Search results for: Southern Tunisian Atlas Front

Authors: Arth J. Shah, Madhu R. Kamble

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Voice biometric liveness detection is customized to certify an authentication process of the voice data presented is genuine and not a recording or synthetic voice. With the rise of deepfakes and other equivalently sophisticated spoofing generation techniques, it’s becoming challenging to ensure that the person on the other end is a live speaker or not. Voice Liveness Detection (VLD) system is a group of security measures which detect and prevent voice spoofing attacks. Motivated by the recent development of the Kolmogorov-Arnold Network (KAN) based on the Kolmogorov-Arnold theorem, we proposed KAN for the VLD task. To date, multilayer perceptron (MLP) based classifiers have been used for the classification tasks. We aim to capture not only the compositional structure of the model but also to optimize the values of univariate functions. This study explains the mathematical as well as experimental analysis of KAN for VLD tasks, thereby opening a new perspective for scientists to work on speech and signal processing-based tasks. This study emerges as a combination of traditional signal processing tasks and new deep learning models, which further proved to be a better combination for VLD tasks. The experiments are performed on the POCO and ASVSpoof 2017 V2 database. We used Constant Q-transform, Mel, and short-time Fourier transform (STFT) based front-end features and used CNN, BiLSTM, and KAN as back-end classifiers. The best accuracy is 91.26 % on the POCO database using STFT features with the KAN classifier. In the ASVSpoof 2017 V2 database, the lowest EER we obtained was 26.42 %, using CQT features and KAN as a classifier.

Keywords: Kolmogorov Arnold networks, multilayer perceptron, pop noise, voice liveness detection

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Authors: O. Smara, H. Dendougui, B. Legseir

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Atriplex halimus L. is particularly well adapted to arid and salt-affected areas. In this species, salinity resistance is often attributed to the presence of vesiculated hairs covering leaf surface and containing a large amount of salt. Atriplex halimus L. (Chenopodiaceae) is a perennial shrub native to the Mediterranean basin with excellent tolerance to drought and salinity. The species is present in semiarid to subhumid areas of the north Mediterranean and in arid zones from North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean. The main aim of this study was to identify a medicinal plant used in the Ouargla (Est-southern Algeria) for the treatment of several human pathologies. This plant is an important source for livestock in nitrogenous matter, it is an effective and relatively inexpensive tool in the fight against erosion and desertification and rehabilitation of degraded lands. Phytochemical investigation is applied to the majority of extracts of the powder of the aerial parts of Atriplex halimus L. Different chromatographic methods after liquid-liquid extraction are used; it is the thin layer chromatography (TLC) and paper using multiple systems and chemical revelations. This study followed by an evaluation by the phenol assay the Folin-Ciocalteu method, using gallic acid as a reference for phenols and quercetin for flavonols. Some polar extracts showed an interesting result better than the less polar extracts.

Keywords: Atriples halimus L., chenopodiaceae, flavonoids, phenols

Procedia PDF Downloads 300

Authors: Chih-Hua Wu, Bang-Fuh Chen, Keryea Soong

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Midges can move on the surface of the water at speeds of approximately 340 body-lengths/s and can move continuously for >90 min. Their wings periodically scull the sea surface to push water backward and thus generate thrust; their other body parts, including their three pairs of legs, touch the water only occasionally. The aim of this study was to investigate the locomotion mechanism of marine midges with a size of 2 mm and living in shallow reefs in Wanliton, southern Taiwan. We assumed that midges generate lift through two mechanisms: by sculling the surface of seawater to leverage the generated tension for thrust and by retracting their wings to generate aerodynamic lift at a suitable angle of attack. We performed computational fluid dynamic simulations to determine the mechanism of midge locomotion above the surface of the water. The simulations indicated that ground effects are essential and that both the midge trunk and wing tips must be very close to the water surface to produce sufficient lift to keep the midge airborne. Furthermore, a high wing-beat frequency is crucial for the midge to produce sufficient lift during wing retraction. Accordingly, ground effects, forward speed, and high wing-beat frequency are major factors influencing the ability of midges to generate sufficient lift and remain airborne above the water surface.

Keywords: ground effect, water locomotion, CFD, aerodynamic lift

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: Liu Xiaohan

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Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpesvirus and is closely related to many malignancies of lymphocyte and epithelial origins, such as gastric cancer, Burkitt’s lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). NPC is a malignant epithelial tumor which is 100% associated with EBV latent infection. Most of the NPC cases are densely populated in southern China, especially in Guangdong and Hong Kong. To our knowledge, overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines may result in a loss of balance of the immune system and cause damage to human bodies. Interleukin-6 (IL6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which plays an important role in tumor progression. In addition, gene expression is regulated by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional pathways, while post-transcriptional regulation is an important mechanism to modulate the mature mRNA level in mammalian cells. AU-rich element binding factor 1 (AUF1)/heterogeneous nuclear RNP D (hnRNP D) is known for its function in destabilizing mRNAs, including cytokines and cell cycle regulators. Previous studies have found that overexpression of hnRNP D would lead to tumorigenesis. In this project, our aim is to determine the role played by hnRNP D in EBV-infected cells and how our anti-EBV agents can affect the function of hnRNP D. The results of this study will provide a new insight into how the pro-inflammatory cytokine expression can be regulated by EBV.

