Poor Material Quality Research Articles

Optimizing non-toxic (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 perovskite solar cells by SCAPS-1D

Abstract Low-dimensional bismuth-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have demonstrated some benefits over lead-based PSCs for nontoxicity and remarkable stability. These two factors are now the primary concerns in the photovoltaic community. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs using the lead Pb-free chemical methylammonium bismuth iodide (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 is severely limited due to the poor quality of the photoactive material. Herein, the photovoltaic performance of the (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 PSCs was investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the intrinsic impacts of (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 perovskite by using SCAPS-1D (Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator) to simulate the PSCs and the adjustment of relevant physical parameters to closely match experimental results. Moreover, the cells were optimized based on (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 film thickness, total defect density of (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9, optical bandgap, and interfacial defects. By conducting a comprehensive analysis of the current-voltage (J-V) plots and quantum efficiency feature, the best values of perovskite thickness, bandgap, and defect density were determined to be 100 nm, 1.6 eV, and 1014 cm-3, respectively. Furthermore, defects in the interfaces between the electron-transporting layer (ETL)/(CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 and hole transport layer (HTL)/(CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 were considered, and their influence on performance was also investigated. Accordingly, the optimized cell has realized a record PCE of 9.043% and a high quantum efficiency exceeding 60%, which is comparable to those of some Pb-free perovskite analogues. The operational temperature calucations showed that all parameters remain relatively constant with increasing temperature. Therefore, the results imply that the simulated Pb-free PSCs can be stable in a thermal environment. The proposed structural layout and optimization approach can encourage more study and actual applications for Pb-free organometallic perovskite solar cells.

Approaches to Communicate China Stories well in College English Teaching

At the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping proposed to build cultural confidence and strength, and secure new successes in developing socialist culture. As English is an international language, it is very important to tell the story of China and convey the voice of China. It is crucial to integrate communicate the China stories well into college English classroom teaching. It is worth thinking about how to solve the problems of students lack of cultural self-confidence and poor oral English ability, poor quality of teaching materials and some teachers lack of understanding of China culture. This paper will analyze the shortcomings and countermeasures of telling Chinese stories in English classroom teaching in colleges and universities, hoping to provide feasible reference for the current English classroom teaching reform in colleges and universities.

Optimalisasi Pemilihan Supplier Komponen Fabric pada Produk Man Shirt X Menggunakan Metode Analytical Hierarchy Process

PT. ABC is a company engaged in the production of ready-to-wear clothing. The main raw materials use fabric from various suppliers. The problem is the poor quality of the fabric raw materials and late delivery from suppliers, which has an impact on production optimization. Supplier selection is a strategic activity, especially if the supplier will supply critical items and be used in the long term. Good raw materials will produce good products. Choosing the right supplier can provide benefits for the company so that the production process runs smoothly. This study aims to determine the best supplier according to the specified criteria using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) supplier selection method in the selection of fabric component suppliers at PT. ABC. Supplier selection uses the AHP method with subjective assessment input from the company. The expectation of the final result can determine the ranking of alternatives so that it produces the best supplier based on criteria that are in accordance with the company. Based on the results of processing using the AHP method, the order of criteria obtained is quality (0.6554), delivery (0.1867), and price (0.1577). The alternative selection of raw material suppliers with the highest priority is supplier X with the best score of 1.358. This shows the most optimal supplier value in fulfilling the needs of fabric raw materials according to the criteria required by the company.

Optimalisasi Pemilihan Supplier Komponen Fabric pada Produk Man Shirt X Menggunakan Metode Analytical Hierarchy Process

ABC is a company engaged in the production of ready-to-wear clothing. The main raw materials use fabric from various suppliers. The problem is the poor quality of the fabric raw materials and late delivery from suppliers, which has an impact on production optimization. Supplier selection is a strategic activity, especially if the supplier will supply critical items and be used in the long term. Good raw materials will produce good products. Choosing the right supplier can provide benefits for the company so that the production process runs smoothly. This study aims to determine the best supplier according to the specified criteria using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) supplier selection method in the selection of fabric component suppliers at PT. ABC. Supplier selection uses the AHP method with subjective assessment input from the company. The expectation of the final result can determine the ranking of alternatives so that it produces the best supplier based on criteria that are in accordance with the company. Based on the results of processing using the AHP method, the order of criteria obtained is quality (0.6554), delivery (0.1867), and price (0.1577). The alternative selection of raw material suppliers with the highest priority is supplier X with the best score of 1.358. This shows the most optimal supplier value in fulfilling the needs of fabric raw materials according to the criteria required by the company.

