Search results for: active front steering system
15553 A Simulation-Optimization Approach to Control Production, Subcontracting and Maintenance Decisions for a Deteriorating Production System
Authors: Héctor Rivera-Gómez, Eva Selene Hernández-Gress, Oscar Montaño-Arango, Jose Ramon Corona-Armenta
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This research studies the joint production, maintenance and subcontracting control policy for an unreliable deteriorating manufacturing system. Production activities are controlled by a derivation of the Hedging Point Policy, and given that the system is subject to deterioration, it reduces progressively its capacity to satisfy product demand. Multiple deterioration effects are considered, reflected mainly in the quality of the parts produced and the reliability of the machine. Subcontracting is available as support to satisfy product demand; also overhaul maintenance can be conducted to reduce the effects of deterioration. The main objective of the research is to determine simultaneously the production, maintenance and subcontracting rate which minimize the total incurred cost. A stochastic dynamic programming model is developed and solved through a simulation-based approach composed of statistical analysis and optimization with the response surface methodology. The obtained results highlight the strong interactions between production, deterioration and quality which justify the development of an integrated model. A numerical example and a sensitivity analysis are presented to validate our results.Keywords: subcontracting, optimal control, deterioration, simulation, production planning
Procedia PDF Downloads 58515552 CSoS-STRE: A Combat System-of-System Space-Time Resilience Enhancement Framework
Authors: Jiuyao Jiang, Jiahao Liu, Jichao Li, Kewei Yang, Minghao Li, Bingfeng Ge
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Modern warfare has transitioned from the paradigm of isolated combat forces to system-to-system confrontations due to advancements in combat technologies and application concepts. A combat system-of-systems (CSoS) is a combat network composed of independently operating entities that interact with one another to provide overall operational capabilities. Enhancing the resilience of CSoS is garnering increasing attention due to its significant practical value in optimizing network architectures, improving network security and refining operational planning. Accordingly, a unified framework called CSoS space-time resilience enhancement (CSoS-STRE) has been proposed, which enhances the resilience of CSoS by incorporating spatial features. Firstly, a multilayer spatial combat network model has been constructed, which incorporates an information layer depicting the interrelations among combat entities based on the OODA loop, along with a spatial layer that considers the spatial characteristics of equipment entities, thereby accurately reflecting the actual combat process. Secondly, building upon the combat network model, a spatiotemporal resilience optimization model is proposed, which reformulates the resilience optimization problem as a classical linear optimization model with spatial features. Furthermore, the model is extended from scenarios without obstacles to those with obstacles, thereby further emphasizing the importance of spatial characteristics. Thirdly, a resilience-oriented recovery optimization method based on improved non dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (R-INSGA) is proposed to determine the optimal recovery sequence for the damaged entities. This method not only considers spatial features but also provides the optimal travel path for multiple recovery teams. Finally, the feasibility, effectiveness, and superiority of the CSoS-STRE are demonstrated through a case study. Simultaneously, under deliberate attack conditions based on degree centrality and maximum operational loop performance, the proposed CSoS-STRE method is compared with six baseline recovery strategies, which are based on performance, time, degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, and eigenvector centrality. The comparison demonstrates that CSoS-STRE achieves faster convergence and superior performance.Keywords: space-time resilience enhancement, resilience optimization model, combat system-of-systems, recovery optimization method, no-obstacles and obstacles
Procedia PDF Downloads 2215551 Earth Tremors in Nigeria: A Precursor to Major Disaster?
Authors: Oluseyi Adunola Bamisaiye
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The frequency of occurrence of earth tremor in Nigeria has increased tremendously in recent years. Slow earthquakes/ tremor have preceded some large earthquakes in some other regions of the world and the Nigerian case may not be an exception. Timely and careful investigation of these tremors may reveal their relation to large earthquakes and provides important clues to constrain the slip rates on tectonic faults. Thus making it imperative to keep under watch and also study carefully the tectonically active terrains within the country, in order to adequately forecast, prescribe mitigation measures and in order to avoid a major disaster. This report provides new evidence of a slow slip transient in a strongly locked seismogenic zone of the Okemesi fold belt. The aim of this research is to investigate the different methods of earth tremor monitoring using fault slip analysis and mapping of Okemesi hills, which has been the most recent epicenter to most of the recent tremors.Keywords: earth tremor, fault slip, intraplate activities, plate tectonics
Procedia PDF Downloads 16015550 Docking Studie of Biologically Active Molecules: Exploring Medical Applications
Authors: Sihame Amakrane, Zineb Ouahdi, Mohammed Salah, Said Belaaouad
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\This research explores the efficacy of novel pyrimidine derivatives on bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Myccobacterium tuberculosis, utilizing bending energy calculations. Of the 25 compounds examined, 13 displayed potent activity against all the bacterial strains under study, exhibiting bending energy measurements between -7.4 and -10.7 kcal/mol. The -7.4 kcal/mol value corresponds to the bending energy of the SA12 and SA13 compounds with the 2xct protein (Staphylococcus aureus), whereas the -10.7 kcal/molis linked with the bending energy of SA6 and SA11 compounds with the 6GAV protein (Myccobacterium tuberculosis). Further research will involve a QSAR (Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship) study aimed at constructing a reliable model to combat the aforementioned bacterial strains and a molecular dynamics study to evaluate the stability of ligand-protein complexes.Keywords: docking, QSAR, bending energy, e. coli
