Search results for: life cycle GHG

Authors: Behzad Panahirad, UğUr Atikol

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The current study is based on a combined heat and power system with multi-objectives, driven by biomass. The system consists of a combustion chamber (CC), a single effect absorption cooling system (SEACS), an air conditioning unit (AC), a reheat steam Rankine cycle (RRC), an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and an electrolyzer. The purpose of this system is to produce hydrogen, electricity, heat, cooling, and air conditioning. All the simulations had been performed by Engineering Equation Solver (EES) software. Pine sawdust is the selected biofuel for the combustion process. The overall utilization factor (εₑₙ) and exergetic efficiency (ψₑₓ) were calculated to be 2.096 and 24.03% respectively. The performed renewable and environmental impact analysis indicated a sustainability index of 1.316 (SI) and a specific CO2 emission of 353.8 kg/MWh. The parametric study is conducted based on the variation of ambient (sink) temperature, biofuel mass flow rate, and boilers outlet temperatures. The parametric simulation showed that the increase in biofuel mass flow rate has a positive effect on the sustainability of the system.

Keywords: biomass, exergy assessment, multi-objective plant, CO₂ emission, irreversibility

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Authors: Farshad Zeinali, Sajedeh Norouzi, Nader Mokari, Eduard Jorswieck

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The capacity of fifth-generation (5G) vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks poses significant challenges. To ad- dress this challenge, this paper utilizes New Radio (NR) and New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) networks to develop a heterogeneous vehicular network (HetNet). We propose a new framework, named joint BS assignment and resource allocation (JBSRA) for mobile V2X users and also consider coexistence schemes based on flexible duty cycle (DC) mechanism for unlicensed bands. Our objective is to maximize the average throughput of vehicles while guaranteeing the WiFi users' throughput. In simulations based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithms such as deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) and deep Q network (DQN), our proposed framework outperforms existing solutions that rely on fixed DC or schemes without consideration of unlicensed bands.

Keywords: vehicle-to-everything (V2X), resource allocation, BS assignment, new radio (NR), new radio unlicensed (NR-U), coexistence NR-U and WiFi, deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG), deep Q-network (DQN), joint BS assignment and resource allocation (JBSRA), duty cycle mechanism

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Authors: Neslihan Şahin Çelik, Ali Eraslan

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In recent years, mathematics educators have frequently stressed the necessity of instructing students about models and modeling approaches that encompass cognitive and metacognitive thought processes, starting from the first years of school and continuing on through the years of higher education. The purpose of this study is to examine the thought processes of 4th-grade primary school students in their modeling activities and to explore the difficulties encountered in these processes, if any. The study, of qualitative design, was conducted in the 2015-2016 academic year at a public state-school located in a central city in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. A preliminary study was first implemented with designated 4th grade students, after which the criterion sampling method was used to select three students that would be recruited into the focus group. The focus group that was thus formed was asked to work on the model eliciting activity of the Paper Airplane Problem and the entire process was recorded on video. The Paper Airplane Problem required the students to determine the winner with respect to: (a) the plane that stays in the air for the longest time; (b) the plane that travels the greatest distance in a straight-line path; and (c) the overall winner for the contest. A written transcript was made of the video recording, after which the recording and the students' worksheets were analyzed using the Blum and Ferri modeling cycle. The results of the study revealed that the students tested the hypotheses related to daily life that they had set up, generated ideas of their own, verified their models by making connections with real life, and tried to make their models generalizable. On the other hand, the students had some difficulties in terms of their interpretation of the table of data and their ways of operating on the data during the modeling processes.

Keywords: primary school students, model eliciting activity, mathematical modeling, modeling process, paper airplane problem

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Authors: Ernesto Linan, Linda Cruz, Lucero Becerra

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In this paper, a new hybridized algorithm based on Chemical Reaction Optimization and Simulated Annealing is proposed to solve the alignment sequence Problem. The Chemical Reaction Optimization is a population-based meta-heuristic algorithm based on the principles of a chemical reaction. Simulated Annealing is applied to solve a large number of combinatorial optimization problems of general-purpose. In this paper, we propose hybridization between Chemical Reaction Optimization algorithm and Simulated Annealing in order to solve the Sequence Alignment Problem. An initial population of molecules is defined at beginning of the proposed algorithm, where each molecule represents a sequence alignment problem. In order to simulate inter-molecule collisions, the process of Chemical Reaction is placed inside the Metropolis Cycle at certain values of temperature. Inside this cycle, change of molecules is done due to collisions; some molecules are accepted by applying Boltzmann probability. The results with the hybrid scheme are better than the results obtained separately.

