Investigating the Effectiveness of Certain Priority Rules on Resource Scheduling of Housing Estate Projects

The heuristic method is one of the methods used for the scheduling of resource-constrained projects. This method is commonly used in programming the projects with high number of activities and resources such as construction investments. This paper investigates the effectiveness of three heuristic method priority rules applied in the resource scheduling of ten Turkish housing estate projects which were scheduled according to three preselected priority rules [maximum remaining path length (MRPL), latest finish time (LFT), and minimum slack time (MNSLCK)] in resource-constrained conditions. The performance of each priority rule was evaluated in relation to the duration of the project. The results revealed that MRPL priority reduced the project duration to minimum in six projects, whereas LFT priority yielded the best duration results in three projects and MNSLCK priority in only one project.     

Comparison of radioactive transmission and mechanical properties of Portland cement and a modified cement with trommel sieve waste

In this study, it was aimed to stabilize trommel sieve waste (TSW) occurring during manufacture of borax from tincal. The effects of TSW added on the mechanical properties and radioactive transmission of modified cement prepared by adding TSW to clinker was investigated. The properties which TSW as additive caused the cement to gain were tested and compared with normal Portland cement.Measurements have been made to determine variation of mass attenuation coefficients of TSW and cement by using an extremely narrow-collimated-beam transmission method in the energy range 15.746-40.930 keV with X-ray transmission method. The characteristic Kα and Kβ X-rays of the different elements (Zr, Mo, Ag, In, Sb, Ba and Pr) passed through TSW and cement were detected with a high-resolution Si(Li) detector. Results are presented and discussed in this paper.     

Experimental investigation of thermal performance of a solar assisted heat pump system with an energy storage

An experimental solar assisted heat pump space heating system with a daily energy storage tank is designed and constructed, and its thermal performance is investigated. The heating system basically consists of flat plate solar collectors, a heat pump, a cylindrical storage tank, measuring units, and a heating room located in Gaziantep, Turkey (37.1°N). All measurements are automatically collected as a function of time by means of a measurement chain feeding to a data logger in combination with a PC. Hourly and daily variations of solar radiation, collector performance, coefficient of performance of the heat pump (COP_HP), and that of the overall system (COP_S) are calculated to evaluate the system performance. The effects of climatic conditions and certain operating parameters on the system performance parameters are investigated. COP_HP is about 2.5 for a lower storage temperature at the end of a cloudy day and it is about 3.5 for a higher storage temperature at the end of a sunny day, and it fluctuates between these values in other times. Also, COP_S turns out to be about 15–20% lower than COP_HP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of purified sulfate turpentine on engine performance and exhaust emission

This study deals with an experimental work that aims to examine effects of purified sulfate turpentine obtained from a kraft pulp mill in Turkey on an engine performance and exhaust emissions of a spark ignition engine. Three fuel samples are used to test the performance and emission of a 1300 cc engine manufactured by TOFA?. They are pure gasoline with 98-octane number and two other gasoline-turpentine fuel samples obtained by blending gasoline with turpentine in ratios of 5% and 10% on basis of total mass of the fuel. The thermophysical properties of the fuels are acquired by density, viscosity, flash and fire points, sulphur content, heating value and distillation tests. The experimental results showed that the turpentine has a positive effect on the engine performance parameters, such as brake power, thermal efficiency, mean effective pressure and specific fuel consumption. The turpentine also increases pollutant NO_x, unburned hydrocarbon contents and exhaust temperature, but it decreases CO concentration in the exhaust. It is observed that utilization of the sulfate turpentine alone is not viable and it needs to be used as an additive into gasoline to some extent, thereby providing a viable alternative to pure gasoline.     