Procedia PDF Downloads 9115549 Open Fields' Dosimetric Verification for a Commercially-Used 3D Treatment Planning System
Authors: Nashaat A. Deiab, Aida Radwan, Mohamed Elnagdy, Mohamed S. Yahiya, Rasha Moustafa
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This study is to evaluate and investigate the dosimetric performance of our institution's 3D treatment planning system, Elekta PrecisePLAN, for open 6MV fields including square, rectangular, variation in SSD, centrally blocked, missing tissue, square MLC and MLC shaped fields guided by the recommended QA tests prescribed in AAPM TG53, NCS report 15 test packages, IAEA TRS 430 and ESTRO booklet no.7. The study was performed for Elekta Precise linear accelerator designed for clinical range of 4, 6 and 15 MV photon beams with asymmetric jaws and fully integrated multileaf collimator that enables high conformance to target with sharp field edges. Seven different tests were done applied on solid water equivalent phantom along with 2D array dose detection system, the calculated doses using 3D treatment planning system PrecisePLAN, compared with measured doses to make sure that the dose calculations are accurate for open fields including square, rectangular, variation in SSD, centrally blocked, missing tissue, square MLC and MLC shaped fields. The QA results showed dosimetric accuracy of the TPS for open fields within the specified tolerance limits. However large square (25cm x 25cm) and rectangular fields (20cm x 5cm) some points were out of tolerance in penumbra region (11.38 % and 10.9 %, respectively). For the test of SSD variation, the large field resulted from SSD 125 cm for 10cm x 10cm filed the results recorded an error of 0.2% at the central axis and 1.01% in penumbra. The results yielded differences within the accepted tolerance level as recommended. Large fields showed variations in penumbra. These differences between dose values predicted by the TPS and the measured values at the same point may result from limitations of the dose calculation, uncertainties in the measurement procedure, or fluctuations in the output of the accelerator.Keywords: quality assurance, dose calculation, 3D treatment planning system, photon beam
Procedia PDF Downloads 51715548 Performance of On-site Earthquake Early Warning Systems for Different Sensor Locations
Authors: Ting-Yu Hsu, Shyu-Yu Wu, Shieh-Kung Huang, Hung-Wei Chiang, Kung-Chun Lu, Pei-Yang Lin, Kuo-Liang Wen
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Regional earthquake early warning (EEW) systems are not suitable for Taiwan, as most destructive seismic hazards arise due to in-land earthquakes. These likely cause the lead-time provided by regional EEW systems before a destructive earthquake wave arrives to become null. On the other hand, an on-site EEW system can provide more lead-time at a region closer to an epicenter, since only seismic information of the target site is required. Instead of leveraging the information of several stations, the on-site system extracts some P-wave features from the first few seconds of vertical ground acceleration of a single station and performs a prediction of the oncoming earthquake intensity at the same station according to these features. Since seismometers could be triggered by non-earthquake events such as a passing of a truck or other human activities, to reduce the likelihood of false alarms, a seismometer was installed at three different locations on the same site and the performance of the EEW system for these three sensor locations were discussed. The results show that the location on the ground of the first floor of a school building maybe a good choice, since the false alarms could be reduced and the cost for installation and maintenance is the lowest.Keywords: earthquake early warning, on-site, seismometer location, support vector machine
Procedia PDF Downloads 24815547 Developing Motorized Spectroscopy System for Tissue Scanning
Authors: Tuba Denkceken, Ayse Nur Sarı, Volkan Ihsan Tore, Mahmut Denkceken
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The aim of the presented study was to develop a newly motorized spectroscopy system. Our system is composed of probe and motor parts. The probe part consists of bioimpedance and fiber optic components that include two platinum wires (each 25 micrometer in diameter) and two fiber cables (each 50 micrometers in diameter) respectively. Probe was examined on tissue phantom (polystyrene microspheres with different diameters). In the bioimpedance part of the probe current was transferred to the phantom and conductivity information was obtained. Adjacent two fiber cables were used in the fiber optic part of the system. Light was transferred to the phantom by fiber that was connected to the light source and backscattered light was collected with the other adjacent fiber for analysis. It is known that the nucleus expands and the nucleus-cytoplasm ratio increases during the cancer progression in the cell and this situation is one of the most important criteria for evaluating the tissue for pathologists. The sensitivity of the probe to particle (nucleus) size in phantom was tested during the study. Spectroscopic data obtained from our system on phantom was evaluated by multivariate statistical analysis. Thus the information about the particle size in the phantom was obtained. Bioimpedance and fiber optic experiments results which were obtained from polystyrene microspheres showed that the impedance value and the oscillation amplitude were increasing while the size of particle was enlarging. These results were compatible with the previous studies. In order to motorize the system within the motor part, three driver electronic circuits were designed primarily. In this part, supply capacitors were placed symmetrically near to the supply inputs which were used for balancing the oscillation. Female capacitors were connected to the control pin. Optic and mechanic switches were made. Drivers were structurally designed as they could command highly calibrated motors. It was considered important to keep the drivers’ dimension as small as we could (4.4x4.4x1.4 cm). Then three miniature step motors were connected to each other along with three drivers. Since spectroscopic techniques are quantitative methods, they yield more objective results than traditional ones. In the future part of this study, it is planning to get spectroscopic data that have optic and impedance information from the cell culture which is normal, low metastatic and high metastatic breast cancer. In case of getting high sensitivity in differentiated cells, it might be possible to scan large surface tissue areas in a short time with small steps. By means of motorize feature of the system, any region of the tissue will not be missed, in this manner we are going to be able to diagnose cancerous parts of the tissue meticulously. This work is supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) through 3001 project (115E662).Keywords: motorized spectroscopy, phantom, scanning system, tissue scanning
