Search results for: performance standard
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 16570

Search results for: performance standard

11230 Seismic Performance Evaluation of Diagrid Components

Authors: Taejin Kim, Heonwoo Lee, Jong-Ho Kim, Dongchul Lee

Abstract:

Recently, there have been various high-rise building projects which reflect unique inspiration from architects to their feature. And it is frequently found that some of these buildings have diagrid structural system. Diagrid system provides engineers many options for structural plan, since it has triangular module so it can form a number of complex shapes. Unlike braced frame systems, diagonal members in diagrid system resist gravity and horizontal loads simultaneously. Correspondingly, diagrid members take roles of both beams and columns, and it is expected that their ductile capacity may depend on the amount of gravity loads. However, not enough studies have been made for this issue so far, which means that there is demand of examination on the seismic behavior of diagrid members under large gravity loads. Therefore, in this study, the ductile capacity of diagrid members was evaluated through analytical and experimental method. Several cases that have different vertical load condition were set up for both approaches to consider the effect of initial compression force due to gravity load. Regarding the result, it was found that buckling in a diagonal member occurs at smaller drift angle when larger gravity load acts on the specimen, which also reduces the amount of energy dissipation. It means that axial stress in a diagonal member reaches critical buckling force early due to the combined axial force from not only horizontal load but also gravity load.

Keywords: buckling, diagrid, ductility, seismic performance

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11229 Effects of Cellular Insulin Receptor Stimulators with Alkaline Water on Performance, Plasma Cholesterol, Glucose, Triglyceride Levels and Hatchability in Breeding Japanese Quail

Authors: Rabia Göçmen, Gülşah Kanbur, Sinan Sefa Parlat

Abstract:

Aim of this study is to determine the effects of cellular insulin receptor stimulators on performance, plasma glucose, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol, triglyceride, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) hormone levels, and incubation features in the breeding Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica). In the study, a total of 84 breeding quails was used, 6 weeks’ age, 24 are male and 60, female. Rations used in experiment are 2900 kcal/kg metabolic energy and 20% crude protein. Water pH is calibrated to 7.45. Ration and water were administered ad-libitum to the animals. As metformin source, metformin-HCl was used and as chrome resource, chromium picolinate was used. Trial groups were formed as control group (basal ration), metformin group (basal ration, added metformin at the level of feed of 20 mg/kg), and chromium picolinate (basal ration, added feed of 1500 ppb Cr) group. When regarded to the results of performance at the end of experiment, it is seen that live weight gain, feed consumption, egg weight, feed conversion ratio (Feed consumption/ egg weight), and egg production were affected at the significant level (p < 0.05). When the results are evaluated in terms of incubation features, hatchability and hatchability of fertile egg ratio were not affected from the treatments. Fertility ratio was significantly affected by metformin and chromium picolinate treatments and fertility rose at the significant level compared to control group (p < 0.05). According to results of experiment, plasma glucose level was not affected by metformin and chromium picolinate treatments. Plasma, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglyceride levels were significantly affected from insulin receptor stimulators added to ration (p < 0.05). Hormone level of Plasma T3 and T4 were also affected at the significant level from insulin receptor stimulators added to ration (p < 0.05).

Keywords: chromium picolinate, cholesterol, hormone, metformin, quail

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11228 Heavy Metal of Soil in Wastewater, Irrigated Agricultural Soil in a Surrounding Area of the Nhue River, Vietnam

Authors: Thi Lan Huong Nguyen, Motohei Kanayama, Takahiro Higashi, Van Chinh Le, Thu Ha Doan, Anh Daochu

Abstract:

Waste from industrial sources, serves as sources of water for irrigating farms. The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of waste-water irrigation on the level of heavy metals in the soils. Soil samples were collected from the different locations from upstream to downstream of the Nhue River to evaluate heavy metal pollution. The results showed that the concentrations of all heavy metals in the soil samples in the farmland area were much higher than the background level in that area (1.2-2.6 mg/kg for Cd, 42-60 mg/kg for Cr, 22-62mg/kg for Cu, 30-86 mg/kg for Pb, 119-245 mg/kg for Zn, and 26-57 mg/kg for Ni), and exceeded the level of Vietnamese standard for agricultural soil for all heavy metals Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn except soil samples at upstream and downstream of the Nhue River.

Keywords: heavy metal, soil, Nhue River, wastewater irrigation

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11227 Performance Enhancement of Autopart Manufacturing Industry Using Lean Manufacturing Strategies: A Case Study

Authors: Raman Kumar, Jasgurpreet Singh Chohan, Chander Shekhar Verma

Abstract:

Today, the manufacturing industries respond rapidly to new demands and compete in this continuously changing environment, thus seeking out new methods allowing them to remain competitive and flexible simultaneously. The aim of the manufacturing organizations is to reduce manufacturing costs and wastes through system simplification, organizational potential, and proper infrastructural planning by using modern techniques like lean manufacturing. In India, large number of medium and large scale manufacturing industries has successfully implemented lean manufacturing techniques. Keeping in view the above-mentioned facts, different tools will be involved in the successful implementation of the lean approach. The present work is focused on the auto part manufacturing industry to improve the performance of the recliner assembly line. There is a number of lean manufacturing tools available, but the experience and complete knowledge of manufacturing processes are required to select an appropriate tool for a specific process. Fishbone diagrams (scrap, inventory, and waiting) have been drawn to identify the root cause of different. Effect of cycle time reduction on scrap and inventory is analyzed thoroughly in the case company. Results have shown that there is a decrease in inventory cost by 7 percent after the successful implementation of the lean tool.

