Search results for: rock bolt supporting factor (RSF)
6442 Seasonal Variation of the Unattached Fraction and Equilibrium Factor of ²²²Rn, ²²⁰Rn
Authors: Rajan Jakhu, Rohit Mehra
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Radon (²²²Rn) and its decay products are the major sources of natural radiation exposure to general population. The activity concentrations of radon, thoron gasses, and their unattached and attached short-lived progeny in indoor environment of the Jaipur and Ajmer districts of Rajasthan had been calculated via passive measurements using the Pinhole cup dosimeter, deposition based progeny sensors (DRPS/DTPS) and wire mesh capped (DRPS/DTPS) progeny sensors. The results of this study revealed that radon and thoron concentrations (CRn, CTn) are highest in the winter season. The variation of the radon and its decay products are observed to vary seasonally, but these environmental parameters seem not to be affecting the thoron and its decay product concentrations in a regular manner. The average values of the radon and its decay products are maximum in winter and minimum in summer. The equilibrium factor for radon is observed to be 0.50, 0.47 and 0.49 in winter, rainy and summer seasons. The annual average value of the unattached fraction of the radon progeny comes out to be 0.34. On the other hand, the average value of thoron (²²⁰Rn) concentration and its equilibrium factor in the studied area comes to be 74, 39, 45 Bq m⁻³ and 0.07, 0.11, 0.07 respectively for the winter, rainy and summer seasons with the annual average value of the unattached fraction of about 0.18. The annual average radiological dose from exposure to indoor radon and thoron progeny comes out to be 0.88 and 0.78 mSv.Keywords: equilibrium factor, radon, seasonal variation, thoron, unattached fraction
Procedia PDF Downloads 3116441 Screening Psychological Wellness in a South African Banking Industry: Psychometric Properties of the Sense of Coherence-29 Questionnaire and Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire
Authors: Nisha Harry, Keshia Sing
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Orientation: The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLF) and the sense of coherence-29 (SCS) is an effective tools to assess the prevalence and underlying structures of empirically based taxonomies related to leadership and wellbeing. Research purpose: The purpose of the study was to test the psychometric properties of the SCS and Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) to screen for psychological wellness indices within the banking industry in South Africa. Motivation for the study: The contribution of these two instruments for the purpose of determining psychological wellness in a banking work environment is unique. Research design, approach, or method: The sample consisted of (N = 150) financial staff employed in a South African banking organisation. The age of the sample was: 37% (30 -40 yrs), 31% (20-30 yrs), 26% (40- 50 yrs), and 6% (50+yrs), of which 52% were males, 48% were females. The white race group was the majority at 29%, African at 26%, Coloured at 23%, and Indian was 22%. Main findings: Results from the exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure as the most satisfactory. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed the two-factor model displayed better good of-fit indices. Practical implications: The factor structure of the Sense of Coherence-29 scale (SCS), and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), have a value-added focus to determine psychological wellness within banking staff. It is essential to take into account these constructs when developing employee wellness interventions. Contribution/value add: Understanding the psychometric properties of the SCS, the self-reported form, and the MLQ questionnaire contributes to screening psychological wellness indices such as coping within the banking industry in a developing country like South Africa. Leaders are an important part of the implementation process of organisational employee wellness practices.Keywords: factorial structure, leadership, measurement invariance, psychological wellness, sense of coherence
Procedia PDF Downloads 1116440 Estimation of Normalized Glandular Doses Using a Three-Layer Mammographic Phantom
Authors: Kuan-Jen Lai, Fang-Yi Lin, Shang-Rong Huang, Yun-Zheng Zeng, Po-Chieh Hsu, Jay Wu
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The normalized glandular dose (DgN) estimates the energy deposition of mammography in clinical practice. The Monte Carlo simulations frequently use uniformly mixed phantom for calculating the conversion factor. However, breast tissues are not uniformly distributed, leading to errors of conversion factor estimation. This study constructed a three-layer phantom to estimated more accurate of normalized glandular dose. In this study, MCNP code (Monte Carlo N-Particles code) was used to create the geometric structure. We simulated three types of target/filter combinations (Mo/Mo, Mo/Rh, Rh/Rh), six voltages (25 ~ 35 kVp), six HVL parameters and nine breast phantom thicknesses (2 ~ 10 cm) for the three-layer mammographic phantom. The conversion factor for 25%, 50% and 75% glandularity was calculated. The error of conversion factors compared with the results of the American College of Radiology (ACR) was within 6%. For Rh/Rh, the difference was within 9%. The difference between the 50% average glandularity and the uniform phantom was 7.1% ~ -6.7% for the Mo/Mo combination, voltage of 27 kVp, half value layer of 0.34 mmAl, and breast thickness of 4 cm. According to the simulation results, the regression analysis found that the three-layer mammographic phantom at 0% ~ 100% glandularity can be used to accurately calculate the conversion factors. The difference in glandular tissue distribution leads to errors of conversion factor calculation. The three-layer mammographic phantom can provide accurate estimates of glandular dose in clinical practice.Keywords: Monte Carlo simulation, mammography, normalized glandular dose, glandularity
Procedia PDF Downloads 1896439 Developing the Principal Change Leadership Non-Technical Competencies Scale: An Exploratory Factor Analysis
Authors: Tai Mei Kin, Omar Abdull Kareem