Procedia PDF Downloads 19215546 Backstepping Sliding Mode Control
Authors: Othmane Boughazi, Abdelmadjid Boumedienne, Hachemi Glaoui
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This work treats the modeling and simulation of non-linear system behavior of an induction motor using backstepping sliding mode control. First, the direct field oriented control IM is derived. Then, a sliding for direct field oriented control is proposed to compensate the uncertainties, which occur in the control.Finally, the study of Backstepping sliding controls strategy of the induction motor drive. Our non linear system is simulated in MATLAB SIMULINK environment, the results obtained illustrate the efficiency of the proposed control with no overshoot, and the rising time is improved with good disturbances rejections comparing with the classical control law.Keywords: induction motor, proportional-integral, sliding mode control, backstepping sliding mode control
Procedia PDF Downloads 49015545 Microscale observations of a gas cell wall rupture in bread dough during baking and confrontation to 2/3D Finite Element simulations of stress concentration
Authors: Kossigan Bernard Dedey, David Grenier, Tiphaine Lucas
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Bread dough is often described as a dispersion of gas cells in a continuous gluten/starch matrix. The final bread crumb structure is strongly related to gas cell walls (GCWs) rupture during baking. At the end of proofing and during baking, part of the thinnest GCWs between expanding gas cells is reduced to a gluten film of about the size of a starch granule. When such size is reached gluten and starch granules must be considered as interacting phases in order to account for heterogeneities and appropriately describe GCW rupture. Among experimental investigations carried out to assess GCW rupture, no experimental work was performed to observe the GCW rupture in the baking conditions at GCW scale. In addition, attempts to numerically understand GCW rupture are usually not performed at the GCW scale and often considered GCWs as continuous. The most relevant paper that accounted for heterogeneities dealt with the gluten/starch interactions and their impact on the mechanical behavior of dough film. However, stress concentration in GCW was not discussed. In this study, both experimental and numerical approaches were used to better understand GCW rupture in bread dough during baking. Experimentally, a macro-scope placed in front of a two-chamber device was used to observe the rupture of a real GCW of 200 micrometers in thickness. Special attention was paid in order to mimic baking conditions as far as possible (temperature, gas pressure and moisture). Various differences in pressure between both sides of GCW were applied and different modes of fracture initiation and propagation in GCWs were observed. Numerically, the impact of gluten/starch interactions (cohesion or non-cohesion) and rheological moduli ratio on the mechanical behavior of GCW under unidirectional extension was assessed in 2D/3D. A non-linear viscoelastic and hyperelastic approach was performed to match the finite strain involved in GCW during baking. Stress concentration within GCW was identified. Simulated stresses concentration was discussed at the light of GCW failure observed in the device. The gluten/starch granule interactions and rheological modulus ratio were found to have a great effect on the amount of stress possibly reached in the GCW.Keywords: dough, experimental, numerical, rupture
Procedia PDF Downloads 12415544 Psychological and Emotional Functioning of Elderly in Pakistan a Comparison in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan
Authors: Najma Najam, Rukhsana Kausar, Rabia Hussain Kanwal, Saira Batool, Anum Javed
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In Pakistan, elderly population though increasing but it has been neglected by the researchers and policy makers which resulted in compromised quality of life of the ageing population. Two regions, Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) were selected for comparison as Lahore and Multan (Punjab) are highly urbanized, large cities whereas Gilgit and Skardu are remote and mountain bounded valleys in GB. This study focuses on psychological and emotional functioning of elderly and a series of measures translated and adapted in Urdu language was used to assess quality of life, psychological and mental well-being, actual and perceived social support, attachment patterns, forgiveness, affects, geriatric depression, and emotional disturbance patterns (depression, anxiety, and stress) in elderly. A gender-equated sample of 201 elderly participants, 93 from GB (60 from Gilgit, 33 from Skardu) and 108 from Punjab (61 from Lahore, 47 from Multan) with over 60 years age was collected from the multiethnic community of Punjab and GB through purposive convenient sampling technique. Findings revealed that elderly from Multan have better psychological and emotional functioning, higher levels of social support, tendency to forgive, better mental wellbeing and quality of life and lower levels of stress, anxiety, depression, negative affect and attachment avoidance and anxiety related to partner as compared to the elderly from Lahore. Furthermore, both elderly male of Gilgit & Skardu have adequate mental well-being including subjective well-being and psychological functioning which showed positive aspects of mental health but elderly female are more attached to their home and neighbourhood which shows their social and environmental mastery. Gilgiti elderly male reported more degree of positive affect such as enthusiasm, active, alertness, excitement and strong whereas among elderly from Skardu shows more negative affect i.e. aversive mood states, irritability, hostility, and general distress. The need of psychosocial therapy and family counseling for the elderly in urban areas has been identified, which can facilitate in reducing or preventing the depressive and stressful tendencies. The findings are expected to have implications for improving quality of life of the elderly, designing interventions, support system and rehabilitation services to help them. However, findings may attract attention of policy makers and researchers as currently this is the most neglected population in Pakistan.Keywords: psychological, emotional, aging, elderly, quality of life
Procedia PDF Downloads 53715543 Advancements in Autonomous Drones for Enhanced Healthcare Logistics
Authors: Bhaargav Gupta P., Vignesh N., Nithish Kumar R., Rahul J., Nivetha Ruvah D.
