Search results for: transportation choice
2499 Enabling Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing in Aircraft Landing Gear Production and Its Benefits
Authors: Jun Wang, Chenglei Diao, Emanuele Pagone, Jialuo Ding, Stewart Williams
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As a crucial component in aircraft, landing gear systems are responsible for supporting the plane during parking, taxiing, takeoff, and landing. Given the need for high load-bearing capacity over extended periods, 300M ultra-high strength steel (UHSS) is often the material of choice for crafting these systems due to its exceptional strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance. In the quest for cost-effective and sustainable manufacturing solutions, Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) emerges as a promising alternative for fabricating 300M UHSS landing gears. This is due to its advantages in near-net-shape forming of large components, cost-efficiency, and reduced lead times. Cranfield University has conducted an extensive preliminary study on WAAM 300M UHSS, covering feature deposition, interface analysis, and post-heat treatment. Both Gas Metal Arc (GMA) and Plasma Transferred Arc (PTA)-based WAAM methods were explored, revealing their feasibility for defect-free manufacturing. However, as-deposited 300M features showed lower strength but higher ductility compared to their forged counterparts. Subsequent post-heat treatments were effective in normalising the microstructure and mechanical properties, meeting qualification standards. A 300M UHSS landing gear demonstrator was successfully created using PTA-based WAAM, showcasing the method's precision and cost-effectiveness. The demonstrator, measuring Ф200mm x 700mm, was completed in 16 hours, using 7 kg of material at a deposition rate of 1.3kg/hr. This resulted in a significant reduction in the Buy-to-Fly (BTF) ratio compared to traditional manufacturing methods, further validating WAAM's potential for this application. A "cradle-to-gate" environmental impact assessment, which considers the cumulative effects from raw material extraction to customer shipment, has revealed promising outcomes. Utilising Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) for landing gear components significantly reduces the need for raw material extraction and refinement compared to traditional subtractive methods. This, in turn, lessens the burden on subsequent manufacturing processes, including heat treatment, machining, and transportation. Our estimates indicate that the carbon footprint of the component could be halved when switching from traditional machining to WAAM. Similar reductions are observed in embodied energy consumption and other environmental impact indicators, such as emissions to air, water, and land. Additionally, WAAM offers the unique advantage of part repair by redepositing only the necessary material, a capability not available through conventional methods. Our research shows that WAAM-based repairs can drastically reduce environmental impact, even when accounting for additional transportation for repairs. Consequently, WAAM emerges as a pivotal technology for reducing environmental impact in manufacturing, aiding the industry in its crucial and ambitious journey towards Net Zero. This study paves the way for transformative benefits across the aerospace industry, as we integrate manufacturing into a hybrid solution that offers substantial savings and access to more sustainable technologies for critical component production.Keywords: WAAM, aircraft landing gear, microstructure, mechanical performance, life cycle assessment
Procedia PDF Downloads 1522498 Empirical Studies of Indigenous Career Choice in Taiwan
Authors: Zichun Chu
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The issue of tribal poverty has always attracted attentions. Due to social and economic difficulties, the indigenous people's personal development and tribal development have been greatly restricted. Past studies have pointed out that poverty may come from a lack of education. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also stated that if we are to solve the poverty problem, providing education widely is an important key. According to the theory of intellectual capital adaptation, “being capable” and “willing to do” are the keys of development. Therefore, we can say that the "ability" and "will" of tribal residents for their tribal development is the core concern of the tribal development. This research was designed to investigate the career choice development model of indigenous tribe people by investigating the current status of human capital, social capital, and cultural capital of tribal residents. This study collected 327 questionnaires (70% of total households) from Truku tribe to answer the research question: Did education help them for job choosing decisions from the aspects of human capital, social capital, and cultural capital in tribal status. This project highlighted the ‘single tribal research approach’ to gain an in-depth understanding of the human capital formed under the unique culture of the tribe (Truku tribe). The results show that the education level of most research participants was high school, very few high school graduates chose to further their education to college level; due to the lack of education of their parents, the social capital was limited to support them for jobs choice, most of them work for labor and service industries; however, their culture capital was comparably rich for works, the sharing culture of Taiwanese indigenous people made their work status stable. The results suggested that we should emphasize more on the development of vocational education based on the tribe’s location and resources. The self-advocacy of indigenous people should be developed so that they would gain more power on making career decisions. This research project is part of a pilot project called “INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, POVERTY, AND DEVELOPMENT,” sponsored by the National Science and Technology Council of Taiwan. If this paper were accepted to present in the 2023 ICIP, it would be lovely if a panel is formed for me and other co-researchers (Chuanju Cheng, Chih-Yuan Weng, and YiXuan Chen), for the audience will be able to get a full picture of this pilot project.Keywords: career choices, career model, indegenous career development, indigenous education, tribe
Procedia PDF Downloads 722497 Financial Modeling for Net Present Benefit Analysis of Electric Bus and Diesel Bus and Applications to NYC, LA, and Chicago
Authors: Jollen Dai, Truman You, Xinyun Du, Katrina Liu
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Transportation is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Thus, to meet the Paris Agreement 2015, all countries must adopt a different and more sustainable transportation system. From bikes to Maglev, the world is slowly shifting to sustainable transportation. To develop a utility public transit system, a sustainable web of buses must be implemented. As of now, only a handful of cities have adopted a detailed plan to implement a full fleet of e-buses by the 2030s, with Shenzhen in the lead. Every change requires a detailed plan and a focused analysis of the impacts of the change. In this report, the economic implications and financial implications have been taken into consideration to develop a well-rounded 10-year plan for New York City. We also apply the same financial model to the other cities, LA and Chicago. We picked NYC, Chicago, and LA to conduct the comparative NPB analysis since they are all big metropolitan cities and have complex transportation systems. All three cities have started an action plan to achieve a full fleet of e-bus in the decades. Plus, their energy carbon footprint and their energy price are very different, which are the key factors to the benefits of electric buses. Using TCO (Total Cost Ownership) financial analysis, we developed a model to calculate NPB (Net Present Benefit) /and compare EBS (electric buses) to DBS (diesel buses). We have considered all essential aspects in our model: initial investment, including the cost of a bus, charger, and installation, government fund (federal, state, local), labor cost, energy (electricity or diesel) cost, maintenance cost, insurance cost, health and environment benefit, and V2G (vehicle to grid) benefit. We see about $1,400,000 in benefits for a 12-year lifetime of an EBS compared to DBS provided the government fund to offset 50% of EBS purchase cost. With the government subsidy, an EBS starts to make positive cash flow in 5th year and can pay back its investment in 5 years. Please remember that in our model, we consider environmental and health benefits, and every year, $50,000 is counted as health benefits per bus. Besides health benefits, the significant benefits come from the energy cost savings and maintenance savings, which are about $600,000 and $200,000 in 12-year life cycle. Using linear regression, given certain budget limitations, we then designed an optimal three-phase process to replace all NYC electric buses in 10 years, i.e., by 2033. The linear regression process is to minimize the total cost over the years and have the lowest environmental cost. The overall benefits to replace all DBS with EBS for NYC is over $2.1 billion by the year of 2033. For LA, and Chicago, the benefits for electrification of the current bus fleet are $1.04 billion and $634 million by 2033. All NPB analyses and the algorithm to optimize the electrification phase process are implemented in Python code and can be shared.Keywords: financial modeling, total cost ownership, net present benefits, electric bus, diesel bus, NYC, LA, Chicago
