Search results for: correlation between vehicles
4202 Analysis and Identification of Different Factors Affecting Students’ Performance Using a Correlation-Based Network Approach
Authors: Jeff Chak-Fu Wong, Tony Chun Yin Yip
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The transition from secondary school to university seems exciting for many first-year students but can be more challenging than expected. Enabling instructors to know students’ learning habits and styles enhances their understanding of the students’ learning backgrounds, allows teachers to provide better support for their students, and has therefore high potential to improve teaching quality and learning, especially in any mathematics-related courses. The aim of this research is to collect students’ data using online surveys, to analyze students’ factors using learning analytics and educational data mining and to discover the characteristics of the students at risk of falling behind in their studies based on students’ previous academic backgrounds and collected data. In this paper, we use correlation-based distance methods and mutual information for measuring student factor relationships. We then develop a factor network using the Minimum Spanning Tree method and consider further study for analyzing the topological properties of these networks using social network analysis tools. Under the framework of mutual information, two graph-based feature filtering methods, i.e., unsupervised and supervised infinite feature selection algorithms, are used to analyze the results for students’ data to rank and select the appropriate subsets of features and yield effective results in identifying the factors affecting students at risk of failing. This discovered knowledge may help students as well as instructors enhance educational quality by finding out possible under-performers at the beginning of the first semester and applying more special attention to them in order to help in their learning process and improve their learning outcomes.Keywords: students' academic performance, correlation-based distance method, social network analysis, feature selection, graph-based feature filtering method
Procedia PDF Downloads 1294201 Analyzing the Street Pattern Characteristics on Young People’s Choice to Walk or Not: A Study Based on Accelerometer and Global Positioning Systems Data
Authors: Ebru Cubukcu, Gozde Eksioglu Cetintahra, Burcin Hepguzel Hatip, Mert Cubukcu
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Obesity and overweight cause serious health problems. Public and private organizations aim to encourage walking in various ways in order to cope with the problem of obesity and overweight. This study aims to understand how the spatial characteristics of urban street pattern, connectivity and complexity influence young people’s choice to walk or not. 185 public university students in Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey, participated in the study. Each participant had worn an accelerometer and a global positioning (GPS) device for a week. The accelerometer device records data on the intensity of the participant’s activity at a specified time interval, and the GPS device on the activities’ locations. Combining the two datasets, activity maps are derived. These maps are then used to differentiate the participants’ walk trips and motor vehicle trips. Given that, the frequency of walk and motor vehicle trips are calculated at the street segment level, and the street segments are then categorized into two as ‘preferred by pedestrians’ and ‘preferred by motor vehicles’. Graph Theory-based accessibility indices are calculated to quantify the spatial characteristics of the streets in the sample. Six different indices are used: (I) edge density, (II) edge sinuosity, (III) eta index, (IV) node density, (V) order of a node, and (VI) beta index. T-tests show that the index values for the ‘preferred by pedestrians’ and ‘preferred by motor vehicles’ are significantly different. The findings indicate that the spatial characteristics of the street network have a measurable effect on young people’s choice to walk or not. Policy implications are discussed. This study is funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, Project No: 116K358.Keywords: graph theory, walkability, accessibility, street network
Procedia PDF Downloads 2254200 Analysis of Diabetes Patients Using Pearson, Cost Optimization, Control Chart Methods
Authors: Devatha Kalyan Kumar, R. Poovarasan
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In this paper, we have taken certain important factors and health parameters of diabetes patients especially among children by birth (pediatric congenital) where using the above three metrics methods we are going to assess the importance of each attributes in the dataset and thereby determining the most highly responsible and co-related attribute causing diabetics among young patients. We use cost optimization, control chart and Spearmen methodologies for the real-time application of finding the data efficiency in this diabetes dataset. The Spearmen methodology is the correlation methodologies used in software development process to identify the complexity between the various modules of the software. Identifying the complexity is important because if the complexity is higher, then there is a higher chance of occurrence of the risk in the software. With the use of control; chart mean, variance and standard deviation of data are calculated. With the use of Cost optimization model, we find to optimize the variables. Hence we choose the Spearmen, control chart and cost optimization methods to assess the data efficiency in diabetes datasets.Keywords: correlation, congenital diabetics, linear relationship, monotonic function, ranking samples, pediatric
Procedia PDF Downloads 2564199 Exploring the Correlation between Body Constitution of an Individual as Per Ayurveda and Gut Microbiome in Healthy, Multi Ethnic Urban Population in Bangalore, India
Authors: Shalini TV, Gangadharan GG, Sriranjini S Jaideep, ASN Seshasayee, Awadhesh Pandit
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Introduction: Prakriti (body-mind constitution of an individual) is a conventional, customized and unique understanding of which is essential for the personalized medicine described in Ayurveda, Indian System of Medicine. Based on the Doshas( functional, bio humoral unit in the body), individuals are categorized into three major Prakriti- Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. The human gut microbiome hosts plenty of highly diverse and metabolically active microorganisms, mainly dominated by the bacteria, which are known to influence the physiology of an individual. Few researches have shown the correlation between the Prakriti and the biochemical parameters. In this study, an attempt was made to explore any correlation between the Prakriti (phenotype of an individual) with the Genetic makeup of the gut microbiome in healthy individuals. Materials and methods: 270 multi-ethnic, healthy volunteers of both sex with the age group between 18 to 40 years, with no history of antibiotics in the last 6 months were recruited into three groups of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. The Prakriti of the individual was determined using Ayusoft, a software designed by CDAC, Pune, India. The volunteers were subjected to initial screening for the assessment of their height, weight, Body Mass Index, Vital signs and Blood investigations to ensure they are healthy. The stool and saliva samples of the recruited volunteers were collected as per the standard operating procedure developed, and the bacterial DNA was isolated using Qiagen kits. The extracted DNA was subjected to 16s rRNA sequencing using the Illumina kits. The sequencing libraries are targeting the variable V3 and V4 regions of the 16s rRNA gene. Paired sequencing was done on the MiSeq system and data were analyzed using the CLC Genomics workbench 11. Results: The 16s rRNA sequencing of the V3 and V4 regions showed a diverse pattern in both the oral and stool microbial DNA. The study did not reveal any specific pattern of bacterial flora amongst the Prakriti. All the p-values were more than the effective alpha values for all OTUs in both the buccal cavity and stool samples. Therefore, there was no observed significant enrichment of an OTU in the patient samples from either the buccal cavity or stool samples. Conclusion: In healthy volunteers of multi-ethnicity, due to the influence of the various factors, the correlation between the Prakriti and the gut microbiome was not seen.Keywords: gut microbiome, ayurveda Prakriti, sequencing, multi-ethnic urban population
