Search results for: short circuit test
9407 Determinants of Budget Performance in an Oil-Based Economy
Authors: Adeola Adenikinju, Olusanya E. Olubusoye, Lateef O. Akinpelu, Dilinna L. Nwobi
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Since the enactment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007), the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has made public its fiscal budget and the subsequent implementation report. A critical review of these documents shows significant variations in the five macroeconomic variables which are inputs in each Presidential budget; oil Production target (mbpd), oil price ($), Foreign exchange rate(N/$), and Gross Domestic Product growth rate (%) and inflation rate (%). This results in underperformance of the Federal budget expected output in terms of non-oil and oil revenue aggregates. This paper evaluates first the existing variance between budgeted and actuals, then the relationship and causality between the determinants of Federal fiscal budget assumptions, and finally the determinants of FGN’s Gross Oil Revenue. The paper employed the use of descriptive statistics, the Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, and a Profit oil probabilistic model to achieve these objectives. This model permits for both the static and dynamic effect(s) of the independent variable(s) on the dependent variable, unlike a static model that accounts for static or fixed effect(s) only. It offers a technique for checking the existence of a long-run relationship between variables, unlike other tests of cointegration, such as the Engle-Granger and Johansen tests, which consider only non-stationary series that are integrated of the same order. Finally, even with small sample size, the ARDL model is known to generate a valid result, for it is the dependent variable and is the explanatory variable. The results showed that there is a long-run relationship between oil revenue as a proxy for budget performance and its determinants; oil price, produced oil quantity, and foreign exchange rate. There is a short-run relationship between oil revenue and its determinants; oil price, produced oil quantity, and foreign exchange rate. There is a long-run relationship between non-oil revenue and its determinants; inflation rate, GDP growth rate, and foreign exchange rate. The grangers’ causality test results show that there is a mono-directional causality between oil revenue and its determinants. The Federal budget assumptions only explain 68% of oil revenue and 62% of non-oil revenue. There is a mono-directional causality between non-oil revenue and its determinants. The Profit oil Model describes production sharing contracts, joint ventures, and modified carrying arrangements as the greatest contributors to FGN’s gross oil revenue. This provides empirical justification for the selected macroeconomic variables used in the Federal budget design and performance evaluation. The research recommends other variables, debt and money supply, be included in the Federal budget design to explain the Federal budget revenue performance further.Keywords: ARDL, budget performance, oil price, oil quantity, oil revenue
Procedia PDF Downloads 1789406 Audit of Urgent and Non-Urgent Patient Visits to the Emergency: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Peri Harish Kumar, Rafique Umer Harvitkar
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Background: The emergency department mandates maximum efficacy in the utilization of the available resources. Non-urgent patient visits pose a serious concern to the treatment, patient triage, and resources available. Aims and Objectives: We conducted a retrospective case-control study of the emergency department patient list from October 2019 to November 2022. A total of 839 patients formed part of the study. Somatic complaints, vital signs, diagnostic test results, admission to the hospital, etc., were some of the criteria used for the categorization of patients. Results: The proportion of non-urgent visits varied from 7.2% to 43%, with a median of 21%. Somatic complaints were the least associated with further hospital admissions (n=28%), while diagnostic test results were the most significant indicator of further hospital admissions (n=74%). Effective triage helped minimize emergency department admissions by 36%. Conclusion: Our study shows that effective triaging, patient counselling, and round-the-clock consumable monitoring helped in the effective management of patients admitted and also significantly helped provide treatment to the patients most in need.Keywords: urgent visits, non-urgent visits, traiging, emergency department admissions
Procedia PDF Downloads 1149405 The Effect of Health Promoting Programs on Patient's Life Style after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft–Hospitalized in Shiraz Hospitals
Authors: Azizollah Arbabisarjou, Leila Safabakhsh, Mozhgan Jahantigh, Mahshid Nazemzadeh, Shahindokht Navabi
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Background: Health promotion is an essential strategy for reduction of health disparities. Health promotion includes all activities that encourage optimum physical, spiritual, and mental function. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a Health Promotion Program (HPP) on behavior in terms of the dimensions of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) in patients after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG). Methods and Materials: In this clinical trial study, 80 patients who had undergone CABG surgery (2011-2012) were selected and randomly divided in two groups: Experimental and Control that investigated by (HPLP II). Then the experimental group was educated about diet, walking and stress management. The program process was followed up for 3months and after that all variables were investigated again. The overall score and the scores for the six dimensions of the HPLP (self-actualization, health responsibility, exercise, nutrition, interpersonal support and stress management) were measured in the pre- and post-test periods. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test and paired t-test. Results: Results showed that Score of stress management (p=.036), diet (p=.002), Spiritual Growth (p=.001) and interrelationship (p=002) increase in experimental group after intervention .Average scores after 3 months in the control group had no significant changes; except responsibility for health (p < .05). Results of the study revealed that comparison the scores of the experimental group were significantly different from the control group in all lifestyle aspects except for spiritual growth. Conclusion: This study showed that Health promoting program on lifestyle and health promotion in patients who suffer from CAD could enhance patient's awareness of healthy behaviors and improves the quality of life.Keywords: coronary artery bypass graft, health promotion, lifestyle, education
Procedia PDF Downloads 4649404 Histopathological Changes in Liver and Muscle of Tilapia Fish from QIRE Exposed to Concentrations of Heavy Metals
Authors: Justina I. R. Udotong, Ofonime U. M. John
