Search results for: open and distant learning programme
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 10266

Search results for: open and distant learning programme

2466 Modeling of Void Formation in 3D Woven Fabric During Resin Transfer Moulding

Authors: Debabrata Adhikari, Mikhail Matveev, Louise Brown, Jan Kočí, Andy Long

Abstract:

Resin transfer molding (RTM) is increasingly used for manufacturing high-quality composite structures due to its additional advantages over prepregs of low-cost out-of-autoclave processing. However, to retain the advantages, it is critical to reduce the void content during the injection. Reinforcements commonly used in RTM, such as woven fabrics, have dual-scale porosity with mesoscale pores between the yarns and the micro-scale pores within the yarns. Due to the fabric geometry and the nature of the dual-scale flow, the flow front during injection creates a complicated fingering formation which leads to void formation. Analytical modeling of void formation for woven fabrics has been widely studied elsewhere. However, there is scope for improvement to the reduction in void formation in 3D fabrics wherein the in-plane yarn layers are confined by additional through-thickness binder yarns. In the present study, the structural morphology of the tortuous pore spaces in the 3D fabric has been studied and implemented using open-source software TexGen. An analytical model for the void and the fingering formation has been implemented based on an idealized unit cell model of the 3D fabric. Since the pore spaces between the yarns are free domains, the region is treated as flow-through connected channels, whereas intra-yarn flow has been modeled using Darcy’s law with an additional term to account for capillary pressure. Later the void fraction has been characterised using the criterion of void formation by comparing the fill time for inter and intra yarn flow. Moreover, the dual-scale two-phase flow of resin with air has been simulated in the commercial CFD solver OpenFOAM/ANSYS to predict the probable location of voids and validate the analytical model. The use of an idealised unit cell model will give the insight to optimise the mesoscale geometry of the reinforcement and injection parameters to minimise the void content during the LCM process.

Keywords: 3D fiber, void formation, RTM, process modelling

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2465 Deep Learning Based Text to Image Synthesis for Accurate Facial Composites in Criminal Investigations

Authors: Zhao Gao, Eran Edirisinghe

Abstract:

The production of an accurate sketch of a suspect based on a verbal description obtained from a witness is an essential task for most criminal investigations. The criminal investigation system employs specifically trained professional artists to manually draw a facial image of the suspect according to the descriptions of an eyewitness for subsequent identification. Within the advancement of Deep Learning, Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) have shown great promise in Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks. Additionally, Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) have also proven to be very effective in image generation. In this study, a trained GAN conditioned on textual features such as keywords automatically encoded from a verbal description of a human face using an RNN is used to generate photo-realistic facial images for criminal investigations. The intention of the proposed system is to map corresponding features into text generated from verbal descriptions. With this, it becomes possible to generate many reasonably accurate alternatives to which the witness can use to hopefully identify a suspect from. This reduces subjectivity in decision making both by the eyewitness and the artist while giving an opportunity for the witness to evaluate and reconsider decisions. Furthermore, the proposed approach benefits law enforcement agencies by reducing the time taken to physically draw each potential sketch, thus increasing response times and mitigating potentially malicious human intervention. With publically available 'CelebFaces Attributes Dataset' (CelebA) and additionally providing verbal description as training data, the proposed architecture is able to effectively produce facial structures from given text. Word Embeddings are learnt by applying the RNN architecture in order to perform semantic parsing, the output of which is fed into the GAN for synthesizing photo-realistic images. Rather than the grid search method, a metaheuristic search based on genetic algorithms is applied to evolve the network with the intent of achieving optimal hyperparameters in a fraction the time of a typical brute force approach. With the exception of the ‘CelebA’ training database, further novel test cases are supplied to the network for evaluation. Witness reports detailing criminals from Interpol or other law enforcement agencies are sampled on the network. Using the descriptions provided, samples are generated and compared with the ground truth images of a criminal in order to calculate the similarities. Two factors are used for performance evaluation: The Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) and the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR). A high percentile output from this performance matrix should attribute to demonstrating the accuracy, in hope of proving that the proposed approach can be an effective tool for law enforcement agencies. The proposed approach to criminal facial image generation has potential to increase the ratio of criminal cases that can be ultimately resolved using eyewitness information gathering.

Keywords: RNN, GAN, NLP, facial composition, criminal investigation

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2464 Urban Spatial Metamorphoses: The Case of Kazan City With Using GIS-Technologies

Authors: Irna Malganova

Abstract:

The paper assessed the effectiveness of the use of urban functional zoning using the method of M.A. Kramer by the example of Kazan city (Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation) using geoinformation technologies. On the basis of the data obtained, the calculations were carried out to obtain data on population density, overcoming geographic determinism, as well as the effectiveness of the formation of urban frameworks. The authors proposed recommendations for the effectiveness of municipal frameworks in the period from 2018 to 2021: economic, social, environmental and social. The study of effective territorial planning in a given period allows to display of the dynamics of planning changes, as well as assessment of changes in the formation of urban frameworks. Based on the incoming data obtained from the master plan of the municipal formation of Kazan, in the period from 2018 to 2021, there was an increase in population by 13841 people or 1.1% of the values of 2018. In addition, the area of Kazan increased by 2419.6 hectares. In the structure of the distribution of areas of functional zones, there was an increase in such zones of the municipality as zones of residential and public purpose. Changes in functional zoning, as well as territories requiring reorganization, are presented using geoinformation technologies in open-source software Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS 3.32). According to the calculations based on the method of functional zoning efficiency by M.A. Kreimer, the territorial-planning structure of Kazan City is quite effective. However, in the development of spatial planning concepts, it is possible to emphasize the weakened interest of the population in the development of territorial planning documents. Thus, the approach to spatial planning of Kazan differs from foreign methods and approaches based on the joint development of planning directions and development of territories of municipalities between the developers of the planning structure, business representatives and the population. The population plays the role of the target audience on which territorial planning is oriented. It follows that there is a need to satisfy the opinions and demands of the population.

