Search results for: squared Euclidean distance

Authors: Icaro V. Soares, Guilherme L. F. Brandao, Ursula D. C. Resende, Glaucio L. Siqueira

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Electrical energy can be wirelessly transmitted through resonant coupled coils that operate in the near-field region. Once in this region, the field has evanescent character, the efficiency of Resonant Wireless Power Transfer (RWPT) systems decreases proportionally with the inverse cube of distance between the transmitter and receiver coils. The commercially available RWPT systems are restricted to short and mid-range applications in which the distance between coils is lesser or equal to the coil size. An alternative to overcome this limitation is applying metamaterial structures to enhance the coupling between coils, thus reducing the field decay along the distance between them. Metamaterials can be conceived as composite materials with periodic or non-periodic structure whose unconventional electromagnetic behaviour is due to its unit cell disposition and chemical composition. This new kind of material has been used in frequency selective surfaces, invisibility cloaks, leaky-wave antennas, among other applications. However, for RWPT it is mainly applied as superlenses which are lenses that can overcome the optical limitation and are made of left-handed media, that is, a medium with negative magnetic permeability and electric permittivity. As RWPT systems usually operate at wavelengths of hundreds of meters, the metamaterial unit cell size is much smaller than the wavelength. In this case, electric and magnetic field are decoupled, therefore the double negative condition for superlenses are not required and the negative magnetic permeability is enough to produce an artificial magnetic medium. In this work, the influence of the magnetic permeability of a metamaterial slab inserted between two loosely coupled coils is studied in order to find the condition that leads to the maximum transmission efficiency. The metamaterial used is formed by a subwavelength unit cell that consist of a capacitor-loaded split ring with an inner spiral that is designed and optimized using the software Computer Simulation Technology. The unit cell permeability is experimentally characterized by the ratio of the transmission parameters between coils measured with and without the presence of the metamaterial slab. Early measurements results show that the transmission coefficient at the resonant frequency after the inclusion of the metamaterial is about three times higher than with just the two coils, which confirms the enhancement that this structure brings to RWPT systems.

Keywords: electromagnetic lens, loosely coupled coils, magnetic permeability, metamaterials, resonant wireless power transfer, subwavelength unit cells

Procedia PDF Downloads 147

Authors: Richa Grover, Rahul Grover, V. Balaji Rao, Kavish Kejriwal

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Selection of suppliers is a crucial problem in the supply chain management. On top of that, sustainable supplier selection is the biggest challenge for the organizations. Environment protection and social problems have been of concern to society in recent years, and the traditional supplier selection does not consider about this factor; therefore, this research work focuses on introducing sustainable criteria into the structure of supplier selection criteria. Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) is the management and administration of material, information, and money flows, as well as coordination among business along the supply chain. All three dimensions - economic, environmental, and social - of sustainable development needs to be taken care of. Purpose of this research is to maximize supply chain profitability, maximize social wellbeing of supply chain and minimize environmental impacts. Problem statement is selection of suppliers in a sustainable supply chain network by ranking the suppliers against sustainable criteria identified. The aim of this research is twofold: To find out what are the sustainable parameters that can be applied to the supply chain, and to determine how these parameters can effectively be used in supplier selection. Multicriteria decision making tools will be used to rank both criteria and suppliers. AHP Analysis will be used to find out ratings for the criteria identified. It is a technique used for efficient decision making. TOPSIS will be used to find out rating for suppliers and then ranking them. TOPSIS is a MCDM problem solving method which is based on the principle that the chosen option should have the maximum distance from the negative ideal solution (NIS) and the minimum distance from the ideal solution.

Keywords: sustainable supply chain management, sustainable criteria, MCDM tools, AHP analysis, TOPSIS method

Procedia PDF Downloads 325

Authors: Daniel Pinheiro Da Silva Junior, Aline Paes, Daniel De Oliveira, Christiano Lacerda Ghuerren, Marcio Duran

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The Courts of Accounts are institutions responsible for overseeing and point out irregularities of Public Administration expenses. They have a high demand for processes to be analyzed, whose decisions must be grounded on severity laws. Despite the existing large amount of processes, there are several cases reporting similar subjects. Thus, previous decisions on already analyzed processes can be a precedent for current processes that refer to similar topics. Identifying similar topics is an open, yet essential task for identifying similarities between several processes. Since the actual amount of topics is considerably large, it is tedious and error-prone to identify topics using a pure manual approach. This paper presents a tool based on Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing to assists in building a labeled dataset. The tool relies on Topic Modelling with Latent Dirichlet Allocation to find the topics underlying a document followed by Jensen Shannon distance metric to generate a probability of similarity between documents pairs. Furthermore, in a case study with a corpus of decisions of the Rio de Janeiro State Court of Accounts, it was noted that data pre-processing plays an essential role in modeling relevant topics. Also, the combination of topic modeling and a calculated distance metric over document represented among generated topics has been proved useful in helping to construct a labeled base of similar and non-similar document pairs.

Keywords: courts of accounts, data labelling, document similarity, topic modeling

Procedia PDF Downloads 180

Authors: Zhang Pinliang, Chen Chuan, Song Guangming, Wu Qiang, Gong Zizheng, Li Ming

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The active removal of space debris and asteroid defense are important issues in human space activities. Both of them need a detumbling process, for almost all space debris and asteroid are in a rotating state, and it`s hard and dangerous to capture or remove a target with a relatively high tumbling rate. So it`s necessary to find a method to reduce the angular rate first. The laser ablation method is an efficient way to tackle this detumbling problem, for it`s a contactless technique and can work at a safe distance. In existing research, a laser rotational control strategy based on the estimation of the instantaneous angular velocity of the target has been presented. But their calculation of control torque produced by a laser, which is very important in detumbling operation, is not accurate enough, for the method they used is only suitable for the plane or regularly shaped target, and they did not consider the influence of irregular shape and the size of the spot. In this paper, based on the triangulation reconstruction of the target surface, we propose a new method to calculate the impulse of the irregularly shaped target under both the covered irradiation and spot irradiation of the laser and verify its accuracy by theoretical formula calculation and impulse measurement experiment. Then we use it to study the process of detumbling cylinder and asteroid by laser. The result shows that the new method is universally practical and has high precision; it will take more than 13.9 hours to stop the rotation of Bennu with 1E+05kJ laser pulse energy; the speed of the detumbling process depends on the distance between the spot and the centroid of the target, which can be found an optimal value in every particular case.

