Search results for: optimal stress location

Authors: Elena Bellini, Daniele Mugnaini, Michele Boschetto

Abstract:

People with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder and an Intellectual Disability who need to attend a Hospital Emergency Waiting Room frequently present high levels of discomfort and challenging behaviors due to stress-related hyperarousal, sensory sensitivity, novelty-anxiety, communication and self-regulation difficulties. Increased agitation and acting out also disturb the diagnostic and therapeutic processes, and the emergency room climate. Architectural design disciplines aimed at reducing distress in hospitals or creating autism-friendly environments are called for to find effective answers to this particular need. A growing number of researchers are considering the physical environment as an important point of intervention for people with autism. It has been shown that providing the right setting can help enhance confidence and self-esteem and can have a profound impact on their health and wellbeing. Environmental psychology has evaluated the perceived quality of care, looking at the design of hospital rooms, paths and circulation, waiting rooms, services and devices. Furthermore, many studies have investigated the influence of the hospital environment on patients, in terms of stress-reduction and therapeutic intervention’ speed, but also on health professionals and their work. Several services around the world are organizing autism-friendly hospital environments which involve the architecture and the specific staff training. In Italy, the association Spes contra spem has promoted and published, in 2013, the ‘Chart of disabled people in the hospital’. It stipulates that disabled people should have equal rights to accessible and high-quality care. There are a few Italian examples of therapeutic programmes for autistic people as the Dama project in Milan and the recent experience of Children and Autism Foundation in Pordenone. Careggi’s Emergency Waiting Room in Florence has been built to satisfy this challenge. This project of research comes from a collaboration between the technical staff of Careggi Hospital, the Center for autism PAMAPI and some architects expert in the sensory environment. The methodology of focus group involved architects, psychologists and professionals through a transdisciplinary research, centered on the links between the spatial characteristics and clinical state of people with ASD. The relationship between architectural space and quality of life is studied to pay maximum attention to users’ needs and to support the medical staff in their work by a specific program of training. The result of this research is a sum of criteria used to design the emergency waiting room, that will be illustrated. A protected room, with a clear space design, maximizes comprehension and predictability. The multisensory environment is thought to help sensory integration and relaxation. Visual communication through Ipad allows an anticipated understanding of medical procedures, and a specific technological system supports requests, choices and self-determination in order to fit sensory stimulation to personal preferences, especially for hypo and hypersensitive people. All these characteristics should ensure a better regulation of the arousal, less behavior problems, improving treatment accessibility, safety, and effectiveness. First results about patient-satisfaction levels will be presented.

Keywords: accessibility of care, autism-friendly architecture, personalized therapeutic process, sensory environment

Procedia PDF Downloads 252

Authors: Carlos Gonzalez

Abstract:

This paper describes a system to optimize the use of the internet by clients requiring downloading of videos at peak hours. The system consists of a web server belonging to a provider of video contents, a provider of internet communications and a software application running on a client’s computer. The client using the application software will communicate to the video provider a list of the client’s future video demands. The video provider calculates which videos are going to be more in demand for download in the immediate future, and proceeds to request the internet provider the most optimal hours to do the downloading. The times of the downloading will be sent to the application software, which will use the information of pre-established hours negotiated between the video provider and the internet provider to download those videos. The videos will be saved in a special protected section of the user’s hard disk, which will only be accessed by the application software in the client’s computer. When the client is ready to see a video, the application will search the list of current existent videos in the area of the hard disk; if it does exist, it will use this video directly without the need for internet access. We found that the best way to optimize the download traffic of videos is by negotiation between the internet communication provider and the video content provider.

Keywords: internet optimization, video download, future demands, secure storage

Procedia PDF Downloads 132

Authors: R. Ziaie Moayed, M. Hamidzadeh

Abstract:

The use of waste rubber chips not only can be of great importance in terms of the environment, but also can be used to increase the shear strength of soils. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the variation of the internal friction angle of liquefiable sandy soil using waste rubber chips. For this purpose, the geotechnical properties of unmodified and modified soil samples by waste lining rubber chips have been evaluated and analyzed by performing the triaxial consolidated drained test. In order to prepare the laboratory specimens, the sandy soil in part of Rudsar shores in Gilan province, north of Iran with high liquefaction potential has been replaced by two percent of waste rubber chips. Samples have been compressed until reaching the two levels of density of 15.5 and 16.7 kN/m³. Also, in order to find the optimal length of chips in sandy soil, the rectangular rubber chips with the widths of 0.5 and 1 cm and the lengths of 0.5, 1, and 2 cm were used. The results showed that the addition of rubber chips to liquefiable sandy soil greatly increases the shear resistance of these soils. Also, it can be seen that decreasing the width and increasing the length-to-width ratio of rubber chips has a direct impact on the shear strength of the modified soil samples with rubber chips.

Keywords: improvement, shear strength, internal friction angle, sandy soil, rubber chip

Procedia PDF Downloads 136

Authors: Abdul Basit, Gildas Lhostis, Bernard Durand

Abstract:

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are replacing shape memory alloys (SMAs) in many applications as SMPs have certain superior properties than SMAs. However, SMAs possess some properties like recovery under stress that SMPs lack. SMPs cannot give complete recovery even under a small load. SMPs are initially heated close to their transition temperature (glass transition temperature or the melting temperature). Then force is applied to deform the heated SMP to a specific position. Subsequently, SMP is allowed to cool keeping it deformed. After cooling, SMP gets the temporary shape. This temporary shape can be recovered by heating it again at the same temperature that was given it while heating it initially. As a result, it will recover its original position. SMP can perform unconstrained recovery and constrained recovery, however; under the load, it only recovers partially. In this work, the recovery under the load of an asymmetrical shape memory composite called as CBCM-SMPC has been investigated. It is found that it has the ability to recover under different loads. Under different loads, it shows powerful complete recovery in reference to initial position. This property can be utilized in many applications.

