Search results for: distributed sensor networks
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 5821

Search results for: distributed sensor networks

2641 DAG Design and Tradeoff for Full Live Virtual Machine Migration over XIA Network

Authors: Dalu Zhang, Xiang Jin, Dejiang Zhou, Jianpeng Wang, Haiying Jiang

Abstract:

Traditional TCP/IP network is showing lots of shortages and research for future networks is becoming a hotspot. FIA (Future Internet Architecture) and FIA-NP (Next Phase) are supported by US NSF for future Internet designing. Moreover, virtual machine migration is a significant technique in cloud computing. As a network application, it should also be supported in XIA (expressive Internet Architecture), which is in both FIA and FIA-NP projects. This paper is an experimental study aims at verifying the feasibility of VM migration over XIA. We present three ways to maintain VM connectivity and communication states concerning DAG design and routing table modification. VM migration experiments are conducted intra-AD and inter-AD with KVM instances. The procedure is achieved by a migration control protocol which is suitable for the characters of XIA. Evaluation results show that our solutions can well supports full live VM migration over XIA network respectively, keeping services seamless.

Keywords: DAG, downtime, virtual machine migration, XIA

Procedia PDF Downloads 859
2640 Evaluating Cognition and Movement Coordination of Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities through Ball Games

Authors: Wann-Yun Shieh, Hsin-Yi Kathy Cheng, Yan-Ying Ju, Yu-Chun Yu, Ya-Cheng Shieh

Abstract:

Adolescents who have intellectual disabilities often demonstrate maladaptive behaviors in their daily activities due to either physical abnormalities or neurological disorders. These adolescents commonly struggle with their cognition and movement coordination when it comes to executing tasks such as throwing or catching objects smoothly, quickly, and gracefully, in contrast to their typically developing peers. Simply measuring movement time and distance doesn't provide a comprehensive view of their performance challenges. In this study, a ball-playing approach was proposed to assess the cognition and movement coordination of adolescents with intellectual disabilities using a smart ball equipped with an embedded inertial sensor. Four distinct ball games were specifically designed for this smart ball: two focusing on lower limb activities (dribbling along a straight line and navigating a zigzag path) and two centered around upper limb tasks (picking up and throwing and catching the ball). The cognition and movement coordination of 25 adolescents with intellectual disabilities (average age 18.36 ± 2.46 years) with that of 25 typically developing adolescents (average age 18.36 ± 0.49 years) were compared in these four tests. The results clearly revealed significant differences in the cognition and movement coordination between the adolescents with intellectual disabilities and the typically developing adolescents. These differences encompassed aspects such as movement speed, hand-eye coordination, and control over objects across all the tests conducted.

Keywords: cognition, intellectual disabilities, movement coordination, smart ball

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2639 Channel Estimation for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Systems over Doubly Selective Channels Base on DCS-DCSOMP Algorithm

Authors: Linyu Wang, Furui Huo, Jianhong Xiang

Abstract:

The Doppler shift generated by high-speed movement and multipath effects in the channel are the main reasons for the generation of a time-frequency doubly-selective (DS) channel. There is severe inter-carrier interference (ICI) in the DS channel. Channel estimation for an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system over a DS channel is very difficult. The simultaneous orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm under distributed compressive sensing theory (DCS-SOMP) has been used in channel estimation for OFDM systems over DS channels. However, the reconstruction accuracy of the DCS-SOMP algorithm is not high enough in the low SNR stage. To solve this problem, in this paper, we propose an improved DCS-SOMP algorithm based on the inner product difference comparison operation (DCS-DCSOMP). The reconstruction accuracy is improved by increasing the number of candidate indexes and designing the comparison conditions of inner product difference. We combine the DCS-DCSOMP algorithm with the basis expansion model (BEM) to reduce the complexity of channel estimation. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and its advantages over other algorithms.

Keywords: OFDM, doubly selective, channel estimation, compressed sensing

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2638 Entrepreneurial Practice and Corruption in Tourism Sector: A Study of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Organizational Corruption in Nepali Star Hotels

Authors: Prabin Raj Gautam

Abstract:

Entrepreneurship in tourism sectors, particularly hotel entrepreneurship has contributed to Nepalese Gross Domestic Production (GDP). The tourist standard and star hotels in developing countries have not only been generating revenues but also providing international hospitality to the guest in the local areas. For doing so, these hotel enterprises must need to implement different business strategies to enhance and maintain their international business benchmark. The Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) is core for making business strategies. Meanwhile, the corruption is labeled as negative factor for economic development. This paper presents the relationship between EO of Nepalese star hotels and organizational corruption. The study employed questionnaire survey as data collection tool under the quantitative methodology. Five hypotheses are developed and tested. After gathering the data form 216 questionnaire distributed to CEOs/Managers of the sample hotels, the findings show that out of five dimensions of EO, only autonomy, pro-activeness, and innovativeness are not significant to organizational corruption; however, risk-taking and competitive aggressiveness are found significant contributor. The descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling are employed to describe the data and fit the model.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial orientation, organizational corruption, dimensions

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2637 Microstructural Evidences for Exhaustion Theory of Low Temperature Creep in Martensitic Steels

