs). Then, two-step firing process was applied to sinter the front electrode and obtain the ohmic contact between front electrode and solar cell. The first step was in air atmosphere. In this process, PbO-based glass frit etched the DARCs and Ag recrystallized at the surface of Si, constructing the preliminary contact. The second step was in reducing atmosphere. In this process, CuO reduced to Cu and sintered. Besides, Ag nanoparticles recrystallized in the glass layer at interface due to the interactions between H2, Ag and PbO-based glass frit and the volatility of Pb, constructing the ohmic contact between electrode and solar cell. By experiment and analysis, reaction mechanism in each stage was surmised, and it was also proven that ohmic contact and good sheet resistance for front electrode could both be obtained by applying newly-invented paste and process.

Keywords: front electrode, solar cell, ohmic contact, screen printing, paste

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Authors: Nidhi Chouhan

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Burgeoning demand of ‘Secularism’ has shaken the pillars of cultural studies in the contemporary literature. The perplexity of the culturally estranged term ‘secular’ gives rise to temporal ideologies across the world. Hence, it is high time to scan this concept in the context of Indian lifestyle which is a blend of assimilated cultures woven in multiple religious fabrics. The infliction of such secular taste is depicted in literary productions like ‘Satanic Verses’ and ‘An Area of Darkness’. The paper conceptually makes a cross-cultural analysis of anti-religious Indian literary texts, assessing its revitalization in current times. Further, this paper studies the increasing popularity of secular sensibility in the contemporary times. The mushrooming elements of secularism such as abstraction, spirituality, liberation, individualism give rise to a seemingly newer idea i.e. ‘Plurality’ making the literature highly hybrid. This approach has been used to study Indian modernity reflected in its literature. Seminal works of stalwarts are used to understand the consequence of this cultural synthesis. Conclusively, this theoretical research inspects the efficiency of secular culture, intertwined with internal coherence and throws light on the plurality of texts in Indian literature.

Keywords: culture, indian, literature, plurality, secular, secularism

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Authors: Suzannah Sharif, Aznie Aida Ahmad, Maznah Ismail

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Cocoa bean is the raw material for products such as cocoa powder and chocolate. Cocoa bean contains polyphenol which has been shown in several clinical studies to confer beneficial health effects. However studies showed that cocoa polyphenol absorption in the human intestinal tracts are very low. Therefore nanoemulsion may be one way to increase the bioavailability of cocoa polyphenol. This study aim to characterize nanoemulsion incorporating crude cocoa polyphenol produced using high energy technique. Cocoa polyphenol was extracted from fresh freeze-dried cocoa beans from Malaysia. The particle distribution, particle size, and zeta potential were determined. The emulsion was also analysed using transmission electron microscope to visualize the particles. Solubilization study was conducted by titrating the nanoemulsion into distilled water or 1% surfactant solution. Result showed that the nanoemulsion contains particle which have narrow size distribution. The particles size average at 112nm with zeta potential of -45mV. The nanoemulsions behave differently in distilled water and surfactant solution.

Keywords: cocoa, nanoemulsion, cocoa polyphenol, solubilisation study

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Authors: F. N. U. Abdullah, A. M. H. Ibrahim, Shuyu Liu

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Hybrid wheat root system is the major plant organ for water and nutrient acquisition. An initial wheat root study with Winrhizo scanner showed that entries with high root surface area but narrow root angle are associated with past drought tolerance in Texas, while those with wide angle can perform best under normal growing conditions. In a hybrid field experiment, commercial heterosis up to 8.3% in grain yield was obtained from diverse parents selected from male and female diverse groups. These hybrids showed promising yield at Greenville and McGregor, Texas, with grain yield up to 4412 Kg ha⁻¹ as compared to best performing commercial varieties ‘TAM-304’ (4075 Kg ha⁻¹) and ‘Gallagher’ (3981 Kg ha⁻¹). Among 130 hybrids produced, a subset of 50 better-performing hybrids and parents was subjected to one-month-old plant root studies scanned with Winrhizo. The results showed a significant positive correlation of grain yield with initial root angle and a negative correlation with root length.

