Search results for: systems and technologies in e-education

Authors: Nael Y. Zabel, Maged E. Georgy, Moheeb E. Ibrahim

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A knowledge-based expert system with the acronym RASPE is developed as an application tool to help decision makers in construction companies make informed decisions about managing risks in pipeline construction projects. Choosing to use expert systems from all available artificial intelligence techniques is due to the fact that an expert system is more suited to representing a domain’s knowledge and the reasoning behind domain-specific decisions. The knowledge-based expert system can capture the knowledge in the form of conditional rules which represent various project scenarios and potential risk mitigation/response actions. The built knowledge in RASPE is utilized through the underlying inference engine that allows the firing of rules relevant to a project scenario into consideration. This paper provides an overview of the knowledge acquisition process and goes about describing the knowledge structure which is divided up into four major modules. The paper shows one module in full detail for illustration purposes and concludes with insightful remarks.

Keywords: expert system, knowledge management, pipeline projects, risk mismanagement

Procedia PDF Downloads 315

Authors: Gómez S. Jennifer, Méndez V. Camila, Moncayo M. Diana, Vega M. Lizeth

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The cape gooseberry is a climacteric fruit; Colombia is one of the principal exporters in the world. The environmental condition of temperature and relative moisture decreases the titratable acidity and pH. These conditions and fruit maturation result in the fungal proliferation of Botrytis cinerea disease. Plastic packaging for fresh cape gooseberries was used for mechanical damage protection but created a suitable atmosphere for fungal growth. Beta-cyclodextrins are currently implemented as coatings for the encapsulation of hydrophobic compounds, for example, with bioactive compounds from essential oils such as cinnamaldehyde, which has a high antimicrobial capacity. However, it is a volatile substance. In this article, the casting method was used to obtain a polylactic acid (PLA) polymer film containing the beta-cyclodextrin-cinnamaldehyde inclusion complex, generating an insert that allowed the controlled release of the antifungal substance in packed cape gooseberries to decrease contamination by Botrytis cinerea in a latent state during storage. For the encapsulation technique, three ratios for the cinnamaldehyde: beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex were proposed: (25:75), (40:60), and (50:50). Spectrophotometry, colorimetry in L*a*b* coordinate space and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were made for the complex characterization. Subsequently, two ratios of tween and water (40:60) and (50:50) were used to obtain the polylactic acid (PLA) film. To determine mechanical and physical parameters of colourimetry in L*a*b* coordinate space, atomic force microscopy and stereoscopy were done to determine the transparency and flexibility of the film; for both cases, Statgraphics software was used to determine the best ratio in each of the proposed phases, where for encapsulation it was (50:50) with an encapsulation efficiency of 65,92%, and for casting the ratio (40:60) obtained greater transparency and flexibility that permitted its incorporation into the polymeric packaging. A liberation assay was also developed under ambient temperature conditions to evaluate the concentration of cinnamaldehyde inside the packaging through gas chromatography for three weeks. It was found that the insert had a controlled release. Nevertheless, a higher cinnamaldehyde concentration is needed to obtain the minimum inhibitory concentration for the fungus Botrytis cinerea (0.2g/L). The homogeneity of the cinnamaldehyde gas phase inside the packaging can be improved by considering other insert configurations. This development aims to impact emerging food preservation technologies with the controlled release of antifungals to reduce the affectation of the physico-chemical and sensory properties of the fruit as a result of contamination by microorganisms in the postharvest stage.

Keywords: antifungal, casting, encapsulation, postharvest

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Authors: Agne Jucyte Cicine, Vytautas Abromaitis, Zita Rasuole Gasiunaite, I. Vybernaite-Lubiene, D. Overlinge, K. Vilke

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Pharmaceutical pollution in aquatic environments has become a growing concern. Various active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) residues, hormones, antibiotics, or/and psychiatric drugs, have already been discovered in different environmental compartments. Due to existing ineffective wastewater treatment technologies to remove APIs, an underestimated amount can enter the ecosystem by discharged treated wastewater. Especially, psychiatric compounds, such as carbamazepine (CBZ) and venlafaxine (VNX), persist in effluent even post-treatment. Therefore, these pharmaceuticals usually exceed safe environmental levels and pose risks to the aquatic environment, particularly to sensitive ecosystems such as the Baltic Sea. CBZ, known for its chemical stability and long biodegradation time, accumulates in the environment, threatening aquatic life and human health through the food chain. As the use of medication rises, there is an urgent need for advanced wastewater treatment to reduce pharmaceutical contamination and meet future regulatory requirements. In this study, we tested advanced oxidation technology using ozone to remove two commonly used psychiatric drugs (carbamazepine and venlafaxine) from biologically treated wastewater effluent. Additionally, general water quality parameters (suspended matter (SPM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and bacterial presence were analyzed. Three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) representing different anthropogenic pressures were selected: 1) resort, 2) resort and residential, and 3) residential, industrial, and resort. Wastewater samples for the experiment were collected during the summer season after mechanical and biological treatment and ozonated for 5, 10, and 15 minutes. The initial dissolved ozone concentration of 7,3±0,7 mg/L was held constant during all the experiments. Pharmaceutical levels in this study exceeded the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) of 500 and 90 ng L⁻¹ for CBZ and VNX, respectively, in all WWTPs, except CBZ in WWTP 1. Initial CBZ contamination was found to be lower in WWTP 1 (427.4 ng L⁻¹), compared with WWTP 2 (1266.5 ng L⁻¹) and 3 (119.2 ng L⁻¹). VNX followed a similar trend with concentrations of 341.2 ng L⁻¹, 361.4 ng L⁻¹, and 390.0 ng L⁻¹, respectively, for WWTPs 1, 2, and 3. It was determined that CBZ was not detected in the effluent after 5 minutes of ozonation in any of the WWTPs. Contrarily, VNX was still detected after 5, 10, and 15 minutes of treatment with ozone, however, under the limits of quantification (LOD) (<5ng L⁻¹). Additionally, general pollution of SPM, DOC, COD, and bacterial contamination was reduced notably after 5 minutes of treatment with ozone, while no bacterial growth was obtained. Although initial pharmaceutical levels exceeded PNECs, indicating ongoing environmental risks, ozonation demonstrated high efficiency in reducing pharmaceutical and general contamination in wastewater with different pollution matrices.

