ALBERT

Beschreibung: There is no effective therapeutic or vaccine for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and this study attempts to find therapy using peptide by establishing a basis for the peptide-protein interactions through in silico docking studies for the spike protein of MERS-CoV. The antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were retrieved from the antimicrobial peptide database (APD3) and shortlisted based on certain important physicochemical properties. The binding mode of the shortlisted peptides was measured based on the number of clusters which forms in a protein-peptide docking using Piper. As a result, we identified a list of putative AMPs which binds to the spike protein of MERS-CoV, which may be crucial in providing the inhibitory action. It is observed that seven putative peptides have good binding score based on cluster size cutoff of 208. We conclude that seven peptides, namely, AP00225, AP00180, AP00549, AP00744, AP00729, AP00764, and AP00223, could possibly have binding with the active site of the MERS-CoV spike protein. These seven AMPs could serve as a therapeutic option for MERS and enhance its treatment outcome.

Beschreibung: In this paper, by testing the evolution of the physically bound water using the low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) technology, the hydration process of cement paste with nano-CaCO3 (NC) and superabsorbent polymer (SAP) at early age is investigated. Results indicate that the hydration process can be divided into four periods according to the zero points of the second-order differential hydration curve: initial period, acceleration period, deceleration period, and steady period. Firstly, with the increase in the water to cement ratio, the starting time of the hydration period is delayed, and the duration becomes longer. Secondly, the addition of NC leads to the speedy arrival of each period and shortens the duration of each period in the hydration process, and the optimal NC content is 1.5%. Thirdly, with the increase in SAP content, the starting time of the hydration period is delayed and the duration becomes longer. Finally, based on the experimental results and the existing hydration model, the modified hydration model considering the content of NC and SAP is proposed.

Beschreibung: Taking the MG255/250-BWD shearer as the research object and considering the influence of the rock on the working performance of the shearer, the shearer-coal-rock coupled discrete element model was established and its dynamic working process has been studied. The single-factor analysis method was used to study the variation law of the cutting depth, traction speed, and the drum’s rotational speed on the three-way force acting on the drum, the coal loading rate, and the trajectory of the coal particles. The simulation showed that the coal loading rate fluctuated during the start-up phase of the shearer, and it was then constant as the time increased. The value of the cutting resistance was the largest, the traction resistance was the second largest, the axial force was the smallest, and the fluctuation coefficient of the axial force was the largest of all of them. The research showed that the coal loading rate of the drum decreased with the increase of the cutting depth, increased with the increase of the rotating speed of the drum, and decreased with the increase of the traction speed. The three-way force of the drum increased with the increase of the traction speed, decreased with the increase of the drum’s rotational speed, and increased with the increase of the cutting depth. According to the analysis of the coal cutting force and the coal loading rate, the drum could achieve high-efficiency cutting if the cutting depth, rotational speed, and traction speed of the dynamic were matched.

Beschreibung: The conventional method for machining metal matrix composites (MMCs) is difficult on account of their excellent characteristics compared with those of their source materials. Modern laser machining technology is a suitable noncontact method for machining operations of advanced engineering materials due to its novel advantages such as higher productivity, ease of adaptation to automation, minimum heat affected zone (HAZ), green manufacturing, decreased processing costs, improved quality, reduced wastage, removal of finishing operations, and so on. Their application includes hole drilling in an aircraft engine components such as combustion chambers, nozzle guide vanes, and turbine blades made up of MMCs which meet quality standards that determine their suitability for service use. This paper presents a derived mathematical model based on evolutionary computation methods using multivariate regression fitting for the prediction of multiple characteristics (circularity, taper, spatter, and HAZ) of neodymium: yttrium aluminum garnet laser drilling of aluminum matrix/silicon carbide particulate (Al/SiCp) MMCs using genetic programming. Laser drilling input factors such as laser power, pulse frequency, gas pressure, and pulse width are utilized. From a training dataset, different genetic models for multiple quality characteristics were obtained with great accuracy during simulated evolution to provide a more accurate prediction compared to empirical correlations.

Beschreibung: Critical comments on the complexity of computational systems and the basic singularly perturbed (SP) concepts are given. A class of several complex SP nonlinear elliptic equations arising in various branches of science, technology, and engineering is presented. A classification of complex SP nonlinear PDEs with characteristic boundary value problems is described. A modified explicit preconditioned conjugate gradient method based on explicit inverse preconditioners is presented. The numerical solution of a characteristic 3D SP nonlinear parabolic model is analytically given and numerical results for several model problems are presented demonstrating both applicability and efficiency of the new computational methods.

Beschreibung: Industrial commercial use of SPD processes is in some cases hindered by the complexity of equipment and high loads on the tool associated with high hydrostatics upon implementation of existing deformation processes. New and modified SPD schemes are offered relatively often, so the methods for their creation, modeling, and ways of improvement are of particular interest. Therefore, the article provides a classification of SPD schemes, which are divided into several groups depending on the nature of the material flow in the deformation zone. The second attribute of the fission process is the volume of the metal, contemporaneously located in the plastic deformation zone. An analysis of the influence of SPD schemes on the features of formation of a plastic deformation zone allows us to identify promising ways to modify them. A new SPD process is proposed, called as the “Reverse Shear” (RS), in which the workpiece is deformed under conditions of flat deformed state, uniform in each cross section along the entire length of the workpiece. The RS process allows us to change the paths of deformation to redistribute strain within the workpiece volume due to different positioning of a workpiece in a die. To justify the proposed deformation scheme, the SPD processes are divided into groups and an analysis of the deformation schemes’ features, which are analogs of RS, is performed. Simulation of the considered SPD processes was performed using FEM, implemented in specialized QForm CAE-system. A study of the influence of a tool with inclined surfaces on formation of a deformation zone in a workpiece during RS and analogues has been carried out. The degree of deformation nonuniformity in a cross section for the considered deformation schemes has been determined, and the possibilities of the proposed process are shown in comparison with analogues. The advantage of the RS scheme is the absence of unformed edges of the workpiece, which reduces material consumption, increasing the accumulated degree of deformation by one operation and reducing the tooling complexity to obtain workpieces with a desired structure. It also provides an opportunity to deform workpieces by various routes (RS-60 and RS-180) and to more specifically develop or select SPD schemes based on modeling. Changing the aspect ratio of the workpiece cross section also allows us to manage the change in its stress-strain state during deformation. Comparisons with the experiment carried out for three operations of deformation of a Cu-ETP copper sample by the RS-60 route show that the simulation results correspond to the real process.

Beschreibung: The paper suggests an approach to modeling the electrocoagulation process that is based on the generalization of the equations of incompressible fluid flow in nonisothermal conditions. In the model was taking into account the ratio between the values of the parameters which characterize the domination of convective and mass-exchange components of the process over diffusion. An asymptotic approximation of solutions of corresponding boundary value problems is constructed. Based on the received solutions, we conducted a computer simulation of the process of distribution of iron concentration inside the reactor that allows predicting various hydrodynamic phenomena such as internal recirculation and dead zones that affect the formation of a coagulant. The influence of current strength on the concentration of the target component at the exit from the reactor was investigated using the developed mathematical model. In addition, our findings also show the effect of the rate of heat formation from the electrodes on the efficiency of obtaining of coagulant.

