Search results for: covert police operations
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 1979

Search results for: covert police operations

929 Management Competency in Logistical Function: The Skills That Will Master a Logistical Manager

Authors: Fatima Ibnchahid

Abstract:

Competence approach is considered, since the early 80's as one of the major development of HR policies. Many approaches to manage the professional skills were declined. Some processes are mature whereas the others have been abandoned. Competence can be defined as the set of knowledge (theoretical and practical), know-how (experience) and life skills (personality traits) mobilized by a person in the company. The skills must master a logistics manager are divided into two main categories: depending on whether technical skills, or managerial skills and human. The firsts are broken down into skills on logistical techniques and on general skills in business, seconds in social skills (self with others) and personal (with oneself). Logisticians are faced with new challenges and new constraints that are revolutionizing the way to treat the physical movement of goods and operations related to information flows that trigger, they control and guide the physical movements of these major changes, we can mention the development of information technology and communication, the emergence of strong environmental and security constraints. These changes have important effects on the skills needs of the members of the logistical function and sensitive development for training requested by logistical managers to perform better in their job changes. In this article, we will address two main points, first, a brief overview of the management skills and secondly answer the question asked in the title of the article to know what are the skills that will master a logistical manager.

Keywords: skills, competence, management, logistical function

Procedia PDF Downloads 259
928 Models, Resources and Activities of Project Scheduling Problems

Authors: Jorge A. Ruiz-Vanoye, Ocotlán Díaz-Parra, Alejandro Fuentes-Penna, José J. Hernández-Flores, Edith Olaco Garcia

Abstract:

The Project Scheduling Problem (PSP) is a generic name given to a whole class of problems in which the best form, time, resources and costs for project scheduling are necessary. The PSP is an application area related to the project management. This paper aims at being a guide to understand PSP by presenting a survey of the general parameters of PSP: the Resources (those elements that realize the activities of a project), and the Activities (set of operations or own tasks of a person or organization); the mathematical models of the main variants of PSP and the algorithms used to solve the variants of the PSP. The project scheduling is an important task in project management. This paper contains mathematical models, resources, activities, and algorithms of project scheduling problems. The project scheduling problem has attracted researchers of the automotive industry, steel manufacturer, medical research, pharmaceutical research, telecommunication, industry, aviation industry, development of the software, manufacturing management, innovation and technology management, construction industry, government project management, financial services, machine scheduling, transportation management, and others. The project managers need to finish a project with the minimum cost and the maximum quality.

Keywords: PSP, Combinatorial Optimization Problems, Project Management; Manufacturing Management, Technology Management.

Procedia PDF Downloads 401
927 Time of Week Intensity Estimation from Interval Censored Data with Application to Police Patrol Planning

Authors: Jiahao Tian, Michael D. Porter

Abstract:

Law enforcement agencies are tasked with crime prevention and crime reduction under limited resources. Having an accurate temporal estimate of the crime rate would be valuable to achieve such a goal. However, estimation is usually complicated by the interval-censored nature of crime data. We cast the problem of intensity estimation as a Poisson regression using an EM algorithm to estimate the parameters. Two special penalties are added that provide smoothness over the time of day and day of the week. This approach presented here provides accurate intensity estimates and can also uncover day-of-week clusters that share the same intensity patterns. Anticipating where and when crimes might occur is a key element to successful policing strategies. However, this task is complicated by the presence of interval-censored data. The censored data refers to the type of data that the event time is only known to lie within an interval instead of being observed exactly. This type of data is prevailing in the field of criminology because of the absence of victims for certain types of crime. Despite its importance, the research in temporal analysis of crime has lagged behind the spatial component. Inspired by the success of solving crime-related problems with a statistical approach, we propose a statistical model for the temporal intensity estimation of crime with censored data. The model is built on Poisson regression and has special penalty terms added to the likelihood. An EM algorithm was derived to obtain maximum likelihood estimates, and the resulting model shows superior performance to the competing model. Our research is in line with the smart policing initiative (SPI) proposed by the Bureau Justice of Assistance (BJA) as an effort to support law enforcement agencies in building evidence-based, data-driven law enforcement tactics. The goal is to identify strategic approaches that are effective in crime prevention and reduction. In our case, we allow agencies to deploy their resources for a relatively short period of time to achieve the maximum level of crime reduction. By analyzing a particular area within cities where data are available, our proposed approach could not only provide an accurate estimate of intensities for the time unit considered but a time-variation crime incidence pattern. Both will be helpful in the allocation of limited resources by either improving the existing patrol plan with the understanding of the discovery of the day of week cluster or supporting extra resources available.

Keywords: cluster detection, EM algorithm, interval censoring, intensity estimation

Procedia PDF Downloads 55
926 Process Mining as an Ecosystem Platform to Mitigate a Deficiency of Processes Modelling

Authors: Yusra Abdulsalam Alqamati, Ahmed Alkilany

Abstract:

The teaching staff is a distinct group whose impact is on the educational process and which plays an important role in enhancing the quality of the academic education process. To improve the management effectiveness of the academy, the Teaching Staff Management System (TSMS) proposes that all teacher processes be digitized. Since the BPMN approach can accurately describe the processes, it lacks a clear picture of the process flow map, something that the process mining approach has, which is extracting information from event logs for discovery, monitoring, and model enhancement. Therefore, these two methodologies were combined to create the most accurate representation of system operations, the ability to extract data records and mining processes, recreate them in the form of a Petri net, and then generate them in a BPMN model for a more in-depth view of process flow. Additionally, the TSMS processes will be orchestrated to handle all requests in a guaranteed small-time manner thanks to the integration of the Google Cloud Platform (GCP), the BPM engine, and allowing business owners to take part throughout the entire TSMS project development lifecycle.