Procedia PDF Downloads 1354198 Aerosol - Cloud Interaction with Summer Precipitation over Major Cities in Eritrea
Authors: Samuel Abraham Berhane, Lingbing Bu
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This paper presents the spatiotemporal variability of aerosols, clouds, and precipitation within the major cities in Eritrea and it investigates the relationship between aerosols, clouds, and precipitation concerning the presence of aerosols over the study region. In Eritrea, inadequate water supplies will have both direct and indirect adverse impacts on sustainable development in areas such as health, agriculture, energy, communication, and transport. Besides, there exists a gap in the knowledge on suitable and potential areas for cloud seeding. Further, the inadequate understanding of aerosol-cloud-precipitation (ACP) interactions limits the success of weather modification aimed at improving freshwater sources, storage, and recycling. Spatiotemporal variability of aerosols, clouds, and precipitation involve spatial and time series analysis based on trend and anomaly analysis. To find the relationship between aerosols and clouds, a correlation coefficient is used. The spatiotemporal analysis showed larger variations of aerosols within the last two decades, especially in Assab, indicating that aerosol optical depth (AOD) has increased over the surrounding Red Sea region. Rainfall was significantly low but AOD was significantly high during the 2011 monsoon season. Precipitation was high during 2007 over most parts of Eritrea. The correlation coefficient between AOD and rainfall was negative over Asmara and Nakfa. Cloud effective radius (CER) and cloud optical thickness (COT) exhibited a negative correlation with AOD over Nakfa within the June–July–August (JJA) season. The hybrid single-particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory (HYSPLIT) model that is used to find the path and origin of the air mass of the study region showed that the majority of aerosols made their way to the study region via the westerly and the southwesterly winds.Keywords: aerosol-cloud-precipitation, aerosol optical depth, cloud effective radius, cloud optical thickness, HYSPLIT
Procedia PDF Downloads 1334197 Hematological Profiles of Visceral Leishmaniasis Patients before and after Treatment of Anti-Leishmanial Drugs at University of Gondar Leishmania Research and Treatment Center Northwest, Ethiopia
Authors: Fitsumbrhan Tajebe, Fadil Murad, Mitikie Tigabie, Mareye Abebaw, Tadele Alemu, Sefanit Abate, Rezika Mohammedw, Arega Yeshanew, Elias Shiferaw
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Background: Visceral leshimaniasis is a parasitic disease characterized by a systemic infection of phagocytic cells. Hematological parameters of these patients may be affected by the progress of the disease or treatment. Thus, the current study aimed to assess the hematological profiles of visceral leishmaniasis patients before and after treatment. Method: An institutional based retrospective cohort study was conducted among visceral leishmaniasis patients at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Referral Hospital Leishmaniasis Research and Treatment Center from 2013 to 2018. Hematological profiles before initiation and after completion of treatment were extracted from registration book. Descriptive statics was presented using frequency and percentage. Paired t-test and Wilcoxon Signed rank test were used for comparing mean difference for normally and non- normally distributed data, respectively. Spearman and Pearson correlation analysis was used to describe the correlation of hematological parameters with different variables. P value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Result: Except absolute nerutrophil count, post treatment hematological parameters show a significant increment compared to pretreatment one. The prevalence of anemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia was 85.5%, 83.4% and 75.8% prior to treatment and it was 58.3%, 38.2% and 19.2% after treatment, respectively. Moreover, parasite load of the disease showed statistically significant negative correlation with hematological profiles mainly with white blood cell and red blood cell. Conclusion: Majority of hematological profiles of patients with active VL have been restored after treatment, which might be associated with treatment effect on parasite proliferation and concentration of parasite in visceral organ, which directly affect hematological profiles.Keywords: visceral leshimaniasis, hematological profile, anti-leshimanial drug, Gondar
Procedia PDF Downloads 1284196 Remote Vital Signs Monitoring in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Using a Digital Camera
Authors: Fatema-Tuz-Zohra Khanam, Ali Al-Naji, Asanka G. Perera, Kim Gibson, Javaan Chahl
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Conventional contact-based vital signs monitoring sensors such as pulse oximeters or electrocardiogram (ECG) may cause discomfort, skin damage, and infections, particularly in neonates with fragile, sensitive skin. Therefore, remote monitoring of the vital sign is desired in both clinical and non-clinical settings to overcome these issues. Camera-based vital signs monitoring is a recent technology for these applications with many positive attributes. However, there are still limited camera-based studies on neonates in a clinical setting. In this study, the heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) of eight infants at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Flinders Medical Centre were remotely monitored using a digital camera applying color and motion-based computational methods. The region-of-interest (ROI) was efficiently selected by incorporating an image decomposition method. Furthermore, spatial averaging, spectral analysis, band-pass filtering, and peak detection were also used to extract both HR and RR. The experimental results were validated with the ground truth data obtained from an ECG monitor and showed a strong correlation using the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) 0.9794 and 0.9412 for HR and RR, respectively. The RMSE between camera-based data and ECG data for HR and RR were 2.84 beats/min and 2.91 breaths/min, respectively. A Bland Altman analysis of the data also showed a close correlation between both data sets with a mean bias of 0.60 beats/min and 1 breath/min, and the lower and upper limit of agreement -4.9 to + 6.1 beats/min and -4.4 to +6.4 breaths/min for both HR and RR, respectively. Therefore, video camera imaging may replace conventional contact-based monitoring in NICU and has potential applications in other contexts such as home health monitoring.Keywords: neonates, NICU, digital camera, heart rate, respiratory rate, image decomposition
