The utilization of sugarcane molasses (SCM), a byproduct of sugar refining, offers a promising bio-based alternative to conventional chemical admixtures in cementitious systems. This study investigates the effects of SCM at five dosage levels, 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, 1.00%, and 1.25% by weight of cement, on cement mortar performance across fresh, mechanical, thermal, durability, and density criteria. A comprehensive experimental methodology was employed, including flow table testing, compressive strength (7, 14, and 28 days) and flexural strength measurements, embedded thermal sensors for real-time hydration monitoring, water absorption and chloride ion penetration tests, as well as 28-day density determination. Results revealed clear dose-dependent behavior, with SCM enhancing mortar flowability proportional to dosage, raising the spread diameter from 11.5 cm (control) to 20 cm at 1.25%. At 0.25% SCM, compressive strength (47.5 MPa at 28 days) and flexural strength (~2.9 MPa) were higher than those of the remaining SCM dosages, supported by sustained heat release and positive temperature differentials. However, dosages ≥ 0.5% drastically suppressed hydration kinetics and mechanical performance, with compressive strength falling below 10 MPa. Furthermore, high SCM content led to increased water absorption (up to 10.6%) and chloride permeability (CIP above 5100 C), while bulk density declined from 2250 kg/m3 to 2080 kg/m3 at 1.25% SCM. Statistical validation using one-way ANOVA confirmed that these differences across dosage levels were significant (p < 0.05), underscoring the importance of dosage optimization. This investigation confirms that low-dosage SCM (≤0.25%) can be an effective bio-additive, providing improved workability with negligible compromise in strength and durability. In contrast, higher dosages undermine matrix integrity and performance. Future work is recommended to assess long-term microstructural evolution, field exposure durability, and adaptability across diverse cementitious systems.
Phase change material (PCM) is considered as one of the most effective thermal energy storage (TES) systems to balance energy supply and demand. A key challenge in designing efficient PCM-based TES systems lies in the enhancement of heat transmission during phase transition. This study numerically examines the privilege of employing twisted-fin arrays inside a shell-and-tube latent heat storage unit to improve the solidification performance. The presence of twisted fins contributes to the dominating role of heat conduction by their curved shapes, which restricts the role of natural convection but largely aids the overall heat-transfer process during solidification. The heat-discharge
The research aimed to study the job satisfaction of the staff of the Federal board of supreme Audit and its relation to the effectiveness of their performance, The questionnaire was adopted as a main tool in the collection of data and information from a random sample of (54) employees of the Federal board of supreme Audit. In light of this, the data were collected and analyzed and the hypotheses were tested using the statistical program (SPSS).
The researchers reached a number of conclusions, the most important of which were: (1) the respondents' response to the variables of job satisfaction and the effectiveness of the performance were medium; (2) there was a significant relationship between job satisfaction and performance effe
... Show MoreJohn Updike’s use of setting in his fiction has elicited different and even conflicting reactions from critics, varying from symbolic interpretations of setting to a sense of confusion at his use of time and place in his stories. The present study is an attempt at examining John Updike’s treatment of binary settings in Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories (1962) to reveal theme, characters’ motives and conflicts. Analyzing Updike’s stories from a structuralist’s perspective reveals his employment of two different places and times in the individual stories as a means of reflecting the psychological state of the characters, as in “The Persistence of Desire”, or expressing conflicting views on social and political is
... Show MoreSeveral stress-strain models were used to predict the strengths of steel fiber reinforced concrete, which are distinctive of the material. However, insufficient research has been done on the influence of hybrid fiber combinations (comprising two or more distinct fibers) on the characteristics of concrete. For this reason, the researchers conducted an experimental program to determine the stress-strain relationship of 30 concrete samples reinforced with two distinct fibers (a hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol and steel fibers), with compressive strengths ranging from 40 to 120 MPa. A total of 80% of the experimental results were used to develop a new empirical stress-strain model, which was accomplished through the application of the parti
... Show MoreThe meanings attributed to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) are shaped through complex negotiations within religious and socio-cultural frameworks, including those observed in Indonesia. Using a combined qualitative and quantitative (mixed methods)-ethnographic and survey approach, data from 109 students of religious tertiary institutions in East Kalimantan on their perspectives on FGM/C practices can be more comprehensively explored. The results of the study, which were analysed using the three principles of symbolic interactionism, showed that 72.5 per cent of religious college student families still practice FGM/C and 53.2 per cent stated that FGM/C practices are beneficial for women. However, they are also willing, if
... Show MoreMassive multiple-input multiple-output (massive-MIMO) is a promising technology for next generation wireless communications systems due to its capability to increase the data rate and meet the enormous ongoing data traffic explosion. However, in non-reciprocal channels, such as those encountered in frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, channel state information (CSI) estimation using downlink (DL) training sequence is to date very challenging issue, especially when the channel exhibits a shorter coherence time. In particular, the availability of sufficiently accurate CSI at the base transceiver station (BTS) allows an efficient precoding design in the DL transmission to be achieved, and thus, reliable communication systems can be obtaine
... Show MoreA new colorimetric-flow injection method has been developed and validated for the detection of Cefotaxime sodium in pharmaceutical formulations. This method stands out for its rapid and sensitive nature. The formation of a brown-colored complex between Cefotaxime sodium and the Biuret reagent in a highly alkaline environment serves as the basis for the detection. The intensity of this colored complex is measured using a custom-built Continuous Flow Injection Analyzer, enabling accurate quantification of Cefotaxime sodium. Optimization studies of the chemical and physical parameters such as dilution of Biuret reagent, effect of the medium basicity, flow rate, sample loop and others have been investigated. The calibration gra
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