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In light of globalization, educational reform has become a top priority for many countries. However, the task of leading change effectively requires a multidimensional set of competencies. Over the past two decades, technical competencies of principal change leadership have been extensively analysed and discussed. Comparatively, little research has been conducted in Malaysian education context on non-technical competencies or popularly known as emotional intelligence, which is equally crucial for the success of change. This article provides a validation of the Principal Change Leadership Non-Technical Competencies (PCLnTC) Scale, a tool that practitioners can easily use to assess school principals’ level of change leadership non-technical competencies that facilitate change and maximize change effectiveness. The overall coherence of the PCLnTC model was constructed by incorporating three theories: a)the change leadership theory whereby leading change is the fundamental role of a leader; b)competency theory in which leadership can be taught and learned; and c)the concept of emotional intelligence whereby it can be developed, fostered and taught. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to determine the underlying factor structure of PCLnTC model. Before conducting EFA, five important pilot test approaches were conducted to ensure the validity and reliability of the instrument: a)reviewed by academic colleagues; b)verification and comments from panel; c)evaluation on questionnaire format, syntax, design, and completion time; d)evaluation of item clarity; and e)assessment of internal consistency reliability. A total of 335 teachers from 12 High Performing Secondary School in Malaysia completed the survey. The PCLnTCS with six points Liker-type scale were subjected to Principal Components Analysis. The analysis yielded a three-factor solution namely, a)Interpersonal Sensitivity; b)Flexibility; and c)Motivation, explaining a total 74.326 per cent of the variance. Based on the results, implications for instrument revisions are discussed and specifications for future confirmatory factor analysis are delineated.Keywords: exploratory factor analysis, principal change leadership non-technical competencies (PCLnTC), interpersonal sensitivity, flexibility, motivation
Procedia PDF Downloads 4256438 The Comparison of Safety Factor in Dry and Rainy Condition at Coal Bearing Formation. Case Study: Lahat Area South Sumatera Province, Indonesia
Authors: Teguh Nurhidayat, Nurhamid, Dicky Muslim, Zufialdi Zakaria, Irvan Sophian
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This paper presents the role of climate change as the factor that induces landslide. Case study is located at Lahat Regency, South Sumatera Province, Indonesia. Study area has high economic value of coal reserves (mostly subbituminous – bituminous), which is developable for open pit coal mining in the future. Seams are found in Muara Enim Formation. This formation is at south Sumatera basin which is formed at Tertiary as a result of collision between the indian plate and eurasian plate. South Sumatera basin which is a basin located in back arc basin. This study aims to unravel the relationship between slope stability with different season condition in tropical climate. Undisturbed soil samples were obtained in the field along with other geological data. Laboratory works were carried out to obtain physical and mechanical properties of soils. Methodology to analyze slope stability is bishop method. Bishop methods are used to identify safety factor of slope. Result shows that slopes in rainy season conditions are more prone to landslides than in dry season. In the dry seasons with moisture content is 22.65%, safety factor is 1.28 the slope in stable condition. If rain is approaching with moisture content increasing to 97.8%, the slope began to be critical. On wet condition groundwater levels is increased, followed by γ (unit weight), c (cohesion), and φ (angle of friction) at 18.04, 5,88 kN/m2, and 28,04°, respectively, which ultimately determines the security factor FS to be 1.01 (slope in unstable conditions).Keywords: rainfall, moisture content, slope analysis, landslide prone
Procedia PDF Downloads 3136437 The Study of Thai Consumer Behavior toward Buying Goods on the Internet
Authors: Pichamon Chansuchai
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The study of Thai consumer behavior toward buying goods on the Internet is a survey research. The five-level rating scale and open-ended questionnaire are applied for this research procedure, which has more than 400 random sampling of Thai people aged between 15-40 years old. The summary findings are: The analysis of respondents profile were female 55.3% and male 44.8% , 35.3% aged between 20-30 years old, had been employed 29.5% with average income up to 11,000 baht/month 50.2% and expenditure more than 11,000 baht per month 29.3%. The internet usage behavior of respondents mostly found that objectives of the internet usage are: 1) Communication 93.3% 2) the categories of websites usage was trading 42.8% 3) The marketing mix effected to trading behavior via internet which can be analyzed in term of marketing factor as following: Product focused on product quality was the most influenced factor with average value 4.75. The cheaper price than overview market was the most effect factor to internet shopping with mean value 4.53. The average value 4.67 of the available place that could reduce spending time for shopping. The effective promotion of the buy 1 get 1 was the stimulus factor for internet shopping with mean value 4.60. For hypothesis testing, the different sex has relationship with buying decision. It presented that male and female have vary purchasing decision via internet with value of significant difference 0.05. Furthermore, the variety occupations of respondents related to the use of selected type of website. It also found that the vary of personal occupation effected to the type of website selection dissimilar with value of significant difference 0.05.Keywords: behavior, internet, consumer, goods
Procedia PDF Downloads 2496436 Well Stability Analysis Based on Geomechanical Properties of Formations in One of the Wells of Haftgol Oil Field, Iran
Authors: Naser Ebadati
