Search results for: autonomous intelligence
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 2084

Search results for: autonomous intelligence

1004 Comparative Techno-Economic Assessment and LCA of Selected Integrated Sugarcane-Based Biorefineries

Authors: Edgard Gnansounoua, Pavel Vaskan, Elia Ruiz Pachón

Abstract:

This work addresses the economic and environmental performance of integrated biorefineries based on sugarcane juice and residues in the context of Brazil. We have considered four multiproduct scenarios; two from existing Brazilian sugar mills and the others from ethanol autonomous distilleries. They are integrated biorefineries producing first (1G) and second (2G) generation ethanol, sugar, molasses (for animal feed) and electricity. We show the results for the analysis and comparison of the different scenarios using a techno-economic value-based approach and LCA methodology. We have found that all the analysed scenarios show positive values of Climate change and Fossil depletion reduction as compared to the reference systems. However the scenario producing only ethanol shows less efficiency in Human toxicity, Freshwater ecotoxicity and Freshwater eutrophication impacts. The best economic configuration is provided by the scenario with the largest ethanol production. On the other hand, the best environmental performance is presented by the scenario with full integration sugar – 1G2G ethanol production. The integration of 2G based residues in a 1G ethanol production plant leads to positive environmental impacts compared to the conventional 1G industrial plant but proves to be more expensive.

Keywords: sugarcane, biorefinery, 1G/2G bioethanol integration, LCA, Brazil

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1003 Meitu and the Case of the AI Art Movement

Authors: Taliah Foudah, Sana Masri, Jana Al Ghamdi, Rimaz Alzaaqi

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This research project explores the creative works of the app Metui, which allows consumers to edit their photos and use the new and popular AI feature, which turns any photo into a cartoon-like animated image with beautified enhancements. Studying this AI app demonstrates the significance of the ability in which AI can develop intricate designs which verily replicate the human mind. Our goal was to investigate the Metui app by asking our audience certain questions about its functionality and their personal feelings about its credibility as well as their beliefs as to how this app will add to the future of the AI generation, both positively and negatively. Their responses were further explored by analyzing the questions and responses thoroughly and calculating the results through pie charts. Overall, it was concluded that the Metui app is a powerful step forward for AI by replicating the intelligence of humans and its creativity to either benefit society or do the opposite.

Keywords: AI Art, Meitu, application, photo editing

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1002 Using the Semantic Web Technologies to Bring Adaptability in E-Learning Systems

Authors: Fatima Faiza Ahmed, Syed Farrukh Hussain

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The last few decades have seen a large proportion of our population bending towards e-learning technologies, starting from learning tools used in primary and elementary schools to competency based e-learning systems specifically designed for applications like finance and marketing. The huge diversity in this crowd brings about a large number of challenges for the designers of these e-learning systems, one of which is the adaptability of such systems. This paper focuses on adaptability in the learning material in an e-learning course and how artificial intelligence and the semantic web can be used as an effective tool for this purpose. The study proved that the semantic web, still a hot topic in the area of computer science can prove to be a powerful tool in designing and implementing adaptable e-learning systems.

Keywords: adaptable e-learning, HTMLParser, information extraction, semantic web

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1001 Achieving Sustainable Development Through the Lens of Eco-innovation, Renewable Energy, and Human Capital

Authors: Emma Serwaa Obobisa, Winifred Essaah

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Significant worldwide trends including urbanization, industrialization, globalization, and the impending digitization have all contributed to human prosperity. However, the majority of these advancements fail to take sustainability into account, which caused the earth to manifest its retaliation in many forms. Since the world is already well-advanced, mankind needs a mature development that instills sustainability in its acts. As a result, the United Nations established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which set forth guidelines for human behavior to ensure that the ecosystem and mankind coexist as a unified, autonomous system. The study investigates the role of eco-innovation, renewable energy consumption, human capital, environmental tax, and natural resources in achieving European Union countries' sustainable development goals. The results show that eco-innovation, renewable energy consumption, human capital, and environmental tax have a negative relationship with consumption-based CO₂ emissions but a positive relationship with natural resources. These findings suggest that governments in European Union countries commit to encouraging environmentally friendly technology advances and green investment. It also stresses the need to enforce regulations that regulate the activities of polluting firms in the region with strictness.

