Search results for: power efficiency

Authors: Manal A. Mohsen, Ahmed Tawfik

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Hydrogen production from cake wastewater by anaerobic dark fermentation via upflow anaerobic staged reactor (UASR) was investigated in this study. The reactor was continuously operated for four months at constant hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 21.57 hr, PH value of 6 ± 0.6, temperature of 21.1°C, and organic loading rate of 2.43 gCOD/l.d. The hydrogen production was 5.7 l H₂/d and the hydrogen yield was 134.8 ml H₂ /g COD_removed. The system showed an overall removal efficiency of TCOD, TBOD, TSS, TKN, and Carbohydrates of 40 ± 13%, 59 ± 18%, 84 ± 17%, 28 ± 27%, and 85 ± 15% respectively during the long term operation period. Based on the available results, the system is not sufficient for the effective treatment of cake wastewater, and the effluent quality of UASR is not complying for discharge into sewerage network, therefore a post treatment is needed (not covered in this study).

Keywords: cake wastewater industry, chemical oxygen demand (COD), hydrogen production, up-flow anaerobic staged reactor (UASR)

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Authors: Carolina B. A. Morais, Antonio Bob Santos

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In order to determine how innovation procurement can strengthen public efficiency and foster the modernization of public services, while at the same time promoting the opening of new private markets, this paper aims to present the two key instruments for the practice of innovation procurement at a European, national, and regional level – Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP), and Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (PPI). Thus, it starts with a theoretical framework on the emergence of this topic in the European Innovation Policy (Section 2), then continues with the identification and systematization of the main mechanisms for its effective adoption, both on the demand and supply side of the market (Section 3), as well as to expose and describe methods and tools for positioning innovation at the heart of public entities. The innovative projects best distinguished by the European Commission for their good practices in innovation procurement are identified, and the main methodology for the development and management of innovation procurement – Forward Commitment Procurement (FCP) – is applied to them in a pioneering way (Section 4). The relevance of innovation in public procurement is systematized and reflected upon in Section 5.

Keywords: innovation procurement, innovation policy, innovation, pubic procurement

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Authors: Cory A. Bennett

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Teaching and learning through the use of discourse support students’ conceptual understanding by attending to key concepts and relationships. One discourse structure used in primary classrooms is number talks wherein students mentally calculate, discuss, and reason about the appropriateness and efficiency of their strategies. In the secondary mathematics classroom, the mathematics understudy does not often lend itself to mental calculations yet learning to reason, and articulate reasoning, is central to learning mathematics. This qualitative case study discusses how one secondary school in the Middle East adapted the number talk protocol for secondary mathematics classrooms. Several challenges in implementing ‘reasoning talks’ became apparent including shifting current discourse protocols and practices to a more student-centric model, accurately recording and probing student thinking, and specifically attending to reasoning rather than computations.

Keywords: discourse, reasoning, secondary mathematics, teacher development

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Authors: Mingmei Zhang, Xinyong Li

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Novel AgInS2/SnS2/RGO (AISR) heterojunctions photocatalysts were synthesized by simple hydrothermal method. The morphology and composition of the fabricated AISR nanocomposites were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Moreover, the as-prepared AISR photocatalysts exhibited excellent photocatalytic activities for the degradation of Norfloxacin (NOR), mainly due to its high optical absorption and separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, as evidenced by UV–vis diffusion reflection spectra (DRS) and Surface photovoltage (SPV) spectra. Furthermore, laser flash photolysis technique was conducted to test the lifetime of charge carriers of the fabricated nanocomposites. The interfacial charges transfer mechanism was also discussed.

Keywords: AISR heterojunctions, electron-hole pairs, SPV spectra, charges transfer mechanism

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Authors: Kocakaya Eda, Argun Doğan

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This study analyzed the present state of information technology in the field of accounting by bibliometric analysis of scientific studies on the impact on the transformation of e-billing and tax managementin Turkey. With comparative bibliometric analysis, the innovation and positive effects of the process that changed with e-transformation in the field of accounting with e-transformation in businesses and the information technologies used in accounting and tax management were analyzed comparatively. By evaluating the data obtained as a result of these analyzes, suggestions on the use of information technologies in accounting and tax management and the positive and negative effects of e-transformation on the analyzed activities of the enterprises were emphasized. With the e-transformation, which will be realized with the most efficient use of information technologies in Turkey. The synergy and efficiency of IT technology developments in avcoounting and finance should be revealed in the light of scientific data, from the smallest business to the largest economic enterprises.

