Search results for: Chinese healthcare system reform
13182 Fuzzy-Sliding Controller Design for Induction Motor Control
Authors: M. Bouferhane, A. Boukhebza, L. Hatab
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In this paper, the position control of linear induction motor using fuzzy sliding mode controller design is proposed. First, the indirect field oriented control LIM is derived. Then, a designed sliding mode control system with an integral-operation switching surface is investigated, in which a simple adaptive algorithm is utilized for generalised soft-switching parameter. Finally, a fuzzy sliding mode controller is derived to compensate the uncertainties which occur in the control, in which the fuzzy logic system is used to dynamically control parameter settings of the SMC control law. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is verified by numerical simulation. The experimental results of the proposed scheme have presented good performances compared to the conventional sliding mode controller.Keywords: linear induction motor, vector control, backstepping, fuzzy-sliding mode control
Procedia PDF Downloads 47913181 Activation of Mirror Neuron System Response to Drumming Training: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
Authors: Manal Alosaimi
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Many rehabilitation strategies exist to aid persons with neurological disorders relearn motor skills through intensive training. Evidence supporting the theory that cortical areas involved in motor execution can be triggered by observing actions performed by others is attributed to the function of the mirror neuron system (MNS) indicates that activation of the MNS is associated with improvements in physical action and motor learning. Therefore, it is important to investigate the relationship between motor training (in this case, playing the drums) and the activation of the MNS. To achieve this, 15 healthy right-handed participants received drum-kit training for 21 weeks, during which time blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals were monitored in the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants were required to perform action–observation and action–execution fMRI tasks. The main results are that BOLD signals in classical regions of the MNS such as supramarginal gyri, inferior parietal lobule, and supplementary motor area increase significantly over the training period. Activation of these areas indicates that passive-observation of others performing these same skills may facilitate recovery of persons suffering from neurological disorders, and complement conventional rehabilitation programs that focus on action execution or intense training.Keywords: fMRI, mirror neuron system, magnetic resonance imaging, neuroplasticity, drumming, learning, music, action observation, action execution
Procedia PDF Downloads 2313180 Closed-Loop Supply Chain: A Study of Bullwhip Effect Using Simulation
Authors: Siddhartha Paul, Debabrata Das
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Closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) management focuses on integrating forward and reverse flow of material as well as information to maximize value creation over the entire life-cycle of a product. Bullwhip effect in supply chain management refers to the phenomenon where a small variation in customers’ demand results in larger variation of orders at the upstream levels of supply chain. Since the quality and quantity of products returned to the collection centers (as a part of reverse logistics process) are uncertain, bullwhip effect is inevitable in CLSC. Therefore, in the present study, first, through an extensive literature survey, we identify all the important factors related to forward as well as reverse supply chain which causes bullwhip effect in CLSC. Second, we develop a system dynamics model to study the interrelationship among the factors and their effect on the performance of overall CLSC. Finally, the results of the simulation study suggest that demand forecasting, lead times, information sharing, inventory and work in progress adjustment rate, supply shortages, batch ordering, price variations, erratic human behavior, parameter correcting, delivery time delays, return rate of used products, manufacturing and remanufacturing capacity constraints are the important factors which have a significant influence on system’s performance, specifically on bullwhip effect in a CLSC.Keywords: bullwhip effect, closed-loop supply chain, system dynamics, variance ratio
Procedia PDF Downloads 15413179 Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Among Diabetic Patients About Diabetic Foot Disease in Khartoum State Primary Health Care Centers, November 2022
Authors: Abrar Noorain, Zeinab Amara, Sulaf Abdelaziz
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Background: Diabetic foot disease imposes a financial burden on diabetic patients and healthcare services. In Sudan, diabetic foot ulcer prevalence reached 18.1%. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices and the correlation between the level of foot care knowledge and self-care practices among diabetic patients in Sudan. Methodology: In a cross-sectional study involving 262 patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes attending diabetic clinics in three primary care centers in Khartoum, Sudan, during September to November 2022, information regarding participants sociodemographic status, foot care knowledge, attitudes, and practices was gathered using a validated, structured questionnaire in a face-to-face interview method. These data were analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) 22. Results: The patients’ mean age was 54.9 years, with a female predominance (56%). Of the participants, 37% had diabetes mellitus for over ten years. On the topic of foot care, 35.5% of patients showed good knowledge, and 76% were aware of the risk of reduced foot sensation. In relation to nail care, only 19% knew how to cut nails correctly. Conclusion: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices about diabetic foot care are substandard. There is a positive correlation between foot care knowledge and self-care practices. Hence, educating diabetic patients with foot care knowledge through an awareness program and the characteristics of diabetic shoes may improve self-care practices.Keywords: DM, DFD, DFU, PHC, SPSS
Procedia PDF Downloads 6313178 An Assessment of Sexual Informational Needs of Breast Cancer Patients in Radiation Oncology