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Toxicity of copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and iron (Fe) to Tilapia guinensis was carried out for 4 days with a view to determining their effects on the liver and muscle tissues. Tilapia guinensis samples of about 10 - 14cm length and 0.2 – 0.4kg weight each were obtained from University of Calabar fish ponds and acclimated for three (3) days before the experimental set up. Survivors after the 96-hr LC50 test period were selected from test solutions of the heavy metals for the histopathological studies. Histological preparations of liver and muscle tissues were randomly examined for histopathological lesions. Results of the histological examinations showed gross abnormalities in the liver tissues due to pathological and degenerative changes compared to liver and muscle tissues from control samples (tilapia fishes from aquaria without heavy metals). Extensive hepatocyte necrosis with chronic inflammatory changes was observed in the liver of fishes exposed to Cu solution. Similar but less damaging effects were observed in the liver of fishes exposed to Pb and Fe. The extent of lesion observed was therefore heavy metal-related. However, no pathologic changes occurred in the muscle tissues.Keywords: degenerative changes, heavy metal, hepatocyte necrosis, histopathology, toxicity
Procedia PDF Downloads 4179403 Dynamic Building Simulation Based Study to Understand Thermal Behavior of High-Rise Structural Timber Buildings
Authors: Timothy O. Adekunle, Sigridur Bjarnadottir
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Several studies have investigated thermal behavior of buildings with limited studies focusing on high-rise buildings. Of the limited investigations that have considered thermal performance of high-rise buildings, only a few studies have considered thermal behavior of high-rise structural sustainable buildings. As a result, this study investigates the thermal behavior of a high-rise structural timber building. The study aims to understand the thermal environment of a high-rise structural timber block of apartments located in East London, UK by comparing the indoor environmental conditions at different floors (ground and upper floors) of the building. The environmental variables (temperature and relative humidity) were measured at 15-minute intervals for a few weeks in the summer of 2012 to generate data that was considered for calibration and validation of the simulated results. The study employed mainly dynamic thermal building simulation using DesignBuilder by EnergyPlus and supplemented with environmental monitoring as major techniques for data collection and analysis. The weather file (Test Reference Years- TRYs) for the 2000s from the weather generator carried out by the Prometheus Group was considered for the simulation since the study focuses on investigating thermal behavior of high-rise structural timber buildings in the summertime and not in extreme summertime. In this study, the simulated results (May-September of the 2000s) will be the focus of discussion, but the results will be briefly compared with the environmental monitoring results. The simulated results followed a similar trend with the findings obtained from the short period of the environmental monitoring at the building. The results revealed lower temperatures are often predicted (at least 1.1°C lower) at the ground floor than the predicted temperatures at the upper floors. The simulated results also showed that higher temperatures are predicted in spaces at southeast facing (at least 0.5°C higher) than spaces in other orientations across the floors considered. There is, however, a noticeable difference between the thermal environment of spaces when the results obtained from the environmental monitoring are compared with the simulated results. The field survey revealed higher temperatures were recorded in the living areas (at least 1.0°C higher) while higher temperatures are predicted in bedrooms (at least 0.9°C) than living areas for the simulation. In addition, the simulated results showed spaces on lower floors of high-rise structural timber buildings are predicted to provide more comfortable thermal environment than spaces on upper floors in summer, but this may not be the same in wintertime due to high upward movement of hot air to spaces on upper floors.Keywords: building simulation, high-rise, structural timber buildings, sustainable, temperatures, thermal behavior
Procedia PDF Downloads 1789402 Exploring Bidirectional Encoder Representations from the Transformers’ Capabilities to Detect English Preposition Errors
Authors: Dylan Elliott, Katya Pertsova
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Preposition errors are some of the most common errors created by L2 speakers. In addition, improving error correction and detection methods remains an open issue in the realm of Natural Language Processing (NLP). This research investigates whether the bidirectional encoder representations from the transformers model (BERT) have the potential to correct preposition errors accurately enough to be useful in error correction software. This research finds that BERT performs strongly when the scope of its error correction is limited to preposition choice. The researchers used an open-source BERT model and over three hundred thousand edited sentences from Wikipedia, tagged for part of speech, where only a preposition edit had occurred. To test BERT’s ability to detect errors, a technique known as multi-level masking was used to generate suggestions based on sentence context for every prepositional environment in the test data. These suggestions were compared with the original errors in the data and their known corrections to evaluate BERT’s performance. The suggestions were further analyzed to determine if BERT more often agreed with the judgements of the Wikipedia editors. Both the untrained and fined-tuned models were compared. Finetuning led to a greater rate of error-detection which significantly improved recall, but lowered precision due to an increase in false positives or falsely flagged errors. However, in most cases, these false positives were not errors in preposition usage but merely cases where more than one preposition was possible. Furthermore, when BERT correctly identified an error, the model largely agreed with the Wikipedia editors, suggesting that BERT’s ability to detect misused prepositions is better than previously believed. To evaluate to what extent BERT’s false positives were grammatical suggestions, we plan to do a further crowd-sourcing study to test the grammaticality of BERT’s suggested sentence corrections against native speakers’ judgments.Keywords: BERT, grammatical error correction, preposition error detection, prepositions
Procedia PDF Downloads 1489401 Shear Strength Parameters of an Unsaturated Lateritic Soil
Authors: Jeferson Brito Fernades, Breno Padovezi Rocha, Roger Augusto Rodrigues, Heraldo Luiz Giacheti