Procedia PDF Downloads 332496 Pre-Analytical Laboratory Performance Evaluation Utilizing Quality Indicators between Private and Government-Owned Hospitals Affiliated to University of Santo Tomas
Authors: A. J. Francisco, K. C. Gallosa, R. J. Gasacao, J. R. Ros, B. J. Viado
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The study focuses on the use of quality indicators (QI)s based on the standards made by the (IFCC), that could effectively identify and minimize errors occurring throughout the total testing process (TTP), in order to improve patient safety. The study was conducted through a survey questionnaire that was given to a random sample of 19 respondents (eight privately-owned and eleven government-owned hospitals), mainly CMTs, MTs, and Supervisors from UST-affiliated hospitals. The pre-analytical laboratory errors, which include misidentification errors, transcription errors, sample collection errors and sample handling and transportation errors, were considered as variables according to the IFCC WG-LEPS. Data gathered were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Percentile, Linear Regression, Percentage, and Frequency. The laboratory performance of both hospitals is High level. There is no significant difference between the laboratory performance between the two stated variables. Moreover, among the four QIs, sample handling and transportation errors contributed most to the difference between the two variables. Outcomes indicate satisfactory performance between both variables. However, in order to ensure high-quality and efficient laboratory operation, constant vigilance and improvements in pre-analytical QI are still needed. Expanding the coverage of the study, the inclusion of other phases, utilization of parametric tests are recommended.Keywords: pre-analytical phase, quality indicators, laboratory performance, pre-analytical error
Procedia PDF Downloads 1312495 Decision-Making Under Uncertainty in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Authors: Helen Pushkarskaya, David Tolin, Lital Ruderman, Ariel Kirshenbaum, J. MacLaren Kelly, Christopher Pittenger, Ifat Levy
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) produces profound morbidity. Difficulties with decision making and intolerance of uncertainty are prominent clinical features of OCD. The nature and etiology of these deficits are poorly understood. We used a well-validated choice task, grounded in behavioral economic theory, to investigate differences in valuation and value-based choice during decision making under uncertainty in 20 unmedicated participants with OCD and 20 matched healthy controls. Participants’ choices were used to assess individual decision-making characteristics. Compared to controls, individuals with OCD were less consistent in their choices and less able to identify options that were unambiguously preferable. These differences correlated with symptom severity. OCD participants did not differ from controls in how they valued uncertain options when outcome probabilities were known (risk) but were more likely than controls to avoid uncertain options when these probabilities were imprecisely specified (ambiguity). These results suggest that the underlying neural mechanisms of valuation and value-based choices during decision-making are abnormal in OCD. Individuals with OCD show elevated intolerance of uncertainty, but only when outcome probabilities are themselves uncertain. Future research focused on the neural valuation network, which is implicated in value-based computations, may provide new neurocognitive insights into the pathophysiology of OCD. Deficits in decision-making processes may represent a target for therapeutic intervention.Keywords: obsessive compulsive disorder, decision-making, uncertainty intolerance, risk aversion, ambiguity aversion, valuation
Procedia PDF Downloads 6052494 A Semi-Markov Chain-Based Model for the Prediction of Deterioration of Concrete Bridges in Quebec
Authors: Eslam Mohammed Abdelkader, Mohamed Marzouk, Tarek Zayed
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Infrastructure systems are crucial to every aspect of life on Earth. Existing Infrastructure is subjected to degradation while the demands are growing for a better infrastructure system in response to the high standards of safety, health, population growth, and environmental protection. Bridges play a crucial role in urban transportation networks. Moreover, they are subjected to high level of deterioration because of the variable traffic loading, extreme weather conditions, cycles of freeze and thaw, etc. The development of Bridge Management Systems (BMSs) has become a fundamental imperative nowadays especially in the large transportation networks due to the huge variance between the need for maintenance actions, and the available funds to perform such actions. Deterioration models represent a very important aspect for the effective use of BMSs. This paper presents a probabilistic time-based model that is capable of predicting the condition ratings of the concrete bridge decks along its service life. The deterioration process of the concrete bridge decks is modeled using semi-Markov process. One of the main challenges of the Markov Chain Decision Process (MCDP) is the construction of the transition probability matrix. Yet, the proposed model overcomes this issue by modeling the sojourn times based on some probability density functions. The sojourn times of each condition state are fitted to probability density functions based on some goodness of fit tests such as Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Anderson Darling, and chi-squared test. The parameters of the probability density functions are obtained using maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). The condition ratings obtained from the Ministry of Transportation in Quebec (MTQ) are utilized as a database to construct the deterioration model. Finally, a comparison is conducted between the Markov Chain and semi-Markov chain to select the most feasible prediction model.Keywords: bridge management system, bridge decks, deterioration model, Semi-Markov chain, sojourn times, maximum likelihood estimation
Procedia PDF Downloads 1982493 Spatial Accessibility Analysis of Kabul City Public Transport
Authors: Mohammad Idrees Yusofzai, Hirobata Yasuhiro, Matsuo Kojiro
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Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan. It is the focal point of educational, industrial, etc. of Afghanistan. Additionally, the population of Kabul has grown recently and will increase because of return of refugees and shifting of people from other province to Kabul city. However, this increase in population, the issues of urban congestion and other related problems of urban transportation in Kabul city arises. One of the problems is public transport (large buses) service and needs to be modified and enhanced especially large bus routes that are operating in each zone of the 22 zone of Kabul City. To achieve the above mentioned goal of improving public transport, Spatial Accessibility Analysis is one of the important attributes to assess the effectiveness of transportation system and urban transport policy of a city, because accessibility indicator as an alternative tool to support public policy that aims the reinforcement of sustainable urban space. The case study of this research compares the present model (present bus route) and the modified model of public transport. Furthermore, present model, the bus routes in most of the zones are active, however, with having low frequency and unpublished schedule, and accessibility result is analyzed in four cases, based on the variables of accessibility. Whereas in modified model all zones in Kabul is taken into consideration with having specified origin and high frequency. Indeed the number of frequencies is kept high; however, this number is based on the number of buses Millie Bus Enterprise Authority (MBEA) owns. The same approach of cases is applied in modified model to figure out the best accessibility for the modified model. Indeed, the modified model is having a positive impact in congestion level in Kabul city. Besides, analyses of person trip and trip distribution have been also analyzed because how people move in the study area by each mode of transportation. So, the general aims of this research are to assess the present movement of people, identify zones in need of public transport and assess equity level of accessibility in Kabul city. The framework of methodology used in this research is based on gravity analysis model of accessibility; besides, generalized cost (time) of travel and travel mode is calculated. The main data come from person trip survey, socio-economic characteristics, demographic data by Japan International Cooperation Agency, 2008, study of Kabul city and also from the previous researches on travel pattern and the remaining data regarding present bus line and routes have been from MBEA. In conclusion, this research explores zones where public transport accessibility level is high and where it is low. It was found that both models the downtown area or central zones of Kabul city is having high level accessibility. Besides, the present model is the most unfavorable compared with the modified model based on the accessibility analysis.Keywords: accessibility, bus generalized cost, gravity model, public transportation network