Keywords: hybrids, root studies, heterosis, wheat breeding

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Authors: Khosro Mohammadi

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The grain quality of chickpea in Iran is low and instable, which may be attributed to the evolution of cultivars with a narrow genetic base making them vulnerable to biotic stresses. Four chickpea varieties from diverse geographic origins were chosen and arranged in a randomized complete block design. Mesorhizobium Sp. cicer strain SW7 was added to all the chickpea seeds. Chickpea seeds were planted on October 9, 2013. Each genotype was sown 5 m in length, with 35 cm inter-row spacing, in 3 rows. Weeds were removed manually in all plots. Results showed that analysis of variance on the studied traits showed significant differences among genotypes for N, P, K and Fe contents of chickpea, but there is not a significant difference among Ca, Zn and Mg continents of chickpea. The experimental coefficient of variation (CV) varied from 7.3 to 15.8. In general, the CV value lower than 20% is considered to be good, indicating the accuracy of conducted experiments. The highest grain N was observed in Hashem and Jam cultivars. The highest grain P was observed in Jam cultivar. Phosphorus content (mg/100g) ranged from 142.3 to 302.3 with a mean value of 221.3. The negative correlation (-0.126) was observed between the N and P of chickpea cultivars. The highest K and Fe contents were observed in Jam cultivar.

Keywords: cultivar, genotype, nitrogen, nutrient, yield

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Authors: Saeed Ur Rahman, Naveed Ullah, Muhammad Irshad Khan, Quensheng Cao, Niaz Muhammad Khan

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In this paper the optimization performance of non-uniform linear antenna array is presented. The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is presented to minimize Side Lobe Level (SLL) and Half Power Beamwidth (HPBW). The purpose of using the PSO algorithm is to get the optimum values for inter-element spacing and excitation amplitude of linear antenna array that provides a radiation pattern with minimum SLL and HPBW. Various design examples are considered and the obtain results using PSO are confirmed by comparing with results achieved using other nature inspired metaheuristic algorithms such as real coded genetic algorithm (RGA) and biogeography (BBO) algorithm. The comparative results show that optimization of linear antenna array using the PSO provides considerable enhancement in the SLL and HPBW.

Keywords: linear antenna array, minimum side lobe level, narrow half power beamwidth, particle swarm optimization

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Authors: Upal Barua

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The risk of severe crashes at high-speed right-turns at intersections is a major safety concern these days. The application of a smart right-turn at an intersection is increasing day by day to address is an issue. The design, ‘Smart Right-turn’ consists of a narrow-angle of channelization at approximately 70°. This design increases the cone of vision of the right-tuning drivers towards the crossing pedestrians as well as traffic on the cross-road. As part of the Safety Improvement Program in Austin Transportation Department, several smart right-turns were constructed at high crash intersections where high-speed right-turns were found to be a contributing factor. This paper features the state of the art techniques applied in planning, engineering, designing and construction of this smart right-turn, key factors driving the success, and lessons learned in the process. This paper also presents the significant crash reductions achieved from the application of this smart right-turn design using Empirical Bayes method. The result showed that smart right-turns can reduce overall right-turn crashes by 43% and severe right-turn crashes by 70%.

Keywords: smart right-turn, intersection, cone of vision, empirical Bayes method

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Authors: Mariam Waheed Mekheimar

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Nascent research is conducted to the advancement of discourse analysis to include different modes as images, sound, and text. The focus of this study will be to elucidate how images are embedded with texts in an audio-visual medium as cinema to send political messages; it also seeks to broaden our understanding of politics beyond a relatively narrow conceptualization of the 'political' through studying non-traditional discourses as the cinematic discourse. The aim herein is to develop a systematic approach to film analysis to capture political meanings in films. The method adopted in this research is Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) focusing on embedding visuals with texts. As today's era is the era of images and that necessitates analyzing images. Drawing on the writings of O'Halloran, Kress and Van Leuween, John Bateman and Janina Wildfeuer, different modalities will be studied to understand how those modes interact in the cinematic discourse. 'People at the top movie' is selected as an example to unravel the political meanings throughout film tackling the cinematic representation of the notion of social justice.

