Search results for: ratio type exponential estimator
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 11182

Search results for: ratio type exponential estimator

6472 Free Vibration Analysis of Composite Beam with Non-Uniform Section Using Analytical, Numerical and Experimental Method

Authors: Kadda Boumediene, Mohamed Ziani

Abstract:

Mainly because of their good ratio stiffness/mass, and in addition to adjustable mechanical properties, composite materials are more and more often used as an alternative to traditional materials in several domains. Before using these materials in practical application, a detailed and precise characterization of their mechanical properties is necessary. In the present work, we will find a dynamic analyze of composite beam (natural frequencies and mode shape), an experimental vibration technique, which presents a powerful tool for the estimation of mechanical characteristics, is used to characterize a dissimilar beam of a Mortar/ natural mineral fiber. The study is completed by an analytic (Rayleigh & Rayleigh-Ritz), experimental and numerical application for non-uniform composite beam of a Mortar/ natural mineral fiber. The study is supported by a comparison between numerical and analytic results as well as a comparison between experimental and numerical results.

Keywords: composite beam, mortar/ natural mineral fiber, mechanical characteristics, natural frequencies, mode shape

Procedia PDF Downloads 340
6471 Molecular Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes from Fresh Fish and Fish Products

Authors: Beata Lachtara, Renata Szewczyk, Katarzyna Bielinska, Kinga Wieczorek, Jacek Osek

Abstract:

Listeria monocytogenes is an important human and animal pathogen that causes foodborne outbreaks. The bacteria may be present in different types of food: cheese, raw vegetables, sliced meat products and vacuum-packed sausages, poultry, meat, fish. The most common method, which has been used for the investigation of genetic diversity of L. monocytogenes, is PFGE. This technique is reliable and reproducible and established as gold standard for typing of L. monocytogenes. The aim of the study was characterization by molecular serotyping and PFGE analysis of L. monocytogenes strains isolated from fresh fish and fish products in Poland. A total of 301 samples, including fresh fish (n = 129) and fish products (n = 172) were, collected between January 2014 and March 2016. The bacteria were detected using the ISO 11290-1 standard method. Molecular serotyping was performed with PCR. The isolates were tested with the PFGE method according to the protocol developed by the European Union Reference Laboratory for L. monocytogenes with some modifications. Based on the PFGE profiles, two dendrograms were generated for strains digested separately with two restriction enzymes: AscI and ApaI. Analysis of the fingerprint profiles was performed using Bionumerics software version 6.6 (Applied Maths, Belgium). The 95% of similarity was applied to differentiate the PFGE pulsotypes. The study revealed that 57 of 301 (18.9%) samples were positive for L. monocytogenes. The bacteria were identified in 29 (50.9%) ready-to-eat fish products and in 28 (49.1%) fresh fish. It was found that 40 (70.2%) strains were of serotype 1/2a, 14 (24.6%) 1/2b, two (4.3%) 4b and one (1.8%) 1/2c. Serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b were presented with the same frequency in both categories of food, whereas serotype 1/2c was detected only in fresh fish. The PFGE analysis with AscI demonstrated 43 different pulsotypes; among them 33 (76.7%) were represented by only one strain. The remaining 10 profiles contained more than one isolate. Among them 8 pulsotypes comprised of two L. monocytogenes isolates, one profile of three isolates and one restriction type of 5 strains. In case of ApaI typing, the PFGE analysis showed 27 different pulsotypes including 17 (63.0%) types represented by only one strain. Ten (37.0%) clusters contained more than one strain among which four profiles covered two strains; three had three isolates, one with five strains, one with eight strains and one with ten isolates. It was observed that the isolates assigned to the same PFGE type were usually of the same serotype (1/2a or 1/2b). The majority of the clusters had strains of both sources (fresh fish and fish products) isolated at different time. Most of the strains grouped in one cluster of the AscI restriction was assigned to the same groups in ApaI investigation. In conclusion, PFGE used in the study showed a high genetic diversity among L. monocytogenes. The strains were grouped into varied clonal clusters, which may suggest different sources of contamination. The results demonstrated that 1/2a serotype was the most common among isolates from fresh fish and fish products in Poland.

Keywords: Listeria monocytogenes, molecular characteristic, PFGE, serotyping

Procedia PDF Downloads 275
6470 An Enhanced AODV Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks

Authors: Apidet Booranawong, Wiklom Teerapabkajorndet

Abstract:

An enhanced ad-hoc on-demand distance vector routing (E-AODV) protocol for control system applications in wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSANs) is proposed. Our routing algorithm is designed by considering both wireless network communication and the control system aspects. Control system error and network delay are the main selection criteria in our routing protocol. The control and communication performance is evaluated on multi-hop IEEE 802.15.4 networks for building-temperature control systems. The Gilbert-Elliott error model is employed to simulate packet loss in wireless networks. The simulation results demonstrate that the E-AODV routing approach can significantly improve the communication performance better than an original AODV routing under various packet loss rates. However, the control performance result by our approach is not much improved compared with the AODV routing solution.

