Search results for: biological systems engineering

Authors: Remy Kulagowski, Tobias Sturm, Audrey Leopold, Aurelie Metay, Josephine Peigne, Alexis Thoumazeau, Alain Brauman, Bruno Fogliani, Florent Tivet

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A major challenge for agriculture is to enhance productivity while limiting the impact on the environment. Conservation agriculture (CA) is one strategy whereby both sustainability and productivity can be achieved by preserving and improving the soil quality. Soils provide and regulate a large number of ecosystem services (ES) such as agricultural productivity and climate change adaptation and mitigation. The aim of this study is to assess the impacts of contrasted CA crop management on soil functions for maize (Zea mays L.) cultivation in an eight years field experiment (2010-2018). The study included two CA practices: direct seeding in dead mulch (DM) and living mulch (LM), and conventional plough-based tillage (CT) practices on a fluvisol in New Caledonia (French Archipelago in the South Pacific). In 2018, soil quality of the cropping systems were evaluated with the Biofunctool® set of indicators, that consists in twelve integrative, in-field, and low-tech indicators assessing the biological, physical and chemical properties of soils. Main soil functions were evaluated including (i) carbon transformation, (ii) structure maintenance, and (iii) nutrient cycling in the ten first soil centimeters. The results showed significant higher score for soil structure maintenance (e.g., aggregate stability, water infiltration) and carbon transformation function (e.g., soil respiration, labile carbon) under CA in DM and LM when compared with CT. Score of carbon transformation index was higher in DM compared with LM. However, no significant effect of cropping systems was observed on nutrient cycling (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus). In conclusion, the aggregated synthetic scores of soil multi-functions evaluated with Biofunctool® demonstrate that CA cropping systems lead to a better soil functioning. Further analysis of the results with agronomic performance of the soil-crop systems would allow to better understand the links between soil functioning and production ES of CA.

Keywords: conservation agriculture, cropping systems, ecosystem services, soil functions

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Authors: Raza Ullah, Hazir Ullah

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There is ample evidence that reveals the outstanding performance of girls in a different range of subjects. However, it is pertinent to mention here that boys have historically dominated girls, particularly in math, physics, and technological subjects across the globe with the exception of few developed countries. This article examines the reasons why girls are underdog in STEM subjects. The article critically analyzes two main approaches towards gender and education: biological determinist and feminist. This article highlights that social factors influencing girls performance in STEM subjects have not analyzed critically, and girls underachieving in science has linked with biological and sex differences. The article concludes that the underperformance of girls in a STEM subject is the direct response of socio-cultural factors. Thus, socio-cultural factors are responsible for the dearth of girls in STEM subjects.

Keywords: gender, underperformance, STEM, education, sex

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Authors: F. Felipe

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Air Defense Systems contain high-value assets that are expected to fulfill their mission for several years - in many cases, even decades - while operating in a fast-changing, technology-driven environment. Thus, it is paramount that decision-makers can assess how effective an Air Defense System is in the face of new developing threats, as well as to identify the bottlenecks that could jeopardize the security of the airspace of a country. Given the broad extent of activities and the great variety of assets necessary to achieve the strategic objectives, a systems approach was taken in order to delineate the core requirements and the physical architecture of an Air Defense System. Then, value-focused thinking helped in the definition of the measures of effectiveness. Furthermore, analytical methods were applied to create a formal structure that preliminarily assesses such measures. To validate the proposed methodology, a powerful simulation was also used to determine the measures of effectiveness, now in more complex environments that incorporate both uncertainty and multiple interactions of the entities. The results regarding the validity of this methodology suggest that the approach can support decisions aimed at enhancing the capabilities of Air Defense Systems. In conclusion, this paper sheds some light on how consolidated approaches of Systems Engineering and Operations Research can be used as valid techniques for solving problems regarding a complex and yet vital matter.

