An innovative two-step noncatalytic esterifcation technique was proposed to synthesize alkyl esters from free fatty acids simulated in waste cooking oil, as a pretreatment process for biodiesel production, without adding any catalyst under normal conditions of pressure and temperature. The efect of methanol:oil molar ratio, reaction time, mixing rate, and reaction temperature were investigated. The results confrmed that the conversion of the reaction was increased when increasing the methanol molar ratio and decreased in prolonged reaction temperature. High conversion (94.545%) was successfully achieved at optimized conditions of 115:1, 65:1 methanol:oil molar ratio in the frst step and second step, respectively, other conditions i

Reliability analysis methods are used to evaluate the safety of reinforced concrete structures by evaluating the limit state function 𝑔(𝑋𝑖). For implicit limit state function and nonlinear analysis , an advanced reliability analysis methods are needed. Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) can be used in this case however, as the number of input variables increases, the time required for MCS also increases, making it a time consuming method especially for complex problems with implicit performance functions. In such cases, MCS-based FORM (First Order Reliability Method) and Artificial Neural Network-based FORM (ANN FORM) have been proposed as alternatives. However, it is important to note that both MCS-FORM and ANN-FORM can also be time-con

Lattakia city faces many problems related to the mismanagement of solid waste, as the disposal process is limited to the random Al-Bassa landfill without treatment. Therefore, solid waste management poses a special challenge to decision-makers by choosing the appropriate tool that supports strategic decisions in choosing municipal solid waste treatment methods and evaluating their management systems. As the human is primarily responsible for the formation of waste, this study aims to measure the degree of environmental awareness in the Lattakia Governorate from the point of view of the research sample members and to discuss the effect of the studied variables (place of residence, educational level, gender, age, and professional status) o

Programs and performance budget represents a sophisticated method of public budget numbers, which includes all allocations to be determined for each job or activity within a government entity, which is analyzed according to their needs and costs, and this method can be applied using one of the cost accounting techniques, which is the technique of analyzing the value chain that reduces costs by avoiding activities that do not add value and enhance activities that add value to the economic entity, the current research aims to develop the budget system in government entity by using the budget of programs and performance as a tool for planning and monitoring events and activities, thereby reducing the waste of public money by reducing unnecessa

Purpose:  Providing practical knowledge of the requirements of a detailed feasibility study for selecting the investment project.

Findings:  Directing the private sector towards investing in productive projects - the pre-cast reinforced concrete project - as it achieves a financial return as well as providing Providing foreign currencies by reducing imports and exploiting available natural resources

Practical implications: The importance of a detailed feasibility study to determining whether the project can be implemented or not.

The precast concrete method is one of the best modern c

This narrative review focused on research investigating the impact of loneliness on the prevalence of dementia and its relationship with other risk factors. A comprehensive and rigorous search was conducted using a variety of scientific databases with specific keywords to identify all prior studies that examined the correlation between dementia and loneliness. The inquiry was confined to articles published in English from January 2017 to March 2024. The narrative review identified a consensus regarding the role of loneliness in enhancing the risk of all‐cause dementia, with a particular emphasis on the subjective perception of loneliness. This phenomenon may be caused by the sensations of exclusion, discrimination, and alienation that are

Currently, there is an intensive development of bipedal walking robots. The most known solutions are based on the use of the principles of human gait created in nature during evolution. Modernbipedal robots are also based on the locomotion manners of birds. This review presents the current state of the art of bipedal walking robots based on natural bipedal movements (human and bird) as well as on innovative synthetic solutions. Firstly, an overview of the scientific analysis of human gait is provided as a basis for the design of bipedal robots. The full human gait cycle that consists of two main phases is analysed and the attention is paid to the problem of balance and stability, especially in the single support phase when the biped

Secondary trigeminal neuralgia (STN) results from an identifiable underlying pathology, including tumor compression, multiple sclerosis, arteriovenous malformations, hypertension, structural lesions, inflammation, trauma, or familial genetic conditions. This study, through a comprehensive review of the literature in PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, explores the multifaceted aspects of STN. This study delves into the diverse etiological factors, focusing on the pathophysiological mechanisms that lead to trigeminal nerve dysfunction. The clinical manifestations of STN often overlap with those of primary trigeminal neuralgia, creating diagnostic challenges and necessitating a thorough evaluation that in

The geophysical testing is increasingly being employed in many geotechnical applications. It is preferred in monitoring the mechanical characteristics of the ground because of its economy, not time consuming and non-destructive nature. Seismic wave test is one of the geophysical methods which showed a potential in observing the general behaviour of the reinforced soil with stone columns. Findings in most cases showed that the seismic wave measurements was integrated with or compared to the conventional tests such as standard penetration test or cone penetration test. There was a noticeable success in identifying the enhancement achieved to the ground upon the strengthening with the column, specifically when the associated surveys can produc