Search results for: peak shaving

Authors: Amin Masoumiganjgah, Luke Salmon, Julianne Burnton, Fahimeh Bagheri, Gavin Lenton, S. L. Ezekial Tan

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Introduction: The incidence of proximal biceps tenodesis and acute distal biceps repair is increasing, and rehabilitation protocols following both are variable. Golf is a popular sport within Australia, and the Gold Coast has become a Mecca for golfers, with more courses per capita than anywhere else in the world. Currently, there are no clear guidelines regarding return to golf play following biceps procedures. The aim of this study was to determine biceps brachii activation during the golf swing through electromyographic analysis, and subsequently, aid in rehabilitation guidelines and return to golf following tenodesis and repair. Methods: Subjects were amateur golfers with no previous upper limb surgery. Surface electromyography (EMG) and high-speed video recording were used to analyse activation of the left and right biceps brachii and the anterior deltoid during the golf swing. Each participant’s maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was recorded, and they were then required to hit a golf ball aiming for specific distances of 2, 50, 100 and 150 metres at a driving range. Noraxon myoResearch and Matlab were used for data analysis. Mean % MVC was calculated for leading and trailing arms during the full swing and its’ 4 phases: back-swing, acceleration, early follow-through and late follow-through. Results: 12 golfers (2 female and 10 male), participated in the study. Median age was 27 (25 – 38), with all being right handed. Over all distances, the mean activation of the short and long head of biceps brachii was < 10% through the full swing. When breaking down the 50, 100 and 150m swing into phases, mean MVC activation was lowest in backswing (5.1%), followed by acceleration (9.7%), early follow-through (9.2%), and late follow-through (21.4%). There was more variation and slightly higher activation in the right biceps (trailing arm) in backswing, acceleration, and early follow-through; with higher activation in the leading arm in late follow-through (25.4% leading, 17.3% trailing). 2m putts resulted in low MVC values (3.1% ) with little variation across swing phases. There was considerable individual variation in results – one tense subject averaged 11.0% biceps MVC through the 2m putting stroke and others recorded peak mean MVC biceps activations of 68.9% at 50m, 101.3% at 100m, and 111.3% at 150m. Discussion: Previous studies have investigated the role of rotator cuff, spine, and hip muscles during the golf swing however, to our knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the activation of biceps brachii. Many rehabilitation programs following a biceps tenodesis or repair allow active range against gravity and restrict strengthening exercises until 6 weeks, and this does not appear to be associated with any adverse outcome. Previous studies demonstrate a range of < 10% MVC is similar to the unloaded biceps brachii during walking(1), active elbow flexion with the hand positioned either in pronation or supination will produce MVC < 20% throughout range(2) and elbow flexion with a 4kg dumbbell can produce mean MVC’s of around 40%(3). Our study demonstrates that increasing activation is associated with the leading arm, increasing shot distance and the late follow-through phase. Although the cohort mean MVC of the biceps brachii is <10% through the full swing, variability is high and biceps activation reach peak mean MVC’s of over 100% in different swing phases for some individuals. Given these EMG values, caution is advised when advising patients post biceps procedures to return to long distance golf shots, particularly when the leading arm is involved. Even though it would appear that putting would be as safe as having an unloaded hand out of a sling following biceps procedures, the variability of activation patterns across different golfers would lead us to caution against accelerated golf rehabilitation in those who may be particularly tense golfers. The 50m short iron shot was too long to consider as a chip shot and more work can be done in this area to determine the safety of chipping.

Keywords: electromyographic analysis, biceps brachii rupture, golf swing, tendon surgery

Procedia PDF Downloads 81

Authors: Ahmad Rabby

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The present study emphasizing the catch trends assessment of Gray eel catfish (Plotosus canius) that was scrutinized on the basis of monthly length frequency data collected from mangrove estuary, Bangladesh during January 2017 to December 2018. A total amount of 1298 specimens were collected to estimate the total length (TL) and weight (W) of P. canius ranged from 13.3 cm to 87.4 cm and 28 g to 5200 g, respectively. The length-weight relationship was W=0.006 L2.95 with R2=0.972 for both sexes. The von Bertalanffy growth function parameters were L∞=93.25 cm and K=0.28 yr-1, hypothetical age at zero length of t0=0.059 years and goodness of the fit of Rn=0.494. The growth performances indices for L∞ and W∞ were computed as Φ'=3.386 and Φ=1.84, respectively. The size at first sexual maturity was estimated in TL as 48.8 cm for pool sexes. The natural mortality was 0.51 yr-1 at average annual water surface temperature as 22 0C. The total instantaneous mortality was 1.24 yr-1 at CI95% of 0.105–1.42 (r2=0.986). While fishing mortality was 0.73 yr-1 and the current exploitation ratio as 0.59. The recruitment was continued throughout the year with one major peak during May-June was 17.20-17.96%. The Beverton-Holt yield per recruit model was analyzed by FiSAT-II, when tc was at 1.43 yr, the Fmax was estimated as 0.6 yr-1 and F0.1 was 0.33 yr-1. Current age at the first capture was approximately 0.6 year, however Fcurrent = 0.73 yr-1 which is beyond the F0.1 indicated that the current stock of P. canius of Bangladesh was overexploited.