Keywords: process mining, BPM, business process model and notation, Petri net, teaching staff, Google Cloud Platform

Procedia PDF Downloads 123
925 Design and Construction of a Maize Dehusking Machine for Small and Medium-Scale Farmers

Authors: Francis Ojo Ologunagba, Monday Olatunbosun Ale, Lewis A. Olutayo

Abstract:

The economic successes of commercial development of agricultural product processing depend upon the adaptability of each processing stage to mechanization. In maize processing, one of its post-harvest operations that is still facing a major challenge is dehusking. Therefore, a maize dehusking machine that could replace the prevalent traditional method of dehusking maize in developing countries, especially Nigeria was designed, constructed and tested at the Department of Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering Technology, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo. The basic features of the machine are feeding unit (hopper), housing frame, dehusking unit, drive mechanism and discharge outlets. The machine was tested with maize of 50mm average diameter at 13% moisture content and 2.5mm machine roller clearance. Test results showed appreciable performance with the dehusking efficiency of 92% and throughput capacity of 200 Kg/hr at a machine speed of 400rpm. The estimated production cost of the machine at the time of construction is forty-five thousand, one hundred and eighty nairas (₦45,180) excluding the cost of the electric motor. It is therefore recommended for small and medium-scale maize farmers and processors in Nigeria.

Keywords: construction, dehusking, design, efficiency, maize

Procedia PDF Downloads 299
924 Innovation in Lean Thinking to Achieve Rapid Construction

Authors: Muhamad Azani Yahya, Vikneswaran Munikanan, Mohammed Alias Yusof

Abstract:

Lean thinking holds the potential for improving the construction sector, and therefore, it is a concept that should be adopted by construction sector players and academicians in the real industry. Bridging from that, a learning process for construction sector players regarding this matter should be the agenda in gaining the knowledge in preparation for their career. Lean principles offer opportunities for reducing lead times, eliminating non-value adding activities, reducing variability, and are facilitated by methods such as pull scheduling, simplified operations and buffer reduction. Thus, the drive for rapid construction, which is a systematic approach in enhancing efficiency to deliver a project using time reduction, while lean is the continuous process of eliminating waste, meeting or exceeding all customer requirements, focusing on the entire value stream and pursuing perfection in the execution of a constructed project. The methodology presented is shown to be valid through literature, interviews and questionnaire. The results show that the majority of construction sector players unfamiliar with lean thinking and they agreed that it can improve the construction process flow. With this background knowledge established and identified, best practices and recommended action are drawn.

Keywords: construction improvement, rapid construction, time reduction, lean construction

Procedia PDF Downloads 356
923 Improving Automotive Efficiency through Lean Management Tools: A Case Study

Authors: Raed El-Khalil, Hussein Zeaiter

Abstract:

Managing and improving efficiency in the current highly competitive global automotive industry demands that companies adopt leaner and more flexible systems. During the past 20 years the domestic automotive industry in North America has been focusing on establishing new management strategies in order to meet market demands. 98The lean management process also known as Toyota Manufacturing Process (TPS) or lean manufacturing encompasses tools and techniques that were established in order to provide the best quality product with the fastest lead time at the lowest cost. The following paper presents a study that focused on improving labor efficiency at one of the Big Three (Ford, GM, Chrysler LLC) domestic automotive facility in North America. The objective of the study was to utilize several lean management tools in order to optimize the efficiency and utilization levels at the “Pre-Marriage” chassis area in a truck manufacturing and assembly facility. Utilizing three different lean tools (i.e. Standardization of work, 7 Wastes, and 5S) this research was able to improve efficiency by 51%, utilization by 246%, and reduce operations by 14%. The return on investment calculated based on the improvements made was 284%.

Keywords: lean manufacturing, standardized work, operation efficiency, utilization

Procedia PDF Downloads 495
922 Causes of Road Crashes Among Students Attending Schools in Huye District and Kigali City

Authors: Ami Nkumbuye

Abstract:

Background: Every year 1.3 million people die due to Road crashes, according to the Global status report. Road crashes remain the greatest killer aged between 15-29 years. Young people are paying an unacceptable price for their own safer mobility. 23,498 students attending class daily from home crossing the roads of 3 districts Kigali and Southern province is showing a similar trend with 40320 cross road daily. As most of them don't have any idea about the safety, they should have when they are crossing roads and traffic rules and signs as well. Despite the high number of mortality related to road crashes in Rwanda, we don't have any approved calendar to teach young people road safety as the most affected age group. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the causes of road crashes and the outcome of victims after being involved in road crashes over a period of two years, from January 2020 to December 2021, in Huye district and Kigali City. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study with open questions and then data analysis, students were identified from 15 schools in Kigali City and Southern Province and through the Local Action Project supported by Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety and Youth for Road Safety (YOURS), students asked about the cause of road crashes through open and closed question and data analyzed. Result: There were 354 students from 15 schools: 198 males and 156 females. Their age ranged from 10 to 25 years. The commonest cause of road crashes among students attending schools daily was: high speed, lack of education on safe behavior on the road, drinking and driving, and poor road infrastructures, with 47%, 32%, 13% and 8 %, respectively. The hospital admission after road crashes for the victims was 32.3%. In most scenes where road crashes occur, students report that they didn't see any person who could provide post-crash care until the ambulance came, in some cases, resulted in bad outcomes for the victims after road crashes. Conclusion: This study revealed that high speed and lack of education n road safety are the major cause of road crashes among young people in Rwanda. If local Non-Governmental Organization and Decision makers work on these issues like never before, we can see a decrease in road crash among young people and adult as well. We would like to give a recommendation to two institutions: the first is the Rwanda National Police Traffic department to set 30km/m as the maximum speed limit in City and near schools. The second is for the Ministry of Education to put Road Safety and Post Crash Care curricula in both Primary and Secondary schools.