Keywords: shape memory, polymer composite, thermo-mechanical testing, recovery under load

Procedia PDF Downloads 420

Authors: Hesam Sedaghat Nejad, Navid Hosseini, Arash Nikvar Hassani

Abstract:

Determination of the optimum block size with high profitability is one of the significant parameters in designation of the building stone mines. The aim of this study was to determine the optimum dimensions of building stone blocks in Delichai travertine mine of Damavand in Tehran province through combining the effective parameters proven in determination of the optimum dimensions in building stones such as the spacing of joints and gaps, extraction tools constraints with the help of modeling by Gemcom software. To this end, following simulation of the topography of the mine, the block model was prepared and then in order to use spacing joints and discontinuities as a limiting factor, the existing joints set was added to the model. Since only one almost horizontal joint set with a slope of 5 degrees was available, this factor was effective only in determining the optimum height of the block, and thus to determine the longitudinal and transverse optimum dimensions of the extracted block, the power of available loader in the mine was considered as the secondary limiting factor. According to the aforementioned factors, the optimal block size in this mine was measured as 3.4×4×7 meter.

Keywords: building stone, optimum block size, Delichay travertine mine, loader power

Procedia PDF Downloads 351

Authors: Faci Youcef, Ahmed Mebtouche, Djillali Allou, Maalem Badredine

Abstract:

The inclination of the bolt in a fastened joint of composite material during a tensile test can be influenced by several parameters, including material properties, bolt diameter and length, the type of composite material being used, the size and dimensions of the bolt, bolt preload, surface preparation, the design and configuration of the joint, and finally testing conditions. These parameters should be carefully considered and controlled to ensure accurate and reliable results during tensile testing of composite materials with fastened joints. Our work focuses on the effect of the stacking sequence and the geometry of specimens. An experimental test is carried out to obtain the inclination of a bolt during a tensile test of a composite material using acoustic emission and digital image correlation. Several types of damage were obtained during the load. Digital image correlation techniques permit the obtaining of the inclination of bolt angle value during tensile test. We concluded that the inclination of the bolt during a tensile test of a composite material can be related to the damage that occurs in the material. It can cause stress concentrations and localized deformation in the material, leading to damage such as delamination, fiber breakage, matrix cracking, and other forms of failure.

Keywords: damage, inclination, analyzed, carbon

Procedia PDF Downloads 45

Authors: Cam Minh Tri Tien, Richard Fenrich, Tristan Shelley, Nam Mai-Duy, Allan Malano, Xuesen Zeng

Abstract:

Since additive manufacturing is a layer-by-layer deposition approach, good bonding quality between adjacent layers is critically important to achieve optimal mechanical performance, including applications in pressure vessels. The need to enhance the strength of printed products, especially in the build direction where layup gaps and voids exist between the printed layers, has garnered significant attention. The proposed research will focus on improving the current Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) process to produce polymers reinforced with chopped fibers, utilizing a controlled heat zone to enhance the adhesion between printed layers. Energy will be applied to both printed and printing layers to improve the bonding strength between adjacent layers. Through the enhanced FDM process, the mechanical performance of composite parts will experience a substantial improvement, particularly in the build direction, as compared to current FDM methods. A combination of experimental, numerical, and analytical methods will be employed to demonstrate the enhanced performance of heat-controlled 3D printed parts.

Keywords: 3D Printing, pressure vessels, interlayer bonding, controlled heat

Procedia PDF Downloads 43

Authors: Jinyoung Choi, Tae-Ho Yoon, Sunmook Lee

Abstract:

Degradation of standard oxygen transfer efficiency (SOTE) with time was observed for the assessment of lifetime of metal-based air-diffuser, which displaced a polymer composite-based air-diffuser in order to attain a longer lifetime in the actual field. The degradation of air-diffuser occurred due to the failure of the formation of small and uniform air bubbles since the patterns formed on the disc of air-diffuser deteriorated and/or changed from their initial shapes while they were continuously exposed to the air blowing condition during the operation in the field. Therefore, the lifetime assessment of metal-based air-diffuser was carried out through an accelerated degradation test by accelerating the air-blowing conditions in 200 L/min, 300 L/min, and 400 L/min and the lifetime of normal operating condition at 120 L/min was predicted. It was found that Weibull distribution was the most proper one for describing the lifetime distribution of metal-based air-diffuser in the present study. The shape and scale parameters indicated that the accelerated blowing conditions were all within the acceleration domain. The lifetime was predicted by adopting inverse power model for a stress-life relationship and estimated to be B10=94,004 hrs with CL=95%. Acknowledgement: This work was financially supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Grant number: N0001475).

