Search results for: loss model

Authors: Jui-Ching Chou

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Numerical simulation is a popular method used to evaluate the effects of soil liquefaction on a structure or the effectiveness of a mitigation plan. Many constitutive models (UBCSAND model, PM4 model, SANISAND model, etc.) were presented to model the liquefaction phenomenon. In general, inputs of a constitutive model need to be calibrated against the soil cyclic resistance before being applied to the numerical simulation model. Then, simulation results can be compared with results from simplified liquefaction potential assessing methods. In this article, inputs of the UBCSAND model, a simple elastic-plastic stress-strain model, are calibrated against several popular generic liquefaction triggering curves of simplified liquefaction potential assessing methods via FLAC program. Calibrated inputs can provide engineers to perform a preliminary evaluation of an existing structure or a new design project.

Keywords: calibration, liquefaction, numerical simulation, UBCSAND Model

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Authors: Imoukhuede Oladunni Bimpe, Ale Monday Olatunbosun

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Periodic scarcity of onion requires urgent solution in Nigerian agro-economy. The high percentage of onion losses incurred after harvesting period is due to non-availability of appropriate facility for its storage. Therefore, some storage structures were constructed with different roofing materials. The response of the materials to the weather parameters like temperature and relative humidity were evaluated to know their effects on the performance of the storage structures. The temperature and relative humidity were taken three times daily alongside with the weight of the onion in each of the structures; the losses as indicated by loss indices like shrinkage, rottenness, sprouting and colour were identified and percentage loss per week determined. The highest mean percentage loss (22%) was observed in the structure with iron roofing materials while structure with thatched materials had the lowest (9.4%); The highest temperature was observed in the structure with Asbestos roofing materials and no significant difference in the temperature value in the structure with thatched and Iron materials; highest relatively humidity was found in Asbestos roofing material while the lowest in the structure with Iron materials. It was conclusively found that the storage structure with thatched roof had the best performance in terms of losses.

Keywords: onion, storage structures, weather parameters, roof materials, losses

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Authors: Neda Amidi Fazli, Farid Amidi Fazli

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Enriched fruits by minerals provide minerals which are needed to human body the minerals are used by body cells for daily activities. This paper indicates the result of mass transfer in fruit slices in 55% sucrose syrup in presence of calcium and phosphorus ions. Osmosis agent 55% (w/w) was prepared by solving sucrose in deionized water and adding calcium or phosphorus in 1 and 2% concentration. Dry matter, solid gain, water loss as well as weight reduction were calculated. Results showed that by increasing of calcium concentration in osmosis solution solid gain, water loss and weight reduction were increased in short experiment time in kiwi fruit but the parameters decreased in long experiment time by concentration increasing and rise of calcium concentration caused decrease of osmosis parameters in banana. In the case of phosphorus, increasing of ion concentration had adverse effect on all treatments, this may be due to different osmosis force that is created by two types of ions. The mentioned parameters decreased in all treatments by increasing of ion concentration. Highest mass transfer in kiwi fruit occurs when 1% calcium solution applied for 60 minutes, values obtained for solid gain, water loss and weight reduction were 42.60, 51.97, and 9.37 respectively. In the case of banana, when 2% phosphorus concentration was applied as osmosis agent for 60 minutes highest values for solid gain, water loss and weight reduction obtained as 21, 25.84, and 4.84 respectively.

Keywords: calcium, concentration, osmotic dehydration, phosphorus

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Authors: Liyana Zahid, Mohd Fareq Abd Malek, Ee Meng Cheng, Wei Wen Liu, Yeng Seng Lee, Muhammad Nadeem Iqbal, Fwen Hoon Wee

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One of the parameters that affect the performance of microwave absorbers is the shape of the absorbers. This paper shows the performance (reflection loss) of truncated pyramidal and truncated wedge microwave absorbers in the range frequency between 8.2 to 12.4 GHz (X-Band) in simulation. The material used is sugarcane bagasse (SCB) which is one of the new materials that used to fabricate the microwave absorber. The complex permittivity was measured using Agilent dielectric probe technique. The designs were simulated using CST Microwave Studio Software. The reflection losses between these two shapes were compared.