Keywords: Plotosus canius, mangrove estuary, asymptotic length, FiSAT-II

Procedia PDF Downloads 151

Authors: Sebastian Leal-Arenas

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English uses in-situ Nuclear Stress (NS) to express the meanings of theticity and focus. The NS is phonetically represented by an increase in duration, intensity, and pitch range. On the other hand, Spanish conveys the same meanings by aligning the constituent that carries the NS to the end of the sentence via word-order movement. However, little is known about heritage speakers’ production of theticity and focus in English or Spanish. The present study investigates heritage speakers’ production of thetic and subject focus statements. Participants (n = 11) were heritage speakers of Spanish with varying proficiency enrolled in a writing course at a university in the United States. In the production task, participants observed contextualized images and uttered a sentence to answer a provided question. Duration, intensity, and F0 peak were the correlates to stress considered in this investigation. Results indicated that participants tended to present an intonation closer to what is expected in English monolinguals in subject-focus statements than in thetic sentences. However, participants with lower Spanish proficiency used in-situ NS placement in thetic statements more often than those with higher proficiency. Results are discussed in terms of the production patterns observed in heritage speakers with emphasis on the role of language dominance.

Keywords: focus, heritage speakers, prosody, theticity

Procedia PDF Downloads 71

Authors: Sheng-Long Lee, Tse-An Pan

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In this study, an optical microscope (OM), electron microscope (SEM), electrical conductivity meter (% IACS), hardness test, and wear test were subjected to analyze the microstructure of the wrought Al-11Si-3Cu-0.5Mg alloys. The effect of eutectic silicon morphology and alloy hardness on wear properties was investigated. The results showed that in the cast state, the morphology of eutectic silicon modified by strontium and antimony is lamellar and finer fibrous structure. After homogenization, the eutectic Si modified by Sr coarsened, and the eutectic Si modified by Sb refined due to fragmentation. The addition of modifiers, hot rolling, and solution aging treatment can control eutectic silicon morphology and hardness. The finer eutectic silicon and higher hardness have better wear resistance. During the wearing process, a protective oxide layer, also known as Mechanical Mixed Layer (MML), is formed on the surface of the alloy. The MML has higher stability and cracking resistance in Sr-modified alloys than in Sb-modified alloys. The study found that the wearing behavior of Al-11Si-3Cu-0.5Mg alloy was enhanced by the combination of adding Sr with lower solution time and T6 peak aging.

Keywords: Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy, eutectic silicon, heat treatment, wear property

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: R. Ramesh, K. K. Shivaraman

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The main aim of this paper is to handle the energy requirement in an efficient manner by merging the advanced digital communication and control technologies for smart grid applications. In order to reduce user home load during peak load hours, utility applies several incentives such as real-time pricing, time of use, demand response for residential customer through smart meter. However, this method provides inconvenience in the sense that user needs to respond manually to prices that vary in real time. To overcome these inconvenience, this paper proposes a convolutional neural network (CNN) with k-means clustering machine learning model which have ability to forecast energy requirement in short term, i.e., hour of the day or day of the week. By integrating our proposed technique with home energy management based on Bluetooth low energy provides predicted value to user for scheduling appliance in advanced. This paper describes detail about CNN configuration and k-means clustering algorithm for short-term energy forecasting.

Keywords: convolutional neural network, fuzzy logic, k-means clustering approach, smart home energy management

Procedia PDF Downloads 305

Authors: Andrey A. Chernousov, Ben Y. B. Chan

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The use of the low-cost paraffinic phase change material can be rather effective in smart building envelopes in the South China region. Particular attention has to be paid to the PCM optimization as an exploitation conditions and the envelope insulation changes its thermal characteristics. The studied smart building envelope consists of a reinforced aluminum exterior, polymeric insulation foam, phase change material and reinforced interior gypsum board. A prototype sample was tested to validate the numerical scheme using EnergryPlus software. Three scenarios of insulation thermal resistance loss (ΔR/R = 0%, 25%, 50%) were compared with the different PCM thicknesses (tP=0, 1, 2.5, 5 mm). The comparisons were carried out for a west facing enveloped office building (50 storey). PCM optimization was applied to find the maximum efficiency for the different ΔR/R cases. It was found, during the optimization, that the PCM is an important smart component, lowering the peak energy demand up to 2.7 times. The results are not influenced by the insulation aging in terms of ΔR/R during long-term exploitation. In hot and humid climates like Hong Kong, the insulation core of the smart systems is recommended to be laminated completely. This can be very helpful in achieving an acceptable payback period.

