Search results for: tomato growth and yield

Authors: Sabina Klimek

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In general, entrepreneurs are viewed as agents of change whose goal is to ensure that resources are efficiently utilized. They are very important in the global economy; they create wealth and provide jobs. At the same time, many policymakers say that women entrepreneurs are a ‘special group’ worthy of their own research and policies. The status of Polish women has been changing as well, even though, to a large extent, it is still defined by the double role that women are expected to fill according to the dominant stereotypical model of family life. However, in the past decade, Polish women’s economic activities have experienced rapid growth and today are at a high level. In the article, the author presents the results of a survey conducted among women entrepreneurs in Poland concerning the functioning of their enterprises, motivation in setting up a company, and barriers that hinder them in business. The questionnaire (300 questionnaires were provided) and case studies carried out by the author have proven that female entrepreneurs in Poland are characterized by commonalities. Mostly they run small or micro-enterprises, operate in larger cities, are well-educated, and run service companies. Their main motivation to run their own business is mostly indicated by their need for independence. However, one of their biggest barriers and hesitations is the apprehension of non-payment. Entrepreneurs want to develop their companies, go to foreign markets and implement new solutions. They are not afraid of the future; they are only trying to create it. Detailed hypothesis, which reads as follows. The author additionally conducted a macroeconomic analysis calculating what part of GDP in Poland is produced by female entrepreneurs. The results of the study presented in this article prove that female entrepreneurship in Poland has a stable impact on the economy of the country, and women entrepreneurs produce over 13% of the national GDP. After years of growth in the number of female entrepreneurs in Poland, there has been a period of stabilization. However, there has also been a reduction in the number of self-employed people as well as the number of women in total employment. In the article, the author analyses the reasons for decreasing number of self-employed women and the total employment of women in Poland and provides suggestions for steps and incentives that should be made in order to encourage female entrepreneurship to grow in the country.

Keywords: women entrepreneurship, women in business, women entrepreneurship in Poland, Poland, GDP of Poland

Procedia PDF Downloads 69

Authors: P. Comendador, M. Suarez, L. Olazar, M. Cortazar, M. Artetxe, G. Lopez, M. Olazar

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H₂ production from fast biomass pyrolysis and line Steam Reforming (SR) has been extensively studied in the last years. However, Sorption Enhanced Steam Reforming (SESR) is gaining attention as an alternative to the conventional SR since it allows obtaining higher H₂ yields and a purity near 100 % in the product stream. In this work, both alternatives were compared through an energy analysis. The processes were modeled with PRO II v.2021 software. First, general energy balances were carried out in order to identify the total energy requirements in a wide range of operating conditions. At H₂ yield optimum conditions for both processes (steam to biomass ratio of 2 and temperature of 600 ºC), the total energy requirement for the SR alternative is 936 kJ/kgH₂, whereas for the SESR alternative is 1134 kJ/kgH₂. Then, the energy needs were grouped into operation stages, aiming at identifying the energy sinks and sources of the processes. It was determined that the SESR alternative is more energy intensive due to the need for a calcination stage for regenerating the sorbent. Finally, a configuration of the SESR alternative with energy integration was developed in order to compensate for the energy demand.

Keywords: Biomass valorization, CO₂ capture, Energy analysis, H₂ production

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: Okay Gunes

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Unsatisfactory experiences due to an information shortage regarding the future pay-offs of actual choices, yield satisficing decision-making. This research will examine, for the first time in the literature, the motivation behind suboptimal decisions due to uncertainty by subjecting Adam Smith’s and Jeremy Bentham’s assumptions about the nature of the actions that lead to satisficing behavior, in order to clarify the theoretical background of a “consumption-based satisfactory time” concept. The contribution of this paper with respect to the existing literature is threefold: Firstly, it is showed in this paper that Adam Smith’s uncertainty is related to the problem of the constancy of ideas and not related directly to beliefs. Secondly, possessions, as in Jeremy Bentham’s oeuvre, are assumed to be just as pleasing, as protecting and improving the actual or expected quality of life, so long as they reduce any displeasure due to the undesired outcomes of uncertainty. Finally, each consumption decision incurs its own satisfactory time period, owed to not feeling hungry, being healthy, not having transportation…etc. This reveals that the level of satisfaction is indeed a behavioral phenomenon where its value would depend on the simultaneous satisfaction derived from all activities.

Keywords: decision-making, idea and belief, satisficing, uncertainty

Procedia PDF Downloads 270

Authors: Tejeet Singh, Ishavneet Singh

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The present study focused on carrying out the creep analysis in an isotropic thick-walled composite cylindrical pressure vessel composed of aluminum matrix reinforced with silicon-carbide in particulate form. The creep behavior of the composite material has been described by the threshold stress based creep law. The values of stress exponent appearing in the creep law were selected as 3, 5 and 8. The constitutive equations were developed using well known von-Mises yield criteria. Models were developed to find out the distributions of creep stress and strain rate in thick-walled composite cylindrical pressure vessels under internal pressure. In order to obtain the stress distributions in the cylinder, the equilibrium equation of the continuum mechanics and the constitutive equations are solved together. It was observed that the radial stress, tangential stress and axial stress increases along with the radial distance. The cross-over was also obtained almost at the middle region of cylindrical vessel for tangential and axial stress for different values of stress exponent. The strain rates were also decreasing in nature along the entire radius.

