Nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with textile fine grained mortar

Nowadays, there was an increasing need of repairing and upgrading the reinforced concrete (RC) structure due to the deterioration of the structure. The fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) was commonly used for structural retrofitting purposes. However, owing to the debonding of the FRP from the concrete substrate and high cost of epoxy, it was gradually replaced with textile fine grained mortar (TFGM) nowadays. The TFGM system has been widely used in the construction field nowadays to repair the structure. Our study focus on the strain performances of the concrete surface, steel reinforcement and the textile itself. There were many proven experimental results showing that the TFGM was more effective than the other strengthening method such as FRP plate method. The experimental work done by previous researcher on investigation of strain performances of the concrete surface, steel reinforcement and the textile itself which consists of eleven (11) RC beams with dimension 150 x 200 x 2500 mm. The RC beams were strengthened with FGM and TFGM with 4 layers. The investigation continued with the finite element (FE) strain performance analysis with using Advanced Tool for Engineering Nonlinear Analysis (ATENA) software. The strain of the concrete surface, steel reinforcement and the textile were measured at a mid-point of RC beam. Then, the results of the finite element analysis software ATENA compared against the experimental results. The strain performances of the concrete and steel reinforcement improved noticeably when the number of layers of textile reinforcement used increased

T3SEdb: data warehousing of virulence effectors secreted by the bacterial Type III Secretion System

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Effectors of Type III Secretion System (T3SS) play a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining pathogenicity in the host and therefore the identification of these effectors is important in understanding virulence. However, the effectors display high level of sequence diversity, therefore making the identification a difficult process. There is a need to collate and annotate existing effector sequences in public databases to enable systematic analyses of these sequences for development of models for screening and selection of putative novel effectors from bacterial genomes that can be validated by a smaller number of key experiments.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Herein, we present T3SEdb <url>http://effectors.bic.nus.edu.sg/T3SEdb</url>, a specialized database of annotated T3SS effector (T3SE) sequences containing 1089 records from 46 bacterial species compiled from the literature and public protein databases. Procedures have been defined for i) comprehensive annotation of experimental status of effectors, ii) submission and curation review of records by users of the database, and iii) the regular update of T3SEdb existing and new records. Keyword fielded and sequence searches (BLAST, regular expression) are supported for both experimentally verified and hypothetical T3SEs. More than 171 clusters of T3SEs were detected based on sequence identity comparisons (intra-cluster difference up to ~60%). Owing to this high level of sequence diversity of T3SEs, the T3SEdb provides a large number of experimentally known effector sequences with wide species representation for creation of effector predictors. We created a reliable effector prediction tool, integrated into the database, to demonstrate the application of the database for such endeavours.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>T3SEdb is the first specialised database reported for T3SS effectors, enriched with manual annotations that facilitated systematic construction of a reliable prediction model for identification of novel effectors. The T3SEdb represents a platform for inclusion of additional annotations of metadata for future developments of sophisticated effector prediction models for screening and selection of putative novel effectors from bacterial genomes/proteomes that can be validated by a small number of key experiments.</p

Dosimetric comparison of peripheral NSCLC SBRT using Acuros XB and AAA calculation algorithms.

There is a concern for dose calculation in highly heterogenous environments such as the thorax region. This study compares the quality of treatment plans of peripheral non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) using 2 calculation algorithms, namely, Eclipse Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) and Acuros External Beam (AXB), for 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) data from 20 anonymized patients were studied using Varian Eclipse planning system, AXB, and AAA version 10.0.28. A 3DCRT plan and a VMAT plan were generated using AAA and AXB with constant plan parameters for each patient. The prescription and dose constraints were benchmarked against Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0915 protocol. Planning parameters of the plan were compared statistically using Mann-Whitney U tests. Results showed that 3DCRT and VMAT plans have a lower target coverage up to 8% when calculated using AXB as compared with AAA. The conformity index (CI) for AXB plans was 4.7% lower than AAA plans, but was closer to unity, which indicated better target conformity. AXB produced plans with global maximum doses which were, on average, 2% hotter than AAA plans. Both 3DCRT and VMAT plans were able to achieve D95%. VMAT plans were shown to be more conformal (CI = 1.01) and were at least 3.2% and 1.5% lower in terms of PTV maximum and mean dose, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference for doses received by organs at risk (OARs) regardless of calculation algorithms and treatment techniques. In general, the difference in tissue modeling for AXB and AAA algorithm is responsible for the dose distribution between the AXB and the AAA algorithms. The AXB VMAT plans could be used to benefit patients receiving peripheral NSCLC SBRT. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2017 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Measuring the public’s willingness to pay for the rejuvenation of Raffles Place Park in Singapore : a contingent valuation approach

With the recent announcement of the Master Plan 2019, there has been a pique in interest regarding the development of the public spaces in Singapore. Raffles Place Park has been briefly mentioned in the Master Plan 2019 but upon further examination, we found no concrete plans for the rejuvenation and development of the park. Given this backdrop and to fill the gap in the literature, this paper aims to elicit Singaporeans’ willingness to pay for three unique design concepts: namely, Greenery, Events and Arts and Culture. These concepts were carefully constructed based on relevant literature and successful case studies. Using the widely adopted Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) and a sample size of 400, this empirical study estimated Singapore residents’ willingness-to-pay for each of the design concepts. Subsequently, this paper identified Greenery as the most valued design concept at $8.26 followed by Arts and Culture at$4.07 and lastly Events at $3.56. In addition, determinants for WTP were identified for each design concept. The results of this study would be meaningful in assisting the URA and relevant authorities in maximizing social benefits for the costs spent in rejuvenating Raffles Place Park.Bachelor of Arts in Economic

Advertising & promotion program for mediamagic

The success of a company does not just depend on developing the right product, selling it at the right price and place. Besides these, it needs to communicate its offers to the target market in order to persuade them to buy its products. Effective communication through an Advertising and Promotion (A&P) program is often a prerequisite for successful marketing. This program would distinguish the company’s products from its competitors’, which is important due to the intense competition it faces in the industry.BUSINES

Sustainable tourism development in Pulau Ubin.

A look at sustainable tourism development in Pulau Ubin by evaluating the island based on a framework on Eber Sustainable Tourism Model

Navigation and control of a fleet of computer-aided mobile systems

The principal objective of this project is to develop an intelligent driving system that is capable of performing: a) visual perception and interaction, b) vehicular motion control (such as parking, path following, etc) and c) intelligent navigation.RG 52/9