Keywords: Baltic Sea, ozonation, pharmaceuticals, wastewater treatment plants

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Authors: Ramesh Rajagopalan, Adam Dahlstrom

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Noise removal techniques play a vital role in the performance of electrocardiographic (ECG) signal processing systems. ECG signals can be corrupted by various kinds of noise such as baseline wander noise, electromyographic interference, and power-line interference. One of the significant challenges in ECG signal processing is the degradation caused by additive 50 or 60 Hz power-line interference. This work investigates the removal of power line interference and suppression of transient response for filtering noise corrupted ECG signals. We demonstrate the effectiveness of Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) notch filter with time varying pole radius for improving the transient behavior. The temporary change in the pole radius of the filter diminishes the transient behavior. Simulation results show that the proposed IIR filter with time varying pole radius outperforms traditional IIR notch filters in terms of mean square error and transient suppression.

Keywords: notch filter, ECG, transient, pole radius

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Authors: Ishay Wolf

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In this study, the financial position of pension actors in the market during the pension system transition toward a more funded capitalized scheme is explored, mainly via an option benefit model. This is enabled by not considering the economy as a single earning cohort. We analytically demonstrate a socio-economic anomaly in the funded pension system, which is in favor of high earning cohorts on at the expense of low earning cohorts. This anomaly is realized by a lack of insurance and exposure to financial and systemic risks. Furthermore, the anomaly might lead to pension re-reform back to unfunded scheme, mostly due to political pressure. We find that a minimum pension guarantee is a rebalance mechanism to this anomaly, which increases the probability to of the sustainable pension scheme. Specifically, we argue that implementing the guarantee with an intra-generational, risk-sharing mechanism is the most efficient way to reduce the effect of this abnormality. Moreover, we exhibit the convergence process toward implementing minimum pension guarantee in many countries which have capitalized their pension systems during the last three decades, particularly among Latin America and CEE countries.

Keywords: benefits, pension scheme, put option, social security

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Authors: Moustapha Bande, Hakima Ould-Slimane, Hanifa Boucheneb

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Software development for complex systems requires efficient and automatic tools that can be used to verify the satisfiability of some critical properties such as security ones. With the emergence of Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP), considerable work has been done in order to better modularize the separation of concerns in the software design and implementation. The goal is to prevent the cross-cutting concerns to be scattered across the multiple modules of the program and tangled with other modules. One of the key challenges in the aspect-oriented programs is to be sure that all the pieces put together at the weaving time ensure the satisfiability of the overall system requirements. Our paper focuses on this problem and proposes a formal property verification approach for a given property from the woven program. The approach is based on the control flow graph (CFG) of the woven program, and the use of a satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solver to check whether each property (represented par one aspect) is satisfied or not once the weaving is done.

Keywords: aspect-oriented programming, control flow graph, property verification, satisfiability modulo theories

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Authors: Ahmed Elsayed Ahmed, Ashraf Hafez, A. N. Ouda, Hossam Eldin Hussein Ahmed, Hala Mohamed ABD-Elkader

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Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are playing increasingly prominent roles in defense programs and defense strategies around the world. Technology advancements have enabled the development of it to do many excellent jobs as reconnaissance, surveillance, battle fighters, and communications relays. Simulating a small unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV) dynamics and analyzing its behavior at the preflight stage is too important and more efficient. The first step in the UAV design is the mathematical modeling of the nonlinear equations of motion. In this paper, a survey with a standard method to obtain the full non-linear equations of motion is utilized,and then the linearization of the equations according to a steady state flight condition (trimming) is derived. This modeling technique is applied to an Ultrastick-25e fixed wing UAV to obtain the valued linear longitudinal and lateral models. At the end, the model is checked by matching between the behavior of the states of the non-linear UAV and the resulted linear model with doublet at the control surfaces.

Keywords: UAV, equations of motion, modeling, linearization

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Authors: T. T. Naas, Y. Lasbet, C. Kezrane

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The thermal control in many systems is widely accomplished applying mixed convection process due to its low cost, reliability and easy maintenance. Typical applications include the aircraft electronic equipment, rotating-disc heat exchangers, turbo machinery, and nuclear reactors, etc. Natural convection in an inclined square enclosure heated via wall heater has been studied numerically. Finite volume method is used for solving momentum and energy equations in the form of stream function–vorticity. The right and left walls are kept at a constant temperature, while the other parts are adiabatic. The range of the inclination angle covers a whole revolution. The method is validated for a vertical cavity. A general power law dependence of the Nusselt number with respect to the Rayleigh number with the coefficient and exponent as functions of the inclination angle is presented. For a fixed Rayleigh number, the inclination angle increases or decreases is found.

