Search results for: multiple scales method

Authors: Min Kyeong Cha, Ju Yeon Mun, Seong Baeg Kim

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Recently, ‘play of learning’ became important and is emphasized as a useful learning tool. Therefore, interest in edutainment contents is growing. Storytelling is considered first as a method that improves the transmission of information and learner's interest when planning edutainment contents. In this study, we designed edutainment contents in the form of an adventure game that applies the storytelling method. This content provides questions and items constituted dynamically and reorganized learning contents through analysis of test results. It allows learners to solve various questions through effective iterative learning. As a result, the learners can reach mastery learning.

Keywords: storytelling, edutainment, mastery learning, computer operating principle

Procedia PDF Downloads 311

Authors: Sait Ali Uymaz, Gülay Tezel

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This paper presents the comparison results on the performance of the Cuckoo Search (CS) algorithm for constrained optimization problems. For constraint handling, CS algorithm uses penalty method. CS algorithm is tested on thirteen well-known test problems and the results obtained are compared to Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. Mean, best, median and worst values were employed for the analyses of performance.

Keywords: cuckoo search, particle swarm optimization, constrained optimization problems, penalty method

Procedia PDF Downloads 549

Authors: Mohammad Zavid Parvez, Manoranjan Paul

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A seizure prediction method is proposed by extracting global features using phase correlation between adjacent epochs for detecting relative changes and local features using fluctuation/deviation within an epoch for determining fine changes of different EEG signals. A classifier and a regularization technique are applied for the reduction of false alarms and improvement of the overall prediction accuracy. The experiments show that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods and provides high prediction accuracy (i.e., 97.70%) with low false alarm using EEG signals in different brain locations from a benchmark data set.

Keywords: Epilepsy, seizure, phase correlation, fluctuation, deviation.

Procedia PDF Downloads 464

Authors: Zhaojun Wang, Zongdi Sun, Qinqin Cui, Xingwan Ren

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Based on multivariate statistical analysis theory, this paper uses the principal component analysis method, Mahalanobis distance analysis method and fitting method to establish the photovoltaic health model to evaluate the health of photovoltaic panels. First of all, according to weather conditions, the photovoltaic panel variable data are classified into five categories: sunny, cloudy, rainy, foggy, overcast. The health of photovoltaic panels in these five types of weather is studied. Secondly, a scatterplot of the relationship between the amount of electricity produced by each kind of weather and other variables was plotted. It was found that the amount of electricity generated by photovoltaic panels has a significant nonlinear relationship with time. The fitting method was used to fit the relationship between the amount of weather generated and the time, and the nonlinear equation was obtained. Then, using the principal component analysis method to analyze the independent variables under five kinds of weather conditions, according to the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test, it was found that three types of weather such as overcast, foggy, and sunny meet the conditions for factor analysis, while cloudy and rainy weather do not satisfy the conditions for factor analysis. Therefore, through the principal component analysis method, the main components of overcast weather are temperature, AQI, and pm2.5. The main component of foggy weather is temperature, and the main components of sunny weather are temperature, AQI, and pm2.5. Cloudy and rainy weather require analysis of all of their variables, namely temperature, AQI, pm2.5, solar radiation intensity and time. Finally, taking the variable values in sunny weather as observed values, taking the main components of cloudy, foggy, overcast and rainy weather as sample data, the Mahalanobis distances between observed value and these sample values are obtained. A comparative analysis was carried out to compare the degree of deviation of the Mahalanobis distance to determine the health of the photovoltaic panels under different weather conditions. It was found that the weather conditions in which the Mahalanobis distance fluctuations ranged from small to large were: foggy, cloudy, overcast and rainy.

Keywords: fitting, principal component analysis, Mahalanobis distance, SPSS, MATLAB

Procedia PDF Downloads 140

Authors: L. Parisi

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A blood pressure monitor or sphygmomanometer can be either manual or automatic, employing respectively either the auscultatory method or the oscillometric method. The manual version of the sphygmomanometer involves an inflatable cuff with a stethoscope adopted to detect the sounds generated by the arterial walls to measure blood pressure in an artery. An automatic sphygmomanometer can be effectively used to monitor blood pressure through a pressure sensor, which detects vibrations provoked by oscillations of the arterial walls. The pressure sensor implemented in this device improves the accuracy of the measurements taken.

