Search results for: commercial tools

Authors: Imad Eddine Charif, Wafaa Benchouk, Sidi Mohamed Mekelleche

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The regioselectivity of a series of 16 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrile oxides with 2(5H)-furanones has been analysed by means of global and local electrophilic and nucleophilic reactivity indices using density functional theory at the B3LYP level together with the 6-31G(d) basis set. The local electrophilicity and nucleophilicity indices, based on Fukui and Parr functions, have been calculated for the terminal sites, namely the C1 and O3 atoms of the 1,3-dipole and the C4 and C5 atoms of the dipolarophile. These local indices were calculated using both Mulliken and natural charges and spin densities. The results obtained show that the C5 atom of the 2(5H)-furanones is the most electrophilic site whereas the O3 atom of the nitrile oxides is the most nucleophilic centre. It turns out that the experimental regioselectivity is correctly reproduced, indicating that both Fukui- and Parr-based indices are efficient tools for the prediction of the regiochemistry of the studied reactions and could be used for the prediction of newly designed reactions of the same kind.

Keywords: 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition, density functional theory, nitrile oxides, regioselectivity, reactivity indices

Procedia PDF Downloads 160

Authors: Malla Vijayeta, Y. Vijaya Kumar, N. Ramakrishna Raju, K. Satyanarayana

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Global AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry has been coined as one of the most resistive domains in embracing technology. Although this digital era has been inundated with software tools like CAD, STADD, CANDY, Microsoft Project, Primavera etc. the key stakeholders have been working in siloes and processes remain fragmented. Unlike the yesteryears’ simpler project delivery methods, the current projects are of fast-track, complex, risky, multidisciplinary, stakeholder’s influential, statutorily regulative etc. pose extensive bottlenecks in preventing timely completion of projects. At this juncture, a paradigm shift surfaced in construction industry, and Building Information Modeling, aka BIM, has been a panacea to bolster the multidisciplinary teams’ cooperative and collaborative work leading to productive, sustainable and leaner project outcome. Building information modeling has been integrative, stakeholder engaging and centralized approach in providing a common platform of communication. A common misconception that BIM can be used for building/high rise projects in Indian Construction Industry, while this paper discusses of the implementation of BIM processes/methodologies in water and waste water industry. It elucidates about BIM 4D planning and constructability reviews of a Sewage Treatment Plant in India. Conventional construction planning and logistics management involves a blend of experience coupled with imagination. Even though the excerpts or judgments or lessons learnt gained from veterans might be predictive and helpful, but the uncertainty factor persists. This paper shall delve about the case study of real time implementation of BIM 4D planning protocols for one of the Sewage Treatment Plant of Dravyavati River Rejuvenation Project in India and develops a Time Liner to identify logistics planning and clash detection. With this BIM processes, we shall find that there will be significant reduction of duplication of tasks and reworks. Also another benefit achieved will be better visualization and workarounds during conception stage and enables for early involvement of the stakeholders in the Project Life cycle of Sewage Treatment Plant construction. Moreover, we have also taken an opinion poll of the benefits accrued utilizing BIM processes versus traditional paper based communication like 2D and 3D CAD tools. Thus this paper concludes with BIM framework for Sewage Treatment Plant construction which will achieve optimal construction co-ordination advantages like 4D construction sequencing, interference checking, clash detection checking and resolutions by primary engagement of all key stakeholders thereby identifying potential risks and subsequent creation of risk response strategies. However, certain hiccups like hesitancy in adoption of BIM technology by naïve users and availability of proficient BIM trainers in India poses a phenomenal impediment. Hence the nurture of BIM processes from conception, construction and till commissioning, operation and maintenance along with deconstruction of a project’s life cycle is highly essential for Indian Construction Industry in this digital era.

Keywords: integrated BIM workflow, 4D planning with BIM, building information modeling, clash detection and visualization, constructability reviews, project life cycle

Procedia PDF Downloads 113

Authors: B. G. Sheeparamatti, J. S. Kadadevarmath

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Microcantilevers are the basic MEMS devices, which can be used as sensors, actuators, and electronics can be easily built into them. The detection principle of microcantilever sensors is based on the measurement of change in cantilever deflection or change in its resonance frequency. The objective of this work is to explore the analogies between the mechanical and electrical equivalent of microcantilever beams. Normally scientists and engineers working in MEMS use expensive software like CoventorWare, IntelliSuite, ANSYS/Multiphysics, etc. This paper indicates the need of developing the electrical equivalent of the MEMS structure and with that, one can have a better insight on important parameters, and their interrelation of the MEMS structure. In this work, considering the mechanical model of the microcantilever, the equivalent electrical circuit is drawn and using a force-voltage analogy, it is analyzed with circuit simulation software. By doing so, one can gain access to a powerful set of intellectual tools that have been developed for understanding electrical circuits. Later the analysis is performed using ANSYS/Multiphysics - software based on finite element method (FEM). It is observed that both mechanical and electrical domain results for a rectangular microcantilevers are in agreement with each other.