Keywords: sustainable development, Eco-innovation, renewable energy, CO₂ emissions

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1000 [Keynote Talk]: Three Key Ideas to Undergraduate Thesis Project Tutoring

Authors: M. T. Becerra-Traver, M. Montanero, R. Alejo, A. Antúnez, P. Cañamero, M. J. Fernández, M. Gómez, A. L. Medialdea, J. D. Martínez, A. M. Piquer-Píriz, M. J. Rabazo

Abstract:

The introduction of new subjects at university level, brought about with the implementation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), has meant changes for students and lecturers that, in the case of the latter, have also revealed a need for further training. In our context, one of the main changes has been the introduction of Undergraduate Thesis Projects (UTPs) in the degrees taught in our faculty: Pre-Primary and Primary Education. The aim of this paper is to analyze UTPs and to provide some suggestions that can help both students and lecturers in the process. UTPs complete the university training cycle of the Degree Studies and entail the elaboration of a written piece of work, supervised by a professor and presented to a panel in order to ensure that students acquire the required competences of these Degrees to develop an autonomous, responsible and comprehensive activity. In addition, UTPs develop students’ abilities for oral presentations and to defend and argue their own ideas. One of the first difficulties in the supervision of UTPs is that most of the students do not know how to write an academic text. To solve this problem, we propose a three-phase model based on planning, textualization and review. The implementation of this model has enabled us to see a successful evolution in the correct development of the academic dissertations that students submit at the end their degrees.

Keywords: academic task, student, tutoring, university

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999 Conceptualizing the Cyber Insecurity Risk in the Ethics of Automated Warfare

Authors: Otto Kakhidze, Hoda Alkhzaimi, Adam Ramey, Nasir Memon

Abstract:

This paper provides an alternative, cyber security based a conceptual framework for the ethics of automated warfare. The large body of work produced on fully or partially autonomous warfare systems tends to overlook malicious security factors as in the possibility of technical attacks on these systems when it comes to the moral and legal decision-making. The argument provides a risk-oriented justification to why technical malicious risks cannot be dismissed in legal, ethical and policy considerations when warfare models are being implemented and deployed. The assumptions of the paper are supported by providing a broader model that contains the perspective of technological vulnerabilities through the lenses of the Game Theory, Just War Theory as well as standard and non-standard defense ethics. The paper argues that a conventional risk-benefit analysis without considering ethical factors is insufficient for making legal and policy decisions on automated warfare. This approach will provide the substructure for security and defense experts as well as legal scholars, ethicists and decision theorists to work towards common justificatory grounds that will accommodate the technical security concerns that have been overlooked in the current legal and policy models.

Keywords: automated warfare, ethics of automation, inherent hijacking, security vulnerabilities, risk, uncertainty

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998 Investigating the Impact of Knowledge Management Components on Employee Productivity

Authors: Javad Moghtader Kargaran

Abstract:

Today, attention to knowledge and management Knowledge as a strategy is very important has taken with economy becoming knowledge-oriented, how and knowing the effective management and integration of different types Knowledge (obvious-implicit) to preserve and create advantage. Competition has become very important. Knowledge is a valuable resource for empowering organizations in the direction of innovation and competition. Due to the importance of human resources in the survival of organizations, extensive efforts are made to empower them. This knowledge can lead to awareness among employees. Employees and the knowledge that is in their minds are very valuable resources for the organization, which must be managed and developed. In fact, the ultimate goal of knowledge management is to increase the intelligence and productivity of employees and the organization.

Keywords: knowledge, management, productivity, human

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997 Extending BDI Multiagent Systems with Agent Norms

Authors: Francisco José Plácido da Cunha, Tassio Ferenzini Martins Sirqueira, Marx Leles Viana, Carlos José Pereira de Lucena

Abstract:

Open Multiagent Systems (MASs) are societies in which heterogeneous and independently designed entities (agents) work towards similar, or different ends. Software agents are autonomous and the diversity of interests among different members living in the same society is a fact. In order to deal with this autonomy, these open systems use mechanisms of social control (norms) to ensure a desirable social order. This paper considers the following types of norms: (i) obligation — agents must accomplish a specific outcome; (ii) permission — agents may act in a particular way, and (iii) prohibition — agents must not act in a specific way. All of these characteristics mean to encourage the fulfillment of norms through rewards and to discourage norm violation by pointing out the punishments. Once the software agent decides that its priority is the satisfaction of its own desires and goals, each agent must evaluate the effects associated to the fulfillment of one or more norms before choosing which one should be fulfilled. The same applies when agents decide to violate a norm. This paper also introduces a framework for the development of MASs that provide support mechanisms to the agent’s decision-making, using norm-based reasoning. The applicability and validation of this approach is demonstrated applying a traffic intersection scenario.