Keywords: microwave absorber, reflection loss, sugarcane bagasse (SCB), X-Band

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Authors: Saima Saleem, Zubair Abbasi, Abdul Hameed, Mansoor Ahmed Khan, Navid Rashid Qureshi, Abid Azhar

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Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the leading cause of death in the developing countries like Pakistan. This problem aggravates because of the excessive use of available chewing products. In spite of widespread information on their use and purported legislations against their use the Pakistani markets are classical examples of selling chewable carcinogenic mutagens. Reported studies indicated that these products are rich in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and polyphenols. TP53 gene is involved in the suppression of tumor. It has been reported that somatic mutations caused by TP53 gene are the foundation of the cancer. This study aims to find the loss of TP53 functions due to mutation/polymorphism caused by genomic alteration and interaction with tobacco and its related ingredients. Total 260 tissues and blood specimens were collected from OSCC patients and compared with age and sex matched controls. Mutations in exons 2-11 of TP53 were examined by PCR-SSCP. Samples showing mobility shift were directly sequenced. Two mutations were found in exon 4 at nucleotide position 108 and 215 and one in exon 7 at nucleotide position 719 of the coding sequences in patient’s tumor samples. These results show that substitution of proline with arginine at codon 72 and serine with threonine at codon 240 of p53 protein. These polymorphic changes, found in tumor samples of OSCC, could be involved in loss of heterozygocity and apoptotic activity in the binding domain of TP53. The model of the mutated TP53 gene elaborated a nonfunctional unfolded p53 protein, suggesting an important role of these mutations in p53 protein inactivation and malfunction. This nonfunctional 3D model also indicates that exogenous tobacco related carcinogens may act as DNA-damaging agents affecting the structure of DNA. The interpretations could be helpful in establishing the pathways responsible for tumor formation in OSCC patients.

Keywords: TP53 mutation/polymorphism, OSCC, PCR-SSCP, direct DNA sequencing, 3D structure

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Authors: Kingsley Nnaemeka Ogbu, Constantine Mbajiorgu

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

Keywords: runoff, roughness coefficient, PAR, WRM model

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Authors: Imran Khan Swati, Mohammad Younas

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This work aims to explore the potential applications of polymeric hydrophobic membranes and green ionic liquids (ILs). Protic and aprotic ILs were synthesized in the lab., characterized, and tested for CO₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ separation using hydrophobic polymeric membranes via supported ionic liquid membrane (SILM). ILs were verified by FTIR spectroscopy. The SILMs were stable at room temperature up to 0.5 MPa. For CO₂, [BSmim][tos] had the greatest coefficient of solubility and permeability, along with all ILs. At 0.5 MPa, IL [BSmim][tos] was found with a selectivity of 56.2 and 47.5 for pure CO₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄, respectively. The ILs synthesized for this study are rated as [BSmim][tos]>[BSmpy][tos]>[Bmim][Cl]>[Bpy][Cl] based on their SILM separation performance. Furthermore, high values of selectivity of [BSmim][tos] and [BSmpy][tos] support the use of ILs for CO₂ separation using SILMs. The study was extended to synthesize and test the ammonium-based ILs, [2-HEA][f] and [2-HEA][Hs]. These ILs achieved 50 % less selectivity for CO₂/N₂ as compared to [BSmim][tos] and [BSmpy][tos]. Nevertheless, the permeability of CO₂ achieved with [2-HEA][f] and [2-HEA][Hs] is more than 20 times higher than the [BSmim][tos] and [BSmpy][tos]. Later, the CO₂/N₂ permeability and selectivity study was extended using a flat sheet membrane contactor with recirculated IL. The contact angle effects, liquid entry pressure (LEP), initial CO₂ concentration, and type of solvents and membrane material on the CO₂ capture efficiency and membrane wetting in the post-combustion capture (PCC) process have been experimentally investigated and evaluated. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has shown the most hydrophobic property with 6-170 loss in the contact angle. Furthermore, [Omim][BF4] and [Bmim][BF6] have exhibited only 5-8 % loss in LEP using PTFE membrane support. The CO₂ capture efficiency has been achieved as 80.8-99.8 % in different combinations of ILs and membrane support, keeping all other variables constant. While increasing CO₂ concentration from 15 to 45 % vol., an increase of nearly three folds in the CO₂ mass transfer flux was observed. The combination of [Omim][BF4] and PTFE membrane witnessed good long-term stability with only a 20 % loss in CO₂ capture efficiency in 480 min of continuous operation. A 3- D simulation model for non-dispersive solvent absorption in membrane contactors provides insight into the optimum design of a separation system for a specific application minimizing the overall cost and making the process environment-friendly.