Keywords: electrical equivalent circuit analogy, FEM analysis, micro cantilevers, micro sensors

Procedia PDF Downloads 392

Authors: Akbar Farahani, Afsaneh Hassani, Peyman M. Farkhondeh

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Human Resource Management as one of the core processes of the project-based companies, despite its key role in the success and competitive advantage, is relatively unknown. In the project-based companies, due to the accelerated movement of knowledge in the work activities and the temporary nature of the project, the need to develop mechanisms for achieving optimal management of this issues is very challenging. Approach to human resource management in these companies evolves with goals, strategies, and operational processes. Therefore, the need for appropriate tools to facilitate implementation of the optimized human resource management in the project is more than before,Which currently with the development of information technology and modern communication, appropriate to address the optimal approach for dynamic management of human resources in the project have been provided.This is done by using the referral system implemented in Mahab GCE that provides 1: the ability to use humans in projects without geographic limitation and 2:information on the activities and outcomes of referrals.Furthermore, by using this system, recording the lessons learned after any particular activity on projects,accessing quantitative information, procedures, documentation of learned practices that have been stored in the data base as well as using them in future projects is provided.

Keywords: human resource management, project base company, ERP, referrals system

Procedia PDF Downloads 471

Authors: Adedoyin Akintunde Adedayo, Onilude Abiodun Anthony

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The continuous usage of synthetic antibiotics in livestock production has led to the resistance of microbial pathogens. This has prompted research to find alternative sources. This study aims to compare the growth and intestinal health of broilers fed scent leaf meal (SLM) as an alternative to synthetic antibiotics. The study used a completely randomized design (CRD) with 300 one-week-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks. The chicks were divided into six treatments with five replicates of ten birds each. The feeding trial lasted 49 days, including a one-week acclimatization period. Commercial broiler diets were used. The diets included a negative control (no leaf meal or antibiotics), a positive control (0.10% oxy-tetracycline), and four diets with different levels of SLM (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0%). The supplementation of both oxy-tetracycline and SLM improved feed intake during the finisher phase. Birds fed SLM at a 1% inclusion level showed significantly (P<0.05) improved average body weight gain (ABWG), lowered feed-to-gain ratio, and cost per kilogram of weight gain compared to other diets. The mortality (2.0%) rate was significantly higher in the negative control group. White blood cell levels varied significantly (P<0.05) in birds fed SLM-supplemented diets, and the use of 2% SLM led to an increase in liver weight. However, welfare indices were not compromised.

Keywords: Arbor Acres, phyto-biotic, synthetic antibiotic, white blood cell, liver weight

Procedia PDF Downloads 63

Authors: Rouighi Mustapha, Bouzid Laghaa Souad, Rouighi Tahar

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Due to rain Shortage and the increase of population in the last years, wells excavation and groundwater use for different purposes had been increased without any planning. This is a great challenge for our country. Moreover, this scarcity of water resources in this region is unfortunately combined with rapid fresh water resources quality deterioration, due to salinity and contamination processes. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct the studies about groundwater quality in Algeria. In this work consists in the identification of the factors which influence the water quality parameters in Laghouat region by using statistical analysis Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and geographic information system (GIS) in an attempt to discriminate the sources of the variation of water quality variations. The results of PCA technique indicate that variables responsible for water quality composition are mainly related to soluble salts variables; natural processes and the nature of the rock which modifies significantly the water chemistry. Inferred from the positive correlation between K+ and NO3-, NO3- is believed to be human induced rather than naturally originated. In this study, the multivariate statistical analysis and GIS allows the hydrogeologist to have supplementary tools in the characterization and evaluating of aquifers.

Keywords: cluster, analysis, GIS, groundwater, laghouat, quality

Procedia PDF Downloads 319

Authors: Won Yeol Choi, Sangmo Kang

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The propulsion of a bacterial flagellum in a viscous fluid has attracted many interests in the field of biological hydrodynamics, but remains yet fully understood and thus still a challenging problem. In this study, therefore, we have numerically investigated the flow around a steadily rotating micro-sized spring to further understand such bacterial flagellum propulsion. Note that a bacterium gains thrust (propulsive force) by rotating the flagellum connected to the body through a bio motor to move forward. For the investigation, we convert the spring model from the micro scale to the macro scale using a similitude law (scale law) and perform simulations on the converted macro-scale model using a commercial software package, CFX v13 (ANSYS). To scrutinize the propulsion characteristics of the flagellum through the simulations, we make parameter studies by changing some flow parameters, such as the pitch, helical radius and rotational speed of the spring and the Reynolds number (or fluid viscosity), expected to affect the thrust force experienced by the rotating spring. Results show that the propulsion characteristics depend strongly on the parameters mentioned above. It is observed that the forward thrust increases in a linear fashion with either of the rotational speed or the fluid viscosity. In addition, the thrust is directly proportional to square of the helical radius and but the thrust force is increased and then decreased based on the peak value to the pitch. Finally, we also present the appropriate flow and pressure fields visualized to support the observations.