Keywords: BDI agent, BDI4JADE framework, multiagent systems, normative agents

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996 A New Approach to Predicting Physical Biometrics from Behavioural Biometrics

Authors: Raid R. O. Al-Nima, S. S. Dlay, W. L. Woo

Abstract:

A relationship between face and signature biometrics is established in this paper. A new approach is developed to predict faces from signatures by using artificial intelligence. A multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network is used to generate face details from features extracted from signatures, here face is the physical biometric and signatures is the behavioural biometric. The new method establishes a relationship between the two biometrics and regenerates a visible face image from the signature features. Furthermore, the performance efficiencies of our new technique are demonstrated in terms of minimum error rates compared to published work.

Keywords: behavioural biometric, face biometric, neural network, physical biometric, signature biometric

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995 Status and Image of the Nurse as Perceived by the Public

Authors: Salam Hadid, Mohammad Khatib

Abstract:

The International Council of Nurses-ICN defined nursing as a sphere integrating autonomous and collaborative care intended for the individual, family and community within and outside of the care setting. Nursing as a care profession has developed broadly over recent decades in terms of its essentials, expertise and primarily academically. Despite the impressive growth of the profession, there is still extreme diversity in the public’s perceptions and opinions of the profession and its professionals and in the knowledge on the fundamentals of its true function and spheres of engagement. The current study examines the existing knowledge among the general population regarding the nursing profession. The population consisted of 498 respondents, 236 women and 262 men, age 18-81. The respondents noted that nursing focuses on the technical, and the emotional aspects and promotion of health for the patient are not the nurse’s responsibility. Most of the respondents saw nurses working mainly in hospital and community-based clinic settings. They considered nursing to be a high prestige profession in general, but less prestigious among respondents exposed to healthcare provision. Most of the respondents considered nursing to be a humane profession but without independence and with no need for academic studies. The findings are incompatible with the definition of nursing and its spheres of action as defined in the ICN Code of Ethics. Two suggestions are to work through nursing schools addressing the student nurses, as ambassadors for the profession. The second is using the healthcare encounter between the nursing staff and the public to improve the image of nurses.

Keywords: ethics, nurse image, public, nursing

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994 Optimality of Shapley Value Mechanism under Sybil Strategies

Authors: Bruno Mazorra Roig

Abstract:

In the realm of cost-sharing mechanisms, the vulnerability to Sybil strategies, where agents can create fake identities to manipulate outcomes, has not yet been studied. In this paper, we delve into the intricacies of different cost-sharing mechanisms proposed in the literature, highlighting its non-Sybil-resistance nature. Furthermore, we prove that under mild conditions, a Sybil-proof cost-sharing mechanism for public excludable goods is at least (n/2 + 1)−approximate. This finding reveals an exponential increase in the worst-case social cost in environments where agents are restricted from using Sybil strategies. We introduce the concept of Sybil Welfare Invariant mechanisms, where a mechanism maintains its worst-case welfare under Sybil strategies for every set of prior beliefs with full support even when the mechanism is not Sybil-proof. Finally, we prove that the Shapley value mechanism for public excludable goods holds this property and so deduce that the worst-case social cost of this mechanism is the nth harmonic number Hn under the equilibrium of the game with Sybil strategies, matching the worst-case social cost bound for cost-sharing mechanisms. This finding carries important implications for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), indicating that they are capable of funding public excludable goods efficiently, even when the total number of agents is unknown.

Keywords: game theory, mechanism design, cost sharing, false-name proofness

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993 Environmental Related Mortality Rates through Artificial Intelligence Tools

