Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research

07-14

Authors: Atakpu OD, Yahaya BS, Makinde WO, Egbuna IC

The problems created by the current world energy program such as emission of green-house gases can be associated with the recent climatic changes, flooding, and paranormal heat waves and so on. This is majorly due to the lack of political will by world leaders to develop and invest in renewable energy that is sustainable and efficient. The need for the immediate move to save our planet from extinction is the reason behind the development of a technology that would generate energy using atmospheric air. This paper presents the design analysis of a compressed air engine for energy generation. A 2.75 KW, 2100 rpm compressed air engine was designed and analysed. The compressed air engine was designed and run on air whose pressure is as low as 5 bar and flow at a flow-rate of 0.0035846 m3/s.

26-31

Authors: Maryam Tayebani, Sakine Nematollahi

A series of seven different transition metals Nickle(II), Cobalt(II), Manganese(II), Iron(III), Zinc(II), Copper(II)and Cerium(II)complexes with D-Lactose mono hydrate have been synthesized and characterized by elementary analysis, molar conductivity measurements ,thermo gravimetric analyses, infrared spectra, atomic emission and electronic spectral data. Even though the method for preparation of these compounds have been the same, but different compounds with different structural formula have been obtained. The infrared spectra spectrums of these complexes have demonstrated the same metal-ion-binding pattern in all these complexes. The electronic spectrums can propose the existence of the d-character of the electron transitions in these complexes to some extent. These stable, water soluble metal carbohydrate complexes can be used as a suitable metal supplements in many biological systems.

37-43

Authors: Wang Zhi-gang

Artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is a relatively new optimization algorithm inspired by the foraging behavior of honey bee swarm, which has been used to solve many real-world optimization problems, and it performs well in most cases. However, ABC algorithm does well in exploration but badly in exploitation. In order to balance the exploration and the exploitation, a modified artificial bee colony algorithm is proposed. In this method, the employed bees search only around the random solution which is selected from the population to improve exploration, and the onlooker bees search only around the solution which is selected from the population by using the roulette wheel to improve exploitation. In addition, we use a more robust calculation to determine and compare the quality of alternative solutions. The comparison results on a set of 10 benchmark functions demonstrate the proposed method has fast convergence and high accuracy than other ABC-based algorithms.

47-53

Authors: H.L. Jayetileke, S.S.N. Perera, L.A.L.W Jayasekara

Life insurance is a contract between two parties. One party is the policyholder who pays a certain sum of money called premium and the other party is the insurer who obliged to give the financial support for the policyholder in any contingency. However the public awareness about the concept of life insurance is in very much lower level in Sri Lanka. Even though there are large number of insurance companies to issue life insurance policies none of them do not maintaining a persistent data base of life insurance policies. Moreover those who have been convinced to obtain an insurance policy do not understand the importance of maintaining their insurance policies in force by paying regular premium. This has resulted in high rate of lapse and surrender of the life policies. Therefore this study is mainly focused on to identify the factors affects for the persistency of life insurance policies in Sri Lanka. Statistical technique called Survival analysis was used to analyze data. Based on the findings, age, mode of payment, gender and marital status, occupation have been identified as the significant factors and also four survival analysis models were formulated to analyze the relationship between the duration of the life insurance policy with those identified variables.

59-65

Authors: Ette Harrison Etuk, Uyodhu Amekauma Victor-Edema

The time-plot of monthly amount of Nigerian Naira (NGN) per European Euro (EUR) from 2004 to 2016 reveals a series with a slight positive trend up to May 2016. From June 2016 forward there was an abrupt astronomical rise till the end of the year. This rise is attributed to the current economic recession bedevilling the Nigerian nation and it calls for intervention. The point of intervention is therefore June 2016. The pre-intervention exchange rate series is non-stationary and therefore subjected to differencing. The first difference is adjudged stationary by the Augmented Dickey Fuller Test. Based on the correlogram, an ARMA(11,11) is fitted to the first difference. That is, an ARIMA(11,1,11) model is fitted to the pre-intervention exchange rates. Forecasts are obtained for the post-intervention period on the basis of this model. The differences between these forecasts and the corresponding post-intervention observations are modelled to obtain the intervention model. The intervention model forecast is superimposed with the original data. Intervention may therefore be based on the derived model.

69-78

Authors: Hala O Abayazid

Bathymetric mapping with frequent updating is an essential practice for marine monitoring, modeling, and management of active changes in coastal environment. While conventional field survey experience certain limitation in coverage, frequency beside operational difficulties, remote sensing-based bathymetry retrieval witnesses significant development. This research study investigates potential applicability, as well as optimal methodology, for bathymetry derivation from satellite imagery in Egyptian coast, through a case study application in the Nile delta coastal zone. The study presents application with three techniques for satellite -based water depth retrieval; Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Single Band Algorithm (SBA) and multi-band Ratio Transform Model, using LandSat8 imagery. Training alternative ANN networks showed moderate correlation of estimated water depths with ground truth datasets (RMSE of 1.54 and MAE of 1.22). Comparative application with one band versus multiband ratio proved favorable results with the later. Single Band Algorithm (SBA) resulted in considerably poor retrieval of satellite-based water depth, with coefficient of determination (R2) = 51 %. On the other hand, Ratio Transform technique using two bands in the visible region of spectrum, namely blue and green, gave the optimum derivation of satellite-based water depth that agree with corresponding measured depths with (R2) 80 % accuracy level. Results proved the advantageous use of satellite-based bathymetry in an important deltaic region with satisfactory performance. Evolving remote sensing technology offers a promise of better informative data with finer temporal, spectral and spatial resolution imageries. Future work is recommended to examine usage of imagery with finer resolution in critical region of challenging conditions.

85-94

Authors: Mugahed A. Al-antari, Mohammed A. Almasni, Hani M. Bu-Omer, Khaled K. Wahba

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common chronic disease in Egyptian society. It seems often as a silent disease and causing no symptoms until much of the liver has been damaged. In this paper, we propose a conceptual system dynamic for HCV model to present the different life cycle stages of this disease. VENSIM-PLE is utilized to achieve this study. To understand the nature and the factors that causing this disease, we can get early chance to take different measures to prevent or minimize the occurrence of it. Then, we get the ability to decrease the mortality rate from late stage, cirrhosis, by appropriate treatments. The accumulation of the consecutive stages of the HCV disease is an S-shape in the cirrhosis stage. This result suggests a good control on the HCV death rate.

102-104

Authors: Chinweuba AJ, Alisa CO, Okoye UG

There is global demand for organic food due to perceived effects of foods produced with synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Owing to this, a comparative analysis of macro and micro nutrients in bio waste, compost and vermicompost of Solanum melongena waste were done to ascertain their efficiencies in organic farming. The vermicompost was done with indigenous Lumbricus terrestris (earth worm) in an earthen pot with mixture of Solanum melongena and cow dung in the ratio of 5:1. The biowaste was done in a similar way with exception of cow dung and Lumbricus terrestris. The compost was done similarly with the exception of Lumbricus terrestris. Results showed that macro nutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) and micro nutrients (Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn) followed this trend; Vermicompost ˃ compost ˃ bio waste, with exception of zinc. Vermicompost and compost of Solanum melongena can be utilized as organic fertilizer in the production of organic foods.