Keywords: chemical reaction optimization, sequence alignment problem, simulated annealing algorithm, metaheuristics

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Authors: Didem Kepir Savoly, Selen Demirtas Zorbaz

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This research focuses on the unique developmental stage of university students, known as emerging adulthood, which can be filled with stressors relating to academics, career aspirations, and relationships. The impact of these factors on the wellbeing and mental health of students is not well understood and requires further investigation. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of career optimism and relationship status on the wellbeing/life satisfaction of university students. The specific hypotheses being tested are: 1) University students with higher career optimism will exhibit a higher level of life satisfaction, and 2) University students in relationships will report a higher level of life satisfaction. This research adopts a quantitative approach, utilizing scales and questionnaires to collect data from university students in Turkey. The data was collected from university students in Turkey through the administration of the Career Optimism Scale, The Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Perceived Romantic Relationship Quality Scale. The data is then analyzed using scale implementation, correlational analysis, and group comparison. One-way ANOVA, regression, and t-test analysis techniques are employed. The research findings provide insights into the relationship between career optimism and university students’ life satisfaction, as well as the influence of relationship status on their life satisfaction. The results suggest that life satisfaction was predicted by career optimism but not by relationship status. Moreover, significant relationships between life satisfaction and relationship quality were found among the university students who were in a relationship. These results can be utilized by practitioners, particularly those in counseling centers and career services at universities, to develop tailored psychoeducational and intervention programs aimed at promoting the mental health of university students.

Keywords: career optimism, relationship status, university students, wellbeing

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Authors: Mindaye Teshome, Evaldo Muñoz Braz, Carlos M. M. Eleto Torres, Patricia Mattos

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Sustainable forest management planning requires up-to-date information on the structure, standing volume, biomass, and growth rate of trees from a given forest. This kind of information is lacking in many forests in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to quantify the population structure, diameter growth rate, and standing volume of wood from Juniperus procera trees in the Chilimo forest. A total of 163 sample plots were set up in the forest to collect the relevant vegetation data. Growth ring measurements were conducted on stem disc samples collected from 12 J. procera trees. Diameter and height measurements were recorded from a total of 1399 individual trees with dbh ≥ 2 cm. The growth rate, maximum current and mean annual increments, minimum logging diameter, and cutting cycle were estimated, and alternative cutting cycles were established. Using these data, the harvestable volume of wood was projected by alternating four minimum logging diameters and five cutting cycles following the stand table projection method. The results show that J. procera trees have an average density of 183 stems ha⁻¹, a total basal area of 12.1 m² ha⁻¹, and a standing volume of 98.9 m³ ha⁻¹. The mean annual diameter growth ranges between 0.50 and 0.65 cm year⁻¹ with an overall mean of 0.59 cm year⁻¹. The population of J. procera tree followed a reverse J-shape diameter distribution pattern. The maximum current annual increment in volume (CAI) occurred at around 49 years when trees reached 30 cm in diameter. Trees showed the maximum mean annual increment in volume (MAI) around 91 years, with a diameter size of 50 cm. The simulation analysis revealed that 40 cm MLD and a 15-year cutting cycle are the best minimum logging diameter and cutting cycle. This combination showed the largest harvestable volume of wood potential, volume increments, and a 35% recovery of the initially harvested volume. It is concluded that the forest is well stocked and has a large amount of harvestable volume of wood from J. procera trees. This will enable the country to partly meet the national wood demand through domestic wood production. The use of the current population structure and diameter growth data from tree ring analysis enables the exact prediction of the harvestable volume of wood. The developed model supplied an idea about the productivity of the J. procera tree population and enables policymakers to develop specific management criteria for wood harvesting.

Keywords: logging, growth model, cutting cycle, minimum logging diameter

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Authors: Jeanne Grace, Jacqueline Naiker

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Background: Longevity is increasing, accompanied by a rise in disability and chronic diseases with physical activity (PA) delaying disability, ensuring successful aging (SA) and independent living in older adults. Aim: This study aimed to determine objectively measured PA levels, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), life-space mobility, and successful aging (SA) of older adults in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, as well as their mutual associations. Methods: A total of 210 older adults aged 65–92 years were purposively sampled and completed the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, the Life-Space Mobility, and Successful Aging questionnaires. PA levels were measured using an Omron Pedometer, which the participants wore for seven consecutive days. Results: The average number of steps taken per day for the seven days was 2025, with 98.6% of the entire study population classified as sedentary. The Vitality domain (one of 8 categorized) reflected the best health status (M = 59.9, SD ± 18.8), with a significant 93% of the participants indicating that they had not visited places outside their immediate neighborhood (P < 0.0005). A significant, negative association between the average number of steps taken in 7 days and all three SA variables – namely, the physical (r = –0.152, P = 0.027), sociological (r = –0.148, P = 0.032) and psychological (r = –0.176, P = 0.010), and a significant, positive association with life-space mobility (r = 0.224, P = 0.001) was noted. Conclusion: The majority of the elderly were sedentary, affecting their HRQoL, life-space mobility, and SA negatively.