Keywords: spatial development, metamorphosis, Kazan city, spatial planning, efficiency, geographic determinism., GIS, QGIS

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2463 Surface Water Flow of Urban Areas and Sustainable Urban Planning

Authors: Sheetal Sharma

Abstract:

Urban planning is associated with land transformation from natural areas to modified and developed ones which leads to modification of natural environment. The basic knowledge of relationship between both should be ascertained before proceeding for the development of natural areas. Changes on land surface due to build up pavements, roads and similar land cover, affect surface water flow. There is a gap between urban planning and basic knowledge of hydrological processes which should be known to the planners. The paper aims to identify these variations in surface flow due to urbanization for a temporal scale of 40 years using Storm Water Management Mode (SWMM) and again correlating these findings with the urban planning guidelines in study area along with geological background to find out the suitable combinations of land cover, soil and guidelines. For the purpose of identifying the changes in surface flows, 19 catchments were identified with different geology and growth in 40 years facing different ground water levels fluctuations. The increasing built up, varying surface runoff are studied using Arc GIS and SWMM modeling, regression analysis for runoff. Resulting runoff for various land covers and soil groups with varying built up conditions were observed. The modeling procedures also included observations for varying precipitation and constant built up in all catchments. All these observations were combined for individual catchment and single regression curve was obtained for runoff. Thus, it was observed that alluvial with suitable land cover was better for infiltration and least generation of runoff but excess built up could not be sustained on alluvial soil. Similarly, basalt had least recharge and most runoff demanding maximum vegetation over it. Sandstone resulted in good recharging if planned with more open spaces and natural soils with intermittent vegetation. Hence, these observations made a keystone base for planners while planning various land uses on different soils. This paper contributes and provides a solution to basic knowledge gap, which urban planners face during development of natural surfaces.

Keywords: runoff, built up, roughness, recharge, temporal changes

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2462 Artificial Intelligence as a User of Copyrighted Work: Descriptive Study

Authors: Dominika Collett

Abstract:

AI applications, such as machine learning, require access to a vast amount of data in the training phase, which can often be the subject of copyright protection. During later usage, the various content with which the application works can be recorded or made available on the basis of which it produces the resulting output. The EU has recently adopted new legislation to secure machine access to protected works under the DSM Directive; but, the issue of machine use of copyright works is not clearly addressed. However, such clarity is needed regarding the increasing importance of AI and its development. Therefore, this paper provides a basic background of the technology used in the development of applications in the field of computer creativity. The second part of the paper then will focus on a legal analysis of machine use of the authors' works from the perspective of existing European and Czech legislation. The main results of the paper discuss the potential collision of existing legislation in regards to machine use of works with special focus on exceptions and limitations. The legal regulation of machine use of copyright work will impact the development of AI technology.

Keywords: copyright, artificial intelligence, legal use, infringement, Czech law, EU law, text and data mining

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2461 Revising the Student Experiment Materials and Practices at the National University of Laos

Authors: Syhalath Xaphakdy, Toshio Nagata, Saykham Phommathat, Pavy Souwannavong, Vilayvanh Srithilat, Phoxay Sengdala, Bounaom Phetarnousone, Boualay Siharath, Xaya Chemcheng

Abstract:

The National University of Laos (NUOL) invited a group of volunteers from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to revise the physics experiments to utilize the materials that were already available to students. The intension was to review and revise the materials regularly utilized in physics class. The project had access to limited materials and a small budget for the class in the unit; however, by developing experimental textbooks related to mechanics, electricity, and wave and vibration, the group found a way to apply them in the classroom and enhance the students teaching activities. The aim was to introduce a way to incorporate the materials and practices in the classroom to enhance the students learning and teaching skills, particularly when they graduate and begin working as high school teachers.

Keywords: NUOL, JICA, physics experiment materials, small budget, mechanics, electricity

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2460 Going Viral: Constructively Aligning the Use of Digital Video to Effectively Support Faculty Development

Authors: Samuel Olugbenga King

Abstract:

This review article, which is a synthesis of the relevant research literature, focuses on the capabilities of digital video to support, facilitate and enhance faculty development. Based on the literature review, faculty development (i.e., academic or educational development) requires the continued adoption of cohesive, theoretical frameworks to guide research and practice; incorporation of relevant tools from analogous fields, such as teacher professional development; systematic program evaluations; and detailed descriptions of practice to further practice and creative development. A cohesive, five-heuristic framework is subsequently outlined to inform the design and evaluation of the use of digital video, so as to address the barriers to advancing faculty development, as identified through the literature review. Alternative impact evaluation approaches are also described, while the limitations of using digital video for faculty development are highlighted. This paper is therefore conceived as one way to meaningfully leverage the educational affordances of digital video to address some lingering gaps in faculty development.