Keywords: fluid viscosity, hydrodynamics, similitude, propulsive force

Procedia PDF Downloads 346

Authors: Somkiat Korbuakaew, Winai Mankhatitham, Anchan Chongcharoen, Wichar Kunkum

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This research’s objective is to evaluate the online broadcasting of Suan Dusit Rajabhat Univeristy by CIPP model. The evaluation was separated into 4 parts: context factor, input factor, process factor and product factor. Sample group in this research were 399 participants who were university’s executive, staff and students. Questionnaires and interview were the research tools. Data were analyzed by computer program. Statistics used here were percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Findings are as follows: 1. Context factor: The context factor here in this research was university’s executives, staff and students. The study shows that they would like to use online broadcasting to be the educational tool and IT development. 2. Input factor: The input factor was the modern IT equipment to create interesting teaching materials and develop education in general. 3. Process factor: The process factor in this study was the publication of the program that it should be promoted more among students and should be more objective. 4. Product factor: The product factor in this study was the purpose of the program that it expands the educational channel for students.

Keywords: evaluation, project, internet, online broadcasting

Procedia PDF Downloads 521

Authors: Bangaly Kaba

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In the global information society, the importance of the Internet cannot be overemphasized. Africa needs access to the powerful information and communication tools of the Internet in order to obtain the resources and efficiency essential for sustainable development. Unfortunately, in 2013, the data from Internetworldstats showed only 15% of African populations have access to Internet. This relative low Internet penetration rate signals a problem that may threaten the economic development, governmental efficiency, and ultimately the global competitiveness of African countries. Many initiatives were undertaken to bring the benefits of the global information revolution to the people of Africa, through connection to the Internet and other Global Information Infrastructure technologies. The purpose is to understand differences between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged internet users. From that, we will determine what prevents disadvantaged groups from benefiting from Internet usage. Data were collected through a survey from Internet users in Ivory Coast. The results reveal that Personal network exposure, Self-efficacy and Availability are the key drivers of continued use intention for the socio-economically disadvantaged group. The theoretical and practical implications are also described.

Keywords: digital inequality, internet, integrative model, socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged, use continuance, Africa

Procedia PDF Downloads 465

Authors: Vera Lúcia Raposo

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Medical devices are products used for medical purposes and aimed to operate in the human body, sometimes even inside the human body. Therefore, they can become particularly risky products, and some of the injuries caused by medical devices can have serious effects on the person’s health or body, even leading to death. Because they fit in the category of 'products' as described in Article 2 of Council Directive 85/374/EEC of 25 July 1985, concerning liability for defective products, the liability of the manufacturer of medical devices follows the rules of strict liability as long as one of the defects covered by the directive is at stake. The directive is not concerned with the product’s efficiency, but instead with the product’s safety, although in what regards medical devices (the same being valid for drugs) the two concepts frequently go together, and a lack of efficiency can result in a lack of safety. In the particular case of medical devices, the most debatable defects are the ones related with erroneous or non-existing information and the so-called development defects. This paper analyses how directive 85/374/EEC applies to medical devices, which defects are covered by its regulation, and which criteria can be used to evaluate the product’s safety. Some issues are still to be clarified, even though the decisions from the European Court of Justice and from national courts are valuable tools to understand the scope of directive 85/374/EEC in what regards medical devices.

Keywords: medical devices, producer’s liability, product safety, strict liability

Procedia PDF Downloads 316

Authors: Musa Njabulo Shongwe

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The multilateral trading system is facing a great danger of fragmentation. Its modus operandi, multilateralism, is increasingly becoming clogged by trade barriers created by the proliferation of preferential regional trading blocs. The paper explores the fragmentation of the multilateral trade regulation system (WTO law) by analysing whether and to what extent Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) have conflicted with the Multilateral Trading System. The paper examines the effects of RTA dominance in view of the WTO's quest for trade liberalization. This is an important inquiry because the proliferation of RTAs implies the erosion of the WTO law’s core principle of non-discrimination. The paper further explores how the proliferation of RTAs has endangered the coherence of the multilateral trading system. The study is carried out with the initial assumption that RTAs could be complementary and coherent with WTO law, and thus facilitate international trade and enhance development prospects. There is evidence that is tested by this study which suggests that RTAs can be divergent and hence undermine the WTO multilateral rules of regulating international trade. The paper finally recommends legal tools of regulating and managing the WTO-RTA interface, as well as other legal means of ensuring a harmonious existence between the WTO and regional trade arrangements.