Authors: Li Hoon Lim, Nur Farhanah Said, Katie Simmons, Eric Pei Ping Pang, Sharon Mei Mei Wong
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Background and Purpose: Research regarding the sexual impact of breast cancer treatment on Asian women is both sensitive and scarce. This study aims to assess and evaluate the sexual health needs and concerns of breast cancer radiotherapy patients. It is hoped that awareness will be increased and an appropriate intervention can be developed to address the needs of future breast cancer patients. Methods: 110 consecutive unselected breast cancer patients were recruited prospectively. Questionnaires were administered once for patient undergoing radiotherapy to the breast. This study employed an anonymous questionnaire; any breast radiotherapy patient who can read English can voluntarily receive and complete the survey. The questionnaire consisted of items addressing demographics, potential informational needs, and educational preferences. Results: Patients’ interest to address sexual concerns decreases with age (p=0.024). Coherently, sexual concerns of patients are reported to decrease with age (p=0.015) where 70% of all respondents below age 50 [age 20-29 (60%); 30-39 (56.3%); 40-49(55.1%)] have started to have sexual concerns regarding their treatment effects on their sexual health. Patients who underwent breast conservation surgery (42.2%) and reconstruction surgery (83.3%) were more likely to have concerns about sexual health versus patients who underwent mastectomy (36.7%) (p=0.032). 74.2% of patients with sexual concern regardless of age would initiate conversation with their healthcare providers (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results showed a staggering interest of female patients wanting information on this area which would not only boost their confidence and body image but also address concerns of the effect of breast radiotherapy on sexual health during their treatment.Keywords: breast cancer, breast radiotherapy, sexual health, sexual impact
Procedia PDF Downloads 19613177 Optimized Brain Computer Interface System for Unspoken Speech Recognition: Role of Wernicke Area
Authors: Nassib Abdallah, Pierre Chauvet, Abd El Salam Hajjar, Bassam Daya
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In this paper, we propose an optimized brain computer interface (BCI) system for unspoken speech recognition, based on the fact that the constructions of unspoken words rely strongly on the Wernicke area, situated in the temporal lobe. Our BCI system has four modules: (i) the EEG Acquisition module based on a non-invasive headset with 14 electrodes; (ii) the Preprocessing module to remove noise and artifacts, using the Common Average Reference method; (iii) the Features Extraction module, using Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT); (iv) the Classification module based on a one-hidden layer artificial neural network. The present study consists of comparing the recognition accuracy of 5 Arabic words, when using all the headset electrodes or only the 4 electrodes situated near the Wernicke area, as well as the selection effect of the subbands produced by the WPT module. After applying the articial neural network on the produced database, we obtain, on the test dataset, an accuracy of 83.4% with all the electrodes and all the subbands of 8 levels of the WPT decomposition. However, by using only the 4 electrodes near Wernicke Area and the 6 middle subbands of the WPT, we obtain a high reduction of the dataset size, equal to approximately 19% of the total dataset, with 67.5% of accuracy rate. This reduction appears particularly important to improve the design of a low cost and simple to use BCI, trained for several words.Keywords: brain-computer interface, speech recognition, artificial neural network, electroencephalography, EEG, wernicke area
Procedia PDF Downloads 26413176 Recommendation Systems for Cereal Cultivation using Advanced Casual Inference Modeling
Authors: Md Yeasin, Ranjit Kumar Paul
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In recent years, recommendation systems have become indispensable tools for agricultural system. The accurate and timely recommendations can significantly impact crop yield and overall productivity. Causal inference modeling aims to establish cause-and-effect relationships by identifying the impact of variables or factors on outcomes, enabling more accurate and reliable recommendations. New advancements in causal inference models have been found in the literature. With the advent of the modern era, deep learning and machine learning models have emerged as efficient tools for modeling. This study proposed an innovative approach to enhance recommendation systems-based machine learning based casual inference model. By considering the causal effect and opportunity cost of covariates, the proposed system can provide more reliable and actionable recommendations for cereal farmers. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, experiments are conducted using cereal cultivation data of eastern India. Comparative evaluations are performed against existing correlation-based recommendation systems, demonstrating the superiority of the advanced causal inference modeling approach in terms of recommendation accuracy and impact on crop yield. Overall, it empowers farmers with personalized recommendations tailored to their specific circumstances, leading to optimized decision-making and increased crop productivity.Keywords: agriculture, casual inference, machine learning, recommendation system
Procedia PDF Downloads 7313175 Features for Measuring Credibility on Facebook Information
Authors: Kanda Runapongsa Saikaew, Chaluemwut Noyunsan
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Nowadays social media information, such as news, links, images, or VDOs, is shared extensively. However, the effectiveness of disseminating information through social media lacks in quality: less fact checking, more biases, and several rumors. Many researchers have investigated about credibility on Twitter, but there is no the research report about credibility information on Facebook. This paper proposes features for measuring credibility on Facebook information. We developed the system for credibility on Facebook. First, we have developed FB credibility evaluator for measuring credibility of each post by manual human’s labelling. We then collected the training data for creating a model using Support Vector Machine (SVM). Secondly, we developed a chrome extension of FB credibility for Facebook users to evaluate the credibility of each post. Based on the usage analysis of our FB credibility chrome extension, about 81% of users’ responses agree with suggested credibility automatically computed by the proposed system.Keywords: facebook, social media, credibility measurement, internet