Keywords: digital video, faculty/educational development, evaluation, scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)

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2459 On an Approach for Rule Generation in Association Rule Mining

Authors: B. Chandra

Abstract:

In Association Rule Mining, much attention has been paid for developing algorithms for large (frequent/closed/maximal) itemsets but very little attention has been paid to improve the performance of rule generation algorithms. Rule generation is an important part of Association Rule Mining. In this paper, a novel approach named NARG (Association Rule using Antecedent Support) has been proposed for rule generation that uses memory resident data structure named FCET (Frequent Closed Enumeration Tree) to find frequent/closed itemsets. In addition, the computational speed of NARG is enhanced by giving importance to the rules that have lower antecedent support. Comparative performance evaluation of NARG with fast association rule mining algorithm for rule generation has been done on synthetic datasets and real life datasets (taken from UCI Machine Learning Repository). Performance analysis shows that NARG is computationally faster in comparison to the existing algorithms for rule generation.

Keywords: knowledge discovery, association rule mining, antecedent support, rule generation

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2458 Strategies for Achieving Application of Science in National Development

Authors: Orisakwe Chimuanya Favour Israel

Abstract:

In a world filled with the products of scientific inquiry, scientific literacy has become a necessity for everyone because it is indispensable to achieving technological development of any nation. Everyone needs to use scientific information to make choices that arise every day. Everyone needs to be able to engage intelligently in public discourse and debate about important issues that involves science and technology. And everyone deserves to share in the excitement and personal fulfillment that can come from -understanding and learning about the natural world. No doubt that industrialized countries have, through their control of science and technology education, developed the potential to increase production, and to improve the standard of living of their people. The main thrust of this paper therefore, is to present an overview of science education, strategies for achieving application of science in national development, such as teaching science with the right spirit of inquiry. Also, the paper discussed three research models that can help in national development and suggests the best out of the three which is more realistic for a developing country like ours (Nigeria) to follow for a sustainable national development and finally suggests some key ways of solving problems of development.

Keywords: scientific inquiry, scientific literacy, strategies, sustainable national development

Procedia PDF Downloads 359
2457 Effect of Biostimulants to Control the Phelipanche ramosa L. Pomel in Processing Tomato Crop

Authors: G. Disciglio, G. Gatta, F. Lops, A. Libutti, A. Tarantino, E. Tarantino

Abstract:

The experimental trial was carried out in open field at Foggia district (Apulia Region, Southern Italy), during the spring-summer season 2014, in order to evaluate the effect of four biostimulant products (RadiconÒ, Viormon plusÒ, LysodinÒ and SiaptonÒ 10L), compared with a control (no biostimulant), on the infestation of processing tomato crop (cv Dres) by the chlorophyll-lacking root parasite Phelipanche ramosa. Biostimulants consist in different categories of products (microbial inoculants, humic and fulvic acids, hydrolyzed proteins and aminoacids, seaweed extracts) which play various roles in plant growing, including the improvement of crop resistance and quali-quantitative characteristics of yield. The experimental trial was arranged according to a complete randomized block design with five treatments, each of one replicated three times. The processing tomato seedlings were transplanted on 5 May 2014. Throughout the crop cycle, P. ramosa infestation was assessed according to the number of emerged shoots (branched plants) counted in each plot, at 66, 78 and 92 day after transplanting. The tomato fruits were harvested at full-stage of maturity on 8 August 2014. From each plot, the marketable yield was measured and the quali-quantitative yield parameters (mean weight, dry matter content, colour coordinate, colour index and soluble solids content of the fruits) were determined. The whole dataset was tested according to the basic assumptions for the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the differences between the means were determined using Tukey’s tests at the 5% probability level. The results of the study showed that none of the applied biostimulants provided a whole control of Phelipanche, although some positive effects were obtained from their application. To this respect, the RadiconÒ appeared to be the most effective in reducing the infestation of this root-parasite in tomato crop. This treatment also gave the higher tomato yield.

Keywords: biostimulant, control methods, Phelipanche ramosa, tomato crop

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2456 A Quantitative Study Identifying the Prevalence of Anxiety in Dyslexic Students in Higher Education

Authors: Amanda Abbott-Jones

Abstract:

Adult students with dyslexia in higher education can receive support for their cognitive needs but may also experience negative emotion such as anxiety due to their dyslexia in connection with their studies. This paper aims to test the hypothesis that adult dyslexic learners have a higher prevalence of academic and social anxiety than their non-dyslexic peers. A quantitative approach was used to measure differences in academic and social anxiety between 102 students with a formal diagnosis of dyslexia compared to 72 students with no history of learning difficulties. Academic and social anxiety was measured in a questionnaire based on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Findings showed that dyslexic students showed statistically significant higher levels of academic, but not social anxiety in comparison to the non-dyslexic sample. Dyslexic students in higher education show academic anxiety levels that are well above what is shown by students without dyslexia. The implications of this for the dyslexia practitioner is that delivery of strategies to deal with anxiety should be seen equally as important, if not more so, than interventions to deal with cognitive difficulties.

