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Urban heat island (UHI) in cities across Malaysia has worsened due to rapid development and construction. Previous research highlight temperature difference between Putrajaya and its suburban neighbouring area is as high as 5˚C. Green roofs in urban areas can be used as a green intervention strategy to reduce UHI impact by increasing air moisture and surface wetness through its plants, which consequently decreases surrounding air and surface temperature. Green roofs also provide additional insulation that reduces heat transfer into buildings, therefore reducing cooling demand and operational energy in buildings. Conventional building roofs in tropical climate have measured surface temperature up to 60˚C, compared to surrounding irrigated grass and water bodies that are measured as low as 15˚C. This paper compared surface temperatures of green roof and conventional non-green roof case studies in a tropical climate setting, to combat urban heat island effect. A triangulation technique was adopted, using a case study analysis with an in-depth structured interview and physical fieldwork investigation. The findings concluded that green roofs had significantly lower surface temperature compared to non-green flat roof. This paper provides evidence that supports green roof as a green intervention strategy in reducing urban heat island and encourage building designers to maximize under-utilized spaces of roofs to increase urban greenery coverage.

Temubual dilakukan bersama Prof Dr Azmi Bin Haji Hassan, seorang Pakar Geostrategi untuk mengetahui tentang perkhidmatan beliau dalam kerjayanya sebagai seorang pensyarah, Pakar Geostrategi di Malaysia. Temubual ini dijalankan melalui platform atas talian iaitu Google Meet pada 20 Jun 2021 setelah mendapat persetujuan oleh beliau. Beliau merupakan seorang pensyarah yang berkhidmat di Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) di bawah Fakulti Teknologi Dan Informatik Razak. Selain memberi ulasan di Utusan Malaysia untuk mengupas mengenai isu pertahanan, strategik dan geopolitik antarabangsa, beliau juga telah menulis lebih dari 600 artikel di lain-lain media massa. Tugas beliau bukan sahaja sebagai seorang pensyarah malah sebagai seorang pakar geostrategi dan penganalisis politik. Beliau sering dijemput oleh pihak siaran media seperti Astro Awani dan juga Media Prima TV3 untuk mengupas isu-isu semasa. Beliau telah dipanggil untuk mengulas isu mengenai isu kehilangan pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH370, Pandemik Covid-19 dan juga isu berkenaan vaksin Covid-19. Pelbagai ujian dan cabaran telah dihadapi oleh beliau lebih-lebih lagi dalam dunia geo-strategik ini. Sejarah kehidupan dan kerjaya beliau dapat dijadikan sebagai sumber inspirasi kepada semua orang.

Mathematical model simulation of low delta tumor growth (lambda = 0.2)

Purpose:Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a heterogeneous disease with variable presentations and natural histories of disease. We hypothesized that different morphologic characteristics of PDAC tumors on diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scans would reflect their underlying biology.Experimental Design:We developed a quantitative method to categorize the PDAC morphology on pretherapy CT scans from multiple datasets of patients with resectable and metastatic disease and correlated these patterns with clinical/pathologic measurements. We modeled macroscopic lesion growth computationally to test the effects of stroma on morphologic patterns, hypothesizing that the balance of proliferation and local migration rates of the cancer cells would determine tumor morphology.Results:In localized and metastatic PDAC, quantifying the change in enhancement on CT scans at the interface between tumor and parenchyma (delta) demonstrated that patients with conspicuous (high-delta) tumors had significantly less stroma, higher likelihood of multiple common pathway mutations, more mesenchymal features, higher likelihood of early distant metastasis, and shorter survival times compared with those with inconspicuous (low-delta) tumors. Pathologic measurements of stromal and mesenchymal features of the tumors supported the mathematical model's underlying theory for PDAC growth.Conclusions:At baseline diagnosis, a visually striking and quantifiable CT imaging feature reflects the molecular and pathological heterogeneity of PDAC, and may be used to stratify patients into distinct subtypes. Moreover, growth patterns of PDAC may be described using physical principles, enabling new insights into diagnosis and treatment of this deadly disease.