Keywords: lean tool, fish-bone diagram, cycle time reduction, case study

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11226 A Study of Quality Assurance and Unit Verification Methods in Safety Critical Environment

Authors: Miklos Taliga

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In the present case study we examined the development and testing methods of systems that contain safety-critical elements in different industrial fields. Consequentially, we observed the classical object-oriented development and testing environment, as both medical technology and automobile industry approaches the development of safety critical elements that way. Subsequently, we examined model-based development. We introduce the quality parameters that define development and testing. While taking modern agile methodology (scrum) into consideration, we examined whether and to what extent the methodologies we found fit into this environment.

Keywords: safety-critical elements, quality managent, unit verification, model base testing, agile methods, scrum, metamodel, object-oriented programming, field specific modelling, sprint, user story, UML Standard

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11225 Determination of Foaming Behavior in Thermoplastic Composite Nonwoven Structures for Automotive Applications

Authors: Zulfiye Ahan, Mustafa Dogu, Elcin Yilmaz

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The use of nonwoven textile materials in many application areas is rapidly increasing thanks to their versatile performance properties. The automotive industry is one of the largest sectors in the world with a potential market of more than 2 billion euros for nonwoven textile materials applications. Lightweight materials having higher mechanical performance, better sound and heat insulation properties are of interest in many applications. Since the usage of nonwoven surfaces provides many of these advantages, the demand for this kind of materials is gradually growing especially in the automotive industry. Nonwoven materials used in lightweight vehicles can contain economical and high strength thermoplastics as well as durable components such as glass fiber. By bringing these composite materials into foam structure containing micro or nanopores, products with high absorption ability, light and mechanically stronger can be fabricated. In this respect, our goal is to produce thermoplastic composite nonwoven by using nonwoven glass fiber fabric reinforced polypropylene (PP). Azodicarbonamide (ADC) was selected as a foaming agent and a thermal process was applied to obtain porous structure. Various foaming temperature ranges and residence times were studied to examine the foaming behaviour of the thermoplastic composite nonwoven. Physicochemical and mechanical tests were applied in order to analyze the characteristics of composite foams.

Keywords: composite nonwoven, thermoplastic foams, foaming agent, foaming behavior

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11224 3D Numerical Studies on Jets Acoustic Characteristics of Chevron Nozzles for Aerospace Applications

Authors: R. Kanmaniraja, R. Freshipali, J. Abdullah, K. Niranjan, K. Balasubramani, V. R. Sanal Kumar

Abstract:

The present environmental issues have made aircraft jet noise reduction a crucial problem in aero-acoustics research. Acoustic studies reveal that addition of chevrons to the nozzle reduces the sound pressure level reasonably with acceptable reduction in performance. In this paper comprehensive numerical studies on acoustic characteristics of different types of chevron nozzles have been carried out with non-reacting flows for the shape optimization of chevrons in supersonic nozzles for aerospace applications. The numerical studies have been carried out using a validated steady 3D density based, k-ε turbulence model. In this paper chevron with sharp edge, flat edge, round edge and U-type edge are selected for the jet acoustic characterization of supersonic nozzles. We observed that compared to the base model a case with round-shaped chevron nozzle could reduce 4.13% acoustic level with 0.6% thrust loss. We concluded that the prudent selection of the chevron shape will enable an appreciable reduction of the aircraft jet noise without compromising its overall performance. It is evident from the present numerical simulations that k-ε model can predict reasonably well the acoustic level of chevron supersonic nozzles for its shape optimization.

Keywords: supersonic nozzle, Chevron, acoustic level, shape optimization of Chevron nozzles, jet noise suppression

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11223 Numerical Modeling of hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermoelectric Solar Unit by Applying Various Cross-Sections of Cooling Ducts

Authors: Ziba Khalili, Mohsen Sheikholeslami, Ladan Momayez

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Combining the photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) systems with a thermoelectric (TE) module can raise energy yields since the TE module boosts the system's energy conversion efficiency. In the current study, a PVT system integrated with a TE module was designed and simulated in ANSYS Fluent 19.2. A copper heat transfer tube (HTT) was employed for cooling the photovoltaic (PV) cells. Four different shapes of HTT cross-section, i.e., circular, square, elliptical, and triangular, with equal cross-section areas were investigated. Also, the influence of Cu-Al2O3/water hybrid nanofluid (0.024% volume concentration), fluid inlet velocity (uᵢ ), and amount of solar radiation (G), on the PV temperature (Tₚᵥ) and system performance were investigated. The ambient temperature (Tₐ), wind speed (u𝓌), and fluid inlet temperature (Tᵢ), were considered to be 25°C, 1 m/s, and 27°C, respectively. According to the obtained data, the triangular case had the greatest impact on reducing the compared to other cases. In the triangular case, examination of the effect of hybrid nanofluid showed that the use of hybrid nanofluid at 800 W/m2 led to a reduction of the TPV by 0.6% compared to water, at 0.19 m/s. Moreover, the thermal efficiency ( ) and the overall electrical efficiency (nₜ) of the system improved by 0.93% and 0.22%, respectively, at 0.19 m/s. In a triangular case where G and were 800 W/m2 and 19 m/s, respectively, the highest amount of, thermal power (Eₜ), and, were obtained as 72.76%, 130.84 W and 12.03%, respectively.