Keywords: steady state creep, composite, cylinder, pressure

Procedia PDF Downloads 399

Authors: Teesta Dey

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Integrated Transport development with proper traffic management leads to sustainable growth of any urban sphere. Appropriate mass transport planning is essential for the populous cities in third world countries like India. The exponential growth of motor vehicles with unplanned road network is now the common feature of major urban centres in India. Kolkata, the third largest mega city in India, is not an exception of it. The imbalance between demand and supply of unplanned transport services in this city is manifested in the high economic and environmental costs borne by the associated society. With the passage of time, the growth and extent of passenger demand for rapid urban transport has outstripped proper infrastructural planning and causes severe transport problems in the overall urban realm. Hence Kolkata stands out in the world as one of the most crisis-ridden metropolises. The urban transport crisis of this city involves severe traffic congestion, the disparity in mass transport services on changing peripheral land uses, route overlapping, lowering of travel speed and faulty implementation of governmental plans as mostly induced by rapid growth of private vehicles on limited road space with huge carbon footprint. Therefore the paper will critically analyze the extant road network pattern for improving regional connectivity and accessibility, assess the degree of congestion, identify the deviation from demand and supply balance and finally evaluate the emerging alternate transport options as promoted by the government. For this purpose, linear, nodal and spatial transport network have been assessed based on certain selected indices viz. Road Degree, Traffic Volume, Shimbel Index, Direct Bus Connectivity, Average Travel and Waiting Tine Indices, Route Variety, Service Frequency, Bus Intensity, Concentration Analysis, Delay Rate, Quality of Traffic Transmission, Lane Length Duration Index and Modal Mix. Total 20 Traffic Intersection Points (TIPs) have been selected for the measurement of nodal accessibility. Critical Congestion Zones (CCZs) are delineated based on one km buffer zones of each TIP for congestion pattern analysis. A total of 480 bus routes are assessed for identifying the deficiency in network planning. Apart from bus services, the combined effects of other mass and para transit modes, containing metro rail, auto, cab and ferry services, are also analyzed. Based on systematic random sampling method, a total of 1500 daily urban passengers’ perceptions were studied for checking the ground realities. The outcome of this research identifies the spatial disparity among the 15 boroughs of the city with severe route overlapping and congestion problem. North and Central Kolkata-based mass transport services exceed the transport strength of south and peripheral Kolkata. Faulty infrastructural condition, service inadequacy, economic loss and workers’ inefficiency are the most dominant reasons behind the defective mass transport network plan. Hence there is an urgent need to revive the extant road based mass transport system of this city by implementing a holistic management approach by upgrading traffic infrastructure, designing new roads, better cooperation among different mass transport agencies, better coordination of transport and changing land use policies, large increase in funding and finally general passengers’ awareness.

Keywords: carbon footprint, critical congestion zones, direct bus connectivity, integrated transport development

Procedia PDF Downloads 258

Authors: Maurice Ntahobari, Levin Kuhlmann, Mario Boley, Zhinoos Razavi Hesabi

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For machine learning based epileptic seizure prediction, it is important for the model to be implemented in small implantable or wearable devices that can be used to monitor epilepsy patients; however, current state-of-the-art methods are complex and computationally intensive. We use Shapley Additive Explanation (SHAP) to find relevant intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) features and improve the computational efficiency of a state-of-the-art seizure prediction method based on the extra trees classifier while maintaining prediction performance. Results for a small contest dataset and a much larger dataset with continuous recordings of up to 3 years per patient from 15 patients yield better than chance prediction performance (p < 0.004). Moreover, while the performance of the SHAP-based model is comparable to that of the benchmark, the overall training and prediction time of the model has been reduced by a factor of 1.83. It can also be noted that the feature called zero crossing value is the best EEG feature for seizure prediction. These results suggest state-of-the-art seizure prediction performance can be achieved using efficient methods based on optimal feature selection.

Keywords: machine learning, seizure prediction, extra tree classifier, SHAP, epilepsy

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Authors: Mohammad Hossein Habibi, Atena Sadat Hosseini

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Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. Colorectal cancer screening, early detection, and treatment programs could benefit from the most up-to-date information on the disease's burden, given the present worldwide trend of increasing colorectal cancer incidence. Tumor recurrence and resistance are exacerbated by the presence of chemotherapy-resistant cancer stem cells that can generate rapidly proliferating tumor cells. In addition, tumor cells can evolve chemoresistance through adaptation mechanisms. In this work, we used in silico analysis to select suitable GEO datasets. In this study, we compared slow-growing cancer stem cells with high-growth colorectal cancer-derived cancer stem cells. We then evaluated the signal pathways, transcription factors, and kinases associated with these two types of cancer stem cells. A total of 980 upregulated genes and 870 downregulated genes were clustered. MAPK signaling pathway, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis, and Steroid biosynthesis signaling pathways were observed in upregulated genes. Also, caffeine metabolism, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, TNF signaling pathway, and cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway were involved in downregulated genes. In the next step, we evaluated the best transcription factors and kinases in two types of cancer stem cells. In this regard, NR2F2, ZEB2, HEY1, and HDGF as transcription factors and PRDM5, SMAD, CBP, and KDM2B as critical kinases in upregulated genes. On the other hand, IRF1, SPDEF, NCOA1, and STAT1 transcription factors and CTNNB1 and CDH7 kinases were regulated low expression genes. Using bioinformatics analysis in the present study, we conducted an in-depth study of colorectal cancer stem cells at low and high growth rates so that we could take further steps to detect and even target these cells. Naturally, more additional tests are needed in this direction.