Procedia PDF Downloads 1822492 Households’ Willingness to Pay for Watershed Management Practices in Lake Hawassa Watershed, Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Mulugeta Fola, Mengistu Ketema, Kumilachew Alamerie
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Watershed provides vast economic benefits within and beyond the management area of interest. But most watersheds in Ethiopia are increasingly facing the threats of degradation due to both natural and man-made causes. To reverse these problems, communities’ participation in sustainable management programs is among the necessary measures. Hence, this study assessed the households’ willingness to pay for watershed management practices through a contingent valuation study approach. Double bounded dichotomous choice with open-ended follow-up format was used to elicit the households’ willingness to pay. Based on data collected from 275 randomly selected households, descriptive statistics results indicated that most households (79.64%) were willing to pay for watershed management practices. A bivariate Probit model was employed to identify determinants of households’ willingness to pay and estimate mean willingness to pay. Its result shows that age, gender, income, livestock size, perception of watershed degradation, social position, and offered bids were important variables affecting willingness to pay for watershed management practices. The study also revealed that the mean willingness to pay for watershed management practices was calculated to be 58.41 Birr and 47.27 Birr per year from the double bounded and open-ended format, respectively. The study revealed that the aggregate welfare gains from watershed management practices were calculated to be 931581.09 Birr and 753909.23 Birr per year from double bounded dichotomous choice and open-ended format, respectively. Therefore, the policymakers should make households to pay for the services of watershed management practices in the study area.Keywords: bivariate probit model, contingent valuation, watershed management practices, willingness to pay
Procedia PDF Downloads 2102491 The Compositional Effects on Electrospinning of Gelatin and Polyvinyl-alcohol Mixed Nanofibers
Authors: Yi-Chun Wu, Nai-Yun Chang, Chuan LI
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This study investigates a feasible range of composition for the mixture of gelatin and polyvinyl alcohol to form nanofibers by electrospinning. Gelatin, one of the most available naturally derived hydrogels of amino acids, is a popular choice for food additives, cosmetic ingredients, biomedical implants, or dressing of its non-toxic and biodegradable nature. Nevertheless, synthetic hydrogel polyvinyl alcohol has long been used as a thickening agent for adhesion purposes. Many biomedical devices are also containing polyvinyl-alcohol as a major content, such as eye drops and contact lenses. To discover appropriate compositions of gelatin and polyvinyl-alcohol for electrospun nanofibers, polymer solutions of different volumetric ratios between gelatin and polyvinyl alcohol were prepared for electrospinning. The viscosity, surface tension, pH value, and electrical conductance of polymer solutions were measured. On the nanofibers, the vibrational modes of molecular structures in nanofibers were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The morphologies and surface chemical elements of fibers were examined by the scanning electron microscope and the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The hydrophilicity of nanofiberswas evaluated by the water contact angles on the surface of the fibers. To further test the biotoxicity of nanofibers, an in-vitro 3T3 fibroblasts culture further tested the biotoxicity of the electrospun nanofibers. Throughstatistical analyses of the experimental data, it is found that the polyvinyl-alcohol rich composition (the volumetric ratio of gelatin/polyvinyl-alcohol < 1) would be a preferable choice for the formation of nanofibers by the current setup of electrospinning. These electrospun nanofibers tend to be hydrophilic with no biotoxicity threat to the 3T3 fibroblasts.Keywords: gelatin, polyvinyl-alcohol, nanofibers, electrospinning, spin coating
Procedia PDF Downloads 792490 Synthesis of High-Pressure Performance Adsorbent from Coconut Shells Polyetheretherketone for Methane Adsorption
Authors: Umar Hayatu Sidik
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Application of liquid base petroleum fuel (petrol and diesel) for transportation fuel causes emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), while natural gas (NG) reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). At present, compression and liquefaction are the most matured technology used for transportation system. For transportation use, compression requires high pressure (200–300 bar) while liquefaction is impractical. A relatively low pressure of 30-40 bar is achievable by adsorbed natural gas (ANG) to store nearly compressed natural gas (CNG). In this study, adsorbents for high-pressure adsorption of methane (CH4) was prepared from coconut shells and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) using potassium hydroxide (KOH) and microwave-assisted activation. Design expert software version 7.1.6 was used for optimization and prediction of preparation conditions of the adsorbents for CH₄ adsorption. Effects of microwave power, activation time and quantity of PEEK on the adsorbents performance toward CH₄ adsorption was investigated. The adsorbents were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric (TG) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The ideal CH4 adsorption capacities of adsorbents were determined using volumetric method at pressures of 5, 17, and 35 bar at an ambient temperature and 5 oC respectively. Isotherm and kinetics models were used to validate the experimental results. The optimum preparation conditions were found to be 15 wt% amount of PEEK, 3 minutes activation time and 300 W microwave power. The highest CH4 uptake of 9.7045 mmol CH4 adsorbed/g adsorbent was recorded by M33P15 (300 W of microwave power, 3 min activation time and 15 wt% amount of PEEK) among the sorbents at an ambient temperature and 35 bar. The CH4 equilibrium data is well correlated with Sips, Toth, Freundlich and Langmuir. Isotherms revealed that the Sips isotherm has the best fit, while the kinetics studies revealed that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model best describes the adsorption process. In all scenarios studied, a decrease in temperature led to an increase in adsorption of both gases. The adsorbent (M33P15) maintained its stability even after seven adsorption/desorption cycles. The findings revealed the potential of coconut shell-PEEK as CH₄ adsorbents.Keywords: adsorption, desorption, activated carbon, coconut shells, polyetheretherketone
Procedia PDF Downloads 582489 Air Connectivity in Promoting Association of Southeast Asian Nations Integration: The Role of Low Cost-Carriers
Authors: Gabriella Fardhiyanti, Victor Wee
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Air connectivity is the crucial factors to boost a region economics growth. It will open the accessibility to support regional competitiveness and helps to achieve ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) integration in term of economic integration, business investment, promote intra-regional trade, and creates the sense of belongingness among ASEAN people in the region. An increasing number of air connectivity and transportation will be benefiting the region because air transportation is a vital hub for ASEAN. The aim of this paper is to address the importance of air connectivity in promoting ASEAN Integration, by focusing on the ASEAN vision for a more integrated region. The assessment uses based on the Netscan Air connectivity model based on the flight destination and airport connectivity index, further analysis present that air connectivity significantly influence ASEAN tourism sector. Follow by the implications of open skies policy for the liberation of the aviation industry and the growth of low cost-carriers (LCCs) in the region. This paper provides recommendation and strategy for overcoming the challenges faced by ASEAN to boost ASEAN tourism integration successfully. The findings can assist in guiding policy and industry stakeholders in the future decision relating to air liberalization and more integrated system in the region.Keywords: air connectivity, ASEAN integration, low-cost carries, NetScan connectivity model, open skies policy
