Finite Element Modelling of Creep Rupture on Grade 91 Steel using Monkman-Grant Ductility based Damage Model

Failure strain is a main parameter used in the ductility exhaustion based damage model in which the accuracy of the prediction is dependent on its input value. The experimental measured has indicated that the value of strain at fracture is extensively scattered, therefore may affect the prediction. This paper presents the result of creep rupture time using a modified creep damage model incorporating Monkman-Grant (MG) failure strain as an alternative to strain at fracture. Both strains at fracture and MG failure strain are separately employed in the damage model to predict the failure time of uniaxial smooth specimen and notched bar with different acuity ratios of 3.0 and 20. The FE model of the specimen is loaded under different stress values and the multiaxial failure strain at each stress level is estimated using Cock and Ashby void growth model. The predicted creep rupture time that is compared to the experimental data (in a range of 40-1000 hours) showing a good agreement within the scatter band of +/- factor of 2. Both approaches using strain at fracture and MG failure strain can be used in predicting the creep failure under uniaxial and multiaxial features. The advantage of using MG strain is that the laboratory creep testing can be interrupted prior to specimen fractured or once the secondary creep deformation occurs. Meanwhile, the determination of strain at fracture needs longer test duration where the test can be stopped only when the specimen broken

Finite Element Modelling of Creep Rupture on Grade 91 Steel using Monkman-Grant Ductility based Damage Model

Failure strain is a main parameter used in the ductility exhaustion based damage model in which the accuracy of the prediction is dependent on its input value. The experimental measured has indicated that the value of strain at fracture is extensively scattered, therefore may affect the prediction. This paper presents the result of creep rupture time using a modified creep damage model incorporating Monkman-Grant (MG) failure strain as an alternative to strain at fracture. Both strains at fracture and MG failure strain are separately employed in the damage model to predict the failure time of uniaxial smooth specimen and notched bar with different acuity ratios of 3.0 and 20. The FE model of the specimen is loaded under different stress values and the multiaxial failure strain at each stress level is estimated using Cock and Ashby void growth model. The predicted creep rupture time that is compared to the experimental data (in a range of 40-1000 hours) showing a good agreement within the scatter band of +/- factor of 2. Both approaches using strain at fracture and MG failure strain can be used in predicting the creep failure under uniaxial and multiaxial features. The advantage of using MG strain is that the laboratory creep testing can be interrupted prior to specimen fractured or once the secondary creep deformation occurs. Meanwhile, the determination of strain at fracture needs longer test duration where the test can be stopped only when the specimen broken

Coptotermes sp. (Rhinotermitidae: Coptotermitinae) infestation pattern shifts through time in oil palm agroecosystem

Status of termite pest infestation as well as the changes through time, corresponding to oil palm conversion from peat in Malaysia can be studied. In accessing the status of palms infested by Coptotermes sp., stand scouting method was conducted to map the presence of this genus as well as the infestation status in each palm. The palms were accessed from ground level to hand-reached level and this was done in 24 ha field block with deep peat soil. The presence of Coptotermes sp., dead and replaced palms were recorded on census sheet, designed according to the real ground arrangement of the palms. Advanced spatial pattern by distance indices (SADIE) was adapted to generate the indices of aggregation and clustering values for each study sites. These values were exported into SURFER 8 software to generate red-blue contour maps with patches and gaps. Standardized stand scouting method yielded in six Coptotermes species collected in peat swamp converted oil palm field. The distribution pattern of Coptotermes caused by the environmental influences as well as the availability of wood resources. The patch and gap areas as well as the random areas are not consistently occurred. Small patches divided by gaps indicate one termite colony while larger patches are formed by more than one colony. This study contributes in the information on spatial pattern of termite pest species in oil palm plantation. The latter may present the changes in the status of the species over time

Electrospinning of PLA with DMF: Effect of polymer concentration on the bead diameter of the electrospun fibre