Improving the evidential value of low-quality face images with aggregation of deep neural network embeddings

In forensic facial comparison, questioned-source images are usually captured in uncontrolled environments, with non-uniform lighting, and from non-cooperative subjects. The poor quality of such material usually compromises their value as evidence in legal proceedings. On the other hand, in forensic casework, multiple images of the person of interest are usually available. In this paper, we propose to aggregate deep neural network embeddings from various images of the same person to improve the performance in forensic comparison of facial images. We observe significant performance improvements, especially for low-quality images. Further improvements are obtained by aggregating embeddings of more images and by applying quality-weighted aggregation. We demonstrate the benefits of this approach in forensic evaluation settings with the development and validation of common-source likelihood ratio systems and report improvements in Cllr both for CCTV images and for social media images.

Analysis of Supply Chain Performance Improvement in the Fish Processing Industry

This study aims to identify the supply chain condition of the red snapper fish processing industry, assess the supply chain performance, and recommend performance improvements based on the performance measurement results. The study was conducted in Brondong District, Lamongan Regency, East Java, Indonesia. The methods used are the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which measure effectiveness and efficiency parameters. Data were collected through interviews and field observations with expert respondents representing fishermen, collectors, and the fish processing industry. The results showed that the supply chain performance of the fishermen, collectors, and fish processing industry was 67.52% (poor), 88.11% (average), and 95.09% (excellent). The low performance was mainly in the fish catch composition accuracy and raw material handling practices. Root cause analysis was conducted to identify the leading causes, such as poor raw material quality, high raw material costs, and low cash-to-cash cycle time. Recommendations for improvement include handling raw materials training, using better cooling technology, and accelerating debt payments. Implementing lean supply chain management with the 5S system will improve operational efficiency and final product quality. Support from all stakeholders and government is essential for successfully implementing this strategy. Further study on the impact of lean implementation on environmental and social sustainability and exploration of new technologies for efficient fish handling and processing is needed.

Liquid Biopsies in Follicular Thyroid Carcinomas-A Brief Report.

Thyroid cancer (TC) represents a significant health burden globally, with follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) posing diagnostic challenges despite advancements. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the utility of a liquid biopsy with cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in patients with FTC. Blood samples were collected from 13 patients diagnosed with FTC, DNA extraction was performed, and cfDNA was analyzed using the Illumina's TruSight Oncology 500 High-Throughput panel. The results revealed low tumor mutational burden and minimal pathogenic variants in cfDNA, indicating challenges such as low DNA yield and poor material quality despite adequate coverage. Our findings indicate that cfDNA as an add-on diagnostic tool in patients with FTC might not be a useful supplement.

Empirical Study of the Production Process in the Chemical Industry as an Element of Supporting Sustainable Development—Case Study Analysis

Organizations increasingly recognize the need to act in accordance with the idea of sustainable development. In the context of a production system, this is based not only on minimizing material losses but also on human support in the work process. The activities described in this article verify the operation of the system by collecting data on problems occurring during the production process, and the presented case study shows not only that companies do not always have to base their analyses on expensive solutions constructed on big data but they also misinterpret the causes of disruptions, which leads to further losses. This study presents an innovative system supporting the identification of downtime, and the results obtained allowed the examined organization to introduce changes based on specific premises, which led to reducing the waste of resources. The research carried out showed that it is not the excessive load on machines that is the problem but unnecessary downtime resulting from, for example, poor-quality materials for packaging goods.

Fragility of Indonesian houses: scenario damage analysis of the 2006 Yogyakarta and 2009 Padang earthquakes

Indonesia is located in one of the most seismically active regions in the world and often experiences damaging earthquakes. In the past the housing sector has sustained higher earthquake related damage and losses than other sectors. This is often attributed to the fact that the most common houses in Indonesia are non-engineered, built with poor quality workmanship, poor quality materials and without resilient seismic design features. However little effort has been made to quantify how fragile Indonesian houses are, or how their fragility may vary according to the population density or relative wealth of a region. It is not possible to derive empirical fragility functions for Indonesia due to insufficient damage data. The aim of this study is to determine whether existing earthquake fragility functions can be applied to common house types in Indonesia. Scenario damage analyses simulating the 2006 Yogyakarta and 2009 Padang events were undertaken several times testing different fragility functions. The simulated damage results were then compared to the damage observed post event to determine whether an accurate damage prediction could be achieved. It was found that the common house types in Yogyakarta and Central Java vary according to age of construction, location and relative wealth of a region and can be reasonably well represented by existing fragility functions. However, the houses in Padang and surrounding West Sumatra did not vary in a predictable manner and are more fragile than anticipated. Therefore, the fragility of the most common house types in Indonesia differs between Central Java and West Sumatra. This has important implications for seismic damage and risk assessment undertaken in Indonesia.