Procedia PDF Downloads 2112488 Textual Analysis of Media Coverage on Women’s Employment during Covid-19 Recovery: Personal Choice versus Systemic Insufficiencies
Authors: Rania Al Namara
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During the Covid-19 pandemic, women disproportionately left the workforce compared to men, and many remained outside of the labor market during the Covid-19 recovery period—a phenomenon referred to as the “she-recession” or “shecession.” While the number of women returning to work has increased, long-standing systemic inequalities interfere with women's equal participation in the workforce. Previous research on media framing has explored the importance of news coverage of women’s issues in print and magazines to shaping the public’s views on an issue and the national response. This study adopts textual analysis to examine how 50 news stories published on CNN and CBS in March 2023 frame women’s employment challenges as a matter of choice or as a matter of insufficient systems and analyzes the narratives portrayed to understand how this discourse affects national policies regarding women’s equality in the workforce. Findings suggest that media coverage centers on four themes: unequal wages at work, work-life integration, experiences of minority women, and the struggle to acquire leadership positions. Media coverage gives space to women to tell personal stories about facing these four societal challenges. However, little coverage is devoted to the political figures and institutions that either reinforce gender inequalities or advance women’s rights in these areas. These findings highlight the need for media stories that discuss policies and reforms that broaden the choices available to women in the first place.Keywords: Covid-19 recovery, media coverage, shecession, women’s employment
Procedia PDF Downloads 872487 Material Choice Driving Sustainability of 3D Printing
Authors: Jeremy Faludi, Zhongyin Hu, Shahd Alrashed, Christopher Braunholz, Suneesh Kaul, Leulekal Kassaye
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Environmental impacts of six 3D printers using various materials were compared to determine if material choice drove sustainability, or if other factors such as machine type, machine size, or machine utilization dominate. Cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessments were performed, comparing a commercial-scale FDM machine printing in ABS plastic, a desktop FDM machine printing in ABS, a desktop FDM machine printing in PET and PLA plastics, a polyjet machine printing in its proprietary polymer, an SLA machine printing in its polymer, and an inkjet machine hacked to print in salt and dextrose. All scenarios were scored using ReCiPe Endpoint H methodology to combine multiple impact categories, comparing environmental impacts per part made for several scenarios per machine. Results showed that most printers’ ecological impacts were dominated by electricity use, not materials, and the changes in electricity use due to different plastics was not significant compared to variation from one machine to another. Variation in machine idle time determined impacts per part most strongly. However, material impacts were quite important for the inkjet printer hacked to print in salt: In its optimal scenario, it had up to 1/38th the impacts coreper part as the worst-performing machine in the same scenario. If salt parts were infused with epoxy to make them more physically robust, then much of this advantage disappeared, and material impacts actually dominated or equaled electricity use. Future studies should also measure DMLS and SLS processes / materials.Keywords: 3D printing, additive manufacturing, sustainability, life-cycle assessment, design for environment
Procedia PDF Downloads 4822486 Association of Depression with Physical Inactivity and Time Watching Television: A Cross-Sectional Study with the Brazilian Population PNS, 2013
Authors: Margareth Guimaraes Lima, Marilisa Berti A. Barros, Deborah Carvalho Malta
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The relationship between physical activity (PA) and depression has been investigated, in both, observational and clinical studies: PA can integrate the treatments for depression; the physical inactivity (PI) may contribute to increase depression symptoms; and on the other hand, emotional problems can decrease PA. The main of this study was analyze the association among leisure and transportation PI and time watching television (TV) according to depression (minor and major), evaluated with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The association was also analyzed by gender. This is a cross-sectional study. Data were obtained from the National Health Survey 2013 (PNS), performed with representative sample of the Brazilian adult population, in 2013. The PNS collected information from 60,202 individuals, aged 18 years or more. The independent variable were: leisure time physical inactivity (LTPI), considering inactive or insufficiently actives (categories were linked for analyzes), those who do not performed a minimum of 150 or 74 minutes of moderate or vigorous LTPA, respectively, by week; transportation physical inactivity (TPI), individuals who did not reached 150 minutes, by week, travelling by bicycle or on foot to work or other activities; daily time watching TV > 5 hours. The principal independent variable was depression, identified by PHQ-9. Individuals were classified with major depression, with > 5 symptoms, more than seven days, but one of the symptoms was “depressive mood” or “lack of interest or pleasure”. The others had minor depression. The variables used to adjustment were gender, age, schooling and chronic disease. The prevalence of LTPI, TPI and TV time were estimated according to depression, and differences were tested with Chi-Square test. Adjusted prevalence ratios were estimated using multiple Poisson regression models. The analyzes also had stratification by gender. Mean age of the studied population was 42.9 years old (CI95%:42.6-43.2) and 52.9% were women. 77.5% and 68.1% were inactive or insufficiently active in leisure and transportation, respectively and 13.3% spent time watching TV 5 > hours. 6% and 4.1% of the Brazilian population were diagnosed with minor or major depression. LTPI prevalence was 5% and 9% higher among individuals with minor and major depression, respectively, comparing with no depression. The prevalence of TPI was 7% higher in those with major depression. Considering larger time watching TV, the prevalence was 45% and 74% higher among those with minor and major depression, respectively. Analyzing by gender, the associations were greater in men than women and TPI was note be associated, in women. The study detected the higher prevalence of leisure time physical inactivity and, especially, time spent watching TV, among individuals with major and minor depression, after to adjust for a number of potential confounding factors. TPI was only associated with major disorders and among men. Considering the cross-sectional design of the research, these associations can point out the importance of the mental problems control of the population to increase PA and decrease the sedentary lifestyle; on the other hand, the study highlight the need of interventions by encouraging people with depression, to practice PA, even to transportation.Keywords: depression, physical activity, PHQ-9, sedentary lifestyle
Procedia PDF Downloads 1472485 Developing Environmental Engineering Alternatives for Deep Desulphurization of Transportation Fuels
Authors: Nalinee B. Suryawanshi, Vinay M. Bhandari, Laxmi Gayatri Sorokhaibam, Vivek V. Ranade