Authors: Nagarjuna Remalli, Robert Brandt

Abstract:

Down-sizing of combustion engines in automobiles are prevailed owing to required increase in efficiency. This leads to a stress increment on valve springs, which affects their intended function due to an increase in relaxation. High strength martensitic steels are used for valve spring applications. Recent investigations unveiled that low temperature creep (LTC) in martensitic steels obey a logarithmic creep law. The exhaustion theory links the logarithmic creep behavior to an activation energy which is characteristic for any given time during creep. This activation energy increases with creep strain due to barriers of low activation energies exhausted during creep. The assumption of the exhaustion theory is that the material is inhomogeneous in microscopic scale. According to these assumptions it is anticipated that small obstacles (e. g. ε–carbides) having a wide range of size distribution are non-uniformly distributed in the materials. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the presence of ε–carbides in high strength martensitic steels. In this study, high strength martensitic steels that are crept in the temperature range of 75 – 150 °C were investigated with the aid of a transmission electron microscope for the evidence of an inhomogeneous distribution of obstacles having different size to examine the validation of exhaustion theory.

Keywords: creep mechanisms, exhaustion theory, low temperature creep, martensitic steels

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2636 Detection of Intravenous Infiltration Using Impedance Parameters in Patients in a Long-Term Care Hospital

Authors: Ihn Sook Jeong, Eun Joo Lee, Jae Hyung Kim, Gun Ho Kim, Young Jun Hwang

Abstract:

This study investigated intravenous (IV) infiltration using bioelectrical impedance for 27 hospitalized patients in a long-term care hospital. Impedance parameters showed significant differences before and after infiltration as follows. First, the resistance (R) after infiltration significantly decreased compared to the initial resistance. This indicates that the IV solution flowing from the vein due to infiltration accumulates in the extracellular fluid (ECF). Second, the relative resistance at 50 kHz was 0.94 ± 0.07 in 9 subjects without infiltration and was 0.75 ± 0.12 in 18 subjects with infiltration. Third, the magnitude of the reactance (Xc) decreased after infiltration. This is because IV solution and blood components released from the vein tend to aggregate in the cell membrane (and acts analogously to the linear/parallel circuit), thereby increasing the capacitance (Cm) of the cell membrane and reducing the magnitude of reactance. Finally, the data points plotted in the R-Xc graph were distributed on the upper right before infiltration but on the lower left after infiltration. This indicates that the infiltration caused accumulation of fluid or blood components in the epidermal and subcutaneous tissues, resulting in reduced resistance and reactance, thereby lowering integrity of the cell membrane. Our findings suggest that bioelectrical impedance is an effective method for detection of infiltration in a noninvasive and quantitative manner.

Keywords: intravenous infiltration, impedance, parameters, resistance, reactance

Procedia PDF Downloads 186
2635 Microstructural and Optical Characterization of Heterostructures of ZnS/CdS and CdS/ZnS Synthesized by Chemical Bath Deposition Method

Authors: Temesgen Geremew

Abstract:

ZnS/glass and CdS/glass single layers and ZnS/CdS and CdS/ZnS heterojunction thin films were deposited by the chemical bath deposition method using zinc acetate and cadmium acetate as the metal ion sources and thioacetamide as a nonmetallic ion source in acidic medium. Na2EDTA was used as a complexing agent to control the free cation concentration. +e single layer and heterojunction thin films were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and a UV-VIS spectrometer. +e XRD patterns of the CdS/glass thin film deposited on the soda lime glass substrate crystalized in the cubic structure with a single peak along the (111) plane. +e ZnS/CdS heterojunction and ZnS/glass single layer thin films were crystalized in the hexagonal ZnS structure. +e CdS/ZnS heterojunction thin film is nearly amorphous.The optical analysis results confirmed single band gap values of 2.75 eV and 2.5 eV for ZnS/CdS and CdS/ZnS heterojunction thin films, respectively. +e CdS/glass and CdS/ZnS thin films have more imaginary dielectric components than the real part. The optical conductivity of the single layer and heterojunction films is in the order of 1015 1/s. +e optical study also confirmed refractive index values between 2 and 2.7 for ZnS/glass, ZnS/CdS, and CdS/ZnS thin films for incident photon energies between 1.2 eV and 3.8 eV. +e surface morphology studies revealed compacted spherical grains covering the substrate surfaces with few cracks on ZnS/glass, ZnS/CdS, and CdS/glass and voids on CdS/ZnS thin films. +e EDX result confirmed nearly 1 :1 metallic to nonmetallic ion ratio in the single-layered thin films and the dominance of Zn ion over Cd ion in both ZnS/CdS and CdS/ZnS heterojunction thin films.