Keywords: colorectal cancer, bioinformatics analysis, transcription factor, kinases, cancer stem cells

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Authors: Nurudeen Oluwasola Lasisi, Abdulkareem Afolabi Ibrahim

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Newcastle disease is an infection of domestic poultry and other bird species with virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV). In this paper, we study the dynamics of modeling the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) using a novel quarantine-adjusted incidence. We do a comparison of Vaccination, linear incident rate, and novel quarantine adjusted incident rate in the models. The dynamics of the models yield disease free and endemic equilibrium states. The effective reproduction numbers of the models are computed in order to measure the relative impact for the individual bird or combined intervention for effective disease control. We showed the local and global stability of endemic equilibrium states of the models, and we found that stability of endemic equilibrium states of models are globally asymptotically stable if the effective reproduction numbers of the models equations are greater than a unit.

Keywords: effective reproduction number, endemic state, mathematical model, Newcastle disease virus, novel quarantine-adjusted incidence, stability analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 228

Authors: Bouafia-Chergui Souâd, Chabani Malika, Bensmaili Aicha

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Water treatment and especially, medicament pollutants are nowadays important problems. Degradation of oxytetracycline was carried out using combined process of low-frequency ultrasound (US), ultraviolet irradiation and a catalyst. The effectiveness of the coupled processes has been evaluated by studying the effects of various operating parameters including initial OTC concentration, solution pH and catalyst mass. For the photolysis process, the monochromatic ultraviolet light wavelength utilized was 365 nm. The sonolysis experiments were performed with ultrasound at a frequency of 40 kHz. The heterogeneous photocatalysis was studied in the presence of TiO2. The processes were employed individually, and simultaneously to examine the details of the processes and to investigate the contribution of each process. Low UV intensity (12W), low pH and high mass of TiO2 conditions enhanced the sono-photocatalytic degradation of OTC. The results showed that the individual contribution sonochemical and photochemical reactions are very low, however, their coupling increases the degradation rate of 8 times compared to photolysis and 2 times compared to sonolysis. There is a synergistic effect between the two modes of radiation, UV and U.S. leading to 82.04% degradation yield. An application of these combined processes on the treatment of a real pharmaceutical wastewater was examined.

Keywords: sonolysis, photocatalysis, combined process, antibiotic

Procedia PDF Downloads 269

Authors: Alexander Musyoki, Collins Odour

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Over the past few years, the bakery industry in Kenya has experienced significant growth largely in part to the increased adoption of technology and automation in their processes; more specifically due to the adoption of bakery management systems to help in running bakeries. While they have been largely responsible for the improved productivity and efficiency in bakeries, most of them are now outdated and pose more challenges than benefits. The proposed online bakery management system mentioned in this paper aims to address this by allowing bakery owners to track inventory, budget, job progress, and data analytics on each job and in doing so, promote the Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 12, which aim to ensure healthy lives and promote sustainable economic growth as the proposed benefits of these features include scalability, easy accessibility, reduced acquisition costs, better reliability, and improved functionality that will allow bakeries to become more competitive, reduce waste and track inventory more efficiently. To better understand the challenges, a comprehensive study has been performed to assess these traditional systems and try to understand if an online bakery management system can prove to be advantageous to bakery owners. The study conducted gathered feedback from bakery owners and employees in Nairobi County, Kenya using an online survey with a response rate of about 86% from the target population. The responses cited complex and hard to use bakery management systems (59.7%), lack of portability from one device to the other (58.1%) and high acquisition costs (51.6%) as the top challenges of traditional bakery management systems. On the other hand, some of the top benefits that most of the respondents would realize from the online bakery management system was better reliability (58.1%) and reduced acquisition costs (58.1%). Overall, the findings suggest that an online bakery management system has a lot of advantages over traditional systems and is likely to be well-received in the market. In conclusion, the proposed online bakery management system has the potential to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of small-sized bakeries in Nairobi County. Further research is recommended to expand the sample size and diversity of respondents and to conduct more in-depth analyses of the data collected.

Keywords: ICT, technology and automation, bakery management systems, food innovation

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Authors: Jonardan Koner, Avinash Purandare

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In today’s globalized world international business is a very key area for the country's growth. Some of the strategic areas for holding up a country’s international business to grow are in the areas of connecting Ports, Road Network, and Rail Network. India’s International Business is booming both in Exports as well as Imports. Ports play a very central part in the growth of international trade and ensuring competitive ports is of critical importance. India has a long coastline which is a big asset for the country as it has given the opportunity for development of a large number of major and minor ports which will contribute to the maritime trades’ development. The National Economic Development of India requires a well-functioning seaport system. To know the comparative strength of Indian ports over South-east Asian similar ports, the study is considering the objectives of (I) to identify the key parameters of an international mega container port, (II) to compare the five selected container ports (JNPT, Chennai, Singapore, Dubai, and Colombo Ports) according to user of the ports and iii) to measure the growth of selected five container ports’ throughput over time and their comparison. The study is based on both primary and secondary databases. The linear time trend analysis is done to show the trend in quantum of exports, imports and total goods/services handled by individual ports over the years. The comparative trend analysis is done for the selected five ports of cargo traffic handled in terms of Tonnage (weight) and number of containers (TEU’s). The comparative trend analysis is done between containerized and non-containerized cargo traffic in the five selected five ports. The primary data analysis is done comprising of comparative analysis of factor ratings through bar diagrams, statistical inference of factor ratings for the selected five ports, consolidated comparative line charts of factor rating for the selected five ports, consolidated comparative bar charts of factor ratings of the selected five ports and the distribution of ratings (frequency terms). The linear regression model is used to forecast the container capacities required for JNPT Port and Chennai Port by the year 2030. Multiple regression analysis is carried out to measure the impact of selected 34 explanatory variables on the ‘Overall Performance of the Port’ for each of the selected five ports. The research outcome is of high significance to the stakeholders of Indian container handling ports. Indian container port of JNPT and Chennai are benchmarked against international ports such as Singapore, Dubai, and Colombo Ports which are the competing ports in the neighbouring region. The study has analysed the feedback ratings for the selected 35 factors regarding physical infrastructure and services rendered to the port users. This feedback would provide valuable data for carrying out improvements in the facilities provided to the port users. These installations would help the ports’ users to carry out their work in more efficient manner.