Keywords: information technologies, E-invoice, E-Tax management, E-transformation, accounting programs

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Authors: T. Bielewicz, S. Dogan, C. Klinke

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Two-dimensional, solution-processable semiconductor materials are interesting for low-cost electronic applications [1]. We demonstrate the synthesis of lead sulfide nanosheets and how their size, shape and height can be tuned by varying concentrations of pre-cursors, ligands and by varying the reaction temperature. Especially, the charge carrier confinement in the nanosheets’ height adjustable from 2 to 20 nm has a decisive impact on their electronic properties. This is demonstrated by their use as conduction channel in a field effect transistor [2]. Recently we also showed that especially thin nanosheets show a high carrier multiplication (CM) efficiency [3] which could make them, through the confinement induced band gap and high photoconductivity, very attractive for application in photovoltaic devices. We are already able to manufacture photovoltaic devices out of single nanosheets which show promising results.

Keywords: physical sciences, chemistry, materials, chemistry, colloids, physics, condensed-matter physics, semiconductors, two-dimensional materials

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Authors: Latif Adnane, Benaatou Wafa, Pla Vicent

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Handover is of great significance to achieve seamless connectivity in wireless networks. This paper gives an impression of the main factors which are being affected by the soft and the hard handovers techniques. To know and understand the handover process in The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network, different statistics are calculated. This paper focuses on the quality of service (QoS) of soft and hard handover in UMTS network, which includes the analysis of received power, signal to noise radio, throughput, delay traffic, traffic received, delay, total transmit load, end to end delay and upload response time using OPNET simulator.

Keywords: handover, UMTS, mobility, simulation, OPNET modeler

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Authors: Stefan Nicolae, Cristina Cirtoaje, Emil Petrescu, Florin-Razvan Duca

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In the context of the accelerated expansion of urban agglomerations and the exponential development of industry, a huge amount of water is used, and a crisis of drinking water may occur any time. Classic wastewater treatment removes most pollutants but, for some chemical residues, special methods are needed. Carbon nanotubes and other carbon materials might be used in many cases [1-2], especially for heavy metals removal but also on pharmaceutical products such as paracetamol [3]. Our research has confirmed the better efficiency of nanotubes compared to graphene on paracetamol removal from water, but even better results were obtained on single-walled nanotubes (SWCNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets. This can be due to their better dispersion in water which leads to an increased contact surface, so we propose a filtration system of membranes and carbon materials that can be used for paracetamol removal from wastewater but also for other drugs that affect the aquatic life as well as terrestrial animals and people who use this contaminated water.

Keywords: applied physics, wastewater, nanomaterials, enviromental science

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Authors: K. M. K. D Weerasekara, R. M. K. M Rathnayake, R. U. Halwatura, G. Y. Jayasinghe

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Wood apple (Limonia acidissima L.) trees are native to Sri Lanka and India. Wood apple gum is widely used in the food, coating, and pharmaceutical industries. Wood apple gum was a major component in ancient Sri Lankan coating technology as well. It is also used as a suspending agent in liquid syrups and food ingredients such as sauces, emulsifiers, and stabilizers. Industrial applications include adhesives for labeling and packaging, as well as paint binder. It is also used in the production of paper and cosmetics. Extraction of wood apple gum is an important step in ensuring maximum benefits for various uses. It is apparent that an abundance of untapped potential lies in wood apple gum if people are able to mass produce them. Hence, the current study uses a two-factor factorial design with two major variables and four replications to investigate the best gum-extracting tapping system for Wood apple gum. This study's findings will be useful to Wood apple cultivators, researchers, and gum-based industries alike.