Keywords: SERS, sensor, Hg2+, water detection, polythiophene

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2634 The Roles, Strategic Coordination, and Alignment of CTOs: A Systematic Literature Review

Authors: Shailendra Natraj, Kristin Paetzold, B. R. Katzy

Abstract:

The significant role of technology in strategic business decisions has created the need for executives who understand technology and recognize profitable applications to products, services and processes. The role of CTO’s is very complex within technology-based firms, which stretches from the technology aspects to the strategic goal and vision of the firm. Often the roles of CTOs scales from as functional leaders, strategic leaders or supera- functional leaders. In most of the companies the roles are unclear and fuzzy. We in our research are trying to explore each of the orientation and link between leadership types (functional, strategic and super functional) of CTOs, responsibilities, credibility and strategic and conceptual responsibilities. Approach: We conducted a comprehensive literature review with the available databank sources. Results: From the conducted literature review we could identify that most of the research work conducted so far were mainly distributed between roles and responsibilities of CTOs. The available sources pointed were limited to roles of CTOs as functional leaders. Contribution: In our findings based on the literature review, we could identify that apart from the conducted research what so far has not been focused yet are (a) The leadership types (mainly) strategic and super-functional leaders) of CTOs, (b) the responsibilities and credibility of CTOs and (c) the strategic and conceptual responsibilities of CTOs.

Keywords: CTO, chief technology officer, strategy, technology leaders

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2633 Identifying the Needs for Renewal of Urban Water Infrastructure Systems: Analysis of Material, Age, Types and Areas: Case Study of Linköping in Sweden

Authors: Eman Hegazy, Stefan Anderberg, Joakim Krook

Abstract:

Urban water infrastructure is crucial for efficient and reliable water supply in growing cities. With the growth of cities, the need for maintenance and renewal of these systems increases but often goes unfulfilled due to a variety of reasons, such as limited funding, political priorities, or lack of public awareness. Neglecting the renewal needs of these systems can lead to frequent malfunctions and reduced quality and reliability of water supply, as well as increased costs and health and environmental hazards. It is important for cities to prioritize investment in water infrastructure and develop long-term plans to address renewal needs. Drawing general conclusions about the rate of renewal of urban water infrastructure systems at an international or national level can be challenging due to the influence of local management decisions. In many countries, the responsibility for water infrastructure management lies with the municipal authorities, who are responsible for making decisions about the allocation of resources for repair, maintenance, and renewal. These decisions can vary widely based on factors such as local finances, political priorities, and public perception of the importance of water infrastructure. As a result, it is difficult to make generalizations about the rate of renewal across different countries or regions. In Sweden, the situation is not different, and the information from Svenskt Vatten indicates that the rate of renewal varies across municipalities and can be insufficient, leading to a buildup of maintenance and renewal needs. This study aims to examine the adequacy of the rate of renewal of urban water infrastructure in Linköping case city in Sweden. Using a case study framework, the study will assess the current status of the urban water system and the need for renewal. The study will also consider the role of factors such as proper identification processes, limited funding, competing for political priorities, and local management decisions in contributing to insufficient renewal. The study investigates the following questions: (1) What is the current status of water and sewerage networks in terms of length, age distribution, and material composition, estimated total water leakage in the network per year, damages, leaks, and outages occur per year, both overall and by district? (2) What are the main causes of these damages, leaks, and interruptions, and how are they related to lack of maintenance and renewal? (3) What is the current status of renewal work for the water and sewerage networks, including the renewal rate and changes over time, recent renewal material composition, and the budget allocation for renewal and emergency repairs? (4) What factors influence the need for renewal and what conditions should be considered in the assessment? The findings of the study provide insights into the challenges facing urban water infrastructure and identify strategies for improving the rate of renewal to ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply.

Keywords: case study, infrastructure, management, renewal need, Sweden

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2632 A Crop Growth Subroutine for Watershed Resources Management (WRM) Model 1: Description

Authors: Kingsley Nnaemeka Ogbu, Constantine Mbajiorgu

Abstract:

Vegetation has a marked effect on runoff and has become an important component in hydrologic model. The watershed Resources Management (WRM) model, a process-based, continuous, distributed parameter simulation model developed for hydrologic and soil erosion studies at the watershed scale lack a crop growth component. As such, this model assumes a constant parameter values for vegetation and hydraulic parameters throughout the duration of hydrologic simulation. Our approach is to develop a crop growth algorithm based on the original plant growth model used in the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate Model (EPIC) model. This paper describes the development of a single crop growth model which has the capability of simulating all crops using unique parameter values for each crop. Simulated crop growth processes will reflect the vegetative seasonality of the natural watershed system. An existing model was employed for evaluating vegetative resistance by hydraulic and vegetative parameters incorporated into the WRM model. The improved WRM model will have the ability to evaluate the seasonal variation of the vegetative roughness coefficient with depth of flow and further enhance the hydrologic model’s capability for accurate hydrologic studies.

Keywords: runoff, roughness coefficient, PAR, WRM model

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2631 Knowledge Acquisition as Determinant of Outputs of Innovative Business in Regions of the Czech Republic

Authors: P. Hajek, J. Stejskal

Abstract:

The aim of this paper is to analyze the ability to identify and acquire knowledge from external sources at the regional level in the Czech Republic. The results show that the most important sources of knowledge for innovative activities are sources within the businesses themselves, followed by customers and suppliers. Furthermore, the analysis of relationships between the objective of the innovative activity and the ability to identify and acquire knowledge implies that knowledge obtained from a) customers aims at replacing outdated products and increasing product quality; b) suppliers aims at increasing capacity and flexibility of production; and c) competing businesses aims at growing market share and increasing the flexibility of production and services. Regions should therefore direct their support especially into development and strengthening of networks within the value chain.