Keywords: fragmentation of international trade law, regionalism, regional trade agreements, WTO law

Procedia PDF Downloads 370

Authors: Muhammad Abdullah, Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman Tariq, Faraz Ul Haq

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In developed countries, sustainability measures are widely accepted and acknowledged as crucial for addressing environmental concerns. Hydroponics, a soilless cultivation technique, has emerged as a potentially sustainable solution as it can reduce water consumption, land use, and environmental impacts. However, hydroponics may not be economically viable, especially when using reclaimed water, which may entail additional costs and risks. This study aims to address the critical question of whether hydroponics using reclaimed water can achieve a balance between sustainability and financial viability. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) will be integrated to assess the potential of hydroponics whether it is environmentally sustainable and economically viable. Life cycle assessment, or LCA, is a methodology for assessing environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the life cycle of a commercial product, process, or service. While Life Cycle Cost (LCC) is an approach that assesses the total cost of an asset over its life cycle, including initial capital costs and maintenance costs. The expected benefits of this study include supporting evidence-based decision-making for policymakers, farmers, and stakeholders involved in agriculture. By quantifying environmental impacts and economic costs, this research will facilitate informed choices regarding the adoption of hydroponics with reclaimed water. It is believed that the outcomes of this research work will help to achieve a sustainable approach to agricultural production, aligning with sustainability goals while considering economic factors by adopting hydroponic technique.

Keywords: hydroponic, life cycle assessment, life cycle cost, sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 66

Authors: Liu Dan

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It was considered either unnecessary or impossible for primary school students to implement online teaching until last year. A large number of E-learning or E-teaching researches have been focused on adult-learners, andragogy and technology, however, primary school education, it is facing many problems that need to be solved. Therefore, this research is aimed at exploring barriers and influential factors on online teaching for K-12 students from teachers’ perspectives and discussing the E-pedagogy that is suitable for primary school students and teachers. Eight hundred and ninety-six teachers from 10 primary schools in Shanghai were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey. Data were analysed by hierarchical regression, and the results stress the significant three barriers by teachers with online teaching: the existing system is deficient in emotional interaction, teachers’ attitude towards the technology is negative and the present teacher training is lack of systematic E-pedagogy guidance. The barriers discovered by this study will help the software designers (E-lab) develop tools that allow for flexible and evolving pedagogical approaches whilst providing an easy entry point for cautious newcomers, so that help the teachers free to engage in E-teaching at pedagogical and disciplinary levels, to enhance their repertoire of teaching practices.

Keywords: online teaching barriers (OTB), e-teaching, primary school, teachers, technology

Procedia PDF Downloads 193

Authors: Hui-Ling Huang, Tamara Vasylenko, Phasit Charoenkwan, Shih-Hsiang Chiu, Shinn-Ying Ho

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The knowledge of the human transporters is still limited due to technically demanding procedure of crystallization for the structural characterization of transporters by spectroscopic methods. It is desirable to develop bioinformatics tools for effective analysis of available sequences in order to identify human transmembrane transporter proteins (HMTPs). This study proposes a scoring card method (SCM) based method for predicting HMTPs. We estimated a set of propensity scores of dipeptides to be HMTPs using SCM from the training dataset (HTS732) consisting of 366 HMTPs and 366 non-HMTPs. SCM using the estimated propensity scores of 20 amino acids and 400 dipeptides -as HMTPs, has a training accuracy of 87.63% and a test accuracy of 66.46%. The five top-ranked dipeptides include LD, NV, LI, KY, and MN with scores 996, 992, 989, 987, and 985, respectively. Five amino acids with the highest propensity scores are Ile, Phe, Met, Gly, and Leu, that hydrophobic residues are mostly highly-scored. Furthermore, obtained propensity scores were used to analyze physicochemical properties of human transporters.

Keywords: dipeptide composition, physicochemical property, human transmembrane transporter proteins, human transmembrane transporters binding propensity, scoring card method

Procedia PDF Downloads 365

Authors: Baki Cicek, Umit Calisir

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Carbazoles have been replaced lots of studies from 1960's to present and also still continues. In 1987, the first diode device had been developed. Thanks to that study, light emitting devices have been investigated and developed and also have been used on commercial applications. Nowadays, OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) technology is using on lots of electronic screen such as (mobile phone, computer monitors, televisions, etc.) Carbazoles were subject a lot of study as a semiconductor material. Although this technology is used commen and widely, it is still development stage. Metal complexes of these compounds are using at pigment dyes because of colored substances, polymer technology, medicine industry, agriculture area, preparing rocket fuel-oil, determine some of biological events, etc. Becides all of these to preparing of schiff base synthesis is going on intensely. In this study, some of novel carbazole schiff bases were synthesized starting from carbazole. For that purpose, firstly, carbazole was alkylated. After purification of N-substituted-carbazole was nitrated to sythesized 3-nitro-N-substituted and 3,6-dinitro-N-substituted carbazoles. At next step, nitro group/groups were reduced to amines. Purified with using a type of silica gel-column chromatography. At the last step of our study, with sythesized 3,6-diamino-N-substituted carbazoles and 3-amino-N-substituted carbazoles were reacted with aldehydes to condensation reactions. 3-(imino-p-hydroxybenzyl)-N-isobutyl -carbazole, 3-(imino-2,3,4-trimethoxybenzene)-N-butylcarbazole, 3-(imino-3,4-dihydroxybenzene)-N-octylcarbazole, 3-(imino-2,3-dihydroxybenzene)-N-octylkarbazole and 3,6-di(α-imino-β-naphthol) -N-hexylcarbazole compounds were synthesized. All of synthesized compounds were characterized with FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and LC-MS.