Keywords: electrical performance, photovoltaic/thermal, thermoelectric, hybrid nanofluid, thermal efficiency

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11222 Teachers’ Education in Brazil: A Case Study on Students’ Performance

Authors: Priscila A. M. Rodrigues

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In Brazil, higher education is usually offered in three parts of the day: in the morning, afternoon and evening. Students have to decide what part of the day they are going to study in the application process. Most of the admitted students who choose to study in the evening also work during the day, because of their financial conditions. Brazilian higher education courses in the evening were initially created to meet the demand for teacher training. These teacher-training courses are socially discredited and considered easily accessible in the country, mostly due to the fact that students who enroll for those courses come from very poor basic education. The research has analyzed the differences between the social profiles and studying conditions of students of teacher education, especially the training intended for would-be elementary education teachers. An investigation has been conducted with these undergraduate students, who were divided into a group of those who study both in the morning and in the afternoon (group 1) and a group of those who study in the evening (group 2). The hypothesis predicted that students in group 1 would perform better than students in group 2. The analysis of training and studying conditions departed from the point of view of students and their teachers. The hypothesis predicted that students in group 1 would perform better than students in group 2. The analysis of training and studying conditions departed from the point of view of students and their teachers. Data was collected from survey, qualitative interviews, field observation and reports from students. Sociological concepts of habitus, cultural capital, trajectories and strategies are essential for this study as well as the literature on quality of higher education. The research revealed that there are differences of studying conditions between group 1 and group 2, precisely when it comes to the university atmosphere, that is to say, academic support resources and enrichment activities which promote educational, cultural and social opportunities, for example conferences, events, scholarships of different types, etc. In order to counteract the effects of their poor educational performance, students who generally come from popular strata require conditions of greater dedication and investment in higher education, which most of them do not have. Despite the considerable difficulties that students in group 2 encounter in their academic experience, the university experience per se brings a gain for the lives of these students, which translates into the expansion of their capital structure – i.e. symbolic, cultural and educational capital – with repercussions on their social trajectory, especially in professional conditions.

Keywords: higher education, higher education students’ performance, quality of higher education, teacher’s education

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11221 Thatsana Nataya Chatri Dance: A Creative Conservation Process of Cultural Performing Arts for Competition

Authors: Dusittorn Ngamying

Abstract:

The research on Thatsana Nataya Chatri Dance: A Creative Conservation Process of Cultural Performing Arts for Competition was aimed at 1) studying the creative conservation process of cultural performing arts; 2) creating conservation process of cultural performing arts of Thatsana Nataya Chatri dance; and 3) utilizing the created performing arts for the competition. The study was conducted using the qualitative research method in the Central region provinces of Thailand through documentary study and data from field observations, interviews and focus group meetings. Data were collected from 50 informants consisting of 10 experts on the subject, 30 practitioners and 10 general information providers. The data collection instruments consisted of participatory and non-participatory forms, structured and non-structured interview schedules and focus group note forms. The data were verified by the triangulation technique and presented using the descriptive analysis. The results of the study reveal that the creative conservation process of cultural performing arts should be initiated by those who have experienced using a prior knowledge in the pursuit of new knowledge. The new knowledge is combined to generate creative work with the conservation process in 9 aspects: acquiring the related knowledge, creating theme and inspiration, designing the music and melody, designing costumes, inventing dance postures, selecting dancers, transferring the dance postures, preparing the stage and performance equipment, planning the performance event. Inventing the conservation process of cultural performing arts Thatsana Nataya Chatri dance consists of 33 dance postures and 14 transformed patterns. The performance requires 6 dancers, 3 males and 3 females. Costume features both male and female classical and modified dancer’s costumes. The duration of the show takes 5 minutes. As for the application for the competition, this creative work has been selected by Dramatic Works Association (Thailand) to represent Thailand at the Lombok International Dance Sports Festival 2015 held at Lombok, Indonesia. The team has been awarded the Second Place in the Traditional Dance category.

Keywords: creative conservation process, cultural performing arts, Thatsana Nataya Chatri dance, competition

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11220 The Relationship between Quality of Work and Employment, Self-Perceived Health and Use of Health Services among the Older Japanese Workforce

Authors: Jacques Wels

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Japan has one of the highest average retirement ages within the OCDE and is paving the way to raise the retirement age to 70. However, the Japanese labour market is facing two main issues that can have detrimental effects on health: non-standard employment forms are widespread among the ageing workforce, and poor working conditions can contribute to explain poor health in late career. To assess such a relationship, the study uses data from JSTAR. Using mediation analysis, it particularly looks at the association between job dissatisfaction, employment status, self-perceived health (SPH), and use of health care services. Results show that work quality and employment status are associated with SPH. Contract work has a particularly negative impact and therefore contributes to explain the use of health care services but is not significantly associated with lower job satisfaction levels. SPH is a good predictor of the use of health care services.

