The Little Book of Speculative Design for Policy-makers

This Little Book tells you what Speculative Design is, what the benefits for policy-making are, and how it can be used by policy-makers. This book is based on our research conducted for the ProtoPolicyAsia: empowering local communities and Government in Malaysia in addressing social issues in ageing and disabilities, funded by the AHRC

Quantifying Desiccation Cracks for Expansive Soil Using Machine Learning Technique in Image Processing

The formation of desiccation cracks has detrimental effects on the hydraulic conductivity that affects the overall mechanical strength of expansive soil. Qualitative analysis on the desiccation cracking behaviour of expansive soil provided understanding of the subject based on various concepts and theories, while quantitative analysis aided these studies through numerical supports. In this study, a machine learning technique in image processing is developed to evaluate the surface crack ratio of expansive soil. The desiccation cracking tests were conducted on highly plastic kaolinite slurry samples with plasticity index of 29.1%. Slurry-saturated specimens with thickness of 10 mm were prepared. The specimens were subjected to cyclic drying-wetting conditions. The images are acquired through a digital camera (12 MP) at constant distance to monitor the desiccation cracks. The images are then pre-processed using OpenCV before crack feature extraction. In this study, a total of 54 desiccation crack images were processed, along with 8 images from trial test to train the model. The processed images are used to quantify the desiccation cracks by evaluating surface crack ratio and average crack width. It was identified that the accuracy of the model for the quantification of surface crack ratio and average crack width were 97.24% and 93.85% respectively with average processing time of 1.51s per image. The results show that the model was able to achieve high accuracy with sufficient efficiency in determining important parameters used for crack characterization

The Little Book of Speculative Design for NGOs and Community Groups

This Little Book presents what Speculative Design is, what are its benefits for NGOs and Community Groups, and how it can be used by these groups in Malaysia, as well as other countries. This book is based on our research conducted for the ProtoPolicyAsia: empowering local communities and Government in Malaysia in addressing social issues in ageing and disabilities, funded by the AHRC

Properties and bifunctional catalytic activity of niobium-doped silica-titania: effect of phosphoric acid treatment

The effect of phosphoric acid treatment on the physical-chemical properties and catalytic activity of the niobium-doped silica-titania bifunctional catalyst was investigated. As part of the synthesis procedure to produce xPO4−/Nb/TiO2-SiO2, different concentrations of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) were used (x= 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25 M). As shown by XRD analysis, the samples synthesized using 0–0.20 M H3PO4 were in amorphous form, as featureless diffractograms were obtained, indicating the PO4− groups were dispersed homogeneously on the surface of Nb doped SiO2-TiO2 . Due to the increased concentration of acid, other compounds were formed in the samples by reactions between PO4− and Nb and/or Ti. Additionally, UV-Vis DRS results indicated that the presence of the PO4− group accelerated the transformation of hydrated tetrahedral Ti species into isolated tetrahedral Ti species. An experimental investigation of the catalytic performance of the catalyst was conducted using 1,2-epoxyoctane as an oxidant for the epoxidation of 1-octene to 1,2-octanediol. It has been demonstrated that H3PO4 treatment was essential for oxidative and acidity active site formation. The current research findings strongly suggested that Nb-doped TiO2-SiO2 treated with 0.2 M H3PO4 was the most effective bifunctional catalyst in generating 1,2-octanediol

Safety and efficacy of etomidate and propofol anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing gastroscopy: A double-blind randomized clinical study

The aim of the present study is to compare the safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness of anesthetic regimens by compound, using etomidate and propofol in elderly patients undergoing gastroscopy. A total of 200 volunteers (65–79 years of age) scheduled for gastroscopy under anesthesia were randomly divided into the following groups: P, propofol (1.5–2.0 mg/kg); E, etomidate (0.15-0.2 mg/kg); P+E, propofol (0.75–1 mg/kg) followed by etomidate (0.075-0.1 mg/kg); and E+P, etomidate (0.075-0.01 mg/kg) followed by propofol (0.75–1 mg/kg). Vital signs and bispectral index were monitored at different time points. Complications, induction and examination time, anesthesia duration, and recovery and discharge time were recorded. At the end of the procedure, the satisfaction of patients, endoscopists and the anesthetist were evaluated. The recovery (6.1±1.2 h) and discharge times (24.8±2.8 h) in group E were significantly longer compared with groups P, P+E and E+P (P<0.05). The occurrence of injection pain in group P+E was significantly higher compared with the other three groups (P<0.05). In addition, the incidence of myoclonus and post-operative nausea and vomiting were significantly higher in group P+E compared with the other three groups (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference among the four groups with regards to the patients' immediate, post-procedure satisfaction (P>0.05). Furthermore, there was no difference in the satisfaction of anesthesia, as evaluated by the anesthetist and endoscopist, among the four groups (P>0.05). The present study demonstrates that anesthesia for gastroscopy in elderly patients can be safely and effectively accomplished using a drug regimen that combines propofol with etomidate. The combined use of propofol and etomidate has unique characteristics which improve hemodynamic stability, cause minimal respiratory depression and less side effects, provide rapid return to full activity and result in high levels of satisfaction

High intrinsic biosorption efficiency of cattle manure on Cr(VI): a potential low-cost fibre-rich biosorbent

Fibre-rich manure derived from grass-fed cattle showed significantly higher intrinsic sorption efficiency on Cr(VI) solution as compared to corncob, sawdust and cogon grass. This observation could be attributed to the ligneous nature and rough surface morphology of the cattle manure. Four-factor, three-level, face-centred composite design (FCCD) suggested the process was greatly affected by initial pH of the solution, contact time and sorbent dosage (p50% adsorption efficiency. It is predicted that both physisorption and chemisorption are involved in the sorption process