Keywords: carbazole, carbazol schiff base, condensation reactions, OLED

Procedia PDF Downloads 434

Authors: Adiyasa Muda Zannatan

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Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a plant originating from Brazil. Cassava plants categorized as sixth major food in the world after wheat, rice, corn and potatoes. It has been cultivated on hilly land for 97 years since 1918 at Cireundeu village, West Java Province, Indonesia. Cireundeu traditional village located in the mountain valleys and has a hilly slope up to 38%. Cassava is used as the primary food in that area. Uniquely, Cassava productivity is stable and continues until now. The assessment of soil quality is taking soil samples in the area and analysis the soil in laboratory. The result of analysis that soil in the area is not degraded because it has optimum nutrient, organic matter, and high value of cation exchange capacity in soil even though it has been cultivated in scarp with high slope. Commonly, soil on scarp with high slope has a high rate erosion and poor nutrient. It proved that cassava is able to be an alternative technique of soil conservation in the areas that have a high slope. Beside that, cassava can be utilized as a plant food, feed, fertilizer, and energy. With the utilization of Cassava, the target of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) will be achieved with consideration three important components include economy, social, and environment. In economy, Cassava can to be the commercial product like processed food, feed, and alternative energy. In social, it will increase social welfare and will be hereditary. And for environment, Cassava prevents soil from erosion and keeps soil quality.

Keywords: Cassava, local wisdom, conservation, soil quality, sustainable

Procedia PDF Downloads 288

Authors: A. M. Naraghi, V. Gonzalez, M. O'Sullivan, C. G. Walker, M. Poshdar, F. Ying, M. Abdelmegid

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Discrete Event Simulation (DES) and Agent Based Simulation (ABS) are two simulation approaches that have been proposed to support decision-making in the construction industry. Despite the wide use of these simulation approaches in the construction field, their applications for production and material planning is still limited. This is largely due to the dynamic and complex nature of construction material supply chain systems. Moreover, managing the flow of construction material is not well integrated with site logistics in traditional construction planning methods. This paper presents a hybrid of DES and ABS to simulate on-site and off-site material supply processes. DES is applied to determine the best production scenarios with information of on-site production systems, while ABS is used to optimize the supply chain network. A case study of a construction piling project in New Zealand is presented illustrating the potential benefits of using the proposed hybrid simulation model in construction material flow planning. The hybrid model presented can be used to evaluate the impact of different decisions on construction supply chain management.

Keywords: construction supply-chain management, simulation modeling, decision-support tools, hybrid simulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 199

Authors: Mohammad Enayet Hossain, Nur Farhah Mahadi

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The global COVID-19 pandemic has contaminated millions of people at a startling rate. The COVID-19 pandemic came out of mediocre and has since spread all over the world, causing to record 5 million deaths worldwide in just a few months. The economic crisis has triggered a global contraction, leading to an economic collapse expected over 2020-2021. This study examines whether Islamic social finance can effectively mitigate the dangers of humanitarian catastrophes. The study provides a multirange method for maximizing the advantage of Islamic social financings tools such as zakat and waqf. The information, documents, and data for this study are gathered using a qualitative method. The study employed ongoing research, literature review, news stories, reports, and trusted online sources. Eventually, this may add to knowledge by examining the role of Islamic social finance in the current Covid-19 crisis. The findings have consequences for governments and policymakers who want to solve the COVID-19 problem with Islamic social finance ideas and solutions, thereby enhancing people's social well-being and the global economy's development.

Keywords: covid-19 pandemic, Islamic social finance, zakat, waqf

Procedia PDF Downloads 102

Authors: Maria Ledinskaya

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This paper examines the Morris Collection Conservation Project at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in the context of Agile, Lean, and Hybrid project management. It is part case study and part literature review. To date, relatively little has been written about non-traditional project management approaches in heritage conservation. This paper seeks to introduce Agile, Lean, and Hybrid project management concepts from business, software development, and manufacturing fields to museum conservation, by referencing their practical application on a recent museum-based conservation project. The Morris Collection Conservation Project was carried out in 2019-2021 in Norwich, UK, and concerned the remedial conservation of around 150 Abstract Constructivist artworks bequeathed to the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts by private collectors Michael and Joyce Morris. The first part introduces the chronological timeline and key elements of the project. It describes a medium-size conservation project of moderate complexity, which was planned and delivered in an environment with multiple known unknowns – unresearched collection, unknown condition and materials, unconfirmed budget. The project was also impacted by the unknown unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as indeterminate lockdowns, and the need to accommodate social distancing and remote communications. The author, a staff conservator at the Sainsbury Centre who acted as project manager on the Morris Collection Conservation Project, presents an incremental, iterative, and value-based approach to managing a conservation project in an uncertain environment. Subsequent sections examine the project from the point of view of Traditional, Agile, Lean, and Hybrid project management. The author argues that most academic writing on project management in conservation has focussed on a Traditional plan-driven approach – also known as Waterfall project management – which has significant drawbacks in today’s museum environment, due to its over-reliance on prediction-based planning and its low tolerance to change. In the last 20 years, alternative Agile, Lean and Hybrid approaches to project management have been widely adopted in software development, manufacturing, and other industries, although their recognition in the museum sector has been slow. Using examples from the Morris Collection Conservation Project, the author introduces key principles and tools of Agile, Lean, and Hybrid project management and presents a series of arguments on the effectiveness of these alternative methodologies in museum conservation, as well as the ethical and practical challenges to their implementation. These project management approaches are discussed in the context of consequentialist, relativist, and utilitarian developments in contemporary conservation ethics, particularly with respect to change management, bespoke ethics, shared decision-making, and value-based cost-benefit conservation strategy. The author concludes that the Morris Collection Conservation Project had multiple Agile and Lean features which were instrumental to the successful delivery of the project. These key features are identified as distributed decision making, a co-located cross-disciplinary team, servant leadership, focus on value-added work, flexible planning done in shorter sprint cycles, light documentation, and emphasis on reducing procedural, financial, and logistical waste. Overall, the author’s findings point largely in favour of a Hybrid model which combines traditional and alternative project processes and tools to suit the specific needs of the project.

