Geo-economics vs Geo-politics: The Baghdad Railway Project and the Spoils of a Perpetual Economic War around Middle East

This study focuses on the geopolitical situation in the wider East Mediterranean Region at the dawn of the 20th century, based on the analysis of a major infrastructure project, the Baghdad Railway. The process of its construction eventually led to the rivalry between "Politics" and "Economy", towards increased relative gains for the superpowers of that period. The innovative side of the research extends to the hypothesis that modern economic crises are also related to power games similar to those prevailing almost a century ago. International Relations are linked with the Politics and Economy sectors, considering realistic lessons from the past in order to shape another better in terms of peace and stability future

Euro plus Med-Checklist Notulae, 11

This is the eleventh of a series of miscellaneous contributions, by various authors, where hitherto unpublished data relevant to both the Med-Checklist and the Euro+Med (or Sisyphus) projects are presented. This instalment deals with the families Anacardiaceae, Asparagaceae (incl. Hyacinthaceae), Bignoniaceae, Cactaceae, Compositae, Cruciferae, Cyperaceae, Ericaceae, Gramineae, Labiatae, Leguminosae, Orobanchaceae, Polygonaceae, Rosaceae, Solanaceae and Staphyleaceae. It includes new country and area records and taxonomic and distributional considerations for taxa in Bidens, Campsis, Centaurea, Cyperus, Drymocallis, Engem, Hoffmannseggia, Hypopitys, Lavandula, Lithraea, Melilotus, Nicotiana, Olimarabidopsis, Opuntia, Orobanche, Phelipanche, Phragmites, Rumex, Salvia, Schinus, Staphylea, and a new combination in Drimia.Peer reviewe

Investigation of Adhesion and Tribological Behavior of Borided AISI 310 Stainless Steel

In the present study, the effects of the boriding process on adhesion and tribological properties of AISI 310 steel were investigated. Boriding was performed in a solid medium consisting of Ekabor-II powders at 1123 and 1323K for 2 and 6 h. The boride layer was characterized by optical microscopy, the X-ray diffraction technique and the micro-Vickers hardness tester. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the boride layers on the surface of the steels revealed the existence of FexBy, CrxBy and NixBy compounds. Depending on the chemical composition of substrates, the boride layer thickness on the surface of the AISI 310 steel was found to be 56.74 μm. The hardness of the boride compounds formed on the surface of the AISI 310 steel ranged from 1658 to 2284 HV0,1, whereas the Vickers hardness value of the untreated steel AISI 310 was 276 HV0,1. The wear tests were carried out in a ball-disc arrangement under a dry friction condition at room temperature with an applied load of 10N and with a sliding speed of 0.3 m/s, at a sliding distance of 1000m. The wear surfaces of the steel were analyzed using an SEM microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy EDS. It was observed that the wear rate of unborided and borided AISI 310 steel ranged from 4.57 to 71.42 mm3/Nm

A Multimodal Interaction Framework for Blended Learning

Humans interact with each other by utilizing the five basic senses as input modalities, whereas sounds, gestures, facial expressions etc. are utilized as output modalities. Multimodal interaction is also used between humans and their surrounding environment, although enhanced with further senses such as equilibrioception and the sense of balance. Computer interfaces that are considered as a different environment that human can interact with, lack of input and output amalgamation in order to provide a close to natural interaction. Multimodal human-computer interaction has sought to provide alternative means of communication with an application, which will be more natural than the traditional “windows, icons, menus, pointer” (WIMP) style. Despite the great amount of devices in existence, most applications make use of a very limited set of modalities, most notably speech and touch. This paper describes a multimodal framework enabling deployment of a vast variety of modalities, tailored appropriately for use in blended learning environment and introduces a unified and effective framework for multimodal interaction called COALS

Parametric optimization of material extrusion 3D printing process: an assessment of Box-Behnken vs. full-factorial experimental approach