Keywords: self-reported health, occupational health, employment, older workers, mediation

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11219 Surge Analysis of Water Transmission Mains in Una, Himachal Pradesh, India

Authors: Baldev Setia, Raj Rajeshwari, Maneesh Kumar

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Present paper is an analysis of water transmission mains failed due to surge analysis by using basic software known as Surge Analysis Program (SAP). It is a real time failure case study of a pipe laid in Una, Himachal Pradesh. The transmission main is a 13 kilometer long pipe with 7.9 kilometers as pumping main and 5.1 kilometers as gravitational main. The analysis deals with mainly pumping mains. The results are available in two text files. Besides, several files are prepared with specific view to obtain results in a graphical form. These results help to observe the pressure difference and surge occurrence at different locations along the pipe profile, which help to redesign the transmission main with different but suitable safety measures against possible surge. A technically viable and economically feasible design has been provided as per the relevant manual and standard code of practice.

Keywords: surge, water hammer, transmission mains, SAP 2000

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11218 Cut-Off of CMV Cobas® Taqman® (CAP/CTM Roche®) for Introduction of Ganciclovir Pre-Emptive Therapy in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients

Authors: B. B. S. Pereira, M. O. Souza, L. P. Zanetti, L. C. S. Oliveira, J. R. P. Moreno, M. P. Souza, V. R. Colturato, C. M. Machado

Abstract:

Background: The introduction of prophylactic or preemptive therapies has effectively decreased the CMV mortality rates after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). CMV antigenemia (pp65) or quantitative PCR are methods currently approved for CMV surveillance in pre-emptive strategies. Commercial assays are preferred as cut-off levels defined by in-house assays may vary among different protocols and in general show low reproducibility. Moreover, comparison of published data among different centers is only possible if international standards of quantification are included in the assays. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the first international standard for CMV detection. The real time PCR COBAS Ampliprep/ CobasTaqMan (CAP/CTM) (Roche®) was developed using the WHO standard for CMV quantification. However, the cut-off for the introduction of antiviral has not been determined yet. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study to determine: 1) the sensitivity and specificity of the new CMV CAP/CTM test in comparison with pp65 antigenemia to detect episodes of CMV infection/reactivation, and 2) the cut-off of viral load for introduction of ganciclovir (GCV). Pp65 antigenemia was performed and the corresponding plasma samples were stored at -20°C for further CMV detection by CAP/CTM. Comparison of tests was performed by kappa index. The appearance of positive antigenemia was considered the state variable to determine the cut-off of CMV viral load by ROC curve. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 19 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA.). Results: Thirty-eight patients were included and followed from August 2014 through May 2015. The antigenemia test detected 53 episodes of CMV infection in 34 patients (89.5%), while CAP/CTM detected 37 episodes in 33 patients (86.8%). AG and PCR results were compared in 431 samples and Kappa index was 30.9%. The median time for first AG detection was 42 (28-140) days, while CAP/CTM detected at a median of 7 days earlier (34 days, ranging from 7 to 110 days). The optimum cut-off value of CMV DNA was 34.25 IU/mL to detect positive antigenemia with 88.2% of sensibility, 100% of specificity and AUC of 0.91. This cut-off value is below the limit of detection and quantification of the equipment which is 56 IU/mL. According to CMV recurrence definition, 16 episodes of CMV recurrence were detected by antigenemia (47.1%) and 4 (12.1%) by CAP/CTM. The duration of viremia as detected by antigenemia was shorter (60.5% of the episodes lasted ≤ 7 days) in comparison to CAP/CTM (57.9% of the episodes lasting 15 days or more). This data suggests that the use of antigenemia to define the duration of GCV therapy might prompt early interruption of antiviral, which may favor CMV reactivation. The CAP/CTM PCR could possibly provide a safer information concerning the duration of GCV therapy. As prolonged treatment may increase the risk of toxicity, this hypothesis should be confirmed in prospective trials. Conclusions: Even though CAP/CTM by ROCHE showed great qualitative correlation with the antigenemia technique, the fully automated CAP/CTM did not demonstrate increased sensitivity. The cut-off value below the limit of detection and quantification may result in delayed introduction of pre-emptive therapy.

Keywords: antigenemia, CMV COBAS/TAQMAN, cytomegalovirus, antiviral cut-off

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11217 An Effective Decision-Making Strategy Based on Multi-Objective Optimization for Commercial Vehicles in Highway Scenarios

Authors: Weiming Hu, Xu Li, Xiaonan Li, Zhong Xu, Li Yuan, Xuan Dong

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Maneuver decision-making plays a critical role in high-performance intelligent driving. This paper proposes a risk assessment-based decision-making network (RADMN) to address the problem of driving strategy for the commercial vehicle. RADMN integrates two networks, aiming at identifying the risk degree of collision and rollover and providing decisions to ensure the effectiveness and reliability of driving strategy. In the risk assessment module, risk degrees of the backward collision, forward collision and rollover are quantified for hazard recognition. In the decision module, a deep reinforcement learning based on multi-objective optimization (DRL-MOO) algorithm is designed, which comprehensively considers the risk degree and motion states of each traffic participant. To evaluate the performance of the proposed framework, Prescan/Simulink joint simulation was conducted in highway scenarios. Experimental results validate the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed RADMN. The output driving strategy can guarantee the safety and provide key technical support for the realization of autonomous driving of commercial vehicles.