Keywords: detumbling, laser ablation drive, space target, space debris remove

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Authors: Shital Patil, Surendra Bhosale

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Cardiac diseases are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the world, from recent few decades accounting for a large number of deaths have emerged as the most life-threatening disorder globally. Machine learning and Artificial intelligence have been playing key role in predicting the heart diseases. A relevant set of feature can be very helpful in predicting the disease accurately. In this study, we proposed a comparative analysis of 4 different features selection methods and evaluated their performance with both raw (Unbalanced dataset) and sampled (Balanced) dataset. The publicly available Z-Alizadeh Sani dataset have been used for this study. Four feature selection methods: Data Analysis, minimum Redundancy maximum Relevance (mRMR), Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE), Chi-squared are used in this study. These methods are tested with 8 different classification models to get the best accuracy possible. Using balanced and unbalanced dataset, the study shows promising results in terms of various performance metrics in accurately predicting heart disease. Experimental results obtained by the proposed method with the raw data obtains maximum AUC of 100%, maximum F1 score of 94%, maximum Recall of 98%, maximum Precision of 93%. While with the balanced dataset obtained results are, maximum AUC of 100%, F1-score 95%, maximum Recall of 95%, maximum Precision of 97%.

Keywords: cardio vascular diseases, machine learning, feature selection, SMOTE

Procedia PDF Downloads 119

Authors: Wathig Hashim Mohamed Ibrahim

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Twenty Five polymorphic microsatellite out of 50 Loci were used to genotype some camel (Camelus dromedarius) types and subtypes in Sudan (Naylawi, Shanapla, Lahawi, Kinani, Rashaydi, Bani-Aamir, Annafi, Bishari Shallagyai and Bishari Arririt) and that from Qatar (OmmaniHJ, OmmaniKH, Majaheem, Pakistani Sindi, Pakistani Punjabi and Pakistani) and for comparative; one type from Somalia (Aarhou) and another from Chad (Spotted) were investigated. The highest number of alleles were 23 in Locus CVRL 01, and lowest were 2 in YWLL 59. The observed heterozygosity (Hobs) were 0.950 and 0.049 for VOLP08 and YWLL09, respectively, while the expected heterozygosity (HExp) were 0.915 and 0.362 for Locus VOLP67 and YWLL58, respectively, and the HExp mean was 0.7378. Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) ranged between 0.907 - 0.345 in Locus VOLP67 and YWLL58, and the PIC mean was 0.7002. The genetic distance ranged between 0.545 – 0.098 for Shallagyai (Bishari subtype) – Pakistani Sindi subtype and between Annafi - Rashaydi, respectively. The genetic distance between spotted and all types ranged between 0.223 with Arririt (Bishari subtype) and 0.463 with Punjabi (Pakistani subtype) that found in Qatar, while all types with Aarhou ranged between 0.215 for Arririt and 0.469 with Punjabi (Pakistani subtype). The dondrogram shows that there is a relationship between the genetic makeup and geographical distributions and also between the genetic makeup and phenotypic characteristic. Individual assignment was calculated, 46.62% correctly assigned and 46.87% quality index. Hardy Weinberg Equivalent (HWE) was also calculated. Key words: Camel, genotype, polymorphic microsatellite

Keywords: camel, genotype, polymorphic microsatellite, types and subtypes

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Authors: Driss Haddouche

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Pastoral crisis in Algeria has its origins in rangeland degradation which are the main factor in any activity in the steppe zones. Indeed, faced with the increasing human and animal population on a living space smaller and smaller, there is an overuse of what remains of the steppe range lands, consequently the not sustainability of biomass production. Knowing the amount of biomass available, the practice of grazing options, taking into account the use of "Use Factor" factor remains an essential method for managing pastoral resources. This factor has three options: at 40% Conservative pasture; at 60 % the beginning of overgrazing; at 80% destructive grazing. Accessibility on the pasture is based on our field observations of a type any flock along a grazing cycle. The main purpose of these observations is to highlight the speed of herd grazing situation. Several individuals from the herd were timed to arrive at an average duration of about 5 seconds to move between two tufts of grass, separated by a distance of one meter. This gives a rate of 5 s/m (0.72 km/h) flat. This speed varies depending on the angle of the slope. Knowing the speed and slope of each pixel of the study area, given by the digital elevation model of Spot Image (MNE) and whose pitch is 15 meters, a map of pasture according to the distances is generated. Knowing the stocking and biomass available, the examination of the common Mécheria at regular distances (8.64 km or 12 hours of grazing, 17.28 km or 24 hours of grazing and 25.92 Km or 36 hours of grazing), offers three different options (conservation grazing resource: utilization at 40%; overgrazing statements for use at 60% and grazing destructive for use by more than 80%) for each distance traveled by sheep from the starting point is the town of Mécheria.

Keywords: pastoral crisis, biomass, animal charge, use factor, Algeria

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Authors: Manuela Gamba, Niki Mandolesi

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Teenagers today have little knowledge about how to move or play together. The adults who are part of sports culture must find an effective way to foster this essential ability. Our research in Italy uses a 'holistic model' based on fantasy literature to explore the relationships between the game identities and self-identities of young people and the achievement of psycho-motor, emotional and social well-being in the realms of sport and education. Physical activity projects were carried out in schools and extra-curricular associations in Rome, combining outdoor activities and distance learning. This holistic and malleable game model is inspired by fantasy accounts of the journeys taken in The Lord of Rings and Harry Potter books. We know that many have a lot of resistance to the idea of using fantasy and play as a pedagogical tool, but the results obtained in this experience are surprising. Our interventions and investigations focused on promoting self-esteem, awareness, a sense of belonging, social integration, cooperation, well-being, and informed decision making: a basis for healthy and effective citizenship. For teenagers, creative thinking is the right stimulus to involve and compare the story of characters to their own journey through social and self-reflective identity analysis. We observed how important it is to engage students emotionally as well as cognitively and that enabling them to play with identity through relationships with peers. There is a need today for a multidisciplinary synthesis of analog and digital values, especially in response to recent distance-living experiences. There is a need for a global reconceptualization of free time and nature in the human experience.