Procedia PDF Downloads 34913174 Run-Time Customisation of Soft-Core CPUs on Field Programmable Gate Array
Authors: Rehab Abdullah Shendi
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The use of customised soft-core processors in which instructions can be integrated into a system in application hardware is increasing in the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) field. Specifically, the partial run-time reconfiguration of FPGAs in specialised processors for a particular domain can be very beneficial. In this report, the design and implementation for the customisation of a soft-core MIPS processor using an FPGA and partial reconfiguration (PR) of FPGA technology will be addressed to achieve efficient resource use. This can be achieved using a PR design flow that helps the design fit into a smaller device. Moreover, the impact of static power consumption could be reduced due to runtime reconfiguration. This will be done by configurable custom instructions implemented in the hardware as an extension on the MIPS CPU. The aim of this project is to investigate the PR of FPGAs for run-time adaptations of the instruction set of a soft-core CPU, including the integration of custom instructions and the exploration of the potential to use the MultiBoot feature available in Xilinx FPGAs to carry out the PR process. The system will be evaluated and tested on a Nexus 3 development board featuring a Xilinx Spartran-6 FPGA. The system will be able to load reconfigurable custom instructions dynamically into user programs with the help of the trap handler when the custom instruction is called by the MIPS CPU. The results of this experiment demonstrate that custom instructions in hardware can speed up a certain function and many instructions can be saved when compared to a software implementation of the same function. Implementing custom instructions in hardware is perfectly possible and worth exploring.Keywords: customisation, FPGA, MIPS, partial reconfiguration, PR
Procedia PDF Downloads 25613173 Estimating the Value of Statistical Life under the Subsidization and Cultural Effects
Authors: Mohammad A. Alolayan, John S. Evans, James K. Hammitt
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The value of statistical life has been estimated for a middle eastern country with high economical subsidization system. In this study, in-person interviews were conducted on a stratified random sample to estimate the value of mortality risk. Double-bounded dichotomous choice questions followed by open-ended question were used in the interview to investigate the willingness to pay of the respondent for mortality risk reduction. High willingness to pay was found to be associated with high income and education. Also, females were found to have lower willingness to pay than males. The estimated value of statistical life is larger than the ones estimated for western countries where taxation system exists. This estimate provides a baseline for monetizing the health benefits for proposed policy or program to the decision makers in an eastern country. Also, the value of statistical life for a country in the region can be extrapolated from this this estimate by using the benefit transfer method.Keywords: mortality, risk, VSL, willingness-to-pay
Procedia PDF Downloads 30813172 A Performance Analysis Study for Cloud Based ERP Systems
Authors: Burak Erkayman
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The manufacturing and service organizations are in the need of using ERP systems to integrate many functions from purchasing to storage, production planning to calculation of costs. Using ERP systems by the integration in the level of information provides companies remarkable advantages in terms of profitability, productivity and efficiency in processes. Cloud computing is one of the most significant changes in information and communication technology. The developments in Cloud Computing attract business world to take advantage of this field. Cloud Computing means much more storage area, more cost saving and faster data transfer rate. In addition to these, it presents new business models, new field of study and practicable solutions for anyone’s use. These developments make inevitable the implementation of ERP systems to cloud environment. In this study, the performance of ERP systems in cloud environment is analyzed through various performance criteria and a comparison between traditional and cloud-ERP systems is presented. At the end of study the transformation and the future of ERP systems is discussed.Keywords: cloud-ERP, ERP system performance, information system transformation
Procedia PDF Downloads 52313171 The Role of the Accused’s Attorney in the Criminal Justice System of Iran, Mashhad 2014
Authors: Mahdi Karimi
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One of the most basic standards of fair trial is the right to defense, hire an attorney and its presence in the hearing stages. On the one hand, based on the reason and justice, as the legal issues, particularly criminal affairs, become complicated, the accused must benefit from an attorney in the court in order to defend itself which requires legal knowledge. On the other hand, as the judicial system has jurists such as investigation judges at its disposal, the accused must enjoy the same right to defend itself and reject allegations so that the balance is maintained between the litigating parties based on the principle of "equality of arms". The right to adequate time and facilities for defense is cited among the principles and rights relevant to the proceedings in international regulations such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The innovations made in the Code of Criminal Procedure in 2013 guaranteed the presence of the accused’s attorney in the proceedings. The present study aims at assessing the result of the aforementioned guarantee in practice and made attempts to investigate the effect of the presence of accused’s attorney on reducing the punishment by asking the question and addressing the statistical population of this study including 48 judges of lower courts and courts of appeal. It seems that in despite of guarantees provided in the new Code of Criminal Procedure, Iran's penal system, does not tolerate the presence of an attorney in practice.Keywords: defense attorney, equality of arms, fair trial, reducing the penalty, right to defense