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Deep desulphurization of transportation fuels is a major environmental concern all over the world and recently prescribed norms for the sulphur content require below 10 ppm sulphur concentrations in fuels such as diesel and gasoline. The existing technologies largely based on catalytic processes such as hydrodesulphurization, oxidation require newer catalysts and demand high cost of deep desulphurization whereas adsorption based processes have limitations due to lower capacity of sulphur removal. The present work is an attempt to provide alternatives for the existing methodologies using a newer non-catalytic process based on hydrodynamic cavitation. The developed process requires appropriate combining of organic and aqueous phases under ambient conditions and passing through a cavitating device such as orifice, venturi or vortex diode. The implosion of vapour cavities formed in the cavitating device generates (in-situ) oxidizing species which react with the sulphur moiety resulting in the removal of sulphur from the organic phase. In this work, orifice was used as a cavitating device and deep desulphurization was demonstrated for removal of thiophene as a model sulphur compound from synthetic fuel of n-octane, toluene and n-octanol. The effect of concentration of sulphur (up to 300 ppm), nature of organic phase and effect of pressure drop (0.5 to 10 bar) was discussed. A very high removal of sulphur content of more than 90% was demonstrated. The process is easy to operate, essentially works at ambient conditions and the ratio of aqueous to organic phase can be easily adjusted to maximise sulphur removal. Experimental studies were also carried out using commercial diesel as a solvent and the results substantiate similar high sulphur removal. A comparison of the two cavitating devices- one with a linear flow and one using vortex flow for effecting pressure drop and cavitation indicates similar trends in terms of sulphur removal behaviour. The developed process is expected to provide an attractive environmental engineering alternative for deep desulphurization of transportation fuels.Keywords: cavitation, petroleum, separation, sulphur removal
Procedia PDF Downloads 3692484 Survey Study of Key Motivations and Drivers for Students to Enroll in Online Programs of Study
Authors: Tina Stavredes
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Increasingly borderless learning opportunities including online learning are expanding. Singapore University of Social Science (SUSS) conducted research in February of 2017 to determine the level of consumer interest in undertaking a completely online distance learning degree program across three countries in the Asian Pacific region. The target audience was potential bachelor degree and post-degree students from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The results gathered were used to assess the market size and ascertain the business potential of online degree programs in Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Secondly, the results were used to determine the most receptive markets to prioritise entry and identify the most receptive student segments. In order to achieve the key outcomes, the key points of understanding were as follows: -Motivations for higher education & factors that influence the choice of institution, -Interest in online learning, -Interest in online learning from a Singapore university relative to other foreign institutions, -Key drivers and barriers of interest in online learning. An online survey was conducted from from 7th Feb 2017 to 27th Feb 2017 amongst n=600 respondents aged 21yo-45yo, who have a basic command of English, A-level qualifications and above, and who have an intent to further their education in the next 12 months. Key findings from the study regarding enrolling in an online program include the need for a marriage between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors and the flexibility and support offered in an online program. Overall, there was a high interest for online learning. Survey participants stated they are intrinsically motivated to learn because of their interest in the program of study and the need for extrinsic rewards including opportunities for employment or salary increment in their current job. Seven out of ten survey participants reported they are motivated to further their education and expand their knowledge to become more employable. Eight in ten claims that the feasibility of furthering their education depends on cost and maintaining a work-life balance. The top 2 programs of interest are business and information and communication technology. They describe their choice of university as a marriage of both motivational and feasibility factors including cost, choice, quality of support facilities, and the reputation of the institution. Survey participants reported flexibility as important and stated that appropriate support assures and grows their intent to enrol in an online program. Respondents also reported the importance of being able to work while studying as the main perceived advantage of online learning. Factors related to the choice of an online university emphasized the quality of support services. Despite concerns, overall there was a high interest for online learning. One in two expressed strong intent to enrol in an online programme of study. However, unfamiliarity with online learning is a concern including the concern with the lack of face-to-face interactions. Overall, the findings demonstrated an interest in online learning. A main driver was the ability to earn a recognised degree while still being able to be with the family and the ability to achieve a ‘better’ early career growth.Keywords: distance education, student motivations, online learning, online student needs
Procedia PDF Downloads 1162483 Prototype of Over Dimension Over Loading (ODOL) Freight Transportation Monitoring System Based on Arduino Mega 'Sabrang': A Case Study in Klaten, Indonesia
Authors: Chairul Fajar, Muhammad Nur Hidayat, Muksalmina
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The issue of Over Dimension Over Loading (ODOL) in Indonesia remains a significant challenge, causing traffic accidents, disrupting traffic flow, accelerating road damage, and potentially leading to bridge collapses. Klaten Regency, located on the slopes of Mount Merapi along the Woro River in Kemalang District, has potential Class C excavation materials such as sand and stone. Data from the Klaten Regency Transportation Department indicates that ODOL violations account for 72%, while non-violating vehicles make up only 28%. ODOL involves modifying factory-standard vehicles beyond the limits specified in the Type Test Registration Certificate (SRUT) to save costs and travel time. This study aims to develop a prototype ‘Sabrang’ monitoring system based on Arduino Mega to control and monitor ODOL freight transportation in the mining of Class C excavation materials in Klaten Regency. The prototype is designed to automatically measure the dimensions and weight of objects using a microcontroller. The data analysis techniques used in this study include the Normality Test and Paired T-Test, comparing sensor measurement results on scaled objects. The study results indicate differences in measurement validation under room temperature and ambient temperature conditions. Measurements at room temperature showed that the majority of H0 was accepted, meaning there was no significant difference in measurements when the prototype tool was used. Conversely, measurements at ambient temperature showed that the majority of H0 was rejected, indicating a significant difference in measurements when the prototype tool was used. In conclusion, the ‘Sabrang’ monitoring system prototype is effective for controlling ODOL, although measurement results are influenced by temperature conditions. This study is expected to assist in the monitoring and control of ODOL, thereby enhancing traffic safety and road infrastructure.Keywords: over dimension over loading, prototype, microcontroller, Arduino, normality test, paired t-test
Procedia PDF Downloads 172482 Assessing Transition to Renewable Energy for Transportation in Indonesia through Drop-in Biofuel Utilization
Authors: Maslan Lamria, Ralph E. H. Sims, Tatang H. Soerawidjaja
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In increasing its self-sufficiency on transportation fuel, Indonesia is currently developing commercial production and use of drop-in biofuel (DBF) from vegetable oil. To maximize the level of success, it is necessary to get insights on how the implementation would develop as well as any important factors. This study assessed the dynamics of transition from existing fossil fuel system to a renewable fuel system, which involves the transition from existing biodiesel to projected DBF. A systems dynamics approach was applied and a model developed to simulate the dynamics of liquid biofuel transition. The use of palm oil feedstock was taken as a case study to assess the projected DBF implementation by 2045. The set of model indicators include liquid fuel self-sufficiency, liquid biofuel share, foreign exchange savings and green-house gas emissions reduction. The model outputs showed that supports on DBF investment and use play an important role in the transition progress. Given assumptions which include application of a maximum level of supports over time, liquid fuel self-sufficiency would be still unfulfilled in which palm biofuel contribution is 0.2. Thus, other types of feedstock such as algae and oil feedstock from marginal lands need to be developed synergically. Regarding support on DBF use, this study recommended that removal of fossil subsidy would be necessary prior to applying a carbon tax policy effectively.Keywords: biofuel, drop-in biofuel, energy transition, liquid fuel