Keywords: throughput, twenty equivalent units, TEUs, cargo traffic, shipping lines, freight forwarders

Procedia PDF Downloads 122

Authors: O. D. A. N. Perera, H. G. Wanigasinghe

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Tender jackfruit is an underutilized biomass, which still has a good consumer demand. Valorization of this ingredient into meat analog would obtain greater consumer acceptance due to concerns about health, the environment, and living sustainably of mankind have increased significantly in this decade, opening the market for meat substitutes. The objective of this research was to create a plant-based meat substitute with a structure similar to meat products. In this study, three different combinations of tender jackfruit were used to create vegan burger patties, which were then examined for their textural, physico-chemical, and sensory qualities. The developed burger patties have been compared with store-bought chicken patties. The developed vegan burger patties P1, P2, and P3 had a comparable flavor preference to the control and demonstrated considerable general acceptability (p >.05). P3 has a high quantity of protein (17.10 ± 0.02%) and fiber (6.40 ± 0.06%). At the same time, the vegan burger patty resulted in less fat, high fiber, and high protein which meets the vegan consumer requirements.

Keywords: underutilized, high fibre, soya protein isolate, cooking yield

Procedia PDF Downloads 51

Authors: Bhaumik Patel, Amit Gotecha

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Commercial centres of different hierarchy and sizes play a vital role in the growth and development of the city. Economic uncertainty and demand for space leads to more urban sprawl and emerging more commercial spaces. The study was focused on the understanding of various indicators affecting the commercial development that can help to solve many issues related to commercial urban development and can guide for future employment growth centre development, Accessibility, Infrastructure, Planning and development regulations and Market forces. The aim of the study was to review characteristics and identifying employment density of Commercial Employment Sub-centres by achieving objectives Understanding various employment sub-centres, Identifying characteristics and deriving behaviour of employment densities and Evaluating and comparing employment sub-centres for the Ahmedabad city. Commercial employment sub-centres one in old city (Kalupur), second in highly developed commercial (C.G.road-Ashram road) and third in the latest developing commercial area (Prahladnagar) were identified by distance from city centre, Land use diversity, Access to Major roads and Public transport, Population density in proximity, Complimentary land uses in proximity and Land price. Commercial activities were categorised into retail, wholesale and service sector and sub categorised into various activities. From the study, Time period of establishment of the unit is a critical parameter for commercial activity, building height, and land-use diversity. Employment diversity is also one parameter for the commercial centre. The old city has retail, wholesale and trading and higher commercial density concerning units and employment both. Prahladnagar area functioned as commercial due to market pressure and developed as more units rather than a requirement. Employment density is higher in the centre of the city, as far as distance increases from city centre employment density and unit density decreases. Characters of influencing employment density and unit density are distance from city centre, development type, establishment time period, building density, unit density, public transport accessibility and road connectivity.

Keywords: commercial employment sub-centres, employment density, employment diversity, unit density

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Authors: Laabassi Ayache, Boudehane Asma

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Macrophyte pond has developed strongly in the field of wastewater treatment for irrigation in rural areas and small communities. Their association allows, in some cases, to increase the hydraulic capacity while maintaining the highest level of quality. The present work is devoted to the treatment of domestic wastewater under climatic conditions of Algeria (semi-arid) through a system using two tanks planted with Salvinia natans. The performance study and treatment efficiency of the system overall shows that the latter provides a significant removal of nitrogen pollution: total Kjeldahl nitrogen NTK (85.2%), Ammonium NH₄⁺-N (79%), Nitrite NO₂⁻-N (40%) also, a major meaningful reduction of biochemical oxygen demand BOD₅ was observed at the output of the system (96.9 %). As BOD₅, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was higher than 95% at the exit of the two tanks. A moderately low yield of phosphate-phosphorus (PO₄³-P) was achieved with values not exceeding 37%. In general, the quality of treated effluent meets the Algerian standard of discharge and which allows us to select a suitable species in constructed wetland treatment systems under semi-arid climate.

Keywords: nutrient removal, Salvinia natans, semi-arid climate, wastewater treatment

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Authors: Sokratis Koskinakis, Georgia Frakolaki, Magdalini Krokida

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Regular consumption of omega-3 fatty acid-rich lipids is said to provide a wide range of health benefits, including prevention of inflammation, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. Because of their potential nutritional and health benefits, the omega-3 PUFAs are increasingly being supplemented in functional food products meant to improve human health and wellbeing. However, dietary fortification with PUFAs is difficult due to their low water solubility, tendency to oxidize quickly, and inconsistent bioavailability. These issues can be solved through application of modern encapsulation technologies, which typically entail integrating omega-3 oils into well-designed matrices made from food-grade components. Electrospinning, for example, is an effective encapsulation method for producing sub-micron or nano-scale polymer fibers. For this purpose, various combinations of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and cellulose nanocrystals/ nanofibers were assessed for the encapsulation of omega-3 fatty acids through the innovative technology of electrospinning. The encapsulation yield was evaluated through GC-analysis, and the morphology of the final products was assessed through SEM analysis.

