Search results for: long term instability risks

Authors: Ayodele Oluwole Alejo

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Wall finishes are the term to describe an application over a wall surface to provide a suitable surface. Wall finishes are smelt, touched and seen by building occupiers even colour and design affects the user psychology and the atmosphere of our building. Building users/owners seem not to recognize the function of various wall finishes in building and factors to be considered in selecting them suitable for the type and purpose of proposed buildings. Therefore, defects such as deterioration, dampness, and stain may occur when comparisons of wall finishes are not made before the selection of appropriate materials at the design stage with knowledge of the various factors that may hinder the performance or maintenance culture of proposed building of a particular location. This research work investigates and compares various wall finishes in building. Buildings in Ondo state, Nigeria were used as the target area to conduct the research works. The factors bearing on various wall finishes were analyzed to find out their individual and collective impact using suitable analytical tools. The findings revealed that paint with high percentage score was the most preferred wall finishes, whereas wall paper was ranked the least by the respondent findings, Factors considered most in the selection of wall finishes was durability with the highest ranking percentage and least was the cost. The study recommends that skilled worker should carry out operations, quality product should be used and all of wall finishes and materials should be considered before selection.

Keywords: building, construction, design, finishes, wall

Procedia PDF Downloads 144

Authors: Tejasvi Parupudi, Mochen Li, Lakshya Mittal, Ignacio G. Camarillo, Raji Sundararajan

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With breast cancer becoming a global pandemic, it is very important to assess a woman’s risk profile accurately in a timely manner. Providing an estimate of the risk of developing breast cancer to a woman gives her an opportunity to consider options to decrease this risk. Women at low risk may be suggested yearly screenings whereas women with a high risk of developing breast cancer would be candidates for aggressive surveillance. Fortunately, there is a set of risk factors that are used to predict the probability of a woman being diagnosed with breast cancer in the future. Studying risk factors and understanding how they correlate to cancer is important for early diagnosis, prevention and reducing mortality rates. The effect of crucial risk factors among black and white women was compared in this study. The various risk factors analyzed include breast density, age, cancer in a first-degree relative, menopausal status, body mass index (BMI) and prior breast cancer diagnosis, etc. Breast density, age at first full-term birth and BMI were utilized in this study as important risk factors for the comparison of incidence rates between women of black and white races in the USA. Understanding the differences could lead to the development of solutions to reduce disparity in mortality rates among black women by improving overall access to care.

Keywords: big data, breast cancer, risk factors, incidence rates, mortality, race

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Authors: Pranav Vaidya

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The recent upheaval of a ballot initiative taken place in California & Los Angeles‘s newspapers shows how the concept of giving Death Penalty obliterates the very soul basis of community and society which rests upon the tripod of values, ethics, and morality. This paper goes on with examining how, by giving death penalties we are, on one hand trying to wipe out those heinous offenders committing such unspeakable crimes against the public; while on the other hand it comes with a devastating effect of corroding and eluding the existence of ethics and morality which is in the very nature of “protecting the life of humankind”. As it can be stated that, by giving capital punishment, we are trying to legitimize an irreversible act of violence by the authority of state and target innocent victims because as long as the human justice is fallible, the risk of executing an innocent can never be eliminated. However, scholars in the legalization of Capital Punishment have argued that the courts should impose punishment befitting the crime so that they could reflect public abhorrence of the crime, create deterrent or rehabilitating effects & deliver the truest form of justice.

Keywords: ethics, heinous offenders, morality, unspeakable crimes

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Authors: F. Heyecan Giritli, Gizem Akgül

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Because of the raising population of world; the need for houses, buildings and infrastructures are increasing rapidly. Energy and water consumption, waste production continues to increase. If this situation of resources continues, there will be a significant loss for next generations. Therefore, there are a lot of researches and solutions developed in the world. Also sustainability criteria are collected together by some countries to serve construction industry with certification systems. Sustainable building production process’s scope requires different path from traditional building production process. Moreover, the key objective of sustainable buildings is that the process includes whole life cycle duration. The process approaches from the decision of the project to the end of it; so the project team is needed from the beginning of the integrated project delivery model. Further more, by defining project team at the beginning of the project provides communication among the team members and defined problem solving and decision making methods. In this research includes the certification systems among the world to comprehend the head lines and assessment criteria. Therefore, it is understand that usually all green building criteria have the same contents. The aim of this research is to assess the sustainable project stakeholder’ perceptions in Turkish construction industry from the point of occupation, job title and years of experience. Therefore, a survey is made to assess the perceptions of each attendant. In Turkey, sustainability criteria are not clearly defined; on the other hand some regulations like waste management, energy efficiency are made by legal agencies. LEED certification system is the most popular system in Turkey that has attended and certificated. From the LEED official data, it’s understood that 308 project registered in Turkey. Therefore, LEED sustainability criteria are used in the survey. Head lines of LEED certification criteria; sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and regional priority are indicated to assess the perceptions of survey participants. Moreover, only surveying of criteria are not enough; so the equipment, methods, risks and benefits also considered.