Keywords: accelerated degradation test, air-diffuser, lifetime assessment, SOTE

Procedia PDF Downloads 553

Authors: Hany M. Abd El-Lateef

Abstract:

Two novel Schiff bases, 5-bromo-2-[(E)-(pyridin-3-ylimino) methyl] phenol (HBSAP) and 5-bromo-2-[(E)-(quinolin-8-ylimino) methyl] phenol (HBSAQ) have been synthesized. They have been characterized by elemental analysis and spectroscopic techniques (UV–Vis, IR and NMR). Moreover, the molecular structure of HBSAP and HBSAQ compounds are determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The inhibition activity of HBSAP and HBSAQ for carbon steel in 3.5 %NaCl+0.1 M HCl for both short and long immersion time, at different temperatures (20-50 ºC), was investigated using electrochemistry and surface characterization. The potentiodynamic polarization shows that the inhibitors molecule is more adsorbed on the cathodic sites. Its efficiency increases with increasing inhibitor concentrations (92.8 % at the optimal concentration of 10-3 M for HBSAQ). Adsorption of the inhibitors on the carbon steel surface was found to obey Langmuir’s adsorption isotherm with physical/chemical nature of the adsorption, as it is shown also by scanning electron microscopy. Further, the electronic structural calculations using quantum chemical methods were found to be in a good agreement with the results of the experimental studies.

Keywords: carbon steel, Schiff bases, corrosion inhibition, SEM, electrochemical techniques

Procedia PDF Downloads 378

Authors: Freya Zinovieff

Abstract:

In the age of the Anthropocene, all ecosystems, no matter how remote, is influenced by the relations between humans and technology. These influences are evidenced by current extinction rates, changes in species diversity, and species adaptation to pollution. Field recording is a tool through which we are able to document the extent to which life forms associated with the place are entangled with human-technology relationships. This paper documents the convergence of interaction between technologies, species, and landscape via an auto-ethnographic account of a field recording taken from a cell phone tower in Bali, Indonesia. In the recording, we hear a confluence of relations where critter and technology meet. The electrical hum of the tower merges with frogs and the amaranthine throb of crickets, in such a way that it is hard to tell where technology begins and the voice of creatures ends. The outcomes of this venture resulted in a framework for evaluating the sensorial relations within field recording. The framework calls for the soundscape to be understood as a multilayered ontology through which there is a convergence of multispecies relationships, or entanglements, across time and geographic location. These entanglements are not necessarily obvious. Sometimes quiet, sometimes elusive, sometimes only audible through the mediated conduit of digital technology. The paper argues that to be aware of these entanglements is to open ourselves to a type of beauty that is firmly rooted in the present paradigm of extinction and loss. By virtue of this understanding, we are bestowed with an opportunity to embrace the grave reality of the current sixth mass extinction and move forwards with what activist Joanna Macy calls the compassionate action.

Keywords: anthropocene, human-technology relationships, multispecies ethnography, field recording

Procedia PDF Downloads 142

Authors: Kudu Dangana, Pai H. Halilu, Osesienemo R. Asiribo-Sallau, Garba Inuwa Kuta

Abstract:

The study examined the determinants of household water accessibility in Southern part of Niger State, Nigeria. Data for the study was obtained from primary and secondary sources using questionnaire, interview, personal observation and documents. 1,192 questionnaires were administered; sampling techniques adopted are combination of purposive, stratified and simple random. Purposive sampling technique was used to determine sample frame; sample unit was determined using stratified sampling method and simple random technique was used in administering questionnaires. The result was analyzed within the scope of “WHO” water accessibility indicators using descriptive statistics. Major sources of water in the area are well; hand and electric pump borehole and streams. These sources account for over 90% of household’s water. Average per capita water consumption in the area is 22 liters per day, while location efficiency of facilities revealed an average of 80 people per borehole. Household water accessibility is affected mainly by the factors of distances, time spent to obtain water, low income status of the majority of respondents to access modern water infrastructure, and to a lesser extent household size. Recommendations includes, all tiers of government to intensify efforts in providing water infrastructures and existing ones through budgetary provisions, and communities should organize fund raising bazaar, so as to raise fund to improve water infrastructures in the area.

Keywords: accessibility, determined, stratified, scope

Procedia PDF Downloads 381

Authors: Mohammed Sherzad

Abstract:

The Sahara desert covers third of the total surface of Africa with a quarter of this area within the national boundaries of Algeria. Sand drift and deposition is considered one of the major factors of the desertification process in the area. It is estimated that a third of the world's hot arid lands are covered by aeolian sand deposits, forming extensive sand bedforms. The Gourrara region in the Grand Erg Occidental (west of Algerian Sahara) and the region of Souf in the Grand Erg Oriental (east of Algerian Sahara) have been chosen as case studies. These were significant cultural and trading centers for many centuries despite their remote location and their harsh desert environment particularly solar radiation and sand drift and deposition. The architecture of the sustained vernacular settlements in each of the two regions has unique design features for this environment. So do the irrigation systems used - palm groves and the foggara system for capturing and distributing groundwater. However, the ecological balance which enabled the Saharans to live with the desert has been upset. New buildings often use technology based on models imported or imposed from areas that climatically have little in common. These make the inhabitants live ‘in the desert’ rather than ‘with the desert’. This paper will describe the qualities of the vernacular architecture and demonstrate its effectiveness and adaptability to the region’s harsh desert environment in comparison with contemporary buildings. Developing design guides and approaches based on lessons from the traditional architecture is important to ensure sustained livelihoods of the inhabitants in these areas.