Keywords: electrospinning, encapsulation, omega-3 fatty acids, cellulose nanocrystals / nanofibers

Procedia PDF Downloads 67

Authors: Hak-Ryul Kim, Hyung-Geun Lee, Qi Long, Ching Hou

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Structural modification of natural lipids via chemical reaction or microbial bioconversion can change their properties or even create novel functionalities. Enzymatic oxidation of lipids leading to formation of oxylipin is one of those modifications. Hydroxy fatty acids, one of those oxylipins have gained important attentions because of their structural and functional properties compared with other non-hydroxy fatty acids. Recently 7,10-dihydroxy-8(E)-octadecenoic acid (DOD) was produced with high yield from lipid-containing oleic acid by microbial conversion, and the further study confirmed that DOD contained strong antimicrobial activities against a broad range of microorganisms. In this study, we tried to modify DOD molecules by the enzymatic or physical reaction to create new functionality or to enhance the antimicrobial activity of DOD. After modification of DOD molecules by different ways, we confirmed that the antimicrobial activity of DOD was highly enhanced and presented strong antimicrobial activities against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting that DOD and its derivatives can be used as efficient antimicrobial agents for medical and industrial applications.

Keywords: biocatalysis, antimicrobial agent, multidrug-resistant bacteria, vegetable oil

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Authors: Piotr Wadolowski, Grzegorz Krzesinski, Piotr Gutowski

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The aim of the presented work is to recognize the impact of mini-plate application approach on the stress and displacement within the stabilization devices and surrounding bones. The mini-plate osteosynthesis technique is widely used by craniofacial surgeons as an improved replacement of wire connection approach. Many different types of metal plates and screws are used to the physical connection of fractured bones. Below investigation is based on a clinical observation of patient hospitalized with mini-plate stabilization system. Analysis was conducted on a solid mandible geometry, which was modeled basis on the computed tomography scan of the hospitalized patient. In order to achieve most realistic connected system behavior, the cortical and cancellous bone layers were assumed. The temporomandibular joint was simplified to the elastic element to allow physiological movement of loaded bone. The muscles of mastication system were reduced to three pairs, modeled as shell structures. Finite element grid was created by the ANSYS software, where hexahedral and tetrahedral variants of SOLID185 element were used. A set of nonlinear contact conditions were applied on connecting devices and bone common surfaces. Properties of particular contact pair depend on screw - mini-plate connection type and possible gaps between fractured bone around osteosynthesis region. Some of the investigated cases contain prestress introduced to the mini-plate during the application, what responds the initial bending of the connecting device to fit the retromolar fossa region. Assumed bone fracture occurs within the mandible angle zone. Due to the significant deformation of the connecting plate in some of the assembly cases the elastic-plastic model of titanium alloy was assumed. The bone tissues were covered by the orthotropic material. As a loading were used the gauge force of magnitude of 100N applied in three different locations. Conducted analysis shows significant impact of mini-plate application methodology on the stress distribution within the miniplate. Prestress effect introduces additional loading, which leads to locally exceed the titanium alloy yield limit. Stress in surrounding bone increases rapidly around the screws application region, exceeding assumed bone yield limit, what indicate the local bone destruction. Approach with the doubled mini-plate shows increased stress within the connector due to the too rigid connection, where the main path of loading leads through the mini-plates instead of plates and connected bones. Clinical observations confirm more frequent plate destruction of stiffer connections. Some of them could be an effect of decreased low cyclic fatigue capability caused by the overloading. The executed analysis prove that the mini-plate system provides sufficient support to mandible fracture treatment, however, many applicable solutions shifts the entire system to the allowable material limits. The results show that connector application with the initial loading needs to be carefully established due to the small material capability tolerances. Comparison to the clinical observations allows optimizing entire connection to prevent future incidents.

Keywords: mandible fracture, mini-plate connection, numerical analysis, osteosynthesis

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Authors: Yanting Cao

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The UK has strong economic growth, which attracts other countries to invest there through globalization. This research process will be based on quantitative and qualitative descriptive analysis using interviews. The secondary analysis will involve a case study approach to understand the important aspects of leadership skills. The research outcomes will be identifying the strength and weaknesses of the leadership skills of UK automobile manufacturing enterprises and suggest the best practices adopted by the respective countries for better results.