Keywords: LEED, sustainability, perceptions, stakeholders, construction, Turkey, risk, benefit

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Authors: Merve Palanci

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This paper aims to reveal and analyze methodology debates on Qur’an Commentary in Turkish Scholarship and to make sound inductions on the current situation, with reference to the literature evolving around the credibility of Hermeneutics when the case is Qur’an commentary and methodological connotations related to it, together with the other modern approaches to the Qur’an. It is fair to say that Tafseer, constituting one of the main parts of basic Islamic sciences, has drawn great attention from both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars for a long time. And with the emplacement of an acute junction between natural sciences and social sciences in the post-enlightenment period, this interest seems to pave the way for methodology discussions that are conducted by theology spheres, occupying a noticeable slot in Tafseer literature, as well. A panoramic glance at the classical treatise in relation to the methodology of Tafseer, namely Usul al-Tafseer, leads the reader to the conclusion that these classics are intrinsically aimed at introducing the Qur’an and its early history of formation as a corpus and providing a better understanding of its content. To illustrate, the earliest methodology work extant for Qur’an commentary, al- Aql wa’l Fahm al- Qur’an by Harith al-Muhasibi covers content that deals with Qur’an’s rhetoric, its muhkam and mutashabih, and abrogation, etc. And most of the themes in question are evident to share a common ground: understanding the Scripture and producing an accurate commentary to be built on this preliminary phenomenon of understanding. The content of other renowned works in an overtone of Tafseer methodology, such as Funun al Afnan, al- Iqsir fi Ilm al- Tafseer, and other succeeding ones al- Itqan and al- Burhan is also rich in hints related to preliminary phenomena of understanding. However, these works are not eligible for being classified as full-fledged methodology manuals assuring a true understanding of the Qur’an. And Hermeneutics is believed to supply substantial data applicable to Qur’an commentary as it deals with the nature of understanding itself. Referring to the latest tendencies in Tafseer methodology, this paper envisages to centralize hermeneutical debates in modern scholarship of Qur’an commentary and the incentives that lead scholars to apply for Hermeneutics in Tafseer literature. Inspired from these incentives, the study involves three parts. In the introduction part, this paper introduces key features of classical methodology works in general terms and traces back the main methodological shifts of modern times in Qur’an commentary. To this end, revisionist Ecole, scientific Qur’an commentary ventures, and thematic Qur’an commentary are included and analysed briefly. However, historical-critical commentary on the Quran, as it bears a close relationship with hermeneutics, is handled predominantly. The second part is based on the hermeneutical nature of understanding the Scripture, revealing a timeline for the beginning of hermeneutics debates in Tafseer, and Fazlur Rahman’s(d.1988) influence will be manifested for establishing a theoretical bridge. In the following part, reactions against the application of Hermeneutics in Tafseer activity and pro-hermeneutics works will be revealed through cross-references to the prominent figures of both, and the literature in question in theology scholarship in Turkey will be explored critically.

Keywords: hermeneutics, Tafseer, methodology, Ulum al- Qur’an, modernity

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Authors: Khalid S. Hashim, Andy Shaw, Rafid Alkhaddar, Montserrat Ortoneda Pedrola

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A flow column has been innovatively used in the design of a new electrocoagulation reactor (ECR1) that will reduce the temperature of water being treated; where the flow columns work as a radiator for the water being treated. In order to investigate the performance of ECR1 and compare it to that of traditional reactors; 600 mL water samples with an initial temperature of 35 0C were pumped continuously through these reactors for 30 min at current density of 1 mA/cm2. The temperature of water being treated was measured at 5 minutes intervals over a 30 minutes period using a thermometer. Additional experiments were commenced to investigate the effects of initial temperature (15-35 0C), water conductivity (0.15 – 1.2 S) and current density (0.5 -3 mA/cm2) on the performance of ECR1. The results obtained demonstrated that the ECR1, at a current density of 1 mA/cm2 and continuous flow model, reduced water temperature from 35 0C to the vicinity of 28 0C during the first 15 minutes and kept the same level till the end of the treatment time. While, the temperature increased from 28.1 to 29.8 0C and from 29.8 to 31.9 0C in the batch and the traditional continuous flow models respectively. In term of initial temperature, ECR1 maintained the temperature of water being treated within the range of 22 to 28 0C without the need for external cooling system even when the initial temperatures varied over a wide range (15 to 35 0C). The influent water conductivity was found to be a significant variable that affect the temperature. The desirable value of water conductivity is 0.6 S. However, it was found that the water temperature increased rapidly with a higher current density.