Keywords: smart building envelope, thermal performance, phase change material, energy efficiency, large-scale sandwich panel

Procedia PDF Downloads 730

Authors: Mohd Sukri Hassan, Ahlam Inayatullah Badrul Munir, M. Husaini A. Rahman

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Halal authentication and verification in supplement capsules are highly required as the gelatine available in the market can be from halal or non-halal sources. It is an obligation for Muslim to consume and use the halal consumer goods. At present, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the most common technique being used for the detection of porcine and bovine DNA in gelatine due to high sensitivity of the technique and higher stability of DNA compared to protein. In this study, twenty samples of supplements capsules from different products with different Halal logos were analyzed for porcine and bovine DNA using RT-PCR. Standard bovine and porcine gelatine from eurofins at a range of concentration from 10^-1 to 10^-5 ng/µl were used to determine the linearity range, limit of detection and specificity on RT-PCR (SYBR Green method). RT-PCR detected porcine (two samples), bovine (four samples) and mixture of porcine and bovine (six samples). The samples were also tested using FT-IR technique where normalized peak of IR spectra were pre-processed using Savitsky Golay method before Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was performed on the database. Scores plot of PCA shows three clusters of samples; bovine, porcine and mixture (bovine and porcine). The RT-PCR and FT-IR with chemometrics technique were found to give same results for porcine gelatine samples which can be used for Halal authentication.

Keywords: halal, real-time PCR, gelatine, chemometrics

Procedia PDF Downloads 241

Authors: A. A. Ahmadi, A. R. Pishevar, M. Nili

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As the test gas in a gun tunnel is non-isentropically compressed and heated by a light weight piston. Here, first consideration is the optimum piston weight. Although various aspects of the influence of piston weight on gun tunnel performance have been studied, it is not possible to decide from the existing literature what piston weight is required for optimum performance in various conditions. The technique whereby the piston is rapidly brought to rest at the end of the gun tunnel barrel, and the resulted peak pressure is equal in magnitude to the final equilibrium pressure, is called the equilibrium piston technique. The equilibrium piston technique was developed to estimate the equilibrium piston mass; but this technique cannot give an appropriate estimate for the optimum piston weight. In the present work, a gun tunnel with diameter of 3 in. is described and its performance is investigated numerically to obtain the effect of piston and its weight. Numerical results in the present work are in very good agreement with experimental results. Significant influence of the existence of a piston is shown by comparing the gun tunnel results with results of a conventional shock tunnel in the same dimension and same initial condition. In gun tunnel, an increase of around 250% in running time is gained relative to shock tunnel. Also, Numerical results show that equilibrium piston technique is not a good way to estimate suitable piston weight and there will be a lighter piston which can increase running time of the gun tunnel around 60%.

Keywords: gun tunnel, hypersonic flow, piston, shock tunnel

Procedia PDF Downloads 373

Authors: Carlos Gonzalez

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This paper describes a system to optimize the use of the internet by clients requiring downloading of videos at peak hours. The system consists of a web server belonging to a provider of video contents, a provider of internet communications and a software application running on a client’s computer. The client using the application software will communicate to the video provider a list of the client’s future video demands. The video provider calculates which videos are going to be more in demand for download in the immediate future, and proceeds to request the internet provider the most optimal hours to do the downloading. The times of the downloading will be sent to the application software, which will use the information of pre-established hours negotiated between the video provider and the internet provider to download those videos. The videos will be saved in a special protected section of the user’s hard disk, which will only be accessed by the application software in the client’s computer. When the client is ready to see a video, the application will search the list of current existent videos in the area of the hard disk; if it does exist, it will use this video directly without the need for internet access. We found that the best way to optimize the download traffic of videos is by negotiation between the internet communication provider and the video content provider.

Keywords: internet optimization, video download, future demands, secure storage

Procedia PDF Downloads 136

Authors: Ghada Abo-Zaid

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Introduction: Oil is one of the most income source in Bahrain. Low oil price influence on the economy growth and the investment rate in Bahrain. For example, the economic growth was 3.7% in 2012, and it reduced to 2.9% in 2015. Investment rate was 9.8% in 2012, and it is reduced to be 5.9% and -12.1% in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The inflation rate is increased to the peak point in 2013 with 3.3 %. Objectives: The objectives here are to build statistical models to examine the effect of the interest rate inflation rate on the growth economy in Bahrain from 2000 to 2018. Methods: This study based on 18 years, and the multiple regression model is used for the analysis. All of the missing data are omitted from the analysis. Results: Regression model is used to examine the association between the Growth national product (GNP), the inflation rate, and real interest rate. We found that (i) Increase the real interest rate decrease the GNP. (ii) Increase the inflation rate does not effect on the growth economy in Bahrain since the average of the inflation rate was almost 2%, and this is considered as a low percentage. Conclusion: There is a positive impact of the real interest rate on the GNP in Bahrain. While the inflation rate does not show any negative influence on the GNP as the inflation rate was not large enough to effect negatively on the economy growth rate in Bahrain.

