Search results for: mobile grid computing

Authors: Elsayed Amer, Tarek Essam, Abdullah Hella, Mohammed Al-Ajmi

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Hydrocarbon production decline in mature gas fields is inevitable, and mitigating these circumstances is essential to ensure a longer production period. Production decline is not only influenced by reservoir pressure and wellbore integrity; however, associated liquids in the reservoir rock have a considerable impact on the production process. The associated liquid may result in liquid loading, near wellbore damage, condensate banking, fine sand migration, and wellhead pressure depletion. Consequently, the producing well will suffocate, and the liquid column will seize the well from flowing. A common solution in such circumstances is reducing the surface pressure by opening the well to the atmospheric pressure and flaring the produced liquids. This practice may not be applicable to many cases since the atmospheric pressure is not low enough to create a sufficient driving force to flow the well. In addition, flaring the produced hydrocarbon is solving the issue on account of the environment, which is against the world's efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change. This paper presents a novel approach and a case study that utilizes a multi-phase mobile wellhead gas compression unit (MMWGC) to reduce surface pressure to the sub-atmospheric level and transfer the produced hydrocarbons to the sales line. As a result, the liquid column will unload in a zero-flaring manner, and the life of the producing well will extend considerably. The MMWGC unit was able to successfully kick off a dead well to produce up to 10 MMSCFD after reducing the surface pressure for 3 hours. Applying such novelty on a broader scale will not only extend the life of the producing wells yet will also provide a zero-flaring, economically and environmentally preferred solution.

Keywords: petroleum engineering, zero-flaring, liquid loading, well revival

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Authors: Sameh Shahin, Nannang Arrys

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Optimizing pit slope stability and reducing strip ratio of a mining operation are two key tasks in geotechnical engineering. With a growing demand for minerals and an increasing cost associated with extraction, companies are constantly re-evaluating the viability of mineral deposits and challenging their geological understanding. Within Rio Tinto Iron Ore, the Structural Geology (SG) team investigate and collect critical data, such as point based orientations, mapping and geological inferences from adjacent pits to re-model deposits where previous interpretations have failed to account for structurally controlled slope failures. Utilizing innovative data collection methods and data-driven investigation, SG aims to address the root causes of slope instability. Committing to a resource grid drill campaign as the primary source of data collection will often bias data collection to a specific orientation and significantly reduce the capability to identify and qualify complexity. Consequently, these limitations make it difficult to construct a realistic and coherent structural model that identifies adverse structural domains. Without the consideration of complexity and the capability of capturing these structural domains, mining operations run the risk of inadequately designed slopes that may fail and potentially harm people. Regional structural trends have been considered in conjunction with surface and in-pit mapping data to model multi-batter fold structures that were absent from previous iterations of the structural model. The risk is evident in newly identified dip-slope and rock-mass controlled sectors of the geotechnical design rather than a ubiquitous dip-slope sector across the pit. The reward is two-fold: 1) providing sectors of rock-mass controlled design in previously interpreted structurally controlled domains and 2) the opportunity to optimize the slope angle for mineral recovery and reduced strip ratio. Furthermore, a resulting high confidence model with structures and geometries that can account for historic slope instabilities in structurally controlled domains where design assumptions failed.

Keywords: structural geology, geotechnical design, optimization, slope stability, risk mitigation

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Authors: Aliyu Damri

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This study analyzed the emergence of WhatsApp and how employees at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Kaduna defined the concept base on their vast broadcasting experiences for over five decades and application of the phenomenon to the radio station. It also analyzed the nature, patterns, dimensions, features, challenges as well as the effects of WhatsApp as a social networking site with specific interest on the radio outlet. Also, the study identified how the radio organization responded to the challenges in an attempt to adapt to the new pattern of broadcasting characterized by many technological transformations. The study further explained in details such skills journalists need to function optimally using WhatsApp as well as the impacts of the WhatsApp on radio broadcasting. It used a combination of published materials, focus group discussion, in depth interviews and participant observation on the activities of the radio stations to address the research questions. The data generated provided insight to better understand the challenges posed to FRCN Kaduna as a result of WhatsApp application and how FRCN Kaduna responded to the challenges. It also provided information on the skills journalists need to function optimally in using WhatsApp application in the radio station. The interview and focus group discussion’s transcripts and the published materials were analyzed along thematic pattern related to the research questions in the study. The dominant response relied heavily on change in the radio station’s organizational and technical integration of newsrooms, the use of a multiskilled workforce, application of a flexible and user-friendly technology in all aspects of production, expansion of the station’s services in to new media such as internet and mobile phones as well as sharing of ideas across different units in the radio outfit.

Keywords: broadcasting, challenge, northern Nigeria, radio, WhatsApp application

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Authors: Yasser F. Hassan

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Social networking involves use of an online platform or website that enables people to communicate, usually for a social purpose, through a variety of services, most of which are web-based and offer opportunities for people to interact over the internet, e.g. via e-mail and ‘instant messaging’, by analyzing the voting behavior and ratings of judges in a popular comments in social networks. While most of the party literature omits the electorate, this paper presents a model where elites and parties are emergent consequences of the behavior and preferences of voters. The research in artificial intelligence and psychology has provided powerful illustrations of the way in which the emergence of intelligent behavior depends on the development of representational structure. As opposed to the classical voting system (one person – one decision – one vote) a new voting system is designed where agents with opposed preferences are endowed with a given number of votes to freely distribute them among some issues. The paper uses ideas from machine learning, artificial intelligence and soft computing to provide a model of the development of voting system response in a simulated agent. The modeled development process involves (simulated) processes of evolution, learning and representation development. The main value of the model is that it provides an illustration of how simple learning processes may lead to the formation of structure. We employ agent-based computer simulation to demonstrate the formation and interaction of coalitions that arise from individual voter preferences. We are interested in coordinating the local behavior of individual agents to provide an appropriate system-level behavior.