Keywords: interleukin 6 (IL6), epstein-barr virus (EBV), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC, epstein-barr nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1)

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Authors: Ahmed Tafraoui, Gilles Escadeillas, Thierry Vidal

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The southern Algeria is known for its huge sand dunes that cover part of its territory (Sahara). This sand has features that allow a glimpse of a recovery in the construction field in the form of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC). This type of concrete using a large amount of silica fume, ultra fine addition that gives very high performance but is also relatively rare and expensive. Replacing it with another addition to equivalent properties, such as metakaolin, can also be considered. The objective of this study is to both enhance the sand dunes of Erg south west western Algeria but also reduce manufacturing costs of Ultra High Performance Concrete to incorporating metakaolin to instead of silica fume. Performances to determine mechanical performance are instantaneous, compression and bending. Initially, we characterized the Algerian sand dune. Then, we have to find a formulation of UHPC, adequate in terms of implementation and to replace silica fume by metakaolin. Finally, we studied the actual value of the sand dune. Concrete obtained have very high mechanical performance, up to a compressive strength of 250 MPa, a tensile strength of 45 MPa by bending with the method of heat treatment. This study shows that the enhancement of dune sand studied is quite possible in UHPC, and in particular UHPC bundles and the replacement of silica fume by metakaolin do not alter the properties of these concretes.

Keywords: Ultra High Performance Concrete, sand dune, formulations, silica fume, metakaolin, strength

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Authors: Ashim Sattar, Ajanta Goswami, Anil V. Kulkarni

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Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) highly contributes to mountain hazards in the Himalaya. Over the past decade, high altitude lakes in the Himalaya has been showing notable growth in their size and number. The key reason is rapid retreat of its glacier front. Hydrodynamic modeling GLOF using shallow water equations (SWE) would result in understanding its impact in the downstream region. The present study incorporates remote sensing based ice thickness modeling to determine the future extent of the Dhauliganga Lake to map the over deepening extent around the highest lake in the Dhauliganga basin. The maximum future volume of the lake calculated using area-volume scaling is used to model a GLOF event. The GLOF hydrograph is routed along the channel using one dimensional and two dimensional model to understand the flood wave propagation till it reaches the 1st hydropower station located 72 km downstream of the lake. The present extent of the lake calculated using SENTINEL 2 images is 0.13 km². The maximum future extent of the lake, mapped by investigating the glacier bed has a calculated scaled volume of 3.48 x 106 m³. The GLOF modeling releasing the future volume of the lake resulted in a breach hydrograph with a peak flood of 4995 m³/s at just downstream of the lake. Hydraulic routing

Keywords: GLOF, glacial lake outburst floods, mountain hazard, Central Himalaya, future projection

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Authors: Alvaro Aguinaga, Carlos Avila, Edgar Cando

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This article proposes a n-layer architecture, with a web client as a front-end, for the development of a virtual platform for process simulation on CNC machines. This Open-Source platform includes a CAD-CAM interface drawing primitives, and then used to furnish a CNC program that triggers a touch-screen virtual simulator. The objectives of this project are twofold. First one is an educational component that fosters new alternatives for the CAD-CAM/CNC learning process in undergrad and grade schools and technical and technological institutes emphasizing in the development of critical skills, discussion and collaborative work. The second objective puts together a research and technological component that will take the state of the art in CAD-CAM integration to a new level with the development of optimal algorithms and virtual platforms, on-line availability, that will pave the way for the long-term goal of this project, that is, to have a visible and active graduate school in Ecuador and a world wide Open-Innovation community in the area of CAD-CAM integration and operation of CNC machinery. The virtual platform, developed as a part of this study: (1) delivers improved training process of students, (2) creates a multidisciplinary team and a collaborative work space that will push the new generation of students to face future technological challenges, (3) implements industry standards for CAD/CAM, (4) presents a platform for the development of industrial applications. A protoype of this system was developed and implemented in a network of universities and technological institutes in Ecuador.

Keywords: CAD-CAM integration, virtual platforms, CNC machines, multi-layer based architecture

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Authors: Liu Szu Yin

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The center of urban development lies in commercial transactions and folk religious activities. In Taipei City, temples serve as crucial urban spaces and centers for civic activities and religious beliefs. The appearance of local temples can be influenced by the prosperity of the surrounding communities. Apart from being centers of religious worship, Taipei's temples also host festival celebrations, allowing people to gather in front of the temples and form collective urban memories. The spatial attributes for hosting festival activities include streets, squares, parks, and buildings. In Taipei, many traditional festivals take place on the streets, either as round-trip routes or linear routes with a single starting and ending point. Given the processions and parades involving palanquins and other ceremonial objects during traditional festival activities, street spaces are frequently utilized. Therefore, this study analyzes the historical context and street spaces of three traditional festivals in Taipei City, including Qingshan Temple in Monga, Xiahai City God Temple in Dadaocheng, and Baoan Temple in Dalongdong, through on-site research. Most urban festival planners need to understand the characteristics of the city's streets in order to effectively utilize street spaces for festival planning. Taipei's traditional festivals not only preserve Chinese traditional culture but also incorporate modern elements, ensuring the transmission of culture and faith and allowing the city to become characterized by sustainable culture and unique urban memories.