Beschreibung: Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) is a gallid herpesvirus type 1, a member of the genus Iltovirus. It causes an infection in the upper respiratory tract mainly trachea which results in significant economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. Vaccination against ILTV produced latent infected carriers’ birds, which become a source of virus transmission to nonvaccinated flocks. Thus this study aimed to design safe multiepitopes vaccine against glycoprotein B of ILT virus using immunoinformatic tools. Forty-four sequences of complete envelope glycoprotein B were retrieved from GenBank of National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and aligned for conservancy by multiple sequence alignment (MSA). Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) analysis resources were used to predict and analyze candidate epitopes that could act as a promising peptide vaccine. For B cell epitopes, thirty-one linear epitopes were predicted using Bepipred. However eight epitopes were found to be on both surface and antigenic epitopes using Emini surface accessibility and antigenicity, respectively. Three epitopes (190KKLP193, 386YSSTHVRS393, and 317KESV320) were proposed as B cell epitopes. For T cells several epitopes were interacted with MHC class I with high affinity and specificity, but the best recognized epitopes were 118YVFNVTLYY126, 335VSYKNSYHF343, and 622YLLYEDYTF630. MHC-II binding epitopes, 301FLTDEQFTI309,277FLEIANYQV285, and 743IASFLSNPF751, were proposed as promising epitopes due to their high affinity for MHC-II molecules. Moreover the docked ligand epitopes from MHC-1 molecule exhibited high binding affinity with the receptors; BF chicken alleles (BF2 2101 and 0401) expressed by the lower global energy of the molecules. In this study nine epitopes were predicted as promising vaccine candidate against ILTV. In vivo and in vitro studies are required to support the effectiveness of these predicted epitopes as a multipeptide vaccine through clinical trials.

Beschreibung: This paper enhances the recognition capabilities of the facial component-based techniques using the concepts of better Viola–Jones component detection and weighting facial components. Our method starts with enhanced Viola–Jones face component detection and cropping. The facial components are detected and cropped accurately during all pose-changing circumstances. The cropped components are represented by the histogram of oriented gradients (HOG). The weight of each component was determined using a validation process. Combining these weights was done by a simple voting technique. Three public databases were used: the AT&T database, the PUT database, and the AR database. Several improvements are observed using the weighted voting recognition method presented in this paper.

Beschreibung: Aptamer has been long studied as a substitute of antibodies for many purposes. However, due to the exceeded length of the aptamers obtained in vitro, difficulties arise in its manipulation during its molecular conjugation on the matrix surfaces. Current study focuses on computational improvement for aptamers screening of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) through optimization of the length sequences obtained from SELEX. Three original aptamers with affinity against HBsAg were truncated into five short hairpin structured aptamers and their affinity against HBsAg was thoroughly studied by molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MMPBSA) method. The result shows that truncated aptamers binding on HBsAg “a” determinant region are stabilized by the dynamic H-bond formation between the active binding residues and nucleotides. Amino acids residues with the highest hydrogen bonds hydrogen bond interactions with all five aptamers were determined as the active binding residues and further characterized. The computational prediction of complexes binding will include validations through experimental assays in future studies. Current study will improve the current in vitro aptamers by minimizing the aptamer length for its easy manipulation.

Beschreibung: Numerical assessments in the square channel heat exchanger installed with various parameters of V-orifices are presented. The V-orifice is installed in the heat exchanger channel with gap spacing between the upper-lower edges of the orifice and the channel wall. The purposes of the design are to reduce the pressure loss, increase the vortex strength, and increase the turbulent mixing of the flow. The influence of the blockage ratio and V-orifice arrangement is investigated. The blockage ratio, b/H, of the V-orifice is varied in the range 0.05–0.30. The V-tip of the V-orifice pointing downstream (V-downstream) is compared with the V-tip pointing upstream (V-upstream) by both flow and heat transfer. The numerical results are reported in terms of flow visualization and heat transfer pattern in the test section. The thermal performance assessments in terms of Nusselt number, friction factor, and thermal enhancement factor are also concluded. The numerical results reveal that the maximum heat transfer enhancement is found to be around 26.13 times higher than the smooth channel, while the optimum TEF is around 3.2. The suggested gap spacing for the present configuration of the V-orifice channel is around 5–10%.

Beschreibung: Stock investing is one of the most popular types of investments since it provides the highest return among all investment types; however, it is also associated with considerable risk. Fluctuating stock prices provide an opportunity for investors to make a high profit. We can see the movement of groups of stock prices from the stock index, which is called Jakarta Composite Index (JKSE) in Indonesia. Several studies have focused on the prediction of stock prices using machine learning, while one uses support vector regression (SVR). Therefore, this study examines the application of SVR and particle swarm optimisation (PSO) in predicting stock prices using stock historical data and several technical indicators, which are selected using PSO. Subsequently, a support vector machine (SVM) was applied to predict stock prices with the technical indicator selected by PSO as the predictor. The study found that stock price prediction using SVR and PSO shows good performances for all data, and many features and training data used by the study have relatively low error probabilities. Thereby, an accurate model was obtained to predict stock prices in Indonesia.

Beschreibung: Background. Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is the most common autoinflammatory disease (AID) affecting mainly the ethnic groups originating from Mediterranean basin. We aimed to identify the pathogenic SNPs in MEFV by computational analysis software. Methods. We carried out in silico prediction of structural effect of each SNP using different bioinformatics tools to predict substitution influence on protein structure and function. Result. 23 novel mutations out of 857 nsSNPs are found to have deleterious effect on the MEFV structure and function. Conclusion. This is the first in silico analysis of MEFV gene to prioritize SNPs for further genetic mapping studies. After using multiple bioinformatics tools to compare and rely on the results predicted, we found 23 novel mutations that may cause FMF disease and it could be used as diagnostic markers for Mediterranean basin populations.

Beschreibung: A model for relating the time-dependent variable rate of reaction to the decay of chlorine residual in water is developed based on the initial chlorine dose, molar concentrations of reactants, and the rate constant itself. The mathematical model, while retaining its second order nature, simplifies the solution as the residual chlorine and aggregate parameters such as molar concentration of reactants can be estimated. The model is based on molar-averaged reaction rates involving arithmetic and harmonic means of reactants that eliminate the individual reaction rates that are difficult to determine. Part of the mathematical assumption used in the derivation of the equations using molar averaging is tested for its validity through theoretical as well as Monte Carlo simulation of the error term over wide ranges of assumed reaction rates and molar concentration of reactants. The second-order variation of the rate of reaction with respect to the initial chlorine concentration has been verified through experimental tests of bulk chlorine decay carried out at different chlorine doses.

Beschreibung: It is important to develop a reliable and high-throughput simulation method for predicting airflows in the installation planning phase of windmill power plants. This study proposes a two-stage mesh generation approach to reduce the meshing cost and introduces a hybrid parallelization scheme for atmospheric fluid simulations. The meshing approach splits mesh generation into two stages: in the first stage, the meshing parameters that uniquely determine the mesh distribution are extracted, and in the second stage, a mesh system is generated in parallel via an in situ approach using the parameters obtained in the initialization phase of the simulation. The proposed two-stage approach is flexible since an arbitrary number of processes can be selected at run time. An efficient OpenMP-MPI hybrid parallelization scheme using a middleware that provides a framework of parallel codes based on the domain decomposition method is also developed. The preliminary results of the meshing and computing performance show excellent scalability in the strong scaling test.