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The geotechnical projects demand the appropriate knowledge of soil characteristics and parameters. The determination of geotechnical soil parameters can be done by means of laboratory or in situ tests. In countries with tropical weather, like Brazil, unsaturated soils are very usual. In these soils, the soil suction has been recognized as an important stress state variable, which commands the geo-mechanical behavior. Triaxial and direct shear tests on saturated soils samples allow determine only the minimal soil shear strength, in other words, no suction contribution. This paper briefly describes the triaxial test with controlled suction as well as discusses the influence of suction on the shear strength parameters of a lateritic tropical sandy soil from a Brazilian research site. In this site, a sample pit was excavated to retrieve disturbed and undisturbed soil blocks. The samples extracted from these blocks were tested in laboratory to represent the soil from 1.5, 3.0 and 5.0 m depth. The stress curves and shear strength envelopes determined by triaxial tests varying suction and confining pressure are presented and discussed. The water retention characteristics on this soil complement this analysis. In situ CPT tests were also carried out at this site in different seasons of the year. In this case, the soil suction profile was determined by means of the soil water retention. This extra information allowed assessing how soil suction also affected the CPT data and the shear strength parameters estimative via correlation. The major conclusions of this paper are: the undisturbed soil samples contracted before shearing and the soil shear strength increased hyperbolically with suction; and it was possible to assess how soil suction also influenced CPT test data based on the water content soil profile as well as the water retention curve. This study contributed with a better understanding of the shear strength parameters and the soil variability of a typical unsaturated tropical soil.Keywords: site characterization, triaxial test, CPT, suction, variability
Procedia PDF Downloads 4189400 Medical/Surgical Skills Day Improves Nurse Competence and Satisfaction
Authors: Betsy Hannam
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Background: Staff nurses felt overwhelmed to learn new skills or complete competencies during their shift. Med/Surg units need to provide dedicated, uninterrupted time to complete training and mandatory competencies and practice skills. Purpose: To improve nurse satisfaction and competence by creating a Skills Day with uninterrupted time to complete competencies, brush up on skills, and evaluate skills learned through pre- and post-tests. Methods: The USL and CNL interviewed nurses to obtain input regarding skills needing reinforcement and included mandatory competencies relevant to Med/Surg to create the Skills Day agenda. Content experts from multiple disciplines were invited to educate staff to help address knowledge gaps. To increase attendance, multiple class days were offered. Results: 2018 Skills Day was held for an inpatient unit with 95% participation (n=35 out of 37RNs). The average pretest score, comprised of content questions from topics discussed, was 57%, and post test scoresaveraged 80%. 94% of test scores improved or remained the same. RNs were given an evaluation at the end of the day, where100% of staff noted Skills Day as beneficial, and 97% requested to repeat next year. Another Med/Surg unit asked to join Skills Day in 2019. In 2019, with 89% participation (n=57 out 64 RNs), the average pretest score was 68%, and the average post test score was 85%. 97% of scores improved or remained the same. 98% reported the class as beneficial, and 96% requested to repeat next year. Skills Day 2020-2022 on hold due to COVID. Looking forward to Skills Day 2023. Conclusion: Skills Day allows nurses to maintain competencies and improve knowledge in areas of interest without the stress of a patient assignment. Having unit leaders organize Skills Day, with the involvement of content experts from multiple disciplines, showed to be a successful and innovative team approach to support professional development.Keywords: education, competency, skills day, medical/surgical
Procedia PDF Downloads 1019399 Processing and Evaluation of Jute Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composites
Authors: Mohammad W. Dewan, Jahangir Alam, Khurshida Sharmin
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Synthetic fibers (carbon, glass, aramid, etc.) are generally utilized to make composite materials for better mechanical and thermal properties. However, they are expensive and non-biodegradable. In the perspective of Bangladesh, jute fibers are available, inexpensive, and comprising good mechanical properties. The improved properties (i.e., low cost, low density, eco-friendly) of natural fibers have made them a promising reinforcement in hybrid composites without sacrificing mechanical properties. In this study, jute and e-glass fiber reinforced hybrid composite materials are fabricated utilizing hand lay-up followed by a compression molding technique. Room temperature cured two-part epoxy resin is used as a matrix. Approximate 6-7 mm thick composite panels are fabricated utilizing 17 layers of woven glass and jute fibers with different fiber layering sequences- only jute, only glass, glass, and jute alternatively (g/j/g/j---) and 4 glass - 9 jute – 4 glass (4g-9j-4g). The fabricated composite panels are analyzed through fiber volume calculation, tensile test, bending test, and water absorption test. The hybridization of jute and glass fiber results in better tensile, bending, and water absorption properties than only jute fiber-reinforced composites, but inferior properties as compared to only glass fiber reinforced composites. Among different fiber layering sequences, 4g-9j-4g fibers layering sequence resulted in better tensile, bending, and water absorption properties. The effect of chemical treatment on the woven jute fiber and chopped glass microfiber infusion are also investigated in this study. Chemically treated jute fiber and 2 wt. % chopped glass microfiber infused hybrid composite shows about 12% improvements in flexural strength as compared to untreated and no micro-fiber infused hybrid composite panel. However, fiber chemical treatment and micro-filler do not have a significant effect on tensile strength.Keywords: compression molding, chemical treatment, hybrid composites, mechanical properties
Procedia PDF Downloads 1609398 Optimal Design of Propellant Grain Shape Based on Structural Strength Analysis
Authors: Chen Xiong, Tong Xin, Li Hao, Xu Jin-Sheng
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Experiment and simulation researches on the structural integrity of propellant grain in solid rocket motor (SRM) with high volumetric fraction were conducted. First, by using SRM parametric modeling functions with secondary development tool Python of ABAQUS, the three dimensional parameterized modeling programs of star shaped grain, wheel shaped grain and wing cylindrical grain were accomplished. Then, the mechanical properties under different loads for star shaped grain were obtained with the application of automatically established finite element model in ABAQUS. Next, several optimization algorithms are introduced to optimize the star shaped grain, wheel shaped grain and wing cylindrical grain. After meeting the demands of burning surface changes and volumetric fraction, the optimum three dimensional shapes of grain were obtained. Finally, by means of parametric modeling functions, pressure data of SRM’s cold pressurization test was directly applied to simulation of grain in terms of mechanical performance. The results verify the reliability and practical of parameterized modeling program of SRM.Keywords: cold pressurization test, ğarametric modeling, structural integrity, propellant grain, SRM
Procedia PDF Downloads 3639397 Evaluating Forecasting Strategies for Day-Ahead Electricity Prices: Insights From the Russia-Ukraine Crisis
Authors: Alexandra Papagianni, George Filis, Panagiotis Papadopoulos