Keywords: wood apple gum, limonia acidissima l., tapping, tapping cuts

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Authors: Zhao Pengcheng, Yin Siyuan

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Fintech is the new hot topic of the 21st century, a discipline that combines financial theory with computer modelling. It can provide both digital analysis methods for investment banks and investment decisions for users. Given the variety of services available, it is necessary to provide a superior method of requirements elicitation to ensure that users' needs are addressed in the software development process. The accuracy of traditional software requirements elicitation methods is not sufficient, so this study attempts to use a multi-perspective based requirements heuristic framework. Methods such as interview and questionnaire combination, card sorting, and model driven are proposed. The collection results from PCA show that the new methods can better help with requirements elicitation. However, the method has some limitations and, there are some efficiency issues. However, the research in this paper provides a good theoretical extension that can provide researchers with some new research methods and perspectives viewpoints.

Keywords: requirement elicitation, FinTech, mobile application, survey, interview, model-driven

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Authors: Gan Lu, Xu Lei

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This is an era when urban village is disappearing in China. A series of social phenomenon presented in post-urban village era is forcing rethinking of the future of urban village. Existing monotonous urban renewal mode based on gentrification is questioned, and the social values of urban village has been gaining increasing attention while the daily life and spatial power of underclass is being focused on. Based on the consensus on the positive meaning of urban village phenomenon, social sectors have taken amount of improvement experiments to explore the possibility of modern transition of urban village on the premise of existence. These experiments revealed that urban tremendous changes impact a lot on social daily life, and pointed out that it is necessary to bring up the responsibility of architects and the definition of urban for discussion again.

Keywords: post-urban village era, gentrification, social value, daily life, improvement experiment.

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Authors: Bryan Crompton, Daniel Giger, Tanay Mehta, Apurva Mody

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The task of classifying radio frequency (RF) signals has seen recent success in employing deep neural network models. In this work, we present a combined signal processing and machine learning approach to signal classification for cochannel anomalous signals. The power spectral density and cyclostationary signal processing features of a captured signal are computed and fed into a neural net to produce a classification decision. Our combined signal preprocessing and machine learning approach allows for simpler neural networks with fast training times and small computational resource requirements for inference with longer preprocessing time.

Keywords: signal processing, machine learning, cyclostationary signal processing, signal classification

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Authors: S. Heydari, H. Sharififard, M. Nabavinia, H. Kiani, M. Parvizi

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Rapid industrialization has led to increased disposal of heavy metals into the environment. Activated carbon adsorption has proven to be an effective process for the removal of trace metal contaminants from aqueous media. This paper was investigated chromium adsorption efficiency by commercial activated carbon. The sorption studied as a function of activated carbon particle size, dose of activated carbon and initial pH of solution. Adsorption tests for the effects of these factors were designed with Taguchi approach. According to the Taguchi parameter design methodology, L9 orthogonal array was used. Analysis of experimental results showed that the most influential factor was initial pH of solution. The optimum conditions for chromium adsorption by activated carbons were found to be as follows: Initial feed pH 6, adsorbent particle size 0.412 mm and activated carbon dose 6 g/l. Under these conditions, nearly %100 of chromium ions was adsorbed by activated carbon after 2 hours.

Keywords: chromium, adsorption, Taguchi method, activated carbon

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Authors: Suleiman Obeidat, Nabeel Mandahawi

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In this work, the packaging process for a move is improved. The customers of this move need their household stuff to be moved from their current house to the new one with minimum damage, in an organized manner, on time and with the minimum cost. Our goal was to improve the process between 10% and 20% time efficiency, 90% reduction in damaged parts and an acceptable improvement in the cost of the total move process. The expected ROI was 833%. Many improvement techniques have been used in terms of the way the boxes are prepared, their preparation cost, packing the goods, labeling them and moving them to a place for moving out. DMAIC technique is used in this work: SIPOC diagram, value stream map of “As Is” process, Root Cause Analysis, Maps of “Future State” and “Ideal State” and an Improvement Plan. A value of ROI=624% is obtained which is lower than the expected value of 833%. The work explains the techniques of improvement and the deficiencies in the old process.