Keywords: voting system, rough sets, multi-agent, social networks, emergence, power indices

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Authors: Badriya Almutairi, Ashraf El-Hamalawi

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Wind energy technologies are considered to be among the most promising types of renewable energy sources due to the growing concerns over climate change and energy security. Kuwait is amongst the countries that began realising the consequences of climate change and the long-term economic and energy security situation, considering options when oil runs out. Added to this are the fluctuating oil prices, rapid increase in population, high electricity consumption and protection of the environment It began to make efforts in the direction of greener solutions for energy needs by looking for alternative forms of energy and assessing potential renewable energy resources, including wind and solar. The aim of this paper is to examine wind energy as an alternative renewable energy source in Kuwait, due to its availability and low cost, reducing the dependency on fossil fuels compared to other forms of renewable energy. This paper will present a life cycle assessment of onshore wind turbine systems in Kuwait, comprising 4 stages; goal and scope of the analysis, inventory analysis, impact assessment and interpretation of the results. It will also provide an assessment of potential renewable energy resources and technologies applied for power generation and the environmental benefits for Kuwait. An optimum location for a site (Shagaya) will be recommended for reasons such as high wind speeds, land availability and distance to the next grid connection, and be the focus of this study. The potential environmental impacts and resources used throughout the wind turbine system’s life-cycle are then analysed using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The results show the total carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission for a turbine with steel pile foundations is greater than emissions from a turbine with concrete foundations by 18 %. The analysis also shows the average CO₂ emissions from electricity generated using crude oil is 645gCO₂/kWh and the carbon footprint per functional unit for a wind turbine ranges between 6.6 g/kWh to 10 g/kWh, an increase of 98%, thus providing cost and environmental benefits by creating a wind farm in Kuwait. Using a cost-benefit analysis, it was also found that the electricity produced from wind energy in Kuwait would cost 17.6fils/kWh (0.05834 $/kWh), which is less than the cost of electricity currently being produced using conventional methods at 22 fils/kW (0.07$/kWh), i.e., a reduction of 20%.

Keywords: CO₂ emissions, Kuwait, life cycle assessment, renewable energy, wind energy

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Authors: Kanyaporn Sommeechai

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Air cadets who aspire to become military pilots upon graduation undergo rigorous training at military academies. As first-year cadets are akin to civilian freshmen, they encounter numerous challenges within the seniority-based military academy system. Imposed routines, such as mandatory morning runs and restrictions on mobile phone usage for two semesters, have the potential to impact their learning process and motivation to study, including second language (L2) acquisition. This study aims to investigate the motivational dynamics and L2 learning transitions experienced by air cadets. To achieve this, a Retrodictive Qualitative Modelling approach will be employed, coupled with the adaptation of the three-barrier structure encompassing institutional factors, situational factors, and dispositional factors. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted to gather rich qualitative data. By analyzing and interpreting the collected data, this research seeks to shed light on the motivational factors that influence air cadets' L2 learning journey. The three-barrier structure will provide a comprehensive framework to identify and understand the institutional, situational, and dispositional factors that may impede or facilitate their motivation and language learning progress. Moreover, the study will explore how these factors interact and shape cadets' motivation and learning experiences. The outcomes of this research will yield fundamental data that can inform strategies and interventions to enhance the motivation and language learning outcomes of air cadets. By better understanding their motivational dynamics and transitions, educators and institutions can create targeted initiatives, tailored pedagogical approaches, and supportive environments that effectively inspire and engage air cadets as L2 learners.

Keywords: second language, education, motivational dynamics, learning transitions

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Authors: Dejenie Birile Gemeda, Wilhelm Stork

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The power system is one of the most important systems in modern society. The existing power system is approaching the critical operating limits as views of several power system operators. With the increase of load demand, high capacity and long transmission networks are widely used to meet the requirement. With the integration of renewable energies such as wind and solar, the uncertainty, intermittence bring bigger challenges to the operation of power systems. These dynamic uncertainties in the power system lead to power disturbances. The disturbances in a heavily stressed power system cause distance relays to mal-operation or false alarms during post fault power oscillations. This unintended operation of these relays may propagate and trigger cascaded trappings leading to total power system blackout. This is due to relays inability to take an appropriate tripping decision based on ensuing power swing. According to the N-1 criterion, electric power systems are generally designed to withstand a single failure without causing the violation of any operating limit. As a result, some overloaded components such as overhead transmission lines can still work for several hours under overload conditions. However, when a large power swing happens in the power system, the settings of the distance relay of zone 3 may trip the transmission line with a short time delay, and they will be acting so quickly that the system operator has no time to respond and stop the cascading. Misfiring of relays in absence of fault due to power swing may have a significant loss in economic performance, thus a loss in revenue for power companies. This research paper proposes a method to distinguish stable power swing from unstable using dynamic line rating (DLR) in response to power swing or disturbances. As opposed to static line rating (SLR), dynamic line rating support effective mitigation actions against propagating cascading outages in a power grid. Effective utilization of existing transmission lines capacity using machine learning DLR predictions will improve the operating point of distance relay protection, thus reducing unintended power outages due to power swing.

Keywords: blackout, cascading outages, dynamic line rating, power swing, overhead transmission lines

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Authors: Muhammad Ashfaq

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Main theme: This prime focus of this study is on the role of digital technology in crime prevention, with special focus on Cellular Forensic Unit, Capital City Police Peshawar-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan. Objective(s) of the study: The prime objective of this study is to provide statistics, strategies and pattern of analysis used for crime prevention in Cellular Forensic Unit of Capital City Police Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan. Research Method and Procedure: Qualitative method of research has been used in the study for obtaining secondary data from research wing and Information Technology (IT) section of Peshawar police. Content analysis was the method used for the conduction of the study. This study is delimited to Capital City Police and Cellular Forensic Unit Peshawar-KP, Pakistan. information technologies. Major finding(s): It is evident that the old traditional approach will never provide solutions for better management in controlling crimes. The best way to control crimes and promotion of proactive policing is to adopt new technologies. The study reveals that technology have transformed police more effective and vigilant as compared to traditional policing. The heinous crimes like abduction, missing of an individual, snatching, burglaries and blind murder cases are now traceable with the help of technology. Recommendation(s): From the analysis of the data, it is reflected that Information Technology (IT) expert should be recruited along with research analyst to timely assist and facilitate operational as well as investigation units of police.A mobile locator should be Provided to Cellular Forensic Unit to timely apprehend the criminals .Latest digital analysis software should be provided to equip the Cellular Forensic Unit.