Procedia PDF Downloads 32613170 Improving Carbon Dioxide Mass Transfer in Open Pond Raceway Systems for Improved Algal Productivity
Authors: William Middleton, Nodumo Zulu, Sue Harrison
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Open raceway ponds are currently the most used system for the commercial cultivation of algal biomass, as it is a cost-effective means of production. However, raceway ponds suffer from lower algal productivity when compared to closed photobioreactors. This is due to poor gas exchange between the fluid and the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) mass transfer is a large concern in the production of algae in raceway pond systems. The utilization of atmospheric CO₂ does not support maximal growth; however, CO₂ supplementation in the form of flue gas or concentrated CO₂ is not cost-effective. The introduction of slopes into the raceway system presents a possible improvement to the mass transfer from the air, as seen in previous work conducted at CeBER. Slopes improve turbulence (decreasing the concentration gradient of dissolved CO₂) and can cause air entrainment (allowing for greater surface area and contact time between the air and water). This project tests the findings of previous studies conducted in an indoor lab-scale raceway on a larger scale under outdoor conditions. The addition of slopes resulted in slightly increased CO₂ mass transfer as well as algal growth rate and productivity. However, there were reductions in energy consumption and average fluid velocity in the system. These results indicate a potential to improve the economic feasibility of algal biomass production, but further economic assessment would need to be carried out.Keywords: algae, raceway ponds, mass transfer, algal culture, biotechnology, reactor design
Procedia PDF Downloads 8713169 The Use of Ontology Framework for Automation Digital Forensics Investigation
Authors: Ahmad Luthfi
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One of the main goals of a computer forensic analyst is to determine the cause and effect of the acquisition of a digital evidence in order to obtain relevant information on the case is being handled. In order to get fast and accurate results, this paper will discuss the approach known as ontology framework. This model uses a structured hierarchy of layers that create connectivity between the variant and searching investigation of activity that a computer forensic analysis activities can be carried out automatically. There are two main layers are used, namely analysis tools and operating system. By using the concept of ontology, the second layer is automatically designed to help investigator to perform the acquisition of digital evidence. The methodology of automation approach of this research is by utilizing forward chaining where the system will perform a search against investigative steps and atomically structured in accordance with the rules of the ontology.Keywords: ontology, framework, automation, forensics
Procedia PDF Downloads 32813168 Effect of Robot Configuration Parameters, Masses and Friction on Painlevé Paradox for a Sliding Two-Link (P-R) Robot
Authors: Hassan Mohammad Alkomy, Hesham Elkaranshawy, Ahmed Ibrahim Ashour, Khaled Tawfik Mohamed
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For a rigid body sliding on a rough surface, a range of uncertainty or non-uniqueness of solution could be found, which is termed: Painlevé paradox. Painlevé paradox is the reason of a wide range of bouncing motion, observed during sliding of robotic manipulators on rough surfaces. In this research work, the existence of the paradox zone during the sliding motion of a two-link (P-R) robotic manipulator with a unilateral constraint is investigated. Parametric study is performed to investigate the effect of friction, link-length ratio, total height and link-mass ratio on the paradox zone.Keywords: dynamical system, friction, multibody system, painlevé paradox, robotic systems, sliding robots, unilateral constraint
Procedia PDF Downloads 44413167 A Study of the Establishment of the Evaluation Index System for Tourist Attraction Disaster Resilience
Authors: Chung-Hung Tsai, Ya-Ping Li
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Tourism industry is highly depended on the natural environment and climate. Compared to other industries, it is more susceptible to environment and climate. Taiwan belongs to a sea island country and located in the subtropical monsoon zone. The events of climate variability, frequency of typhoons and rainfalls raged are caused regularly serious disaster. In traditional disaster assessment, it usually focuses on the disaster damage and risk assessment, which is short of the features from different industries to understand the impact of the restoring force in post-disaster resilience and the main factors that constitute resilience. The object of this study is based on disaster recovery experience of tourism area and to understand the main factors affecting the tourist area of disaster resilience. The combinations of literature review and interviews with experts are prepared an early indicator system of the disaster resilience. Then, it is screened through a Fuzzy Delphi Method and Analytic Network Process for weight analysis. Finally, this study will establish the tourism disaster resilience evaluation index system considering the Taiwan's tourism industry characteristics. We hope that be able to enhance disaster resilience after tourist areas and increases the sustainability of industrial development. It is expected to provide government departments the tourism industry as the future owner of the assets in extreme climates responses.Keywords: resilience, Fuzzy Delphi Method, Analytic Network Process, industrial development
Procedia PDF Downloads 39213166 Coordinated Interference Canceling Algorithm for Uplink Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems
Authors: Messaoud Eljamai, Sami Hidouri