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The liberalization of the energy market and the increasing penetration of fluctuating renewables (e.g., wind and solar power) have heightened the importance of the spot market for ensuring efficient electricity supply. This is further emphasized by the EU’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The day-ahead market (DAM) plays a key role in European energy trading, accounting for 80-90% of spot transactions and providing critical insights for next-day pricing. Therefore, short-term electricity price forecasting (EPF) within the DAM is crucial for market participants to make informed decisions and improve their market positioning. Existing literature highlights out-of-sample performance as a key factor in assessing EPF accuracy, with influencing factors such as predictors, forecast horizon, model selection, and strategy. Several studies indicate that electricity demand is a primary price determinant, while renewable energy sources (RES) like wind and solar significantly impact price dynamics, often lowering prices. Additionally, incorporating data from neighboring countries, due to market coupling, further improves forecast accuracy. Most studies predict up to 24 steps ahead using hourly data, while some extend forecasts using higher-frequency data (e.g., half-hourly or quarter-hourly). Short-term EPF methods fall into two main categories: statistical and computational intelligence (CI) methods, with hybrid models combining both. While many studies use advanced statistical methods, particularly through different versions of traditional AR-type models, others apply computational techniques such as artificial neural networks (ANNs) and support vector machines (SVMs). Recent research combines multiple methods to enhance forecasting performance. Despite extensive research on EPF accuracy, a gap remains in understanding how forecasting strategy affects prediction outcomes. While iterated strategies are commonly used, they are often chosen without justification. This paper contributes by examining whether the choice of forecasting strategy impacts the quality of day-ahead price predictions, especially for multi-step forecasts. We evaluate both iterated and direct methods, exploring alternative ways of conducting iterated forecasts on benchmark and state-of-the-art forecasting frameworks. The goal is to assess whether these factors should be considered by end-users to improve forecast quality. We focus on the Greek DAM using data from July 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. This period is chosen due to significant price volatility in Greece, driven by its dependence on natural gas and limited interconnection capacity with larger European grids. The analysis covers two phases: pre-conflict (January 1, 2022, to February 23, 2022) and post-conflict (February 24, 2022, to March 31, 2022), following the Russian-Ukraine conflict that initiated an energy crisis. We use the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and symmetric mean absolute percentage error (sMAPE) for evaluation, as well as the Direction of Change (DoC) measure to assess the accuracy of price movement predictions. Our findings suggest that forecasters need to apply all strategies across different horizons and models. Different strategies may be required for different horizons to optimize both accuracy and directional predictions, ensuring more reliable forecasts.Keywords: short-term electricity price forecast, forecast strategies, forecast horizons, recursive strategy, direct strategy
Procedia PDF Downloads 119396 Main Control Factors of Fluid Loss in Drilling and Completion in Shunbei Oilfield by Unmanned Intervention Algorithm
Authors: Peng Zhang, Lihui Zheng, Xiangchun Wang, Xiaopan Kou
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Quantitative research on the main control factors of lost circulation has few considerations and single data source. Using Unmanned Intervention Algorithm to find the main control factors of lost circulation adopts all measurable parameters. The degree of lost circulation is characterized by the loss rate as the objective function. Geological, engineering and fluid data are used as layers, and 27 factors such as wellhead coordinates and WOB are used as dimensions. Data classification is implemented to determine function independent variables. The mathematical equation of loss rate and 27 influencing factors is established by multiple regression method, and the undetermined coefficient method is used to solve the undetermined coefficient of the equation. Only three factors in t-test are greater than the test value 40, and the F-test value is 96.557%, indicating that the correlation of the model is good. The funnel viscosity, final shear force and drilling time were selected as the main control factors by elimination method, contribution rate method and functional method. The calculated values of the two wells used for verification differ from the actual values by -3.036m3/h and -2.374m3/h, with errors of 7.21% and 6.35%. The influence of engineering factors on the loss rate is greater than that of funnel viscosity and final shear force, and the influence of the three factors is less than that of geological factors. Quantitatively calculate the best combination of funnel viscosity, final shear force and drilling time. The minimum loss rate of lost circulation wells in Shunbei area is 10m3/h. It can be seen that man-made main control factors can only slow down the leakage, but cannot fundamentally eliminate it. This is more in line with the characteristics of karst caves and fractures in Shunbei fault solution oil and gas reservoir.Keywords: drilling and completion, drilling fluid, lost circulation, loss rate, main controlling factors, unmanned intervention algorithm
Procedia PDF Downloads 1149395 Effects of Knowledge on Fruit Diets by Integrating Posters and Actual-Sized Fruit Models in Health Education for Elderly Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Suchada Wongsawat
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The objectives of this quasi-experiment were: 1) to compare pretest and posttest scores of the experimental group who were given health education on the “Fruit Diets for Elderly Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus”; and 2) to compare the posttest scores between experimental group and controlled group. The samples of this study were elderly patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus at Tambon Kanai Health Promoting Hospital, Thailand. The samples were randomly assigned to experimental and controlled groups, with 30 patients in each group. Statistics used in the data analysis included frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation, paired t-test and independent t-test. The study revealed that the patients in the experimental group had significantly higher posttest scores than the pretest scores in the health education at the .05 statistical level. The posttest scores of the experimental group in the health education were significantly higher than the controlled group at the .05 statistical level.Keywords: fruit, health education, elderly, diabetes
Procedia PDF Downloads 2859394 Factors Affecting the Results of in vitro Gas Production Technique
Authors: O. Kahraman, M. S. Alatas, O. B. Citil