Keywords: packaging, lean tools, six sigma, DMAIC methodology, SIPOC

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Authors: Meichen Lee, Michael K. H. Leung

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In recent years, visible-light activated photocatalysis has become a major field of intense researches for the higher efficiency of solar energy utilizations. Many attempts have been made on the modification of wide band gap semiconductors, while more and more efforts emphasize on cost-effective synthesis of visible-light activated catalysts. In this work, BiOBr nanoplates with band gap of visible-light range are synthesized through a promising microwave solvothermal method. The treatment time period and temperature dependent BiOBr nanosheets of various particle sizes are investigated through SEM. BiOBr synthesized under the condition of 160°C for 60 mins shows the most uniform particle sizes around 311 nm and the highest surface-to-volume ratio on account of its smallest average particle sizes compared with others. It exhibits the best photocatalytic behavior among all samples in RhB degradation.

Keywords: microwave solvothermal process, nanoplates, solar energy, visible-light photocatalysis

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Authors: Fabrizio Ascione, Martina Borrelli, Rosa Francesca De Masi, Silvia Ruggiero, Giuseppe Peter Vanoli

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The Directive 2010/31/EC 'Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 may 2010 on the energy performance of buildings' moved the targets of the previous version toward more ambitious targets, for instance by establishing that, by 31 December 2020, all new buildings should demand nearly zero-energy. Moreover, the demonstrative role of public buildings is strongly affirmed so that also the target nearly zero-energy buildings is anticipated, in January 2019. On the other hand, given the very low turn-over rate of buildings (in Europe, it ranges between 1-3%/yearly), each policy that does not consider the renovation of the existing building stock cannot be effective in the short and medium periods. According to this proposal, the study provides a novel, holistic approach to design the refurbishment of educational buildings in colder cities of Mediterranean regions enabling stakeholders to understand the uncertainty to use numerical modelling and the real environmental and economic impacts of adopting some energy efficiency technologies. The case study is a university building of Molise region in the centre of Italy. The proposed approach is based on the application of the cost-optimal methodology as it is shown in the Delegate Regulation 244/2012 and Guidelines of the European Commission, for evaluating the cost-optimal level of energy performance with a macroeconomic approach. This means that the refurbishment scenario should correspond to the configuration that leads to lowest global cost during the estimated economic life-cycle, taking into account not only the investment cost but also the operational costs, linked to energy consumption and polluting emissions. The definition of the reference building has been supported by various in-situ surveys, investigations, evaluations of the indoor comfort. Data collection can be divided into five categories: 1) geometrical features; 2) building envelope audit; 3) technical system and equipment characterization; 4) building use and thermal zones definition; 5) energy building data. For each category, the required measures have been indicated with some suggestions for the identifications of spatial distribution and timing of the measurements. With reference to the case study, the collected data, together with a comparison with energy bills, allowed a proper calibration of a numerical model suitable for the hourly energy simulation by means of EnergyPlus. Around 30 measures/packages of energy, efficiency measure has been taken into account both on the envelope than regarding plant systems. Starting from results, two-point will be examined exhaustively: (i) the importance to use validated models to simulate the present performance of building under investigation; (ii) the environmental benefits and the economic implications of a deep energy refurbishment of the educational building in cold climates.

Keywords: energy simulation, modelling calibration, cost-optimal retrofit, university building

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Authors: Malki Fatima Zahra Nadia, Kellal Chaimaa, Brahimi Houria

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The world has undergone a big dramatic transformations as a result of the liberalization of the economy. Which lead to intensity of competition between economic institutions under the slogan “ Survival of the fittest”.in the line with these changes, it is imperative for Organizations to adopt the philosophy of applying ICT in the era of globalization in order to survive and sustain in the local and international markets.and even the Algerian economic institutions are concerned in what witnessed by the international institutions,especially after Algeria adopted the policy of trade openness.And from this point, it was the start of the study, that aims at identifying the role of ICT in achieving competitive advantage in the economic institutions according to an analytical study of Mobilis Telecom in Algeria city, and then the analysis of the results by SPSS edition 24.To sum up, i have come to the conclusion that ICT has effectively contributed to the achievement of competitive advantage, and that the value of organizations today lies in the extent to which they use ICT’s which make it gain speed, efficiency, and the quality of its operations especially in the competitive competition.

