Search results for: open source energy modeling system (OSeMOSYS)
23664 Application of Improved Semantic Communication Technology in Remote Sensing Data Transmission
Authors: Tingwei Shu, Dong Zhou, Chengjun Guo
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Semantic communication is an emerging form of communication that realize intelligent communication by extracting semantic information of data at the source and transmitting it, and recovering the data at the receiving end. It can effectively solve the problem of data transmission under the situation of large data volume, low SNR and restricted bandwidth. With the development of Deep Learning, semantic communication further matures and is gradually applied in the fields of the Internet of Things, Uumanned Air Vehicle cluster communication, remote sensing scenarios, etc. We propose an improved semantic communication system for the situation where the data volume is huge and the spectrum resources are limited during the transmission of remote sensing images. At the transmitting, we need to extract the semantic information of remote sensing images, but there are some problems. The traditional semantic communication system based on Convolutional Neural Network cannot take into account the global semantic information and local semantic information of the image, which results in less-than-ideal image recovery at the receiving end. Therefore, we adopt the improved vision-Transformer-based structure as the semantic encoder instead of the mainstream one using CNN to extract the image semantic features. In this paper, we first perform pre-processing operations on remote sensing images to improve the resolution of the images in order to obtain images with more semantic information. We use wavelet transform to decompose the image into high-frequency and low-frequency components, perform bilinear interpolation on the high-frequency components and bicubic interpolation on the low-frequency components, and finally perform wavelet inverse transform to obtain the preprocessed image. We adopt the improved Vision-Transformer structure as the semantic coder to extract and transmit the semantic information of remote sensing images. The Vision-Transformer structure can better train the huge data volume and extract better image semantic features, and adopt the multi-layer self-attention mechanism to better capture the correlation between semantic features and reduce redundant features. Secondly, to improve the coding efficiency, we reduce the quadratic complexity of the self-attentive mechanism itself to linear so as to improve the image data processing speed of the model. We conducted experimental simulations on the RSOD dataset and compared the designed system with a semantic communication system based on CNN and image coding methods such as BGP and JPEG to verify that the method can effectively alleviate the problem of excessive data volume and improve the performance of image data communication.Keywords: semantic communication, transformer, wavelet transform, data processing
Procedia PDF Downloads 7823663 Drying of Agro-Industrial Wastes Using an Indirect Solar Dryer
Authors: N. Metidji, N. Kasbadji Merzouk, O. Badaoui, R. Sellami, A. Djebli
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The Agro-industry is considered as one of the most waste producing industrial fields as a result of food processing. Upgrading and reuse of these wastes as animal or poultry food seems to be a promising alternative. Combined with the use of clean energy resources, the recovery process would contribute more to the environment protection. It is in this framework that a new solar dryer has been designed in the Unit of Solar Equipments Development. Indirect solar drying has, also, many advantages compared to natural sun drying. In fact, the first does not cause product degradation as it is protected by the drying chamber from direct sun, insects and exterior environment. The aim of this work is to study the drying kinetics of waste, generated during the processing of orange to make fruit juice, by using an indirect forced convection solar dryer at 50 °C and 60 °C, the rate of moisture removal from the product to be dried has been found to be directly related to temperature, humidity and flow rate. The characterization of these parameters has allowed the determination of the appropriate drying time for this product namely orange waste.Keywords: solar energy, solar dryer, energy conversion, orange drying, forced convection solar dryer
Procedia PDF Downloads 35423662 Numerical Investigation of Thermally Triggered Release Kinetics of Double Emulsion for Drug Delivery Using Phase Change Material
Authors: Yong Ren, Yaping Zhang
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A numerical model has been developed to investigate the thermally triggered release kinetics for drug delivery using phase change material as shell of microcapsules. Biocompatible material n-Eicosane is used as demonstration. PCM shell of microcapsule will remain in solid form after the drug is taken, so the drug will be encapsulated by the shell, and will not be released until the target body part of lesion is exposed to external heat source, which will thermally trigger the release kinetics, leading to solid-to-liquid phase change. The findings can lead to better understanding on the key effects influencing the phase change process for drug delivery applications. The facile approach to release drug from core/shell structure of microcapsule can be well integrated with organic solvent free fabrication of microcapsules, using double emulsion as template in microfluidic aqueous two phase system.Keywords: phase change material, drug release kinetics, double emulsion, microfluidics
Procedia PDF Downloads 35723661 NextCovps: Design and Stress Analysis of Dome Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels using Geodesic Trajectory Approach
Authors: Ammar Maziz, Prateek Gupta, Thiago Vasconcellos Birro, Benoit Gely
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Hydrogen as a sustainable fuel has the highest energy density per mass as compared to conventional non-renewable sources. As the world looks to move towards sustainability, especially in the sectors of aviation and automotive, it becomes important to address the issue of storage of hydrogen as compressed gas in high-pressure tanks. To improve the design for the efficient storage and transportation of Hydrogen, this paper presents the design and stress analysis of Dome Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs) using the geodesic trajectory approach. The geodesic trajectory approach is used to optimize the dome design, resulting in a lightweight and efficient structure. Python scripting is employed to implement the mathematical modeling of the COPV, and after validating the model by comparison to the published paper, stress analysis is conducted using Abaqus commercial code. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the geodesic trajectory approach in achieving a lightweight and structurally sound dome design, as well as the accuracy and reliability of the stress analysis using Abaqus commercial code. This study provides insights into the design and analysis of COPVs for aerospace applications, with the potential for further optimization and application in other industries.Keywords: composite overwrapped pressure vessels, carbon fiber, geodesic trajectory approach, dome design, stress analysis, plugin python