Keywords: crime prevention, digital technology, pakistan, police

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Authors: Jagadeshvaran P. L., Kamlesh Panwar, Indumathi Ramakrishnan, Suryasarathi Bose

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The surge in the usage of wireless electronics and communication devices has engendered a different form of pollution, viz. the electromagnetic (EM) pollution and yet another serious issue, electromagnetic interference (EMI). There is a legitimate need to develop strategies and materials to combat this issue, otherwise leading to dreadful consequences. Functional textiles have emerged as the modern materials to help attenuate EM waves due to the numerous advantages – flexibility being the most important. In addition to this, there is an inherent advantage of multiple interfaces in coated fabrics that can engender significant attenuation. Herein we report a coating having multifunctional properties – capable of blocking both UV and EM radiation (predominantly of the microwave frequencies) with flame-retarding properties. The layer described here comprises iron titanate(FT) synthesized from its sustainable precursor – ilmenite sand and carbon nanotubes (CNT) dispersed in waterborne polyurethane. It is worth noting that FT's use as a multifunctional material is being reported for the first time. It was observed that a single layer of coated fabric shows EMI shielding effectiveness of -40 dB translating to 99.99% attenuation and similarly a UV blocking of 99.99% in the wavelength ranging from 200-400 nm. The microwave shielding properties of the fabric were demonstrated using a Bluetooth module – where the coated fabric was able to block the incoming Bluetooth signals to the module from a mobile phone. Besides, the coated fabrics exhibited phenomenal enhancement in thermal stability - a five percent increase in the limiting oxygen index (LOI) was observed upon the application of the coating. Such exceptional properties complement cotton fabrics' existing utility, thereby extending their use to specialty applications.

Keywords: multifunctional coatings, EMI shielding, UV blocking, iron titanate, CNT, waterborne polyurethane, cotton fabrics

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Authors: George Mahalu

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The Chua diode has been configured over time in various ways, using electronic structures like as operational amplifiers (OAs) or devices with gas or semiconductors. When discussing the use of semiconductor devices, tunnel diodes (Esaki diodes) are most often considered, and more recently, transistorized configurations such as lambda diodes. The paper-work proposed here uses in the modeling a lambda diode type configuration consisting of two Junction Field Effect Transistors (JFET). The original scheme is created in the MULTISIM electronic simulation environment and is analyzed in order to identify the conditions for the appearance of evolutionary unpredictability specific to nonlinear dynamic systems with chaos-induced behavior. The chaotic deterministic oscillator is one autonomous type, a fact that places it in the class of Chua’s type oscillators, the only significant and most important difference being the presence of a nonlinear device like the one mentioned structure above. The chaotic behavior is identified both by means of strange attractor-type trajectories and visible during the simulation and by highlighting the hypersensitivity of the system to small variations of one of the input parameters. The results obtained through simulation and the conclusions drawn are useful in the further research of ways to implement such constructive electronic solutions in theoretical and practical applications related to modern small signal amplification structures, to systems for encoding and decoding messages through various modern ways of communication, as well as new structures that can be imagined both in modern neural networks and in those for the physical implementation of some requirements imposed by current research with the aim of obtaining practically usable solutions in quantum computing and quantum computers.

Keywords: chaos, lambda diode, strange attractor, nonlinear system

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Authors: I. Kurashvili, G. Darsavelidze, T. Kimeridze, G. Chubinidze, I. Tabatadze

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At present, a number of modern semiconductor devices based on SiGe alloys have been created in which the latest achievements of high technologies are used. These devices might cause significant changes to networking, computing, and space technology. In the nearest future new materials based on SiGe will be able to restrict the A³B⁵ and Si technologies and firmly establish themselves in medium frequency electronics. Effective realization of these prospects requires the solution of prediction and controlling of structural state and dynamical physical –mechanical properties of new SiGe materials. Based on these circumstances, a complex investigation of structural defects and structural-sensitive dynamic mechanical characteristics of SiGe alloys under different external impacts (deformation, radiation, thermal cycling) acquires great importance. Internal friction (IF) and shear modulus temperature and amplitude dependences of the monocrystalline boron-doped Si_1-xGe_x(x≤0.05) alloys grown by Czochralski technique is studied in initial and ⁶⁰Co gamma-irradiated states. In the initial samples, a set of dislocation origin relaxation processes and accompanying modulus defects are revealed in a temperature interval of 400-800 ⁰C. It is shown that after gamma-irradiation intensity of relaxation internal friction in the vicinity of 280 ⁰C increases and simultaneously activation parameters of high temperature relaxation processes reveal clear rising. It is proposed that these changes of dynamical mechanical characteristics might be caused by a decrease of the dislocation mobility in the Cottrell atmosphere enriched by the radiation defects.

