Search results for: project classification
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 7086

Search results for: project classification

6156 Identification of Factors Influencing Costs in Green Projects

Authors: Nazirah Zainul Abidin, Nurul Zahirah Mokhtar Azizi

Abstract:

Cost has always been the leading concern in green building development. The perception that construction cost for green building is higher than conventional buildings has only made the discussion of green building cost more difficult. Understanding the factors that will influence the cost of green construction is expected to shed light into what makes green construction more or at par with conventional projects, or perhaps, where cost can be optimised. This paper identifies the elements of cost before shifting the attention to the influencing factors. Findings from past studies uncovered various factors related to cost which are grouped into five focal themes i.e. awareness, knowledge, financial, technical, and government support. A conceptual framework is produced in a form of a flower diagram indicating the cost influencing factors of green building development. These factors were found to be both physical and non-physical aspects of a project. The framework provides ground for the next stage of research that is to further explore how these factors influence the project cost and decision making.

Keywords: green project, factors influencing cost, hard cost, soft cost

Procedia PDF Downloads 345
6155 Proposal of Solidification/Stabilisation Process of Chosen Hazardous Waste by Cementation

Authors: Bozena Dohnalkova

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This paper presents a part of the project solving which is dedicated to the identification of the hazardous waste with the most critical production within the Czech Republic with the aim to study and find the optimal composition of the cement matrix that will ensure maximum content disposal of chosen hazardous waste. In the first stage of project solving – which represents this paper – a specific hazardous waste was chosen, its properties were identified and suitable solidification agents were chosen. Consequently solidification formulas and testing methodology was proposed.

Keywords: cementation, solidification, waste, binder

Procedia PDF Downloads 393
6154 Project Management Practices and Operational Challenges in Conflict Areas: Case Study Kewot Woreda North Shewa Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Authors: Rahel Birhane Eshetu

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This research investigates the complex landscape of project management practices and operational challenges in conflict-affected areas, with a specific focus on Kewot Woreda in the North Shewa Zone of the Amhara region in Ethiopia. The study aims to identify essential project management methodologies, the significant operational hurdles faced, and the adaptive strategies employed by project managers in these challenging environments. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research combines qualitative and quantitative data collection. Initially, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to establish a theoretical framework. This was followed by the administration of questionnaires to gather empirical data, which was then analyzed using statistical software. This sequential approach ensures a robust understanding of the context and challenges faced by project managers. The findings reveal that project managers in conflict zones encounter a range of escalating challenges. Initially, they must contend with immediate security threats and the presence of displaced populations, which significantly disrupt project initiation and execution. As projects progress, additional challenges arise, including limited access to essential resources and environmental disruptions such as natural disasters. These factors exacerbate the operational difficulties that project managers must navigate. In response to these challenges, the study highlights the necessity for project managers to implement formal project plans while simultaneously adopting adaptive strategies that evolve over time. Key adaptive strategies identified include flexible risk management frameworks, change management practices, and enhanced stakeholder engagement approaches. These strategies are crucial for maintaining project momentum and ensuring that objectives are met despite the unpredictable nature of conflict environments. The research emphasizes that structured scope management, clear documentation, and thorough requirements analysis are vital components for effectively navigating the complexities inherent in conflict-affected regions. However, the ongoing threats and logistical barriers necessitate a continuous adjustment to project management methodologies. This adaptability is not only essential for the immediate success of projects but also for fostering long-term resilience within the community. Concluding, the study offers actionable recommendations aimed at improving project management practices in conflict zones. These include the adoption of adaptive frameworks specifically tailored to the unique conditions of conflict environments and targeted training for project managers. Such training should focus on equipping managers with the skills to better address the dynamic challenges presented by conflict situations. The insights gained from this research contribute significantly to the broader field of project management, providing a practical guide for practitioners operating in high-risk areas. By emphasizing sustainable and resilient project outcomes, this study underscores the importance of adaptive management strategies in ensuring the success of projects in conflict-affected regions. The findings serve not only to enhance the understanding of project management practices in Kewot Woreda but also to inform future research and practice in similar contexts, ultimately aiming to promote stability and development in areas beset by conflict.

Keywords: project management practices, operational challenges, conflict zones, adaptive strategies

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6153 ICanny: CNN Modulation Recognition Algorithm

Authors: Jingpeng Gao, Xinrui Mao, Zhibin Deng

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Aiming at the low recognition rate on the composite signal modulation in low signal to noise ratio (SNR), this paper proposes a modulation recognition algorithm based on ICanny-CNN. Firstly, the radar signal is transformed into the time-frequency image by Choi-Williams Distribution (CWD). Secondly, we propose an image processing algorithm using the Guided Filter and the threshold selection method, which is combined with the hole filling and the mask operation. Finally, the shallow convolutional neural network (CNN) is combined with the idea of the depth-wise convolution (Dw Conv) and the point-wise convolution (Pw Conv). The proposed CNN is designed to complete image classification and realize modulation recognition of radar signal. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can reach 90.83% at 0dB and 71.52% at -8dB. Therefore, the proposed algorithm has a good classification and anti-noise performance in radar signal modulation recognition and other fields.

