Search results for: Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC)

Authors: Joseph Ndegwa

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Changes are required if energy systems are to foster long-term growth. The main problems are increasing access to inexpensive, dependable, and sufficient energy supply while addressing environmental implications at all levels. Policies can help to promote sustainable development by providing adequate and inexpensive energy sources to underserved regions, such as liquid and gaseous fuels for cooking and electricity for household and commercial usage. Promoting energy efficiency. Increased utilization of new renewables. Spreading and implementing additional innovative energy technologies. Markets can achieve many of these goals with the correct policies, pricing, and regulations. However, if markets do not work or fail to preserve key public benefits, tailored government policies, programs, and regulations can achieve policy goals. The main strategies for promoting sustainable energy systems are simple. However, they need a broader recognition of the difficulties we confront, as well as a firmer commitment to specific measures. Making markets operate better by minimizing pricing distortions, boosting competition, and removing obstacles to energy efficiency are among the measures. Complementing the reform of the energy industry with policies that promote sustainable energy. Increasing investments in renewable energy. Increasing the rate of technical innovation at each level of the energy innovation chain. Fostering technical leadership in underdeveloped nations by transferring technology and enhancing institutional and human capabilities. promoting more international collaboration. Governments, international organizations, multilateral financial institutions, and civil society—including local communities, business and industry, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and consumers—all have critical enabling roles to play in the problem of sustainable energy. Partnerships based on integrated and cooperative approaches and drawing on real-world experience will be necessary. Setting the required framework conditions and ensuring that public institutions collaborate effectively and efficiently with the rest of society are common themes across all industries and geographical areas in order to achieve sustainable development. Powerful tools for sustainable development include energy. However, significant policy adjustments within the larger enabling framework will be necessary to refocus its influence in order to achieve that aim. Many of the options currently accessible will be lost or the price of their ultimate realization (where viable) will grow significantly if such changes don't take place during the next several decades and aren't started right enough. In any case, it would seriously impair the capacity of future generations to satisfy their demands.

Keywords: sustainable development, reliable, price, policy

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Authors: Oto J. Okwu, Ornan Henry, Victor A. Otene

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The agricultural sector contributes a great deal to the sustenance of Nigeria’s food security and economy, with an attendant impact on rural development. In spite of the relatively high number of farmers in the country, self-sufficiency in food production is still a challenge. Farmers are faced with myriad problems which hinder their production efficiency, one of which is their access to agricultural inputs required for optimum production. To meet the challenges faced by farmers, the government at the federal level has come up with many agricultural policies, one of which is the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). The Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) is one of the critical components of ATA, which is aimed at ensuring the effective distribution of agricultural inputs delivered directly to farmers, and at a regulated cost. After about 8 years of launching this policy, it will be necessary to carry out an assessment of GESS and determine the impact it has made on rural farmers with respect to their access to farm inputs. This study was carried out to assess the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Crop farmers who registered under the GESS in Adamawa State, Nigeria, formed the population for the study. Primary data for the study were obtained through a survey, and the use of a structured questionnaire. A sample size of 167 respondents was selected using multi-stage, purposive, and random sampling techniques. The validity and reliability of the research instrument (questionnaire) were obtained through pilot testing and test-retest method, respectively. The objectives of the study were to determine the difference in the level of access to agricultural inputs before and after GESS, determine the difference in cost of agricultural inputs before and after GESS, and to determine the challenges faced by rural farmers in accessing agricultural inputs through GESS. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analyzing the collected data. Specifically, Mann-Whitney, student t-test, and factor analysis were used to test the stated hypotheses. Research findings revealed there was a significant difference in the level of access to farm inputs after the introduction of GESS (Z=14.216). Also, there was a significant difference in the cost of agro-inputs after the introduction of GESS (Pr |T| > |t|= 0.0000). The challenges faced by respondents in accessing agro-inputs through GESS were administrative and technical in nature. Based on the findings of the research, it was recommended that efforts be made by the government to sustain the GESS, as it has significantly improved the level of farmers’ access to agricultural inputs and has reduced the cost of agro-inputs, while administrative challenges faced by the respondents in accessing inputs be addressed by the government, and extension agents assist the farmers to overcome the technical challenges they face in accessing inputs.

Keywords: agricultural policy, agro-inputs, assessment, growth enhancement support scheme, rural farmers

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Authors: Elvis Nyirenda

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This research study work was done to evaluate and propose an optimum measure to enhance the uptake of clean energy technologies such as solar photovoltaics, the study also aims at enhancing the country’s energy mix from the overdependence on hydro power which is susceptible to droughts and climate change challenges The country in the years 2015 - 2016 and 2018 - 2019 had received rainfall below average due to climate change and a shift in the weather pattern; this resulted in prolonged power outages and load shedding for more than 10 hours per day. ZESCO Limited, the utility company that owns infrastructure in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity (state-owned), is seeking alternative sources of energy in order to reduce the over-dependence on hydropower stations. One of the alternative sources of energy is Solar Energy from the sun. However, solar power is intermittent in nature and to smoothen the load curve, investment in robust energy storage facilities is of great importance to enhance security and reliability of electricity supply in the country. The methodology of the study looked at the historical performance of the Kafue gorge upper power station and utilised the hourly generation figures as input data for generation modelling in Homer software. The average yearly demand was derived from the available data on the system SCADA. The two dams were modelled as natural battery with the absolute state of charging and discharging determined by the available water resource and the peak electricity demand. The software Homer Energy System is used to simulate the scheme incorporating a pumped storage facility and Solar photovoltaic systems. The pumped hydro scheme works like a natural battery for the conservation of water, with the only losses being evaporation and water leakages from the dams and the turbines. To address the problem of intermittency on the solar resource and the non-availability of water for hydropower generation, the study concluded that utilising the existing Hydro power stations, Kafue Gorge upper and Kafue Gorge Lower to work conjunctively with Solar energy will reduce power deficits and increase the security of supply for the country. An optimum capacity of 350MW of solar PV can be integrated while operating Kafue Gorge power station in both generating and pumping mode to enable efficient utilisation of water at Kafue Gorge upper Dam and Kafue Gorge Lower dam.

Keywords: hydropower, solar power systems, energy storage, photovoltaics, solar irradiation, pumped hydro storage system, supervisory control and data acquisition, Homer energy

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Authors: Ragaa T. Darwish, Maha A. Demellawy, Haidy M. Megahed, Doreen N. Younan, Wael S. Kholeif

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The testing of drug abuse is authentic in order to affirm the misuse of drugs. Several analytical approaches have been developed for the detection of drugs of abuse in pharmaceutical and common biological samples, but few methodologies have been created to identify them from fingerprints. Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) plays a major role in this field. The current study aimed at assessing the possibility of detection of some drugs of abuse (tramadol, clonazepam, and phenobarbital) from fingerprints using LC-MS in drug abusers. The aim was extended in order to assess the possibility of detection of the above-mentioned drugs in fingerprints of drug handlers till three days of handling the drugs. The study was conducted on randomly selected adult individuals who were either drug abusers seeking treatment at centers of drug dependence in Alexandria, Egypt or normal volunteers who were asked to handle the different studied drugs (drug handlers). An informed consent was obtained from all individuals. Participants were classified into 3 groups; control group that consisted of 50 normal individuals (neither abusing nor handling drugs), drug abuser group that consisted of 30 individuals who abused tramadol, clonazepam or phenobarbital (10 individuals for each drug) and drug handler group that consisted of 50 individuals who were touching either the powder of drugs of abuse: tramadol, clonazepam or phenobarbital (10 individuals for each drug) or the powder of the control substances which were of similar appearance (white powder) and that might be used in the adulteration of drugs of abuse: acetyl salicylic acid and acetaminophen (10 individuals for each drug). Samples were taken from the handler individuals for three consecutive days for the same individual. The diagnosis of drug abusers was based on the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders (DSM-V) and urine screening tests using immunoassay technique. Preliminary drug screening tests of urine samples were also done for drug handlers and the control groups to indicate the presence or absence of the studied drugs of abuse. Fingerprints of all participants were then taken on a filter paper previously soaked with methanol to be analyzed by LC-MS using SCIEX Triple Quad or QTRAP 5500 System. The concentration of drugs in each sample was calculated using the regression equations between concentration in ng/ml and peak area of each reference standard. All fingerprint samples from drug abusers showed positive results with LC-MS for the tested drugs, while all samples from the control individuals showed negative results. A significant difference was noted between the concentration of the drugs and the duration of abuse. Tramadol, clonazepam, and phenobarbital were also successfully detected from fingerprints of drug handlers till 3 days of handling the drugs. The mean concentration of the chosen drugs of abuse among the handlers group decreased when the days of samples intake increased.

