Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a relatively new class of materials of unique porous structures and exceptional properties. Currently, more than 110,000 types of MOFs have been reported among the countless possibilities. In this study, we have synthesised a novel MOF using zirconium chloride as the metal source and 4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-biquinoline (bicinchoninic acid disodium salt) as the linker, which reacted in N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent. Three preparation methods were employed to prepare five types of the MOF, and they were compared to optimize the synthesis conditions. The resulting MOFs, named Zr-BADS, were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), microscopy, and

The control of prostheses and their complexities is one of the greatest challenges limiting wide amputees’ use of upper limb prostheses. The main challenges include the difficulty of extracting signals for controlling the prostheses, limited number of degrees of freedom (DoF), and cost-prohibitive for complex controlling systems. In this study, a real-time hybrid control system, based on electromyography (EMG) and voice commands (VC) is designed to render the prosthesis more dexterous with the ability to accomplish amputee’s daily activities proficiently. The voice and EMG systems were combined in three proposed hybrid strategies, each strategy had different number of movements depending on the combination protocol between voic

 Bored piles settlement behavior under vertical loaded is the main factor that affects the design requirements of single or group of piles in soft soils. The estimation of bored pile settlement is a complicated problem because it depends upon many factors which may include ground conditions, validation of bored pile design method through testing and validation of theoretical or numerical prediction of the settlement value. In this study, a prototype single and bored pile group model of arrangement (1*1, 1*2 and 2*2) for total length to diameter ratios (L/D) is 13.33 and clear spacing three times of diameter, subjected to vertical axial loads. The bored piles model used for the test was 2000

In this paper, tunable optical band-pass filters based on Polarization Maintaining Fiber –Mach Zehnder Interferometer presented. Tunability of the band-pass filter implemented by applying different mechanical forces N on the micro-cavities splicing regions (MCSRs). The micro-cavity formed by using three variable-lengths of single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber with (8, 16, 24) cm lengths, splice between two segments of (SMF-28) with (26, 13) cm lengths, using the fusion splicing technique.  Ellipsoidal shape micro-cavities experimentally achieved parallel to the propagation axis having dimensions between (12-24) μm of width and   (4-12) μm of length. A micro-cavity with width and length as high as 24 μm and 12 μ

In order to improve the effectiveness, increase the life cycle, and avoid the blade structural failure of wind turbines, the blades need to be perfectly designed. Knowing the flow angle and the geometric characteristics of the blade is necessary to calculate the values of the induction factors (axial and tangential), which are the basis of the Blade Element Momentum theory (BEM). The aforementioned equations form an implicit and nonlinear system. Consequently, a straightforward iterative solution process can be used to solve this problem. A theoretical study of the aerodynamic performance of a horizontal-axis wind turbine blade was introduced using the BEM. The main objective of the current work is to examine the wind turbine blade’s perf

LED is an ultra-lightweight block cipher that is mainly used in devices with limited resources. Currently, the software and hardware structure of this cipher utilize a complex logic operation to generate a sequence of random numbers called round constant and this causes the algorithm to slow down and record low throughput. To improve the speed and throughput of the original algorithm, the Fast Lightweight Encryption Device (FLED) has been proposed in this paper. The key size of the currently existing LED algorithm is in 64-bit & 128-bit but this article focused mainly on the 64-bit key (block size=64-bit). In the proposed FLED design, complex operations have been replaced by LFSR left feedback technology to make the algorithm perform more e

The research aims to identify the academic problems of family counseling diploma students at Saudi Universities. In addition, to identify the differences in these problems according to gender, marital status, place of study, academic specialization, and GPA. The sample consisted of (491) students. The researcher has used one questionnaire for academic problems prepared by the researcher.  The research revealed the following results: There were academic problems among family counseling diploma students at Saudi Universities, the most problems were related to the systems and administrations of the university, then the field training, the buildings, classrooms and campus facilities, then the academic courses, after that the exams, then

Symmetric cryptography forms the backbone of secure data communication and storage by relying on the strength and randomness of cryptographic keys. This increases complexity, enhances cryptographic systems' overall robustness, and is immune to various attacks. The present work proposes a hybrid model based on the Latin square matrix (LSM) and subtractive random number generator (SRNG) algorithms for producing random keys. The hybrid model enhances the security of the cipher key against different attacks and increases the degree of diffusion. Different key lengths can also be generated based on the algorithm without compromising security. It comprises two phases. The first phase generates a seed value that depends on producing a rand

This study was aimed to develop an optimized Dy determination method using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The Plackett-Burman (PB) experimental design was used to select significant factors that affect the electrical current response, which were further optimized using the response surface method-central composite design (RSM-CCD). The type of electrolyte solution and amplitude modulation were found as two most significant factors, among the nine factors tested, which enhance the current response based on PB design. Further optimization using RSM-CCD shows that the optimum values for the tw