Keywords: project management, conservation, waterfall, agile, lean, hybrid

Procedia PDF Downloads 92

Authors: Oyegunle Emmanuel Oke, A. O. Onabajo, M. O. Abioja, F. O. Sorungbe, D. E. Oyetunji, J. A. Abiona, A. O. Ladokun, O. M. Onagbesan

Abstract:

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different dietary inclusion levels of Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MOLP) on growth and physiological responses of broiler chickens during hot-dry season in Nigeria. Two hundred and forty (240) day-old commercial broiler chicks were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments having four replicates each. Each replicate had 15 birds. The levels of inclusion were 0g (Control group), 4g, 8g and 12g/Kg feed. The experiment lasted for eight weeks. The results of the study revealed that the initial body weight was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in birds fed 12g/kg diet than those fed 0, 4, and 8g MOLP. The birds fed 0, 4 and 8g/kg diet however had similar weights. The final body weight was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the birds fed 12g MOLP than those fed 0, 4 and 8g MOLP. The final weights were similar in the birds fed 4 and 8g/kg diet but higher (P < 0.05) than those of the birds in the control group. The body weight gain was similar in birds fed 0 and 4g MOLP but significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of the birds in 12g/kg diet. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the feed intake. The serum albumin of the birds fed 12g MOLP/Kg diet (48.85g/L) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than the mean value of those fed the control diet 0 and 8g MOLP/Kg diets having 36.05 and 37.10g/L respectively. Birds fed 12g MOLP/Kg feed recorded the lowest level of triglyceride (122.75g/L) which was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those of the birds fed 0 and 4g/kg diet MOLP. The serum corticosterone decreased with increase in MOLP inclusion levels. The birds fed 12g MOLP had the least value. This study has shown that MOLP may contain potent antioxidants capable of ameliorating the effects of heat stress in broiler chickens with 12g MOLP inclusion.

Keywords: physiology, performance, heat stress, anti-oxidant

Procedia PDF Downloads 342

Authors: Vahid Bayrami Rad

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In recent years, the use of artificial intelligence techniques, tools, and methods in processing medical images and health-related applications has been highlighted and a lot of research has been done in this regard. For example, colonoscopy and diagnosis of colon lesions are some cases in which the process of diagnosis of lesions can be improved by using image processing and artificial intelligence algorithms, which help doctors a lot. Due to the lack of accurate measurements and the variety of injuries in colonoscopy images, the process of diagnosing the type of lesions is a little difficult even for expert doctors. Therefore, by using different software and image processing, doctors can be helped to increase the accuracy of their observations and ultimately improve their diagnosis. Also, by using automatic methods, the process of diagnosing the type of disease can be improved. Therefore, in this paper, a deep learning framework called KCBA is proposed to classify colonoscopy lesions which are composed of several methods such as K-means clustering, a bag of features and deep auto-encoder. Finally, according to the experimental results, the proposed method's performance in classifying colonoscopy images is depicted considering the accuracy criterion.

Keywords: colorectal cancer, colonoscopy, region of interest, narrow band imaging, texture analysis, bag of feature

Procedia PDF Downloads 45

Authors: Serkan Kocapinar, Gülay Altay

Abstract:

This study investigates the efficiency of two different industrial intumescent coatings which have different types of certifications, in the fire protection performance in steel beams in the case of ISO 834 fire for 2 hours. A better understanding of industrial intumescent coatings, which assure structural integrity and prevent a collapse of steel structures, is needed to minimize the fire risks in steel structures. A comparison and understanding of different fire protective intumescent coatings, which are Product A and Product B, are used as a thermal barrier between the steel components and the fire. Product A is tested according to EN 13381-8 and BS 476-20,22 and is certificated by ISO Standards. Product B is tested according to EN 13381-8 and ASTM UL-94 and is certificated by the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE). Generally, fire tests to evaluate the fire performance of steel components are done numerically with commercial software instead of experiments due to the high cost of an ISO 834 fire test in a furnace. Hence, there is a gap in the literature about the comparisons of different certificated intumescent coatings for fire protection in the case of ISO 834 fire in a furnace experiment for 2 hours. The experiment was carried out by using two 1-meter UPN 200 steel sections. Each one was coated by different industrial intumescent coatings. A furnace was used by the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) for the experiment. The temperature of the protected steels and the inside of the furnace was measured with the help of 24 thermocouples which were applied before the intumescent coatings during the two hours for the performance of intumescent coatings by getting a temperature-time curve of steel components. FIN EC software was used to determine the critical temperatures of protected steels, and Abaqus was used for thermal analysis to get theoretical results to compare with the experimental results.