Keywords: blood pressure, blood saturation, sensors, actuators, design improvement

Procedia PDF Downloads 450

Authors: Shantosa Yudha Siswanto, Rachmat Harryanto

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The aim of the research was to investigate the effect of land use and slope steepness on soil erodibility index. The research was conducted from September to December 2013 in Mekarwangi catchment area, sub watershed of Cikapundung Hulu, Indonesia. The study was carried out using descriptive method. Physiographic free survey method was used as survey method, it was a survey based on land physiographic appearance. Soil sampling was carried out into transect on the similarity of slope without calculating the range between points of observation. Soil samples were carried onto three classes of land use such as: forest, plantation and dry cultivation area. Each land use consists of three slope classes such as: 8-15%, 16-25%, and 26-40% class. Five samples of soil were taken from each of them, resulting 45 points of observation. The result of the research showed that type of land use and slope classes gave different effect on soil erodibility. The highest C-organic and permeability was found on forest with slope 16-25%. Slope of 8-15% with forest land use give the lowest effect on soil erodibility.

Keywords: land use, slope, erodibility, erosion

Procedia PDF Downloads 246

Authors: Shaojun Zheng, Lei Xu, Yunzi Wang

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The main purpose of the research is to use the cultural ecology to analyze the renewal of Shenzhen urban village in the process of China's urbanization and to evaluate and guide the renewal, which will combine the society value and economic efficiency and activate urban villages. The urban village has a long history. There are also many old buildings, various residents, and a strong connection with the surrounding environment. Cultural ecology, which uses the knowledge of ecology to study culture, provides us a cultural perspective in the renewal. We take Hubei village in Shenzhen as our example. By using cultural ecology, we find a new way dealing with the relationship between culture and other factors. It helps us to give the buildings and space the culture meanings from different scales. It enables us to find a unique development pattern of urban village. After analyzing several famous cultural blocks cases, we find it is possible to connect the unique culture of urban village with the renovation of its buildings, community, and commerce. We propose the following strategies with specific target: 1. Building renovation: We repair and rebuild the origin buildings as little as possible, and retain the original urban space tissue as much as possible to keep the original sense of place and the cultural atmosphere. 2. Community upgrade: We reshape the village stream, fix the original function, add event which will activate people to complete the existing cultural circle 3. District commerce: We implant food and drink district, boutique commercial, and creative industries, to make full use of the historical atmosphere of the site to enhance the culture feelings For the renewal of a seemingly chaotic mixed urban village, it is important to break out from the conventional practices of building shopping malls or residential towers. Without creating those building landmarks, cultural ecology activates the urban village by exploiting its unique culture, which makes the old and new combine and becomes a new stream of energy, forming the new cultural, commercial and stylish landmark of the city.

Keywords: cultural ecology, urban village, renewal, combination

Procedia PDF Downloads 380

Authors: Shih-Yu Wang, Shun-Wen Hsiao

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In the field of cybersecurity, there exists many vendors giving malware samples classified results, namely naming after the label that contains some important information which is also called AV label. Lots of researchers relay on AV labels for research. Unfortunately, AV labels are too cluttered. They do not have a fixed format and fixed naming rules because the naming results were based on each classifiers' viewpoints. A way to fix the problem is taking a majority vote. However, voting can sometimes create problems of bias. Thus, we create a novel ensemble approach which does not rely on the cacophonous naming result but depend on group identification to aggregate everyone's opinion. To achieve this purpose, we develop an scoring system called Pairwise Consensus Score (PCS) to calculate result similarity. The entire method architecture combine Genetic Algorithm and PCS to find maximum consensus in the group. Experimental results revealed that our method outperformed the majority voting by 10% in term of the score.

Keywords: genetic algorithm, ensemble learning, malware family, malware labeling, AV labels

Procedia PDF Downloads 83

Authors: Luleka Dlamini, Olivier Crespo, Jos van Dam

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Accurately estimating crop growth and yield is pivotal for timely sustainable agricultural management and ensuring food security. Crop models and remote sensing can complement each other and form a robust analysis tool to improve crop growth and yield estimations when combined. This study thus aims to systematically evaluate how research that exclusively focuses on assimilating RS data into crop models varies among countries, crops, data assimilation methods, and farming conditions. A strict search string was applied in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, and 497 potential publications were obtained. After screening for relevance with predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria, 123 publications were considered in the final review. Results indicate that over 81% of the studies were conducted in countries associated with high socio-economic and technological advancement, mainly China, the United States of America, France, Germany, and Italy. Many of these studies integrated MODIS or Landsat data into WOFOST to improve crop growth and yield estimation of staple crops at the field and regional scales. Most studies use recalibration or updating methods alongside various algorithms to assimilate remotely sensed leaf area index into crop models. However, these methods cannot account for the uncertainties in remote sensing observations and the crop model itself. l. Over 85% of the studies were based on commercial and irrigated farming systems. Despite a great global interest in data assimilation into crop models, limited research has been conducted in resource- and data-limited regions like Africa. We foresee a great potential for such application in those conditions. Hence facilitating and expanding the use of such an approach, from which developing farming communities could benefit.