Keywords: road safety, post-crash care, young people, students

Procedia PDF Downloads 76
921 Brexit: Implications on Banking Regulations and Conditions; An Analysis

Authors: Astha Sinha, Anjali Kanagali

Abstract:

The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, also termed as “Brexit,” took place on June 23, 2016 and immediately had global repercussions on the stock markets of the world. It is however expected to have a greater impact on the Banking sector in the UK. There is a two-fold effect on the earnings of banks which is being expected. First is of the trading activity and investment banking businesses being hit due to global weakness in financial markets. Second is that the banks having a large presence in the European Union will have to restructure their operations in order to cover other European countries as well increase their operating costs. As per the analysis, banks are expected to face rate cuts, bad loans, and tight liquidity. The directives in the Brexit negotiations on the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) will be a major decision to be taken for the Banking sector. New regulations will be required since most of the regulations governing the financial services industry allowing for the cross-border transactions were at the EU level. This paper aims to analyze the effect of Brexit on the UK Banking sector and changes in regulations that are expected due to the same. It shall also lay down the lessons learnt from the 2008 financial crisis and draw a parallel in terms of potential areas to be focused on for revival of the financial sector of Britain.

Keywords: Brexit, Brexit impact on UK, impact of Brexit on banking, impact of Brexit on financial services

Procedia PDF Downloads 390
920 The Role of Inventory Classification in Supply Chain Responsiveness in a Build-to-Order and Build-To-Forecast Manufacturing Environment: A Comparative Analysis

Authors: Qamar Iqbal

Abstract:

Companies strive to improve their forecasting methods to predict the fluctuations in customer demand. These fluctuation and variation in demand affect the manufacturing operations and can limit a company’s ability to fulfill customer demand on time. Companies keep the inventory buffer and maintain the stocking levels to reduce the impact of demand variation. A mid-size company deals with thousands of stock keeping units (skus). It is neither easy and nor efficient to control and manage each sku. Inventory classification provides a tool to the management to increase their ability to support customer demand. The paper presents a framework that shows how inventory classification can play a role to increase supply chain responsiveness. A case study will be presented to further elaborate the method both for build-to-order and build-to-forecast manufacturing environments. Results will be compared that will show which manufacturing setting has advantage over another under different circumstances. The outcome of this study is very useful to the management because this will give them an insight on how inventory classification can be used to increase their ability to respond to changing customer needs.

Keywords: inventory classification, supply chain responsiveness, forecast, manufacturing environment

Procedia PDF Downloads 583
919 Protection of Transformers Against Surge Voltage

Authors: Anil S. Khopkar, Umesh N. Soni

Abstract:

Surge voltage arises in the system either by switching operations of heavy load or by natural lightning. Surge voltages cause significant failure of power system equipment if adequate protection is not provided. A Surge Arrester is a device connected to a power system to protect the equipment against surge voltages. To protect the transformers against surge voltages, metal oxide surge arresters (MOSA) are connected across each terminal. Basic Insulation Level (BIL) has been defined in national and international standards of transformers based on their voltage rating. While designing transformer insulation, the BIL of the transformer, Surge arrester ratings and its operating voltage have to be considered. However, the performance of transformer insulation largely depends on the ratings of the surge arrester connected, the location of the surge arrester, the margin considered in the insulation design, the quantity of surge voltage strike, etc. This paper demonstrates the role of Surge arresters in the protection of transformers against over-voltage, transformer insulation design, optimum location of surge arresters and their connection lead length, Insulation coordination for transformer, protection margin in BIL and methods of protection of transformers against surge voltages, in detail.

Keywords: surge voltage, surge arresters, insulation coordination, protection margin

Procedia PDF Downloads 48
918 From Vertigo to Verticality: An Example of Phenomenological Design in Architecture

Authors: E. Osorio Schmied

Abstract:

Architects commonly attempt a depiction of organic forms when their works are inspired by nature, regardless of the building site. Nevertheless it is also possible to try matching structures with natural scenery, by applying a phenomenological approach in terms of spatial operations, regarding perceptions from nature through architectural aspects such as protection, views, and orientation. This method acknowledges a relationship between place and space, where intentions towards tangible facts then become design statements. Although spaces resulting from such a process may present an effective response to the environment, they can also offer further outcomes beyond the realm of form. The hypothesis is that, in addition to recognising a bond between architecture and nature, it is also plausible to associate such perceptions with the inner ambient of buildings, by analysing features such as daylight. The case study of a single-family house in a rainforest near Valdivia, Chilean Patagonia is presented, with the intention of addressing the above notions through a discussion of the actual effects of inhabiting a place by way of a series of insights, including a revision of diagrams and photographs that assist in understanding the implications of this design practice. In addition, figures based on post-occupancy behaviour and daylighting performance relate both architectural and environmental issues to a decision-making process motivated by the observation of nature.