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Delivering essential medical supplies to rural and underserved areas is challenging due to infrastructure limitations and logistical barriers, often resulting in inefficiencies and delays. Traditional delivery methods are hindered by poor road networks, long distances, and difficult terrains, compromising timely access to vital resources, especially in emergencies. This paper introduces an autonomous drone system engineered to optimize last-mile delivery. By utilizing advanced navigation and object-detection algorithms, such as region-based convolutional neural networks (R-CNN), our drones efficiently avoid obstacles, identify safe landing zones, and adapt dynamically to varying environments. Equipped with high-precision GPS and autonomous capabilities, the drones effectively navigate complex, remote areas with minimal dependence on established infrastructure. The system includes a dedicated mobile application for secure order placement and real-time tracking, and a secure payload box with OTP verification ensures tamper-resistant delivery to authorized recipients. This project demonstrates the potential of automated drone technology in healthcare logistics, offering a scalable and eco-friendly approach to enhance accessibility and service delivery in underserved regions. By addressing logistical gaps through advanced automation, this system represents a significant advancement toward sustainable, accessible healthcare in remote areas.Keywords: region-based convolutional neural network, one time password, global positioning system, autonomous drones, healthcare logistics
Procedia PDF Downloads 2015542 The Ebola Virus Disease and Its Outbreak in Nigeria
Authors: Osagiede Efosa Kelvin
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The Ebola virus disease (EVD); also Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a disease of humans and other primates caused by Ebola viruses. Signs and symptoms typically start between two days and three weeks after contracting the virus as a fever, sore throat, muscle pain, and headaches. Then, vomiting, diarrhoea and rash usually follow, along with decreased function of the liver and kidneys. At this time, some people begin to bleed both internally and externally. The first death in Nigeria was reported on 25 July 2014: a Liberian-American with Ebola flew from Liberia to Nigeria and died in Lagos soon after arrival. As part of the effort to contain the disease, possible contacts were monitored –353 in Lagos and 451 in Port Harcourt On 22 September, the World Health Organisation reported a total of 20 cases, including eight deaths. The WHO's representative in Nigeria officially declared Nigeria Ebola-free on 20 October after no new active cases were reported in the follow-up contact. This paper looks at the Ebola Virus in general and the measures taken by Nigeria to combat its spread.Keywords: Ebola virus, hemorrhagic fever, Nigeria, outbreak
Procedia PDF Downloads 50715541 Localization of Radioactive Sources with a Mobile Radiation Detection System using Profit Functions
Authors: Luís Miguel Cabeça Marques, Alberto Manuel Martinho Vale, José Pedro Miragaia Trancoso Vaz, Ana Sofia Baptista Fernandes, Rui Alexandre de Barros Coito, Tiago Miguel Prates da Costa
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The detection and localization of hidden radioactive sources are of significant importance in countering the illicit traffic of Special Nuclear Materials and other radioactive sources and materials. Radiation portal monitors are commonly used at airports, seaports, and international land borders for inspecting cargo and vehicles. However, these equipment can be expensive and are not available at all checkpoints. Consequently, the localization of SNM and other radioactive sources often relies on handheld equipment, which can be time-consuming. The current study presents the advantages of real-time analysis of gamma-ray count rate data from a mobile radiation detection system based on simulated data and field tests. The incorporation of profit functions and decision criteria to optimize the detection system's path significantly enhances the radiation field information and reduces survey time during cargo inspection. For source position estimation, a maximum likelihood estimation algorithm is employed, and confidence intervals are derived using the Fisher information. The study also explores the impact of uncertainties, baselines, and thresholds on the performance of the profit function. The proposed detection system, utilizing a plastic scintillator with silicon photomultiplier sensors, boasts several benefits, including cost-effectiveness, high geometric efficiency, compactness, and lightweight design. This versatility allows for seamless integration into any mobile platform, be it air, land, maritime, or hybrid, and it can also serve as a handheld device. Furthermore, integration of the detection system into drones, particularly multirotors, and its affordability enable the automation of source search and substantial reduction in survey time, particularly when deploying a fleet of drones. While the primary focus is on inspecting maritime container cargo, the methodologies explored in this research can be applied to the inspection of other infrastructures, such as nuclear facilities or vehicles.Keywords: plastic scintillators, profit functions, path planning, gamma-ray detection, source localization, mobile radiation detection system, security scenario
Procedia PDF Downloads 12315540 An Ensemble System of Classifiers for Computer-Aided Volcano Monitoring
Authors: Flavio Cannavo
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Continuous evaluation of the status of potentially hazardous volcanos plays a key role for civil protection purposes. The importance of monitoring volcanic activity, especially for energetic paroxysms that usually come with tephra emissions, is crucial not only for exposures to the local population but also for airline traffic. Presently, real-time surveillance of most volcanoes worldwide is essentially delegated to one or more human experts in volcanology, who interpret data coming from different kind of monitoring networks. Unfavorably, the high nonlinearity of the complex and coupled volcanic dynamics leads to a large variety of different volcanic behaviors. Moreover, continuously measured parameters (e.g. seismic, deformation, infrasonic and geochemical signals) are often not able to fully explain the ongoing phenomenon, thus making the fast volcano state assessment a very puzzling task for the personnel on duty at the control rooms. With the aim of aiding the personnel on duty in volcano surveillance, here we introduce a system based on an ensemble of data-driven classifiers to infer automatically the ongoing volcano status from all the available different kind of measurements. The system consists of a heterogeneous set of independent classifiers, each one built with its own data and algorithm. Each classifier gives an output about the volcanic status. The ensemble technique allows weighting the single classifier output to combine all the classifications into a single status that maximizes the performance. We tested the model on the Mt. Etna (Italy) case study by considering a long record of multivariate data from 2011 to 2015 and cross-validated it. Results indicate that the proposed model is effective and of great power for decision-making purposes.Keywords: Bayesian networks, expert system, mount Etna, volcano monitoring
