The Scientific Initiation in the Graduation Courses of UEMG＇s Faculty of Engineering： Disparities and Challenges

The notoriety of the shortage of qualified professionals in the engineering segment to meet the existing projects and also the future ones is worrying the academic community. These challenges show how the lack of appropriate courses and low expenses with incentives to research and extension programs can affect the formation of the future engineer. Therefore, universities have the mission to develop teaching, research and extension, offering to the students new opportunities for diverse technical training, scientific and humanist formation. It is noted, however, that such activities in many engineering courses, especially scientific research, are not being prioritized by the universities. In light of this, the present paper aims to register measure and evaluate the participation of the students in scientific initiation in the four engineering courses of the Faculty of Engineering of the Minas Gerais State University. Sticking to the disparities presented by the four courses studied, in relation to the participation in research projects, the results showed a greater engagement of students of Environmental Engineering and Mining Engineering courses regarding the other engineering courses. In addition, a better divulgation and a greater involvement of teachers in projects were identified as the main recurring challenges to the access in scientific research by the students of this institution.

Energy Efficiency, Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort Studies at the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University Kebangsaan Malaysia

The study was conducted to identify indoor air quality and the level of thermal comfort in various selected locations in Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment （FKAB）, University Kebangsaan Malaysia （UKM） with built-up area of 250,936 fie. The indoor air quality and thermal comfort were measured at various selected locations by using indoor air quality equipment （Thermal Comfort SERI）. The thermal comfort assessments are based on Malaysian Code of Practice Indoor Air Quality 2005 and Moderate Thermal Environments-Determination of the PMV and PPD indices specification of the condition for thermal comfort （ISO7730：1994） From the data analysis, the FKAB building is considered inadequately vented space. The concentration of CO2 for all sampling area evaluated exceeds the recommended concentration （〉 1000 ppm）. The ventilation system used in FKAB building is designed by delivering fix amount of fresh air into building from external building without consideration on the number of occupants. This common ventilation design will increase the amount of CO2 dramatically all day long and these reflect the inefficiency of energy used. The faculty needs to be equipped with a comprehensive energy management system that can allow detailed documentation of continuous performance of all energy system and consumption in the building.

Engineering behaviour of in situ cored deep cement mixed marine deposits subjected to undrained and drained shearing

The deep cement mixing(DCM)is used to improve the capacity and reduce the settlement of the soft ground by forming cemented clay columns.The investigation on the mechanical behaviour of the DCM samples is limited to either laboratory-prepared samples or in-situ samples under unconfined compression.In this study,a series of drained and undrained triaxial shearing tests was performed on the in-situ cored DCM samples with high cement content to assess their mechanical behaviours.It is found that the drainage condition affects significantly the stiffness,peak and residual strengths of the DCM samples,which is mainly due to the state of excess pore water pressure at different strain levels,i.e.being positive before the peak deviatoric stress and negative after the peak deviatoric stress,in the undrained tests.The slope of the failure envelope changes obviously with the confining pressures,being steeper at lower stress levels and flatter at higher stress levels.The strength parameters,effective cohesion and friction angle obtained from lower stress levels(c′0 andφ′0)are 400 kPa and 58°,respectively,which are deemed to be true for design in most DCM applications where the in-situ stress levels are normally at lower values of 50-200 kPa.Additionally,the computed tomography(CT)scanning system was adopted to visualize the internal structures of DCM samples.It is found that the clay pockets existing inside the DCM samples due to uneven mixing affect markedly their stress-strain behaviour,which is one of the main reasons for the high variability of the DCM samples.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Computer-Aided Uncertainty Modeling and Reliability Evaluation for Complex Engineering Structures

1 Summary With the advancement of science and technology,complex engineering structures are widely used in extreme environments[1].In equipment service,many uncertainty factors significantly affect safety and reliability[2–5].Therefore,ensuring high reliability of structures has become an important research direction in engineering design.At the same time,the importance of equipment health management of complex engineering structures is becoming increasingly prominent[6–8].Computer-aided uncertainty modeling and reliability assessment have become key tools,and finite element simulation and algorithmic innovation play a key role in the reliability analysis of complex equipment[9,10].These techniques can accurately simulate stress and damage accumulation under various operating environments,providing engineers with important decision support and optimization solutions.