Keywords: growth national product, egypt, regression model, interest rate

Procedia PDF Downloads 165

Authors: Nabil A. Ahmed, Nasser A. N. Mhaisen

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The paper presents a solution to enhance the power quality and to reduce the peak load demand in Kuwait electric grid as a solution to the shortage of electricity production. Technical, environmental and economic feasibility study of utilizing integrated grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system in residential buildings for supplying 7.1% of electrical power consumption in Kuwait is carried out using RETScreen software. A 10 KWp on-grid PV power generation system spread on the rooftop of the residential buildings is adopted and investigated and the complete system performance is simulated using PSIM software. Taking into account the international prices of electricity and natural gas, the proposed solution is investigated and tested for four different types of installation systems in terms of power generation and costs which includes horizontal installation, 25º tilted angle, single axis tracking and dual axis tracking. Results shows that the 25º tilted angle fixed mounted system is the most efficient type. The payback period as a tool of benefit analysis of the proposed system is calculated and it found to be 2.55 years.

Keywords: photovoltaics, residential buildings, electrical grid, production capacity, on-grid, power generation

Procedia PDF Downloads 494

Authors: Jay J. Vora, Vishvesh J. Badheka

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This work attempts to investigate the effect of oxide fluxes on 6mm thick Reduced Activation ferritic/martensitic steels (RAFM) during Activated TIG (A-TIG) welding. Six different fluxes Al₂O₃, Co₃O₄, CuO, HgO, MoO₃, and NiO were mixed with methanol for conversion into paste and bead-on-plate experiments were then carried out. This study, systematically investigates the influence of oxide-based flux powder and carrier solvent composition on the weld bead shape, geometric shape of weld bead and dominant depth enhancing mechanism in tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel. It was inferred from the study that flux Co₃O₄ and MoO₃ imparted full and secure (more than 6mm) penetration with methanol owing to dual mechanism of reversed Marangoni and arc construction. The use of methanol imparted good spreadabilty and coverability and ultimately higher peak temperatures were observed with its use owing to stronger depth enhancing mechanisms than use of acetone with same oxide fluxes and welding conditions.

Keywords: A-TIG, flux, oxides, penetration, RAFM, temperature, welding

Procedia PDF Downloads 207

Authors: Saemee Jun, Dong-Hyeon Shin, Tae-Sang Ahn, Hyung-Joon Kim

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Building loss estimation methodologies which have been advanced considerably in recent decades are usually used to estimate socio and economic impacts resulting from seismic structural damage. In accordance with these methods, this paper presents the evaluation of an annual loss probability of a reinforced concrete moment resisting frame designed according to Korean Building Code. The annual loss probability is defined by (1) a fragility curve obtained from a capacity spectrum method which is similar to a method adopted from HAZUS, and (2) a seismic hazard curve derived from annual frequencies of exceedance per peak ground acceleration. Seismic fragilities are computed to calculate the annual loss probability of a certain structure using functions depending on structural capacity, seismic demand, structural response and the probability of exceeding damage state thresholds. This study carried out a nonlinear static analysis to obtain the capacity of a RC moment resisting frame selected as a prototype building. The analysis results show that the probability of being extensive structural damage in the prototype building is expected to 0.004% in a year.

Keywords: expected annual loss, loss estimation, RC structure, fragility analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 397

Authors: Abdulhameed Babatunde Owolabi, Benyoh Emmanuel Kigha Nsafon, Jeung-Soo Huh

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Energy efficiency measures for residential buildings in South Korea is a national issue because most of the apartments built in the last decades were constructed without proper energy efficiency measures making the energy performance of old buildings to be very poor when compared with new buildings. However, the adoption of advanced building technologies and regulatory building codes are effective energy efficiency strategies for new construction. There is a need to retrofits the existing building using energy conservation measures (ECMs) equipment’s in order to conserve energy and reduce GHGs emissions. To achieve this, the Institute for Global Climate Change and Energy (IGCCE), Kyungpook National University (KNU), Daegu, South Korea employed RETScreen Expert software to carry out measurement and verification (M&V) analysis on an existing building in Korea by using six years gas consumption data collected from Daesung Energy Co., Ltd in order to determine the building energy performance after the introduction of ECM. Through the M&V, energy efficiency is attained, and the resident doubt was reduced. From the analysis, a total of 657 Giga Joules (GJ) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) was consumed at the rate of 0.34 GJ/day having a peak in the year 2015, which cost the occupant the sum of $10,821.

Keywords: energy efficiency, measurement and verification, performance analysis, RETScreen experts

Procedia PDF Downloads 139

Authors: D. D. Nguyen, H. S. Park, S. W. Yang, B. Thusa, Y. M. Kim, T. H. Lee

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Currently, the design response spectrum (i.e., Nuclear Regulatory Commission - NRC 1.60 spectrum) with the peak ground acceleration (PGA) 0.3g (for Safe Shutdown Earthquake level) is specified for designing the new nuclear power plant (NPP) structures in Korea. However, the recent earthquakes in the region such as the 2016 Gyeongju and the 2017 Pohang earthquake showed that the possible PGA of ground motions can be larger than 0.3g. Therefore, there is a need to analyze the seismic performance of the existing NPP structures under these earthquakes. An NPP model, APR-1400, which is designed and built in Korea was selected for a case study. The NPP structure is numerically modeled in terms of lumped-mass stick elements using OpenSees framework. The floor acceleration and displacement of components are measured to quantify the responses of components. The numerical results show that the floor spectral accelerations are significantly amplified in the components subjected to Korean earthquakes. A comparison between floor response spectra of Korean earthquakes and the NRC design motion highlights that the seismic design level of NPP components under an earthquake should be thoroughly reconsidered. Additionally, a seismic safety assessment of the equipment and relays attached to main structures is also required.