Keywords: modulation recognition, image processing, composite signal, improved Canny algorithm

Procedia PDF Downloads 191
6152 Efficient Manageability and Intelligent Classification of Web Browsing History Using Machine Learning

Authors: Suraj Gururaj, Sumantha Udupa U.

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Browsing the Web has emerged as the de facto activity performed on the Internet. Although browsing gets tracked, the manageability aspect of Web browsing history is very poor. In this paper, we have a workable solution implemented by using machine learning and natural language processing techniques for efficient manageability of user’s browsing history. The significance of adding such a capability to a Web browser is that it ensures efficient and quick information retrieval from browsing history, which currently is very challenging. Our solution guarantees that any important websites visited in the past can be easily accessible because of the intelligent and automatic classification. In a nutshell, our solution-based paper provides an implementation as a browser extension by intelligently classifying the browsing history into most relevant category automatically without any user’s intervention. This guarantees no information is lost and increases productivity by saving time spent revisiting websites that were of much importance.

Keywords: adhoc retrieval, Chrome extension, supervised learning, tile, Web personalization

Procedia PDF Downloads 376
6151 The Importance of Entrepreneurship Certificate Education Programs in Creating Entrepreneurship, Cukurova University Sample

Authors: B. Karmutoglu, E. Guzel, Y. Halefoglu

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The aim of this study was to determine the basic trends of the students and instructors who participated in the courses of entrepreneurship certificate education in universities. In this study, it is tried to determine whether the level of education and occupational groups are meaningful in creating entrepreneurship, taking into consideration the legal regulations, supports, researches and development targets issued in this respect. For this reason, this project started 2015 and opened five courses in 2015, thirteen courses in 2016, and eleven courses in 2017. The total numbers of course and participants have been 30 and 510 respectively. Comparisons were made according to the faculties of 510 participants. In this comparison, it was observed that outward-oriented, self-confidence, breakthrough, risk-taking and entrepreneurship tendencies of engineering faculty students were very high. In the second place, entrepreneurial desires of the students of vocational high schools came to the forefront. This project supported by Cukurova University and The Scientific And Technological Research Council Of Turkey(TÜBİTAK) 1601 programming.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, training, certificate, project

Procedia PDF Downloads 175
6150 Review of Cyber Security in Oil and Gas Industry with Cloud Computing Perspective: Taxonomy, Issues and Future Direction

Authors: Irfan Mohiuddin, Ahmad Al Mogren

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In recent years, cloud computing has earned substantial attention in the Oil and Gas Industry and provides services in all the phases of the industry lifecycle. Oil and gas supply infrastructure, in particular, is more vulnerable to accidental, natural and intentional threats because of its widespread distribution. Numerous surveys have been conducted on cloud security and privacy. However, to the best of our knowledge, hardly any survey is carried out that reviews cyber security in all phases with a cloud computing perspective. Moreover, a distinctive classification is performed for all the cloud-based cyber security measures based on the cloud component in use. The classification approach will enable researchers to identify the required technique used to enhance the security in specific cloud components. Also, the limitation of each component will allow the researchers to design optimal algorithms. Lastly, future directions are given to point out the imminent challenges that can pave the way for researchers to further enhance the resilience to cyber security threats in the oil and gas industry.

Keywords: cyber security, cloud computing, safety and security, oil and gas industry, security threats, oil and gas pipelines

Procedia PDF Downloads 143
6149 Safeguarding the Cloud: The Crucial Role of Technical Project Managers in Security Management for Cloud Environments

Authors: Samuel Owoade, Zainab Idowu, Idris Ajibade, Abel Uzoka

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Cloud computing adoption continues to soar, with 83% of enterprise workloads estimated to be in the cloud by 2022. However, this rapid migration raises security concerns, needing strong security management solutions to safeguard sensitive data and essential applications. This paper investigates the critical role of technical project managers in orchestrating security management initiatives for cloud environments, evaluating their responsibilities, challenges, and best practices for assuring the resilience and integrity of cloud infrastructures. Drawing from a comprehensive review of industry reports and interviews with cloud security experts, this research highlights the multifaceted landscape of security management in cloud environments. Despite the rapid adoption of cloud services, only 25% of organizations have matured their cloud security practices, indicating a pressing need for effective management strategies. This paper proposes a strategy framework adapted to the demands of technical project managers, outlining the important components of effective cloud security management. Notably, 76% of firms identify misconfiguration as a major source of cloud security incidents, underlining the significance of proactive risk assessment and constant monitoring. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of technical project managers in facilitating cross-functional collaboration, bridging the gap between cybersecurity professionals, cloud architects, compliance officers, and IT operations teams. With 68% of firms seeing difficulties integrating security policies into their cloud systems, effective communication and collaboration are critical to success. Case studies from industry leaders illustrate the practical use of security management projects in cloud settings. These examples demonstrate the importance of technical project managers in using their expertise to address obstacles and generate meaningful outcomes, with 92% of firms reporting improved security practices after implementing proactive security management tactics. In conclusion, this research underscores the critical role of technical project managers in safeguarding cloud environments against evolving threats. By embracing their role as guardians of the cloud realm, project managers can mitigate risks, optimize resource utilization, and uphold the trust and integrity of cloud infrastructures in an era of digital transformation.