Keywords: water temperature, flow column, electrocoagulation

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Authors: Catherine Mary Abou-Zaid, Sandra Goodwin

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This study was conducted in a cardiac center in Bahrain. The rise in the amount of obese patients’ both men and women, being admitted for surgical procedures has become an issue to the nurses and doctors as these patients pose a high risk of major complications arising from their problem. The cessation of obesity in the country is very high and obesity-related diseases has been the cause of concern among men and women, also related individual diseases such as cardiovascular, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases are rising dramatically within Bahrain in the last 10 years. Rationale for the Study: The ontological approach will help to understand and assess the true nature of the social world and how the world looks at obesity. Obesity has to be looked at as being a realistic ongoing issue. The epistemological approach will look at the theory of the origins of the nature of knowledge, set the rule of validating and learning in the social world of what can be done to curb this concept and how this can help prevent otherwise preventable diseases. Design Methodology: The qualitative design methodology took the form of an ontological/epistemological approach using phenomenology as a framework. The study was based on a social research issue, therefore, ontological ‘realism and idealism’ will feature as the nature of the world from a social and natural context. Epistemological positions of the study will be how we as researchers will find the actual social world and the limiting of that knowledge. The one-to-one interviews will be transcribed and the taped verbatim will be coded and charted giving the thematic analytic results. Recommendations: The significance of the research brought many recommendations. These recommendations were taken from the themes and sub-themes and were presented to the centers management and the necessary arrangements for updating knowledge and attitudes towards obesity in cardiac patients was then presented to the in-service education department. Workshops and training sessions on promoting health education were organized and put into the educational calendar for the next academic year. These sessions would look at patient autonomy, the patients’ rights, healthy eating for patients and families and the risks associated with obesity in cardiac disease processes.

Keywords: cardiac patients, diabetes, education & training, obesity cessation, qualitative

Procedia PDF Downloads 335

Authors: Alaa A. Ghanem, S. E. M. Desouky

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Natural gas (NG) is considered one of the most essential global energy sources. NG fields are often far away from the market, and a long-distance transporting pipeline usually is required. Production of NG with high content of CO₂ leads to severe problems such as equipment corrosion along with the production line until refinery.in addition to a high level of toxicity and decreasing in calorific value of the NG. So it is recommended to remove or decrease the CO₂ percent to meet transport specifications. This can be reached using different removal techniques such as physical and chemical absorption, pressure swing adsorption, membrane separation, or low-temperature separation. Many solvents and chemicals are being used to capture carbon dioxide on a large scale; among them, Ionic liquids have great potential due to their tunable properties; low vapour pressure, low melting point, and sensible thermal stability. In this research, three modifiedimidazolium ionic liquids will be synthesized and characterized using different tools of analysis such as FT-IR, 1H NMR. Thermal stability and surface activity will be studied. The synthesized compounds will be evaluated as selective solvents for CO₂ removal from natural gas using PVT cell.

Keywords: natural gas, CO₂ capture, imidazolium ionic liquid, PVT cell

Procedia PDF Downloads 177

Authors: Abhimanyu Behera

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Over the past few years, energy security and sustainable development have moved rapidly into the global agenda. There are two main reasons: first, the impact of high and often volatile energy prices; second, concerns over environmental sustainability particularly about the global climate. Both issues are critically important in which impressive economic growth has boosted the demand for energy and put corresponding strains on the environment. Energy security is a broad concept that focuses on energy availability and pricing. Specifically, it refers to the ability of the energy supply system i.e. suppliers, transporters, distributors and regulatory, financial and R&D institutions to deliver the amount of competitively priced energy that customers demand, within accepted standards of reliability, timeliness, quality, safety. Traditionally, energy security has been defined in the context of the geopolitical risks to external oil supplies but today it is encompassing all energy forms, all the external and internal links bringing the energy to the final consumer, and all the many ways energy supplies can be disrupted including equipment malfunctions, system design flaws, operator errors, malicious computer activities, deficient market and regulatory frameworks, corporate financial problems, labour actions, severe weather and natural events, aggressive acts (e.g. war, terrorism and sabotage), and geopolitical disruptions. In practice, the most challenging disruptions are those linked to: 1) extreme weather events; 2) mismatched electricity supply and demand; 3) regulatory failures; and 4) concentration of oil and gas resources in certain regions of the world. However, insecure energy supplies inhibit development by raising energy costs and imposing expensive cuts in services when disruptions actually occur. The energy supply sector can best advance sustainable development by producing and delivering secure and environmentally-friendly sources of energy and by increasing the efficiency of energy use. With this objective, this paper seeks to highlight the significance of energy security and sustainable development in today’s world. Moreover, it critically overhauls the major challenges towards sustainability of energy security and what are the major policies are taken to overcome these challenges by Government is lucidly explicated in this paper.