Procedia PDF Downloads 9223660 The Development of Digital Commerce in Community Enterprise Products to Promote the Distribution of Samut Songkhram Province
Authors: Natcha Wattanaprapa, Alongkorn Taengtong, Phachaya Chaiwchan
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This study investigates and promotes the distribution of community enterprise products of Samut Songkhram province by using e-commerce web technology to help distribute the products. This study also aims to develop the information system to be able to operate on multiple platforms and promote the easy usability on smartphones to increase the efficiency and promote the distribution of community enterprise products of Samut Songkhram province in three areas including Baan Saraphi learning center, the learning center of Bang Noi Floating market as well as Bang Nang Li learning center. The main structure consists of spreading the knowledge regarding the tourist attraction in the area of community enterprise, e-commerce system of community enterprise products, and Chatbot. The researcher developed the system into an application form using the software package to create and manage the content on the internet. Connect management system (CMS) word press was used for managing web pages. Add-on CMS word press was used for creating the system of Chatbot, and the database of PHP My Admin was used as the database management system. The evaluation by the experts and users in 5 aspects, including the system efficiency, the accuracy in the operation of the system, the convenience and ease of use of the system, the design, and the promotion of product distribution in Samut Songkhram province by using questionnaires revealed that the result of evaluation in the promotion of product distribution in Samut Songkhram province was the highest with the mean of 4.20. When evaluating the efficiency of the developed system, it was found that the result of system efficiency was the highest level with a mean of 4.10.Keywords: community enterprise, digital commerce, promotion of product distribution, Samut Songkhram province
Procedia PDF Downloads 14823659 Three-Dimensional CFD Modeling of Flow Field and Scouring around Bridge Piers
Authors: P. Deepak Kumar, P. R. Maiti
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In recent years, sediment scour near bridge piers and abutment is a serious problem which causes nationwide concern because it has resulted in more bridge failures than other causes. Scour is the formation of scour hole around the structure mounted on and embedded in erodible channel bed due to the erosion of soil by flowing water. The formation of scour hole around the structures depends upon shape and size of the pier, depth of flow as well as angle of attack of flow and sediment characteristics. The flow characteristics around these structures change due to man-made obstruction in the natural flow path which changes the kinetic energy of the flow around these structures. Excessive scour affects the stability of the foundation of the structure by the removal of the bed material. The accurate estimation of scour depth around bridge pier is very difficult. The foundation of bridge piers have to be taken deeper and to provide sufficient anchorage length required for stability of the foundation. In this study, computational model simulations using a 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model were conducted to examine the mechanism of scour around a cylindrical pier. Subsequently, the flow characteristics around these structures are presented for different flow conditions. Mechanism of scouring phenomenon, the formation of vortex and its consequent effect is discussed for a straight channel. Effort was made towards estimation of scour depth around bridge piers under different flow conditions.Keywords: bridge pier, computational fluid dynamics, multigrid, pier shape, scour
Procedia PDF Downloads 29623658 Viability of Permaculture Principles to Sustainable Agriculture Enterprises in Malta
Authors: Byron Baron
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Malta is a Mediterranean archipelago presenting a combination of environmental conditions which are less suitable for agriculture. This has resulted in a heavy dependence on agricultural chemicals, as well as over-extraction of groundwater, compounded by concomitant destruction of natural habitat surrounding the land areas used for agriculture. Such prolonged intensive land use has resulted in even greater degradation of Maltese soils. This study was thus designed with the goal of assessing the viability of implementing a sustainable agricultural system based on permaculture practices compared to the traditional local practices applied for intensive farming. The permaculture model was implemented over a period of two years for a number of locally-grown staple crops. The tangible targets included improved soil health, reduced water consumption, increased reliance on renewable energy, increased wild plant and insect diversity, and sustained crop yield. To achieve this in the permaculture test area, numerous practices were introduced. In line with permaculture principles land, tillage was reduced, only natural fertilisers were used, no herbicides or pesticides were used, irrigation was linked to a desalination system with sensors for monitoring soil parameters, mulching was practiced, and a photovoltaic system was installed. Furthermore, areas for wild plants were increased and controlled only by trimming, not mowing. A variety of environmental parameters were measured at regular intervals as well as crop yield (in kilos of produce) in order to quantify if any improvements in crop output and environmental conditions were obtained. The results obtained show a very slight improvement in overall soil health due to the brevity of the test period. Water consumption was reduced by over 50% with no apparent losses or ill effects on the crops. Renewable energy was sufficient to provide all electric power on-site, so apart from the initial investment costs, there were no limitations. Moreover, surrounding the commercial crops with borders of wild plants whilst only taking up less than 15% of the total land area assisted pollination, increased animal visitors, and did not give rise to any pest infestations. The conclusion from this study was that whilst results are promising, more detailed and long-term studies are required to understand the full extent of the implications brought about by such a transition, which hints towards the untapped potential of investing in the available resources on the island with the goal of improving the balance between economic prosperity and ecological sustainability.Keywords: agronomic measures, ecological amplification, sustainability, permaculture
Procedia PDF Downloads 9723657 Glorification Trap in Combating Human Trafficking in Indonesia: An Application of Three-Dimensional Model of Anti-Trafficking Policy
Authors: M. Kosandi, V. Susanti, N. I. Subono, E. Kartini