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In determination of values of feeds which, are used in ruminant nutrition, different methods are used like in vivo, in vitro, in situ or in sacco. Generally, the most reliable results are taken from the in vivo studies. But because of the disadvantages like being hard, laborious and expensive, time consuming, being hard to keep the experiment conditions under control and too much samples are needed, the in vitro techniques are more preferred. The most widely used in vitro techniques are two-staged digestion technique and gas production technique. In vitro gas production technique is based on the measurement of the CO2 which is released as a result of microbial fermentation of the feeds. In this review, the factors affecting the results obtained from in vitro gas production technique (Hohenheim Feed Test) were discussed. Some factors must be taken into consideration when interpreting the findings obtained in these studies and also comparing the findings reported by different researchers for the same feeds. These factors were discussed in 3 groups: factors related to animal, factors related to feeds and factors related with differences in the application of method. These factors and their effects on the results were explained. Also it can be concluded that the use of in vitro gas production technique in feed evaluation routinely can be contributed to the comprehensive feed evaluation, but standardization is needed in this technique to attain more reliable results.Keywords: In vitro, gas production technique, Hohenheim feed test, standardization
Procedia PDF Downloads 6029393 High Temperature Oxidation Resistance of NiCrAl Bond Coat Produced by Spark Plasma Sintering as Thermal Barrier Coatings
Authors: Folorunso Omoniyi, Peter Olubambi, Rotimi Sadiku
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Thermal barrier coating (TBC) system is used in both aero engines and other gas turbines to offer oxidation protection to superalloy substrate component. In the present work, it shows the ability of a new fabrication technique to develop rapidly new coating composition and microstructure. The compact powders were prepared by Powder Metallurgy method involving powder mixing and the bond coat was synthesized through the application of Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) at 10500C to produce a fully dense (97%) NiCrAl bulk samples. The influence of sintering temperature on the hardness of NiCrAl, done by Micro Vickers hardness tester, was investigated. And Oxidation test was carried out at 1100oC for 20h, 40h, and 100h. The resulting coat was characterized with optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Micro XRD analysis after the oxidation test revealed the formation of protective oxides and non-protective oxides.Keywords: high-temperature oxidation, powder metallurgy, spark plasma sintering, thermal barrier coating
Procedia PDF Downloads 5099392 Durability Study of Binary Blended High Performance Concrete
Authors: Vatsal Patel, Niraj Shah
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This paper presents the results of a laboratory study on the properties of binary blended High Performance cementitious systems containing blends of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), Porcelain Powder or Marble Powder blend proportions of 100:00, 95:05, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20 for OPC: Porcelain Powder/Marble Powder. Studies on the Engineering Properties of the cementitious concrete, namely compressive strength, flexural strength, sorptivity, rapid chloride penetration test and accelerated corrosion test have been performed and those of OPC concrete. The results show that the inclusion of Porcelain powder or Marble Powder as binary blended cement alters to a great degree the properties of the binder as well as the resulting concrete. In addition, the results show that the Porcelain powder with 85:15 proportions and Marble powder with 90:10 proportions as binary systems to produce high-performance concrete could potentially be used in the concrete construction industry particular in lowering down the volume of OPC used and lowering emission of CO2 produces during manufacturing of cement.Keywords: accelerated corrosion, binary blended cementitious system, rapid chloride penetration, sorptivity
Procedia PDF Downloads 3889391 Microfinance and Women Empowerment in Bangladesh: Impact in Economic Dimension
Authors: Abm Mostafa, Rumbidzai Mukono, Peijie Wang
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Using 285 respondents from two microfinance institutions, this research aims to assess the impact of microfinance on women’s economic empowerment in Bangladesh. Empirical measures of economic empowerment used in this paper are underpinned by a bargaining theory of household. Questionnaire is used for data collection following purposive sampling. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis test, binary, and ordinal logistic regressions are deployed for data analysis. The findings of this study show that around three quarters of respondents have increased household income. They have increased their savings overwhelmingly; nonetheless, many of them are found to have a very small amount of savings. Still, more than half of the respondents are reported to have increased their savings when it is checked against at least 500 BDT per month. On the contrary, the percentage of women is moderate in terms of increasing control over finances. Empirical findings demonstrate the evidence of a relationship between the amount of loan and women’s household income, their savings, and control over finances. Nonetheless, no relationship is found in women’s areas. This study infers that women’s access to financial resources is fundamental to empower them in economic dimension.Keywords: microfinance, women, economic, empowerment, Bangladesh
Procedia PDF Downloads 1349390 Effects of Potential Chloride-Free Admixtures on Selected Mechanical Properties of Kenya Clay-Based Cement Mortars
Authors: Joseph Mwiti Marangu, Joseph Karanja Thiong'o, Jackson Muthengia Wachira
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The mechanical performance of hydrated cements mortars mainly depends on its compressive strength and setting time. These properties are crucial in the construction industry. Pozzolana based cements are mostly characterized by low 28 day compressive strength and long setting times. These are some of the major impediments to their production and diverse uses despite numerous technological and environmental benefits associated with them. The study investigated the effects of potential chemical activators on calcined clay- Portland cement blends with an aim to achieve high early compressive strength and shorter setting times in cement mortar. In addition, standard consistency, soundness and insoluble residue of all cement categories was determined. The test cement was made by blending calcined clays with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) at replacement levels from 35 to 50 percent by mass of the OPC to make test cement labeled PCC for the purposes of this study. Mortar prisms measuring 40mmx40mmx160mm were prepared and cured in accordance with KS EAS 148-3:2000 standard. Solutions of Na2SO4, NaOH, Na2SiO3 and Na2CO3 containing 0.5- 2.5M were separately added during casting. Compressive strength was determined at 2rd, 7th, 28th and 90th day of curing. For comparison purposes, commercial