Procedia PDF Downloads 25015539 Impact of Neuron with Two Dendrites in Heart Behavior
Authors: Kaouther Selmi, Alaeddine Sridi, Mohamed Bouallegue, Kais Bouallegue
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Neurons are the fundamental units of the brain and the nervous system. The variable structure model of neurons consists of a system of differential equations with various parameters. By optimizing these parameters, we can create a unique model that describes the dynamic behavior of a single neuron. We introduce a neural network based on neurons with multiple dendrites employing an activation function with a variable structure. In this paper, we present a model for heart behavior. Finally, we showcase our successful simulation of the heart's ECG diagram using our Variable Structure Neuron Model (VSMN). This result could provide valuable insights into cardiology.Keywords: neural networks, neuron, dendrites, heart behavior, ECG
Procedia PDF Downloads 9015538 Development of an Integrated System for the Treatment of Rural Domestic Wastewater: Emphasis on Nutrient Removal
Authors: Prangya Ranjan Rout, Puspendu Bhunia, Rajesh Roshan Dash
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In a developing country like India, providing reliable and affordable wastewater treatment facilities in rural areas is a huge challenge. With the aim of enhancing the nutrient removal from rural domestic wastewater while reducing the cost of treatment process, a novel, integrated treatment system consisting of a multistage bio-filter with drop aeration and a post positioned attached growth carbonaceous denitrifying-bioreactor was designed and developed in this work. The bio-filter was packed with ‘dolochar’, a sponge iron industry waste, as an adsorbent mainly for phosphate removal through physiochemical approach. The Denitrifying bio-reactor was packed with many waste organic solid substances (WOSS) as carbon sources and substrates for biomass attachment, mainly to remove nitrate in biological denitrification process. The performance of the modular system, treating real domestic wastewater was monitored for a period of about 60 days and the average removal efficiencies during the period were as follows: phosphate, 97.37%; nitrate, 85.91%, ammonia, 87.85%, with mean final effluent concentration of 0.73, 9.86, and 9.46 mg/L, respectively. The multistage bio-filter played an important role in ammonium oxidation and phosphate adsorption. The multilevel drop aeration with increasing oxygenation, and the special media used, consisting of certain oxides were likely beneficial for nitrification and phosphorus removal, respectively, whereas the nitrate was effectively reduced by biological denitrification in the carbonaceous bioreactor. This treatment system would allow multipurpose reuse of the final effluent. Moreover, the saturated dolochar can be used as nutrient suppliers in agricultural practices and the partially degraded carbonaceous substances can be subjected to composting, and subsequently used as an organic fertilizer. Thus, the system displays immense potential for treating domestic wastewater significantly decreasing the concentrations of nutrients and more importantly, facilitating the conversion of the waste materials into usable ones.Keywords: nutrient removal, denitrifying bioreactor, multi-stage bio-filter, dolochar, waste organic solid substances
Procedia PDF Downloads 38315537 Enhanced Efficiency of Thermoelectric Generator by Optimizing Mechanical and Electrical Structures
Authors: Kewen Li
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Much attention has been paid to the application of low temperature thermal resources, especially for power generation in recent years. Most of the current commercialized thermal, including geothermal, power-generation technologies convert thermal energy to electric energy indirectly, that is, making mechanical work before producing electricity. Technology using thermoelectric generator (TEG), however, can directly transform thermal energy into electricity by using Seebeck effect. TEG technology has many advantages such as compactness, quietness, and reliability because there are no moving parts. One of the big disadvantages of TEGs is the low efficiency from thermal to electric energy. For this reason, we redesigned and modified our previous 1 KW (at a temperature difference of around 120 °C) TEG system. The efficiency of the system was improved significantly, about 20% greater. Laboratory experiments have been conducted to measure the output power, including both open and net power, at different conditions: different modes of connections between TEG modules, different mechanical structures, different temperature differences between hot and cold sides. The cost of the TEG power generator has been reduced further because of the increased efficiency and is lower than that of photovoltaics (PV) in terms of equivalent energy generated. The TEG apparatus has been pilot tested and the data will be presented. This kind of TEG power system can be applied in many thermal and geothermal sites with low temperature resources, including oil fields where fossil and geothermal energies are co-produced.Keywords: TEG, direct power generation, efficiency, thermoelectric effect
Procedia PDF Downloads 24415536 Real-Time Fitness Monitoring with MediaPipe
Authors: Chandra Prayaga, Lakshmi Prayaga, Aaron Wade, Kyle Rank, Gopi Shankar Mallu, Sri Satya, Harsha Pola
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In today's tech-driven world, where connectivity shapes our daily lives, maintaining physical and emotional health is crucial. Athletic trainers play a vital role in optimizing athletes' performance and preventing injuries. However, a shortage of trainers impacts the quality of care. This study introduces a vision-based exercise monitoring system leveraging Google's MediaPipe library for precise tracking of bicep curl exercises and simultaneous posture monitoring. We propose a three-stage methodology: landmark detection, side detection, and angle computation. Our system calculates angles at the elbow, wrist, neck, and torso to assess exercise form. Experimental results demonstrate the system's effectiveness in distinguishing between good and partial repetitions and evaluating body posture during exercises, providing real-time feedback for precise fitness monitoring.Keywords: physical health, athletic trainers, fitness monitoring, technology driven solutions, Google’s MediaPipe, landmark detection, angle computation, real-time feedback
