Prediction and Observation of Pore Pressure Due to Pile Driving

In this study, pore pressure response due to pile driving has been observed in the field. Cavity Expansion theory using critical state parameters of the soil has been used to predict the trend of the pore pressure development and dissipation. Parametric study has been carried out to know the sensitivity of various parameters on the predicted results. A comparison has been made between the predicted and observed results

What Constitutes Student Well-Being: A Scoping Review Of Students’ Perspectives

Student well-being has recently emerged as a critical educational agenda due to its wide-reaching benefits for students in performing better at school and later as adults. With the emergence of student well-being as a priority area in educational policy and practice, efforts to measure and monitor student well-being have increased, and so has the number of student well-being domains proposed. Presently, a lack of consensus exists about what domains are appropriate to investigate and understand student well-being, resulting in a fragmented body of work. This paper aims to clarify the construct of student well-being by summarising and mapping different conceptualisations, approaches used to measure, and domains that entail well-being. The search of multiple databases identified 33 studies published in academic journals between 1989 and 2020. There were four approaches to conceptualising student well-being found in the reviewed studies. They were: Hedonic, eudaimonic, integrative (i.e., combining both hedonic and eudaimonic), and others. Results identified eight overarching domains of student well-being: Positive emotion, (lack of) Negative emotion, Relationships, Engagement, Accomplishment, Purpose at school, Intrapersonal/Internal factors, and Contextual/External factors. Recommendations for further research are offered, including the need for more qualitative research on student well-being as perceived and experienced by students and for research to be conducted in a non-western context

Support for smallholder farmers through Islamic instruments: The case of Bangladesh and lessons for Nigeria

Purpose: In societies with strong presence of Islam, Islamic instruments with more scope for fairness and equity can be innovatively harnessed to play an increasing role in the development process and poverty alleviation schemes. Poor smallholder farmers dominate agricultural production in many developing countries and contribute a significant portion of global food production. This paper aims to develop a scheme to improve poor smallholder farmers vulnerable financial situation through the application of Zakah and Salam contract, using Bangladesh as a case study. Secondary goals are to show the effect of the scheme on food security and relevance to Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: The authors explore the existing traditional modes of financing available to poor smallholders, identify their challenges and propose an appropriate Islamic financing scheme. Findings: With the Zakah-based Salam forward contract, the proposed scheme would procure food through Institutional Demand to offer interest free financing, fair price and access to new marketing channels and reduce income uncertainty for the rural smallholders. The discussions indicate that the local food security will be enhanced through incentivized farming activities and disbursement of food from the food bank to the Zakah-eligible food insecure local people. Research limitations/implications: This proposal brings forth a potentially powerful idea that needs further empirical validation. Originality/value: The religion-based Institutional Demand initiative to promote smallholder agricultural development and social protection is a novel one. The attempt to apply the framework to Nigeria context shows the potential of the framework to generalize for other Muslim developing countries with similar characteristics, especially the poorer agriculture-based countries.Scopu

Investigating the Knuckleball Effect in Soccer Using a Smart Ball and Training Machine.

The term knuckleball in sporting jargon is used to describe a ball that has been launched with minimal spin, resulting in a trajectory that is erratic and unpredictable. This phenomenon was first observed in baseball (where the term originated) and has since been observed in other sports. While knuckleball has long fascinated the scientific community, the bulk of research has primarily focused on knuckleball as it occurs in baseball. Following the changes in the design of the soccer ball after the 2006 World Cup, knuckleball and ball aerodynamics were exploited by soccer players. This research examined the properties of a knuckleball in the sport of soccer. We designed and evaluated a system that could reproduce the knuckleball effect on soccer balls based on previous theories and characteristics outlined in our literature review. Our system is comprised of the Adidas miCoach Smart Ball, a companion smart phone app for data collection, a ball-launching machine with programmable functions, and a video-based tracking system and Tracker motion analysis software. The results from the testing showed that our system was successfully able to produce knuckleball behaviour on the football in a highly consistent manner. This verified the dynamic models of knuckleball that we outline. While a small portion of the data showed some lateral deviations (zig-zag trajectory), this erratic and unpredictable trajectory was much smaller in magnitude when compared to examples seen in professional games. The sensor data from the miCoach app and trajectory data from the Tracker motion analysis software, showed that the knuckleballs were consistently reproduced in-line with theoretical dynamics

The study of passive vibration dampers in pipelines using PIV-methodology for single phase flow

An experimental investigation of the study for pulsed particle visualization of micro tracers using the PIV technique was conducted. The purpose of the study was to obtain the velocity distribution in straight and turns of the pipeline and influence of different geometries of the inserts (swirlers) on the cause of the pr?ssure gr?dient on the ?uter and inn?r w?lls of the p?rts. The visualization of fluid flow consisting tracer particles was determined. In order to study the flow pattern a design of passive devices was performed and put into experimentation to investigate the flow field. The PIV-technique and equipment allow the analytical study of the microstructure for hydr?dynamic fluid fl?w and the msurement of piping vibration after passing through the passive damper. It was found that the use of the improved devices leads to the reduction of piping vibration at 25-50%. It was possible to figure out the velocity distribution pattern as well as the visualization of the swirling of the fluid flow based on PIV technique. © 2017 WIT Press

Augmenting Marine Food Production Through Fisheries Management and Mariculture

There is new aspiration of sustainable exploitation of marine resources and to achieve sustainable development goals (SDG 14) in recent years. In this context, this document delineates new scope of venturing into the blue economy relative to marine fisheries and mariculture. Potential interventions in marine fisheries include – (i) expansion of the commercial fishing area (beyond the 80 m depth) for harvesting high value fish species (such as tuna, lakkha), (ii) exploration for new fishing grounds and fisheries, (iii) value addition and reducing post-harvest losses, and (iv) assessment of fisheries stocks for estimation of potential yields and optimum sizes of harvest. Food production through mariculture mostly relies on – (i) domestication of new species (such as finfish: seabass, mullet, hilsa, grouper; crustaceans: mud crab; plants: seaweeds) for product diversification and risk reduction towards economic stability, (ii) production intensification (such as semi-intensive farming) and adoption of innovative fish/shellfish farming (such as marine cage culture, aquasilviculture, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture) to create new business opportunities, and (iii) live feeds (such as rotifers, artemia biomass) production for hatchery for sustaining the mariculture industry. Nevertheless, investments, knowledge, innovations, new technologies, new breeds and newly domesticated mariculture species can promise a blue revolution in Bangladesh

Antidiabetic Effects of Momordica Charantia (Karela) in Male Long Evans Rat

The hypoglycemic effect of Momordica charantia (Karela) has been reported from many laboratories. To our knowledge, the underlying biochemical mechanism of action of this important clinical effect has not been reported. During the course of investigation of this aspect of the herbal fruit, it was reported from our laboratory that ethanolic extract of Momordica charantia suppressed gluconeogenesis in normal and streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats by depressing the hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and glucose-6-phosphatase. The herbal extract had also enhanced the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, the rate-limiting enzyme of hexose monophosphate shunt (a pathway for the oxidation of glucose)

Project Development of an Underground Nuclear Power Plant on the Basis of the Integrated Ship Reactor, KN-3

In this study, we focused on the development of device module along with the fabrication process in search of alternative energy sources. We tried to show the design basis of underground nuclear power plants. At present, the power supply of remote areas is carried out mainly through gasoline and diesel generators and this leads to high fuel costs and negative impact on the environment. One of the solutions to the aforementioned problems can be the use of modular super low power (50–100 MW) integrated ship reactors. Keywords: underground nuclear power units, design development, power generation, alternative energy, energy source