Keywords: Academic, Anxiety, Dyslexia, Quantitative

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2455 Design and Development of a Safety Equipment and Accessory for Bicycle Users

Authors: Francine Siy, Stephen Buñi

Abstract:

Safety plays a significant role in everyone’s life on a day-to-day basis. We wish ourselves and our loved ones their safety as we all venture out on our daily commute. The road is undeniably dangerous and unpredictable, with abundant traffic collisions and pedestrians experiencing various injuries. For bicycle users, the risk of accidents is even more exacerbated, and injuries may be severe. Even when cyclists try their best to be safe and protected, the possibility of encountering danger is always there. Despite being equipped with protective gear, safety is never guaranteed. Cyclists often settle for helmets and standard reflector vests to establish a presence on the road. There are different types of vests available, depending on the profession. However, traditional reflector vests, mostly seen on construction workers and traffic enforcers, were not designed for riders and their protection from injuries. With insufficient protection for riders, they need access to ergonomically designed equipment and accessories that suit the riders and cater to their needs. This research aimed to offer a protective vest with safety features for riders that is comfortable, effective, durable, and intuitive. This sheds light and addresses the safety of the biker population, which continuously grows through the years. The product was designed and developed by gathering data and using the cognitive mapping method to ensure that all qualitative and quantitative data were considered in this study to improve other existing products that do not have the proper design considerations. It is known that available equipment for cyclists is often sold separately or lacks the safety features for cyclists traversing open roads. Each safety feature like the headlights, reflectors, signal or rear lights, zipper pouch, body camera attachment, and wireless remote control all play a particular role in helping cyclists embark on their daily commute. These features aid in illumination, visibility, easy maneuvering, convenience, and security, allowing cyclists to go for a safer ride that is of use throughout the day. The product is designed and produced effectively and inexpensively without sacrificing the quality and purpose of its usage.

Keywords: bicycle accessory, protective gear, safety, transport, visibility

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2454 Worldbuilding as Critical Architectural Pedagogy

Authors: Jesse Rafeiro

Abstract:

This paper discusses worldbuilding as a pedagogical approach to the first-year architectural design studio. The studio ran for three consecutive terms between 2016-2018. Taking its departure from the fifty-five city narratives in Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, students collectively designed in a “nowhere” space where intersecting and diverging narratives could be played out. Along with Calvino, students navigated between three main exercises and their imposed limits to develop architectural insight at three scales simulating the considerations of architectural practice: detail, building, and city. The first exercise asked each student to design and model a ruin based on randomly assigned incongruent fragments. Each student was given one plan fragment and two section fragments from different Renaissance Treatises. The students were asked to translate these in alternating axonometric projection and model-making explorations. Although the fragments themselves were imposed, students were free to interpret how the drawings fit together by imagining new details and atypical placements. An undulating terrain model was introduced in the second exercise to ground the worldbuilding exercises. Here, students were required to negotiate with one another to design a city of ruins. Free to place their models anywhere on the site, the students were restricted by the negotiation of territories marked by other students and the requirement to provide thresholds, open spaces, and corridors. The third exercise introduced new life into the ruined city through a series of design interventions. Each student was assigned an atypical building program suggesting a place for an activity, human or nonhuman. The atypical nature of the programs challenged the triviality of functional planning through explorations in spatial narratives free from preconceived assumptions. By contesting, playing out, or dreaming responses to realities taught in other coursework, this third exercise actualized learnings that are too often self-contained in the silos of differing course agendas. As such, the studio fostered an initial worldbuilding space within which to sharpen sensibility and criticality for subsequent years of education.

Keywords: architectural pedagogy, critical pedagogy, Italo Calvino, worldbuilding

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2453 RGB-D SLAM Algorithm Based on pixel level Dense Depth Map

Authors: Hao Zhang, Hongyang Yu

Abstract:

Scale uncertainty is a well-known challenging problem in visual SLAM. Because RGB-D sensor provides depth information, RGB-D SLAM improves this scale uncertainty problem. However, due to the limitation of physical hardware, the depth map output by RGB-D sensor usually contains a large area of missing depth values. These missing depth information affect the accuracy and robustness of RGB-D SLAM. In order to reduce these effects, this paper completes the missing area of the depth map output by RGB-D sensor and then fuses the completed dense depth map into ORB SLAM2. By adding the process of obtaining pixel-level dense depth maps, a better RGB-D visual SLAM algorithm is finally obtained. In the process of obtaining dense depth maps, a deep learning model of indoor scenes is adopted. Experiments are conducted on public datasets and real-world environments of indoor scenes. Experimental results show that the proposed SLAM algorithm has better robustness than ORB SLAM2.

Keywords: RGB-D, SLAM, dense depth, depth map

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2452 Levels of Students’ Understandings of Electric Field Due to a Continuous Charged Distribution: A Case Study of a Uniformly Charged Insulating Rod

Authors: Thanida Sujarittham, Narumon Emarat, Jintawat Tanamatayarat, Kwan Arayathanitkul, Suchai Nopparatjamjomras

Abstract:

Electric field is an important fundamental concept in electrostatics. In high-school, generally Thai students have already learned about definition of electric field, electric field due to a point charge, and superposition of electric fields due to multiple-point charges. Those are the prerequisite basic knowledge students holding before entrancing universities. In the first-year university level, students will be quickly revised those basic knowledge and will be then introduced to a more complicated topic—electric field due to continuous charged distributions. We initially found that our freshman students, who were from the Faculty of Science and enrolled in the introductory physic course (SCPY 158), often seriously struggled with the basic physics concepts—superposition of electric fields and inverse square law and mathematics being relevant to this topic. These also then resulted on students’ understanding of advanced topics within the course such as Gauss's law, electric potential difference, and capacitance. Therefore, it is very important to determine students' understanding of electric field due to continuous charged distributions. The open-ended question about sketching net electric field vectors from a uniformly charged insulating rod was administered to 260 freshman science students as pre- and post-tests. All of their responses were analyzed and classified into five levels of understandings. To get deep understanding of each level, 30 students were interviewed toward their individual responses. The pre-test result found was that about 90% of students had incorrect understanding. Even after completing the lectures, there were only 26.5% of them could provide correct responses. Up to 50% had confusions and irrelevant ideas. The result implies that teaching methods in Thai high schools may be problematic. In addition for our benefit, these students’ alternative conceptions identified could be used as a guideline for developing the instructional method currently used in the course especially for teaching electrostatics.