Keywords: festival space, urban festival, taipei, urban memory

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Authors: William C. Dean

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In the pedagogical sequence of the four- and five-year architectural programs at Alfred State, the fourth-year Urban Design Studio constitutes the first course where students directly explore design issues in the urban context. It is the first large-scale, community-based service learning project for most of the participating students. The students learn key lessons that include the benefits of working both individually and in groups of different sizes toward a common goal, accepting - and responding creatively too - criticism from stakeholders at different points in the project, and recognizing the role that local politics and activism can play in planning for community development. Above all, students are exposed to the importance of good planning in relation to preservation and community revitalization. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of community-based service-learning projects in undergraduate architectural education to promote student civic engagement as a means of helping communities visualize potential solutions for revitalizing their neighborhoods and business districts. A series of case studies will be presented in terms of challenges that were encountered, opportunities for student engagement and leadership, and the feasibility of sustainable community development resulting from those projects. The reader will be encouraged to consider how they can recognize needs within their own communities that could benefit from the assistance of architecture students and faculty.

Keywords: urban design, service-learning, civic engagement, community revitalization

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Authors: S. Djaziri, F. Sket, A. Hynowska, S. Milenkovic

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The use of Fe-Al based intermetallics as an alternative to Cr/Ni based stainless steels is very promising for industrial applications that use critical raw materials parts under extreme conditions. However, the development of advanced Fe-Al based intermetallics with appropriate mechanical properties presents several challenges that involve appropriate processing and microstructure control. A processing strategy is being developed which aims at producing a net-shape porous Fe-based preform that is infiltrated with molten Al or Al-alloy. In the present work, porous Fe-based preforms produced by two different methods (selective laser melting (SLM) and Kochanek-process (KE)) are studied during infiltration with molten aluminum. In the objective to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the formation of Fe-Al intermetallic phases during infiltration, an in-house furnace has been designed for in situ observation of infiltration at synchrotron facilities combining x-ray radiography (XR) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated, and information about the melt flow front propagation has been obtained. In addition, reactive infiltration has been achieved where a bi-phased intermetallic layer has been identified to be formed between the solid Fe and liquid Al. In particular, a tongue-like Fe₂Al₅ phase adhering to the Fe and a needle-like Fe₄Al₁₃ phase adhering to the Al were observed. The growth of the intermetallic compound was found to be dependent on the temperature gradient present along the preform as well as on the reaction time which will be discussed in view of the different obtained results.

Keywords: combined synchrotron radiography and diffraction, Fe-Al intermetallic compounds, in-situ molten Al infiltration, porous solid Fe preforms

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Authors: Ioana Dallinger, Vincent P. Magnini

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Due to the many moving parts and high human component, mistakes and failures sometimes occur during transactions in service environments. Because a certain portion of such failures is unavoidable, many service providers constantly look for guidance regarding optimal ways by which they should manage failures and recoveries. Through the use of a scenario-based experiment, the findings of this study run counter to the empowerment approach (i.e. that frontline employees should be empowered to resolve failure situations on their own doing). Specifically, this study finds that customers’ perceptions of distributive, procedural, and interactional justice are significantly higher [p-values < .05] when a manager delivers an apology as opposed to the frontline provider. Moreover, customers’ satisfaction with the recovery and commitment to the firm are also significantly stronger [p-values < .05] when a manager apologizes. Interestingly, this study also empirically tests the effects of combined apologies of both the manager and employee and finds that the combined approach yields better results for customers’ interactional justice perceptions and for their satisfaction with recovery, but not for their distributive or procedural justice perceptions or consequent commitment to the firm. This study can serve a springboard for further research. For example, perceptions and attitudes regarding employee empowerment vary based upon country culture. Furthermore, there are likely a number of factors that can moderate the cause and effect relationship between a failure recovery and customers’ post-recovery perceptions [e.g. the severity of the failure].

Keywords: apology, empowerment, service failure recovery, service recovery

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Authors: Yasser Aldali

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The scope of this paper is to evaluate and compare the potential of LS-PV (Large Scale Photovoltaic Power Plant) power generation systems in the southern region of Libya at Al-Kufra for both stationary and tracking systems. A Microsoft Excel-VBA program has been developed to compute slope radiation, dew-point, sky temperature, and then cell temperature, maximum power output and module efficiency of the system for stationary system and for tracking system. The results for energy production show that the total energy output is 114GWh/year for stationary system and 148 GWh/year for tracking system. The average module efficiency for the stationary system is 16.6% and 16.2% for the tracking system. The values of electricity generation capacity factor (CF) and solar capacity factor (SCF) for stationary system were found to be 26% and 62.5% respectively and 34% and 82% for tracking system. The GCR (Ground Cover Ratio) for a stationary system is 0.7, which corresponds to a tilt angle of 24°. The GCR for tracking system was found to be 0.12. The estimated ground area needed to build a 50MW PV plant amounts to approx. 0.55 km2 for a stationary PV field constituted by HIT PV arrays and approx. 91 MW/km2. In case of a tracker PV field, the required ground area amounts approx. 2.4k m2 and approx. 20.5 MW/km2.

