Search results for: real volume
3021 Experimental Study Analysis of Flow over Pickup Truck’s Cargo Area Using Bed Covers
Authors: Jonathan Rodriguez, Dominga Guerrero, Surupa Shaw
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Automobiles are modeled in various forms, and they interact with air when in motion. Aerodynamics is the study of such interactions where solid bodies affect the way air moves around them. The shape of solid bodies can impact the ease at which they move against the flow of air; due to which any additional freightage, or loads, impact its aerodynamics. It is important to transport people and cargo safely. Despite the various safety measures, there are a large number of vehicle-related accidents. This study precisely explores the effects an automobile experiences, with added cargo and covers. The addition of these items changes the original vehicle shape and the approved design for safe driving. This paper showcases the effects of the changed vehicle shape and design via experimental testing conducted on a physical 1:27 scale and CAD model of an F-150 pickup truck, the most common pickup truck in the United States, with differently shaped loads and weight traveling at a constant speed. The additional freightage produces unwanted drag or lift resulting in lower fuel efficiencies and unsafe driving conditions. This study employs an adjustable external shell on the F-150 pickup truck to create a controlled aerodynamic geometry to combat the detrimental effects of additional freightage. The results utilize colored powder [ which acts as a visual medium for the interaction of air with the vehicle], to highlight the impact of the additional freight on the automobile’s external shell. This will be done along with simulation models using Altair CFD software of twelve cases regarding the effects of an added load onto an F-150 pickup truck. This paper is an attempt toward standardizing the geometric design of the external shell, given the uniqueness of every load and its placement on the vehicle; while providing real-time data to be compared to simulation results from the existing literature.Keywords: aerodynamics, CFD, freightage, pickup cover
Procedia PDF Downloads 1683020 Study of University Course Scheduling for Crowd Gathering Risk Prevention and Control in the Context of Routine Epidemic Prevention
Authors: Yuzhen Hu, Sirui Wang
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As a training base for intellectual talents, universities have a large number of students. Teaching is a primary activity in universities, and during the teaching process, a large number of people gather both inside and outside the teaching buildings, posing a strong risk of close contact. The class schedule is the fundamental basis for teaching activities in universities and plays a crucial role in the management of teaching order. Different class schedules can lead to varying degrees of indoor gatherings and trajectories of class attendees. In recent years, highly contagious diseases have frequently occurred worldwide, and how to reduce the risk of infection has always been a hot issue related to public safety. "Reducing gatherings" is one of the core measures in epidemic prevention and control, and it can be controlled through scientific scheduling in specific environments. Therefore, the scientific prevention and control goal can be achieved by considering the reduction of the risk of excessive gathering of people during the course schedule arrangement. Firstly, we address the issue of personnel gathering in various pathways on campus, with the goal of minimizing congestion and maximizing teaching effectiveness, establishing a nonlinear mathematical model. Next, we design an improved genetic algorithm, incorporating real-time evacuation operations based on tracking search and multidimensional positive gradient cross-mutation operations, considering the characteristics of outdoor crowd evacuation. Finally, we apply undergraduate course data from a university in Harbin to conduct a case study. It compares and analyzes the effects of algorithm improvement and optimization of gathering situations and explores the impact of path blocking on the degree of gathering of individuals on other pathways.Keywords: the university timetabling problem, risk prevention, genetic algorithm, risk control
Procedia PDF Downloads 893019 Recycling, Reuse and Reintegration of Steel Plant Fines
Authors: R. K. Agrawal, Shiv Agrawal
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Fines and micro create fundamental problems of respiration. From mines to mills steel plants generate lot of pollutants. Legislation & Government laws are stricter day by day & each plant has to think of recycling, reuse &reintegration of pollutants generated during the process of steel making. This paper deals with experiments conducted in Bhilai Steel Plant and Real Ispat and Power Limited for reuse, recycle & reintegrate some of the steel making process fines. Iron ore fines with binders have been agglomerated to be used as a part of the charge for small furnaces. This will improve yield at nominal cost. Rolling mill fines have been recycled to increase the yield of sinter making. This will solve the problems of fine disposal. Huge saving on account of recycling will be achieved. Lime fines after briquetting is used along with prime lime. Lime fines have also been used as a binding material during production of fly ash bricks. These fines serve as low-cost binder. Experiments have been conducted along with coke breeze & gas cleaning plant sludge. As a result, the anti-sloping compound has been developed for converter vessels. Dolo char and Char during Sponge Iron production have been successfully used in power generation and brick making. Pellets have been made with ventilation dust & flue dust. These samples have been tried as a coolant in the converter. Pellets have been made with Sinter Plant electrostatic precipitator micro fines with liquid binder. Trials have been conducted to reuse these pellets in sinter making. Coke breeze from coke-ovens fines and mill scale along with binders were agglomerated. This was used in furnace after attaining required screening and reactivity index. These actions will definitely bring social, economic and environment-friendly universe.Keywords: briquette, dolo char, electrostatic precipitator, pellet, sinter
Procedia PDF Downloads 3913018 The Misconception Terminology of ‘Marseilles’ Clay Roof Tiles in Malaysia’s Conservation Work
Authors: Masyitah Abd Aziz, Mohd Sabere Sulaiman, Norsiah Hassan, Jamilah Halina Abdul Halim, Mohd Saipul Asrafi Haron
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A well-defined terminology of ‘Marseilles’ clay roof tiles in conservation works will easily characterize the communication delivery between expert and layperson, which will help people effectively understand to such specific knowledge areas. While it reduces ambiguity and increases clarity, the communication will translate very fast as it encourage an important factor in quality of the preservation of cultural heritage for future generations. The experts in conservation works faces many important terms, and indeed the very basic terminology in conservation areas were misunderstood. Thus, there were such terminology that being taken for granted and just follow seriously the tradition of the common practitioner without having any precise knowledge of what it entails. This study aims to investigate on the misconception of the terminology of ‘Marseilles’ clay roof tiles that being used in Malaysia’s conservation work. To avoid confusion of the terminology of ‘Marseilles’ clay roof tiles that will be followed through by the next generation, observation, interviews, and readings from the literature reviews on the terminology of the roof tiles has been done. It shows some evidence that ‘Marseilles’ were referring specific to French type roof tiles that developed by the Gilardoni Brothers in 1851. It was also found in Mangalore as the pioneered manufacturer in the 1860s by The Common Wealth Trust Ltd (Basel Mission tile factory). The interlocking clay roof types that has been used in Malaysia have the similarity and are influenced by both Europe and India. However, ‘Marseilles’ terminology was commonly used in Malaysia’s conservation works which led to the misconception of the real interpretation of all interlocking clay roof tiles type. The future generations will found that the well-defined terminology will gives a specific impact on conservation method and techniques. These range of applications to which roof tiles terminology will direct the future experts to make realistic suggestion for a future sustainable conservation approaches. Furthermore, it should contributes value added to conservation knowledge as well as holistic references for next generation.Keywords: interlocking roof tiles, marseilles, misconception, terminology