Additional methods

Mathematical model simulation of high delta tumor growth (lambda = 1.5)

A transparent smart window made of recycled polycarbonate plastic (PCP) waste was prepared and immobilized with strontium aluminate phosphor nanoparticles (SAPN). It has afterglow emission, super-hydrophobicity, durability, photostability, good mechanical properties, ultraviolet protection, and high optical transmittance. To create an afterglow emission polycarbonate smart window (SAPN@PCP), recycled polycarbonate waste was integrated with various concentrations of SAPN (15–52 nm). SAP micro-scale powder was made using the solid-state high temperature method. The SAP nanoparticles were produced using the top-down method. To create a colorless plastic bulk, recycled polycarbonate waste was inserted into a hot bath. This colorless plastic was thoroughly combined with SAPN and cast to create an afterglow luminous smart window. To investigate its photoluminescence properties, spectrum profiles of excitation and emission were measured. According to the luminescence parameters, the phosphorescent colorless polycarbonate plates displayed a change in color to strong green under UV illumination and greenish-yellow in a dark box. The afterglow polycarbonate smart window displayed two emission peaks at 496 and 526 nm, and an absorption wavelength of 373 nm. Upon increasing the SAPN ratio, the hydrophobic activity, hardness, photostability, and UV protection were improved. Luminescent polycarbonate substrates with lower SAPN ratio demonstrated rapid and reversible fluorescence under UV light, while the higher SAPN content in the luminous polycarbonate substrates showed afterglow.

Modern aircrafts require the assembly of thousands of components with high accuracy and reliability. The normality of drilled holes is a critical geometrical tolerance that is required to be achieved in order to realize an efficient assembly process. Failure to achieve the required tolerance leads to structures prone to fatigue problems and assembly errors. Elastomer-based tactile sensors have been used to support robots in acquiring useful physical interaction information with the environments. However, current tactile sensors have not yet been developed to support robotic machining in achieving the tight tolerances of aerospace structures. In this paper, a novel elastomer-based tactile sensor was developed for cobot machining. Three commercial silicon-based elastomer materials were characterised using mechanical testing in order to select a material with the best deformability. A Finite element model was developed to simulate the deformation of the tactile sensor upon interacting with surfaces with different normalities. Additive manufacturing was employed to fabricate the tactile sensor mould, which was chemically etched to improve the surface quality. The tactile sensor was obtained by directly casting and curing the optimum elastomer material onto the additively manufactured mould. A machine learning approach was used to train the simulated and experimental data obtained from the sensor. The capability of the developed vision tactile sensor was evaluated using real-world experiments with various inclination angles, and achieved a mean perpendicularity tolerance of 0.34°. The developed sensor opens a new perspective on low-cost precision cobot machining.

Mobility generally refers to the ability or capacity to move. The subject of women’s mobility has been well documented and investigated by researchers since the 1970s. Early studies were initially inspired by the issue of gender-based violence encountered by women. At the same time, there is increasing research on women transportation mobility due to the increasing percentage of women working and travelling outside the house. However, there is an absence of studies that adopted a systematic review of studies related to women’s mobility. The increase of women working in the 21st century has led to an increase in the percentage of women travelling, thus engendering issues such as safety, security, mobility and accessibility. This paper attempted to identify studies related to women’s mobility in the 21st century from the year 2001 until the year of 2020 by using a systematic literature review, guided by Preferred Reporting Materials for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses, also known as the PRISMA Statement, to further understand the scenario of urban women travelling in the global context. This paper reviews previous studies conducted in the 21st century, revealing slight variations of focus among the authors on the urban women travelling issue.Abstrak. Mobilitas umumnya mengacu pada kemampuan atau kapasitas untuk bergerak. Subjek ‘Mobilitas Wanita’ telah didokumentasikan dan diteliti dengan baik oleh para peneliti sejak tahun 1970-an. Studi terdahulu awalnya terinspirasi dari isu-isu kekerasan berbasis gender yang dihadapi perempuan. Sementara itu, penelitian tentang mobilitas transportasi perempuan semakin meningkat karena meningkatnya persentase perempuan yang bekerja dan pindah ke luar rumah. Namun, belum ada penelitian yang mengadopsi tinjauan sistematis pada artikel terkait studi terkait mobilitas perempuan. Meningkatnya jumlah perempuan yang bekerja di abad ke-21 juga meningkatkan persentase perempuan yang bepergian sehingga menggambarkan banyak masalah antara lain keselamatan, keamanan, mobilitas dan aksesibilitas. Oleh karena itu, tulisan ini mencoba mengidentifikasi kajian-kajian yang berkaitan dengan mobilitas perempuan abad ke-21 dari tahun 2001 hingga tahun 2020 dengan menggunakan Systematic Literature Review yang berpedoman pada Preferred Reporting Materials for Systematic Reviews dan Meta Analysis atau yang lebih dikenal dengan PRISMA Statement untuk memahami lebih jauh skenario perjalanan wanita perkotaan dalam perspektif global. Makalah ini mengulas penelitian sebelumnya yang dilakukan pada abad ke-21 yang telah ditafsirkan dan diuraikan dengan sedikit variasi fokus di antara penulis tentang isu perjalanan wanita perkotaan. Kata kunci. mobilitas wanita, tinjauan literatur sistematis, perjalanan, abad ke-21.