Keywords: drugs of abuse, fingerprints, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, tramadol

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Authors: Purnima Dhall, Rita Kumar

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Introduction: River Yamuna, in the national capital territory (NCT), and also the primary source of drinking water for the city. Delhi discharges about 3,684 MLD of sewage through its 18 drains in to the Yamuna. Water quality monitoring is an important aspect of water management concerning to the pollution control. Public concern and legislation are now a day’s demanding better environmental control. Conventional method for estimating BOD5 has various drawbacks as they are expensive, time-consuming, and require the use of highly trained personnel. Stringent forthcoming regulations on the wastewater have necessitated the urge to develop analytical system, which contribute to greater process efficiency. Biosensors offer the possibility of real time analysis. Methodology: In the present study, a novel rapid method for the determination of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) has been developed. Using the developed method, the BOD of a sample can be determined within 2 hours as compared to 3-5 days with the standard BOD3-5day assay. Moreover, the test is based on specified consortia instead of undefined seeding material therefore it minimizes the variability among the results. The device is coupled to software which automatically calculates the dilution required, so, the prior dilution of the sample is not required before BOD estimation. The developed BOD-Biosensor makes use of immobilized microorganisms to sense the biochemical oxygen demand of industrial wastewaters having low–moderate–high biodegradability. The method is quick, robust, online and less time consuming. Findings: The results of extensive testing of the developed biosensor on drains demonstrate that the BOD values obtained by the device correlated with conventional BOD values the observed R2 value was 0.995. The reproducibility of the measurements with the BOD biosensor was within a percentage deviation of ±10%. Advantages of developed BOD biosensor • Determines the water pollution quickly in 2 hours of time; • Determines the water pollution of all types of waste water; • Has prolonged shelf life of more than 400 days; • Enhanced repeatability and reproducibility values; • Elimination of COD estimation. Distinctiveness of Technology: • Bio-component: can determine BOD load of all types of waste water; • Immobilization: increased shelf life > 400 days, extended stability and viability; • Software: Reduces manual errors, reduction in estimation time. Conclusion: BiosensorBOD can be used to measure the BOD value of the real wastewater samples. The BOD biosensor showed good reproducibility in the results. This technology is useful in deciding treatment strategies well ahead and so facilitating discharge of properly treated water to common water bodies. The developed technology has been transferred to M/s Forbes Marshall Pvt Ltd, Pune.

Keywords: biosensor, biochemical oxygen demand, immobilized, monitoring, Yamuna

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Authors: Sima E. Rugarabamu, Mecky I. Matee, Elison N. M. Simon

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Background: In Tanzania bacteriological studies of etiological agents of oro-facial infections are very limited, and very few have investigated anaerobes. The aim of this study was to determine the spectrum of bacterial agents involved in oral and maxillofacial infections in patients attending Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania. Method: This was a hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 1st January 2014 to 31st August 2014. Seventy (70) patients with various forms of oral and maxillofacial infections who were recruited for the study. The study participants were interviewed using a prepared questionnaire after getting their consent. Pus aspirate was cultured on Blood agar, Chocolate Agar, MacConkey agar and incubated aerobically at 37°C. Imported blood agar was used for anaerobic culture whereby they were incubated at 37°Cin anaerobic jars in an atmosphere of generated using commercial gas-generating kits in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. Plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours (For aerobic culture and 48 hours for anaerobic cultures). Gram negative rods were identified using API 20E while all other isolates were identified by conventional biochemical tests. Antibiotic sensitivity testing for isolated aerobic and anaerobic bacteria was detected by the disk diffusion, agar dilution and E-test using routine and commercially available antibiotics used to treat oral facial infections. Results: This study comprised of 41 (58.5%) males and 29 (41.5%) females with a mean age of 32 years SD +/-15.1 and a range of 19 to 70 years. A total of 161 bacteria strains were isolated from specimens obtained from 70 patients which were an average of 2.3 isolates per patient. Of these 103 were aerobic organism and 58 were strict anaerobes. A complex mix of strict anaerobes and facultative anaerobes accounted for 87% of all infections.The most frequent aerobes isolated was streptococcus spp 70 (70%) followed by Staphylococcus spp 18 (18%). Other organisms such as Klebsiella spp 4 (4%), Proteus spp 5 (5%) and Pseudomonas spp 2 (2%) were also seen. The anaerobic group was dominated by Prevotella spp 25 (43%) followed by Peptostreptococcus spp 18 (31%); other isolates were Pseudomonas spp 2 (1%), black pigmented Pophyromonas spp 4 (5%), Fusobacterium spp 3 (3%) and Bacteroides spp 5 (8%). Majority of these organisms were sensitive to Amoxicillin (98%), Gentamycin (89%), and Ciprofloxacin (100%). A 40% resistance to metronidazole was observed in Bacteroides spp otherwise this drug and others displayed good activity against anaerobes. Conclusions: Oral and maxillofacial facial infections at Muhimbili National Hospital are mostly caused by streptococcus spp and Prevotella spp. Strict anaerobes accounted for 36% of all isolates. The profile of isolates should assist in selecting empiric therapy for infections of the oral and maxillofacial region. Inclusion of antimicrobial agents against anaerobic bacteria is highly recommended.

Keywords: bacteria, oral and maxillofacial infections, antibiotic susceptibility, Tanzania

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Authors: B. Shahzamanian, S. Varga, D. C. Alarcón-Padilla

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Desalination is considered the primary alternative to increase water supply for domestic, agricultural and industrial use. Sustainable desalination is only possible in places where renewable energy resources are available. Solar energy is the most relevant type of renewable energy to driving desalination systems since most of the areas suffering from water scarcity are characterized by a high amount of available solar radiation during the year. Multi-Effect Desalination (MED) technology integrated with solar thermal concentrators is a suitable combination for heat-driven desalination. It can also be coupled with thermal vapour compressors or absorption heat pumps to boost overall system performance. The most interesting advantage of MED is the suitability to be used with a transient source of energy like solar. An experimental study was carried out to assess the performance of the most important life-size multi-effect desalination plant driven by solar energy located in the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA). The MED plant is used as a reference in many studies regarding multi-effect distillation. The system consists of a 14-effect MED plant coupled with a double-effect absorption heat pump. The required thermal energy to run the desalination system is supplied by means of hot water generated from 60 static flat-plate solar collectors with a total aperture area of 606 m2. In order to compensate for the solar energy variation, a thermal storage system with two interconnected tanks and an overall volume of 40 m3 is coupled to the MED unit. The multi-effect distillation unit is built in a forward feed configuration, and the last effect is connected to a double-effect LiBr-H2O absorption heat pump. The heat pump requires steam at 180 ºC (10 bar a) that is supplied by a small-aperture parabolic trough solar field with a total aperture area of 230 m2. When needed, a gas boiler is used as an auxiliary heat source for operating the heat pump and the MED plant when solar energy is not available. A set of experiments was carried out for evaluating the impact of the heating water temperature (Th), top brine temperature (TBT) and temperature difference between effects (ΔT) on the performance ratio of the MED plant. The considered range for variation of Th, TBT and ΔT was 60-70°C, 54-63°C and 1.1-1.6°C, respectively. The performance ratio (PR), defined as kg of distillate produced for every 2326 kJ of thermal energy supplied to the MED system, was almost independent of the applied variables with a variation of less than 5% for all the cases. The maximum recorded PR was 12.4. The results indicated that the system demonstrated robustness for the whole range of operating conditions considered. Author gratitude is expressed to the PSA for providing access to its installations, the support of its scientific and technical staff, and the financial support of the SFERA-III project (Grant Agreement No 823802). Special thanks to the access provider staff members who ensured the access support.