Procedia PDF Downloads 1003017 Otherness of Roma in Inclusive Education of Roma Pupils in Slovakia
Authors: Bibiana Hlebova
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The Slovak Republic is a democratic and plural society consisting of people differing in language and culture, and its citizens should already be well prepared for the coexistence of multiple nations, nationalities or ethnic groups. Reflection on culture, art and literature of the Roma minority has taken on a new dimension in Slovakia in the past two decades when it comes to social, cultural and arts integration of this ethnic group with the plural society. Non-Roma view Roma as a specific ethnic group with their own culture, language, customs and traditions, social norms and coexistence that has retained archetypal qualities of Roma identity (romipen) in their real lives as well as in the literary world. Roma characters in works of art are specific and distinguishable from other literary characters simply by being Roma, that is, of a different origin and social status, they represent a different way of life, a distinctive hierarchy of values. The portrayal of Roma and the life of Roma ethnic group in the most dominant genre of Roma literature for children and youth, a Roma fairy tale (paramisi), can work as a suitable means to learn about, accept and tolerate the otherness of Roma in the conditions of school inclusion of students coming from the Roma ethnic group, and to support their identification with their own ethnic group and its cultural traditions. The paper aims to point out not only the specific nature of Roma identity (romipen) through the selected Roma fairy tale (paramisa) – Children of the Sun, but also the diversity of its uses in the educational process within primary education of pupils at elementary schools, advocating the philosophy of inclusive education. Through the suggestions of multi-cultural, emotional, and language and communication education of pupils through the work with the selected Roma fairy tale (paramisa), the author is exploring ways to overcome the issues stemming from the coexistence of Roma and Non-Roma pupils, which are burdened with prejudice, intolerance, aggression and racism on both sides, in the education process.Keywords: inclusive education, otherness, Roma, Roma fairy tale, Roma identity
Procedia PDF Downloads 3023016 Investigation of User Position Accuracy for Stand-Alone and Hybrid Modes of the Indian Navigation with Indian Constellation Satellite System
Authors: Naveen Kumar Perumalla, Devadas Kuna, Mohammed Akhter Ali
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Satellite Navigation System such as the United States Global Positioning System (GPS) plays a significant role in determining the user position. Similar to that of GPS, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is a Satellite Navigation System indigenously developed by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), India, to meet the country’s navigation applications. This system is also known as Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC). The NavIC system’s main objective, is to offer Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services to users in its two service areas i.e., covering the Indian landmass and the Indian Ocean. Six NavIC satellites are already deployed in the space and their receivers are in the performance evaluation stage. Four NavIC dual frequency receivers are installed in the ‘Advanced GNSS Research Laboratory’ (AGRL) in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, University College of Engineering, Osmania University, India. The NavIC receivers can be operated in two positioning modes: Stand-alone IRNSS and Hybrid (IRNSS+GPS) modes. In this paper, analysis of various parameters such as Dilution of Precision (DoP), three Dimension (3D) Root Mean Square (RMS) Position Error and Horizontal Position Error with respect to Visibility of Satellites is being carried out using the real-time IRNSS data, obtained by operating the receiver in both positioning modes. Two typical days (6th July 2017 and 7th July 2017) are considered for Hyderabad (Latitude-17°24'28.07’N, Longitude-78°31'4.26’E) station are analyzed. It is found that with respect to the considered parameters, the Hybrid mode operation of NavIC receiver is giving better results than that of the standalone positioning mode. This work finds application in development of NavIC receivers for civilian navigation applications.Keywords: DoP, GPS, IRNSS, GNSS, position error, satellite visibility
Procedia PDF Downloads 2133015 Enhancing Learners' Metacognitive, Cultural and Linguistic Proficiency through Egyptian Series
Authors: Hanan Eltayeb, Reem Al Refaie
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To be able to connect and relate to shows spoken in a foreign language, advanced learners must understand not only linguistics inferences but also cultural, metacognitive, and pragmatic connotations in colloquial Egyptian TV series. These connotations are needed to both understand the different facets of the dramas put before them, and they’re also consistently grown and formulated through watching these shows. The inferences have become a staple in the Egyptian colloquial culture over the years, making their way into day-to-day conversations as Egyptians use them to speak, relate, joke, and connect with each other, without having known one another from previous times. As for advanced learners, they need to understand these inferences not only to watch these shows, but also to be able to converse with Egyptians on a level that surpasses the formal, or standard. When faced with some of the somewhat recent shows on the Egyptian screens, learners faced challenges in understanding pragmatics, cultural, and religious background of the target language and consequently not able to interact effectively with a native speaker in real-life situations. This study aims to enhance the linguistic and cultural proficiency of learners through studying two genres of TV Colloquial Egyptian series. Study samples derived from two recent comedian and social Egyptian series ('The Seventh Neighbor' سابع جار, and 'Nelly and Sherihan' نيللي و شريهان). When learners watch such series, they are usually faced with a problem understanding inferences that have to do with social, religious, and political events that are addressed in the series. Using discourse analysis of the sematic, semantic, pragmatic, cultural, and linguistic characteristics of the target language, some major deductions were highlighted and repeated, showing a pattern in both. The research paper concludes that there are many sets of lingual and para-lingual phrases, idioms, and proverbs to be acquired and used effectively by teaching these series. The strategies adopted in the study can be applied to different types of media, like movies, TV shows, and even cartoons, to enhance student proficiency.Keywords: Egyptian series, culture, linguistic competence, pragmatics, semantics, social
Procedia PDF Downloads 1433014 Use of a Novel Intermittent Compression Shoe in Reducing Lower Limb Venous Stasis
Authors: Hansraj Riteesh Bookun, Cassandra Monique Hidajat
