A bidding decision index for construction contractors

Results from applying the model on a sample of contractors, the majority of whom were international and operating in Egypt, reinforces the credibility of the developed methodology, claim the authors.     

A Y-channel design for improving zeta potential and surface conductivity measurements using the current monitoring method

This study presents a new Y-channel design for measuring the zeta potential and surface conductance of a solid-liquid pairing using the current monitoring technique. The new design improves the throughput and reliability of the testing apparatus since the displacement between two solutions can be repeated many times without interfering with the experiments. It also increases the accuracy of the measurement by producing sharper start and end transitions for the current–time plot of the solution displacement process. In this design, efforts have been made to minimize the effects of electrolysis, Joule heating and undesired pressure driven flow on the measurements. An improvement on the current–time slope analysis is also presented. The Y-channel design was validated by comparing zeta potential measurements to published results. The zeta potential of several biological buffers relevant to the microfluidic community in plasma treated PDMS/PDMS and PDMS/Glass microchannels are presented. Preliminary studies of surface conductivity measurements using the Y-channel design were also conducted and are briefly discussed.     

Behavior of Composite Unreinforced Masonry–Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Wall Assemblages Under In-Plane Loading

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the in-plane behavior of face shell mortar bedded unreinforced masonry (URM) wall assemblages retrofitted with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) laminates. Forty-two URM assemblages were tested under different stress conditions present in masonry shear and infill walls. Tests included prisms loaded in compression with different bed joint orientation (on/off-axis compression), diagonal tension specimens, and specimens loaded under joint shear. The behavior of each specimen type is discussed with emphasis on modes of failure, strength and deformation characteristics. Results showed that the application of FRP laminates on URM has a great influence on strength, postpeak behavior, as well as altering failure modes and maintaining the specimen integrity. The retrofitted specimens reached compressive strength of 1.62–5.64 times that of their unretrofitted counterparts, depending on the bed joint orientation, and joint shear strength increased by eightfold.     

A thorough investigation for development of hydrogen projects from wind energy: A case study

Increasing energy demand has led to a substantial growth in the use of wind energy across the world, which can be attributed to the low initial and running costs and rapid and easy deployment of this technology. The development of hydrogen from wind energy is an excellent way to store the excess wind power produced, as the produced hydrogen can be used not only as clean fuel but also as input for various industries. Considering the good wind potentials of Yazd province, the variety of industries that are active in this area, and the central location of this province in Iran, which gives it ample access to major transport routes and other industrial hubs, hydrogen production from wind power in this province could benefit not only this region but the entire country. Given these considerations, we conducted a technical, economic, and environmental assessment of the potential for wind power generation and hydrogen production in Yazd province. Overall, the assessments showed that the best locations for harvesting wind energy in this province are Bahabad and Halvan stations. For these two stations, it is recommended to use EWT DW 52-900 turbine to take advantage of its higher nominal capacity to achieve higher electricity and hydrogen output and emission reduction. For Abarkoh and Kerit stations, which have a low wind energy potential, it is recommended to use small turbines such as Eovent EVA120 H-Darrieus. Also, economic and technical assessments showed that it is not economically justified to harvest wind energy in Ardakan station. The results of ranking the stations with the Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) and Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) techniques showed that Bahabad station was introduced as the best place to produce hydrogen from wind energy.     

In Silico/In Vitro Hit-to-Lead Methodology Yields SMYD3 Inhibitor That Eliminates Unrestrained Proliferation of Breast Carcinoma Cells

SMYD3 is a lysine methyltransferase that regulates the expression of over 80 genes and is required for the uncontrolled proliferation of most breast, colorectal, and hepatocellular carcinomas. The elimination of SMYD3 restores normal expression patterns of these genes and halts aberrant cell proliferation, making it a promising target for small molecule inhibition. In this study, we sought to establish a proof of concept for our in silico/in vitro hit-to-lead enzyme inhibitor development platform and to identify a lead small molecule candidate for SMYD3 inhibition. We used Schrodinger^® software to screen libraries of small molecules in silico and the five compounds with the greatest predicted binding affinity within the SMYD3 binding pocket were purchased and assessed in vitro in direct binding assays and in breast cancer cell lines. We have confirmed the ability of one of these inhibitors, Inhibitor-4, to restore normal rates of cell proliferation, arrest the cell cycle, and induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells without affecting wildtype cell behavior. Our results provide a proof of concept for this fast and affordable small molecule hit-to-lead methodology as well as a promising candidate small molecule SMYD3 inhibitor for the treatment of human cancer.     

Orthogonal planar laser polarization spectroscopy

Planar laser polarization spectroscopy has recently been used to image the hydroxyl radical in combustion for small intersection angles of pump and probe beams. We report an experimental configuration that allows planar laser polarization imaging for perpendicular intersection of pump and probe beams. We demonstrate what to our knowledge is the first planar laser polarization spectroscopy imaging at a 90 degree intersection of pump and probe beams for both linearly and circularly polarized pump beams.     

Simultaneous measurement of the surface temperature and the release of atomic sodium from a burning black liquor droplet

Simultaneous measurement of the concentration of released atomic sodium, swelling, surface and internal temperature of a burning black liquor droplet under a fuel lean and rich condition has been demonstrated. Two-dimensional two-colour optical pyrometry was employed to determine the distribution of surface temperature and swelling of a burning black liquor droplet while planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) was used to assess the temporal release of atomic sodium. The key findings of these studies are: (i) the concentration of atomic sodium released during the drying and devolatilisation stages was found to be correlated with the external surface area; and (ii) the insignificant presence of atomic sodium during the char consumption stage shows that sodium release is suppressed by the lower temperature and by the high CO₂ content in and around the particle.     

Spatial Precipitation Assessment with Elevation by Using Point Cumulative Semivariogram Technique

Depiction of precipitation change by elevation in an areaindicates the possibilities of orographic rainfall occurrencesin the mountainous regions. In general, precipitation increaseswith elevation but sometimes inverse cases occur locally due toorographic and meteorological features of the area. Inpractice, prior to any quantitative modeling, qualitativeassessments and interpretations help to have sound foundationsin search for a suitable model. In this article, standardizedpoint cumulative semivariogram (SPCSV) methodology is employedfor identification of the precipitation-elevationrelationship. According to relative positions of theprecipitation and elevation SPCSVs four different precipitationcategories are suggested. The application of the methodologyproposed is presented for the precipitation records from YuccaMountain, Nevada, U.S.A.     

Evaluation of the Generating Capacity Adequacy of the Saudi Arabian Central Operating Area

The goal of the study presented in this article was to evaluate the adequacy of the generation capacity of the Central Operating Area in Saudi Arabia. The generating capacity adequacy was evaluated to examine the ability of the generating capacity of the system to meet the total system demand. Over the last five decades, several probabilistic methods have been developed as a means of conducting such an evaluation. Three probabilistic simulation techniques were used for the evaluation of the designated system for this study: analytical, sequential, and non-sequential Monte Carlo. A variety of reliability indices, such as loss of load expectation and loss of energy expectation, were obtained.     

Co-channel interference in cellular radio systems using frequency hopping code division multiple access (FH-CDMA)

The expected interference power in a digital cellular radio system using frequency hopping code division multiple access is investigated. The up-link only is considered. Using both analytical and numerical methods, a probability density function for this power is derived. This function is used to predict the hop erasure probability of a system, as a function of the tolerable signal to interference ratio and of the system load.Mr. Al-Etaibi is sponsored by Saudi Telecom