Beschreibung: The effect of spectral irradiance and temperature variation on the performance of the mechanically stacked Al0.3Ga0.7As/InP/Ge multijunction solar cells was investigated using a simulation approach. The incoming and transmitted spectra of each subcell were simulated by using MATLAB codes, while PC1D software did the power-producing simulations. The incoming solar radiation on the first subcell was a multiplication of AM1.5d spectrum with the value of spectral irradiance multiplication factor (SIMF) 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 150, and 200 suns. Each set of simulation was done at 25°C, 50°C, 75°C, and 100°C. The simulation results have shown a linear behavior of the open-circuit voltage and the efficiency of the solar cells upon variation of temperature, while the nonlinear response of the solar cells performance was obtained due to the change of SIMF. The simulation results also suggest that the spectral irradiance exposure at 100 suns and the operating temperature of 25°C give the highest efficiency.

Beschreibung: The conventional distance protection scheme malfunctions sometimes in case of a fixed series capacitor compensated transmission line due to the change in relaying impedance of the protected line during faulty conditions. In order to mitigate this problem, a combined discrete Fourier transform and fuzzy (CDFTF) based algorithm has been proposed in this paper. This method has been tested on a 400 km, 735 kV series compensated transmission line network and WSCC 3-machine 9-bus system for all fault types using MATLAB/Simulink and PSCAD platforms, respectively. A fixed series capacitor is located at the middle of the protected line. The fundamental components of phase currents, phase voltages, and zero-sequence current are fed as inputs to the proposed scheme. The fault detection, faulty phase selection, and fault classification are achieved within 1/2–1 cycle of power frequency. The proposed CDFTF-based scheme is less complex and is better than other data mining techniques which require huge training and testing time. Test results corroborate the proposed scheme reliability with wide variations in fault location, fault resistance, fault inception angle, evolving faults, compensation level, and heavy load interconnection. The results discussed in this work indicate that the proposed technique is resilient to wide variations in fault and system conditions.

Beschreibung: An overview of current debates and contemporary research devoted to the modeling of decision-making processes and their facilitation directs attention to the quality of priority ratios estimation through pairwise comparisons. At the core of the process are various approximation procedures for a pairwise comparison matrix which, in a sense, reflects preferences of decision-makers. Certainly, when judgments regarding these preferences are perfectly consistent (cardinally transitive), all approximation procedures coincide and the quality of the prioritization process is exemplary. However, human judgments are very rarely consistent, and thus the quality of priority ratios estimation may significantly vary. Obviously, the range of these variations depends on the applied approximation procedure for a pairwise comparison matrix. Although there are many approximation procedures which can be applied in the prioritization process, it has been promoted for many decades that only one should be applied and no others qualify. This paper suggests this opinion is a fallacy. Research results argue that a genuine, commonly applied approximation procedure for a pairwise comparison matrix may deteriorate the quality of priority ratios estimation. Thus, a number of solutions are also proposed which can improve the process of priority ratios estimation. In order to provide credible and high quality results, the problem is studied via a properly designed and coded seminal simulation algorithm, executed in Wolfram Mathematica 8.0.

Beschreibung: Aluminium silicate metal matrix composite (AlSiC MMC) is satisfying the requirement of material with good mechanical, thermal properties, and good wear resistance. But the difficulties during the machining are the main hurdles to its replacement for other materials. Wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) is a very effective process used for this type of difficult-to-cut material. So an effort has been taken to find out the most favourable level of input parameters for WEDM of AlSiC (20%) composite using a Taguchi-based hybrid grey-fuzzy grade (GFG) approach. The plan for experimentation is designed using Taguchi’s L9 (23) array. The various process parameters considered for the investigation are pulse on time (TON), pulse off time (TOFF), wire feed rate (WFR), and peak current (IP). Surface integrity such as surface roughness measured during the different types of cutting (along straight, inclined, and curvature directions) is considered in the present work. Grey relational analysis (GRA) pooled with the fuzzy logic is effectively used to find out the grey-fuzzy reasoning grade (GFRG). The Taguchi approach is coupled with the GFRG to obtain the optimum set of process parameters. From the experimental findings, it has been observed that the most economical process parameters for WEDM of AlSiCp20 were the pulse on time is 108 microsec, pulse off time is 56 microsec, wire feed rate (WFR) is 4 m/min, and peak current (IP) is 11 amp. From the analysis of variance (ANOVA), it is observed that the pulse on time is the foremost influencing parameters that contribute towards GFRG by 52.61%, followed by the wire feed rate (WFR) 38.32% and the current by 5.45%.

Beschreibung: Nonlinear transient thermal analysis of a convective-radiative fin with functionally graded materials (FGMs) under the influence of magnetic field is presented in this study. The developed nonlinear thermal models of linear, quadratic, and exponential variation of thermal conductivity are solved approximately and analytically using the differential transformation method (DTM). In order to verify the accuracies of the nonlinear solutions, exact analytical solutions are also developed with the aids of Bessel, Legendre, and modified Bessel functions. Good agreements are established between the exact and the approximate analytical solutions. In the parametric studies, effects of heat enhancement capacity of fin with functionally graded material as compared to fin with homogeneous material are investigated. Also, influence of the Lorentz force and radiative heat transfer on the thermal performance of the fin are analyzed. From the results, it is shown that increase in radiative and magnetic field parameters as well as the in-homogeneity index improve the thermal performance of the fin. Also, the transient responses reveal that the FGM fin with quadratic-law and exponential-law function shows the slowest and fasted thermal responses, respectively. This study will provide a very good platform for the design and optimization of an improved heat transfer enhancement in thermal systems, where the surrounding fluid is influenced by a magnetic field.

Beschreibung: This paper reports multiple slip effects on MHD unsteady flow heat and mass transfer over a stretching sheet with Soret effect; suction/injection and thermal radiation are numerically analyzed. We consider a time-dependent applied magnetic field and stretching sheet which moves with nonuniform velocity. Suitable similarity variables are used to transform governing partial differential equations into a system of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The transformed equations are then solved numerically by applying an implicit finite difference method with quasi-linearization technique. The influences of the various parameters on the velocity temperature and concentration profiles as well as on the skin friction coefficient and Sherwood and Nusselt numbers are discussed by the aid of graphs and tables.

Beschreibung: Machine learning has undergone a transition phase from being a pure statistical tool to being one of the main drivers of modern medicine. In gastroenterology, this technology is motivating a growing number of studies that rely on these innovative methods to deal with critical issues related to this practice. Hence, in the light of the burgeoning research on the use of machine learning in gastroenterology, a systematic review of the literature is timely. In this work, we present the results gleaned through a systematic review of prominent gastroenterology literature using machine learning techniques. Based on the analysis of 88 journal articles, we delimit the scope of application, we discuss current limitations including bias, lack of transparency, accountability, and data availability, and we put forward future avenues.

Beschreibung: The aim of this study is to design a new dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) measurement system that can operate for shear tests at frequencies as high as 10 kHz with strain amplitudes sufficient for viscoelastic materials operating in high-frequency deformation applications, such as tire rubbers. The available DMA systems in market cannot effectively operate for accurate and direct measurement of viscoelastic material properties for applications dealing with high-frequency deformation of materials. Due to this, the available DMA systems are used for indirect measurements at low frequencies and low temperatures, followed by using time-temperature superposition principle to predict the properties at high frequencies. The goal of this study is to make the range of the test broad enough to eliminate the use of the time-temperature superposition principle in the determination of properties of viscoelastic materials. Direct measurement of viscoelastic material properties and increasing the accuracy of results are the main motivations to design a new DMA system. For this purpose, the state-of-the-art technologies to achieve high frequencies and strain amplitudes as well as instrumentation and control of the system are studied. The design process is presented in this paper.