Keywords: internal friction, shear modulus, gamma-irradiation, SiGe alloys

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Authors: Isaac Kofi Mensah

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Governments around the world are adopting Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) because of the important opportunities it provides through E-government (EG) to modernize government public administration processes and delivery of quality and efficient public services. Almost every country in the world is adopting ICT in its public sector administration (EG) to modernize and change the traditional process of government, increase citizen engagement and participation in governance, as well as the provision of timely information to citizens. This paper, therefore, seeks to present the adoption, development and implementation of EG in regions globally, as well as the ICT indicators around the world, which are making EG initiatives successful. Europe leads the world in its EG adoption and development index, followed by the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Africa. There is a gradual growth in ICT indicators in terms of the increase in Internet access and usage, increase in broadband penetration, an increase of individuals using the Internet at home and a decline in fixed telephone use, while the mobile cellular phone has been on the increase year-on-year. Though the lack of ICT infrastructure is a major challenge to EG adoption and implementation around the world, in Africa it is very pervasive, hampering the expansion of Internet access and provision of broadband, and hence is a barrier to the successful adoption, development, and implementation of EG initiatives in countries on the continent. But with the general improvement and increase in ICT indicators around the world, it provides countries in Europe, Americas, Asia, Arab States, Oceania and Africa with the huge opportunity to enhance public service delivery through the adoption of EG. Countries within these regions cannot fail their citizens who desire to enjoy an enhanced and efficient public service delivery from government and its many state institutions.

Keywords: e-government development index, e-government, indicators, information and communication technologies (ICTs)

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Authors: Behrooz Daneshmand

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Software Defined Networking (SDN) is designed to meet the future needs of 5G mobile networks. The SDN architecture offers a new solution that involves separating the control plane from the data plane, which is usually paired together. Network functions traditionally performed on specific hardware can now be abstracted and virtualized on any device, and a centralized software-based administration approach is based on a central controller, facilitating the development of modern applications and services. These plan standards clear the way for a more adaptable, speedier, and more energetic network beneath computer program control compared with a conventional network. We accept SDN gives modern inquire about openings to security, and it can significantly affect network security research in numerous diverse ways. Subsequently, the SDN architecture engages systems to effectively screen activity and analyze threats to facilitate security approach modification and security benefit insertion. The segregation of the data planes and control and, be that as it may, opens security challenges, such as man-in-the-middle attacks (MIMA), denial of service (DoS) attacks, and immersion attacks. In this paper, we analyze security threats to each layer of SDN - application layer - southbound interfaces/northbound interfaces - controller layer and data layer. From a security point of see, the components that make up the SDN architecture have a few vulnerabilities, which may be abused by aggressors to perform noxious activities and hence influence the network and its administrations. Software-defined network assaults are shockingly a reality these days. In a nutshell, this paper highlights architectural weaknesses and develops attack vectors at each layer, which leads to conclusions about further progress in identifying the consequences of attacks and proposing mitigation strategies.

Keywords: software-defined networking, security, SDN, 5G/IMT-2020

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Authors: Masoud Safdari, Jacob Fish

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Despite vast amount of existing theoretical knowledge, the implementation of a universal multiscale modeling, analysis, and simulation software framework remains challenging. Existing multiscale software and solutions are often domain-specific, closed-source and mandate a high-level of experience and skills in both multiscale analysis and programming. Furthermore, tools currently existing for Atomistic-to-Continuum (AtC) multiscaling are developed with the assumptions such as accessibility of high-performance computing facilities to the users. These issues mentioned plus many other challenges have reduced the adoption of multiscale in academia and especially industry. In the current work, we introduce Multiscale Hub (MsHub), an effort towards making AtC more accessible through cloud services. As a joint effort between academia and industry, MsHub provides a universal web-enabled framework for practical multiscaling. Developed on top of universally acclaimed scientific programming language Python, the package currently provides an open-source, comprehensive, easy-to-use framework for AtC coupling. MsHub offers an easy to use interface to prominent molecular dynamics and multiphysics continuum mechanics packages such as LAMMPS and MFEM (a free, lightweight, scalable C++ library for finite element methods). In this work, we first report on the design philosophy of MsHub, challenges identified and issues faced regarding its implementation. MsHub takes the advantage of a comprehensive set of tools and algorithms developed for AtC that can be used for a variety of governing physics. We then briefly report key AtC algorithms implemented in MsHub. Finally, we conclude with a few examples illustrating the capabilities of the package and its future directions.

Keywords: atomistic, continuum, coupling, multiscale

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Authors: Adjmal Ghaur, Christoph Peschel, Iris Dienwiebel, Lukas Haneke, Leilei Du , Laurin Profanter, Tobias Placke, Martin Winter

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In recent years, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs)are widely used in electric vehicles (EVs) and mobile energy storage devices (ESDs), which has led to higher requirements for energy density. To fulfill these requirements, tremendous attention has been paid to design advanced LIBs with various siliconactive materials as alternative negative electrodes to replace graphite (372 mAh g⁻¹)due to their high theoretical gravimetric capacity (4200mAh g⁻¹). However, silicon as potential anode material suffers from huge volume changes during charging and discharging and has poor electronicconductivity which negatively impacts the long-term performance and preventshigh silicon contents from practical application. Additionally, an unstable crystalline silicon structure tends to pulverization during the (de)lithiation process. To compensate for the volume changes, alleviate pulverization, and maintain high electronicconductivity, silicon-doped graphite composites with protecting coating layers are a promising approach. In this context, phosphazene compounds are investigated concerning their silicon protecting properties in silicon-doped graphite composites. In detail, electrochemical performance measurements in pouch full-cells(NCM523||SiOx/C), supressing gas formation properties, and post-mortem analyzes were carried out to characterize phosphazene compounds as additive materials. The introduction of the dual-additive approach in state-of-the-art electrolytes leads to synergistic effects between FEC and phosphazene compounds which accelerate the durability of silicon particles and results in enhanced electrochemical performance.