Keywords: WSANs, building temperature control, AODV routing protocol, control system error, settling time, delay, delivery ratio

Procedia PDF Downloads 322
6469 Pilot Directional Protection Scheme Using Wireless Communication

Authors: Nitish Sharma, G. G. Karady

Abstract:

This paper presents a scheme for the protection of loop system from all type of faults using the direction of fault current. The presence of distributed generation in today’s system increases the complexity of fault detection as the power flow is bidirectional. Hence, protection scheme specific to this purpose needs to be developed. This paper shows a fast protection scheme using communication which can be fiber optic or wireless. In this paper, the possibility of wireless communication for protection is studied to exchange the information between the relays. The negative sequence and positive sequence directional elements are used to determine the direction of fault current. A PSCAD simulation is presented and validated using commercial SEL relays.

Keywords: smart grid protection, pilot protection, power system simulation, wireless communication

Procedia PDF Downloads 627
6468 A Simulation Study of Direct Injection Compressed Natural Gas Spark Ignition Engine Performance Utilizing Turbulent Jet Ignition with Controlled Air Charge

Authors: Siyamak Ziyaei, Siti Khalijah Mazlan, Petros Lappas

Abstract:

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) mainly consists of Methane CH₄ and has a low carbon to hydrogen ratio relative to other hydrocarbons. As a result, it has the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions by more than 20% relative to conventional fuels like diesel or gasoline Although Natural Gas (NG) has environmental advantages compared to other hydrocarbon fuels whether they are gaseous or liquid, its main component, CH₄, burns at a slower rate than conventional fuels A higher pressure and a leaner cylinder environment will overemphasize slow burn characteristic of CH₄. Lean combustion and high compression ratios are well-known methods for increasing the efficiency of internal combustion engines. In order to achieve successful CNG lean combustion in Spark Ignition (SI) engines, a strong ignition system is essential to avoid engine misfires, especially in ultra-lean conditions. Turbulent Jet Ignition (TJI) is an ignition system that employs a pre-combustion chamber to ignite the lean fuel mixture in the main combustion chamber using a fraction of the total fuel per cycle. TJI enables ultra-lean combustion by providing distributed ignition sites through orifices. The fast burn rate provided by TJI enables the ordinary SI engine to be comparable to other combustion systems such as Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) or Controlled Auto-Ignition (CAI) in terms of thermal efficiency, through the increased levels of dilution without the need of sophisticated control systems. Due to the physical geometry of TJIs, which contain small orifices that connect the prechamber to the main chamber, scavenging is one of the main factors that reduce TJI performance. Specifically, providing the right mixture of fuel and air has been identified as a key challenge. The reason for this is the insufficient amount of air that is pushed into the pre-chamber during each compression stroke. There is also the problem that combustion residual gases such as CO₂, CO and NOx from the previous combustion cycle dilute the pre- chamber fuel-air mixture preventing rapid combustion in the pre-chamber. An air-controlled active TJI is presented in this paper in order to address these issues. By applying air to the pre-chamber at a sufficient pressure, residual gases are exhausted, and the air-fuel ratio is controlled within the pre-chamber, thereby improving the quality of combustion. This paper investigates the 3D-simulated combustion characteristics of a Direct Injected (DI-CNG) fuelled SI en- gine with a pre-chamber equipped with an air channel by using AVL FIRE software. Experiments and simulations were performed at the Worldwide Mapping Point (WWMP) at 1500 Revolutions Per Minute (RPM), 3.3 bar Indicated Mean Effective Pressure (IMEP), using only conventional spark plugs as the baseline. After validating simulation data, baseline engine conditions were set for all simulation scenarios at λ=1. Following that, the pre-chambers with and without an auxiliary fuel supply were simulated. In the simulated (DI-CNG) SI engine, active TJI was observed to perform better than passive TJI and spark plug. In conclusion, the active pre-chamber with an air channel demon-strated an improved thermal efficiency (ηth) over other counterparts and conventional spark ignition systems.

