Application of Rational Second Kind Chebyshev Functions for System of Integrodifferential Equations on Semi-Infinite Intervals

Rational Chebyshev bases and Galerkin method are used to obtain the approximate solution of a system of high-order integro-differential equations on the interval [0,∞). This method is based on replacement of the unknown functions by their truncated series of rational Chebyshev expansion. Test examples are considered to show the high accuracy, simplicity, and efficiency of this method

Improvement of dielectric, magnetic and thermal properties of OPEFB fibre-polycaprolactone composite by adding Ni-Zn ferrite

The dielectric and magnetic behaviour and thermal properties of composites based on nickel–zinc ferrite (NZF) filler can be improved by the addition of various types of materials. Amongst others, ferrite–polymer composites have been subjected to a wide range of research, due to their extensive applications: electromagnetic interference shielding, microwave absorption, electrodes and sensors. Currently, the interest in scientific and technical searches for the potential outcomes of ferrite–polymer materials due to their different uses in applications such as telecommunication applications, microwave devices and electromagnetic interference shielding has been growing stronger. The dielectric and magnetic behaviour and thermal properties for such composite materials depend on size, shape and the amount of filler addition. Nickel–zinc ferrite material was prepared using the conventional solid-state reaction technique. This study highlights the development of microwave-absorbing material from NZF by adding natural fibres, Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) and polycaprolactone (PCL). OPEFB is considered in this study because it is a solid waste product of the oil palm milling process which is widely and cheaply available. The use of OPEFB in this product may save the environment from oil palm solid waste. A Thermal Hake blending machine was used in blending the powder structure of NZF + OPEFB + PCL, which made it homogeneous. These composites were characterized by the use of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal degradation behaviour of the composites was analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) thermograms. The effective permittivity and effective permeability was obtained over a broad frequency range from 8 to 12 GHz at room temperature. It was observed that the values of effective permittivity and permeability increased as the content of NZF content increased. A rectangular waveguide connected to a microwave vector network analyser (PNA) (HP/Agilent model PNA E8364B) was employed in measuring the reflection coefficient S11 and transmission coefficient S21 parameters of composites for different percentages of NZF filler. This parameter was then used in calculating the microwave absorbing properties (dB)

Protecting biodiversity outside natural forests: environmental-friendly oil palm plantations as an off-reserve strategy in Peninsular Malaysia

Malaysian palm oil industry has been associated with tropical deforestation and faunal biodiversity loss. Despite the numerous forest reserves and protected areas, biodiversity conservation should be extended into agricultural areas including commercial oil palm. Scientific studies have clearly demonstrated that oil palm monocultures are poor substitute to natural forests. However, those studies have also indicated that oil palm-dominated landscapes support substantial biodiversity including forest species. With respect to ecological services, some species are known to be important in controlling pest outbreaks in oil palm plantations. Previous studies have shown that oil palm cultivations are effective carbon sinks. The central remaining knowledge gap of how palm oil-producing countries should conserve biodiversity within the existing oil palm plantations and smallholdings is addressed in this study. Thus, thematic review process that was organized around a topic of interest was used. In more specific, 53 journal articles investigating or highlighting the impacts of commodity crops cultivation on biodiversity were reviewed. It was proposed that oil palm-dominated landscapes be managed for conservation outcomes similar to that have been implemented in forest reserves and protected areas

The role of attention and consistency with schema expectation in memory for objects in place

The role of attention and consistency with schema expectation in memory for objects in place were examined in one experiment. Forty participants were asked to study a picture of either the graduate student office or the preschool classroom, and either under full attention condition or under divided attention condition. Sixteen stimulus items, half consistent and half inconsistent with schema expectation about the room settings were placed throughout the room. Participants were later given a free recall test, followed by a same-changed recognition memory test immediately after that. The results show that participants remembered better under full attention condition than under divided attention condition. Items inconsistent with schema expectation were better recalled and recognized than items consistent with schema expectation both under full attention and divided attention conditions. These results support the findings on the consistency effect in some previous studies. More importantly, the present study reveals the influence of manipulation of attention on the consistency effect. The results show that consistency effect occurs in both conditions, with a greater effect reported under divided attention condition than under full attention condition. Reducing the participants’ attention increases the consistency effect

A metagenome for lacustrine Cladophora (Cladophorales) reveals remarkable diversity of eukaryotic epibionts and genes relevant to materials cycling