Keywords: large scale photovoltaic power plant, two-axis tracking system, stationary system, landscape impact

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Authors: Hatice Özbek, Caner Çil, Ahmet Rodoplu

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Automotive lighting is the leading function in the configuration of vehicle architecture. Especially headlights and taillights from external lighting functions are among the structures that determine the stylistic character of the vehicle. At the same time, the fact that lighting functions are related to many other functions brings along difficulties in design. Customers expect maximum quality from the vehicle. In these circumstances, it is necessary to make designs that aim to keep the performance of bulbs with limited working lives at the highest level. With this study, the factors that influence the working lives of filament lamps were examined and bulb explosions that can occur sooner than anticipated in the future were prevented while the vehicle was still in the design phase by determining the relations with electrical, dynamical and static variables. Especially the filaments of the bulbs used in the front lighting of the vehicle are deformed in a shorter time due to the high voltage requirement. In addition to this, rear lighting lamps vibrate as a result of the tailgate opening and closing and cause the filaments to be exposed to high stress. With this study, the findings that cause bulb explosions were evaluated. Among the most important findings: 1. The structure of the cables to the lighting functions of the vehicle and the effect of the voltage values are drawn; 2. The effect of the vibration to bulb throughout the life of the vehicle; 3 The effect of the loads carried to bulb while the vehicle doors are opened and closed. At the end of the study, the maximum performance was established in the bulb lifetimes with the optimum changes made in the vehicle architecture based on the findings obtained.

Keywords: vehicle architecture, automotive lighting functions, filament lamps, bulb lifetime

Procedia PDF Downloads 151

Authors: Lahcen Daoudi, Fatima Zahra Omdi, Abldelali Gourfi

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In Morocco, as in most Mediterranean countries, water scarcity is a common situation because of low and unevenly distributed rainfall. The expansions of irrigated lands, as well as the growth of urban and industrial areas and tourist resorts, contribute to an increase of water demand. Therefore in the 1960s Morocco embarked on an ambitious program to increase the number of dams to boost water retention capacity. However, the decrease in the capacity of these reservoirs caused by sedimentation is a major problem; it is estimated at 75 million m3/year. Dams and reservoirs became unusable for their intended purposes due to sedimentation in large rivers that result from soil erosion. Soil erosion presents an important driving force in the process affecting the landscape. It has become one of the most serious environmental problems that raised much interest throughout the world. Monitoring soil erosion risk is an important part of soil conservation practices. The estimation of soil loss risk is the first step for a successful control of water erosion. The aim of this study is to estimate the soil loss risk and its spatial distribution in the different fields of Morocco and to prioritize areas for soil conservation interventions. The approach followed is the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) using remote sensing and GIS, which is the most popular empirically based model used globally for erosion prediction and control. This model has been tested in many agricultural watersheds in the world, particularly for large-scale basins due to the simplicity of the model formulation and easy availability of the dataset. The spatial distribution of the annual soil loss was elaborated by the combination of several factors: rainfall erosivity, soil erodability, topography, and land cover. The average annual soil loss estimated in several basins watershed of Morocco varies from 0 to 50t/ha/year. Watersheds characterized by high-erosion-vulnerability are located in the North (Rif Mountains) and more particularly in the Central part of Morocco (High Atlas Mountains). This variation of vulnerability is highly correlated to slope variation which indicates that the topography factor is the main agent of soil erosion within these basin catchments. These results could be helpful for the planning of natural resources management and for implementing sustainable long-term management strategies which are necessary for soil conservation and for increasing over the projected economic life of the dam implemented.

Keywords: soil loss, RUSLE, GIS-remote sensing, watershed, Morocco

Procedia PDF Downloads 457

Authors: Sarah E. Nelson, Casey Weiner, Alexander Sigmon, Jun Hua, Haris I. Sair, Jose I. Suarez, Robert D. Stevens

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Graph-theoretical information from structural connectomes indicated significant connectivity changes and improved acute prognostication in a Random Forest (RF) model in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality and has traditionally been fraught by poor methods to predict outcome. This study’s hypothesis was that structural connectivity changes occur in canonical brain networks of acute aSAH patients, and that these changes are associated with functional outcome at six months. In a prospective cohort of patients admitted to a single institution for management of acute aSAH, patients underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) as part of a multimodal MRI scan. A weighted undirected structural connectome was created of each patient’s images using Constant Solid Angle (CSA) tractography, with 176 regions of interest (ROIs) defined by the Johns Hopkins Eve atlas. ROIs were sorted into four networks: Default Mode Network, Executive Control Network, Salience Network, and Whole Brain. The resulting nodes and edges were characterized using graph-theoretic features, including Node Strength (NS), Betweenness Centrality (BC), Network Degree (ND), and Connectedness (C). Clinical (including demographics and World Federation of Neurologic Surgeons scale) and graph features were used separately and in combination to train RF and Logistic Regression classifiers to predict two outcomes: dichotomized modified Rankin Score (mRS) at discharge and at six months after discharge (favorable outcome mRS 0-2, unfavorable outcome mRS 3-6). A total of 56 aSAH patients underwent DTI a median (IQR) of 7 (IQR=8.5) days after admission. The best performing model (RF) combining clinical and DTI graph features had a mean Area Under the Receiver Operator Characteristic Curve (AUROC) of 0.88 ± 0.00 and Area Under the Precision Recall Curve (AUPRC) of 0.95 ± 0.00 over 500 trials. The combined model performed better than the clinical model alone (AUROC 0.81 ± 0.01, AUPRC 0.91 ± 0.00). The highest-ranked graph features for prediction were NS, BC, and ND. These results indicate reorganization of the connectome early after aSAH. The performance of clinical prognostic models was increased significantly by the inclusion of DTI-derived graph connectivity metrics. This methodology could significantly improve prognostication of aSAH.