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This pilot study investigated the efficacy of a newly designed shoe which will act as an intermittent pneumatic compression device to augment venous flow in the lower limb. The aim was to assess the degree with which a wearable intermittent compression device can increase the venous flow in the popliteal vein. Background: Deep venous thrombosis and chronic venous insufficiency are relatively common problems with significant morbidity and mortality. While mechanical and chemical thromboprophylaxis measures are in place in hospital environments (in the form of TED stockings, intermittent pneumatic compression devices, analgesia, antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents), there are limited options in a community setting. Additionally, many individuals are poorly tolerant of graduated compression stockings due to the difficulty in putting them on, their constant tightness and increased associated discomfort in warm weather. These factors may hinder the management of their chronic venous insufficiency. Method: The device is lightweight, easy to wear and comfortable, with a self-contained power source. It features a Bluetooth transmitter and can be controlled with a smartphone. It is externally almost indistinguishable from a normal shoe. During activation, two bladders are inflated -one overlying the metatarsal heads and the second at the pedal arch. The resulting cyclical increase in pressure squeezes blood into the deep venous system. This will decrease periods of stasis and potentially reduce the risk of deep venous thrombosis. The shoe was fitted to 2 healthy participants and the peak systolic velocity of flow in the popliteal vein was measured during and prior to intermittent compression phases. Assessments of total flow volume were also performed. All haemodynamic assessments were performed with ultrasound by a licensed sonographer. Results: Mean peak systolic velocity of 3.5 cm/s with standard deviation of 1.3 cm/s were obtained. There was a three fold increase in mean peak systolic velocity and five fold increase in total flow volume. Conclusion: The device augments venous flow in the leg significantly. This may contribute to lowered thromboembolic risk during periods of prolonged travel or immobility. This device may also serve as an adjunct in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency. The study will be replicated on a larger scale in a multi—centre trial.Keywords: venous, intermittent compression, shoe, wearable device
Procedia PDF Downloads 1943013 Identification of Vehicle Dynamic Parameters by Using Optimized Exciting Trajectory on 3- DOF Parallel Manipulator
Authors: Di Yao, Gunther Prokop, Kay Buttner
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Dynamic parameters, including the center of gravity, mass and inertia moments of vehicle, play an essential role in vehicle simulation, collision test and real-time control of vehicle active systems. To identify the important vehicle dynamic parameters, a systematic parameter identification procedure is studied in this work. In the first step of the procedure, a conceptual parallel manipulator (virtual test rig), which possesses three rotational degrees-of-freedom, is firstly proposed. To realize kinematic characteristics of the conceptual parallel manipulator, the kinematic analysis consists of inverse kinematic and singularity architecture is carried out. Based on the Euler's rotation equations for rigid body dynamics, the dynamic model of parallel manipulator and derivation of measurement matrix for parameter identification are presented subsequently. In order to reduce the sensitivity of parameter identification to measurement noise and other unexpected disturbances, a parameter optimization process of searching for optimal exciting trajectory of parallel manipulator is conducted in the following section. For this purpose, the 321-Euler-angles defined by parameterized finite-Fourier-series are primarily used to describe the general exciting trajectory of parallel manipulator. To minimize the condition number of measurement matrix for achieving better parameter identification accuracy, the unknown coefficients of parameterized finite-Fourier-series are estimated by employing an iterative algorithm based on MATLAB®. Meanwhile, the iterative algorithm will ensure the parallel manipulator still keeps in an achievable working status during the execution of optimal exciting trajectory. It is showed that the proposed procedure and methods in this work can effectively identify the vehicle dynamic parameters and could be an important application of parallel manipulator in the fields of parameter identification and test rig development.Keywords: parameter identification, parallel manipulator, singularity architecture, dynamic modelling, exciting trajectory
Procedia PDF Downloads 2663012 Source Identification Model Based on Label Propagation and Graph Ordinary Differential Equations
Authors: Fuyuan Ma, Yuhan Wang, Junhe Zhang, Ying Wang
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Identifying the sources of information dissemination is a pivotal task in the study of collective behaviors in networks, enabling us to discern and intercept the critical pathways through which information propagates from its origins. This allows for the control of the information’s dissemination impact in its early stages. Numerous methods for source detection rely on pre-existing, underlying propagation models as prior knowledge. Current models that eschew prior knowledge attempt to harness label propagation algorithms to model the statistical characteristics of propagation states or employ Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) for deep reverse modeling of the diffusion process. These approaches are either deficient in modeling the propagation patterns of information or are constrained by the over-smoothing problem inherent in GNNs, which limits the stacking of sufficient model depth to excavate global propagation patterns. Consequently, we introduce the ODESI model. Initially, the model employs a label propagation algorithm to delineate the distribution density of infected states within a graph structure and extends the representation of infected states from integers to state vectors, which serve as the initial states of nodes. Subsequently, the model constructs a deep architecture based on GNNs-coupled Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) to model the global propagation patterns of continuous propagation processes. Addressing the challenges associated with solving ODEs on graphs, we approximate the analytical solutions to reduce computational costs. Finally, we conduct simulation experiments on two real-world social network datasets, and the results affirm the efficacy of our proposed ODESI model in source identification tasks.Keywords: source identification, ordinary differential equations, label propagation, complex networks
Procedia PDF Downloads 203011 A Temporal QoS Ontology For ERTMS/ETCS
Authors: Marc Sango, Olimpia Hoinaru, Christophe Gransart, Laurence Duchien
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Ontologies offer a means for representing and sharing information in many domains, particularly in complex domains. For example, it can be used for representing and sharing information of System Requirement Specification (SRS) of complex systems like the SRS of ERTMS/ETCS written in natural language. Since this system is a real-time and critical system, generic ontologies, such as OWL and generic ERTMS ontologies provide minimal support for modeling temporal information omnipresent in these SRS documents. To support the modeling of temporal information, one of the challenges is to enable representation of dynamic features evolving in time within a generic ontology with a minimal redesign of it. The separation of temporal information from other information can help to predict system runtime operation and to properly design and implement them. In addition, it is helpful to provide a reasoning and querying techniques to reason and query temporal information represented in the ontology in order to detect potential temporal inconsistencies. Indeed, a user operation, such as adding a new constraint on existing planning constraints can cause temporal inconsistencies, which can lead to system failures. To address this challenge, we propose a lightweight 3-layer temporal Quality of Service (QoS) ontology for representing, reasoning and querying over temporal and non-temporal information in a complex domain ontology. Representing QoS entities in separated layers can clarify the distinction between the non QoS entities and the QoS entities in an ontology. The upper generic layer of the proposed ontology provides an intuitive knowledge of domain components, specially ERTMS/ETCS components. The separation of the intermediate QoS layer from the lower QoS layer allows us to focus on specific QoS Characteristics, such as temporal or integrity characteristics. In this paper, we focus on temporal information that can be used to predict system runtime operation. To evaluate our approach, an example of the proposed domain ontology for handover operation, as well as a reasoning rule over temporal relations in this domain-specific ontology, are given.Keywords: system requirement specification, ERTMS/ETCS, temporal ontologies, domain ontologies