Keywords: energy, policies, security, sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 392

Authors: Maimuna Nontji

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The life cycle of rice plant has three phases of growth; they are the vegetative, reproductive and maturation phase. They greatly affect the life of dynamics metanotrof bacterial as reducer methane emissions in the rice field, both of population and on the rate of growth. The aim of this study was to analyze the population and growth rate of methanotrof isolates which has been isolated in previous studies. Isolates were taken at all the life cycle of rice plant. Population of analysis was conducted by standard plate count method and growth rate was analysed by logarithmic calculation. The results showed that each isolate varied in population and growth rate. The highest population was obtained in the isolates Gowa Methanotrof Reproductive (GMR 8) about 7.06 x 10 11 cfu / ml on 3 days of incubation and the lowest population was obtained in the Gowa Methanotrof Maturation (GMP 5) about 0.27 x 10 11 cfu / ml on 7 day of incubation. Some isolate were demonstrated in long growth rate about 5 days of incubation and another are 3 days.

Keywords: emission, methanotrof, methane, population

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Authors: Ali̇ Si̇nan Soğanci

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The cement stabilization is one of the ground improvement method applied worldwide to increase the strength of clayey soils. The using of cement has got lots of advantages compared to other stabilization methods. Cement stabilization can be done quickly, the cost is low and creates a more durable structure with the soil. Cement can be used in the treatment of a wide variety of soils. The best results of the cement stabilization were seen on silts as well as coarse-grained soils. In this study, blocks of clay were taken from the Apa-Hotamış conveyance channel route which is 125km long will be built in Konya that take the water with 70m3/sec from Mavi tunnel to Hotamış storage. Firstly, the index properties of clay samples were determined according to the Unified Soil Classification System. The experimental program was carried out on compacted soil specimens with 0%, 7 %, 15% and 30 % cement additives and the results of unconfined compression strength were discussed. The results of unconfined compression tests indicated an increase in strength with increasing cement content.

Keywords: cement stabilization, unconfined compression test, clayey soils, unified soil classification system.

Procedia PDF Downloads 428

Authors: Manoj Reghu, Prabhu Rajagopal, C. V. Krishnamurthy, Krishnan Balasubramaniam

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A thorough understanding of guided ultrasonic wave behavior in structures is essential for the application of existing Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE) technologies, as well as for the development of new methods. However, the analysis of guided wave phenomena is challenging because of their complex dispersive and multimodal nature. Although numerical solution procedures have proven to be very useful in this regard, the increasing complexity of features and defects to be considered, as well as the desire to improve the accuracy of inspection often imposes a large computational cost. Hybrid models that combine numerical solutions for wave scattering with faster alternative methods for wave propagation have long been considered as a solution to this problem. However usually such models require modification of the base code of the solution procedure. Here we aim to develop Generic Hybrid models that can be directly applied to any two different solution procedures. With this goal in mind, a Numerical Hybrid model and an Analytical-Numerical Hybrid model has been developed. The concept and implementation of these Hybrid models are discussed in this paper.

Keywords: guided ultrasonic waves, Finite Element Method (FEM), Hybrid model

Procedia PDF Downloads 469

Authors: Dimitrios I. Tselentis, Simon P. Washington

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Considerable literature has been focused over the last few decades on forecasting the consumer demand of Energy Efficient Vehicles (EEVs). These methodological issues range from how to capture recent purchase decisions in revealed choice studies and how to set up experiments in stated preference (SP) studies, and choice of analysis method for analyzing such data. This paper reviews the plethora of published studies on the field of forecasting demand of EEVs since 1980, and provides a review and annotated bibliography of that literature as it pertains to this particular demand forecasting problem. This detailed review addresses the literature not only to Transportation studies, but specifically to the problem and methodologies around forecasting to the time horizons of planning studies which may represent 10 to 20 year forecasts. The objectives of the paper are to identify where existing gaps in literature exist and to articulate where promising methodologies might guide longer term forecasting. One of the key findings of this review is that there are many common techniques used both in the field of new product demand forecasting and the field of predicting future demand for EEV. Apart from SP and RP methods, some of these new techniques that have emerged in the literature in the last few decades are survey related approaches, product diffusion models, time-series modelling, computational intelligence models and other holistic approaches.

Keywords: demand forecasting, Energy Efficient Vehicles (EEVs), forecasting methodologies review, methodological approaches