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Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is an emerging technology for new cellular networks such as 5G systems. Its principle is to use many antennas per cell in order to maximize the network's spectral efficiency. Inter-cellular interference remains a fundamental problem. The use of massive MIMO will not derogate from the rule. It improves performances only when the number of antennas is significantly greater than the number of users. This, considerably, limits the networks spectral efficiency. In this paper, a coordinated detector for an uplink massive MIMO system is proposed in order to mitigate the inter-cellular interference. The proposed scheme combines the coordinated multipoint technique with an interference-cancelling algorithm. It requires the serving cell to send their received symbols, after processing, decision and error detection, to the interfered cells via a backhaul link. Each interfered cell is capable of eliminating intercellular interferences by generating and subtracting the user’s contribution from the received signal. The resulting signal is more reliable than the original received signal. This allows the uplink massive MIMO system to improve their performances dramatically. Simulation results show that the proposed detector improves system spectral efficiency compared to classical linear detectors.Keywords: massive MIMO, COMP, interference canceling algorithm, spectral efficiency
Procedia PDF Downloads 13713165 Characterization of Bacteria by a Nondestructive Sample Preparation Method in a TEM System
Authors: J. Shiue, I. H. Chen, S. W. Y. Chiu, Y. L. Wang
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In this work, we present a nondestructive method to characterize bacteria in a TEM system. Unlike the conventional TEM specimen preparation method, which needs to thin the specimen in a destructive way, or spread the samples on a tiny millimeter sized carbon grid, our method is easy to operate without the need of sample pretreatment. With a specially designed transparent chip that allows the electron beam to pass through, and a custom made chip holder to fit into a standard TEM sample holder, the bacteria specimen can be easily prepared on the chip without any pretreatment, and then be observed under TEM. The centimeter-sized chip is covered with Au nanoparticles in the surface as the markers which allow the bacteria to be observed easily on the chip. We demonstrate the success of our method by using E. coli as an example, and show that high-resolution TEM images of E. coli can be obtained with the method presented. Some E. coli morphology characteristics imaged using this method are also presented.Keywords: bacteria, chip, nanoparticles, TEM
Procedia PDF Downloads 30513164 Experimental Design in Extraction of Pseudomonas sp. Protease from Fermented Broth by Polyethylene Glycol/Citrate Aqueous Two-Phase System
Authors: Omar Pillaca-Pullo, Arturo Alejandro-Paredes, Carol Flores-Fernandez, Marijuly Sayuri Kina, Amparo Iris Zavaleta
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Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is an interesting alternative for separating industrial enzymes due to it is easy to scale-up and low cost. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) mixed with potassium phosphate or magnesium sulfate is one of the most frequently polymer/salt ATPS used, but the consequences of its use is a high concentration of phosphates and sulfates in wastewater causing environmental issues. Citrate could replace these inorganic salts due to it is biodegradable and does not produce toxic compounds. On the other hand, statistical design of experiments is widely used for ATPS optimization and it allows to study the effects of the involved variables in the purification, and to estimate their significant effects on selected responses and interactions. The 24 factorial design with four central points (20 experiments) was employed to study the partition and purification of proteases produced by Pseudomonas sp. in PEG/citrate ATPS system. ATPS was prepared with different sodium citrate concentrations [14, 16 and 18% (w/w)], pH values (7, 8 and 9), PEG molecular weight (2,000; 4,000 and 6,000 g/mol) and PEG concentrations [18, 20 and 22 % (w/w)]. All system components were mixed with 15% (w/w) of the fermented broth and deionized water was added to a final weight of 12.5 g. Then, the systems were mixed and kept at room temperature until to reach two-phases separation. Volumes of the top and bottom phases were measured, and aliquots from both phases were collected for subsequent proteolytic activity and total protein determination. Influence of variables such as PEG molar mass (MPEG), PEG concentration (CPEG), citrate concentration (CSal) and pH were evaluated on the following responses: purification factor (PF), activity yield (Y), partition coefficient (K) and selectivity (S). STATISTICA program version 10 was used for the analysis. According to the obtained results, higher levels of CPEG and MPEG had a positive effect on extraction, while pH did not influence on the process. On the other hand, the CSal could be related with low values of Y because of the citrate ions have a negative effect on solubility and enzymatic structure. The optimum values of Y (66.4 %), PF (1.8), K (5.5) and S (4.3) were obtained at CSal (18%), MPEG (6,000 g/mol), CPEG (22%) and pH 9. These results indicated that the PEG/citrate system is accurate to purify these Pseudomonas sp. proteases from fermented broth as a first purification step.Keywords: citrate, polyethylene glycol, protease, Pseudomonas sp
Procedia PDF Downloads 18813163 Social and Economic Challenges of Adopting Sustainable Urban Development in Developing Economy: A Stakeholder's Perception
Authors: Raed Fawzi Mohammed Ameen, Haider I. Alyasari, Maryam Altaweel
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Due to rapid urbanization, developing countries faced significant urban challenges that accompanied the population growth such as the inability to provide adequate housing; sustain human and community's health and wellbeing; ensure the safety in urban areas; the prevalence corruption; lack of jobs; and a shortage of investment. The destruction, degradation, and lack of planning are acute in countries such as Iraq that have suffered for more than four decades because of war and international sanctions, resulting in severe damages to the ecology sector, social utilities, housing, infrastructure, as well as the disruption of the economic sector. Many of significant urban development, housing, and regeneration projects are currently underway in different regions in Iraq, labelled as a means to reform the environmental, social, and economic sectors. However, most often with absence of public participation. Hence, there is an urgent need for understanding public perception, especially of urban socio-economic challenges, which represents a crucial concern for many planners, designers, and policy-makers in order to develop effective policies in addition to increasing their participation. The aim of this study is to investigate stakeholder perceptions of