Keywords: awareness, creativity, identity, play

Procedia PDF Downloads 190

Authors: Foong Kiew Ooi, Aidi Naim Mohamad Samsani, Chee Keong Chen, Mohamed Saat Ismail

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Introduction: Prolonged exercise in a hot and humid environment can result in glycogen depletion and associated with loss of body fluid. Carbohydrate contained in sports beverages is beneficial for improving sports performance and preventing dehydration. Carbohydrate contained in honey is believed can be served as an alternative form of carbohydrate for enhancing sports performance. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of honey drink compared to sports drink as a recovery aid for running performance and physiological parameters in the heat. Method: Ten male recreational athletes (age: 22.2 ± 2.0 years, VO2max: 51.5 ± 3.7 ml.kg-1.min-1) participated in this randomized cross-over study. On each trial, participants were required to run for 1 hour in the glycogen depletion phase (Run-1), followed by a rehydration phase for 2 hours and subsequently a 20 minutes time trial performance (Run-2). During Run-1, subjects were required to run on the treadmill in the heat (31°C) with 70% relative humidity at 70 % of their VO2max. During rehydration phase, participants drank either honey drink or sports drink, or plain water with amount equivalent to 150% of body weight loss in dispersed interval (60 %, 50 % and 40 %) at 0 min, 30 min and 60 min respectively. Subsequently, time trial was performed by the participants in 20 minutes and the longest distance covered was recorded. Physiological parameters were analysed using two-way ANOVA with repeated measure and time trial performance was analysed using one-way ANOVA. Results: Result showed that Acacia honey elicited a better time trial performance with significantly longer distance compared to water trial (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between Acacia honey and sport drink trials (P > 0.05). Acacia honey and sports drink trials elicited 249 m (8.24 %) and 211 m (6.79 %) longer in distance compared to the water trial respectively. For physiological parameters, plasma glucose, plasma insulin and plasma free fatty acids in Acacia honey and sports drink trials were significantly higher compared to the water trial respectively during rehydration phase and time trial running performance phase. There were no significant differences in body weight changes, oxygen uptake, hematocrit, plasma volume changes and plasma cortisol in all the trials. Conclusion: Acacia honey elicited greatest beneficial effects on sports performance among the drinks, thus it has potential to be used for rehydration in athletes who train and compete in hot environment.

Keywords: honey drink, rehydration, sports performance, plasma glucose, plasma insulin, plasma cortisol

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Authors: Selam Mulugeta, Barkot Milkias, Mesfin Araya, Abel Worku, Eyasu Mulugeta

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In Ethiopia, there is inadequate information on non-adherence to antidepressant treatment in patients with depressive disorders. Having awareness of the pattern of adherence is important in future prognosis, quality of life, and functionality in these patients. This hospital-based cross-sectional quantitative study was done on a sample of 216 consecutive outpatients with depressive disorders. Data were collected using questionnaires through in-person and phone call interviews. The 8-item Morisky scale was used to assess the pattern of medication adherence. Other specially developed tools were used to obtain sociodemographic and clinical information from electronic medical records and patient interviews. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version - 25. Univariate and multivariable analyses were carried out to assess factors associated with non-adherence. 90% of the participants had a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Based on the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, the prevalence of non-adherence was found to be 84.7%. Living distance between 11 to 50 km from the hospital (AOR= 11, 95% CI (29,46.6)), post-secondary level of education (AOR= 8.3, 95% CI (1, 64.4)) and taking multiple medications (AOR= 6.1, 95% CI (1, 34.9)) were found to have significantly increased odds of non-adherence. Non-adherence was significantly associated with factors such as increased living distance from the hospital, relatively higher educational level, and polypharmacy. Proper and patient-centered psychoeducation, addressing the communication gap between patients and doctors, adherence to prescribing guidelines, avoiding polypharmacy unless indicated & working on accessibility of treatment is essential to decrease non-adherence.

Keywords: depressive disorders, Ethiopia, medication adherence, Addis Ababa

Procedia PDF Downloads 149

Authors: Waleed A. Basuliman, Khalid S. AlSaleh, Mohamed Z. Ramadan

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Applying the anthropometric dimensions is considered one of the important factors when designing any human-machine system. In this study, the estimation of anthropometric dimensions has been improved by developing artificial neural network that aims to predict the anthropometric measurements of the male in Saudi Arabia. A total of 1427 Saudi males from age 6 to 60 participated in measuring twenty anthropometric dimensions. These anthropometric measurements are important for designing the majority of work and life applications in Saudi Arabia. The data were collected during 8 months from different locations in Riyadh City. Five of these dimensions were used as predictors variables (inputs) of the model, and the remaining fifteen dimensions were set to be the measured variables (outcomes). The hidden layers have been varied during the structuring stage, and the best performance was achieved with the network structure 6-25-15. The results showed that the developed Neural Network model was significantly able to predict the body dimensions for the population of Saudi Arabia. The network mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and the root mean squared error (RMSE) were found 0.0348 and 3.225 respectively. The accuracy of the developed neural network was evaluated by compare the predicted outcomes with a multiple regression model. The ANN model performed better and resulted excellent correlation coefficients between the predicted and actual dimensions.