Keywords: cloud security, security management, technical project management, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, risk management, compliance

Procedia PDF Downloads 51
6148 An Assessment of Existing Material Management Process in Building Construction Projects in Nepal

Authors: Uttam Neupane, Narendra Budha, Subash Kumar Bhattarai

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Material management is an essential part in construction project management. There are a number of material management problems in the Nepalese construction industry, which contribute to an inefficient material management system. Ineffective material management can cause waste of time and money thus increasing the problem of time and cost overrun. An assessment of material management system with gap and solution was carried out on 20 construction projects implemented by the Federal Level Project Implementation Unit (FPIU); Kaski district of Nepal. To improve the material management process, the respondents have provided possible solutions to overcome the gaps seen in the current material management process. The possible solutions are preparation of material schedule in line with the construction schedule for material requirement planning, verifications of material and locating of source, purchasing of the required material in advance before commencement of work, classifying the materials, and managing the inventory based on their usage value and eliminating and reduction in wastages during the overall material management process.

Keywords: material management, construction site, inventory, construction project

Procedia PDF Downloads 70
6147 The Fadama Initiative: Implications for Human Security and Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Authors: Albert T. Akume, Yahya M. Abdullahi

Abstract:

The impact of poverty on individual and society is grave, hence the efforts by the government to eradicate or alleviate. In Nigeria the various efforts to reduce rural poverty by empowering them and making the process of their development self-sustaining have ended dismally. That notwithstanding, government determination to conquer poverty has not diminish as in the early 1990s the government with financial collaboration from the World Bank and African Development Bank introduced the fadama project. It is against this backdrop that this paper uses the documentary and analytical research methods to examine the implication the fadama development project has for community capacity development and human security in Nigeria. From the analysis it was discovered the fadama project improved household income of fadama farmers, community empowerment, participatory development planning and support for demand driven productive investment in farm and non-farm activities including community infrastructures. Despite this impressive result the fadama project is challenged by conflict especially in northern Nigeria and late delivery of necessary farm consumables that aid improved productivity. It was therefore recommended that the government should strengthen her various state security institutions to proactively mitigate conflicts and to ensure that farm consumables and other support services reach farmers timely.

Keywords: capacity development, empowerment, fadama, human security, poverty reduction, theory of change, sustainable development

Procedia PDF Downloads 496
6146 To Handle Data-Driven Software Development Projects Effectively

Authors: Shahnewaz Khan

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Machine learning (ML) techniques are often used in projects for creating data-driven applications. These tasks typically demand additional research and analysis. The proper technique and strategy must be chosen to ensure the success of data-driven projects. Otherwise, even exerting a lot of effort, the necessary development might not always be possible. In this post, an effort to examine the workflow of data-driven software development projects and its implementation process in order to describe how to manage a project successfully. Which will assist in minimizing the added workload.

Keywords: data, data-driven projects, data science, NLP, software project

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6145 Lean Construction Techniques in Construction Projects of Pakistan

Authors: Aftab Hameed Memon, Shadab Noor, Muhammad Akram Akhund

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Lean construction is a philosophy adopted in the construction industry to increase the value of a project by reducing waste and improving construction productivity. Lean emphasizes on maximizing the value of a project with less expenditure. Globally, lean philosophy has received wider popularity in construction sector. Lean construction has supported the practitioners with several tools and techniques to implement at various stages of a construction project. Following the global trends, this study has investigated the lean practice in Pakistan. The level of implementation of different lean tools and techniques altogether with potential benefits experienced by its implementation in construction projects of Pakistan is analyzed. To achieve the targets, the opinion was sought by the practitioners involved in handling construction projects representing four stakeholders that are a client, consultant, contractors and material suppliers through a structured questionnaire. A total of 34 completed questionnaires were collected and then statistically analyzed. The findings of the analysis have highlighted that pull approach, work standardization, just in time, increase visualization tools, integrated project delivery method and fail-safe for quality are common lean techniques implemented in the local construction industry. While reduction in waste, client’s satisfaction, improved communication, visual control and proper task management are major benefits of the lean construction application.