Keywords: active life expectancy, geriatrics, nursing homes, well-being

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Authors: Saima Ali, Pathamanathan Rajeev, Imteaz A. Monzur

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In this paper, a brief review of the corrosion mechanism in buried pipe and modes of failure is provided together with the available corrosion models. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis is performed to understand the influence of corrosion model parameters on the remaining life estimation. Further, the probabilistic analysis is performed to propagate the uncertainty in the corrosion model on the estimation of the renaming life of the pipe. Finally, the comparison among the corrosion models on the basis of the remaining life estimation will be provided to improve the renewal plan.

Keywords: corrosion, pit depth, sensitivity analysis, exposure period

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Authors: Andrea Bellucci, Martina Tofi

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The aim of paper is to analyze business models of bancassurance in Italy for life business. The life insurance business is very developed in the Italian market and banks branches have 80% of the market share. Given its maturity, the life insurance market needs to consolidate its organizational form to allow for the development of non-life business, which nowadays collects few premiums but represents a great opportunity to enlarge the market share of bancassurance using its strength in the distribution channel while the market share of independent agents is decreasing. Starting with the main business model of bancassurance for life business, this paper will analyze the performances of life companies in the Italian market by balance sheet indicators and by main discriminant variables of business models. The study will observe trends from 2013 to 2015 for the Italian market by exploiting a database managed by Associazione Nazionale delle Imprese di Assicurazione (ANIA). The applied approach is based on a bottom-up analysis starting with variables and indicators to define business models’ classification. The statistical classification algorithm proposed by Ward is employed to design business models’ profiles. Results from the analysis will be a representation of the main business models built by their profile related to indicators. In that way, an unsupervised analysis is developed that has the limit of its judgmental dimension based on research opinion, but it is possible to obtain a design of effective business models.

Keywords: bancassurance, business model, non life bancassurance, insurance business value drivers

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Authors: Felix Baumann, Aleksandar Milutinovic, Dieter Roller

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Up to this point business process management projects in general and business process modelling projects in particular could not rely on a practical and scientifically validated method to estimate cost and effort. Especially the model development phase is not covered by a cost estimation method or model. Further phases of business process modelling starting with implementation are covered by initial solutions which are discussed in the literature. This article proposes a method of filling this gap by deriving a cost estimation method from available methods in similar domains namely software development or software engineering. Software development is regarded as closely similar to process modelling as we show. After the proposition of this method different ideas for further analysis and validation of the method are proposed. We derive this method from COCOMO II and Function Point which are established methods of effort estimation in the domain of software development. For this we lay out similarities of the software development rocess and the process of process modelling which is a phase of the Business Process Management life-cycle.

Keywords: COCOMO II, busines process modeling, cost estimation method, BPM COCOMO

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Authors: Remi Safi, Aline Hamade, Najat Bteich, Jamal El Saghir, Mona Diab Assaf, Marwan El-Sabban, Fadia Najjar

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Estrogen is considered a risk factor for breast cancer since it promotes breast-cell proliferation. The jaesckeanadiol-3-p-hydroxyphenylpropanoate, a hemi-synthetic analogue of the natural phytoestrogen ferutinin (jaesckeanadiol-p-hydroxybenzoate), is designed to be devoid of estrogenic activity. This analogue induces a cytotoxic effect 30 times higher than that of ferutinin towards MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. We compared these two compounds with respect to their effect on proliferation, cell cycle distribution and cancer stem-like cells in the MCF-7 cell line. Treatment with ferutinin (30 μM) and its analogue (1 μM) produced a significant accumulation of cells at the pre G0/G1 cell cycle phase and triggered apoptosis. Importantly, this compound retains its anti-proliferative activity against breast cancer stem/progenitor cells that are naturally insensitive to ferutinin at the same dose. These results position ferutinin analogue as an effective compound inhibiting the proliferation of estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells and consistently targeting their stem-like cells.

Keywords: ferutinin, hemi-synthetic analogue, breast cancer, estrogen, stem/progenitor cells

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Authors: Adam Janásek, Marek Pagáč

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The article is looking for an experimental determination of tool life tests for ceramic cutting inserts. Mentioned experimental determination should provide an added information about cutting process. The mechanism of tool wear, cutting temperature in machining, quality machined surface and machining process itself is the information, which are important for whole manufacturing process. Mainly, the roughness plays very important role in determining how a real object will interact with its environment. The main aim was to determine the number of machined inserts, tool life and micro-geometry, as well. On the basis of previous tests the tool-wear was measured at constant cutting parameter which is more typical for high volume manufacturing processes.