Keywords: alternative conceptions, electric field of continuous charged distributions, inverse square law, levels of student understandings, superposition principle

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2451 Surface Modification of Co-Based Nanostructures to Develop Intrinsic Fluorescence and Catalytic Activity

Authors: Monalisa Pal, Kalyan Mandal

Abstract:

Herein we report the molecular functionalization of promising transition metal oxide nanostructures, such as Co3O4 nanocubes, using nontoxic and biocompati-ble organic ligand sodium tartrate. The electronic structural modification of the nanocubes imparted through functionalization and subsequent water solubilization reveals multiple absorption bands in the UV-vis region. Further surface modification of the solubilized nanocubes, leads to the emergence of intrinsic multi-color fluorescence (from blue, cyan, green to red region of the spectrum), upon excitation at proper wavelengths, where the respective excitation wavelengths have a direct correlation with the observed UV-vis absorption bands. Using a multitude of spectroscopic tools we have investigated the mechanistic insight behind the origin of different UV-vis absorption bands and emergence of multicolor photoluminescence from the functionalized nanocubes. Our detailed study shows that ligand to metal charge transfer (LMCT) from tartrate ligand to Co2+/Co3+ ions and d-d transitions involving Co2+/Co3+ ions are responsible for generation of this novel optical properties. Magnetic study reveals that, antiferromagnetic nature of Co3O4 nanocubes changes to ferromagnetic behavior upon functionalization, however, the overall magnetic response was very weak. To combine strong magnetism with this novel optical property, we followed the same surface modification strategy in case of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles, which reveals that irrespective of size and shape, all Co-based oxides can develop intrinsic multi-color fluorescence upon facile functionalization with sodium tartrate ligands and the magnetic response was significantly higher. Surface modified Co-based oxide nanostructures also show excellent catalytic activity in degradation of biologically and environmentally harmful dyes. We hope that, our developed facile functionalization strategy of Co-based oxides will open up new opportunities in the field of biomedical applications such as bio-imaging and targeted drug delivery.

Keywords: co-based oxide nanostructures, functionalization, multi-color fluorescence, catalysis

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2450 Impure Water, a Future Disaster: A Case Study of Lahore Ground Water Quality with GIS Techniques

Authors: Rana Waqar Aslam, Urooj Saeed, Hammad Mehmood, Hameed Ullah, Imtiaz Younas

Abstract:

This research has been conducted to assess the water quality in and around Lahore Metropolitan area on the basis of three different land uses, i.e. residential, commercial, and industrial land uses. For this, 29 sample sites have been selected on the basis of simple random sampling technique. Samples were collected at the source (WASA tube wells). The criteria for selecting sample sites are to have a maximum concentration of population in the selected land uses. The results showed that in the residential land use the proportion of nitrate and turbidity is at their highest level in the areas of Allama Iqbal Town and Samanabad Town. Commercial land use of Gulberg and Data Gunj Bakhsh Town have highest level of proportion of chlorides, calcium, TDS, pH, Mg, total hardness, arsenic and alkalinity. Whereas in industrial type of land use in Ravi and Wahga Town have the proportion of arsenic, Mg, nitrate, pH, and turbidity are at their highest level. The high rate of concentration of these parameters in these areas is basically due to the old and fractured pipelines that allow bacterial as well as physiochemical contaminants to contaminate the portable water at the sources. Furthermore, it is seen in most areas that waste water from domestic, industrial, as well as municipal sources may get easy discharge into open spaces and water bodies, like, cannels, rivers, lakes that seeps and become a part of ground water. In addition, huge dumps located in Lahore are becoming the cause of ground water contamination as when the rain falls, the water gets seep into the ground and impures the ground water quality. On the basis of the derived results with the help of Geo-spatial technology ACRGIS 9.3 Interpolation (IDW), it is recommended that water filtration plants must be installed with specific parameter control. A separate team for proper inspection has to be made for water quality check at the source. Old water pipelines must be replaced with the new pipelines, and safe water depth must be ensured at the source end.

Keywords: GIS, remote sensing, pH, nitrate, disaster, IDW

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2449 Harmonic Data Preparation for Clustering and Classification

Authors: Ali Asheibi

Abstract:

The rapid increase in the size of databases required to store power quality monitoring data has demanded new techniques for analysing and understanding the data. One suggested technique to assist in analysis is data mining. Preparing raw data to be ready for data mining exploration take up most of the effort and time spent in the whole data mining process. Clustering is an important technique in data mining and machine learning in which underlying and meaningful groups of data are discovered. Large amounts of harmonic data have been collected from an actual harmonic monitoring system in a distribution system in Australia for three years. This amount of acquired data makes it difficult to identify operational events that significantly impact the harmonics generated on the system. In this paper, harmonic data preparation processes to better understanding of the data have been presented. Underlying classes in this data has then been identified using clustering technique based on the Minimum Message Length (MML) method. The underlying operational information contained within the clusters can be rapidly visualised by the engineers. The C5.0 algorithm was used for classification and interpretation of the generated clusters.