Keywords: artificial neural network, anthropometric measurements, backpropagation, real anthropometric database

Procedia PDF Downloads 578

Authors: Viviane P. Romani, Bradley D. Olsen, Vilásia G. Martins

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Biodegradable films for food packaging have gained growing attention due to environmental pollution caused by synthetic films and the interest in the better use of resources from nature. Important research advances were made in the development of materials from proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids. However, the commercial use of these new generation of sustainable materials for food packaging is still limited due to their low mechanical and barrier properties that could compromise the food quality and safety. Thus, strategies to improve the performance of these materials have been tested, such as chemical modifications, incorporation of reinforcing structures and others. Cold plasma is a versatile, fast and environmentally friendly technology. It consists of a partially ionized gas containing free electrons, ions, and radicals and neutral particles able to react with polymers and start different reactions, leading to the polymer degradation, functionalization, etching and/or cross-linking. In the present study, biodegradable films from fish protein prepared through the casting technique were plasma treated using an AC glow discharge equipment. The reactor was preliminary evacuated to ~7 Pa and the films were exposed to air plasma for 2, 5 and 8 min. The films were evaluated by their mechanical and water vapor permeability (WVP) properties and changes in the protein structure were observed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Potential cross-links and elimination of surface defects by etching might be the reason for the increase in tensile strength and decrease in the elongation at break observed. Among the times of plasma application tested, no differences were observed when higher times of exposure were used. The X-ray pattern showed a broad peak at 2θ = 19.51º that corresponds to the distance of 4.6Å by applying the Bragg’s law. This distance corresponds to the average backbone distance within the α-helix. Thus, the changes observed in the films might indicate that the helical configuration of fish protein was disturbed by plasma treatment. SEM images showed surface damage in the films with 5 and 8 min of plasma treatment, indicating that 2 min was the most adequate time of treatment. It was verified that plasma removes water from the films once weight loss of 4.45% was registered for films treated during 2 min. However, after 24 h in 50% of relative humidity, the water lost was recovered. WVP increased from 0.53 to 0.65 g.mm/h.m².kPa after plasma treatment during 2 min, that is desired for some foods applications which require water passage through the packaging. In general, the plasma technology affects the properties and structure of fish protein films. Since this technology changes the surface of polymers, these films might be used to develop multilayer materials, as well as to incorporate active substances in the surface to obtain active packaging.

Keywords: fish protein films, food packaging, improvement of properties, plasma treatment

Procedia PDF Downloads 163

Authors: Merve Ermis, Murat Yılmaz, Nihal Eratlı, Mehmet H. Omurtag

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The static and dynamic analyses of hyperboloidal helix having the closed and the open square box sections are investigated via the mixed finite element formulation based on Timoshenko beam theory. Frenet triad is considered as local coordinate systems for helix geometry. Helix domain is discretized with a two-noded curved element and linear shape functions are used. Each node of the curved element has 12 degrees of freedom, namely, three translations, three rotations, two shear forces, one axial force, two bending moments and one torque. Finite element matrices are derived by using exact nodal values of curvatures and arc length and it is interpolated linearly throughout the element axial length. The torsional moments of inertia for close and open square box sections are obtained by finite element solution of St. Venant torsion formulation. With the proposed method, the torsional rigidity of simply and multiply connected cross-sections can be also calculated in same manner. The influence of the close and the open square box cross-sections on the static and dynamic analyses of hyperboloidal helix is investigated. The benchmark problems are represented for the literature.

Keywords: hyperboloidal helix, squared cross section, thin walled cross section, torsional rigidity

Procedia PDF Downloads 378

Authors: Benson Ade Eniola Afere

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This paper introduces a family of fourth-order hybrid beta polynomial kernels developed for statistical analysis. The assessment of these kernels' performance centers on two critical metrics: asymptotic mean integrated squared error (AMISE) and kernel efficiency. Through the utilization of both simulated and real-world datasets, a comprehensive evaluation was conducted, facilitating a thorough comparison with conventional fourth-order polynomial kernels. The evaluation procedure encompassed the computation of AMISE and efficiency values for both the proposed hybrid kernels and the established classical kernels. The consistently observed trend was the superior performance of the hybrid kernels when compared to their classical counterparts. This trend persisted across diverse datasets, underscoring the resilience and efficacy of the hybrid approach. By leveraging these performance metrics and conducting evaluations on both simulated and real-world data, this study furnishes compelling evidence in favour of the superiority of the proposed hybrid beta polynomial kernels. The discernible enhancement in performance, as indicated by lower AMISE values and higher efficiency scores, strongly suggests that the proposed kernels offer heightened suitability for statistical analysis tasks when compared to traditional kernels.

Keywords: AMISE, efficiency, fourth-order Kernels, hybrid Kernels, Kernel density estimation

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Authors: Fredrick Forster, Gareth Ward, Matthew Tubby, Pamela Lithgow, Anne Nortcliffe

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This paper presents the results from a research study of random adult participants accessing one of four different commercially available Virtual Reality (VR) Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) and completing a post user experience reflection questionnaire. The research sort to understand how inclusive commercially available VR HMDs are and identify any associated barriers that could impact the widespread adoption of the devices, specifically in Higher Education (HE). In the UK, education providers are legally required under the Equality Act 2010 to ensure all education facilities are inclusive and reasonable adjustments can be applied appropriately. The research specifically aimed to identify the considerations that academics and learning technologists need to make when adopting the use of commercial VR HMDs in HE classrooms, namely cybersickness, user comfort, Interpupillary Distance, inclusiveness, and user perceptions of VR. The research approach was designed to build upon previously published research on user reflections on presence, usability, and overall HMD comfort, using quantitative and qualitative research methods by way of a questionnaire. The quantitative data included the recording of physical characteristics such as the distance between eye pupils, known as Interpupillary Distance (IPD). VR HMDs require each user’s IPD measurement to enable the focusing of the VR HMDs virtual camera output to the right position in front of the eyes of the user. In addition, the questionnaire captured users’ qualitative reflections and evaluations of the broader accessibility characteristics of the VR HMDs. The initial research activity was accomplished by enabling a random sample of visitors, staff, and students at Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent to use a VR HMD for a set period of time and asking them to complete the post user experience questionnaire. The study identified that there is little correlation between users who experience cyber sickness and car sickness. Also, users with a smaller IPD than average (typically associated with females) were able to use the VR HMDs successfully; however, users with a larger than average IPD reported an impeded experience. This indicates that there is reduced inclusiveness for the tested VR HMDs for users with a higher-than-average IPD which is typically associated with males of certain ethnicities. As action education research, these initial findings will be used to refine the research method and conduct further investigations with the aim to provide verification and validation of the accessibility of current commercial VR HMDs. The conference presentation will report on the research results of the initial study and subsequent follow up studies with a larger variety of adult volunteers.