Keywords: lean construction, lean tools and techniques, lean benefits, waste reduction, Pakistan

Procedia PDF Downloads 287
6144 Evaluation and Selection of Contractors in Construction Projects with a View Supply Chain Management and Utilization of Promthee

Authors: Sara Najiazarpour, Mahsa Najiazarpour

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There are many problems in contracting projects and their performance. At each project stage and due to different reasons, these problems affect cost, time and overall project quality. Hence, in order to increase the efficiency and performance in all levels of the chain and with supply chain management approach, there will be a coordination from the beginning of a project (contractor selection) to the end of project (handover of project). Contractor selection is the foremost part of construction projects which in this multi-criteria decision-making, the best contractor is determined by expert judgment, different variables and their priorities. In this paper for selecting the best contractor, numerous criteria were collected by asking from adept experts and then among them, 16 criteria with highest frequency were considered for questionnaire. This questionnaire was distributed between experts. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was obtained as 72%. Then based on Borda's function 12 important criteria was selected which was categorized in four main criteria and related sub-criteria as follow: Environmental factors and physical equipment: procurement and materials (supplier), company's machines, contractor’s proposed cost estimate - financial capacity: bank turnover and company's assets, the income of tax declaration in last year, Ability to compensate for losses or delays - past performance- records and technical expertise: experts and key personnel, the past technical backgrounds and experiences, employer satisfaction of previous contracts, the number of similar projects was done - standards: rank and field of expertise which company is qualified for and its validity, availability and number of permitted projects done. Then with PROMTHEE method, the criteria were normalized and monitored, finally the best alternative was selected. In this research, qualitative criteria of each company is became a quantitative criteria. Finally, information of some companies was evaluated and the best contractor was selected based on all criteria and their priorities.

Keywords: contractor evaluation and selection, project development, supply chain management, PROMTHEE method

Procedia PDF Downloads 72
6143 Digital Memory plus City Cultural Heritage: The Peking Memory Project Experience

Authors: Huiling Feng, Xiaoshuang Jia, Jihong Liang, Li Niu

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Beijing, formerly romanized as Peking, is the capital of the People's Republic of China and the world's second most populous city proper and most populous capital city. Beijing is a noted historical and cultural whose city history dates back three millennia which is extremely rich in terms of cultural heritage. In 2012, a digital memory project led by Humanistic Beijing Studies Center in Renmin University of China started with the goal to build a total digital collection of knowledge assets about Beijing and represent Beijing memories in new fresh ways. The title of the entire project is ‘Peking Memory Project(PMP)’. The main goal is for safeguarding the documentary heritage and intellectual memory of Beijing, more specifically speaking, from the perspective of historical humanities and public participation, PMP will comprehensively applied digital technologies like digital capture, digital storage, digital process, digital presentation and digital communication to transform different kinds of cultural heritage of Beijing into digital formats that can be stored, re-organized and shared. These digital memories can be interpreted with a new perspective, be organized with a new theme, be presented in a new way and be utilized with a new need. Taking social memory as theoretical basis and digital technologies as tools, PMP is framed with ‘Two Sites and A Repository’. Two sites mean the special website(s) characterized by ‘professional’ and an interactive website characterized by ‘crowdsourcing’. A Repository means the storage pool used for safety long-time preservation of the digital memories. The work of PMP has ultimately helped to highlight the important role in safeguarding the documentary heritage and intellectual memory of Beijing.

Keywords: digital memory, cultural heritage, digital technologies, peking memory project

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6142 Anthropometric Analysis for the Design of Workstations in the Interior Spaces of the Manufacturing Industry in Tijuana, Mexico

Authors: J. A. López, J. E. Olguín, C. W. Camargo, G. A. Quijano, R. Martínez

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This paper presents an anthropometric study conducted to 300 employees in a maquiladora industry that belongs to the cluster of medical products as part of a research project to pretend simulate workplace conditions under which operators conduct their activities. This project is relevant because traditionally performed a study to design ergonomic workspaces according to anthropometric profile of users, however, this paper demonstrates the importance of making decisions when the infrastructure cannot be adapted for economic whichever put emphasis on user activity.

Keywords: anthropometry, biomechanics, design, ergonomics, productivity

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6141 An Overview of the SIAFIM Connected Resources

Authors: Tiberiu Boros, Angela Ionita, Maria Visan

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Wildfires are one of the frequent and uncontrollable phenomena that currently affect large areas of the world where the climate, geographic and social conditions make it impossible to prevent and control such events. In this paper we introduce the ground concepts that lie behind the SIAFIM (Satellite Image Analysis for Fire Monitoring) project in order to create a context and we introduce a set of newly created tools that are external to the project but inherently in interventions and complex decision making based on geospatial information and spatial data infrastructures.

Keywords: wildfire, forest fire, natural language processing, mobile applications, communication, GPS

Procedia PDF Downloads 581
6140 Warfield Spying Robot Using LoRa

Authors: Madhavi T., Sireesha Sakhamuri, Hema Sri A., Harika K.

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Today as technological advancements are taking place, these advancements are being used by the armed forces to reduce the risk of their losses and to defeat their enemies. The development of sophisticated technology relies mostly on the use of high- tech weapons or machinery. Robotics is one of the hot spheres of the modern age in which nations concentrate on the state of war and peace for military purposes. They have been in use for demining and rescue operations for some time now but are being propelled by using them for combat and spy missions. This project focuses on creating a LoRa-based spying robot with a wireless IP camera attached to it that can rising the human target. This robot transmits the signal via an IP camera to the base station. One of this project’s major applications can be analyzed using a PC that can be used to control the robot’s movement. The robot sends the signal through the LoRa transceiver at the base station to the LoRa transceiver mounted on the robot. With this function, the, robot can relay videos in real- time along with anti-collision capabilities and the enemies in the war zone cannot recognize them. More importantly, this project focuses on increasing communication using LoRa.