Keywords: Post-combustion CO2 capture, membrane synthesis, process development, permeability and selectivity, ionic liquids

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Authors: Masahiro Ohmura, Koh Kakusho, Takeshi Okadome

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This paper presents a regression model with autocorrelated errors in which the inputs are social moods obtained by analyzing the adjectives in Twitter posts using a document topic model. The regression model predicts Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) more precisely than autoregressive moving-average models.

Keywords: stock market prediction, social moods, regression model, DJIA

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Authors: Shin Je Lee, Go Bong Choi, Jeong Cheol Seo, Jong Min Lee, Gibaek Lee

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Water pipe network is installed underground and once equipped; it is difficult to recognize the state of pipes when the leak or burst happens. Accordingly, post management is often delayed after the fault occurs. Therefore, the systematic fault management system of water pipe network is required to prevent the accident and minimize the loss. In this work, we develop online fault detection system of water pipe network using data of pipes such as flow rate or pressure. The transient model describing water flow in pipelines is presented and simulated using Matlab. The fault situations such as the leak or burst can be also simulated and flow rate or pressure data when the fault happens are collected. Faults are detected using statistical methods of fast Fourier transform and discrete wavelet transform, and they are compared to find which method shows the better fault detection performance.

Keywords: fault detection, water pipeline model, fast Fourier transform, discrete wavelet transform

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Authors: Belal Mohamadi Kalesar, Raouf Hasanpour

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Proper placement of Distributed Generation (DG) units such as wind turbine generators in distribution system are still very challenging issue for obtaining their maximum potential benefits because inappropriate placement may increase the system losses. This paper proposes Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique for optimal placement of wind based DG (WDG) in the primary distribution system to reduce energy losses and voltage profile improvement with four different wind levels modeling in year duration. Also, wind turbine is modeled as a DFIG that will be operated at unity power factor and only one wind turbine tower will be considered to install at each bus of network. Finally, proposed method will be implemented on widely used 69 bus power distribution system in MATLAB software environment under four scenario (without, one, two and three WDG units) and for capability test of implemented program it is supposed that all buses of standard system can be candidate for WDG installing (large search space), though this program can consider predetermined number of candidate location in WDG placement to model financial limitation of project. Obtained results illustrate that wind speed increasing in some months will increase output power generated but this can increase / decrease power loss in some wind level, also results show that it is required about 3MW WDG capacity to install in different buses but when this is distributed in overall network (more number of WDG) it can cause better solution from point of view of power loss and voltage profile.

Keywords: wind turbine, DG placement, wind levels effect, PSO algorithm

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Authors: Adji Achmad Rinaldo Fernandes

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SEM analysis is a complex multivariate analysis because it involves a number of exogenous and endogenous variables that are interconnected to form a model. The measurement model is divided into two, namely, the reflective model (reflecting) and the formative model (forming). Before carrying out further tests on SEM, there are assumptions that must be met, namely the linearity assumption, to determine the form of the relationship. There are three modeling approaches to path analysis, including parametric, nonparametric and semiparametric approaches. The aim of this research is to develop semiparametric SEM and obtain the best model. The data used in the research is secondary data as the basis for the process of obtaining simulation data. Simulation data was generated with various sample sizes of 100, 300, and 500. In the semiparametric SEM analysis, the form of the relationship studied was determined, namely linear and quadratic and determined one and two knot points with various levels of error variance (EV=0.5; 1; 5). There are three levels of closeness of relationship for the analysis process in the measurement model consisting of low (0.1-0.3), medium (0.4-0.6) and high (0.7-0.9) levels of closeness. The best model lies in the form of the relationship X1Y1 linear, and. In the measurement model, a characteristic of the reflective model is obtained, namely that the higher the closeness of the relationship, the better the model obtained. The originality of this research is the development of semiparametric SEM, which has not been widely studied by researchers.