Keywords: data mining, harmonic data, clustering, classification

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2448 Innovations in Teaching

Authors: Dilek Turan Eroğlu

Abstract:

Educators have been searching the more effective and appalling methods of teaching for ages. It has always been an issue among the teachers and scientists to improve the quality of education and to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to learn. However, when it comes to the effective ways of learning,the learners are exposed to the ways which are chosen and approved to be effective by their teachers not by the learners themselves. This is the main problem of this study as the learners are not always happy to be in their classes being treated with their teachers’ favourite styles. This paper is telling the results of a study which has been conducted with the university students in Turkey. The students have been interviewed and asked to respond some questions related to best practices to find out their favourite styles, medium, techniques and strategies. The study has been conducted using qualitative research methods i.e one to one interviews and group discussions. The results show that the learners have significantly different views than the educators when it comes to modern teaching styles. Their definition of the term “modern teaching styles” is different than the general understanding. The university students expect their teachers to be “early adopter”. of ICT tools and or the other electronic devices, but a modern teacher must have many other characteristics for them.

Keywords: effective, innovation, teaching, modern teaching styles

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2447 Application of Artificial Neural Network in Initiating Cleaning Of Photovoltaic Solar Panels

Authors: Mohamed Mokhtar, Mostafa F. Shaaban

Abstract:

Among the challenges facing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), dust accumulation on solar panels is considered the most severe problem that faces the growth of solar power plants. The accumulation of dust on the solar panels significantly degrades output from these panels. Hence, solar PV panels have to be cleaned manually or using costly automated cleaning methods. This paper focuses on initiating cleaning actions when required to reduce maintenance costs. The cleaning actions are triggered only when the dust level exceeds a threshold value. The amount of dust accumulated on the PV panels is estimated using an artificial neural network (ANN). Experiments are conducted to collect the required data, which are used in the training of the ANN model. Then, this ANN model will be fed by the output power from solar panels, ambient temperature, and solar irradiance, and thus, it will be able to estimate the amount of dust accumulated on solar panels at these conditions. The model was tested on different case studies to confirm the accuracy of the developed model.

Keywords: machine learning, dust, PV panels, renewable energy

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2446 Meaningful Habit for EFL Learners

Authors: Ana Maghfiroh

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Learning a foreign language needs a big effort from the learner itself to make their language ability grows better day by day. Among those, they also need a support from all around them including teacher, friends, as well as activities which support them to speak the language. When those activities developed well as a habit which are done regularly, it will help improving the students’ language competence. It was a qualitative research which aimed to find out and describe some activities implemented in Pesantren Al Mawaddah, Ponorogo, in order to teach the students a foreign language. In collecting the data, the researcher used interview, questionnaire, and documentation. From the study, it was found that Pesantren Al Mawaddah had successfully built the language habit on the students to speak the target language. More than 15 hours a day students were compelled to speak foreign language, Arabic or English, in turn. It aimed to habituate the students to keep in touch with the target language. The habit was developed through daily language activities, such as dawn vocabs giving, dictionary handling, daily language use, speech training and language intensive course, daily language input, and night vocabs memorizing. That habit then developed the students awareness towards the language learned as well as promoted their language mastery.

Keywords: habit, communicative competence, daily language activities, Pesantren

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2445 Effect of Halo Protection Device on the Aerodynamic Performance of Formula Racecar

Authors: Mark Lin, Periklis Papadopoulos

Abstract:

This paper explores the aerodynamics of the formula racecar when a ‘halo’ driver-protection device is added to the chassis. The halo protection device was introduced at the start of the 2018 racing season as a safety measure against foreign object impacts that a driver may encounter when driving an open-wheel racecar. In the one-year since its introduction, the device has received wide acclaim for protecting the driver on two separate occasions. The benefit of such a safety device certainly cannot be disputed. However, by adding the halo device to a car, it changes the airflow around the vehicle, and most notably, to the engine air-intake and the rear wing. These negative effects in the air supply to the engine, and equally to the downforce created by the rear wing are studied in this paper using numerical technique, and the resulting CFD outputs are presented and discussed. Comparing racecar design prior to and after the introduction of the halo device, it is shown that the design of the air intake and the rear wing has not followed suit since the addition of the halo device. The reduction of engine intake mass flow due to the halo device is computed and presented for various speeds the car may be going. Because of the location of the halo device in relation to the air intake, airflow is directed away from the engine, making the engine perform less than optimal. The reduction is quantified in this paper to show the correspondence to reduce the engine output when compared to a similar car without the halo device. This paper shows that through aerodynamic arguments, the engine in a halo car will not receive unobstructed, clean airflow that a non-halo car does. Another negative effect is on the downforce created by the rear wing. Because the amount of downforce created by the rear wing is influenced by every component that comes before it, when a halo device is added upstream to the rear wing, airflow is obstructed, and less is available for making downforce. This reduction in downforce is especially dramatic as the speed is increased. This paper presents a graph of downforce over a range of speeds for a car with and without the halo device. Acknowledging that although driver safety is paramount, the negative effect of this safety device on the performance of the car should still be well understood so that any possible redesign to mitigate these negative effects can be taken into account in next year’s rules regulation.