Keywords: turbulent jet ignition, active air control turbulent jet ignition, pre-chamber ignition system, active and passive pre-chamber, thermal efficiency, methane combustion, internal combustion engine combustion emissions

Procedia PDF Downloads 74
6467 Comparitive Analysis of Islamic and Conventional Banking Systems in Terms of Profitability: A Study on Emerging Market Economies

Authors: Alimshan Faizulayev, Eralp Bektas, Abdul Ghafar Ismail, Bezhan Rustamov

Abstract:

This paper performs empirical analysis on determinants of profitability in Islamic and Conventional Banks. The main focus of this study is to evaluate and measure of financial performance of Islamic banking firms operating in Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey, UAE in contrast to Conventional ones in those countries. To evaluate empirically performance of the banks, various financial ratios are employed. We measure performance in terms of liquidity, profitability, solvency, and efficiency. In this work, t-test, F-test, and OLS analysis are used to make hypothesis tests. Our findings reveal that there are similarities and differences in profitability determinants of Islamic and Conventional banking firms. The cost to revenue ratio has inverse relationship with profitability indicators in both banking systems. However, there are differences in financial performances between Conventional Banks and Islamic banks which are found in overall picture of all banks in terms of net income margin.

Keywords: Islamic banking, conventional banking, GDP growth, emerging market economies

Procedia PDF Downloads 380
6466 Classification of Impact Damages with Respect of Damage Tolerance Design Approach and Airworthiness Requirements

Authors: T. Mrna, R. Doubrava

Abstract:

This paper describes airworthiness requirements with respect damage tolerance. Damage tolerance determines the amount and magnitude of damage on parts of the airplane. Airworthiness requirements determine the amount of damage that can still be in flight capable of the condition. Component damage can be defined as barely visible impact damage, visible impact damage or clear visible impact damage. Damage is also distributed it according to the velocity. It is divided into low or high velocity impact damage. The severity of damage to the part of airplane divides the airworthiness requirements into several categories according to severity. Airworthiness requirements are determined by type airplane. All types of airplane do not have the same conditions for airworthiness requirements. This knowledge is important for designing and operating an airplane.

Keywords: airworthiness requirements, composite, damage tolerance, low and high velocity impact

Procedia PDF Downloads 552
6465 Modification Effect of CeO2 on Pt-Pd Nano Sized Catalysts for Formic Acid Oxidation

Authors: Ateeq Ur Rehman

Abstract:

This article deals with the promotional effects of CeO2 on PtPd/CeO2-OMC electrocatalysts. The synthesized catalysts are characterized using different physicochemical techniques and evaluated in a formic acid oxidation fuel cell. N2 adsorption/desorption analysis shows that CeO2 modification increases the surface area of OMC from 1005 m2/g to 1119 m2/g. SEM, XRD and TEM analysis reveal that the presence of CeO2 enhances the active metal(s) dispersion on the CeO2-OMC surface. The average particle size of the dispersed metal decreases with the increase of Pt/Pd ratio on CeO2-OMC support. Cyclic voltametry measurement of Pd/CeO2-OMC gives 12 % higher anodic current activity with 83 mV negative shift of the peak potential as compared to unmodified Pd/OMC. In bimetallic catalysts, the addition of Pt improves the activity and stability of the catalysts significantly. Among the bimetallic samples, Pd3Pt1/CeO2-OMC displays superior current density (74.6 mA/cm2), which is 28.3 times higher than that of Pt/CeO2-OMC. It also shows higher stability in extended period of runs with least indication of CO poisoning effects.

Keywords: CeO2, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC), nano particles, formic acid fuel cell

Procedia PDF Downloads 299
6464 Effect of Substrate Type on Pollutant Removal and Greenhouse Gases Emissions in Constructed Wetlands with Ornamental Plants

Authors: Maria E. Hernnadez, Elizabeth Ramos, Claudia Ortiz

Abstract:

Pollutant removal (N-NH4, COD, S-SO4, N-NO3 and P-PO4) and greenhouse gases (methane and nitrous oxide) emissions were investigated in constructed wetlands CW mesocosms with four types of substrate (gravel (G) zeolite (Z), Gravel+Plastic (GP) and zeolite+plastic), all planted with the ornamental plant lily (Lilium sp). Significantly higher N-NH4 removal was found in the CW-Z (97%) and CW-ZP (85%) compared with CW-G (61%) and CW-GP (17%), also significantly lower emissions of nitrous oxide were found in CW-Z (2.2 µgm-2min-1) and CW-ZP (2.5 µgm-2min-1) compared with CW-G(7.4 µgm-2min-1 ) and CW-GP (6.30 µgm-2min-1).