Keywords: ICT, company, competitive advantage, competitive strategie

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Authors: Andreas Schomburg, Claire Le Bayon, Claire Guenat, Philip Brunner

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Numerous river restoration projects have been established in Switzerland in recent years after decades of human activity in floodplains. The success of restoration projects in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem functions largely depend on the development of the floodplain soil system. Plants and earthworms as ecosystem engineers are known to be able to build up a stable soil structure by incorporating soil organic matter into the soil matrix that creates water stable soil aggregates. Their engineering efficiency however largely depends on changing soil properties and frequent floods along an evolutive floodplain transect. This study, therefore, aims to quantify the effect of flood frequency and duration as well as of physico-chemical soil parameters on plants’ and earthworms’ engineering efficiency. It is furthermore predicted that these influences may have a different impact on one of the engineers that leads to a varying contribution to aggregate formation within the floodplain transect. Ecosystem engineers were sampled and described in three different floodplain habitats differentiated according to the evolutionary stages of the vegetation ranging from pioneer to forest vegetation in a floodplain restored 15 years ago. In addition, the same analyses were performed in an embanked adjacent pasture as a reference for the pre-restored state. Soil aggregates were collected and analyzed for their organic matter quantity and quality using Rock Eval pyrolysis. Water level and discharge measurements dating back until 2008 were used to quantify the return period of major floods. Our results show an increasing amount of water stable aggregates in soil with increasing distance to the river and show largest values in the reference site. A decreasing flood frequency and the proportion of silt and clay in the soil texture explain these findings according to F values from one way ANOVA of a fitted mixed effect model. Significantly larger amounts of labile organic matter signatures were found in soil aggregates in the forest habitat and in the reference site that indicates a larger contribution of plants to soil aggregation in these habitats compared to the pioneer vegetation zone. Earthworms’ contribution to soil aggregation does not show significant differences in the floodplain transect, but their effect could be identified even in the pioneer vegetation with its large proportion of coarse sand in the soil texture and frequent inundations. These findings indicate that ecosystem engineers seem to be able to create soil aggregates even under unfavorable soil conditions and under frequent floods. A restoration success can therefore be expected even in ecosystems with harsh soil properties and frequent external disturbances.

Keywords: ecosystem engineers, flood frequency, floodplains, river restoration, rock eval pyrolysis, soil organic matter incorporation, soil structuration

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Authors: H. Boucheloukh, N. Aoun, S. Rouissa, T. Sehili, F. Parrino, V. Loddo

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Photocatalysis has made a revolution in wastewater treatment and the elimination of persistent organic pollutants. This process is based on the use of semiconductors as photocatalysts. In this study, nickel ferrite spinel (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by the sol-gel route. The structural, morphological, elemental composition, chemical state, particle size, optical and electrochemical characterizations using powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX ). We tested the prepared NiFe2O4(NPS)by monitoring the degradation of Rose Bengal (RB) dye in an aqueous solution under direct sunlight irradiation. The effects of catalyst dosage and dye concentration were also considered for the effective degradation of RB dye. The optimum catalyst dosage and concentration of dye were found to be 1 g/L and 10 μM, respectively. A maximum of 80% photocatalytic degradation efficiency (DE%) was achieved at 120 min of direct sunlight irradiation.

Keywords: Rose Bengal, Nickelate, photocatalysis, irradiation

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Authors: F. Majeed, D. V. Thiel, M. Shahpari

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An electrically small meander line antenna is designed for impedance matching with RF transceiver chip CC1101. The design provides the flexibility of tuning the reactance of the antenna over a wide range of values: highly capacitive to highly inductive. The antenna was printed with silver ink on FR4 substrate using the screen printing design process. The antenna impedance was perfectly matched to CC1101 at 433 MHz. The measured radiation efficiency of the antenna was 81.3% at resonance. The 3 dB and 10 dB fractional bandwidth of the antenna was 14.5% and 4.78%, respectively. The read range of the antenna was compared with a copper wire monopole antenna over a distance of five meters. The antenna, with a perfect impedance match with RF transceiver chip CC1101, shows improvement in the read range compared to a monopole antenna over the specified distance.