Keywords: nuclear power plant, floor response spectra, Korean earthquake, NRC spectrum

Procedia PDF Downloads 158

Authors: Afshin Farahbakhsh, Hoda Khodadadi

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In this paper, we compare five methods of biological fuel cell fabrication by combining a Shewanella oneidensis microbial anode and a laccase-modified air-breathing cathode. As a result of biofuel cell laccase with graphite nanofibers, carbon surface (PAMAN) on the pt/hpg electrode, graphite sheets MWCNT and with (PG) and (MWCNT) showed, respectively. Describes methods for creating controllable and reproducible bio-anodes and demonstrates the versatility of hybrid biological fuel cells. The laccase-based biocathodes prepared either with the crude extract or with the purified enzyme can provide electrochemically active and stable biomaterials. The laccase-based biocathodes prepared either with the crude extract or with the purified enzyme can provide electrochemically active and stable biomaterials. When the device was fed with transdermal extracts, containing only 30μM of glucose, the average peak power was proportionally lower (0.004mW). The result of biofuel cell with graphite nanofibers showed the enzymatic fuel cell reaches 0.5 V at open circuit voltage with both, ethanol and methanol and the maximum current density observed for E2electrode was 228.94mAcm.

Keywords: enzymatic electrode, fuel cell, immobilization, laccase

Procedia PDF Downloads 261

Authors: N. Berrouachedi, M. Bouslama, S. Rioual, B. Lescop, J. Langlois

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Using first-principles calculations within the LSDA (Local Spin Density Approximation) method based on density functional theory (DFT), the electronic structure and magnetic properties of zinc blende Fe/In0.5Ga0.5As/InPsuperlattice are investigated. This compound are found to be half -metallic ferromagnets with a total magnetic moment of 2.25μB per Fe. In addition to this, we reported the DRX measurements of the thick iron sample before and after annealing. One should note, after the annealing treatment at a higher temperature, the disappearance of the peak associated to the Fe(001) plane. In contrast to this report, we observed after the annealing at low temperature the additional peaks attributed to the presence of indium and Fe2As. This suggests a subsequent process consisting in a strong migration of atoms followed with crystallization at the higher temperature.To investigate the origin of magnetism and electronic structure in these zb compounds, we calculated the total and partial DOS of FeInP.One can see that µtotal=4.24µBand µFe=3.27µB in contrast µIn=0.021µB and µP=0.049µB.These results predicted that FeInP compound do belong to the class of zb half metallic HM ferromagnetswith a pseudo gap= 0.93 eVare more promising materials for spintronics devices.

Keywords: zincblend structure, half metallic ferromagnet, spin moments, total and partial DOS, DRX, Wien2k

Procedia PDF Downloads 272

Authors: Faruque Miah, Hafij Ali, Enaya Jannat, Tanmoy Modok Shuvra, M. Niamul Naser

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In this study, breeding biology and induced breeding of freshwater mud eel, Monopterus cuchia was observed during the experimental period from February to June, 2013. Breeding biology of freshwater mud eel, Monopterus cuchia was considered in terms of gonadosomatic index, length-weight relationship of gonad, ova diameter and fecundity. The ova diameter was recorded from 0.3 mm to 4.30 mm and the individual fecundity was recorded from 155 to 1495 while relative fecundity was found from 2.64 to 12.45. The fecundity related to body weight and length of fish was also discussed. A peak of GSI was observed 2.14±0.2 in male and 5.1 ±1.09 in female. Induced breeding of freshwater mud eel, Monopterus cuchia was also practiced with different doses of different inducing agents like pituitary gland (PG), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and Ovuline-a synthetic hormone in different environmental conditions. However, it was observed that the artificial breeding of freshwater mud eel, Monopterus cuchia was not yet succeeded through inducing agents in captive conditions, rather the inducing agent showed negative impacts on fecundity and ovarian tissues. It was seen that mature eggs in the oviduct were reduced, absorbed and some eggs were found in spoiled condition.

Keywords: breeding biology, induced breeding, Monopterus cuchia, human chorionic gonadotropin

Procedia PDF Downloads 774

Authors: Thomas Bryan, Veton Kepuska, Ivica Kostanic

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A simple adaptive voice activity detector (VAD) is implemented using Gabor and gammatone atomic decomposition of speech for high Gaussian noise environments. Matching pursuit is used for atomic decomposition, and is shown to achieve optimal speech detection capability at high data compression rates for low signal to noise ratios. The most active dictionary elements found by matching pursuit are used for the signal reconstruction so that the algorithm adapts to the individual speakers dominant time-frequency characteristics. Speech has a high peak to average ratio enabling matching pursuit greedy heuristic of highest inner products to isolate high energy speech components in high noise environments. Gabor and gammatone atoms are both investigated with identical logarithmically spaced center frequencies, and similar bandwidths. The algorithm performs equally well for both Gabor and gammatone atoms with no significant statistical differences. The algorithm achieves 70% accuracy at a 0 dB SNR, 90% accuracy at a 5 dB SNR and 98% accuracy at a 20dB SNR using 30dB SNR as a reference for voice activity.