Keywords: methane, nitrous oxide, lily, zeolite

Procedia PDF Downloads 385
6463 Low Density Lipoprotein: The Culprit in the Development of Obesity

Authors: Ojiegbe Ikenna Nathan

Abstract:

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it leads to reduced life expectancy and or increased health problems. Obesity as a worldwide problem is seen clustered in the families and it moves from generation to generation. It causes some disabilities, mortality and morbidity if left unattended to. The predisposing factors to obesity are either genetic or environment in origin. Nevertheless, the main predisposing factor to obesity is the excessive consumption of food rich in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) such as organ meats, saturated fats etc. This low-density lipoprotein causes an increase in adipose tissue and complicates to obesity. There are varieties of obesity which one needs to take appropriate measures to avoid; such as android, gynoid and morbid obesity. Nonetheless, studies have shown that there is hope for the obese individuals, despite the cause, type and degree of their obesity. This is through the use of the different available treatment measures which increase in physical activities, caloric restrictions, drug therapy and surgical intervention.

Keywords: low-density, lipoprotein, culprit, obesity

Procedia PDF Downloads 387
6462 The Impact of Technology on Cultural Heritage among Preschool Children

Authors: Adenike Akinrotimi

Abstract:

Globally, education has been identified as vital tool for any form of development for any society (community); be it economic, social, political and cultural development. It is the determinant level of prosperity, welfare, security and sustenance of the people of a particular community. Education could be formal, informal and non-formal. Cultural development of an individual and of the community as it were is a lifelong process, where individual learns from daily experiences, exposure to the environment at home, at work, at play and it enriches human and environmental potentials. This type of education can be referred to as cultural heritage. It is built on learner participation and assimilation. Preschool programme also referred to as Early Childhood Education is critical to holistic development of a child cultural development inclusive. This paper examines the impact that technology has on cultural heritage among preschool children.

Keywords: cultural heritage, education, pre-school, technology

Procedia PDF Downloads 379
6461 Synthesis and Characterization of New Polyesters Based on Diarylidene-1-Methyl-4-Piperidone

Authors: Tareg M. Elsunaki, Suleiman A. Arafa, Mohamed A. Abd-Alla

Abstract:

New interesting thermal stable polyesters containing 1-methyl-4-piperidone moiety in the main chain have been synthesized. These polyesters were synthesized by interfacial polycondensation technique of 3,5-bis(4-hydroxybenzylidene)-1-methyl-4-piperidone (I) and 3,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzyli-dene)-1-methyl-4-piperidone (II) with terphthaloyl, isophthaloyl, 4,4'-diphenic, adipoyl and sebacoyl dichlorides. The yield and the values of the reduced viscosity of the produced polyesters were found to be affected by the type of an organic phase. In order to characterize these polymers, the necessary model compounds (A), (B) were prepared from (I), (II) respectively and benzoyl chloride. The structure of monomers (I), (II), model compounds and resulting polyesters were confirmed by IR, elemental analysis and 1HNMR spectroscopy. The various characteristic of the resulting polymers including solubility, thermal properties, viscosity and X-ray analysis were also studied.

Keywords: synthesis, characterization, new polyesters, chemistry

Procedia PDF Downloads 445
6460 Structure Design of Vacuum Vessel with Large Openings for Spacecraft Thermal Vacuum Test

Authors: Han Xiao, Ruan Qi, Zhang Lei, Qi Yan

Abstract:

Space environment simulator is a facility used to conduct thermal test for spacecraft, and vacuum vessel is the main body of it. According to the requirements for thermal tests of the spacecraft and its solar array panels, the primary vessel and the side vessels are designed to be a combinative structure connected with aperture, which ratio reaches 0.7. Since the vacuum vessel suffers 0.1MPa external pressure during the process of thermal test, in order to ensure the simulator’s reliability and safety, it’s necessary to calculate the vacuum vessel’s intensity and stability. Based on the impact of large openings to vacuum vessel structure, this paper explored the reinforce design and analytical way of vacuum vessel with large openings, using a large space environment simulator’s vacuum vessel design as an example. Tests showed that the reinforce structure is effective to fulfill the requirements of external pressure and the gravity. This ensured the reliability of the space environment simulator, providing a guarantee for developing the spacecraft.

Keywords: vacuum vessel, large opening, space environment simulator, structure design

Procedia PDF Downloads 510
6459 Structural Parameter-Induced Focusing Pattern Transformation in CEA Microfluidic Device

Authors: Xin Shi, Wei Tan, Guorui Zhu

Abstract:

The contraction-expansion array (CEA) microfluidic device is widely used for particle focusing and particle separation. Without the introduction of external fields, it can manipulate particles using hydrodynamic forces, including inertial lift forces and Dean drag forces. The focusing pattern of the particles in a CEA channel can be affected by the structural parameter, block ratio, and flow streamlines. Here, two typical focusing patterns with five different structural parameters were investigated, and the force mechanism was analyzed. We present nine CEA channels with different aspect ratios based on the process of changing the particle equilibrium positions. The results show that 10-15 μm particles have the potential to generate a side focusing line as the structural parameter (¬R𝓌) increases. For a determined channel structure and target particles, when the Reynolds number (Rₑ) exceeds the critical value, the focusing pattern will transform from a single pattern to a double pattern. The parameter α/R𝓌 can be used to calculate the critical Reynolds number for the focusing pattern transformation. The results can provide guidance for microchannel design and biomedical analysis.