Keywords: decision-making strategy, risk assessment, multi-objective optimization, commercial vehicle

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11216 Design and Application of NFC-Based Identity and Access Management in Cloud Services

Authors: Shin-Jer Yang, Kai-Tai Yang

Abstract:

In response to a changing world and the fast growth of the Internet, more and more enterprises are replacing web-based services with cloud-based ones. Multi-tenancy technology is becoming more important especially with Software as a Service (SaaS). This in turn leads to a greater focus on the application of Identity and Access Management (IAM). Conventional Near-Field Communication (NFC) based verification relies on a computer browser and a card reader to access an NFC tag. This type of verification does not support mobile device login and user-based access management functions. This study designs an NFC-based third-party cloud identity and access management scheme (NFC-IAM) addressing this shortcoming. Data from simulation tests analyzed with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) suggest that the NFC-IAM not only takes less time in identity identification but also cuts time by 80% in terms of two-factor authentication and improves verification accuracy to 99.9% or better. In functional performance analyses, NFC-IAM performed better in salability and portability. The NFC-IAM App (Application Software) and back-end system to be developed and deployed in mobile device are to support IAM features and also offers users a more user-friendly experience and stronger security protection. In the future, our NFC-IAM can be employed to different environments including identification for mobile payment systems, permission management for remote equipment monitoring, among other applications.

Keywords: cloud service, multi-tenancy, NFC, IAM, mobile device

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11215 Parametric Influence and Optimization of Wire-EDM on Oil Hardened Non-Shrinking Steel

Authors: Nixon Kuruvila, H. V. Ravindra

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Wire-cut Electro Discharge Machining (WEDM) is a special form of conventional EDM process in which electrode is a continuously moving conductive wire. The present study aims at determining parametric influence and optimum process parameters of Wire-EDM using Taguchi’s Technique and Genetic algorithm. The variation of the performance parameters with machining parameters was mathematically modeled by Regression analysis method. The objective functions are Dimensional Accuracy (DA) and Material Removal Rate (MRR). Experiments were designed as per Taguchi’s L16 Orthogonal Array (OA) where in Pulse-on duration, Pulse-off duration, Current, Bed-speed and Flushing rate have been considered as the important input parameters. The matrix experiments were conducted for the material Oil Hardened Non Shrinking Steel (OHNS) having the thickness of 40 mm. The results of the study reveals that among the machining parameters it is preferable to go in for lower pulse-off duration for achieving over all good performance. Regarding MRR, OHNS is to be eroded with medium pulse-off duration and higher flush rate. Finally, the validation exercise performed with the optimum levels of the process parameters. The results confirm the efficiency of the approach employed for optimization of process parameters in this study.

Keywords: dimensional accuracy (DA), regression analysis (RA), Taguchi method (TM), volumetric material removal rate (VMRR)

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11214 Use of Lactic Strains Isolated from Algerian Ewe's Milk in the Manufacture of a Natural Yogurt

Authors: Chougrani Fadela, Cheriguene Abderrahim

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Fifty three strains of thermophilic and mesophilic lactic acid bacteria were isolated from the ewe’s milk. Identification reveals the presence of nineteen strains (36%) of Lactobacillus sp., seventeen strains (32%) of Lactococcus sp., nine strains (17%) of Streptococcus thermophilus and eight strains (15%) of Leuconostoc sp. The strains were characterized for their technological properties. A high diversity of properties among the studied strains was demonstrated. On the basis of technological characteristics, two strains (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) were screened with respect to their acid and flavour production for the preparation of a natural yogurt and compared to a commercial starter cultures. Sensorial analyses revealed that the product manufactured on the basis of the isolated strains have a cohesiveness and adhesiveness corresponding to standard products. The pH and the acidity recorded are also within accepted levels during all the period of conservation.

Keywords: Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, yoghurt, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, Algerian ewe’s milk

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11213 Effect of TERGITOL NP-9 and PEG-10 Oleyl Phosphate as Surfactant and Corrosion Inhibitor on Tribo-Corrosion Performance of Carbon Steel in Emulsion-Based Drilling Fluids

Authors: Mohammadjavad Palimi, D. Y. Li, E. Kuru

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Emulsion-based drilling fluids containing mineral oil are commonly used for drilling operations, which generate a lubricating film to prevent direct contact between moving metal parts, thus reducing friction, wear, and corrosion. For long-lasting lubrication, the thin lubricating film formed on the metal surface should possess good anti-wear and anti-corrosion capabilities. This study aims to investigate the effects of two additives, TERGITOL NP-9 and PEG-10 oleyl phosphate, acting as surfactant and corrosion inhibitor, respectively, on the tribo-corrosion behavior of 1018 carbon steel immersed in 5% KCl solution at room temperature. A pin-on-disc tribometer attached to an electrochemical system was used to investigate the corrosive wear of the steel immersed in emulsion-based fluids containing the surfactant and corrosion inhibitor. The wear track, surface chemistry and composition of the protective film formed on the steel surface were analyzed with an optical profilometer, SEM, and SEM-EDX. Results of the study demonstrate that the performance of the emulsion-based drilling fluids was significantly improved by the corrosion inhibitor by a remarkable reduction in corrosion, coefficient of friction (COF) and wear.