Beschreibung: By testing piston motion in reciprocating heat engines as a control variable, one could find piston trajectories, different from the conventional near sinusoidal motion that should increase power production. This results from minimizing frictional losses. The purpose of this study is to determine piston trajectories that are optimal for noncombustion strokes in reciprocating engines, in the sense of minimizing frictional dissipation and hence maximizing efficiency and power. The optimal piston traces for noncombustion strokes are determined by using a combination of optimal control theory and models for the thermodynamic irreversibilities. Hence, the results are germane to external combustion engines and to the noncombustion strokes of internal combustion engines. The optimal piston traces or trajectories obtained here can be viewed as some of the building blocks from which optimal overall cycles can be constructed.

Beschreibung: In this paper, we propose a delayed differential system to model labor force (occupied labor force and unemployed) evolution. The mathematical analysis of our model focuses on the local behavior of the labor force around a positive equilibrium position; the existence of a branch of periodic solutions bifurcated from the positive equilibrium is then analyzed according to the Hopf bifurcation theorem. Finally, we performed numerical simulations to illustrate our theoretical results.

Beschreibung: Monitoring tool wear is very important in machining industry as it may result in loss of dimensional accuracy and quality of finished product. This work includes the development of machine vision system for the direct measurement of flank wear of carbide cutting tool inserts. This system consists of a digital camera to capture the tool wear image, a good light source to illuminate the tool, and a computer for image processing. A new approach of inline automatic calibration of a pixel is proposed in this work. The captured images of carbide inserts are processed, and the segmented tool wear zone has been obtained by image processing. The vision system extracts tool wear parameters such as average tool wear width, tool wear area, and tool wear perimeter. The results of the average tool wear width obtained from the vision system are experimentally validated with those obtained from the digital microscope. An average error of 3% was found for measurements of all 12 carbide inserts. Scanning electron micrographs of the wear zone indicate the severe abrasion marks and damage to the cutting edge for higher machining time. This study indicates that the efficient and reliable vision system can be developed to measure the tool wear parameters.

Beschreibung: Flood simulation of a region in southern Thailand during January 2017 is presented in this work. The study area covers the Tapi river, the longest river in southern Thailand. The simulation is performed by applying the two-dimensional shallow water model in the presence of strong source terms to the local bottom topography. The model is solved numerically by our finite volume method with well-balanced property and linear reconstruction technique. This technique is accurate and efficient at solving for complex flows in the wet/dry interface problem. Measurements of flows are collected from two gauging stations in the area. The initial conditions are prepared to match the simulated flow to the measurements recorded at the gauging stations. The accuracy of the numerical simulations is demonstrated by comparing the simulated flood area to satellite images from the same period. The results are in good agreement, indicating the suitability of the shallow water model and the presented numerical method for simulating floodplain inundation.

Beschreibung: The homogenization of matrix and short fractures is one of the conventional approaches to deal with a plenty of fractures in different scales. However, the accuracy of this approach is still a question when long fractures and short fractures are distributed in the homogenized model. This paper describes a new hybrid method in which the long fractures will be modeled explicitly by the embedded fracture continuum approach and short fractures are considered through the homogenized technique. The author used this hybrid method to demonstrate the effect of fractures which are intersected to the well on the oil production rate as well as the elapsed time of a fractured reservoir in a depletion process. The advantages of the new hybrid method are easy assembling of numerous fractures into the model and incorporation of the complex fracture behaviour into the model.

Beschreibung: Reinforced concrete (RC) columns often require consolidation or rehabilitation to enhance their capacity to endure the loads applied. This paper aims at studying the conduct and capacity of RC square columns, those reinforced with steel jacketing under static preloads. For this purpose, a three-dimensional model of finite element (FE) is devised mainly to investigate and analyze the effect of this case. The model was tested and adjusted to ensure its accuracy using the previous experimental results obtained by the author. Results of testing, experimentally, the new developed FE model revealed the ability to use the model for calculating RC columns’ axial load capacity and for predicting accurate failure modes. The new model that tends to predict the axial load capacity was suggested considering the parametric analysis results.

Beschreibung: Concrete cracks are very serious and potentially dangerous. There are three obvious limitations existing in the present machine learning methods: low recognition rate, low accuracy, and long time. Improved crack detection based on convolutional neural networks can automatically detect whether an image contains cracks and mark the location of the cracks, which can greatly improve the monitoring efficiency. Experimental results show that the Adam optimization algorithm and batch normalization (BN) algorithm can make the model converge faster and achieve the maximum accuracy of 99.71%.

Beschreibung: Urban underground pipelines undertake many tasks closely related to people’s daily life and production, such as water supply, drainage, gas supply, and power supply. Metro projects are usually located in areas with dense underground pipelines; therefore, in the construction process of deep-foundation metro pit, some measures should be taken to protect the safety of underground pipelines. Under the engineering background of the Jiangbei foundation pit of the Wuhan Yangtze River Tunnel, the influence of soil disturbance caused by deep-foundation pit excavation is first simulated using the ABAQUS software on the displacement of underground pipelines and the dangerous area of underground pipelines is analyzed. Second, the most disadvantageous combination is analyzed for the risk factors of pipelines under the influences of multiple risk factors. Finally, a systematic additional partial reinforcement scheme (APRS) is proposed from the aspects of safety and economy to protect the safety of underground pipelines in the dangerous areas with greater risk. The results of measurement prove that the APRS is effective for pipeline protection and can provide reference for similar problems.

Beschreibung: The literature has shown that ordinary least squares estimator (OLSE) is not best when the explanatory variables are related, that is, when multicollinearity is present. This estimator becomes unstable and gives a misleading conclusion. In this study, a modified new two-parameter estimator based on prior information for the vector of parameters is proposed to circumvent the problem of multicollinearity. This new estimator includes the special cases of the ordinary least squares estimator (OLSE), the ridge estimator (RRE), the Liu estimator (LE), the modified ridge estimator (MRE), and the modified Liu estimator (MLE). Furthermore, the superiority of the new estimator over OLSE, RRE, LE, MRE, MLE, and the two-parameter estimator proposed by Ozkale and Kaciranlar (2007) was obtained by using the mean squared error matrix criterion. In conclusion, a numerical example and a simulation study were conducted to illustrate the theoretical results.

Beschreibung: In this research, the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach was applied for the solution of the problems of local strong wind areas in railway fields, and the mechanism of wind generation was discussed. The problem of local wind occurring on a railway line in winter was taken up in this research. A computational simulation for the prediction of wind conditions by large-eddy simulation (LES) was implemented, and it was clarified that local strong wind areas are mainly caused by separated flows originating from small-scale terrain positioned at its upstream (at approximately 180 m above sea level). Meanwhile, the effects of the size of the calculation area and spatial grid resolution on the result of calculation and the effect of atmospheric stability were also discussed. It was clarified that in order to simulate the air flow characteristic of the separated flow originating from the small-scale terrain (at an altitude of approximately 180 m) targeted in the present research, approximately 10 m of spatial resolution of computational cell in the horizontal direction is required. In addition, the effect of stable stratification on the flow was also examined. As a result, lee waves were excited at the downstream of the terrain over time in the case of stably stratified flow (Fr = 1.0). The reverse-flow region lying behind the terrain, which had been observed at a neutral time, was strongly inhibited. Consequently, a local strong wind area was generated at the downstream of the terrain, and a strong wind area passing through the observation mast was observed. By investigating the increasing rate of speed of the local strong wind area induced at the time of stable stratification, it was found that the wind was approximately 1.2 times stronger than what was generated at a neutral time.