Procedia PDF Downloads 4223010 A Fast Optimizer for Large-scale Fulfillment Planning based on Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Choonoh Lee, Seyeon Park, Dongyun Kang, Jaehyeong Choi, Soojee Kim, Younggeun Kim
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Market Kurly is the first South Korean online grocery retailer that guarantees same-day, overnight shipping. More than 1.6 million customers place an average of 4.7 million orders and add 3 to 14 products into a cart per month. The company has sold almost 30,000 kinds of various products in the past 6 months, including food items, cosmetics, kitchenware, toys for kids/pets, and even flowers. The company is operating and expanding multiple dry, cold, and frozen fulfillment centers in order to store and ship these products. Due to the scale and complexity of the fulfillment, pick-pack-ship processes are planned and operated in batches, and thus, the planning that decides the batch of the customers’ orders is a critical factor in overall productivity. This paper introduces a metaheuristic optimization method that reduces the complexity of batch processing in a fulfillment center. The method is an iterative genetic algorithm with heuristic creation and evolution strategies; it aims to group similar orders into pick-pack-ship batches to minimize the total number of distinct products. With a well-designed approach to create initial genes, the method produces streamlined plans, up to 13.5% less complex than the actual plans carried out in the company’s fulfillment centers in the previous months. Furthermore, our digital-twin simulations show that the optimized plans can reduce 3% of operation time for packing, which is the most complex and time-consuming task in the process. The optimization method implements a multithreading design on the Spring framework to support the company’s warehouse management systems in near real-time, finding a solution for 4,000 orders within 5 to 7 seconds on an AWS c5.2xlarge instance.Keywords: fulfillment planning, genetic algorithm, online grocery retail, optimization
Procedia PDF Downloads 833009 In-vitro Metabolic Fingerprinting Using Plasmonic Chips by Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Vadanasundari Vedarethinam, Kun Qian
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The metabolic analysis is more distal over proteomics and genomics engaging in clinics and needs rationally distinct techniques, designed materials, and device for clinical diagnosis. Conventional techniques such as spectroscopic techniques, biochemical analyzers, and electrochemical have been used for metabolic diagnosis. Currently, there are four major challenges including (I) long-term process in sample pretreatment; (II) difficulties in direct metabolic analysis of biosamples due to complexity (III) low molecular weight metabolite detection with accuracy and (IV) construction of diagnostic tools by materials and device-based platforms for real case application in biomedical applications. Development of chips with nanomaterial is promising to address these critical issues. Mass spectroscopy (MS) has displayed high sensitivity and accuracy, throughput, reproducibility, and resolution for molecular analysis. Particularly laser desorption/ ionization mass spectrometry (LDI MS) combined with devices affords desirable speed for mass measurement in seconds and high sensitivity with low cost towards large scale uses. We developed a plasmonic chip for clinical metabolic fingerprinting as a hot carrier in LDI MS by series of chips with gold nanoshells on the surface through controlled particle synthesis, dip-coating, and gold sputtering for mass production. We integrated the optimized chip with microarrays for laboratory automation and nanoscaled experiments, which afforded direct high-performance metabolic fingerprinting by LDI MS using 500 nL of serum, urine, cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) and exosomes. Further, we demonstrated on-chip direct in-vitro metabolic diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer patients using serum and exosomes without any pretreatment or purifications. To our best knowledge, this work initiates a bionanotechnology based platform for advanced metabolic analysis toward large-scale diagnostic use.Keywords: plasmonic chip, metabolic fingerprinting, LDI MS, in-vitro diagnostics
Procedia PDF Downloads 1623008 Sustainable Model of Outreach Eye Camps: A Case Study from Reputed Eye Hospital of Central India
Authors: Subramanyam Devarakonda Hanumantharao, Udayendu Prakash Sharma, Mahesh Garg
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Introduction: Gomabai Netralaya a reputed eye hospital is located in Neemuch a small city of Madhya Pradesh, India. The hospital is established in 1992 by Late. G.D Agrawal a renowned educationist, freedom fighter and philanthropist. The eye hospital was established to serve all sections of the society in affordable manner. To provide comprehensive eye care services to the rural poor the hospital started organizing outreach camps since 1994. Purpose: To study the cost effectiveness of outreach eye camps for addressing the sustainability issues of the outreach program. Methods: One year statistics of outreach eye camps were collected from Hospital Management Information System software to analyze the productivity of camps. Income and expenses report was collected from outreach department records to analyze per camp expenses and per patient expenses against the income generated. All current year records were analyzed to have accuracy of information and results. Information was collected in two ways: 1)Actual camp performance records and expenses from book of accounts. 2)Cross verification was done through one to one discussion with outreach staff. Results: Total 17534 outpatients were examined through 52 outreach eye camps. Total 6042 (34% of total outpatients) patients were advised with cataracts and 4651 (77% of advice) operations were performed. The average OPD per camp was 337 and per camp 116 patients was advised for cataract surgery and 89 surgeries were performed per camp. Total 18200 US$ incurred on organizing 52 outreach camps in the radius of 100 k.ms. Considering the total outpatients screened through camps the screening cost per patient was 1.00 US$ and considering the surgical output the per surgery expenses was 4.00 US$. The cost recovery of the total expenses was through Government grant of US$ 16.00 per surgery (that includes surgical grant). All logistics cost of camps and patients transportation cost was taken care by local donors. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that with people’s participation, successful high volume outreach eye camps can be organized. The cost effectiveness of the outreach camps is totally depended on volume of outpatient’s turn-up at camp site and per camp surgical output. The only solution to sustainability of outreach eye camps is sharing of cost with local donors and increasing productivity.Keywords: camps, outreach, productivity, sustainable