Keywords: vernacular architecture, desert architecture, hot climate, aeolian sand deposition

Procedia PDF Downloads 458

Authors: Srushti Bhatt, M. B. Kiran

Abstract:

Two-sided assembly line balancing problem is yet to be addressed simply to compete for the global market for manufacturers. The task assigned in an ordered sequence to get optimum performance of the system is known as assembly line balancing problem mainly classified as single and two sided. It is very challenging in manufacturing industries to balance two-sided assembly line, wherein the set of sequential workstations the task operations are performed in two sides of the line. The conflicting major objective in two-sided assembly line balancing problem is either to maximize /minimize the performance parameters. The present study emphases on combining different evolutionary algorithm; ant colony, Tabu search and petri net method; and compares their results of an algorithm for solving two-sided assembly line balancing problem. The concept of multi objective optimization of performance parameters is now a day adopted to make a decision involving more than one objective function to be simultaneously optimized. The optimum result can be expected among the selected methods using multi-objective optimization. The performance parameters considered in the present study are a number of workstation, slickness and smoothness index. The simulation of the assembly line balancing problem provides optimal results of classical and practical problems.

Keywords: Ant colony, petri net, tabu search, two sided ALBP

Procedia PDF Downloads 266

Authors: Charles Q. Yu, Victoria H. Fan, Ahmed F. Al-Qahtani, Ibraim Viera

Abstract:

Introduction: Over 12 million people are blind due to opacity of the cornea, the clear tissue forming the front of the eye. Current methods use plastic implants to produce a clear optical pathway into the eye but are limited by a high rate of complications. New implants utilizing completely inside-the-eye projection technology can overcome blindness due to scarring of the eye by producing images on the retina without need for a clear optical pathway into the eye and may be free of the complications of traditional treatments. However, the interior of the eye is a challenging location for the design of optical focusing systems which can produce a sufficiently high quality image. No optical focusing systems have previously been characterized for this purpose. Methods: 3 optical focusing systems for intraocular (inside the eye) projection were designed and then modeled with ray tracing software, including a pinhole system, a planoconvex, and an achromatic system. These were then constructed using off-the-shelf components and tested in the laboratory. Weight, size, magnification, depth of focus, image quality and brightness were characterized. Results: Image quality increased with complexity of system design, as did weight and size. A dual achromatic doublet optical system produced the highest image quality. The visual acuity equivalent achieved with this system was better than 20/200. Its weight was less than that of the natural human crystalline lens. Conclusions: We demonstrate for the first time that high quality images can be produced by optical systems sufficiently small and light to be implanted within the eye.

Keywords: focusing, projection, blindness, cornea , achromatic, pinhole

Procedia PDF Downloads 119

Authors: Danyi Wang, Andrew Schriefer, Dennis O'Rourke, Brajendra Kumar, Yang Liu, Fei Zhong, Juergen Scheuenpflug, Zheng Feng

Abstract:

Purpose: It has been recognized that the microbiome plays critical roles in disease pathogenesis, including cancer, autoimmune disease, and multiple sclerosis. To develop a clinical-grade assay for exploring microbiome-derived clinical biomarkers across disease areas, a two-phase approach is implemented. 1) Identification of the optimal sample preparation reagents using pre-mixed bacteria and healthy donor stool samples coupled with proprietary Sigma-Aldrich® bioinformatics solution. 2) Exploratory analysis of patient samples for enabling precision medicine. Study Procedure: In phase 1 study, we first compared the 16S sequencing results of two ATCC® microbiome standards (MSA 2002 and MSA 2003) across five different extraction kits (Kit A, B, C, D & E). Both microbiome standards samples were extracted in triplicate across all extraction kits. Following isolation, DNA quantity was determined by Qubit assay. DNA quality was assessed to determine purity and to confirm extracted DNA is of high molecular weight. Bacterial 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) amplicons were generated via amplification of the V3/V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA. Sequencing was performed using a 2x300 bp paired-end configuration on the Illumina MiSeq. Fastq files were analyzed using the Sigma-Aldrich® Microbiome Platform. The Microbiome Platform is a cloud-based service that offers best-in-class 16S-seq and WGS analysis pipelines and databases. The Platform and its methods have been extensively benchmarked using microbiome standards generated internally by MilliporeSigma and other external providers. Data Summary: The DNA yield using the extraction kit D and E is below the limit of detection (100 pg/µl) of Qubit assay as both extraction kits are intended for samples with low bacterial counts. The pre-mixed bacterial pellets at high concentrations with an input of 2 x106 cells for MSA-2002 and 1 x106 cells from MSA-2003 were not compatible with the kits. Among the remaining 3 extraction kits, kit A produced the greatest yield whereas kit B provided the least yield (Kit-A/MSA-2002: 174.25 ± 34.98; Kit-A/MSA-2003: 179.89 ± 30.18; Kit-B/MSA-2002: 27.86 ± 9.35; Kit-B/MSA-2003: 23.14 ± 6.39; Kit-C/MSA-2002: 55.19 ± 10.18; Kit-C/MSA-2003: 35.80 ± 11.41 (Mean ± SD)). Also, kit A produced the greatest yield, whereas kit B provided the least yield. The PCoA 3D visualization of the Weighted Unifrac beta diversity shows that kits A and C cluster closely together while kit B appears as an outlier. The kit A sequencing samples cluster more closely together than both the other kits. The taxonomic profiles of kit B have lower recall when compared to the known mixture profiles indicating that kit B was inefficient at detecting some of the bacteria. Conclusion: Our data demonstrated that the DNA extraction method impacts DNA concentration, purity, and microbial communities detected by next-generation sequencing analysis. Further microbiome analysis performance comparison of using healthy stool samples is underway; also, colorectal cancer patients' samples will be acquired for further explore the clinical utilities. Collectively, our comprehensive qualification approach, including the evaluation of optimal DNA extraction conditions, the inclusion of positive controls, and the implementation of a robust qualified bioinformatics pipeline, assures accurate characterization of the microbiota in a complex matrix for deciphering the deep biology and enabling precision medicine.