Keywords: air defense, effectiveness, system, simulation, decision-support

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Authors: Ti-Jun Xiao, Zhe Xu

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Controllability is one of the fundamental issues in control systems. In this paper, we study the controllability of second order evolutional control systems in Hilbert spaces with memory and boundary controls, which model dynamic behaviors of some viscoelastic materials. Transferring the control problem into a moment problem and showing the Riesz property of a family of functions related to Cauchy problems for some integrodifferential equations, we obtain a general boundary controllability theorem for these second order evolutional control systems. This controllability theorem is applicable to various concrete 1D viscoelastic systems and recovers some previous related results. It is worth noting that Riesz sequences can be used for numerical computations of the control functions and the identification of new Riesz sequence is of independent interest for the basis-function theory. Moreover, using the Riesz sequences, we obtain the existence and uniqueness of (weak) solutions to these second order evolutional control systems in Hilbert spaces. Finally, we derive the exact boundary controllability of a viscoelastic beam equation, as an application of our abstract theorem.

Keywords: evolutional control system, controllability, boundary control, existence and uniqueness

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Authors: Bououden Soraya

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This paper aims to study the existence of the change of coordinates which permits to transform a class of nonlinear dynamical systems into the so-called nonlinear observer canonical form (NOCF). Moreover, an algorithm to construct such a change of coordinates is given. Based on this form, we can design an observer with a linear error dynamic. This enables us to estimate the state of a nonlinear dynamical system. A concrete example (biological model) is provided to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed results.

Keywords: nonlinear observer canonical form, observer, design, gene regulation, gene expression

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Authors: Yidnekachew Daget, Hong Zhang

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The decision-making process in order to select the suitable housing system for application in housing construction has been a challenge for many developing countries. This study evaluates the decision process to identify the suitable housing systems for adoption in Addis Ababa. Ten industrialized housing systems were considered as alternatives for comparison. These systems have been used in a housing development in different parts of the world. A relevant literature review and contextual analysis were conducted. An analytical hierarchy process and an Expert Choice Comparion platform were employed as a research technique and tool to evaluate the professionals’ level of preferences with regard to the housing systems. The findings revealed the priority rank and characteristics of the suitable housing systems to be adapted for application in housing development. The decision criteria and the analytical process used in this study can help the decision-makers and the housing developers in developing countries make effective evaluations and decisions.

Keywords: analytical hierarchy process, decision-making, expert choice comparion, industrialized housing systems

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Authors: João Rato, Nuno Costa

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The human verbal communication is a two-way process which requires a mutual understanding that will result in some considerations. This kind of communication, also called dialogue, besides the supposed human agents it can also be performed between human agents and machines. The interaction between Men and Machines, by means of a natural language, has an important role concerning the improvement of the communication between each other. Aiming at knowing the performance of some speech recognition systems, this document shows the results of the accomplished tests according to the Word Error Rate evaluation method. Besides that, it is also given a set of information linked to the systems of Man-Machine communication. After this work has been made, conclusions were drawn regarding the Speech Recognition Systems, among which it can be mentioned their poor performance concerning the voice interpretation in noisy environments.

Keywords: automatic speech recognition, man-machine conversation, speech recognition, spoken dialogue systems, word error rate

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Authors: Haruo Okabayashi

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Human biological signals (pulse wave and brain wave, etc.) have a rhythm which shows fluctuations. This study investigates the relationship between fluctuations of biological signals which are shown by a finger plethysmogram (i.e., finger pulse wave) in conversation and anthropophobic tendency, and identifies whether the fluctuation could be an index of mental health. 32 college students participated in the experiment. The finger plethysmogram of each subject was measured in the following conversation situations: Fun memory talking/listening situation and regrettable memory talking/ listening situation for three minutes each. Lyspect 3.5 was used to collect the data of the finger plethysmogram. Since Lyspect calculates the Lyapunov spectrum, it is possible to obtain the largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE). LLE is an indicator of the fluctuation and shows the degree to which a measure is going away from close proximity to the track in a dynamical system. Before the finger plethysmogram experiment, each participant took the psychological test questionnaire “Anthropophobic Scale.” The scale measures the social phobia trend close to the consciousness of social phobia. It is revealed that there is a remarkable relationship between the fluctuation of the finger plethysmography and anthropophobic tendency scale in talking about a regrettable story in conversation: The participants (N=15) who have a low anthropophobic tendency show significantly more fluctuation of finger pulse waves than the participants (N=17) who have a high anthropophobic tendency (F (1, 31) =5.66, p<0.05). That is, the participants who have a low anthropophobic tendency make conversation flexibly using large fluctuation of biological signal; on the other hand, the participants who have a high anthropophobic tendency constrain a conversation because of small fluctuation. Therefore, fluctuation is not an error but an important drive to make better relationships with others and go towards the development of interaction. In considering mental health, the fluctuation of biological signals would be an important indicator.