Keywords: microfluidic, inertial focusing, particle separation, Dean flow

Procedia PDF Downloads 65
6458 Granulomatous Mycoses Fungoides: A Case Report

Authors: Girum Tedla Assefa

Abstract:

Background: Granulomatous mycosis fungoides is an extremely rare type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (<55 cases reported worldwide). Case report: A 36-year-old female presented with soft tissue atrophy of right lower limb (dermis + hypodermis) of 22 years and plaques over trunk of 3 years duration. Histological examination of a biopsy taken from the atrophied tissue showed a granulomatous reaction with epidermotropic atypical lymphocytes. However, in other areas there were only findings of conventional MF without granuloma. Conclusion: The diagnosis of a granulomatous mycosis fungoides depends exclusively on the histological demonstration of granulomas. Distinct clinical characteristics are not present. This case highlights the importance of thorough investigation of lipoatrophic skin changes in the adult to exclude underlying causes, including MF.

Keywords: cutaneous lymphoma, granulomatous skin lymphoma, mycoses fungoides, skin atrophy

Procedia PDF Downloads 359
6457 A Weighted K-Medoids Clustering Algorithm for Effective Stability in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Authors: Rejab Hajlaoui, Tarek Moulahi, Hervé Guyennet

Abstract:

In a highway scenario, the vehicle speed can exceed 120 kmph. Therefore, any vehicle can enter or leave the network within a very short time. This mobility adversely affects the network connectivity and decreases the life time of all established links. To ensure an effective stability in vehicular ad hoc networks with minimum broadcasting storm, we have developed a weighted algorithm based on the k-medoids clustering algorithm (WKCA). Indeed, the number of clusters and the initial cluster heads will not be selected randomly as usual, but considering the available transmission range and the environment size. Then, to ensure optimal assignment of nodes to clusters in both k-medoids phases, the combined weight of any node will be computed according to additional metrics including direction, relative speed and proximity. Empirical results prove that in addition to the convergence speed that characterizes the k-medoids algorithm, our proposed model performs well both AODV-Clustering and OLSR-Clustering protocols under different densities and velocities in term of end-to-end delay, packet delivery ratio, and throughput.

Keywords: communication, clustering algorithm, k-medoids, sensor, vehicular ad hoc network

Procedia PDF Downloads 223
6456 Response Reduction Factor for Earthquake Resistant Design of Special Moment Resisting Frames

Authors: Rohan V. Ambekar, Shrirang N. Tande

Abstract:

The present study estimates the seismic response reduction factor (R) of reinforced concrete special moment resisting frame (SMRF) with and without shear wall using static nonlinear (pushover) analysis. Calculation of response reduction factor (R) is done as per the new formulation of response reduction factor (R) given by Applied Technology Council (ATC)-19 which is the product of strength factor (Rs), ductility factor (Rµ) and redundancy factor (RR). The analysis revealed that these three factors affect the actual value of response reduction factor (R) and therefore they must be taken into consideration while determining the appropriate response reduction factor to be used during the seismic design process. The actual values required for determination of response reduction factor (R) is worked out on the basis of pushover curve which is a plot of base shear verses roof displacement. Finally, the calculated values of response reduction factor (R) of reinforced concrete special moment resisting frame (SMRF) with and without shear wall are compared with the codal values.

Keywords: response reduction factor, ductility ratio, base shear, special moment resisting frames

Procedia PDF Downloads 473
6455 Some Theoretical Approaches on the Style of Lyrical Subject of the Confessional Poetry

Authors: Lemac Tin

Abstract:

This paper deals with the lyrical subject of the confessional poetry which is the main part of her stylistic strucuture. We concluded two types of this subject in the classical confessional poetic discourse; reflexive and authentic subject. We offer the model of their genesis, textual features and appeareance realisations. Genesis is related to the theories of deriving poetry from emotion and magic and their similar position in the primitive lyrics and lyrics of the ancient civilizations. Textual features are related to the emotive and semiotic analysis of each type. Appearance realisations of these two types are I-subject, We-subject, transvocal and objectified subject. We check this approaches on some of the poems from World literature.