Keywords: ceramic, insert, machining, surface roughness, tool-life, tool-wear

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Authors: Oindrila Nath, S. Sridharan

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Long-term (2002-2012) temperature and ozone measurements by Sounding of Atmosphere by Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument onboard Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite zonally averaged over 10°N-15°N are used to study their long-term changes and their responses to solar cycle, quasi-biennial oscillation and El Nino Southern Oscillation. The region is selected to provide more accurate long-term trends and variabilities, which were not possible earlier with lidar measurements over Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E), which are limited to cloud-free nights, whereas continuous data sets of SABER temperature and ozone are available. Regression analysis of temperature shows a cooling trend of 0.5K/decade in the stratosphere and that of 3K/decade in the mesosphere. Ozone shows a statistically significant decreasing trend of 1.3 ppmv per decade in the mesosphere although there is a small positive trend in stratosphere at 25 km. Other than this no significant ozone trend is observed in stratosphere. Negative ozone-QBO response (0.02ppmv/QBO), positive ozone-solar cycle (0.91ppmv/100SFU) and negative response to ENSO (0.51ppmv/SOI) have been found more in mesosphere whereas positive ozone response to ENSO (0.23ppmv/SOI) is pronounced in stratosphere (20-30 km). The temperature response to solar cycle is more positive (3.74K/100SFU) in the upper mesosphere and its response to ENSO is negative around 80 km and positive around 90-100 km and its response to QBO is insignificant at most of the heights. Composite monthly mean of ozone volume mixing ratio shows maximum values during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season in middle stratosphere (25-30 km) and in upper mesosphere (85-95 km) around 10 ppmv. Composite monthly mean of temperature shows semi-annual variation with large values (~250-260 K) in equinox months and less values in solstice months in upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere (40-55 km) whereas the SAO becomes weaker above 55 km. The semi-annual variation again appears at 80-90 km, with large values in spring equinox and winter months. In the upper mesosphere (90-100 km), less temperature (~170-190 K) prevails in all the months except during September, when the temperature is slightly more. The height profiles of amplitudes of semi-annual and annual oscillations in ozone show maximum values of 6 ppmv and 2.5 ppmv respectively in upper mesosphere (80-100 km), whereas SAO and AO in temperature show maximum values of 5.8 K and 4.6 K in lower and middle mesosphere around 60-85 km. The phase profiles of both SAO and AO show downward progressions. These results are being compared with long-term lidar temperature measurements over Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) and the results obtained will be presented during the meeting.

Keywords: trends, QBO, solar cycle, ENSO, ozone, temperature

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Authors: Taha Anjamrooz, Sareh Rajabi, Salwa Bheiry

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Procurement is a key process in construction project management. The present construction procurement practices have been extensively analyzed for disregarding sustainability in the project life cycle. Currently, there is a gap of information on status-quo of sustainable procurement in construction field. Thus, the aim of this study is to review sustainable procurement practices in the construction field. Disregard of three sustainability pillars is one of the major drawbacks of present construction procurement practices. Sustainable procurement is a developing idea that can enhance procurement practices and improve the sustainability performance of the construction projects. At present, sustainable procurement is still not entirely used in the construction projects. A comprehensive literature review indicated that the construction industry is still not entirely informed about the benefits and challenges of using sustainable procurement, and about important indicators that play major impacts on those benefits and challenges. This study assesses the major indicator, benefits and challenges encountered in applying sustainable procurement in the construction industry. In addition, this study investigates understanding of construction professionals on the benefits and challenges of utilizing sustainable procurement for construction projects through selected indicators that are categorized according to society and community needs.

Keywords: sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable procurement, procurement, construction industry

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Authors: M. Schapira, S. Françoise, F. Maheux, O. Pierre-Duplessix, E. Rabiller, B. Simon, R. Le Gendre

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Pico- and nano-phytoplankton are abundant and ecologically critical components of the autotrophic communities in the pelagic realm. While the role of physical forcing related to tidal cycle, water mass intrusion, nutrient availability, mixing and stratification on microphytoplankton blooms have been widely investigated, these are often overlooked for pico- and nano-phytoplankton especially in estuarine waters. This study investigates changes in abundances and community composition of pico- and nano-phytoplankton under different estuarine tidal conditions in the mouth of the Seine River in relation to nutrient availability, water column stratification and spatially localized currents. Samples were collected each day at high tide, over spring tide to neap tide cycle, from 21 stations homogeneously distributed in the Seine river month in May 2011. Vertical profiles of temperature, salinity and fluorescence were realized at each sampling station. Sub-surface water samples (i.e. 1 m depth) were collected for nutrients (i.e. N, P and Si), phytoplankton biomass (i.e. Chl a) and pico- and nano-phytoplankton enumeration and identification. Pico- and nano-phytoplankton populations were identified and quantified using flow cytometry. Total abundances tend to decrease from spring tide to neap tide. Samples were characterized by high abundances of Synechococcus and Cryptophyceae. The composition of the pico- and nano-phytoplankton varied greatly under the different estuarine tidal conditions. Moreover, at the scale of the river mouth, the pico- and nano-phytoplankton population exhibited patchy distribution patterns that were closely controlled by water mass intrusion from the Sea, freshwater inputs from the Seine River and the geomorphology of the river mouth. This study highlights the importance of physical forcing to the community composition of pico- and nano-phytoplankton that may be critical for the structure of the pelagic food webs in estuarine and adjacent coastal seas.