Authors: Stamatis Zoras, Vasilis Evagelopoulos, Theodoros Staurakas

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The association between elevated air pollution levels and extreme climate conditions (temperature, particulate matter, ozone levels, etc.) and mental consequences has been, recently, the focus of significant number of studies. It varies depending on the time of the year it occurs either during the hot period or cold periods but, specifically, when extreme air pollution and weather events are observed, e.g. air pollution episodes and persistent heatwaves. It also varies spatially due to different effects of air quality and climate extremes to human health when considering metropolitan or rural areas. An air pollutant concentration and a climate extreme are taking a different form of impact if the focus area is countryside or in the urban environment. In the built environment the climate extreme effects are driven through the formed microclimate which must be studied more efficiently. Variables such as biological, age groups etc may be implicated by different environmental factors such as increased air pollution/noise levels and overheating of buildings in comparison to rural areas. Gridded air quality and climate variables derived from the land surface observations network of West Macedonia in Greece will be analysed against mortality data in a spatial format in the region of West Macedonia. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools will be used for data correction and prediction of health deterioration with climatic conditions and air pollution at local scale. This would reveal the built environment implications against the countryside. The air pollution and climatic data have been collected from meteorological stations and span the period from 2000 to 2009. These will be projected against the mortality rates data in daily, monthly, seasonal and annual grids. The grids will be operated as AI-based warning models for decision makers in order to map the health conditions in rural and urban areas to ensure improved awareness of the healthcare system by taken into account the predicted changing climate conditions. Gridded data of climate conditions, air quality levels against mortality rates will be presented by AI-analysed gridded indicators of the implicated variables. An Al-based gridded warning platform at local scales is then developed for future system awareness platform for regional level.

Keywords: air quality, artificial inteligence, climatic conditions, mortality

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992 The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Rights Development

Authors: Kerols Seif Said Botros

Abstract:

The relationship between development and human rights has been debated for a long time. Various principles, from the right to development to development-based human rights, are applied to understand the dynamics between these two concepts. Despite the measures calculated, the connection between enhancement and human rights remains vague. Despite, the connection between these two opinions and the need to strengthen human rights have increased in recent years. It will then be examined whether the right to sustainable development is acceptable or not. In various human rights instruments and this is a good vibe to the request cited above. The book then cites domestic and international human rights treaties, as well as jurisprudence and regulations defining human rights institutions, to support this view.

Keywords: sustainable development, human rights, the right to development, the human rights-based approach to development, environmental rights, economic development, social sustainability human rights protection, human rights violations, workers’ rights, justice, security.

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991 Experimental Evaluation of Stand Alone Solar Driven Membrane Distillation System

Authors: Mejbri Sami, Zhani Khalifa, Zarzoum Kamel, Ben Bacha Habib, Koschikowski Joachim, Pfeifle Daniel

Abstract:

Many places worldwide, especially arid and semi-arid remote regions, are suffering from the lack of drinkable water and the situation will be aggravated in the near future. Furthermore, remote areas are characterised by lack of conventional energy sources, skilled personnel and maintenance facilities. Therefore, the development of small to medium size, stand-alone and robust solar desalination systems is needed to provide independent fresh water supply in remote areas. This paper is focused on experimental studies on compact membrane distillation (MD) solar desalination prototype located at the Mechanical Engineering Department site, Kairouan University, Kairouan, Tunisia. The pilot system is designed and manufactured as a part of a research and development project funded by the MESRS/BMBF. The pilot system is totally autonomous. The electrical energy required to operate the unit is generated through a field of 4 m² of photovoltaic panels, and the heating of feed water is provided by a field of 6 m² of solar collectors. The Kairouan plant performance of the first few months of operation is presented. The highest freshwater production of 150 L/d is obtained on a sunny day in July of 633 W/m²d.

Keywords: experimental, membrane distillation, solar desalination, Permeat gap

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990 Meteorological Risk Assessment for Ships with Fuzzy Logic Designer

Authors: Ismail Karaca, Ridvan Saracoglu, Omer Soner

Abstract:

Fuzzy Logic, an advanced method to support decision-making, is used by various scientists in many disciplines. Fuzzy programming is a product of fuzzy logic, fuzzy rules, and implication. In marine science, fuzzy programming for ships is dramatically increasing together with autonomous ship studies. In this paper, a program to support the decision-making process for ship navigation has been designed. The program is produced in fuzzy logic and rules, by taking the marine accidents and expert opinions into account. After the program was designed, the program was tested by 46 ship accidents reported by the Transportation Safety Investigation Center of Turkey. Wind speed, sea condition, visibility, day/night ratio have been used as input data. They have been converted into a risk factor within the Fuzzy Logic Designer application and fuzzy rules set by marine experts. Finally, the expert's meteorological risk factor for each accident is compared with the program's risk factor, and the error rate was calculated. The main objective of this study is to improve the navigational safety of ships, by using the advance decision support model. According to the study result, fuzzy programming is a robust model that supports safe navigation.

