Search results for: hatching window

Authors: Sheam-Chyun Lin, Wei-Kai Chen, Hung-Cheng Yen, Yung-Jen Cheng, Yu-Cheng Chen

Abstract:

Result from the constant dwindle in natural resources, the alternative way to reduce the costs in our daily life would be urgent to be found in the near future. As the ancient technique based on the theory of solar chimney since roman times, the double-skin façade are simply composed of two large glass panels in purpose of daylighting and also natural ventilation in the daytime. Double-skin façade is generally installed on the exterior side of buildings as function as the window, so there’s always a huge amount of passive solar energy the façade would receive to induce the airflow every sunny day. Therefore this article imposes a domestic double-skin window for residential usage and attempts to improve the volume flow rate inside the cavity between the panels by the frame geometry design, the installation of outlet guide plate and the solar energy collection system. Note that the numerical analyses are applied to investigate the characteristics of flow field, and the boundary conditions in the simulation are totally based on the practical experiment of the original prototype. Then we redesign the prototype from the knowledge of the numerical results and fluid dynamic theory, and later the experiments of modified prototype will be conducted to verify the simulation results. The velocities at the inlet of each case are increase by 5%, 45% and 15% from the experimental data, and also the numerical simulation results reported 20% improvement in volume flow rate both for the frame geometry design and installation of outlet guide plate.

Keywords: solar energy, double-skin façades, thermal buoyancy, fluid machinery

Procedia PDF Downloads 467

Authors: A. Brigitte Coles

Abstract:

In order to be successful in a campaign against terror and maintain a favorable world order, we must recognize the effects of priming, framing, and agenda setting on the public sphere, and address how terrorist organizations are able to manipulate language and symbols to shift public opinion and increase recruitment success. Because of their unprecedented activity in the region and foreign recruitment success, this study specifically addresses how the Islamic State (IS/ISIS/ISIL) manipulates the public sphere to amplify support and increase western recruitment. By following a grounded theory methodology and coding triangulated data from IS propaganda, a model for the process of terrorist recruitment has emerged, concerning both environments and personalities susceptible to recruitment, and the steps by which an extremist can be created. This has resulted in the ability to reverse engineer a method by which counter recruitment operations can be facilitated in an effort to lessen the vulnerability of areas and individuals, as well as create dissent among current extremists.

Keywords: countering violent extremism, counter-terrorism, recruitment, overton window

Procedia PDF Downloads 310

Authors: A. Sherif, A. El Zafarany, R. Arafa

Abstract:

Hospitals, everywhere, are considered heavy energy consumers. Hospital Intensive Care Unit spaces pose a special challenge, where design guidelines requires the provision of external windows for day-lighting and external view. Window protection strategies could be employed to reduce energy loads without detriment effect on comfort or health care. This paper addresses the effectiveness of using various window strategies on the annual cooling, heating and lighting energy use of a typical Hospital Intensive Unit space. Series of experiments were performed using the EnergyPlus simulation software for a typical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) space in Cairo, located in the Egyptian desert. This study concluded that the use of shading systems is more effective in conserving energy in comparison with glazing of different types, in the Cairo ICUs. The highest energy savings in the West and South orientations were accomplished by external perforated solar screens, followed by overhangs positioned at a protection angle of 45°.

Keywords: energy, hospital, intensive care units, shading

Procedia PDF Downloads 267

Authors: Svetlana Pushkar, Oleg Verbitsky

Abstract:

An energy-conscious design for a classroom in a hot-humid climate is reanalyzed. The hypothesis of this study is that use of photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation in building operation energy consumption will lead to re-analysis of the energy-conscious design. Therefore, the objective of this study is to reanalyze the energy-conscious design by evaluating the environmental impact of operational energy with PV electrical generation. Using the hierarchical design structure of Eco-indicator 99, the alternatives for energy-conscious variables are statistically evaluated by applying a two-stage nested (hierarchical) ANOVA. The recommendations for the preferred solutions for application of glazing types, wall insulation, roof insulation, window size, roof mass, and window shading design alternatives were changed (for example, glazing type recommendations were changed from low-emissivity glazing, green, and double- glazed windows to low-emissivity glazing only), whereas the applications for the lighting control system and infiltration are not changed. Such analysis of operational energy can be defined as environment-conscious analysis.