Keywords: natural convection in enclosure, inclined enclosure, Nusselt number, entropy generation analyze

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Authors: Alessio Varotto, Lorenzo Freschi, Umberto Pasqual Laverdura, Anastasia Moschovi, Davide Pumiglia, Iakovos Yakoumis, Marta Feroci, Maria Luisa Grilli

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Dry reforming of Methane (DRM) is considered one of the most valuable technologies for green-house gas valorization thanks to the fact that through this reaction, it is possible to obtain syngas, a mixture of H₂ and CO in an H₂/CO ratio suitable for utilization in the Fischer-Tropsch process of high value-added chemicals and fuels. Challenges of the DRM process are the reduction of costs due to the high temperature of the process and the high cost of precious metals of the catalyst, the metal particles sintering, and carbon deposition on the catalysts’ surface. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of the synthesis of catalysts using a leachate solution containing Pt coming directly from the recovery of spent diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) without further purification. An unusual perovskite support for DRM, the BaCe₁₋ₓ₋ᵧZrₓGdᵧO₃ (BCZG) perovskite, has been chosen as the catalyst support because of its high thermal stability and capability to produce oxygen vacancies, which suppress the carbon deposition and enhance the catalytic activity of the catalyst. BCZG perovskite has been synthesized by a sol-gel modified Pechini process and calcinated in air at 1100 °C. BCZG supports have been impregnated with a Pt-containing leachate solution of DOC, obtained by a mild hydrometallurgical recovery process, as reported elsewhere by some of the authors of this manuscript. For comparison reasons, a synthetic solution obtained by digesting commercial Pt-black powder in aqua regia was used for BCZG support impregnation. Pt nominal content was 2% in both BCZG-based catalysts formed by real and synthetic solutions. The structure and morphology of catalysts were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to study the thermal stability of the catalyst’s samples. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis provided a high surface area of the catalysts. H₂-TPR (Temperature Programmed Reduction) analysis was used to study the consumption of hydrogen for reducibility, and it was associated with H₂-TPD characterization to study the dispersion of Pt on the surface of the support and calculate the number of active sites used by the precious metal. Dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction, carried out in a fixed bed reactor, showed a high conversion efficiency of CO₂ and CH4. At 850°C, CO₂ and CH₄ conversion were close to 100% for the catalyst obtained with the aqua regia-based solution of commercial Pt-black, and ~70% (for CH₄) and ~80 % (for CO₂) in the case of real HCl-based leachate solution. H₂/CO ratios were ~0.9 and ~0.70 in the first and latter cases, respectively. As far as we know, this is the first pioneering work in which a BCGZ catalyst and a real Pt-containing leachate solution were successfully employed for DRM reaction.

Keywords: dry reforming of methane, perovskite, PGM, recycled Pt, syngas

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Authors: El Korchi Ayoub, Cherif Raef

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Interior noise in vehicles is an essential factor affecting occupant comfort. Over recent decades, much work has been done to develop simulation tools for vehicle NVH. At the medium high-frequency range, the statistical energy analysis method (SEA) shows significant effectiveness in predicting noise and vibration responses of mechanical systems. In this paper, the evaluation of the sound pressure level (SPL) inside an automobile cabin has been performed numerically using the statistical energy analysis (SEA) method. A test car cabin was performed using a monopole source as a sound source. The decay rate method was employed to obtain the damping loss factor (DLF) of each subsystem of the developed SEA model. These parameters were then used to predict the sound pressure level in the interior cabin. The results show satisfactory agreement with the directly measured SPL. The developed SEA vehicle model can be used in early design phases and allows the engineer to identify sources contributing to the total noise and transmission paths.

Keywords: SEA, SPL, DLF, NVH

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Authors: Kiran Kumar Gellaboina, Padmaja Kaja

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Agricultural Education and Research in India needs a transformation to serve the needs of the farmers and that of the nation. The fact that Agriculture and allied activities act as main source of livelihood for more than 70% population of rural India reinforces its importance in administrative and policy arena. As per Census 2011 of India it provides employment to approximately 56.6 % of labour. India has achieved significant growth in agriculture, milk, fish, oilseeds and fruits and vegetables owing to green, white, blue and yellow revolutions which have brought prosperity to farmers. Many factors are responsible for these achievement viz conducive government policies, receptivity of the farmers and also establishment of higher agricultural education institutions. The new breed of skilled human resources were instrumental in generating new technologies, and in its assessment, refinement and finally its dissemination to the farming community through extension methods. In order to sustain, diversify and realize the potential of agriculture sectors, it is necessary to develop skilled human resources. Agricultural human resource development is a continuous process undertaken by agricultural universities. The Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) coordinates and promotes agricultural research & education in India. In India, agricultural universities were established on ‘land grant’ pattern of USA which helped incorporation of a number of diverse subjects in the courses as also provision of hands-on practical exposure to the student. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) established through the legislative acts of the respective states and with major financial support from them leading to administrative and policy controls. It has been observed that pace and quality of technology generation and human resource development in many of the SAUs has gone down. The reason for this slackening are inadequate state funding, reduced faculty strength, inadequate faculty development programmes, lack of modern infrastructure for education and research etc. Establishment of new state agricultural universities and new faculties/colleges without providing necessary financial and faculty support has aggrieved the problem. The present work highlights some of the key issues affecting agricultural education and research in India and the impact it would have on farm productivity and sustainability. Secondary data pertaining to budgetary spend on agricultural education and research will be analyzed. This paper will study the trends in public spending on agricultural education and research and the per capita income of farmers in India. This paper tries to suggest that agricultural education and research has a key role in equipping the human resources for enhanced agricultural productivity and sustainable use of natural resources. Further, a total re-orientation of agricultural education with emphasis on other agricultural related social sciences is needed for effective agricultural policy research.