Procedia PDF Downloads 1044195 Use of a Business Intelligence Software for Interactive Visualization of Data on the Swiss Elite Sports System
Authors: Corinne Zurmuehle, Andreas Christoph Weber
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In 2019, the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen (SFISM) conducted a mixed-methods study on the Swiss elite sports system, which yielded a large quantity of research data. In a quantitative online survey, 1151 elite sports athletes, 542 coaches, and 102 Performance Directors of national sports federations (NF) have submitted their perceptions of the national support measures of the Swiss elite sports system. These data provide an essential database for the further development of the Swiss elite sports system. The results were published in a report presenting the results divided into 40 Olympic summer and 14 winter sports (Olympic classification). The authors of this paper assume that, in practice, this division is too unspecific to assess where further measures would be needed. The aim of this paper is to find appropriate parameters for data visualization in order to identify disparities in sports promotion that allow an assessment of where further interventions by Swiss Olympic (NF umbrella organization) are required. Method: First, the variable 'salary earned from sport' was defined as a variable to measure the impact of elite sports promotion. This variable was chosen as a measure as it represents an important indicator for the professionalization of elite athletes and therefore reflects national level sports promotion measures applied by Swiss Olympic. Afterwards, the variable salary was tested with regard to the correlation between Olympic classification [a], calculating the Eta coefficient. To estimate the appropriate parameters for data visualization, the correlation between salary and four further parameters was analyzed by calculating the Eta coefficient: [a] sport; [b] prioritization (from 1 to 5) of the sports by Swiss Olympic; [c] gender; [d] employment level in sports. Results & Discussion: The analyses reveal a very small correlation between salary and Olympic classification (ɳ² = .011, p = .005). Gender demonstrates an even small correlation (ɳ² = .006, p = .014). The parameter prioritization was correlating with small effect (ɳ² = .017, p = .001) as did employment level (ɳ² = .028, p < .001). The highest correlation was identified by the parameter sport with a moderate effect (ɳ² = .075, p = .047). The analyses show that the disparities in sports promotion cannot be determined by a particular parameter but presumably explained by a combination of several parameters. We argue that the possibility of combining parameters for data visualization should be enabled when the analysis is provided to Swiss Olympic for further strategic decision-making. However, the inclusion of multiple parameters massively multiplies the number of graphs and is therefore not suitable for practical use. Therefore, we suggest to apply interactive dashboards for data visualization using Business Intelligence Software. Practical & Theoretical Contribution: This contribution provides the first attempt to use Business Intelligence Software for strategic decision-making in national level sports regarding the prioritization of national resources for sports and athletes. This allows to set specific parameters with a significant effect as filters. By using filters, parameters can be combined and compared against each other and set individually for each strategic decision.Keywords: data visualization, business intelligence, Swiss elite sports system, strategic decision-making
Procedia PDF Downloads 904194 Business Constraints and Growth Potential of Smes: Case Study of Electrical Industry in Pakistan
Authors: Muhammad Waseem Akram
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The current study attempts to analyze the impact of business constraints on the growth potential and performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the electrical industry of Pakistan. Primary data have been utilized for the study collected from the electrical industry cluster in Sargodha, Pakistan. OLS regression is used to assess the impact of business constraints on the performance of SMEs by controlling the effect of Technology Level, Innovations, and Firm Size. To associate business constraints with the growth potential of SMEs, the study utilized Tetrachoric Correlation and Logistic Regression. Findings reveal that all the business constraints negatively affect the performance of SMEs in the electrical industry except Political Instability. Results of Tetrachoric Correlation show that all the business constraints are negatively correlated with the growth potential of SMEs. Logistic Regression results show that Energy Constraint, Inflation and Price Instability, and Bad Business Practices, all three business constraints cause to reduce the probability of income growth in sample SMEs.Keywords: SMEs, business constraints, performance, growth potential
Procedia PDF Downloads 1694193 Testing the Weak Form Efficiency of Islamic Stock Market: Empirical Evidence from Indonesia
Authors: Herjuno Bagus Wicaksono, Emma Almira Fauni, Salma Amelia Dina
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The Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) states that, in an efficient capital market, price fully reflects the information available in the market. This theory has influenced many investors behavior in trading in the stock market. Advanced researches have been conducted to test the efficiency of the stock market in particular countries. Indonesia, as one of the emerging countries, has performed substantial growth in the past years. Hence, this paper aims to examine the efficiency of Islamic stock market in Indonesia in its weak form. The daily stock price data from Indonesia Sharia Stock Index (ISSI) for the period October 2015 to October 2016 were used to do the statistical tests: Run Test and Serial Correlation Test. The results show that there is no serial correlation between the current price with the past prices and the market follows the random walk. This research concludes that Indonesia Islamic stock market is weak form efficient.Keywords: efficient market hypothesis, Indonesia sharia stock index, random walk, weak form efficiency
Procedia PDF Downloads 4604192 The Discriminate Analysis and Relevant Model for Mapping Export Potential
Authors: Jana Gutierez Chvalkovska, Michal Mejstrik, Matej Urban
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There are pending discussions over the mapping of country export potential in order to refocus export strategy of firms and its evidence-based promotion by the Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) and other permitted vehicles of governments. In this paper we develop our version of an applied model that offers “stepwise” elimination of unattractive markets. We modify and calibrate the model for the particular features of the Czech Republic and specific pilot cases where we apply an individual approach to each sector.Keywords: export strategy, modeling export, calibration, export promotion
Procedia PDF Downloads 4984191 Validity and Reliability of the Iranian Version of the Self-Expansion Questionnaire
Authors: Mehravar Javid, James Sexton, Farzaneh Amani, Kainaz Patravala