Keywords: ANOVA, Eco-Indicator 99, energy-conscious design, hot–humid climate, photovoltaic

Procedia PDF Downloads 164

Authors: Sabrina Howard

Abstract:

'Window Seat' uses public transportation as an entry point for understanding the relationship between public space, politics, and social identity construction. This project argues that by bringing people of different races, classes, and genders in 'contact' with one another, public transit operates as a site of exposure, as people consciously and unconsciously perform social identity within these spaces. These performances offer a form of freedom that we associate with being in urban spaces while simultaneously rendering certain racialized, gendered, and classed bodies vulnerable to violence. Furthermore, due to its exposing function, public transit operates as a site through which we, as urbanites and scholars, can read social injustice and reflect on the work that is necessary to become a truly democratic society. The major questions guiding this research are: How does using public transit as the entry point provide unique insights into the relationship between social identity, politics, and public space? What ideas do Americans hold about public space and how might these ideas reflect a liberal yearning for a more democratic society? To address these research questions, 'Window Seat' critically examines ethnographic data collected on public buses and trains in Los Angeles, California, and online news media. It analyzes these sources through literature in socio-cultural psychology, sociology, and political science. It investigates the 'everyday urban hero' narrative or popular news stories that feature an individual or group of people acting against discriminatory or 'Anti-American' behavior on public buses and trains. 'Window Seat' studies these narratives to assert that by circulating stories of civility in news media, United Statsians construct and maintain ideas of the 'liberal city,' which is characterized by ideals of freedom and democracy. Furthermore, for those involved, these moments create an opportunity to perform the role of the Good Samaritan, an identity that is wrapped up in liberal beliefs in diversity and inclusion. This research expands conversations in urban studies by making a case for the political significance of urban public space. It demonstrates how these sites serve as spaces through which liberal beliefs are circulated and upheld through identity performance.

Keywords: social identity, public space, public transportation, liberalism

Procedia PDF Downloads 178

Authors: Golnar Behzadi, Michael O'Sullivan, Tava Olsen, Abraham Zhang

Abstract:

By definition, increasing supply chain resilience improves the supply chain’s ability to return to normal, or to an even more desirable situation, quickly and efficiently after being hit by a disruption. This is especially critical in agribusiness supply chains where the products are perishable and have a short life-cycle. In this paper, we propose a resilience metric to capture and improve the recovery process in terms of both performance and time, of an agribusiness supply chain following either supply or demand-side disruption. We build a model that determines optimal supply chain recovery planning decisions and selects the best resilient strategies that minimize the loss of profit during the recovery time window. The model is formulated as a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer linear programming problem and solved with a branch-and-cut algorithm. The results show that the optimal recovery schedule is highly dependent on the duration of the time-window allowed for recovery. In addition, the profit loss during recovery is reduced by utilizing the proposed resilient actions.

Keywords: agribusiness supply chain, recovery, resilience metric, risk management

Procedia PDF Downloads 368

Authors: Mohamed Youssef

Abstract:

The proliferation of energy consumption in the built environment has made energy efficiency and savings strategies a priority objective for energy policies in most countries. Qatar is a clear example, where it has initiated several programs and institutions to mitigate the overuse of electricity consumption and control the energy load of the building by following global standards and spreading awareness campaigns. A Case study on the Office of Research and Graduate Studies at Qatar University has been investigated in this paper. The paper studied the rating load of existing buildings before and after retrofitting by using Carrier’s Hourly Analysis Program (HAP). The performance of the building has increased especially after using the LED light system instead of fluorescent light with a low payback period. GINAN paint and green roof have shown a considerable contribution to the reduction of electrical load in the building. In comparison, the double HR window had the least effect on the reduction of electricity consumption.