Beschreibung: To improve the safety of vessels in the offshore wind farms, this paper develops the design and implementation of a multiclient monitoring system that is a ship monitoring system software (SMSS). The design is based on automatic identification system (AIS) and geographic information system (GIS). The data of the target ships around the offshore wind farm zone will be displayed on a GIS map and monitored in the implemented software system in real time. The localization method and the warning zone judgment algorithm are used to carry out the vessel position around the offshore wind farm area. The software system includes some unavoidable features, namely, AIS encoding and decoding and automatic sending of short messages to ships arriving in the warning area. The tests of the SMSS show that in real time, the software system performs properly by detecting the target ships around the warning zone and sends short messages to these ships, which makes the SMSS more effective and reliable.

Beschreibung: Aptamer has been long studied as a substitute of antibodies for many purposes. However, due to the exceeded length of the aptamers obtained in vitro, difficulties arise in its manipulation during its molecular conjugation on the matrix surfaces. Current study focuses on computational improvement for aptamers screening of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) through optimization of the length sequences obtained from SELEX. Three original aptamers with affinity against HBsAg were truncated into five short hairpin structured aptamers and their affinity against HBsAg was thoroughly studied by molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MMPBSA) method. The result shows that truncated aptamers binding on HBsAg “a” determinant region are stabilized by the dynamic H-bond formation between the active binding residues and nucleotides. Amino acids residues with the highest hydrogen bonds hydrogen bond interactions with all five aptamers were determined as the active binding residues and further characterized. The computational prediction of complexes binding will include validations through experimental assays in future studies. Current study will improve the current in vitro aptamers by minimizing the aptamer length for its easy manipulation.

Beschreibung: Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) is a gallid herpesvirus type 1, a member of the genus Iltovirus. It causes an infection in the upper respiratory tract mainly trachea which results in significant economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. Vaccination against ILTV produced latent infected carriers’ birds, which become a source of virus transmission to nonvaccinated flocks. Thus this study aimed to design safe multiepitopes vaccine against glycoprotein B of ILT virus using immunoinformatic tools. Forty-four sequences of complete envelope glycoprotein B were retrieved from GenBank of National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and aligned for conservancy by multiple sequence alignment (MSA). Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) analysis resources were used to predict and analyze candidate epitopes that could act as a promising peptide vaccine. For B cell epitopes, thirty-one linear epitopes were predicted using Bepipred. However eight epitopes were found to be on both surface and antigenic epitopes using Emini surface accessibility and antigenicity, respectively. Three epitopes (190KKLP193, 386YSSTHVRS393, and 317KESV320) were proposed as B cell epitopes. For T cells several epitopes were interacted with MHC class I with high affinity and specificity, but the best recognized epitopes were 118YVFNVTLYY126, 335VSYKNSYHF343, and 622YLLYEDYTF630. MHC-II binding epitopes, 301FLTDEQFTI309,277FLEIANYQV285, and 743IASFLSNPF751, were proposed as promising epitopes due to their high affinity for MHC-II molecules. Moreover the docked ligand epitopes from MHC-1 molecule exhibited high binding affinity with the receptors; BF chicken alleles (BF2 2101 and 0401) expressed by the lower global energy of the molecules. In this study nine epitopes were predicted as promising vaccine candidate against ILTV. In vivo and in vitro studies are required to support the effectiveness of these predicted epitopes as a multipeptide vaccine through clinical trials.

Beschreibung: There is no effective therapeutic or vaccine for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and this study attempts to find therapy using peptide by establishing a basis for the peptide-protein interactions through in silico docking studies for the spike protein of MERS-CoV. The antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were retrieved from the antimicrobial peptide database (APD3) and shortlisted based on certain important physicochemical properties. The binding mode of the shortlisted peptides was measured based on the number of clusters which forms in a protein-peptide docking using Piper. As a result, we identified a list of putative AMPs which binds to the spike protein of MERS-CoV, which may be crucial in providing the inhibitory action. It is observed that seven putative peptides have good binding score based on cluster size cutoff of 208. We conclude that seven peptides, namely, AP00225, AP00180, AP00549, AP00744, AP00729, AP00764, and AP00223, could possibly have binding with the active site of the MERS-CoV spike protein. These seven AMPs could serve as a therapeutic option for MERS and enhance its treatment outcome.

Beschreibung: In this research, the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach was applied for the solution of the problems of local strong wind areas in railway fields, and the mechanism of wind generation was discussed. The problem of local wind occurring on a railway line in winter was taken up in this research. A computational simulation for the prediction of wind conditions by large-eddy simulation (LES) was implemented, and it was clarified that local strong wind areas are mainly caused by separated flows originating from small-scale terrain positioned at its upstream (at approximately 180 m above sea level). Meanwhile, the effects of the size of the calculation area and spatial grid resolution on the result of calculation and the effect of atmospheric stability were also discussed. It was clarified that in order to simulate the air flow characteristic of the separated flow originating from the small-scale terrain (at an altitude of approximately 180 m) targeted in the present research, approximately 10 m of spatial resolution of computational cell in the horizontal direction is required. In addition, the effect of stable stratification on the flow was also examined. As a result, lee waves were excited at the downstream of the terrain over time in the case of stably stratified flow (Fr = 1.0). The reverse-flow region lying behind the terrain, which had been observed at a neutral time, was strongly inhibited. Consequently, a local strong wind area was generated at the downstream of the terrain, and a strong wind area passing through the observation mast was observed. By investigating the increasing rate of speed of the local strong wind area induced at the time of stable stratification, it was found that the wind was approximately 1.2 times stronger than what was generated at a neutral time.

Beschreibung: Concrete cracks are very serious and potentially dangerous. There are three obvious limitations existing in the present machine learning methods: low recognition rate, low accuracy, and long time. Improved crack detection based on convolutional neural networks can automatically detect whether an image contains cracks and mark the location of the cracks, which can greatly improve the monitoring efficiency. Experimental results show that the Adam optimization algorithm and batch normalization (BN) algorithm can make the model converge faster and achieve the maximum accuracy of 99.71%.

Beschreibung: The homogenization of matrix and short fractures is one of the conventional approaches to deal with a plenty of fractures in different scales. However, the accuracy of this approach is still a question when long fractures and short fractures are distributed in the homogenized model. This paper describes a new hybrid method in which the long fractures will be modeled explicitly by the embedded fracture continuum approach and short fractures are considered through the homogenized technique. The author used this hybrid method to demonstrate the effect of fractures which are intersected to the well on the oil production rate as well as the elapsed time of a fractured reservoir in a depletion process. The advantages of the new hybrid method are easy assembling of numerous fractures into the model and incorporation of the complex fracture behaviour into the model.

Beschreibung: The literature has shown that ordinary least squares estimator (OLSE) is not best when the explanatory variables are related, that is, when multicollinearity is present. This estimator becomes unstable and gives a misleading conclusion. In this study, a modified new two-parameter estimator based on prior information for the vector of parameters is proposed to circumvent the problem of multicollinearity. This new estimator includes the special cases of the ordinary least squares estimator (OLSE), the ridge estimator (RRE), the Liu estimator (LE), the modified ridge estimator (MRE), and the modified Liu estimator (MLE). Furthermore, the superiority of the new estimator over OLSE, RRE, LE, MRE, MLE, and the two-parameter estimator proposed by Ozkale and Kaciranlar (2007) was obtained by using the mean squared error matrix criterion. In conclusion, a numerical example and a simulation study were conducted to illustrate the theoretical results.