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This paper discusses the risk of glorification trap in combating human trafficking, as it is shown in the case of Indonesia. Based on a research on Indonesian combat against trafficking in 2017-2018, this paper shows the tendency of misinterpretation and misapplication of the Indonesian anti-trafficking law into misusing the law for glorification, to create an image of certain extent of achievement in combating human trafficking. The objective of this paper is to explain the persistent occurrence of human trafficking crimes despite the significant progress of anti-trafficking efforts of Indonesian government. The research was conducted in 2017-2018 by qualitative approach through observation, depth interviews, discourse analysis, and document study, applying the three-dimensional model for analyzing human trafficking in the source country. This paper argues that the drive for glorification of achievement in the combat against trafficking has trapped Indonesian government in the loop of misinterpretation, misapplication, and misuse of the anti-trafficking law. In return, the so-called crime against humanity remains high and tends to increase in Indonesia.Keywords: human trafficking, anti-trafficking policy, transnational crime, source country, glorification trap
Procedia PDF Downloads 16723656 Replacing an Old PFN System with a Solid State Modulator without Changing the Klystron Transformer
Authors: Klas Elmquist, Anders Larsson
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Until the year 2000, almost all short pulse modulators in the accelerator world were made with the pulse forming network (PFN) technique. The pulse forming network systems have since then been replaced with solid state modulators that have better efficiency, better stability, and lower cost of ownership, and they are much smaller. In this paper, it is shown that it is possible to replace a pulse forming network system with a solid-state system without changing the klystron tank and the klystron transformer. The solid-state modulator uses semiconductors switching at 1 kV level. A first pulse transformer transforms the voltage up to 10 kV. The 10 kV pulse is finally fed into the original transformer that is placed under the klystron. A flatness of 0.8 percent and stability of 100 PPM is achieved. The test is done with a CPI 8262 type of klystron. It is also shown that it is possible to run such a system with long cables between the transformers. When using this technique, it will be possible to keep original sub-systems like filament systems, vacuum systems, focusing solenoid systems, and cooling systems for the klystron. This will substantially reduce the cost of an upgrade and prolong the life of the klystron system.Keywords: modulator, solid-state, PFN-system, thyratron
Procedia PDF Downloads 13423655 Environmental Evaluation of Alternative/Renewable Fuels Technology
Authors: Muhammad Hadi Ibrahim
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The benefits of alternative/renewable fuels in general and a study of the environmental impacts of biofuels in particular have been reviewed in this paper. It is a known fact that, energy generation using fossil fuel produces many important pollutants including; nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, soot, dust, smoke and other particulate harmful matter. It’s believed that if carbon dioxide levels continue to increase drastically, the planet will become warmer and will most likely result in a variety of negative impacts including; sea-level rise, extreme and unpredictable weather events and an increased frequency of draughts in inland agricultural zones. Biofuels such as alcohols, biogas, etc. appear to be more viable alternatives, especially for use as fuels in diesel engines. The substitution of fossil fuel through increased utilization of biofuels produced in a sustainable manner, can contribute immensely towards a cleaner environment, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation of climate change. Stakeholders in the energy sector can be sensitized by the findings of the research study and to consider the possible adverse effects in developing technologies for the production and combustion of biofuels.Keywords: emission, energy, renewable/alternative fuel, environment, pollution
Procedia PDF Downloads 20523654 Gender and Total Compensation, in an ‘Age’ of Disruption
Authors: Daniel J. Patricio Jiménez
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The term 'total compensation’ refers to salary, training, innovation, and development, and of course, motivation; total compensation is an open and flexible system which must facilitate personal and family conciliation and therefore cannot be isolated from social reality. Today, the challenge for any company that wants to have a future is to be sustainable, and women play a ‘special’ role in this. Spain, in its statutory and conventional development, has not given sufficient response to new phenomena such as ‘bonuses’, ‘stock options’ or ‘fringe benefits’ (constructed dogmatically and by court decisions), the new digital reality, where cryptocurrency, new collaborative models and service provision -such as remote work-, are always ahead of the law. To talk about compensation is to talk about the gender gap, and with the entry into force of RD.902 /2020 on 14 April 2021, certain measures are necessary under the principle of salary transparency; the valuation of jobs, the pay register (Rd. 6/2019) and the pay audit, are an example of this. Analyzing the methodologies, and in particular the determination and weight of the factors -so that the system itself is not discriminatory- is essential. The wage gap in Spain is smaller than in Europe, but the sources do not reflect the reality, and since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a clear stagnation. A living wage is not the minimum wage; it is identified with rights and needs; it is that which, based on internal equity, reflects the competitiveness of the company in terms of human capital. Spain has lost and has not recovered the relative weight of its wages; this is having a direct impact on our competitiveness, consequently on the precariousness of employment and undoubtedly on the levels of extreme poverty. Training is becoming more than ever a strategic factor; the new digital reality requires that each component of the system is connected, the transversality is imposed on us, this forces us to redefine content, to give answers to the new demands that the new normality requires because technology and robotization are changing the concept of employability. The presence of women in this context is necessary, and there is a long way to go. The so-called emotional compensation becomes particularly relevant at a time when pandemics, silence, and disruption, are leaving after-effects; technostress (in all its manifestations) is just one of them. Talking about motivation today makes no sense without first being aware that mental health is a priority, that it must be treated and communicated in an inclusive way because it increases satisfaction, productivity, and engagement. There is a clear conclusion to all this: compensation systems do not respond to the ‘new normality’: diversity, and in particular women, cannot be invisible in human resources policies if the company wants to be sustainable.Keywords: diversity, gender gap, human resources, sustainability.
