Effect of Deposition Time on Properties of Ni–Cu Alloy Films Electrodeposited on ITO Coated Glass Substrates

The structural, magnetic, and surface morphological properties of Ni–Cu films electrodeposited on ITO (indium tin oxide) glass substrates at different deposition times ranging between 2 s and 600 s have been investigated. The structure of the films was studied using X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The XRD results showed that all samples have a face-centered cubic (FCC) structure. From the XRD patterns, it was also found that the crystallographic structure of the films strongly depends on the deposition time. Compositional analysis of Ni–Cu films carried out by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) indicated that the Ni content within the films increases with increasing deposition time and then almost saturates at deposition time of 600 s. The result of the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements revealed that the saturation magnetization increases with increasing Ni content within the film. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the topographic properties of Ni–Cu films. It was found that the surface roughness of Ni–Cu alloy films increases with increasing deposition time. Furthermore, the surface texture was found to be isotropic for all films grown at different deposition times.     

Short-Term Flood Control and Long-Term Energy Maximization in Multi-reservoir Systems Using Improved Particle Swarm Optimization

Water Resources Management - In this study, a model is developed for short-term flood control of a complex multi-reservoir system located on one of the largest basins in Turkey. The managing body...     

Investigation of the effects of plasma arc parameters on the structure variation of AISI 304 and St 52 steels

In this study, AISI 304 stainless steel and St 52 carbon steel have been cut by plasma arc and the variations of structural specifications occurred after cutting has been investigated. According to the experimental results, it has been seen that burning of particulars and distribution amount were increased when the cutting was performed using the speeds which are upper or lower limits of the ideal cutting speeds proposed by the manufacturer of the machine tool. Moreover, it was determined that the hardness from the outer surface to the core decreased, while the hardness near to the outer surface which affected by the high temperature occurred during cutting increased.     

Ibuprofen release from porous hydroxyapatite tablets

The present study investigated drug release profiles from porous hydroxyapatite [Ca₅(PO₄)₃OH, HAP] tablets. HAP tablets prepared synthetically and porous structure was generated via microemulsion after sintering at 700 °C. The influence of tablet's microemulsion concentration on drug release profiles from sintered porous tablets was investigated by using ibuprofen (C₁₃H₁₈O₂) as model drug.A numerical approach based on Fick's second diffusion law was used to investigate drug release kinetics from porous HAP tablets. Via this equation, diffusion coefficients were calculated for each tablet and compared. Drug release from the tablets was influenced by the porosity and tortuosity of the porous network. The drug release from porous HAP tablets was increased by microemulsion concentration. It is possible to obtain HAP based drug delivery system which has different drug release behavior by controlling microemulsion concentration in tablets before sintering.     

Investigation of Effects of Nonlinear Static Analysis Procedures to Performance Evaluation on Low-Rise RC Buildings

The aim of the study is to compare and evaluate structural response demands obtained from nonlinear static analysis procedures (NSPs) which are displacement coefficient method (DCM) recommended in FEMA 356 and capacity spectrum method (CSM) recommended in ATC 40. For these reasons, three of three-dimensional low-rise RC buildings with different characteristics are investigated. In order to determine nonlinear behavior of the buildings under lateral loads, the base shear-roof displacement relationships (capacity curves) are obtained by pushover analysis including P-delta effects. Then by considering four different seismic hazard levels, building performances are determined by using the CSM and by using from DCM results determined in a previous study. In order to determine performance levels of the buildings, maximum beam and column plastic rotation demands and maximum story drift demands are determined in the related maximum displacement demands. Plastic strains in the equivalent diagonal struts, representing the nonstructural infill walls, are also determined, similarly. Comparing structural response quantities (such as plastic rotations, story drifts, etc.) obtained from the NSPs for considered low-rise RC buildings, effects of different NSPs in performance evaluations of the buildings are investigated comparatively, as well.     

Mean shift spectral clustering

In recent years there has been a growing interest in clustering methods stemming from the spectral decomposition of the data affinity matrix, which are shown to present good results on a wide variety of situations. However, a complete theoretical understanding of these methods in terms of data distributions is not yet well understood. In this paper, we propose a spectral clustering based mode merging method for mean shift as a theoretically well-founded approach that enables a probabilistic interpretation of affinity based clustering through kernel density estimation. This connection also allows principled kernel optimization and enables the use of anisotropic variable-size kernels to match local data structures. We demonstrate the proposed algorithm's performance on image segmentation applications and compare its clustering results with the well-known Mean Shift and Normalized Cut algorithms.     

A particle swarm optimization algorithm for the multiple-level warehouse layout design problem

Warehouse operation and management is one of the essential parts of manufacturing and service operations. The warehouse layout problem is a key to warehouse operations. Generally, warehouse layout design models attempt to optimize different objectives such as the orientation of storage racks, the allocation of space among competing uses, the number of cranes, the overall configuration of the facility, etc. The warehousing strategies can be classified as distribution-type, production-type and contract-type warehouse strategies. In this study, a distribution-type warehouse considered that various type products are collected from different suppliers for storing in the warehouse for a determined period and for delivery to different customers. The aim of the study is to design a multiple-level warehouse shelf configuration which minimizes the annual carrying costs. The turnover rates of the products are classified and they are considered while putting/picking them to/from shelves regarding the distances between the shelves and docks. Since proposed mathematical model was shown to be NP-hard, a particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) as a novel heuristic was developed for determining the optimal layout.     

A fuzzy analytic network process based approach to transportation-mode selection between Turkey and Germany: A case study

A case study examining the different modes for transportation of freight by a Turkish logistics-service provider company is presented herein. A number of conflicting qualitative and quantitative criteria exist for evaluating alternative modes of transport. Qualitative criteria are often accompanied by ambiguity and vagueness. To cope with ambiguity and vagueness problem, the fuzzy analytic network process (ANP) method has been used. A large number of detailed criteria that interact with each other have been evaluated and synthesized to obtain the most suitable transportation mode. This evaluation has been carried out by a group of decision makers coming from different management levels and functional areas in the sector of logistics and from the service company with intent to provide a more accurate and mutually acceptable solution. Furthermore, the model used here has been validated by comparing the results obtained with the current preferences of the company.     

Wear behavior of iron boride coating on AISI 4140

A new paste technique was established for making boronising coatings. This method gave iron boride coatings a unique wear and tear property something that was tested as a microstructural feature. The coats were acquired from obtained by transmission of boron molecules from ferrobor concentrates to steel surface. Boronising parameters were applied at temperatures between 1023 and 1248 K temperatures at time range 2–8 h. This process led to enhancement in the coat layer, thickness and microstructure. To assess the durability and strength of the resultant element, a tribometer in block-on-ring configuration was used with a pairing of 20, 40 and 60 Newton’s at sliding speeds of 0.2–1.85 ms^–1. It was found that, the coats made at temperatures of 1173–1223 K for 8 h lasted as long as the coat existed. Once they coat got off, residues of the same brought body abrasion. If time taken to boronize was reduced to 4–6 h at temperatures of between 1073 and 1173 K, then wear of the coat became oxidative with no trace of cracks.