Keywords: nanophytoplancton, picophytoplankton, physical forcing, river mouth, tidal cycle

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Authors: Golnar Behzadi, Michael O'Sullivan, Tava Olsen, Abraham Zhang

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By definition, increasing supply chain resilience improves the supply chain’s ability to return to normal, or to an even more desirable situation, quickly and efficiently after being hit by a disruption. This is especially critical in agribusiness supply chains where the products are perishable and have a short life-cycle. In this paper, we propose a resilience metric to capture and improve the recovery process in terms of both performance and time, of an agribusiness supply chain following either supply or demand-side disruption. We build a model that determines optimal supply chain recovery planning decisions and selects the best resilient strategies that minimize the loss of profit during the recovery time window. The model is formulated as a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer linear programming problem and solved with a branch-and-cut algorithm. The results show that the optimal recovery schedule is highly dependent on the duration of the time-window allowed for recovery. In addition, the profit loss during recovery is reduced by utilizing the proposed resilient actions.

Keywords: agribusiness supply chain, recovery, resilience metric, risk management

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Authors: Mohammad A. Alolayan, John S. Evans, James K. Hammitt

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The value of statistical life has been estimated for a middle eastern country with high economical subsidization system. In this study, in-person interviews were conducted on a stratified random sample to estimate the value of mortality risk. Double-bounded dichotomous choice questions followed by open-ended question were used in the interview to investigate the willingness to pay of the respondent for mortality risk reduction. High willingness to pay was found to be associated with high income and education. Also, females were found to have lower willingness to pay than males. The estimated value of statistical life is larger than the ones estimated for western countries where taxation system exists. This estimate provides a baseline for monetizing the health benefits for proposed policy or program to the decision makers in an eastern country. Also, the value of statistical life for a country in the region can be extrapolated from this this estimate by using the benefit transfer method.

Keywords: mortality, risk, VSL, willingness-to-pay

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Authors: Igor V. Kuzminov

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The proposed article is a development of the topics of gravity, the inverse temperature dependence of gravity, the action of the inverse temperature dependence of gravity, and the second law of thermodynamics, dark matter, the identity of gravity, inertial forces, and centrifugal forces. All interaction schemes are built on the basis of Newton's laws of classical mechanics and Rutherford's planetary model of the structure of the atom. The basis of all constructions is the gyroscopic effect of rotation of all particles of the atomic structure. In this case, interatomic and intermolecular bonds are accepted as the static part of the gyroscope, and the rotation of an electron in an atom is accepted as the dynamic part. The structure of the planet Earth is accepted as a model of the structure of the Black Hole. Namely, gravitational and thermodynamic phenomena in the structure of the planet Earth are accepted as a model. Based on this model, assumptions are made about the processes inside the Black Hole. Moreover, a version is put forward, a scheme of a closed cycle of transformation of matter in the Universe.

Keywords: black hole, gravity, inverse temperature dependence of gravitational forces, second law of thermodynamics, gyroscopic effect, dark matter

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Authors: Zainab Abdulkarim

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Literature is the study of life, a source of knowledge. It involves the truth about many things in life. Most of these creative artistes most especially the poets are representatives of the voices of the people. These set of artistes have been the critics to all involved in the development of their nation. This paper will examine how Nigerian Poets goes further not just by writing but by showing the different ways the country has been convoluted. This paper intends to show the power and ability literature has in representation. The power is to represent the important values of life. There is no doubt that literature asserts truth. Through the various poems examined in this paper, Nigerian Poets have proved to portray the realities of the nation.

Keywords: literature, poets, reality, representation

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Authors: Elena Ivany, Leanne Aitken

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Little is known about the delivery of end-of-life care in cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) settings. The aims of this study were to highlight the nurse-identified barriers and facilitators to delivering end-of-life care in the CICU, and to identify whether any of the barriers and/or facilitators are specific to the CICU setting. This was an exploratory qualitative study utilizing semi-structured individual interviews as the data collection method and inductive thematic analysis to structure the data. Six CICU nurses took part in the study. Five key themes were identified, each theme including both barriers and facilitators. The five key themes are as follows: patient-centered care, emotional challenges, reaching concordance, nursing contribution and the surgical intensive care unit.