Procedia PDF Downloads 16823653 Evaluation of an Integrated Supersonic System for Inertial Extraction of CO₂ in Post-Combustion Streams of Fossil Fuel Operating Power Plants
Authors: Zarina Chokparova, Ighor Uzhinsky
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Carbon dioxide emissions resulting from burning of the fossil fuels on large scales, such as oil industry or power plants, leads to a plenty of severe implications including global temperature raise, air pollution and other adverse impacts on the environment. Besides some precarious and costly ways for the alleviation of CO₂ emissions detriment in industrial scales (such as liquefaction of CO₂ and its deep-water treatment, application of adsorbents and membranes, which require careful consideration of drawback effects and their mitigation), one physically and commercially available technology for its capture and disposal is supersonic system for inertial extraction of CO₂ in after-combustion streams. Due to the flue gas with a carbon dioxide concentration of 10-15 volume percent being emitted from the combustion system, the waste stream represents a rather diluted condition at low pressure. The supersonic system induces a flue gas mixture stream to expand using a converge-and-diverge operating nozzle; the flow velocity increases to the supersonic ranges resulting in rapid drop of temperature and pressure. Thus, conversion of potential energy into the kinetic power causes a desublimation of CO₂. Solidified carbon dioxide can be sent to the separate vessel for further disposal. The major advantages of the current solution are its economic efficiency, physical stability, and compactness of the system, as well as needlessness of addition any chemical media. However, there are several challenges yet to be regarded to optimize the system: the way for increasing the size of separated CO₂ particles (as they are represented on a micrometers scale of effective diameter), reduction of the concomitant gas separated together with carbon dioxide and provision of CO₂ downstream flow purity. Moreover, determination of thermodynamic conditions of the vapor-solid mixture including specification of the valid and accurate equation of state remains to be an essential goal. Due to high speeds and temperatures reached during the process, the influence of the emitted heat should be considered, and the applicable solution model for the compressible flow need to be determined. In this report, a brief overview of the current technology status will be presented and a program for further evaluation of this approach is going to be proposed.Keywords: CO₂ sequestration, converging diverging nozzle, fossil fuel power plant emissions, inertial CO₂ extraction, supersonic post-combustion carbon dioxide capture
Procedia PDF Downloads 14123652 Optimization of Water Pipeline Routes Using a GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis and a Geometric Search Algorithm
Authors: Leon Mortari
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The Metropolitan East region of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, faces a historic water scarcity. Among the alternatives studied to solve this situation, the possibility of adduction of the available water in the reservoir Lagoa de Juturnaíba to supply the region's municipalities stands out. The allocation of a linear engineering project must occur through an evaluation of different aspects, such as altitude, slope, proximity to roads, distance from watercourses, land use and occupation, and physical and chemical features of the soil. This work aims to apply a multi-criteria model that combines geoprocessing techniques, decision-making, and geometric search algorithm to optimize a hypothetical adductor system in the scenario of expanding the water supply system that serves this region, known as Imunana-Laranjal, using the Lagoa de Juturnaíba as the source. It is proposed in this study, the construction of a spatial database related to the presented evaluation criteria, treatment and rasterization of these data, and standardization and reclassification of this information in a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform. The methodology involves the integrated analysis of these criteria, using their relative importance defined by weighting them based on expert consultations and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Three approaches are defined for weighting the criteria by AHP: the first treats all criteria as equally important, the second considers weighting based on a pairwise comparison matrix, and the third establishes a hierarchy based on the priority of the criteria. For each approach, a distinct group of weightings is defined. In the next step, map algebra tools are used to overlay the layers and generate cost surfaces, that indicates the resistance to the passage of the adductor route, using the three groups of weightings. The Dijkstra algorithm, a geometric search algorithm, is then applied to these cost surfaces to find an optimized path within the geographical space, aiming to minimize resources, time, investment, maintenance, and environmental and social impacts.Keywords: geometric search algorithm, GIS, pipeline, route optimization, spatial multi-criteria analysis model
Procedia PDF Downloads 3023651 The Interoperability between CNC Machine Tools and Robot Handling Systems Based on an Object-Oriented Framework
Authors: Pouyan Jahanbin, Mahmoud Houshmand, Omid Fatahi Valilai
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A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is a manufacturing system having the capability of handling the variations of products features that is the result of ever-changing customer demands. The flexibility of the manufacturing systems help to utilize the resources in a more effective manner. However, the control of such systems would be complicated and challenging. FMS needs CNC machines and robots and other resources for establishing the flexibility and enhancing the efficiency of the whole system. Also it needs to integrate the resources to reach required efficiency and flexibility. In order to reach this goal, an integrator framework is proposed in which the machining data of CNC machine tools is received through a STEP-NC file. The interoperability of the system is achieved by the information system. This paper proposes an information system that its data model is designed based on object oriented approach and is implemented through a knowledge-based system. The framework is connected to a database which is filled with robot’s control commands. The framework programs the robots by rules embedded in its knowledge based system. It also controls the interactions of CNC machine tools for loading and unloading actions by robot. As a result, the proposed framework improves the integration of manufacturing resources in Flexible Manufacturing Systems.Keywords: CNC machine tools, industrial robots, knowledge-based systems, manufacturing recourses integration, flexible manufacturing system (FMS), object-oriented data model
Procedia PDF Downloads 45523650 The Question of Choice in an Achievement Test: A Study on the Sudanese Case
Authors: Mahmoud Abdelrazig Mahmoud Barakat