Keywords: confessional poetry, confessional lyrical subject, magic, emotion, emotive analysis, semiotic analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 259
6454 Calculating of the Heat Exchange in a Rotating Pipe: Application to the Cooling of Turbine Blades

Authors: A. Miloud

Abstract:

In this work, the results of numerical simulations of the turbulent flow with 3D heat transfer are presented for the case of two U-shaped channels and rotating rectangular section. The purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of the corrugated walls of the heated portion on the improved cooling, in particular the influence of the wavelength. The calculations were performed for a Reynolds number ranging from 10 000 to 100 000, two values of the number of rotation (Ro = 0.0 to 0.14) and a ratio of the restricted density to 0.13. In these simulations, ANSYS FLUENT code was used to solve the Reynolds equations expressing relations between different fields averaged variables over time. Model performance k-omega SST model and RSM are evaluated through a comparison of the numerical results for each model and the experimental and numerical data available. In this work, detailed average temperature predictions, the scope of the secondary flow and distributions of local Nusselt are presented. It turns out that the corrugated configuration further urges the heat exchange provided to reduce the velocity of the coolant inside the channel.

Keywords: cooling blades, corrugated walls, model k-omega SST and RSM, fluent code, rotation effect

Procedia PDF Downloads 237
6453 Italian Central Guarantee Fund: An Analysis of the Guaranteed SMEs’ Default Risk

Authors: M. C. Arcuri, L. Gai, F. Ielasi

Abstract:

Italian Central Guarantee Fund (CGF) has the purpose to facilitate Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)’ access to credit. The aim of the paper is to study the evaluation method adopted by the CGF with regard to SMEs requiring its intervention. This is even more important in the light of the recent CGF reform. We analyse an initial sample of more than 500.000 guarantees from 2012 to 2018. We distinguish between a counter-guarantee delivered to a mutual guarantee institution and a guarantee directly delivered to a bank. We investigate the impact of variables related to the operations and the SMEs on Altman Z’’-score and the score consistent with CGF methodology. We verify that the type of intervention affects the scores and the initial condition changes with the new assessment criterions. 

Keywords: banks, default risk, Italian guarantee fund, mutual guarantee institutions

Procedia PDF Downloads 157
6452 Effects of Pipe Curvature and Internal Pressure on Stiffness and Buckling Phenomenon of Circular Thin-Walled Pipes

Authors: V. Polenta, S. D. Garvey, D. Chronopoulos, A. C. Long, H. P. Morvan

Abstract:

A parametric study on circular thin-walled pipes subjected to pure bending is performed. Both straight and curved pipes are considered. Ratio D/t, initial pipe curvature and internal pressure are the parameters varying in the analyses. The study is mainly FEA-based. It is found that negative curvatures (opposite to bending moment) considerably increase stiffness and buckling limit of the pipe when no internal pressure is acting and, similarly, positive curvatures decrease the stiffness and buckling limit. For internal pressurised pipes the effects of initial pipe curvature are less relevant. Results show that this phenomenon is in relationship with the cross-section deformation due to bending moment, which undergoes relevant ovalisation for no pressurised pipes and little ovalisation for pressurised pipes.

Keywords: buckling, curved pipes, internal pressure, ovalisation, pure bending, thin-walled pipes

Procedia PDF Downloads 361
6451 Interaction between Unsteady Supersonic Jet and Vortex Rings

Authors: Kazumasa Kitazono, Hiroshi Fukuoka, Nao Kuniyoshi, Minoru Yaga, Eri Ueno, Naoaki Fukuda, Toshio Takiya

Abstract:

The unsteady supersonic jet formed by a shock tube with a small high-pressure chamber was used as a simple alternative model for pulsed laser ablation. Understanding the vortex ring formed by the shock wave is crucial in clarifying the behavior of unsteady supersonic jet discharged from an elliptical cell. Therefore, this study investigated the behavior of vortex rings and a jet. The experiment and numerical calculation were conducted using the schlieren method and by solving the axisymmetric two-dimensional compressible Navier–Stokes equations, respectively. In both, the calculation and the experiment, laser ablation is conducted for a certain duration, followed by discharge through the exit. Moreover, a parametric study was performed to demonstrate the effect of pressure ratio on the interaction among vortex rings and the supersonic jet. The interaction between the supersonic jet and the vortex rings increased the velocity of the supersonic jet up to the magnitude of the velocity at the center of the vortex rings. The interaction between the vortex rings increased the velocity at the center of the vortex ring.

Keywords: computational fluid dynamics, shock-wave, unsteady jet, vortex ring

Procedia PDF Downloads 456
6450 Labview-Based System for Fiber Links Events Detection

Authors: Bo Liu, Qingshan Kong, Weiqing Huang

Abstract:

With the rapid development of modern communication, diagnosing the fiber-optic quality and faults in real-time is widely focused. In this paper, a Labview-based system is proposed for fiber-optic faults detection. The wavelet threshold denoising method combined with Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) is applied to denoise the optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) signal. Then the method based on Gabor representation is used to detect events. Experimental measurements show that signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the OTDR signal is improved by 1.34dB on average, compared with using the wavelet threshold denosing method. The proposed system has a high score in event detection capability and accuracy. The maximum detectable fiber length of the proposed Labview-based system can be 65km.