Keywords: calculation of risk factor, fuzzy logic, fuzzy programming for ship, safety navigation of ships

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989 Ethical Concerns in the Internet of Things and Smart Devices: Case Studies and Analysis

Authors: Mitchell Browe, Oriehi Destiny Anyaiwe, Zahraddeen Gwarzo

Abstract:

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a major evolution of technology and of the internet, which has the power to revolutionize the way people live. IoT has the power to change the way people interact with each other and with their homes; It has the ability to give people new ways to interact with and monitor their health; It can alter socioeconomic landscapes by providing new and efficient methods of resource management, saving time and money for both individuals and society as a whole; It even has the potential to save lives through autonomous vehicle technology and smart security measures. Unfortunately, nearly every revolution bears challenges which must be addressed to minimize harm by the new technology upon its adopters. IoT represents an internet technology revolution which has the potential to risk privacy, safety, and security of its users, should devices be developed, implemented, or utilized improperly. This article examines past and current examples of these ethical faults in an attempt to highlight the importance of consumer awareness of potential dangers of these technologies in making informed purchasing and utilization decisions, as well as to reveal how deficiencies and limitations of IoT devices should be better addressed by both companies and by regulatory bodies. Aspects such as consumer trust, corporate transparency, and misuse of individual data are all factors in the implementation of proper ethical boundaries in the IoT.

Keywords: IoT, ethical concerns, privacy, safety, security, smart devices

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988 Folk Media and Political Movement: A Case Study on the Bodos of North East India

Authors: Faguna Barmahalia

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Politics of ethnic identity in the north-east India is well-known phenomenon. The ethnic assertion in this region is mostly linguistic and cultural in nature. Most of the ethnic groups in the north-east region have been demanding either autonomous or separate state to maintain their socio-cultural identity. After the Indian Independence, the ethnic groups of people think that they have not developed till. Despite having many natural resources, North East India remained backward in terms of economic, education as well as politics. In this scenario, many educated and middle-class elite people have involved in working for the all-round development of their community. The Bodos are one of the major tribes in North Eeast India. In Assam, the Bodos are assumed by themselves to be exploited and suppressed by the Assamese Hindu society. Consequently, the socio-cultural identity movement has emerged among the Bodos.The main aims of my study are: i. to focus on how the Bodos of Assam are using the folk media in their political movement and iii. To analyse the role of folklore towards serving the ethnic unity and nationalism among the Bodos. Methodology: The study is based on the primary and secondary sources. Interview and observation method was conducted for collecting the primary data. For secondary source, some printed books, magazines and others materials published by the distinguished publishers and websites have been used.

Keywords: media, culture, nationalism, politics

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987 Digestion Optimization Algorithm: A Novel Bio-Inspired Intelligence for Global Optimization Problems

Authors: Akintayo E. Akinsunmade

Abstract:

The digestion optimization algorithm is a novel biological-inspired metaheuristic method for solving complex optimization problems. The algorithm development was inspired by studying the human digestive system. The algorithm mimics the process of food ingestion, breakdown, absorption, and elimination to effectively and efficiently search for optimal solutions. This algorithm was tested for optimal solutions on seven different types of optimization benchmark functions. The algorithm produced optimal solutions with standard errors, which were compared with the exact solution of the test functions.

Keywords: bio-inspired algorithm, benchmark optimization functions, digestive system in human, algorithm development

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986 A Generic Middleware to Instantly Sync Intensive Writes of Heterogeneous Massive Data via Internet

Authors: Haitao Yang, Zhenjiang Ruan, Fei Xu, Lanting Xia

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Industry data centers often need to sync data changes reliably and instantly from a large-scale of heterogeneous autonomous relational databases accessed via the not-so-reliable Internet, for which a practical universal sync middle of low maintenance and operation costs is most wanted, but developing such a product and adapting it for various scenarios are a very sophisticated and continuous practice. The authors have been devising, applying, and optimizing a generic sync middleware system, named GSMS since 2006, holding the principles or advantages that the middleware must be SyncML-compliant and transparent to data application layer logic, need not refer to implementation details of databases synced, does not rely on host computer operating systems deployed, and its construction is light weighted and hence, of low cost. A series of ultimate experiments with GSMS sync performance were conducted for a persuasive example of a source relational database that underwent a broad range of write loads, say, from one thousand to one million intensive writes within a few minutes. The tests proved that GSMS has achieved an instant sync level of well below a fraction of millisecond per record sync, and GSMS’ smooth performances under ultimate write loads also showed it is feasible and competent.