Procedia PDF Downloads 7115535 Energy Management System and Interactive Functions of Smart Plug for Smart Home
Authors: Win Thandar Soe, Innocent Mpawenimana, Mathieu Di Fazio, Cécile Belleudy, Aung Ze Ya
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Intelligent electronic equipment and automation network is the brain of high-tech energy management systems in critical role of smart homes dominance. Smart home is a technology integration for greater comfort, autonomy, reduced cost, and energy saving as well. These services can be provided to home owners for managing their home appliances locally or remotely and consequently allow them to automate intelligently and responsibly their consumption by individual or collective control systems. In this study, three smart plugs are described and one of them tested on typical household appliances. This article proposes to collect the data from the wireless technology and to extract some smart data for energy management system. This smart data is to quantify for three kinds of load: intermittent load, phantom load and continuous load. Phantom load is a waste power that is one of unnoticed power of each appliance while connected or disconnected to the main. Intermittent load and continuous load take in to consideration the power and using time of home appliances. By analysing the classification of loads, this smart data will be provided to reduce the communication of wireless sensor network for energy management system.Keywords: energy management, load profile, smart plug, wireless sensor network
Procedia PDF Downloads 27815534 Flow Sheet Development and Simulation of a Bio-refinery Annexed to Typical South African Sugar Mill
Authors: M. Ali Mandegari, S. Farzad, J. F. Görgens
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Sugar is one of the main agricultural industries in South Africa and approximately livelihoods of one million South Africans are indirectly dependent on sugar industry which is economically struggling with some problems and should re-invent in order to ensure a long-term sustainability. Second generation bio-refinery is defined as a process to use waste fibrous for the production of bio-fuel, chemicals animal food, and electricity. Bio-ethanol is by far the most widely used bio-fuel for transportation worldwide and many challenges in front of bio-ethanol production were solved. Bio-refinery annexed to the existing sugar mill for production of bio-ethanol and electricity is proposed to sugar industry and is addressed in this study. Since flow-sheet development is the key element of the bio-ethanol process, in this work, a bio-refinery (bio-ethanol and electricity production) annexed to a typical South African sugar mill considering 65ton/h dry sugarcane bagasse and tops/trash as feedstock was simulated. Aspen PlusTM V8.6 was applied as simulator and realistic simulation development approach was followed to reflect the practical behavior of the plant. Latest results of other researches considering pretreatment, hydrolysis, fermentation, enzyme production, bio-ethanol production and other supplementary units such as evaporation, water treatment, boiler, and steam/electricity generation units were adopted to establish a comprehensive bio-refinery simulation. Steam explosion with SO2 was selected for pretreatment due to minimum inhibitor production and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) configuration was adopted for enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of cellulose and hydrolyze. Bio-ethanol purification was simulated by two distillation columns with side stream and fuel grade bio-ethanol (99.5%) was achieved using molecular sieve in order to minimize the capital and operating costs. Also boiler and steam/power generation were completed using industrial design data. Results indicates 256.6 kg bio ethanol per ton of feedstock and 31 MW surplus power were attained from bio-refinery while the process consumes 3.5, 3.38, and 0.164 (GJ/ton per ton of feedstock) hot utility, cold utility and electricity respectively. Developed simulation is a threshold of variety analyses and developments for further studies.Keywords: bio-refinery, bagasse, tops, trash, bio-ethanol, electricity
Procedia PDF Downloads 53915533 Lessons from Vernacular Architecture for Lightweight Construction
Authors: Alireza Taghdiri, Sara Ghanbarzade Ghomi
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With the gravity load reduction in the structural and non-structural components, the lightweight construction will be achieved as well as the improvement of efficiency and functional specifications. The advantages of lightweight construction can be examined in two levels. The first is the mass reduction of load bearing structure which results in increasing internal useful space and the other one is the mass reduction of building which decreases the effects of seismic load as a result. In order to achieve this goal, the essential building materials specifications and also optimum load bearing geometry of structural systems and elements have to be considered, so lightweight materials selection particularly with lightweight aggregate for building components will be the first step of lightweight construction. In the next step, in addition to selecting the prominent samples of Iran's traditional architecture, the process of these works improvement is analyzed through the viewpoints of structural efficiency and lightweighting and also the practical methods of lightweight construction have been extracted. The optimum design of load bearing geometry of structural system has to be considered not only in the structural system elements, but also in their composition and the selection of dimensions, proportions, forms and optimum orientations, can lead to get a maximum materials efficiency for loads and stresses bearing.Keywords: gravity load, light-weighting structural system, load bearing geometry, seismic behavior
Procedia PDF Downloads 55015532 Fuzzy Neuro Approach for Integrated Water Management System
Authors: Stuti Modi, Aditi Kambli