Keywords: Egyptian cinema, multimodal discourse analysis, people at the top, social justice

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Authors: Neelesh Bharti Shukla, Suvankar Dutta, Esha Sharma, Shrikant Ralebhat, Gurudatt Krishnamurthy

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A key component of the physical attribute of textile fibers is lustre. It is a complex phenomenon arising from the interaction of light with fibers, yarn and fabrics. It is perceived as the contrast difference between the bright areas (specular reflection) and duller backgrounds (diffused reflection). Lustre of fibers is affected by their surface structure, morphology, cross-section profile as well as the presence of any additives/registrants. Due to complexities in measurements, objective measurements such as gloss meter do not give reproducible quantification of lustre. Other instruments such as SAMBA hair systems are expensive. In light of this, lustre quantification has largely remained subjective, judged visually by experts, but prone to errors. In this development, a physics-based approach was conceptualized and demonstrated. We have developed an image analysis based technique to quantify visually observed differences in lustre of fibers. Cellulosic fibers, produced with different approaches, with visually different levels of lustre were photographed under controlled optics. These images were subsequently analyzed using a configured software system. The ratio of Intensity of light from bright (specular reflection) and dull (diffused reflection) areas was used to numerically represent lustre. In the next step, the set of samples that were not visually distinguishable easily were also evaluated by the technique and it was established that quantification of lustre is feasible.

Keywords: lustre, fibre, image analysis, measurement

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Authors: Elsa Kosmack Vaara, Cheryl Akner Koler, Yusuf Mulla, Parivash Ranjbar, Anneli Nöu

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This transdisciplinary research weaves together an aesthetic perspective with a technical one to develop human sensitivity for vibration and construct flexible, wearable devices that are miniature, lightweight, and energy efficient. By applying methods from artistic research, performative arts, audio science, nanotechnology, and interaction design, we created working prototypes with actuators that were specifically positioned in various places on the body. The vibrotactile prototypes were tested by our research team, design students, and people with deafblindness and blindness, each with different intentions. Some tests supported connoisseurship for vibrotactile musical expression. Others aimed for precise navigational instructions. Our results and discussion concern problems in establishing standards for vibrotactility because standards minimize diversity and narrow possible ways vibration can be experienced. Human bodies vary significantly in ‘where’ vibrotactile signals can be sensed and ‘how’ they awaken emotions. We encourage others to embrace the dynamic exchange between new haptic technology and aesthetic complexity.

Keywords: aesthetics, vibration, music, interaction design, deafblindness

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Authors: Onyeka Nkwonta, Theo Haupt, Karana Padayachee

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This study aims primarily to identify potential causes of the bottlenecks in the public sector that affect delivery and formulate evidence-based interventions to improve delivery and management of infrastructure projects. An initial literature review was carried out on infrastructural development and delivery in South Africa, with the aim to formulate evidence-based interventions to improve delivery within the sector. The infrastructure delivery management model was developed to map out best practice delivery processes. These will become the backbone on which improvement initiatives that will be developed within participating stakeholders. The model will, in turn, support a range of methodologies, including the risk system and a knowledge management framework. It will also look at key challenges facing departments with the ability to ensure knowledge and skills transfer at various sectors. The research is limited because the findings were based on existing literature. This study adopted an indirect approach for infrastructure management by focussing on the challenges faced and approaches adopted to overcome these challenges. This may narrow the consideration of some of the viewpoints, thereby limiting the richness of experience available to this research.