the socio-economic challenges of urban development and their priorities in the all Iraqi provinces. A nationwide questionnaire has been conducted (N = 643) across Iraq, using 19- item structured questionnaire where the stakeholder’s perspectives were collected on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The indicators were identified through deep investigation in previous studies. Principal component analysis (PCA) and statistical tests were utilized to the collected responses in order to investigate the linkage between the perceptions of socio- economic challenges and demographic factors. A high value of internal consistency and reliability of the instrument has been achieved (Cronbach’s alpha= 0.867). Five principal components have been identified, namely: economic, cultural aspects, design context, employment, security and housing demands. The item ‘safety of public places' was ranked as the most important, followed by the items 'minimize unplanned housing', and ‘provision of affordable housing’, respectively. Promote high-rise housing from the housing demands group, was ranked the lowest component between all indicators. 'Using sustainable local materials in construction' item had the second lowest mean score. The results also illustrate a link between deficiencies in the social and economic infrastructure because of the destruction and degradation caused by political instability in Iraq in the last few decades.Keywords: public participation in development, socio-economic challenges, urban development, urban sustainability
Procedia PDF Downloads 12713162 An Autonomous Space Debris-Removal System for Effective Space Missions
Authors: Shriya Chawla, Vinayak Malhotra
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Space exploration has noted an exponential rise in the past two decades. The world has started probing the alternatives for efficient and resourceful sustenance along with utilization of advanced technology viz., satellites on earth. Space propulsion forms the core of space exploration. Of all the issues encountered, space debris has increasingly threatened the space exploration and propulsion. The efforts have resulted in the presence of disastrous space debris fragments orbiting the earth at speeds up to several kilometres per hour. Debris are well known as a potential damage to the future missions with immense loss of resources, mankind, and huge amount of money is invested in active research on them. Appreciable work had been done in the past relating to active space debris-removal technologies such as harpoon, net, drag sail. The primary emphasis is laid on confined removal. In recently, remove debris spacecraft was used for servicing and capturing cargo ships. Airbus designed and planned the debris-catching net experiment, aboard the spacecraft. The spacecraft represents largest payload deployed from the space station. However, the magnitude of the issue suggests that active space debris-removal technologies, such as harpoons and nets, still would not be enough. Thus, necessitating the need for better and operative space debris removal system. Techniques based on diverting the path of debris or the spacecraft to avert damage have turned out minimal usage owing to limited predictions. Present work focuses on an active hybrid space debris removal system. The work is motivated by the need to have safer and efficient space missions. The specific objectives of the work are 1) to thoroughly analyse the existing and conventional debris removal techniques, their working, effectiveness and limitations under varying conditions, 2) to understand the role of key controlling parameters in coupled operation of debris capturing and removal. The system represents the utilization of the latest autonomous technology available with an adaptable structural design for operations under varying conditions. The design covers advantages of most of the existing technologies while removing the disadvantages. The system is likely to enhance the probability of effective space debris removal. At present, systematic theoretical study is being carried out to thoroughly observe the effects of pseudo-random debris occurrences and to originate an optimal design with much better features and control.Keywords: space exploration, debris removal, space crafts, space accidents
Procedia PDF Downloads 15413161 Feasibility on Introducing an Alternative Solar Powered Propelling Mechanism for Multiday Fishing Boats in Sri Lanka
Authors: Oshada Gamage, Chamal Wimalasooriya, Chrismal Boteju, W. K. Wimalsiri
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This paper presents a study on the feasibility of introducing a solar powered propelling mechanism to multi-day fishing boats as an alternative energy source. Since solar energy is readily available on the sea throughout the year, this free energy could be utilized to power multi-day fishing vessels. Multi-day boats have a large deck area where solar panels can be mounted above without much effort. This project involves studying the amount of power that can be generated using onboard solar panels and implementing an independent propelling system to run the boat. A chain drive system was designed to propel the boat, when the batteries are fully charged, from an electric motor using the same propeller. A 60 feet multi-day fishing boat built by a local boat manufacturer was chosen for the study. The service speed of the boat was around 6 knots with the electric motor, and the duration of cruising is 1 hour per day with around 11 hours of charging. 350-watt Mono-crystalline PV module, 75 kW HVH type motor, and 10 kWh lithium-ion battery packs were chosen for the study. From the calculations, it was obtained that the boat has 30 PV modules (10.5 kW), 5 batteries (47 kWh), The boat dimensions are 20 meter length of water line, 5.51 meter of beam, 1.8 meter of draught, and 77 ton of total displacement with the PV system net present value of USD 12445 for 20 years of operation and a payback period of around 8.2 years.Keywords: multiday fishing boats, photovoltaic cells, solar energy, solar powered boat
Procedia PDF Downloads 14113160 Dust and Soling Accumulation Effect on Photovoltaic Systems in Middle East and North Africa Region
Authors: Iyad Muslih, Azzah Alkhalailah, Ali Merdji