Keywords: anthropophobic tendency, finger plethymogram, fluctuation of biological signal, LLE

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Authors: Seppo Sirkemaa

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Information systems infrastructure is the basis of business systems and processes in the company. It should be a reliable platform for business processes and activities but also have the flexibility to change business needs. The development of an infrastructure that is robust, reliable, and flexible is a challenge. Understanding technological capabilities and business needs is a key element in the development of successful information systems infrastructure.

Keywords: development, information technology, networks, technology

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Authors: Vidia A. Nuraini, Eugene M. H. Yee, Mohan Bhadbhade, David StC. Black, Naresh Kumar

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Flavonoids are naturally occurring compounds that have been shown to exhibit a wide range of biological properties including anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. However, flavonoids suffer from low bioavailability, which limits their overall utility for therapeutic applications. One of the methods to overcome this limitation is through structural modification of natural flavonoids. In this study, flavanone, isoflavanone, and isoflavene, were structurally modified through the introduction of additional fused-ring systems via ortho-quinone methide intermediates (o-QMs). These intermediates can readily undergo a [4+2] cycloaddition through an inverse-electron-demand Diels–Alder reaction with electron-rich dienophiles. A regioselective Mannich reaction using bis-(N,N-dimethylamino)methane was employed to generate the o-QM precursors of flavanone, isoflavanone, and isoflavene. The o-QM intermediates were subsequently generated in situ through thermal elimination of the dimethylamine functionality and reacted with a variety of dienophiles to produce novel flavonoids with fused-ring systems. A total of 21 novel flavonoid analogs were successfully synthesized. The X-ray crystal structure of cycloaddition adducts, particularly those derived from 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran and p-methoxystyrene revealed a special case of enantiomeric disorder, where two enantiomers in equal amounts superpose with one another, with the exception for atoms that have opposite configuration. The anticancer properties of fused-ring systems derived from isoflavene were evaluated against the neuroblastoma SKN-BE(2)C, the triple negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231, and the glioblastoma U87 cancer cell lines. One of these cycloaddition adducts had displayed improved anti-proliferative activity against MDA-MB-231 and U87 cancer cell lines as compared to the parent compound. Further anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities of the flavanone and isoflavanone analogs are currently being investigated.

Keywords: Diels-Alder reaction, flavonoids, Mannich reaction, ortho-quinone methide.

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Authors: Mayar A. Omar, Ismail Gomaa, Heba Badawy, Hosam Moubarak

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Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is an integrated system that helps companies in managing their resources. There are two types of ERP systems, traditional ERP systems and cloud ERP systems. Cloud ERP systems were introduced after the development of cloud computing technology. This research aims to identify the factors that affect the adoption of cloud ERP in Egyptian companies. Moreover, the aim of our study is to provide guidance to Egyptian companies in the cloud ERP adoption decision and to participate in increasing the number of cloud ERP studies that are conducted in the Middle East and in developing countries. There are many factors influencing the adoption of cloud ERP in Egyptian organizations, which are discussed and explained in the research. Those factors are examined by combining the diffusion of innovation theory (DOI) and technology-organization-environment framework (TOE). Data were collected through a survey that was developed using constructs from the existing studies of cloud computing and cloud ERP technologies and was then modified to fit our research. The analysis of the data was based on structural equation modeling (SEM) using Smart PLS software that was used for the empirical analysis of the research model.