Blast Furnace Slag Formation Prediction Model Using Classical Thermodynamics

Blast furnace (BF) ironmaking is the most widely used technology for hot metal production. In steelmaking industry, 80% of the steel in the world is produced in the BF‐basic oxygen furnace route. It is well known that poor quality of the raw material i.e., high gangue content in the iron ore affects the BF process performance and the cohesive zone formation, which is the most critical zone in the BF operations. Increased gangue content in the iron ore causes variation in the slag formation and slag volume thus affecting the fuel rate and BF performance. Therefore, in this study, the slag formation is studied to understand the slag properties at different locations inside the BF. The model is based on classical thermodynamics and is implemented using ChemApp linked with FactSage databases. The model aids in understanding the slag formation in the BF for various burden chemistry, fuel, and flux inputs. The final hot metal and slag composition along with the exit gas volume and composition predicted from this model are compared with industrial BF plant data operating across different conditions.

Economic Study of Strengthening of Existing RCC Building

Many structures fail or deteriorate before completion of its intended life span due to poor quality of material used, lack of mix design, poor workmanship, attacked by environmental agencies, etc. Sometimes due to slenderness of column or less reinforcement provided than actual requirements, less depth/thickness provided in flexural members, etc. feels excessive vibration during walking on floor ultimately develops cracks. Strength of such structural elements can be found by using non-destructive tests like Rebound hammer test, ultrasonic pulse velocity test, etc. If strength of existing structural elements is less than desired strength then structural consultant suggested strengthening of structural elements. There are various methods used in strengthening of existing structural elements like pressure grouting, fibre wrapping, chemical treatment, structural steel support, jacketing, etc. But these techniques are very costly and need precise quality control activity. In the present of investigation, strengthening of beam and column elements of a building by ferrocement techniques and steel jacketing were carried out and cost and cost comparison and strength results before and after strengthening are presented. It is observed that the strength og structural by ferrocement technique is cost effective than steel jacketing technique. And also has increase in the strength of RCC elements

REAL TIME INVESTIGATION ON REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

Now days it has become a major challenge to select right techniques, materials, and procedures for the repair of a building structure.Repair and Maintenance of Residential Building have gained in importance around the world.Despite the authorities in charge of building maintenance, the residents are also a factor contributing to poor maintenance on building.The use of poor quality material by the maintenance department, improper maintenance strategy often cause maintenance to achieve a result less than expected.The first duty of every Civil engineer is to give emphasis on the durability aspect during construction as well as maintenance. The emergence of maintenance application can improve the efficiency of quality and duration of the work.Lack of management in maintenance is one of the factors which is the reason for poor building condition.

Study of pathological manifestations in concrete structures in the municipality of Carlos Chagas: case study

Concrete is the main material used in the construction industry. However, even with technological advances in its production, many structures perform unsatisfactorily due to errors in design, implementation, maintenance, repairs, poor quality materials, lack of maintenance and other factors of a physical, chemical or mechanical nature that contribute to structural deterioration. Given this scenario, it is crucial to explore contemporary solutions to improve the durability and performance of concrete structures in construction. Therefore, greater knowledge of structures and materials is needed, through studies and analysis of pathological manifestations, as this makes it possible to evolve the quality of constructions, which allows for better habitability and durability. The main objective of this study is to investigate the main causes of pathological manifestations in reinforced concrete structural elements in a building in the municipality of Carlos Chagas-MG, as well as methods of preventing and repairing them. To this end, the work was divided into two stages: a literature review to provide a theoretical basis for finding out about published studies dealing with the proposed topic, as well as defining an appropriate analysis methodology, and a case study. In addition, on-site visits were made to assess the state of the building and record pathologies. The results showed various pathologies such as exposure to corrosion of the reinforcement, segregation of the concrete, cracks and fissures, and efflorescence. Thus, intervention proposals were made as described in the literature to provide safety, stability, aesthetics and comfort for residents.