Keywords: knowledge, acquisition, innovative business, Czech republic, region

Procedia PDF Downloads 377
2630 Privacy Preserving in Association Rule Mining on Horizontally Partitioned Database

Authors: Manvar Sagar, Nikul Virpariya

Abstract:

The advancement in data mining techniques plays an important role in many applications. In context of privacy and security issues, the problems caused by association rule mining technique are investigated by many research scholars. It is proved that the misuse of this technique may reveal the database owner’s sensitive and private information to others. Many researchers have put their effort to preserve privacy in Association Rule Mining. Amongst the two basic approaches for privacy preserving data mining, viz. Randomization based and Cryptography based, the later provides high level of privacy but incurs higher computational as well as communication overhead. Hence, it is necessary to explore alternative techniques that improve the over-heads. In this work, we propose an efficient, collusion-resistant cryptography based approach for distributed Association Rule mining using Shamir’s secret sharing scheme. As we show from theoretical and practical analysis, our approach is provably secure and require only one time a trusted third party. We use secret sharing for privately sharing the information and code based identification scheme to add support against malicious adversaries.

Keywords: Privacy, Privacy Preservation in Data Mining (PPDM), horizontally partitioned database, EMHS, MFI, shamir secret sharing

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2629 A Study on the Performance of 2-PC-D Classification Model

Authors: Nurul Aini Abdul Wahab, Nor Syamim Halidin, Sayidatina Aisah Masnan, Nur Izzati Romli

Abstract:

There are many applications of principle component method for reducing the large set of variables in various fields. Fisher’s Discriminant function is also a popular tool for classification. In this research, the researcher focuses on studying the performance of Principle Component-Fisher’s Discriminant function in helping to classify rice kernels to their defined classes. The data were collected on the smells or odour of the rice kernel using odour-detection sensor, Cyranose. 32 variables were captured by this electronic nose (e-nose). The objective of this research is to measure how well a combination model, between principle component and linear discriminant, to be as a classification model. Principle component method was used to reduce all 32 variables to a smaller and manageable set of components. Then, the reduced components were used to develop the Fisher’s Discriminant function. In this research, there are 4 defined classes of rice kernel which are Aromatic, Brown, Ordinary and Others. Based on the output from principle component method, the 32 variables were reduced to only 2 components. Based on the output of classification table from the discriminant analysis, 40.76% from the total observations were correctly classified into their classes by the PC-Discriminant function. Indirectly, it gives an idea that the classification model developed has committed to more than 50% of misclassifying the observations. As a conclusion, the Fisher’s Discriminant function that was built on a 2-component from PCA (2-PC-D) is not satisfying to classify the rice kernels into its defined classes.

Keywords: classification model, discriminant function, principle component analysis, variable reduction

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2628 Cyber Attacks Management in IoT Networks Using Deep Learning and Edge Computing

Authors: Asmaa El Harat, Toumi Hicham, Youssef Baddi

Abstract:

This survey delves into the complex realm of Internet of Things (IoT) security, highlighting the urgent need for effective cybersecurity measures as IoT devices become increasingly common. It explores a wide array of cyber threats targeting IoT devices and focuses on mitigating these attacks through the combined use of deep learning and machine learning algorithms, as well as edge and cloud computing paradigms. The survey starts with an overview of the IoT landscape and the various types of attacks that IoT devices face. It then reviews key machine learning and deep learning algorithms employed in IoT cybersecurity, providing a detailed comparison to assist in selecting the most suitable algorithms. Finally, the survey provides valuable insights for cybersecurity professionals and researchers aiming to enhance security in the intricate world of IoT.

Keywords: internet of things (IoT), cybersecurity, machine learning, deep learning

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2627 Quality and Quantity in the Strategic Network of Higher Education Institutions

Authors: Juha Kettunen

Abstract:

This study analyzes the quality and the size of the strategic network of higher education institutions. The study analyses the concept of fitness for purpose in quality assurance. It also analyses the transaction costs of networking that have consequences on the number of members in the network. Empirical evidence is presented of the Consortium on Applied Research and Professional Education, which is a European strategic network of six higher education institutions. The results of the study support the argument that the number of members in the strategic network should be relatively small to provide high quality results. The practical importance is that networking has been able to promote international research and development projects. The results of this study are important for those who want to design and improve international networks in higher education.

Keywords: balanced scorecard, higher education, social networking, strategic planning

Procedia PDF Downloads 354
2626 Food Supply Chain Optimization: Achieving Cost Effectiveness Using Predictive Analytics

Authors: Jayant Kumar, Aarcha Jayachandran Sasikala, Barry Adrian Shepherd

Abstract:

Public Distribution System is a flagship welfare programme of the Government of India with both historical and political significance. Targeted at lower sections of society,it is one of the largest supply chain networks in the world. There has been several studies by academics and planning commission about the effectiveness of the system. Our study focuses on applying predictive analytics to aid the central body to keep track of the problem of breach of service level agreement between the two echelons of food supply chain. Each shop breach is leading to a potential additional inventory carrying cost. Thus, through this study, we aim to show that aided with such analytics, the network can be made more cost effective. The methods we illustrate in this study are applicable to other commercial supply chains as well.

