Streamflow Variations in Monthly,Seasonal, Annual and Extreme Values Using Mann-Kendall,Spearmen’s Rho and Innovative Trend Analysis

Water Resources Management - The present study investigates the variations in the monthly, seasonal and annual streamflow timeseries at twenty (20) stations over the upper Indus river basin (UIRB)...     

Bayesian estimation and prediction for Burr‐Rayleigh mixture model using censored data

In this study, Burr‐XII and Rayleigh distributions are combined to form a new mixture model that is considered to model heterogeneous data. Our objective is to estimate parameters of the proposed mixture model using Bayesian technique under type‐I censoring. Bayesian parameter estimation for the said mixture model is conducted by using informative priors, ie, gamma and squared root inverted gamma (SRIG) as well as noninformative prior, ie, Jeffrey's prior. Squared error loss function (SELF) and quadratic loss function (QLF) are employed to obtain and Bayes estimators. Properties of the proposed Bayes estimators are highlighted through a simulation study. When prior distributions and loss functions utilized in the study are compared in terms of posterior risks, informative prior found to be more suitable and decision turns out to be in favor of QLF. Prediction limits for the single sample case and two sample case are obtained to provide an insight into future sample data. Application of the proposed model is also elaborated using a real‐life example.     

Comparative SEM and LM foliar epidermal and palyno‐morphological studies of Amaranthaceae and its taxonomic implications

Palynological features as well as comparative foliar epidermal using light and scanning electron microscope (SEM) of 17 species (10genera) of Amaranthaceae have been studied for its taxonomic significance. Different foliar and palynological micro‐morphological characters were examined to explain their value in resolving the difficulty in identification. All species were amphistomatic but stomata on abaxial surface were more abundant. Taxonomically significant epidermal character including stomata type, trichomes (unicellular, multicellular, and capitate) and epidermal cells shapes (polygonal and irregular) were also observed. Pollens of this family are Polypantoporate, pores large, spheroidal, mesoporous region is sparsely to scabrate, densely psilate, and spinulose. All these characters can be active at species level for identification purpose. This study indicates that at different taxonomic levels, LM and SEM pollen and epidermal morphology is explanatory and significant to identify species and genera.     

Studies on the Mechanical Properties of Gelatin and Its Blends with Vinyltrimethoxysilane: Effect of Gamma Radiation

Gelatin films were prepared by casting. Tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (Eb) and tensile modulus (TM) of the gelatin films were found to be 56 MPa, 6.1% and 1.14 GPa, respectively. Effect of gamma radiation (Co-60) on the mechanical properties of the gelatin films was studied. Vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) was added to the gelatin during casting varying 1–7% by weight and found to increase the TS and TM significantly. Then the films were irradiated and found further increase of TS and TM. Water uptake of the gelatin films and 5% VTMS containing gelatin films were also evaluated.     

Physico-Mechanical and Degradation Properties of Urea-Modified Chitosan Film Photocured with 1-Vinyl-2 Pyrrolidone

Chitosan and urea modified chitosan films were prepared by solution casting. To improve the physico-mechanical properties of the chitosan/urea films, four formulations were prepared using 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidon (NVP) (varied from 10–80% by weight) in methanol along with photo-initiator. The films were soaked (1–4 minutes) in the prepared formulations and photo-cured under UV-light at different intensities (5–35 pass). The physico-mechanical properties, polymer loading, gel content, water uptake and simulating weathering test of the NVP grafted photocured chitosan/urea film were carried out. Degradation of the chitosan/urea film was also observed. The scanning electron micrographs of the photo-cured chitosan/urea film showed smooth surface, compact and homogeneous structure.     

Exploring the Relationship Between Multi-Dimensional Top Management Support and Project Success: An International Study

Abstract

The role of top management support in achieving project success has gained much attention in research and practice. A number of studies on single dimensional top management support have been conducted. In the engineering management literature, top management support has rarely been studied as a multi-dimensional construct. This research examines the relationship between multiple dimensions of top management support and project success. Different data analysis methods were employed to test the research hypotheses and to validate the multi-dimensionality of top management support. Findings indicate a significant and positive relationship between multi-dimensional top management support and project success.     

Water distribution systems flow monitoring and anomalous event detection: A practical approach

Methods to detect outliers in network flow measurements that may be due to pipe bursts or unusual consumptions are fundamental to improve water distribution system on-line operation and management, and to ensure reliable historical data for sustainable planning and design of these systems. To detect and classify anomalous events in flow data from district metering areas a four-step methodology was adopted, implemented and tested: i) data acquisition, ii) data validation and normalization, iii) anomalous observation detection, iv) anomalous event detection and characterization. This approach is based on the renewed concept of outlier regions and depends on a reduced number of configuration parameters: the number of past observations, the true positive rate and the false positive rate. Results indicate that this approach is flexible and applicable to the detection of different types of events (e.g., pipe burst, unusual consumption) and to different flow time series (e.g., instantaneous, minimum night flow).     

Examining student rating of teaching effectiveness using FACETS

Students' evaluations of teaching staff can be considered high-stakes, as they are often used to determine promotion, reappointment, and merit pay to academics. Using Facets, the reliability and validity of one student rating questionnaire is analyzed. A total of 13,940 respondents of the Human Science Division of International Islamic University Malaysia were involved in the study. The analysis shows that the student rating questionnaire used was valid and reliable, and it allows identification of staff for the institution's prestigious teaching excellence awards, and those needing in-service training. It was found that there was no significant difference in terms of rank, age and gender of the staff. The study also shows that the majority of staff have problems keeping the class interested and getting students to participate in class activities. Faculty also hardly discussed common errors in assignments and tests.     

Formation of water-in-diesel oil nano-emulsions using high energy method and studying some of their surface active properties

In this work, formations of water-in-diesel oil nano-emulsions using water/mixed nonionic surfactant/diesel oil system have been studied. The high energy emulsification method was used to form three emulsions using different water contents: 5%, 10% and 14% (v/v) namely; E1, E2 and E3, respectively. These nano-emulsions were stabilized with emulsifiers having different Hydrophilic–Lipophilic Balance (HLB) namely; span 80 (HLB = 4.3), emarol 85 (HLB = 11) and their mixture (SE) with HLB = 10. The effect of water on the droplet size formation has been investigated. The interfacial tension and thermodynamic properties of the individual and emulsifiers blends have been studied. The interfacial tension (γ) measurements at 30 °C were used to determine the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and surface active properties of these emulsifiers. The water droplet sizes were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). From the obtained data, it was found that, mean sizes between 19.3 and 39 nm were obtained depending on the water content and concentration of blend emulsifiers (SE). Also, the results show that, the interfacial tension (γ) gives minimum value (10.85 mN/m) for SE comparing with individual emulsifier (17.13 and 12.77 mN/m) for span 80 and emarol 85, respectively. The visual inspection by TEM showed that the obtained results support the data obtained by dynamic light scattering.