Development of an expert system to conduct automated HAZOP studies

Process hazard analysis is an important step to identify risk in a process facility. Automation of hazard identification requires efficient search techniques with the aid of a knowledge base. It also requires an easy menu driven interface so that an ordinary user can interact with the system with minimal intervention from an expert. One of the models to implement automation of hazard analysis is HAZOP (hazard and operability) study. Fault propagation, an aspect of HAZOP analysis, defines the propagation of deviation among equipment in a process facility. To identify all the possible hazards and their faster access, it is necessary to develop an efficient fault propagation algorithm with a knowledge-base. The existing tools performing automated HAZOP analysis does not provide any means to identify the propagation of deviation to all downstream equipment. Also some of the developed tools are slower in data extraction, require an expert to interpret the analyzed result, focuses more on causes of deviation in a process facility than the consequences, and is specific to process facility structure. -- This thesis focuses on development of an expert system to perform automated HAZOP analysis with a unique fault propagation algorithm that will identify propagation of deviation to all downstream equipment in a process facility. Furthermore, the expert system has a knowledge base that identifies all general causes and consequences of equipment failure in a process facility and enables effective and efficient decision making tool for the user of the system

Performance evaluation of coal dust and wood powder ash as alternates of conventional filler in the asphalt concrete

Mineral fillers provide a significant role in the Marshall properties of hot mix asphalt for paving applications. The article's goal is to assess the suitability and effectiveness of two minerals (coal dust and wood powder ash) used as fillers in asphalt concrete. Chemical composition test using X-ray fluorescence indicated a high content of SiO2, Fe2O3, and Al2O3, which encouraged us to select the coal dust and wood powder ash as mineral fillers for further investigation. A total of 90 cylindrical Marshall Specimens, made with different percentages (i.e., 4%-8%) of coal dust, wood powder ash, and conventional stone dust filler were prepared to assess the performance of individual filler within the asphalt concrete mix. And after that, volumetric characteristics such as density, stability-flow test, air void, and voids in mineral aggregates have been analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of every sample and, afterward, to find out the optimum asphalt content. Finally, the optimum asphalt content for every filler material was ascertained, and subsequently, Marshall properties were checked again to assess the optimum filler content in the mix that satisfy all the standard criteria. The overall Marshall properties for both fillers were within the acceptable limits. Though the optimum asphalt content was higher for coal dust than wood powder ash and stone dust, the wood powder ash showed better durability than coal dust. All mixtures have been found to have better resistance to deformation, fatigue, and moisture-induced damages; however, 4% coal dust and 6% wood powder ash satisfied most of the Marshall criteria than other percentages

Development of Cost-Effective Menstrual Absorbent Pad with Eco-Friendly Antimicrobial Finish

Management of menstrual hygiene is a critical problem for Bangladeshi women and girls as the sanitary pads are expensive. Therefore, purchasing sanitary napkins for incredibly poor and middle-class families is very challenging. Many retail sanitary napkins are available on the local market, but most of them are costly. However, poor women’s are unable to purchase or use high-quality sanitary napkins. Thus, a maximum of nine sanitary napkin pad samples with very cheap raw materials (natural fibres) have been produced in this study. Newly manufactured products even undergo antimicrobial treatment with natural antimicrobial agents such as Tulshi and Aloe Vera accompanied by a simple production process, which ultimately makes the product cheaper and safer for the consumer during use. A maximum of nine samples were produced and compared with commercial samples for cost analysis. The primary objective of this research is to develop such a kind of sanitary napkin that will be cheaper as well as user-friendly in contrast to commercial samples. More interestingly, poor women are not used to wear underwear, because of which they are not interested in using pads as commercial sanitary napkins; panty or other underwear is required. For this reason, an adjustable waistband support is used in this experiment to easily attach the sanitary napkin without any gum. Since menstruation is directly linked to the human reproductive process, it is important for women and girls to manage menstruation appropriately. In addition, the material (especially sanitary napkin core forming materials) used in commercial sanitary napkins is synthetic and may lead to accelerated growth of bacteria and germs by long term use of the pad. The goal of this research was to construct an inexpensive sanitized pad that was treated with Aloe Vera and Tulshi extract. Tulshi and Aloe Vera modified non-woven fabrics incorporate antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Therefore, as it can be used without undergarments, sanitary napkin is not only hygienic but also inexpensive and comfortable with effective protection against leakage. Findings demonstrate the newly developed prototype's substantial design and cost-effectiveness. &nbsp