Procedia PDF Downloads 491

Authors: Derradji A., Ben El Mamoun M., Zakaria E., Charadi I. Anrur

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The issue of dilapidated buildings represents a significant opportunity for constructive and beneficial interventions in Morocco. Faced with challenges associated with aging constructions and rapid urbanization, the country is committed to developing innovative strategies aimed at revitalizing urban areas and enhancing the sustainability of infrastructure, thereby ensuring citizens' safety. Through targeted investments in the renovation and modernization of existing buildings, Morocco aims to stimulate job creation, boost the local economy, and improve the quality of life for residents. Additionally, the integration of sustainable construction standards and the strengthening of regulations will promote resilient and environmentally friendly urban development. In this proactive perspective, LABOTEST has been commissioned by the National Agency for Urban Renewal (ANRUR) to conduct an in-depth study. This study focuses on the technical expertise of 1800 buildings identified as dilapidated in the prefectures of Rabat and Skhirat-Témara following an initial clearance operation. The primary objective of this initiative is to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of these buildings and define the necessary interventions to eliminate potential risks while ensuring appropriate treatment. The article presents the adopted intervention methodology, taking into account the social dimensions involved, as well as the results of the technical expertise. These results include the classification of buildings according to their degree of urgency and recommendations for appropriate conservatory measures. Additionally, different pathologies are identified and accompanied by specific treatment proposals for each type of building. Since this study, the adopted approach has been generalized to the entire territory of Morocco. LABOTEST has been solicited by other cities such as Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Ouazzane, Azilal, Bejaad, and Demnate. This extension of the initiative demonstrates Morocco's commitment to addressing urban challenges in a proactive and inclusive manner. These efforts also illustrate the endeavors undertaken to transform urban challenges into opportunities for sustainable development and socio-economic progress for the entire population.

Keywords: building, dilapidated, rehabilitation, Morocco

Procedia PDF Downloads 69

Authors: Orose Rugchati, Kanita Thanacharoenchanaphas, Sarawut Wattanawongpitak

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In this study, the effect of electric stimulation on the quality of hot-boned beef brisket muscles was evaluated, including the tenderness, pH, temperature change, and colorant. Muscles were obtained from steers in the local slaughter house. (3 steers for each muscle), removed from the carcasses 4-hour postmortem and variable time to treated with direct current electric 1 and 5 minutes, respectively. Six different electric intensities (direct current voltage of 50, 70 and 90 Volt, pulse with 10, 20 and 40 ms) plus a control were applied to each muscle to determine the optimum treatment conditions. Hot-boned beef brisket was found to get tender with increasing treatment direct current voltage and reduction in the shear force with pulsed with electric treatment. But in a long time to treated with electric current get fading in red color and temperature increase whereas pH quite different compared to non-treated control samples.

Keywords: electric stimulation, characteristic changes, hot-boned beef brisket, potential tenderness

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Authors: Iwona Cieślik, Władysław Migdał, Kinga Topolska, Ewa Cieślik

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The consumption of fish is recommended as a means of preventing serious diseases, especially cardiovascular problems. Fish is known to be a valuable source of protein (rich in essential amino acids), unsaturated fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, macro- and microelements. However, it can also contain several contaminants (e.g. pesticides, heavy metals) that may pose considerable risks for humans. Among others, pesticide are of special concern. Their widespread use has resulted in the contamination of environmental compartments, including water. The occurrence of pesticides in the environment is a serious problem, due to their potential toxicity. Therefore, a systematic monitoring is needed. The aim of the study was to determine the organochlorine and organophosphate pesticide residues in fish muscle tissues of the pike (Esox lucius, L.) and the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykkis, Walbaum) by a modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method, using Gas Chromatography Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (GC/Q-MS), working in selected-ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The analysis of α-HCH, β-HCH, lindane, diazinon, disulfoton, δ-HCH, methyl parathion, heptachlor, malathion, aldrin, parathion, heptachlor epoxide, γ-chlordane, endosulfan, α-chlordane, o,p'-DDE, dieldrin, endrin, 4,4'-DDD, ethion, endrin aldehyde, endosulfan sulfate, 4,4'-DDT, and metoxychlor was performed in the samples collected in the Carp Valley (Malopolska region, Poland). The age of the pike (n=6) was 3 years and its weight was 2-3 kg, while the age of the rainbow trout (n=6) was 0.5 year and its weight was 0.5-1.0 kg. Detectable pesticide (HCH isomers, endosulfan isomers, DDT and its metabolites as well as metoxychlor) residues were present in fish samples. However, all these compounds were below the limit of quantification (LOQ). The other examined pesticide residues were below the limit of detection (LOD). Therefore, the levels of contamination were - in all cases - below the default Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs), established by Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The monitoring of pesticide residues content in fish is required to minimize potential adverse effects on the environment and human exposure to these contaminants.

Keywords: contaminants, fish, pesticides residues, QuEChERS method

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Authors: Yonatan Sverdlov, Shimon Ullman

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Artificial neural networks encounter a notable challenge known as continual learning, which involves acquiring knowledge of multiple tasks over an extended period. This challenge arises due to the tendency of previously learned weights to be adjusted to suit the objectives of new tasks, resulting in a phenomenon called catastrophic forgetting. Most approaches to this problem seek a balance between maximizing performance on the new tasks and minimizing the forgetting of previous tasks. In contrast, our approach attempts to maximize the performance of the new task, while ensuring zero forgetting. This is accomplished through the introduction of task-specific modulation parameters for each task, and only these parameters are learned for the new task, after a set of initial tasks have been learned. Through comprehensive experimental evaluations, our model demonstrates superior performance in acquiring and retaining novel tasks that pose difficulties for other multi-task models. This emphasizes the efficacy of our approach in preventing catastrophic forgetting while accommodating the acquisition of new tasks.