Keywords: atomic decomposition, gabor, gammatone, matching pursuit, voice activity detection

Procedia PDF Downloads 290

Authors: R. Ezzati, M. Dezyani, H. Mirzaei

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The effects of the concentration of trisodium citrate (TSC) emulsifying salt (0.25 to 2.75%) and holding time (0 to 20 min) on the textural, rheological, and microstructural properties of Iranian Processed Cheese Cheddar cheese were studied using a central composite rotatable design. The loss tangent parameter (from small amplitude oscillatory rheology), extent of flow, and melt area (from the Schreiber test) all indicated that the meltability of process cheese decreased with increased concentration of TSC and that holding time led to a slight reduction in meltability. Hardness increased as the concentration of TSC increased. Fluorescence micrographs indicated that the size of fat droplets decreased with an increase in the concentration of TSC and with longer holding times. Acid-base titration curves indicated that the buffering peak at pH 4.8, which is due to residual colloidal calcium phosphate, decreased as the concentration of TSC increased. The soluble phosphate content increased as concentration of TSC increased. However, the insoluble Ca decreased with increasing concentration of TSC. The results of this study suggest that TSC chelated Ca from colloidal calcium phosphate and dispersed casein; the citrate-Ca complex remained trapped within the process cheese matrix. Increasing the concentration of TSC helped to improve fat emulsification and casein dispersion during cooking, both of which probably helped to reinforce the structure of process cheese.

Keywords: Iranian processed cheese, cheddar cheese, emulsifying salt, rheology

Procedia PDF Downloads 443

Authors: Neetu Manocha

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Image segmentation is a technique where a picture is parted into distinct parts having similar features which have a place with similar items. Various segmentation strategies have been proposed as of late by prominent analysts. But, after ultimate thorough research, the novelists have analyzed that generally, the old methods do not decrease the segmentation error rate. Then author finds the technique HIST-SI to decrease the segmentation error rates. In this technique, cluster-based and threshold-based segmentation techniques are merged together. After then, to improve the result of HIST-SI, the authors added the method of filtering and linking in this technique named Imp_HIST-SI to decrease the segmentation error rates. The goal of this research is to find a new technique to decrease the segmentation error rates and produce much better results than the HIST-SI technique. For testing the proposed technique, a dataset of Bhuvan – a National Geoportal developed and hosted by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is used. Experiments are conducted using Scikit-image & OpenCV tools of Python, and performance is evaluated and compared over various existing image segmentation techniques for several matrices, i.e., Mean Square Error (MSE) and Peak Signal Noise Ratio (PSNR).

Keywords: satellite image, image segmentation, edge detection, error rate, MSE, PSNR, HIST-SI, linking, filtering, imp_HIST-SI

Procedia PDF Downloads 140

Authors: A. Albaridi Najla

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Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) is well known to have beneficial effect on health. The seeds are rich in protein, α-linolenic fatty acid and dietary fiber. Bakery products are important part of our daily meals. Functional food recently received considerable attention among consumers. The increase in bread daily consumption leads to the production of breads with functional ingredients such as flaxseed The aim of this Study was to improve the nutritional value of bread by adding flaxseed flour and assessing the effect of adding 0, 5, 10 and 15% flaxseed on whole wheat bread rheological and sensorial properties. The total consumer's acceptability of the flaxseed bread was assessed. Dough characteristics were determined using Farinograph (C.W. Brabender® Instruments, Inc). The result shows no change was observed in water absorption between the stander dough (without flaxseed) and the bread with flaxseed (67%). An Increase in the peak time and dough stickiness was observed with the increase in flaxseed level. Further, breads were evaluated for sensory parameters, colour and texture. High flaxseed level increased the bread crumb softness. Bread with 5% flaxseed was optimized for total sensory evaluation. Overall, flaxseed bread produced in this study was highly acceptable for daily consumption as a functional foods with a potentially health benefits.

Keywords: bread, flaxseed, rheological properties, whole-wheat bread

Procedia PDF Downloads 435

Authors: Hrishit Mitra, Saptarshi Mandal

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The study of aerodynamics for Formula 1 cars is very crucial in determining their performance. In the current F1 industry, when each engine manufacturer exhibits a torque and peak speed that differ by less than 5%, the emphasis on maximizing performance is dependent heavily on the utilization of aerodynamics. This work examines the aerodynamic characteristics of an F1 car by utilizing computational fluid dynamics in order to substantiate the hypothesis that an F1 car can go upside down in a tunnel without any external assistance, only due to the downforce it produces. In addition to this, this study also suggests the implementation of a 'flexi-wing' front in F1 cars to optimize downforce and reduce drag. Furthermore, this paper provides a concise overview of the historical development of aerodynamics in F1, with a specific emphasis on the progression of aerodynamics and the impact of downforce on the dynamics of vehicles. Next, an examination of wings has been provided, comparing the performance of the suggested wing at high speeds and low speeds. Three simulations have been conducted: one to test the complete aerodynamics and validate the hypothesis discussed above, and two specifically focused on the flexi wing, one at high speed and one at low speed. The collected results have been examined to analyze the performance of the front flexi wing. Performance analysis was conducted from the measurement of downforce and drag coefficient, as well as the pressure and velocity distributions.