Keywords: cloud computing, cloud ERP systems, DOI, Egypt, SEM, TOE

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Authors: Anusha Bhardwaj, Shekhar Shinde

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Nitric oxide (NO•) has been documented in research papers as one of the most versatile player in the therapeutics. It is identified as a biological multifunctional messenger molecule which is synthesized by the action of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzyme from L-arginine. The protective and the toxic effect in conjunction form the complete picture of the biological function of nitric oxide in humans. The dual nature is because of various factors such as concentration of NO, the isoform of NOS involved, type of cells in which it is synthesized, reaction partners like proteins, reactive oxygen intermediates, prosthetic groups, thiols etc., availability of the substrate L-arginine, intracellular environment in which NO is produced and generation of guanosine 3, 5’- cyclic monophosphate (cGMP). Activation of NOS through infection or trauma leads to one or more systemic effects including enhanced immune activity against invading pathogens, vaso/bronchodilatation in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and altered neurotransmission which can be protective or toxic. Hence, NO affects the balance between healthy signaling and neurodegeneration in the brain. In lungs, it has beneficial effects on the function of airways as a bronchodilator and acts as the neurotransmitter of bronchodilator nerves. Whereas, on the other hand, NO may have deleterious effects by amplifying the asthmatic inflammatory response and also act as a vasodilator in the airways by increasing plasma exudation. But NOS Inhibitors and NO donors hamper the signalling pathway and hence a therapeutic application of NO is compromised.

Keywords: nitric oxide, multifunctional, dual nature, therapeutic applications

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Authors: D. Dorota

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This paper presents a method to generate and schedule task in the architecture of embedded systems based on the simulated annealing. This method takes into account the attribute of divisibility of tasks. A proposal represents the process in the form of trees. Despite the fact that the architecture of Network-on-Chip (NoC) is an interesting alternative to a bus architecture based on multi-processors systems, it requires a lot of work that ensures the optimization of communication. This paper proposes an effective approach to generate dedicated NoC topology solving communication problems. Network NoC is generated taking into account the energy consumption and resource issues. Ultimately generated is minimal, dedicated NoC topology. The proposed solution is assumed to be a simple router design and the minimum number of lines.

Keywords: Network-on-Chip, NoC-based embedded systems, scheduling task in embedded systems, simulated annealing

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Authors: Raj Chavan

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Currently, there are over 14,500 Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs) in the United States, with ~35% of them having some type of nutrient limits in place. These WRRFs account for about 1% of overall power demand and 2% of total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the United States and contribute for 10 to 15% of the overall nutrient load to surface rivers in the United States. The evolution of densification technologies toward more compact and energy-efficient nutrient removal processes has been impacted by a number of factors. Existing facilities that require capacity expansion or biomass densification for higher treatability within the same footprint are being subjected to more stringent requirements relating to nutrient removal prior to surface water discharge. Densification of activated sludge has received recent widespread interest as a means for achieving process intensification and nutrient removal at WRRFs. At the core of the technology are the aerobic sludge granules where the biological processes occur. There is considerable interest in the prospect of producing granular sludge in continuous (or traditional) activated sludge processes (CAS) or densification of biomass by moving activated sludge flocs to a denser aggregate of biomass as a highly effective technique of intensification. This presentation will provide a fundamental understanding of densification by presenting insights and practical issues. The topics that will be discussed include methods used to generate and retain densified granules; the mechanisms that allow biological flocs to densify; the role that physical selectors play in the densification of biological flocs; some viable ways for managing biological flocs that have become densified; effects of physical selection design parameters on the retention of densified biological flocs and finally some operational solutions for customizing the flocs and granules required to meet performance and capacity targets. In addition, it will present some case studies where biological and physical parameters were used to generate aerobic granular sludge in the continuous flow system.

Keywords: densification, aerobic granular sludge, nutrient removal, intensification

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Authors: Tomoaki Hashimoto

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Recently, feedback control systems using random dither quantizers have been proposed for linear discrete-time systems. However, the constraints imposed on state and control variables have not yet been taken into account for the design of feedback control systems with random dither quantization. Model predictive control is a kind of optimal feedback control in which control performance over a finite future is optimized with a performance index that has a moving initial and terminal time. An important advantage of model predictive control is its ability to handle constraints imposed on state and control variables. Based on the model predictive control approach, the objective of this paper is to present a control method that satisfies probabilistic state constraints for linear discrete-time feedback control systems with random dither quantization. In other words, this paper provides a method for solving the optimal control problems subject to probabilistic state constraints for linear discrete-time feedback control systems with random dither quantization.