Keywords: architecture, design statements, nature, perception

Procedia PDF Downloads 327
917 Assessment of Exploitation Vulnerability of Quantum Communication Systems with Phase Encryption

Authors: Vladimir V. Nikulin, Bekmurza H. Aitchanov, Olimzhon A. Baimuratov

Abstract:

Quantum communication technology takes advantage of the intrinsic properties of laser carriers, such as very high data rates and low power requirements, to offer unprecedented data security. Quantum processes at the physical layer of encryption are used for signal encryption with very competitive performance characteristics. The ultimate range of applications for QC systems spans from fiber-based to free-space links and from secure banking operations to mobile airborne and space-borne networking where they are subjected to channel distortions. Under practical conditions, the channel can alter the optical wave front characteristics, including its phase. In addition, phase noise of the communication source and photo-detection noises alter the signal to bring additional ambiguity into the measurement process. If quantized values of photons are used to encrypt the signal, exploitation of quantum communication links becomes extremely difficult. In this paper, we present the results of analysis and simulation studies of the effects of noise on phase estimation for quantum systems with different number of encryption bases and operating at different power levels.

Keywords: encryption, phase distortion, quantum communication, quantum noise

Procedia PDF Downloads 536
916 Water and Sanitation Challenges: A Case of King Sabatha Dalindyebo Municipality

Authors: Masibulele Fiko, Sanjay Balkara, Beauty Makiwane, Samson Asoba

Abstract:

Several municipalities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa suffer from severe infrastructure dilapidation and a backlog in repairs and replacement. This scourge is most critical in black dominated areas, such as the rural communities and townships. Several critical service delivery activities have been impaired consequent to the deteriorating facilities and a lot of human endeavors impacted adversely. As such, this study investigated the water and sanitation challenges in King Sabatha Dalindyebo municipality, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Questionnaires were distributed to the communities and interviews were conducted with the communities’ leaders. The Participants mentioned that their main sources of water supply were a dam, streams, springs and wells; and the distances to the water sources were thought to be too long and women were often attacked and sometimes raped. South African local authorities are facing problems of insufficient funds to meet their daily operations. The municipality should provide street taps. The alternative way for government to supply financial aid to local authorities is to introduce the private sector in the service rendering process.

Keywords: communities, sanitation, managers, municipality

Procedia PDF Downloads 108
915 Enhancing the Effectiveness of Air Defense Systems through Simulation Analysis

Authors: F. Felipe

Abstract:

Air Defense Systems contain high-value assets that are expected to fulfill their mission for several years - in many cases, even decades - while operating in a fast-changing, technology-driven environment. Thus, it is paramount that decision-makers can assess how effective an Air Defense System is in the face of new developing threats, as well as to identify the bottlenecks that could jeopardize the security of the airspace of a country. Given the broad extent of activities and the great variety of assets necessary to achieve the strategic objectives, a systems approach was taken in order to delineate the core requirements and the physical architecture of an Air Defense System. Then, value-focused thinking helped in the definition of the measures of effectiveness. Furthermore, analytical methods were applied to create a formal structure that preliminarily assesses such measures. To validate the proposed methodology, a powerful simulation was also used to determine the measures of effectiveness, now in more complex environments that incorporate both uncertainty and multiple interactions of the entities. The results regarding the validity of this methodology suggest that the approach can support decisions aimed at enhancing the capabilities of Air Defense Systems. In conclusion, this paper sheds some light on how consolidated approaches of Systems Engineering and Operations Research can be used as valid techniques for solving problems regarding a complex and yet vital matter.

Keywords: air defense, effectiveness, system, simulation, decision-support

Procedia PDF Downloads 150
914 Yield Enhancement and Reduced Nutrient Removal by Weeds in Winter Irrigated Cotton Using Potassium Salt Based Glyphosate

Authors: N. Viji, K. Siddeswaran

Abstract:

Field experiment was conducted at Eastern Block farm, Department of Farm Management, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during winter season of 2011-2012 to evaluate potassium salt based glyphosate (Roundup Crop Shield 460 SL) with and without intercultural operations on seed cotton yield and weed nutrient removal in irrigated cotton. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with treatments replicated thrice. The treatments consisted of POE glyphosate (Roundup Crop Shield 460 SL) at 1350 (T1), 1800 (T2), 2250 (T3) g a.e. ha-1, 1800 g a.e. ha-1 + IC (T4), PE pendimethalin at 750 g a.i. ha-1 + IC (T5), HW at 35 and 70 DAS + IC (T6), HWW at 35 and 70 DAS + IC (T7), PWW at 35 and 70 DAS + IC (T8), HW at 25 and 45 DAS (T9) and Unweeded control (T10). Among the weed management methods, decreased nutrient removal by weeds were observed with POE glyphosate at 1800 g a.e. ha-1 + IC which was comparable with PE pendimethalin at 750 g a.i. ha-1 + IC. Higher seed cotton yield was obtained with POE glyphosate at 1800 g a.e. ha-1 at 35 and 70 DAS with + IC at 45 and 55 DAS which was comparable with PE pendimethalin at 750 g a.i. ha-1 + IC at 45 and 55 DAS. Comparing treatments without intercultural operation, intercultural operation carried out treatments performed better and recorded more seed cotton yield.