Keywords: meander line antenna, RFID, silver ink printing, impedance matching

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Authors: Syed Auon Raza, Tahir Mahmood, Syed Basit Ali Bukhari

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In power system properly coordinated protection scheme is designed to make sure that only the faulty part of the system will be isolated when abnormal operating condition of the system will reach. The complexity of the system as well as the increased user demand and the deregulated environment enforce the utilities to improve system reliability by using a properly coordinated protection scheme. This paper presents overview of over current relay coordination techniques. Different techniques such as Deterministic Techniques, Meta Heuristic Optimization techniques, Hybrid Optimization Techniques, and Trial and Error Optimization Techniques have been reviewed in terms of method of their implementation, operation modes, nature of distribution system, and finally their advantages as well as the disadvantages.

Keywords: distribution system, relay coordination, optimization, Plug Setting Multiplier (PSM)

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Authors: Beriache Abderazik

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It is clear that the psychological effects of noise and physiological eloquent on the workers, what will inevitably affect the performance of both productivity and efficiency in all its aspects, industrial noise became among the most prominent modern professional problems, That require study and analysis in order to arrive at solutions and ways that you can reduce the effects of industrial noise. These factors, in addition to other reasons, made us try in this research to know the real impact of industrial noise on the professional satisfaction of workers. In light of this title we have identified the following general problem: - Is the professional satisfaction factor varies depending on the noise level in the work environment? For the purpose of ascertaining the veracity of the assumptions, we have a comparative study between two samples of equal workers, the first sample is working under the influence of industrial noise severe about (100 Db), and the second sample is working under the influence of industrial noise is low (about 63 Db), and applied them test the professional satisfaction. The results support the hypotheses and confirm all sincerity.

Keywords: industrial noise, job satisfaction, the psychological effects of noise, work environment

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Authors: Metin Kömsöken, Ayşe Güneş Tanır, Onur Karaman

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Usage of high energy charged particles for diagnosis and treatment has been widespread in medicine. The main purpose is to investigate that Bremsstrahlung which occurs by tissue interactions with charged particles should not be neglected. Nuclear stopping power (Bremsstrahlung) was calculated for lung, brain, skin, muscle, bone (cortical) and water targets for the energies of electrons obtained from LINAC used in radiotherapy and of β+ sources used in positron emission tomography (PET). These calculations were done by using the four different analytical functions including classical Bethe-Bloch, Tsoulfanidis, modified Bethe-Bloch and modified Tsoulfanidis equations. It was concluded that obtained results were compatible with that of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST-ESTAR).

Keywords: β- emitting source, bremsstrahlung, therapeutic radionuclides, LINAC

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Authors: Mohammad D. H. Beg, John O. Akindoyo, Suriati Ghazali, Abdullah A. Mamun

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In this study, composites were fabricated from oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber and poly(lactic) acid by extrusion followed by injection moulding. Surface of the fiber was pre-treated by ultrasound in an alkali medium and treatment efficiency was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis and Fourier transforms infrared spectrometer (FTIR). Effect of fiber treatment on composite was characterized by tensile strength (TS), tensile modulus (TM) and impact strength (IS). Furthermore, biostrong impact modifier was incorporated into the treated fiber composite to improve its impact properties. Mechanical testing showed an improvement of up to 23.5% and 33.6% respectively for TS and TM of treated fiber composite above untreated fiber composite. On the other hand incorporation of impact modifier led to enhancement of about 20% above the initial IS of the treated fiber composite.