Keywords: silicon, phosphazene, solid electrolyte interphase, electrolyte, gasmeasurements

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Authors: Mara F. Müller, Simon C. Griffith, Tara L. Crewe, Mirjam Kaestli, Sydney J. Collett, Ian J. Radford, Hamish A. Campbell

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The intensity and frequency of heat waves have been progressively increasing because of climate change. Passerines that inhabit very hot regions are already close to their physiological thermal limit and are thus considered highly susceptible to increased ambient temperatures. However, the extent by which passerines behaviorally compensate for extreme heat in their natural habitat has rarely been assessed due to monitoring challenges. To address this knowledge gap, coded VHF-nano transmitters were attached to a tropical passerine (Gouldian finch, Chloebia gouldiae). Fine-scale activity and movement were monitored throughout the hottest and driest period of the year using an array of static VHF-receivers. The finches were found to typically show a peak activity for a few hours at sunrise and remained relatively quiescent for the rest of the day. However, on extremely hot days (max temperature >38ºC), finches showed higher activity levels earlier in the morning and presented a second peak in the afternoon. Gouldian finches are physiologically challenged when ambient temperatures exceed 38ºC, suggesting the shift in movement activity reflects a behavioral mitigation strategy to extreme heat. These tropical finches already exist on an energetic knife-edge during this time of the year due to resource scarcity. Hence, the increased energetic expenditure to mitigate thermal stress may be detrimental. The study demonstrates the value of VHF-telemetry technology in monitoring the impact of global change on the biology of small-bodied mobile species.

Keywords: animal tracking, biotelemetry, climate change, extreme heat, movement activity, radiotelemetry, VHF-telemetry

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Authors: Rajesh Karki, Safal Bhattarai, Saket Adhikari

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Reliable and economic operation of power systems are becoming extremely challenging with large scale integration of renewable energy sources due to the intermittency and uncertainty associated with renewable power generation. It is, therefore, important to make a quantitative risk assessment and explore the potential resources to mitigate such risks. Probabilistic models for different energy storage systems (ESS), such as the flywheel energy storage system (FESS) and the compressed air energy storage (CAES) incorporating specific charge/discharge performance and failure characteristics suitable for probabilistic risk assessment in power system operation and planning are presented in this paper. The proposed methodology used in FESS modelling offers flexibility to accommodate different configurations of plant topology. It is perceived that CAES has a high potential for grid-scale application, and a hybrid approach is proposed, which embeds a Monte-Carlo simulation (MCS) method in an analytical technique to develop a suitable reliability model of the CAES. The proposed ESS models are applied to a test system to investigate the economic and reliability benefits of the energy storage technologies in system operation and planning, as well as to assess their contributions in facilitating wind integration during different operating scenarios. A comparative study considering various storage system topologies are also presented. The impacts of failure rates of the critical components of ESS on the expected state of charge (SOC) and the performance of the different types of ESS during operation are illustrated with selected studies on the test system. The paper also applies the proposed models on the test system to investigate the economic and reliability benefits of the different ESS technologies and to evaluate their contributions in facilitating wind integration during different operating scenarios and system configurations. The conclusions drawn from the study results provide valuable information to help policymakers, system planners, and operators in arriving at effective and efficient policies, investment decisions, and operating strategies for planning and operation of power systems with large penetrations of renewable energy sources.

Keywords: flywheel energy storage, compressed air energy storage, power system reliability, renewable energy, system planning, system operation

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Authors: Omar Concepcion, Osvaldo De Melo, Arturo Escobosa

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Topological insulator (TI) materials are insulating in the bulk and conducting in the surface. The unique electronic properties associated with these surface states make them strong candidates for exploring innovative quantum phenomena and as practical applications for quantum computing, spintronic and nanodevices. Many materials, including Bi₂Te₃, have been proposed as TIs and, in some cases, it has been demonstrated experimentally by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STM) and/or magnetotransport measurements. A clean surface is necessary in order to make any of this measurements. Several techniques have been used to produce films and different kinds of nanostructures. Growth and characterization in situ is usually the best option although cleaving the films can be an alternative to have a suitable surface. In the present work, we report a comparison of Bi₂Te₃ grown by physical vapor transport (PVT) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ARPES. The Bi₂Te₃ samples grown by PVT, were cleaved in the ultra-high vacuum in order to obtain a surface free of contaminants. In both cases, the XRD shows a c-axis orientation and the pole diagrams proved the epitaxial relationship between film and substrate. The ARPES image shows the linear dispersion characteristic of the surface states of the TI materials. The samples grown by PVT, a relatively simple and cost-effective technique shows the same high quality and TI properties than the grown by MBE.

Keywords: Bismuth telluride, molecular beam epitaxy, physical vapor transport, topological insulator

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Authors: Abdolhamid Anazadehsayed, Jamal Naser

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An integrated computational fluid dynamics model is developed for a combined simulation of Plateau borders, films, and transitional areas between the film and the Plateau borders to reduce the simplifications and shortcomings of available models for foam drainage in micro-scale. Additionally, the counter-flow related to the Marangoni effect in the transitional area is investigated. The results of this combined model show the contribution of the films, the exterior Plateau borders, and Marangoni flow in the drainage process more accurately since the inter-influence of foam's elements is included in this study. The exterior Plateau borders flow rate can be four times larger than the interior ones. The exterior bubbles can be more prominent in the drainage process in cases where the number of the exterior Plateau borders increases due to the geometry of container. The ratio of the Marangoni counter-flow to the Plateau border flow increases drastically with an increase in the mobility of air-liquid interface. However, the exterior bubbles follow the same trend with much less intensity since typically, the flow is less dependent on the interface of air-liquid in the exterior bubbles. Moreover, the Marangoni counter-flow in a near-wall transition area is less important than an internal one. The influence of air-liquid interface mobility on the average velocity of interior foams is attained with more accuracy with more realistic boundary condition. Then it has been compared with other numerical and analytical results. The contribution of films in the drainage is significant for the mobile foams as the velocity of flow in the film has the same order of magnitude as the velocity in the Plateau border. Nevertheless, for foams with rigid interfaces, film's contribution in foam drainage is insignificant, particularly for the films near the wall of the container.