Keywords: end-of-life, cardiovascular disease, cardiac surgery, critical care

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Authors: P. P. Woyciechowski

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Calculation of the carbon footprint of cement concrete is a complex process including consideration of the phase of primary life (components and concrete production processes, transportation, construction works, maintenance of concrete structures) and secondary life, including demolition and recycling. Taking into consideration the effect of concrete carbonation can lead to a reduction in the calculated carbon footprint of concrete. In this paper, an example of CO₂ balance for small bridge elements made of Portland cement reinforced concrete was done. The results include the effect of carbonation of concrete in a structure and of concrete rubble after demolition. It was shown that important impact of carbonation on the balance is possible only when rubble carbonation is possible. It was related to the fact that only the sequestration potential in the secondary phase of concrete life has significant value.

Keywords: carbon footprint, balance of carbon dioxide in nature, concrete carbonation, the sequestration potential of concrete

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Authors: Mostafa Jafari

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Religious tourism is the core strategy of shaping Iranian's life-style. Why and How? This paper answers to this question. Theoretical base: From strategic marketing point of view, Life style is pattern of believes values, interests and acts. Strategy can be defined as a set of continuous important decisions. Here, strategy is making decisions about the target place and vehicle of touristic travel due to reform and redefine the self-identity and shaping life style. Methodology: Target society of this research is the selected residents of three provinces at northwest of Iran. The data collection instrument is interview and questionnaire and the collected data analysis by SEM (structural Equation Modeling) and LISREL software. Results: The primary results show that variety of touristic travels play an important role on shaping new life style of Iranian people. The target places of touristic travel (Europe, USA. Japan and etc.) are at the second priority. The number of foreign friends is at the third position. The fourth criteria are the number of travels. Among all kind of touristic travels the religious tourism from competitive point of view plays the main role. Findings: The geometry of Iranian life style are shaping and reshaping through some domestic and international tourism strategies particular religious strategy. During the dynamic trend of identity redefine, so many Iranians put the quantity and quality of their touristic travel on the first priority.

Keywords: religious tourism, core strategy, shaping life style

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Authors: Joao Barbosa

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After an intense dispute between the big bang cosmology and its big rival, the steady-state cosmology, some important experimental observations, such as the determination of helium abundance in the universe and the discovery of the cosmic background radiation in the 1960s were decisive for the progressive and wide acceptance of big bang cosmology and the inevitable abandonment of steady-state cosmology. But, despite solid theoretical support and those solid experimental observations favorable to big bang cosmology, Fred Hoyle, one of the proponents of the steady-state and the main opponent of the idea of the big bang (which, paradoxically, himself he baptized), never gave up and continued to fight for the idea of a stationary (or quasi-stationary) universe until the end of his life, even after decades of widespread consensus around the big bang cosmology. We can try to understand this persistent attitude of Hoyle by applying Holton’s thematic analysis to cosmology. Holton recognizes in the scientific activity a dimension that, even unconscious or not assumed, is nevertheless very important in the work of scientists, in implicit articulation with the experimental and the theoretical dimensions of science. This is the thematic dimension, constituted by themata – concepts, methodologies, and hypotheses with a metaphysical, aesthetic, logical, or epistemological nature, associated both with the cultural context and the individual psychology of scientists. In practice, themata can be expressed through personal preferences and choices that guide the individual and collective work of scientists. Thematic analysis shows that big bang cosmology is mainly based on a set of themata consisting of evolution, finitude, life cycle, and change; the cosmology of the steady-state is based on opposite themata: steady-state, infinity, continuous existence, and constancy. The passionate controversy that these cosmological views carried out is part of an old cosmological opposition: the thematic opposition between an evolutionary view of the world (associated with Heraclitus) and a stationary view (associated with Parmenides). Personal preferences seem to have been important in this (thematic) controversy, and the thematic analysis that was developed shows that Hoyle is a very illustrative example of a life-long personal commitment to some themata, in this case to the opposite themata of the big bang cosmology. His struggle against the big bang idea was strongly based on philosophical and even religious reasons – which, in a certain sense and in a Holtonian perspective, is related to thematic preferences. In this personal and persistent struggle, Hoyle always refused the way how some experimental observations were considered decisive in favor of the big bang idea, arguing that the success of this idea is based on sociological and cultural prejudices. This Hoyle’s attitude is a personal thematic attitude, in which the acceptance or rejection of what is presented as proof or scientific fact is conditioned by themata: what is a proof or a scientific fact for one scientist is something yet to be established for another scientist who defends different or even opposites themata.