This work investigates the efficiency of the Box-Behnken design (BBD) in contrast with the full-factorial design (FFD) in ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of PA12 material extrusion 3D printing (ME-3DP) specimens. Three input parameters, i.e., the raster angle (A), layer thickness (B), and nozzle temperature (C) with three levels each, were employed to compare the BBD and FFD efficiency. The 81 full-factorial UTS initial experimental data used in this research have been produced in a previous work published by the authors. Fifteen (15) out of 81 experiments were selected for the BBD design with three repetitions on the central point (0,0,0). Main effect plots (MEP), interaction plots, surface plots, ANOVA analysis, normality plots, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and the root-mean-square error (RMSE) evaluate the BBD and FFD approaches. The BBD MAPE and RMSE indexes show that the Box-Behnken design is appropriate for parameter analysis and processing investigation resulting in a 5.3% MAPE and 2.75 RMSE, close to 5.2% and 2.44 of the full-factorial MAPE and RMSE indexes. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature

THE VDI-3198 INDENTATION TEST EVALUATION OF A RELIABLE QUALITATIVE CONTROL FOR LAYERED COMPOUNDS

ABSTRACT: Mono- or multi-layered coated compounds are powerful alternatives of conventional bulk materials, which normally illustrate a restricted surface performance. Nowadays, advanced and complicated techniques are induced in film production devices, leading in this way to the development of an extended variety of different coating types. Herewith, soft, hard or super-hard films can be produced in single or multilayer textures, serving in this way demanding applications, which require advanced surface attitude. Taking into account the growing industrial and manufacturing demands, a well-organized contest of characterization processes for such coatings is required. This paper describes the methodology and typical results of a fast, reliable and cost effective quality test, which is based on the Rockwell Cone indentation on planar surfaces of coated compounds. This destructive test, may rigorously exhibit two distinctive properties of the coated compound, i.e. the interfacial adhesion as well as the film brittleness and cohesion. The stress strain field, which occurs during the indentation and the relaxation stages respectively, must be thoroughly considered in order to obtain secure conclusions, regarding the quality of the coating substrate system

Parameter effects and process modelling of Polyamide 12 3D-printed parts strength and toughness

Polyamide 12 (PA12) is a high-performance polymeric material adopted by various industries for its thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties. In this work, a comprehensive examination of the impact of three 3D printing (3DP) parameters, i.e., Nozzle Temperature (NT), Layer Height (LH), and raster Deposition Angle (DA), on the mechanical strength and toughness of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3DP PA12 polymer is studied. The general full factorial experimental methodology is followed. The 3DP parameters’ effects were analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistical tools, such as Box plots, interaction charts, and ANOVA analysis. The experimental data depicted different spreads and median values for each parameter level regarding the utilized responses, concluding that the modeling process is vital for the process control and the parameters’ optimization. Two predictive models, a Quadratic Regression Model (QRM) and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) are fitted on the median values of the experimental data responses predictions, i.e. static mechanical strength (σb), elastic modulus (E), and toughness (T). The ANN performance was proven to be better than the QRM, providing better Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) values. NT and LH increase σb and T medians and spreads, while zero raster DA optimizes the σb and T. © 2022 Taylor & Francis

Optimization of Friction Stir Welding Parameters in Hybrid Additive Manufacturing: Weldability of 3D-Printed Poly(methyl methacrylate) Plates

In this work, the expansion of friction stir welding (FSW) in parts made via material extrusion (MEX) 3D printing was investigated. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) plates were joined in a full factorial experimental design. The effects of three FSW parameters (weld tool pin geometry, rotating speed, and travel speed) on the weld results were studied. The tensile strength was investigated using statistical modeling tools. A morphological characterization study was also conducted on the weld zone, with microscopy. The state of the material during the FSW process was monitored via real-time temperature measurements. The feasibility of the process was verified. The results show high industrial merit for the process. The highest tensile strength was reported for the sample welded with the frustum tool, at 1400 rpm and a 9 mm/min travel speed (the highest studied), with a welding efficiency > 1. This can be attributed to the reduced porosity of the weld area compared to the 3D printed structure, and indicates a high potential for joining 3D-printed PMMA sheets via the FSW process. © 2022 by the authors