This paper presents a systematic literature review exploring the Family Group Conferencing experiences with racially minoritised families in England. The literature search identified eight ...qualitative studies that met the inclusion criteria. This review found that racially minoritised families felt that Family Group Conferencing was empowering and met their cultural needs at times, but suggested caution about how culturally adaptable the approach is for this population. We argue that FGC could be presented as an Indigenous model of engaging with family networks with relevance for social workers working with racially minoritised communities in England. We suggest that Family Group Conferencing aligns with aims of decolonisation and cultural competence and argue the need to explore how Indigenous knowledge can be valued more effectively in global social work debates.
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the most popular additive manufacturing technologies for various engineering applications. FDM process has been introduced commercially in early 1990s by ...Stratasys Inc., USA. The quality of FDM processed parts mainly depends on careful selection of process variables. Thus, identification of the FDM process parameters that significantly affect the quality of FDM processed parts is important. In recent years, researchers have explored a number of ways to improve the mechanical properties and part quality using various experimental design techniques and concepts. This article aims to review the research carried out so far in determining and optimizing the process parameters of the FDM process. Several statistical designs of experiments and optimization techniques used for the determination of optimum process parameters have been examined. The trends for future FDM research in this area are described.
This paper reviews the modeling techniques and control strategies applied to gas turbine power generation plants. Recent modeling philosophies are discussed and the state-of-the-art feasible ...strategies for control are shown. Research conducted in the field of modeling, simulation, and control of gas turbine power plants has led to notable advancements in gas turbines’ operation and energy efficiency. Tracking recent achievements and trends that have been made is essential for further development and future research. A comprehensive survey is presented here that covers the outdated attempts toward the up-to-date techniques with emphasis on different issues and turbines’ characteristics. Critical review of the various published methodologies is very useful in showing the importance of this research area in practical and technical terms. The different modeling approaches are classified and each category is individually investigated by reviewing a considerable number of research articles. Then, the main features of each category or approach is reported. The modern multi-variable control strategies that have been published for gas turbines are also reviewed. Moreover, future trends are proposed as recommendations for planned research.
•PCMs in mortar improve thermal performance and save energy in buildings.•PCMs with ceramics waste reduce the temperature by 9.5 °C with a peak shift of 115 min.•Temperature reduction leads to ...reduced cooling loads and energy savings.•Enhance mechanical properties of mortar using ceramics waste and PCMs up to 50%.•Replacing natural sand with ceramics and 50% PCM increases compressive strength by 37.1%.
Energy efficiency improvement techniques for buildings are among the fundamental challenges to sustainable buildings. PCMs incorporation in mortar is one of the efficient techniques for improving the energy efficiency of buildings. However, the low integration ratio of PCMs into cement mortar significantly decreases its effectiveness. Using PCMs as a replacement for sand has a negative effect that leads to the deterioration of the mechanical properties of mortar. This study aims to extend using PCMs in mortar eco-friendly and study the impact PCMs up to 50% as additions of cement content with ceramic fine aggregate waste as a replacement for sand on thermal energy storage ability improvement and enhance its physicomechanical properties. Twelve specimens were prepared, four mixtures of mortars with 0%, 12.5%, 25%, and 50% PCMs, as additions to the cement content with 100% natural sand. Eight mixtures were prepared with different ceramic fine aggregate contents with 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% as replacements from sand content with integrated 25% and 50% PCMs, respectively. SEM, thermal performance, and physical–mechanical characteristics of the mortar-integrated PCM were performed. The results showed no chemical interactions between the PCM and the cementitious components during hydration. The compressive strength and thermal performance results showed enhancement when using ceramic as a replacement for sand by increasing about 37.1% for compressive strength, with the decreased temperatures to 9.5 °C and phase peaks shifting ahead by 115 min for a mix of 50% PCM + 100CFA, compared to 7.0 °C with phase peaks shifting by 85 min for a mix of 50 %PCM + 100NS.
Summary
With the affirmative advancements in clean coal technologies toward more environmentally friendly power systems, it has become critical to gain a comprehensive understanding of the modeling ...philosophies of such technologies. Supercritical (SC) and ultra‐supercritical (USC) technologies are among the leading options of clean coal technologies, and it is widely acknowledged that they provide flexible power generation for grid electrical demand while sustaining cleaner operations. This paper presents detailed qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the most salient modeling methodologies of a 600 MW SC generation unit which study the once‐through operation to provide future researchers with a better understanding of this field and be used as a reference for more advanced strategies and decision‐making problems, such as efficiency improvements, emissions reduction, and control design for industry personnel, by determining the key characteristics and drawbacks of each modeling technique. These methods are first‐principles or physics‐based modeling, state‐space system identification (SI) modeling using prediction error minimization, and artificial neural networks (ANN) modeling using the non‐linear autoregressive exogenous input (NARX). The comparison was found to be effective in recognizing the diversity in the computational capabilities of the three developed models. The simulation errors for the adopted output responses are presented to quantify the comparison and justify the superiority and imperfection of each method in terms of accuracy. Other qualitative factors for comparison include simplicity and physics‐based sagacity. It has been eventually deduced that in terms of accuracy, the ANN‐based model using NARX is the most accurate model and has the best performance for black‐box modeling, whereas the linearized state‐space model using SI modeling is the most suitable one for designing linear controllers, and the physical model is superior for physical interpretation and stability studies. The control applications of each technique have been highlighted as well.
Highlights
Three different models are presented for a 600 MW cleaner SC boiler‐turbine‐generator unit that covers the once‐through mode.
A comprehensive realization of the three modeling techniques is presented.