Keywords: cosmology, experimental observations, fred hoyle, interpretation, life-long personal commitment, Themata

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Authors: B. D. Polat, Ö. Keleş

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Physical vapor deposition under conditions of an obliquely incident flux results in a film formation with an inclined columnar structure. These columns will be oriented toward the vapor source because of the self-shadowing effect, and they are homogenously distributed on the substrate surface because of the limited surface diffusion ability of ad-atoms when there is no additional substrate heating. In this work, the oblique angle electron beam evaporation technique is used to fabricate thin films containing inclined nanorods. The results demonstrate that depending on the thin film composition, the morphology of the nanorods changed as well. The galvanostatic analysis of these thin film anodes reveals that a composite CuSn nanorods having approximately 900mAhg-1 of initial discharge capacity, performs higher electrochemical performance compared to pure Sn nanorods containing anode material. The long cycle life and the advanced electrochemical properties of the nano-structured composite electrode might be attributed to its improved mechanical tolerance and enhanced electrical conductivity depending on the Cu presence in the nanorods.

Keywords: Cu-Sn thin film, oblique angle deposition, lithium ion batteries, anode

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Authors: Idette Sheirina Biyo, Rhodora Lynn C. Lintag

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This paper explores how the work-life balance of selected working single mothers situated in a coastal community is affecting their well-being. Working single mothers carry the responsibility of earning for their family while simultaneously exercising their motherhood. This study utilized a purposeful qualitative research through semi-structured interviews among ten working single mothers living in the coastal community of La Huerta, Parañaque in order to identify the following: a) experiences of the working single mothers, b) problems usually encountered, and c) how these problems are affecting their well-being. Dorothy Smith’s Feminist Standpoint theory is used as a theoretical lens in order to explain their work-life balance. Results have shown that despite their dual roles as the main income earners and heads of the households, they are not neglecting to care for their well-being. They consider getting sufficient rest, eating well, and going to church as forms of caring for their well-being. Other factors that affect their work-life balance include living arrangements, work hours, type of work, and income.

Keywords: coastal community, well-being, work-life balance, Working single mother

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Authors: Yuliya Huseva

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To investigate the contents of tears to determine latent blood. Methods: Tear samples from 72 women were studied with the microscopy of tears aspirated with a capillary and stained by Nocht and with a chemical method of test strips with chromogen. Statistical data processing was carried out using statistical packages Statistica 10.0 for Windows, calculation of Pearson's chi-square test, Yule association coefficient, the method of determining sensitivity and specificity. Results:, In 30.6% (22) of tear samples erythrocytes were revealed microscopically. Correlations between the presence of erythrocytes in the tear and the phase of the menstrual cycle has been discovered. In the follicular phase of the cycle, erythrocytes were found in 59.1% (13) people, which is significantly more (x2=4.2, p=0.041) compared to the luteal phase - in 40.9% (9) women. In the first seven days of the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle the erythrocytes were predominanted of in the tears of women examined testifies in favour of the vicarious bleeding from the mucous membranes of extragenital organs in sync with menstruation. Of the other cellular elements in tear samples with latent haemolacria, neutrophils prevailed - in 45.5% (10), while lymphocytes were less common - in 27.3% (6), because neutrophil exudation is accompanied by vasodilatation of the conjunctiva and the release of erythrocytes into the conjunctival cavity. It was found that the prognostic significance of the chemical method was 0.53 of the microscopic method. In contrast to microscopy, which detected blood in tear samples from 30.6% (22) of women, blood was detected chemically in tears of 16.7% (12). An association between latent haemolacria and endometriosis was found (k=0.75, p≤0.05). Microscopically, in the tears of patients with endometriosis, erythrocytes were detected in 70% of cases, while in healthy women without endometriosis - in 25% of cases. The proportion of women with erythrocytes in tears, determined by a chemical method, was 41.7% among patients with endometriosis, which is significantly more (x2=6.5, p=0.011) than 11.7% among women without endometriosis. The data obtained can be explained by the etiopathogenesis of the extragenital endometriosis which is caused by hematogenous spread of endometrial tissue into the orbit. In endometriosis, erythrocytes are found against the background of accumulations of epithelial cells. In the tear samples of 4 women with endometriosis, glandular cuboidal epithelial cells, morphologically similar to endometrial cells, were found, which may indicate a generalization of the disease. Conclusions: Single erythrocytes can normally be found in the tears, their number depends on the phase of the menstrual cycle, increasing in the follicular phase. Erythrocytes found in tears against the background of accumulations of epitheliocytes and their glandular atypia may indicate a manifestation of extragenital endometriosis. Both used methods (microscopic and chemical) are informative in revealing latent haemolacria. The microscopic method is more sensitive, reveals intact erythrocytes, and besides, it provides information about other cells. At the same time, the chemical method is faster and technically simpler, it determines the presence of haemoglobin and its metabolic products, and can be used as a screening.