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introductory statement: Drilling operations in oil wells often involve significant risks due to varying azimuths, slopes, and the passage through layers with different lithological properties. As a result, maintaining well stability is crucial. Instability in wells can lead to costly well losses, interrupted drilling operations, and halted production from reservoirs. Objective: One of the key challenges in drilling operations is ensuring the stability of the wellbore, particularly in loose and low-resistance formations. These factors make the analysis and evaluation of well stability essential. Therefore, building a geo mechanical model for a hydrocarbon field or reservoir requires both a stress field model and a mechanical properties model of the geological formations. Numerous studies have focused on analyzing the stability of well walls, an issue known as well instability. This study aims to analyze the stability and the safe mud weight window for drilling in one of the oil fields in southern Iran. Methodology: In wellbore stability analysis, it is essential to consider the stress field model, which includes values and directions of the three principal stresses, and the mechanical properties model, which covers elastic properties and rock fracture characteristics. Wellbore instability arises from mechanical failure of the rock. Well stability can be maintained by adjusting the drilling mud weight. This study investigates wellbore stability using field data. The lithological characteristics of the well mainly consist of limestone, dolomite, and shale, as determined from log data. Wellbore logging was conducted throughout the well to calculate the required drilling mud pressure using the Mohr-Coulomb criterion. Findings: The results indicate that the safe and stable drilling mud window ranges between 17.13 MPa and 27.80 MPa. By comparing and calculating induced stresses, it was determined that the wellbore wall primarily exhibits shear fractures in the form of wide shear fractures and tensile fractures in the form of radial tensile fractures.Keywords: drilling mud weight, formation evaluation, sheer strees, safe window
Procedia PDF Downloads 46435 Hierarchical Clustering Algorithms in Data Mining
Authors: Z. Abdullah, A. R. Hamdan
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Clustering is a process of grouping objects and data into groups of clusters to ensure that data objects from the same cluster are identical to each other. Clustering algorithms in one of the areas in data mining and it can be classified into partition, hierarchical, density based, and grid-based. Therefore, in this paper, we do a survey and review for four major hierarchical clustering algorithms called CURE, ROCK, CHAMELEON, and BIRCH. The obtained state of the art of these algorithms will help in eliminating the current problems, as well as deriving more robust and scalable algorithms for clustering.Keywords: clustering, unsupervised learning, algorithms, hierarchical
Procedia PDF Downloads 8856434 Factor Analysis Based on Semantic Differential of the Public Perception of Public Art: A Case Study of the Malaysia National Monument
Authors: Yuhanis Ibrahim, Sung-Pil Lee
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This study attempts to address factors that contribute to outline public art factors assessment, memorial monument specifically. Memorial monuments hold significant and rich message whether the intention of the art is to mark and commemorate important event or to inform younger generation about the past. Public monument should relate to the public and raise awareness about the significant issue. Therefore, by investigating the impact of the existing public memorial art will hopefully shed some lights to the upcoming public art projects’ stakeholders to ensure the lucid memorial message is delivered to the public directly. Public is the main actor as public is the fundamental purpose that the art was created. Perception is framed as one of the reliable evaluation tools to assess the public art impact factors. The Malaysia National Monument was selected to be the case study for the investigation. The public’s perceptions were gathered using a questionnaire that involved (n-115) participants to attain keywords, and next Semantical Differential Methodology (SDM) was adopted to evaluate the perceptions about the memorial monument. These perceptions were then measured with Reliability Factor and then were factorised using Factor Analysis of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method to acquire concise factors for the monument assessment. The result revealed that there are four factors that influence public’s perception on the monument which are aesthetic, audience, topology, and public reception. The study concludes by proposing the factors for public memorial art assessment for the next future public memorial projects especially in Malaysia.Keywords: factor analysis, public art, public perception, semantical differential methodology
Procedia PDF Downloads 5016433 Heavy Metal Pollution in Soils of Yelagirihills,Tamilnadu by EDXRF Technique
Authors: Chandrasekaran, Ravisankar N. Harikrishnan, Rajalakshmi, K. K. Satapathy M. V. R. Prasad, K. V. Kanagasabapathy
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Heavy metals were considered as highly toxic environmental pollutants to soil ecosystem and human health. In present study the 12 heavy metals (Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, V, Cr, Mn, Co,Ni and Zn.) are determined in soils of Yelagiri hills, Tamilnadu by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique. Metal concentrations were used to quantify pollution contamination factors such as enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and contamination factor (CF) are calculated and reported.Keywords: soil, heavy metals, EDXRF, pollution contamination factors
Procedia PDF Downloads 3416432 Elongation Factor 1 Alpha Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis for Anastrepha fraterculus Complex
Authors: Pratibha Srivastava, Ayyamperumal Jeyaprakash, Gary Steck
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Exotic, invasive tephritid fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) are a major concern to fruit and vegetable production in the USA. Timely detection and identification of these agricultural pests facilitate the possibility of eradication from newly invaded areas. They spread primarily as larvae in infested fruits carried in commerce or personal baggage. Identification of larval stages to species level is difficult but necessary to determine pest loads and their pathways into the USA. The main focus of this study is the New World genus, Anastrepha. Many of its constituent taxa are pests of major economic importance. This study is significant for national quarantine use, as morphological diagnostics to separate larvae of the various members remain poorly developed. Elongation factor 1 alpha sequences were amplified from Anastrepha fraterculus specimens collected from South America (Ecuador and Peru). Phylogenetic analysis was performed to characterize the Anastrepha fraterculus complex at a molecular level.Keywords: anastrepha, diptera, elongation factor, fruit fly