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Self-expansion is a procedure through which people expand the dimensions of their self-concept by incorporating novel content into their sense and experience of identity. Greater self-expansion predicts positive consequences for individuals and romantic relationships. The self-expansion questionnaire (SEQ) originally developed by Lewandowski & Aron (2002) assumes that self-expansion is constituted of key components from the self-expansion model. This study aimed to confirm the factor structure of SEQ and adapt the questions of the scale to the Iranian culture. The sample included 190 participants who responded to 14 items and were selected by simple random sampling. Using Amos-21 and SPSS-21, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were calculated. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for total SEQ items was 0.92. Results of CFA supported the factor structure SEQ [RMSEA=0.08, GFI=0.88 and CFI=0.92] that showed the model has a good fit and also all the items of SEQ, have a high correlation and have a direct and significant relationship. So, the SEQ demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties in Tehran University students. Looking forward, it would be interesting and exciting to see the implications of the scale as applied to romantic relationships.Keywords: validity, reliability, confirmatory factor analysis, self-expansion questionnaire
Procedia PDF Downloads 814190 A Study of Microglitches in Hartebeesthoek Radio Pulsars
Authors: Onuchukwu Chika Christian, Chukwude Augustine Ejike
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We carried out a statistical analyse of microglitches events on a sample of radio pulsars. The distribution of microglitch events in frequency (ν) and first frequency derivatives ν˙ indicates that the size of a microglitch and sign combinations of events in ν and ν˙ are purely randomized. Assuming that the probability of a given size of a microglitch event occurring scales inversely as the absolute size of the event in both ν and ν˙, we constructed a cumulative distribution function (CDF) for the absolute sizes of microglitches. In most of the pulsars, the theoretical CDF matched the observed values. This is an indication that microglitches in pulsar may be interpreted as an avalanche process in which angular momentum is transferred erratically from the flywheel-like superfliud interior to the slowly decelerating solid crust. Analysis of the waiting time indicates that it is purely Poisson distributed with mean microglitch rate <γ> ∼ 0.98year^−1 for all the pulsars in our sample and <γ> / <∆T> ∼ 1. Correlation analysis, showed that the relative absolute size of microglitch event strongly with the rotation period of the pulsar with correlation coefficient r ∼ 0.7 and r ∼ 0.5 respectively for events in ν and ν˙. The mean glitch rate and number of microglitches (Ng) showed some dependence on spin down rate (r ∼ −0.6) and the characteristic age of the pulsar (τ) with (r ∼ −0.4/− 0.5).Keywords: method-data analysis, star, neutron-pulsar, general
Procedia PDF Downloads 4604189 Offline Parameter Identification and State-of-Charge Estimation for Healthy and Aged Electric Vehicle Batteries Based on the Combined Model
Authors: Xiaowei Zhang, Min Xu, Saeid Habibi, Fengjun Yan, Ryan Ahmed
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Recently, Electric Vehicles (EVs) have received extensive consideration since they offer a more sustainable and greener transportation alternative compared to fossil-fuel propelled vehicles. Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries are increasingly being deployed in EVs because of their high energy density, high cell-level voltage, and low rate of self-discharge. Since Li-ion batteries represent the most expensive component in the EV powertrain, accurate monitoring and control strategies must be executed to ensure their prolonged lifespan. The Battery Management System (BMS) has to accurately estimate parameters such as the battery State-of-Charge (SOC), State-of-Health (SOH), and Remaining Useful Life (RUL). In order for the BMS to estimate these parameters, an accurate and control-oriented battery model has to work collaboratively with a robust state and parameter estimation strategy. Since battery physical parameters, such as the internal resistance and diffusion coefficient change depending on the battery state-of-life (SOL), the BMS has to be adaptive to accommodate for this change. In this paper, an extensive battery aging study has been conducted over 12-months period on 5.4 Ah, 3.7 V Lithium polymer cells. Instead of using fixed charging/discharging aging cycles at fixed C-rate, a set of real-world driving scenarios have been used to age the cells. The test has been interrupted every 5% capacity degradation by a set of reference performance tests to assess the battery degradation and track model parameters. As battery ages, the combined model parameters are optimized and tracked in an offline mode over the entire batteries lifespan. Based on the optimized model, a state and parameter estimation strategy based on the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) and the relatively new Smooth Variable Structure Filter (SVSF) have been applied to estimate the SOC at various states of life.Keywords: lithium-ion batteries, genetic algorithm optimization, battery aging test, parameter identification
Procedia PDF Downloads 2674188 Differences in the Perception of Behavior Problems in Pre-school Children among the Teachers and Parents
Authors: Jana Kožárová
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Even the behavior problems in pre-school children might be considered as a transitional problem which may disappear by their transition into elementary school; it is an issue that needs a lot of attention because of the fact that the behavioral patterns are adopted in the children especially in this age. Common issue in the process of elimination of the behavior problems in the group of pre-school children is a difference in the perception of the importance and gravity of the symptoms. The underestimation of the children's problems by parents often result into conflicts with kindergarten teachers. Thus, the child does not get the support that his/her problems require and this might result into a school failure and can negatively influence his/her future school performance and success. The research sample consisted of 4 children with behavior problems, their teachers and parents. To determine the most problematic area in the child's behavior, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) filled by parents and Caregiver/Teacher Form (CTF-R) filled by teachers were used. Scores from the CBCL and the CTR-F were compared with Pearson correlation coefficient in order to find the differences in the perception of behavior problems in pre-school children.Keywords: behavior problems, Child Behavior Checklist, Caregiver/Teacher Form, Pearson correlation coefficient, pre-school age
Procedia PDF Downloads 4344187 Prediction of Endotracheal Tube Size in Children by Predicting Subglottic Diameter Using Ultrasonographic Measurement versus Traditional Formulas
Authors: Parul Jindal, Shubhi Singh, Priya Ramakrishnan, Shailender Raghuvanshi