Keywords: PDS, analytics, cost effectiveness, Karnataka, inventory cost, service level JEL classification: C53

Procedia PDF Downloads 537
2625 The Iraqi Fibre-to-the-Home Networks, Problems, Challenges, and Solutions along with Less Expense

Authors: Hasanein Hasan, Mohammed Al-Taie, Basil Shanshool, Khalaf Abd-Ali

Abstract:

This approach aims to deal with establishing and operating Iraqi Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) projects. The problems they suffer from are organized sabotage, vandalism, accidental damage and poor planning. It provides practical solutions that deal with the aforementioned problems. These solutions consist of both technical and financial clarifications that ensure the achievement of the FTTH network’s stability for the purpose of equipping citizens, private sector companies, and governmental institutions with services, data transmission, the Internet, and other services. They aim to solve problems and obstacles accompanying the operation and maintenance of FTTH projects implemented by the Informatics and Telecommunications Public Company (ITPC)/ Iraqi Ministry of Communications (MoC). This approach takes the FTTH network of AlMaalif-AlMuaslat districts/ Baghdad-Iraq as a case study.

Keywords: CCTV, FTTH, ITPC, MoC, NVR, PTZ

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2624 EQMamba - Method Suggestion for Earthquake Detection and Phase Picking

Authors: Noga Bregman

Abstract:

Accurate and efficient earthquake detection and phase picking are crucial for seismic hazard assessment and emergency response. This study introduces EQMamba, a deep-learning method that combines the strengths of the Earthquake Transformer and the Mamba model for simultaneous earthquake detection and phase picking. EQMamba leverages the computational efficiency of Mamba layers to process longer seismic sequences while maintaining a manageable model size. The proposed architecture integrates convolutional neural networks (CNNs), bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) networks, and Mamba blocks. The model employs an encoder composed of convolutional layers and max pooling operations, followed by residual CNN blocks for feature extraction. Mamba blocks are applied to the outputs of BiLSTM blocks, efficiently capturing long-range dependencies in seismic data. Separate decoders are used for earthquake detection, P-wave picking, and S-wave picking. We trained and evaluated EQMamba using a subset of the STEAD dataset, a comprehensive collection of labeled seismic waveforms. The model was trained using a weighted combination of binary cross-entropy loss functions for each task, with the Adam optimizer and a scheduled learning rate. Data augmentation techniques were employed to enhance the model's robustness. Performance comparisons were conducted between EQMamba and the EQTransformer over 20 epochs on this modest-sized STEAD subset. Results demonstrate that EQMamba achieves superior performance, with higher F1 scores and faster convergence compared to EQTransformer. EQMamba reached F1 scores of 0.8 by epoch 5 and maintained higher scores throughout training. The model also exhibited more stable validation performance, indicating good generalization capabilities. While both models showed lower accuracy in phase-picking tasks compared to detection, EQMamba's overall performance suggests significant potential for improving seismic data analysis. The rapid convergence and superior F1 scores of EQMamba, even on a modest-sized dataset, indicate promising scalability for larger datasets. This study contributes to the field of earthquake engineering by presenting a computationally efficient and accurate method for simultaneous earthquake detection and phase picking. Future work will focus on incorporating Mamba layers into the P and S pickers and further optimizing the architecture for seismic data specifics. The EQMamba method holds the potential for enhancing real-time earthquake monitoring systems and improving our understanding of seismic events.

Keywords: earthquake, detection, phase picking, s waves, p waves, transformer, deep learning, seismic waves

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2623 E-Business Role in the Development of the Economy of Sultanate of Oman

Authors: Mairaj Salim, Asma Zaheer

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Oman has accomplished as much or more than its fellow Gulf monarchies, despite starting from scratch considerably later, having less oil income to utilize, dealing with a larger and more rugged geography, and resolving a bitter civil war along the way. Of course, Oman's progress in the past 30-plus years has not been without problems and missteps, but the balance is squarely on the positive side of the ledger. Oil has been the driving force of the Omani economy since Oman began commercial production in 1967. The oil industry supports the country’s high standard of living and is primarily responsible for its modern and expansive infrastructure, including electrical utilities, telephone services, roads, public education and medical services. In addition to extensive oil reserves, Oman also has substantial natural gas reserves, which are expected to play a leading role in the Omani economy in the Twenty-first Century. To reduce the country’s dependence on oil revenues, the government is restructuring the economy by directing investment to non-oil activities. Since the 21st century IT has changed the performing tasks. To manage the affairs for the benefits of organizations and economy, the Omani government has adopted E-Business technologies for the development. E-Business is important because it allows • Transformation of old economy relationships (vertical/linear relationships) to new economy relationships characterized by end-to-end relationship management solutions (integrated or extended relationships) • Facilitation and organization of networks, small firms depend on ‘partner’ firms for supplies and product distribution to meet customer demands • SMEs to outsource back-end process or cost centers enabling the SME to focus on their core competence • ICT to connect, manage and integrate processes internally and externally • SMEs to join networks and enter new markets, through shortened supply chains to increase market share, customers and suppliers • SMEs to take up the benefits of e-business to reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction, improve client referral and attract quality partners • New business models of collaboration for SMEs to increase their skill base • SMEs to enter virtual trading arena and increase their market reach A national strategy for the advancement of information and communication technology (ICT) has been worked out, mainly to introduce e-government, e-commerce, and a digital society. An information technology complex KOM (Knowledge Oasis Muscat) had been established, consisting of section for information technology, incubator services, a shopping center of technology software and hardware, ICT colleges, E-Government services and other relevant services. So, all these efforts play a vital role in the development of Oman economy.