Procedia PDF Downloads 1322481 A Framework for Railway Passenger Station Site Selection Using Transit-Oriented Development and Urban Regeneration Approaches
Authors: M. Taghavi Zavareh, H. Saremi
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Railway transportation is one of the types of transportation systems which, due to the advantages such as the ability to transport a large number of passengers, environmental protection, low energy consumption, and contribution to tourism, has importance. The existence of suitable and accessible stations is one of the requirements that leads to better performance and plays a significant role in the economic, social, political, and cultural development of urban areas. This paper aims to propose a framework for locating railway passenger stations. This research used descriptive-analytical methods and library tools to answer which definitions and theoretical approaches are suitable for the location of railway passenger stations. The results showed that theoretical approaches such as Transit-Oriented Development and Urban Regeneration are of the utmost importance theoretical bases in the field of research. Moreover, we studied three stations in Iran to find out about real trends and criteria in this research. This study also proposed four major criteria including accessibility, development, rail related and economics, and environmental harmony. Ultimately with an emphasis on the proposed criteria, the study concludes that the combination of Transit-Oriented Development and Urban Regeneration is the most suitable framework to locate railway passenger stations.Keywords: railway passenger station, railway station, site selection, transit-oriented development, urban regeneration
Procedia PDF Downloads 2562480 Analysis of Energy Efficiency Behavior with the Use of Train Dynamics Simulator and Statistical Tools: Case Study of Vitoria Minas Railway, Brazil
Authors: Eric Wilson Santos Cabral, Marta Monteiro Da Costa Cruz, Fabio Luis Maciel Machado, Henrique Andrade, Rodrigo Pirola Pestana, Vivian Andrea Parreira
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The large variation in the price of diesel in Brazil directly affects the variable cost of companies operating in the transportation sector. In rail transport, the great challenge is to overcome the annual budget, cargo and ore transported with cost reduction in relation to previous years, becoming more efficient every year. Some effective measures are necessary to achieve the reduction of the liter ratio consumed by KTKB (Gross Ton per Kilometer multiplied by thousand). This acronym represents the indicator of energy efficiency of some railroads in the world. This study is divided into two parts: the first, to identify using statistical tools, part of the controlled variables in the railways, which have a correlation with the energy efficiency indicator, seeking to aid decision-making. The second, with the use of the train dynamics simulator, within scenarios defined in the operational reality of a railroad, seeks to optimize the train formations and the train stop model for the change of train drivers. With the completion of the study, companies in the rail sector are expected to be able to reduce some of their transportation costs.Keywords: railway transport, railway simulation, energy efficiency, fuel consumption
Procedia PDF Downloads 3272479 A Longitudinal Survey Study of Izmir Commuter Rail System (IZBAN)
Authors: Samet Sen, Yalcin Alver
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Before Izmir Commuter Rail System (IZBAN), most of the respondents along the railway were making their trips by city buses, minibuses or private cars. After IZBAN was put into service, some people changed their previous trip behaviors and they started travelling by IZBAN. Therefore a big travel demand in IZBAN occurred. In this study, the characteristics of passengers and their trip behaviors are found out based on the longitudinal data conducted via two wave trip surveys. Just after one year from IZBAN's opening, the first wave of the surveys was carried out among 539 passengers at six stations during morning peak hours between 07.00 am-09.30 am. The second wave was carried out among 669 passengers at the same six stations two years after the first wave during the same morning peak hours. As a result of this study, the respondents' socio-economic specifications, the distribution of trips by region, the impact of IZBAN on transport modes, the changes in travel time and travel cost and satisfaction data were obtained. These data enabled to compare two waves and explain the changes in socio-economic factors and trip behaviors. In both waves, 10 % of the respondents stopped driving their own cars and they started to take IZBAN. This is an important development in solving traffic problems. More public transportation means less traffic congestion.Keywords: commuter rail system, comparative study, longitudinal survey, public transportation
Procedia PDF Downloads 4232478 Staying When Everybody Else Is Leaving: Coping with High Out-Migration in Rural Areas of Serbia
Authors: Anne Allmrodt
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Regions of South-East Europe are characterised by high out-migration for decades. The reasons for leaving range from the hope of a better work situation to a better health care system and beyond. In Serbia, this high out-migration hits the rural areas in particular so that the population number is in the red repeatedly. It might not be hard to guess that this negative population growth has the potential to create different challenges for those who stay in rural areas. So how are they coping with the – statistically proven – high out-migration? Having this in mind, the study is investigating the people‘s individual awareness of the social phenomenon high out-migration and their daily life strategies in rural areas. Furthermore, the study seeks to find out the people’s resilient skills in that context. Is the condition of high out-migration conducive for resilience? The methodology combines a quantitative and a qualitative approach (mixed methods). For the quantitative part, a standardised questionnaire has been developed, including a multiple choice section and a choice experiment. The questionnaire was handed out to people living in rural areas of Serbia only (n = 100). The sheet included questions about people’s awareness of high out-migration, their own daily life strategies or challenges and their social network situation (data about the social network was necessary here since it is supposed to be an influencing variable for resilience). Furthermore, test persons were asked to make different choices of coping with high out-migration in a self-designed choice experiment. Additionally, the study included qualitative interviews asking citizens from rural areas of Serbia. The topics asked during the interview focused on their awareness of high out-migration, their daily life strategies, and challenges as well as their social network situation. Results have shown the following major findings. The awareness of high out-migration is not the same with all test persons. Some declare it as something positive for their own life, others as negative or not effecting at all. The way of coping generally depended – maybe not surprising – on the people’s social network. However – and this might be the most important finding - not everybody with a certain number of contacts had better coping strategies and was, therefore, more resilient. Here the results show that especially people with high affiliation and proximity inside their network were able to cope better and shew higher resilience skills. The study took one step forward in terms of knowledge about societal resilience as well as coping strategies of societies in rural areas. It has shown part of the other side of nowadays migration‘s coin and gives a hint for a more sustainable rural development and community empowerment.Keywords: coping, out-migration, resilience, rural development, social networks, south-east Europe
Procedia PDF Downloads 1212477 Big Data Applications for the Transport Sector
Authors: Antonella Falanga, Armando Cartenì