Keywords: multi-effect distillation, performance ratio, robustness, solar energy

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Authors: Mohammed El Raey, Moustafa Osman Mohammed

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The spatial-ecological modeling is relating sustainable dispersions with social development. Sustainability with spatial-ecological model gives attention to urban environments in the design review management to comply with Earth’s System. Naturally exchange patterns of ecosystems have consistent and periodic cycles to preserve energy flows and materials in Earth’s System. The probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) technique is utilized to assess the safety of industrial complex. The other analytical approach is the Failure-Safe Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) for critical components. The plant safety parameters are identified for engineering topology as employed in assessment safety of industrial ecology. In particular, the most severe accidental release of hazardous gaseous is postulated, analyzed and assessment in industrial region. The IAEA- safety assessment procedure is used to account the duration and rate of discharge of liquid chlorine. The ecological model of plume dispersion width and concentration of chlorine gas in the downwind direction is determined using Gaussian Plume Model in urban and ruler areas and presented with SURFER®. The prediction of accident consequences is traced in risk contour concentration lines. The local greenhouse effect is predicted with relevant conclusions. The spatial-ecological model is also predicted the distribution schemes from the perspective of pollutants that considered multiple factors of multi-criteria analysis. The data extends input–output analysis to evaluate the spillover effect, and conducted Monte Carlo simulations and sensitivity analysis. Their unique structure is balanced within “equilibrium patterns”, such as the biosphere and collective a composite index of many distributed feedback flows. These dynamic structures are related to have their physical and chemical properties and enable a gradual and prolonged incremental pattern. While this spatial model structure argues from ecology, resource savings, static load design, financial and other pragmatic reasons, the outcomes are not decisive in artistic/ architectural perspective. The hypothesis is an attempt to unify analytic and analogical spatial structure for development urban environments using optimization software and applied as an example of integrated industrial structure where the process is based on engineering topology as optimization approach of systems ecology.

Keywords: spatial-ecological modeling, spatial structure orientation impact, composite structure, industrial ecology

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Authors: Wei Hing Rosenkvist

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In the past few decades, concerns and demands of promoting student intercultural communicative competence in foreign language education have been increasing along with the rapid growth of information technologies and globalization in the 21st century. In Sweden, related concepts such as internationalization, global citizenship, multiculturalism, and intercultural communication etc., are also keywords that would be found in the written learning objectives of the foreign language education in all levels. Being one of the leading higher institutes in distance education in Europe, Dalarna University clearly states that after completion of the teacher education program, students shall understand the needs for integrating internationalization, intercultural and global perspective in teaching and learning in Swedish schools and implement their own studies to promote education in an international and global context. Despite the fact that many teachers and educators agree with the institutes’ mission and vision about the importance of internationalization and the need of increasing student understanding of intercultural and global perspective, they might find this objective unattainable and restricted due to the nature of the subject and their personal knowledge of intercultural competence. When conducting a comprehensive Chinese language course for the students who are going to become Chinese foreign language teachers, the researcher found that all the learning objectives are linguistic oriented while grammatical components dominate the entire course. Apparently, there is a gap between the learning objectives of the course and the DU’s mission of fostering an international learner with intercultural and globalized perspectives. How to include this macro-learning objective in a foreign language course is a great challenge to the educator. Although scholars from different academic domains have provided different theoretical frameworks and approaches for developing student intercultural competence, research that focuses on the didactic perspectives of developing student intercultural competence in teaching Chinese as a foreign language education (CFL) is limited and practical examples are rare. This has motivated the researcher to conduct an action research study that aims at integrating DU’s macro-learning objective in a current CFL course through different didactic practices with a purpose of developing the teacher student intercultural competence. This research study aims to, firstly, illustrate the cross-cultural knowledge integrated into the present Chinese language course for developing intercultural competence. Secondly, it investigates different didactic means that can be utilized to deliver cross-cultural knowledge to student teachers in the present course without generating dramatic disturbance of the syllabus. Thirdly, it examines the effectiveness of these didactic means in enhancing teacher student intercultural competence regarding the need for integrating and implementing internationalization, intercultural and global perspectives in teaching and learning in Swedish schools. Last but not least, it intends to serve as a practical example for developing the student teachers’ intercultural competence in foreign language education in DU and fill in the research gap of this academic domain worldwide.

Keywords: intercultural competence, foreign language education, action research, teacher education

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Authors: Subhra Chattopadhyay

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New Towns are usually built up at city-periphery with an eye to accommodate overspill population and functions of the city. ‘New towns are self-sufficient planned towns having a full range of urban economic and social activities, so it can provide employments for all of its inhabitants as well as a balanced self-content social community could be maintained’. In 3rd world countries New towns often emerge from scratch i.e on the area having no urban background and therefore, it needs a massive land conversion from rural to urban. This paper aims to study the implication of such land title transfer into rural sustainability with a case study at Jatragachi, New Town Kolkata. Broad objectives of this study are to understand 1. new changes in this area like i)changes in land use, ii) demographic changes, iii) occupational changes of the local people and 2.their view about new town planning. Major observations are stated below. The studied area was completely rural till recent years and is now at the heart of New Town Kolkata. Though this area is now under the jurisdiction of New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), it is still administrated by rural self-government.It creates administrative confusion and misuse of public capital. It is observed in this study that cultivation was the mainstay of livelihood for the majority of residents till recent past. There was a dramatic rise in irrigated area in the decade of 90’s pointing out agricultural prosperity.The area achieved the highest productivity of rice in the District. Percentage of marginal workers dropped significantly.In addition to it, ascending women’s literacy rate as found in this rural Mouza obviously indicates a constant social progress .Through land conversion, this flourishing agricultural land has been transformed into urban area with highly sophisticated uses. Such development may satisfy educated urban elite but the dwellers of the area suffer a lot. They bear the cost of new town planning through loss of their assured food and income as well as their place identity. The number of marginal workers increases abruptly. The growth of female literacy drops down. The area loses its functional linkages with its surroundings and fails to prove its actual growth potentiality. The physical linkages( like past roads and irrigation infrastructure) which had developed through time to support the economy become defunct. The ecological services which were provided by the agricultural field are denied. The historicity of this original site is demolished. Losses of the inhabitants of the area who have been evicted are also immense and cannot be materially compensated. Therefore, the ethos of such new town planning in stake of rural sustainability is under question. Need for an integrated approach for rural and urban development planning is felt in this study.

Keywords: new town, sustainable development, growth potentiality, land transfer

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Authors: Małgorzata Golonka, Jadwiga Laska

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Self-healing polymers are one of the most investigated groups of smart materials. As materials engineering has recently focused on the design, production and research of modern materials and future technologies, researchers are looking for innovations in structural, construction and coating materials. Based on available scientific articles, it can be concluded that most of the research focuses on the self-healing of cement, concrete, asphalt and anticorrosion resin coatings. In our study, a method of obtaining and testing the properties of several types of microcapsules for use in self-healing polymer materials was developed. A method to obtain microcapsules exhibiting various mechanical properties, especially compressive strength was developed. The effect was achieved by using various polymer materials to build the shell: urea-formaldehyde resin (UFR), melamine-formaldehyde resin (MFR), melamine-urea-formaldehyde resin (MUFR). Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) was used as the core material due to the possibility of its polymerization according to the ring-opening olefin metathesis (ROMP) mechanism in the presence of a solid Grubbs catalyst showing relatively high chemical and thermal stability. The ROMP of dicyclopentadiene leads to a polymer with high impact strength, high thermal resistance, good adhesion to other materials and good chemical and environmental resistance, so it is potentially a very promising candidate for the self-healing of materials. The capsules were obtained by condensation polymerization of formaldehyde with urea, melamine or copolymerization with urea and melamine in situ in water dispersion, with different molar ratios of formaldehyde, urea and melamine. The fineness of the organic phase dispersed in water, and consequently the size of the microcapsules, was regulated by the stirring speed. In all cases, to establish such synthesis conditions as to obtain capsules with appropriate mechanical strength. The microcapsules were characterized by determining the diameters and their distribution and measuring the shell thickness using digital optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, as well as confirming the presence of the active substance in the core by FTIR and SEM. Compression tests were performed to determine mechanical strength of the microcapsules. The highest repeatability of microcapsule properties was obtained for UFR resin, while the MFR resin had the best mechanical properties. The encapsulation efficiency of MFR was much lower compared to UFR, though. Therefore, capsules with a MUFR shell may be the optimal solution. The chemical reaction between the active substance present in the capsule core and the catalyst placed outside the capsules was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. The obtained autonomous repair systems (microcapsules + catalyst) were introduced into polyethylene in the extrusion process and tested for the self-repair of the material.