Keywords: crop models, remote sensing, data assimilation, crop yield estimation

Procedia PDF Downloads 121

Authors: Luleka Dlamini, Olivier Crespo, Jos van Dam

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Accurately estimating crop growth and yield is pivotal for timely sustainable agricultural management and ensuring food security. Crop models and remote sensing can complement each other and form a robust analysis tool to improve crop growth and yield estimations when combined. This study thus aims to systematically evaluate how research that exclusively focuses on assimilating RS data into crop models varies among countries, crops, data assimilation methods, and farming conditions. A strict search string was applied in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, and 497 potential publications were obtained. After screening for relevance with predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria, 123 publications were considered in the final review. Results indicate that over 81% of the studies were conducted in countries associated with high socio-economic and technological advancement, mainly China, the United States of America, France, Germany, and Italy. Many of these studies integrated MODIS or Landsat data into WOFOST to improve crop growth and yield estimation of staple crops at the field and regional scales. Most studies use recalibration or updating methods alongside various algorithms to assimilate remotely sensed leaf area index into crop models. However, these methods cannot account for the uncertainties in remote sensing observations and the crop model itself. l. Over 85% of the studies were based on commercial and irrigated farming systems. Despite a great global interest in data assimilation into crop models, limited research has been conducted in resource- and data-limited regions like Africa. We foresee a great potential for such application in those conditions. Hence facilitating and expanding the use of such an approach, from which developing farming communities could benefit.

Keywords: crop models, remote sensing, data assimilation, crop yield estimation

Procedia PDF Downloads 78

Authors: Eliane G. Tótoli, Hérida Regina N. Salgado

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Daptomycin is an important antimicrobial agent used in clinical practice nowadays, since it is very active against some Gram-positive bacteria that are particularly challenges for the medicine, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). The importance of environmental preservation has receiving special attention since last years. Considering the evident need to protect the natural environment and the introduction of strict quality requirements regarding analytical procedures used in pharmaceutical analysis, the industries must seek environmentally friendly alternatives in relation to the analytical methods and other processes that they follow in their routine. In view of these factors, green analytical chemistry is prevalent and encouraged nowadays. In this context, infrared spectroscopy stands out. This is a method that does not use organic solvents and, although it is formally accepted for the identification of individual compounds, also allows the quantitation of substances. Considering that there are few green analytical methods described in literature for the analysis of daptomycin, the aim of this work was the development and validation of a green analytical method for the quantification of this drug in lyophilized powder for injectable solution, by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Method: Translucent potassium bromide pellets containing predetermined amounts of the drug were prepared and subjected to spectrophotometric analysis in the mid-infrared region. After obtaining the infrared spectrum and with the assistance of the IR Solution software, quantitative analysis was carried out in the spectral region between 1575 and 1700 cm-1, related to a carbonyl band of the daptomycin molecule, and this band had its height analyzed in terms of absorbance. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines regarding linearity, precision (repeatability and intermediate precision), accuracy and robustness. Results and discussion: The method showed to be linear (r = 0.9999), precise (RSD% < 2.0), accurate and robust, over a concentration range from 0.2 to 0.6 mg/pellet. In addition, this technique does not use organic solvents, which is one great advantage over the most common analytical methods. This fact contributes to minimize the generation of organic solvent waste by the industry and thereby reduces the impact of its activities on the environment. Conclusion: The validated method proved to be adequate to quantify daptomycin in lyophilized powder for injectable solution and can be used for its routine analysis in quality control. In addition, the proposed method is environmentally friendly, which is in line with the global trend.