Keywords: heterogeneous massive data, instantly sync intensive writes, Internet generic middleware design, optimization

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985 Student's Perception on the Relationship between Teacher's Supportive Teaching, Thwarting Teaching, Their Needed Satisfaction, Frustration, and Motivational Regulation at Vocational High School

Authors: Chi C. Lin, Chih. H. Hsieh, Chi H. Lin

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The present study attempted to develop and test a self-determination theory dual-process model among teachers’ need supportive teaching, need thwarting teaching, and students’ need satisfaction, need frustration, and motivation regulation on vocational high school learners. This study adopted a survey questionnaire method. Participants were 736 (472 males, 264 females) vocational high school students in Taiwan. The instrument included five sets: the Teachers’ Need Supportive Teaching Scale, the Teachers’ Need Thwart Teaching Scale, the Need Satisfaction Scale, the Need Frustration Scale, and the Motivational Regulation Scale. A Structural equation modeling was used for the data analyses, results indicated that (1) teachers’ need supportive teaching had direct effects on students’ need satisfaction; (2) teachers’ thwarting teaching also had a direct effect on students’ need frustration; (3) teachers’ need supportive teaching had a negative direct effect on students’ need frustration; (4) students’ need satisfaction had direct effects on their autonomous motivation and control motivation, respectively; (5) students’ need frustration also had direct effects on their control motivation and motivation, respectively; (6) the model proposed in this study fit mostly with the empirical data.

Keywords: motivational regulation, need satisfaction, need frustration, supportive teaching, thwart teaching, vocational high school students

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984 Evaluation of Robot Application in Hospitality

Authors: Lina Zhong, Sunny Sun, Rob Law

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Artificial intelligence has been developing rapidly. Previous studies have evaluated hotel technology either from an employee or consumer perspective. However, impacts, which mainly include the social and economic impacts of hotel robots, are unknown as they are newly introduced. To bridge the aforementioned research gap, this study evaluates hotel robots from contextual, diagnostic, evaluative, and strategic aspects using framework analysis as a basis to assist hotel managers in real-time hotel marketing strategy management, adjustment and revenue achievement. Findings show that, from a consumer perspective, the overall acceptance of hotel robots is low. The main implication is that the cost of hotel robots should be carefully estimated, and the investment should be made based on phases.

Keywords: application, evaluation, framework analysis, hotel robot

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983 MEET (Maximise the Erasmus Experience Together): Gains, Challenges and Proposals

Authors: Susana Olmos, Catherine Spencer

Abstract:

Every year our School in DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology) hosts approximately 80 Erasmus students from partner universities across Europe. Our own students are required to spend a compulsory 3rd year abroad on study and/or work placements. This is an extremely rewarding experience for all of the students, however, it can also be a challenging one. With this in mind, we started a project which aimed to make this transition as easy and productive as possible. The project, which is called MEET: Maximise the Erasmus Experience Together, focuses on the students’ own active engagement in learning and preparation – outside of the classroom –and their own self-directed pursuit of opportunities to develop their confidence and preparedness, which would work as an important foundation for the transformative learning that study abroad implies. We focussed on creating more structured opportunities where Erasmus students from our partner universities (currently studying at DIT) and our second-year students could interact and learn from each other, and in so doing improve both their language and intercultural skills. Our experience so far has been quite positive and we have seen how students taking part in this project have developed as autonomous learners as well as enhanced both their linguistic and intercultural knowledge. As the linguistic element of our project was one of our main priorities, we asked the students to keep a reflective diary on the activities that were organised by the group in the TL. Also, we use questionnaires as well as personal interviews to assess their development. However, there are challenges and proposals we would make to bring this project forward for the near future.

Keywords: erasmus, intercultural competence, linguistic competence, extra curriculum activities

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982 University Lecturers' Attitudes towards Learner Autonomy in the EFL Context in Vietnam

Authors: Nhung T. Bui

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Part of the dilemma facing educational reforms in Vietnam as in other Asian contexts is how to encourage more independence in students’ learning approaches. Since 2005, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam has included the students’ ability to learn independently in its national education objectives. While learner autonomy has been viewed as a goal in the teaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and there has been a considerable literature on strategies to stimulate autonomy in learners, teachers’ voices have rarely been heard. Given that teachers play a central role in helping their students to be more autonomous, especially in an inherent Confucian heritage culture like Vietnam, their attitudes towards learner autonomy should be investigated before any practical implementations could be undertaken. This paper reports significant findings of a survey questionnaire with 262 lecturers of English from 5 universities in Hanoi, Vietnam giving opinions regarding the practices and prospects of learner autonomy in their classrooms. The study reveals that lecturers perceive they should be more responsible than their students in all class-related activities; they most appreciate their students’ ability to learn cooperatively and that they consider stimulating students’ interest as the most important teaching strategy to promote learner autonomy. Lecturers, then, are strongly suggested to gradually ‘empower’ their students through the application of out-of-classroom activities; of learning activities which requires collaboration and team spirit; and of activities which could boost students’ interest in learning English.