Keywords: virtual reality, education technology, inclusive technology, higher education

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Authors: Farzan Farhangian, Behnam Shakibafar, Bobda Cedric, Rene Jr. Landry

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Among the air navigation technologies, many of them are capable of increasing aviation sustainability as well as accuracy improvement in Alternative Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (APNT), especially avionics Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), Very high-frequency Omni-directional Range (VOR), etc. The integration of these air navigation solutions could make a robust and efficient accuracy in air mobility, air traffic management and autonomous operations. Designing a proper RF front-end, power amplifier and software-defined transponder could pave the way for reaching an optimized avionics navigation solution. In this article, the possibility of reaching an optimum front-end to be used with single low-cost Software-Defined Radio (SDR) has been investigated in order to reach a software-defined DME architecture. Our software-defined approach uses the firmware possibilities to design a real-time software architecture compatible with a Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO) BladeRF to estimate an accurate time delay between a Transmission (Tx) and the reception (Rx) channels using the synchronous scheduled communication. We could design a novel power amplifier for the transmission channel of the DME to pass the minimum transmission power. This article also investigates designing proper pair pulses based on the DO-178B avionics standard. Various guidelines have been tested, and the possibility of passing the certification process for each standard term has been analyzed. Finally, the performance of the DME was tested in the laboratory environment using an IFR6000, which showed that the proposed architecture reached an accuracy of less than 0.23 Nautical mile (Nmi) with 98% probability.

Keywords: avionics, DME, software defined radio, navigation

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: Ebenezer Kwesi Armah-Ansah, Kenneth Fosu Oteng, Esther Selasi Avinu, Eugene Budu, Edward Kwabena Ameyaw

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Background: Maternal mortality, particularly in Benin, is a major public health concern in Sub-Saharan Africa. To provide a positive pregnancy experience and reduce maternal morbidities, all pregnant women must get appropriate and timely prenatal support. However, many pregnant women in developing countries, including Benin, begin antenatal care late. There is a paucity of empirical literature on the prevalence and predictors of early antenatal care visits in Benin. As a result, the purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence and predictors of early antenatal care visits among women of productive age in Benin. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the 2017/2018 Benin Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) data. The study involved 6,919 eligible women. Data analysis was conducted using Stata version 14.2 for Mac OS. We adopted a multilevel logistic regression to examine the predictors of early ANC visits in Benin. The results were presented as odds ratios (ORs) associated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and p-value <0.05 to determine the significant associations. Results: The prevalence of early ANC visits among pregnant women in Benin was 57.03% [95% CI: 55.41-58.64]. In the final multilevel logistic regression, early ANC visit was higher among women aged 30-34 [aOR=1.60, 95% CI=1.17-2.18] compared to those aged 15-19, women with primary education [aOR=1.22, 95% CI=1.06-142] compared to the non-educated women, women who were covered by health insurance [aOR=3.03, 95% CI=1.35-6.76], women without a big problem in getting the money needed for treatment [aOR=1.31, 95% CI=1.16-1.49], distance to the health facility, not a big problem [aOR=1.23, 95% CI=1.08-1.41], and women whose partners had secondary/higher education [aOR=1.35, 95% CI=1.15-1.57] compared with those who were not covered by health insurance, had big problem in getting money needed for treatment, distance to health facility is a big problem and whose partners had no education respectively. However, women who had four or more births [aOR=0.60, 95% CI=0.48-0.74] and those in Atacora Region [aOR=0.50, 95% CI=0.37-0.68] had lower odds of early ANC visit. Conclusion: This study revealed a relatively high prevalence of early ANC visits among women of reproductive age in Benin. Women's age, educational status of women and their partners, parity, health insurance coverage, distance to health facilities, and region were all associated with early ANC visits among women of reproductive in Benin. These factors ought to be taken into account when developing ANC policies and strategies in order to boost early ANC visits among women in Benin. This will significantly reduce maternal and newborn mortality and help achieve the World Health Organization’s recommendation that all pregnant women should initiate early ANC visits within the first three months of pregnancy.

Keywords: antenatal care, Benin, maternal health, pregnancy, DHS, public health

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Authors: Naragain Phumchusri, Kittitach Pongpairoj

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Overbooking is a very useful revenue management technique that could help reduce costs caused by either undersales or oversales. In this paper, we propose an overbooking model for two types of cars that can minimize the total cost for car rental service. With two types of cars, there is an upgrade possibility for lower type to upper type. This makes the model more complex than one type of cars scenario. We have found that convexity can be proved in this case. Sensitivity analysis of the parameters is conducted to observe the effects of relevant parameters on the optimal solution. Model simplification is proposed using multiple linear regression analysis, which can help estimate the optimal overbooking level using appropriate independent variables. The results show that the overbooking level from multiple linear regression model is relatively close to the optimal solution (with the adjusted R-squared value of at least 72.8%). To evaluate the performance of the proposed model, the total cost was compared with the case where the decision maker uses a naïve method for the overbooking level. It was found that the total cost from optimal solution is only 0.5 to 1 percent (on average) lower than the cost from regression model, while it is approximately 67% lower than the cost obtained by the naïve method. It indicates that our proposed simplification method using regression analysis can effectively perform in estimating the overbooking level.