Keywords: daptomycin, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, green analytical chemistry, quality control, spectrometry in IR region

Procedia PDF Downloads 375

Authors: Nicolò Vaiana, Filip C. Filippou, Giorgio Serino

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In order to reduce numerical computations in the nonlinear dynamic analysis of seismically base-isolated structures, a Mixed Explicit-Implicit time integration Method (MEIM) has been proposed. Adopting the explicit conditionally stable central difference method to compute the nonlinear response of the base isolation system, and the implicit unconditionally stable Newmark’s constant average acceleration method to determine the superstructure linear response, the proposed MEIM, which is conditionally stable due to the use of the central difference method, allows to avoid the iterative procedure generally required by conventional monolithic solution approaches within each time step of the analysis. The main aim of this paper is to investigate the stability and computational efficiency of the MEIM when employed to perform the nonlinear time history analysis of base-isolated structures with sliding bearings. Indeed, in this case, the critical time step could become smaller than the one used to define accurately the earthquake excitation due to the very high initial stiffness values of such devices. The numerical results obtained from nonlinear dynamic analyses of a base-isolated structure with a friction pendulum bearing system, performed by using the proposed MEIM, are compared to those obtained adopting a conventional monolithic solution approach, i.e. the implicit unconditionally stable Newmark’s constant acceleration method employed in conjunction with the iterative pseudo-force procedure. According to the numerical results, in the presented numerical application, the MEIM does not have stability problems being the critical time step larger than the ground acceleration one despite of the high initial stiffness of the friction pendulum bearings. In addition, compared to the conventional monolithic solution approach, the proposed algorithm preserves its computational efficiency even when it is adopted to perform the nonlinear dynamic analysis using a smaller time step.

Keywords: base isolation, computational efficiency, mixed explicit-implicit method, partitioned solution approach, stability

Procedia PDF Downloads 273

Authors: Gerardo Casal, Miguel E. Vázquez-Méndez

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The clothoid (also known as Cornu spiral or Euler spiral) is a curve that is characterized because its curvature is proportional to its length. This property makes that it would be widely used as transition curve for designing the layout of roads and railway tracks. In this work, from the geometrical property characterizing the clothoid, its parametric equations are obtained and two algorithms to compute it are compared. The first (classical), is widely used in Surveying Schools and it is based on the use of explicit formulas obtained from Taylor expansions of sine and cosine functions. The second one (alternative) is a very simple algorithm, based on the numerical solution of the initial value problems giving the clothoid parameterization. Both methods are compared in some typical surveying problems. The alternative method does not use complex formulas and so it is conceptually very simple and easy to apply. It gives good results, even if the classical method goes wrong (if the quotient between length and radius of curvature is high), needs no subsequent translations nor rotations and, consequently, it seems an efficient tool for designing the layout of roads and railway tracks.

Keywords: transition curves, railroad and highway engineering, Runge-Kutta methods

Procedia PDF Downloads 277

Authors: Rami Jahmani

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Closed femoral-shortening osteotomy over an intramedullary nail for the treatment of leg length discrepancy (LLD) is a demanding surgical technique, classically requiring specialized instrumentation (intramedullary saw and chisel). The paper describes a modified surgical technique of performing femoral shortening percutaneously, using a percutaneous multiple drill-hole osteotomy technique to smash the bone, and then, the bone is fixed using intramedullary locked nail. Paper presents the result of performing nine cases of shortening as well.

Keywords: —Femoral shortening, Leg length discrepancy, Minimal invasive, Percutaneous osteotomy.

Procedia PDF Downloads 71

Authors: Dahi Ghareab Abdelsalam Ibrahim

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Calibration of step heights with high accuracy is needed for many applications in the industry. In general, step height consists of three bands: pass band, transition band (roll-off), and stop band. Abdelsalam used a convolution of the transfer functions of both Chebyshev type 2 and elliptic filters with WFF of the Fresnel transform in the frequency domain for producing a steeper roll-off with the removal of ripples in the pass band- and stop-bands. In this paper, we used a new method based on the Hamming window: band-pass filter for calibration of step heights in terms of perfect adjustment of pass-band, roll-off, and stop-band. The method is applied to calibrate a nominal step height of 40 cm. The step height is measured first by asynchronous dual-wavelength phase-shift interferometry. The measured step height is then calibrated by the simulation of the Hamming window: band-pass filter. The spectrum of the simulated band-pass filter is simulated at N = 881 and f0 = 0.24. We can conclude that the proposed method can calibrate any step height by adjusting only two factors which are N and f0.