Keywords: tear, blood, microscopy, epitheliocytes

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Authors: Mustofa Mahmud Al Mamun

Abstract:

Government spending, one of the major components of gross domestic product (GDP), is composed of government consumption, investment, and transfer payments. A change in government spending during recessionary periods can generate an increase in GDP greater than the increase in spending. This is called the "multiplier effect". Accurate estimation of government spending multiplier is important because fiscal policy has been used to stimulate a flagging economy. Many recent studies have focused on identifying parts of the economy that responds more to a stimulus under a variety of circumstances. This paper used the US dataset from 1966 to 2020 and local projection method assuming standard identification strategy to estimate the multipliers. The model includes important macroaggregates and controls for forecasted government spending, interest rate, consumer price index (CPI), export, import, and level of public debt. Investment multipliers are found to be positive and larger than the consumption multipliers. Consumption multipliers are either negative or not significantly different than zero. Results do not vary across the business cycle. However, the consumption multiplier estimated from pre-1980 data is positive.

Keywords: business cycle, consumption multipliers, forecasted government spending, investment multipliers, local projection method, zero lower bound

Procedia PDF Downloads 231

Authors: Wen-Tsung Ho, Ku-Kuang Chang, Hsin-Yuan Chang

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In this study, we consider an economic lot-size batch-shipment scheduling problem (ELBSP) with extended basic period (EBP) and power-of-two (PoT) policies. In this problem, the supplier using a single facility to manufacture multiple products and equally sized batches are then delivered by the supplier to buyers over an infinite planning horizon. Further, the extended basic period (EBP) and power-of-two (PoT) policy are utilized. Relaxing the production schedule converts the ELBSP to an economic lot-size batch-shipment problem (ELBP) with EBP and PoT policies, and a nonlinear integer programming model of the ELBP is constructed. Using the replenishment cycle division and recursive tightening methods, optimal solutions are then solved separately for each product. The sum of these optimal solutions is the lower bound of the ELBSP. A proposed heuristic method with polynomial complexity is then applied to figure out the near-optimal solutions of the ELBSP. Numerical example is presented to confirm the efficacy of the proposed method.

Keywords: economic lot-size scheduling problem, extended basic period, replenishment cycle division, recursive tightening, power-of-two

Procedia PDF Downloads 338

Authors: Svetlana Pushkar

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Eco-indicator 99 (EI99) considers fundamental life cycle assessment (LCA) uncertainties via egalitarian/egalitarian (e/e), hierarchist/hierarchist (h/h), individualist/individualist (i/i), individualist/average (i/a), egalitarian/average (e/a), and hierarchist/average (h/a) methodological options. The objective of this study is to provide a reliable two-stage nested mixed balanced Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test as a supplemental test to EI99 to address the problematic combination of similarly and not similarly produced materials usually found in building technologies. The robustness of the test was determined from both the “EI99 (all options)” stage (including e/e, i/i, h/h, e/a, i/a, and h/a - all methodological options) and the “EI99 (perspectives)” stage (including e/e, i/i, and h/h methodological options of EI99 - the methodological options with their particular weighting set or e/a, i/a, and h/a methodological options of EI99 - the methodological options with the average weighting set) of evaluating building technologies.

Keywords: building technologies, LCA uncertainty, Eco-indicator 99, two-stage nested mixed ANOVA test

Procedia PDF Downloads 308

Authors: Brendan Mooney

Abstract:

We often do not consider the quality of the way we express ourselves as being fundamental to well-being. Society focuses predominantly on what we do, not the way we do it, to our great detriment. For example, those who have experienced domestic violence often comment that it was not what was said that hurt the most but the way it was said. In other words, the quality in the way the words were used communicated far more than the actual words themselves. This is an important area of focus for practitioners who may be inclined to emphasize who said what but not bring equal, if not more, focus to the quality of one’s expression. The aim of this study is to highlight how and why the way we express ourselves is more important than what we express, which includes words and all behaviors. Given we are a sensitive species it matters to pay attention to the communication that is not said. For example, we have the ability to recognize that a person is upset or angry by the way they walk into a room, even if they do not say anything or look at anyone. Our sensitivity allows us to detect even the slightest change in another’s emotional state, irrespective of what their exterior behaviors may be exhibiting. This study will focus on the importance of recognizing the quality in the way we express as being fundamental to wellbeing, as it allows us to easily and simply navigate life and relationships without needing to experience the usual pitfalls that otherwise prevail. This research utilizes clinical experience, client observations and client feedback, and several case studies were utilized to illustrate real-life examples of the above. This study is not so much a model of life but a way of life that confirms our deepest nature, that we are incredibly sensitive and far more so than we appreciate or utilize in everyday practical human life.

Keywords: communication, integrity, quality, sensitivity, wellbeing

Procedia PDF Downloads 35