Keywords: fiber treatment, impact modifier, natural fibers, ultrasound

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Authors: Toshinori Nawata

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In this paper a nonlinear feedback control called augmented automatic choosing control (AACC) for a class of nonlinear systems with constrained input is presented. When designing the control, a constant term which arises from linearization of a given nonlinear system is treated as a coefficient of a stable zero dynamics. Parameters of the control are suboptimally selected by maximizing the stable region in the sense of Lyapunov with the aid of a genetic algorithm. This approach is applied to a field excitation control problem of power system to demonstrate the splendidness of the AACC. Simulation results show that the new controller can improve performance remarkably well.

Keywords: augmented automatic choosing control, nonlinear control, genetic algorithm, zero dynamics

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Authors: Priyanka Tamta, Sukanya Sharma

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The Kamakhya Temple in Assam plays a very important role in the development of Assam as not only a historical place but also as an archaeologically important site. Temple building activity on the site began in 5th century AD when a cave temple dedicated to Lord Balabhadraswami was constructed here by King Maharajadhiraja Sri Surendra Varman. In the history of Assam, the name of this king is not found and neither the name of this form of Vishnu is known in this region. But this inscription sanctified the place as it recorded the first ever temple building activity in this region. The fifteen hundred years habitation history of the Kamakhya temple sites shows a gradual progression of the site from a religious site to an archaeological site and finally as a historical landmark. Here, in this paper, our main objective is to understand the evolution of Kamakhya temple site as a historical landscape and as an important landmark in the history of Assam. The central theme of the paper is the gradual development of the religious site to a historical landmark. From epigraphical records, it is known that the site received patronage from all ruling dynasties of Assam and its adjoining regions. Royal households of Kashmir, Nepal, Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, etc. have left their footprints on the site. According to records they donated wealth, constructed or renovated temples and participated in the overall maintenance of the deity. This made Kamakhya temple a ground of interaction of faiths, communities, and royalties of the region. Since the 5th century AD, there was a continuous struggle between different beliefs, faiths, and power on the site to become the dominant authority of the site. In the process, powerful beliefs system subsumed minor ones into a larger doctrine of beliefs. This can be seen in the case of the evolution of the Kamakhya temple site as one of the important Shakta temples in India. Today, it is cultural identity marker of the state of Assam within which it is located. Its diverse faiths and beliefs have been appropriated by powerful legends to the dominant faith of the land. The temple has evolved from a cave temple to a complex of seventeen temples. The faith has evolved from the worship of water, an element of nature to the worship of the ten different forms of the goddess with their five male consorts or Bhairavas. Today, it represents and symbolizes the relationship of power and control out of which it has emerged. During different periods of occupation certain architectural and iconographical characters developed which indicated diffusion and cultural adaptation. Using this as sources and the epigraphical records this paper will analyze the interactive and dynamic processes which operated in the building of this cultural marker, the archaeological site of Kamakhya.

Keywords: cultural adaptation and diffusion, cultural and historical landscape, Kamakhya, Saktism, temple art and architecture, historiography

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Authors: Nagasamy Venkatesh Dhandapani

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This work aims at investigating the use of β-Cyclodextrin as a cross linker, in an attempt to formulate nanosponges containing ketoconazole. The nanosponges were prepared by cross-linking method. The excipients used in this study did not alter the physicochemical properties of a drug as revealed by FTIR spectroscopy. Studies on various formulation variables revealed that all the variables are inter-related with the formulation. The ideal batch among the formulation was selected based on the higher entrapment efficiency and drug loading. The in vitro release studies of ketoconazole nanosponges in hydrogel exhibited a sustained release over a period of 24 hours. Mathematical analysis of drug release from the formulation followed non-Fickian diffusion obeying first order kinetics. The anti-fungal activity of the formulation exhibited better zone of inhibition when compared to pure drug (ketoconazole) against Tinea corporis.