Keywords: English as a foreign language, higher education, learner autonomy, Vietnam

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981 Competitive Advantage on the Road Again: Exploring Nuances through a Conceptual Review and Future Research Avenues

Authors: Seyedabdolali Mortazavi Kamalabadi, Faegheh Taheran

Abstract:

By giving an overview of previous arguments and findings concerned with the concept of competitive advantage, first, we define the overall concept of competitive advantage and discuss nuances of understanding such an important and strategic idea. Finally, by considering the major concerns of marketing academia, including globalization, AI-based technologies, consumer well-being, and internal coopetition between a firm’s units, fruitful avenues to be explored by future studies are presented in the form of research propositions. In the end, relevant gaps mentioned by numerous studies that are worth investigating are demonstrated.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, competitive advantage, consumer well-being, coopetition, globalization, literature review, temporary competitive advantage

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980 Revolutionizing Healthcare Facility Maintenance: A Groundbreaking AI, BIM, and IoT Integration Framework

Authors: Mina Sadat Orooje, Mohammad Mehdi Latifi, Behnam Fereydooni Eftekhari

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The integration of cutting-edge Internet of Things (IoT) technologies with advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems is revolutionizing healthcare facility management. However, the current landscape of hospital building maintenance suffers from slow, repetitive, and disjointed processes, leading to significant financial, resource, and time losses. Additionally, the potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in facility maintenance is hindered by a lack of data within digital models of built environments, necessitating a more streamlined data collection process. This paper presents a robust framework that harmonizes AI with BIM-IoT technology to elevate healthcare Facility Maintenance Management (FMM) and address these pressing challenges. The methodology begins with a thorough literature review and requirements analysis, providing insights into existing technological landscapes and associated obstacles. Extensive data collection and analysis efforts follow to deepen understanding of hospital infrastructure and maintenance records. Critical AI algorithms are identified to address predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and optimization needs alongside integration strategies for BIM and IoT technologies, enabling real-time data collection and analysis. The framework outlines protocols for data processing, analysis, and decision-making. A prototype implementation is executed to showcase the framework's functionality, followed by a rigorous validation process to evaluate its efficacy and gather user feedback. Refinement and optimization steps are then undertaken based on evaluation outcomes. Emphasis is placed on the scalability of the framework in real-world scenarios and its potential applications across diverse healthcare facility contexts. Finally, the findings are meticulously documented and shared within the healthcare and facility management communities. This framework aims to significantly boost maintenance efficiency, cut costs, provide decision support, enable real-time monitoring, offer data-driven insights, and ultimately enhance patient safety and satisfaction. By tackling current challenges in healthcare facility maintenance management it paves the way for the adoption of smarter and more efficient maintenance practices in healthcare facilities.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, building information modeling, healthcare facility maintenance, internet of things integration, maintenance efficiency

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979 Psychodidactic Strategies to Facilitate Flow of Logical Thinking in Preparation of Academic Documents

Authors: Deni Stincer Gomez, Zuraya Monroy Nasr, Luis Pérez Alvarez

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The preparation of academic documents such as thesis, articles and research projects is one of the requirements of the higher educational level. These documents demand the implementation of logical argumentative thinking which is experienced and executed with difficulty. To mitigate the effect of these difficulties this study designed a thesis seminar, with which the authors have seven years of experience. It is taught in a graduate program in Psychology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In this study the authors use the Toulmin model as a mental heuristic and for the application of a set of psychodidactic strategies that facilitate the elaboration of the plot and culmination of the thesis. The efficiency in obtaining the degree in the groups exposed to the seminar has increased by 94% compared to the 10% that existed in the generations that were not exposed to the seminar. In this article the authors will emphasize the psychodidactic strategies used. The Toulmin model alone does not guarantee the success achieved. A set of actions of a psychological nature (almost psychotherapeutic) and didactics of the teacher also seem to contribute. These are actions that derive from an understanding of the psychological, epistemological and ontogenetic obstacles and the most frequent errors in which thought tends to fall when it is demanded a logical course. The authors have grouped the strategies into three groups: 1) strategies to facilitate logical thinking, 2) strategies to strengthen the scientific self and 3) strategies to facilitate the act of writing the text. In this work the authors delve into each of them.