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Achievement tests administered at national level play a significant role in the lives of test-takers as well as the whole society. This paper aims to investigate the effect of giving students a choice between two optional questions on their overall performance in a high stake achievement test for university admission. It is hypothesized that questions targeting writing-based productive skills and language system necessitate display of abilities which are different from fact-based questions designed around story content. The two items are assumed to reflect different constructs that require different criteria of assessment. Consequently, the student’s overall score is affected by the item they choose to answer, which might not be reflective of their real language abilities. An open-ended interview was carried out with ten teachers working with grade 3 students in model secondary schools to investigate the nature of the two test items and their impact on the student’s performance. The data has proved that giving choice in an achievement test generates different performances that are assessed differently. It is recommended that in order to address the question of fairness, it is important to clearly define and balance the construct of the items that affect the student’s choice and performance.Keywords: achievement test, assessment, choice, fairness performance
Procedia PDF Downloads 22223649 Mental Health Awareness and Help Seeking Among Adolescents in Kerala
Authors: Fathima M. A., Milu Maria Anto
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Aim: The current study aims to explore the understanding about Mental Health and the likelihood to seek help for mental health problems among adolescents in the state of Kerala (India). Method: A cross sectional exploratory design was used. Samples were selected using convenience sampling. Ninety nine high school and higher secondary school students who had enrolled in the program “Responsible Adolescents (READ)” organized by MKMS Education from Kerala participated in this study. The data for the present study was collected using google forms prior to the commencement of the READ programme. Open-ended questions were used to explore the understanding of participants about mental health, mental health problems, causes of mental health problems and the role of mental health professionals. The likelihood to seek help (from friends, parents, teachers and mental health professionals) for mental health problems was assessed using a visual analogue scale. Further open-ended questions were used to identify what changes in teachers and parents will make them feel more comfortable to approach them when they need help. Content analysis was used to identify themes and coded data was further analyzed using correlation. Results: The results show that students have a fair idea about what Mental Health is. Even though the majority is familiar with the names of mental health disorders, relatively fewer students identify it as irregularity in mental functions such as thoughts, emotions and behaviors. The students tend to attribute symptoms of mental health problems as the cause of mental health problems. Very few students have the understanding that biological variations and adverse childhood experiences are primary causes for the development of mental health problems. Less than half of the students were aware of the role of psychiatrists and psychologists in mental health treatment. The students were more likely to seek help from parents and friends during distress. They had a medium inclination to seek help from mental health professionals and showed even lower likelihood to seek help from teachers. The majority of the students responded that they would be more comfortable approaching teachers if they were more open-minded and approachable as well as non-judgmental and non-dismissive. Conclusion: Findings show that there is inadequate awareness among adolescents about mental health problems and their causes. There is a lack of understanding about the roles of two main mental health professionals which can pose a big hurdle in accessing adequate help from the appropriate professional at the right time. The low likelihood to seek help from teachers for mental health problems is very concerning. The major barriers reported by the students in seeking help from teachers were the judgmental and dismissive approach. The findings throw light on the current level of awareness about mental health and mental health help-seeking, which can be utilized in framing mental health awareness programs for students as well as teachers.Keywords: Mental Health Awareness, Adolescent Mental Health, Help Seeking Behavior, School Mental Health
Procedia PDF Downloads 26823648 Examining the Structural Model of Mindfulness and Headache Intensity With the Mediation of Resilience and Perfectionism in Migraine Patients
Authors: Alireza Monzavi Chaleshtari, Mahnaz Aliakbari Dehkordi, Nazila Esmaeili, Ahmad Alipour, Amin Asadi Hieh
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Headache disorders are one of the most common disorders of the nervous system and are associated with suffering, disability, and financial costs for patients. Mindfulness as a lifestyle, in line with human nature, has the ability to affect the emotional system, i.e. thoughts, body sensations, raw emotions and action impulses of people. The aim of this study was to test the fit of structural model of mindfulness and severity of headache mediated by resilience and perfectionism in patients with migraine. Methods: The statistical population of this study included all patients with migraine referred to neurologists in Tehran in the spring and summer of 1401. The inclusion criteria were diagnosis of migraine by a neurologist, not having mental disorders or other physical diseases, and having at least a diploma. According to the number of research variables, 180 people were selected by convenience sampling method, which online answered the Ahvaz perfectionism questionnaire (AMQ), Connor and Davidson resilience questionnaire (CD-RISC), Ahvaz migraine headache questionnaire (APS) and 5-factor mindfulness questionnaire ((MAAS). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and Amos software. Results: The results showed that the direct pathways of mindfulness were not significant for severe headache (P <0.05), but other direct pathways - mindfulness to resilience, mindfulness to perfectionism, resilience to severe headache and perfectionism to severe headache), Was significant (P <0.01). After modifying and removing the non-significant paths, the final model fitted. Mediating variables Resilience and perfectionism mediated all paths of predictor variables to the criterion. Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study, mindfulness in migraine patients reduces the severity of headache by promoting resilience and reducing perfectionism.Keywords: migraine, headache severity, mindfulness, resilience, perfectionism
Procedia PDF Downloads 7923647 Formulation Policy of Criminal Sanction in Indonesian Criminal Justice System
Authors: Dini Dewi Heniarti
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This One of criminal sanctions that are often imposed by the judge is imprisonment. The issue on the imposition of imprisonment has been subject of contentious debate and criticism among various groups for a long time. In practice, the problematics of imprisonment lead to complicated problems. The impact of the reckless imposition of the imprisonment includes among others overcapacity of the correctional institution and increasing crimes within the correctional facilities. Therefore, there is a need for renewal of the existing condemnation paradigm, considering the developing phenomena associated with the penal imposition. Imprisonment as one element of the Indonesian penal system is an important and integral part of the other elements. The philosophy of the current penal system, which still refers to the Criminal Code, still carries the values of retaliation and fault-finding toward the offender. Therefore, it is important to reconstruct a new thought in order to realize a penal system that is represented in the formulation of a more humanistic criminal sanctionKeywords: criminal code, criminal sanction, Indonesian legal system, reconstruction of thought