Keywords: cotton, weed, glyphosate, nutrient

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913 Reducing Lean by Implementing Distance Learning in the Training Programs of Oil and Gas Industries

Authors: Sayed-Mahdi Hashemi-Dehkordi, Ian Baker

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This paper investigates the benefits of implementing distance learning in training courses for the oil and gas industries to reduce lean. Due to the remote locations of many oil and gas operations, scheduling and organizing in-person training classes for employees in these sectors is challenging. Furthermore, considering that employees often work in periodic shifts such as day, night, and resting periods, arranging in-class training courses requires significant time and transportation. To explore the effectiveness of distance learning compared to in-class learning, a set of questionnaires was administered to employees of a far on-shore refinery unit in Iran, where both in-class and distance classes were conducted. The survey results revealed that over 72% of the participants agreed that distance learning saved them a significant amount of time by rating it 4 to 5 points out of 5 on a Likert scale. Additionally, nearly 67% of the participants acknowledged that distance learning considerably reduced transportation requirements, while approximately 64% agreed that it helped in resolving scheduling issues. Introducing and encouraging the use of distance learning in the training environments of oil and gas industries can lead to notable time and transportation savings for employees, ultimately reducing lean in a positive manner.

Keywords: distance learning, in-class learning, lean, oil and gas, scheduling, time, training programs, transportation

Procedia PDF Downloads 56
912 Optimizing Productivity and Quality through the Establishment of a Learning Management System for an Agency-Based Graduate School

Authors: Maria Corazon Tapang-Lopez, Alyn Joy Dela Cruz Baltazar, Bobby Jones Villanueva Domdom

Abstract:

The requisite for an organization implementing quality management system to sustain its compliance to the requirements and commitment for continuous improvement is even higher. It is expected that the offices and units has high and consistent compliance to the established processes and procedures. The Development Academy of the Philippines has been operating under project management to which is has a quality management certification. To further realize its mandate as a think-tank and capacity builder of the government, DAP expanded its operation and started to grant graduate degree through its Graduate School of Public and Development Management (GSPDM). As the academic arm of the Academy, GSPDM offers graduate degree programs on public management and productivity & quality aligned to the institutional trusts. For a time, the documented procedures and processes of a project management seem to fit the Graduate School. However, there has been a significant growth in the operations of the GSPDM in terms of the graduate programs offered that directly increase the number of students. There is an apparent necessity to align the project management system into a more educational system otherwise it will no longer be responsive to the development that are taking place. The strongly advocate and encourage its students to pursue internal and external improvement to cope up with the challenges of providing quality service to their own clients and to our country. If innovation will not take roots in the grounds of GSPDM, then how will it serve the purpose of “walking the talk”? This research was conducted to assess the diverse flow of the existing internal operations and processes of the DAP’s project management and GSPDM’s school management that will serve as basis to develop a system that will harmonize into one, the Learning Management System. The study documented the existing process of GSPDM following the project management phases of conceptualization & development, negotiation & contracting, mobilization, implementation, and closure into different flow charts of the key activities. The primary source of information as respondents were the different groups involved into the delivery of graduate programs - the executive, learning management team and administrative support offices. The Learning Management System (LMS) shall capture the unique and critical processes of the GSPDM as a degree-granting unit of the Academy. The LMS is the harmonized project management and school management system that shall serve as the standard system and procedure for all the programs within the GSPDM. The unique processes cover the three important areas of school management – student, curriculum, and faculty. The required processes of these main areas such as enrolment, course syllabus development, and faculty evaluation were appropriately placed within the phases of the project management system. Further, the research shall identify critical reports and generate manageable documents and records to ensure accuracy, consistency and reliable information. The researchers had an in-depth review of the DAP-GSDPM’s mandate, analyze the various documents, and conducted series of focused group discussions. A comprehensive review on flow chart system prior and various models of school management systems were made. Subsequently, the final output of the research is a work instructions manual that will be presented to the Academy’s Quality Management Council and eventually an additional scope for ISO certification. The manual shall include documented forms, iterative flow charts and program Gantt chart that will have a parallel development of automated systems.

Keywords: productivity, quality, learning management system, agency-based graduate school

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911 Motion-Based Detection and Tracking of Multiple Pedestrians

Authors: A. Harras, A. Tsuji, K. Terada

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Tracking of moving people has gained a matter of great importance due to rapid technological advancements in the field of computer vision. The objective of this study is to design a motion based detection and tracking multiple walking pedestrians randomly in different directions. In our proposed method, Gaussian mixture model (GMM) is used to determine moving persons in image sequences. It reacts to changes that take place in the scene like different illumination; moving objects start and stop often, etc. Background noise in the scene is eliminated through applying morphological operations and the motions of tracked people which is determined by using the Kalman filter. The Kalman filter is applied to predict the tracked location in each frame and to determine the likelihood of each detection. We used a benchmark data set for the evaluation based on a side wall stationary camera. The actual scenes from the data set are taken on a street including up to eight people in front of the camera in different two scenes, the duration is 53 and 35 seconds, respectively. In the case of walking pedestrians in close proximity, the proposed method has achieved the detection ratio of 87%, and the tracking ratio is 77 % successfully. When they are deferred from each other, the detection ratio is increased to 90% and the tracking ratio is also increased to 79%.