Keywords: 16S rRNA sequencing, analytical validation, bioinformatics pipeline, metagenomics

Procedia PDF Downloads 150

Authors: Jaden Lu, Olivia Lu

Abstract:

Despite the remarkable advancement of solar cell technology, the challenge of optimizing total solar energy harvest efficiency persists, primarily due to significant heat loss. This excess heat not only diminishes solar panel output efficiency but also curtails its operational lifespan. A promising approach to address this issue is the conversion of surplus heat into electricity. In recent years, there is growing interest in the use of thermoelectric generators (TEG) as a potential solution. The integration of efficient TEG devices holds the promise of augmenting overall energy harvest efficiency while prolonging the longevity of solar panels. While certain research groups have proposed the integration of solar cells and TEG devices, a substantial gap between conceptualization and practical implementation remains, largely attributed to low thermal energy conversion efficiency of TEG devices. To bridge this gap and meet the requisites of practical application, a feasible strategy involves the incorporation of a substantial number of p-n junctions within a confined unit volume. However, the manufacturing of high-density TEG p-n junctions presents a formidable challenge. The prevalent solution often leads to large device sizes to accommodate enough p-n junctions, consequently complicating integration with solar cells. Recently, the adoption of 3D printing technology has emerged as a promising solution to address this challenge by fabricating high-density p-n arrays. Despite this, further developmental efforts are necessary. Presently, the primary focus is on the 3D printing of vertically layered TEG devices, wherein p-n junction density remains constrained by spatial limitations and the constraints of 3D printing techniques. This study proposes a novel device configuration featuring horizontally arrayed p-n junctions of Bi2Te3. The structural design of the device is subjected to simulation through the Finite Element Method (FEM) within COMSOL Multiphysics software. Various device configurations are simulated to identify optimal device structure. Based on the simulation results, a new TEG device is fabricated utilizing 3D Selective laser melting (SLM) printing technology. Fusion 360 facilitates the translation of the COMSOL device structure into a 3D print file. The horizontal design offers a unique advantage, enabling the fabrication of densely packed, three-dimensional p-n junction arrays. The fabrication process entails printing a singular row of horizontal p-n junctions using the 3D SLM printing technique in a single layer. Subsequently, successive rows of p-n junction arrays are printed within the same layer, interconnected by thermally conductive copper. This sequence is replicated across multiple layers, separated by thermal insulating glass. This integration created in a highly compact three-dimensional TEG device with high density p-n junctions. The fabricated TEG device is then attached to the bottom of the solar cell using thermal glue. The whole device is characterized, with output data closely matching with COMSOL simulation results. Future research endeavors will encompass the refinement of thermoelectric materials. This includes the advancement of high-resolution 3D printing techniques tailored to diverse thermoelectric materials, along with the optimization of material microstructures such as porosity and doping. The objective is to achieve an optimal and highly integrated PV-TEG device that can substantially increase the solar energy harvest efficiency.

Keywords: thermoelectric, finite element method, 3d print, energy conversion

Procedia PDF Downloads 51

Authors: N. Isnaini, S. Wahjuningsih

Abstract:

Fig fruit is the fruit of a tropical plant with content of flavanoids, vitamins A, C, and E which are antioxidants that effectively prevent and neutralize free radicals. This study was conducted to evaluate the supplementation of fig fruit extract in a physiological NaCl-based diluent on sperm motility and viability of native chicken semen after cooling. Semen was collected from 4 male mature chocks using massage method. Fresh semen evaluated for colour, pH, volume, concentration, mass motility, individual motility, life sperm and sperm abnormality. Semen was diluted with physiological NaCl-based extender supplemented with different levels of fig fruit extract (0, 10, 20 and 30 %) v/v with the ratio of 1 semen: 4 diluter. Semen used had mass motility of 2+ and motility of 70%. Immediately after dilution semen was stored in 3-5 °C and sperm motility and viability percentage were observed at 0, 12 and 24 h. The obtained data were analyze with Analysis of Variant (ANOVA) and Least Significant Difference were determined. The experiment was designed using completely random design (4 treatments and 10 replications). The results showed that the level of fig fruit extract had very significant effect (P < 0,01) on sperm motility and viability percentage in 0, 12 and 24 h of cooling. It can be concluded that the best fig fruit extract level for resulting optimal sperm motility and viability was 10%.

Keywords: chock, antioxidant, fig fruit extract, sperm

Procedia PDF Downloads 291

Authors: Krishna Raj Regmi

Abstract:

A “Climate change adaptation and disaster risk management for sustainable agriculture” project was implemented in Nepal, a Himalayan country during 2008 to 2013 sponsored jointly by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Nepal. The paper is based on the results and findings of this joint pilot project. The climate change events such as increased intensity of erratic rains in short spells, trend of prolonged drought, gradual rise in temperature in the higher elevations and occurrence of cold and hot waves in Terai (lower plains) has led to flash floods, massive erosion in the hills particularly in Churia range and drying of water sources. These recurring natural and climate-induced disasters are causing heavy damages through sedimentation and inundation of agricultural lands, crops, livestock, infrastructures and rural settlements in the downstream plains and thus reducing agriculture productivity and food security in the country. About 65% of the cultivated land in Nepal is rainfed with drought-prone characteristics and stabilization of agricultural production and productivity in these tracts will be possible through adoption of rainfed and drought-tolerant technologies as well as efficient soil-water management by the local communities. The adaptation and mitigation technologies and options identified by the project for soil erosion, flash floods and landslide control are on-farm watershed management, sloping land agriculture technologies (SALT), agro-forestry practices, agri-silvi-pastoral management, hedge-row contour planting, bio-engineering along slopes and river banks, plantation of multi-purpose trees and management of degraded waste land including sandy river-bed flood plains. The stress tolerant technologies with respect to drought, floods and temperature stress for efficient utilization of nutrient, soil, water and other resources for increased productivity are adoption of stress tolerant crop varieties and breeds of animals, indigenous proven technologies, mixed and inter-cropping systems, system of rice/wheat intensification (SRI), direct rice seeding, double transplanting of rice, off-season vegetable production and regular management of nurseries, orchards and animal sheds. The alternate energy use options and resource conservation practices for use by local communities are installation of bio-gas plants and clean stoves (Chulla range) for mitigation of green house gas (GHG) emissions, use of organic manures and bio-pesticides, jatropha cultivation, green manuring in rice fields and minimum/zero tillage practices for marshy lands. The efficient water management practices for increasing productivity of crops and livestock are use of micro-irrigation practices, construction of water conservation and water harvesting ponds, use of overhead water tanks and Thai jars for rain water harvesting and rehabilitation of on-farm irrigation systems. Initiation of some works on community-based early warning system, strengthening of met stations and disaster database management has made genuine efforts in providing disaster-tailored early warning, meteorological and insurance services to the local communities. Contingent planning is recommended to develop coping strategies and capacities of local communities to adopt necessary changes in the cropping patterns and practices in relation to adverse climatic and disaster risk conditions. At the end, adoption of awareness raising and capacity development activities (technical and institutional) and networking on climate-induced disaster and risks through training, visits and knowledge sharing workshops, dissemination of technical know-how and technologies, conduct of farmers' field schools, development of extension materials and their displays are being promoted. However, there is still need of strong coordination and linkage between agriculture, environment, forestry, meteorology, irrigation, climate-induced pro-active disaster preparedness and research at the ministry, department and district level for up-scaling, implementation and institutionalization of climate change and disaster risk management activities and adaptation mitigation options in agriculture for sustainable livelihoods of the communities.

Keywords: climate change adaptation, disaster risk management, soil-water management practices, sustainable agriculture

Procedia PDF Downloads 495

Authors: A. Khosravi, S. Ghadirian, J. S. McCartney

Abstract:

Evaluation of the seismic-induced settlement of an unsaturated soil layer depends on several variables, among which the small strain shear modulus, Gmax, and soil’s state of stress have been demonstrated to be of particular significance. Recent interpretation of trends in Gmax revealed considerable effects of the degree of saturation and hydraulic hysteresis on the shear stiffness of soils in unsaturated states. Accordingly, the soil layer is expected to experience different settlement behaviors depending on the soil saturation and seasonal weathering conditions. In this study, a semi-empirical formulation was adapted to extend an existing Gmax model to infer hysteretic effects along different paths of the SWRC including scanning curves. The suitability of the proposed approach is validated against experimental results from a suction-controlled resonant column test and from data reported in literature. The model was observed to follow the experimental data along different paths of the SWRC, and showed a slight hysteresis in shear modulus along the scanning curves.

Keywords: hydraulic hysteresis, scanning path, small strain shear modulus, unsaturated soil

Procedia PDF Downloads 379

Authors: S. K. Fasogbon, O. E. Oguegbu

Abstract:

Pasteurization is one of the most important steps in the preservation of beer products, which improves its shelf life by inactivating almost all the spoilage organisms present in it. However, there is no gain saying the fact that it is always difficult to determine the slowest heating zone, the temperature profile and pasteurization units inside bottled beer during pasteurization, hence there had been significant experimental and ANSYS fluent approaches on the problem. This work now developed Computational fluid dynamics model using COMSOL Multiphysics. The model was simulated to determine the slowest heating zone, temperature profile and pasteurization units inside the bottled beer during the pasteurization process. The results of the simulation were compared with the existing data in the literature. The results showed that, the location and size of the slowest heating zone is dependent on the time-temperature combination of each zone. The results also showed that the temperature profile of the bottled beer was found to be affected by the natural convection resulting from variation in density during pasteurization process and that the pasteurization unit increases with time subject to the temperature reached by the beer. Although the results of this work agreed with literatures in the aspects of slowest heating zone and temperature profiles, the results of pasteurization unit however did not agree. It was suspected that this must have been greatly affected by the bottle geometry, specific heat capacity and density of the beer in question. The work concludes that for effective pasteurization to be achieved, there is a need to optimize the spray water temperature and the time spent by the bottled product in each of the pasteurization zones.

Keywords: modeling, heat transfer, temperature profile, pasteurization process, bottled beer

Procedia PDF Downloads 196

Authors: Mariam Khomasuridze, Nino Chkhartishvili, Irma Chanturia

Abstract:

The influence of preharvest and postharvest factors on resveratrol, myricetin and quercetin content of wine was studied during the experiment. The content of cis and trans resveratrol, myricetin and quercetin were analyzed by HPLC. In frame of experiment, the various factors affecting on wine composition were researched: variety, climate, viticulture practices, grape maturity, harvesting methods and wine making techniques. The results have shown that varietal potential and amount of yield play the most important role in formation of antioxidant compounds. Based on achieved results, the usage of medium roast oak chips protects resveratrol, myricetin, and quercetin from coagulation and precipitation. Compared to the control samples, the wines, produced by addition of oak chips were approximately four times richer with these antioxidant compounds. The retention of resveratrol was lowered with 45 % in wines, producing in Qvevri by Georgian traditional technology without controlling temperature during fermentation. The opposite effects in case of myricetin, quercetin and total phenolics content were determined. Their concentrations were higher with 56-78%, then in the fermented tank at 22 -25 °C. As the result of the experiment, the optimal technology scheme of wine was worked out, reached by biologically active compounds: resveratrol, myricetin, and quercetin.