Keywords: autonomic self-healing system, dicyclopentadiene, melamine-urea-formaldehyde resin, microcapsules, thermoplastic materials

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Authors: Anirudh Lahiri

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Neuromorphic computing, inspired by the intricate operations of biological neural networks, offers a revolutionary approach to overcoming the limitations of traditional computing architectures. This research proposes the integration of spintronics with neuromorphic systems, aiming to enhance computational performance, scalability, and energy efficiency. Traditional computing systems, based on the Von Neumann architecture, struggle with scalability and efficiency due to the segregation of memory and processing functions. In contrast, the human brain exemplifies high efficiency and adaptability, processing vast amounts of information with minimal energy consumption. This project explores the use of spintronics, which utilizes the electron's spin rather than its charge, to create more energy-efficient computing systems. Spintronic devices, such as magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) manipulated through spin-transfer torque (STT) and spin-orbit torque (SOT), offer a promising pathway to reducing power consumption and enhancing the speed of data processing. The integration of these devices within a neuromorphic framework aims to replicate the efficiency and adaptability of biological systems. The research is structured into three phases: an exhaustive literature review to build a theoretical foundation, laboratory experiments to test and optimize the theoretical models, and iterative refinements based on experimental results to finalize the system. The initial phase focuses on understanding the current state of neuromorphic and spintronic technologies. The second phase involves practical experimentation with spintronic devices and the development of neuromorphic systems that mimic synaptic plasticity and other biological processes. The final phase focuses on refining the systems based on feedback from the testing phase and preparing the findings for publication. The expected contributions of this research are twofold. Firstly, it aims to significantly reduce the energy consumption of computational systems while maintaining or increasing processing speed, addressing a critical need in the field of computing. Secondly, it seeks to enhance the learning capabilities of neuromorphic systems, allowing them to adapt more dynamically to changing environmental inputs, thus better mimicking the human brain's functionality. The integration of spintronics with neuromorphic computing could revolutionize how computational systems are designed, making them more efficient, faster, and more adaptable. This research aligns with the ongoing pursuit of energy-efficient and scalable computing solutions, marking a significant step forward in the field of computational technology.

Keywords: material science, biological engineering, mechanical engineering, neuromorphic computing, spintronics, energy efficiency, computational scalability, synaptic plasticity.

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Authors: Bikash Ranjan Mishra, Lopamudra D. Satpathy

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In the wake of the phenomenal surge in international business in the last decades or more, both the developed and developing economies around the world are in massive competition to attract more and more FDI flows. While the developed countries have marched ahead in the race, the developing countries, especially those of Asian economies, have followed them at a rapid pace. While most of the previous studies have analysed the role of institutional quality in the promotion of FDI flows in developing countries, very few studies have taken an integrated approach of examining the comprehensive impact of institutional quality, globalization pattern and domestic financial development on FDI flows. In this context, the paper contributes to the literature in two important ways. Firstly, two composite indices of institutional quality and domestic financial development for the Asian countries are constructed in comparison to earlier studies that resort to a single variable for indicating the institutional quality and domestic financial development. Secondly, the impact of these variables on FDI flows through their interaction with geographical region is investigated. The study uses panel data covering the time period of 1996 to 2012 by selecting twenty Asian developing countries by emphasizing the quality of institutions from the geographical regions of eastern, south-eastern, southern and western Asia. Control of corruption, better rule of law, regulatory quality, effectiveness of the government, political stability and voice and accountability are used as indicators of institutional quality. Besides these, the study takes into account the domestic credits in the hands of public, private sectors and in stock markets as domestic financial indicators. First in the specification of model, a factor analysis is performed to reduce the vast determinants, which are highly correlated with each other, to a manageable size. Afterwards, a reduced version of the model is estimated with the extracted factors in the form of index as independent variables along with a set of control variables. It is found that the institutional quality index and index of globalization exert a significant effect on FDI inflows of the host countries; in contrast, the domestic financial index does not seem to play much worthy role. Finally, some robustness tests are performed to make sure that the results are not sensitive to temporal and spatial unobserved heterogeneity. On the basis of the above study, one general inference can be drawn from the policy prescription point of view that the government of these developing countries should strengthen their domestic institution, both financial and non-financial. In addition to these, welfare policies should also target for rapid globalization. If the financial and non-financial institutions of these developing countries become sound and grow more globalized in the economic, social and political domain, then they can appeal to more amounts of FDI inflows that will subsequently result in advancement of these economies.

Keywords: Asian developing economies, FDI, institutional quality, panel data

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Authors: Roberto Feltrero, Sara Osuna-Acedo

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Responsible Research and Innovation have to accomplish one fundamental aim: everybody has to participate in the benefits of innovation, but also innovation has to be democratic; that is to say, everybody may have the possibility to participate in the decisions in the innovation process. Particularly, a democratic and inclusive model of social participation and innovation includes persons with disabilities and people at risk of discrimination. Innovations on Artificial Intelligence for social development have to accomplish the same dual goal: improving equality for accessing fields of public interest like education, training and public services, as well as improving civic and democratic participation in the process of developing such innovations for all. This research aims to develop innovations, policies and policy recommendations to apply and disseminate such artificial intelligence and social model for making educational and administrative processes more accessible. First, designing a citizen participation process to engage citizens in the designing and use of artificial intelligence tools for public services. This will result in improving trust in democratic institutions contributing to enhancing the transparency, effectiveness, accountability and legitimacy of public policy-making and allowing people to participate in the development of ethical standards for the use of such technologies. Second, improving educational tools for lifelong learning with AI models to improve accountability and educational data management. Dissemination, education and social participation will be integrated, measured and evaluated in innovative educational processes to make accessible all the educational technologies and content developed on AI about responsible and social innovation. A particular case will be presented regarding access for all to educational tools and public services. This accessibility requires cognitive adaptability because, many times, legal or administrative language is very complex. Not only for people with cognitive disabilities but also for old people or citizens at risk of educational or social discrimination. Artificial Intelligence natural language processing technologies can provide tools to translate legal, administrative, or educational texts to a more simple language that can be accessible to everybody. Despite technological advances in language processing and machine learning, this becomes a huge project if we really want to respect ethical and legal consequences because that kinds of consequences can only be achieved with civil and democratic engagement in two realms: 1) to democratically select texts that need and can be translated and 2) to involved citizens, experts and nonexperts, to produce and validate real examples of legal texts with cognitive adaptations to feed artificial intelligence algorithms for learning how to translate those texts to a more simple and accessible language, adapted to any kind of population.

Keywords: responsible research and innovation, AI social innovations, cognitive accessibility, public participation

Procedia PDF Downloads 84

Authors: Zheng Wang, Zhenhong Li, Jon Mills

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Ground-based synthetic aperture radar (GBSAR) represents a powerful remote sensing tool for deformation monitoring towards various geohazards, e.g. landslides, mudflows, avalanches, infrastructure failures, and the subsidence of residential areas. Unlike spaceborne SAR with a fixed revisit period, GBSAR data can be acquired with an adjustable temporal resolution through either continuous or discontinuous operation. However, challenges arise from processing high temporal-resolution continuous GBSAR data, including the extreme cost of computational random-access-memory (RAM), the delay of displacement maps, and the loss of temporal evolution. Moreover, repositioning errors between discontinuous campaigns impede the accurate measurement of surface displacements. Therefore, a versatile package with two complete chains is developed in this study in order to process both continuous and discontinuous GBSAR data and address the aforementioned issues. The first chain is based on a small-baseline subset concept and it processes continuous GBSAR images unit by unit. Images within a window form a basic unit. By taking this strategy, the RAM requirement is reduced to only one unit of images and the chain can theoretically process an infinite number of images. The evolution of surface displacements can be detected as it keeps temporarily-coherent pixels which are present only in some certain units but not in the whole observation period. The chain supports real-time processing of the continuous data and the delay of creating displacement maps can be shortened without waiting for the entire dataset. The other chain aims to measure deformation between discontinuous campaigns. Temporal averaging is carried out on a stack of images in a single campaign in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of discontinuous data and minimise the loss of coherence. The temporal-averaged images are then processed by a particular interferometry procedure integrated with advanced interferometric SAR algorithms such as robust coherence estimation, non-local filtering, and selection of partially-coherent pixels. Experiments are conducted using both synthetic and real-world GBSAR data. Displacement time series at the level of a few sub-millimetres are achieved in several applications (e.g. a coastal cliff, a sand dune, a bridge, and a residential area), indicating the feasibility of the developed GBSAR data processing package for deformation monitoring of a wide range of scientific and practical applications.

