Analysis of the Active and Passive Fire Protection Systems in the Government Building, Depok City, Indonesia

In many countries, fires in buildings have resulted in loss of many lives, damaged properties and financial losses. In Indonesia, there has been increasing reported cases of fire occurring in public buildings over the years. This study aimed to assess the risks of fire and fire protection systems in government office buildings in Depok, Indonesia. A descriptive study was conducted using triangulation approaches on government buildings in Depok from March to April 2016. Primary and secondary data was collected using observation, unstructured interview of key informants and documentation review. Descriptive and comparative data analyses were conducted in the study. The key problems identified in the fire protections systems in the building were heat detector installed near the air conditioner, damaged to the alarm circuits, sprinklers mounted at a distance exceeding the applicable regulations, lack of complete hydrants, and a lack of fireproof doors and windows. The gap between standard/regulation and the condition of fire protection systems in the building are based on a lack of knowledge about the essence of the building management system and standard fire protection. There are minimal active and passive fire protection systems in office buildings, and few components are not adequately practiced in accordance with international and local standards and regulations. For safe systemof work, the entire fire protection system need to be tested periodically so that the system would work well in case of an emergency. It is important to conduct regular inspections and maintenance of the fire protection systems specifically in office buildings. Keywords: active fire protection system, fire, National Fire Protection Association, passive fire protection syste

Wildlife Species as Potential Sources of Human Exposure to Parasitic Pathogens in Accra, Ghana

Handling and consumption of wildlife species pose risks of exposure to the infective stages of parasitic pathogens and disease transmission. This study assessed protozoan and helminth infections in some wildlife species commonly consumed as meat in Accra, Ghana. Using Zinc Sulphate centrifugal flotation and microscopic techniques, seven protozoan species (Entamoeba sp., Giardia sp., Iodamoeba sp., Cryptosporidium sp., Balantidium sp., Endolimax sp. and Eimeria sp.) and 11 genera of intestinal helminths including Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Ascaris, Monieza, Schistosoma and Trichuris were identified. Kruskal-Wallis tests showed significant difference in intensity of protozoan [χ2(3) = 11.59; p = 0.009] and helminth [χ2(3) = 31.41; p < 0.0001] infections among the four groups of wildlife species. For protozoans, the differences were observed between the mean cyst and oocyst (Cryptosporidium sp.) intensities of Maxwell’s Duiker and Bushbuck (U = 5, p = 0.006) as well as Grasscutter and Bushbuck (U = 3, p = 0.004). However, the differences in mean helminth egg intensities were observed between Grasscutter and Maxwell’s Duiker (U = 6, p < 0.0001), Grasscutter and Bushbuck (U = 16, p < 0.0001) as well as Grasscutter and Royal Antelope (U = 4, p < 0.0001). The results highlight the need for awareness of the risks of parasitic diseases as a prerequisite for their effective prevention

Effect of increasing spindle speed at a constant chip load on cutting force behaviour of Hastelloy X

Cutting force is vital in machining nickel-based superalloys due to their excellent mechanical properties, thus creating difficulty in cutting. In the current scenario of metal machining, milling processes require high spindle speed and low chip load, which result in a low cutting force. However, low chip load not only result in low cutting force but also result in a low material removal rate (MRR). It is contrary to the ultimate high-speed machining (HSM) goal, which is to improve productivity and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, the emergence of an approach for achieving simultaneous low cutting force and high MRR is crucial. This paper presents the effect of increasing spindle speed at a constant chip load on the cutting force of Hastelloy X during half-immersion up-milling and half-immersion down-milling. In both half-immersions, the simulation results and experimental results are in good agreement. The percentage contribution of feed force, normal force and axial force to the resultant force can be arranged descendingly from high to low as axial force > normal force > axial force. Moreover, feed force, normal force, axial force and resultant force have a U-shaped behaviour. The spindle speed of 24,100 rpm and a chip load of 0.019 mm/tooth were found to achieve both low cutting force and high MRR

Isoprene hotspots at the Western Coast of Antarctic Peninsula during MASEC′16

Isoprene (C5H8) plays an important role in the formation of surface ozone (O3) and the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) which contributed to the climate change. This study aims to determine hourly distribution of tropospheric isoprene over the Western Coast of Antarctic Peninsula (WCAP) during the Malaysian Antarctic Scientific Expedition Cruise 2016 (MASEC′16). In-situ measurements of isoprene were taken using a custom-built gas chromatography with photoionization detector, known as iDirac. Biological parameters such as chlorophyll a (chl-a) and particulate organic carbon (POC) were compared to the in-situ isoprene measurements. Significant positive correlation was observed between isoprene and POC concentrations (r2 = 0.67, p < 0.001), but not between isoprene and chl-a. The hotspots of isoprene over maritime Antarctic were then were investigated using NAME dispersion model reanalysis. Measurements showed that isoprene mixing ratio were the highest over region of King George Island, Deception Island and Booth Island with values of ∼5.0, ∼0.9 and ∼5.2 ppb, respectively. Backward trajectory analysis showed that air masses may have lifted the isoprene emitted by marine algae. We believe our findings provide valuable data set of isoprene estimation over the under sampled WCAP

Innovation capability and its role in enhancing the relationship between TQM practices and innovation performance

Innovation plays a critical role in predicting the long-term survival of organizations, determining an organization’s success and sustaining its global competitiveness, especially in an environment where technologies, competitive position and customer demands can change almost overnight, and where the life-cycle of products and services are becoming shorter.Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to extend the existing knowledge as to the relationship between TQM practices and innovation performance by exploring the expected role of innovation capability as mediator to enhance this relationship.At the same time, this study attempted to shed a light on how to improve innovation performance of manufacturing companies in Malaysia.The gained results indicated that innovation capability mediates the relationship between TQM practices and innovation performance. More importantly, this study supports the findings of the past studies that questioned the role of TQM practices in improving innovation performance. Finally, in light of the obtained results, several recommendations were introduced to assist decision makers in manufacturing companies

Isoprene hotspots at the Western Coast of Antarctic Peninsula during MASEC′16

Isoprene (C5H8) plays an important role in the formation of surface ozone (O3) and the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) which contributed to the climate change. This study aims to determine hourly distribution of tropospheric isoprene over the Western Coast of Antarctic Peninsula (WCAP) during the Malaysian Antarctic Scientific Expedition Cruise 2016 (MASEC′16). In-situ measurements of isoprene were taken using a custom-built gas chromatography with photoionization detector, known as iDirac. Biological parameters such as chlorophyll a (chl-a) and particulate organic carbon (POC) were compared to the in-situ isoprene measurements. Significant positive correlation was observed between isoprene and POC concentrations (r2 = 0.67, p < 0.001), but not between isoprene and chl-a. The hotspots of isoprene over maritime Antarctic were then were investigated using NAME dispersion model reanalysis. Measurements showed that isoprene mixing ratio were the highest over region of King George Island, Deception Island and Booth Island with values of ∼5.0, ∼0.9 and ∼5.2 ppb, respectively. Backward trajectory analysis showed that air masses may have lifted the isoprene emitted by marine algae. We believe our findings provide valuable data set of isoprene estimation over the under sampled WCAP