Longitudinal Dispersion of Pollutants in Natural Streams - The Aggregated Dead-Zone Approach

The Aggregated Dead-Zone (ADZ) model provides a simple dynamic description of pollutant transportation and dispersion in a non-tidal river system and is an alternative to the well-known but more complicated advection-dispersion model. This paper presents the results obtained from the application of the model in a river system. The study shows the general form of functional relationships between the second order ADZ model parameters and stream discharge. In addition, more conventional hydrological analysis has yielded valuable information about the hydraulic characteristics of the reaches and has allowed for useful comparisons between these and the ADZ model parameter

Modelling and Simulation of Milk Production System of Dairy Goats in Malaysia

The main purpose of this study was to construct a model for goats ' milk production in Malaysia. Apart from that, the research meant to study the effect of several particular factors on milk production in Malaysia. Another objective was to study the dynamic behaviour of lactation curve of goats by modelling approach. In order to gain the objectives, a few steps of study were taken. The first study was to identify the energy requirement of goats at the maintenance level. The second study aims to identify the content and the production of goats' milk. The next step was constructing a model of milk production system of goats based on reports made by previous researchers and the results obtained from the current studies. To validate the model constructed, validation steps were taken by comparing simulation data to the actual data on milk production system of goats. The initial study was conducted on 8 non lactating adult Saanen goats which were reared by the intensive system. The goats were fed with oil palm frond leaflet silage mixed with 5% DM molasses (OPFL) and also concentrate as supplement. The feed offered was adjusted in order to maintain the body weight. Later, an experiment was carried out to identify the digestibility of feed offered by using 6 goats from the same group. The second experiment was conducted on 17 adults, lactating goats reared by intensive system. The goats were also fed with OPFL silage and 33.6% of DM concentrate (in the diet) as supplement. The result of the research shows that the dry matter digestibility of feed with 77% of DM OPFL silage and 23% of DM concentarate by the Saanen goats was 44.1% whereas the dry matter intake was 3% of body weight. The energy requirement for maintenance was 433.3 kJ ME/kg BWo.75/day. The model developed was based on the energy utilization in the body system of goats. There were 4 main parameters considered in the model which influence the energy utilization for milk production. The parameters are feed intake, digestibility of feed, energy requirement for maintenance and energy conversion factor into milk production. The metabolizable energy consumption of goats can be estimated using the equation, MEvi = FI x DMD x 1 4.94, where FI is dry matter intake (kg/day), DMD is dry matter digestibility and 14.94 is the metabolizable energy value in feed (MJ/kgDM). The metabolizable energy requirement for maintenance for goats can be estimated using the equation MERm = MEmbw x MBW, where MEmbw is metabolizable energy for maintenance per metabolic body weight (MJ/kgBWo.75/day) and MBW is metabolic body weight. For goats in intensive system, MEmbw = 0.4333, however for grazing goats, MEmbw = 0.5416. The lactation curve and milk production can be estimated using the equation, y = a x nb x e(-c x n), where y is an average daily milk production, n is lactation week, a, b and c are constant. Metabolizable energy requirement for milk production can be estimated using the equation, MERI = 2.78 x MY/(0.463 + 0.1944 x DMD), where 2.78 is milk energy (MJ/kg) and MY is milk production (kg). The dry matter intake can be estimated using the equation, PI = (MEmbw x MBW + 2.78 x MY /(0.463 + 0.1944 x DMD))/( 1 4.94 X DMD). In general , milk production in the Malaysian production system can be represented by the mathematical equation: MY = ((14.94 x PI x DMD - MEmbw x MBW) x (0.463 + 0. 1 944 x DMD))/ 2.78. Assesment made on the Malaysian milk production system reveals that the main factors which effect milk production are breed and nutrition. B reeds that are suitable for producing milk in high quantity are dairy breeds which have the ability to adapt themselves with the environment in Malaysia. This study also finds that most of livestock feed sources in Malaysia has low or moderate in nutritive value. As a result, they are not suitable for high milk production. However, some of the sources such as oil palm frond (OPF) can be obtained from agricultural by-products. They are more suitable because the cost is cheaper and they can be obtained in a great quantity. In order to increase milk production, high quantity of concentrate should be given in the livestock feed. The model constructed is able to helps farmers in planning and managing their farms. It enables farmers to predict feed requirement, milk production and financial requirement for the dairy herds. Indirectly, this will improve the goats milk production in Malaysia

Rational Cubic Ball Interpolants For Shape Preserving Curves And Surfaces

Interpolan pengekalan bentuk adalah satu teknik rekabentuk lengkung/ permukaan yang sangat penting dalam CAD/-CAM dan rekabentuk geometric Shape preserving interpolation is an essential curve/surface design technique in CAD/CAM and geometric desig

Economic Freedom, Exchange Rates Stability and FDI in South Asia.