Keywords: semiparametric SEM, measurement model, structural model, reflective model, formative model

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Authors: Yoshio Kurosawa

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To reduce the interior noise of cars in high-frequency region, sound proof materials are laminated with the body panels and the interior trims. Therefore, sound proof properties of the laminates play an important role for the efficient acoustical design. A program code which predicts both sound absorption properties and sound insulation properties of the laminates are developed. This program code is used for transfer matrix method by Biot theory. This report described the outline of this program code, and the calculation results almost agreed with the experimental results.

Keywords: porous media, transmission loss, Biot theory, transfer matrix method

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Authors: Peng Wang, Tigang Jiang

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The computer based lip reading method of different languages cannot be universal. At present, for the research of Chinese lip reading, whether the work on data sets or recognition algorithms, is far from mature. In this paper, we study the Chinese lipreading method based on machine learning, and propose a Chinese Sentence-level lip-reading network (CNLipNet) model which consists of spatio-temporal convolutional neural network(CNN), recurrent neural network(RNN) and Connectionist Temporal Classification (CTC) loss function. This model can map variable-length sequence of video frames to Chinese Pinyin sequence and is trained end-to-end. More over, We create CNLRS, a Chinese Lipreading Dataset, which contains 5948 samples and can be shared through github. The evaluation of CNLipNet on this dataset yielded a 41% word correct rate and a 70.6% character correct rate. This evaluation result is far superior to the professional human lip readers, indicating that CNLipNet performs well in lipreading.

Keywords: lipreading, machine learning, spatio-temporal, convolutional neural network, recurrent neural network

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Authors: Eunji Choi, Borang Park, Youngjae Choi, Jinwoo Moon

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In this study, a predictive model for estimating the metabolism (MET) of human body was developed for the optimal control of indoor thermal environment. Human body images for indoor activities and human body joint coordinated values were collected as data sets, which are used in predictive model. A deep learning algorithm was used in an initial model, and its number of hidden layers and hidden neurons were optimized. Lastly, the model prediction performance was analyzed after the model being trained through collected data. In conclusion, the possibility of MET prediction was confirmed, and the direction of the future study was proposed as developing various data and the predictive model.

Keywords: deep learning, indoor quality, metabolism, predictive model

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Authors: Farida, M. Shehu, Shehu U. R. Aliyu

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Access to finance has been recognized in the literature as one of the major impediments confronting small scale businesses (SSBs). This largely arises due to high lending rate, religious inclinations, collateral, etc. Islamic mode finance operates under Profit and Loss Sharing (PLS) arrangement between a borrower (business owner) and a lender (Islamic bank). This paper empirically assesses the determinants of predisposition of small scale business operators in Fagge local government area, Kano State, Nigeria, towards the PLS. Cross-sectional data from a sample of 291 small scale business operators was analyzed using logit and probit regression models. Empirical results reveal that while awareness and religion inclination positively drive interest towards the PLS, lending rate and collateral work against it. The paper, therefore, strongly recommends more advocacy campaigns and setting up of more Islamic banks in the country to cater for the financing and religious needs of SSBs in the study area.