Keywords: continual learning, life-long learning, neural analogies, adaptive modulation

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Authors: M. R. Aziz, W. Kuntjoro, N. V. David

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This paper presents the ballistic terminal study of the non-filled and water-filled aluminum tank. The objective was to determine the failure stages for both cases. The tank was impacted by fragment simulating projectile (FSP) with 260 m/s for non-filled and 972 m/s for water-filled. The aluminum tank was 3 mm thick, 150 mm wide and 750 mm long. The ends of the tank were closed with two polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) windows. The test was conducted at the Science and Technology Research Institute for Defense (STRIDE) Batu Arang, Selangor, Malaysia. The results showed four main stages for non-filled tank, which were first contact between FSP and the tank, partially perforated, fully perforated with FSP and plug still intact and lastly fully perforated with FSP and plug separated. Meanwhile, for the water-filled tank, there were seven main stages, which were first contact between FSP and the tank, partial perforation, full perforation, drag phase, cavity phase, bounce wave event and the collapse of the cavity.

Keywords: fragment simulating projectile, high speed camera, tensile test, terminal ballistic

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Authors: Win-Jin Chang, Haw-Long Lee, Yu-Ching Yang

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Atomic finite element simulation is applied to investigate the vibration frequency of a single-layer gamma graphyne with an attached mass for the CCCC, SSSS, CFCF, SFSF boundary conditions using the commercial code ANSYS. The fundamental frequencies of the graphyne sheet are compared with the results of the previous study. The results of the comparison are very good in all considered cases. The attached mass causes a shift in the resonant frequency of the graphyne. The frequencies of the single-layer gamma graphyne with an attached mass for different boundary conditions are obtained, and the order based on the boundary condition is CCCC >SSSS > CFCF> SFSF. The highest frequency shift is obtained when the attached mass is located at the center of the graphyne sheet. This is useful for the design of a highly sensitive graphyne-based mass sensor.

Keywords: graphyne, finite element analysis, vibration analysis, frequency shift

Procedia PDF Downloads 215

Authors: Avan Al-Saffar, Eun-Jin Kim

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Both the logistic growth model and the gompertz growth model are used to describe growth processes. Both models driven by perturbations in different cases are investigated using information theory as a useful measure of sustainability and the variability. Specifically, we study the effect of different oscillatory modulations in the system's parameters on the evolution of the system and Probability Density Function (PDF). We show the maintenance of the initial conditions for a long time. We offer Fisher information analysis in positive and/or negative feedback and explain its implications for the sustainability of population dynamics. We also display a finite amplitude solution due to the purely fluctuating growth rate whereas the periodic fluctuations in negative feedback can lead to break down the system's self-regulation with an exponentially growing solution. In the cases tested, the gompertz and logistic systems show similar behaviour in terms of information and sustainability although they develop differently in time.

Keywords: dynamical systems, fisher information, probability density function (pdf), sustainability

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Authors: Wennan Long, Yuhao Nie, Yunan Li, Adam Brandt

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To fight against climate change, California government issued the Senate Bill No. 100 (SB-100) in 2018 September, which aims at achieving a target of 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2045. A capacity expansion problem is solved in this case study using a binary quadratic programming model. The optimal locations and capacities of the potential renewable power plants (i.e., solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and hydropower), the phase-out schedule of existing fossil-based (nature gas) power plants and the transmission of electricity across the entire network are determined with the minimal total annualized cost measured by net present value (NPV). The results show that the renewable electricity contribution could increase to 85.9% by 2030 and reach 100% by 2035. Fossil-based power plants will be totally phased out around 2035 and solar and wind will finally become the most dominant renewable energy resource in California electricity mix.

Keywords: 100% renewable electricity, California, capacity expansion, mixed integer non-linear programming

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Authors: Y. Okumuş, A. Tuna, A. T. Seyhan, H. Çelebi

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Useful carbon fibers were derived from chicken feathers (PCFs) based on a two-step pyrolysis method. The collected PCFs were cleaned and categorized as black, white and brown. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA) were systemically used to design the pyrolysis steps. Depending on colors, feathers exhibit different glass transition (Tg) temperatures. Long-time heat treatment applied to the feathers emerged influential on the surface quality of the resulting carbon fibers. Fourier Transformation Infrared (FTIR) examination revealed that the extent of disulfide bond cleavage is highly associated with the feather melting stability. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examinations were employed to evaluate the morphological changes of feathers after pyrolysis. Of all, brown feathers were found to be the most promising to turn into useful carbon fibers without any trace of melting and shape distortion when pyrolysis was carried out at 230°C for 24 hours and at 450°C for 1 hour.

Keywords: poultry chicken feather, keratin protein fiber, pyrolysis, high carbonaceous fibers

Procedia PDF Downloads 333

Authors: Ezil Sam Leni, Shalen S.