Keywords: fire safety, structural steel, ABAQUS, thermal analysis, FIN EC, intumescent coatings

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Authors: Ephraim Ibekwe

Abstract:

The field of biomedical science has offered modern man more options to choose from than ever before about what their future children will be or look like. Today, embryo selection techniques, for instance, has availed most people the power to choose the sex of their child, to avoid the birth of a child with a disability, or even to choose deliberately to create a disabled child. With new biotechnological tools emerging daily, many people deem parents personally and socially responsible for the results of their choosing to bear children, i.e. all tests should be done, and parents are responsible for only “keeping” healthy children. Some fear parents may soon be left to their own devices if they have children who require extra time and social spending. As with other discoveries in the area of genetic engineering, such possibilities raise important ethical issues – questions about which of these choices are morally permissible or morally wrong. Hence, the preoccupation of this article is to understand the extent to which the questions that Eugenics posits on the human person can be answered with keen clarity. With an analytical posture, this article, while not deriding the impact of biotechnology and the medical sciences, argues for Human dignity in its strictest consideration.

Keywords: dignity, eugenics, human person, technology and biomedical science

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Authors: Miguel Ramirez, Ivan Lizarazo

Abstract:

The emergence of various interpretations of sustainability, including weak and strong paradigms, can be traced back to the definition of sustainable development provided in the 1987 Brundtland report and the subsequent evolution of the sustainability concept. However, there has been limited scholarly attention given to clarifying the concept of sustainability within the theoretical and conceptual framework of geography. The discipline has predominantly been focused on understanding the diverse conceptions of sustainability within its epistemological boundaries, resulting in tensions between sustainability paradigms and their associated dimensions, including the incorporation of political perspectives, with particular emphasis on environmental geography's epistemology. In response to this gap, a conceptual framework for sustainability is proposed, effectively integrating spatial and territorial concepts. This framework aims to enhance geography's role in contributing to sustainability by utilizing the land system theory, which is based on the dynamics of land use change. Such an integrated conceptual framework enables incorporating methodological tools such as remote sensing, encompassing various earth observations and fusion methods, and supervised classification techniques. Additionally, it looks for better integration of socioecological information, thereby capturing essential population-related features.

Keywords: geography, sustainability, land change science, territorial sustainability

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Authors: M. Devamanalan, K. Pothiraj, M. Sudhan

Abstract:

In competitive market like India, there is a high demand on the equal contribution on performance and its durability aspect of any system. In General vehicle has multiple sub-systems such as powertrain, BIW, Brakes, Actuations, Suspension and Seats etc., To withstand the market challenges, the contribution of each sub-system is very vital. The malfunction of any one sub system will directly have an impact on the performance of the major system which lead to dis-satisfaction to the end user. The Powertrain system consists of several sub-systems in which clutch is one of the prime sub-systems in MT vehicles which assist for smoother gear shifts with proper clutch dis-engagement and engagement. In general, most of the vehicles will have a mechanical or semi or full hydraulic clutch release system, whereas in small Commercial Vehicles (SCV) the majorly used clutch release system is mechanical cable release system due to its lesser cost and functional requirements. The major bottle neck in the cable type clutch release system is increase in pedal effort due to hysteresis increase and Gear shifting hard due to efficiency loss / cable slackness over the mileage accumulation of the vehicle. This study is to mainly focus on how the efficiency and hysteresis change over the mileage of the vehicle occurs because of the design architecture of outer and inner cable. The study involves several cable design validation results from vehicle level and rig level through the defined cable routing and test procedures. Results are compared to evaluate the suitable cable design architecture based on better efficiency and lower hysteresis parameters at initial and end of the validation.

Keywords: clutch, clutch cable, efficiency, architecture, cable routing

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Authors: Shadi Motamedighazvini, Roohollah Taherkhani, Mahdi Mahdikhani, Najme Hashempour

Abstract:

Nowadays, green building rating systems are an inevitable necessity for managing environmental considerations to achieve green buildings. The aim of this paper is to deliver a detailed recognition of what has been the focus of green building policymakers around the world; It is important to conduct this study in a way that can provide a context for researchers who intend to establish or upgrade existing rating systems. In this paper, fifteen rating systems including four worldwide well-known plus eleven local rating systems which have been selected based on the answers to the questionnaires were examined. Their similarities and differences in mandatory and prerequisite clauses, highest and lowest scores for each criterion, the most frequent criteria, and most frequent sub-criteria are determined. The research findings indicated that although the criteria of energy, water, indoor quality (except Homestar), site and materials (except GRIHA) were common core criteria for all rating systems, their sub-criteria were different. This research, as a roadmap, eliminates the lack of a comprehensive reference that encompasses the key criteria of different rating systems. It shows the local systems need to be revised to be more comprehensive and adaptable to their own country’s conditions such as climate.

