Quality control testing for concrete during construction for a nuclear project

This paper presents the results of an oversight evaluation of qualification and production testing of concrete materials and concrete for a nuclear project in United States.  The testing requirements for qualification of concrete materials, including cement, fly ash, fine and coarse aggregates, admixtures, were in accordance with American Concrete Institute (ACI) ACI 349, ASME/ANSI and ASTM standards.  Concrete was produced from a ready mixed plant and delivered to the site in truck mixer/agitator trucks. Qualification tests for selecting concrete mix proportions for the 4000 psi design compressive strength concrete were performed, using the proposed concrete materials, in accordance with the specifications.  Qualification tests for aggregates included alkali-silica reactivity, Los Angeles abrasion, gradation, minus 200 material, moisture content, and deleterious materials, and were performed in accordance with ASTM C33 requirements.  Quality control tests for concrete during production included slump (ASTM C143), air content (ASTM C231), unit weight (ASTM C157), and compressive strength (ASTM C39).  Minimum ACI 349/ASME/ANSI N45.2.5 testing frequencies for concrete constituents and concrete are also described. Results of the QC tests including an evaluation of the 7-day and 28-day compressive strength tests are presented

Nanotemplated platinum fuel cell catalysts and copper-tin lithium battery anode materials for microenergy devices

Nanotemplated materials have significant potential for applications in energy conversion and storage devices due to their unique physical properties. Nanostructured materials provide additional electrode surface area beneficial for energy conversion or storage applications with short path lengths for electronic and ionic transport and thus the possibility of higher reaction rates. We report on the use of controlled growth of metal and alloy electrodeposited templated nanostructures for energy applications. Anodic aluminium oxide templates fabricated on Si for energy materials integration with electronic devices and their use for fuel cell and battery materials deposition is discussed. Nanostructured Pt anode catalysts for methanol fuel cells are shown. Templated CuSn alloy anodes that possess high capacity retention with cycling for lithium microbattery integration are also presented

Halo properties and secular evolution in barred galaxies

The halo plays a crucial role in the evolution of barred galaxies. Its near-resonant material absorbs angular momentum emitted from some of the disc particles and helps the bar become stronger. As a result, a bar (oval) forms in the inner parts of the halo of strongly barred disc galaxies. It is thinner in the inner parts (but still considerably fatter than the disc bar) and tends to spherical at larger radii. Its length increases with time, while always staying shorter than the disc bar. It is roughly aligned with the disc bar, which it trails only slightly, and it turns with roughly the same pattern speed. The bi-symmetric component of the halo density continues well outside the halo bar, where it clearly trails behind the disc bar. The length and strength of the disc and halo bars correlate; the former being always much stronger than the latter. If the halo is composed of weakly interacting massive particles, then the formation of the halo bar, by redistributing the matter in the halo and changing its shape, could influence the expected annihilation signal. This is indeed found to be the case if the halo has a core, but not if it has a steep cusp. The formation and evolution of the bar strongly affect the halo orbits. A fraction of them becomes near-resonant, similar to the disc near-resonant orbits at the same resonance, while another fraction becomes chaotic. Finally, a massive and responsive halo makes it harder for a central mass concentration to destroy the disc bar.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in "Island Universes - Structure and Evolution of Disk Galaxies" ed. R. S. de Jon

Energy Efficient Buildings in Smart Cities: Biomimicry Approach

Smart cities are those using technologies to make life easier for their citizens and enhancing the quality of life and urban service in order to reduce consumption, especially of energy. Biomimicry is one of the tools of the 21st century toachieve an emotional smart city that has its own spirit and identity. Biomimicryhas three main levels: organism, behaviour and ecosystem level, in terms of form generation, material selection,construction process, and function establishing.A subcategory of biomimicry is building skin which forms the entire exterior envelope of the building. It is the boundary through which buildings interact with the environment and the whole city. The aim of this paper isto discussbiomimicry as a tool to reduce energy consumption in cities through buildingskins. It also discusses concepts of smart cities. It provides an overviewof biomimicry as a tool of achieving a perfect biomimetic skin of buildings in smart cities. In addition it analysescase studies of energy conservationusing concepts of biomimicry. Finally it would conclude guidelines for biomimicry design of building skinsas a tool for reducing energy consumption in smart citie