Keywords: corrosion inhibitor, emulsion-based drilling fluid, tribo-corrosion, friction, wear

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11212 Improved Image Retrieval for Efficient Localization in Urban Areas Using Location Uncertainty Data

Authors: Mahdi Salarian, Xi Xu, Rashid Ansari

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Accurate localization of mobile devices based on camera-acquired visual media information usually requires a search over a very large GPS-referenced image database. This paper proposes an efficient method for limiting the search space for image retrieval engine by extracting and leveraging additional media information about Estimated Positional Error (EP E) to address complexity and accuracy issues in the search, especially to be used for compensating GPS location inaccuracy in dense urban areas. The improved performance is achieved by up to a hundred-fold reduction in the search area used in available reference methods while providing improved accuracy. To test our procedure we created a database by acquiring Google Street View (GSV) images for down town of Chicago. Other available databases are not suitable for our approach due to lack of EP E for the query images. We tested the procedure using more than 200 query images along with EP E acquired mostly in the densest areas of Chicago with different phones and in different conditions such as low illumination and from under rail tracks. The effectiveness of our approach and the effect of size and sector angle of the search area are discussed and experimental results demonstrate how our proposed method can improve performance just by utilizing a data that is available for mobile systems such as smart phones.

Keywords: localization, retrieval, GPS uncertainty, bag of word

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11211 Design of a Tool for Generating Test Cases from BPMN

Authors: Prat Yotyawilai, Taratip Suwannasart

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Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is more important in the business process and creating functional models, and is a standard for OMG, which becomes popular in various organizations and in education. Researches related to software testing based on models are prominent. Although most researches use the UML model in software testing, not many researches use the BPMN Model in creating test cases. Therefore, this research proposes a design of a tool for generating test cases from the BPMN. The model is analyzed and the details of the various components are extracted before creating a flow graph. Both details of components and the flow graph are used in generating test cases.

Keywords: software testing, test case, BPMN, flow graph

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11210 Quality versus Excellence: The Importance of Employees Knowing the Difference

Authors: Chris Nelson

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Quality and excellence are qualitative topics that are usually addressed based on knowledge and past experience from leadership and those in charge of the organization. The significance of this study is to highlight the differences and similarities between these two mindsets and how an operational staff can most appropriately use them in the workplace. Quality and excellence are two words that are talked about a lot in the manufacturing world. Buzzwords such as operational excellence, quality controls, and efficiencies are discussed in the boardroom as well on the shop floor. These terms are used quite frequently and with good reasons. When a person visits their favorite local restaurant, They go because 1) they like the food and 2) the people are some of the greatest individuals to be around. With that in mind, they know they always put out quality food. They do not always go because the quality of the food is far superior than other restaurants. But the quality of ingredients always meets their expectations. When they compare them to the term excellence, they are disappointed. The food never looks like the pictures on the menu. But when have you ever been to a restaurant where the food looks the same as on the menu? For them, when evaluating which buzzword to use as a guiding star, its simple: excellence. The corporation can accomplish these goals by operating at a standard that far exceeds customer’s wants and needs.

Keywords: industrial engineering, innovation, management and technology, logistics and scheduling, six sigma

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11209 The Effects of Mobile Communication on the Nigerian Populace

Authors: Chapman Eze Nnadozie

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Communication, the activity of conveying information, remains a vital resource for the growth and development of any given society. Mobile communication, popularly known as global system for mobile communication (GSM) is a globally accepted standard for digital cellular communication. GSM, which is a wireless technology, remains the fastest growing communication means worldwide. Indeed, mobile phones have become a critical business tool and part of everyday life in both developed and developing countries. This study examines the effects of mobile communication on the Nigerian populace. The methodology used in this study is the survey research method with the main data collection tool as questionnaires. The questionnaires were administered to a total of seventy respondents in five cities across the country, namely: Aba, Enugu, Bauchi, Makurdi, and Lagos. The result reveals that though there is some quality of service issues, mobile communication has very significant positive efforts on the economic and social development of the Nigerian populace.

Keywords: effect, mobile communication, populace, GSM, wireless technology, mobile phone

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11208 Environmental Performance Improvement of Additive Manufacturing Processes with Part Quality Point of View

Authors: Mazyar Yosofi, Olivier Kerbrat, Pascal Mognol

Abstract:

Life cycle assessment of additive manufacturing processes has evolved significantly since these past years. A lot of existing studies mainly focused on energy consumption. Nowadays, new methodologies of life cycle inventory acquisition came through the literature and help manufacturers to take into account all the input and output flows during the manufacturing step of the life cycle of products. Indeed, the environmental analysis of the phenomena that occur during the manufacturing step of additive manufacturing processes is going to be well known. Now it becomes possible to count and measure accurately all the inventory data during the manufacturing step. Optimization of the environmental performances of processes can now be considered. Environmental performance improvement can be made by varying process parameters. However, a lot of these parameters (such as manufacturing speed, the power of the energy source, quantity of support materials) affect directly the mechanical properties, surface finish and the dimensional accuracy of a functional part. This study aims to improve the environmental performance of an additive manufacturing process without deterioration of the part quality. For that purpose, the authors have developed a generic method that has been applied on multiple parts made by additive manufacturing processes. First, a complete analysis of the process parameters is made in order to identify which parameters affect only the environmental performances of the process. Then, multiple parts are manufactured by varying the identified parameters. The aim of the second step is to find the optimum value of the parameters that decrease significantly the environmental impact of the process and keep the part quality as desired. Finally, a comparison between the part made by initials parameters and changed parameters is made. In this study, the major finding claims by authors is to reduce the environmental impact of an additive manufacturing process while respecting the three quality criterion of parts, mechanical properties, dimensional accuracy and surface roughness. Now that additive manufacturing processes can be seen as mature from a technical point of view, environmental improvement of these processes can be considered while respecting the part properties. The first part of this study presents the methodology applied to multiple academic parts. Then, the validity of the methodology is demonstrated on functional parts.

Keywords: additive manufacturing, environmental impact, environmental improvement, mechanical properties

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11207 Modeling and Minimizing the Effects of Ferroresonance for Medium Voltage Transformers

Authors: Mohammad Hossein Mohammadi Sanjani, Ashknaz Oraee, Arian Amirnia, Atena Taheri, Mohammadreza Arabi, Mahmud Fotuhi-Firuzabad

Abstract:

Ferroresonance effects cause overvoltage in medium voltage transformers and isolators used in electrical networks. Ferroresonance effects are nonlinear and occur between the network capacitor and the nonlinear inductance of the voltage transformer during saturation. This phenomenon is unwanted for transformers since it causes overheating, introduction of high dynamic forces in primary coils, and rise of voltage in primary coils for the voltage transformer. Furthermore, it results in electrical and thermal failure of the transformer. Expansion of distribution lines, design of the transformer in smaller sizes, and the increase of harmonics in distribution networks result in an increase of ferroresonance. There is limited literature available to improve the effects of ferroresonance; therefore, optimizing its effects for voltage transformers is of great importance. In this study, comprehensive modeling of a medium voltage block-type voltage transformer is performed. In addition, a recent model is proposed to improve the performance of voltage transformers during the occurrence of ferroresonance using damping oscillations. Also, transformer design optimization is presented in this study to show further improvements in the performance of the voltage transformer. The recently proposed model is experimentally tested and verified on a medium voltage transformer in the laboratory, and simulation results show a large reduction of the effects of ferroresonance.

Keywords: optimization, voltage transformer, ferroresonance, modeling, damper

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11206 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Development of Demand-Controlled Deep Brain Stimulation with Methods from Stochastic Phase Resetting

Authors: Mahdi Akhbardeh

Abstract:

Synchronization of neuronal firing is a hallmark of several neurological diseases. Recently, stimulation techniques have been developed which make it possible to desynchronize oscillatory neuronal activity in a mild and effective way, without suppressing the neurons' firing. As yet, these techniques are being used to establish demand-controlled deep brain stimulation (DBS) techniques for the therapy of movement disorders like severe Parkinson's disease or essential tremor. We here present a first conceptualization suggesting that the nucleus accumbens is a promising target for the standard, that is, permanent high-frequency, DBS in patients with severe and chronic obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In addition, we explain how demand-controlled DBS techniques may be applied to the therapy of OCD in those cases that are refractory to behavioral therapies and pharmacological treatment.

Keywords: stereotactic neurosurgery, deep brain stimulation, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phase resetting

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11205 Numerical Investigation the Effect of Adjustable Guide Vane for Improving the Airflow Rate in Axial Fans

Authors: Behzad Shahizare, N. Nik-Ghazali, Kannan M. Munisamy, Seyedsaeed Tabatabaeikia

Abstract:

The main objective of this study is to clarify the effect of the adjustable outlet guide vane (OGV) on the axial fan. Three-dimensional Numerical study was performed to analyze the effect of adjustable guide vane for improving the airflow rate in axial fans. Grid independence test was done between five different meshes in order to choose the reliable mesh. In flow analyses, Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations was solved using three types of turbulence models named k-ɛ, k-ω and k-ω SST. The aerodynamic performances of the fan and guide vane were evaluated. Numerical method was validated by comparing with experimental test according to AMECA 210 standard. Results showed that, by using the adjustable guide vane the airflow rate is increased around 3% to 6 %. The maximum enhancement of the airflow rate was achieved when pressure was 374pa.

Keywords: axial fan, adjustable guide vane, CFD, turbo machinery

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11204 Water Sorption of Self Cured Resin Acrylic Soaked in Clover Solution

Authors: Hermanto J. M, Mirna Febriani

Abstract:

Resin acrylic, which is widely used, has the physical properties that can absorb liquids. This can lead to a change in the dimensions of the acrylic resin material. If repeated immersions were done, its strength would be affected. Disinfectant solutions have been widely used to reduce microorganisms both inside and outside the patient's mouth. One of the disinfecting materials that can be used is a clover solution. The purpose of this research is to find the ratio of water absorption of the acrylic resin material of self-cured type, soaked in clover solution for 10 minutes. The results showed that the average value obtained before soaked in clover solution was 0.0692 mg/cm3 and after soaked, in clover solution, the value was 0.090 mg/cm3. The conclusion of this research shows that the values of water sorption of acrylic resin before and after soaked in clover solution is still in ISO standard 1567/2001. Differences in water sorption value of self-cured acrylic resin before and after the immersion are caused by the process of liquid diffusion into the acrylic resin.