Keywords: agriculture, challenges, education, research

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Authors: Irsa Wolfram, Boruch Lorenz

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Innovative solutions with additive manufacturing applying material extrusion for functional parts necessitate innovative filaments with persistent quality. Uniform homogeneity and a consistent dispersion of particles embedded in filaments generally require multiple cycles of extrusion or well-prepared primal matter by injection molding, kneader machines, or mixing equipment. These technologies commit to dedicated equipment that is rarely at the disposal in production laboratories unfamiliar with research in polymer materials. This stands in contrast to laboratories that investigate complex material topics and technology science to leverage the potential of 3-D printing. Consequently, scientific studies in labs are often constrained to compositions and concentrations of fillersofferedfrom the market. Therefore, we introduce a prototypal laboratory methodology scalable to tailoredprimal matter for extruding ceramic composite filaments with fused filament fabrication (FFF) technology. - A desktop single-screw extruder serves as a core device for the experiments. Custom-made filaments encapsulate the ceramic fillers and serve with polylactide (PLA), which is a thermoplastic polyester, as primal matter and is processed in the melting area of the extruder, preserving the defined concentration of the fillers. Validated results demonstrate that this approach enables continuously produced and uniform composite filaments with consistent homogeneity. Itis 3-D printable with controllable dimensions, which is a prerequisite for any scalable application. Additionally, digital microscopy confirms the steady dispersion of the ceramic particles in the composite filament. - This permits a 2D reconstruction of the planar distribution of the embedded ceramic particles in the PLA matrices. The innovation of the introduced method lies in the smart simplicity of preparing the composite primal matter. It circumvents the inconvenience of numerous extrusion operations and expensive laboratory equipment. Nevertheless, it deliversconsistent filaments of controlled, predictable, and reproducible filler concentration, which is the prerequisite for any industrial application. The introduced prototypal laboratory methodology seems capable for other polymer matrices and suitable to further utilitarian particle types beyond and above ceramic fillers. This inaugurates a roadmap for supplementary laboratory development of peculiar composite filaments, providing value for industries and societies. This low-threshold entry of sophisticated preparation of composite filaments - enabling businesses to create their own dedicated filaments - will support the mutual efforts for establishing 3D printing to new functional devices.

Keywords: additive manufacturing, ceramic composites, complex filament, industrial application

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Authors: Raphael Palucci Rosa, Giuseppe Rosace

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Stereolithography (SLA) is one of the 3D-printing technologies that has been steadily growing in popularity for both industrial and personal applications due to its versatility, high accuracy, and low cost. Its printing process consists of using a light emitter to solidify photosensitive liquid resins layer-by-layer to produce solid objects. However, the majority of the resins used in SLA are derived from petroleum and characterized by toxicity, stability, and recalcitrance to degradation in natural environments. Aiming to develop an eco-friendly resin, in this work, different combinations of a standard commercial SLA resin (Peopoly UV professional) with a vegetable-based resin were investigated. To reach this goal, different mass concentrations (varying from 10 to 50 wt%) of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO), a vegetable resin produced from soyabean oil, were mixed with a commercial acrylate-based resin. 1.0 wt% of Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) phosphine oxide (TPO) was used as photo-initiator, and the samples were printed using a Peopoly moai 130. The machine was set to operate at standard configurations when printing commercial resins. After the print was finished, the excess resin was drained off, and the samples were washed in isopropanol and water to remove any non-reacted resin. Finally, the samples were post-cured for 30 min in a UV chamber. FT-IR analysis was used to confirm the UV polymerization of the formulated resin with different AESO/Peopoly ratios. The signals from 1643.7 to 1616, which corresponds to the C=C stretching of the AESO acrylic acids and Peopoly acrylic groups, significantly decreases after the reaction. The signal decrease indicates the consumption of the double bonds during the radical polymerization. Furthermore, the slight change of the C-O-C signal from 1186.1 to 1159.9 decrease of the signals at 809.5 and 983.1, which corresponds to unsaturated double bonds, are both proofs of the successful polymerization. Mechanical analyses showed a decrease of 50.44% on tensile strength when adding 10 wt% of AESO, but it was still in the same range as other commercial resins. The elongation of break increased by 24% with 10 wt% of AESO and swelling analysis showed that samples with a higher concentration of AESO mixed absorbed less water than their counterparts. Furthermore, high-resolution prototypes were printed using both resins, and visual analysis did not show any significant difference between both products. In conclusion, the AESO resin was successful incorporated into a commercial resin without affecting its printability. The bio-based resin showed lower tensile strength than the Peopoly resin due to network loosening, but it was still in the range of other commercial resins. The hybrid resin also showed better flexibility and water resistance than Peopoly resin without affecting its resolution. Finally, the development of new types of SLA resins is essential to provide new sustainable alternatives to the commercial petroleum-based ones.

Keywords: 3D-printing, bio-based, resin, soybean, stereolithography

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Authors: Adrian Rettig, Silvan Schneider, Reto Tamburini, Mirko Kleingries, Ulf Christian Muller

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Industrial adsorption processes are, mainly due to si-multaneous heat and mass transfer, characterized by a high level of complexity. The conception of such processes often does not take place systematically; instead scale-up/down respectively number-up/down methods based on existing systems are used. This paper shows how Modelica® can be used to develop a transient model enabling a more systematic design of such ad- and desorption components and processes. The core of this model is a lumped-element submodel of a single adsorbent grain, where the thermodynamic equilibria and the kinetics of the ad- and desorption processes are implemented and solved on the basis of mass-, momentum and energy balances. For validation of this submodel, a fixed bed adsorber, whose characteristics are described in detail in the literature, was modeled and simulated. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results from the literature. Therefore, the model development will be continued, and the extended model will be applied to further adsorber types like rotor adsorbers and moving bed adsorbers.