Keywords: overbooking, car rental industry, revenue management, stochastic model

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Authors: Ahmad A. Kader

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In the Principles of Microeconomics course taught during the Fall Semester of 2019, 158 out of 179 students participated in the completion of one questionnaire and a survey describing their demographic and academic profiles. The questionnaire includes the 29 items of the Rotter Locus of Control Scale and is intended to show the influence of locus of control orientation on student performance. The survey covers variables that have been tested and recognized in economic education literature, which include GPA, gender, age, course level, race, class standing, whether the course was required or elective, employment, whether a high school economics course was taken, and attendance. Regression results of the economic education variables show that GPA, whether the course was required or elective, and attendance are all significant in their influence on student grades. Adding the locus of control to the regression equation, the results show that the locus of control variable has a negative and significant effect on student grades. Also, the adjusted R-squared value increased markedly with the addition of the locus of control to the regression equation. Dividing the sample by a median split of 11 equally size groups of the locus of control variable of internal and external student orientation, the t-test result shows that internally oriented students significantly outperform externally oriented students as reflected by their grades. The implication of these results for educators is discussed in the paper.

Keywords: locus of control, student performance, economic education, educational psychology

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Authors: Waleed Basuliman

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Anthropometric dimensions are considered one of the important factors when designing human-machine systems. In this study, the estimation of anthropometric dimensions has been improved by using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model that is able to predict the anthropometric measurements of Saudi males in Riyadh City. A total of 1427 Saudi males aged 6 to 60 years participated in measuring 20 anthropometric dimensions. These anthropometric measurements are considered important for designing the work and life applications in Saudi Arabia. The data were collected during eight months from different locations in Riyadh City. Five of these dimensions were used as predictors variables (inputs) of the model, and the remaining 15 dimensions were set to be the measured variables (Model’s outcomes). The hidden layers varied during the structuring stage, and the best performance was achieved with the network structure 6-25-15. The results showed that the developed Neural Network model was able to estimate the body dimensions of Saudi male population in Riyadh City. The network's mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and the root mean squared error (RMSE) were found to be 0.0348 and 3.225, respectively. These results were found less, and then better, than the errors found in the literature. Finally, the accuracy of the developed neural network was evaluated by comparing the predicted outcomes with regression model. The ANN model showed higher coefficient of determination (R2) between the predicted and actual dimensions than the regression model.

Keywords: artificial neural network, anthropometric measurements, back-propagation

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Authors: Masoud Sheidai

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Biologists with a special field of population genetics and phylogeny have different research tasks such as populations’ genetic variability and divergence, species relatedness, the evolution of genetic and morphological characters, and identification of DNA SNPs with adaptive potential. To tackle these problems and reach a concise conclusion, they must use the proper and efficient statistical and bioinformatic methods as well as suitable genetic and morphological characteristics. In recent years application of different bioinformatic and statistical methods, which are based on various well-documented assumptions, are the proper analytical tools in the hands of researchers. The species delineation is usually carried out with the use of different clustering methods like K-means clustering based on proper distance measures according to the studied features of organisms. A well-defined species are assumed to be separated from the other taxa by molecular barcodes. The species relationships are studied by using molecular markers, which are analyzed by different analytical methods like multidimensional scaling (MDS) and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). The species population structuring and genetic divergence are usually investigated by PCoA and PCA methods and a network diagram. These are based on bootstrapping of data. The Association of different genes and DNA sequences to ecological and geographical variables is determined by LFMM (Latent factor mixed model) and redundancy analysis (RDA), which are based on Bayesian and distance methods. Molecular and morphological differentiating characters in the studied species may be identified by linear discriminant analysis (DA) and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC). We shall illustrate these methods and related conclusions by giving examples from different edible and medicinal plant species.

Keywords: GWAS analysis, K-Means clustering, LFMM, multidimensional scaling, redundancy analysis

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Authors: Kaleb Shiferaw, Berhanu Geberemedhin, Dereje Legesse

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Access to credit is often viewed as a key to transform semi-subsistence smallholders into market oriented producers. However, only a few studies have examined factors that affect farmers’ decision to allocate credit on farm activities in general and livestock production in particular. A trivariate probit model with double selection is employed to identify factors that affect farmers’ decision to allocate credit on livestock production using data collected from smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. After controlling for two sample selection bias – taking credit for the production season and decision to allocate credit on farm activities – land ownership and access to a livestock centered extension service are found to have a significant (p<0.001) effect on farmers decision to use credit for livestock production. The result showed farmers with large land holding, and access to a livestock centered extension services are more likely to utilize credit for livestock production. However since the effect of land ownership squared is negative the effect of land ownership for those who own a large plot of land lessens. The study highlights the fact that improving access to credit does not automatically translate into more productive households. Improving farmers’ access to credit should be followed by a focused extension services.

Keywords: livestock production, credit access, credit allocation, household decision, double sample selection

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Authors: Abderrahim Elmoataz

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More and more contemporary applications involve data in the form of functions defined on irregular and topologically complicated domains (images, meshs, points clouds, networks, etc). Such data are not organized as familiar digital signals and images sampled on regular lattices. However, they can be conveniently represented as graphs where each vertex represents measured data and each edge represents a relationship (connectivity or certain affinities or interaction) between two vertices. Processing and analyzing these types of data is a major challenge for both image and machine learning communities. Hence, it is very important to transfer to graphs and networks many of the mathematical tools which were initially developed on usual Euclidean spaces and proven to be efficient for many inverse problems and applications dealing with usual image and signal domains. Historically, the main tools for the study of graphs or networks come from combinatorial and graph theory. In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the investigation of one of the major mathematical tools for signal and image analysis, which are Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) variational methods on graphs. The normalized p-laplacian operator has been recently introduced to model a stochastic game called tug-of-war-game with noise. Part interest of this class of operators arises from the fact that it includes, as particular case, the infinity Laplacian, the mean curvature operator and the traditionnal Laplacian operators which was extensiveley used to models and to solve problems in image processing. The purpose of this paper is to introduce and to study a new class of normalized p-Laplacian on graphs. The introduction is based on the extension of p-harmonious function introduced in as discrete approximation for both infinity Laplacian and p-Laplacian equations. Finally, we propose to use these operators as a framework for solving many inverse problems in image processing.