Simulation results have shown the suitability of the three methods for this specific application with different capabilities, computational burdens, and possible control methods.
A comparative study is then reported and discussed in detail, which can be used as a future educational guide for future researchers.
Egypt produces more rice straw than any other nation, and this residue is currently discarded in untreated landfills and open fields, causing environmental damage in the country. Furthermore, ...eggshells, a waste product used in bakeries, restaurants, and poultry farms, were typically disposed of in landfills, posing health hazards. So, grinding eggshells into nanoparticles, known as nano eggshell powder (NEP), increases its activity. In addition, to its high calcium content, NEP may be used with pozzolanic substances like rice straw ash (RSA), which have a lower calcium concentration. This study examined the characteristics of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) produced using RSA and NEP eco-friendly components within partial cement substitution. The ratios of RSA to cement were 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, and 30 %, while the NEP quantities were 2 %, 4 %, and 6 % of the total binder. The results indicate that combining NEP and RSA as pozzolanic materials can improve concrete characteristics while decreasing cement content and reducing environmental contamination. Using RSA and NEP as substitutes for cement has also improved the material's mechanical characteristics, durability, and dry shrinkage.
A series of Schiff bases
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were designed and synthesized for evaluation of their antibacterial properties against multi-drug resistant bacteria (MDRB). The antibacterial activities of Schiff bases
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...showed that most of the synthesized compounds displayed a significant antibacterial activity. Assessment of in silico ADMET properties (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) of Schiff bases illustrates that all derivatives showed agreement to the Lipinski's rule of five. Further enzymatic assay aided by molecular docking study demonstrated that compound
is a potent inhibitor of
DNA gyrase and dihydrofolate reductase kinases. This study could be valuable in the discovery of new potent antimicrobial agents.
Increased urbanization in the developing world parallels a rising burden of chronic diseases. Developing countries account for ∼ 80% of global cardiovascular (CV) deaths, but contribute a paucity of ...systematic epidemiological data on CV risk factors.
To estimate the prevalence of CV risk factors in rural and urban cohorts attending general practice clinics in the Africa and Middle East (AfME) region.
In a cross-sectional epidemiological study, the presence of CV risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus (diabetes), dyslipidemia, obesity, smoking and abdominal obesity) were evaluated in stable adult outpatients attending general practice primary care clinics. A rural population was defined as isolated (>50 km or lack of easy access to commuter transportation) from urban centers.
4,378 outpatients were systematically recruited from 94 clinics across 14 AfME countries. Mean age was 46 ± 14 years and 52% of outpatients were female. A high prevalence of dyslipidemia (70%) and abdominal obesity (68%) were observed, followed by hypertension (43%) and diabetes (25%). The vast majority of outpatients (92%) had at least one modifiable CV risk factor, many (74%) had more than one, and half (53%) had 3 or more. These findings were observed in both genders and across urban and rural centers. Among outpatients with pre-existing hypertension or dyslipidemia, many were not at their target blood pressure or LDL-cholesterol goals.
Cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent among relatively young, stable outpatients attending general practice clinics across AfME. The findings support opportunistic screening for CV risk factors whenever outpatients visit a general practitioner and provide an opportunity for early identification and management of CV risk factors, including lifestyle interventions.
In this paper, we present an experimental study of the metrological stabilization of a solid-state frequency comb for embedded metrology applications. The comb is a passively mode-locked laser diode ...based on InGaAs/InP Quantum-dash structure emitting optical lines into a 9 nm bandwidth centered at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">1.55~\mu \text{m} </tex-math></inline-formula> with a repetition rate of 10.09 GHz. The frequency stabilization is achieved by optical injection locking of the comb with an external cavity laser diode referenced onto a metrological frequency standard. One observes the transfer of the spectral purity from the injection laser to the neighbouring modes of the injected one as well as the transfer of stability to the adjacent modes. The measurement of the long term stability highlights a frequency noise with random walk behavior specific of the passive mode locking process. Demonstration of sidebands of the injection laser at the repetition frequency of the comb also makes it possible to propose a transfer mechanism and to consider a complete stabilization of the frequency comb at a metrological stability level.
Light is one of the most important limiting factors for photosynthesis and the production of plants, especially in the regions where natural environmental conditions do not provide sufficient ...sunlight, and there is a great dependence on artificial lighting to grow plants and produce food. The influence of light intensity, quality, and photoperiod on photosynthetic pigments content and some biochemical and growth traits of cucumber seedlings grown under controlled conditions was investigated. An orthogonal design based on a combination of different light irradiances, ratio of LEDs and photoperiods was used. Treaments consisted of three light irradiance regimes (80, 100, and 150 µmol m
s
) provided by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of different ratios of red and blue (R:B) (30:70, 50:50, and 70:30) and three different photoperiods (10/14, 12/12, and 14/10 h). The white light was used as a control/reference. Plant height, hypocotyl length, stem diameter, leaf area, and soluble sugar content were highest when exposed to LM9 (150 µmol m
s
; R70:B30; 12/12 h) light mode, while the lowest values for the above parameters were obtained under LM1 (80 µmol m
s
; R30:B70; 10/14 h). Higher pigments contents (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid) were obtained when light regime LM9 (150 µmol m
s
; R70:B30; 12/12 h) was applied. In general, cucumber seedlings grown under the LM9 regime showed a significant increase in growth as well as photosynthetic capacity. It seems that the content of photosynthetic pigments is the key factor responsible for the performance of cucumber seedlings grown under different lighting modes, compared to other traits studied. We recommend monitoring the content of chlorophyll a, b, and their ratio value when studying the light requirement of cucumber plants.
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