Keywords: engineering management, leadership, Industrial project management, Project managers, automobile manufacturing

Procedia PDF Downloads 175

Authors: Lauren Benyo Linford, Jared Warren, Jeremy Bekker, Gus Salazar

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In order to accurately identify areas needing improvement and track growth, the availability of valid and reliable measures of different facets of well-being is vital. Because no specific measures currently exist for many facets of well-being, the purpose of this study was to construct and validate measures of the following constructs: Purpose, Values, Mindfulness, Savoring, Gratitude, Optimism, Supportive Relationships, Interconnectedness, Compassion, Community, Contribution, Engaged Living, Personal Growth, Flow Experiences, Self-Compassion, Exercise, Meditation, and an overall measure of subjective well-being—the Survey on Flourishing. In order to assess their psychometric properties, each measure was examined for internal consistency estimates, and items with poor item-test correlations were dropped. Additionally, the convergent validity of the Survey on Flourishing (SURF) was assessed. Total score correlations of SURF and other commonly used measures of well-being such as the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the PERMA Profiler (measure of Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement) were examined to establish convergent validity. The Kessler Psychological distress scale (K6) was also included to determine the divergent validity of the SURF measure. Three week test-retest reliability was also assessed for the SURF measure. Additionally, normative data from general population samples was collected for both the Self-Compassion and Survey on Flourishing (SURF) measures. The purpose of this study is to introduce each of these measures, divulge the psychometric findings of this study, as well as explore additional psychometric properties of the SURF measure in particular. This study will highlight how these measures can be used in future research exploring these positive psychology constructs. Additionally, this study will discuss the utility of these measures to guide individuals in their use of the online self-directed, self-administered My Best Self 101 positive psychology resources developed by the researchers. The goal of My Best Self 101 is to disseminate real, research-based measures and tools to individuals who are seeking to increase their well-being.

Keywords: measurement, psychometrics, test validation, well-Being

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Authors: Pia Ulvenblad, Henrik Barth, Jennie Cederholm BjöRklund, Maya Hoveskog, Per-Ola Ulvenblad

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The importance of business model innovation (BMI) is widely recognized. This is also valid for firms in the agri-food industry, closely connected to global challenges. Worldwide food production will have to increase 70% by 2050 and the United Nations’ sustainable development goals prioritize research and innovation on food security and sustainable agriculture. The firms of the agri-food industry have opportunities to increase their competitive advantage through BMI. However, the process of BMI is complex and the implementation of new business models is associated with high degree of risk and failure. Thus, managers from all industries and scholars need to better understand how to address this complexity. Therefore, the research presented in this paper (i) explores different categories of barriers in research literature on business models in the agri-food industry, and (ii) illustrates categories of barriers with empirical cases. This study is addressing the rather limited understanding on barriers for BMI in the agri-food industry, through a systematic literature review (SLR) of 570 peer-reviewed journal articles that contained a combination of ‘BM’ or ‘BMI’ with agriculture-related and food-related terms (e.g. ‘agri-food sector’) published in the period 1990-2014. The study classifies the barriers in several categories and illustrates the identified barriers with ten empirical cases. Findings from the literature review show that barriers are mainly identified as outcomes. It can be assumed that a perceived barrier to growth can often be initially exaggerated or underestimated before being challenged by appropriate measures or courses of action. What may be considered by the public mind to be a barrier could in reality be very different from an actual barrier that needs to be challenged. One way of addressing barriers to growth is to define barriers according to their origin (internal/external) and nature (tangible/intangible). The framework encompasses barriers related to the firm (internal addressing in-house conditions) or to the industrial or national levels (external addressing environmental conditions). Tangible barriers can include asset shortages in the area of equipment or facilities, while human resources deficiencies or negative willingness towards growth are examples of intangible barriers. Our findings are consistent with previous research on barriers for BMI that has identified human factors barriers (individuals’ attitudes, histories, etc.); contextual barriers related to company and industry settings; and more abstract barriers (government regulations, value chain position, and weather). However, human factor barriers – and opportunities - related to family-owned businesses with idealistic values and attitudes and owning the real estate where the business is situated, are more frequent in the agri-food industry than other industries. This paper contributes by generating a classification of the barriers for BMI as well as illustrating them with empirical cases. We argue that internal barriers such as human factors barriers; values and attitudes are crucial to overcome in order to develop BMI. However, they can be as hard to overcome as for example institutional barriers such as governments’ regulations. Implications for research and practice are to focus on cognitive barriers and to develop the BMI capability of the owners and managers of agri-industry firms.

Keywords: agri-food, barriers, business model, innovation

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Authors: Nada Bezić, Valerija Dunkić, Antonija Markovina, Mirko Rušćić

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Valeriana is a genus of the well-known medicinal plant of Valerianacea family and growing wild in the sub-Mediterranean area. This abstract reports the types and distribution of trichomes and phyto-active composition of the essential oil of the Valeriana tuberosa from mountain Kozjak, near Split, Croatia. Two types of glandular trichomes: peltate (one basal epidermal cell, one short stalk cell and a small head) and capitate trichomes (one basal epidermal cell, one elongated stalk cell) were observed on leaf, using light microscopy. We analyzed the composition of the essential oil of stems and leaves of V. tuberosa species. Water distilled essential oils from aerial parts of investigation plant have been analysed by GC and GC/MS using VF-5ms capillary column. The total yield of oil was 0.2%, based on dry weight of samples. Forty compounds representing 94.1% of the total oil of V. tuberosa. This essential oil was characterized by a high concentration of isovaleric acid (17.2%), geranyl isovalerate (12.2%) and caryophyllene oxide (7.7%). The present study gives additional knowledge about micromorphological traits and secondary metabolites contents on the genus Valeriana.