Keywords: connectomics, diffusion tensor imaging, graph theory, machine learning, subarachnoid hemorrhage

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Authors: Ibrahim Abdel Gadir Malik, Dafalla Siddig Dafalla, Abdelazim Ibrahim

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Jabal Omar is located in the western side of Makkah city in Saudi Arabia. The proposed Jabal Omar Development project includes several multi-storey buildings, roads, bridges and below ground structures founded at various depths. In this study, geological mapping and site inspection which covered pre-selected areas were carried out within the easily accessed parts. Geological features; including rock types, structures, degree of weathering, and geotechnical hazards were observed and analyzed with specified software and also were documented in form of photographs. The presence of joints and fractures in the area made the rock blocks small and weak. The site is full of jointing; it was observed that, the northern side consists of 3 to 4 jointing systems with 2 random fractures associated with dykes. The southern part is affected by 2 to 3 jointing systems with minor fault and shear zones. From the field measurements and observations, it was concluded that, the Jabal Omar intruded by andesitic and basaltic dykes of different thickness and orientation. These dykes made the outcrop weak, highly deformed and made the rock masses sensitive to weathering.

Keywords: rock, slope, stabilization, protection, Makkah

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Authors: Khalid M. Kheiralla, Georgios Boutsis, Mohammed Y. Abdelgalil, Mohammed A. Ali, Nuha E. Mohamed

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The present study focus on integrated geoelectrical surveys carried out in the mineralization zone in Erkowit region, Eastern Sudan to determine the extensions of the potential ore deposits on the topographically high hilly area and under the cover of alluvium along the nearby wadi and to locate other occurrences if any. The magnetic method (MAG) and the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) were employed for the survey. Eleven traverses were aligned approximately at right angles to the general strike of the rock formations. The disseminated sulfides are located on the alteration shear zone which is composed of granitic and dioritic highly ferruginated rock occupying the southwestern and central parts of the area, this was confirmed using thin and polished sections mineralogical analysis. The magnetic data indicates low magnetic values for wadi sedimentary deposits in its southern part of the area, and high anomalies which are suspected as gossans due to magnetite formed during wall rock alteration consequent to mineralization. The significant ERT images define low resistivity zone as traced as sheared zones which may associated with the main loci of ore deposition. By itself, no geophysical anomaly can simply be correlated with lithology, instead, magnetic and ERT anomalies raised due to variations in some specific physical properties of rocks which were extremely useful in mineral exploration.

Keywords: ERT, magnetic, mineralization, Red Sea, Sudan

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Authors: Noureddine Ben Ayed, Abdelkader Soumaya, Saïd Maouche, Ali Kadri, Mongi Gueddiche, Hayet Khayati-Ammar, Ahmed Braham

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The archaeological monument of Utica, located in north-eastern Tunisia, was founded (8th century BC) By the Phoenicians as a port installed on the trade route connecting Phoenicia and the Straits of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Sea. The flourishment of this city as an important settlement during the Roman period was followed by a sudden abandonment, disuse and progressive oblivion in the first half of the fifth century AD. This decadence can be attributed to the destructive earthquake of 5 July 408 - 410 AD, affecting this historic city as documented in 1906 by the seismologist Fernand De Montessus De Ballore. The magnitude of the Utica earthquake was estimated at 6.8 by the Tunisian National Institute of Meteorology (INM). In order to highlight the damage caused by this earthquake, a field survey was carried out at the Utica ruins to detect and analyse the earthquake archaeological effects (EAEs) using structural geology methods. This approach allowed us to highlight several structural damages, including: (1) folded mortar pavements, (2) cracks affecting the mosaic and walls of a water basin in the "House of the Grand Oecus", (3) displaced columns, (4) block extrusion in masonry walls, (5) undulations in mosaic pavements, (6) tilted walls. The structural analysis of these EAEs and data measurements reveal a seismic cause for all evidence of deformation in the Utica monument. The maximum horizontal strain of the ground (e.g. SHmax) inferred from the building oriented damage in Utica shows a NNW-SSE direction under a compressive tectonic regime. For the seismogenic source of this earthquake, we propose the active E-W to NE-SW trending Utique - Ghar El Melh reverse fault, passing through the Utica Monument and extending towards the Ghar El Melh Lake, as the causative tectonic structure. The active fault trace is well supported by instrumental seismicity, geophysical data (e.g., gravity, seismic profiles) and geomorphological analyses. In summary, we find that the archaeoseismic records detected at Utica are similar to those observed at many other archaeological sites affected by destructive ancient earthquakes around the world. Furthermore, the calculated orientation of the average maximum horizontal stress (SHmax) closely match the state of the actual stress field, as highlighted by some earthquake focal mechanisms in this region.

Keywords: Tunisia, utica, seimogenic fault, archaeological earthquake effects

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Authors: Paam Bidaya

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The red seaweed Gracilaria fisheri, widely distributed along Thailand's southern coastlines, has been discovered to be edible. Sulfated polysaccharides from G. fisheri were extracted in low-temperature (25 °C) water. Seaweed polysaccharides (SPs) have been shown to have various advantageous biological effects. This study aims to investigate total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of G. fisheri extract. The total phenolic content of G. fisheri extract was determined using Folin-Cioucalteu method and calculated as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). The antioxidant activity of G. fisheri extract was performed via 2, 2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging capacity assays. The findings exhibited a strong correlation between antioxidant activity and the total phenol contents. In addition, DPPH and ABTS assays showed that G. fisheri extract showed antioxidant activities as a concentration-dependent manner. The IC50 values of G. fisheri extract were 902.19 μg/mL ± 0.785 and 727.98 μg/mL ± 0.822 for DPPH and ABTS, respectively. Vitamin C was used as a positive control in DPPH assay, while Trolox was used as a positive control in ABTS assay. To conclude, G. fisheri extract consists of a high amount of total phenolic content, which exhibit a significant antioxidant activity. However, further investigation regarding antioxidant activity should be performed in order to identify the mechanism of Gracilaria fisheri action.