Keywords: environmental assessment, green buildings, green building criteria, green building rating systems, sustainability, rating tools

Procedia PDF Downloads 234

Authors: Gaston Bacquet

Abstract:

In light of existing social and structural violence in Chilean higher education which has resulted in instances of inequality, exclusion and discrimination, this research study attempted to provide trainee teachers in Chile with non-violent tools to deal with the tensions arising from these issues. Through a participatory action research design framed within a series of non-violent, non-Western perspectives, this study provided co-participants with opportunities to discuss current problems affecting HE in Chile stemming from the aforementioned violence, to think about strategies to address these and the challenges they might encounter. The study, which involved two different groups of trainee teachers from Chilean universities, consisted of two iterations of the action research cycle (planning – acting – observing – reflecting) carried out over two 3-months periods. Findings reveal instances of forced cultural assimilation, bullying, and direct and structural violence as key issues to address, and a strong individualistic mindset trumping collective well-being as the main challenge to bring non-violent strategies into their classrooms.

Keywords: non-violence education, contemplative pedagogy, participatory action research, dialogical education

Procedia PDF Downloads 88

Authors: Daniel Adjei, Mesfin Getachew Ayele, Przemyslaw Wachulak, Andrzej Bartnik, Luděk Vyšín, Henryk Fiedorowicz, Inam Ul Ahad, Lukasz Wegrzynski, Anna Wiechecka, Janusz Lekki, Wojciech M. Kwiatek

Abstract:

Laser produced plasma light sources, emitting high intensity pulses of X-rays, delivering high doses are useful to understand the mechanisms of high dose effects on biological samples. In this study, a desk-top laser plasma soft X-ray source, developed for radio biology research, is presented. The source is based on a double-stream gas puff target, irradiated with a commercial Nd:YAG laser (EKSPLA), which generates laser pulses of 4 ns time duration and energy up to 800 mJ at 10 Hz repetition rate. The source has been optimized for maximum emission in the “water window” wavelength range from 2.3 nm to 4.4 nm by using pure gas (argon, nitrogen and krypton) and spectral filtering. Results of the source characterization measurements and dosimetry of the produced soft X-ray radiation are shown and discussed. The high brightness of the laser produced plasma soft X-ray source and the low penetration depth of the produced X-ray radiation in biological specimen allows a high dose rate to be delivered to the specimen of over 28 Gy/shot; and 280 Gy/s at the maximum repetition rate of the laser system. The source has a unique capability for irradiation of cells with high pulse dose both in vacuum and He-environment. Demonstration of the source to induce DNA double- and single strand breaks will be discussed.

Keywords: laser produced plasma, soft X-rays, radio biology experiments, dosimetry

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Authors: Ailvy Faith Zamora, Serj Donn David, Michael Anderson

Abstract:

There are a number of decades-old piers and wharves in Manila, Philippines, that are currently being used for container and bulk cargo handling port operations. These structures fulfill a very important role in the economy and hence have undergone rehabilitation and assessment of capacity to accommodate current and future operational requirements. The capacity assessment would include structural and pile geotechnical evaluation. Unfortunately, old marine structures in the Philippines may not have a complete set of as-built information. In certain instances, critical information, such as pile toe levels, is missing in the documentation. A combination of direct tests, geophysical tests, and numerical analysis/modelling has been performed to estimate existing pile toe levels of open-type piers and anchored quay wall wharves in Manila. These techniques were applied to both concrete and steel piles. This paper presents the tools utilized, testing setup, and techniques used for estimating toe levels of existing piles for certain structures, including the challenges encountered and applied solutions.

Keywords: geophysical testing, pile toe level, structural assessment, piers, wharves

Procedia PDF Downloads 119

Authors: Sergey Podluzhnyy

Abstract:

One of the most important tasks of investment and pension fund management is building decision support system which helps to make right decision on corporate bond portfolio formation. Today there are several basic methods of bond portfolio management. They are duration management, immunization and convexity management. Identified methods have serious disadvantage: they do not take into account credit risk or insolvency risk of issuer. So, identified methods can be applied only for management and evaluation of high-quality sovereign bonds. Applying article proposes mathematical model for building an optimal in case of risk and yield corporate bond portfolio. Proposed model takes into account the default probability in formula of assessment of bonds which results to more correct evaluation of bonds prices. Moreover, applied model provides tools for visualization of the efficient frontier of corporate bonds portfolio taking into account the exposure to credit risk, which will increase the quality of the investment decisions of portfolio managers.

Keywords: corporate bond portfolio, default probability, effective boundary, portfolio optimization task

Procedia PDF Downloads 316