Electrospinning has been known for its' ability in producing nanoporous fibres which uses electrical force to form a spinning jet out of a polymer solution. The electrospinning condition and polymer solution properties can influence the electrospinning jet formation as well as jet path. Polylactic acid (PLA) was dissolved in dimethylformamide (DMF) to produce a polymer solution. Bead is considered as a defect towards an electrospun fibres, yet previous study found that PLA/DMF produced beaded fibres for all concentrations. However, there is a limited study that explain the effect of concentration on the diameter of beads. Therefore, in this study we investigated the formation of electrospinning jet as well as the effect of PLA concentration of formation of beads, particularly the diameter of the beads. Polymer solution with different concentration was prepared. The concentration investigated in this study were 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5, and 20 % w/v. Polymer solution was then subjected to the electrospinning process to evaluate the morphology of the electrospun produced via optical microscope. Simultaneously, the formation of electrospinning jet is observed with portable digital microscope. The morphology of the electrospun fibres, especially the fibre and bead diameter are analyzed using image analysis software, ImageJ. From this research, it is found that at voltage of 10 and 12.8 kV, a stable electrospinning jet can be formed which consists of 'Taylor cone', straight jet, and plume. Concentration from 7.5-20 % w/v were able to form electrospun fibres, yet only 12.5 and 15 % w/v PLA concentrations can produce an effective electrospun fibres with beads diameter of 3393 nm and 3642 nm, respectively. Also, the number of beads for both concentrations are 34 and 19, respectively. Since the main criteria in producing electrospun fibres is no beads or small and minimal beads at best, therefore 12.5 and 15 % w/v PLA concentration are considered as efficient electrospun fibres

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Impak pelancongan terhadap kualiti hidup bandar: perspektif penduduk Putrajaya

Pelancongan memainkan peranan penting dalam menentukan tahap kualiti hidup atau kesejahteraan penduduk di sesebuah bandar. Kajian menunjukkan bahawa pelancongan boleh diterima secara positif oleh penduduk apabila mereka mendapat faedah daripada aktiviti pelancongan yang dijalankan. Artikel ini bertujuan menilai persepsi penduduk di Putrajaya terhadap pembangunan pelancongan sama ada mereka telah mendapat manfaat atau sebaliknya, dan seterusnya mempengaruhi tahap kualiti hidup mereka. Satu kajian dijalankan ke atas 200 responden penduduk yang menetap di Putrajaya. Lima petunjuk kualiti hidup telah digunakan dalam mengenal pasti tahap kesejahteraan penduduk - kebendaan/ekonomi, emosi, sosial dan budaya, komuniti dan alam sekitar, kesihatan dan keselamatan. Kajian ini mendapati bahawa kesejahteraan emosi memperoleh purata min tertinggi iaitu 3.62 dan antara faktor tersebut ialah penerimaan kedatangan pelancong tanpa menjejaskan keselesaan dan kebahagiaan penduduk tempatan. Sementara itu, kesejahteraan kebendaan/ekonomi memperoleh purata min sebanyak 2.67, bermakna pelancongan hanya memberikan impak minimum daripada segi kesejahteraan penduduk. Ini kerana, majoriti penduduk merasakan bahawa mereka tidak terlibat secara aktif dalam perniagaan dan aktiviti pelancongan keusahawanan. Kesimpulannya, kajian ini telah membuktikan pelancongan sememangnya mempengaruhi kualiti hidup penduduk yang tinggal di Putrajaya. Dengan usaha yang lebih bersepadu dan inklusif, Putrajaya akan menjadi salah satu contoh untuk mempromosi penyertaan penduduk bandar dalam aktiviti pelancongan

Taxonomic and genetic assessment of captive White-Handed Gibbons (Hylobates lar) in Peninsular Malaysia with implications towards conservation translocation and reintroduction programmes

Conservation translocation and reintroduction for the purpose of repopulating and reinforcing extirpated or depleted populations has been recognised as an important conservation tool, particularly for gibbon conservation in the immediate future. Feasibility assessments involving multiple factors, including taxonomic and genetic assessment of rescued and captive gibbons, are imperative prior to translocation and reintroduction programmes. In this study, we attempt to determine the subspecies and origin of captive Hylobates lar, White-handed gibbons, from Peninsular Malaysia to assist in future translocation and reintroduction programmes. A total of 12 captive and rescued H. lar samples were analysed using the control region segment of mitochondrial DNA. Sequence analyses and phylogenetic trees constructed using neighbour-joining, maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference, and network methods congruently differentiate all 12 captive individuals used in this study from other H. lar subspecies suggesting that these individuals belong to the H. lar lar subspecies. In addition, two populations of H. l. lar were observed: (1) a southern population consisting of all 12 individuals from Peninsular Malaysia, and (2) a possible northern population represented by three individuals (from previous studies), which might have originated from the region between the Isthmus of Kra, Surat Thani-Krabi depression, and Kangar-Pattani. Our findings suggest that the complete control region segment can be used to determine the subspecies and origin of captive H. lar