Keywords: nanosponges, beta-cyclodextrin, ketoconazole, tinea corporis

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Authors: Esayas Geleta

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Within the last two decades in many sub-Saharan African countries, a large-scale acquisition (lease, concession, outright purchase) of extensive areas of farmland commonly labeled as ‘idle’ and ‘under-utilized’ has resulted in displacement and dispossession and dispossession without ‘compensation.’ This paper seeks to critically illustrate the processes and the consequences of the ‘land grabbing project’ in Ethiopia. Drawing on the theory of participatory development and empirical studies undertaken in Ethiopia, the paper elucidates the power dynamics that influence how and why dislocation and dispossession occur. The paper then demonstrates why the land-grabbing project, which was hugely supported by many international organizations, has largely failed in Ethiopia. Through a critical analysis of the process of ‘land grabbing’ in Ethiopia, the paper contributes to a more adequate and critical understanding of contemporary land deals and their social and environmental consequences.

Keywords: land grabbing, human rights, dispossession, resistance, governance

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Authors: Tarek S. Jamil, H. A. Abbas, Rabab A. Nasr, Eman S. Mansor, Rose-Noëlle Vannier

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The citrate manner (Pechini method) was utilized in elaboration of a novel Nano-sized BaFe(1-x)CuxO3 (x=0.01, 0.05 and 0.10). The prepared photocatalysts were characterized by x-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance, TEM and the surface area. The prepared samples have a mixture of cubic perovskite structure (main) and orthorhombic phases. The effect of different loads of copper as dopant on the structural properties as well as the photocatalytic activity was demonstrated. The lattice parameter and the unit cell volume of the prepared materials are given. Doping with copper increased the photocatalytic activity of BaFeO3 several times in abstraction of hazardous atrazine that causes acute problems in drinking water treatment facilities. This may be reasoned to low band gap energy of copper doped BaFe(1-x)CuxO3 attributed to oxygen vacancies formation.

Keywords: photocatalysis, nano-sized, BaFeO3, copper doping, atrazine

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Authors: Charles Atkins

Abstract:

Anakainosis-desmios is the experience of spiritual renewal during incarceration. "Anakainosis” is a Greek word for “renovation or renewal" that has taken on profound meaning in Christocentric theology where it is defined as the phenomenon of spiritual renewal or a change of heart that is achieved by God’s power. “Desmios” is another Greek word found in the Bible which stands for “one who is bound or a prisoner. Anakainosis-desmios occurs when a person, while residing in an environment of surveillance and coercion, has his consciousness renewed in such a way that he generates unexpected emancipatory and hospitable attitudes. They expressed an awareness of the prison environment and a willingness to engage that environment through their transformed relationships with time, space, matter, and people. By the end of the 20th century, Open Theism, gained the attention of many American evangelicals and theologians. Open Theism was born out of the concerns people had about those scriptures which demonstrate a dynamic God who has unparalled wisdom instead of omniscience; liberating power instead of omnipotence; and abiding faithfulness instead of immutability—all of these attributes being aspects of God’s love for humanity. Scriptural exegesis is one of the primary factors that informed the creation of the open view of God and many who hold this view claim that the divine attributes of omniscience, omnipotence and immutability are not necessarily Scriptural but rather philosophical attempts to define the nature of God. Scriptures that do not support such divine attributes have been a source of distress for many. Some would say that open theists have created lenses that enable a Bible student to gain comfort from those scriptures which seem to show God demonstrating repentance, disappointment and a readiness to learn. This paper will bring Open Theism into conversation with anakainosis-desmios. For open theists the reading of Scripture is an important part of the foundation of their perspectives. Open theists focus on certain Scriptures which demonstrate God showing repentance, disappointment and a readiness to learn. This focus led to their questioning of the systematic theologies that have been created and the biblical hermeneutics that have been used historically as lenses for interpreting such Scriptures. The perspective of anakainosis-desmios is also significantly influenced by the reading of Scripture. Spiritual renewal while incarcerated can occur largely through the religious practice of Bible study. Studying Scriptures during incarceration has supported many people who are seeking to develop new renderings of reality that empower them to flourish in some way despite the hostile environment of prisons. A conversation between the two points of view on the God of the Bible will lead to an expansion of both and to a deepening of a person's experience of Scripture Study.

Keywords: open theism, anakainosis-desmios, religion in prison, open theology, practical theology, Bible, scripture, openness of God, incarceration, prison

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