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Today, an unprecedented amount of data coming from several sources, including mobile devices, sensors, tracking systems, and online platforms, characterizes our lives. The term “big data” not only refers to the quantity of data but also to the variety and speed of data generation. These data hold valuable insights that, when extracted and analyzed, facilitate informed decision-making. The 4Vs of big data - velocity, volume, variety, and value - highlight essential aspects, showcasing the rapid generation, vast quantities, diverse sources, and potential value addition of these kinds of data. This surge of information has revolutionized many sectors, such as business for improving decision-making processes, healthcare for clinical record analysis and medical research, education for enhancing teaching methodologies, agriculture for optimizing crop management, finance for risk assessment and fraud detection, media and entertainment for personalized content recommendations, emergency for a real-time response during crisis/events, and also mobility for the urban planning and for the design/management of public and private transport services. Big data's pervasive impact enhances societal aspects, elevating the quality of life, service efficiency, and problem-solving capacities. However, during this transformative era, new challenges arise, including data quality, privacy, data security, cybersecurity, interoperability, the need for advanced infrastructures, and staff training. Within the transportation sector (the one investigated in this research), applications span planning, designing, and managing systems and mobility services. Among the most common big data applications within the transport sector are, for example, real-time traffic monitoring, bus/freight vehicle route optimization, vehicle maintenance, road safety and all the autonomous and connected vehicles applications. Benefits include a reduction in travel times, road accidents and pollutant emissions. Within these issues, the proper transport demand estimation is crucial for sustainable transportation planning. Evaluating the impact of sustainable mobility policies starts with a quantitative analysis of travel demand. Achieving transportation decarbonization goals hinges on precise estimations of demand for individual transport modes. Emerging technologies, offering substantial big data at lower costs than traditional methods, play a pivotal role in this context. Starting from these considerations, this study explores the usefulness impact of big data within transport demand estimation. This research focuses on leveraging (big) data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic to estimate the evolution of the mobility demand in Italy. Estimation results reveal in the post-COVID-19 era, more than 96 million national daily trips, about 2.6 trips per capita, with a mobile population of more than 37.6 million Italian travelers per day. Overall, this research allows us to conclude that big data better enhances rational decision-making for mobility demand estimation, which is imperative for adeptly planning and allocating investments in transportation infrastructures and services.Keywords: big data, cloud computing, decision-making, mobility demand, transportation
Procedia PDF Downloads 552476 Travel Delay and Modal Split Analysis: A Case Study
Authors: H. S. Sathish, H. S. Jagadeesh, Skanda Kumar
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Journey time and delay study is used to evaluate the quality of service, the travel time and study can also be used to evaluate the quality of traffic movement along the route and to determine the location types and extent of traffic delays. Components of delay are boarding and alighting, issue of tickets, other causes and distance between each stops. This study investigates the total journey time required to travel along the stretch and the influence the delays. The route starts from Kempegowda Bus Station to Yelahanka Satellite Station of Bangalore City. The length of the stretch is 16.5 km. Modal split analysis has been done for this stretch. This stretch has elevated highway connecting to Bangalore International Airport and the extension of metro transit stretch. From the regression analysis of total journey time it is affected by delay due to boarding and alighting moderately, Delay due to issue of tickets affects the journey time to a higher extent. Some of the delay factors affecting significantly the journey time are evident from F-test at 10 percent level of confidence. Along this stretch work trips are more prevalent as indicated by O-D study. Modal shift analysis indicates about 70 percent of commuters are ready to shift from current system to Metro Rail System. Metro Rail System carries maximum number of trips compared to private mode. Hence Metro is a highly viable choice of mode for Bangalore Metropolitan City.Keywords: delay, journey time, modal choice, regression analysis
Procedia PDF Downloads 4882475 Calpoly Autonomous Transportation Experience: Software for Driverless Vehicle Operating on Campus
Authors: F. Tang, S. Boskovich, A. Raheja, Z. Aliyazicioglu, S. Bhandari, N. Tsuchiya
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Calpoly Autonomous Transportation Experience (CATE) is a driverless vehicle that we are developing to provide safe, accessible, and efficient transportation of passengers throughout the Cal Poly Pomona campus for events such as orientation tours. Unlike the other self-driving vehicles that are usually developed to operate with other vehicles and reside only on the road networks, CATE will operate exclusively on walk-paths of the campus (potentially narrow passages) with pedestrians traveling from multiple locations. Safety becomes paramount as CATE operates within the same environment as pedestrians. As driverless vehicles assume greater roles in today’s transportation, this project will contribute to autonomous driving with pedestrian traffic in a highly dynamic environment. The CATE project requires significant interdisciplinary work. Researchers from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science are working together to attack the problem from different perspectives (hardware, software and system). In this abstract, we describe the software aspects of the project, with a focus on the requirements and the major components. CATE shall provide a GUI interface for the average user to interact with the car and access its available functionalities, such as selecting a destination from any origin on campus. We have developed an interface that provides an aerial view of the campus map, the current car location, routes, and the goal location. Users can interact with CATE through audio or manual inputs. CATE shall plan routes from the origin to the selected destination for the vehicle to travel. We will use an existing aerial map for the campus and convert it to a spatial graph configuration where the vertices represent the landmarks and edges represent paths that the car should follow with some designated behaviors (such as stay on the right side of the lane or follow an edge). Graph search algorithms such as A* will be implemented as the default path planning algorithm. D* Lite will be explored to efficiently recompute the path when there are any changes to the map. CATE shall avoid any static obstacles and walking pedestrians within some safe distance. Unlike traveling along traditional roadways, CATE’s route directly coexists with pedestrians. To ensure the safety of the pedestrians, we will use sensor fusion techniques that combine data from both lidar and stereo vision for obstacle avoidance while also allowing CATE to operate along its intended route. We will also build prediction models for pedestrian traffic patterns. CATE shall improve its location and work under a GPS-denied situation. CATE relies on its GPS to give its current location, which has a precision of a few meters. We have implemented an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) that allows the fusion of data from multiple sensors (such as GPS, IMU, odometry) in order to increase the confidence of localization. We also noticed that GPS signals can easily get degraded or blocked on campus due to high-rise buildings or trees. UKF can also help here to generate a better state estimate. In summary, CATE will provide on-campus transportation experience that coexists with dynamic pedestrian traffic. In future work, we will extend it to multi-vehicle scenarios.Keywords: driverless vehicle, path planning, sensor fusion, state estimate
Procedia PDF Downloads 1342474 Evaluation of Hand Arm Vibrations of Low Profile Dump Truck Operators in an Underground Metal Mine According to Job Component Analysis of a Work Cycle
Authors: Sridhar S, Govinda Raj Mandela, Aruna Mangalpady
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In the present day scenario, Indian underground mines are moving towards full scale mechanisation for improvement of production and productivity levels. These mines are employing a wide variety of earth moving machines for the transportation of ore and overburden (waste). Low Profile Dump Trucks (LPDTs) have proven more advantageous towards improvement of production levels in underground mines through quick transportation. During the operation of LPDT, different kinds of vibrations are generated which can affect the health condition of the operator. Keeping this in view, the present research work focuses on measurement and evaluation of Hand Arm Vibrations (HAVs) from the steering system of LPDTs. The study also aims to evaluate the HAVs of different job components of a work cycle in operating LPDTs. The HAVs were measured and evaluated according to ISO 5349-2: 2001 standards, and the daily vibration exposures A(8) were calculated. The evaluated A(8) results show that LPDTs of 60 and 50 tons capacity have vibration levels more than that of the Exposure Action Value (EAV) of 2.5 m/s2 in every job component of the work cycle. Further, the results show that the vibration levels were more during empty haulage especially during descending journey when compared to other job components in all LPDTs considered for the study.Keywords: low profile dump trucks, hand arm vibrations, exposure action value, underground mines