Keywords: adsorption, desorption, linear driving force, dynamic model, Modelica®, integral equation approach

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Authors: S. M. Azad, H. Ghodsi Pour, F. Roshannafasa

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In recent years ‘technology management and policymaking’ is one of the most important problems in management science. In this field, different generations of innovation and technology management are presented which the earliest one is Innovation System (IS) approach. In a general classification, innovation systems are divided in to 4 approaches: Technical, sectoral, regional, and national. There are many researches in relation to each of these approaches in different academic fields. Every approach has some benefits. If two or more approaches hybrid, their benefits would be combined. In addition, according to the sectoral structure of the governance model in Iran, in many sectors such as information technology, the combination of three other approaches with sectoral approach is essential. Hence, in this paper, combining two IS approaches (technical and sectoral) and using system dynamics, a generic model is presented for a sample of software industry. As a complimentary point, this article is introducing a new hybrid approach called Techno-Sectoral Innovation System. This TSIS model is accomplished by Changing concepts of the ‘functions’ which came from Technological IS literature and using them into sectoral system as measurable indicators.

Keywords: innovation system, technology, techno-sectoral system, functional indicators, system dynamics

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Authors: Young Min Kim, Dong Gil Shin, Assmelash Assefa Negash

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This study describes the application of a single loop organic Rankine cycle (ORC) for recovering waste heat from an excavator. In the case of waste heat recovery of the excavator, the heat of hydraulic oil can be used in the ORC system together with the other waste heat sources including the exhaust gas and engine coolant. The performances of four different cases of single loop ORC systems were studied at the main operating condition, and critical design factors are studied to get the maximum power output from the given waste heat sources. The energy and exergy analysis of the cycles are performed concerning the available heat source to determine the best fluid and system configuration. The analysis demonstrates that the ORC in the excavator increases 14% of the net power output at the main operating condition with a simpler system configuration at a lower expander inlet temperature than in a conventional vehicle engine without the heat of the hydraulic oil.

Keywords: engine, excavator, hydraulic oil, organic Rankine cycle (ORC), waste heat recovery

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Authors: Raja Kannusamy

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The research focuses on reducing food waste in the restaurant industry. A study has been conducted on the chain of retail restaurant outlets. It has been observed that the food wastages are due to the inefficient inventory management systems practiced in the restaurant outlets. The major food items which are wasted more in quantity are being selected across the retail chain outlets. A moving average forecasting method has been applied for the selected food items so that their future demand could be predicted accurately and food wastage could be avoided. It has been found that the moving average prediction method helps in predicting forecasts accurately. The demand values obtained from the moving average method have been compared to the actual demand values and are found to be similar with minimum variations. The inventory optimization technique helps in reducing food wastage in restaurant supply chain outlets.

Keywords: food wastage, restaurant supply chain, inventory optimisation, demand forecasting

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Authors: Ibrahim Masud, Yusheng Kong, Adam Diyawu Rahman

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Mobile payment variously referred to as mobile money, mobile money transfer, and mobile wallet refers to payment services operated under financial regulation and performed from or via a mobile device. Mobile payment systems have come to augment and to some extent try to replace the conventional payment methods like cash, cheque, or credit cards. This study examines mobile payment adoption factors among retailers in Ghana. A conceptual framework was adopted from the extant literature using the Technology Acceptance Model and the Theory of Reasoned action as the theoretical bases. Data for the study was obtained from a sample of 240 respondents through a structured questionnaire. The PLS-SEM was used to analyze the data through SPSS v.22 and SmartPLS v.3. The findings indicate that factors such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived security, competitive pressure and facilitating conditions are the main determinants of mobile payment adoption among retailers in Ghana. The study contributes to the literature on mobile payment adoption from developing country context.

Keywords: mobile payment, retailers, structural equation modeling, technology acceptance model

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Authors: Patrick Cormier, Cesar Meylan, Matt Jensen, Dana Agar-Newman, Chloe Werle, Ming-Chang Tsai, Marc Klimstra

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Sprint-derived horizontal force-velocity-power (FVP) profiles can be developed with adequate validity and reliability with satellite (GPS/GNSS) systems. However, FVP metrics are sensitive to small nuances in data processing procedures such that minor differences in defining the onset and end of the sprint could result in different FVP metric outcomes. Furthermore, in team-sports, there is a requirement for rapid analysis and feedback of results from multiple athletes, therefore developing standardized and automated methods to improve the speed, efficiency and reliability of this process are warranted. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare different methods of sprint end detection on the development of FVP profiles from 10Hz GPS/GNSS data through goodness-of-fit and intertrial reliability statistics. Seventeen national team female soccer players participated in the FVP protocol which consisted of 2x40m maximal sprints performed towards the end of a soccer specific warm-up in a training session (1020 hPa, wind = 0, temperature = 30°C) on an open grass field. Each player wore a 10Hz Catapult system unit (Vector S7, Catapult Innovations) inserted in a vest in a pouch between the scapulae. All data were analyzed following common procedures. Variables computed and assessed were the model parameters, estimated maximal sprint speed (MSS) and the acceleration constant τ, in addition to horizontal relative force (F₀), velocity at zero (V₀), and relative mechanical power (Pmax). The onset of the sprints was standardized with an acceleration threshold of 0.1 m/s². The sprint end detection methods were: 1. Time when peak velocity (MSS) was achieved (zero acceleration), 2. Time after peak velocity drops by -0.4 m/s, 3. Time after peak velocity drops by -0.6 m/s, and 4. When the integrated distance from the GPS/GNSS signal achieves 40-m. Goodness-of-fit of each sprint end detection method was determined using the residual sum of squares (RSS) to demonstrate the error of the FVP modeling with the sprint data from the GPS/GNSS system. Inter-trial reliability (from 2 trials) was assessed utilizing intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). For goodness-of-fit results, the end detection technique that used the time when peak velocity was achieved (zero acceleration) had the lowest RSS values, followed by -0.4 and -0.6 velocity decay, and 40-m end had the highest RSS values. For intertrial reliability, the end of sprint detection techniques that were defined as the time at (method 1) or shortly after (method 2 and 3) when MSS was achieved had very large to near perfect ICC and the time at the 40 m integrated distance (method 4) had large to very large ICCs. Peak velocity was reached at 29.52 ± 4.02-m. Therefore, sport scientists should implement end of sprint detection either when peak velocity is determined or shortly after to improve goodness of fit to achieve reliable between trial FVP profile metrics. Although, more robust processing and modeling procedures should be developed in future research to improve sprint model fitting. This protocol was seamlessly integrated into the usual training which shows promise for sprint monitoring in the field with this technology.