Procedia PDF Downloads 1713007 GAILoc: Improving Fingerprinting-Based Localization System Using Generative Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Getaneh Berie Tarekegn
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A precise localization system is crucial for many artificial intelligence Internet of Things (AI-IoT) applications in the era of smart cities. Their applications include traffic monitoring, emergency alarming, environmental monitoring, location-based advertising, intelligent transportation, and smart health care. The most common method for providing continuous positioning services in outdoor environments is by using a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Due to nonline-of-sight, multipath, and weather conditions, GNSS systems do not perform well in dense urban, urban, and suburban areas.This paper proposes a generative AI-based positioning scheme for large-scale wireless settings using fingerprinting techniques. In this article, we presented a novel semi-supervised deep convolutional generative adversarial network (S-DCGAN)-based radio map construction method for real-time device localization. We also employed a reliable signal fingerprint feature extraction method with t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE), which extracts dominant features while eliminating noise from hybrid WLAN and long-term evolution (LTE) fingerprints. The proposed scheme reduced the workload of site surveying required to build the fingerprint database by up to 78.5% and significantly improved positioning accuracy. The results show that the average positioning error of GAILoc is less than 39 cm, and more than 90% of the errors are less than 82 cm. That is, numerical results proved that, in comparison to traditional methods, the proposed SRCLoc method can significantly improve positioning performance and reduce radio map construction costs.Keywords: location-aware services, feature extraction technique, generative adversarial network, long short-term memory, support vector machine
Procedia PDF Downloads 753006 Free and Open Source Software for BIM Workflow of Steel Structure Design
Authors: Danilo Di Donato
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The continuous new releases of free and open source software (FOSS) and the high costs of proprietary software -whose monopoly is characterized by closed codes and the low level of implementation and customization of software by end-users- impose a reflection on possible tools that can be chosen and adopted for the design and the representation of new steel constructions. The paper aims to show experimentation carried out to verify the actual potential and the effective applicability of FOSS supports to the BIM modeling of steel structures, particularly considering the goal of a possible workflow in order to achieve high level of development (LOD); allow effective interchange methods between different software. To this end, the examined software packages are those with open source or freeware licenses, in order to evaluate their use in architectural praxis. The test has primarily involved the experimentation of Freecad -the only Open Source software that allows a complete and integrated BIM workflow- and then the results have been compared with those of two proprietary software, Sketchup and TeklaBim Sight, which are released with a free version, but not usable for commercial purposes. The experiments carried out on Open Source, and freeware software was then compared with the outcomes that are obtained by two proprietary software, Sketchup Pro and Tekla Structure which has special modules particularly addressed to the design of steel structures. This evaluation has concerned different comparative criteria, that have been defined on the basis of categories related to the reliability, the efficiency, the potentiality, achievable LOD and user-friendliness of the analyzed software packages. In order to verify the actual outcomes of FOSS BIM for the steel structure projects, these results have been compared with a simulation related to a real case study and carried out with a proprietary software BIM modeling. Therefore, the same design theme, the project of a shelter of public space, has been developed using different software. Therefore the purpose of the contribution is to assess what are the developments and potentialities inherent in FOSS BIM, in order to estimate their effective applicability to professional practice, their limits and new fields of research they propose.Keywords: BIM, steel buildings, FOSS, LOD
Procedia PDF Downloads 1743005 Poly-ε-Caprolactone Nanofibers with Synthetic Growth Factor Enriched Liposomes as Controlled Drug Delivery System
Authors: Vera Sovkova, Andrea Mickova, Matej Buzgo, Karolina Vocetkova, Eva Filova, Evzen Amler
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PCL (poly-ε-caprolactone) nanofibrous scaffolds with adhered liposomes were prepared and tested as a possible drug delivery system for various synthetic growth factors. TGFβ, bFGF, and IGF-I have been shown to increase hMSC (human mesenchymal stem cells) proliferation and to induce hMSC differentiation. Functionalized PCL nanofibers were prepared with synthetic growth factors encapsulated in liposomes adhered to them in three different concentrations. Other samples contained PCL nanofibers with adhered, free synthetic growth factors. The synthetic growth factors free medium served as a control. The interaction of liposomes with the PCL nanofibers was visualized by SEM, and the release kinetics were determined by ELISA testing. The potential of liposomes, immobilized on the biodegradable scaffolds, as a delivery system for synthetic growth factors, and as a suitable system for MSCs adhesion, proliferation and differentiation in vitro was evaluated by MTS assay, dsDNA amount determination, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry and real-time PCR. The results showed that the growth factors adhered to the PCL nanofibers stimulated cell proliferation mainly up to day 11 and that subsequently their effect was lower. By contrast, the release of the lowest concentration of growth factors from liposomes resulted in gradual proliferation of MSCs throughout the experiment. Moreover, liposomes, as well as free growth factors, stimulated type II collagen production, which was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibody against type II collagen. The results of this study indicate that growth factors enriched liposomes adhered to surface of PCL nanofibers could be useful as a drug delivery instrument for application in short timescales, be combined with nanofiber scaffolds to promote local and persistent delivery while mimicking the local microenvironment. This work was supported by project LO1508 from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech RepublicKeywords: drug delivery, growth factors, hMSC, liposomes, nanofibres
Procedia PDF Downloads 2903004 Intrusion Detection in SCADA Systems
Authors: Leandros A. Maglaras, Jianmin Jiang
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The protection of the national infrastructures from cyberattacks is one of the main issues for national and international security. The funded European Framework-7 (FP7) research project CockpitCI introduces intelligent intrusion detection, analysis and protection techniques for Critical Infrastructures (CI). The paradox is that CIs massively rely on the newest interconnected and vulnerable Information and Communication Technology (ICT), whilst the control equipment, legacy software/hardware, is typically old. Such a combination of factors may lead to very dangerous situations, exposing systems to a wide variety of attacks. To overcome such threats, the CockpitCI project combines machine learning techniques with ICT technologies to produce advanced intrusion detection, analysis and reaction tools to provide intelligence to field equipment. This will allow the field equipment to perform local decisions in order to self-identify and self-react to abnormal situations introduced by cyberattacks. In this paper, an intrusion detection module capable of detecting malicious network traffic in a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is presented. Malicious data in a SCADA system disrupt its correct functioning and tamper with its normal operation. OCSVM is an intrusion detection mechanism that does not need any labeled data for training or any information about the kind of anomaly is expecting for the detection process. This feature makes it ideal for processing SCADA environment data and automates SCADA performance monitoring. The OCSVM module developed is trained by network traces off line and detects anomalies in the system real time. The module is part of an IDS (intrusion detection system) developed under CockpitCI project and communicates with the other parts of the system by the exchange of IDMEF messages that carry information about the source of the incident, the time and a classification of the alarm.Keywords: cyber-security, SCADA systems, OCSVM, intrusion detection