Keywords: automotive aerodynamics, halo device, downforce. engine intake

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2444 Departures from Anatolian Seljuk Building Complex with Iwan/Eyvan: The Tradition of Iwan Tombs

Authors: Mehmet Uysal, Yavuz Arat, Uğur Tuztaşı

Abstract:

As man constructed the spaces that he lived in he also designed spaces where their dead will stay according to their belief systems. These spaces are sometimes monumentalized by the means of a stone on the top of a mountain, sometimes signed by totems and sometimes became structures to protect graves and symbolize the person or make him unforgettable. Various grave monuments have been constructed from the earliest primitive societies to developed societies. Every belief system built structures for itself; Pyramids for pharaohs, grave monuments for kings and emperors, temples and tombs for important men of religion. These spaces are also architectural works like a school or a dwelling and have importance in history of architecture. After Turks embraced Islamism, examples of very beautiful tombs are built in Middle Asia during the Seljuk Period. By the time Seljuks came to Anatolia they built important tombs having peerless architectural characteristics firstly around Ahlat. After Anatolia Seljuks made Konya the capital city and Konya became administrative, cultural and scientific center, very important tombs were built in Konya. Different from the local tomb architecture, the architecture of tombs with half-open “eyvan/Iwan” is significant. Although iwan buildings is vastly used in Anatolian civil architecture and monumental buildings its best exmaples are observed in 13th century Medrese buildings. The iwan tomb tradition which was observed during the time period when this building typology was shaped and departed from the resident tradition in the form of iwan tombs are rarely represented. However, similar tombs were build in resemblance to this tradition. This study provides information on samples of iwan tombs (Gömeç Hatun Tomb, Emir Yavaştagel Tomb, and Beşparmak Tomb) and evaluates the departures from iwan building complexes in view of architectural language. This paper also gives information about iwan tombs among tombs having importance in Islamic Architectural Heritage.

Keywords: Seljuk Building Complex, Eyvan/Iwan, Anatolia, Islamic Architectural Heritage, tomb

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2443 Older Adults’ Coping during a Pandemic

Authors: Aditya Jayadas

Abstract:

During a pandemic like the one we are in with COVID-19, older adults, especially those who live in a senior retirement facility, experience even bigger challenges as they are often dependent on other individuals for care. Many older adults are dependent on caregivers to assist with their instrumented activities of daily living (IADL). With travel restrictions imposed during a pandemic, there is a critical need to ensure that older adults who are homebound continue to be able to participate in physical exercise, cognitive exercise, and social interaction programs. The objective of this study was to better understand the challenges that older adults faced during the pandemic and what they were doing specifically to cope with the pandemic physically, mentally, and through social interaction. A focus group was conducted with ten older adults (age: 82.70 ± 7.81 years; nine female and one male) who resided in a senior retirement facility. During the course of one hour, seven open-ended questions were posed to the participants: a) What has changed in your life since the start of the pandemic, b) What has been most challenging for you, c) What are you doing to take care of yourself, d) Are you doing anything specifically as it relates to your physical health, e) Are you doing anything specifically as it relates to your mental health, f) What did you do for social interaction during the pandemic, g) Is there anything else you would like to share as it relates to your experience during the pandemic. The focus group session was audio-taped, and verbatim transcripts were created to evaluate the responses of the participants. The transcript consisted of 4,698 words and 293 lines of text. The data was analyzed using content analysis. The unit of analysis was the text from the audio recordings that were transcribed. From the review of the transcribed text, themes and sub-themes were identified, along with salient quotes under each sub-theme. The major themes that emerged from the data were: having a routine, engaging in activities, attending exercise classes, use of technology, family, community, and prayer. The quotes under the sub-themes provided compelling evidence of how older adults coped during the pandemic while addressing the challenges they faced and developing strategies to address their physical and mental health while interacting with others. Lessons learned from this focus group can be used to develop specific physical exercise, cognitive exercise, and social interaction programs that benefit the health and well-being of older adults.

Keywords: cognitive exercise, pandemic, physical exercise, social interaction

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2442 Foreign Language Anxiety: Perceptions and Attitudes in the Egyptian ESL Classroom

Authors: Shaden S. Attia

Abstract:

This study investigated foreign language anxiety (FLA) and teachers’ awareness of its presence in the Egyptian ESL classrooms and how FLA correlates with different variables such as four language skills, students' sex, and activities used in class. A combination of quantitative and qualitative instruments was used in order to investigate the previously mentioned variables, which included five interviews with teachers, six classroom observations, a survey for teachers, and a questionnaire for students. The findings of the study revealed that some teachers were aware of the presence of FLA, with some of them believing that other teachers, however, are not aware of this phenomenon, and even when they notice anxiety, they do not always relate it to learning a foreign language. The results also showed that FLA was affected by students’ sex, different language skills, and affective anxieties; however, teachers were unaware of the effect of these variables. The results demonstrated that both teachers and students preferred group and pair work to individual activities as they were more relaxing and less anxiety-provoking. These findings contribute to raising teachers' awareness of FLA in ESL classrooms and how it is affected by different variables.

Keywords: foreign language anxiety, situation specific anxiety, skill-specific anxiety, teachers’ perceptions

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2441 Geospatial Analysis of Hydrological Response to Forest Fires in Small Mediterranean Catchments

Authors: Bojana Horvat, Barbara Karleusa, Goran Volf, Nevenka Ozanic, Ivica Kisic

Abstract:

Forest fire is a major threat in many regions in Croatia, especially in coastal areas. Although they are often caused by natural processes, the most common cause is the human factor, intentional or unintentional. Forest fires drastically transform landscapes and influence natural processes. The main goal of the presented research is to analyse and quantify the impact of the forest fire on hydrological processes and propose the model that best describes changes in hydrological patterns in the analysed catchments. Keeping in mind the spatial component of the processes, geospatial analysis is performed to gain better insight into the spatial variability of the hydrological response to disastrous events. In that respect, two catchments that experienced severe forest fire were delineated, and various hydrological and meteorological data were collected both attribute and spatial. The major drawback is certainly the lack of hydrological data, common in small torrential karstic streams; hence modelling results should be validated with the data collected in the catchment that has similar characteristics and established hydrological monitoring. The event chosen for the modelling is the forest fire that occurred in July 2019 and burned nearly 10% of the analysed area. Surface (land use/land cover) conditions before and after the event were derived from the two Sentinel-2 images. The mapping of the burnt area is based on a comparison of the Normalized Burn Index (NBR) computed from both images. To estimate and compare hydrological behaviour before and after the event, curve number (CN) values are assigned to the land use/land cover classes derived from the satellite images. Hydrological modelling resulted in surface runoff generation and hence prediction of hydrological responses in the catchments to a forest fire event. The research was supported by the Croatian Science Foundation through the project 'Influence of Open Fires on Water and Soil Quality' (IP-2018-01-1645).