Keywords: ground-based synthetic aperture radar, interferometry, small baseline subset algorithm, deformation monitoring

Procedia PDF Downloads 155

Authors: Tam Viet Hoang

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With a plethora of new mobility services and payment systems found in our cities and across modern public transportation systems, several cities globally have turned to common ticketing systems to help navigate this complexity. Helping to create time and space-differentiated fare structures and tariff schemes, common ticketing systems can optimize transport utilization rates, achieve cost efficiencies, and provide key incentives to specific target groups. However, not all cities and transportation systems have enjoyed a smooth journey towards the adoption, roll-out, and servicing of common ticketing systems, with both the experiences of success and failure being attributed to a wide variety of critical factors. Using case study research as a methodology and cities as the main unit of analysis, this research will seek to address the fundamental question of “what are the critical factors for the success and failure of common ticketing systems?” Using rail/train systems as the entry point for this study will start by providing a background to the evolution of transport ticketing and justify the improvements in operational efficiency that can be achieved through common ticketing systems. Examining the socio-economic benefits of common ticketing, the research will also help to articulate the value derived for different key identified stakeholder groups. By reviewing case studies of the implementation of common ticketing systems in different cities, the research will explore lessons learned from cities with the aim to elicit factors to ensure seamless connectivity integrated e-ticketing platforms. In an increasingly digital age and where cities are now coming online, this paper seeks to unpack these critical factors, undertaking case study research drawing from literature and lived experiences. Offering us a better understanding of the enabling environment and ideal mixture of ingredients to facilitate the successful roll-out of a common ticketing system, interviews will be conducted with transport operators from several selected cities to better appreciate the challenges and strategies employed to overcome those challenges in relation to common ticketing systems. Meanwhile, as we begin to see the introduction of new mobile applications and user interfaces to facilitate ticketing and payment as part of the transport journey, we take stock of numerous policy challenges ahead and implications on city-wide and system-wide urban planning. It is hoped that this study will help to identify the critical factors for the success and failure of common ticketing systems for cities set to embark on their implementation while serving to fine-tune processes in those cities where common ticketing systems are already in place. Outcomes from the study will help to facilitate an improved understanding of common pitfalls and essential milestones towards the roll-out of a common ticketing system for railway systems, especially for emerging countries where mass rapid transit transport systems are being considered or in the process of construction.

Keywords: common ticketing, public transport, urban strategies, Bangkok, Fukuoka, Sydney

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Authors: Gabrielle Peck, Ryan Hayes

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Polyurethane (PU) foam is typically sold as acoustic foam that is often used as sound insulation in settings such as night clubs and bars. As a construction product, PU is tested by being glued to the walls and ceiling of the ISO 9705 room corner test room. However, when heat is applied to PU foam, it melts and burns as a pool fire due to it being a thermoplastic. The current test layout is unable to accurately measure mass loss and doesn’t allow for the material to burn as a pool fire without seeping out of the test room floor. The lack of mass loss measurement means gas yields pertaining to smoke toxicity analysis can’t be calculated, which makes data comparisons from any other material or test method difficult. Additionally, the heat release measurements are not representative of the actual measurements taken as a lot of the material seeps through the floor (when a tray to catch the melted material is not used). This research aimed to modify the ISO 9705 test to provide the ability to measure mass loss to allow for better calculation of gas yields and understanding of decomposition. It also aimed to accurately measure smoke toxicity in both the doorway and duct and enable dilution factors to be calculated. Finally, the study aimed to examine if doubling the fuel loading would force under-ventilated flaming. The test layout was modified to be a combination of the SBI (single burning item) test set up inside oof the ISO 9705 test room. Polyurethane was tested in two different ways with the aim of altering the ventilation condition of the tests. Test one was conducted using 1 x SBI test rig aiming for well-ventilated flaming. Test two was conducted using 2 x SBI rigs (facing each other inside the test room) (doubling the fuel loading) aiming for under-ventilated flaming. The two different configurations used were successful in achieving both well-ventilated flaming and under-ventilated flaming, shown by the measured equivalence ratios (measured using a phi meter designed and created for these experiments). The findings show that doubling the fuel loading will successfully force under-ventilated flaming conditions to be achieved. This method can therefore be used when trying to replicate post-flashover conditions in future ISO 9705 room corner tests. The radiative heat generated by the two SBI rigs facing each other facilitated a much higher overall heat release resulting in a more severe fire. The method successfully allowed for accurate measurement of smoke toxicity produced from the PU foam in terms of simple gases such as oxygen depletion, CO and CO2. Overall, the proposed test modifications improve the ability to measure the smoke toxicity of materials in different fire conditions on a large-scale.

Keywords: flammability, ISO9705, large-scale testing, polyurethane, smoke toxicity

Procedia PDF Downloads 71

Authors: Mary Jane B. Suarez

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Public speaking anxiety (PSA), also known as speech anxiety, is innumerably persistent in any traditional communication classes, especially for students who learn English as a second language. The speech anxiety intensifies when communication skills assessments have taken their toll in an online or a remote mode of learning due to the perils of the COVID-19 virus. Both teachers and students have experienced vast ambiguity on how to realize a still effective way to teach and learn speaking skills amidst the pandemic. Communication skills assessments like public speaking, oral presentations, and student reporting have defined their new meaning using Google Meet, Zoom, and other online platforms. Though using such technologies has paved for more creative ways for students to acquire and develop communication skills, the effectiveness of using such assessment tools stands in question. This mixed method study aimed to determine the factors that affected the public speaking skills of students in a communication class, to probe on the assessment gaps in assessing speaking skills of students attending online classes vis-à-vis the implementation of remote and blended modalities of learning, and to recommend ways on how to address the public speaking anxieties of students in performing a speaking task online and to bridge the assessment gaps based on the outcome of the study in order to achieve a smooth segue from online to on-ground instructions maneuvering towards a much better post-pandemic academic milieu. Using a convergent parallel design, both quantitative and qualitative data were reconciled by probing on the public speaking anxiety of students and the potential assessment gaps encountered in an online English communication class under remote and blended learning. There were four phases in applying the convergent parallel design. The first phase was the data collection, where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using document reviews and focus group discussions. The second phase was data analysis, where quantitative data was treated using statistical testing, particularly frequency, percentage, and mean by using Microsoft Excel application and IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19, and qualitative data was examined using thematic analysis. The third phase was the merging of data analysis results to amalgamate varying comparisons between desired learning competencies versus the actual learning competencies of students. Finally, the fourth phase was the interpretation of merged data that led to the findings that there was a significantly high percentage of students' public speaking anxiety whenever students would deliver speaking tasks online. There were also assessment gaps identified by comparing the desired learning competencies of the formative and alternative assessments implemented and the actual speaking performances of students that showed evidence that public speaking anxiety of students was not properly identified and processed.

Keywords: blended learning, communication skills assessment, public speaking anxiety, speech anxiety

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Authors: M. Patterson, R. Bond, K. Cowan, M. Mulvenna, C. Reid, F. McMahon, P. McGowan, H. Cormican

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This paper outlines the design of a simulator to allow for the optimisation of clinical workflows through a pathology laboratory and to improve the laboratory’s efficiency in the processing, testing, and analysis of specimens. Often pathologists have difficulty in pinpointing and anticipating issues in the clinical workflow until tests are running late or in error. It can be difficult to pinpoint the cause and even more difficult to predict any issues which may arise. For example, they often have no indication of how many samples are going to be delivered to the laboratory that day or at a given hour. If we could model scenarios using past information and known variables, it would be possible for pathology laboratories to initiate resource preparations, e.g. the printing of specimen labels or to activate a sufficient number of technicians. This would expedite the clinical workload, clinical processes and improve the overall efficiency of the laboratory. The simulator design visualises the workflow of the laboratory, i.e. the clinical tests being ordered, the specimens arriving, current tests being performed, results being validated and reports being issued. The simulator depicts the movement of specimens through this process, as well as the number of specimens at each stage. This movement is visualised using an animated flow diagram that is updated in real time. A traffic light colour-coding system will be used to indicate the level of flow through each stage (green for normal flow, orange for slow flow, and red for critical flow). This would allow pathologists to clearly see where there are issues and bottlenecks in the process. Graphs would also be used to indicate the status of specimens at each stage of the process. For example, a graph could show the percentage of specimen tests that are on time, potentially late, running late and in error. Clicking on potentially late samples will display more detailed information about those samples, the tests that still need to be performed on them and their urgency level. This would allow any issues to be resolved quickly. In the case of potentially late samples, this could help to ensure that critically needed results are delivered on time. The simulator will be created as a single-page web application. Various web technologies will be used to create the flow diagram showing the workflow of the laboratory. JavaScript will be used to program the logic, animate the movement of samples through each of the stages and to generate the status graphs in real time. This live information will be extracted from an Oracle database. As well as being used in a real laboratory situation, the simulator could also be used for training purposes. ‘Bots’ would be used to control the flow of specimens through each step of the process. Like existing software agents technology, these bots would be configurable in order to simulate different situations, which may arise in a laboratory such as an emerging epidemic. The bots could then be turned on and off to allow trainees to complete the tasks required at that step of the process, for example validating test results.