Periphyton dominated by the cellulose-rich filamentous green alga Cladophora forms conspicuous growths along rocky marine and freshwater shorelines worldwide, providing habitat for diverse epibionts. Bacterial epibionts have been inferred to display diverse functions of biogeochemical significance: N-fixation and other redox reactions, phosphorus accumulation, and organic degradation. Here, we report taxonomic diversity of eukaryotic and prokaryotic epibionts and diversity of genes associated with materials cycling in a Cladophora metagenome sampled from Lake Mendota, Dane Co., WI, USA, during the growing season of 2012. A total of 1,060 distinct 16S, 173 18S, and 351 28S rRNA operational taxonomic units, from which >220 genera or species of bacteria (~60), protists (~80), fungi (6), and microscopic metazoa (~80), were distinguished with the use of reference databases. We inferred the presence of several algal taxa generally associated with marine systems and detected Jaoa, a freshwater periphytic ulvophyte previously thought endemic to China. We identified six distinct nifH gene sequences marking nitrogen fixation, >25 bacterial and eukaryotic cellulases relevant to sedimentary C-cycling and technological applications, and genes encoding enzymes in aerobic and anaerobic pathways for vitamin B12 biosynthesis. These results emphasize the importance of Cladophora in providing habitat for microscopic metazoa, fungi, protists, and bacteria that are often inconspicuous, yet play important roles in ecosystem biogeochemistry

The genus Cladophora Kutzing (Ulvophyceae) as a globally distributed ecological engineer

The green algal genus Cladophora forms conspicuous nearshore populations in marine and freshwaters worldwide, commonly dominating peri-phyton communities. As the result of human activities, including the nutrient pollution of nearshore waters, Cladophora-dominated periphyton can form nuisance blooms. On the other hand, Cladophora has ecological functions that are beneficial, but less well appreciated. For example, Cladophora has previously been characterized as an ecological engineer because its complex structure fosters functional and taxonomic diversity of benthic microfauna. Here, we review classic and recent literature concerning taxonomy, cell biology, morphology, reproductive biology, and ecology of the genus Cladophora, to examine how this alga functions to modify habitats and influence littoral biogeochemistry. We review the evidence that Cladophora supports large, diverse populations of microalgal and bacterial epiphytes that influence the cycling of carbon and other key elements, and that the high production of cellulose and hydrocarbons by Cladophora-dominated periphyton has the potential for diverse technological applications, including wastewater remediation coupled to renewable biofuel production. We postulate that well-known aspects of Cladophora morphology, hydrodynamically stable and perennial holdfasts, distinctively branched architecture, unusually large cell and sporangial size and robust cell wall construction, are major factors contributing to the multiple roles of this organism as an ecological engineer

New construction of wavelets base on floor function.

In this paper, the properties of the floor function has been used to find a function which is one on the interval [0, 1) and is zero elsewhere. The suitable dilation and translation parameters lead us to get similar function corresponding to the interval [a,b)[a,b). These functions and their combinations enable us to represent the stepwise functions as a function of floor function. We have applied this method on Haar wavelet, Sine–Cosine wavelet, Block-Pulse functions and Hybrid Fourier Block-Pulse functions to get the new representations of these functions

Establishing key factors towards implementing integrated Building Information Modeling (BIM) in AEC industry: Malaysia study

Building information modeling (BIM) is a systemic approach that enhances the effectiveness and overall quality of construction projects. Integrated BIM (iBIM) is an advanced state of BIM that integrates and synchronizes disparate project data in a centralized database of reliable, accessible and real-time project information. The purpose of this paper is to investigate key factors of iBIM implementation by AEC industry players within the Malaysian context. This study adopted a quantitative method. A questionnaire survey is conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to collect data using 5-level Likert scale questions. The study population was AEC industry players working in firms affiliated with professional institutes in Malaysia. The one-sample T-test and Descriptive Statistics are employed to rank the key factors of iBIM implementation in construction projects. The data were analysed by Statistical Package for the Social Science SPSS software version 20 and Microsoft Excel. It is found that policy factors are the statistically significant factors affecting iBIM implementation in Malaysian construction projects followed by interoperability; learning and education; and finally standardization. Key factors are important as a reference or guideline in advance of selecting the most appropriate framework for achieving successful iBIM implementation in AEC industry

Microwave technique of measuring moisture content in the tuber of Dioscorea hispida using monopole sensor

This paper describes the application of a monopole sensor to determine the moisture content in the tuber of Dioscorea hispida, based on magnitude and phase of reflection coefficient and admittance measurement. This preliminary work is to study relationship between microwave and alkaloid dioscorine of the tuber of Dioscorea hispida. The most widely used standard technique, which is the standard oven drying method, is time consuming and only suitable for laboratory experiment. As an alternative, measurement of moisture content in the tuber of Dioscorea hispida using microwave techniques is proposed. The measurement setup consists of a monopole antenna and a FieldFox RF Analyzer N9912A. This system utilizes a monopole sensor to transmit the microwave signal in the tuber of Dioscorea hispida sample and display the magnitude and phase of the reflection coefficient on the FieldFox. The admittance, on the other hand, is derived from the reflection coefficient measurement. The relationship between the magnitude, phase shift, admittance and moisture contents were studied. The relationships were used to obtain an empirical formula which was used to predict the moisture content in the tuber of Dioscorea hispida