Keywords: Islamic finance, logit and probit models, profit and loss sharing small scale businesses, finance, commerce

Procedia PDF Downloads 355

Authors: Ahmed Gaber Abdel Raheem, Nashwa Ahmed Mohamed

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Introduction: Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is largely caused by the degeneration of the cochlea. Therapeutic options for SNHL are limited to hearing aids and cochlear implants. The cell transplantation approach to the regeneration of hair cells has gained considerable attention because stem cells are believed to accumulate in the damaged sites and have the potential for the repair of damaged tissues. The aim of the work: was to assess the use of bone marrow transplantation in repair of damaged inner ear hair cells in rats after the damage had been inflicted by Amikacin injection. Material and Methods: Thirty albino rats were used in this study. They were divided into three groups. Each group ten rats. Group I: used as control. Group II: Were given Amikacin- intratympanic injection till complete loss of hearing function. This could be assessed by Distortion product Otoacoustic Emission (DPOAEs) and / or auditory brain stem evoked potential (ABR). GroupIII: were given intra-peritoneal injection of bone marrow stem cell after complete loss of hearing caused by Amikacin. Clinical assessment was done using DPOAEs and / or auditory brain stem evoked potential (ABR), before and after bone marrow injection. Histological assessment of the inner ear was done by light and electron microscope. Also, Detection of stem cells in the inner ear by immunohistochemistry. Results: Histological examination of the specimens showed promising improvement in the structure of cochlea that may be responsible for the improvement of hearing function in rats detected by DPOAEs and / or ABR. Conclusion: Bone marrow stem cells transplantation might be useful for the treatment of SNHL.

Keywords: amikacin, hair cells, sensorineural hearing loss, stem cells

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Authors: Alan Wan

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In recent years, the body of literature on frequentist model averaging in statistics has grown significantly. Most of this work focuses on models with different mean structures but leaves out the variance consideration. In this paper, we consider a regression model with multiplicative heteroscedasticity and develop a model averaging method that combines maximum likelihood estimators of unknown parameters in both the mean and variance functions of the model. Our weight choice criterion is based on a minimisation of a plug-in estimator of the model average estimator's squared prediction risk. We prove that the new estimator possesses an asymptotic optimality property. Our investigation of finite-sample performance by simulations demonstrates that the new estimator frequently exhibits very favourable properties compared to some existing heteroscedasticity-robust model average estimators. The model averaging method hedges against the selection of very bad models and serves as a remedy to variance function misspecification, which often discourages practitioners from modeling heteroscedasticity altogether. The proposed model average estimator is applied to the analysis of two real data sets.

Keywords: heteroscedasticity-robust, model averaging, multiplicative heteroscedasticity, plug-in, squared prediction risk

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Authors: Ramachandran Manivannan, B. Sakthi Swaroop, Selvam Noyel Victoria

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Microbial corrosion of brass gauze by the aerobic film forming bacteria Arthrobacter sulfurous in neutral media was investigated using gravimetric studies. Maximum weight loss of 166.98 mg was observed for a period of 28 days of exposure to the bacterial medium as against the weight loss of 13.69 mg for control. The optical density studies for the bacterial culture was found to show attainment of stationary phase in 48 h. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of the samples shows the presence of pitting corrosion. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis of the samples showed increased oxygen and phosphorus content in the sample due to bacterial activity.

Keywords: Arthrobacter sulfureus, biocorrosion, brass, neutral medium

Procedia PDF Downloads 157

Authors: Junkyeong Kim, Jooyoung Park, Aoqi Zhang, Seunghee Park

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The tensile force of Pre-Stressed Concrete (PSC) girder is the most important factor for evaluating the performance of PSC girder bridges. To measure the tensile force of PSC girder, several NDT methods were studied. However, conventional NDT method cannot be applied to the real-size PSC girder because the PS tendons could not be approached. To measure the tensile force of real-size PSC girder, this study proposed embedded EM sensor based tensile force estimation method. The embedded EM sensor could be installed inside of PSC girder as a sheath joint before the concrete casting. After curing process, the PS tendons were installed, and the tensile force was induced step by step using hydraulic jacking machine. The B-H loop was measured using embedded EM sensor at each tensile force steps and to compare with actual tensile force, the load cell was installed at each end of girder. The magnetization energy loss, that is the closed area of B-H loop, was decreased according to the increase of tensile force with regular pattern. Thus, the tensile force could be estimated by the tracking the change of magnetization energy loss of PS tendons. Through the experimental result, the proposed method can be used to estimate the tensile force of the in-situ real-size PSC girder bridge.