Portland Pozzolana cement (PPC) and Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) were also investigated without activators under similar conditions. X-Ray Florescence (XRF) was used for chemical analysis while X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were used for mineralogical analysis of the test samples. The results indicated that addition of activators significantly increased the 2nd and 7th day compressive strength but minimal increase on the 28th and 90th day compressive strength. A relatively linear relationship was observed between compressive strength and concentration of activator solutions up to 28th of curing. Addition of the said activators significantly reduced both initial and final setting time. Standard consistency and soundness varied with increased amount of clay in the test cement and concentration of activators. Amount of insoluble residues increased with increased replacement of OPC with calcined clays. Mineralogical studies showed that N-A-S-H is formed in addition to C-S-H. In conclusion, the concentration of 2 molar for all activator solutions produced the optimum compressive strength and greatly reduced the setting times for all cement mortars.Keywords: activators, admixture, cement, clay, pozzolana
Procedia PDF Downloads 2659389 Reducing Component Stress during Encapsulation of Electronics: A Simulative Examination of Thermoplastic Foam Injection Molding
Authors: Constantin Ott, Dietmar Drummer
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The direct encapsulation of electronic components is an effective way of protecting components against external influences. In addition to achieving a sufficient protective effect, there are two other big challenges for satisfying the increasing demand for encapsulated circuit boards. The encapsulation process should be both suitable for mass production and offer a low component load. Injection molding is a method with good suitability for large series production but also with typically high component stress. In this article, two aims were pursued: first, the development of a calculation model that allows an estimation of the occurring forces based on process variables and material parameters. Second, the evaluation of a new approach for stress reduction by means of thermoplastic foam injection molding. For this purpose, simulation-based process data was generated with the Moldflow simulation tool. Based on this, component stresses were calculated with the calculation model. At the same time, this paper provided a model for estimating the forces occurring during overmolding and derived a solution method for reducing these forces. The suitability of this approach was clearly demonstrated and a significant reduction in shear forces during overmolding was achieved. It was possible to demonstrate a process development that makes it possible to meet the two main requirements of direct encapsulation in addition to a high protective effect.Keywords: encapsulation, stress reduction, foam-injection-molding, simulation
Procedia PDF Downloads 1279388 Optimization of Hot Metal Charging Circuit in a Steel Melting Shop Using Industrial Engineering Techniques for Achieving Manufacturing Excellence
Authors: N. Singh, A. Khullar, R. Shrivastava, I. Singh, A. S. Kumar
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Steel forms the basis of any modern society and is essential to economic growth. India’s annual crude steel production has seen a consistent increase over the past years and is poised to grow to 300 million tons per annum by 2030-31 from current level of 110-120 million tons per annum. Steel industry is highly capital-intensive industry and to remain competitive, it is imperative that it invests in operational excellence. Due to inherent nature of the industry, there is large amount of variability in its supply chain both internally and externally. Production and productivity of a steel plant is greatly affected by the bottlenecks present in material flow logistics. The internal logistics constituting of transport of liquid metal within a steel melting shop (SMS) presents an opportunity in increasing the throughput with marginal capital investment. The study was carried out at one of the SMS of an integrated steel plant located in the eastern part of India. The plant has three SMS’s and the study was carried out at one of them. The objective of this study was to identify means to optimize SMS hot metal logistics through application of industrial engineering techniques. The study also covered the identification of non-value-added activities and proposed methods to eliminate the delays and improve the throughput of the SMS.Keywords: optimization, steel making, supply chain, throughput enhancement, workforce productivity
Procedia PDF Downloads 1199387 Simulation of Growth and Yield of Rice Under Irrigation and Nitrogen Management Using ORYZA2000
Authors: Mojtaba Esmaeilzad Limoudehi
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To evaluate the model ORYZA2000, under the management of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization experiment, a split plot with a randomized complete block design with three replications on hybrid cultivars (spring) in the 1388-1387 crop year was conducted at the Rice Research Institute. Permanent flood irrigation as the main plot in the fourth level, around 5 days, from 11 days to 8 days away, and the four levels of nitrogen fertilizer as the subplots 0, 90, 120, and 150 kg N Ha were considered. Simulated and measured values of leaf area index, grain yield, and biological parameters using the regression coefficient, t-test, the root mean square error (RMSE), and normalized root mean square error (RMSEn) were performed. Results, the normalized root mean square error of 10% in grain yield, the biological yield of 9%, and 23% of maximum LAI was determined. The simulation results show that grain yield and biological ORYZA2000 model accuracy are good but do not simulate maximum LAI well. The results show that the model can support ORYZA2000 test results and can be used under conditions of nitrogen fertilizer and irrigation management.Keywords: evaluation, rice, nitrogen fertilizer, model ORYZA2000
Procedia PDF Downloads 719386 Blending Effects on Crude Oil Stability: An Experimental Study
Authors: Muheddin Hamza, Entisar Etter