Keywords: lora, IP cam, metal detector, laser shoot

Procedia PDF Downloads 111
6139 Preventing Violent Extremism through Augmenting Community Resilience and Empowering Community Members in Swat

Authors: Dr. Muhammad Idris Idris, Dr. Said Saeed Saeed

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Terrorism is the chronic issue of the hour. It is the disciplined practice of vicious activities like assassinating, slaughtering, mutilating, and frightening of the innocents to attain religious, fiscal, and political goals and to question the authority of the government. Leaders of the world promised to transform the planet by empowering community members and building community resilience (CR) against terrorism. This study concentrates to explore building community resilience against terrorism and empowering community members and implement strategies for strengthening community resilience. For data collection a mixed methods methodology will be used. Means, STD deviation, Pearson correlation, and thematic analysis will be employed to analyze the gathered data. The findings of the study will be interpreted and recommendations will be furnished accordingly. Study results will be disseminated to all concerned through conferences and seminar sessions. It is predicted that after the completion, the project team will be in a robust position to start writing the report that concentrates on strengthening community resilience, which is the crucial goal of this project. The publication will contribute effectively to all stakeholders and society, particularly to the lower rungs of social order. Moreover, it is expected that this project will contribute to future research in the domain of community resilience. This project will also reveal the remarkable potential of archival research on community resilience.

Keywords: Violent Extremism, community Role, community resilience, community empowerment, Leadership role

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6138 Analysis on Prediction Models of TBM Performance and Selection of Optimal Input Parameters

Authors: Hang Lo Lee, Ki Il Song, Hee Hwan Ryu

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An accurate prediction of TBM(Tunnel Boring Machine) performance is very difficult for reliable estimation of the construction period and cost in preconstruction stage. For this purpose, the aim of this study is to analyze the evaluation process of various prediction models published since 2000 for TBM performance, and to select the optimal input parameters for the prediction model. A classification system of TBM performance prediction model and applied methodology are proposed in this research. Input and output parameters applied for prediction models are also represented. Based on these results, a statistical analysis is performed using the collected data from shield TBM tunnel in South Korea. By performing a simple regression and residual analysis utilizinFg statistical program, R, the optimal input parameters are selected. These results are expected to be used for development of prediction model of TBM performance.

Keywords: TBM performance prediction model, classification system, simple regression analysis, residual analysis, optimal input parameters

Procedia PDF Downloads 309
6137 safeRoute: Information Safety System for Professional Road Driving

Authors: Francisco Toledo-Castillo, Pilar Peiró-Torres, María Josefa Sospedra-Baeza, Sergio Hidalgo-Fuentes

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The communication presented is about tasks that are been developed in the research project “safeRoute”, “Information safety system for professional road driving” (IPT-2012-110-370000). This R&D project was proposed by the consortium formed by Fagor Electronica la SEU 3 and the University of Valencia to the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, which approved it inside the INNPACTO subprogramme grants. Through this type of calls, the Ministry promote the innovative capacity of the Spanish companies and turn on the mechanism for competing internationally. With this kind of calls, private investments for technological and industrial development join their R & D resources with public entities to implement innovative project that could have an international exposure. Thus INNPACTO subprogramme promotes the creation of research projects with public-private partnerships that create exploitable final products. The “safeRoute” Project pretends develop a tool to help to make more safety the travels of commercial transport vehicles of goods and passengers. To achieve its objectives, the project is focused in three main lines of research: vehicle safety, the safety of the roads that they are using, and the safety which drivers do their job, their behaviour while they are driving. To improve safety, the project gives information about these three factors to all people that are involved in the safety of the professional transport. These three factors have influence to the occurrence of traffic accidents, thanks to the information provided and treated about these factors, we can achieve a significant reduction in occupational accidents in the transport sector. SafeRoute provide information about routes, vehicles, and driver behaviours, and in this manner pretends provide to transport companies a tool which could result in a safer driving results and could reduce their costs related to traffic accidents of their vehicles, in that way, this tool could help them to be more competitive, and give a more reliable service. This paper will focus mainly on the information about routes that drivers use to travel in their professional work, and how the researchers of this project have catalogued and evaluated these routes, and finally how that information will be provided to users.