Keywords: psychodidactic strategies, logical thinking, academic documents, Toulmin model

Procedia PDF Downloads 179
978 An Effective Decision-Making Strategy Based on Multi-Objective Optimization for Commercial Vehicles in Highway Scenarios

Authors: Weiming Hu, Xu Li, Xiaonan Li, Zhong Xu, Li Yuan, Xuan Dong

Abstract:

Maneuver decision-making plays a critical role in high-performance intelligent driving. This paper proposes a risk assessment-based decision-making network (RADMN) to address the problem of driving strategy for the commercial vehicle. RADMN integrates two networks, aiming at identifying the risk degree of collision and rollover and providing decisions to ensure the effectiveness and reliability of driving strategy. In the risk assessment module, risk degrees of the backward collision, forward collision and rollover are quantified for hazard recognition. In the decision module, a deep reinforcement learning based on multi-objective optimization (DRL-MOO) algorithm is designed, which comprehensively considers the risk degree and motion states of each traffic participant. To evaluate the performance of the proposed framework, Prescan/Simulink joint simulation was conducted in highway scenarios. Experimental results validate the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed RADMN. The output driving strategy can guarantee the safety and provide key technical support for the realization of autonomous driving of commercial vehicles.

Keywords: decision-making strategy, risk assessment, multi-objective optimization, commercial vehicle

Procedia PDF Downloads 134
977 A Diagnostic Comparative Analysis of on Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) Models for Indoor and Outdoor Route Planning and Obstacle Avoidance

Authors: Seyed Esmail Seyedi Bariran, Khairul Salleh Mohamed Sahari

Abstract:

In robotics literature, the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is commonly associated with a priori-posteriori problem. The autonomous vehicle needs a neutral map to spontaneously track its local position, i.e., “localization” while at the same time a precise path estimation of the environment state is required for effective route planning and obstacle avoidance. On the other hand, the environmental noise factors can significantly intensify the inherent uncertainties in using odometry information and measurements obtained from the robot’s exteroceptive sensor which in return directly affect the overall performance of the corresponding SLAM. Therefore, the current work is primarily dedicated to provide a diagnostic analysis of six SLAM algorithms including FastSLAM, L-SLAM, GraphSLAM, Grid SLAM and DP-SLAM. A SLAM simulated environment consisting of two sets of landmark locations and robot waypoints was set based on modified EKF and UKF in MATLAB using two separate maps for indoor and outdoor route planning subject to natural and artificial obstacles. The simulation results are expected to provide an unbiased platform to compare the estimation performances of the five SLAM models as well as on the reliability of each SLAM model for indoor and outdoor applications.

Keywords: route planning, obstacle, estimation performance, FastSLAM, L-SLAM, GraphSLAM, Grid SLAM, DP-SLAM

Procedia PDF Downloads 444
976 Impact of Perceived Stress on Psychological Well-Being, Aggression and Emotional Regulation

Authors: Nishtha Batra

Abstract:

This study was conducted to identify the effect of perceived stress on emotional regulation, aggression and psychological well-being. Analysis was conducted using correlational and regression models to examine the relationships between perceived stress (independent variable) and psychological factors containing emotional intelligence, psychological well-being and aggression. Subjects N=100, Male students 50 and Female students 50. The data was collected using Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale, Gross’s Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Ryff’s Psychological Well-being scale and Orispina’s aggression scale. Correlation and regression (SPSS version 22) Emotional regulation and psychological well-being had a significant relationship with Perceived stress.

Keywords: perceived stress, psychological well-being, aggression, emotional regulation, students

Procedia PDF Downloads 26
975 Intelligent Recognition Tools for Industrial Automation

Authors: Amin Nazerzadeh, Afsaneh Nouri Houshyar , Azadeh Noori Hoshyar

Abstract:

With the rapid growing of information technology, the industry and manufacturing systems are becoming more automated. Therefore, achieving the highly accurate automatic systems with reliable security is becoming more critical. Biometrics that refers to identifying individual based on physiological or behavioral traits are unique identifiers provide high reliability and security in different industrial systems. As biometric cannot easily be transferred between individuals or copied, it has been receiving extensive attention. Due to the importance of security applications, this paper provides an overview on biometrics and discuss about background, types and applications of biometric as an effective tool for the industrial applications.

Keywords: Industial and manufacturing applications, intelligence and security, information technology, recognition; security technology; biometrics

Procedia PDF Downloads 155