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Background: Knowledge of the influence of the age of the child on laryngeal dimensions is essential for all practitioners who are dealing with paediatric airway. Choosing the correct endotracheal tube (ETT) size is a crucial step in pediatric patients because a large-sized tube may cause complications like post-extubation stridor and subglottic stenosis. On the other hand with a smaller tube, there will be increased gas flow resistance, aspiration risk, poor ventilation, inaccurate monitoring of end-tidal gases and reintubation may also be required with a different size of the tracheal tube. Recent advancement in ultrasonography (USG) techniques should now allow for accurate and descriptive evaluation of pediatric airway. Aims and objectives: This study was planned to determine the accuracy of Ultrasonography (USG) to assess the appropriate ETT size and compare it with physical indices based formulae. Methods: After obtaining approval from Institute’s Ethical and Research committee, and parental written and informed consent, the study was conducted on 100 subjects of either sex between 12-60 months of age, undergoing various elective surgeries under general anesthesia requiring endotracheal intubation. The same experienced radiologist performed ultrasonography. The transverse diameter was measured at the level of cricoids cartilage by USG. After USG, general anesthesia was administered using standard techniques followed by the institute. An experienced anesthesiologist performed the endotracheal intubations with uncuffed endotracheal tube (Portex Tracheal Tube Smiths Medical India Pvt. Ltd.) with Murphy’s eye. He was unaware of the finding of the ultrasonography. The tracheal tube was considered best fit if air leak was satisfactory at 15-20 cm H₂O of airway pressure. The obtained values were compared with the values of endotracheal tube size calculated by ultrasonography, various age, height, weight-based formulas and diameter of right and left little finger. The correlation of the size of the endotracheal tube by different modalities was done and Pearson's correlation coefficient was obtained. The comparison of the mean size of the endotracheal tube by ultrasonography and by traditional formula was done by the Friedman’s test and Wilcoxon sign-rank test. Results: The predicted tube size was equal to best fit and best determined by ultrasonography (100%) followed by comparison to left little finger (98%) and right little finger (97%) and age-based formula (95%) followed by multivariate formula (83%) and body length (81%) formula. According to Pearson`s correlation, there was a moderate correlation of best fit endotracheal tube with endotracheal tube size by age-based formula (r=0.743), body length based formula (r=0.683), right little finger based formula (r=0.587), left little finger based formula (r=0.587) and multivariate formula (r=0.741). There was a strong correlation with ultrasonography (r=0.943). Ultrasonography was the most sensitive (100%) method of prediction followed by comparison to left (98%) and right (97%) little finger and age-based formula (95%), the multivariate formula had an even lesser sensitivity (83%) whereas body length based formula was least sensitive with a sensitivity of 78%. Conclusion: USG is a reliable method of estimation of subglottic diameter and for prediction of ETT size in children.Keywords: endotracheal intubation, pediatric airway, subglottic diameter, traditional formulas, ultrasonography
Procedia PDF Downloads 2404186 The Analysis of Own Signals of PM Electrical Machines – Example of Eccentricity
Authors: Marcin Baranski
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This article presents a vibration diagnostic method designed for permanent magnets (PM) traction motors. Those machines are commonly used in traction drives of electrical vehicles. Specific structural properties of machines excited by permanent magnets are used in this method - electromotive force (EMF) generated due to vibrations. This work presents: field-circuit model, results of static tests, results of calculations and simulations.Keywords: electrical vehicle, permanent magnet, traction drive, vibrations, electrical machine, eccentricity
Procedia PDF Downloads 6284185 Comparison of Statistical Methods for Estimating Missing Precipitation Data in the River Subbasin Lenguazaque, Colombia
Authors: Miguel Cañon, Darwin Mena, Ivan Cabeza
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In this work was compared and evaluated the applicability of statistical methods for the estimation of missing precipitations data in the basin of the river Lenguazaque located in the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, Colombia. The methods used were the method of simple linear regression, distance rate, local averages, mean rates, correlation with nearly stations and multiple regression method. The analysis used to determine the effectiveness of the methods is performed by using three statistical tools, the correlation coefficient (r2), standard error of estimation and the test of agreement of Bland and Altmant. The analysis was performed using real rainfall values removed randomly in each of the seasons and then estimated using the methodologies mentioned to complete the missing data values. So it was determined that the methods with the highest performance and accuracy in the estimation of data according to conditions that were counted are the method of multiple regressions with three nearby stations and a random application scheme supported in the precipitation behavior of related data sets.Keywords: statistical comparison, precipitation data, river subbasin, Bland and Altmant
Procedia PDF Downloads 4674184 Design and Analysis for a 4-Stage Crash Energy Management System for Railway Vehicles
Authors: Ziwen Fang, Jianran Wang, Hongtao Liu, Weiguo Kong, Kefei Wang, Qi Luo, Haifeng Hong
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A 4-stage crash energy management (CEM) system for subway rail vehicles used by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the USA is developed in this paper. The 4 stages of this new CEM system include 1) energy absorbing coupler (draft gear and shear bolts), 2) primary energy absorbers (aluminum honeycomb structured box), 3) secondary energy absorbers (crush tube), and 4) collision post and corner post. A sliding anti-climber and a fixed anti-climber are designed at the front of the vehicle cooperating with the 4-stage CEM to maximize the energy to be absorbed and minimize the damage to passengers and crews. In order to investigate the effectiveness of this CEM system, both finite element (FE) methods and crashworthiness test have been employed. The whole vehicle consists of 3 married pairs, i.e., six cars. In the FE approach, full-scale railway car models are developed and different collision cases such as a single moving car impacting a rigid wall, two moving cars into a rigid wall, two moving cars into two stationary cars, six moving cars into six stationary cars and so on are investigated. The FE analysis results show that the railway vehicle incorporating this CEM system has a superior crashworthiness performance. In the crashworthiness test, a simplified vehicle front end including the sliding anti-climber, the fixed anti-climber, the primary energy absorbers, the secondary energy absorber, the collision post and the corner post is built and impacted to a rigid wall. The same test model is also analyzed in the FE and the results such as crushing force, stress, and strain of critical components, acceleration and velocity curves are compared and studied. FE results show very good comparison to the test results.Keywords: railway vehicle collision, crash energy management design, finite element method, crashworthiness test
Procedia PDF Downloads 4024183 Correlations among Their Characteristics and Determination of Some Morphological Characteristics of Perennial Ryegrass Genotypes
Authors: Abdullah Özköse, Ahmet Tamkoç