Keywords: essential oil, isovaleric acid, Valeriana tuberosa, Croatia

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Authors: Folasade Adegbaju, Olusola Arowolo, Olufisayo Onawumi

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Owolowo ile – ege garri processing industry which is a small scale cassava processing industry, located in Ilesha, Osun State was purposively selected as a case study because it is a cooperative business. This industry was established in 1991 by eight men (8) who were mostly retirees. A researcher made questionnaire was used to collect information from thirty (30) respondents: the manager, four official staffs and 25 randomly selected processors in the industry. The study found that within twelve years of the utilization of their self raised initial capital of N240, 000 naira (Two hundred and forty thousand naira) this cassava – based industry had impacted on and attracted the involvement of many more people because within the period of the study (i.e. 2007-2011) the processors had quadrupled in number (e.g. 8 to 30), the facilities (equipment) in use had increased from one machine and a frying pot to many, this translated into being able to produce large quantities of fried garri, fufu and also starch for marketing to the people in Ilesha and neighbouring cities like Ibadan, Lagos, etc. This is indicative of economic growth. The industry also became a source of employment for community members in the sense that, as at the time of study four staffs were employed to work and coordinate the industry. It was observed that despite all odds of small-scale industry and the problem of people migrating from rural to urban area, this agro-based industry still existed successfully in the community, and many of such industry can be replicated by such agricultural cooperative groups nationwide so as to further boost the productivity as well as the economy of the area and nation at large. However, government and individual still have major roles to play in ensuring the growth and development of the nation in this respect.The local agricultural cooperative groups should form regional cooperative consortium with more networking for the farmers, in order to create more jobs for the young ones and to increase agricultural productivity in the country thus resulting in a better and more sustainable economy.

Keywords: agricultural cooperative, cassava processing industry, model, small scale enterprise

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Authors: Fahad Al-Mufadi, F. Djavanroodi

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Ultrafine grained (UFG) and nanostructured (NS) materials have experienced a rapid development during the last decade and made profound impact on every field of materials science and engineering. The present work has been undertaken to develop ultra-fine grained pure copper by severe plastic deformation method and to examine the impact property by different characterizing tools. For this aim, equal channel angular pressing die with the channel angle, outer corner angle and channel diameter of 90°, 17° and 20 mm had been designed and manufactured. Commercial pure copper billets were ECAPed up to four passes by route BC at the ambient temperature. The results indicated that there is a great improvement at the hardness measurement, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength after ECAP process. It is found that the magnitudes of HV reach 136HV from 52HV after the final pass. Also, about 285% and 125% enhancement at the YS and UTS values have been obtained after the fourth pass as compared to the as-received conditions, respectively. On the other hand, the elongation to failure and impact energy have been reduced by imposing ECAP process and pass numbers. It is needed to say that about 56% reduction in the impact energy have been attained for the samples as contrasted to annealed specimens.

Keywords: SPD, ECAP, pure cu, impact property

Procedia PDF Downloads 247

Authors: A. Sharma, S. S. Sandhu, A.Shahi, A. Kumar

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In this study, the effects of geometric configurations of butt joints i.e. double V groove, double U groove and UV groove of AISI 304L of thickness 12 mm by using Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) are investigated. The magnitude of transverse shrinkage stress and distortion generated during welding under the unrestrained conditions of butt joints is the main objective of the study. The effect of groove design on impact strength and metallurgical properties are also studied. The Finite element analysis for the groove design is done and compared the actual experimentation. The experimental results and the FEM results were compared and reveal a very good correlation for distortion and weld groove design for multipass joint with a standard analogy of 80%. In the case of VV groove design it was found that the transverse stress and cumulative deflection have the lowest value. It was found that the UV groove design had the maximum ultimate and yield tensile strength, VV groove had the highest impact strength. Vicker’s hardness value of all the groove design was measured. Micro structural studies were carried out using conventional microscopic tools which revealed a lot of useful information for correlating the microstructure with mechanical properties.

Keywords: weld groove design, distortion, AISI 304 L, butt joint, FEM, GTAW

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Authors: Tarikayehu Amanuel, Abraham Mohammed

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The production of biodiesel from waste materials is becoming an increasingly important research area in the field of renewable energy. One potential waste material source is avocado, a fruit with a large seed and peel that are typically discarded after consumption. This research aims to investigate the feasibility of using avocado waste as a feedstock for the production of biodiesel. The study focuses on extracting oil from the waste material using the transesterification technique and then characterizing the properties of oil to determine its suitability for conversion to biodiesel. The study was conducted experimentally, and a maximum oil yield of 11.583% (150g of oil produced from 1.295kg of avocado waste powder) was obtained from avocado waste powder at an extraction time of 4hr. An 87% fatty acid methyl ester (biodiesel) conversion was also obtained using a methanol/oil ratio of 6:1, 1.3g NaOH, reaction time 60min, and 65°C reaction temperature. Furthermore, from 145 ml of avocado waste oil, 126.15 ml of biodiesel was produced, indicating a high percentage of conversion (87%). Conclusively, the produced biodiesel showed comparable physical and chemical characteristics to that of standard biodiesel samples considered for the study. The results of this research could help to identify a new source of biofuel production while also addressing the issue of waste disposal in the food industry.