Procedia PDF Downloads 2056431 Enhancing Mitochondrial Activity and Metabolism in Aging Female Germ Cells: Synergistic Effects of Dual ROCK and ROS Inhibition
Authors: Kuan-Hao Tsui, Li-Te Lin, Chia-Jung Li
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The combination of Y-27632 and Vitamin C significantly enhances the quality of aging germ cells by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, restoring mitochondrial membrane potential balance, and promoting mitochondrial fusion. The age-related decline in oocyte quality contributes to reduced fertility, increased aneuploidy, and diminished embryo quality, with mitochondrial dysfunction in both oocytes and granulosa cells being a key factor in this decline. Experiments on aging germ cells investigated the effects of the Y-27632 and Vitamin C combination. In vivo studies involved aged mice to assess oocyte maturation and ROS accumulation during culture. The assessment included mitochondrial activity, ROS levels, mitochondrial membrane potential, and mitochondrial dynamics. Cellular energy metabolism and ATP production were also measured. The combination treatment effectively addressed mitochondrial dysfunction and regulated cellular energy metabolism, promoting oxygen respiration and increasing ATP production. In aged mice, this supplement treatment enhanced in vitro oocyte maturation and prevented ROS accumulation in aging oocytes during culture. While these findings are promising, further research is needed to explore the long-term effects and potential side effects of the Y-27632 and Vitamin C combination. Additionally, translating these findings to human subjects requires careful consideration. Overall, the study suggests that the Y-27632 and Vitamin C combination could be a promising intervention to mitigate aging-related dysfunction in germ cells, potentially enhancing oocyte quality, particularly in the context of in vitro fertilization.Keywords: ovarian aging, supplements, ROS, mitochondria
Procedia PDF Downloads 406430 Researching the Impact of Entrepreneurship on Economic Growth: Making Traditional Products Suitable for Our Age with E-Commerce
Authors: GüLcan Keskin
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In a globalizing world, it is more difficult for developing counties to gain a competitive advantage compared to developed countries. Entrepreneurship is an important factor for economic growth in developing countries. Entrepreneurship is not only in the success of an entrepreneur’s own businesses, but also plays an important role in regional and national development. Entrepreneurship is the factor that triggers change for the country to accelerate the creation, dissemination, and implementation of new thoughts, leading to the emergence of industries that supports economic growth and development as it increases productivity by creating a competitive advantage. Therefore, it is an important factor for countries to develop economically and socially in a global world. As the know-how of the local products belongs to the region, it is a value that should not be lost. Having know-how provides a competitive advantage to the region. On the other hand, traditional products can be tailored to today’s trade understanding to appeal to more audiences. The primary aim of the study is to examine the interaction mechanism between traditional products and innovation in the context of related literature. The second aim of the study is to show the effect the traditional products to competitive advantage.Keywords: e-commerce, economic growth, entrepreneurship, traditional products
Procedia PDF Downloads 1226429 Estimation of Physico-Mechanical Properties of Tuffs (Turkey) from Indirect Methods
Authors: Mustafa Gok, Sair Kahraman, Mustafa Fener
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In rock engineering applications, determining uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength (BTS), and basic index properties such as density, porosity, and water absorption is crucial for the design of both underground and surface structures. However, obtaining reliable samples for direct testing, especially from rocks that weather quickly and have low strength, is often challenging. In such cases, indirect methods provide a practical alternative to estimate the physical and mechanical properties of these rocks. In this study, tuff samples collected from the Cappadocia region (Nevşehir) in Turkey were subjected to indirect testing methods. Over 100 tests were conducted, using needle penetrometer index (NPI), point load strength index (PLI), and disc shear index (BPI) to estimate the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength (BTS), density, and water absorption index of the tuffs. The relationships between the results of these indirect tests and the target physical properties were evaluated using simple and multiple regression analyses. The findings of this research reveal strong correlations between the indirect methods and the mechanical properties of the tuffs. Both uniaxial compressive strength and Brazilian tensile strength could be accurately predicted using NPI, PLI, and BPI values. The regression models developed in this study allow for rapid, cost-effective assessments of tuff strength in cases where direct testing is impractical. These results are particularly valuable for geological engineering applications, where time and resource constraints exist. This study highlights the significance of using indirect methods as reliable predictors of the mechanical behavior of weak rocks like tuffs. Further research is recommended to explore the application of these methods to other rock types with similar characteristics. Further research is required to compare the results with those of established direct test methods.Keywords: brazilian tensile strength, disc shear strength, indirect methods, tuffs, uniaxial compressive strength
Procedia PDF Downloads 156428 Main Factor That Causes the Instabilities of the Earth’s Rotation
Authors: Jin-Sim, Kwan-U Kim, Ryong-Jin Jang, Sung-Duk Kim