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This study aimed to determine some plant characteristics of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) genotypes collected from the natural flora of Ankara and correlations between these characteristics. In order to evaluate for breeding purposes according to Turkey's environmental conditions, perennial ryegrass plants collected from natural pasture of Ankara at 2004 were utilized. The collected seeds of plants were sown in pots and seedlings were prepared in greenhouse. Seedlings were transplanted to the experimental field at 50x50 cm intervals in Randomized Complete Blocks Design in 2005. Data were obtained from the observations and measurements of 568 perennial ryegrasses in 2007 and 2008. Perennial ryegrass plants’ in the spring re-growth time, color, density, growth habit, tendency to inflorescences, time of inflorescence, plant height, length of upper internode, spike length, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, leaf shape, number of spikelets per spike, seed yield per spike, and 1000 grain weight were investigated and correlation analyses were made on the data. Correlation coefficients were estimated between all paired combinations of the traits. The yield components exhibited varying trends of association among themselves. Seed yield per spike showed significant and positive association with number of spikelets per spike, 1000 grain weight, plant height, length of upper internode, spike length, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area and color, but significant and negative association with growth habit and in the spring re-growth time spring.Keywords: correlation, morphological traits, Lolium perenne
Procedia PDF Downloads 4554182 Application and Assessment of Artificial Neural Networks for Biodiesel Iodine Value Prediction
Authors: Raquel M. De sousa, Sofiane Labidi, Allan Kardec D. Barros, Alex O. Barradas Filho, Aldalea L. B. Marques
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Several parameters are established in order to measure biodiesel quality. One of them is the iodine value, which is an important parameter that measures the total unsaturation within a mixture of fatty acids. Limitation of unsaturated fatty acids is necessary since warming of a higher quantity of these ones ends in either formation of deposits inside the motor or damage of lubricant. Determination of iodine value by official procedure tends to be very laborious, with high costs and toxicity of the reagents, this study uses an artificial neural network (ANN) in order to predict the iodine value property as an alternative to these problems. The methodology of development of networks used 13 esters of fatty acids in the input with convergence algorithms of backpropagation type were optimized in order to get an architecture of prediction of iodine value. This study allowed us to demonstrate the neural networks’ ability to learn the correlation between biodiesel quality properties, in this case iodine value, and the molecular structures that make it up. The model developed in the study reached a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.99 for both network validation and network simulation, with Levenberg-Maquardt algorithm.Keywords: artificial neural networks, biodiesel, iodine value, prediction
Procedia PDF Downloads 6064181 Effects of Health Information Websites on Health Care Facility Visits
Authors: M. Aljumaan, F. Alkhadra, A. Aldajani, M. Alarfaj, A. Alawami, Y. Aljamaan
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Introduction: The internet has been widely available with 18 million users in Saudi Arabia alone. It was shown that 58% of Saudis are using the internet as a source of health-related information which may contribute to overcrowding of the Emergency Room (ER). Not many studies have been conducted to show the effect of online searching for health related information (HRI) and its role in influencing internet users to visit various health care facilities. So the main objective is to determine a correlation between HRI website use and health care facility visits in Saudi Arabia. Methodology: By conducting a cross sectional study and distributing a questionnaire, a total number of 1095 people were included in the study. Demographic data was collected as well as questions including the use of HRI websites, type of websites used, the reason behind the internet search, which health care facility it lead them to visit and whether seeking health information on the internet influenced their attitude towards visiting health care facilities. The survey was distributed using an internet survey applications. The data was then put on an excel sheet and analyzed with the help of a biostatician for making a correlation. Results: We found 91.4% of our population have used the internet for medical information using mainly General medical websites (77.8%), Forums (34.2%), Social Media (21.6%), and government websites (21.6%). We also found that 66.9% have used the internet for medical information to diagnose and treat their medical conditions on their own while 34.7% did so due to the inability to have a close referral and 29.5% due to their lack of time. Searching for health related information online caused 62.5% of people to visit health care facilities. Outpatient clinics were most visited at 77.9% followed by the ER (27.9%). The remaining 37.5% do not visit because using HRI websites reassure them of their condition. Conclusion: In conclusion, there may be a correlation between health information website use and health care facility visits. However, to avoid potentially inaccurate medical information, we believe doctors have an important role in educating their patients and the public on where to obtain the correct information & advertise the sites that are regulated by health care officials.Keywords: ER visits, health related information, internet, medical websites
Procedia PDF Downloads 1914180 Analyzing the Changing Pattern of Nigerian Vegetation Zones and Its Ecological and Socio-Economic Implications Using Spot-Vegetation Sensor
Authors: B. L. Gadiga
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This study assesses the major ecological zones in Nigeria with the view to understanding the spatial pattern of vegetation zones and the implications on conservation within the period of sixteen (16) years. Satellite images used for this study were acquired from the SPOT-VEGETATION between 1998 and 2013. The annual NDVI images selected for this study were derived from SPOT-4 sensor and were acquired within the same season (November) in order to reduce differences in spectral reflectance due to seasonal variations. The images were sliced into five classes based on literatures and knowledge of the area (i.e. <0.16 Non-Vegetated areas; 0.16-0.22 Sahel Savannah; 0.22-0.40 Sudan Savannah, 0.40-0.47 Guinea Savannah and >0.47 Forest Zone). Classification of the 1998 and 2013 images into forested and non forested areas showed that forested area decrease from 511,691 km2 in 1998 to 478,360 km2 in 2013. Differencing change detection method was performed on 1998 and 2013 NDVI images to identify areas of ecological concern. The result shows that areas undergoing vegetation degradation covers an area of 73,062 km2 while areas witnessing some form restoration cover an area of 86,315 km2. The result also shows that there is a weak correlation between rainfall and the vegetation zones. The non-vegetated areas have a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.0088, Sahel Savannah belt 0.1988, Sudan Savannah belt -0.3343, Guinea Savannah belt 0.0328 and Forest belt 0.2635. The low correlation can be associated with the encroachment of the Sudan Savannah belt into the forest belt of South-eastern part of the country as revealed by the image analysis. The degradation of the forest vegetation is therefore responsible for the serious erosion problems witnessed in the South-east. The study recommends constant monitoring of vegetation and strict enforcement of environmental laws in the country.Keywords: vegetation, NDVI, SPOT-vegetation, ecology, degradation