Procedia PDF Downloads 22523646 Nondestructive Monitoring of Atomic Reactions to Detect Precursors of Structural Failure
Authors: Volodymyr Rombakh
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This article was written to substantiate the possibility of detecting the precursors of catastrophic destruction of a structure or device and stopping operation before it. Damage to solids results from breaking the bond between atoms, which requires energy. Modern theories of strength and fracture assume that such energy is due to stress. However, in a letter to W. Thomson (Lord Kelvin) dated December 18, 1856, J.C. Maxwell provided evidence that elastic energy cannot destroy solids. He proposed an equation for estimating a deformable body's energy, equal to the sum of two energies. Due to symmetrical compression, the first term does not change, but the second term is distortion without compression. Both types of energy are represented in the equation as a quadratic function of strain, but Maxwell repeatedly wrote that it is not stress but strain. Furthermore, he notes that the nature of the energy causing the distortion is unknown to him. An article devoted to theories of elasticity was published in 1850. Maxwell tried to express mechanical properties with the help of optics, which became possible only after the creation of quantum mechanics. However, Maxwell's work on elasticity is not cited in the theories of strength and fracture. The authors of these theories and their associates are still trying to describe the phenomena they observe based on classical mechanics. The study of Faraday's experiments, Maxwell's and Rutherford's ideas, made it possible to discover a previously unknown area of electromagnetic radiation. The properties of photons emitted in this reaction are fundamentally different from those of photons emitted in nuclear reactions and are caused by the transition of electrons in an atom. The photons released during all processes in the universe, including from plants and organs in natural conditions; their penetrating power in metal is millions of times greater than that of one of the gamma rays. However, they are not non-invasive. This apparent contradiction is because the chaotic motion of protons is accompanied by the chaotic radiation of photons in time and space. Such photons are not coherent. The energy of a solitary photon is insufficient to break the bond between atoms, one of the stages of which is ionization. The photographs registered the rail deformation by 113 cars, while the Gaiger Counter did not. The author's studies show that the cause of damage to a solid is the breakage of bonds between a finite number of atoms due to the stimulated emission of metastable atoms. The guarantee of the reliability of the structure is the ratio of the energy dissipation rate to the energy accumulation rate, but not the strength, which is not a physical parameter since it cannot be measured or calculated. The possibility of continuous control of this ratio is due to the spontaneous emission of photons by metastable atoms. The article presents calculation examples of the destruction of energy and photographs due to the action of photons emitted during the atomic-proton reaction.Keywords: atomic-proton reaction, precursors of man-made disasters, strain, stress
Procedia PDF Downloads 9223645 Mathematical Modelling of Wastewater Collection System in Cha-Am Municipality Using PCSWMM
Authors: Thawtar Htun, Kim N. Irvine, Ranjna Jindal
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This study aimed at modelling the wastewater collection system in Cha-Am Municipality using PCSWMM to investigate the quantity of combined sewage delivered to the aeration lagoon treatment system (ALTS). Cha-Am is a small sea resort town in Petchaburi Province located about 175 km southwest of Bangkok and is facing increasing development so it is important to understand current system performance and plan for future build out. PCSWMM was calibrated using observed ALTS inflow data for the period 15 June to 20 July 2015. The model was validated using observed ALTS inflow data for the periods 19 July to 20 October 2015 and 1 October to 31 December 2015, respectively. The 1:1 lines between modeled and observed peak flow and event volume for the calibration events qualitatively showed good correspondence. The r2 values between modeled and observed peak flow (99%) and event volume (89%) also were strong.Keywords: combined sewer system, mathematical modelling, PCSWMM, wastewater collection system
Procedia PDF Downloads 21323644 Insights Into Serotonin-Receptor Binding and Stability via Molecular Dynamics Simulations: Key Residues for Electrostatic Interactions and Signal Transduction
Authors: Arunima Verma, Padmabati Mondal
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Serotonin-receptor binding plays a key role in several neurological and biological processes, including mood, sleep, hunger, cognition, learning, and memory. In this article, we performed molecular dynamics simulation to examine the key residues that play an essential role in the binding of serotonin to the G-protein-coupled 5-HT₁ᴮ receptor (5-HT₁ᴮ R) via electrostatic interactions. An end-point free energy calculation method (MM-PBSA) determines the stability of the 5-HT1B R due to serotonin binding. The single-point mutation of the polar or charged amino acid residues (Asp129, Thr134) on the binding sites and the calculation of binding free energy validate the importance of these residues in the stability of the serotonin-receptor complex. Principal component analysis indicates the serotonin-bound 5-HT1BR is more stabilized than the apo-receptor in terms of dynamical changes. The difference dynamic cross-correlations map shows the correlation between the transmembrane and mini-Go, which indicates signal transduction happening between mini-Go and the receptor. Allosteric communication reveals the key nodes for signal transduction in 5-HT1BR. These results provide useful insights into the signal transduction pathways and mutagenesis study to regulate the functionality of the complex. The developed protocols can be applied to study local non-covalent interactions and long-range allosteric communications in any protein-ligand system for computer-aided drug design.Keywords: allostery, CADD, MD simulations, MM-PBSA
Procedia PDF Downloads 8723643 Women's Pathways to Prison in Thailand
Authors: Samantha Jeffries, Chontit Chuenurah
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Thailand incarcerates the largest number of women and has the highest female incarceration rate in South East Asia. Since the 1990s, there has been a substantial increase in the number, rate and proportion of women imprisoned. Thailand places a high priority on the gender specific contexts out of which offending arises and the different needs of women in the criminal justice system. This is manifested in work undertaken to guide the development of the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules); adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010. The Bangkok Rules make a strong statement about Thailand’s recognition of and commitment to the fair and equitable treatment of women throughout their contact with the criminal justice system including at sentencing and in prison. This makes the comparatively high use of imprisonment for women in Thailand particularly concerning and raises questions about the relationship between gender, crime and criminal justice. While there is an extensive body of research in Western jurisdictions exploring women’s pathways to prison, there is a relative dearth of methodologically robust research