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Earth rotation is one of astronomical phenomena without which it is impossible to think of human life. That is why the investigation of the Earth's rotation is very important, and it has a long history of study. The invention of quartz clocks in the 1930s, atomic time in the 1950s, and the introduction of modern technology into astronomic observation in recent years resulted in rapid development of the study of Earth’s rotation. The theory of the Earth's rotation, however, has not been up to the high level of astronomic observation due to the limitation of time. As a typical example, we can take the problems that cover the instabilities of the Earth’s rotation, proved completely by the astronomic observations as well as polar motion, the precession and nutation of the Earth's rotation axis, which have not been described in a single equation in a quantificational way from the unique law of Earth rotation. In particular, at present the problem of what is the main factor causing the instabilities of the Earth rotation has not been solved clearly in quantificational ways yet. Therefore, this paper gives quantificational proof that the main factor that causes the instabilities of the Earth's rotation is the moment of external force other than variations in the relative atmospheric angular momentum due to the time limitation and under some assumptions or the moment of inertia of the Earth’s body.Keywords: atmospheric angular momentum, instabilities of the earth’s rotation, law of the earth’s rotation change, moment of inertia of the earth
Procedia PDF Downloads 796427 An Investigation of Performance Versus Security in Cognitive Radio Networks with Supporting Cloud Platforms
Authors: Kurniawan D. Irianto, Demetres D. Kouvatsos
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The growth of wireless devices affects the availability of limited frequencies or spectrum bands as it has been known that spectrum bands are a natural resource that cannot be added. Many studies about available spectrum have been done and it shows that licensed frequencies are idle most of the time. Cognitive radio is one of the solutions to solve those problems. Cognitive radio is a promising technology that allows the unlicensed users known as secondary users (SUs) to access licensed bands without making interference to licensed users or primary users (PUs). As cloud computing has become popular in recent years, cognitive radio networks (CRNs) can be integrated with cloud platform. One of the important issues in CRNs is security. It becomes a problem since CRNs use radio frequencies as a medium for transmitting and CRNs share the same issues with wireless communication systems. Another critical issue in CRNs is performance. Security has adverse effect to performance and there are trade-offs between them. The goal of this paper is to investigate the performance related to security trade-off in CRNs with supporting cloud platforms. Furthermore, Queuing Network Models with preemptive resume and preemptive repeat identical priority are applied in this project to measure the impact of security to performance in CRNs with or without cloud platform. The generalized exponential (GE) type distribution is used to reflect the bursty inter-arrival and service times at the servers. The results show that the best performance is obtained when security is disable and cloud platform is enable.Keywords: performance vs. security, cognitive radio networks, cloud platforms, GE-type distribution
Procedia PDF Downloads 3466426 Influence of Climate Change on Landslides in Northeast India: A Case Study
Authors: G. Vishnu, T. V. Bharat
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Rainfall plays a major role in the stability of natural slopes in tropical and subtropical regions. These slopes usually have high slope angles and are stable during the dry season. The critical rainfall intensity that might trigger a landslide may not be the highest rainfall. In addition to geological discontinuities and anthropogenic factors, water content, suction, and hydraulic conductivity also play a role. A thorough geotechnical investigation with the principles of unsaturated soil mechanics is required to predict the failures in these cases. The study discusses three landslide events that had occurred in residual hills of Guwahati, India. Rainfall data analysis, history image analysis, land use, and slope maps of the region were analyzed and discussed. The landslide occurred on June (24, 26, and 28) 2020, on the respective sites, but the highest rainfall was on June (6 and 17) 2020. The factors that lead to the landslide occurrence is the combination of critical events initiated with rainfall, causing a reduction in suction. The sites consist of a mixture of rocks and soil. The slope failure occurs due to the saturation of the soil layer leading to loss of soil strength resulting in the flow of the entire soil rock mass. The land-use change, construction activities, other human and natural activities that lead to faster disintegration of rock mass may accelerate the landslide events. Landslides in these slopes are inevitable, and the development of an early warning system (EWS) to save human lives and resources is a feasible way. The actual time of failure of a slope can be better predicted by considering all these factors rather than depending solely on the rainfall intensities. An effective EWS is required with less false alarms in these regions by proper instrumentation of slope and appropriate climatic downscaling.Keywords: early warning system, historic image analysis, slope instrumentation, unsaturated soil mechanics
Procedia PDF Downloads 1146425 Gender Differences in the Descriptions of Shape
Authors: Shu-Feng Chang
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During the past years, gender issues have been discussed in many fields. It causes such differences not only in physical field but also in mental field. Gender differences also appear in our daily life, especially in the communication of spoken language. This statement was proved in the descriptions of color. However, the research about describing shape was fewer. The purpose of the study was to determine the description of the shape was different or alike due to gender. If it was different, this difference was dissimilar or as the same as the conclusion of color. Data were collected on the shape descriptions by 15 female and 15male participants in describing five pictures. As a result, it was really different for the descriptions of shape due to gender factor. The findings of shape descriptions were almost as the same as color naming with gender factor.Keywords: gender, naming, shape, sociolinguistics
Procedia PDF Downloads 5526424 Effect of Oil Viscosity and Brine Salinity/Viscosity on Water/Oil Relative Permeability and Residual Saturations
Authors: Sami Aboujafar