Procedia PDF Downloads 5523003 Current Concepts of Male Aesthetics: Facial Areas to Be Focused and Prioritized with Botulinum Toxin and Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Fillers Combination Therapies, Recommendations on Asian Patients
Authors: Sadhana Deshmukh
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Objective: Men represent only a fraction of the medical aesthetic practice. They are increasingly becoming more cosmetically-inclined. The primary objective is to harmonize facial proportion by prioritizing and focusing on forehead nose, cheek and chin complex. Introduction: Despite tremendous variability, diverse population of the Indian subcontinent, the male skull is unique in its overall larger size, and shape. Men tend to have a large forehead with prominent supraorbital ridges, wide glabella, square orbit, and a prominent protruding mandible. Men have increased skeletal muscle mass, with less facial subcutaneous fat. Facial aesthetics is evolving rapidly. Commonly published canons of facial proportions usually represent feminine standards and are not applicable to males. Strict adherence to these norms is therefore not necessary to obtain satisfying results in male patients. Materials and Methods: Male patients age group 30-60 years have been enrolled. Botulinum toxin and hyaluronic acid fillers were used to update consensus recommendations for facial rejuvenation using these two types of products alone and in combination. Results: There are specific recommendations by facial area, focusing on relaxing musculature, restoring volume, recontouring using toxin and dermal fillers alone and in combination. For upper face, though botulinum toxin remains the cornerstone of treatment, temples and forehead fillers are recommended for optimal results. In Mid face, these fillers are placed more laterally to maintain the masculine look. Botulinum toxin and fillers in combination can improve outcomes in the lower face. Chin augmentation remains the center point for lower face. Conclusions: Males are more likely to have shorter doctor visits, less likely to ask questions, have a lower attention to bodily changes. The physician must patiently gauge male patients’ aging and cosmetic goals. Clinicians can also benefit from ongoing guidance on products, tailoring treatments, treating multiple facial areas, and using combinations of products. An appreciation that rejuvenation is 3-dimensional process involving muscle control, volume restoration and recontouring helps.Keywords: male aesthetics, botulinum toxin, hyaluronic acid dermal fillers, Asian patients
Procedia PDF Downloads 1573002 Analysis of Maternal Death Surveillance and Response: Causes and Contributing Factors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2022
Authors: Sisay Tiroro Salato
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Background: Ethiopia has been implementing the maternal death surveillance and response system to provide real-time actionable information, including causes of death and contributing factors. Analysis of maternal mortality surveillance data was conducted to identify the causes and underlying factors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: We carried out a retrospective surveillance data analysis of 324 maternal deaths reported in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 2017 to 2021. The data were extracted from the national maternal death surveillance and response database, including information from case investigation, verbal autopsy, and facility extraction forms. The data were analyzed by computing frequency and presented in numbers, proportions, and ratios. Results: Of 324 maternal deaths, 92% died in the health facilities, 6.2% in transit, and 1.5% at home. The mean age at death was 28 years, ranging from 17 to 45. The maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births was 77for the five years, ranging from 126 in 2017 to 21 in 2021. The direct and indirect causes of death were responsible for 87% and 13%, respectively. The direct causes included obstetric haemorrhage, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, puerperal sepsis, embolism, obstructed labour, and abortion. The third delay (delay in receiving care after reaching health facilities) accounted for 57% of deaths, while the first delay (delay in deciding to seek health care) and the second delay (delay in reaching health facilities) and accounted for 34% and 24%, respectively. Late arrival to the referral facility, delayed management after admission, andnon-recognition of danger signs were underlying factors. Conclusion: Over 86% of maternal deaths were attributed by avoidable direct causes. The majority of women do try to reach health services when an emergency occurs, but the third delays present a major problem. Improving the quality of care at the healthcare facility level will help to reduce maternal death.Keywords: maternal death, surveillance, delays, factors
Procedia PDF Downloads 1133001 Reduction of Biofilm Formation in Closed Circuit Cooling Towers
Authors: Irfan Turetgen
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Closed-circuit cooling towers are cooling units that operate according to the indirect cooling principle. Unlike the open-loop cooling tower, the filler material includes a closed-loop water-operated heat exchanger. The main purpose of this heat exchanger is to prevent the cooled process water from contacting with the external environment. In order to ensure that the hot water is cooled, the water is cooled by the air flow and the circulation water of the tower as it passes through the pipe. They are now more commonly used than open loop cooling towers that provide cooling with plastic filling material. As with all surfaces in contact with water, there is a biofilm formation on the outer surface of the pipe. Although biofilm has been studied very well on plastic surfaces in open loop cooling towers, studies on biofilm layer formed on the heat exchangers of the closed circuit tower have not been found. In the recent study, natural biofilm formation was observed on the heat exchangers of the closed loop tower for 6 months. At the same time, nano-silica coating, which is known to reduce the formation of the biofilm layer, a comparison was made between the two different surfaces in terms of biofilm formation potential. Test surfaces were placed into biofilm reactor along with the untreated control coupons up to 6-months period for biofilm maturation. Natural bacterial communities were monitored to analyze the impact to mimic the real-life conditions. Surfaces were monthly analyzed in situ for their microbial load using epifluorescence microscopy. Wettability is known to play a key role in biofilm formation on surfaces, because characteristics of surface properties affect the bacterial adhesion. Results showed that surface-conditioning with nano-silica significantly reduce (up to 90%) biofilm formation. Easy coating process is a facile and low-cost method to prepare hydrophobic surface without any kinds of expensive compounds or methods.Keywords: biofilms, cooling towers, fill material, nano silica
Procedia PDF Downloads 1293000 Cotton Fiber Quality Improvement by Introducing Sucrose Synthase (SuS) Gene into Gossypium hirsutum L.