ObjectivesTumor size measurement is critical for accurate tumor staging in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, accurate tumor size measurement is challenging in patients who received neoadjuvant therapy before resection, due to treatment-induced fibrosis and tumor invasion beyond the grossly identified tumor area. In this study, we evaluated the correlation between the tumor size and tumor volume measured on post-therapy computed tomography (CT) scans and the pathological measurement. Also, we investigated the correlation between these measurements and clinicopathological parameters and survival.Materials and methodsRetrospectively, we evaluated 343 patients with PDAC who received neoadjuvant therapy, followed by pancreaticoduodenectomy and had pre-operative pancreatic protocol CT imaging. We measured the longest tumor diameter (RadL) and the radiological tumor volume (RadV) on the post-therapy CT scan, then we categorized RadL into four radiologic tumor stages (RTS) based on the current AJCC staging (8th edition) protocol and RadV based on the median. Pearson correlation or Spearman's coefficient (δ), T-test and ANOVA was used to test the correlation between the radiological and pathological measurement. Chi-square analysis was used to test the correlation with the tumor pathological response, lymph-node metastasis and margin status and Kaplan-Meier and Cox-proportional hazard for survival analysis. P-value < 0.05 was considered significant.ResultsAs a continuous variable, RadL showed a positive linear correlation with the post-therapy pathologic tumor size in the overall patient population (Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.72, P&nbsp

BACKGROUND: RNF43 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that is recurrently mutated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and precursor cystic neoplasms of the pancreas. The impact of RNF43 mutations on PDAC is poorly understood and autochthonous models have not been sufficiently characterized. In this study we describe a genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) of PDAC with conditional expression of oncogenic Kras and deletion of the catalytic domain of Rnf43 in exocrine cells. METHODS: We generated Ptf1a-Cre;LSL-KrasG12D;Rnf43(flox/flox) (KRC) and Ptf1a-Cre; LSL-KrasG12D (KC) mice and animal survival was assessed. KRC mice were sacrificed at 2 months, 4 months and at moribund status followed by analysis of pancreata by single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq). Comparative analyses between moribund KRC and a moribund Kras/Tp53 driven PDAC GEMM (KPC) was performed. Cell lines were isolated from KRC and KC tumors and interrogated by cytokine array analyses, ATAC-seq and in vitro drug assays. KRC GEMMs were also treated with an anti-CTLA4 neutralizing antibody with treatment response measured by magnetic response imaging. RESULTS: We demonstrate that KRC mice display a marked increase in incidence of high-grade cystic lesions of the pancreas and PDAC compared to KC. Importantly, KRC mice have a significantly decreased survival compared to KC mice. By use of scRNAseq we demonstrated that KRC tumor progression is accompanied by a decrease in macrophages, as well as an increase in T and B lymphocytes with evidence of increased immune checkpoint molecule expression and affinity maturation, respectively. This was in stark contrast to the tumor immune microenvironment observed in the KPC PDAC GEMM. Furthermore, expression of the chemokine, CXCL5, was found to be specifically decreased in KRC cancer cells by means of epigenetic regulation and emerged as a putative candidate for mediating the unique KRC immune landscape. CONCLUSIONS: The KRC GEMM establishes RNF43 as a bona fide tumor suppressor gene in PDAC. This GEMM features a markedly different immune microenvironment compared to previously reported PDAC GEMMs and puts forth a rationale for an immunotherapy approach in this subset of PDAC cases.