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Transport service monitoring and upkeep are essential components of smart city initiatives. The main risks to the relevant departments and authorities are the ever-increasing vehicular traffic and the conditions of the roads. In India, the economy is greatly impacted by the road transport sector. In 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Transport, Government of India, produced a report with statistical data on traffic accidents. The data included the number of fatalities, injuries, and other pertinent criteria. This study proposes a distributed infrastructure for the monitoring, detection, and reporting of potholes to the appropriate authorities. In a distributed environment, the nodes are the edge devices, and local edge servers, and global servers. The edge devices receive the initial model to be employed from the global server. The YOLOv8 model for pothole detection is used in the edge devices. The edge devices run the pothole detection model, gather the pothole images on their path, and send the updates to the nearby edge server. The local edge server selects the clients for its aggregation process, aggregates the model updates and sends the updates to the global server. The global server collects the updates from the local edge servers, performs aggregation and derives the updated model. The updated model has the information about the potholes received from the local edge servers and notifies the updates to the local edge servers and concerned authorities for monitoring and maintenance of road conditions. The entire process is implemented in FedCV distributed environment with the implementation using the client-server model and aggregation entities. After choosing the clients for its aggregation process, the local edge server gathers the model updates and transmits them to the global server. After gathering the updates from the regional edge servers, the global server aggregates them and creates the updated model. Performance indicators and the experimentation environment are assessed, discussed, and presented. Accelerometer data may be taken into consideration for improved performance in the future development of this study, in addition to the images captured from the transportation routes.

Keywords: federated Learning, pothole detection, distributed framework, federated averaging

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Authors: Yiqi Wu, Simon Tait, Andrew Nichols

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Management of UK railway drainage assets is challenging due to the large amounts of historical assets with long asset life cycles. A major concern for asset managers is to maintain the required performance economically and efficiently while complying with the relevant regulation and legislation. As the majority of the drainage assets are buried underground and are often difficult or costly to examine, it is important for asset managers to understand and model the degradation process in order to foresee the upcoming reduction in asset performance and conduct proactive maintenance accordingly. In this research, a Markov chain approach is used to model the deterioration process of rail drainage assets. The study is based on historical condition scores and characteristics of drainage assets across the whole railway network in England, Scotland, and Wales. The model is used to examine the effect of various characteristics on the probabilities of degradation, for example, the regional difference in probabilities of degradation, and how material and shape can influence the deterioration process for chambers, channels, and pipes.

Keywords: deterioration, degradation, markov models, probability, railway drainage

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Authors: Tianyu Chen

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The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 was a major federal education policy that aimed to improve academic outcomes for all students in the United States. This study examines whether NCLB improved college readiness, measured by access to higher education, for different demographic groups. Using data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) from 2003-2008, regression analyses explore the relationship between gender, race, family income, and region with occupational education score. The results indicate that NCLB implementation had a positive effect on college access for women and Asian students compared to other groups. Higher family income was also associated with an increased likelihood of pursuing higher education, especially for families in the South. While NCLB intended to close achievement gaps, disparities in college readiness remained five years after implementation. Further research could examine longer-term trends and additional factors influencing the policy's effectiveness across student subgroups. This study provides evidence that simply holding schools accountable for test scores may not sufficiently improve equitable educational outcomes. More targeted support of disadvantaged groups may be needed to fulfill the goal of "no child left behind."

Keywords: no child left behind act, college readiness, achievement gaps, educational equity

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Authors: Habib Noorbhai

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History of Cricket: Cricket has a known history spanning from the 16th century till present, with international matches having been played since 1844. The game of cricket arrived in Australia as soon as colonization began in 1788. Cricketers started playing on turf wickets in the late 1800’s and dimensions for both the boundary and pitch later became assimilated. As the years evolved, cricket bats and balls, protective equipment, playing surfaces and the three formats of the game adapted to the playing conditions and laws of cricket. Business of Cricket: During the late 1900's, the shorter version of the game (T20) was introduced in order to attract the crowds to stadiums and television viewers for broadcasting rights. One could argue if this was merely a business venture or a platform for enhancing the performance of cricketers. Between the 16th and 20th century, cricket was a common sport played for passion and pure enjoyment. Industries saw a potential in diversified business ventures in the game (as well as other sports played globally) and cricket subsequently became a career for players, administrators and coaches, the media, health professionals, managers and the corporate world. Pros and Cons of Cricket Developments: At present, the game has significantly gained from the use of technology, sports sciences and varied mechanisms to optimize the performances and forecast frameworks for injury prevention in cricket players. Unfortunately, these had not been utilized in the earlier times of cricket and it would prove interesting to observe how the greats of the game would have benefited with such developments. Cricketers in the 21st century are faced with many overwhelming commitments. One of these is playing cricket for 11 months in a year, making it more than 250 days away from home and their families. As the demand of player contracts increase, the supply of commitment and performances from players increase. Way Forward and Future Implications: The questions are: Are such disadvantages contributing to the overload and injury risks of players? How far have we really come in the cricketing world or has everything since the game’s inception become institutionalized with a business model? These are the fundamental questions which need to be addressed and legislation, policies and ethical considerations need to be drafted and implemented. These will ensure that there is equilibrium of effective transitions and management of not only the players, but also the credibility of the wonderful game.