Keywords: optimal control, stochastic systems, random dither, quantization

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Authors: Carla Aramouny

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Digital fabrication, between advancements in software and machinery, is pushing practice today towards more complexity in design, allowing for unparalleled explorations. It is giving designers the immediate capacity to apply their imagined objects into physical results. Yet at no time have questions of material knowledge become more relevant and crucial, as technological advancements approach a radical re-invention of the design process. As more and more designers look towards tactile crafts for material know-how, an interest in natural behaviors has also emerged trying to embed intelligence from nature into the designed objects. Concerned with enhancing their immediate environment, designers today are pushing the boundaries of design by bringing in natural systems, materiality, and advanced fabrication as essential processes to produce active designs. New Territories, a yearly architecture and design course on digital design and materiality, allows students to explore processes of digital fabrication in intersection with natural systems and hands-on experiments. This paper will highlight the importance of learning from nature and from physical materiality in a digital design process, and how the simultaneous move between the digital and physical realms has become an essential design method. It will detail the work done over the course of three years, on themes of natural systems, crafts, concrete plasticity, and active composite materials. The aim throughout the course is to explore the design of products and active systems, be it modular facades, intelligent cladding, or adaptable seating, by embedding current digital technologies with an understanding of natural systems and a physical know-how of material behavior. From this aim, three main themes of inquiry have emerged through the varied explorations across the three years, each one approaching materiality and digital technologies through a different lens. The first theme involves crossing the study of naturals systems as precedents for intelligent formal assemblies with traditional crafts methods. The students worked on designing performative facade systems, starting from the study of relevant natural systems and a specific craft, and then using parametric modeling to develop their modular facades. The second theme looks at the cross of craft and digital technologies through form-finding techniques and elastic material properties, bringing in flexible formwork into the digital fabrication process. Students explored concrete plasticity and behaviors with natural references, as they worked on the design of an exterior seating installation using lightweight concrete composites and complex casting methods. The third theme brings in bio-composite material properties with additive fabrication and environmental concerns to create performative cladding systems. Students experimented in concrete composites materials, biomaterials and clay 3D printing to produce different cladding and tiling prototypes that actively enhance their immediate environment. This paper thus will detail the work process done by the students under these three themes of inquiry, describing their material experimentation, digital and analog design methodologies, and their final results. It aims to shed light on the persisting importance of material knowledge as it intersects with advanced digital fabrication and the significance of learning from natural systems and biological properties to embed an active performance in today’s design process.

Keywords: digital fabrication, design and craft, materiality, natural systems

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Authors: Yang Song, Yifan Guo, Edward F. Gehringer

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Fifty years of research has found great potential for peer assessment as a pedagogical approach. With peer assessment, not only do students receive more copious assessments; they also learn to become assessors. In recent decades, more educational peer assessments have been facilitated by online systems. Those online systems are designed differently to suit different class settings and student groups, but they basically fall into two categories: rating-based and ranking-based. The rating-based systems ask assessors to rate the artifacts one by one following some review rubrics. The ranking-based systems allow assessors to review a set of artifacts and give a rank for each of them. Though there are different systems and a large number of users of each category, there is no comprehensive comparison on which design leads to higher reliability. In this paper, we designed algorithms to evaluate assessors' reliabilities based on their rating/ranking against the global ranks of the artifacts they have reviewed. These algorithms are suitable for data from both rating-based and ranking-based peer assessment systems. The experiments were done based on more than 15,000 peer assessments from multiple peer assessment systems. We found that the assessors in ranking-based peer assessments are at least 10% more reliable than the assessors in rating-based peer assessments. Further analysis also demonstrated that the assessors in ranking-based assessments tend to assess the more differentiable artifacts correctly, but there is no such pattern for rating-based assessors.