Keywords: optical metrology, step heights, hamming window, band-pass filter

Procedia PDF Downloads 77

Authors: Prajamitra Bhuyan

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Transport operators have a range of intervention options available to improve or enhance their networks. But often such interventions are made in the absence of sound evidence on what outcomes may result. Cycling superhighways were promoted as a sustainable and healthy travel mode which aims to cut traffic congestion. The estimation of the impacts of the cycle superhighways on congestion is complicated due to the non-random assignment of such intervention over the transport network. In this paper, we analyse the causal effect of cycle superhighways utilising pre-innervation and post-intervention information on traffic and road characteristics along with socio-economic factors. We propose a modeling framework based on the propensity score and outcome regression model. The method is also extended to doubly robust set-up. Simulation results show the superiority of the performance of the proposed method over existing competitors. The method is applied to analyse a real dataset on the London transport network, and the result would help effective decision making to improve network performance.

Keywords: average treatment effect, confounder, difference-in-difference, intelligent transportation system, potential outcome

Procedia PDF Downloads 236

Authors: Fulya Zaralı, Harun Resit Yazgan

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Logistics centers represent areas that all national and international logistics and activities related to logistics can be implemented by the various businesses. Logistics centers have a key importance in joining the transport stream and the transport system operations. Therefore, it is important where these centers are positioned to be effective and efficient and to show the expected performance of the centers. In this study, the location selection problem to position the logistics center is discussed. Alternative centers are evaluated according certain criteria. The most appropriate center is identified using the axiomatic design method.

Keywords: axiomatic design, logistic center, facility location, information systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 344

Authors: Elia Efraim, Boris Blostotsky

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Testing of columns in sway mode is performed in order to determine the maximal allowable load limited by plastic deformations or their end connections and a critical load limited by columns stability. Motivation to determine accurate value of critical force is caused by its using as follow: - critical load is maximal allowable load for given column configuration and can be used as criterion of perfection; - it is used in calculation prescribed by standards for design of structural elements under combined action of compression and bending; - it is used for verification of theoretical analysis of stability at various end conditions of columns. In the present work a new non-destructive method for determination of columns critical buckling load in sway mode is proposed. The method allows performing measurements during the tests under loads that exceeds the columns critical load without losing its stability. The possibility of such loading is achieved by structure of the loading system. The system is performed as frame with rigid girder, one of the columns is the tested column and the other is additional two-hinged strut. Loading of the frame is carried out by the flexible traction element attached to the girder. The load applied on the tested column can achieve values that exceed the critical load by choice of parameters of the traction element and the additional strut. The system lateral stiffness and the column critical load are obtained by the dynamic method. The experiment planning and the comparison between the experimental and theoretical values were performed based on the developed dependency of lateral stiffness of the system on vertical load, taking into account semi-rigid connections of the column's ends. The agreement between the obtained results was established. The method can be used for testing of real full-size columns in industrial conditions.

Keywords: buckling, columns, dynamic method, end-fixity factor, sway mode

Procedia PDF Downloads 349

Authors: Abu Harera Nadeem, Kingsley Donkor

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Tea is a popular beverage due to its flavour, aroma and antioxidant properties—with the most consumed varieties being green and black tea. Antioxidants in tea can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and heart disease and obesity. However, these teas contain heavy metals such as Hg, Cd, or Pb, which can cause autoimmune diseases like Graves disease. In this study, 11 heavy metals in various commercial green, black, and oolong tea samples were determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Two methods of sample preparation were compared for accuracy and precision, which were microwave-assisted digestion and ultrasonic-assisted extraction. The developed method was further validated by detection limit, precision, and accuracy. Results showed that the proposed method was highly sensitive with detection limits within parts-per-billion levels. Reasonable method accuracy was obtained by spiked experiments. The findings of this study can be used to delve into the link between tea consumption and disease and to provide information for future studies on metal determination in tea.

Keywords: ICP-MS, green tea, black tea, microwave-assisted acid digestion, ultrasound-assisted extraction

Procedia PDF Downloads 118

Authors: Ric Joseph R. Murillo, Edna N. Gueco, Dennis I. Merino

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Let F be C or R, where C and R are the set of complex numbers and real numbers, respectively, and n be a natural number. An n-by-n matrix A over the field F is called an α-involutory matrix or an α-involution if there exists an α in the field such that the square of the matrix is equal to αI, where I is the n-by-n identity matrix. If α is a complex number or a nonnegative real number, then an n-by-n matrix A over the field F can be written as a sum of n-by-n α-involutory matrices over the field F if and only if the trace of that matrix is an integral multiple of the square root of α. Meanwhile, if α is a negative real number, then a 2n-by-2n matrix A over R can be written as a sum of 2n-by-2n α-involutory matrices over R if and only the trace of the matrix is zero. Some other properties of α-involutory matrices are also determined