Keywords: laboratory-process, optimization, pathology, computer simulation, workflow

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Authors: Sylwia Krawiec, Joanna Cabaj, Karol Malecha

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Nowadays, progress in the field of the analytical methods is of great interest for reliable biological research and medical diagnostics. Classical techniques of chemical analysis, despite many advantages, do not permit to obtain immediate results or automatization of measurements. Chemical sensors have displaced the conventional analytical methods - sensors combine precision, sensitivity, fast response and the possibility of continuous-monitoring. Biosensor is a chemical sensor, which except of conventer also possess a biologically active material, which is the basis for the detection of specific chemicals in the sample. Each biosensor device mainly consists of two elements: a sensitive element, where is recognition of receptor-analyte, and a transducer element which receives the signal and converts it into a measurable signal. Through these two elements biosensors can be divided in two categories: due to the recognition element (e.g immunosensor) and due to the transducer (e.g optical sensor). Working of optical sensor is based on measurements of quantitative changes of parameters characterizing light radiation. The most often analyzed parameters include: amplitude (intensity), frequency or polarization. Changes in the optical properties one of the compound which reacts with biological material coated on the sensor is analyzed by a direct method, in an indirect method indicators are used, which changes the optical properties due to the transformation of the testing species. The most commonly used dyes in this method are: small molecules with an aromatic ring, like rhodamine, fluorescent proteins, for example green fluorescent protein (GFP), or nanoparticles such as quantum dots (QDs). Quantum dots have, in comparison with organic dyes, much better photoluminescent properties, better bioavailability and chemical inertness. These are semiconductor nanocrystals size of 2-10 nm. This very limited number of atoms and the ‘nano’-size gives QDs these highly fluorescent properties. Rapid and sensitive detection of dopamine is extremely important in modern medicine. Dopamine is very important neurotransmitter, which mainly occurs in the brain and central nervous system of mammals. Dopamine is responsible for the transmission information of moving through the nervous system and plays an important role in processes of learning or memory. Detection of dopamine is significant for diseases associated with the central nervous system such as Parkinson or schizophrenia. In developed optical biosensor for detection of dopamine, are used graphene quantum dots (GQDs). In such sensor dopamine molecules coats the GQD surface - in result occurs quenching of fluorescence due to Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET). Changes in fluorescence correspond to specific concentrations of the neurotransmitter in tested sample, so it is possible to accurately determine the concentration of dopamine in the sample.

Keywords: biosensor, dopamine, fluorescence, quantum dots

Procedia PDF Downloads 358

Authors: Era Dorihi Kale, Sabina Gero, Uly Agustine

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Asylum seekers are people who come to other countries to get asylum. In line with that, they also carry the culture and health behavior of their country, which is very different from the new country they currently live in. This situation raises problems, also in the health sector. The approach taken must also be a culturally sensitive approach, where the culture and habits of the refugee's home area are also valued so that the health services provided can be right on target. Some risk factors that already exist in this group are lack of activity, consumption of fast food, smoking, and stress levels that are quite high. Overall this condition will increase the risk of an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. This research is a descriptive and experimental study. The purpose of this study is to identify health status and develop a culturally sensitive health promotion model, especially related to the risk of cardiovascular disease for asylum seekers in detention homes in the city of Kupang. This research was carried out in 3 stages, stage 1 was conducting a survey of health problems and the risk of asylum seeker cardiovascular disease, Stage 2 developed a health promotion model, and stage 3 conducted a testing model of health promotion carried out. There were 81 respondents involved in this study. The variables measured were: health status, risk of cardiovascular disease and, health promotion models. Method of data collection: Instruments (questionnaires) were distributed to respondents answered for anamnese health status; then, cardiovascular risk measurements were taken. After that, the preparation of information needs and the compilation of booklets on the prevention of cardiovascular disease is carried out. The compiled booklet was then translated into Farsi. After that, the booklet was tested. Respondent characteristics: average lived in Indonesia for 4.38 years, the majority were male (90.1%), and most were aged 15-34 years (90.1%). There are several diseases that are often suffered by asylum seekers, namely: gastritis, headaches, diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, skin allergies, sore throat, cough, and depression. The level of risk for asylum seekers experiencing cardiovascular problems is 4 high risk people, 6 moderate risk people, and 71 low risk people. This condition needs special attention because the number of people at risk is quite high when compared to the age group of refugees. This is very related to the level of stress experienced by the refugees. The health promotion model that can be used is the transactional stress and coping model, using Persian (oral) and English for written information. It is recommended for health practitioners who care for refugees to always pay attention to aspects of culture (especially language) as well as the psychological condition of asylum seekers to make it easier to conduct health care and promotion. As well for further research, it is recommended to conduct research, especially relating to the effect of psychological stress on the risk of cardiovascular disease in asylum seekers.

Keywords: asylum seekers, health status, cardiovascular disease, health promotion

Procedia PDF Downloads 95

Authors: Chao Yang, Jinchuan Zhang, Yongqiang Xiong

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The Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation shale (NFS) deposited in the marine deep-shelf environment in Southeast Upper Yangtze (SUY), possess excellent source rock basis for shale gas generation, however, it is currently challenged by being over-mature with strong tectonic deformations, leading to much uncertainty of gas-bearing potential. With emphasis on the shale gas enrichment of the NFS, analyses were made based on the regional gas-bearing differences obtained from field gas-desorption testing of 18 geological survey wells across the study area. Results show that the NFS bears low gas content of 0.2-2.5 m³/t, and the eastern region of SUY is higher than the western region in gas content. Moreover, the methane fraction also presents the similar regional differentiation with the western region less than 10 vol.% while the eastern region generally more than 70 vol.%. Through the analysis of geological theory, the following conclusions are drawn: Depositional environment determines the gas-enriching zones. In the western region, the Dengying Formation underlying the NFS in unconformity contact was mainly plateau facies dolomite with caves and thereby bears poor gas-sealing ability. Whereas the Laobao Formation underling the NFS in eastern region was a set of siliceous rocks of shelf-slope facies, which can effectively prevent the shale gas from escaping away from the NFS. The tectonic conditions control the gas-enriching bands in the SUY, which is located in the fold zones formed by the thrust of the Southern China plate towards to the Sichuan Basin. Compared with the western region located in the trough-like folds, the eastern region at the fold-thrust belts was uplifted early and deformed weakly, resulting in the relatively less mature level and relatively slight tectonic deformation of the NFS. Faults determine whether shale gas can be accumulated in large scale. Four deep and large normal faults in the study area cut through the Niutitang Formation to the Sinian strata, directly causing a large spillover of natural gas in the adjacent areas. For the secondary faults developed within the shale formation, the reverse faults generally have a positive influence on the shale accumulation while the normal faults perform the opposite influence. Overall, shale gas enrichment targets of the NFS, are the areas with certain thickness of siliceous rocks at the basement of the Niutitang Formation, and near the margin of the paleouplift with less developed faults. These findings provide direction for shale gas exploration in South China, and also provide references for the areas with similar geological conditions all over the world.

Keywords: over-mature marine shale, shale gas accumulation, structure-complicated area, Southeast Upper Yangtze

Procedia PDF Downloads 137

Authors: Louise Ödlund, Danica Djuric Ilic

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Sustainable development includes many challenges related to energy use, such as (1) developing flexibility on the demand side of the electricity systems due to an increased share of intermittent electricity sources (e.g., wind and solar power), (2) overcoming economic challenges related to an increased share of renewable energy in the transport sector, (3) increasing efficiency of the biomass use, (4) increasing utilization of industrial excess heat (e.g., approximately two thirds of the energy currently used in EU is lost in the form of excess and waste heat). The European Commission has been recognized DH technology as of essential importance to reach sustainability. Flexibility in the fuel mix, and possibilities of industrial waste heat utilization, combined heat, and power (CHP) production and energy recovery through waste incineration, are only some of the benefits which characterize DH technology. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the possible business strategies which would enable DH to have an important role in future sustainable energy systems. The methodology used in this study is a systematic literature review. The study includes a systematic approach where DH is seen as a part of an integrated system that consists of transport , industrial-, and electricity sectors as well. The DH technology can play a decisive role in overcoming the sustainability challenges related to our energy use. The introduction of biofuels in the transport sector can be facilitated by integrating biofuel and DH production in local DH systems. This would enable the development of local biofuel supply chains and reduce biofuel production costs. In this way, DH can also promote the development of biofuel production technologies that are not yet developed. Converting energy for running the industrial processes from fossil fuels and electricity to DH (above all biomass and waste-based DH) and delivering excess heat from industrial processes to the local DH systems would make the industry less dependent on fossil fuels and fossil fuel-based electricity, as well as the increasing energy efficiency of the industrial sector and reduce production costs. The electricity sector would also benefit from these measures. Reducing the electricity use in the industry sector while at the same time increasing the CHP production in the local DH systems would (1) replace fossil-based electricity production with electricity in biomass- or waste-fueled CHP plants and reduce the capacity requirements from the national electricity grid (i.e., it would reduce the pressure on the bottlenecks in the grid). Furthermore, by operating their central controlled heat pumps and CHP plants depending on the intermittent electricity production variation, the DH companies may enable an increased share of intermittent electricity production in the national electricity grid.