Keywords: tensile force estimation, embedded EM sensor, magnetization energy loss, PSC girder

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Authors: Myung Hwan Na, Ho- Chun Song, EunHee Hong

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We widely use normal linear mixed-effects model to analysis data in repeated measurement. In case of detecting heteroscedasticity and the non-normality of the population distribution at the same time, normal linear mixed-effects model can give improper result of analysis. To achieve more robust estimation, we use heavy tailed linear mixed-effects model which gives more exact and reliable analysis conclusion than standard normal linear mixed-effects model.

Keywords: reliability, tires, field data, linear mixed-effects model

Procedia PDF Downloads 551

Authors: Bambang Novianto, Rizal Aditya Herdianto, Raphael Bianco Huwae, Afifah, Alfonso Brolin Sihite, Rudi Lumanto

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The mobile banking application is a type of mobile application that is growing rapidly. This is caused by the ease of service and time savings in making transactions. On the other hand, this certainly provides a challenge in security issues. The use of mobile banking can not be separated from cyberattacks that may occur which can result the theft of sensitive information or financial loss. The financial loss and the theft of sensitive information is the most avoided thing because besides harming the user, it can also cause a loss of customer trust in a bank. Cyberattacks that are often carried out against mobile applications are phishing, hacking, theft, misuse of data, etc. Cyberattack can occur when a vulnerability is successfully exploited. OWASP mobile Top 10 has recorded as many as 10 vulnerabilities that are most commonly found in mobile applications. In the others, android permissions also have the potential to cause vulnerabilities. Therefore, an overview of the profile of the mobile banking application becomes an urgency that needs to be known. So that it is expected to be a consideration of the parties involved for improving security. In this study, an experiment has been conducted to capture the profile of the mobile banking applications in Indonesia based on android permission and OWASP mobile top 10 2016. The results show that there are six basic vulnerabilities based on OWASP Mobile Top 10 that are most commonly found in mobile banking applications in Indonesia, i.e. M1:Improper Platform Usage, M2:Insecure Data Storage, M3:Insecure Communication, M5:Insufficient Cryptography, M7:Client Code Quality, and M9:Reverse Engineering. The most permitted android permissions are the internet, status network access, and telephone read status.

Keywords: mobile banking application, OWASP mobile top 10 2016, android permission, sensitive information, financial loss

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Authors: Abdoullah Fath-Allah, Laila Cheikhi, Rafa E. Al-Qutaish, Ali Idri

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The e-government emerging concept transforms the way in which the citizens are dealing with their governments. Thus, the citizens can execute the intended services online anytime and anywhere. This results in great benefits for both the governments (reduces the number of officers) and the citizens (more flexibility and time saving). Therefore, building a maturity model to assess the e-government portals becomes desired to help in the improvement process of such portals. This paper aims at proposing an e-government maturity model based on the measurement of the best practices’ presence. The main benefit of such maturity model is to provide a way to rank an e-government portal based on the used best practices, and also giving a set of recommendations to go to the higher stage in the maturity model.

Keywords: best practices, e-government portal, maturity model, quality model

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Authors: D. Mokhtari

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Any variation in environmental characteristics of geomorphosites would lead to destabilisation of their geotouristic values all around the planet. The Urmia lake, with an area of approximately 5,500 km2 and a catchment area of 51,876 km2, and to which various reasons over time, especially in the last fifty years have seen a sharp decline and have decreased by about 93 % in two recent decades. These variations are not only driving significant changes in the morphology and ecology of the present lake landscape, but at the same time are shaping newly formed morphologies, which vanished some valuable geomorphosites or develop into smaller geomorphosites with significant value from a scientific and cultural point of view. This paper analyses and discusses features and evolution in several representative coastal and island geomorphosites. For this purpose, a total of 23 geomorphosites were studied in two data series (1963 and 2015) and the respective data were compared and analysed. The results showed, The total loss in geomorphosites area in a half century amounted to a loss of more than 90% of the valuable geomorphosites. Moreover, the comparison between the mean yearly value of coastal area lost over the entire period and the yearly average calculated for the shorter period (1998-2014) clearly indicates a pattern of acceleration. This acceleration in the rate of reduction in lake area was seen in most of the southern half of the lake. In the region as well, the general water-level falling is not only causing the loss of a significant water resource, which is followed by major impact on regional ecosystems, but is also driving the most marked recent (last century) changes in the geotouristic landscapes. In fact, the disappearance of geomorphosites means the loss of tourism phenomenon. In this context attention must be paid to the question of conservation. The action needed to safeguard geomorphosites includes: 1) Preventive action, 2) Corrective action, and 3) Sharing knowledge.