Procedia PDF Downloads 1242473 Public Behavior When Encountered with a Road Traffic Accident
Authors: H. N. S. Silva, S. N. Silva
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Introduction: The latest WHO data published in 2014 states that Sri Lanka has reached 2,773 of total deaths and over 14000 individuals’ sustained injuries due to RTAs each year. It was noticed in previous studies that policemen, three wheel drivers and also pedestrians were the first to respond to RTAs but the victim’s condition was aggravated due to unskilled attempts made by the responders while management of the victim’s wounds, moving and positioning of the victims and also mainly while transportation of the victims. Objective: To observe the practices of the urban public in Sri Lanka who are encountered with RTAs. Methods: A qualitative study was done to analyze public behavior seen on video recordings of scenes of accidents purposefully selected from social media, news websites, YouTube and Google. Results: The results showed that all individuals who tried to help during the RTA were middle aged men, who were mainly pedestrians, motorcyclists and policemen during that moment. Vast majority were very keen to actively help the victims to get to hospital as soon as possible and actively participated in providing 'aid'. But main problem was the first aid attempts were disorganized and uncoordinated. Even though all individuals knew how to control external bleeding, none of them was aware of spinal prevention techniques or management of limb injuries. Most of the transportation methods and transfer techniques used were inappropriate and more injury prone. Conclusions: The public actively engages in providing aid despite their inappropriate practices in giving first aid.Keywords: encountered, pedestrians, road traffic accidents, urban public
Procedia PDF Downloads 2782472 A Model for Predicting Organic Compounds Concentration Change in Water Associated with Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing
Authors: Ma Lanting, S. Eguilior, A. Hurtado, Juan F. Llamas Borrajo
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Horizontal hydraulic fracturing is a technology to increase natural gas flow and improve productivity in the low permeability formation. During this drilling operation tons of flowback and produced water which contains many organic compounds return to the surface with a potential risk of influencing the surrounding environment and human health. A mathematical model is urgently needed to represent organic compounds in water transportation process behavior and the concentration change with time throughout the hydraulic fracturing operation life cycle. A comprehensive model combined Organic Matter Transport Dynamic Model with Two-Compartment First-order Model Constant (TFRC) Model has been established to quantify the organic compounds concentration. This algorithm model is composed of two transportation parts based on time factor. For the fast part, the curve fitting technique is applied using flowback water data from the Marcellus shale gas site fracturing and the coefficients of determination (R2) from all analyzed compounds demonstrate a high experimental feasibility of this numerical model. Furthermore, along a decade of drilling the concentration ratio curves have been estimated by the slow part of this model. The result shows that the larger value of Koc in chemicals, the later maximum concentration in water will reach, as well as all the maximum concentrations percentage would reach up to 90% of initial concentration from shale formation within a long sufficient period.Keywords: model, shale gas, concentration, organic compounds
Procedia PDF Downloads 2152471 Disaster and Crisis Management Using Geographical Information System (GIS) during the Operation and Maintenance Stages of the Hyderabad Metro Rail in India
Authors: Sai Rajeev Reddy, Ishita Roy, M. Anji Reddy
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The paper describes the importance of preventive measures and immediate Emergency logistics during accidents and unfortunate Disasters for the Hyderabad Metro Rails in their various stages of construction. This is the need of the modern generation where accidents, explosions, attacks and sudden crisis are frequent casualties which take huge tolls of life in the present world. The paper utilizes the workflow and application of Geographical information System (GIS) to provide information about problems and crisis structures for efficient Metro Transportation in the city. The study analyzes the difficulties and problems which cause accidents during operation and maintenance stages of the Metro Rail. The paper focuses upon the intermediate and firsthand information of Crisis with the help of GIS technology to share Disaster data for effective measures by the Cyber Police stations, Emergency Responders, Hospitals and First Aid Centre to act immediately and save lives. The results and conclusions have nevertheless proved very informative and useful for the safety board authorities of the Hyderabad Metro Rail. The operation and Maintenance are integral stages in the development of any Multipurpose transportation Projects and are usually prone to various Disasters and tragedies. Hence, the GIS technologies help in distribution of information among the masses with the web Technologies and advanced software developed to prevent and manage crisis widely and in a cost-benefits manner.Keywords: Geographical Information System, emergency assessment, accident zones, surveillance
Procedia PDF Downloads 5572470 Decoding Democracy's Notion in Aung San Suu Kyi's Speeches
Authors: Woraya Som-Indra
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This article purposes to decode the notion of democracy embedded in the political speeches of Aung San Su Kyi by adopting critical discourse analysis approach, using Systemic Function Linguistics (SFL) and transitivity as a vital analytical tool. Two main objectives of the study are 1) to analyze linguistic strategies constituted the crucial characteristics of Su Kyi's political speeches by employing SFL and transitivity and 2) to examine ideology manifested the notion of democracy behind Su Kyi’s political speeches. The data consists of four speeches of Su Kyi delivering in different places within the year 2011 broadcasted through the website of US campaign for Burma. By employing linguistic tool and the concept of ideology as an analytical frame, the word choice selection found in the speeches assist explaining the manifestation of Su Kyi’s ideology toward democracy and power struggle. The finding revealed eight characters of word choice projected from Su Kyi’s political speeches, as follows; 1) support, hope and encouragement which render the recipients to uphold with the mutual aim to fight for democracy together and moving forwards for change and solution in the future, 2) aim and achievement evoke the recipients to attach with the purpose to fight for democracy, 3) challenge and change release energy to challenge the present political regime of Burma to change to the new political regime of democracy, 4) action, doing and taking signify the action and practical process to call for a new political regime, 5) struggle represents power struggle during the process of democracy requesting and it could refer to her long period of house arrest in Burma, 6) freedom implies what she has been long fighting for- to be released from house arrest, be able to access to the freedom of speech related to political ideology, and moreover, be able to speak out for the people of Burmese about their desirable political regime and political participation, 7) share and scarify call the recipients to have the spirit of shared value in the process of acquiring democracy, and 8) solution and achievement remind her recipients of what they have been long fighting for, and what could lead them to reach out the mutual achievement of a new political regime, i.e. democracy. Those word choice selections are plausible representation of democracy notion in Su Kyi’s terms. Due to her long journey of fighting for democracy in Burma, Suu Kyi’s political speeches always possess tremendously strong leadership characteristic, using words of wisdom and moreover, they are encoded with a wide range of words related to democracy ideology in order to push forward the future change into the Burma’s political regime.Keywords: Aung San Su Kyi’s speeches, critical discourse analysis, democracy ideology, systemic function linguistics, transitivity
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