Predicting Rock Burst in Underground Engineering Leveraging a Novel Metaheuristic-Based LightGBM Model

Rock bursts represent a formidable challenge in underground engineering,posing substantial risks to both infrastructure and human safety.These sudden and violent failures of rock masses are characterized by the rapid release of accumulated stress within the rock,leading to severe seismic events and structural damage.Therefore,the development of reliable prediction models for rock bursts is paramount to mitigating these hazards.This study aims to propose a tree-based model—a Light Gradient Boosting Machine(LightGBM)—to predict the intensity of rock bursts in underground engineering.322 actual rock burst cases are collected to constitute an exhaustive rock burst dataset,which serves to train the LightGBMmodel.Two population-basedmetaheuristic algorithms are used to optimize the hyperparameters of the LightGBM model.Finally,the sensitivity analysis is used to identify the predominant factors that may incur the occurrence of rock bursts.The results show that the population-based metaheuristic algorithms have a good ability to search out the optimal hyperparameters of the LightGBM model.The developed LightGBM model yields promising performance in predicting the intensity of rock bursts,with which accuracy on training and testing sets are 0.972 and 0.944,respectively.The sensitivity analysis discloses that the risk of occurring rock burst is significantly sensitive to three factors:uniaxial compressive strength(σc),stress concentration factor(SCF),and elastic strain energy index(Wet).Moreover,this study clarifies the particular impact of these three factors on the intensity of rock bursts through the partial dependence plot.

Unraveling engineering disturbance effects on deformation in red-bed mudstone railway cuttings:incorporating crack-facilitated moisture diffusion

Red-bed mudstone, prevalent in southwest China, poses a formidable challenge due to its hydrophilic clay minerals, resulting in expansion, deformation, and cracking upon exposure to moisture. This study addresses uplift deformation disasters in high-speed railways by employing a moisture diffusion-deformation-fracture coupling model based on the finite-discrete element method(FDEM). The model integrates the influence of cracks on moisture diffusion. The investigation into various excavation depths reveals a direct correlation between depth and the formation of tensile cracks at the bottom of the railway cutting. These cracks expedite moisture migration, significantly impacting the temporal and spatial evolution of the moisture field. Additionally, crack expansion dominates hygroscopic deformation, with the lateral coordinate of the crack zone determining peak vertical displacement. Furthermore, key factors influencing deformation in railway cuttings, including the swelling factor and initial moisture content at the bottom of the cutting, are explored. The number of tensile and shear cracks increases with greater excavation depth, particularly concerning shear cracks. Higher swelling factors and initial moisture contents result in an increased total number of cracks, predominantly shear cracks. Numerical calculations provide valuable insights, offering a scientific foundation and directional guidance for the precise prevention, control, prediction, and comprehensive treatment of mudstone-related issues in high-speed railways.

Erratum to:Unraveling engineering disturbance effects on deformation in red-bed mudstone railway cuttings:incorporating crack-facilitated moisture diffusion

Erratum to:J.Mt.Sci.(2024)21(5):1663-1682 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-023-8561-0 During the production process,the first author’s name was wrongly written as“Rang Huang”in the metadata.The correct name for the first author is“Kang Huang”.The first author’s name in the fulltext pdf is correct.

Dynamic Multi-Graph Spatio-Temporal Graph Traffic Flow Prediction in Bangkok:An Application of a Continuous Convolutional Neural Network