Pengaruh Frekuensi Pemberian Pakan Pada Pembatasan Pakan Terhadap Bobot Akhir, Lemak Abdominal, Dan Kadar Lemak Hati Ayam Broiler

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different feeding frequency on restriction feeding on final weight, abdominal fat and liver fat content of broiler chickens. The material used in this study 200 DOC bird broilers Ross unsex with initial body weight 46.01 ± 4.88 g averages. The bird was feeding by comersial feed with a protein content of 22.69% and metabolizable energy 2935 kcal / kg. The research used completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 5 replications were arrange 20 experimental units, each unit consists of 10 chickens. Feed give ad libitum in 1-7 days of ages. After that feed restriction (75% standard) with frequencies of administration at the age of 8-21 days with treatment 4 times at 06.00, 10.00, 14.00 and 18.00, 3 times at 06.00, 14.00 and 18.00, two feedings given at 06.00 and 14.00, then given ad libitum feeding at the age of 22-35 days. The results showed that the effect of different feeding frequency on feed restriction was not significantly different (P> 0.05) of the final weight, abdominal fat and liver fat. The results of the average final weight respectively T0, T1, T2 and T3 at 1825.80; 1812.40; 1770.60; 1777.80 g. The results of abdominal fat average 1.34; 1.46; 1.50; 1.27%. The results of the average liver fat 1.54; 1.80; 1.83; 1.88%. In conclusion, the treatment of feed restriction 75% of the standard and different frequency of 2x, 3x, 4x did not significantly affect the final weight and liver fat content but the influence on levels of abdominal fat

An Unexpectedly Swift Rise in the Gamma-ray Burst Rate

The association of long gamma-ray bursts with supernovae naturally suggests that the cosmic GRB rate should trace the star formation history. Finding otherwise would provide important clues concerning these rare, curious phenomena. Using a new estimate of Swift GRB energetics to construct a sample of 36 luminous GRBs with redshifts in the range z=0-4, we find evidence of enhanced evolution in the GRB rate, with ~4 times as many GRBs observed at z~4 than expected from star formation measurements. This direct and empirical demonstration of needed additional evolution is a new result. It is consistent with theoretical expectations from metallicity effects, but other causes remain possible, and we consider them systematically.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; minor changes to agree with published versio

Examining the Impact of E-Governance on the Performance of Corporations: A Case Study of Companies in Jordan

The goal of this study was to investigate the impact that e-governance technologies have on the effectiveness of organizations in Jordans public sector that are responsible for providing services to the public. In particular, the focus of the study was on issues pertaining to work engagement, innovative and imaginative thinking, as well as the effect on society and the environment. In order to achieve this objective, a quantitative research methodology that centered on the administration of an online survey was implemented as the primary tool. The sample was chosen through the use of a stratified random sampling method, and the data analysis was carried out through the utilization of both descriptive and inferential statistics. According to the conclusions of the study, implementing e- governance tools in a firm, such as ERP, CRM, and online collaboration tools, can considerably improve a businesss overall performance. The range of the explained variation was from 53% to 68.9%, demonstrating a substantial association between e-governance and increased performance in the areas of employee engagement, innovation and creativity, and social and environmental impact. The findings of this research offer extremely useful insights into the exact areas of a companys performance that are most affected by the implementation of e-governance systems. The research suggests that businesses should make the implementation of e-governance tools, in particular enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), and online collaboration tools, a top priority in order to improve their performance in the aforementioned domains. The conclusions of this study have wider-reaching consequences for organizations and governments all over the world, making it possible for its contributions to have an impact beyond Jordans borders. The research sheds light on how essential e-governance is to the improvement of business performance and the realization of sustainable development objectives. In further investigations, it might be beneficial to try out new approaches to data collection, broaden the scope of the sample to incorporate companies operating in a variety of sectors, and investigate how e-governance affects performance in areas of the business not directly related to it