Keywords: normalized p-laplacian, image processing, stochastic game, inverse problems

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Authors: Rubens P. Costa, Marcelo A. Leigui de Oliveira

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The comprehension of features on the energy spectra, the chemical compositions, and the origins of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) - mainly atomic nuclei with energies above ~1.0 EeV (exa-electron volts) - are intrinsically linked to the problem of determining the magnitude of their deflections in cosmic magnetic fields on cosmological scales. In addition, as they propagate from the source to the observer, modifications are expected in their original energy spectra, anisotropy, and the chemical compositions due to interactions with low energy photons and matter. This means that any consistent interpretation of the nature and origin of UHECRs has to include the detailed knowledge of their propagation in a three-dimensional environment, taking into account the magnetic deflections and energy losses. The parameter space range for the magnetic fields in the universe is very large because the field strength and especially their orientation have big uncertainties. Particularly, the strength and morphology of the Extragalactic Magnetic Fields (EGMFs) remain largely unknown, because of the intrinsic difficulty of observing them. Monte Carlo simulations of charged particles traveling through a simulated magnetized universe is the straightforward way to study the influence of extragalactic magnetic fields on UHECRs propagation. However, this brings two major difficulties: an accurate numerical modeling of charged particles diffusion in magnetic fields, and an accurate numerical modeling of the magnetized Universe. Since magnetic fields do not cause energy losses, it is important to impose that the particle tracking method conserve the particle’s total energy and that the energy changes are results of the interactions with background photons only. Hence, special attention should be paid to computational effects. Additionally, because of the number of particles necessary to obtain a relevant statistical sample, the particle tracking method must be computationally efficient. In this work, we present an analysis of the propagation of ultra-high energy charged particles in the intergalactic medium. The EGMFs are considered to be coherent within cells of 1 Mpc (mega parsec) diameter, wherein they have uniform intensities of 1 nG (nano Gauss). Moreover, each cell has its field orientation randomly chosen, and a border region is defined such that at distances beyond 95% of the cell radius from the cell center smooth transitions have been applied in order to avoid discontinuities. The smooth transitions are simulated by weighting the magnetic field orientation by the particle's distance to the two nearby cells. The energy losses have been treated in the continuous approximation parameterizing the mean energy loss per unit path length by the energy loss length. We have shown, for a particle with the typical energy of interest the integration method performance in the relative error of Larmor radius, without energy losses and the relative error of energy. Additionally, we plotted the distance amplification from rectilinear propagation as a function of the traveled distance, particle's magnetic rigidity, without energy losses, and particle's energy, with energy losses, to study the influence of particle's species on these calculations. The results clearly show when it is necessary to use a full three-dimensional simulation.

Keywords: cosmic rays propagation, extragalactic magnetic fields, magnetic deflections, ultra-high energy

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Authors: Masoud Sheidai, Fahimeh Koohdar, Hashem Sharifi

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Juglans regia (L.) commonly known as Persian walnut of the genus Juglans L. (Juglandaceae) is one of the most important cultivated plant species due to its high-quality wood and edible nuts. The genetic diversity analysis is essential for conservation and management of tree species. Persian walnut is native from South-Eastern Europe to North-Western China through Tibet, Nepal, Northern India, Pakistan, and Iran. The species like Persian walnut, which has a wide range of geographical distribution, should harbor extensive genetic variability to adapt to environmental fluctuations they face. We aimed to study the population genetic structure of seven Persian walnut populations including three wild and four cultivated populations by using ISSR (Inter simple sequence repeats) and SRAP (Sequence related amplified polymorphism) molecular markers. We also aimed to compare the genetic variability revealed by ISSR neutral multilocus marker and rDNA ITS sequences. The studied populations differed in morphological features as the samples in each population were clustered together and were separate from the other populations. Three wild populations studied were placed close to each other. The mantel test after 5000 times permutation performed between geographical distance and morphological distance in Persian walnut populations produced significant correlation (r = 0.48, P = 0.002). Therefore, as the populations become farther apart, they become more divergent in morphological features. ISSR analysis produced 47 bands/ loci, while we obtained 15 SRAP bands. Gst and other differentiation statistics determined for these loci revealed that most of the ISSR and SRAP loci have very good discrimination power and can differentiate the studied populations. AMOVA performed for these loci produced a significant difference (< 0.05) supporting the above-said result. AMOVA produced significant genetic difference based on ISSR data among the studied populations (PhiPT = 0.52, P = 0.001). AMOVA revealed that 53% of the total variability is due to among population genetic difference, while 47% is due to within population genetic variability. The results showed that both multilocus molecular markers and ITS sequences can differentiate Persian walnut populations. The studied populations differed genetically and showed isolation by distance (IBD). ITS sequence based MP and Bayesian phylogenetic trees revealed that Iranian walnut cultivars form a distinct clade separated from the cultivars studied from elsewhere. Almost all clades obtained have high bootstrap value. The results indicated that a combination of multilpcus and sequencing molecular markers can be used in genetic differentiation of Persian walnut.

Keywords: genetic diversity, population, molecular markers, genetic difference

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Authors: Lilian A. Okeke, I. Okeke, N. Waziri, S. Balogun, P. Nguku, O. Fawole

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Background: Access to ante-natal care services promotes safe motherhood and delivery with improved maternal and neonatal outcome. We conducted this study to identify factors influencing the utilization of antenatal care (ANC) and health delivery services. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study. Households were numbered and a one in three sample was selected using a systematic sampling method. One hundred and ninety eight women who were either pregnant or had previous deliveries were interviewed using pretested structured questionnaires to obtain information on their socio-demographic characteristics, and reasons for non-utilization of ANC and health delivery services. We performed univariate and bivariate analysis using Epi info version 3.5.3. Results: The age of respondents ranged from (17-55 years) with a median age of 29 years. One hundred and ninety two (97%) utilized antenatal care services. Ninety three (47.9%) attended ANC at second trimester. More than half (58.6%) had ≥ 4 visits to ANC. One hundred and thirty one (66.2%) had their last delivery at home by a traditional birth attendant. Factors associated with ANC and health facility delivery services utilization were: age group 45-55 (OR 0.01; 95% CI: 0.00-0.16) and > 55 years (OR 0.03; 95% CI: 0.00-0.60), wife’s educational status (OR 3.17; 95% CI: 1.66-8.30), husband’s permission (OR 11.8; 95% CI 2.19-63.62), and distance ≥ 5km (OR 0.33; 95% CI: 0.16-0.60). Conclusion: ANC services were well utilized. Most women did not book early and had their last delivery at home. Predictors of ANC use and health facility delivery were age, wife’s educational status, husband's permission and long distance from health facility. A one-day health sensitization of the benefits of ANC utilization and the dangers of delivering at home was implemented.