Keywords: energy system, district heating, sustainable business strategies, sustainable development

Procedia PDF Downloads 166

Authors: Rajkumar Ghosh, Shyama Pada Gorai

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Access to safe drinking water is a fundamental human right; however, regions like Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Malda, Dinajpur in West Bengal, India, face formidable challenges due to heightened fluoride levels. This paper delves into the hurdles of fresh drinking water production, presenting comprehensive solutions derived from literature reviews, field surveys, and scientific analyses. Encompassing fluoride-affected areas in Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Malda, North-South Dinajpur, and South 24 Parganas, the study emphasizes an integrated and sustainable approach. Employing a multidisciplinary methodology, combining scientific analysis and community engagement, the study identifies key factors influencing water quality and proposes sustainable strategies. Elevated fluoride concentrations exceeding international health standards (Purulia: 0.126 – 8.16 mg/L, Bankura: 0.1 – 12.2 mg/L, Malda: 0.1 – 4.54 mg/L, Birbhum: 0.023 – 18 mg/L) necessitate urgent intervention. Infrastructure deficiencies impede water treatment and distribution, while limited awareness obstructs community participation. The proposed solutions embrace advanced water treatment technologies, infrastructure development, community education, and sustainable water management practices. This comprehensive effort aims to provide clean drinking water, safeguarding the health of affected populations. Building on these foundations, the study explores the potential of rooftop rainwater harvesting as an effective and sustainable strategy to mitigate challenges in fresh drinking water production. By addressing fluoride contamination concerns and promoting community involvement, this approach presents a holistic solution to water quality issues in affected regions. The findings underscore the importance of integrating sustainable practices with community engagement to achieve long-term water security in Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Malda, North-South Dinajpur, and South 24 Parganas. This study serves as a cornerstone for further research and policy development, addressing fluoride contamination's impact on public health in affected areas. Recommendations include the establishment of long-term monitoring programs to assess the effectiveness of implemented solutions and conducting health impact studies to understand the long-term effects of fluoride contamination on the local population.

Keywords: fluoride mitigation, rainwater harvesting, water quality, sustainable water management, community engagement

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Authors: Gautier Girard, Marion Martiny, Sebastien Mercier, Mohamad Jrad, Mohamed-Slim Bahi, Laurent Bodin, Francois Lechleiter, David Nevo, Sophie Dareys

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Reliability of electronic devices has always been of highest interest for Aero-MIL and space applications. In any electronic device, Printed Circuit Board (PCB), providing interconnection between components, is a key for reliability. During the last decades, PCB technologies evolved to sustain and/or fulfill increased original equipment manufacturers requirements and specifications, higher densities and better performances, faster time to market and longer lifetime, newer material and mixed buildups. From the very beginning of the PCB industry up to recently, qualification, experiments and trials, and errors were the most popular methods to assess system (PCB) reliability. Nowadays OEM, PCB manufacturers and scientists are working together in a close relationship in order to develop predictive models for PCB reliability and lifetime. To achieve that goal, it is fundamental to characterize precisely base materials (laminates, electrolytic copper, …), in order to understand failure mechanisms and simulate PCB aging under environmental constraints by means of finite element method for example. The laminates are woven composites and have thus an orthotropic behaviour. The in-plane properties can be measured by combining classical uniaxial testing and digital image correlation. Nevertheless, the out-of-plane properties cannot be evaluated due to the thickness of the laminate (a few hundred of microns). It has to be noted that the knowledge of the out-of-plane properties is fundamental to investigate the lifetime of high density printed circuit boards. A homogenization method combining analytical and numerical approaches has been developed in order to obtain the complete elastic orthotropic behaviour of a woven composite from its precise 3D internal structure and its experimentally measured in-plane elastic properties. Since the mechanical properties of the resin surrounding the fibres are unknown, an inverse method is proposed to estimate it. The methodology has been applied to one laminate used in hyperfrequency spatial applications in order to get its elastic orthotropic behaviour at different temperatures in the range [-55°C; +125°C]. Next; numerical simulations of a plated through hole in a double sided PCB are performed. Results show the major importance of the out-of-plane properties and the temperature dependency of these properties on the lifetime of a printed circuit board. Acknowledgements—The support of the French ANR agency through the Labcom program ANR-14-LAB7-0003-01, support of CNES, Thales Alenia Space and Cimulec is acknowledged.

Keywords: homogenization, orthotropic behaviour, printed circuit board, woven composites

Procedia PDF Downloads 196

Authors: Charly Julien Nyobe, Eric Jacquelin, Denis Brizard, Alexy Mercier

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The performance of road side safety barriers depends largely on the dynamic interactions between post and soil. These interactions play a key role in the response of barriers to crash testing. In the literature, soil-post interaction is modeled in crash test simulations using three approaches. Many researchers have initially used the finite element approach, in which the post is embedded in a continuum soil modelled by solid finite elements. This method represents a more comprehensive and detailed approach, employing a mesh-based continuum to model the soil’s behavior and its interaction with the post. Although this method takes all soil properties into account, it is nevertheless very costly in terms of simulation time. In the second approach, all the points of the post located at a predefined depth are fixed. Although this approach reduces CPU computing time, it overestimates soil-post stiffness. The third approach involves modeling the post as a beam supported by a set of nonlinear springs in the horizontal directions. For support in the vertical direction, the posts were constrained at a node at ground level. This approach is less costly, but the literature does not provide a simple procedure to determine the constitutive law of the springs The aim of this study is to propose a simple and low-cost procedure to obtain the constitutive law of nonlinear springs that model the soil-post interaction. To achieve this objective, we will first present a procedure to obtain the constitutive law of nonlinear springs thanks to the simulation of a soil compression test. The test consists in compressing the soil contained in the tank by a rigid solid, up to a vertical displacement of 200 mm. The resultant force exerted by the ground on the rigid solid and its vertical displacement are extracted and, a force-displacement curve was determined. The proposed procedure for replacing the soil with springs must be tested against a reference model. The reference model consists of a wooden post embedded into the ground and impacted with an impactor. Two simplified models with springs are studied. In the first model, called Kh-Kv model, the springs are attached to the post in the horizontal and vertical directions. The second Kh model is the one described in the literature. The two simplified models are compared with the reference model according to several criteria: the displacement of a node located at the top of the post in vertical and horizontal directions; displacement of the post's center of rotation and impactor velocity. The results given by both simplified models are very close to the reference model results. It is noticeable that the Kh-Kv model is slightly better than the Kh model. Further, the former model is more interesting than the latter as it involves less arbitrary conditions. The simplified models also reduce the simulation time by a factor 4. The Kh-Kv model can therefore be used as a reliable tool to represent the soil-post interaction in a future research and development of road safety barriers.