Keywords: high speed flexi wing, low speed flexi wing, F1 car aerodynamics, F1 car drag reduction

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Authors: Yiğit Gürler, Berkay Türkcan İmrağ, Taylan Güçkıran, İbrahim Şimşek, Alper Taşdemirci

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Paper honeycombs, which is a sandwich structure, consists of two liner faces and one paper honeycomb core. These materials are widely used in the packaging industry due to their low cost, low weight, good energy absorption capabilities and easy recycling properties. However, to provide maximum protection to the products in cases such as the drop of the packaged products, the mechanical behavior of these materials should be well known at the packaging design stage. In this study, the necessary input parameters for the modeling study were obtained by performing compression tests in the through-thickness and in-plane directions of paper-based honeycomb sandwich structures. With the obtained parameters, homogeneous and micro-mechanical numerical models were developed in the Ls-Dyna environment. The material card used for the homogeneous model is MAT_MODIFIED_HONEYCOMB, and the material card used for the micromechanical model is MAT_PIECEWISE_LINEAR_PLASTICITY. As a result, the effectiveness of homogeneous and micromechanical modeling approaches for paper-based honeycomb sandwich structure was investigated using force-displacement curves. Densification points and peak points on these curves will be compared.

Keywords: environmental packaging, mechanical characterization, Ls-Dyna, sandwich structure

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Authors: Peter Antwi Buah, Yingbin Zhang, Jianxian He, Chenlin Xiang, Delali Atsu Y. Bakah

Abstract:

Near-fault ground motions with velocity pulses are considered to cause significant damage to structures or slopes compared to ordinary ground motions without velocity pulses. The double pulsed pulse-like ground motion is as well known to be stronger than the single pulse. This study has numerically justified this perspective by studying the dynamic response of a homogeneous rock slope subjected to four pulse-like and two non-pulse-like ground motions using the Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua in 3 Dimensions (FLAC3D) software. Two of the pulse-like ground motions just have a single pulse. The results show that near-fault ground motions with velocity pulses can cause a higher dynamic response than regular ground motions. The amplification of the peak ground acceleration (PGA) in horizontal direction increases with the increase of the slope elevation. The seismic response of the slope under double pulse ground motion is stronger than that of the single pulse ground motion. The PGV amplification factor under the effect of the non-pulse-like records is also smaller than those under the pulse-like records. The velocity pulse strengthens the earthquake damage to the slope, which results in producing a more strong dynamic response.

Keywords: velocity pulses, dynamic response, PGV magnification effect, elevation effect, double pulse

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Authors: Amit Kumar Jain, Surbhi Jain

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The urban freight in a city constitutes 10 to 18 per cent of all city road traffic, and 40 per cent of air pollution and noise emissions, are directly related to commercial transport. The policy measures implemented by urban planners have sought to restrict rather than assist goods-vehicle operations. This approach has temporarily controlled the urban transport demand during peak hours of traffic but has not effectively solved transport congestion. The solution discussed in the paper envisages the development of a comprehensive network of Urban Freight Stations (UFS) connected through underground conveyor belts in the city in line with baggage segregation and distribution in any of the major airports. The transportation of freight shall be done in standard size containers/cars through rail borne carts. The freight can be despatched or received from any of the UFS. Once freight is booked for a destination from any of the UFS, it would be stuffed in the container and digitally tagged for the destination. The container would reach the destination UFS through a network of rail borne carts. The container would be de-stuffed at the destination UFS and sent for further delivery, or the consignee may be asked to collect the consignment from urban freight station. The obvious benefits would be decongestion of roads, reduction in air and noise pollution, saving in manpower used for freight transportation.

Keywords: congestion, urban freight, intelligent transport system, pollution

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Authors: Karim Hamidi Machekposhti, Hossein Sedghi

Abstract:

This study was designed to find the best stochastic model (using of time series analysis) for annual extreme streamflow (peak and maximum streamflow) of Karkheh River at Iran. The Auto-regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model used to simulate these series and forecast those in future. For the analysis, annual extreme streamflow data of Jelogir Majin station (above of Karkheh dam reservoir) for the years 1958–2005 were used. A visual inspection of the time plot gives a little increasing trend; therefore, series is not stationary. The stationarity observed in Auto-Correlation Function (ACF) and Partial Auto-Correlation Function (PACF) plots of annual extreme streamflow was removed using first order differencing (d=1) in order to the development of the ARIMA model. Interestingly, the ARIMA(4,1,1) model developed was found to be most suitable for simulating annual extreme streamflow for Karkheh River. The model was found to be appropriate to forecast ten years of annual extreme streamflow and assist decision makers to establish priorities for water demand. The Statistical Analysis System (SAS) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) codes were used to determinate of the best model for this series.