Purpose Deformable image registration (DIR) of longitudinal liver cancer computed tomographic (CT) images can be challenging owing to anatomic changes caused by radiation therapy (RT) or disease progression. We propose a workflow for the DIR of longitudinal contrast-enhanced CT scans of liver cancer based on a biomechanical model of the liver driven by boundary conditions on the liver surface and centerline of an autosegmentation of the vasculature. Methods and Materials Pre- and post-RT CT scans acquired with a median gap of 112 (32-217) days for 28 patients who underwent RT for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. For each patient, 5 corresponding anatomic landmarks in pre- and post-RT scans were identified in the liver by a clinical expert for evaluation of the accuracy of different DIR strategies. The first strategy corresponded to the use of a biomechanical model-based DIR method with boundary conditions specified on the liver surface (BM_DIR). The second strategy corresponded to the use of an expansion of BM_DIR consisting of the auto-segmentation of the liver vasculature to determine additional boundary conditions in the biomechanical model (BM_DIR_VBC). The 2 strategies were also compared with an intensity-based DIR strategy using a Demons algorithms. Results The group mean target registration errors were 12.4 ± 7.5, 7.7 ± 3.7 and 4.4 ± 2.5 mm, for the Demons, BM_DIR and BM_DIR_VBC, respectively. Conclusions In regard to the large and complex deformation observed in this study and the achieved accuracy of 4.4 mm, the proposed BM_DIR_VBC method might reveal itself as a valuable tool in future studies on the relationship between delivered dose and treatment outcome.

Effective consolidative chemoradiation (CRT) regimens are lacking. In this phase 1 trial, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of nab-paclitaxel, capecitabine, and radiation therapy after induction chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced and borderline-resectable pancreatic cancer (LAPC and BRPC). Also, we evaluated a computed tomography (CT)-based biomarker of response.Eligible patients had pathologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, underwent computed tomography-imaging, received a diagnosis of LAPC or BRPC, and received induction chemotherapy. Standard 3 + 3 study design was used, with 3 escalating nab-paclitaxel dose levels (50, 75, and 100 mg/mTwenty-three patients started and finished on protocol (LAPC = 14, BRPC = 9). No grade 3 and 4 toxicities were reported in level 1 (n = 3) or level 2 (n = 3) initial groups. Two patients in the initial level 3 group developed dose limiting toxicity, establishing level 2 dose as the maximal tolerated dose. Level 2 group was expanded for additional 15 patients (for a total of 23 on trial), 5 of whom developed grade 3 toxicities. Seven patients underwent surgical resection. Median OS and PFS were 21.2 and 8.1 months, respectively. Type I IR was associated with better OS (P = .004) and PFS (P = .03) compared with type II IR.We established the maximum tolerated dose for nab-paclitaxel in a consolidative CRT regimen for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Preliminary efficacy results warrant phase 2 trial evaluation. IR may be used for personalized treatment.

PURPOSE Effective preoperative regimens and biomarkers for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are lacking. We prospectively evaluated fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX)-based treatment and imaging-based biomarkers for borderline resectable PDAC. METHODS Eligible patients had treatment-naïve, histology-confirmed PDAC and one or more high-risk features: mesenteric vessel involvement, CA 19-9 level of 500 mg/dL or greater, and indeterminate metastatic lesions. Patients received modified FOLFIRINOX and chemoradiation before anticipated pancreatectomy. Tumors were classified on baseline computed tomography as high delta (well-defined interface with parenchyma) or low delta (ill-defined interface). We designated computed tomography interface response after therapy as type I (remained or became well defined) or type II (became ill defined). The study had 80% power to differentiate a 60% from 40% resection rate (α = .10). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and subgroups were compared using log-rank tests. RESULTS Thirty-three patients initiated therapy; 45% underwent pancreatectomy. The median OS was 24 months (95% CI, 16.2 to 29.6 months). For patients who did and did not undergo pancreatectomy, the median OS was 42 months (95% CI, 17.7 months to not estimable) and 14 months (95% CI, 9.0 to 24.8 months), respectively. Patients with high-delta tumors had lower 3-year PFS (4% v 40%) and 3-year OS rates (20% v 60%) than those with low-delta tumors (both P < .05). Patients with type II interface responses had lower 3-year PFS (0% v 29%) and 3-year OS rates (16% v 47%) than those with type I responses (both P < .001). CONCLUSION Preoperative FOLFIRINOX followed by chemoradiation for high-risk borderline resectable PDAC was associated with a resection rate of 45% and median OS of approximately 2 years. Our imaging-based biomarker validation indicates that personalized treatment may be achieved using these biomarkers at baseline and post-treatment.