Tank Cleaning Process Optimization For Loading Tanks MT Bauhinia Guna Cargo Change

Suboptimal implementation of tank cleaning will produce suboptimal results and can affect loading failure. These less than optimal results are influenced by several things. Tank Cleaning is a tank cleaning carried out on a tanker which serves to reduce the risk of damage to the cargo. Wall wash test is a tank cleanliness test for chemical tankers after completing tank cleaning. In the loading process, chemical tankers must prepare their loading tanks in accordance with the correct procedures. In every process of preparing this tank must always pay attention to the standards that have been determined from the surveyor or based on IMO (International Maritime Organization). When the Chemical ship will load, the ship's tank will be checked by the cargo surveyor, if there is dirt or residual cargo before the ship can be declared a failure in the tank cleaning process and as a result the ship will be ordered out of the Jetty, ordered to re-clean. This causes company losses because there will be delays in the loading and discharging process of the ship and the company gets complaints from the charter party. The method used to carry out the research is descriptive qualitative. Cutting the time for tank cleaning can result in poor tank cleaning results, poor quality materials also result in less than optimal results, and equipment that lacks maintenance will result in less than optimal tool performance. When the Chemical ship will load, the ship's tank will be checked by the cargo surveyor, if there is dirt or residual cargo before the ship can be declared a failure in the tank cleaning process and the ship will be ordered out of the Jetty and ordered to re-clean. This causes losses to the company because there will be delays in the loading and discharging process of the ship and the company can get complaints from the charter party. The success or failure of tank cleaning and wall wash tests depends on the discipline of the crew, adequate tools and materials, and procedures that are carried out properly.

Destructive impact of successive high magnitude earthquakes occurred in Türkiye’s Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023

AbstractTwo successive earthquakes with moment magnitudes of Mw = 7.7 (focal depth = 8.6 km) and Mw = 7.6 (focal depth = 7 km) occurred approximately within 9 h on February 6, 2023, in Türkiye, respectively. The epicenters were the Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş. Both earthquakes occurred in the East Anatolian Fault Zone, one of Türkiye’s two major active fault systems. Between these two severe earthquakes, there was one more big aftershock with a moment magnitude of 6.6, the epicenter of which was in the Nurdağı District of Gaziantep. Then, on February 20, 2023, another aftershock earthquake with a magnitude of Mw = 6.4 occurred in Yayladağı district of Hatay. As a result of the earthquakes, severe damage occurred in several provinces and districts with a population of around 15 million, and more than 50,000 people have lost their lives. This study presents on-site geotechnical and structural investigations by a team of researchers after the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. It summarizes the performance of the building environments as a result of on-site assessments, taking into account observed structural damage, local site conditions, and strong ground motion data. The possible causes of the observed damage are addressed in detail. These earthquakes once again revealed the common deficiencies of existing reinforced concrete structures in Türkiye, such as poor material quality, poor workmanship, unsuitability of reinforcement detailing, and inadequate earthquake-resistant construction techniques. Precast concrete and masonry structures in the region were also severely damaged during the earthquakes due to insufficient engineering service, poor materials, deficiencies during construction, etc.

Rehabilitation of RC Structure by Using Ferrocement Jacketing

Many structures fail or deteriorate before completion of its intended life span due to poor quality of material used, lack of mix design, poor workmanship, attacked by environmental agencies, etc. Sometimes due to slenderness of column or less reinforcement provided than actual requirements, less depth/thickness provided in flexural members, etc. feels excessive vibration during walking on floor ultimately develops cracks. Strength of such structural elements can be found by using non-destructive tests like Rebound hammer test, ultrasonic pulse velocity test, etc. If strength of existing structural elements is less than desired strength then structural consultant suggested strengthening of structural elements. There are various methods used in strengthening of existing structural elements like pressure grouting, fibre wrapping, chemical treatment, structural steel support, jacketing, etc. But these techniques are very costly and need precise quality control activity. In the present of investigation, strengthening of beam and column elements of a building by ferrocement techniques and steel jacketing were carried out and cost and cost comparison and strength results before and after strengthening are presented. It is observed that the strength og structural by ferrocement technique is cost effective than steel jacketing technique. And also has increase in the strength of RCC elements

The Impact of Human Relationships to Material Acquisition in Construction Projects

Construction projects have long been plagued with issues of delays, over budget and poor quality. One of the main factors that have been associated with the common issues is material acquisition, with delays in the arrival of material, poor material quality, materials that do not comply with the required specification, unavailability of required construction materials, damaged materials, loss of construction materials sent to site, theft and vandalism. Even though construction material acquisition is an arising problem in the industry, the studies conducted in this area is still scarce. Previous studies have mainly focused on isolated subjects in material acquisition, rather than the entire spectrum on the subject matter. Therefore, this study aims to establish the improvement strategies for construction material acquisition from the human relationships perspective. A quantitative questionnaire was sent to the respondents via email, personally distributed to the contractor’s office, WhatsApp's application and google form to 1200 active contractor that have been registered with CIDB Malaysia under grade G7. The respondents were limited to purposive sampling criteria which have been determined earlier. Based on the data from 286 questionnaires, findings in this research were structured and analysed using descriptive statistical analysis (mean, standard deviation and frequency) with the aid of SPSS24 software. Finding from the results revealed that the improvement of human relationship was critical to improve construction material acquisition hence, addressing urgent issues including long term relationship such as trust, experience, and responsiveness, clearly understand the client’s needs and objectives, establish strategic partnership with suppliers and long-term resources commitment achieved the highest percentage from respondents. Finally, the study on the impact of human relationships to material acquisition in construction projects can be used as a guidance to enhance the construction material acquisition approach for contractors undertaking projects in Malaysia.