Keywords: foam, plateau border, film, Marangoni, CFD, bubble

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Authors: Habtamu Ayenew Asegie

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Wealth, as opposed to income or consumption, implies a more stable and permanent status. Due to natural and human-made difficulties, households' economies will be diminished, and their well-being will fall into trouble. Hence, governments and humanitarian agencies offer considerable resources for poverty and malnutrition reduction efforts. One key factor in the effectiveness of such efforts is the accuracy with which low-income or poor populations can be identified. As a result, this study aims to predict a household’s wealth status using ensemble Machine learning (ML) algorithms. In this study, design science research methodology (DSRM) is employed, and four ML algorithms, Random Forest (RF), Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost), Light Gradient Boosted Machine (LightGBM), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), have been used to train models. The Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) dataset is accessed for this purpose from the Central Statistical Agency (CSA)'s database. Various data pre-processing techniques were employed, and the model training has been conducted using the scikit learn Python library functions. Model evaluation is executed using various metrics like Accuracy, Precision, Recall, F1-score, area under curve-the receiver operating characteristics (AUC-ROC), and subjective evaluations of domain experts. An optimal subset of hyper-parameters for the algorithms was selected through the grid search function for the best prediction. The RF model has performed better than the rest of the algorithms by achieving an accuracy of 96.06% and is better suited as a solution model for our purpose. Following RF, LightGBM, XGBoost, and AdaBoost algorithms have an accuracy of 91.53%, 88.44%, and 58.55%, respectively. The findings suggest that some of the features like ‘Age of household head’, ‘Total children ever born’ in a family, ‘Main roof material’ of their house, ‘Region’ they lived in, whether a household uses ‘Electricity’ or not, and ‘Type of toilet facility’ of a household are determinant factors to be a focal point for economic policymakers. The determinant risk factors, extracted rules, and designed artifact achieved 82.28% of the domain expert’s evaluation. Overall, the study shows ML techniques are effective in predicting the wealth status of households.

Keywords: ensemble machine learning, households wealth status, predictive model, wealth status prediction

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Authors: L. Alejandro Cárdenas, Fernando Herrera, David Nova, Juan Ballesteros

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This paper presents a methodology to optimize the maintenance of grid-connected photovoltaic systems, considering the cleaning and module replacement periods based on an asset management strategy. The methodology is based on the analysis of the energy production of the PV plant, the energy feed-in tariff, and the cost of cleaning and replacement of the PV modules, with the overall revenue received being the optimization variable. The methodology is evaluated as a case study of a 5.6 kWp solar PV plant located on the Bogotá campus of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. The asset management strategy implemented consists of assessing the PV modules through visual inspection, energy performance analysis, pollution, and degradation. Within the visual inspection of the plant, the general condition of the modules and the structure is assessed, identifying dust deposition, visible fractures, and water accumulation on the bottom. The energy performance analysis is performed with the energy production reported by the monitoring systems and compared with the values estimated in the simulation. The pollution analysis is performed using the soiling rate due to dust accumulation, which can be modelled by a black box with an exponential function dependent on historical pollution values. The pollution rate is calculated with data collected from the energy generated during two years in a photovoltaic plant on the campus of the National University of Colombia. Additionally, the alternative of assessing the temperature degradation of the PV modules is evaluated by estimating the cell temperature with parameters such as ambient temperature and wind speed. The medium-term energy decrease of the PV modules is assessed with the asset management strategy by calculating the health index to determine the replacement period of the modules due to degradation. This study proposes a tool for decision making related to the maintenance of photovoltaic systems. The above, projecting the increase in the installation of solar photovoltaic systems in power systems associated with the commitments made in the Paris Agreement for the reduction of CO2 emissions. In the Colombian context, it is estimated that by 2030, 12% of the installed power capacity will be solar PV.

Keywords: asset management, PV module, optimization, maintenance

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Authors: Siddhi Khaire, Samarth Hawaldar, Baladitya Suri

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As efforts towards quantum communication advance, the need for single photon sources becomes imminent. Due to the extremely low energy of a single microwave photon, efforts to build single photon sources and detectors in the microwave range are relatively recent. We plan to use a Cooper Pair Box (CPB) that has a ‘sweet-spot’ where the two energy levels have minimal separation. Moreover, these qubits have fairly large anharmonicity making them close to ideal two-level systems. If the external gate voltage of these qubits is varied rapidly while passing through the sweet-spot, due to Landau-Zener effect, the qubit can be excited almost deterministically. The rapid change of the gate control voltage through the sweet spot induces a non-adiabatic population transfer from the ground to the excited state. The qubit eventually decays into the emission line emitting a single photon. The advantage of this setup is that the qubit can be excited without any coherent microwave excitation, thereby effectively increasing the usable source efficiency due to the absence of control pulse microwave photons. Since the probability of a Landau-Zener transition can be made almost close to unity by the appropriate design of parameters, this source behaves as an on-demand source of single microwave photons. The large anharmonicity of the CPB also ensures that only one excited state is involved in the transition and multiple photon output is highly improbable. Such a system has so far not been implemented and would find many applications in the areas of quantum optics, quantum computation as well as quantum communication.

Keywords: quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum optics, superconducting qubits, flux qubit, charge qubit, microwave single photon source, quantum information processing

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Authors: H. Hakim, C. Kibert, C. Fabre, S. Monadizadeh

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Construction industry is an industry saddled with chronic problems of high waste generation. Waste management that is to ensure materials are utilized in an efficient manner would make a major contribution to mitigating the negative environmental impacts of construction waste including finite resources depletion and growing occupied landfill areas to name a few. Furthermore, ‘material resource efficiency’ has been found an economically smart approach specially when considered during the design phase. One effective strategy is to utilizing off-site construction process which includes a series of prefabricated systems such as mobile, modular, and HUD construction (Department of Housing and Urban Development manufactured buildings). These types of buildings are by nature material and resource-efficient. Despite conventional construction that is exposed to adverse weather conditions, manufactured construction production line is capable of creating repetitive units in a factory controlled environment. A factory can have several parallel projects underway with a high speed and in a timely manner which simplifies the storage of excess materials and re-allocating to the next projects. The literature reports that prefabricated construction significantly helps reduce errors, site theft, rework, and delayed problems and can ultimately lead to a considerable waste reduction. However, there is not sufficient data to quantify this reduction when it comes to a regular modular house in the U.S. Therefore, this manuscript aims to provide an analysis of waste originated from a manufactured factory trend. The analysis was made possible with several visits and data collection of Homes of Merits, a Florida Manufactured and Modular Homebuilder. The results quantify and verify a noticeable construction waste reduction.