The ability to accurately predict urban traffic flows is crucial for optimising city operations.Consequently,various methods for forecasting urban traffic have been developed,focusing on analysing historical data to understand complex mobility patterns.Deep learning techniques,such as graph neural networks(GNNs),are popular for their ability to capture spatio-temporal dependencies.However,these models often become overly complex due to the large number of hyper-parameters involved.In this study,we introduce Dynamic Multi-Graph Spatial-Temporal Graph Neural Ordinary Differential Equation Networks(DMST-GNODE),a framework based on ordinary differential equations(ODEs)that autonomously discovers effective spatial-temporal graph neural network(STGNN)architectures for traffic prediction tasks.The comparative analysis of DMST-GNODE and baseline models indicates that DMST-GNODE model demonstrates superior performance across multiple datasets,consistently achieving the lowest Root Mean Square Error(RMSE)and Mean Absolute Error(MAE)values,alongside the highest accuracy.On the BKK(Bangkok)dataset,it outperformed other models with an RMSE of 3.3165 and an accuracy of 0.9367 for a 20-min interval,maintaining this trend across 40 and 60 min.Similarly,on the PeMS08 dataset,DMST-GNODE achieved the best performance with an RMSE of 19.4863 and an accuracy of 0.9377 at 20 min,demonstrating its effectiveness over longer periods.The Los_Loop dataset results further emphasise this model’s advantage,with an RMSE of 3.3422 and an accuracy of 0.7643 at 20 min,consistently maintaining superiority across all time intervals.These numerical highlights indicate that DMST-GNODE not only outperforms baseline models but also achieves higher accuracy and lower errors across different time intervals and datasets.

Advances in the Development of Gradient Scaffolds Made of Nano‑Micromaterials for Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration

The intricate hierarchical structure of musculoskeletal tissues,including bone and interface tissues,necessitates the use of complex scaffold designs and material structures to serve as tissue-engineered substitutes.This has led to growing interest in the development of gradient bone scaffolds with hierarchical structures mimicking the extracellular matrix of native tissues to achieve improved therapeutic outcomes.Building on the anatomical characteristics of bone and interfacial tissues,this review provides a summary of current strategies used to design and fabricate biomimetic gradient scaffolds for repairing musculoskeletal tissues,specifically focusing on methods used to construct compositional and structural gradients within the scaffolds.The latest applications of gradient scaffolds for the regeneration of bone,osteochondral,and tendon-to-bone interfaces are presented.Furthermore,the current progress of testing gradient scaffolds in physiologically relevant animal models of skeletal repair is discussed,as well as the challenges and prospects of moving these scaffolds into clinical application for treating musculoskeletal injuries.

Direct seawater splitting for hydrogen production:Recent advances in materials synthesis and technological innovation

Direct seawater splitting has emerged as a popular and promising research direction for synthesising clean,green,non-polluting,and sustainable hydrogen energy without depending on high-purity water in the face of the world’s shortage of fossil energy.However,efficient seawater splitting is hindered by slow kinetics caused by the ultra-low conductivity and the presence of bacteria,microorganisms,and stray ions in seawater.Additionally,producing hydrogen on an industrial scale is challenging due to the high production cost.The present review addresses these challenges from the catalyst point of view,namely,that designing catalysts with high catalytic activity and stability can directly affect the rate and effect of seawater splitting.From the ion transfer perspective,designing membranes can block harmful ions,improving the stability of seawater splitting.From the energy point of view,mixed seawater systems and self-powered systems also provide new and low-energy research systems for seawater splitting.Finally,ideas and directions for further research on direct seawater splitting in the future are pointed out,with the aim of achieving low-cost and high-efficiency hydrogen production.

Brain age estimation:premise,promise,and problems

Premise:The com bined effects of modern healthcare practices which prolong lifespan and declining birthrates have created unprecedented changes in age demographics worldwide that are especially pronounced in Japan,South Korea,Europe,and North America.Since old age is the most significant predictor of dementia,global healthcare systems must rise to the challenge of providing care for those with neurodegenerative disorders.

Boosting high-performance in Zr-rich side protonic solid oxide electrolysis cells by optimizing functional interlayer

Protonic solid oxide electrolysis cells(P-SOECs)are a promising technology for water electrolysis to produce green hydrogen.However,there are still challenges related key materials and anode/electrolyte interface.P-SOECs with Zr-rich electrolyte,called Zr-rich side P-SOECs,possess high thermodynamically stability under high steam concentrations but the large reaction resistances and the current leakage,thus the inferior performances.In this study,an efficient functional interlayer Ba_(0.95)La_(0.05)Fe_(0.8)Zn_(0.2)O_(3-δ)(BLFZ)in-between the anode and the electrolyte is developed.The electrochemical performances of P-SOECs are greatly enhanced because the BLFZ can greatly increase the interface contact,boost anode reaction kinetics,and increase proton injection into electrolyte.As a result,the P-SOEC yields high current density of 0.83 A cm^(-2) at 600℃ in 1.3 Vamong all the reported Zr-rich side cells.This work not only offers an efficient functional interlayer for P-SOECs but also holds the potential to achieve P-SOECs with high performances and long-term stability.