Keywords: ICT, ITA, CRM, SCM, ERP, KOM, SMEs, e-commerce and e-business

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2622 Governing External Innovation: Lessons from Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android

Authors: Amir Mohagheghzadeh, Solaleh Salimi, Ramin Tafazzoli

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Ecosystem and networks plays significant roles in product innovation. External innovation within developing firms can bring a wide range of advantages for a firm in a competitive market. Using external innovation can be mentioned as one of the most significant concepts regarding the firm’s transition phase into openness. Derivative concepts such as open or shared platform and app stores are the main result of this thinking within the firms. However, adopting this concept and leverage the defined advantages of external innovation should be aligned with other strategies and policies of a firm. Consequently, one of the key aspects that have been raised while using external innovation is how to govern external innovation within a developing firm. This paper describes the frameworks that two pioneer companies in mobile operating system development have used in order to control and govern external innovation through platform.

Keywords: external innovation, open innovation, governance, governance mechanisms, innovation, Apple, iOS, Google, Android

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2621 Ambient Vibration Testing of Existing Buildings in Madinah

Authors: Tarek M. Alguhane, Ayman H. Khalil, M. N. Fayed, Ayman M. Ismail

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The elastic period has a primary role in the seismic assessment of buildings. Reliable calculations and/or estimates of the fundamental frequency of a building and its site are essential during analysis and design process. Various code formulas based on empirical data are generally used to estimate the fundamental frequency of a structure. For existing structures, in addition to code formulas and available analytical tools such as modal analyses, various methods of testing including ambient and forced vibration testing procedures may be used to determine dynamic characteristics. In this study, the dynamic properties of the 32 buildings located in the Madinah of Saudi Arabia were identified using ambient motions recorded at several, spatially-distributed locations within each building. Ambient vibration measurements of buildings have been analyzed and the fundamental longitudinal and transverse periods for all tested buildings are presented. The fundamental mode of vibration has been compared in plots with codes formulae (Saudi Building Code, EC8, and UBC1997). The results indicate that measured periods of existing buildings are shorter than that given by most empirical code formulas. Recommendations are given based on the common design and construction practice in Madinah city.

Keywords: ambient vibration, fundamental period, RC buildings, infill walls

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2620 Integrated Optimization of Vehicle Microscopic Behavior and Signal Control for Mixed Traffic Based on a Distributed Strategy

Authors: Siliang Luan

Abstract:

In this paper, an integrated-decentralized bi-level optimization framework is developed to coordinate intersection signal operations and vehicle driving behavior at an isolated signalized intersection in a mixed traffic environment. The framework takes advantage of both signal control and conflict elimination by incorporating an integrated level and a decentralized level. Two distinct signal control methods are introduced: the classical green phase control strategy and the white phase control strategy. The latter allows certain vehicles to pass through the intersection during a red phase, thereby reducing idle time. Besides, various vehicle trajectory optimization strategies are tailored to different vehicle-following types, leveraging the capabilities of CAV technology. Enhanced microscopic behavior control strategies, such as car-following and lane-changing controls, are also developed for CAVs to improve their performance in mixed traffic. These strategies are integrated into the proposed framework. The effectiveness of the framework is validated through numerical experiments and sensitivity analysis, demonstrating its advantages in terms of traffic effectiveness, stability, and energy economy.

Keywords: traffic signal optimization, connected and automated vehicles, vehicle microscopic control, traffic control and information technology

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2619 Analysis of the Effects of Vibrations on Tractor Drivers by Measurements With Wearable Sensors

Authors: Gubiani Rino, Nicola Zucchiatti, Da Broi Ugo, Bietresato Marco

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The problem of vibrations in agriculture is very important due to the different types of machinery used for the different types of soil in which work is carried out. One of the most commonly used machines is the tractor, where the phenomenon has been studied for a long time by measuring the whole body and placing the sensor on the seat. However, this measurement system does not take into account the characteristics of the drivers, such as their body index (BMI), their gender (male, female) or the muscle fatigue they are subjected to, which is highly dependent on their age for example. The aim of the research was therefore to place sensors not only on the seat but along the spinal column to check the transmission of vibration on drivers with different BMI on different tractors and at different travel speeds and of different genders. The test was also done using wearable sensors such as a dynamometer applied to the muscles, the data of which was correlated with the vibrations produced by the tractor. Initial data show that even on new tractors with pneumatic seats, the vibrations attenuate little and are still correlated with the roughness of the track travelled and the forward speed. Another important piece of data are the root-mean square values referred to 8 hours (A(8)x,y,z) and the maximum transient vibration values (MTVVx,y,z) and, the latter, the MTVVz values were problematic (limiting factor in most cases) and always aggravated by the speed. The MTVVx values can be lowered by having a tyre-pressure adjustment system, able to properly adjust the tire pressure according to the specific situation (ground, speed) in which a tractor is operating.