We have previously shown that ablative radiotherapy (A-RT) with a biologically effective dose (BED10) ≥ 80.5 Gy for patients with unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is associated with longer survival. Despite recent large-scale sequencing efforts in ICC, outcomes following RT based on genetic alterations have not been described. We reviewed records of 156 consecutive patients treated with A-RT for unresectable ICC from 2008 to 2020. For 114 patients (73%), next-generation sequencing provided molecular profiles. The overall survival (OS), local control (LC), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate and multivariable Cox analyses were used to determine the associations with the outcomes. The median tumor size was 7.3 (range: 2.2–18.2) cm. The portal vein thrombus (PVT) was present in 10%. The RT median BED10 was 98 Gy (range: 81–144 Gy). The median (95% confidence interval) follow-up was 58 (42–104) months from diagnosis and 39 (33–74) months from RT. The median OS was 32 (29–35) months after diagnosis and 20 (16–24) months after RT. The one-year OS, LC, and intrahepatic DMFS were 73% (65–80%), 81% (73–87%), and 34% (26–42%). The most common mutations were in IDH1 (25%), TP53 (22%), ARID1A (19%), and FGFR2 (13%). Upon multivariable analysis, the factors associated with death included worse performance status, larger tumor, metastatic disease, higher CA 19-9, PVT, satellitosis, and IDH1 and PIK3CA mutations. TP53 mutation was associated with local failure. Further investigation into the prognostic value of individual mutations and combinations thereof is warranted.

Left ventricular (LV) catheterization provides LV pressure-volume (P-V) loops and it represents the gold standard for cardiac function monitoring. This technique, however, is invasive and this limits its applicability in clinical and in-home settings. Ballistocardiography (BCG) is a good candidate for non-invasive cardiac monitoring, as it is based on capturing non-invasively the body motion that results from the blood flowing through the cardiovascular system. This work aims at building a mechanistic connection between changes in the BCG signal, changes in the P-V loops and changes in cardiac function. A mechanism-driven model based on cardiovascular physiology has been used as a virtual laboratory to predict how changes in cardiac function will manifest in the BCG waveform. Specifically, model simulations indicate that a decline in LV contractility results in an increase of the relative timing between the ECG and BCG signal and a decrease in BCG amplitude. The predicted changes have subsequently been observed in measurements on three swine serving as pre-clinical models for pre- and post-myocardial infarction conditions. The reproducibility of BCG measurements has been assessed on repeated, consecutive sessions of data acquisitions on three additional swine. Overall, this study provides experimental evidence supporting the utilization of mechanism-driven mathematical modeling as a guide to interpret changes in the BCG signal on the basis of cardiovascular physiology, thereby advancing the BCG technique as an effective method for non-invasive monitoring of cardiac function.

PURPOSE: Currently, radiologists use tumor-to-normal tissue contrast across multiphase computed tomography (MPCT) for lesion detection. Here, we developed a novel voxel-based enhancement pattern mapping (EPM) technique and investigated its ability to improve contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) in a phantom study and in patients with hepatobiliary cancers. METHODS: The EPM algorithm is based on the root mean square deviation between each voxel and a normal liver enhancement model using patient-specific (EPM-PA) or population data (EPM-PO). We created a phantom consisting of liver tissue and tumors with distinct enhancement signals under varying tumor sizes, motion, and noise. We also retrospectively evaluated 89 patients with hepatobiliary cancers who underwent active breath-hold MPCT between 2016 and 2017. MPCT phases were registered using a three-dimensional deformable image registration algorithm. For the patient study, CNRs of tumor to adjacent tissue across MPCT phases, EPM-PA and EPM-PO were measured and compared. RESULTS: EPM resulted in statistically significant CNR improvement (P < 0.05) for tumor sizes down to 3 mm, but the CNR improvement was significantly affected by tumor motion and image noise. Eighty-two of 89 hepatobiliary cases showed CNR improvement with EPM (PA or PO) over grayscale MPCT, by an average factor of 1.4, 1.6, and 1.5 for cholangiocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and colorectal liver metastasis, respectively (P < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: EPM increases CNR compared with grayscale MPCT for primary and secondary hepatobiliary cancers. This new visualization method derived from MPCT datasets may have applications for early cancer detection, radiomic characterization, tumor treatment response, and segmentation. IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT CARE: We developed a voxel-wise enhancement pattern mapping (EPM) technique to improve the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of multiphase CT. The improvement in CNR was observed in datasets of patients with cholangiocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and colorectal liver metastasis. EPM has the potential to be clinically useful for cancers with regard to early detection, radiomic characterization, response, and segmentation.