Keywords: α-involutory Matrices, sum of α-involutory Matrices, Trace, Matrix Theory

Procedia PDF Downloads 189

Authors: Dini Riandini

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The research is aimed to find out the causes and effect of Andrea’s lifestyle changes and the other factors that contribute to Andrea’s lifestyle changes which influence Andrea’s behavior and personality in The Devil Wears Prada novel. The method of this research is descriptive qualitative method. Theory of Anderson (1999) about social psychology is used to figure out Andrea’s lifestyle changes. Lifestyle changes are influenced by social and environment in which people live. Andrea changes her lifestyle from simple to luxurious because of society and environment in which she lives. Social interaction creates humans’ lifestyles which influence their personality and behavior.

Keywords: lifestyle, lifestyle changes, personality, behaviour

Procedia PDF Downloads 325

Authors: D. S. Mohale, A. P. Dewani, A. S.tripathi, A. V. Chandewar

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Present work demonstrates the applicability of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV-Vis detection for the quantification of malondialdehyde as malondialdehyde-thiobarbituric acid complex (MDA-TBA) in-vivo in rats. The HPLC method for MDA-TBA was achieved by isocratic mode on a reverse-phase C18 column (250mm×4.6mm) at a flow rate of 1.0mLmin−1 followed by detection at 532 nm. The chromatographic conditions were optimized by varying the concentration and pH of water followed by changes in percentage of organic phase optimal mobile phase consisted of mixture of water (0.2% triethylamine pH adjusted to 2.3 by ortho-phosphoric acid) and acetonitrile in ratio (80:20v/v). The retention time of MDA-TBA complex was 3.7 min. The developed method was sensitive as limit of detection and quantification (LOD and LOQ) for MDA-TBA complex were (standard deviation and slope of calibration curve) 110 ng/ml and 363 ng/ml respectively. Calibration studies were done by spiking MDA into rat plasma at concentrations ranging from 500 to 1000 ng/ml. The precision of developed method measured in terms of relative standard deviations for intra-day and inter-day studies was 1.6–5.0% and 1.9–3.6% respectively. The HPLC method was applied for monitoring MDA levels in rats subjected to chronic treatment of levofloxacin (LEV) (5mg/kg/day) for 21 days. Results were compared by findings in control group rats. Mean peak areas of both study groups was subjected for statistical treatment to unpaired student t-test to find p-values. The p value was <0.001 indicating significant results and suggesting increased MDA levels in rats subjected to chronic treatment of LEV of 21 days.

Keywords: malondialdehyde-thiobarbituric acid complex, levofloxacin, HPLC, oxidative stress

Procedia PDF Downloads 329

Authors: Wissem Tighidet, Faïçal Naït Bouda, Moussa Allouche

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The numerical study of the Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) in a partially filled flexible tank submitted to a horizontal harmonic excitation motion. It is investigated by using two-way Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) in a flexible tank by Coupling between the Transient Structural (Mechanical) and Fluid Flow (Fluent) in ANSYS-Workbench Student version. The Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formulation is adopted to solve with the finite volume method, the Navier-Stokes equations in two phases in a moving domain. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is applied to track the free surface. However, the equations of the dynamics of the structure are solved with the finite element method assuming a linear elastic behavior. To conclude, the Fluid-Structure Interaction (IFS) has a vital role in the analysis of the dynamic behavior of the rectangular tank. The results indicate that the flexibility of the tank walls has a significant impact on the amplitude of tank sloshing and the deformation of the free surface as well as the effect of liquid sloshing on wall deformation.

Keywords: arbitrary lagrangian-eulerian, fluid-structure interaction, sloshing, volume of fluid

Procedia PDF Downloads 98

Authors: Soojin Kim, Jiwon Yang, Sungzoon Cho

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As a seasonal product is only in demand for a short time, inventory management is critical to profits. Both markdowns and stockouts decrease the return on perishable products; therefore, researchers have been interested in the distribution of seasonal products with the aim of maximizing profits. In this study, we propose a data-driven seasonal product sales pattern analysis method for individual retail outlets based on observed sales data clustering; the proposed method helps in determining distribution strategies.

Keywords: clustering, distribution, sales pattern, seasonal product

Procedia PDF Downloads 590

Authors: Rachel C. F. Sun

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This study examined the predictive effects of moral competence, prosocial norms and positive behavior recognition on school misbehavior among Chinese junior secondary school students. Results of multiple regression analysis showed that students were more likely to misbehave in school when they had lower levels of moral competence and prosocial norms, and when they perceived their positive behavior being less likely recognized. Practical implications were discussed on how to guide students to make the right choices to behave appropriately in school. Implications for future research were also discussed.