Keywords: fatigue, effect vibration on health, tractor driver vibrations, vibration, muscle skeleton disorders

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2618 Identify the Factors Affecting Employment and Prioritize in the Economic Sector Jobs of Increased Employment MADM approach of using SAW and TOPSIS and POSET: Ministry of Cooperatives, Do Varamin City Social Welfare

Authors: Mina Rahmani Pour

Abstract:

Negative consequences of unemployment are: increasing age at marriage, addiction, depression, drug trafficking, divorce, immigration, elite, frustration, delinquency, theft, murder, etc., has led to addressing the issue of employment by economic planners, public authorities, chief executive economic conditions in different countries and different time is important. All countries are faced with the problem of unemployment. By identifying the influential factors of occupational employment and employing strengths in the basic steps can be taken to reduce unemployment. In this study, the most significant factors affecting employment has identified 12 variables based on interviews conducted Choose Vtasyrafzaysh engaged in three main business is discussed. DRGAM next question the 8 expert ministry to respond to it is distributed and for weight Horns AZFN Shannon entropy and the ranking criteria of the (SAW, TOPSIS) used. According to the results of the above methods are not compatible with each other, to reach a general consensus on the rating criteria of the technique of integrating (POSET) involving average, Borda, copeland is used. Ultimately, there is no difference between the employments in the economic sector jobs of increased employment.

Keywords: employment, effective techniques, SAW, TOPSIS

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2617 Construction and Performance of Nanocomposite-Based Electrochemical Biosensor

Authors: Jianfang Wang, Xianzhe Chen, Zhuoliang Liu, Cheng-An Tao, Yujiao Li

Abstract:

Organophosphorus (OPs) pesticide used as insecticides are widely used in agricultural pest control, household and storage deworming. The detection of pesticides needs more simple and efficient methods. One of the best ways is to make electrochemical biosensors. In this paper, an electrochemical enzyme biosensor based on acetylcholine esterase (AChE) was constructed, and its sensing properties and sensing mechanisms were studied. Reduced graphene oxide-polydopamine complexes (RGO-PDA), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared firstly and composited with AChE and chitosan (CS), then fixed on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface to construct the biosensor GCE/RGO-PDA-AuNPs-AgNPs-AChE-CS by one-pot method. The results show that graphene oxide (GO) can be reduced by dopamine (DA) and dispersed well in RGO-PDA complexes. And the composites have a synergistic catalysis effect and can improve the surface resistance of GCE. The biosensor selectively can detect acetylcholine (ACh) and OPs pesticide with good linear range and high sensitivity. The performance of the biosensor is affected by the ratio and adding ways of AChE and the adding of AuNPs and AChE. And the biosensor can achieve a detection limit of 2.4 ng/L for methyl parathion and a wide linear detection range of 0.02 ng/L ~ 80 ng/L, and has excellent stability, good anti-interference ability, and excellent preservation performance, indicating that the sensor has practical value.

Keywords: acetylcholine esterase, electrochemical biosensor, nanoparticles, organophosphates, reduced graphene oxide

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2616 Effect of Composition Fuel on Safety of Combustion Process

Authors: Lourdes I. Meriño, Viatcheslav Kafarov, Maria Gómez

Abstract:

Fuel gas used in the burner receives as contributors other gases from different processes and this result in variability in the composition, which may cause an incomplete combustion. The burners are designed to operate in a certain curve, the calorific power dependent on the pressure and gas burners. When deviation of propane and C5+ is huge, there is a large release of energy, which causes it to work out the curves of the burners, because less pressure is required to force curve into operation. That increases the risk of explosion in an oven, besides of a higher environmental impact. There should be flame detection systems, and instrumentation equipment, such as local pressure gauges located at the entrance of the gas burners, to permit verification by the operator. Additionally, distributed control systems must be configured with different combustion instruments associated with respective alarms, as well as its operational windows, and windows control guidelines of integrity, leaving the design information of this equipment. Therefore, it is desirable to analyze when a plant is taken out of service and make good operational analysis to determine the impact of changes in fuel gas streams contributors, by varying the calorific power. Hence, poor combustion is one of the cause instability in the flame of the burner and having a great impact on process safety, the integrity of individuals and teams and environment.