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Oil recovery in petroleum reservoirs is greatly affected by fluid-rock and fluid-fluid interactions. These interactions directly control rock wettability, capillary pressure and relative permeability curves. Laboratory core-floods and centrifuge experiments were conducted on sandstone and carbonate cores to study the effect of low and high brine salinity and viscosity and oil viscosity on residual saturations and relative permeability. Drainage and imbibition relative permeability in two phase system were measured, refined lab oils with different viscosities, heavy and light, and several brine salinities were used. Sensitivity analysis with different values for the salinity and viscosity of the fluids,, oil and water, were done to investigate the effect of these properties on water/oil relative permeability, residual oil saturation and oil recovery. Experiments were conducted on core material from viscous/heavy and light oil fields. History matching core flood simulator was used to study how the relative permeability curves and end point saturations were affected by different fluid properties using several correlations. Results were compared with field data and literature data. The results indicate that there is a correlation between the oil viscosity and/or brine salinity and residual oil saturation and water relative permeability end point. Increasing oil viscosity reduces the Krw@Sor and increases Sor. The remaining oil saturation from laboratory measurements might be too high due to experimental procedures, capillary end effect and early termination of the experiment, especially when using heavy/viscous oil. Similarly the Krw@Sor may be too low. The effect of wettability on the observed results is also discussed. A consistent relationship has been drawn between the fluid parameters, water/oil relative permeability and residual saturations, and a descriptor may be derived to define different flow behaviors. The results of this work will have application to producing fields and the methodologies developed could have wider application to sandstone and carbonate reservoirs worldwide.Keywords: history matching core flood simulator, oil recovery, relative permeability, residual saturations
Procedia PDF Downloads 3376423 Investigation of Performance of Organic Acids on Carbonate Rocks (Experimental Study in Ahwaz Oilfield)
Authors: Azad Jarrahian, Ehsan Heidaryan
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Matrix acidizing treatments can yield impressive production increase if properly applied. In this study, carbonate samples taken from Ahwaz Oilfield have undergone static solubility, sludge, emulsion, and core flooding tests. In each test interaction of acid and rock is reported and at the end it has been shown that how initial permeability and type of acid affects the overall treatment efficiency.Keywords: carbonate acidizing, organic acids, spending rate, acid penetration, incomplete spending.
Procedia PDF Downloads 4366422 Factor Affecting Decision Making for Tourism in Thailand by ASEAN Tourists
Authors: Sakul Jariyachansit
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The purposes of this research were to investigate and to compare the factors affecting the decision for Tourism in Thailand by ASEAN Tourists and among ASEAN community tourists. Samples in this research were 400 ASEAN Community Tourists who travel in Thailand at Suvarnabhumi Airport during November 2016 - February 2016. The researchers determined the sample size by using the formula Taro Yamane at 95% confidence level tolerances 0.05. The English questionnaire, research instrument, was distributed by convenience sampling, for gathering data. Descriptive statistics was applied to analyze percentages, mean and standard deviation and used for hypothesis testing. The statistical analysis by multiple regression analysis (Multiple Regression) was employed to prove the relationship hypotheses at the significant level of 0.01. The results showed that majority of the respondents indicated the factors affecting the decision for Tourism in Thailand by ASEAN Tourists, in general there were a moderate effects and the mean of each side is moderate. Transportation was the most influential factor for tourism in Thailand. Therefore, the mode of transport, information, infrastructure and personnel are very important to factor affecting decision making for tourism in Thailand by ASEAN tourists. From the hypothesis testing, it can be predicted that the decision for choosing Tourism in Thailand is at R2 = 0.449. The predictive equation is decision for choosing Tourism in Thailand = 1.195 (constant value) + 0.425 (tourist attraction) +0.217 (information received) and transportation factors, tourist attraction, information, human resource and infrastructure at the significant level of 0.01.Keywords: factor, decision making, ASEAN tourists, tourism in Thailand
Procedia PDF Downloads 2066421 Diagnosis of the Hydrological and Hydrogeological Potential in the Mancomojan Basin for Estimations of Offer and Demand
Authors: J. M. Alzate, J. Baena
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This work presents the final results of the ‘Diagnosis of the hydrological and hydrogeological potential in the Mancomojan basin for estimations of offer and demand’ with the purpose of obtaining solutions of domestic supply for the communities of the zone of study. There was realized the projection of population of the paths by three different scenes. The highest water total demand appears with the considerations of the scene 3, with a total demand for the year 2050 of 59.275 m3/year (1,88 l/s), being the path San Francisco the one that exercises a major pressure on the resource with a demand for the same year of the order of 31.189 m3/year (0,99 l/s). As for the hydrogeological potential of the zone and as alternative of supply of the studied communities, the stratigraphic columns obtained of the geophysical polls do not show strata saturated with water that could be considered to be a potential source of supply for the communities. The water registered in the geophysics tests presents very low resistances what indicates that he presents ions, this water meets in the rock interstices very thin granulometries which indicates that it is a water of constitution, and the flow of this one towards more permeable granulometries is void or limited. The underground resource that is registered so much in electrical vertical polls (SEV) as in tomography and that is saturating rocks of thin granulometry (clays and slimes), was demonstrated by content of ions, which is consistent with the abundant presence of plaster and the genesis marinades with transition to continental of the geological units in the zone. Predominant rocks are sedimentary, sandy rocks of grain I die principally, in minor proportion were observed also sandstones of thick grain to conglomerate with clastic rock of quartz, chert and siltstone of the Formation Mess and sandstones (of thin, average and thick grain) alternating with caps conglomerate whose thickness is, in general, between 5 and 15 cm, the nodules of sandstones are frequent with the same composition of the sandstones that contain them, in some cases with calcareous and crossed stratification of the formation Sincelejo Miembro Morroa.Keywords: hydrological, hydrogeological potential, geotomography, vertical electrical sounding (VES)