Keywords: moral competence, positive behavior recognition, prosocial norms, school misbehavior

Procedia PDF Downloads 378

Authors: Bahram Besharti, Hossein Navid, Hadi Karimi, Hossein Behfar, Iraj Eskandari

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Multiple or miss sowing by seed drills is a common problem on the farm. This problem causes overuse of seeds, wasting energy, rising crop treatment cost and reducing crop yield in harvesting. To be informed of mentioned faults and monitoring the performance of seed drills during sowing, developing a seed sensor for detecting seed mass flow rate and monitoring in a delivery tube is essential. In this research, an infrared seed sensor was developed to estimate seed mass flow rate in seed drills. The developed sensor comprised of a pair of spaced apart circuits one acting as an IR transmitter and the other acting as an IR receiver. Optical coverage in the sensing section was obtained by setting IR LEDs and photo-diodes directly on opposite sides. Passing seeds made interruption in radiation beams to the photo-diode which caused output voltages to change. The voltage difference of sensing units summed by a microcontroller and were converted to an analog value by DAC chip. The sensor was tested by using a roller seed metering device with three types of seeds consist of chickpea, wheat, and alfalfa (representing large, medium and fine seed, respectively). The results revealed a good fitting between voltage received from seed sensor and mass flow of seeds in the delivery tube. A linear trend line was set for three seeds collected data as a model of the mass flow of seeds. A final mass flow model was developed for various size seeds based on receiving voltages from the seed sensor, thousand seed weight and equivalent diameter of seeds. The developed infrared seed sensor, besides monitoring mass flow of seeds in field operations, can be used for the assessment of mechanical planter seed metering unit performance in the laboratory and provide an easy calibrating method for seed drills before planting in the field.

Keywords: seed flow, infrared, seed sensor, seed drills

Procedia PDF Downloads 358

Authors: Enes Furkan Erkan, Özer Uygun, Halil Ibrahim Demir, Zeynep Demir

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Companies require increase in quality perception level of their products due to competitive conditions. As a result, the tendency to quality and researches to develop the quality are increasing day by day. Cost and time constraints are the biggest problems that companies face in their quality improvement efforts. In this study, factors that affect the porosity of ceramic products are determined and analyzed in a factory producing ceramic tiles. Then, Taguchi method is used in the design phase in order to decrease the number of tests to be performed by means of orthogonal sequences. The most important factors affecting the porosity of ceramic tiles are determined using Taguchi and ANOVA analysis. Based on the analyses, the most affecting factors are determined to be used in the fuzzy implementation stage. Then, the fuzzy rules were established with the factors affecting porosity by the experts’ opinion. Thus, porosity result could be obtained not only for the specified factor levels but also for intermediate values. In this way, it has been provided convenience to the factory in terms of cost and quality improvement.

Keywords: fuzzy, porosity, Taguchi Method, Taguchi-Fuzzy

Procedia PDF Downloads 429

Authors: Anupama Singh, Papia Raj

Abstract:

Though Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a worldwide problem, yet its implications are enormous in developing countries, as they are unable to provide proper Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) for the large volume of MSW. As a result, the collected wastes are dumped in open dumping at landfilling sites while the uncollected wastes remain strewn on the roadside, many-a-time clogging drainage. Such unsafe and inadequate management of MSW causes various public health hazards. For example, MSW directly on contact or by leachate contaminate the soil, surface water, and ground water; open burning causes air pollution; anaerobic digestion between the piles of MSW enhance the greenhouse gases i.e., carbon dioxide and methane (CO2 and CH4) into the atmosphere. Moreover, open dumping can cause spread of vector borne disease like cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and so on. Patna, the capital city of Bihar, one of the most underdeveloped provinces in India, is a unique representation of this situation. Patna has been identified as the ‘garbage city’. Over the last decade there has been an exponential increase in the quantity of MSW generation in Patna. Though a large proportion of such MSW is recyclable in nature, only a negligible portion is recycled. Plastic constitutes the major chunk of the recyclable waste. The chemical composition of plastic is versatile consisting of toxic compounds, such as, plasticizers, like adipates and phthalates. Pigmented plastic is highly toxic and it contains harmful metals such as copper, lead, chromium, cobalt, selenium, and cadmium. Human population becomes vulnerable to an array of health problems as they are exposed to these toxic chemicals multiple times a day through air, water, dust, and food. Based on analysis of health data it can be emphasized that in Patna there has been an increase in the incidence of specific diseases, such as, diarrhoea, dysentry, acute respiratory infection (ARI), asthma, and other chronic respiratory diseases (CRD). This trend can be attributed to improper MSWM. The results were reiterated through a survey (N=127) conducted during 2014-15 in selected areas of Patna. Random sampling method of data collection was used to better understand the relationship between different variables affecting public health due to exposure to MSW and lack of MSWM. The results derived through bivariate and logistic regression analysis of the survey data indicate that segregation of wastes at source, segregation behavior, collection bins in the area, distance of collection bins from residential area, and transportation of MSW are the major determinants of public health issues. Sustainable recycling is a robust method for MSWM with its pioneer concerns being environment, society, and economy. It thus ensures minimal threat to environment and ecology consequently improving public health conditions. Hence, this paper concludes that sustainable recycling would be the most viable approach to manage MSW in Patna and would eventually reduce public health hazards.