Keywords: ABTS assay, DPPH assay, sulfated polysaccharides, total phenolic content

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Authors: Rohit Gupta, Ravinder Agarwal

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Surface electromyographic (sEMG) signal has the potential to identify the human activities and intention. This potential is further exploited to control the artificial limbs using the sEMG signal from residual limbs of amputees. The paper deals with the development of multichannel cost efficient sEMG signal interface for research application, along with evaluation of proposed class dependent statistical approach of the feature selection method. The sEMG signal acquisition interface was developed using ADS1298 of Texas Instruments, which is a front-end interface integrated circuit for ECG application. Further, the sEMG signal is recorded from two lower limb muscles for three locomotions namely: Plane Walk (PW), Stair Ascending (SA), Stair Descending (SD). A class dependent statistical approach is proposed for feature selection and also its performance is compared with 12 preexisting feature vectors. To make the study more extensive, performance of five different types of classifiers are compared. The outcome of the current piece of work proves the suitability of the proposed feature selection algorithm for locomotion recognition, as compared to other existing feature vectors. The SVM Classifier is found as the outperformed classifier among compared classifiers with an average recognition accuracy of 97.40%. Feature vector selection emerges as the most dominant factor affecting the classification performance as it holds 51.51% of the total variance in classification accuracy. The results demonstrate the potentials of the developed sEMG signal acquisition interface along with the proposed feature selection algorithm.

Keywords: classifiers, feature selection, locomotion, sEMG

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Authors: Mofizul Islam Awwal

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Due to globalization, industries are rapidly growing throughout the world which leads to many manufacturing organizations. But recently, service industries are beginning to emerge in large numbers almost in all parts of the world including some developing countries. In this context, organizations need to have strong competitive advantage over their rivals to achieve their strategic business goals. Manufacturing industries are adopting many methods and techniques in order to achieve such competitive edge. Over the last decades, manufacturing industries have been successfully practicing lean concept to optimize their production lines. Due to its huge success in manufacturing context, lean has made its way into the service industry. Very little importance has been addressed to service in the area of operations management. Service industries are far behind than manufacturing industries in terms of operations improvement. It will be a hectic job to transfer the lean concept from production floor to service back/front office which will obviously yield possible improvement. Service processes are not as visible as production processes and can be very complex. Lack of research in this area made it quite difficult for service industries as there are no standardized frameworks for successfully implementing lean concept in service organization. The purpose of this research paper is to capture the present scenario of service industry in terms of lean implementation. Thorough analysis of past literature will be done on the applicability and understanding of lean in service structure. Classification of research papers will be done and critical factors will be unveiled for implementing lean in service industry to achieve operational excellence.

Keywords: lean service, lean literature classification, lean implementation, service industry, service excellence

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Authors: Abdelbasset Tounekti, Kamel Boukhalfa, Tathagata Roy Choudhury, Mohamed Soussi, Santanu Banerjee

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The exceptionally glauconite-rich Miocene strata are superbly exposed throughout the front of the nappes zone of northern Tunisia. Each of the glauconitic fine-grained intervals coincide with the peak rise of third order sea-level cycles during the Burdigalian-Langhiantime. These deposits show coarsening- and thickening-upward glauconitic shale and sandstone, recording a shallowing upward progression across offshore-shoreface settings. Petrographic investigation reveals that the glauconite was originated from the alteration of fecal pellets, and lithoclast including feldspar, volcanic particle, and quartz and infillings with intraparticle pores. Mineralogical analysis of both randomly oriented and air-dried, ethylene-glycolate, and heated glauconite pellets show the low intensity of (002) reflection peaks, indicating high iron substitution for aluminum in octahedral sites. Geochemical characterization of the Miocene glauconite reveals a high K2O and variable Fe2O3 (total) content. A combination of layer lattice and divertissement theories explains the origin of glauconite. The formation of glauconite was facilitated by the abundant supply of Fe through contemporaneous volcanism in Algeria and surrounding areas, which accompanied the African-European plate convergence. Therefore, the occurrence of glauconite in the Miocene succession of Tunisia is influenced by the combination of eustacy and volcanism.