Keywords: enterprising business of cricket, technology, legislation, credibility

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Authors: Mostefa Hamrat, Bensaid Boulekbache, Mohamed Chemrouk, Sofiane Amziane

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The paper presents the results of an experimental work on the flexural behaviour of two types of concrete in terms of the progressive cracking process until failure and the crack opening, and beam deflection, using Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique. At serviceability limit states, comparisons of the building code equations and the equations developed by some researchers for the short-term deflections and crack widths have been made using the reinforced concrete test beams. The experimental results show that the addition of steel fibers increases the first cracking load and amplify the number of cracks that conducts to a remarkable decreasing in the crack width with an increasing in ductility. This study also shows that there is a good agreement between the deflection values for RC beams predicted by the major codes (Eurocode2, ACI 318, and the CAN/CSA-S806) and the experimental results for beams with steel fibers at service load. The most important added benefit of the DIC technique is that it allows detecting the first crack with a high precision easily measures the crack opening and follows the progressive cracking process until failure of reinforced concrete members.

Keywords: beams, digital image correlation (DIC), deflection, crack width, serviceability, codes provisions

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Authors: Enes Caliskan, Hatice Camgoz Akdag

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There is no doubt that humanity needs to realize the sustainability problems in the world and take serious action regarding that. All members of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the most comprehensive study on sustainability internationally, in 2015. The summary of the study is 17 sustainable development goals. It covers everything about sustainability, such as environment, society and governance. The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), such as the Internet, mobile phones, and satellites, is essential for tackling the main issues facing sustainable development. Hence, the contributions of 3 major ICT companies to the sustainable development goals are assessed in this study. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is utilized as a methodology for this study. Since QFD is an excellent instrument for comparing businesses on relevant subjects, a House of Quality must be established to complete the QFD application. In order to develop a House of Quality, the demanded qualities (voice of the customer) and quality characteristics (technical requirements) must first be determined. UN SDGs are used as demanded qualities. Quality characteristics are derived from annual sustainability and corporate social responsibility reports of ICT companies. The companies' efforts, as indicated by the QFD results, are concentrated on the use of recycled raw materials and recycling, reducing GHG emissions through energy saving and improved connectivity, decarbonizing the value chain, protecting the environment and water resources by collaborating with businesses that have completed CDP water assessments and paying attention to reducing water consumption, ethical business practices, and reducing inequality. The evaluations of the three businesses are found to be very similar when they are compared. The small differences between the companies are usually about the region they serve. Efforts made by the companies mostly concentrate on responsible consumption and production, life below water, climate action, and sustainable cities and community goals. These efforts include improving connectivity in needed areas for providing access to information, education and healthcare.

Keywords: multi-criteria decision-making, sustainable supply chain risk, supply chain agility, quality function deployment, Sustainable development goals

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Authors: Oguz Ugurkan Akkaya, Alpaslan Sipahi, Ozgur Firat Pamukcu, Murat Yasar, Tolga Guler, Arif Ulu, Ferit Cakir

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With the increase in human population, expansion, and renovation of cities, infrastructure systems today need to be manufactured to be more durable and long-lasting. The most cost-effective and durable manufacturing of components is a general problem of all engineering disciplines. Therefore, it is important to determine the most optimal components. This study mainly focuses on the most optimal component design of the polymer concrete. For this purpose, the lower and upper limits of the three main components of the polymer concrete are determined. The effects of these three principal components on the compressive strength, tensile strength, and unit price of polymer concrete are estimated using the response surface method. Box-Behnken Design is used in designing the experiments. Compressive strength, tensile strength, and unit prices are successfully estimated with variance ratios (R²) of 0.82, 0.92, and 0.90, respectively, and the optimum mixture quantity is determined.

Keywords: Box-Behnken Design, compressive strength, mechanical tests, polymer concrete, tensile strength

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Authors: Nguyen Thi Hoang Hieu

Abstract:

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) activities have increasingly become popular in both developed and developing countries. It is also an attractive topic for researchers to exploit in various sectors such as business, economies or finance. However, activities of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in M&A activities for a long time have not been sufficiently studied to provide the complete picture of what has been really, particularly in the developing market like Vietnam. The study employs semi-structured in-depth interviews with experts who have worked for years in the M&A sector to explore the participation motivation of both buy side and sell side of M&A activities. In addition, through the interviews, the study attempts to explain how firms finance their M&A deals. The collected data then will be content-analyzed to reflect the study's expectations based on the theories and practices reviews. In addition, limitations and recommendations are given in the hope that the M&A performance in Vietnam can be improved in the future.

Keywords: mergers and acquisitions, Vietnam, small and medium enterprises, content-analysis, semi-structure in-depth interview

Procedia PDF Downloads 266