Keywords: peer assessment, peer rating, peer ranking, reliability

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Authors: Mohamed El-Sayed Mosaad

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An analytic approach is obtained for the steady heat transfer problem of two fluid systems, in thermal communication via heat conduction across a solid wall separating them. The two free convection layers created on wall sides are assumed to be in parallel flow. Fluid-solid interface temperature on wall sides is not prescribed in analysis in advance; rather, determined from conjugate solution among other unknown parameters. The analysis highlights the main conjugation parameters controlling thermal interaction process of involved heat transfer modes. Heat transfer results of engineering importance are obtained.

Keywords: conjugate heat transfer, boundary layer, convection, thermal systems

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Authors: Lazaro E. Nnko, Japhet J. Kashaigili, Gerald C. Monela, Pantaleo K. T. Munishi

Abstract:

Agroforestry systems and practices are perceived to improve livelihood and sustainable management of natural resources. However, their adoption in various regions differs with the biophysical conditions and societal characteristics. This study was conducted in Kilombero District to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of different agroforestry systems and practices in agro-ecosystems and farming systems. A household survey, key informant interviews, and focus group discussion was used for data collection in three villages. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression in SPSS were applied for analysis. Results show that Igima and Ngajengwa villages had home garden practices dominated, as revealed by 63.3% and 66.7%, respectively, while Mbingu village had mixed intercropping practice with 56.67%. Agrosilvopasture systems were dominant in Igima and Ngajengwa villages with 56.7% and 66.7%, respectively, while in Mbingu village, the dominant system was agrosilviculture with 66.7%. The results from multinomial logistic regression show that different explanatory variable was statistical significance as predictors of the adoption of agroforestry systems and practices. Residence type and sex were the most dominant factor influencing the adoption of agroforestry systems. Duration of stay in the village, availability of extension education, residence, and sex were the dominant factor influencing the adoption of agroforestry practices. The most important and statistically significant factors among these were residence type and sex. The study concludes that agroforestry will be more successful if the local priorities, which include social-economic need characteristics of the society, will be considered in designing systems and practices. The socio-economic need of the community should be addressed in the process of expanding the adoption of agroforestry systems and practices.

Keywords: agroforestry adoption, agroforestry systems, agroforestry practices, agroforestry, Kilombero

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Authors: Yen Chia-Ju, Cheng Ding-Ruei

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This study took case office building as subject and explored the responsive work order repair request of facilities and equipment in offices and public areas by gray theory, with the purpose of providing for future related office building owners, executive managers, property management companies, mechanical and electrical companies as reference for deciding and assessing forecast model. Important conclusions of this study are summarized as follows according to the study findings: 1. Grey Relational Analysis discusses the importance of facilities repair number of six categories, namely, power systems, building systems, water systems, air conditioning systems, fire systems and manpower dispatch in order. In terms of facilities maintenance importance are power systems, building systems, water systems, air conditioning systems, manpower dispatch and fire systems in order. 2. GM (1,N) and regression method took maintenance hours as dependent variables and repair number, leased area and tenants number as independent variables and conducted single month forecast based on 12 data from January to December 2011. The mean absolute error and average accuracy of GM (1,N) from verification results were 6.41% and 93.59%; the mean absolute error and average accuracy of regression model were 4.66% and 95.34%, indicating that they have highly accurate forecast capability.

Keywords: rey theory, forecast model, Taipei 101, office buildings, property management, facilities, equipment

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Authors: Marcia Figueira

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Context: Positivist transformations in agriculture were responsible for top-down – often coercive – mechanisms of uniformed modernization that weathered local diversities and agency. New development pathways need to now shift according to comprehensive integrations of knowledge - scientific, indigenous, and local, and to be sustained on political interventions, bottom-up change, and social learning if climate goals are to be met – both in mitigation and adaptation. Objectives The objectives of this research are to understand how social-ecological and socio-technical systems characterisation can be nested to bridge scientific research/knowledge into a local context and knowledge system; and, with it, stem sustainable innovation. Methods To do so, we conducted a scoping review to explore theoretical and empirical works linked to Ostrom’s Social-Ecological Systems framework and Geels’ multi-level perspective of socio-technical systems transformations in the context of agriculture. Results As a result, we were able to identify key variables and connections to 1- understand the rules in use and the community attributes influencing resource management; and 2- how they are and have been shaped and shaping systems innovations. Conclusion Based on these results, we discuss how to leverage action research for mutual learning toward a replicable but highly place-based agriculture transformation frame.