Keywords: glauconite, autogenic, volcanism, geochemistry, chamosite, northern Tunisia, miocene

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Authors: A. Kesraoui, M. Seffen

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Applications of adsorption onto activated carbon for water treatment are well known. The process has been demonstrated to be widely effective for removing dissolved organic substances from wastewaters, but this treatment has a major drawback is the high operating cost. The main goal of our research work is to improve the retention capacity of Tunisian biomass for the depollution of industrial wastewater and retention of pollutants considered toxic. The biosorption process is based on the retention of molecules and ions onto a solid surface composed of biological materials. The evaluation of the potential use of these materials is important to propose as an alternative to the adsorption process generally expensive, used to remove organic compounds. Indeed, these materials are very abundant in nature and are low cost. Certainly, the biosorption process is effective to remove the pollutants, but it presents a slow kinetics. The improvement of the biosorption rates is a challenge to make this process competitive with respect to oxidation and adsorption onto lignocellulosic fibers. In this context, the alternating current appears as a new alternative, original and a very interesting phenomenon in the acceleration of chemical reactions. Our main goal is to increase the retention acceleration of dyes (indigo carmine, methylene blue) and phenol by using a new alternative: alternating current. The adsorption experiments have been performed in a batch reactor by adding some of the adsorbents in 150 mL of pollutants solution with the desired concentration and pH. The electrical part of the mounting comprises a current source which delivers an alternating current voltage of 2 to 15 V. It is connected to a voltmeter that allows us to read the voltage. In a 150 mL capacity cell, we plunged two zinc electrodes and the distance between two Zinc electrodes has been 4 cm. Thanks to alternating current, we have succeeded to improve the performance of activated carbon by increasing the speed of the indigo carmine adsorption process and reducing the treatment time. On the other hand, we have studied the influence of the alternating current on the biosorption rate of methylene blue onto Luffa cylindrica fibers and the hybrid material (Luffa cylindrica-ZnO). The results showed that the alternating current accelerated the biosorption rate of methylene blue onto the Luffa cylindrica and the Luffa cylindrica-ZnO hybrid material and increased the adsorbed amount of methylene blue on both adsorbents. In order to improve the removal of phenol, we performed the coupling between the alternating current and the biosorption onto two adsorbents: Luffa cylindrica and the hybrid material (Luffa cylindrica-ZnO). In fact, the alternating current has succeeded to improve the performance of adsorbents by increasing the speed of the adsorption process and the adsorption capacity and reduce the processing time.

Keywords: adsorption, alternating current, dyes, modeling

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Authors: Niphattha Hannapha

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This paper examines how the classroom environment influences slow learners’ learning achievement; it focuses on how seating patterns affect students’ behaviours and which patterns best contribute to students’ learning performance. The researcher studied how slow learners’ characteristics and seating patterns influenced their behaviours and performance at Ban Hin Lad School. As a nonparticipant observation, the target groups included 15 slow learners from Prathomsueksa (Grades) 4 and 5. Students’ behaviours were recorded during their learning activities in order to minimize their reading and written expression disorder in Thai language tutorials. The result showed four seating patterns and two behaviors which obstructed students’ learning. The average of both behaviours mostly occurred when students were seated with patterns 1 (the seat facing the door, with the corridor alongside) and 3 (the seat alongside the door, facing the aisle) respectively. Seating patterns 1 and 3 demonstrated visibility (the front and side) of a walking path with two-way movement. However, seating patterns 2 (seating with the door alongside and the aisle at the back) and 4 (sitting with the door at the back and the aisle alongside) demonstrated visibility (the side) of a walking path with one-way movement. In Summary, environmental design is important to enhance concentration in slow learners who have reading and writing disabilities. This study suggests that students should be seated where they can have the least visibility of movement to help them increase continuous learning. That means they can have a better chance of developing reading and writing abilities in comparison with other patterns of seating.

Keywords: slow learning, interior design, interior environment, classroom

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Authors: Anas Ali

Abstract:

The British administration at Malabar, the southern coastal commercial outpost in the Indian Subcontinent, faced with a series of perpetual revolts from the Mappila Muslim peasants during the last decades of the 19th and early decades of the 20th century. The control of Malabar region was a concern for the British administrators as the region was a prime centre of spice trade and plantation products. The Madras government set up a special police battalion called the Malabar Special Police in 1884 and summoned different army battalions to Malabar to crush the revolts. The setting up of army camps in the rural Malabar led to the diffusion of modern sports as the army men played different games in the garrisons and with the local people. For the imperial army men deployed in Malabar, sports acted as a viable medium to strengthen solidarity with other European settlers. They actively participated in the ‘Canterbury Week’, an annual sporting event organized by the European planters and organized tournaments among themselves. This paper would argue that, sports enabled the imperial army men, European planters and British administrators to build camaraderie that enabled them to manifest their imperial solidarity during the time of these constant revolts. Based on newspaper reports and colonial memoirs, this paper would look at how modern sports enabled the imperial army men to be ‘good in health’ and create a feeling of ‘being at home’ during this period.

Keywords: imperial army, Malabar, modern sports, mutiny

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Authors: Jeremy Schultz

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The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of vineyard managers in the Krasnodar Region of Southern Russia located between the city of Kransnodar and the Black Sea. In recent years, wine tourism throughout the region has seen tremendous growth due in part to the concurrent growth in the number of tourists vacationing at the Black Sea. This trend has contributed to the development of large-scale wine operations developing in numerous rural locations along the tourists’ travel path. Niche areas of tourism, such as wine tourism, have proven to provide economic viability for rural communities all around the world. Understanding their shared group characteristics while honoring their unique qualities as individuals aids in responsible wine tourism development that provides a sense of well-being for the communities and stakeholders involved. Semi-structured interviews and lived experience methodologies were used in locations that were associated with wine food tourism operations. By understanding management perspectives, it lends insight into sustainable destination management and wine tourism product development, furthering our progress toward ethical, responsible, and financially feasible operations. This research also represents a collaborative effort between Russia and the United States that supports an agenda of sustainable destination development and management. As a global community, we need to continue to investigate stakeholder perceptions and strategic management techniques that best support the pillars upon which responsible tourism was founded.

