Papua New Guinea University of Technology

About: Papua New Guinea University of Technology is a education organization based out in Lae, Papua New Guinea. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Antibacterial agent & Big data. The organization has 329 authors who have published 561 publications receiving 6519 citations. The organization is also known as: Unitech & Lae University of Technology.

Spatial ability, visual imagery, and mathematical performance

Abstract: 116 Foundation Year Engineering Students, at the University of Technology, Lae, Papua New Guinea, were given a battery of mathematical and spatial tests; in addition, their preferred modes of processing mathematical information were determined by means of an instrument recently developed in Australia by Suwarsono. Correlational analysis revealed that students who preferred to process mathematical information by verbal-logical means tended to outperform more visual students on mathematical tests. Multiple regression and factor analyses pointed to the existence of a distinct cognitive trait associated with the processing of mathematical information. Also, spatial ability and knowledge of spatial conventions had less influence on mathematical performance than could have been expected from recent relevant literature.

GPS and seismological constraints on active tectonics and arc‐continent collision in Papua New Guinea: Implications for mechanics of microplate rotations in a plate boundary zone

Abstract: [1] The island of New Guinea is located within the deforming zone between the Pacific and Australian plates that converge obliquely at ∼110 mm/yr. New Guinea has been fragmented into a complex array of microplates, some of which rotate rapidly about nearby vertical axes. We present velocities from a network of 38 Global Positioning System (GPS) sites spanning much of the nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The GPS-derived velocities are used to explain the kinematics of major tectonic blocks in the region and the nature of strain accumulation on major faults in PNG. We simultaneously invert GPS velocities, earthquake slip vectors on faults, and transform orientations in the Woodlark Basin for the poles of rotation of the tectonic blocks and the degree of elastic strain accumulation on faults in the region. The data are best explained by six distinct tectonic blocks: the Australian, Pacific, South Bismarck, North Bismarck, and Woodlark plates and a previously unrecognized New Guinea Highlands Block. Significant portions of the Ramu-Markham Fault appear to be locked, which has implications for seismic hazard determination in the Markham Valley region. We also propose that rapid clockwise rotation of the South Bismarck plate is controlled by edge forces initiated by the collision between the Finisterre arc and the New Guinea Highlands.

Some engineering properties of stabilized clayey soils incorporating natural pozzolans and industrial wastes

Abstract: Clayey soils are stabilized with various dosages of cement kiln dust, volcanic ash and their combinations. The influence of stabilizers is evaluated through Atterberg limits, standard Proctor compaction, unconfined compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests. The durability properties of 14 stabilized soil mixtures are also investigated by studying the influence of water immersion on strength, water sorptivity and drying shrinkage. Correlations between strength, modulus of elasticity and CBR are also established. Developed stabilized soil mixtures have shown satisfactory strength and durability characteristics and can be used for low-cost construction to build houses and road infrastructures. The use of stabilized soils with locally available soils, volcanic ash and cement kiln dust can provide sustainability to the local construction industry.

Antimicrobial activity of Cassia alata.

Abstract: The methanol extracts of leaves, flowers, stem and root barks of Cassia alata showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. The activity was increased on fractionation (petrol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate), the dichloromethane fraction of the flower extract being the most effective. No activity was shown against tested moulds.

The response of wire rope strands to axial tensile loads—Part II. Comparison of experimental results and theoretical predictions

Abstract: A set of carefully instrumented tests on straight single seven-wire steel strands with various end restraints and subjected to static axial loads are reported in Part I of this study [Int. J. Mech. Sci. 29, 605–619 (1987)]. The strand extension in the free-end tests was up to 70% larger than that in the fixed-end tests and was larger for strands with lower helix angles. The torque generated in a fixed-end strand under load was greater for strands with a lower helix angle. Rotations in free-end tests were larger for strands with lower helix angles. Surface strains revealed uneven load sharing between nominally identical helical wires, with the largest strain deviations near the end grips of a strand. Repeated loading of the strands did not decrease the unevenness of this loading. Comparison between the computed predictions of this study and the previous theoretical predictions on the response of a single strand subjected to an axial load revealed that taking account of Poisson effects, friction and wire flattening at the contact surfaces has the effect of increasing extensions up to 2.3% with a negligible effect on the rotation. The theory predicts that slip does not occur between the core and helical wires in the strand lengths tested. However, it is concluded that plastic yielding at the contact surfaces causes migration of the effective line of contact. The computed predictions underestimated (0.4–7.3%) the extension of a fixed-end strand and overestimated (0.3–4.4%) the generated torque, while they overestimated the extension in the free-end tests by between 1.4 and 6.9%. The theoretical predictions overestimated strand rotation by between 9.0 and 15.7%. The low values of measured strand rotation can be accounted for, in part, by the effect of plastic yielding and flattening at contact on the rotation of the helical wires and migration of the effective line of contact between the core and helical wires.