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Photovoltaic efficiency is highly affected by dust accumulation; the dust particles prevent direct solar radiation from reaching the panel surface; therefore a reduction in output power will occur. A study of dust and soiling accumulation effect on the output power of PV panels was conducted for different periods of time from May to October in three countries of the MENA region, Jordan, Egypt, and Algeria, under local weather conditions. This study leads to build a more realistic equation to estimate the power reduction as a function of time. This logarithmic function shows the high reduction in power in the first days with 10% reduction in output power compared to the reference system, where it reaches a steady state value after 60 days to reach a maximum value of 30%.Keywords: solar energy, PV system, soiling, MENA
Procedia PDF Downloads 21213159 Factors that Predict Pre-Service Teachers' Decision to Integrate E-Learning: A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Approach
Authors: Mohd Khairezan Rahmat
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Since the impetus of becoming a develop country by the year 2020, the Malaysian government have been proactive in strengthening the integration of ICT into the national educational system. Teacher-education programs have the responsibility to prepare the nation future teachers by instilling in them the desire, confidence, and ability to fully utilized the potential of ICT into their instruction process. In an effort to fulfill this responsibility, teacher-education program are beginning to create alternatives means for preparing cutting-edge teachers. One of the alternatives is the student’s learning portal. In line with this mission, this study investigates the Faculty of Education, University Teknologi MARA (UiTM) pre-service teachers’ perception of usefulness, attitude, and ability toward the usage of the university learning portal, known as iLearn. The study also aimed to predict factors that might hinder the pre-service teachers’ decision to used iLearn as their platform in learning. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), was employed in analyzed the survey data. The suggested findings informed that pre-service teacher’s successful integration of the iLearn was highly influenced by their perception of usefulness of the system. The findings also suggested that the more familiar the pre-service teacher with the iLearn, the more possibility they will use the system. In light of similar study, the present findings hope to highlight the important to understand the user’s perception toward any proposed technology.Keywords: e-learning, prediction factors, pre-service teacher, structural equation modeling (SEM)
Procedia PDF Downloads 32513158 Analyses for Primary Coolant Pump Coastdown Phenomena for Jordan Research and Training Reactor
Authors: Yazan M. Alatrash, Han-ok Kang, Hyun-gi Yoon, Shen Zhang, Juhyeon Yoon
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Flow coastdown phenomena are very important to secure nuclear fuel integrity during loss of off-site power accidents. In this study, primary coolant flow coastdown phenomena are investigated for the Jordan Research and Training Reactor (JRTR) using a simulation software package, Modular Modelling System (MMS). Two MMS models are built. The first one is a simple model to investigate the characteristics of the primary coolant pump only. The second one is a model for a simulation of the Primary Coolant System (PCS) loop, in which all the detailed design data of the JRTR PCS system are modelled, including the geometrical arrangement data. The same design data for a PCS pump are used for both models. Coastdown curves obtained from the two models are compared to study the PCS loop coolant inertia effect on a flow coastdown. Results showed that the loop coolant inertia effect is found to be small in the JRTR PCS loop, i.e., about one second increases in a coastdown half time required to halve the coolant flow rate. The effects of different flywheel inertia on the flow coastdown are also investigated. It is demonstrated that the coastdown half time increases with the flywheel inertia linearly. The designed coastdown half time is proved to be well above the design requirement for the fuel integrity.Keywords: flow coastdown, loop inertia, modelling, research reactor
Procedia PDF Downloads 48813157 Field Management Solutions Supporting Foreman Executive Tasks
Authors: Maroua Sbiti, Karim Beddiar, Djaoued Beladjine, Romuald Perrault
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Productivity is decreasing in construction compared to the manufacturing industry. It seems that the sector is suffering from organizational problems and have low maturity regarding technological advances. High international competition due to the growing context of globalization, complex projects, and shorter deadlines increases these challenges. Field employees are more exposed to coordination problems than design officers. Execution collaboration is then a major issue that can threaten the cost, time, and quality completion of a project. Initially, this paper will try to identify field professional requirements as to address building management process weaknesses such as the unreliability of scheduling, the fickleness of monitoring and inspection processes, the inaccuracy of project’s indicators, inconsistency of building documents and the random logistic management. Subsequently, we will focus our attention on providing solutions to improve scheduling, inspection, and hours tracking processes using emerging lean tools and field mobility applications that bring new perspectives in terms of cooperation. They have shown a great ability to connect various field teams and make informations visual and accessible to planify accurately and eliminate at the source the potential defects. In addition to software as a service use, the adoption of the human resource module of the Enterprise Resource Planning system can allow a meticulous time accounting and thus make the faster decision making. The next step is to integrate external data sources received from or destined to design engineers, logisticians, and suppliers in a holistic system. Creating a monolithic system that consolidates planning, quality, procurement, and resources management modules should be our ultimate target to build the construction industry supply chain.Keywords: lean, last planner system, field mobility applications, construction productivity
Procedia PDF Downloads 10613156 Investigation of the Brake Force Distribution in Passenger Cars
Authors: Boukhris Lahouari, Bouchetara Mostefa