Risk Management Techniques in Construction Projects:Development and Assessment of an Innovative

Professional and trade skills are required for handling the construction related projects;Construction industries of the present day however lack useful information concerning different practices,patterns and trends involved in risk management.Considering this,the present study focuses on the aforementioned variables of risk management by quantitative analysis specifically in the domain of construction industry.This study has used IBM’s SPSS(Statistical Package for Social Sciences)version 25.0 to analyze the results.This study is an initiative to assess the impact of risk management in the construction sector of Jordan.It will assist the construction sector for exploring the limitations with respect to integrate effective risk management.A sense of competition will be developed through a comparison of risk factors of construction projects among the project stakeholders such as contractors should enhance their risk management practices.

Integrating finite element analysis in total hip arthroplasty for childhood hip disorders:Enhancing precision and outcomes

Total hip arthroplasty for adults with sequelae from childhood hip disorders poses significant challenges due to altered anatomy.The paper published by Oommen et al reviews the essential management strategies for these complex cases.This article explores the integration of finite element analysis(FEA)to enhance surgical precision and outcomes.FEA provides detailed biomechanical insights,aiding in preoperative planning,implant design,and surgical technique optimization.By simulating implant configurations and assessing bone quality,FEA helps in customizing implants and evaluating surgical techniques like subtrochanteric shortening osteotomy.Advanced imaging techniques,such as 3D printing,virtual reality,and augmented reality,further enhance total hip arthroplasty precision.Future research should focus on validating FEA models,developing patient-specific simulations,and promoting multidisciplinary collaboration.Integrating FEA and advanced technologies in total hip arthroplasty can improve functional outcomes,reduce complications,and enhance quality of life for patients with childhood hip disorder sequelae.

Beyond statistical significance:Embracing minimal clinically important difference for better patient care

The minimal clinically important difference(MCID)represents a pivotal metric in bridging the gap between statistical significance and clinical relevance,addressing the direct impact of medical interventions from the patient's perspective.This comprehensive review analyzes the evolution,applications,and challenges of MCID across medical specialties,emphasizing its necessity in ensuring that clinical outcomes not only demonstrate statistical significance but also offer genuine clinical utility that aligns with patient expectations and needs.We discuss the evolution of MCID since its inception in the 1980s,its current applications across various medical specialties,and the methodologies used in its calculation,highlighting both anchor-based and distribution-based approaches.Furthermore,the paper delves into the challenges associated with the application of MCID,such as methodological variability and the interpretation difficulties that arise in clinical settings.Recommendations for the future include standardizing MCID calculation methods,enhancing patient involvement in setting MCID thresholds,and extending research to incorporate diverse global perspectives.These steps are critical to refining the role of MCID in patient-centered healthcare,addressing existing gaps in methodology and interpretation,and ensuring that medical interventions lead to significant,patient-perceived improvements.

Vibration safety assessment and parameter analysis of buried oil pipelines based on vibration isolation holes under strong surface impact

Strong surface impact will produce strong vibration,which will pose a threat to the safety of nearby buried pipelines and other important lifeline projects.Based on the verified numerical method,a comprehensive numerical parameter analysis is conducted on the key influencing factors of the vibration isolation hole(VIH),which include hole diameter,hole net spacing,hole depth,hole number,hole arrangement,and soil parameters.The results indicate that a smaller ratio of net spacing to hole diameter,the deeper the hole,the multi-row hole,the hole adoption of staggered arrangements,and better site soil conditions can enhance the efficiency of the VIH barrier.The average maximum vibration reduction efficiency within the vibration isolation area can reach 42.2%.The vibration safety of adjacent oil pipelines during a dynamic compaction projection was evaluated according to existing standards,and the measurement of the VIH was recommended to reduce excessive vibration.The single-row vibration isolation scheme and three-row staggered arrangement with the same hole parameters are suggested according to different cases.The research findings can serve as a reference for the vibration safety analysis,assessment,and control of adjacent underground facilities under the influence of strong surface impact loads.