Keywords: biodiesel, avocado, transesterification, soxhlet extraction

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Authors: Hamid Ahmadi, Neda Azari-Dodaran

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A total of 270 nonlinear steady-state finite element (FE) analyses were performed on 54 FE models of two-planar circular hollow section (CHS) KK-joints subjected to axial loading at five different temperatures (20 ºC, 200 ºC, 400 ºC, 550 ºC, and 700 ºC). The primary goal was to investigate the effects of temperature and geometrical characteristics on the ultimate strength, modes of failure, and initial stiffness of the KK-joints. Results indicated that on an average basis, the ultimate load of a two-planar tubular KK-joint at 200 ºC, 400 ºC, 550 ºC, and 700 ºC is 90%, 75%, 45%, and 16% of the joint’s ultimate load at ambient temperature, respectively. Outcomes of the parametric study showed that replacing the yield stress at ambient temperature with the corresponding value at elevated temperature to apply the EN 1993-1-8 equations for the calculation of the joint’s ultimate load at elevated temperatures may lead to highly unconservative results that might endanger the safety of the structure. Results of the parametric study were then used to develop a set of design formulas, through nonlinear regression analyses, to calculate the ultimate load of two-planar tubular KK-joints subjected to axial loading at elevated temperatures.

Keywords: ultimate load, two-planar tubular KK-joint, axial loading, elevated temperature, parametric equation

Procedia PDF Downloads 138

Authors: Essam Almuhsin, Ben Soh, Alice Li, Azmat Ullah

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It is widely accepted that university students must acquire new knowledge, skills, awareness, and understanding to increase opportunities for professional and personal growth. The study reveals a significant increase in users engaging in e-coaching activities and a growing need for it during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper proposes an e-coaching methodology for higher education in Saudi Arabia to address the need for effective coaching in the current online learning environment.

Keywords: role of e-coaching, e-coaching in higher education, Saudi higher education environment, e-coaching methodology, the importance of e-coaching

Procedia PDF Downloads 90

Authors: Cynthia A. Gallardo, Kelly S. Hall, Kristopher Garza, Linda Challoo, Mais Nijim

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Dual-enrollment programs have become more prevalent in college and high school settings. Also known as early college programs, dual-enrollment programs help students acquire a head start in earning college credit for post-secondary studies. The number and percentage of high school students who take college courses while in high school is growing. However, little is known about how dual-enrolled students fare. The classroom environment is important to learning. This study compares dually enrolled high school students who take courses that yield college credit either within their high school or at some other location. Mann-Whitney U was the statistical test used. Mean proportions were compared for each of the five standard letter grades earned across the state of Texas. Results indicated that students earn similar passing A, B, and C grades when they take dual-enrollment courses at their high school location but are more likely to fail if they take dual-enrollment courses at non-high school locations. Implications of results are that student success rate of dual-enrollment college courses may have a significant difference between the locations and student performance.

Keywords: educational leadership, dual-enrollment, student performance, college

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Authors: E. Izsó, M. Bartalné-Berceli, Sz. Gergely, A. Salgó

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The aims of this investigation is to elaborate near-infrared methods for testing and recognition of chemical components and quality in “Pannon wheat” allied (i.e. true to variety or variety identified) milling fractions as well as to develop spectroscopic methods following the milling processes and evaluate the stability of the milling technology by different types of milling products and according to sampling times, respectively. This wheat categories produced under industrial conditions where samples were collected versus sampling time and maximum or minimum yields. The changes of the main chemical components (such as starch, protein, lipid) and physical properties of fractions (particle size) were analysed by dispersive spectrophotometers using visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) regions of the electromagnetic radiation. Close correlation were obtained between the data of spectroscopic measurement techniques processed by various chemometric methods (e.g. principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA) and operation condition of milling technology. Its obvious that NIR methods are able to detect the deviation of the yield parameters and differences of the sampling times by a wide variety of fractions, respectively. NIR technology can be used in the sensitive monitoring of milling technology.

Keywords: near infrared spectroscopy, wheat categories, milling process, monitoring

Procedia PDF Downloads 395

Authors: Mohammed Y. Elsherbeny, Mohamed Salama, Ahmed Lotfy, Hossam Fareed, Nora Mohammed

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Background: Developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) entails the toxic effects imparted by various chemicals on brain during the early childhood when human brains are vulnerable during this period. DNT study in vivo cannot determine the effect of the neurotoxins, as it is not applicable, so using the neurosphere cells of lab animals as an alternative is applicable and time saving. Methods: Cell culture: Rat neural progenitor cells were isolated from rat embryos’ brain. The cortices were aseptically dissected out and the tissues were triturated. The dispersed tissues were allowed to settle. The supernatant was then transferred to a fresh tube and centrifuged. The pellet was placed in Hank’s balanced salt solution and cultured as free-floating neurospheres in proliferation medium. Differentiation was initiated by growth factor withdrawal in differentiation medium and plating onto a poly-d-lysine/ laminin matrix. Chemical Exposure: Neurospheres were treated for 2 weeks with papaverine in proliferation medium. Proliferation analyses: Spheres were cultured. After 0, 4, 5, 11 and 14 days, sphere size was determined by software analyses (CellProfiler, version 2.1; Broad Institute). Diameter of each neurosphere was measured and exported to excel file further to statistical analysis. Viability test: Trypsin-EDTA solution was added to neurospheres to dissociate neurospheres into single cells suspension, then viability evaluated by the Trypan Blue exclusion test. Result: As regards proliferation analysis and percentage of viable cells of papaverin treated groups: There was no significant change in cells proliferation compared to control at 0, 4, 5, 11 and 14 days with concentrations 1, 5 and 10 µM of papaverine, but there is a significant change in cell viability compared to control after 1 week and 2 weeks with the same concentrations of papaverine. Conclusion: Papaverine has toxic effect on viability of neural cell, not on their proliferation, so it may produce focal neural lesions not growth morphological changes.

Keywords: developmental neurotoxicity, neurotoxin, papaverine, neuroshperes

Procedia PDF Downloads 371