Keywords: combustion process, fuel composition, safety, fuel gas

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2615 Investigating University Language Teacher’s Perception of Their Identities in the Algerian Multilingual Context

Authors: Yousra Drissi

Abstract:

This research explores language teacher identity in a multilingual context where both teachers and students come from different linguistic backgrounds. It seeks to understand how teachers perceive themselves as language teachers in this context in relation to different influencing factors, both internal and external. This study is being conducted due to the importance of language teacher identity (LTI) in the university context, which is being neglected in the present literature (in an attempt to address the gap in the present literature). The broader aim of this study is to bring attention to language teacher identity along with the different influencing elements which can either promote or hinder its development. In this research, we are using the sociocultural theory and post-structural theory. This research uses the mixed methods approach to collect and analyse relevant data. A structured survey was distributed to language teachers from different universities around Algeria, followed by in-depth interviews. Results are supposed to show the different points in self-perception that these teachers share or differ in. they will also help us identify the different internal and external factors that can be of influence. However, the results of this research can be used by institutions as well as decision-makers to better understand university teachers and help them improve their teaching practices by empowering their language teacher identity, starting from teacher education programs to continuous teacher development programs.

Keywords: identity, language teacher identity, multilingualism, university teacher

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2614 Urban Design as a Tool in Disaster Resilience and Urban Hazard Mitigation: Case of Cochin, Kerala, India

Authors: Vinu Elias Jacob, Manoj Kumar Kini

Abstract:

Disasters of all types are occurring more frequently and are becoming more costly than ever due to various manmade factors including climate change. A better utilisation of the concept of governance and management within disaster risk reduction is inevitable and of utmost importance. There is a need to explore the role of pre- and post-disaster public policies. The role of urban planning/design in shaping the opportunities of households, individuals and collectively the settlements for achieving recovery has to be explored. Governance strategies that can better support the integration of disaster risk reduction and management has to be examined. The main aim is to thereby build the resilience of individuals and communities and thus, the states too. Resilience is a term that is usually linked to the fields of disaster management and mitigation, but today has become an integral part of planning and design of cities. Disaster resilience broadly describes the ability of an individual or community to 'bounce back' from disaster impacts, through improved mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The growing population of the world has resulted in the inflow and use of resources, creating a pressure on the various natural systems and inequity in the distribution of resources. This makes cities vulnerable to multiple attacks by both natural and man-made disasters. Each urban area needs elaborate studies and study based strategies to proceed in the discussed direction. Cochin in Kerala is the fastest and largest growing city with a population of more than 26 lakhs. The main concern that has been looked into in this paper is making cities resilient by designing a framework of strategies based on urban design principles for an immediate response system especially focussing on the city of Cochin, Kerala, India. The paper discusses, understanding the spatial transformations due to disasters and the role of spatial planning in the context of significant disasters. The paper also aims in developing a model taking into consideration of various factors such as land use, open spaces, transportation networks, physical and social infrastructure, building design, and density and ecology that can be implemented in any city of any context. Guidelines are made for the smooth evacuation of people through hassle-free transport networks, protecting vulnerable areas in the city, providing adequate open spaces for shelters and gatherings, making available basic amenities to affected population within reachable distance, etc. by using the tool of urban design. Strategies at the city level and neighbourhood level have been developed with inferences from vulnerability analysis and case studies.

Keywords: disaster management, resilience, spatial planning, spatial transformations

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2613 The UAV Feasibility Trajectory Prediction Using Convolution Neural Networks

Authors: Adrien Marque, Daniel Delahaye, Pierre Maréchal, Isabelle Berry

Abstract:

Wind direction and uncertainty are crucial in aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle trajectories. By computing wind covariance matrices on each spatial grid point, these spatial grids can be defined as images with symmetric positive definite matrix elements. A data pre-processing step, a specific convolution, a specific max-pooling, and a specific flatten layers are implemented to process such images. Then, the neural network is applied to spatial grids, whose elements are wind covariance matrices, to solve classification problems related to the feasibility of unmanned aerial vehicles based on wind direction and wind uncertainty.

Keywords: wind direction, uncertainty level, unmanned aerial vehicle, convolution neural network, SPD matrices

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2612 Ultrastructure of the Tongue of the African Beauty Snake Psammophis sibilans

Authors: Mohamed M. A. Abumandour, Neveen E. R. El-Bakary

Abstract:

The present work performed on the six tongues of African Beauty snake (Psammophis sibilans) that were obtained immediately after their catching, from agricultural fields, Desouk city, Kafrelsheikh Governorate, Egypt. These collected snakes should be from any oral abnormalities or injuries. The lingual surface of the Psammophis sibilans was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface of the bifurcated apex was smoother than the lingual body. The median lingual sulcus was deep and contained a number of the taste pores. By the high magnification of SEM of each part of a bifurcated area of the lingual apex have numerous taste buds and no lingual papillae were observed. A few numbers of papillae were observed in the lingual body. The microridges and microvilli distributed in the lingual body helped in spreading of mucus over the epithelial surface. Taste pores and papillae in the tongue indicate the presence of a direct chemo-sensory function for the tongue of these snakes as the chemicals dissolved in the mucus then transferred to Jacobson organ. To conclude, the bifurcation appearance of the snake lingual tip act as a chemical or edge detector help in the process named chemo-mechano-reception.

Keywords: African beauty snake, taste buds, taste pores, tongue, papillae

Procedia PDF Downloads 134