This study empirically examines the role of economic freedom, market size and exchange rates in attracting foreign direct investment in south Asian countries for the period 1995-2008 by employing panel data analysis in fixed effect setting. Results clearly indicate the presence of significant positive relationship between economic freedom and FDI inflows in South Asian countries during the period of study. The real effective exchange rate was having negative association with it indicating that depreciation in host country currency negatively influences the inflow of FDI to that country. Therefore, monetary policy should focus on providing stability to currencies of host countries. The model explains approximately 90 percent of total variation in FDI. The paper concludes that South Asian countries should make concerted efforts in devising polices that improve level of economic freedom. In other words, they should provide more investment friendly climate, trade openness, efficient monetary and fiscal policies and freedom from corruption. This can help to attract more foreign direct investment in the South Asian countries

Generation of electrical energy using lead zirconate titanate (PZT-5A) piezoelectric material: Analytical, numerical and experimental verifications

Energy harvesting is the process of attaining energy from the external sources and transforming it into usable electrical energy. An analytical model of piezoelectric energy harvester has been developed to determine the output voltage across an electrical circuit when it is forced to undergo a base excitation. This model gives an easy approach to design and investigate the behavior of piezoelectric material. Numerical simulations have been carried out to determine the effect of frequency and loading on a Lead zirconate titanate (PZT-5A) piezoelectric material. It has been observed that the output voltage from the harvester increases when loading increases whereas its resonance frequency decreases. The analytical results were found to be in good agreement with the experimental and numerical simulation results

Introduction to lattice statistical mechanics

This book is an introduction to statistical mechanics suitable for readers knowing basic measure theory. The mathematical prerequisites are summarized in Chapter 1. It is hoped the reader will be ready to tackle research papers after reading the book. The first part of the text (Chapters 2-4) is concerned with 1-D Ising model. Some examples are described. The second part (Chapter 5) of the text focuses on Ising model on the Cayley tree and 2-D Ising model. Limit Gibbs measure and problem of phase transition for these models are also given. The third part (Appendix) outlines some applications of Ising model and Islamic aspects of the considered subject

Obstetric intensive care unit admission - clinical profile and outcome - a tertiary care hospital experience

Background: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission is on rise in pregnant women due to factors including increasing maternal age, increasing rates and levels of obesity and other comorbidities. The present study was done to analyze admission rate, outcome and trends in women requiring peripartum admission to ICU.Methods: In this retrospective study, peripartum admissions in obstetric ICU over the period of 6 months were studied. Demographics, comorbidities, diagnosis, ICU care, length of stay and outcome was analyzed.Results: Out of 7489 deliveries during the study period, a total of 112 patients were admitted to ICU. Thus, the rate of ICU admission in our study was 1.49%. Most of the patients belonged to 31-35 years age group (37.5%) and were multigravida (83.9%). Severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (77.7%) was most common diagnosis at time of admission in ICU.47.5% of patients required ventilatory support. Majority of patients (51.8%) had short (<3 days) stay of admission. Mortality during the study period was 4.5%.Conclusions: A multidisciplinary team approach including obstetrician and intensivist is appropriate in obstetric critical care units. Setting up of obstetric intermediate care units can lessen the burden. In addition to good antenatal care, timely referral, health education and training of health professionals may improve clinical outcome and better obstetric practice, especially in low resource countries like India

Sharia compliance in the construction industry: is this something to build upon? / Carrie Amani Annabi, Mujtaba Ummesalma Husein, Fatima Hassan, Nouman Nasir

Sharia principles imply a mode of organising society and its various facets, as well as serving as a guide for the conduct of individuals within the institutional and social context. Accountability to be one of the pillars of environmental ethics within Islam. Another of the most important Islamic concepts is the solidarity of Islamic generations. Thus, the broader environmental dimension related to building is a social concern. Building standards need to take into account this concern for preserving sustainability for future societies. Sharia compliant projects should be permissible business. Prophet Muhammad’s (P.B.U.H.) Hadith hallmarks the significance of adhering to Islamic legislation and highlights Halal and permissible business. Therein permissible/Halal business derives its elaboration from Islamic legislation. Sharia principles are often articulated in broad terms. This has created a license to use discretion on how to apply these principles. Owing to the fact there are different schools of Islamic jurisprudence, interpretation of dicta are not always co-terminus. This paper looks into the various components particular to the discussion on Sharia compliant logistics. In order to discuss the hypothetical facets involved in the depiction of Sharia compliant logistics for construction, the discussion is broken down to address the values associated with Sharia compliant business and therefore the implications of Sharia compliant construction logistics leads on from there

A Model for Automated Construction Materials Tracking

Materials management is a critical factor in construction project performance, particularly in the industrial sector. Research has shown that construction materials and installed equipment may constitute more than 50% of the total cost for a typical industrial project. Therefore the proper management of this single largest component can improve the productivity and cost efficiency of a project and help ensure its timely completion. One of the major problems associated with construction materials management is tracking materials in the supply chain and tracking their locations at job sites. Identification is integral to this process. Research projects conducted during the last decade to automate the identification and tracking of materials have concluded that such automation can increase productivity and cost efficiency as well as improve schedule performance, reduce the number of lost items, improve route and site optimization, and improve data entry. However, these technologies have been rapidly evolving, and knowledge concerning their implementation is sparse. One new approach enables locating of components within a few meters at a cost at least a magnitude lower than preceding technologies. It works by combining GPS located reads of RFID tags read at a rate of several thousand Hertz in order to estimate the location of these inexpensive tags which are attached to key construction materials. This technology was rapidly prototyped and deployed on two large industrial construction projects in 2007 and 2008. This thesis analyzes and synthesizes the data and experiences from these unique and large scale field trials as well as the literature in order to develop a general implementation model for automated construction materials tracking for industrial projects. It is concluded from the model that this new automated construction materials tracking technology is likely to be successful if implemented full scale on well selected future projects. This conclusion is supported by subsequent industry decisions