Keywords: agriculture systems innovations, social-ecological systems, socio-technical systems, action research

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Authors: D. K. Sreekantha, T. M. Girish, R. H. Fattepur

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In this article, we have given an overview of medical expert systems, which can be used for the developed of physicians in making decisions such as appropriate, prognostic, and therapeutic decisions which help to organize, store, and gives appropriate medical knowledge needed by physicians and practitioners during medical operations or further treatment. If they support the studies by using these systems, advanced tools in medicine will be developed in the future. New trends in the methodology of development of medical expert systems have also been discussed in this paper. So Authors would like to develop an innovative IT based solution to help doctors in rural areas to gain expertise in Medical Science for treating patients. This paper aims to survey the Soft Computing techniques in treating patient’s problems used throughout the world.

Keywords: expert system, fuzzy logic, knowledge base, soft computing, epilepsy

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Authors: Mohammed Alhawiti

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Assessment of Learning Management Systems has been of less importance than its due share. This paper investigates the evaluation of learning management systems (LMS) within educational setting as both an online learning system as well as a helpful tool for multidisciplinary learning environment. This study suggests a theoretical e-learning evaluation model, studying a multi-dimensional methods for evaluation through LMS system, service and content quality, learner`s perspective and attitudes of the instructor. A survey was conducted among 105 e-learners. The sample consisted of students at both undergraduate and master’s levels. Content validity, reliability were tested through the instrument, Findings suggested the suitability of the proposed model in evaluation for the satisfaction of learners through LMS. The results of this study would be valuable for both instructors and users of e-learning systems.

Keywords: e-learning, LMS, higher education, management systems

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Authors: Nadine Yehya, Chantal Maatouk

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Low energy buildings have been developed to achieve global climate commitments in reducing energy consumption. They comprise energy efficient buildings, zero energy buildings, positive buildings and passive house buildings. The reduced energy demands in Low Energy buildings call for advanced building energy modeling that focuses on studying active building systems such as heating, cooling and ventilation, improvement of systems performances, and development of control systems. Modeling and building simulation have expanded to cover different modeling approach i.e.: detailed physical model, dynamic empirical models, and hybrid approaches, which are adopted by various simulation tools. This paper uses DesignBuilder with EnergyPlus simulation engine in order to; First, study the impact of efficiency measures on building energy behavior by comparing Low energy residential model to a conventional one in Beirut-Lebanon. Second, choose the appropriate energy systems for the studied case characterized by an important cooling demand. Third, study dynamic modeling of Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system in EnergyPlus that is chosen due to its advantages over other systems and its availability in the Lebanese market. Finally, simulation of different energy systems models with different modeling approaches is necessary to confront the different modeling approaches and to investigate the interaction between energy systems and building envelope that affects the total energy consumption of Low Energy buildings.

Keywords: physical model, variable refrigerant flow heat pump, dynamic modeling, EnergyPlus, the modeling approach

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Authors: Vishwesh Kulkarni, Nikhil Bellarykar

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Cellular complexity stems from the interactions among thousands of different molecular species. Thanks to the emerging fields of systems and synthetic biology, scientists are beginning to unravel these regulatory, signaling, and metabolic interactions and to understand their coordinated action. Reverse engineering of biological networks has has several benefits but a poor quality of data combined with the difficulty in reproducing it limits the applicability of these methods. A few years back, many of the commonly used predictive algorithms were tested on a network constructed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) to resolve this issue. The network was a synthetic network of five genes regulating each other for the so-called in vivo reverse-engineering and modeling assessment (IRMA). The network was constructed in S. cereviase since it is a simple and well characterized organism. The synthetic network included a variety of regulatory interactions, thus capturing the behaviour of larger eukaryotic gene networks on a smaller scale. We derive a new set of algorithms by solving a nonlinear optimization problem and show how these algorithms outperform other algorithms on these datasets.