Keywords: geomorphosite, environmental changes, changing lake, Urmia lake, northwest of Iran

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Authors: John Michael Russo

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Honeybees are important to our food system and continue to suffer from high rates of colony loss. Precision feed has brought many benefits to livestock cultivation and these should transfer to apiculture. However, apiculture has unique challenges. The objective of this research is to understand how principles of precision agriculture, applied to apiculture and feed specifically, might effectively improve state-of-the-art cultivation. The methodology surveys apicultural practice to build a model for assessment. First, a review of apicultural motivators is made. Feed method is then evaluated. Finally, precision feed methods are examined as accelerants with potential to advance the effectiveness of feed practice. Six important motivators emerge: colony loss, disease, climate change, site variance, operational costs, and competition. Feed practice itself is used to compensate for environmental variables. The research finds that the current state-of-the-art in apiculture feed focuses on critical challenges in the management of feed schedules which satisfy requirements of the bees, preserve potency, optimize environmental variables, and manage costs. Many of the challenges are most acute when feed is used to dispense medication. Technology such as RNA treatments have even more rigorous demands. Precision feed solutions focus on strategies which accommodate specific needs of individual livestock. A major component is data; they integrate precise data with methods that respond to individual needs. There is enormous opportunity for precision feed to improve apiculture through the integration of precision data with policies to translate data into optimized action in the apiary, particularly through automation.

Keywords: precision agriculture, precision feed, apiculture, honeybees

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Authors: Shi Qi Koo, Ahmad Beng Hong Kueh

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In the present work, the finite element formulation for the investigation of the effects of a localized interfacial degeneration on the dynamic behavior of the [90˚/0˚] laminated composite plate employing the state-space technique is performed. The stiffness of the laminate is determined by assembling the stiffnesses of sub-elements. This includes an introduction of an interface layer adopting the virtually zero-thickness formulation to model the interfacial degeneration. Also, the kinematically consistent mass matrix and proportional damping have been formulated to complete the free vibration governing expression. To simulate the interfacial degeneration of the laminate, the degenerated areas are defined from the center propagating outwards in a localized manner. It is found that the natural frequency, damped frequency and damping ratio of the plate decreases as the degenerated area of the interface increases. On the contrary, the loss factor increases correspondingly.

Keywords: dynamic finite element, localized interface degeneration, proportional damping, state-space modeling

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Authors: I. C. Tolias, A. G. Venetsanos, N. Markatos

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In the present work, CFD simulations of a large scale open deflagration experiment are performed. Stoichiometric hydrogen-air mixture occupies a 20 m hemisphere. Two combustion models are compared and are evaluated against the experiment. The Eddy Dissipation Model and a Multi-physics combustion model which is based on Yakhot’s equation for the turbulent flame speed. The values of models’ critical parameters are investigated. The effect of the turbulence model is also examined. k-ε model and LES approach were tested.

Keywords: CFD, deflagration, hydrogen, combustion model

Procedia PDF Downloads 479

Authors: Robson da C. Santos, Carlos Henrique de A. S. P. Coutinho, Lucas Moreira Dias, Gerson Gomes Cunha

