Higher College of Technology

About: Higher College of Technology is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & Higher education. The organization has 369 authors who have published 379 publications receiving 729 citations.

Metals concentration levels in printed circuit boards of discarded cathode ray tube television: trends over the years

Abstract: The main objective of this study was to investigate the trends of Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr and Cd concentrations present in printed circuit boards of cathode ray televisions over the years. Dismantling, shre...

Strength of stabilized mud block masonry

Abstract: The technology of Stabilized Mud blocks for walls was first used in India in 1949. There have been a significant amount of research in the production of Stabilized Mud Blocks (SMB’s). However, the strength of Stabilized mud block masonry has not been studied in detail, although there have been a few sporadic reports since 1991. These results have been consolidated in this paper along with recent additional test results. The influence of stabilizer percentage on the strength of blocks and strength of masonry are studied for two mortar strengths in the current studies. SMB blocks of sizes 230 × 190 × 100 mm were cast with fresh moist block density of 2.05 g/cc. Three percentages of cement stabilizers were used viz., 7.5%, 10% and 12% to cast SMB’s which lead to a block strength in the range of 7.03 MPa to 10.91 MPa which are much superior to some of the bricks obtained from the southern part of India. Masonry prisms were then cast using these blocks with two different types of mortars leading to a prism strengths that vary between 2.78 and 4.82 MPa. All the results are then subjected to a multiple regression analysis to obtain the influence of block strength and mortar strength on the strength of Stabilized mud block masonry. The resulting formula is then compared with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) recommendations for masonry. Usage of SMB’s benefits not only in reducing the cost of blocks, but also has significant implications in terms of reduction of energy consumed in the manufacture of blocks. Reduction in energy consumed, lower embodied carbon dioxide, lesser pollution and optimal usage of the resources would lead to a sustainable growth of the construction industry in particular and society at large.

Influence of temperature variation on the electrical conductivity of zigzag carbon nanotubes under homogeneous axial dc field

Abstract: We present theoretical framework investigations of the influence of temperature variation on the electrical conductivity of zigzag carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under the applied homogeneous axial dc field. This study was done semiclassically by solving Boltzmann transport equation to derive the current density of zigzag CNT as a function of homogenous axial dc field and temperature. Plots of the normalized current density versus homogeneous dc field applied along the axis of semiconducting zigzag CNTs as room temperature increases from 293 to 299 K revealed a significant increase in electrical conductivity, whereas in metallic zigzag CNTs, almost constant or a negligible decrease in electrical conductivity is observed. The study predicts semiconducting zigzag CNT as a potential material for temperature sensors since it exhibits a faster response and a substantially higher sensitivity to room temperature changes than the metallic counterpart. The electrical conductivity of metallic zigzag CNTs increases immensely as the temperature is reduced to a very low value which could probably lead to a potential superconductivity property that usually occurs at very low temperatures. These potential temperature sensors and superconductors of nanomaterial have vast applications in current-day science and technology.

Agents Negotiating to Meet the on-Demand Transport Problem

Abstract: The on-demand transport (ODT) is a public, flexible and economic transport which is triggered by clients demands ODT systems are evolving all over the world because of their important economic, social and environmental benefits In this paper, we develop a multi-agent system that uses negotiation between agents to resolve the ODT problem Agents negotiate to make the final decision and find the best vehicle within a fleet responding to passengers demands Two negotiation strategies are presented and compared with a third one proposed in the literature The reliability, the complexity and the number of exchanged messages are the criteria studied in the comparison Results on the real network of Tripoli are obtained and discussed