Keywords: wine tourism, tourism development, Russia, rural tourism

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Akwu N. A., Naidoo Y., Salau V. F., Olofinsan K. A.

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Grewia lasiocarpa E. Mey. ex Harv. (Malvaceae) is a Southern African medicinal plant indigenously used with other plants for birthing problems. The anti-diabetic properties of the hexane, chloroform, and methanol extracts of Grewia lasiocarpa stem bark were assessed using in vitro α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition assay. The predictive in silico drug-likeness and toxicity properties of the phytocompounds were conducted using the pKCSM, ADMElab, and SwissADME computer-aided online tools. The highest α-glucosidase percentage inhibition was observed in the hexane extract (86.76%, IC50= 0.24 mg/mL), followed by chloroform (63.08%, IC50= 4.87 mg/mL) and methanol (53.22%, IC50= 9.41 mg/mL); while acarbose, the standard anti-diabetic drug was (84.54%, IC50= 1.96 mg/mL). The α-glucosidase assay revealed that the hexane extract exhibited the strongest carbohydrate inhibiting capacity and is a better inhibitor than the standard reference drug-acarbose. The computational studies also affirm the results observed in the in vitroα-glucosidaseassay. Thus, the extracts of G. lasiocarpa may be considered a potential plant-sourced compound for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus. This is the first study on the anti-diabetic properties of Grewia lasiocarpa hexane, chloroform, and methanol extracts using in vitro and in silico models.

Keywords: grewia lasiocarpa, α-glucosidase inhibition, anti-diabetes, ADMET

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Authors: Zahid O. Alibrahim, Craig D. Williams, Clive L. Roberts

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The study area (Ecton mining area) is located in the southern part of the Peak District in Derbyshire, England. It is bounded by the River Manifold from the west. This area has been mined for a long period. As a result, huge amounts of potentially toxic metals were released into the surrounding area and are most likely to be a significant source of heavy metal contamination to the local soil, water and vegetation. In order to appraise the potential heavy metal pollution in this area, 37 topsoil samples (5-20 cm depth) were collected and analysed for their total content of Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn, Cr, Ni and V using ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) optical emission spectroscopy. Multivariate Geospatial analyses using the GIS technique were utilised to draw geochemical maps of the metals of interest over the study area. A few hotspot points, areas of elevated concentrations of metals, were specified, which are presumed to be the results of anthropogenic activities. In addition, the soil’s environmental quality was evaluated by calculating the Mullers’ Geoaccumulation index (I geo), which suggests that the degree of contamination of the investigated heavy metals has the following trend: Pb > Zn > Cu > Mn > Ni = Cr = V. Furthermore, the potential ecological risk, using the enrichment factor (EF), was also specified. On the basis of the calculated amount or the EF, the levels of pollution for the studied metals in the study area have the following order: Pb>Zn>Cu>Cr>V>Ni>Mn.

Keywords: enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index, GIS, heavy metals, multivariate analysis

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Authors: Puran Chandra Joshi

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The Himalaya is the newest mountain system on this earth. This highest as well as fragile mountain system is still rising up. The tectonic activities have been experienced by this entire area, so the geomorphology of the region is affected by it. As we know, geomorphology is the study of landforms and their processes on the earth surface. These landforms are very important for human beings and other creatures on this planet. Present paper traces out the geomorphological features and their significance along Dhauli Ganga river valley in the Himalaya. Study area falls in higher Himalaya, which has experienced glacial and fluvial processes. Dhauli Ganga river is a considerable tributary of river kali, which is the part of huge Gangetic system. Dhauli originates in the form of two tributaries from valley glaciers of the southern slopes of Kumaun-Tibbet water divide. The upper catchment of this river has been carved by the glacial activity. The area of investigation is a remote regionin, Kumaun Himalaya. The native people do seasonal migration due to harsh winters. In summers, they return back with their cattle. In this season, they also grow potatoes and pulses, especiallybeanson river terraces. This study is important for making policies in the entire area. Area has witnessed big landslide in the recent past. So, the present study becomes more important.

Keywords: himalaya, geomorphology, glacial, tectonics

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Authors: Yiyan Wu

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In the past several decades, the market transition in China has brought in not only more opportunities for women in the labor market but also more attention to gender inequality in workplace. Although some pieces of literature have mentioned gender inequality and segregation at workplace in China, the paper looks into the variations of gender inequality and segregation: working women have little feeling about 'hierarchical inequalities', which define the status and position of women at the workplace. However, at the same time, they unconsciously reinforced 'horizontal inequalities', which creates gender segregation across occupations and job titles. Using qualitative interviews with women employers and employees of various occupations and job titles in Eastern and Southern China, this paper finds evidence that working women's understandings of the division of labor based on the characteristics and expectations of women and men are not as a result of rationality and efficiency, but instead, are the products of gendered stereotypes and traditions. However, holding positive views of gender equality at workplace, working women are not aware of the existence and influence of such gendered stereotypes and traditions. By distinguishing the concepts of 'horizontal inequality' and 'hierarchical inequality' with a cultural sociological approach, this paper contributes to the understanding of gender inequality and segregation in contemporary Chinese society. Moreover, this paper explains the logic behind the paradox in which gender inequality and segregation at workplace persist while women are feeling equal.

Keywords: gender equality, segregation, hierarchical inequality, horizontal inequality, China

Procedia PDF Downloads 159