Beschreibung: To improve the safety of vessels in the offshore wind farms, this paper develops the design and implementation of a multiclient monitoring system that is a ship monitoring system software (SMSS). The design is based on automatic identification system (AIS) and geographic information system (GIS). The data of the target ships around the offshore wind farm zone will be displayed on a GIS map and monitored in the implemented software system in real time. The localization method and the warning zone judgment algorithm are used to carry out the vessel position around the offshore wind farm area. The software system includes some unavoidable features, namely, AIS encoding and decoding and automatic sending of short messages to ships arriving in the warning area. The tests of the SMSS show that in real time, the software system performs properly by detecting the target ships around the warning zone and sends short messages to these ships, which makes the SMSS more effective and reliable.

Beschreibung: This paper enhances the recognition capabilities of the facial component-based techniques using the concepts of better Viola–Jones component detection and weighting facial components. Our method starts with enhanced Viola–Jones face component detection and cropping. The facial components are detected and cropped accurately during all pose-changing circumstances. The cropped components are represented by the histogram of oriented gradients (HOG). The weight of each component was determined using a validation process. Combining these weights was done by a simple voting technique. Three public databases were used: the AT&T database, the PUT database, and the AR database. Several improvements are observed using the weighted voting recognition method presented in this paper.

Beschreibung: Since last few decades, the extensive underutilization has been found in canal irrigation. This issue constitutes the serious lacuna in irrigational planning which often depicts the major problem about optimal water use. As per FAO Aquastat 2015 records for India, out of 91% of water utilized for agriculture purpose, 45% is getting lost under different types of conveyance losses from dam headworks till farms. The conveyance losses constitute the seepage and evaporation losses. Out of these, seepage is a quite significant loss in most of the water conveyance systems. Estimating conveyance losses using physical methods is quite difficult and involves lots of field work and calculations, whereas empirical and analytical methods will not accommodate site condition of respective study area. This study attempted to assess the conveyance loss of Dudhganga Right Bank Main canal with the help of a hydraulic model built on a spatial platform and verified with flow-monitoring events. The hydrospatial model was simulated to understand the canal behaviour and evaluate the conveyance losses. The results show Dudhganga Right Bank Main canal has average 39.96% water conveyance loss.

Beschreibung: Urban underground pipelines undertake many tasks closely related to people’s daily life and production, such as water supply, drainage, gas supply, and power supply. Metro projects are usually located in areas with dense underground pipelines; therefore, in the construction process of deep-foundation metro pit, some measures should be taken to protect the safety of underground pipelines. Under the engineering background of the Jiangbei foundation pit of the Wuhan Yangtze River Tunnel, the influence of soil disturbance caused by deep-foundation pit excavation is first simulated using the ABAQUS software on the displacement of underground pipelines and the dangerous area of underground pipelines is analyzed. Second, the most disadvantageous combination is analyzed for the risk factors of pipelines under the influences of multiple risk factors. Finally, a systematic additional partial reinforcement scheme (APRS) is proposed from the aspects of safety and economy to protect the safety of underground pipelines in the dangerous areas with greater risk. The results of measurement prove that the APRS is effective for pipeline protection and can provide reference for similar problems.

Beschreibung: Taking the MG255/250-BWD shearer as the research object and considering the influence of the rock on the working performance of the shearer, the shearer-coal-rock coupled discrete element model was established and its dynamic working process has been studied. The single-factor analysis method was used to study the variation law of the cutting depth, traction speed, and the drum’s rotational speed on the three-way force acting on the drum, the coal loading rate, and the trajectory of the coal particles. The simulation showed that the coal loading rate fluctuated during the start-up phase of the shearer, and it was then constant as the time increased. The value of the cutting resistance was the largest, the traction resistance was the second largest, the axial force was the smallest, and the fluctuation coefficient of the axial force was the largest of all of them. The research showed that the coal loading rate of the drum decreased with the increase of the cutting depth, increased with the increase of the rotating speed of the drum, and decreased with the increase of the traction speed. The three-way force of the drum increased with the increase of the traction speed, decreased with the increase of the drum’s rotational speed, and increased with the increase of the cutting depth. According to the analysis of the coal cutting force and the coal loading rate, the drum could achieve high-efficiency cutting if the cutting depth, rotational speed, and traction speed of the dynamic were matched.

Beschreibung: The aim of this study is to design a new dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) measurement system that can operate for shear tests at frequencies as high as 10 kHz with strain amplitudes sufficient for viscoelastic materials operating in high-frequency deformation applications, such as tire rubbers. The available DMA systems in market cannot effectively operate for accurate and direct measurement of viscoelastic material properties for applications dealing with high-frequency deformation of materials. Due to this, the available DMA systems are used for indirect measurements at low frequencies and low temperatures, followed by using time-temperature superposition principle to predict the properties at high frequencies. The goal of this study is to make the range of the test broad enough to eliminate the use of the time-temperature superposition principle in the determination of properties of viscoelastic materials. Direct measurement of viscoelastic material properties and increasing the accuracy of results are the main motivations to design a new DMA system. For this purpose, the state-of-the-art technologies to achieve high frequencies and strain amplitudes as well as instrumentation and control of the system are studied. The design process is presented in this paper.

Beschreibung: Industrial commercial use of SPD processes is in some cases hindered by the complexity of equipment and high loads on the tool associated with high hydrostatics upon implementation of existing deformation processes. New and modified SPD schemes are offered relatively often, so the methods for their creation, modeling, and ways of improvement are of particular interest. Therefore, the article provides a classification of SPD schemes, which are divided into several groups depending on the nature of the material flow in the deformation zone. The second attribute of the fission process is the volume of the metal, contemporaneously located in the plastic deformation zone. An analysis of the influence of SPD schemes on the features of formation of a plastic deformation zone allows us to identify promising ways to modify them. A new SPD process is proposed, called as the “Reverse Shear” (RS), in which the workpiece is deformed under conditions of flat deformed state, uniform in each cross section along the entire length of the workpiece. The RS process allows us to change the paths of deformation to redistribute strain within the workpiece volume due to different positioning of a workpiece in a die. To justify the proposed deformation scheme, the SPD processes are divided into groups and an analysis of the deformation schemes’ features, which are analogs of RS, is performed. Simulation of the considered SPD processes was performed using FEM, implemented in specialized QForm CAE-system. A study of the influence of a tool with inclined surfaces on formation of a deformation zone in a workpiece during RS and analogues has been carried out. The degree of deformation nonuniformity in a cross section for the considered deformation schemes has been determined, and the possibilities of the proposed process are shown in comparison with analogues. The advantage of the RS scheme is the absence of unformed edges of the workpiece, which reduces material consumption, increasing the accumulated degree of deformation by one operation and reducing the tooling complexity to obtain workpieces with a desired structure. It also provides an opportunity to deform workpieces by various routes (RS-60 and RS-180) and to more specifically develop or select SPD schemes based on modeling. Changing the aspect ratio of the workpiece cross section also allows us to manage the change in its stress-strain state during deformation. Comparisons with the experiment carried out for three operations of deformation of a Cu-ETP copper sample by the RS-60 route show that the simulation results correspond to the real process.