Keywords: stochastic models, ARIMA, extreme streamflow, Karkheh river

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Authors: Orsolya Kegyes-Brassai, Zsolt Szilvágyi, Ákos Wolf, Richard P. Ray

Abstract:

Local ground conditions have a substantial influence on the seismic response of structures. Their inclusion in seismic hazard assessment and structural design can be realized at different levels of sophistication. However, response results based on more advanced calculation methods e.g. nonlinear or equivalent linear site analysis tend to show significant discrepancies when compared to simpler approaches. This project's main objective was to compare results from several 1-D response programs to Eurocode 8 design spectra. Data from in-situ site investigations were used for assessing local ground conditions at several locations in Hungary. After discussion of the in-situ measurements and calculation methods used, a comprehensive evaluation of all major contributing factors for site response is given. While the Eurocode spectra should account for local ground conditions based on soil classification, there is a wide variation in peak ground acceleration determined from 1-D analyses versus Eurocode. Results show that current Eurocode 8 design spectra may not be conservative enough to account for local ground conditions typical for Hungary.

Keywords: 1-D site response analysis, multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW), seismic CPT, seismic hazard assessment

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Authors: Shuai Yuan, Minxia Shi, Xu Zhang, Jianzhi Yang, Kangqi Tian, Yuzheng Ma

Abstract:

The precise measurement of muscle activities is essential for understanding the function of various body movements. This work aims to develop a muscle magnetic field signal detection system based on mathematical analysis. Medical research has underscored that early detection of muscle atrophy, coupled with lifestyle adjustments such as dietary control and increased exercise, can significantly enhance muscle-related diseases. Currently, surface electromyography (sEMG) is widely employed in research as an early predictor of muscle atrophy. Nonetheless, the primary limitation of using sEMG to forecast muscle strength is its inability to directly measure the signals generated by muscles. Challenges arise from potential skin-electrode contact issues due to perspiration, leading to inaccurate signals or even signal loss. Additionally, resistance and phase are significantly impacted by adipose layers. The recent emergence of optically pumped magnetometers introduces a fresh avenue for bio-magnetic field measurement techniques. These magnetometers possess high sensitivity and obviate the need for a cryogenic environment unlike superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). They detect muscle magnetic field signals in the range of tens to thousands of femtoteslas (fT). The utilization of magnetometers for capturing muscle magnetic field signals remains unaffected by issues of perspiration and adipose layers. Since their introduction, optically pumped atomic magnetometers have found extensive application in exploring the magnetic fields of organs such as cardiac and brain magnetism. The optimal operation of these magnetometers necessitates an environment with an ultra-weak magnetic field. To achieve such an environment, researchers usually utilize a combination of active magnetic compensation technology with passive magnetic shielding technology. Passive magnetic shielding technology uses a magnetic shielding device built with high permeability materials to attenuate the external magnetic field to a few nT. Compared with more layers, the coils that can generate a reverse magnetic field to precisely compensate for the residual magnetic fields are cheaper and more flexible. To attain even lower magnetic fields, compensation coils designed by Biot-Savart law are involved to generate a counteractive magnetic field to eliminate residual magnetic fields. By solving the magnetic field expression of discrete points in the target region, the parameters that determine the current density distribution on the plane can be obtained through the conventional target field method. The current density is obtained from the partial derivative of the stream function, which can be represented by the combination of trigonometric functions. Optimization algorithms in mathematics are introduced into coil design to obtain the optimal current density distribution. A one-dimensional linear regression analysis was performed on the collected data, obtaining a coefficient of determination R2 of 0.9349 with a p-value of 0. This statistical result indicates a stable relationship between the peak-to-peak value (PPV) of the muscle magnetic field signal and the magnitude of grip strength. This system is expected to be a widely used tool for healthcare professionals to gain deeper insights into the muscle health of their patients.

Keywords: muscle magnetic signal, magnetic shielding, compensation coils, trigonometric functions.

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Authors: Shahriar Farzam, Maryam Rastgarpour

Abstract:

Image denoising plays extremely important role in digital image processing. Enhancement of clinical image research based on Curvelet has been developed rapidly in recent years. In this paper, we present a method for image contrast enhancement for cone beam CT (CBCT) images based on fast discrete curvelet transforms (FDCT) that work through Unequally Spaced Fast Fourier Transform (USFFT). These transforms return a table of Curvelet transform coefficients indexed by a scale parameter, an orientation and a spatial location. Accordingly, the coefficients obtained from FDCT-USFFT can be modified in order to enhance contrast in an image. Our proposed method first uses a two-dimensional mathematical transform, namely the FDCT through unequal-space fast Fourier transform on input image and then applies thresholding on coefficients of Curvelet to enhance the CBCT images. Consequently, applying unequal-space fast Fourier Transform leads to an accurate reconstruction of the image with high resolution. The experimental results indicate the performance of the proposed method is superior to the existing ones in terms of Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Effective Measure of Enhancement (EME).

Keywords: curvelet transform, CBCT, image enhancement, image denoising

Procedia PDF Downloads 300