Keywords: automatic detection, tracking, pedestrians, counting

Procedia PDF Downloads 240
910 Statistical Manufacturing Cell/Process Qualification Sample Size Optimization

Authors: Angad Arora

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In production operations/manufacturing, a cell or line is typically a bunch of similar machines (computer numerical control (CNCs), advanced cutting, 3D printing or special purpose machines. For qualifying a typical manufacturing line /cell / new process, Ideally, we need a sample of parts that can be flown through the process and then we make a judgment on the health of the line/cell. However, with huge volumes and mass production scope, such as in the mobile phone industry, for example, the actual cells or lines can go in thousands and to qualify each one of them with statistical confidence means utilizing samples that are very large and eventually add to product /manufacturing cost + huge waste if the parts are not intended to be customer shipped. To solve this, we come up with 2 steps statistical approach. We start with a small sample size and then objectively evaluate whether the process needs additional samples or not. For example, if a process is producing bad parts and we saw those samples early, then there is a high chance that the process will not meet the desired yield and there is no point in keeping adding more samples. We used this hypothesis and came up with 2 steps binomial testing approach. Further, we also prove through results that we can achieve an 18-25% reduction in samples while keeping the same statistical confidence.

Keywords: statistics, data science, manufacturing process qualification, production planning

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909 Thermomechanical Simulation of Equipment Subjected to an Oxygen Pressure and Heated Locally by the Ignition of Small Particles

Authors: Khaled Ayfi

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In industrial oxygen systems at high temperature and high pressure, contamination by solid particles is one of the principal causes of ignition hazards. Indeed, gas can sweep away particles, generated by corrosion inside the pipes or during maintenance operations (welding residues, careless disassembly, etc.) and produce accumulations at places where the gas velocity decrease. Moreover, in such an environment rich in oxygen (oxidant), particles are highly reactive and can ignite system walls more actively and at higher temperatures. Oxidation based thermal effects are responsible for mechanical properties lost, leading to the destruction of the pressure equipment wall. To deal with this problem, a numerical analysis is done regarding a sample representative of a wall subjected to pressure and temperature. The validation and analysis are done comparing the numerical simulations results to experimental measurements. More precisely, in this work, we propose a numerical model that describes the thermomechanical behavior of thin metal disks under pressure and subjected to laser heating. This model takes into account the geometric and material nonlinearity and has been validated by the comparison of simulation results with experimental measurements.

Keywords: ignition, oxygen, numerical simulation, thermomechanical behavior

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908 Cloud-Based Multiresolution Geodata Cube for Efficient Raster Data Visualization and Analysis

Authors: Lassi Lehto, Jaakko Kahkonen, Juha Oksanen, Tapani Sarjakoski

Abstract:

The use of raster-formatted data sets in geospatial analysis is increasing rapidly. At the same time, geographic data are being introduced into disciplines outside the traditional domain of geoinformatics, like climate change, intelligent transport, and immigration studies. These developments call for better methods to deliver raster geodata in an efficient and easy-to-use manner. Data cube technologies have traditionally been used in the geospatial domain for managing Earth Observation data sets that have strict requirements for effective handling of time series. The same approach and methodologies can also be applied in managing other types of geospatial data sets. A cloud service-based geodata cube, called GeoCubes Finland, has been developed to support online delivery and analysis of most important geospatial data sets with national coverage. The main target group of the service is the academic research institutes in the country. The most significant aspects of the GeoCubes data repository include the use of multiple resolution levels, cloud-optimized file structure, and a customized, flexible content access API. Input data sets are pre-processed while being ingested into the repository to bring them into a harmonized form in aspects like georeferencing, sampling resolutions, spatial subdivision, and value encoding. All the resolution levels are created using an appropriate generalization method, selected depending on the nature of the source data set. Multiple pre-processed resolutions enable new kinds of online analysis approaches to be introduced. Analysis processes based on interactive visual exploration can be effectively carried out, as the level of resolution most close to the visual scale can always be used. In the same way, statistical analysis can be carried out on resolution levels that best reflect the scale of the phenomenon being studied. Access times remain close to constant, independent of the scale applied in the application. The cloud service-based approach, applied in the GeoCubes Finland repository, enables analysis operations to be performed on the server platform, thus making high-performance computing facilities easily accessible. The developed GeoCubes API supports this kind of approach for online analysis. The use of cloud-optimized file structures in data storage enables the fast extraction of subareas. The access API allows for the use of vector-formatted administrative areas and user-defined polygons as definitions of subareas for data retrieval. Administrative areas of the country in four levels are available readily from the GeoCubes platform. In addition to direct delivery of raster data, the service also supports the so-called virtual file format, in which only a small text file is first downloaded. The text file contains links to the raster content on the service platform. The actual raster data is downloaded on demand, from the spatial area and resolution level required in each stage of the application. By the geodata cube approach, pre-harmonized geospatial data sets are made accessible to new categories of inexperienced users in an easy-to-use manner. At the same time, the multiresolution nature of the GeoCubes repository facilitates expert users to introduce new kinds of interactive online analysis operations.