Keywords: empirical mode decomposition, events detection, Gabor transform, optical time domain reflectometer, wavelet threshold denoising

Procedia PDF Downloads 112
6449 Spin Rate Decaying Law of Projectile with Hemispherical Head in Exterior Trajectory

Authors: Quan Wen, Tianxiao Chang, Shaolu Shi, Yushi Wang, Guangyu Wang

Abstract:

As a kind of working environment of the fuze, the spin rate decaying law of projectile in exterior trajectory is of great value in the design of the rotation count fixed distance fuze. In addition, it is significant in the field of devices for simulation tests of fuze exterior ballistic environment, flight stability, and dispersion accuracy of gun projectile and opening and scattering design of submunition and illuminating cartridges. Besides, the self-destroying mechanism of the fuze in small-caliber projectile often works by utilizing the attenuation of centrifugal force. In the theory of projectile aerodynamics and fuze design, there are many formulas describing the change law of projectile angular velocity in external ballistic such as Roggla formula, exponential function formula, and power function formula. However, these formulas are mostly semi-empirical due to the poor test conditions and insufficient test data at that time. These formulas are difficult to meet the design requirements of modern fuze because they are not accurate enough and have a narrow range of applications now. In order to provide more accurate ballistic environment parameters for the design of a hemispherical head projectile fuze, the projectile’s spin rate decaying law in exterior trajectory under the effect of air resistance was studied. In the analysis, the projectile shape was simplified as hemisphere head, cylindrical part, rotating band part, and anti-truncated conical tail. The main assumptions are as follows: a) The shape and mass are symmetrical about the longitudinal axis, b) There is a smooth transition between the ball hea, c) The air flow on the outer surface is set as a flat plate flow with the same area as the expanded outer surface of the projectile, and the boundary layer is turbulent, d) The polar damping moment attributed to the wrench hole and rifling mark on the projectile is not considered, e) The groove of the rifle on the rotating band is uniform, smooth and regular. The impacts of the four parts on aerodynamic moment of the projectile rotation were obtained by aerodynamic theory. The surface friction stress of the projectile, the polar damping moment formed by the head of the projectile, the surface friction moment formed by the cylindrical part, the rotating band, and the anti-truncated conical tail were obtained by mathematical derivation. After that, the mathematical model of angular spin rate attenuation was established. In the whole trajectory with the maximum range angle (38°), the absolute error of the polar damping torque coefficient obtained by simulation and the coefficient calculated by the mathematical model established in this paper is not more than 7%. Therefore, the credibility of the mathematical model was verified. The mathematical model can be described as a first-order nonlinear differential equation, which has no analytical solution. The solution can be only gained as a numerical solution by connecting the model with projectile mass motion equations in exterior ballistics.

Keywords: ammunition engineering, fuze technology, spin rate, numerical simulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 124
6448 An Experimental Study on Intellectual Concentration Influenced by Indoor Airflow

Authors: Kyoko Ito, Shinya Furuta, Daisuke Kamihigashi, Kimi Ueda, Hirotake Ishii, Hiroshi Shimoda, Fumiaki Obayashi, Kazuhiro Taniguchi

Abstract:

In order to improve intellectual concentration, few studies have verified the effect of indoor airflow among the thermal environment conditions, and the differences of the season in effects have not been studied. In this study, in order to investigate the influence of the airflow in winter on the intellectual concentration, an evaluation experiment was conducted. In the previous study, an effective airflow in summer was proposed and the improvement of intellectual concentration by evaluation experiment was confirmed. Therefore, an airflow profile in winter was proposed with reference to the airflow profile in summer. The airflows are a combination of a simulative airflow and mild airflow. An experiment has been conducted to investigate the influence of a room airflow in winter on intellectual concentration. As a result of comparison with no airflow condition, no significant difference was found. Based on the results, it is a future task to ask preliminary preference in advance and to establish a mechanism that can provide controllable airflow for each individual, taking into account the preference for airflow to be different for each individual.

Keywords: concentration time ratio, CTR, indoor airflow, intellectual concentration, workplace environment

Procedia PDF Downloads 224
6447 Proactive Pure Handoff Model with SAW-TOPSIS Selection and Time Series Predict

Authors: Harold Vásquez, Cesar Hernández, Ingrid Páez

Abstract:

This paper approach cognitive radio technic and applied pure proactive handoff Model to decrease interference between PU and SU and comparing it with reactive handoff model. Through the study and analysis of multivariate models SAW and TOPSIS join to 3 dynamic prediction techniques AR, MA ,and ARMA. To evaluate the best model is taken four metrics: number failed handoff, number handoff, number predictions, and number interference. The result presented the advantages using this type of pure proactive models to predict changes in the PU according to the selected channel and reduce interference. The model showed better performance was TOPSIS-MA, although TOPSIS-AR had a higher predictive ability this was not reflected in the interference reduction.