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The active safety of a vehicle is mainly influenced by the properties of the installed braking system. With the increase in road traffic density and travel speeds, increasingly stringent requirements are placed on the vehicle's behaviour during braking. The achievable decelerations are limited by the physical aspect characterized by the coefficient of friction between the tires and the ground. As a result, it follows that an optimized distribution of braking forces becomes necessary for a better use of friction coefficients. This objective could only be achieved if sufficient knowledge is available on the theory of vehicle dynamics during braking and on current standards for the approval of braking systems. This will facilitate the development of a braking force calculation algorithm that will enable an optimized distribution of braking forces to be achieved. Operating safety is conditioned by the requirements of efficiency, progressiveness, regularity or fidelity of a braking system without obviously neglecting the recommendations imposed by the legislator.Keywords: brake force distribution, distribution diagram, friction coefficient, brake by wire
Procedia PDF Downloads 7113155 Unified Coordinate System Approach for Swarm Search Algorithms in Global Information Deficit Environments
Authors: Rohit Dey, Sailendra Karra
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This paper aims at solving the problem of multi-target searching in a Global Positioning System (GPS) denied environment using swarm robots with limited sensing and communication abilities. Typically, existing swarm-based search algorithms rely on the presence of a global coordinate system (vis-à-vis, GPS) that is shared by the entire swarm which, in turn, limits its application in a real-world scenario. This can be attributed to the fact that robots in a swarm need to share information among themselves regarding their location and signal from targets to decide their future course of action but this information is only meaningful when they all share the same coordinate frame. The paper addresses this very issue by eliminating any dependency of a search algorithm on the need of a predetermined global coordinate frame by the unification of the relative coordinate of individual robots when within the communication range, therefore, making the system more robust in real scenarios. Our algorithm assumes that all the robots in the swarm are equipped with range and bearing sensors and have limited sensing range and communication abilities. Initially, every robot maintains their relative coordinate frame and follow Levy walk random exploration until they come in range with other robots. When two or more robots are within communication range, they share sensor information and their location w.r.t. their coordinate frames based on which we unify their coordinate frames. Now they can share information about the areas that were already explored, information about the surroundings, and target signal from their location to make decisions about their future movement based on the search algorithm. During the process of exploration, there can be several small groups of robots having their own coordinate systems but eventually, it is expected for all the robots to be under one global coordinate frame where they can communicate information on the exploration area following swarm search techniques. Using the proposed method, swarm-based search algorithms can work in a real-world scenario without GPS and any initial information about the size and shape of the environment. Initial simulation results show that running our modified-Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) without global information we can still achieve the desired results that are comparable to basic PSO working with GPS. In the full paper, we plan on doing the comparison study between different strategies to unify the coordinate system and to implement them on other bio-inspired algorithms, to work in GPS denied environment.Keywords: bio-inspired search algorithms, decentralized control, GPS denied environment, swarm robotics, target searching, unifying coordinate systems
Procedia PDF Downloads 12813154 LuMee: A Centralized Smart Protector for School Children who are Using Online Education
Authors: Lumindu Dilumka, Ranaweera I. D., Sudusinghe S. P., Sanduni Kanchana A. M. K.
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This study was motivated by the challenges experienced by parents and guardians in ensuring the safety of children in cyberspace. In the last two or three years, online education has become very popular all over the world due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Therefore, parents, guardians and teachers must ensure the safety of children in cyberspace. Children are more likely to go astray and there are plenty of online programs are waiting to get them on the wrong track and also, children who are engaging in the online education can be distracted at any moment. Therefore, parents should keep a close check on their children's online activity. Apart from that, due to the unawareness of children, they tempt to share their sensitive information, causing a chance of being a victim of phishing attacks from outsiders. These problems can be overcome through the proposed web-based system. We use feature extraction, web tracking and analysis mechanisms, image processing and name entity recognition to implement this web-based system.Keywords: online education, cyber bullying, social media, face recognition, web tracker, privacy data
Procedia PDF Downloads 7713153 Analytical Design of IMC-PID Controller for Ideal Decoupling Embedded in Multivariable Smith Predictor Control System
Authors: Le Hieu Giang, Truong Nguyen Luan Vu, Le Linh
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In this paper, the analytical tuning rules of IMC-PID controller are presented for the multivariable Smith predictor that involved the ideal decoupling. Accordingly, the decoupler is first introduced into the multivariable Smith predictor control system by a well-known approach of ideal decoupling, which is compactly extended for general nxn multivariable processes and the multivariable Smith predictor controller is then obtained in terms of the multiple single-loop Smith predictor controllers. The tuning rules of PID controller in series with filter are found by using Maclaurin approximation. Many multivariable industrial processes are employed to demonstrate the simplicity and effectiveness of the presented method. The simulation results show the superior performances of presented method in compared with the other methods.Keywords: ideal decoupler, IMC-PID controller, multivariable smith predictor, Padé approximation
Procedia PDF Downloads 408