Keywords: ante natal care, health facility, delivery services, rural area, Plateau state

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Authors: Solmaz Jahed Shiran, John Hearne, Tayebeh Saghapour

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Daily travel behavior is strongly influenced by the location of the places of residence, education, and employment. Hence a change in those locations due to a move or changes in an occupation leads to a change in travel behavior. Given the interventions of housing mobility and travel behaviors, the hypothesis is that a mobile housing market allows households to move as a result of any change in their life course, allowing them to be closer to central services, public transport facilities and workplace and hence reducing the time spent by individuals on daily travel. Conversely, household’s immobility may lead to longer commutes of residents, for example, after a change of a job or a need for new services such as schools for children who have reached their school age. This paper aims to investigate the association between residential mobility and travel behavior. The Victorian Integrated Survey of Travel and Activity (VISTA) data is used for the empirical analysis. Car ownership and journey to work time and distance of employed people are used as indicators of travel behavior. Change of usual residence within the last five years used to identify movers and non-movers. Statistical analysis, including regression models, is used to compare the travel behavior of movers and non-movers. The results show travel time, and the distance does not differ for movers and non-movers. However, this is not the case when taking into account the residence tenure-type. In addition, car ownership rate and number found to be significantly higher for non-movers. It is hoped that the results from this study will contribute to a better understanding of factors other than common socioeconomic and built environment features influencing travel behavior.

Keywords: journey to work, regression models, residential mobility, commute mode, car ownership

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Authors: Bahman Gorjian

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The notorious COVID-19 is known as an illness that is caused by a novel coronavirus. Since its breakthrough, most governments have decided to temporarily close educational institutions in an attempt to reduce the spread of this disease. Distance education in Iran, like other countries, started from the beginning of the pandemic and caused the closure of schools and universities as an immediate response to control the spread of the virus. The present study followed two aims: First, to investigate if Iraqi M.A students majoring in TEFL who have been studying in Iranian universities during the pandemic believe that COVID-19 had negative/positive effects on their educational achievement; and second, to find how frequently these Iraqi M.A students have experienced psychological problems (e.g., anxiety, numbness, nightmares, nervousness) during the COVID-19. The participants were both male and female students who were admitted for M.A. TEFL courses at 4 Iranian Universities (Abadan Brach, Ahvaz Branch, Science and Research Branch, and Shiraz Branch of Islamic Azad University) for the winter academic term of 2020. The start of their classes coincided with the global outbreak of COVID-19. They were invited to take part in the present study through snowball sampling and were asked to provide their views on two questionnaires. The instruments used for gathering the data were the educational achievement questionnaire and self-rating anxiety scale. The results of the analysis suggested that the participants believed in the negative effects of COVID-19 on their education; the results also suggested COVID-19 affected participants’ psychological states. The discussed findings may have implications for international students and experts interested in the online education system.

Keywords: COVID-19, distance education, Iraqi M.A. students, teaching English as a foreign language, educational impacts, psychological impacts

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Authors: Wikanda Phaphan

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Mixture generalized gamma distribution is a combination of two distributions: generalized gamma distribution and length biased generalized gamma distribution. These two distributions were presented by Suksaengrakcharoen and Bodhisuwan in 2014. The findings showed that probability density function (pdf) had fairly complexities, so it made problems in estimating parameters. The problem occurred in parameter estimation was that we were unable to calculate estimators in the form of critical expression. Thus, we will use numerical estimation to find the estimators. In this study, we presented a new method of the parameter estimation by using the expectation – maximization algorithm (EM), the conjugate gradient method, and the quasi-Newton method. The data was generated by acceptance-rejection method which is used for estimating α, β, λ and p. λ is the scale parameter, p is the weight parameter, α and β are the shape parameters. We will use Monte Carlo technique to find the estimator's performance. Determining the size of sample equals 10, 30, 100; the simulations were repeated 20 times in each case. We evaluated the effectiveness of the estimators which was introduced by considering values of the mean squared errors and the bias. The findings revealed that the EM-algorithm had proximity to the actual values determined. Also, the maximum likelihood estimators via the conjugate gradient and the quasi-Newton method are less precision than the maximum likelihood estimators via the EM-algorithm.

Keywords: conjugate gradient method, quasi-Newton method, EM-algorithm, generalized gamma distribution, length biased generalized gamma distribution, maximum likelihood method

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Authors: Omer Shujat Bhatti, Afshan Huma

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Online educational system were considered a great opportunity for distance learning. In recent days of COVID19 pandemic, it enable the continuation of educational activities at all levels of education, from primary school to the top level universities. One of the key considered element in supporting the online educational system is video lectures. The current research explored the usefulness of the video lectures delivered to technical students of masters level with a focus on MSc Sustainable Environmental design students who have diverse backgrounds in the formal educational system. Hence they were unable to cope right away with the online system and faced communication and understanding issues in the lecture session due to internet and allied connectivity issues. Researcher used self prepared video lectures for respective subjects and provided them to the students using Youtube channel and subject based Whatsapp groups. Later, students were asked about the usefulness of the lectures towards a better understanding of the subject and an overall enhanced learning experience. More than 80% of the students appreciated the effort and requested it to be part of the overall system. Data collection was done using an online questionnaire which was prior briefed to the students with the purpose of research. It was concluded that video lectures should be considered an integral part of the lecture sessions and must be provided prior to the lecture session, ensuring a better quality of delivery. It was also recommended that the existing system must be upgraded to support the availability of these video lectures through the portal. Teachers training must be provided to help develop quality video content ensuring that is able to cover the content and courses taught.

Keywords: video lectures, online distance education, synchronous instruction, asynchronous communication

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