Keywords: cloud service, geodata cube, multiresolution, raster geodata

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907 Validating Condition-Based Maintenance Algorithms through Simulation

Authors: Marcel Chevalier, Léo Dupont, Sylvain Marié, Frédérique Roffet, Elena Stolyarova, William Templier, Costin Vasile

Abstract:

Industrial end-users are currently facing an increasing need to reduce the risk of unexpected failures and optimize their maintenance. This calls for both short-term analysis and long-term ageing anticipation. At Schneider Electric, we tackle those two issues using both machine learning and first principles models. Machine learning models are incrementally trained from normal data to predict expected values and detect statistically significant short-term deviations. Ageing models are constructed by breaking down physical systems into sub-assemblies, then determining relevant degradation modes and associating each one to the right kinetic law. Validating such anomaly detection and maintenance models is challenging, both because actual incident and ageing data are rare and distorted by human interventions, and incremental learning depends on human feedback. To overcome these difficulties, we propose to simulate physics, systems, and humans -including asset maintenance operations- in order to validate the overall approaches in accelerated time and possibly choose between algorithmic alternatives.

Keywords: degradation models, ageing, anomaly detection, soft sensor, incremental learning

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906 Negativization: A Focus Strategy in Basà Language

Authors: Imoh Philip

Abstract:

Basà language is classified as belonging to Kainji family, under the sub-phylum Western-Kainji known as Rubasa (Basa Benue) (Croizier & Blench, 1992:32). Basà is an under-described language spoken in the North-Central Nigeria. The language is characterized by subject-verb-object (henceforth SVO) as its canonical word order. Data for this work is sourced from the researcher’s native intuition of the language corroborated with a careful observation of native speakers. This paper investigates the syntactic derivational strategy of information-structure encoding in Basà language. It emphasizes on a negative operator, as a strategy for focusing a constituent or clause that follows it and negativizes a whole proposition. For items that are not nouns, they have to undergo an obligatory nominalization process, either by affixation, modification or conversion before they are moved to the pre verbal position for these operations. The study discovers and provides evidence of the fact showing that deferent constituents in the sentence such as the subject, direct, indirect object, genitive, verb phrase, prepositional phrase, clause and idiophone, etc. can be focused with the same negativizing operator. The process is characterized by focusing the pre verbal NP constituent alone, whereas the whole proposition is negated. The study can stimulate similar study or be replicated in other languages.

Keywords: negation, focus, Basà, nominalization

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905 Finite Element Simulation of Limiting Dome Height Test on the Formability of Aluminium Tailor Welded Blanks

Authors: Lakhya Jyoti Basumatary, M. J. Davidson

Abstract:

Tailor Welded Blanks (TWBs) have established themselves to be a revolutionary and foremost integral part of the automotive and aerospace industries. Metals sheets with varied thickness, strength and coatings are welded together to form TWBs through friction stir welding and laser welding prior to stamping operations. The formability of the TWBs completely varies from those of conventional blanks due to the diverse strength levels of individual sheets which are made to deform under the same forming load uniformly throughout causing unequal and unsatisfactory deformation in the blank. Limiting Dome Height(LDH) test helps predicting the formability of each blanks and assists in determining the appropriate TWB. Finite Element Simulation of LDH test for both base material and TWBs was performed and analysed for both before and after the solution heat treatment. The comparison and validation of simulation results are done with the experimental data and correlated accordingly. The formability of solution heat treated TWBs had enhanced than those of blanks made from non-heat treated TWBs.

Keywords: tailor welded blanks, friction stir welding, limiting dome height test, finite element simulation

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904 Nurturing Green Creativity in Women Intrapreneurs through Green HRM: Testing Moderated Mediation Model: A Step Towards Saudi Vision 2030

Authors: Tahira Iram, Ahmad Raza Bilal

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In 2016, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) initiated Saudi Vision 2030, an ambitious plan to lessen the country's dependency on fossil fuels and increase economic diversification. The Vision 2030 framework strives to establish a thriving economy, a vibrant society, and an ambitious nation. This study aims to investigate the role of green service innovation (SI) and green work engagement (WE) in mediating the nexus between green HRM and green creativity (GC) under the conditional role of spiritual leadership (SL). A survey was done of 300 female intrepreneurs working in the organization within Saudi Arabia. This study has collected data via a stratified random sampling technique. The framework was tested using PLS-SEM software. The findings reveal that WE fully intervenes in the nexus between green HRM and GC. Moreover, SL positively moderates the nexus between green HRM and SI. Thus based on findings, it is recommended that female intrapreneurs prioritize environmentally responsible operations to gain and sustain a competitive edge over rivals in the Saudi competitive market.

Keywords: green HRM, spiritual leadership, Vision 2030, women intrapreneurs, green service innovation behavior, green creativity

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903 Real Time Implementation of Efficient DFIG-Variable Speed Wind Turbine Control

Authors: Fayssal Amrane, Azeddine Chaiba, Bruno Francois

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In this paper, design and experimental study based on Direct Power Control (DPC) of DFIG is proposed for Stand-alone mode in Variable Speed Wind Energy Conversion System (VS-WECS). The proposed IDPC method based on robust IP (Integral-Proportional) controllers in order to control the Rotor Side Converter (RSC) by the means of the rotor current d-q axes components (Ird* and Irq*) of Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) through AC-DC-AC converter. The implementation is realized using dSPACE dS1103 card under Sub and Super-synchronous operations (means < and > of the synchronous speed “1500 rpm”). Finally, experimental results demonstrate that the proposed control using IP provides improved dynamic responses, and decoupled control of the wind turbine has driven DFIG with high performances (good reference tracking, short response time and low power error) despite for sudden variation of wind speed and rotor references currents.