Authors: Ahmad Ali Shahid, Mukhtar Ahmed
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The demand for long staple fiber having better strength and length is increasing with the introduction of modern spinning and weaving industry in Pakistan. Work on gene discovery from developing cotton fibers has helped to identify dozens of genes that take part in cotton fiber development and several genes have been characterized for their role in fiber development. Sucrose synthase (SuS) is a key enzyme in the metabolism of sucrose in a plant cell, in cotton fiber it catalyzes a reversible reaction, but preferentially converts sucrose and UDP into fructose and UDP-glucose. UDP-glucose (UDPG) is a nucleotide sugar act as a donor for glucose residue in many glycosylation reactions and is essential for the cytosolic formation of sucrose and involved in the synthesis of cell wall cellulose. The study was focused on successful Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation of SuS gene in pCAMBIA 1301 into cotton under a CaMV35S promoter. Integration and expression of the gene were confirmed by PCR, GUS assay, and real-time PCR. Young leaves of SuS overexpressing lines showed increased total soluble sugars and plant biomass as compared to non-transgenic control plants. Cellulose contents from fiber were significantly increased. SEM analysis revealed that fibers from transgenic cotton were highly spiral and fiber twist number increased per unit length when compared with control. Morphological data from field plants showed that transgenic plants performed better in field conditions. Incorporation of genes related to cotton fiber length and quality can provide new avenues for fiber improvement. The utilization of this technology would provide an efficient import substitution and sustained production of long-staple fiber in Pakistan to fulfill the industrial requirements.Keywords: agrobacterium-mediated transformation, cotton fiber, sucrose synthase gene, staple length
Procedia PDF Downloads 2332999 Expression of DNMT Enzymes-Regulated miRNAs Involving in Epigenetic Event of Tumor and Margin Tissues in Patients with Breast Cancer
Authors: Fatemeh Zeinali Sehrig
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Background: miRNAs play an important role in the post-transcriptional regulation of genes, including genes involved in DNA methylation (DNMTs), and are also important regulators of oncogenic pathways. The study of microRNAs and DNMTs in breast cancer allows the development of targeted treatments and early detection of this cancer. Methods and Materials: Clinical Patients and Samples: Institutional guidelines, including ethical approval and informed consent, were followed by the Ethics Committee (Ethics code: IR.IAU.TABRIZ.REC.1401.063) of Tabriz Azad University, Tabriz, Iran. In this study, tissues of 100 patients with breast cancer and tissues of 100 healthy women were collected from Noor Nejat Hospital in Tabriz. The basic characteristics of the patients with breast cancer included: 1)Tumor grade(Grade 3 = 5%, Grade 2 = 87.5%, Grade 1 = 7.5%), 2)Lymph node(Yes = 87.5%, No = 12.5%), 3)Family cancer history(Yes = 47.5%, No = 41.3%, Unknown = 11.2%), 4) Abortion history(Yes = 36.2%).In silico methods (data gathering, process, and build networks): Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), a high-throughput genomic database, was queried for miRNAs expression profiles in breast cancer. For Experimental protocol Tissue Processing, Total RNA isolation, complementary DNA(cDNA) synthesis, and quantitative real time PCR (QRT-PCR) analysis were performed. Results: In the present study, we found significant (p.value<0.05) changes in the expression level of miRNAs and DNMTs in patients with breast cancer. In bioinformatics studies, the GEO microarray data set, similar to qPCR results, showed a decreased expression of miRNAs and increased expression of DNMTs in breast cancer. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, which showed a decrease in the expression of miRNAs and DNMTs in breast cancer, it can be said that these genes can be used as important diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in breast cancer.Keywords: gene expression omnibus, microarray dataset, breast cancer, miRNA, DNMT (DNA methyltransferases)
Procedia PDF Downloads 352998 Algorithms Utilizing Wavelet to Solve Various Partial Differential Equations
Authors: K. P. Mredula, D. C. Vakaskar
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The article traces developments and evolution of various algorithms developed for solving partial differential equations using the significant combination of wavelet with few already explored solution procedures. The approach depicts a study over a decade of traces and remarks on the modifications in implementing multi-resolution of wavelet, finite difference approach, finite element method and finite volume in dealing with a variety of partial differential equations in the areas like plasma physics, astrophysics, shallow water models, modified Burger equations used in optical fibers, biology, fluid dynamics, chemical kinetics etc.Keywords: multi-resolution, Haar Wavelet, partial differential equation, numerical methods
Procedia PDF Downloads 2992997 Transfer Function Model-Based Predictive Control for Nuclear Core Power Control in PUSPATI TRIGA Reactor
Authors: Mohd Sabri Minhat, Nurul Adilla Mohd Subha
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The 1MWth PUSPATI TRIGA Reactor (RTP) in Malaysia Nuclear Agency has been operating more than 35 years. The existing core power control is using conventional controller known as Feedback Control Algorithm (FCA). It is technically challenging to keep the core power output always stable and operating within acceptable error bands for the safety demand of the RTP. Currently, the system could be considered unsatisfactory with power tracking performance, yet there is still significant room for improvement. Hence, a new design core power control is very important to improve the current performance in tracking and regulating reactor power by controlling the movement of control rods that suit the demand of highly sensitive of nuclear reactor power control. In this paper, the proposed Model Predictive Control (MPC) law was applied to control the core power. The model for core power control was based on mathematical models of the reactor core, MPC, and control rods selection algorithm. The mathematical models of the reactor core were based on point kinetics model, thermal hydraulic models, and reactivity models. The proposed MPC was presented in a transfer function model of the reactor core according to perturbations theory. The transfer function model-based predictive control (TFMPC) was developed to design the core power control with predictions based on a T-filter towards the real-time implementation of MPC on hardware. This paper introduces the sensitivity functions for TFMPC feedback loop to reduce the impact on the input actuation signal and demonstrates the behaviour of TFMPC in term of disturbance and noise rejections. The comparisons of both tracking and regulating performance between the conventional controller and TFMPC were made using MATLAB and analysed. In conclusion, the proposed TFMPC has satisfactory performance in tracking and regulating core power for controlling nuclear reactor with high reliability and safety.Keywords: core power control, model predictive control, PUSPATI TRIGA reactor, TFMPC
Procedia PDF Downloads 2412996 Advantages of Neural Network Based Air Data Estimation for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Authors: Angelo Lerro, Manuela Battipede, Piero Gili, Alberto Brandl
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Redundancy requirements for UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) are hardly faced due to the generally restricted amount of available space and allowable weight for the aircraft systems, limiting their exploitation. Essential equipment as the Air Data, Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (ADAHRS) require several external probes to measure significant data as the Angle of Attack or the Sideslip Angle. Previous research focused on the analysis of a patented technology named Smart-ADAHRS (Smart Air Data, Attitude and Heading Reference System) as an alternative method to obtain reliable and accurate estimates of the aerodynamic angles. This solution is based on an innovative sensor fusion algorithm implementing soft computing techniques and it allows to obtain a simplified inertial and air data system reducing external devices. In fact, only one external source of dynamic and static pressures is needed. This paper focuses on the benefits which would be gained by the implementation of this system in UAV applications. A simplification of the entire ADAHRS architecture will bring to reduce the overall cost together with improved safety performance. Smart-ADAHRS has currently reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6. Real flight tests took place on ultralight aircraft equipped with a suitable Flight Test Instrumentation (FTI). The output of the algorithm using the flight test measurements demonstrates the capability for this fusion algorithm to embed in a single device multiple physical and virtual sensors. Any source of dynamic and static pressure can be integrated with this system gaining a significant improvement in terms of versatility.Keywords: aerodynamic angles, air data system, flight test, neural network, unmanned aerial vehicle, virtual sensor
Procedia PDF Downloads 2212995 A Theoretical Study on Pain Assessment through Human Facial Expresion