Risk Factors for Time and Cost Overruns of Pipeline Projects in Saudi Arabia

Evaluating risks is crucial for the smooth execution of pipeline projects. In Saudi Arabia, pipeline building projects frequently experience delays and cost overruns. This study tries to identify these risk factors. Thus, risk factors were collected from the literature and presented to four experts to identify the 26 most common factors for pipeline construction in Saudi Arabia. The risk factors were then assessed using a questionnaire to measure the degree of impact of the 26 factors by 135 participants. Partial least square structure equation model (PLS-SEM) and relative importance index (RII) methods were utilized to rank the significant factors after performing the reliability and discriminant validity of the questionnaire data. The findings show that the top five factors based on PLS-SEM were discrepancy between implementation requirements and specifications, financial failure/bankruptcy, poor pipeline material quality, supplying invalid materials, and weak ability to identify and monitor the threats. The ranking of the factors using PLS-SEM is different in the RII method. This difference is due to applying the Cronbach’s α formula in the two methods. The PLS-SEM computes the coefficients of the groups, while the RII computes the coefficients for all factors. The study results can assist pipeline project managers in identifying and ranking risk variables to efficiently utilize the limited financial and human resources available for the risk management.

Study and Analysis of Highway Failure and Their Maintenance

Abstract: Maintaining highways is crucial to ensure road surfaces are safe and smooth for drivers, ultimately loading to efficient and cost-effective transportation. Regular maintenance helps prevent accidents and reduces theoverall cost of road repairs in the long run. The investigation found that the authority of RCC performs their maintenance work in one year when allocated funds are available. Many types of road failures oc, such as cracks, pot-holes, ravelling, water bleeding, corrugation and showing, depression, and rutting. The possible causes of flexible pavement failures are improper bituminous mixes with poor quality materials, heavy traffic loads,heavy rainfall, and bad drainage on pavement. The failures are gradually raised due to a lack of proper planning, inspection,and treatment. These failures create different types of disadvantages like traffic jams, discomfort to the passengers aswell as drivers, increasing vehicle operating, maintenance costs, etc

Alternative Tissue Fixation Protocols Dramatically Reduce the Impact of DNA Artifacts, Unraveling the Interpretation of Clinical Comprehensive Genomic Profiling

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples represent the cornerstone of tissue-based analysis in precision medicine. Targeted next-generation sequencing panels are routinely used to analyze a limited number of genes to guide treatment decision-making for advanced-stage patients. The number and complexity of genetic alterations to be investigated are rapidly growing; in several instances, a comprehensive genomic profiling analysis is needed. The poor quality of genetic material extracted from FFPE samples may impact the feasibility/reliability of sequencing data. We sampled 9 colorectal cancers to allow 4 parallel fixations: (1) neutral buffered formalin (NBF), (2) acid-deprived formalin fixation (ADF), (3) precooled ADF (coldADF), and (4) glyoxal acid free (GAF). DNA extraction, fragmentation analysis, and sequencing by 2 large next-generation sequencing panels (OCAv3 and TSO500) followed. We comprehensively analyzed library and sequencing quality controls and the quality of sequencing results. Libraries from coldADF samples showed significantly longer reads than the others with both panels. ADF-derived and coldADF-derived libraries showed the lowest level of noise and the highest levels of uniformity with the OCAv3 panel, followed by GAF and NBF samples. The data uniformity was confirmed by the TSO500 results, which also highlighted the best performance in terms of the total region sequenced for the ADF and coldADF samples. NBF samples had a significantly smaller region sequenced and displayed a significantly lower number of evaluable microsatellite loci and a significant increase in single-nucleotide variations compared with other protocols. Mutational signature 1 (aging and FFPE artifact related) showed the highest (37%) and lowest (17%) values in the NBF and coldADF samples, respectively. Most of the identified genetic alterations were shared by all samples in each lesion. Five genes showed a different mutational status across samples and/or panels: 4 discordant results involved NBF samples. In conclusion, acid-deprived fixatives (GAF and ADF) guarantee the highest DNA preservation/sequencing performance, thus allowing more complex molecular profiling of tissue samples.