Keywords: construction waste, modular construction, prefabricated buildings, waste management

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Authors: Shantanu Majumder

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This paper attempts to explain the factors contribute in attracting and engaging rural women in Bangladesh toward political Islam that in many cases manifests itself in the form of violent extremism (VE). Bangladesh, the fourth largest Muslim majority country in the world, has been confronting the problem of VE in the name of Islam since a long. The political Islamists, explaining the events like military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, anti-Muslim politics in neighboring India and Myanmar, Islamophobia in the West, and several other issues in their own way, have become to a vast extent successful in creating a high level of emotion, anger and a feeling of being oppressed worldwide among the ordinary Muslims masses. Half-hearted role of public intellectuals and political expediency of liberal political forces in explaining these events in a secular democratic way also facilitate the extremists to earn political dividend. VE was perceived as an all-male activism of the political Islamists’ in the past in Bangladesh. However, evidence in the recent times shows that there are sympathizers, recruiters, and perpetrators as well among the womenfolk in favor of VE-based political Islam. The first section in this paper sheds light on the way the political Islamists build rapport with and win over the heart of target women in countryside under the camouflage of preaching authentic Islam. This section also describes the role of family in involvement of women in VE. The second section discusses wide-ranging use of websites, facebook, laptop, mobile phones and several other means in the way to motivate and radicalize women. How the involvement with political Islamists brings changes in thinking process, lifestyle and family life of motivated women has been focused in the third section. The final section deals briefly with the way out relying on the argument that law and order forces alone cannot tackle this problem.

Keywords: Bangladesh, political Islam, violent extremism, women

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Authors: Javier De La Torre Costa, Belen Rubio Ballester, Martina Maier, Paul F. M. J. Verschure

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After a stroke, a great number of patients experience persistent motor impairments such as hemiparesis or weakness in one entire side of the body. As a result, the lack of use of the paretic limb might be one of the main contributors to functional loss after clinical discharge. We aim to reverse this cycle by promoting the use of the paretic limb during activities of daily living (ADLs). To do so, we describe the key components of a system that is composed of a wearable bracelet (i.e., a smartwatch) and a mobile phone, designed to bring a set of neurorehabilitation principles that promote acquisition, retention and generalization of skills to the home of the patient. A fundamental question is whether the loss in motor function derived from learned–non–use may emerge as a consequence of decision–making processes for motor optimization. Our system is based on well-established rehabilitation strategies that aim to reverse this behaviour by increasing the reward associated with action execution as well as implicitly reducing the expected cost associated with the use of the paretic limb, following the notion of the reinforcement–induced movement therapy (RIMT). Here we validate an accelerometer–based measure of arm use, and its capacity to discriminate different activities that require increasing movement of the arm. We also show how the system can act as a personalized assistant by providing specific goals and adjusting them depending on the performance of the patients. The usability and acceptance of the device as a rehabilitation tool is tested using a battery of self–reported and objective measurements obtained from acute/subacute patients and healthy controls. We believe that an extension of these technologies will allow for the deployment of unsupervised rehabilitation paradigms during and beyond the hospitalization time.

Keywords: stroke, wearables, learned non use, hemiparesis, ADLs

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Authors: Jigg L. Pelayo, Ricardo G. Villar, Einstine M. Opiso

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The advances of aerial laser scanning in the Philippines has open-up entire fields of research in remote sensing and machine vision aspire to provide accurate timely information for the government and the public. Rapid mapping of polygonal roads and roof boundaries is one of its utilization offering application to disaster risk reduction, mitigation and development. The study uses low density LiDAR data and high resolution aerial imagery through object-oriented approach considering the theoretical concept of data analysis subjected to machine learning algorithm in minimizing the constraints of feature extraction. Since separating one class from another in distinct regions of a multi-dimensional feature-space, non-trivial computing for fitting distribution were implemented to formulate the learned ideal hyperplane. Generating customized hybrid feature which were then used in improving the classifier findings. Supplemental algorithms for filtering and reshaping object features are develop in the rule set for enhancing the final product. Several advantages in terms of simplicity, applicability, and process transferability is noticeable in the methodology. The algorithm was tested in the different random locations of Misamis Oriental province in the Philippines demonstrating robust performance in the overall accuracy with greater than 89% and potential to semi-automation. The extracted results will become a vital requirement for decision makers, urban planners and even the commercial sector in various assessment processes.

Keywords: feature extraction, machine learning, OBIA, remote sensing

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Authors: Belgherbi Aicha, Bessaid Abdelhafid

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In the recent years a great deal of research work has been devoted to the development of semi-automatic and automatic techniques for the analysis of abdominal CT images. The first and fundamental step in all these studies is the semi-automatic liver and spleen segmentation that is still an open problem. In this paper, a semi-automatic liver and spleen segmentation method by the mathematical morphology based on watershed algorithm has been proposed. Our algorithm is currency in two parts. In the first, we seek to determine the region of interest by applying the morphological to extract the liver and spleen. The second step consists to improve the quality of the image gradient. In this step, we propose a method for improving the image gradient to reduce the over-segmentation problem by applying the spatial filters followed by the morphological filters. Thereafter we proceed to the segmentation of the liver, spleen. The aim of this work is to develop a method for semi-automatic segmentation liver and spleen based on watershed algorithm, improve the accuracy and the robustness of the liver and spleen segmentation and evaluate a new semi-automatic approach with the manual for liver segmentation. To validate the segmentation technique proposed, we have tested it on several images. Our segmentation approach is evaluated by comparing our results with the manual segmentation performed by an expert. The experimental results are described in the last part of this work. The system has been evaluated by computing the sensitivity and specificity between the semi-automatically segmented (liver and spleen) contour and the manually contour traced by radiological experts. Liver segmentation has achieved the sensitivity and specificity; sens Liver=96% and specif Liver=99% respectively. Spleen segmentation achieves similar, promising results sens Spleen=95% and specif Spleen=99%.