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This study is a part of investigating the possibility of blending two crude oils obtained from Libyan oil fields, namely crude oil (A) and crude oil (B) with different ratios, prior to blending the crude oils have to be compatible in order to avoid phase out and precipitation of asphaltene from the bulk of crude. The physical properties of both crudes such as density, viscosity, pour point and sulphur content were measured according to (ASTM) method. To examine the stability of both crudes and their blends, the oil compatibility model using microscopic, colloidal instability index (CII) using SARA analysis and asphaltene stabilization test using Turbiscan tests were conducted in the Libyan Petroleum Institute laboratories. Compatibility tests were carried out with both crude oils, the insolubility number (IN), and the solubility blending number (SBN), for both crude oils and their blends were calculated. The criteria for compatibility of any blend is that the volume average solubility blending number (SBN) is greater than the insolubility number (IN) of any component in the blend, the results indicated that both crudes were compatible. To support the results of compatibility tests the SARA analysis was done for the fractional determination of (saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes) content. From this result, the colloidal Instability index (CII) and resin to asphaltenes ratio (R/A) were calculated for crudes and their blends. The results show that crude oil (B) which has higher (R/A) and lower (CII) is more stable than crude oil (A) and as the ratio of crude (B) increases in the blend the (CII) and (R/A) were improved, and the blends becomes more stable. Asphaltene stabilization test was also conducted for the crudes and their blends using Turbiscan MA200 according to the standard test method ASTM D7061-04, the Turbiscan shows that the crude (B) is more stable than crude (A) which shows a fair tendency. The (CII) and (R/A) were compared with the solubility number (SBN) for each crude and the blends along with Turbiscan results. The solubility blending number (SBN) of the crudes and their blends show that the crudes are compatible, also by comparing (R/A) and (SBN) values of the blends, it can be seen that they are complements of each other. All the experimental results show that the blends of both crudes are more stability.Keywords: asphaltene, crude oil, compatibility, oil blends, resin, SARA
Procedia PDF Downloads 5139385 Women Right in Islam and Misconceptions: A Critical Study
Authors: Abubakar Ibrahim Usman, Mustapha Halilu
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The provisions of rights to women in Islam have generated and are creating a tense and serious debate among Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The Muslims are arguing that Islam provides right to Womenfolk, but their actions, cultural/traditional practices, and treatment reveal otherwise, Non-Muslims, on the other hand, held a different view, saying that Islam has never made such provision. One may not blame their misconception, due to the wide spectrum of treatment given to women in many Muslim societies, which generated, fueled and geared the misconceptions and ceaseless barrage of sensational articles, movies and negative portrayal of Islam today. It has to put in our minds, many actions and Crimes of some Muslims (Who are mostly minority) did not represent the teachings and precepts of Islam, just like one cannot put blame on the parents of a child whose actions fall short of his home background.Keywords: Islam, women rights, cultural practices, religion
Procedia PDF Downloads 4449384 Assessing Acceptability and Preference of Printed Posters on COVID-19 Related Stigma: A Post-Test Study Among HIV-Focused Health Workers in Greater Accra Region of Ghana
Authors: Jerry Fiave, Dacosta Aboagye, Stephen Ayisi-Addo, Mabel Kissiwah Asafo, Felix Osei-Sarpong, Ebenezer Kye-Mensah, Renee Opare-Otoo
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Background: Acceptability and preference of social and behaviour change (SBC) materials by target audiences is an important determinant of effective health communication outcomes. In Ghana, however, pre-test and post-test studies on acceptability and preference of specific SBC materials for specific audiences are rare. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the acceptability and preference of printed posters on COVID-19 related stigma as suitable SBC materials for health workers to influence behaviours that promote uptake of HIV-focused services. Methods: A total of 218 health workers who provide HIV-focused services were purposively sampled in 16 polyclinics where the posters were distributed in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Data was collected in March 2021 using an adapted self-administered questionnaire in Google forms deployed via WhatsApp to participants. The data were imported into SPSS version 27 where chi-square test and regression analyses were performed to establish association as well as strength of association between variables respectively. Results: A total of 142 participants (physicians, nurses, midwives, lab scientists, health promoters, diseases control officers) made up of 85(60%) females and 57(40%) males responded to the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 65.14%. Only 88 (61.97%) of the respondents were exposed to the posters. The majority of those exposed said the posters were informative [82(93.18%)], relevant [85(96.59%)] and attractive [83(94.32%)]. They [82(93.20%)] also rated the material as acceptable with no statistically significant association between category of health worker and acceptability of the posters (X =1.631, df=5, p=0.898). However, participants’ most preferred forms of material on COVID-19 related stigma were social media [38(26.76%)], television [33(23.24%)], SMS [19(13.38%)], and radio [18(12.70%)]. Clinical health workers were 4.88 times more likely to prefer online or electronic versions of SBC materials than nonclinical health workers [AOR= 4.88 (95% CI= 0.31-0.98), p=0.034]. Conclusions: Printed posters on COVID-19 related stigma are acceptable SBC materials in communicating behaviour change messages that target health workers in promoting uptake of HIV-focused services. Posters are however, not among the most preferred materials for health workers. It is therefore recommended that material assessment studies are conducted to inform the development of acceptable and preferred materials for target audiences.Keywords: acceptability, AIDS, HIV, posters, preference, SBC, stigma, social and behaviour change communication
Procedia PDF Downloads 1069383 Unlocking Academic Success: A Comprehensive Exploration of Shaguf Bites’s Impact on Learning and Retention
Authors: Joud Zagzoog, Amira Aldabbagh, Radiyah Hamidaddin
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This research aims to test out and observe whether artificial intelligence (AI) software and applications could actually be effective, useful, and time-saving for those who use them. Shaguf Bites, a web application that uses AI technology, claims to help students study and memorize information more effectively in less time. The website uses smart learning, or AI-powered bite-sized repetitive learning, by transforming documents or PDFs with the help of AI into summarized interactive smart flashcards (Bites, n.d.). To properly test out the websites’ effectiveness, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this research. An experiment was conducted on a number of students where they were first requested to use Shaguf Bites without any prior knowledge or explanation of how to use it. Second, they were asked for feedback through a survey on how their experience was after using it and whether it was helpful, efficient, time-saving, and easy to use for studying. After reviewing the collected data, we found out that the majority of students found the website to be straightforward and easy to use. 58% of the respondents agreed that the website accurately formulated the flashcard questions. And 53% of them reported that they are most likely to use the website again in the future as well as recommend it to others. Overall, from the given results, it is clear that Shaguf Bites have proved to be very beneficial, accurate, and time saving for the majority of the students.Keywords: artificial intelligence (AI), education, memorization, spaced repetition, flashcards.