examining the possible gendered circumstances leading to imprisonment in Thailand. In this presentation, we will report preliminary findings from a qualitative study of women’s pathways to prison in Thailand. Our research aims were to ascertain: 1) the type, frequency, and context of criminal behavior that led to women’s incarceration, 2) women’s experiences of the criminal justice system, 3) the broader life experiences and circumstances that led women to prison in Thailand. In-depth life history interviews (n=77) were utilized to gain a comprehensive understanding of women’s journeys into prison. The interview schedule was open-ended consisting of prisoner responses to broad discussion topics. This approach provided women with the opportunity to describe significant experiences in their lives, to bring together distinct chronologies of events, and to analyze links between their varied life experiences, offending, and incarceration. Analyses showed that women’s journey’s to prison take one of eight pathways which tentatively labelled as follows, the: 1) harmed and harming pathway, 2) domestic/family violence victimization pathway, 3) drug connected pathway, 4) street woman pathway, 5) economically motivated pathway, 6) jealousy anger and/or revenge pathway, 7) naivety pathway, 8) unjust and/or corrupted criminal justice pathway. Each will be fully discussed during the presentation. This research is significant because it is the first in-depth methodologically robust exploration of women’s journeys to prison in Thailand and one of a few studies to explore gendered pathways outside of western contexts. Understanding women’s pathways into Thailand’s prisons is crucial to the development of effective planning, policy and program responses not only while women are in prison but also post-release. To best meet women’s needs in prison and effectively support their reintegration, we must have a comprehensive understanding of who these women are, what offenses they commit, the reasons that trigger their confrontations with the criminal justice system and the impact of the criminal justice system on them.Keywords: pathways, prison, women, Thailand
Procedia PDF Downloads 24623642 Technology Valuation of Unconventional Gas R&D Project Using Real Option Approach
Authors: Young Yoon, Jinsoo Kim
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The adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) in all industry is growing under industry 4.0. Many oil companies also are increasingly adopting ICT to improve the efficiency of existing operations, take more accurate and quicker decision making and reduce entire cost by optimization. It is true that ICT is playing an important role in the process of unconventional oil and gas development and companies must take advantage of ICT to gain competitive advantage. In this study, real option approach has been applied to Unconventional gas R&D project to evaluate ICT of them. Many unconventional gas reserves such as shale gas and coal-bed methane(CBM) has developed due to technological improvement and high energy price. There are many uncertainties in unconventional development on the three stage(Exploration, Development, Production). The traditional quantitative benefits-cost method, such as net present value(NPV) is not sufficient for capturing ICT value. We attempted to evaluate the ICT valuation by applying the compound option model; the model is applied to real CBM project case, showing how it consider uncertainties. Variables are treated as uncertain and a Monte Carlo simulation is performed to consider variables effect. Acknowledgement—This work was supported by the Energy Efficiency & Resources Core Technology Program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) granted financial resource from the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, Republic of Korea (No. 20152510101880) and by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-205S1A3A2046684).Keywords: information and communication technologies, R&D, real option, unconventional gas
Procedia PDF Downloads 22923641 Decision Support System for Examination Selection
Authors: Katejarinporn Chaiya, Jarumon Nookong, Nutthapat Kaewrattanapat
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The purposes of this research were to develop and find users’ satisfaction after using the Decision Support System for Examination Selection. This research presents the design of information systems. In order to find the necessary examination of the statistics. Based on the examination of the candidate and then taking the easy difficulty setting statistics applied to the test. In addition, research has also made performance appraisals from experts and user satisfaction. By results of analysis showed that the performance appraisals from experts on the system as a whole and at a good level. mean was 3.44 and S.D. was 0.55 and user satisfaction per system as a whole and the good level mean was 3.37 and S.D. was 0.42 can conclude that effective systems are in a good level. Work has been completed in accordance with the scope of work. The website used developing this project is PHP, MySQL.5.0.45 for database.Keywords: secision support system, examination, PHP, information systems
Procedia PDF Downloads 44923640 Analysis of Causality between Economic Growth and Carbon Emissions: The Case of Mexico 1971-2011
Authors: Mario Gómez, José Carlos Rodríguez
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This paper analyzes the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis to test the causality relationship between economic activity, trade openness and carbon dioxide emissions in Mexico (1971-2011). The results achieved in this research show that there are three long-run relationships between production, trade openness, energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The EKC hypothesis was not verified in this research. Indeed, it was found evidence of a short-term unidirectional causality from GDP and GDP squared to carbon dioxide emissions, from GDP, GDP squared and TO to EC, and bidirectional causality between TO and GDP. Finally, it was found evidence of long-term unidirectional causality from all variables to carbon emissions. These results suggest that a reduction in energy consumption, economic activity, or an increase in trade openness would reduce pollution.Keywords: causality, cointegration, energy consumption, economic growth, environmental Kuznets curve
Procedia PDF Downloads 35123639 Estimation of Solar Radiation Power Using Reference Evaluation of Solar Transmittance, 2 Bands Model: Case Study of Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
Authors: Benedictus Asriparusa
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Solar radiation is a green renewable energy which has the potential to answer the needs of energy problems on the period. Knowing how to estimate the strength of the solar radiation force may be one solution of sustainable energy development in an integrated manner. Unfortunately, a fairly extensive area of Indonesia is still very low availability of solar radiation data. Therefore, we need a method to estimate the exact strength of solar radiation. In this study, author used a model Reference Evaluation of Solar Transmittance, 2 Bands (REST 2). Validation of REST 2 model has been performed in Spain, India, Colorado, Saudi Arabia, and several other areas. But it is not widely used in Indonesia. Indonesian region study area is represented by the area of Semarang, Central Java. Solar radiation values estimated using REST 2 model was then verified by field data and gives average RMSE value of 6.53%. Based on the value, it can be concluded that the model REST 2 can be used to estimate the value of solar radiation in clear sky conditions in parts of Indonesia.Keywords: estimation, solar radiation power, REST 2, solar transmittance