Keywords: synthetic gene network, network identification, optimization, nonlinear modeling

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Authors: Yongxu Fu, Shaolong Wan

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We study the band degeneracy, defectiveness, as well as exceptional points of non-Hermitian systems and materials analytically. We elaborate on the energy bands, the band degeneracy, and the defectiveness of eigenstates under open boundary conditions based on developing a general theory of one-dimensional (1D) non-Hermitian systems. We research the presence of the exceptional points in a generalized non-Hermitian Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model under open boundary conditions. Beyond our general theory, there exist infernal points in 1D non-Hermitian systems, where the energy spectra under open boundary conditions converge on some discrete energy values. We study two 1D non-Hermitian models with the existence of infernal points. We generalize the infernal points to the infernal knots in four-dimensional non-Hermitian systems.

Keywords: non-hermitian, degeneracy, defectiveness, exceptional points, infernal points

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Authors: Fabrizio Codella, Chris Parker, Samer Saab

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The Kigali Amendment is driving the adoption of low Global Warming Potential refrigerants in commercial refrigeration systems in over a hundred countries. Several refrigeration systems for the small and large retail stores at mild and hot ambient temperature climates have been compared for hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), hydrofluoroolefins (HFO), transcritical CO₂ and propane, in typical and advanced system architectures. The results of system performance, emissions and lifetime cost have been compared. The greatest benefits were found to be obtained by low global warming potential HFO advanced systems.

Keywords: commercial refrigeration, CO₂, emissions, HFO, lifetime cost, performance

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Authors: Amanda Silva Parra, Dayra Yisel García Ramirez

Abstract:

In developing countries, agricultural "modernization" has led to a loss of biodiversity and inefficiency of agricultural systems, manifested in increases in Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) and the C footprint, generating the susceptibility of systems agriculture to environmental problems, loss of biodiversity, depletion of natural resources, soil degradation and loss of nutrients, and a decrease in the supply of products that affect food security for peoples and nations. Each year agriculture emits 10 to 12% (5.1 to 6.1 Gt CO2eq per year) of the total estimated GHG emissions (51 Gt CO2 eq per year). The FAO recommends that countries that have not yet done so consider declaring sustainable agriculture as an essential or strategic activity of public interest within the framework of green economies to better face global climate change. The objective of this research was to estimate the balance of GHG in agricultural systems of Cumaral, Meta (Colombia), to contribute to the recovery and sustainable operation of agricultural systems that guarantee food security and face changes generated by the climate in a more intelligent way. To determine the GHG balances, the IPCC methodologies were applied with a Tier 1 and 2 level of use. It was estimated that all the silvopastoral systems evaluated play an important role in this reconversion compared to conventional systems such as improved pastures. and degraded pastures due to their ability to capture C both in soil and in biomass, generating positive GHG balances, guaranteeing greater sustainability of soil and air resources.

Keywords: climate change, carbon capture, environmental sustainability, GHG mitigation, silvopastoral systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 99

Authors: Maciej Zaręba, Sławomir Lasota

Abstract:

Understanding the dependencies between the input signal, that controls the production system and signals, that capture its output, is of a great importance in intelligent systems. The method for identification of the relationship between signals in continuous monitoring of production systems is described in the paper. The method discovers the correlation between changes in the states derived from input signals and resulting changes in the states of output signals of the production system. The method is able to handle system inertia, which determines the time shift of the relationship between the input and output.

Keywords: manufacturing operation management, signal relationship, continuous monitoring, production systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 78

Authors: Jochen Edmund Kerschenbauer, Roman Salinger, Daniel Strametz

Abstract:

Insufficient informal communication systems can lead to the first crisis (‘Crisis of Leadership’) for start-ups. Management Control Systems (MCS) are one way for high-technology start-ups to successfully overcome these problems. So far the literature has investigated the incubation of a start-up, but focused less on the post-incubation stage. This paper focuses on the use of MCS in post-incubation and, if failed start-ups agree, on how MCS are used. We conducted 14 semi-structured interviews for this purpose, to obtain our results. The overall conclusion is that the majority of the companies were closed down due to a combination of strategic, operative and financial reasons.

Keywords: closed down, high-technology, incubation, levers of control, management control systems, post-incubation, start-ups

Procedia PDF Downloads 1077