Beschreibung: A model for relating the time-dependent variable rate of reaction to the decay of chlorine residual in water is developed based on the initial chlorine dose, molar concentrations of reactants, and the rate constant itself. The mathematical model, while retaining its second order nature, simplifies the solution as the residual chlorine and aggregate parameters such as molar concentration of reactants can be estimated. The model is based on molar-averaged reaction rates involving arithmetic and harmonic means of reactants that eliminate the individual reaction rates that are difficult to determine. Part of the mathematical assumption used in the derivation of the equations using molar averaging is tested for its validity through theoretical as well as Monte Carlo simulation of the error term over wide ranges of assumed reaction rates and molar concentration of reactants. The second-order variation of the rate of reaction with respect to the initial chlorine concentration has been verified through experimental tests of bulk chlorine decay carried out at different chlorine doses.

Beschreibung: Numerical assessments in the square channel heat exchanger installed with various parameters of V-orifices are presented. The V-orifice is installed in the heat exchanger channel with gap spacing between the upper-lower edges of the orifice and the channel wall. The purposes of the design are to reduce the pressure loss, increase the vortex strength, and increase the turbulent mixing of the flow. The influence of the blockage ratio and V-orifice arrangement is investigated. The blockage ratio, b/H, of the V-orifice is varied in the range 0.05–0.30. The V-tip of the V-orifice pointing downstream (V-downstream) is compared with the V-tip pointing upstream (V-upstream) by both flow and heat transfer. The numerical results are reported in terms of flow visualization and heat transfer pattern in the test section. The thermal performance assessments in terms of Nusselt number, friction factor, and thermal enhancement factor are also concluded. The numerical results reveal that the maximum heat transfer enhancement is found to be around 26.13 times higher than the smooth channel, while the optimum TEF is around 3.2. The suggested gap spacing for the present configuration of the V-orifice channel is around 5–10%.

Beschreibung: In this paper, by testing the evolution of the physically bound water using the low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) technology, the hydration process of cement paste with nano-CaCO3 (NC) and superabsorbent polymer (SAP) at early age is investigated. Results indicate that the hydration process can be divided into four periods according to the zero points of the second-order differential hydration curve: initial period, acceleration period, deceleration period, and steady period. Firstly, with the increase in the water to cement ratio, the starting time of the hydration period is delayed, and the duration becomes longer. Secondly, the addition of NC leads to the speedy arrival of each period and shortens the duration of each period in the hydration process, and the optimal NC content is 1.5%. Thirdly, with the increase in SAP content, the starting time of the hydration period is delayed and the duration becomes longer. Finally, based on the experimental results and the existing hydration model, the modified hydration model considering the content of NC and SAP is proposed.

Beschreibung: Stock investing is one of the most popular types of investments since it provides the highest return among all investment types; however, it is also associated with considerable risk. Fluctuating stock prices provide an opportunity for investors to make a high profit. We can see the movement of groups of stock prices from the stock index, which is called Jakarta Composite Index (JKSE) in Indonesia. Several studies have focused on the prediction of stock prices using machine learning, while one uses support vector regression (SVR). Therefore, this study examines the application of SVR and particle swarm optimisation (PSO) in predicting stock prices using stock historical data and several technical indicators, which are selected using PSO. Subsequently, a support vector machine (SVM) was applied to predict stock prices with the technical indicator selected by PSO as the predictor. The study found that stock price prediction using SVR and PSO shows good performances for all data, and many features and training data used by the study have relatively low error probabilities. Thereby, an accurate model was obtained to predict stock prices in Indonesia.

Beschreibung: Reinforced concrete (RC) columns often require consolidation or rehabilitation to enhance their capacity to endure the loads applied. This paper aims at studying the conduct and capacity of RC square columns, those reinforced with steel jacketing under static preloads. For this purpose, a three-dimensional model of finite element (FE) is devised mainly to investigate and analyze the effect of this case. The model was tested and adjusted to ensure its accuracy using the previous experimental results obtained by the author. Results of testing, experimentally, the new developed FE model revealed the ability to use the model for calculating RC columns’ axial load capacity and for predicting accurate failure modes. The new model that tends to predict the axial load capacity was suggested considering the parametric analysis results.

Beschreibung: Aluminium silicate metal matrix composite (AlSiC MMC) is satisfying the requirement of material with good mechanical, thermal properties, and good wear resistance. But the difficulties during the machining are the main hurdles to its replacement for other materials. Wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) is a very effective process used for this type of difficult-to-cut material. So an effort has been taken to find out the most favourable level of input parameters for WEDM of AlSiC (20%) composite using a Taguchi-based hybrid grey-fuzzy grade (GFG) approach. The plan for experimentation is designed using Taguchi’s L9 (23) array. The various process parameters considered for the investigation are pulse on time (TON), pulse off time (TOFF), wire feed rate (WFR), and peak current (IP). Surface integrity such as surface roughness measured during the different types of cutting (along straight, inclined, and curvature directions) is considered in the present work. Grey relational analysis (GRA) pooled with the fuzzy logic is effectively used to find out the grey-fuzzy reasoning grade (GFRG). The Taguchi approach is coupled with the GFRG to obtain the optimum set of process parameters. From the experimental findings, it has been observed that the most economical process parameters for WEDM of AlSiCp20 were the pulse on time is 108 microsec, pulse off time is 56 microsec, wire feed rate (WFR) is 4 m/min, and peak current (IP) is 11 amp. From the analysis of variance (ANOVA), it is observed that the pulse on time is the foremost influencing parameters that contribute towards GFRG by 52.61%, followed by the wire feed rate (WFR) 38.32% and the current by 5.45%.

Beschreibung: The effect of spectral irradiance and temperature variation on the performance of the mechanically stacked Al0.3Ga0.7As/InP/Ge multijunction solar cells was investigated using a simulation approach. The incoming and transmitted spectra of each subcell were simulated by using MATLAB codes, while PC1D software did the power-producing simulations. The incoming solar radiation on the first subcell was a multiplication of AM1.5d spectrum with the value of spectral irradiance multiplication factor (SIMF) 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 150, and 200 suns. Each set of simulation was done at 25°C, 50°C, 75°C, and 100°C. The simulation results have shown a linear behavior of the open-circuit voltage and the efficiency of the solar cells upon variation of temperature, while the nonlinear response of the solar cells performance was obtained due to the change of SIMF. The simulation results also suggest that the spectral irradiance exposure at 100 suns and the operating temperature of 25°C give the highest efficiency.

Beschreibung: The conventional distance protection scheme malfunctions sometimes in case of a fixed series capacitor compensated transmission line due to the change in relaying impedance of the protected line during faulty conditions. In order to mitigate this problem, a combined discrete Fourier transform and fuzzy (CDFTF) based algorithm has been proposed in this paper. This method has been tested on a 400 km, 735 kV series compensated transmission line network and WSCC 3-machine 9-bus system for all fault types using MATLAB/Simulink and PSCAD platforms, respectively. A fixed series capacitor is located at the middle of the protected line. The fundamental components of phase currents, phase voltages, and zero-sequence current are fed as inputs to the proposed scheme. The fault detection, faulty phase selection, and fault classification are achieved within 1/2–1 cycle of power frequency. The proposed CDFTF-based scheme is less complex and is better than other data mining techniques which require huge training and testing time. Test results corroborate the proposed scheme reliability with wide variations in fault location, fault resistance, fault inception angle, evolving faults, compensation level, and heavy load interconnection. The results discussed in this work indicate that the proposed technique is resilient to wide variations in fault and system conditions.