Keywords: Direct Power Control (DPC), Doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS), Experimental study.

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902 Assess the Risk Behaviours and Safer Sex Practices among Male Attendees in a Sexual Health Setting

Authors: B. M. M. D. Mendis, L. I. Rajapaksa, P. S. K. Gunathunga, R. C. Fernando, M. Jayalath

Abstract:

Background / introduction: During the year 2011, 8511 males received services from the sexual health clinics island wide. At present there is only limited information on the risk behaviours of male attendees. Information on risk behaviours related to STI /HIV transmission is helpful in planning suitable prevention interventions. Aim(s)/objectives: The objectives were to determines the sexual partners (other than the marital partner and regular partners) responsible for transmitting STI( Sexually transmitted infections)/ HIV and to understand the practice of safer sex. Methods: Study was a clinic based prospective study conducted for a one year period using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Results: 983 attendees were interviewed. . Mean age was 34.02 years. 75% of the sample had completed GCE O/L (ordinary level examination). Skilled labourers, drivers and forces/police comprised 40% of the sample. 50% admitted sex with a casual female, 12% with a casual male, and 13% with CSW (commercial sex workers) while MSW (male sex workers) exposures were minimal. It was identified that younger males had more contacts with males, and regular female partners while more older males with CSW. Anal sex among males was reported by 11.5%. 20.5% used alcohol frequently and 5.9% used drugs and 1.4% injected. Common STI were genital herpes (7.9%), Non gonococcal urethritis (6.2%) and gonorrhoea (6.2%). Among those who had contacts with FSW 6.7% gonorrhoea (GC), 8.2% non gonococcal urethritis (NGU), 7.5% genital herpes and 0.7% HIV. Non regular partner exposures 3.7% had gonorrhoea, 8.3% NGU, 6.6% genital herpes and 0.8% HIV. Among MSM contacts 10.6% had GC, 4.5% NGU, 5.3% genital herpes, 5.3% secondary syphilis and 0.8% HIV. Only 9.0% used condoms correctly. Friends, doctors, newspapers, internet, and forces were important sources of information on condoms. Non use of condoms were due to worry about satisfaction (24.6%) and faith in the partner (25.6%). Discussion/conclusion: Casual partners for unsafe sex is a concern. MSM and CSW are remained as an important source of infection. Early Syphilis and gonorrhoea infections were mostly seen among MSM exposures. The findings indicate that the male population in the sample had satisfactory education. However, still the unsafe sexual contacts are common. . Newspapers, internet were more important sources of information on condoms. Low condom use remains another concern.. More males contracted STI through casual partners. Therefore strategies used for prevention need to be revisited also emphasizing on general population where casual partners represent. . Increasing awareness of men and women through mass media and primary health care teams may be important strategies that can be used to keep the HIV epidemic in a low level.

Keywords: STI, HIV, Males, safe sex practices

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901 A Two-Stage Airport Ground Movement Speed Profile Design Methodology Using Particle Swarm Optimization

Authors: Zhang Tianci, Ding Meng, Zuo Hongfu, Zeng Lina, Sun Zejun

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Automation of airport operations can greatly improve ground movement efficiency. In this paper, we study the speed profile design problem for advanced airport ground movement control and guidance. The problem is constrained by the surface four-dimensional trajectory generated in taxi planning. A decomposed approach of two stages is presented to solve this problem efficiently. In the first stage, speeds are allocated at control points which ensure smooth speed profiles can be found later. In the second stage, detailed speed profiles of each taxi interval are generated according to the allocated control point speeds with the objective of minimizing the overall fuel consumption. We present a swarm intelligence based algorithm for the first-stage problem and a discrete variable driven enumeration method for the second-stage problem since it only has a small set of discrete variables. Experimental results demonstrate the presented methodology performs well on real world speed profile design problems.

Keywords: airport ground movement, fuel consumption, particle swarm optimization, smoothness, speed profile design

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900 A Review of Current Trends in Grid Balancing Technologies

Authors: Kulkarni Rohini D.

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While emerging as plausible sources of energy generation, new technologies, including photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, home battery energy storage systems, and electric vehicles (EVs), are exacerbating the operations of power distribution networks for distribution network operators (DNOs). Renewable energy production fluctuates, stemming in over- and under-generation energy, further complicating the issue of storing excess power and using it when necessary. Though renewable sources are non-exhausting and reoccurring, power storage of generated energy is almost as paramount as to its production process. Hence, to ensure smooth and efficient power storage at different levels, Grid balancing technologies are consequently the next theme to address in the sustainable space and growth sector. But, since hydrogen batteries were used in the earlier days to achieve this balance in power grids, new, recent advancements are more efficient and capable per unit of storage space while also being distinctive in terms of their underlying operating principles. The underlying technologies of "Flow batteries," "Gravity Solutions," and "Graphene Batteries" already have entered the market and are leading the race for efficient storage device solutions that will improve and stabilize Grid networks, followed by Grid balancing technologies.

Keywords: flow batteries, grid balancing, hydrogen batteries, power storage, solar

Procedia PDF Downloads 48