Keywords: resveratrol, miricetin, quercetin, wine

Procedia PDF Downloads 173

Authors: Sajjad Akbar, Rabia Bashir

Abstract:

With the growth of the number of users, the Internet usage has evolved. Due to its key design principle, there is an incredible expansion in its size. This tremendous growth of the Internet has brought new applications (mobile video and cloud computing) as well as new user’s requirements i.e. content distribution environment, mobility, ubiquity, security and trust etc. The users are more interested in contents rather than their communicating peer nodes. The current Internet architecture is a host-centric networking approach, which is not suitable for the specific type of applications. With the growing use of multiple interactive applications, the host centric approach is considered to be less efficient as it depends on the physical location, for this, Information Centric Networking (ICN) is considered as the potential future Internet architecture. It is an approach that introduces uniquely named data as a core Internet principle. It uses the receiver oriented approach rather than sender oriented. It introduces the naming base information system at the network layer. Although ICN is considered as future Internet architecture but there are lot of criticism on it which mainly concerns that how ICN will manage the most relevant content. For this Web Content Mining(WCM) approaches can help in appropriate data management of ICN. To address this issue, this paper contributes by (i) discussing multiple ICN approaches (ii) analyzing different Web Content Mining approaches (iii) creating a new Internet architecture by merging ICN and WCM to solve the data management issues of ICN. From ICN, Content-Centric Networking (CCN) is selected for the new architecture, whereas, Agent-based approach from Web Content Mining is selected to find most appropriate data.

Keywords: agent based web content mining, content centric networking, information centric networking

Procedia PDF Downloads 462

Authors: Abigail M. Csik, Gabriel A. Radvansky

Abstract:

As people read through event-based narratives, they construct an event model that captures information about the characters, goals, location, time, and causality. For many reasons, memory for such narratives is represented at different levels, namely, the surface form, textbase, and event model levels. Rereading has been shown to decrease surface form memory, while, at the same time, increasing textbase and event model memories. More generally, distributed practice has consistently shown memory benefits over massed practice for different types of materials, including texts. However, little research has investigated distributed practice of narratives at different inter-study intervals and these effects on these three levels of memory. Recent work in our lab has indicated that there may be dramatic changes in patterns of forgetting around one week, which may affect the three levels of memory. The present experiment aimed to determine the effects of rereading on the three levels of memory as a factor of whether the texts were reread before versus after one week. Participants (N = 42) read a set of stories, re-read them either before or after one week (with an inter-study interval of three days, seven days, or fourteen days), and then took a recognition test, from which the three levels of representation were derived. Signal detection results from this study reveal that differential patterns at the three levels as a factor of whether the narratives were re-read prior to one week or after one week. In particular, an ANOVA revealed that surface form memory was lower (p = .08) while textbase (p = .02) and event model memory (p = .04) were greater if narratives were re-read 14 days later compared to memory when narratives were re-read 3 days later. These results have implications for what type of memory benefits from distributed practice at various inter-study intervals.

Keywords: memory, event cognition, distributed practice, consolidation

Procedia PDF Downloads 210

Authors: Nesrine Lenchi, Salima Kebbouche-Gana, Laddada Belaid, Mohamed Lamine Khelfaoui, Mohamed Lamine Gana

Abstract:

Saline lakes are extreme hypersaline environments that are considered five to ten times saltier than seawater (150 – 300 g L-1 salt concentration). Hypersaline regions differ from each other in terms of salt concentration, chemical composition and geographical location, which determine the nature of inhabitant microorganisms. In order to explore the diversity of moderate and extreme halophiles Bacteria in Chott Tinsilt (East of Algeria), an isolation program was performed. In the first time, water samples were collected from the saltern during pre-salt harvesting phase. Salinity, pH and temperature of the sampling site were determined in situ. Chemical analysis of water sample indicated that Na +and Cl- were the most abundant ions. Isolates were obtained by plating out the samples in complex and synthetic media. In this study, seven halophiles cultures of Bacteria were isolated. Isolates were studied for Gram’s reaction, cell morphology and pigmentation. Enzymatic assays (oxidase, catalase, nitrate reductase and urease), and optimization of growth conditions were done. The results indicated that the salinity optima varied from 50 to 250 g L-1, whereas the optimum of temperature range from 25°C to 35°C. Molecular identification of the isolates was performed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that these cultured isolates included members belonging to the Halomonas, Staphylococcus, Salinivibrio, Idiomarina, Halobacillus Thalassobacillus and Planococcus genera and what may represent a new bacterial genus.