Procedia PDF Downloads 2606420 Using GIS and Map Data for the Analysis of the Relationship between Soil and Groundwater Quality at Saline Soil Area of Kham Sakaesaeng District, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
Authors: W. Thongwat, B. Terakulsatit
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The study area is Kham Sakaesaeng District in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, the south section of Northeastern Thailand, located in the Lower Khorat-Ubol Basin. This region is the one of saline soil area, located in a dry plateau and regularly experience standing with periods of floods and alternating with periods of drought. Especially, the drought in the summer season causes the major saline soil and saline water problems of this region. The general cause of dry land salting resulted from salting on irrigated land, and an excess of water leading to the rising water table in the aquifer. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship of physical and chemical properties between the soil and groundwater. The soil and groundwater samples were collected in both rainy and summer seasons. The content of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), chloride and salinity were investigated. The experimental result of soil and groundwater samples show the slightly pH less than 7, EC (186 to 8,156 us/cm and 960 to 10,712 us/cm), TDS (93 to 3,940 ppm and 480 to 5,356 ppm), chloride content (45.58 to 4,177,015 mg/l and 227.90 to 9,216,736 mg/l), and salinity (0.07 to 4.82 ppt and 0.24 to 14.46 ppt) in the rainy and summer seasons, respectively. The distribution of chloride content and salinity content were interpolated and displayed as a map by using ArcMap 10.3 program, according to the season. The result of saline soil and brined groundwater in the study area were related to the low-lying topography, drought area, and salt-source exposure. Especially, the Rock Salt Member of Maha Sarakham Formation was exposed or lies near the ground surface in this study area. During the rainy season, salt was eroded or weathered from the salt-source rock formation and transported by surface flow or leached into the groundwater. In the dry season, the ground surface is dry enough resulting salt precipitates from the brined surface water or rises from the brined groundwater influencing the increasing content of chloride and salinity in the ground surface and groundwater.Keywords: environmental geology, soil salinity, geochemistry, groundwater hydrology
Procedia PDF Downloads 1206419 A Platform to Screen Targeting Molecules of Ligand-EGFR Interactions
Authors: Wei-Ting Kuo, Feng-Huei Lin
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Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is often constitutively stimulated in cancer owing to the binding of ligands such as epidermal growth factor (EGF), so it is necessary to investigate the interaction between EGFR and its targeting biomolecules which were over ligands binding. This study would focus on the binding affinity and adhesion force of two targeting products anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody (mAb) and peptide A to EGFR comparing with EGF. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was used to obtain the equilibrium dissociation constant to evaluate the binding affinity. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was performed to detect adhesion force. The result showed that binding affinity of mAb to EGFR was higher than that of EGF to EGFR, and peptide A to EGFR was lowest. The adhesion force between EGFR and mAb that was higher than EGF and peptide A to EGFR was lowest. From the studies, we could conclude that mAb had better adhesion force and binding affinity to EGFR than that of EGF and peptide A. SPR and AFM could confirm the interaction between receptor and targeting ligand easily and carefully. It provide a platform to screen ligands for receptor targeting and drug delivery.Keywords: adhesion force, binding affinity, epidermal growth factor receptor, target molecule
Procedia PDF Downloads 4336418 Unveiling the Black Swan of the Inflation-Adjusted Real Excess Returns-Risk Nexus: Evidence From Pakistan Stock Exchange
Authors: Mohammad Azam
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The purpose of this study is to investigate risk and real excess portfolio returns using inflation adjusted risk-free rates, a measuring technique that focuses on the momentum augmented Fama-French six-factor model and use monthly data from 1994 to 2022. With the exception of profitability, the data show that market, size, value, momentum, and investment factors are all strongly associated to excess portfolio stock returns using ordinary lease square regression technique. According to the Gibbons, Ross, and Shanken test, the momentum augmented Fama-French six-factor model outperforms the market. This technique discovery may be utilised by academics and professionals to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the Pakistan Stock Exchange across a broad stock pattern for investing decisions and portfolio construction.Keywords: real excess portfolio returns, momentum augmented fama & french five-factor model, GRS-test, pakistan stock exchange
Procedia PDF Downloads 1026417 An Efficient and Provably Secure Three-Factor Authentication Scheme with Key Agreement
Authors: Mohan Ramasundaram, Amutha Prabakar Muniyandi
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Remote user authentication is one of the important tasks for any kind of remote server applications. Several remote authentication schemes are proposed by the researcher for Telecare Medicine Information System (TMIS). Most of the existing techniques have limitations, vulnerable to various kind attacks, lack of functionalities, information leakage, no perfect forward security and ineffectiveness. Authentication is a process of user verification mechanism for allows him to access the resources of a server. Nowadays, most of the remote authentication protocols are using two-factor authentications. We have made a survey of several remote authentication schemes using three factors and this survey shows that the most of the schemes are inefficient and subject to several attacks. We observed from the experimental evaluation; the proposed scheme is very secure against various known attacks that include replay attack, man-in-the-middle attack. Furthermore, the analysis based on the communication cost and computational cost estimation of the proposed scheme with related schemes shows that our proposed scheme is efficient.Keywords: Telecare Medicine Information System, elliptic curve cryptography, three-factor, biometric, random oracle