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The article refers to the development of an augmented reality 3D display, through the control of servo motors and projection of image with aid of video projector on the model. Augmented Reality is a branch that explores multiple approaches to increase real-world view by viewing additional information along with the real scene. The article presents the broad use of electrical, electronic, mechanical and industrial automation for geospatial visualizations, applications in mathematical models with the visualization of functions and 3D surface graphics and volumetric rendering that are currently seen in 2D layers. Application as a 3D display for representation and visualization of Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and Digital Surface Models (DSM), where it can be applied in the identification of canyons in the marine area of the Campos Basin, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The same can execute visualization of regions subject to landslides, as in Serra do Mar - Agra dos Reis and Serranas cities both in the State of Rio de Janeiro. From the foregoing, loss of human life and leakage of oil from pipelines buried in these regions may be anticipated in advance. The physical design consists of a table consisting of a 9 x 16 matrix of servo motors, totalizing 144 servos, a mesh is used on the servo motors for visualization of the models projected by a retro projector. Each model for by an image pre-processing, is sent to a server to be converted and viewed from a software developed in C # Programming Language.

Keywords: visualization, 3D models, servo motors, C# programming language

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Authors: J. Rhodes, V. Cheng, P. Lok

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The aim of this study is to develop a parsimonious model that explains the effect of different stimulus on a tourist’s intention to visit a new destination. The model consists of destination trust and interest as the mediating variables. The model was tested using two different types of stimulus; both studies empirically supported the proposed model. Furthermore, the first study revealed that advertising has a stronger effect than positive online reviews. The second study found that the peripheral route of the elaboration likelihood model has a stronger influence power than the central route in this context.

Keywords: advertising, electronic word-of-mouth, elaboration likelihood model, intention to visit, trust

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Authors: Abdul Umaro Tholley

Abstract:

The preservation and packaging of cucumbers are essential to maintain their shelf life and quality. Cucumbers are a perishable food item that is highly susceptible to spoilage due to their high-water content and delicate nature. Therefore, proper preservation and packaging techniques are crucial to extend their shelf life and prevent economic loss. There are several methods of preserving cucumbers, including refrigeration, canning, pickling, and dehydration. Refrigeration is the most used preservation method, as it slows down the rate of deterioration and maintains the freshness and quality of the cucumbers. Canning and pickling are also popular preservation methods that use heat treatment and acidic solutions, respectively, to prevent microbial growth and increase shelf life. Dehydration involves removing the water content from cucumbers to increase their shelf life, but it may affect their texture and taste. Packaging also plays a vital role in preserving cucumbers. The packaging materials should be selected based on their ability to maintain the quality and freshness of the cucumbers. The most used packaging materials for cucumbers are polyethylene bags, which prevent moisture loss and protect the cucumbers from physical damage. Other packaging materials, such as corrugated boxes and wooden crates, may also be used, but they offer less protection against moisture loss and damage. The quality of cucumbers is affected by several factors, including storage temperature, humidity, and exposure to light. Cucumbers should be stored at temperatures between 7 and 10 °C, with a relative humidity of 90-95%, to maintain their freshness and quality. Exposure to light should also be minimized to prevent the formation of yellowing and decay. In conclusion, the preservation and packaging of cucumbers are essential to maintain their quality and extend their shelf life. Refrigeration, canning, pickling, and dehydration are common preservation methods that can be used to preserve cucumbers. The packaging materials used should be carefully selected to prevent moisture loss and physical damage. Proper storage conditions, such as temperature, humidity, and light exposure, should also be maintained to ensure the quality and freshness of cucumbers. Overall, proper preservation and packaging techniques can help reduce economic loss and provide consumers with high-quality cucumbers.

Keywords: cucumbers, preservation, packaging, shelf life

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Authors: Ahmad Sarfaraz, Raiyad Herwies

Abstract:

In this paper, a multi-criteria decision making analysis is used to help any organization selects the best KM tool that fits and serves its needs. The AHP model is used based on a previous study to highlight and identify the main criteria and sub-criteria that are incorporated in the selection process. Different KM tools alternatives with different criteria are compared and weighted accurately to be incorporated in the GP model. The main goal is to combine the GP model with the AHP model to ensure that selecting the KM tool considers the resource constraints. Two important issues are discussed in this paper: how different factors could be taken into consideration in forming the AHP model, and how to incorporate the AHP results into the GP model for better results.

Keywords: knowledge management, analytical hierarchy process, goal programming, multi-criteria decision making

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