Keywords: infrastructure, management, challenges, South Africa

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Authors: Sujit Kumar Sinha, R. Chattopadhyay

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In the course of processing phases and use, fibres, yarns, or fabrics are subjected to a variety of stresses and strains, which cause the development of internal stresses. Given an opportunity, these inherent stresses try to bring back the structure to the original state. As an example, a twisted yarn always shows a tendency to untwist whenever its one end is made free. If the yarn is not held under tension, it may form snarls due to the presence of excessive torque. The running performance of such yarn or thread may, therefore, get negatively affected by it, as a snarl may not pass through the knitting or sewing needle smoothly, leading to an end break. A fabric shows a tendency to form wrinkles whenever squeezed. It may also shrink when brought to a relaxed state. In order to improve performance (i.e., dimensional stability or appearance), stabilization of the structure is needed. The stabilization can be attained through the release of internal stresses, which can be brought about by the process of annealing and/or other finishing treatments. When a fabric is subjected to heat, a change in the properties of the fibers, yarns, and fabric is expected. The degree to which the properties are affected would depend upon the condition of heat treatment and on the properties & structure of fibres, yarns, and fabric. In the present study, an attempt has been made to investigate the effect of annealing treatment on the properties of polyester cotton yarns with varying sheath structures.

Keywords: friction spun yarn, annealing, tenacity, structural integrity, decay

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Authors: Andre Peres Ramos, Franklin Cesar Flores

Abstract:

Colorization is the process of add colors to a monochromatic image or video. Usually, the process involves to segment the image in regions of interest and then apply colors to each one, for videos, this process is repeated for each frame, which makes it a tedious and time-consuming job. We propose a new assisted method for video colorization; the user only has to colorize one frame, and then the colors are propagated to following frames. The user can intervene at any time to correct eventual errors in color assignment. The method consists of to extract intensity and texture descriptors from the frames and then perform a feature matching to determine the best color for each segment. To reduce computation time and give a better spatial coherence we narrow the area of search and give weights for each feature to emphasize texture descriptors. To give a more natural result, we use an optimization algorithm to make the color propagation. Experimental results in several image sequences, compared to others existing methods, demonstrates that the proposed method perform a better colorization with less time and user interference.

Keywords: colorization, feature matching, texture descriptors, video segmentation

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Authors: Lyudmila V. Ignatova, Yelena V. Brazhnikova, Togzhan D. Mukasheva, Ramza Zh. Berzhanova, Anel A. Omirbekova

Abstract:

Endophytic microorganisms are presented in plants of different families growing in the foothills and piedmont plains of Trans-Ili Alatau. It was found that the maximum number of endophytic micromycetes is typical to the Fabaceae family. The number of microscopic fungi in the roots reached (145.9±5.9)×103 CFU/g of plant tissue; yeasts - (79.8±3.5)×102 CFU/g of plant tissue. Basically, endophytic microscopic fungi are typical for underground parts of plants. In contrast, yeasts more infected aboveground parts of plants. Small amount of micromycetes is typical to inflorescence and fruits. Antagonistic activity of selected micromycetes against Fusarium graminearum, Cladosporium sp., Phytophtora infestans and Botrytis cinerea phytopathogens was detected. Strains with a broad, narrow and limited range of action were identified. For further investigations Rh2 and T7 strains were selected, they are characterized by a broad spectrum of fungicidal activity and they formed the large inhibition zones against phytopathogens. Active antagonists are attributed to the Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Beauveria bassiana species.

Keywords: endophytic micromycetes, fungicidal activity, prevalence, plants

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Authors: Liwei Liu, Shuguo Pan, Wang Gao

Abstract:

In order to take full advantages of the BDS-3 penta-frequency signals in the long-baseline RTK positioning, a long-baseline RTK positioning method based on the BDS-3 penta-frequency ionospheric-reduced (IR) combinations is proposed. First, the low noise and weak ionospheric delay characteristics of the multi-frequency combined observations of BDS-3is analyzed. Second, the multi-frequency extra-wide-lane (EWL)/ wide-lane (WL) combinations with long-wavelengths are constructed. Third, the fixed IR EWL combinations are used to constrain the IR WL, then constrain narrow-lane (NL)ambiguityies and start multi-epoch filtering. There is no need to consider the influence of ionospheric parameters in the third step. Compared with the estimated ionospheric model, the proposed method reduces the number of parameters by half, so it is suitable for the use of multi-frequency and multi-system real-time RTK. The results using real data show that the stepwise fixed model of the IR EWL/WL/NL combinations can realize long-baseline instantaneous cimeter-level positioning.

Keywords: penta-frequency, ionospheric-reduced (IR), RTK positioning, long-baseline

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