Procedia PDF Downloads 2214179 Study on the Transition to Pacemaker of Two Coupled Neurons
Authors: Sun Zhe, Ruggero Micheletto
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The research of neural network is very important for the development of advanced next generation intelligent devices and the medical treatment. The most important part of the neural network research is the learning. The process of learning in our brain is essentially several adjustment processes of connection strength between neurons. It is very difficult to figure out how this mechanism works in the complex network and how the connection strength influences brain functions. For this reason, we made a model with only two coupled neurons and studied the influence of connection strength between them. To emulate the neuronal activity of realistic neurons, we prefer to use the Izhikevich neuron model. This model can simulate the neuron variables accurately and it’s simplicity is very suitable to implement on computers. In this research, the parameter ρ is used to estimate the correlation coefficient between spike train of two coupling neurons.We think the results is very important for figuring out the mechanism between synchronization of coupling neurons and synaptic plasticity. The result also presented the importance of the spike frequency adaptation in complex systems.Keywords: neural networks, noise, stochastic processes, coupled neurons, correlation coefficient, synchronization, pacemaker, synaptic plasticity
Procedia PDF Downloads 2844178 Effect of Yeast Selenium on CD4 T Cell and WAZ of HIV1 Positive Children in Nyamasaria in Kisumu Kenya
Authors: S. B. Otieno1, F. Were, A. Afullo, K. Waza
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Background: Multi drug resistance HIV has emerged rendering the current conventional treatment of HIV ineffective. There is a need for new treatment regime which is cheap, effective and not prone to resistance development by HIV. Methods: In randomized clinical study of 68 HIV positive children 3 – 15 years to asses the efficacy of yeast selenium in HIV/AIDS patients, 50μ yeast selenium was administered to 34 children while in matched control of 34 were put on placebo. Blood samples and weight of the both groups which were taken every 3 months intervals up to 6 months, were analyzed by ELIZA for CD4T cells, the data was analyzed by SPSS version 16, WAZ scores were analyzed by Epi Info version 6. Results: No significant difference in age { χ2 (1, 62) =0.03, p =0.853}, cause of morbidity between test and controls {χ2 (1, 65) = 5.87, p= 0.015} and on condition of foster parents {χ2 ( 1,63) = 5.57, p= 0.0172} was observed. Children on selenium showed progressive improvement of WAZ and significant difference at six months {F (5,12) = =5.758, P=0.006}, and weight gain of up to 4.1 kilograms in six months, and significant CD4 T cell count increase t= -2.943, p<0.05 compared to matched controls t = -1.258 p> 0.05. CD4 T cell count increased among all age groups on test 3-5 years (+ 267.1),5-8 years (+200.3) 9-15 years (+71.2) cells/mm3 and in matched controls a decrease 3-5 years (-71), 5-8 years (-125) and 9-13 years (-10.1) cells/mm3 . No significant difference inCD4 T cell count between boys {F (2, 32) = 1.531 p= 0.232} and between boys {F (2, 49) = 1.040, p= 0.361} on test and between boys and girls {F (5, 81) = 1.379, p= 0.241} on test. Similarly no significant difference between boys and girls were observed {F (5, 86) = 1.168, p= 0.332}.In the test group there was significant positive correlation β =252.23 between weight for age (WAZ), and CD4 T Cell Count p=0.007, R2= 0.252, F< 0.05. In matched controls no significant correlation between weight gain and CD4 T cell count change was observed at six months p > 0.05. No positive correlation β =-138.23 was observed between CD4T Cell count, WAZ, p=0.934, R2 =0.0337 F >0.05. Majority (96.78%) of children on test either remained or progressed to WHO immunological stage I. Conclusion: From this study it can be concluded that yeast Selenium is effective in slowing the progress of HIV 1 in children from WHO clinical stage I by improving CD4 T cell count and hence the immunity.Keywords: selenium, HIV, AIDS, WAZ
Procedia PDF Downloads 4764177 Applied Canonical Correlation Analysis to Explore the Relationship between Resourcefulness and Quality of Life in Cancer Population
Authors: Chiou-Fang Liou
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Cancer has been one of the most life-threaten diseases worldwide for 30+ years. The influences of cancer illness include symptoms from cancer itself along with its treatments. The quality of life among patients diagnosed with cancer during cancer treatments has been conceptualized within four domains: Functional Well-Being, Social Well-Being, Physical Well-Being, and Emotional Well-Being. Patients with cancer often need to make adjustments to face all the challenges. The middle-range theory of Resourcefulness and Quality of life has been applied to explore factors contributing to cancer patients’ needs. Resourcefulness is defined as sets of skills that can be learned and consisted of Person and Social Resourcefulness. Empirical evidence also supported a possible relationship between Resourcefulness and Quality of Life. However, little is known about the extent to which the two concepts are related to each other. This study, therefore, applied a multivariate technique, Canonical Correlation Analysis, to identify the relationship between the two sets of variables with multi-dimensional measures, the Resourcefulness and Quality of Life in Cancer patients receiving treatments. After IRB approval, this multi-centered study took place at two medical centers in the Central Region of Taiwan. Sample A total of 186 patients with various cancer diagnoses and either receiving radiation therapy or chemotherapy consented to and answered questionnaires. The Import findings of the Generalized F test identified two typical sets with several linear relations and explained a total of 79.1% of the total variance. The first typical set found Personal Resourcefulness negatively related to Social Well-being, Functional being, Emotional Well-being, and Physical, in that order. The second typical set found Social Resourcefulness negatively related to Functional Well-being and Physical-being yet positively related to Social Well-being and Emotional Well-being. Discussion and Conclusion, The results of this presented study supported the statistically significant relationship between two sets of variables that are consistent with the theory. In addition, the results are considerably important in cancer patients receiving cancer treatments.Keywords: cancer, canonical correlation analysis, quality of life, resourcefulness
Procedia PDF Downloads 834176 Investigating the Correlation Between Customer Satisfaction Components and Reaching Competitive Advantage, Using SEM Approach
Authors: Samaneh Pouyanfar, Michael Oliff