Keywords: automated, biomechanics, team-sports, sprint

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Authors: Noé D. Lazos-Gallardo, Sonia E. Ruiz, Federico Valenzuela-Beltran

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A simplified mathematical expression to estimate ductility reduction factors of the displacement spectra corresponding to the soft soil zone of Mexico City is proposed. The aim is to allow a better characterization of the displacement spectra and provide a simple expression to be used in displacement based design (DBD). Emphasis is on the Mexico City Building Code. The study is based on the analysis of single degree of freedom (SDOF) systems with elasto-plastic hysteretic behavior. Several seismic ground motions corresponding to subduction events with magnitudes equal to or greater than 6 and recorded in different stations of Mexico City are used. The proposed expression involves the ratio of elastic and inelastic pseudo-aceleration spectra, and depends on factors such the ductility demand and the vibration period of the structural system. The resulting ductility reduction factors obtained in this study are compared with others existing in the literature, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed.

Keywords: displacement based design, displacements spectrum, ductility reduction factors, soft soil

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Authors: Avi Harel

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Most accidents are commonly attributed in hindsight to human errors, yet most methodologies for safety focus on technical issues. According to the Black Swan theory, this paradox is due to insufficient data about the ways systems fail. The article presents a study of the sources of errors, and proposes a methodology for utility-oriented design, comprising methods for coping with each of the sources identified. Accident analysis indicates that errors typically result from difficulties of operating in exceptional conditions. Therefore, following STAMP, the focus should be on preventing exceptions. Exception analysis indicates that typically they involve an improper account of the operational scenario, due to deficiencies in the system integration. The methodology proposes a model, which is a formal definition of the system operation, as well as principles and guidelines for safety-oriented system integration. The article calls to develop and integrate tools for recording and analysis of the system activity during the operation, required to implement validate the model.

Keywords: accidents, complexity, errors, exceptions, interaction, modeling, resilience, risks

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Authors: L. Haddad, Z. Aouachria

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The development of transport systems has negative impacts on the environment although it has beneficial effects on society.. The car policy caused many problems such as: - the spectacular growth of fuel consumption hence the very vast increase in urban pollution, traffic congestion in certain places and at certain times, the increase in the number of accidents. The exhaust emissions from cars and weather conditions are the main factors that determine the level of pollution in urban atmosphere. These conditions lead to the phenomenon of heat transfer and radiation occurring between the air and the soil surface of any town. These exchanges give rise, in urban areas, to the effects of heat islands that correspond to the appearance of excess air temperature between the city and its surrounding space. In this object, we perform a numerical simulation of the plume generated by the cars exhaust gases and show that these gases form a screening effect above the urban city which cause the heat island in the presence of wind flow. This study allows us: i. To understand the different mechanisms of interactions between these phenomena. ii. To consider appropriate technical solutions to mitigate the effects of the heat island.

Keywords: atmospheric pollution, impact on the health, urban transport, heat island

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Authors: Chebli Derradji, Abdallah Bouguettoucha, Zoubir Manaa, S. Nacef, A. Amrane

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Antibiotics are major pollutants of wastewater not only due to their stability in biological systems, but also due to their impact on public health. Their degradation by means of hydroxyl radicals generated through the application of microwave in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and two solid catalysts, iron-based synthetic clay (LDHs) and goethite (FeOOH) have been examined. A drastic reduction of the degradation yield was observed above pH 4, and hence the optimal conditions were found to be a pH of 3, 0.1 g/L of clay, a somewhat low amount of H2O2 (1.74 mmol/L) and a microwave intensity of 850 W. It should be observed that to maintain an almost constant temperature, a cooling with cold water was always applied between two microwaves running; and hence the ratio between microwave heating time and cooling time was 1. The obtained SMX degradation was 98.8 ± 0.2% after 30 minutes of microwave treatment. It should be observed that in the absence of the solid catalyst, LDHs, no SMX degradation was observed. From this, the use of microwave in the presence of a solid source of iron (LDHs) appears to be an efficient solution for the treatment of wastewater containing SMX.

Keywords: microwave, fenton, heterogenous fenton, degradation, oxidation, antibiotics