Keywords: driver support systems, professional drivers, road safety, safeRoute

Procedia PDF Downloads 403
6136 National Assessment for Schools in Saudi Arabia: Score Reliability and Plausible Values

Authors: Dimiter M. Dimitrov, Abdullah Sadaawi

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The National Assessment for Schools (NAFS) in Saudi Arabia consists of standardized tests in Mathematics, Reading, and Science for school grade levels 3, 6, and 9. One main goal is to classify students into four categories of NAFS performance (minimal, basic, proficient, and advanced) by schools and the entire national sample. The NAFS scoring and equating is performed on a bounded scale (D-scale: ranging from 0 to 1) in the framework of the recently developed “D-scoring method of measurement.” The specificity of the NAFS measurement framework and data complexity presented both challenges and opportunities to (a) the estimation of score reliability for schools, (b) setting cut-scores for the classification of students into categories of performance, and (c) generating plausible values for distributions of student performance on the D-scale. The estimation of score reliability at the school level was performed in the framework of generalizability theory (GT), with students “nested” within schools and test items “nested” within test forms. The GT design was executed via a multilevel modeling syntax code in R. Cut-scores (on the D-scale) for the classification of students into performance categories was derived via a recently developed method of standard setting, referred to as “Response Vector for Mastery” (RVM) method. For each school, the classification of students into categories of NAFS performance was based on distributions of plausible values for the students’ scores on NAFS tests by grade level (3, 6, and 9) and subject (Mathematics, Reading, and Science). Plausible values (on the D-scale) for each individual student were generated via random selection from a statistical logit-normal distribution with parameters derived from the student’s D-score and its conditional standard error, SE(D). All procedures related to D-scoring, equating, generating plausible values, and classification of students into performance levels were executed via a computer program in R developed for the purpose of NAFS data analysis.

Keywords: large-scale assessment, reliability, generalizability theory, plausible values

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6135 Analysis and Rule Extraction of Coronary Artery Disease Data Using Data Mining

Authors: Rezaei Hachesu Peyman, Oliyaee Azadeh, Salahzadeh Zahra, Alizadeh Somayyeh, Safaei Naser

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Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is one major cause of disability in adults and one main cause of death in developed. In this study, data mining techniques including Decision Trees, Artificial neural networks (ANNs), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) analyze CAD data. Data of 4948 patients who had suffered from heart diseases were included in the analysis. CAD is the target variable, and 24 inputs or predictor variables are used for the classification. The performance of these techniques is compared in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The most significant factor influencing CAD is chest pain. Elderly males (age > 53) have a high probability to be diagnosed with CAD. SVM algorithm is the most useful way for evaluation and prediction of CAD patients as compared to non-CAD ones. Application of data mining techniques in analyzing coronary artery diseases is a good method for investigating the existing relationships between variables.

Keywords: classification, coronary artery disease, data-mining, knowledge discovery, extract

Procedia PDF Downloads 657
6134 Sustainable Renovation of Cultural Buildings Case Study: Red Bay National Historic Site, Canada

Authors: Richard Briginshaw, Hana Alaojeli, Javaria Ahmad, Hamza Gaffar, Nourtan Murad

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Sustainable renovations to cultural buildings and sites require a high level of competency in the sometimes conflicting areas of social/historical demands, environmental concerns, and the programmatic and technical requirements of the project. A detailed analysis of the existing site, building and client program are critical to reveal both challenges and opportunities. This forms the starting point for the design process – empirical explorations that search for a balanced and inspired architectural solution to the project. The Red Bay National Historic Site on the Labrador Coast of eastern Canada is a challenging project to explore and resolve these ideas. Originally the site of a 16ᵗʰ century whaling station occupied by Basque sailors from France and Spain, visitors now experience this history at the interpretive center, along with the unique geography, climate, local culture and vernacular architecture of the area. Working with our client, Parks Canada, the project called for significant alterations and expansion to the existing facility due to an increase in the number of annual visitors. Sustainable aspects of the design are focused on sensitive site development, passive energy strategies such as building orientation and building envelope efficiency, active renewable energy systems, carefully considered material selections, water efficiency, and interiors that respond to human comfort and a unique visitor experience.

Keywords: sustainability, renovations and expansion, cultural project, architectural design, green building

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6133 Astronomical Object Classification

Authors: Alina Muradyan, Lina Babayan, Arsen Nanyan, Gohar Galstyan, Vigen Khachatryan

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We present a photometric method for identifying stars, galaxies and quasars in multi-color surveys, which uses a library of ∼> 65000 color templates for comparison with observed objects. The method aims for extracting the information content of object colors in a statistically correct way, and performs a classification as well as a redshift estimation for galaxies and quasars in a unified approach based on the same probability density functions. For the redshift estimation, we employ an advanced version of the Minimum Error Variance estimator which determines the redshift error from the redshift dependent probability density function itself. The method was originally developed for the Calar Alto Deep Imaging Survey (CADIS), but is now used in a wide variety of survey projects. We checked its performance by spectroscopy of CADIS objects, where the method provides high reliability (6 errors among 151 objects with R < 24), especially for the quasar selection, and redshifts accurate within σz ≈ 0.03 for galaxies and σz ≈ 0.1 for quasars. For an optimization of future survey efforts, a few model surveys are compared, which are designed to use the same total amount of telescope time but different sets of broad-band and medium-band filters. Their performance is investigated by Monte-Carlo simulations as well as by analytic evaluation in terms of classification and redshift estimation. If photon noise were the only error source, broad-band surveys and medium-band surveys should perform equally well, as long as they provide the same spectral coverage. In practice, medium-band surveys show superior performance due to their higher tolerance for calibration errors and cosmic variance. Finally, we discuss the relevance of color calibration and derive important conclusions for the issues of library design and choice of filters. The calibration accuracy poses strong constraints on an accurate classification, which are most critical for surveys with few, broad and deeply exposed filters, but less severe for surveys with many, narrow and less deep filters.