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Nowadays, customer satisfaction and discovering the superior services, are counted as vital issues in most manufacturing and services companies. In these terms, gaining the competitive advantage by a business depends on products and services which are able to cause the customer satisfaction. Given the importance of this subject, this paper tries to investigate the correlation between components of customer satisfaction and gaining the competitive advantage by the business. For this purpose, after reviewing the research literature and doing deep interviews with authors and active people in the industry, based on the variables affecting the customer satisfaction and determinant components of business competitive advantage, research questionnaire was prepared. In sum, 96 executives of PARS-KHAZAR Company were asked in a survey. The results of P.L.S. Test for the research structure analysis showed that the measuring tools in terms of technical features, like convergent and divergent validity and compound reliability were very appropriate. Moreover the results showed that, the structure of products and factors related to foundation, has affected the competitive advantage performance positively and significantly; but the influence of structure of services and business environment on competitive advantage was not confirmed.Keywords: customer satisfaction, competitive advantage, products, foundation, home appliances
Procedia PDF Downloads 2734175 Determination of Chemical and Adsorption Kinetics: An Investigation of a Petrochemical Wastewater Treatment Utilizing GAC
Authors: Leila Vafajoo, Feria Ghanaat, Alireza Mohmadi Kartalaei, Amin Ghalebi
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Petrochemical industries are playing an important role in producing wastewaters. Nowadays different methods are employed to treat these materials. The goal of the present research was to reduce the COD of a petrochemical wastewater via adsorption technique using a commercial granular activated carbon (GAC) as adsorbent. In the current study, parameters of kinetic models as well as; adsorption isotherms were determined through utilizing the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The key parameters of KL= 0.0009 and qm= 33.33 for the former and nf=0.5 and Kf= 0.000004 for the latter isotherms resulted. Moreover, a correlation coefficient of above 90% for both cases proved logical use of such isotherms. On the other hand, pseudo-first and -second order kinetics equations were implemented. These resulted in coefficients of k1=0.005 and qe=2018 as well as; K2=0.009 and qe=1250; respectively. In addition, obtaining the correlation coefficients of 0.94 and 0.68 for these 1st and 2nd order kinetics; respectively indicated advantageous use of the former model. Furthermore, a significant experimental reduction of the petrochemical wastewater COD revealed that, using GAC for the process undertaken was an efficient mean of treatment. Ultimately, the current investigation paved down the road for predicting the system’s behavior on industrial scale.Keywords: petrochemical wastewater, adsorption, granular activated carbon, equilibrium isotherm, kinetic model
Procedia PDF Downloads 3614174 Phases of Marital Conflict among Married Kuwaiti Women
Authors: Hend Almaseb
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Gottman proposed a model of marital conflict with three phases: Agenda-Building, Arguing, and Negotiation. Among a sample of 520 married Kuwaiti women, this study examined the relationship between these phases and the following demographic variables: Level of education, Family income, Health, Occupation, and Tribal affiliation. In addition, the study 1) investigated the marital conflict phases the participants reported having experienced or are currently experiencing and 2) identified the variables that predict one of these conflict phases. The results showed a significant relationship between the following: 1) the Agenda-Building phase and Health; 2) the Arguing phase and Family income, Occupation, and Tribal Affiliation; and 3) the Negotiation phase and Level of education. In addition, a linear regression shows a substantial correlation between the two predictor variables (Level of education and Health problems) and the Agenda Building and Negotiation phases and 5) another substantial correlation between Family income and Arguing.Keywords: clinical social work, Kuwait, marital conflict, women
Procedia PDF Downloads 1644173 Correlation Analysis of Reactivity in the Oxidation of Para and Meta-Substituted Benzyl Alcohols by Benzimidazolium Dichromate in Non-Aqueous Media: A Kinetic and Mechanistic Aspects
Authors: Seema Kothari, Dinesh Panday
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An observed correlation of the reaction rates with the changes in the nature of substituent present on one of the reactants often reveals the nature of transition state. Selective oxidation of organic compounds under non-aqueous media is an important transformation in synthetic organic chemistry. Inorganic chromates and dichromates being drastic oxidant and are generally insoluble in most organic solvents, a number of different chromium (VI) derivatives have been synthesized. Benzimidazolium dichromate (BIDC) is one of the recently reported Cr(VI) reagents which is neither hygroscopic nor light sensitive being, therefore, much stable. Not many reports on the kinetics of the oxidations by BIDC are seemed to be available in the literature. In the present investigation, the kinetics and mechanism of benzyl alcohol (BA) and a number of para- and meta-substituted benzyl alcohols by benzimidazolium dichromate (BIDC), in dimethyl sulphoxide, is reported. The reactions were followed spectrophotometrically at 364 nm by monitoring the decrease in [BIDC] for up to 85-90% reaction, the temperature being constant. The observed oxidation product is the corresponding benzaldehyde. The reactions were of first order with respect to each the alcohol and BIDC. The reactions are catalyzed by proton, and the dependence is of the form: kobs = a + b[H+]. The reactions thus follow both, an acid-dependent and acid-independent paths. The oxidation of [1,1 2H2]benzyl alcohol exhibited the presence of a substantial kinetic isotope effect ( kH/kD = 6.20 at 298 K ). This indicated the cleavage of a α-C-H bond in the rate-determining step. An analysis of the temperature dependence of the deuterium isotope effect showed that the loss of hydrogen proceeds through a concerted cyclic process. The rate of oxidation of BA was determined in 19 organic solvents. An analysis of the solvent effect by Swain’s equation indicated that though both the anion and cation-solvating powers of the solvent contribute to the observed solvent effect, the role of cation-solvation is major. The rates of the para and meta compounds, at 298 K, failed to exhibit a significant correlation in terms of Hammett or Brown's substituent constants. The rates were then subjected to analyses in terms of dual substituent parameter (DSP) equations. The rates of oxidation of the para-substituted benzyl alcohols show an excellent correlation with Taft's σI and σRBA values. However, the rates for the meta-substituted benzyl alcohols show an excellent correlation with σI and σR0. The polar reaction constants are negative indicating an electron-deficient transition state. Hence the overall mechanism is proposed to involve the formation of a chromate ester in a fast pre-equilibrium and then a decomposition of the ester in a subsequent slow step via a cyclic concerted symmetrical transition state, involving hydride-ion transfer, leading to the product. The first order dependence on alcohol may be accounted in terms of the small value of the formation constant of the ester intermediate. An another reaction mechanism accounting the acid-catalysis involve the formation of a protonated BIDC prior to formation of an ester intermediate which subsequently decomposes in a slow step leading to the product.Keywords: benzimidazolium dichromate, benzyl alcohols, correlation analysis, kinetics, oxidation
Procedia PDF Downloads 344