Ontology Engineering and Knowledge Services for Agriculture Domain

This paper presents a knowledge service system for the domain of agriculture. Three key issues for providing knowledge services are how to improve the access of unstructured and scattered information for the non-specialist users, how to provide adequate information to knowledge workers and how to provide the information requiring highly focused and related information. Cyber-Brain has been designed as a platform that combines approaches based on knowledge engineering and language engineering to gather knowledge from various sources and to provide the effective knowledge service. Based on specially designed ontology for practical service scenarios, it can aggregate knowledge from Internet, digital archives, expert, and other resources for providing one-stop-shop knowledge services. The domain specific and task oriented ontology also enables advanced search and allows the system ensures that knowledge service could improve the user benefit. Users are presented with the necessary information closely related to their information need and thus of potential high interest. This paper presents several service scenarios for different end-users and reviews ontology engineering and its life cycle for supporting AOS （Agricultural Ontology Services） Vocbench which is the heart of knowledge services in agriculture domain.

Engineering complex systems applied to risk management in the mining industry

Related to complexity, there is a wide diversity of concepts, ranging from ‘‘systemic" to ‘‘complex", implying a need for a unified terminology. Per different authors, the main drivers of complexity can be found in human behaviour and uncertainty. This complexity, structural or dynamic can be organizational, technological, or nested in their relationship. ISO international standard 31000:2009 definition of risk management ‘‘coordinated activities to direct and control an organization with regard to risk", when applied to economic sectors, industry, services, project, or activity, it requires the use of models or theories as guidelines. Therefore, as its basic elements comprehend human behaviour and/or uncertainty, risk management to be effective and adapted as much as possible to reality, must be operational within complex systems, as already demonstrated in different R&D environments. Risk management faces demanding challenges when approaching specific and endogenous needs, such as the mining sector. This paper presents a multivariable function analysis methodology approach based on complex system modelling and through real data corresponding to a risk management tool in the mining sector.

Interface Engineering via Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene Electrolyte Additive toward Dendrite-Free Zinc Deposition

Zinc metal batteries have been considered as a promising candidate for next-generation batteries due to their high safety and low cost.However,their practical applications are severely hampered by the poor cyclability that caused by the undesired dendrite growth of metallic Zn.Herein,Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene was first used as electrolyte additive to facilitate the uniform Zn deposition by controlling the nucleation and growth process of Zn.Such MXene additives can not only be absorbed on Zn foil to induce uniform initial Zn deposition via providing abundant zincophilic-O groups and subsequently participate in the formation of robust solid-electrolyte interface film,but also accelerate ion transportation by reducing the Zn^(2+) concentration gradient at the electrode/electrolyte interface.Consequently,MXene-containing electrolyte realizes dendrite-free Zn plating/striping with high Coulombic efficiency(99.7%)and superior reversibility(stably up to 1180 cycles).When applied in full cell,the Zn-V_(2)O_(5)cell also delivers significantly improved cycling performances.This work provides a facile yet effective method for developing reversible zinc metal batteries.

Surface Geophysical Methods used to Verify the Karst Geological Structure in the Built-up Area:A Case Study of Specific Engineering-Geological Conditions

This article presents a research study of complex limestone karst engineering-geological conditions in the municipality Valaskanear Banska Bystrica in Slovakia.The aim of the study is to demonstrate the impossibility of spatial identification of cave spaces using surface geophysical methods due to the specific engineering-geological conditions of a thick surface layer of anthropogenic fill containing highly heterogeneous anthropogenic material.Its maximum thickness is 3 m.Another specificific condition of the study area is its location in the built-up area,due to which the applicability of geophysical methods was limited.The article contains methodological recommendations to be used in analogous geological conditions with karst structures topped with anthropogenic fill,which complicates the identification of cave spaces.The recommended solution herein is the identification of the cave system using underground mapping of the karst and its projection onto the surface for which surface geophysical methods have been combined.