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON MODERN 3D COMPUTERISED BODY SCANNING SYSTEM AND VARIOUS TYPES OF PATTERN MAKING SOFTWARE’S WITH THEIR CONSTRUCTIVE IMPLEMENTATION IN APPAREL INDUSTRY

Nowadays Computer-aided design (CAD) techniques such as Lectra Modaris is becoming exceedingly popular in the apparel industries worldwide for pattern construction because of its accuracy, efficiency and time-saving solutions to much arduous operation (Sayem et al., 2010). The principle objective of this article is to draft a set of pattern pieces by applying Lectra Modaris design environment after selecting a convenient style of trouser by different retail websites or fashion manuals. This paper contains all the essential draft patterns for the selected trouser such as front, back, waistband, pocket bag, pocket facing and fly piece which are constructed in Lectra Modaris V6R1 design software. These patterns are prepared after incorporating measurements into the design extracted from the body-scan point cloud data and from manual tape measurement. This paper also discussed briefly about the pattern construction procedure, different types of body scanning system and various types of pattern making software

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON MODERN 3D COMPUTERISED BODY SCANNING SYSTEM AND VARIOUS TYPES OF PATTERN MAKING SOFTWARE’S WITH THEIR CONSTRUCTIVE IMPLEMENTATION IN APPAREL INDUSTRY

Nowadays Computer-aided design (CAD) techniques such as Lectra Modaris is becoming exceedingly popular in the apparel industries worldwide for pattern construction because of its accuracy, efficiency and time-saving solutions to much arduous operation (Sayem et al., 2010). The principle objective of this article is to draft a set of pattern pieces by applying Lectra Modaris design environment after selecting a convenient style of trouser by different retail websites or fashion manuals. This paper contains all the essential draft patterns for the selected trouser such as front, back, waistband, pocket bag, pocket facing and fly piece which are constructed in Lectra Modaris V6R1 design software. These patterns are prepared after incorporating measurements into the design extracted from the body-scan point cloud data and from manual tape measurement. This paper also discussed briefly about the pattern construction procedure, different types of body scanning system and various types of pattern making software

Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome

Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome

Introducing Artificial Intelligence Query With fuzzy query over fuzzy database

Information systems have revolutionized the way information can be stored andprocessed. As a result, the information volume has significantly increased leading to aninformation overload. It therefore becomes difficult to analyze the large amounts of availabledata and to generate appropriate management decisions. In practice, information systemsmostly use relational databases in order to store these data collections. Another issue, usingthe relational model, is the restriction of having sharp, precise data and therefore adichotomous querying process which is not well suited for decision making. This paperpresents an artificial intelligent query system using fuzzy logic. The system is based onconstructing a sample fuzzy database and is organized with fuzzy queries, employing vagueor fuzzy terms in the database. The fuzzily defined data has been represented using s, z, and πshaped membership functions. This paper also makes a comparison between traditionaldatabase and fuzzy database by computing the time cost of classical query over classicaldatabase, fuzzy query over classical database and fuzzy query over fuzzy database.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed intelligent fuzzy query is faster than theconventional query and it provides the user the flexibility to query the database using naturallanguage

Removal of Heavy Metals from Stormwater Using Porous Concrete Pavement

This study aimed to investigate the heavy metals, i.e. Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn removal efficiency from stormwater runoff of a porous concrete pavement (PCP). A model of PCP was designed with the porosity and co-efficient of permeability of the pavement were 27.2% and 1.83 cm/sec, respectively. Artificial stormwater containing heavy metals are passed through the pavement at a constant rainfall rate to mimic the stormwater rainfall-runoff condition. The artificial stormwater infiltrated through the pavement were then collected at two different pavement layers at different time instances. From the experimental investigations, it is observed that Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn concentrations are significantly reduced in the treated stormwater. At the first collection point which is located below the sub-base layer and coarse sand layer of the pavement, the concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn reduced 56%, 67% and 93% respectively compared to their initial concentration, Ni concentration reduced only 20%. At the second collection point which is located below the coarse and fine sand layers beneath the pavement, the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni are reduced 92%, 89%, 100%, 100%, respectively