Keywords: absorption of fluid, self-cured acrylic resin, soaked, clover solution

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11203 Effectiveness of Damping Devices on Coupling Beams of 15-story Building Based on Nonlinear Analysis Procedures

Authors: Galih Permana, Yuskar Lase

Abstract:

In recent years, damping device has been experimentally studied to replace diagonally reinforced coupling beams, to mitigate rebar congestion problem. This study focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of various damping devices in a high-rise building. The type of damping devices evaluated is Viscoelastic Damper (VCD) and Rotational Friction Damper (RFD), with study case of a 15-story reinforced concrete apartment building with a dual system (column-beam and shear walls). The analysis used is a nonlinear time history analysis with 11 pairs of ground motions matched to the Indonesian response spectrum based on ASCE 41-17 and ASCE 7-16. In this analysis, each damper will be varied with a different position, namely the first model, the damper will be installed on the entire floor and in the second model, the damper will be installed on the 5th floor to the 9th floor, which is the floor with the largest drift. The results show that the model using both dampers increases the level of structural performance both globally and locally in the building, which will reduce the level of damage to the structural elements. But between the two dampers, the coupling beam that uses RFD is more effective than using VCD in improving building performance. The damper on the coupling beam has a good role in dissipating earthquakes and also in terms of ease of installation.

Keywords: building, coupling beam, damper, nonlinear time history analysis

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11202 The European Research and Development Project Improved Nuclear Site Characterization for Waste Minimization in Decommissioning under Constrained Environment: Focus on Performance Analysis and Overall Uncertainty

Authors: M. Crozet, D. Roudil, T. Branger, S. Boden, P. Peerani, B. Russell, M. Herranz, L. Aldave de la Heras

Abstract:

The EURATOM work program project INSIDER (Improved Nuclear Site Characterization for Waste minimization in Decommissioning under Constrained Environment) was launched in June 2017. This 4-year project has 18 partners and aims at improving the management of contaminated materials arising from decommissioning and dismantling (D&D) operations by proposing an integrated methodology of characterization. This methodology is based on advanced statistical processing and modelling, coupled with adapted and innovative analytical and measurement methods, with respect to sustainability and economic objectives. In order to achieve these objectives, the approaches will be then applied to common case studies in the form of Inter-laboratory comparisons on matrix representative reference samples and benchmarking. Work Package 6 (WP6) ‘Performance analysis and overall uncertainty’ is in charge of the analysis of the benchmarking on real samples, the organisation of inter-laboratory comparison on synthetic certified reference materials and the establishment of overall uncertainty budget. Assessment of the outcome will be used for providing recommendations and guidance resulting in pre-standardization tests.

Keywords: decommissioning, sampling strategy, research and development, characterization, European project

Procedia PDF Downloads 353
11201 EQMamba - Method Suggestion for Earthquake Detection and Phase Picking

Authors: Noga Bregman

Abstract:

Accurate and efficient earthquake detection and phase picking are crucial for seismic hazard assessment and emergency response. This study introduces EQMamba, a deep-learning method that combines the strengths of the Earthquake Transformer and the Mamba model for simultaneous earthquake detection and phase picking. EQMamba leverages the computational efficiency of Mamba layers to process longer seismic sequences while maintaining a manageable model size. The proposed architecture integrates convolutional neural networks (CNNs), bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) networks, and Mamba blocks. The model employs an encoder composed of convolutional layers and max pooling operations, followed by residual CNN blocks for feature extraction. Mamba blocks are applied to the outputs of BiLSTM blocks, efficiently capturing long-range dependencies in seismic data. Separate decoders are used for earthquake detection, P-wave picking, and S-wave picking. We trained and evaluated EQMamba using a subset of the STEAD dataset, a comprehensive collection of labeled seismic waveforms. The model was trained using a weighted combination of binary cross-entropy loss functions for each task, with the Adam optimizer and a scheduled learning rate. Data augmentation techniques were employed to enhance the model's robustness. Performance comparisons were conducted between EQMamba and the EQTransformer over 20 epochs on this modest-sized STEAD subset. Results demonstrate that EQMamba achieves superior performance, with higher F1 scores and faster convergence compared to EQTransformer. EQMamba reached F1 scores of 0.8 by epoch 5 and maintained higher scores throughout training. The model also exhibited more stable validation performance, indicating good generalization capabilities. While both models showed lower accuracy in phase-picking tasks compared to detection, EQMamba's overall performance suggests significant potential for improving seismic data analysis. The rapid convergence and superior F1 scores of EQMamba, even on a modest-sized dataset, indicate promising scalability for larger datasets. This study contributes to the field of earthquake engineering by presenting a computationally efficient and accurate method for simultaneous earthquake detection and phase picking. Future work will focus on incorporating Mamba layers into the P and S pickers and further optimizing the architecture for seismic data specifics. The EQMamba method holds the potential for enhancing real-time earthquake monitoring systems and improving our understanding of seismic events.

Keywords: earthquake, detection, phase picking, s waves, p waves, transformer, deep learning, seismic waves

Procedia PDF Downloads 16