Procedia PDF Downloads 2196416 Prevalence of Complement Factor H (Y402H) Gene Polymorphism and Its Impact on the Predisposition of Syrians to Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Response to Bevacizumab Intravitreal Injection
Authors: Loubna Safar, Lama Youssef, Majd Aljamali
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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Complement factor H polymorphism (Y402H) is thought to play a potential role in the predisposition to AMD and response of patients with exudative AMD to treatment with anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (anti-VEGF). This study aimed to investigate the frequency of Y402H among Syrians, its impact on their susceptibility to AMD, and the hypothesized role of Y402H in patients' response to intravitreal anti-VEGF (i.e.,, bevacizumab). Our case-control study encompassed unrelated 54 AMD cases and 44 controls. Genotyping was determined by standard sequencing of PCR products. Frequency was compared between patients and controls, and correlation between genotype and response to treatment was assessed in 20 patients with wet AMD who received a therapeutic course of three intravitreal bevacizumab injections (once monthly). Our results revealed a significantly higher prevalence of the risk allele C among AMD cases (51.9%) in comparison with controls (37.5%) (P= 0.04, OR= 1.386, CI= 0.999- 1.923). Patients with the TT genotype (no risk allele) exhibited a significantly better primary response rate, reached 87.5% compared to only 41.7% in patients carrying the risk allele C (TC + CC), (P= 0.04, OR= 9.8, CI=0.899- 106.84). The findings of this study prove the importance of investigating Y402H polymorphism as a prognostic marker for predicting response to bevacizumab in AMD patients.Keywords: age-related macular degeneration, bevacizumab, complement factor H gene, polymorphism, Y402H
Procedia PDF Downloads 1566415 Effect of Slope Steepness with Toposequent on Erosion Factor: A Study Case of Cikeruh Catchment Area, West Java, Indonesia
Authors: Shantosa Yudha Siswanto, Julianto Arief Ismail, Rachmat Harryanto
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The research was conducted with the aim to know the effect of slope steepness on organic carbon and soil erodibility as erosion factor. This research was conducted from September to December 2011 in the Raharja and Cinanjung Village, Tanjungsari, Sumedang District, West Java, Indonesia. The study was carried out using physiographic free survey method, which is a survey based on land physiographic appearance. Soil sampling was carried out into transect on the similarity slope without calculating the point of observation range. Soil sampling was carried onto three classes of slope as follows: 8–15%, 15–25% and 25–40%. Each was consisted of three slope position i.e. top slope, middle slope and down slope and four samples of soil were taken from each of them, hence it resulted in 36 points of observation. The results of this study indicate that gradient of slope have some significant contribution in every sample. Middle slope with gradient 26-40% has the highest potential erosion occurrence. It has organic C content (0.84%) and the highest erodibility value (0.1092).Keywords: slope steepness, erosion, erodibility, erosion factor
Procedia PDF Downloads 4036414 [Keynote Speech]: Competitive Evaluation of Power Plants in Energy Policy
Authors: Beril Tuğrul
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Electrical energy is the most important form of energy and electrical power plants have highest impact factor in energy policy. This study is in relation with evaluation of various power plants including fossil fuels, nuclear and renewable energy based power plants. The power plants evaluated with regard to their overall impact that considered for establishing of the plants. Both positive and negative impacts of power plant operation are compared view of different arguments. Then calculate the impact factor by using variation linear extrapolation for each argument. With this study, power plants assessed with the different point of view and clarified objectively. Procedia PDF Downloads 5246413 Advanced Model for Calculation of the Neutral Axis Shifting and the Wall Thickness Distribution in Rotary Draw Bending Processes
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Rotary draw bending is a method which is being used in tube forming. In the tube bending process, the neutral axis moves towards the inner arc and the wall thickness distribution changes for tube’s cross section. Thinning takes place in the outer arc of the tube (extrados) due to the stretching of the material, whereas thickening occurs in the inner arc of the tube (intrados) due to the comparison of the material. The calculations of the wall thickness distribution, neutral axis shifting, and strain distribution have not been accurate enough, so far. The previous model (the geometrical model) describes the neutral axis shifting and wall thickness distribution. The geometrical of the tube, bending radius and bending angle are considered in the geometrical model, while the influence of the material properties of the tube forming are ignored. The advanced model is a modification of the previous model using material properties that depends on the correction factor. The correction factor is a purely empirically determined factor. The advanced model was compared with the Finite element simulation (FE simulation) using a different bending factor (Bf=bending radius/ diameter of the tube), wall thickness (Wf=diameter of the tube/ wall thickness), and material properties (strain hardening exponent). Finite element model of rotary draw bending has been performed in PAM-TUBE program (version: 2012). Results from the advanced model resemble the FE simulation and the experimental test.Keywords: rotary draw bending, material properties, neutral axis shifting, wall thickness distribution
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