Keywords: crash tests, nonlinear springs, soil-post interaction modeling, constitutive law

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Authors: Ladislav Écsi, Roland Jančo

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Contemporary multiplicative plasticity models assume that the body's intermediate configuration consists of an assembly of locally unloaded neighbourhoods of material particles that cannot be reassembled together to give the overall stress-free intermediate configuration since the neighbourhoods are not necessarily compatible with each other. As a result, the plastic deformation gradient, an inelastic component in the multiplicative split of the deformation gradient, cannot be integrated, and the material particle moves from the initial configuration to the intermediate configuration without a position vector and a plastic displacement field when plastic flow occurs. Such behaviour is incompatible with the continuum theory and the continuum physics of elastoplastic deformations, and the related material models can hardly be denoted as truly continuum-based. The paper presents a proper continuum-based reformulation of current problems in finite strain plasticity. It will be shown that the incompatible neighbourhoods in real material are modelled by the product of the plastic multiplier and the yield surface normal when the plastic flow is defined in the current configuration. The incompatible plastic factor can also model the neighbourhoods as the solution of the system of differential equations whose coefficient matrix is the above product when the plastic flow is defined in the intermediate configuration. The incompatible tensors replace the compatible spatial plastic velocity gradient in the former case or the compatible plastic deformation gradient in the latter case in the definition of the plastic flow rule. They act as local imperfections but have the same position vector as the compatible plastic velocity gradient or the compatible plastic deformation gradient in the definitions of the related plastic flow rules. The unstressed intermediate configuration, the unloaded configuration after the plastic flow, where the residual stresses have been removed, can always be calculated by integrating either the compatible plastic velocity gradient or the compatible plastic deformation gradient. However, the corresponding plastic displacement field becomes permanent with both elastic and plastic components. The residual strains and stresses originate from the difference between the compatible plastic/permanent displacement field gradient and the prescribed incompatible second-order tensor characterizing the plastic flow in the definition of the plastic flow rule, which becomes an assignment statement rather than an equilibrium equation. The above also means that the elastic and plastic factors in the multiplicative split of the deformation gradient are, in reality, gradients and that there is no problem with the continuum physics of elastoplastic deformations. The formulation is demonstrated in a numerical example using the regularized Mooney-Rivlin material model and modified equilibrium statements where the intermediate configuration is calculated, whose analysis results are compared with the identical material model using the current equilibrium statements. The advantages and disadvantages of each formulation, including their relationship with multiplicative plasticity, are also discussed.

Keywords: finite strain plasticity, continuum formulation, regularized Mooney-Rivlin material model, compatibility

Procedia PDF Downloads 118

Authors: Jean Pierre Ribeiro Daquila

Abstract:

This paper aims to analyze the use of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences as a tool to facilitate students’ learning. This theory, proposed by the American psychologist and educator Howard Gardner, was first established in 1983 and advocates that human beings possess eight intelligence and not only one, as defended by psychologists prior to his theory. These intelligence are bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical, linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. This paper will focus on bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Spatial and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences are sensed by athletes, dancers, and others who use their bodies in ways that exceed normal abilities. These are intelligences that are closely related. A quarterback or a ballet dancer needs to have both an awareness of body motions and abilities as well as a sense of the space involved in the action. Nevertheless, there are many reasons which make classical ballet dance more integrated with other intelligences. Ballet dancers make it look effortless as they move across the stage, from the lifts to the toe points; therefore, there is acting both in the performance of the repertoire and in hiding the pain or physical stress. The ballet dancer has to have great mathematical intelligence to perform a fast allegro; for instance, each movement has to be executed in a specific millisecond. Flamenco dancers need to rely as well on their mathematic abilities, as the footwork requires the ability to make half, two, three, four or even six movements in just one beat. However, the precision of the arm movements is freer than in ballet dance; for this reason, ballet dancers need to be more holistically aware of their movements; therefore, our experiment will test whether this greater attention required by ballet dancers makes them acquire better results in the training sessions when compared to flamenco dancers. An experiment will be carried out in this study by training ballet dancers through dance (four years of experience dancing minimum – experimental group 1); a group of flamenco dancers (four years of experience dancing minimum – experimental group 2). Both experimental groups will be trained in two different domains – phonetics and chemistry – to examine whether there is a significant improvement in these areas compared to the control group (a group of regular students who will receive the same training through a traditional method). However, this paper will focus on phonetic training. Experimental group 1 will be trained with the aid of classical music plus bodily work. Experimental group 2 will be trained with flamenco rhythm and kinesthetic work. We would like to highlight that this study takes dance as an example of a possible area of strength; nonetheless, other types of arts can and should be used to support students, such as drama, creative writing, music and others. The main aim of this work is to suggest that other intelligences, in the case of this study, bodily-kinesthetic, can be used to help improve pronunciation.

Keywords: multiple intelligences, pronunciation, effective pronunciation trainings, short drills, musical intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence

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Authors: S. Chuenchooklin, S. Taweepong, U. Pangnakorn

Abstract:

This research was conducted in the Mae Sot Watershed whereas located in the Moei River Basin at the Upper Salween River Basin in Tak Province, Thailand. The Mae Sot Municipality is the largest urbanized in Tak Province and situated in the midstream of the Mae Sot Watershed. It usually faces flash flood problem after heavy rain due to poor flood management has been reported since economic rapidly bloom up in recently years. Its catchment can be classified as ungauged basin with lack of rainfall data and no any stream gaging station was reported. It was attached by most severely flood event in 2013 as the worst studied case for those all communities in this municipality. Moreover, other problems are also faced in this watershed such shortage water supply for domestic consumption and agriculture utilizations including deterioration of water quality and landslide as well. The research aimed to increase capability building and strengthening the participation of those local community leaders and related agencies to conduct better water management in urban area was started by mean of the data collection and illustration of appropriated application of some short period rainfall forecasting model as the aim for better flood relief plan and management through the hydrologic model system and river analysis system programs. The authors intended to apply the global rainfall data via the integrated data viewer (IDV) program from the Unidata with the aim for rainfall forecasting in short period of 7 - 10 days in advance during rainy season instead of real time record. The IDV product can be present in advance period of rainfall with time step of 3 - 6 hours was introduced to the communities. The result can be used to input to either the hydrologic modeling system model (HEC-HMS) or the soil water assessment tool model (SWAT) for synthesizing flood hydrographs and use for flood forecasting as well. The authors applied the river analysis system model (HEC-RAS) to present flood flow behaviors in the reach of the Mae Sot stream via the downtown of the Mae Sot City as flood extents as water surface level at every cross-sectional profiles of the stream. Both models of HMS and RAS were tested in 2013 with observed rainfall and inflow-outflow data from the Mae Sot Dam. The result of HMS showed fit to the observed data at dam and applied at upstream boundary discharge to RAS in order to simulate flood extents and tested in the field, and the result found satisfied. The result of IDV’s rainfall forecast data was compared to observed data and found fair. However, it is an appropriate tool to use in the ungauged catchment to use with flood hydrograph and river analysis models for future efficient flood relief plan and management.

Keywords: global rainfall, flood forecast, hydrologic modeling system, river analysis system

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Authors: Vesa Salminen, Esa Santakallio, Heikki Ruohomaa

Abstract:

Introduction: The city of Riihimäki has decided robotics on well-being, service and industry as the main focus area on their ecosystem strategy. Robotics is going to be an important part of the everyday life of citizens and present in the working day of the average citizen and employee in the future. For that reason, also education system and education programs on all levels of education from diaper age to doctorate have been directed to fulfill this ecosystem strategy. Goal: The objective of this activity has been to develop education continuity from diaper age to doctorate. The main target of the development activity is to create a unique robotics study entity that enables ongoing robotics studies from preprimary education to university. The aim is also to attract students internationally and supply a skilled workforce to the private sector, capable of the challenges of the future. Methodology: Education instances (high school, second grade, Universities on all levels) in a large area of Tavastia Province have gradually directed their education programs to support this goal. On the other hand, applied research projects have been created to make proof of concept- phases on areal real environment field labs to test technology opportunities and digitalization to change business processes by applying robotic solutions. Customer-oriented applied research projects offer for students in robotics education learning environments to learn new knowledge and content. That is also a learning environment for education programs to adapt and co-evolution. New content and problem-based learning are used in future education modules. Major findings: Joint robotics education entity is being developed in cooperation with the city of Riihimäki (primary education), Syria Education (secondary education) and HAMK (bachelor and master education). The education modules have been developed to enable smooth transitioning from one institute to another. This article is introduced a case study of the change of education of wellbeing education because of digitalization and robotics. Riihimäki's Elderly citizen's service house, Riihikoti, has been working as a field lab for proof-of-concept phases on testing technology opportunities. According to successful case studies also education programs on various levels of education have been changing. Riihikoti has been developed as a physical learning environment for home care and robotics, investigating and developing a variety of digital devices and service opportunities and experimenting and learn the use of equipment. The environment enables the co-development of digital service capabilities in the authentic environment for all interested groups in transdisciplinary cooperation.

Keywords: ecosystem strategy, digitalization and robotics, education continuity, learning environment, transdisciplinary co-operation

Procedia PDF Downloads 171