Keywords: cognitive radio, spectrum handoff, decision making, time series, wireless networks

Procedia PDF Downloads 469
6446 Analysis of Solar Thermal Power Plant in Algeria

Authors: M. Laissaoui

Abstract:

The present work has for objective the simulation of a hybrid solar combined cycle power plant, compared with combined cycle conventional (gas turbine and steam turbine), this type of power plants disposed an solar tour (heliostat field and volumetric receiver) insurant a part of the thermal energy necessary for the functioning of the gas turbine. This solar energy serves to feed with heat the combustion air of the gas turbine when he out of the compressor and the front entered the combustion chamber. The simulation of even central and made for three zones deferential to know the zone of Hassi R' mel, Bechare, and the zone of Messaad wilaya of El djelfa. The radiometric and meteorological data arise directly from the software meteonorme 7. The simulation of the energy performances is made by the software TRNSYS 16.1.

Keywords: concentrating solar power, heliostat, thermal, Algeria

Procedia PDF Downloads 456
6445 A Hybrid Digital Watermarking Scheme

Authors: Nazish Saleem Abbas, Muhammad Haris Jamil, Hamid Sharif

Abstract:

Digital watermarking is a technique that allows an individual to add and hide secret information, copyright notice, or other verification message inside a digital audio, video, or image. Today, with the advancement of technology, modern healthcare systems manage patients’ diagnostic information in a digital way in many countries. When transmitted between hospitals through the internet, the medical data becomes vulnerable to attacks and requires security and confidentiality. Digital watermarking techniques are used in order to ensure the authenticity, security and management of medical images and related information. This paper proposes a watermarking technique that embeds a watermark in medical images imperceptibly and securely. In this work, digital watermarking on medical images is carried out using the Least Significant Bit (LSB) with the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). The proposed methods of embedding and extraction of a watermark in a watermarked image are performed in the frequency domain using LSB by XOR operation. The quality of the watermarked medical image is measured by the Peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). It was observed that the watermarked medical image obtained performing XOR operation between DCT and LSB survived compression attack having a PSNR up to 38.98.

Keywords: watermarking, image processing, DCT, LSB, PSNR

Procedia PDF Downloads 27
6444 Oil Recovery Study by Low Temperature Carbon Dioxide Injection in High-Pressure High-Temperature Micromodels

Authors: Zakaria Hamdi, Mariyamni Awang

Abstract:

For the past decades, CO2 flooding has been used as a successful method for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). However, high mobility ratio and fingering effect are considered as important drawbacka of this process. Low temperature injection of CO2 into high temperature reservoirs may improve the oil recovery, but simulating multiphase flow in the non-isothermal medium is difficult, and commercial simulators are very unstable in these conditions. Furthermore, to best of authors’ knowledge, no experimental work was done to verify the results of the simulations and to understand the pore-scale process. In this paper, we present results of investigations on injection of low temperature CO2 into a high-pressure high-temperature micromodel with injection temperature range from 34 to 75 °F. Effect of temperature and saturation changes of different fluids are measured in each case. The results prove the proposed method. The injection of CO2 at low temperatures increased the oil recovery in high temperature reservoirs significantly. Also, CO2 rich phases available in the high temperature system can affect the oil recovery through the better sweep of the oil which is initially caused by penetration of LCO2 inside the system. Furthermore, no unfavorable effect was detected using this method. Low temperature CO2 is proposed to be used as early as secondary recovery.

Keywords: enhanced oil recovery, CO₂ flooding, micromodel studies, miscible flooding

Procedia PDF Downloads 335
6443 Investigating the Demand of Short-Shelf Life Food Products for SME Wholesalers

Authors: Yamini Raju, Parminder S. Kang, Adam Moroz, Ross Clement, Alistair Duffy, Ashley Hopwell

Abstract:

Accurate prediction of fresh produce demand is one the challenges faced by Small Medium Enterprise (SME) wholesalers. Current research in this area focused on limited number of factors specific to a single product or a business type. This paper gives an overview of the current literature on the variability factors used to predict demand and the existing forecasting techniques of short shelf life products. It then extends it by adding new factors and investigating if there is a time lag and possibility of noise in the orders. It also identifies the most important factors using correlation and Principal Component Analysis (PCA).

Keywords: demand forecasting, deteriorating products, food wholesalers, principal component analysis, variability factors

Procedia PDF Downloads 502