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This paper addresses the need for intelligent water management and distribution system in smart cities to ensure optimal consumption and distribution of water for drinking and sanitation purposes. Water being a limited resource in cities require an effective system for collection, storage and distribution. In this paper, applications of two mostly widely used particular types of data-driven models, namely artificial neural networks (ANN) and fuzzy logic-based models, to modelling in the water resources management field are considered. The objective of this paper is to review the principles of various types and architectures of neural network and fuzzy adaptive systems and their applications to integrated water resources management. Final goal of the review is to expose and formulate progressive direction of their applicability and further research of the AI-related and data-driven techniques application and to demonstrate applicability of the neural networks, fuzzy systems and other machine learning techniques in the practical issues of the regional water management. Apart from this the paper will deal with water storage, using ANN to find optimum reservoir level and predicting peak daily demands.Keywords: artificial neural networks, fuzzy systems, peak daily demand prediction, water management and distribution
Procedia PDF Downloads 19115531 Educating for Acceptance or Action: Bachelor of Social Work Education in Canada
Authors: Elizabeth Radian
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In a challenging era of neoliberalism and managerialism in social services, the status of Canadian social work education at the Bachelor of Social Work level (BSW) was examined to determine how prepared students were to practice in a time of resource cutbacks and insecurity. Curricula in BSW programs was the focus as this generalist degree results in the greatest number of social work graduates in Canada, most of whom work at the front lines in service delivery. The study reviewed the practice frameworks that students in BSW programs were exposed to. Traditionally, schools of social work have embraced two major practice frameworks. The person in environment framework is a well-established practice framework taught in most schools. The framework offers some focus on smaller scale social change, tweaking existing arrangements and is more accepting of the status quo. An alternate practice framework taught in fewer schools has been described as a structural, progressive or anti oppressive framework. This latter framework challenges the status quo, is focused on social justice and social transformation, often incorporating social action strategies to ensure marginalized voices are heard. Using a content analysis methodology of keywords and phrases to delineate framework orientation, practice frameworks articulated in the curricula were determined by reviewing the mission/mandate of schools offering a BSW degree, their core course outlines and core course textbooks. Social action, as one strategy for initiating social change and transformation was considered. Initial research for 28 schools was completed in 2000, with follow up replications of the initial study in 2005 and 2014. These earlier studies displayed that the dominant practice framework taught in BSW programs was the person in environment framework. A lesser number of schools were categorized as primarily offering a structural, progressive or anti oppressive framework. The findings from the current study of 39 Canadian schools of social work are considered to determine how prominent structural, progressive and anti oppressive frameworks exist in current BSW curricula. This study can assist in contemplating the question – are we educating future practitioners for acceptance or action.Keywords: social work education and pedagogy, social change, social justice, social services
Procedia PDF Downloads 19515530 Electricity Market Categorization for Smart Grid Market Testing
Authors: Rebeca Ramirez Acosta, Sebastian Lenhoff
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Decision makers worldwide need to determine if the implementation of a new market mechanism will contribute to the sustainability and resilience of the power system. Due to smart grid technologies, new products in the distribution and transmission system can be traded; however, the impact of changing a market rule will differ between several regions. To test systematically those impacts, a market categorization has been compiled and organized in a smart grid market testing toolbox. This toolbox maps all actual energy products and sets the basis for running a co-simulation test with the new rule to be implemented. It will help to measure the impact of the new rule, based on the sustainable and resilience indicators.Keywords: co-simulation, electricity market, smart grid market, market testing
Procedia PDF Downloads 19315529 Optimal Capacitor Placement in Distribution Systems
Authors: Sana Ansari, Sirus Mohammadi
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In distribution systems, shunt capacitors are used to reduce power losses, to improve voltage profile, and to increase the maximum flow through cables and transformers. This paper presents a new method to determine the optimal locations and economical sizing of fixed and/or switched shunt capacitors with a view to power losses reduction and voltage stability enhancement. General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) has been used to solve the maximization modules using the MINOS optimization software with Linear Programming (LP). The proposed method is tested on 33 node distribution system and the results show that the algorithm suitable for practical implementation on real systems with any size.Keywords: power losses, voltage stability, radial distribution systems, capacitor
Procedia PDF Downloads 65115528 Evaluating the Effect of Modern Technologies and Technics to Supply Energy of Buildings Using New Energies
Authors: Ali Reza Ghaffari, Hassan Saghi
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Given the limitation of fossil resources to supply energy to buildings, recent years have seen a revival of interest in new technologies that produce the energy using new forms of energy in many developed countries. In this research, first the potentials of new energies in Iran are discussed and then based on case studies undertaken in a building in Tehran, the effects of utilizing new solar energy technology for supplying the energy of buildings are investigated. Then, by analyzing the data recorded over a four-year period, the technical performance of this system is investigated. According to the experimental operation plan, this system requires an auxiliary heating circuit for continuous operation over a year. Also, in the economic analysis, real conditions are considered and the results are recorded based on long-term data. Considering the purchase and commissioning building, supplementary energy consumption, etc. a comparison is drawn between the costs of using a solar water heater in a residential unit with the energy costs of a similar unit equipped with a conventional gas water heater. Given the current price of energy, using a solar water heater in the country will not economical, but considering the global energy prices, this system will have a return on investment after 4.5 years. It also produces 81% less pollution and saves about $21.5 on environmental pollution cleanup.Keywords: energy supply, new energies, new technologies, buildings
