Using Computer Simulations to Plan Construction Projects Accurately

The three main objectives in construction projects are completing the project on time, within budget, and with good quality. Each construction project is unique and unpredictable making it beneficial to model the project before executing it. There are many ways to model a construction project; however, computer models are ideal. It is very costly and time consuming to experiment with the actual system. Therefore, by using a computer simulation, accurate data can be collected from the project without the time and cost drawbacks. The specific construction project researched is based on a real project from Fort Mcmurray Alberta, Canada. The construction project involved the delivery and erection of three different types of steel in a construction site. Once the steel has been delivered, it needs to be stored and then carried by forklift to one of two cranes to be erected. A schedule was provided for which days each type of material was expected to be delivered and erected, however this schedule did not account for the 20% chance that any delivery could be delayed by one day or the 10% chance that deliveries could be delayed by two days. A model project was created on Simphony.NET with the assumptions that work could commence the entire day (24 hours), the site has unlimited storage, and a delay in one delivery does not delay all the deliveries after it. The schedule for the project was then modified to reflect the results of the simulation. The modified schedule showed that several deliveries of materials were delayed. However, due to the model’s assumptions and the time for erection being relatively short, the planned schedule for the erection of the materials was not delayed. By using the data collected from the computer simulation it was possible to more accurately plan the schedule for this  construction project

ODCS: On-Demand Hierarchical Consistent Synchronization Approach for the IoT

An IoT data system is a time constraint in which some data needs to be serviced on or before its deadline. Distributed processing is one of the most latent sources in such systems and is considered a vital design concern. Many sources of delay in the IoT can affect the availability of data from different resources, which may cause missing data deadlines, resulting in a catastrophic effect. In fact, such systems are inherently distributed in nature and use distributed processing. The distributed processing permits different nodes to obtain the information from remote sites, which may take a long time to access the required data. Therefore, it is considered one of the most latent sources in such systems, which is considered a vital design concern. The typical recommended solution for this problem is to commit distributed transactions locally. Therefore, replication techniques are used to enhance the availability of data and consequently avoid the resulting latency. However, the use of local processing raises inconsistent periods. Therefore, this study proposes a new synchronization framework to minimize periods of temporal inconsistency. It permits several connected nodes to synchronize the shared data on demand concurrently without any need to use distributed synchronization, which consumes the system resource and raises its delay cost. The proposed framework aims to enhance the timely response of IoT real-time systems by minimizing the temporal inconsistency periods. The results indicate that the synchronization framework can be completed within a reasonable time period. They also depict improved consistency by minimizing the temporal inconsistency duration and increasing the chance of meeting critical time requirements

Active Chicken Meat Packaging Based on Polylactide Films and Bimetallic Ag–Cu Nanoparticles and Essential Oil

Plasticized polylactide (PLA) composite films with multifunctional properties were created by loading bimetallic silver–copper (Ag–Cu) nanoparticles (NPs) and cinnamon essential oil (CEO) into polymer matrix via compression molding technique. Rheological, structural, thermal, barrier, and antimicrobial properties of the produced films, and its utilization in the packaging of chicken meat were investigated. PLA/PEG/Ag–Cu/CEO composites showed a very complex rheological system where both plasticizing and antiplasticizing effects were evident. Thermal properties of plasticized PLA film with polyethylene glycol (PEG) enhanced considerably with the reinforcement of NPs whereas loading of CEO decreased glass transition, melting, and crystallization temperature. The barrier properties of the composite films were reduced with the increase of CEO loading (P < 0.05). Their optical properties were also modified by the addition of both CEO and Ag–Cu NPs. The changes in the molecular organization of PLA composite films were visualized by FTIR spectra. Rough and porous surfaces of the films were evident by scanning electron microscopy. The effectiveness of composite films was tested against Salmonella Typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni and Listeria monocytogenes inoculated in chicken samples, and it was found that the films loaded with Ag–Cu NPs and 50% CEO showed maximum antibacterial action during 21 days at the refrigerated condition. The produced PLA/Ag–Cu/CEO composite films can be applied to active food packaging. Practical Application: The nanoparticles and essential oil loaded PLA composite films are capable of exhibiting antimicrobial effects against Gram (+) and (–) bacteria, and extend the shelf-life of chicken meat. The bionanocomposite films showed the potential to be manufactured commercially because of the thermal stability of the active components during the hot-press compression molding process. The developed bionanocomposites could have practical importance and open a new direction for the active food packaging to control the spoilage and the pathogenic bacteria associated with the fresh chicken meat.Fil: Ahmed, Jasim. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research; KuwaitFil: Arfat, Yasir Ali. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research; KuwaitFil: Bher, Anibal Ricardo. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; Argentina. Michigan State University; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Mulla, Mehrajfatema. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research; KuwaitFil: Jacob, Harsha. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research; KuwaitFil: Auras, Rafael. Michigan State University; Estados Unido