Procedia PDF Downloads 283

Authors: Venkata Madhusudana Rao Kapavarapu

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The Intermediate Slug Catcher (ISC) facility was built to process nominally 234 MSCFD of export gas from the booster station on a day-to-day basis and to receive liquid slugs up to 1600 m³ (10,000 BBLS) in volume when the incoming 24” gas pipelines are pigged following upsets or production of non-dew-pointed gas from gathering centers. The maximum slug sizes expected are 812 m³ (5100 BBLS) in winter and 542 m³ (3400 BBLS) in summer after operating for a month or more at 100 MMSCFD of wet gas, being 60 MMSCFD of treated gas from the booster station, combined with 40 MMSCFD of untreated gas from gathering center. The water content is approximately 60% but may be higher if the line is not pigged for an extended period, owing to the relative volatility of the condensate compared to water. In addition to its primary function as a slug catcher, the ISC facility will receive pigged liquids from the upstream and downstream segments of the 14” condensate pipeline, returned liquids from the AGRP, pigged through the 8” pipeline, and blown-down fluids from the 14” condensate pipeline prior to maintenance. These fluids will be received in the condensate flash vessel or the condensate separator, depending on the specific operation, for the separation of water and condensate and settlement of solids scraped from the pipelines. Condensate meeting the colour and 200 ppm water specifications will be dispatched to the AGRP through the 14” pipeline, while off-spec material will be returned to BS-171 via the existing 10” condensate pipeline. When they are not in operation, the existing 24” export gas pipeline and the 10” condensate pipeline will be maintained under export gas pressure, ready for operation. The gas manifold area contains the interconnecting piping and valves needed to align the slug catcher with either of the 24” export gas pipelines from the booster station and to direct the gas to the downstream segment of either of these pipelines. The manifold enables the slug catcher to be bypassed if it needs to be maintained or if through-pigging of the gas pipelines is to be performed. All gas, whether bypassing the slug catcher or returning to the gas pipelines from it, passes through black powder filters to reduce the level of particulates in the stream. These items are connected to the closed drain vessel to drain the liquid collected. Condensate from the booster station is transported to AGRP through 14” condensate pipeline. The existing 10” condensate pipeline will be used as a standby and for utility functions such as returning condensate from AGRP to the ISC or booster station or for transporting off-spec fluids from the ISC back to booster station. The manifold contains block valves that allow the two condensate export lines to be segmented at the ISC, thus facilitating bi-directional flow independently in the upstream and downstream segments, which ensures complete pipeline integrity and facility integrity. Pipeline failures will be attended to with the latest technologies by remote techno plug techniques, and repair activities will be carried out as needed. Pipeline integrity will be evaluated with ili pigging to estimate the pipeline conditions.

Keywords: integrity, oil & gas, innovation, new technology

Procedia PDF Downloads 77

Authors: M. Mahdavi, M. Mohseni, R. Rafiei, H. Yari

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Environmental factors can deteriorate the automotive coatings significantly. Such as UV radiations, humidity, hot-cold shock and destructive chemical compounds. Furthermore, some natural materials such as bird droppings and tree gums have the potential to degrade the coatings as well. The present work aims to study the mechanism of degradation for two automotive refinish coating (PU based) systems exposed to two types of biological materials, i.e. Arabic gum and the simulated bird dropping, pancreatin. To reach this goal, effects of these biological materials on surface properties and appearance were studied using different techniques including digital camera, FT-IR spectroscopy, optical microscopy, and gloss measurements. In addition, the thermo-mechanical behavior of coatings was examined by DMTA. It was found that cross-linking had a crucial role on the biological resistance of clear coat. The higher cross-linking enhanced biological resistance.

Keywords: refinish clear coat, pancreatin, Arabic gum, cross-linking, biological degradation

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Authors: Waheed Gul, Muhammad Zeeshan, Ahmad Raza Khan, Muhammad Khurram

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Wireless Sensor Nodes (WSNs) have developed significantly over the years and have significant potential in diverse applications in the fields of science and technology. The inadequate energy accompanying WSNs is a key constraint of WSN skills. To overcome this main restraint, the development and expansion of effective and reliable energy harvesting systems for WSN atmospheres are being discovered. In this research, low-power acoustic energy harvesters are designed and developed by applying different techniques of energy transduction from the sound available in the surroundings. Three acoustic energy harvesters were developed based on the piezoelectric phenomenon, electromagnetic transduction, and hybrid, respectively. The CAD modelling, lumped modelling and Finite Element Analysis of the harvesters were carried out. The voltages were obtained using FEA for each Acoustic Harvester. Characterization of all three harvesters was carried out and the power generated by the piezoelectric harvester, electromagnetic harvester and Hybrid Acoustic Energy harvester are 2.25x10-9W, 0.0533W and 0.0232W, respectively.

Keywords: energy harvesting, WSNs, piezoelectric, electromagnetic, power

Procedia PDF Downloads 73

Authors: Tatjana Kadifkova Panovska, Svetlana Kulevanova, Blagica Jovanova

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Biological systems possess the ability to neutralize the excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and to protect cells from destructive alterations. However, many pathological conditions (cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders, cancer) are associated with inflammatory processes that generate an excessive amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that shift the balance between endogenous antioxidant systems and free oxygen radicals in favor of the latter, leading to oxidative stress. Therefore, an additional source of natural compounds with antioxidant properties that will reduce the amount of ROS in cells is much needed despite their broad utilization; many plant species remain largely unexplored. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to investigate the antioxidant activity of twenty-five selected medicinal and aromatic plant species. The antioxidant activity of the ethanol extracts was evaluated with in vitro assays: 2,2’-diphenyl-1-pycryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), non-site-specific- (NSSOH) and site-specific hydroxyl radical-2-deoxy-D-ribose degradation (SSOH) assays. The Folin-Ciocalteu method and AlCl3 method were performed to determine total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). All examined plant extracts manifested antioxidant activity to a different extent. Cinnamomum verum J.Presl bark and Ocimum basilicum L. Herba demonstrated strong radical scavenging activity and reducing power with the DPPH and FRAP assay, respectively. Additionally, significant hydroxyl scavenging potential and metal chelating properties were observed using the NSSOH and SSOH assays. Furthermore, significant variations were determined in the total polyphenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), with Cinnamomum verum and Ocimum basilicum showing the highest amount of total polyphenols. The considerably strong radical scavenging activity, hydroxyl scavenging potential and reducing power for the species mentioned above suggest of a presence of highly bioactive phytochemical compounds, predominantly polyphenols. Since flavonoids are the most abundant group of polyphenols that possess a large number of available reactive OH groups in their structure, it is considered that they are the main contributors to the radical scavenging properties of the examined plant extracts. This observation is supported by the positive correlation between the radical scavenging activity and the total polyphenolic and flavonoid content obtained in the current research. The observations from the current research nominate Cinnamomum verum bark and Ocimum basilicum herba as potential sources of bioactive compounds that could be utilized as antioxidative additives in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Moreover, the present study will help the researchers as basic data for future research in exploiting the hidden potential of these important plants that have not been explored so far.