Authors: Mrinal Kanti Bhowmik, Debanjana Debnath Jr., Debotosh Bhattacharjee
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A facial expression is undeniably the human manners. It is a significant channel for human communication and can be applied to extract emotional features accurately. People in pain often show variations in facial expressions that are readily observable to others. A core of actions is likely to occur or to increase in intensity when people are in pain. To illustrate the changes in the facial appearance, a system known as Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is pioneered by Ekman and Friesen for human observers. According to Prkachin and Solomon, a set of such actions carries the bulk of information about pain. Thus, the Prkachin and Solomon pain intensity (PSPI) metric is defined. So, it is very important to notice that facial expressions, being a behavioral source in communication media, provide an important opening into the issues of non-verbal communication in pain. People express their pain in many ways, and this pain behavior is the basis on which most inferences about pain are drawn in clinical and research settings. Hence, to understand the roles of different pain behaviors, it is essential to study the properties. For the past several years, the studies are concentrated on the properties of one specific form of pain behavior i.e. facial expression. This paper represents a comprehensive study on pain assessment that can model and estimate the intensity of pain that the patient is suffering. It also reviews the historical background of different pain assessment techniques in the context of painful expressions. Different approaches incorporate FACS from psychological views and a pain intensity score using the PSPI metric in pain estimation. This paper investigates in depth analysis of different approaches used in pain estimation and presents different observations found from each technique. It also offers a brief study on different distinguishing features of real and fake pain. Therefore, the necessity of the study lies in the emerging fields of painful face assessment in clinical settings.Keywords: facial action coding system (FACS), pain, pain behavior, Prkachin and Solomon pain intensity (PSPI)
Procedia PDF Downloads 3462994 Investigation of Correlation Between Radon Concentration and Metals in Produced Water from Oilfield Activities
Authors: Nacer Hamza
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Naturally radiation exposure that present due to the cosmic ray or the naturel occurring radioactives materials(NORMs) that originated in the earth's crust and are present everywhere in the environment(1) , a significant concentration of NORMs reported in the produced water which comes out during the oil extraction process, so that the management of this produced water is a challenge for oil and gas companies which include either minimization of produced water which considered as the best way in the term of environment based in the fact that ,the lower water produced the lower cost in treating this water , recycling and reuse by reinjected produced water that fulfills some requirements to enhance oil recovery or disposal in the case that the produced water cannot be minimize or reuse. In the purpose of produced water management, the investigation of NORMs activity concentration present in it considered as the main step for more understanding of the radionuclide’s distribution. Many studies reported the present of NORMs in produced water and investigated the correlation between 〖Ra〗^226and the different metals present in produced water(2) including Cations and anions〖Na〗^+,〖Cl〗^-, 〖Fe〗^(2+), 〖Ca〗^(2+) . and lead, nickel, zinc, cadmium, and copper commonly exist as heavy metal in oil and gas field produced water(3). However, there are no real interesting to investigate the correlation between 〖Rn〗^222and the different metals exist in produced water. methods using, in first to measure the radon concentration activity in produced water samples is a RAD7 .RAD7 is a radiometer instrument based on the solid state detectors(4) which is a type of semi-conductor detector for alpha particles emitting from Rn and their progenies, in second the concentration of different metals presents in produced water measure using an atomic absorption spectrometry AAS. Then to investigate the correlation between the 〖Rn〗^222concentration activity and the metals concentration in produced water a statistical method is Pearson correlation analysis which based in the correlation coefficient obtained between the 〖Rn〗^222 and metals. Such investigation is important to more understanding how the radionuclides act in produced water based on this correlation with metals , in first due to the fact that 〖Rn〗^222decays through the sequence 〖Po〗^218, 〖Pb〗^214, 〖Bi〗^214, 〖Po〗^214, and〖Pb〗^210, those daughters are metals thus they will precipitate with metals present in produced water, secondly the short half-life of 〖Rn〗^222 (3.82 days) lead to faster precipitation of its progenies with metals in produced water.Keywords: norms, radon concentration, produced water, heavy metals
Procedia PDF Downloads 1472993 Estimating the Impact of Appliance Energy Efficiency Improvement on Residential Energy Demand in Tema City, Ghana
Authors: Marriette Sakah, Samuel Gyamfi, Morkporkpor Delight Sedzro, Christoph Kuhn
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Ghana is experiencing rapid economic development and its cities command an increasingly dominant role as centers of both production and consumption. Cities run on energy and are extremely vulnerable to energy scarcity, energy price escalations and health impacts of very poor air quality. The overriding concern in Ghana and other West African states is bridging the gap between energy demand and supply. Energy efficiency presents a cost-effective solution for supply challenges by enabling more coverage with current power supply levels and reducing the need for investment in additional generation capacity and grid infrastructure. In Ghana, major issues for energy policy formulation in residential applications include lack of disaggregated electrical energy consumption data and lack of thorough understanding with regards to socio-economic influences on energy efficiency investment. This study uses a bottom up approach to estimate baseline electricity end-use as well as the energy consumption of best available technologies to enable estimation of energy-efficiency resource in terms of relative reduction in total energy use for Tema city, Ghana. A ground survey was conducted to assess the probable consumer behavior in response to energy efficiency initiatives to enable estimation of the amount of savings that would occur in response to specific policy interventions with regards to funding and incentives provision targeted at households. Results show that 16% - 54% reduction in annual electricity consumption is reasonably achievable depending on the level of incentives provision. The saved energy could supply 10000 - 34000 additional households if the added households use only best available technology. Political support and consumer awareness are necessary to translate energy efficiency resources into real energy savings.Keywords: achievable energy savings, energy efficiency, Ghana, household appliances
Procedia PDF Downloads 2142992 Revolutionizing Project Management: A Comprehensive Review of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications for Smarter Project Execution
Authors: Wenzheng Fu, Yue Fu, Zhijiang Dong, Yujian Fu
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The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into project management is transforming how engineering projects are executed, monitored, and controlled. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of AI and ML applications in project management, systematically categorizing their use in key areas such as project data analytics, monitoring, tracking, scheduling, and reporting. As project management becomes increasingly data-driven, AI and ML offer powerful tools for improving decision-making, optimizing resource allocation, and predicting risks, leading to enhanced project outcomes. The review highlights recent research that demonstrates the ability of AI and ML to automate routine tasks, provide predictive insights, and support dynamic decision-making, which in turn increases project efficiency and reduces the likelihood of costly delays. This paper also examines the emerging trends and future opportunities in AI-driven project management, such as the growing emphasis on transparency, ethical governance, and data privacy concerns. The research suggests that AI and ML will continue to shape the future of project management by driving further automation and offering intelligent solutions for real-time project control. Additionally, the review underscores the need for ongoing innovation and the development of governance frameworks to ensure responsible AI deployment in project management. The significance of this review lies in its comprehensive analysis of AI and ML’s current contributions to project management, providing valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners. By offering a structured overview of AI applications across various project phases, this paper serves as a guide for the adoption of intelligent systems, helping organizations achieve greater efficiency, adaptability, and resilience in an increasingly complex project management landscape.Keywords: artificial intelligence, decision support systems, machine learning, project management, resource optimization, risk prediction
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