A boxfish has certain aero/hydrodynamic features in its body shape which makes it more efficient in traveling through the water using less energy. Because of the streamline features of the boxfish, it produces less drag for its movement. So, there is a lot of possibility to design a passenger car by implementing the aerodynamic features on the car shape for improving the energy efficiency. This paper investigates the aerodynamic behavior of a boxfish using both experimental and computational methods. A scaled-up model boxfish was manufactured, and passenger car model was also developed by applied certain aerodynamic features on the car shape and a prototype was manufactured. The models were tested in a wind tunnel condition. The results indicate that the drag coefficient of a boxfish is around 0.24 which is significantly lower than current drag coefficient of a passenger car. The car design inspired by boxfish also energy efficient than a commercially manufactured passenger car. Hence, a boxfish shape can be adapted for achieving low drag and energy efficient motor vehicle design.

In Saudi Arabia, the current production of electric power is mainly relying on crude oil which causes a high percentage of carbon dioxide emissions and no power is generated from any renewable sources. However, recently Saudi Government has announced a development plan ‘The Saudi Vision 2030’ where the target is 20% of the production of power from the renewable sources mainly from solar and wind. Like other countries e.g., China, India, US and UK that produce a significant amount of their electric power from renewable sources. Saudi Arabia has a vast land area where there is a plenty of prospect to install renewable power plants (solar and wind farm) to generate a significant amount of electric power to meet their 2030 target. This paper analyses past 10 years wind data in various location of Saudi Arabia to investigate the feasibility to generate power. This study also recommends the potential locations that are suitable for wind power generation including suggestions of the wind turbine specifications.

Bridge pier are the most widely used hydraulics structures in ocean, offshore and river engineering. As a result, scour around bridge pier, flow prediction and it interaction are widely attracted by the civil, mechanical and marine engineers. The local scour around the piers of the bridge is one of the main causes of the bridge failure. The local scour of river water is a catastrophic effect on the engineering structures. It leaves them under dangerous, maintenance prone conditions and occasionally leads to loss of life. The damage to the hydraulic and civil structure due to local scour is a global problem and has been studied experimentally and numerically by many researchers for several decades. In this paper, local scour around bridge piers as a complex phenomenon has been explained and the problem to countermeasure the local scour effect. In past two decade computer simulations have been developed for bridge pier scouring. They have an advantage of being able to simulate a situation at full scale scenario, and can easily alter the geometry as required. Early CFD simulations were mainly focused on single-phase model which require empirical sediment transport equations to predict sand motion. Multiphase CFD simulation models are a most recent development; they model sediment transport as a granular flow to predict the sand movement and analyse the scour depth. The experimental validation will be undertaken using generic water tunnel. A series of scale models will be developed in the future as per the geometric characteristic of CFD models.

Local scour around bridge piers is one of the main causes of bridge failures. Study of local scour is very significant for the safe design of piers and other civil and marine structures. Despite the subject has been explored for many decades, the numerical developments have been very limited due to the complicated interaction of three-dimensional flow, sediment transport and fluid-particle interaction. In this work, a numerical model based upon the Reynolds Average Navier Stokes Equation (k-e) approach has been used for predicting the three dimensional flow (3D) around a bridge piers (square and cylinder piers), mounted on a flat and fixed bed. The main aim of this paper is the validation of the numerical model, based upon the previous experimental data. The CFD-numerical tool is proficient to qualitatively reproduce the flow characteristic for different pier shape and features around the pier, such as the upstream vortex (horseshoe vortex) and downstream vortex (vortex shedding in the wake). The outcome of this study can be used developing adequate numerical model to simulate the 2D and 3D turbulent flow past the square and circular piers, which are relevant case-studies for the marine and civil structures supported by pillars. The corresponding numerical results are in good agreement with those extracted from available experimental data.