Keywords: VO, ArVO, DFBS, FITS, image processing, data analysis

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6132 Analyses of Adverse Drug Reactions Reported of Hospital in Taiwan

Authors: Yu-Hong Lin

Abstract:

Background: An adverse drug reaction (ADR) reported is an injury which caused by taking medicines. Sometimes the severity of ADR reported may be minor, but sometimes it could be a life-threatening situation. In order to provide healthcare professionals as a better reference in clinical practice, we do data collection and analysis from our hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective study of ADRs reported performed from 2014 to 2015 in our hospital in Taiwan. We collected assessment items of ADRs reported, which contain gender and age, occurring sources, Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification of suspected drugs, types of adverse reactions, Naranjo score calculating by Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale and so on. Results: The investigation included two hundred and seven ADRs reported. Most of ADRs reported were occurring in outpatient department (92%). The average age of ADRs reported was 65.3 years. Less than 65 years of age were in the majority in this study (54%). Majority of all ADRs reported were males (51%). According to ATC classification system, the major classification of suspected drugs was cardiovascular system (19%) and antiinfectives for systemic use (18%) respectively. Among the adverse reactions, Dermatologic Effects (35%) were the major type of ADRs. Also, the major Naranjo scores of all ADRs reported ranged from 1 to 4 points (91%), which represents a possible correlation between ADRs reported and suspected drugs. Conclusions: Definitely, ADRs reported is still an extremely important information for healthcare professionals. For that reason, we put all information of ADRs reported into our hospital's computer system, and it will improve the safety of medication use. By hospital's computer system, it can remind prescribers to think of information about patient's ADRs reported. No drugs are administered without risk. Therefore, all healthcare professionals should have a responsibility to their patients, who themselves are becoming more aware of problems associated with drug therapy.

Keywords: adverse drug reaction, Taiwan, healthcare professionals, safe use of medicines

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6131 A Two-Week and Six-Month Stability of Cancer Health Literacy Classification Using the CHLT-6

Authors: Levent Dumenci, Laura A. Siminoff

Abstract:

Health literacy has been shown to predict a variety of health outcomes. Reliable identification of persons with limited cancer health literacy (LCHL) has been proved questionable with existing instruments using an arbitrary cut point along a continuum. The CHLT-6, however, uses a latent mixture modeling approach to identify persons with LCHL. The purpose of this study was to estimate two-week and six-month stability of identifying persons with LCHL using the CHLT-6 with a discrete latent variable approach as the underlying measurement structure. Using a test-retest design, the CHLT-6 was administered to cancer patients with two-week (N=98) and six-month (N=51) intervals. The two-week and six-month latent test-retest agreements were 89% and 88%, respectively. The chance-corrected latent agreements estimated from Dumenci’s latent kappa were 0.62 (95% CI: 0.41 – 0.82) and .47 (95% CI: 0.14 – 0.80) for the two-week and six-month intervals, respectively. High levels of latent test-retest agreement between limited and adequate categories of cancer health literacy construct, coupled with moderate to good levels of change-corrected latent agreements indicated that the CHLT-6 classification of limited versus adequate cancer health literacy is relatively stable over time. In conclusion, the measurement structure underlying the instrument allows for estimating classification errors circumventing limitations due to arbitrary approaches adopted by all other instruments. The CHLT-6 can be used to identify persons with LCHL in oncology clinics and intervention studies to accurately estimate treatment effectiveness.

Keywords: limited cancer health literacy, the CHLT-6, discrete latent variable modeling, latent agreement

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6130 Fake Accounts Detection in Twitter Based on Minimum Weighted Feature Set

Authors: Ahmed ElAzab, Amira M. Idrees, Mahmoud A. Mahmoud, Hesham Hefny

Abstract:

Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook attracts over 500 million users across the world, for those users, their social life, even their practical life, has become interrelated. Their interaction with social networking has affected their life forever. Accordingly, social networking sites have become among the main channels that are responsible for vast dissemination of different kinds of information during real time events. This popularity in Social networking has led to different problems including the possibility of exposing incorrect information to their users through fake accounts which results to the spread of malicious content during life events. This situation can result to a huge damage in the real world to the society in general including citizens, business entities, and others. In this paper, we present a classification method for detecting fake accounts on Twitter. The study determines the minimized set of the main factors that influence the detection of the fake accounts on Twitter, then the determined factors have been applied using different classification techniques, a comparison of the results for these techniques has been performed and the most accurate algorithm is selected according to the accuracy of the results. The study has been compared with different recent research in the same area, this comparison has proved the accuracy of the proposed study. We claim that this study can be continuously applied on Twitter social network to automatically detect the fake accounts, moreover, the study can be applied on different Social network sites such as Facebook with minor changes according to the nature of the social network which are discussed in this paper.