Keywords: bacteria, Chott, halophilic, 16S rRNA

Procedia PDF Downloads 266

Authors: Yin-Yann Chen, Jia-Ying Li

Abstract:

Assembly line balancing problems can be categorized into one-sided, two-sided, and multi-manned ones by using the number of operators deployed at workstations. This study explores the balancing problem of a resource-constrained assembly line with multi-manned workstations. Resources include machines or tools in assembly lines such as jigs, fixtures, and hand tools. A mathematical programming model was developed to carry out decision-making and planning in order to minimize the numbers of workstations, resources, and operators for achieving optimal production efficiency. To improve the solution-finding efficiency, a genetic algorithm (GA) and a simulated annealing algorithm (SA) were designed and developed in this study to be combined with a practical case in car making. Results of the GA/SA and mathematics programming were compared to verify their validity. Finally, analysis and comparison were conducted in terms of the target values, production efficiency, and deployment combinations provided by the algorithms in order for the results of this study to provide references for decision-making on production deployment.

Keywords: heuristic algorithms, line balancing, multi-manned workstation, resource-constrained

Procedia PDF Downloads 192

Authors: Hamid Ahmadi, Neda Azari-Dodaran

Abstract:

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

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

Procedia PDF Downloads 146

Authors: Sultan Al Shafian, Mozaher Ul Kabir, Khondoker Istiak Ahmad, Masnun Abrar, Mahfuza Khanum, Hossain M. Shahin

Abstract:

For structural evaluation of shallow foundation, the modulus of subgrade reaction is one of the most widely used and accepted parameter for its ease of calculations. To determine this parameter, one of the most common field method is Plate Load test method. In this field test method, the subgrade modulus is considered for a specific location and according to its application, it is assumed that the displacement occurred in one place does not affect other adjacent locations. For this kind of assumptions, the modulus of subgrade reaction sometimes forced the engineers to overdesign the underground structure, which eventually results in increasing the cost of the construction and sometimes failure of the structure. In the present study, the settlement of a shallow foundation has been analyzed using both conventional and numerical analysis. Around 25 plate load tests were conducted on a sand fill site in Bangladesh to determine the Modulus of Subgrade reaction of ground which is later used to design a shallow foundation considering different depth. After the collection of the field data, the field condition was appropriately simulated in a finite element software. Finally results obtained from both the conventional and numerical approach has been compared. A significant difference has been observed in the case of settlement while comparing the results. A proper correlation has also been proposed at the end of this research work between the two methods of in order to provide the most efficient way to calculate the subgrade modulus of the ground for designing the shallow foundation.

Keywords: modulus of subgrade reaction, shallow foundation, finite element analysis, settlement, plate load test

Procedia PDF Downloads 171

Authors: Peter Fedichev

Abstract:

We studied fundamental aspects of aging to develop a mathematical model of gene regulatory network. We show that aging manifests itself as an inherent instability of gene network leading to exponential accumulation of regulatory errors with age. To validate our approach we studied age-dependent omic data such as transcriptomes, metabolomes etc. of different model organisms and humans. We build a computational platform based on our model to identify the targets and biomarkers of aging to design new drugs against aging and age-related diseases. As biomarkers of aging, we choose the rate of aging and the biological age since they completely determine the state of the organism. Since rate of aging rapidly changes in response to an external stress, this kind of biomarker can be useful as a tool for quantitative efficacy assessment of drugs, their combinations, dose optimization, chronic toxicity estimate, personalized therapies selection, clinical endpoints achievement (within clinical research), and death risk assessments. According to our model, we propose a method for targets identification for further interventions against aging and age-related diseases. Being a biotech company, we offer a complete pipeline to develop an anti-aging drug-candidate.

Keywords: aging, longevity, biomarkers, senescence

Procedia PDF Downloads 267

Authors: Thomas Bryan, Veton Kepuska, Ivica Kostanic

Abstract:

A simple adaptive voice activity detector (VAD) is implemented using Gabor and gammatone atomic decomposition of speech for high Gaussian noise environments. Matching pursuit is used for atomic decomposition, and is shown to achieve optimal speech detection capability at high data compression rates for low signal to noise ratios. The most active dictionary elements found by matching pursuit are used for the signal reconstruction so that the algorithm adapts to the individual speakers dominant time-frequency characteristics. Speech has a high peak to average ratio enabling matching pursuit greedy heuristic of highest inner products to isolate high energy speech components in high noise environments. Gabor and gammatone atoms are both investigated with identical logarithmically spaced center frequencies, and similar bandwidths. The algorithm performs equally well for both Gabor and gammatone atoms with no significant statistical differences. The algorithm achieves 70% accuracy at a 0 dB SNR, 90% accuracy at a 5 dB SNR and 98% accuracy at a 20dB SNR using 30dB SNR as a reference for voice activity.

Keywords: atomic decomposition, gabor, gammatone, matching pursuit, voice activity detection

Procedia PDF Downloads 280

Authors: M. H. Korayem, N. Sangsefidi

Abstract:

Magnetically guided soft robots have emerged as a promising technology in minimally invasive surgery due to their ability to adapt to complex environments. However, one of the main challenges in this field is damage to the vascular structure caused by unwanted stress on the vessel wall and deformation of the vessel due to improper control of the shape of the robot body during surgery. Therefore, this article proposes an approach for controlling the form of a magnetic, soft, continuous robot body using a PID controller. The magnetic soft continuous robot is modelled using Cosserat theory in static mode and solved numerically. The designed controller adjusts the position of each part of the robot to match the desired shape. The PID controller is considered to minimize the robot's contact with the vessel wall and prevent unwanted vessel deformation. The simulation results confirmed the accuracy of the numerical solution of the static Cosserat model. Also, they showed the effectiveness of the proposed contouring method in achieving the desired shape with a maximum error of about 0.3 millimetres.

Keywords: PID, magnetic soft continuous robot, soft robot shape control, Cosserat theory, minimally invasive surgery

Procedia PDF Downloads 83