Beschreibung: Monitoring tool wear is very important in machining industry as it may result in loss of dimensional accuracy and quality of finished product. This work includes the development of machine vision system for the direct measurement of flank wear of carbide cutting tool inserts. This system consists of a digital camera to capture the tool wear image, a good light source to illuminate the tool, and a computer for image processing. A new approach of inline automatic calibration of a pixel is proposed in this work. The captured images of carbide inserts are processed, and the segmented tool wear zone has been obtained by image processing. The vision system extracts tool wear parameters such as average tool wear width, tool wear area, and tool wear perimeter. The results of the average tool wear width obtained from the vision system are experimentally validated with those obtained from the digital microscope. An average error of 3% was found for measurements of all 12 carbide inserts. Scanning electron micrographs of the wear zone indicate the severe abrasion marks and damage to the cutting edge for higher machining time. This study indicates that the efficient and reliable vision system can be developed to measure the tool wear parameters.

Beschreibung: This paper reports multiple slip effects on MHD unsteady flow heat and mass transfer over a stretching sheet with Soret effect; suction/injection and thermal radiation are numerically analyzed. We consider a time-dependent applied magnetic field and stretching sheet which moves with nonuniform velocity. Suitable similarity variables are used to transform governing partial differential equations into a system of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The transformed equations are then solved numerically by applying an implicit finite difference method with quasi-linearization technique. The influences of the various parameters on the velocity temperature and concentration profiles as well as on the skin friction coefficient and Sherwood and Nusselt numbers are discussed by the aid of graphs and tables.

Beschreibung: Flood simulation of a region in southern Thailand during January 2017 is presented in this work. The study area covers the Tapi river, the longest river in southern Thailand. The simulation is performed by applying the two-dimensional shallow water model in the presence of strong source terms to the local bottom topography. The model is solved numerically by our finite volume method with well-balanced property and linear reconstruction technique. This technique is accurate and efficient at solving for complex flows in the wet/dry interface problem. Measurements of flows are collected from two gauging stations in the area. The initial conditions are prepared to match the simulated flow to the measurements recorded at the gauging stations. The accuracy of the numerical simulations is demonstrated by comparing the simulated flood area to satellite images from the same period. The results are in good agreement, indicating the suitability of the shallow water model and the presented numerical method for simulating floodplain inundation.

Beschreibung: Nonlinear transient thermal analysis of a convective-radiative fin with functionally graded materials (FGMs) under the influence of magnetic field is presented in this study. The developed nonlinear thermal models of linear, quadratic, and exponential variation of thermal conductivity are solved approximately and analytically using the differential transformation method (DTM). In order to verify the accuracies of the nonlinear solutions, exact analytical solutions are also developed with the aids of Bessel, Legendre, and modified Bessel functions. Good agreements are established between the exact and the approximate analytical solutions. In the parametric studies, effects of heat enhancement capacity of fin with functionally graded material as compared to fin with homogeneous material are investigated. Also, influence of the Lorentz force and radiative heat transfer on the thermal performance of the fin are analyzed. From the results, it is shown that increase in radiative and magnetic field parameters as well as the in-homogeneity index improve the thermal performance of the fin. Also, the transient responses reveal that the FGM fin with quadratic-law and exponential-law function shows the slowest and fasted thermal responses, respectively. This study will provide a very good platform for the design and optimization of an improved heat transfer enhancement in thermal systems, where the surrounding fluid is influenced by a magnetic field.

Beschreibung: It is important to develop a reliable and high-throughput simulation method for predicting airflows in the installation planning phase of windmill power plants. This study proposes a two-stage mesh generation approach to reduce the meshing cost and introduces a hybrid parallelization scheme for atmospheric fluid simulations. The meshing approach splits mesh generation into two stages: in the first stage, the meshing parameters that uniquely determine the mesh distribution are extracted, and in the second stage, a mesh system is generated in parallel via an in situ approach using the parameters obtained in the initialization phase of the simulation. The proposed two-stage approach is flexible since an arbitrary number of processes can be selected at run time. An efficient OpenMP-MPI hybrid parallelization scheme using a middleware that provides a framework of parallel codes based on the domain decomposition method is also developed. The preliminary results of the meshing and computing performance show excellent scalability in the strong scaling test.

Beschreibung: An overview of current debates and contemporary research devoted to the modeling of decision-making processes and their facilitation directs attention to the quality of priority ratios estimation through pairwise comparisons. At the core of the process are various approximation procedures for a pairwise comparison matrix which, in a sense, reflects preferences of decision-makers. Certainly, when judgments regarding these preferences are perfectly consistent (cardinally transitive), all approximation procedures coincide and the quality of the prioritization process is exemplary. However, human judgments are very rarely consistent, and thus the quality of priority ratios estimation may significantly vary. Obviously, the range of these variations depends on the applied approximation procedure for a pairwise comparison matrix. Although there are many approximation procedures which can be applied in the prioritization process, it has been promoted for many decades that only one should be applied and no others qualify. This paper suggests this opinion is a fallacy. Research results argue that a genuine, commonly applied approximation procedure for a pairwise comparison matrix may deteriorate the quality of priority ratios estimation. Thus, a number of solutions are also proposed which can improve the process of priority ratios estimation. In order to provide credible and high quality results, the problem is studied via a properly designed and coded seminal simulation algorithm, executed in Wolfram Mathematica 8.0.

Beschreibung: Background. Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is the most common autoinflammatory disease (AID) affecting mainly the ethnic groups originating from Mediterranean basin. We aimed to identify the pathogenic SNPs in MEFV by computational analysis software. Methods. We carried out in silico prediction of structural effect of each SNP using different bioinformatics tools to predict substitution influence on protein structure and function. Result. 23 novel mutations out of 857 nsSNPs are found to have deleterious effect on the MEFV structure and function. Conclusion. This is the first in silico analysis of MEFV gene to prioritize SNPs for further genetic mapping studies. After using multiple bioinformatics tools to compare and rely on the results predicted, we found 23 novel mutations that may cause FMF disease and it could be used as diagnostic markers for Mediterranean basin populations.

Beschreibung: Machine learning has undergone a transition phase from being a pure statistical tool to being one of the main drivers of modern medicine. In gastroenterology, this technology is motivating a growing number of studies that rely on these innovative methods to deal with critical issues related to this practice. Hence, in the light of the burgeoning research on the use of machine learning in gastroenterology, a systematic review of the literature is timely. In this work, we present the results gleaned through a systematic review of prominent gastroenterology literature using machine learning techniques. Based on the analysis of 88 journal articles, we delimit the scope of application, we discuss current limitations including bias, lack of transparency, accountability, and data availability, and we put forward future avenues.

Beschreibung: The paper suggests an approach to modeling the electrocoagulation process that is based on the generalization of the equations of incompressible fluid flow in nonisothermal conditions. In the model was taking into account the ratio between the values of the parameters which characterize the domination of convective and mass-exchange components of the process over diffusion. An asymptotic approximation of solutions of corresponding boundary value problems is constructed. Based on the received solutions, we conducted a computer simulation of the process of distribution of iron concentration inside the reactor that allows predicting various hydrodynamic phenomena such as internal recirculation and dead zones that affect the formation of a coagulant. The influence of current strength on the concentration of the target component at the exit from the reactor was investigated using the developed mathematical model. In addition, our findings also show the effect of the rate of heat formation from the electrodes on the efficiency of obtaining of coagulant.