Procedia PDF Downloads 1929382 Effect of Silt Presence on Shear Strength Parameters of Unsaturated Sandy Soils
Authors: R. Ziaie Moayed, E. Khavaninzadeh, M. Ghorbani Tochaee
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Direct shear test is widely used in soil mechanics experiment to determine the shear strength parameters of granular soils. For analysis of soil stability problems such as bearing capacity, slope stability and lateral pressure on soil retaining structures, the shear strength parameters must be known well. In the present study, shear strength parameters are determined in silty-sand mixtures. Direct shear tests are performed on 161 Firoozkooh sand with different silt content at a relative density of 70% in three vertical stress of 100, 150, and 200 kPa. Wet tamping method is used for soil sample preparation, and the results include diagrams of shear stress versus shear deformation and sample height changes against shear deformation. Accordingly, in different silt percent, the shear strength parameters of the soil such as internal friction angle and dilation angle are calculated and compared. According to the results, when the sample contains up to 10% silt, peak shear strength and internal friction angle have an upward trend. However, if the sample contains 10% to 50% of silt a downward trend is seen in peak shear strength and internal friction angle.Keywords: shear strength parameters, direct shear test, silty sand, shear stress, shear deformation
Procedia PDF Downloads 1649381 Investigating the Successes of in vitro Embryogenesis
Authors: Zelikha Labbani
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The in vitro isolated microspore culture is the most powerful androgenic pathway to produce doubled haploid plants in the short time. To deviate a microspore toward embryogenesis, a number of factors, different for each species, must concur at the same time and place. Once induced, the microspore undergoes numerous changes at different levels, from overall morphology to gene expression. Induction of microspore embryogenesis not only implies the expression of an embryogenic program, but also a stress-related cellular response and a repression of the gametophytic program to revert the microspore to a totipotent status. As haploid single cells, microspore became a strategy to achieve various objectives particularly in genetic engineering. In this communication we would show the most recent advances in the producing haploid embryos via in vitro isolated microspore culture.Keywords: in vitro isolated microspore culture, success, haploid cells, bioinformatics, biomedicine
Procedia PDF Downloads 4769380 Writing Style in a Thousand Splendid Suns
Authors: Maroof Sakhi
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This article studies writing style in A Thousand Splendid Suns. It mainly discusses code-switching and usage of Persian words in the novel. Hosseini mainly writes in English; however, constantly he applies Persian words, phrases and syntax. Code-switching is used for different purposes in A Thousand Splendid Suns. It gives a voice to a character from Afghanistan. It is also used to mark a difference between the American and Afghanistan cultures and languages. Furthermore, representation of Persian language can be interpreted as valorization of the author’s mother tongue. In short, the writing style in A Thousand Splendid Suns represents Hosseini’s identity, culture and linguistic background.Keywords: code-switching, hybridity, identity, linguistic background, Persian literature
Procedia PDF Downloads 999379 The Behavior and Satisfaction of Tourists Affecting the Sustainable Tourism at the Amphawa Floating Market in Samut Songkhram Province
Authors: Chanpen Meenakorn
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This research aims to study; (1) behavior of the tourists affecting the satisfaction level of tourism at the Amphawa floating market in Samut Songkhram province, (2) to study the satisfaction level of tourism at the Amphawa floating market. The research method will use quantitative research; data was collected by questionnaires distributed to the tourist who visits the Amphawa floating market for 480 samples. Data was analyzed by SPSS software to process descriptive statistic including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and inferential statistic is t-test, F-test, and chi-square. The results showed that the behavior of tourists had known tourist attractions in the province comes from the mouth of relatives and friends suggested that he come here before and the reasons to visit is to want to pay homage to the various temples for the frequency to visit travel an average of 2-4 times and the satisfaction of the tourists in the province found that the satisfaction level of tourists in the province at the significant level of the place, convenient and services have a high level of satisfaction.Keywords: amphawa floating market behavior of the tourists, satisfaction level, sustainable tourism, Samut Songkhram province
Procedia PDF Downloads 3679378 The Residual Efficacy of Etofenprox WP on Different Surfaces for Malaria Control in the Brazilian Legal Amazon
Authors: Ana Paula S. A. Correa, Allan K. R. Galardo, Luana A. Lima, Talita F. Sobral, Josiane N. Muller, Jessica F. S. Barroso, Nercy V. R. Furtado, Ednaldo C. Rêgo., Jose B. P. Lima
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Malaria is a public health problem in the Brazilian Legal Amazon. Among the integrated approaches for anopheline control, the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) remains one of the main tools in the basic strategy applied in the Amazonian States, where the National Malaria Control Program currently uses one of the insecticides from the pyrethroid class, the Etofenprox WP. Understanding the residual efficacy of insecticides on different surfaces is essential to determine the spray cycles, in order to maintain a rational use and to avoid product waste. The aim of this study was to evaluate the residual efficacy of Etofenprox - VECTRON ® 20 WP on surfaces of Unplastered Cement (UC) and Unpainted Wood (UW) on panels, in field, and in semi-field evaluation of Brazil’s Amapa State. The evaluation criteria used was the cone bioassay test, following the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended method, using plastic cones and female mosquitos of Anopheles sp. The tests were carried out in laboratory panels, semi-field evaluation in a “test house” built in the Macapa municipality, and in the field in 20 houses, being ten houses per surface type (UC and UW), in an endemic malaria area in Mazagão’s municipality. The residual efficacy was measured from March to September 2017, starting one day after the spraying, repeated monthly for a period of six months. The UW surface presented higher residual efficacy than the UC. In fact, the UW presented a residual efficacy of the insecticide throughout the period of this study with a mortality rate above 80% in the panels (= 95%), in the "test house" (= 86%) and in field houses ( = 87%). On the UC surface it was observed a mortality decreased in all the tests performed, with a mortality rate of 45, 47 and 29% on panels, semi-field and in field, respectively; however, the residual efficacy ≥ 80% only occurred in the first evaluation after the 24-hour spraying bioassay in the "test house". Thus, only the UW surface meets the specifications of the World Health Organization Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) regarding the duration of effective action (three to six months). To sum up, the insecticide residual efficacy presented variability on the different surfaces where it was sprayed. Although the IRS with Etofenprox WP was efficient on UW surfaces, and it can be used in spraying cycles at 4-month intervals, it is important to consider the diversity of houses in the Brazilian Legal Amazon, in order to implement alternatives for vector control, including the evaluation of new products or different formulations types for insecticides.Keywords: Anopheles, vector control, insecticide, bioassay
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