Keywords: fake accounts detection, classification algorithms, twitter accounts analysis, features based techniques

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6129 Application of Strategic Management Tools

Authors: Abenezer Nigussie

Abstract:

Strategic control practice is a critical exercise, as it provides a sturdy influence towards firms or production partners to achieve the full implementation of effective predetermined plans. The importance of strategic control in a company is often measured by observing the relationship between strategic management and organizational performance. The conventional philosophy of strategic control in academia and the industry places significant emphasis on the ability to plan and execute initiatives. In contrast, the same emphasis on strategic management has received less attention in the housing industry. Although the pressures of project performance can often obscure the wider social, economic, and professional context in which strategic management is undertaken, it is these broad contextual areas that make strategic control a vital issue for construction businesses. Rapidly changing social and technological issues are creating an informed environment that will appear very different in the coming decades from what is experienced in today’s companies. Construction project activity is not adequately led by strategic management tools; projects are mostly executed through simple plans and schedules. The issues that this thesis addresses and solves involve the successful accompaniment of the construction project process through these strategic management tools. The second important aspect is an evaluation of project activity, which is mostly done through simple economic and technical valuation. However, during this research, effective strategic management tools are evaluated and suggested for the assessment of project activities. The research introduces a study of the current strategic management practices of construction companies and also presents the concept of strategic management and the areas that companies need to address to compete in the global market. A summary of an industry survey is documented along with the historical research that prompted the investigation of these topics with a focus on the implementation of tools. Strategic management is a concept that concerns making decisions and taking corrective actions to achieve the future goals and objectives of a company. The objective of this paper is to review the practice of strategic management in construction companies. Questionnaires were distributed to major construction companies listed under categories of each project capable of specifying the complete expression of strategic management tools. Findings of the research showed that the majority of development companies practice strategic management tools in the process and implementation of each tool.

Keywords: strategic management, management, analysis, project management

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6128 Rapid Classification of Soft Rot Enterobacteriaceae Phyto-Pathogens Pectobacterium and Dickeya Spp. Using Infrared Spectroscopy and Machine Learning

Authors: George Abu-Aqil, Leah Tsror, Elad Shufan, Shaul Mordechai, Mahmoud Huleihel, Ahmad Salman

Abstract:

Pectobacterium and Dickeya spp which negatively affect a wide range of crops are the main causes of the aggressive diseases of agricultural crops. These aggressive diseases are responsible for a huge economic loss in agriculture including a severe decrease in the quality of the stored vegetables and fruits. Therefore, it is important to detect these pathogenic bacteria at their early stages of infection to control their spread and consequently reduce the economic losses. In addition, early detection is vital for producing non-infected propagative material for future generations. The currently used molecular techniques for the identification of these bacteria at the strain level are expensive and laborious. Other techniques require a long time of ~48 h for detection. Thus, there is a clear need for rapid, non-expensive, accurate and reliable techniques for early detection of these bacteria. In this study, infrared spectroscopy, which is a well-known technique with all its features, was used for rapid detection of Pectobacterium and Dickeya spp. at the strain level. The bacteria were isolated from potato plants and tubers with soft rot symptoms and measured by infrared spectroscopy. The obtained spectra were analyzed using different machine learning algorithms. The performances of our approach for taxonomic classification among the bacterial samples were evaluated in terms of success rates. The success rates for the correct classification of the genus, species and strain levels were ~100%, 95.2% and 92.6% respectively.

Keywords: soft rot enterobacteriaceae (SRE), pectobacterium, dickeya, plant infections, potato, solanum tuberosum, infrared spectroscopy, machine learning

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6127 Integrating Optuna And Synthetic Data Generation For Optimized Medical Transcript Classification Using BioBERT

Authors: Sachi Nandan Mohanty, Shreya Sinha, Sweeti Sah, Shweta Sharma

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The advancement of natural language processing has majorly influenced the field of medical transcript classification, providing a robust framework for enhancing the accuracy of clinical data processing. It has enormous potential to transform healthcare and improve people's livelihoods. This research focuses on improving the accuracy of medical transcript categorization using Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) and its specialized variants, including BioBERT, ClinicalBERT, SciBERT, and BlueBERT. The experimental work employs Optuna, an optimization framework, for hyperparameter tuning to identify the most effective variant, concluding that BioBERT yields the best performance. Furthermore, various optimizers, including Adam, RMSprop, and Layerwise adaptive large batch optimization (LAMB), were evaluated alongside BERT's default AdamW optimizer. The findings show that the LAMB optimizer achieves equally good performance as AdamW. Synthetic data generation techniques from Gretel were utilized to augment the dataset, expanding the original dataset from 5,000 to 10,000 rows. Subsequent evaluations demonstrated that the model maintained its performance with synthetic data, with the LAMB optimizer showing marginally better results. The enhanced dataset and optimized model configurations improved classification accuracy, showcasing the efficacy of the BioBERT variant and the LAMB optimizer. It resulted in an accuracy of up to 98.2% and 90.8% for the original and combined datasets, respectively.

Keywords: BioBERT, clinical data, healthcare AI, transformer models

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