Keywords: ethanol extracts, radical scavenging activity, reducing power, total polyphenols.

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Authors: Viktor D. Dubrovin, Masoud Mollaee, Jie Zong, Xiushan Zhu, Nasser Peyghambarian

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Glasses doped with high rare-earth (RE) elements concentration attracted considerable attention since the middle of the 20th century due to their particular magneto-optical properties. Such glasses exhibit the Faraday effect in which the polarization plane of a linearly polarized light beam is rotated by the interaction between the incident light and the magneto-optical material. That effect found application in optical isolators that are useful for laser systems, which can prevent back reflection of light into lasers or optical amplifiers and reduce signal instability and noise. Glasses are of particular interest since they are cost-effective and can be formed into fibers, thus breaking the limits of traditional bulk optics requiring optical coupling for use with fiber-optic systems. The advent of high-power fiber lasers operating near 2µm revealed a necessity in the development of all fiber isolators for this region. Ce³⁺, Pr³⁺, Dy³⁺, and Tb³⁺ ions provide the biggest contribution to the Verdet constant value of optical materials among the RE. It is known that Pr³⁺ and Tb³⁺ ions have strong absorption bands near 2 µm, thus making Dy³⁺ and Ce³⁺ the only prospective candidates for fiber isolator operating in that region. Due to the high tendency of Ce³⁺ ions pass to Ce⁴⁺ during the synthesis, glasses with high cerium content usually suffers from Ce⁴⁺ ions absorption extending from visible to IR. Additionally, Dy³⁺ (₆H¹⁵/²) same as Ho³⁺ (⁵I₈) ions, have the largest effective magnetic moment (µeff = 10.6 µB) among the RE ions that starts to play the key role if the operating region is far from 4fⁿ→ 4fⁿ⁻¹5 d¹ electric-dipole transition relevant to the Faraday Effect. Considering the high effective magnetic moment value of Er³⁺ ions (µeff = 9.6 µB) that is 3rd after Dy³⁺/ Ho³⁺ and Tb³⁺, it is possible to assume that Er³⁺ doped glasses should exhibit Verdet constant value near 2µm that is comparable with one of Dy doped glasses. Thus, partial replacement of Dy³⁺ on Er³⁺ ions has been performed, keeping the overall concentration of Re₂O₃ equal to 70 wt.% (30.6 mol.%). Al₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂-30.6RE₂O₃ (RE= Er, Dy) glasses had been synthesized, and their thermal, spectral, optical, structural, and magneto-optical properties had been studied. Glasses synthesis had been conducted in Pt crucibles for 3h at 1500 °C. The obtained melt was poured into preheated up to 400 °C mold and annealed from 800 oC to room temperature for 12h with 1h dwell. The mass of obtained glass samples was about 200g. Shown that the difference between crystallization and glass transition temperature is about 150 oC, even taking into account the fact that high content of RE₂O₃ leads to glass network depolymerization. Verdet constant of Al₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂-30.6RE₂O₃ glasses for wavelength 1950 nm can reach more than 5.9 rad/(T*m), which is among the highest number reported for a paramagnetic glass at this wavelength. The refractive index value was found to be equal to 1.7545 at 633 nm. Our experimental results show that Al₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂-30.6RE₂O₃ glasses with high Dy₂O₃ content are expected to be promising material for use as highly effective Faraday isolators and modulators of electromagnetic radiation in the 2μm region.

Keywords: oxide glass, magneto-optical, dysprosium, erbium, Faraday rotator, boron-aluminosilicate system

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Authors: Sudhakar Kadiyala, Sripad R. Naik

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Large cavern in Bhutan Himalayas is being monitored since the construction period. The behavior of the cavern is being monitored for last 16 years. Instrumentation includes measurement of convergence of high walls by geodetic monitoring, load on the support systems with load cells and instrumented bolts. Analysis of the results of instrumentation showed that during the construction period of the cavern, the convergence of the cavern varied from 181 - 233 mm in the unit bay area with maximum convergence rate of 2.80mm/day. Whereas during the operational period the total convergence observed was in the range of 21 to 45 mm during a period of 11.30 years with convergence rate of 0.005 to 0.011 mm/day. During the last five years, there were no instances of high tensile stress recorded by the instrumented bolts. Load on the rock bolts have shown stabilization trend at most of the locations. This paper discusses in detail the results of long-term monitoring using the geotechnical instruments and how the data is being used in 3D numerical model to confirm the stability of the cavern.

Keywords: convergence, displacements, geodetic monitoring, long-term stability

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Authors: Muhammad Talal Asghar

Abstract:

The lift-off technique of the photoresist for metal patterning in integrated circuit (IC) packaging has been widely utilized in the field of microelectromechanical systems and semiconductor component manufacturing. The main advantage lies in cost-saving, reduction in complexity, and maturity of the process. The selection of photoresist depends upon many factors such as cost, the thickness of the resist, comfortable and valuable parameters extraction. In the present study, an extremely cheap dry film photoresist E8015 of thickness 38-micrometer is processed for the first time for edge profiling, according to the author's best knowledge. Successful extraction of the helpful parameter range for resist processing is performed. An undercut angle of 66 to 73 degrees is realized by parameter variation like exposure energy and development time. Finally, 10-micrometer thick metallic multilayer aluminum nickel is lifted off on the plain silicon wafer. Possible applications lie in controlled self-propagating reactions within structured metallic multilayer that may be utilized for IC packaging in the future.

Keywords: lift-off, IC packaging, photoresist, multilayer

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