Procedia PDF Downloads 16615527 Targeted Photoactivatable Multiagent Nanoconjugates for Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Shazia Bano
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Nanoconjugates that integrate photo-based therapeutics and diagnostics within a single platform promise great advances in revolutionizing cancer treatments. However, to achieve high therapeutic efficacy, designing functionally efficacious nanocarriers to tightly retain the drug, promoting selective drug localization and release, and the validation of the efficacy of these nanoconjugates is a great challenge. Here we have designed smart multiagent, liposome based targeted photoactivatable multiagent nanoconjugates, doped with a photoactivatable chromophore benzoporphyrin derivative (BPD) labelled with an active targeting ligand cetuximab to target the EGFR receptor (over expressed in various cancer cells) to deliver a combination of therapeutic agents. This study establishes a tunable nanoplatform for the delivery of the photoactivatable multiagent nanoconjugates for tumor-specific accumulation and targeted destruction of cancer cells in complex cancer model to enhance the therapeutic index of the administrated drugs.Keywords: targeting, photodynamic therapy, photoactivatable, nanoconjugates
Procedia PDF Downloads 14715526 The Post Thawing Quality of Boer Goat Semen after Freezing by Mr. Frosty System Using Commercial Diluter
Authors: Gatot Ciptadi, Mudawamah, R. P. Putra, S. Wahjuningsih, A. M. Munazaroh
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The success rate of Artificial Insemination (AI) application, particularly in the field at the farmer level is highly dependent on the quality of the sperms one post thawing. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of freezing method (-1oC/ minute) using Mr. Frosty system with commercial diluents on the post-thawing quality of Boer goat semen. Method use is experimental design with the completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments of commercial diluter percentage (v/v). Freezing semen was cryopreserved in 2 main final temperatures of –45 oC (Freezer) and –196 oC (liquid nitrogen). Result showed that different commercial diluter is influenced on viability motility and abnormalities of Boer semen. Pre-freezing qualities of viability, motilities and abnormalities was 88.67+4.16 %, 66.33 +1.53 % and 4.67+ 0.57 % respectively. Meanwhile, post-thawing qualities is considered as good as standard qualities at least more than 40 % (51.0+6.5%). The percentage of commercial diluents were influenced highly significant (P<0.01).The best diluents ration is 1:4 (v/v) for both final sperms stocked. However freezing sperm conserved in -196 oC is better than –45 oC (i.e. motility 39.3.94 % vs. 51.0 + 6.5 %). It was concluded that Mr. frosty system was considered as the feasible method for freezing semen in the reason for practical purposes.Keywords: sperm quality, goat, viability, diluteR
Procedia PDF Downloads 26615525 Water Quality in Buyuk Menderes Graben, Turkey
Authors: Tugbanur Ozen Balaban, Gultekin Tarcan, Unsal Gemici, Mumtaz Colak, I. Hakki Karamanderesi
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Buyuk Menderes Graben is located in the Western Anatolia (Turkey). The graben has become the largest industrial and agricultural area with a total population exceeding 3.000.000. There are two big cities within the study areas from west to east as Aydın and Denizli. The study area is very rich with regard to cold ground waters and thermal waters. Electrical production using geothermal potential has become very popular in the last decades in this area. Buyuk Menderes Graben is a tectonically active extensional region and is undergoing a north–south extensional tectonic regime which commenced at the latest during Early Middle Miocene period. The basement of the study area consists of Menderes massif rocks that are made up of high-to low-grade metamorphics and they are aquifer for both cold ground waters and thermal waters depending on the location. Neogene terrestrial sediments, which are mainly composed by alluvium fan deposits unconformably cover the basement rocks in different facies have very low permeability and locally may act as cap rocks for the geothermal systems. The youngest unit is Quaternary alluvium which is the shallow regional aquifer consists of Holocene alluvial deposits in the study area. All the waters are of meteoric origin and reflect shallow or deep circulation according to the 8O, 2H and 3H contents. Meteoric waters move to deep zones by fractured system and rise to the surface along the faults. Water samples (drilling well, spring and surface waters) and local seawater were collected between 2010 and 2012 years. Geochemical modeling was calculated distribution of the aqueous species and exchange processes by using PHREEQCi speciation code. Geochemical analyses show that cold ground water types are evolving from Ca–Mg–HCO3 to Na–Cl–SO4 and geothermal aquifer waters reflect the water types of Na-Cl-HCO3 in Aydın. Water types of Denizli are Ca-Mg-HCO3 and Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO4. Thermal water types reflect generally Na-HCO3-SO4. The B versus Cl rates increase from east to west with the proportion of seawater introduced into the fresh water aquifers and geothermal reservoirs. Concentrations of some elements (As, B, Fe and Ni) are higher than the tolerance limit of the drinking water standard of Turkey (TS 266) and international drinking water standards (WHO, FAO etc).Keywords: Buyuk Menderes, isotope chemistry, geochemical modelling, water quality
Procedia PDF Downloads 53815524 The Convection Heater Numerical Simulation
Authors: Cristian Patrascioiu, Loredana Negoita
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This paper is focused on modeling and simulation of the tubular heaters. The paper is structured in four parts: the structure of the tubular convection section, the heat transfer model, the adaptation of the mathematical model and the solving model. The main hypothesis of the heat transfer modeling is that the heat exchanger of the convective tubular heater is a lumped system. In the same time, the model uses the heat balance relations, Newton’s law and criteria relations. The numerical program achieved allows for the estimation of the burn gases outlet temperature and the heated flow outlet temperature.Keywords: heat exchanger, mathematical modelling, nonlinear equation system, Newton-Raphson algorithm
Procedia PDF Downloads 294