Keywords: Croatia, forest fire, geospatial analysis, hydrological response

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2440 Alternator Fault Detection Using Wigner-Ville Distribution

Authors: Amin Ranjbar, Amir Arsalan Jalili Zolfaghari, Amir Abolfazl Suratgar, Mehrdad Khajavi

Abstract:

This paper describes two stages of learning-based fault detection procedure in alternators. The procedure consists of three states of machine condition namely shortened brush, high impedance relay and maintaining a healthy condition in the alternator. The fault detection algorithm uses Wigner-Ville distribution as a feature extractor and also appropriate feature classifier. In this work, ANN (Artificial Neural Network) and also SVM (support vector machine) were compared to determine more suitable performance evaluated by the mean squared of errors criteria. Modules work together to detect possible faulty conditions of machines working. To test the method performance, a signal database is prepared by making different conditions on a laboratory setup. Therefore, it seems by implementing this method, satisfactory results are achieved.

Keywords: alternator, artificial neural network, support vector machine, time-frequency analysis, Wigner-Ville distribution

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2439 Effectiveness of Video Interventions for Perpetrators of Domestic Violence

Authors: Zeynep Turhan

Abstract:

Digital tools can improve knowledge and awareness of strategies and skills for healthy and respectful intimate relationships. The website of the Healthy and Respectful Relationship Program has been developed and included five key videos about how to build healthy intimate relationships. This study examined the perspectives about informative videos by focusing on how individuals learn new information or challenge their preconceptions or attitudes regarding male privilege and women's oppression. Five individuals who received no-contact orders and attended group intervention were the sample of this study. The observation notes were the major methodology examining how participants responded to video tools. The data analysis method was the interpretative phenomenological analysis. The results showed that many participants found the tools useful in learning the types of violence and communication strategies. Nevertheless, obstacles to implementing some techniques were found in their relationships. These digital tools might enhance healthy and respectful relationships despite some limitations.

Keywords: healthy relationship, digital tools, intimate partner violence, perpetrators, video interventions

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2438 An Approach to Tackle Start up Problems Using Applied Games

Authors: Aiswarya Gopal, Kamal Bijlani, Vinoth Rengaraj, R. Jayakrishnan

Abstract:

In the business world, the term “startup” is frequently ringing the bell with the high frequency of young ventures. The main dilemma of startups is the unsuccessful management of the unique risks that have to be confronted in the present world of competition and technology. This research work tried to bring out a game based methodology to improve enough real-world experience among entrepreneurs as well as management students to handle risks and challenges in the field. The game will provide experience to the player to overcome challenges like market problems, running out of cash, poor management, and product problems which can be resolved by a proper strategic approach in the entrepreneurship world. The proposed serious game works on the life cycle of a new software enterprise where the entrepreneur moves from the planning stage to secured financial stage, laying down the basic business structure, and initiates the operations ensuring the increment in confidence level of the player.

Keywords: business model, game based learning, poor management, start up

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2437 Evaluation of Double Displacement Process via Gas Dumpflood from Multiple Gas Reservoirs

Authors: B. Rakjarit, S. Athichanagorn

Abstract:

Double displacement process is a method in which gas is injected at an updip well to displace the oil bypassed by waterflooding operation from downdip water injector. As gas injection is costly and a large amount of gas is needed, gas dump-flood from multiple gas reservoirs is an attractive alternative. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the benefits of the novel approach of double displacement process via gas dump-flood from multiple gas reservoirs. A reservoir simulation model consisting of a dipping oil reservoir and several underlying layered gas reservoirs was constructed in order to investigate the performance of the proposed method. Initially, water was injected via the downdip well to displace oil towards the producer located updip. When the water cut at the producer became high, the updip well was shut in and perforated in the gas zones in order to dump gas into the oil reservoir. At this point, the downdip well was open for production. In order to optimize oil recovery, oil production and water injection rates and perforation strategy on the gas reservoirs were investigated for different numbers of gas reservoirs having various depths and thicknesses. Gas dump-flood from multiple gas reservoirs can help increase the oil recovery after implementation of waterflooding upto 10%. Although the amount of additional oil recovery is slightly lower than the one obtained in conventional double displacement process, the proposed process requires a small completion cost of the gas zones and no operating cost while the conventional method incurs high capital investment in gas compression facility and high-pressure gas pipeline and additional operating cost. From the simulation study, oil recovery can be optimized by producing oil at a suitable rate and perforating the gas zones with the right strategy which depends on depths, thicknesses and number of the gas reservoirs. Conventional double displacement process has been studied and successfully implemented in many fields around the world. However, the method of dumping gas into the oil reservoir instead of injecting it from surface during the second displacement process has never been studied. The study of this novel approach will help a practicing engineer to understand the benefits of such method and can implement it with minimum cost.

Keywords: gas dump-flood, multi-gas layers, double displacement process, reservoir simulation

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