Keywords: CT images, liver and spleen segmentation, anisotropic diffusion filter, morphological filters, watershed algorithm

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Authors: Varun Dongre, Stefan Pirker, Stefan Heinrich

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Over the last decades, the numerical modelling of fluidized bed processes has become feasible even for industrial processes. Commonly, continuous two-fluid models are applied to describe large-scale fluidization. In order to allow for coarse grids novel two-fluid models account for unresolved sub-grid heterogeneities. However, computational efforts remain high – in the order of several hours of compute-time for a few seconds of real-time – thus preventing the representation of long-term phenomena such as heating or particle conversion processes. In order to overcome this limitation, data-based recurrence computational fluid dynamics (rCFD) has been put forward in recent years. rCFD can be regarded as a data-based method that relies on the numerical predictions of a conventional short-term simulation. This data is stored in a database and then used by rCFD to efficiently time-extrapolate the flow behavior in high spatial resolution. This study will compare the numerical predictions of rCFD simulations with those of corresponding full CFD reference simulations for lab-scale and pilot-scale fluidized beds. In assessing the predictive capabilities of rCFD simulations, we focus on solid mixing and secondary gas holdup. We observed that predictions made by rCFD simulations are highly sensitive to numerical parameters such as diffusivity associated with face swaps. We achieved a computational speed-up of four orders of magnitude (10,000 time faster than classical TFM simulation) eventually allowing for real-time simulations of fluidized beds. In the next step, we apply the checkerboarding technique by introducing gas tracers subjected to convection and diffusion. We then analyze the concentration profiles by observing mixing, transport of gas tracers, insights about the convective and diffusive pattern of the gas tracers, and further towards heat and mass transfer methods. Finally, we run rCFD simulations and calibrate them with numerical and physical parameters compared with convectional Two-fluid model (full CFD) simulation. As a result, this study gives a clear indication of the applicability, predictive capabilities, and existing limitations of rCFD in the realm of fluidization modelling.

Keywords: multiphase flow, recurrence CFD, two-fluid model, industrial processes

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Authors: J.P. Henriques, E. R. Neto, G. Almeida, G. Ribeiro, J.V. Coutinho, A.B. Lugli

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Industry 4.0, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is transforming the relationship between people and machines. In this scenario, some technologies such as Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Additive Manufacturing, among others, are making industries and devices increasingly intelligent. One of the most powerful technologies of this new revolution is the Digital Twin, which allows the virtualization of a real system or process. In this context, the present paper addresses the linear and nonlinear dynamic study of a didactic level plant using Digital Twin. In the first part of the work, the level plant is identified at a fixed point of operation, BY using the existing method of least squares means. The linearized model is embedded in a Digital Twin using Automation Studio® from Famous Technologies. Finally, in order to validate the usage of the Digital Twin in the linearized study of the plant, the dynamic response of the real system is compared to the Digital Twin. Furthermore, in order to develop the nonlinear model on a Digital Twin, the didactic level plant is identified by using the method proposed by Hammerstein. Different steps are applied to the plant, and from the Hammerstein algorithm, the nonlinear model is obtained for all operating ranges of the plant. As for the linear approach, the nonlinear model is embedded in the Digital Twin, and the dynamic response is compared to the real system in different points of operation. Finally, yet importantly, from the practical results obtained, one can conclude that the usage of Digital Twin to study the dynamic systems is extremely useful in the industrial environment, taking into account that it is possible to develop and tune controllers BY using the virtual model of the real systems.

Keywords: industry 4.0, digital twin, system identification, linear and nonlinear models

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Authors: T. Obateru, Samuel Olaniran

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In an era when the new media is affording easy access to packaging and dissemination of information, the social media have become a popular avenue for sharing information for good or ill. It is evident that the traditional role of journalists as ‘news breakers’ is fast being eroded. People now share information on happenings via the social media like Facebook, Twitter and the rest, such that journalists themselves now get leads on happenings from such sources. Beyond the access to information provided by the new media is the erosion of the gatekeeping role of journalists who by their training and calling, are supposed to handle information with responsibility. Thus, sensitive information that journalists would normally filter is randomly shared by social media activists. This was the experience of journalists in Jos, Plateau State in January 2010 when another of the recurring ethnoreligious crisis that engulfed the state resulted in another widespread killing, vandalism, looting, and displacements. Considered as one of the high points of crises in the state, journalists who had the duty of covering the crisis also relied on some of these sources to get their bearing on the violence. This paper examined the role of Facebook in the work of journalists who covered the 2010 crisis. Taking the gatekeeping perspective, it interrogated the extent to which Facebook impacted their professional duty positively or negatively vis-à-vis the peace journalism model. It employed survey to elicit information from 50 journalists who covered the crisis using questionnaire as instrument. The paper revealed that the dissemination of hate information via mobile phones and social media, especially Facebook, aggravated the crisis situation. Journalists became news followers rather than news breakers because a lot of them were put on their toes by information (many of which were inaccurate or false) circulated on Facebook. It recommended that journalists must remain true to their calling by upholding their ‘gatekeeping’ role of disseminating only accurate and responsible information if they would remain the main source of credible information on which their audience rely.

Keywords: crisis, ethnoreligious, Facebook, journalists

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