A quantitative comparison between electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation for boron removal from boron-containing solution

This paper provides a quantitative comparison of electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation approaches based on boron removal. Electrocoagulation process delivers the coagulant in situ as the sacrificial anode corrodes, due to a fixed current density, while the simultaneous evolution of hydrogen at the cathode allows for pollutant removal by flotation. By comparison, conventional chemical coagulation typically adds a salt of the coagulant, with settling providing the primary pollutant removal path. Chemical coagulation was carried out via jar tests using aluminum chloride. Comparison was done with the same amount of coagulant between electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation processes. Boron removal obtained was higher with electrocoagulation process. In addition, it was seen that chemical coagulation has any effect for boron removal from boron-containing solution. At optimum conditions (e.g. pH 8.0 and aluminum dose of 7.45 g/L), boron removal efficiencies for electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation were 94.0% and 24.0%, respectively.     

The evaluation of procedures for dyeing silk with buckthorn and walloon oak on the basis of colour changes and fastness characteristics

In this study, silk fabric samples were dyed according to various procedures with buckthorn (Rhamnus petiolaris Boiss) and walloon oak (Quercus ithaburensis Decaisne) extracts. Reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode‐array detection was utilised for the identification of dyes present in the dyed silk fabrics and the plant extracts. The extraction of dyes was carried out with a hydrochloric acid/methanol/water (2:1:1; v/v/v) mixture. The colour coordinates of the silk fabrics were measured, and the rubbing, wash and light fastness properties of the dyed silk materials were determined and are discussed.     

Nuclear AgNOR protein enhancement in nucleoplasms of peripheral blood lymphocytes of babies/children with down syndrome

Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most common chromosomal disorders. The factors contributing to the mental retardation together with other defects in this syndrome have not been fully explained. Individuals with DS have extra rRNA gene family since they carry an extra chromosome 21. The few reports available are on the relationship between the nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) and DS phenotype. The in vivo regulation of NORs expression on the extra chromosome 21 is not completely understood. Previous studies have shown that nucleoli of lymphocytes from infants (mostly neonates) with DS contain more in vivo and in vitro nucleolar AgNOR proteins when compared with healthy infants. The objective of this study is to compare the in vivo nuclear AgNOR protein level in nucleoplasms (also called as karyoplasm) of nonstimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes from babies/children with DS and healthy controls. Peripheral blood samples obtained from 20 babies/children with DS and 20 matched healthy controls were smeared on clean glass slides and then AgNOR staining was performed. The AgNOR protein level in nucleoplasms of lymphocytes from both groups was calculated using a computer program. Nearly 100 interphase nuclei per individual were analysed. Average nuclear AgNOR protein levels in nucleoplasms of lymphocytes from babies/children with DS were found to be significantly higher than those of the controls (P < 0.001). On the basis of our present results, we propose that the increase of nuclear AgNOR protein in in vivo conditions may contribute to the formation of DS phenotypes. Microsc. Res. Tech. 79:133–139, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Erythromycin residue in honey from the Southern Marmara region of Turkey

Honey samples, collected from the Southern Marmara region of Turkey, were analysed for erythromycin residues by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry using electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode (LC–ESI–MS). Fifty samples, comprising chestnut, pine, linden and multi-flower honeys, were collected directly from hives and analyzed. The limit of detection and quantification were 6 and 20 ng g^?1, respectively, and recovery ranged from 85 to 89%. Four of the honey samples (8%) were found to be contaminated with erythromycin residues at concentrations ranging from 50 to 1776 ng g^?1. An erythromycin-fortified cake feeding assay was also performed in a defined hive to test the transfer of erythromycin residue to the honey matrix. In this test hive, the residue level in the honey, 3 months after dosing, was approximately 28 ng g^?1.     

Power quality assessment of grid-connected wind farms considering regulations in turkey

This paper presents measurement system and detailed analysis of power quality at the substation of two different wind farm sites which are of low and high power rate. Measurement system has been designed using a data acquisition board (DAQ), Labview software, Matlab programming and a portable PC. The system has been installed at medium voltage level at substation of both wind farms. The real measurement results at substations are compared to current regulations in Turkey.