Keywords: municipal solid waste, Patna, public health, sustainable recycling

Procedia PDF Downloads 318

Authors: Abdullah Alnutayfat, Alexander Sutin

Abstract:

One of the most important types of renewable energy resources is wind energy which can be produced by wind turbines. The blades of the wind turbine are exposed to the pressure of the harsh environment, which causes a significant issue for the wind power industry in terms of the maintenance cost and failure of blades. One of the reliable methods for blade inspection is the vibroacoustic structural health monitoring (SHM) method which examines information obtained from the structural vibrations of the blade. However, all vibroacoustic SHM techniques are based on comparing the structural vibration of intact and damaged structures, which places a practical limit on their use. Methods for nonlinear vibroacoustic SHM are more sensitive to damage and cracking and do not need to be compared to data from the intact structure. This paper presents the Vibro-Acoustic Modulation (VAM) method based on the modulation of high-frequency (probe wave) by low-frequency loads (pump wave) produced by the blade rotation. The blade rotation alternates bending stress due to gravity, leading to crack size variations and variations in the blade resonance frequency. This method can be used with the classical SHM vibration method in which the blade is excited by piezoceramic actuator patches bonded to the blade and receives the vibration response from another piezoceramic sensor. The VAM modification of this method analyzes the spectra of the detected signal and their sideband components. We suggest the VAM model as the simple mechanical oscillator, where the parameters of the oscillator (resonance frequency and damping) are varied due to low-frequency blade rotation. This model uses the blade vibration parameters and crack influence on the blade resonance properties from previous research papers to predict the modulation index (MI).

Keywords: wind turbine blades, damaged detection, vibro-acoustic structural health monitoring, vibro-acoustic modulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 78

Authors: T. Almutairi, K. Naudi, N. Nairn, X. Ju, B. Eng, J. Whitters, A. Ayoub

Abstract:

Purpose: At present Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) imaging does not record dental morphology accurately due to the scattering produced by metallic restorations and the reported magnification. The aim of this pilot study is the development and validation of a new method for the replacement of the distorted dentition of CBCT scans with the dental image captured by the digital intraoral camera. Materials and Method: Six dried skulls with orthodontics brackets on the teeth were used in this study. Three intra-oral markers made of dental stone were constructed which were attached to orthodontics brackets. The skulls were CBCT scanned, and occlusal surface was captured using TRIOS® 3D intraoral scanner. Marker based and surface based registrations were performed to fuse the digital intra-oral scan(IOS) into the CBCT models. This produced a new composite digital model of the skull and dentition. The skulls were scanned again using the commercially accurate Laser Faro® arm to produce the 'gold standard' model for the assessment of the accuracy of the developed method. The accuracy of the method was assessed by measuring the distance between the occlusal surfaces of the new composite model and the 'gold standard' 3D model of the skull and teeth. The procedure was repeated a week apart to measure the reproducibility of the method. Results: The results showed no statistically significant difference between the measurements on the first and second occasions. The absolute mean distance between the new composite model and the laser model ranged between 0.11 mm to 0.20 mm. Conclusion: The dentition of the CBCT can be accurately replaced with the dental image captured by the intra-oral scanner to create a composite model. This method will improve the accuracy of orthognathic surgical prediction planning, with the final goal of the fabrication of a physical occlusal wafer without to guide orthognathic surgery and eliminate the need for dental impression.

Keywords: orthognathic surgery, superimposition, models, cone beam computed tomography

Procedia PDF Downloads 191