Procedia PDF Downloads 42723638 Multiscale Model of Blast Explosion Human Injury Biomechanics
Authors: Raj K. Gupta, X. Gary Tan, Andrzej Przekwas
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Bomb blasts from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) account for vast majority of terrorist attacks worldwide. Injuries caused by IEDs result from a combination of the primary blast wave, penetrating fragments, and human body accelerations and impacts. This paper presents a multiscale computational model of coupled blast physics, whole human body biodynamics and injury biomechanics of sensitive organs. The disparity of the involved space- and time-scales is used to conduct sequential modeling of an IED explosion event, CFD simulation of blast loads on the human body and FEM modeling of body biodynamics and injury biomechanics. The paper presents simulation results for blast-induced brain injury coupling macro-scale brain biomechanics and micro-scale response of sensitive neuro-axonal structures. Validation results on animal models and physical surrogates are discussed. Results of our model can be used to 'replicate' filed blast loadings in laboratory controlled experiments using animal models and in vitro neuro-cultures.Keywords: blast waves, improvised explosive devices, injury biomechanics, mathematical models, traumatic brain injury
Procedia PDF Downloads 24923637 Durability Analysis of a Knuckle Arm Using VPG System
Authors: Geun-Yeon Kim, S. P. Praveen Kumar, Kwon-Hee Lee
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A steering knuckle arm is the component that connects the steering system and suspension system. The structural performances such as stiffness, strength, and durability are considered in its design process. The former study suggested the lightweight design of a knuckle arm considering the structural performances and using the metamodel-based optimization. The six shape design variables were defined, and the optimum design was calculated by applying the kriging interpolation method. The finite element method was utilized to predict the structural responses. The suggested knuckle was made of the aluminum Al6082, and its weight was reduced about 60% in comparison with the base steel knuckle, satisfying the design requirements. Then, we investigated its manufacturability by performing foraging analysis. The forging was done as hot process, and the product was made through two-step forging. As a final step of its developing process, the durability is investigated by using the flexible dynamic analysis software, LS-DYNA and the pre and post processor, eta/VPG. Generally, a car make does not provide all the information with the part manufacturer. Thus, the part manufacturer has a limit in predicting the durability performance with the unit of full car. The eta/VPG has the libraries of suspension, tire, and road, which are commonly used parts. That makes a full car modeling. First, the full car is modeled by referencing the following information; Overall Length: 3,595mm, Overall Width: 1,595mm, CVW (Curve Vehicle Weight): 910kg, Front Suspension: MacPherson Strut, Rear Suspension: Torsion Beam Axle, Tire: 235/65R17. Second, the road is selected as the cobblestone. The road condition of the cobblestone is almost 10 times more severe than that of usual paved road. Third, the dynamic finite element analysis using the LS-DYNA is performed to predict the durability performance of the suggested knuckle arm. The life of the suggested knuckle arm is calculated as 350,000km, which satisfies the design requirement set up by the part manufacturer. In this study, the overall design process of a knuckle arm is suggested, and it can be seen that the developed knuckle arm satisfies the design requirement of the durability with the unit of full car. The VPG analysis is successfully performed even though it does not an exact prediction since the full car model is very rough one. Thus, this approach can be used effectively when the detail to full car is not given.Keywords: knuckle arm, structural optimization, Metamodel, forging, durability, VPG (Virtual Proving Ground)
Procedia PDF Downloads 41923636 Measurement of Operational and Environmental Performance of the Coal-Fired Power Plants in India by Using Data Envelopment Analysis
Authors: Vijay Kumar Bajpai, Sudhir Kumar Singh
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In this study, the performance analyses of the twenty five coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) used for electricity generation are carried out through various data envelopment analysis (DEA) models. Three efficiency indices are defined and pursued. During the calculation of the operational performance, energy and non-energy variables are used as input, and net electricity produced is used as desired output. CO2 emitted to the environment is used as the undesired output in the computation of the pure environmental performance while in Model-3 CO2 emissions is considered as detrimental input in the calculation of operational and environmental performance. Empirical results show that most of the plants are operating in increasing returns to scale region and Mettur plant is efficient one with regards to energy use and environment. The result also indicates that the undesirable output effect is insignificant in the research sample. The present study will provide clues to plant operators towards raising the operational and environmental performance of CFPPs.Keywords: coal fired power plants, environmental performance, data envelopment analysis, operational performance
Procedia PDF Downloads 45523635 A Study to Evaluate Some Physical and Mechanical Properties, Relevant in Estimating Energy Requirements in Grinding the Palm Kernel and Coconut Shells
Authors: Saheed O. Akinwale, Olufemi A. Koya
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Based on the need to modify palm kernel shell (PKS) and coconut shell (CNS) for some engineering applications, the study evaluated some physical characteristics and fracture resistance, relevant in estimating energy requirements in comminution of the nutshells. The shells, obtained from local processing mills, were washed, sun-dried and sorted to remove kernels, nuts and other extraneous materials. Experiments were then conducted to determine the thickness, density, moisture content, and hardness of the shells. Fracture resistances were characterised by the average compressive load, stiffness and toughness at bio-yield point of specially prepared section of the shells, under quasi-static compression loading. The densities of the dried PKS at 7.12% and the CNS at 6.47% (wb) moisture contents were 1291.20 and 1247.40 kg/m3, respectively. The corresponding Brinnel Hardness Numbers were 58.40 ± 1.91 and 56.33 ± 4.33. Close shells thickness of both PKS and CNS exhibited identical physical properties although; CNS is relatively larger in physical dimensions than PKS. The findings further showed that both shell types exhibited higher resistance with compression along the longitudinal axes than the transverse axes. With compressions along the longitudinal axes, the fracture force were 1.41 ± 0.11 and 3.62 ± 0.09 kN; bio-stiffness; 934.70 ± 67.03 kN/m and 1980.74 ± 8.92 kN/m; and toughness, 2.17 ± 0.16 and 6.51 ± 0.15 KN mm for the PKS and CNS, respectively. With the estimated toughness of CNS higher than that of PKS, the study showed the requirement of higher comminution energy for CNS.Keywords: bio-stiffness, coconut shell, comminution, crushing strength, energy requirement, palm kernel shell, toughness
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