Keywords: energy conservation in Qatar, HAP, LED light, GINAN paint, green roof, double HR window

Procedia PDF Downloads 150

Authors: Mateusz Hermyt, Pawel Kaczmarek, Weronika Rupik

Abstract:

The egg tooth is a crucial structure during hatching of lizards and snakes. In contrast to birds, turtles, crocodiles, and monotremes, egg tooth of squamate reptiles is a true tooth sharing common features of structure and development with all the other teeth of vertebrates. The egg tooth; however, due to its function, exhibits structural differences in relation to regular teeth. External morphology seems to be important in the context of phylogenetic relationships within Squamata but up to date, there is scarce information concerning structure and development of the egg tooth at the submicroscopical level. In presented studies detailed analysis of the egg tooth development in grass snake has been performed with the usage of light (including fluorescent), transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Grass snake embryo’s heads have been used in our studies. Grass snake is common snake species occurring in most of Europe including Poland. The grass snake is characterized by the presence of single unpaired egg tooth (as in most squamates) in contrast to geckos and dibamids possessing paired egg teeth. Studies show changes occurring on the external morphology, tissue and cellular levels of differentiating egg tooth. The egg tooth during its development changes its curvature. Initially, faces directly downward and in the course of its differentiation, it gradually changes to rostro-ventral orientation. Additionally, it forms conical dentinal protrusions on the sides. Histological analysis showed that egg tooth development occurs in similar steps in relation to regular teeth. It undergoes initiation, bud, cap and bell morphological stages. Analyses focused on describing morphological changes in hard tissues (mainly dentin and predentin) of egg tooth and in cells which enamel organ consists of. It included: outer enamel epithelium, stratum intermedium, inner enamel epithelium, odontoblasts, and cells of dental pulp. All specimens used in the study were captured according to the Polish regulations concerning the protection of wild species. Permission was granted by the Local Ethics Commission in Katowice (41/2010; 87/2015) and the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Katowice (WPN.6401.257.2015.DC).

Keywords: hatching, organogenesis, reptile, Squamata

Procedia PDF Downloads 158

Authors: Selma Bouasria, Mahi Abdelkader, Abbès Azzi, Herouz Keltoum

Abstract:

Ventilation in buildings is a key element to provide high indoor air quality. Its efficiency appears as one of the most important factors in maintaining thermal comfort for occupants of buildings. Personal displacement ventilation is a new ventilation concept that combines the positive features of displacement ventilation with those of task conditioning or personalized ventilation. This work aims to study numerically the supply air flow in a room to optimize a comfortable microclimate for an occupant. The room is heated, and a dummy is designed to simulate the occupant. Two types of configurations were studied. The first consist of a room without windows; and the second one is a local equipped with a window. The influence of the blowing speed and the solar radiation coming from the window on the thermal comfort of the occupant is studied. To conduct this study we used the turbulence models, namely the high Reynolds k-e, the RNG and the SST models. The numerical tool used is based on the finite volume method. The numerical simulation of the supply air flow in a room can predict and provide a significant information about indoor comfort.

Keywords: local, comfort, thermique, ventilation, internal environment

Procedia PDF Downloads 387

Authors: Shahira El Shafie, Hanaa Eldash, Engy Ghabbour, Mohamed Eid

Abstract:

Several immunologic defects can be found in patients with beta-thalassemia, among which the impairment of neutrophil phagocytic function is of utmost importance. Attention has been directed to the role of proinflammatory cytokines in neutrophil chemotaxis and phagocytosis. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is an important chemotactic and activation peptide for neutrophils; changes in IL-8 level and potential correlation with neutrophil function can be relevant to immunomodulation pathophysiology in beta-thalassemia patients. This case-control study aimed to evaluate IL-8 level and to assess granulocyte recruitment, as markers of immunomodulation, in poly-transfused thalassemia patients attending Fayoum University Hospitals. The study was conducted on 50 patients with ß thalassemia and 32 age-matched controls. 21/50 patients were transfused more than ten times, and 29/50 were transfused in a lower frequency. Patients and controls were subjected to thorough history taking and clinical examination, measurement of IL-8 level using human IL-8 ELISA kit, and Rebuck skin window technique (RSWT) to assess granulocyte recruitment. Our data showed statistically significant higher levels of IL-8 in ß thalassemia patients compared to control with a much higher difference in patients transfused more than ten times. Neutrophil recruitment was significantly lower in ß thalassemia patients compared to control at 4 hours and 24 hours test time. Although IL-8, the main chemotactic pro-inflammatory cytokine showed a higher level in thalassemia patients, neutrophils recruitment was significantly lower, especially in those receiving more than ten transfusion times. Our findings suggest a possible role of other neutrophil chemotactic factors, defective neutrophil response, or increased IL-8 as compensation of abnormal function. We recommend the use of IL-8 and Rebuck skin window technique as useful markers of immunomodulation in thalassemia and further study for these biomarkers to assess their clinical implications and impact on the management of thalassemia patients.

Keywords: beta-thalassemia, Interleukin-8, Rebuck skin window technique, immunomodulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 169

Authors: S. Besnaci, S. Bensoltane, H. Locif, S. Saadi

Abstract:

To validate an ecotoxicological approach to assessing toxicological effects caused by the oxide powder of nano-iron Fe2O3, we searched in the ecotoxicology laboratory cell bodies bio accumulators and bio-indicators of soil pollution the snail Helix aspersa. In this study, we evaluated the toxicity of nano Fe2O3 during a very sensitive phase of development H.aspersa (embryonic stage). During embryonic development, we observed in treated with various concentrations of nano Fe2O3 (1.25 g/l, 1.5 g/l, and 2 g/l) compared to control, the deformation of the membrane of the egg and accumulation of this molecule at the rear of the egg proven by the photographs, as with the influence on the hatching percentage.

Keywords: eggs, embryotoxicity, Fe2O3, Helix aspersa, nanoparticles

Procedia PDF Downloads 353

Authors: Mohammadjavad Mahdavinejad, Hadi Yazdi

Abstract:

The greatest influence we have from the world is shaped through the visual form, thus light is an inseparable element in human life. The use of daylight in visual perception and environment readability is an important issue for users. With regard to the hazards of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, and in line with the attitudes on the reduction of energy consumption, the correct use of daylight results in lower levels of energy consumed by artificial lighting, heating and cooling systems. Windows are usually the starting points for analysis and simulations to achieve visual comfort and energy optimization; therefore, attention should be paid to the orientation of buildings to minimize electrical energy and maximize the use of daylight. In this paper, by using the Design Builder Software, the effect of the orientation of an 18m²(3m*6m) room with 3m height in city of Tehran has been investigated considering the design constraint limitations. In these simulations, the dimensions of the building have been changed with one degree and the window is located on the smaller face (3m*3m) of the building with 80% ratio. The results indicate that the orientation of building has a lot to do with energy efficiency to meet high-performance architecture and planning goals and objectives.

Keywords: daylight, window, orientation, energy consumption, design builder

Procedia PDF Downloads 206

Authors: Abhisek Dash

Abstract:

This study had three neural networks, one for number segmentation, one for number detection and one for number recognition all of which are coupled to one another. All networks were trained on the MNIST dataset and were convolutional. It was assumed that the images had lighter background and darker foreground. The segmentation network took 28x28 images as input and had sixteen outputs. Segmentation training starts when a dark pixel is encountered. Taking a window(7x7) over that pixel as focus, the eight neighborhood of the focus was checked for further dark pixels. The segmentation network was then trained to move in those directions which had dark pixels. To this end the segmentation network had 16 outputs. They were arranged as “go east”, ”don’t go east ”, “go south east”, “don’t go south east”, “go south”, “don’t go south” and so on w.r.t focus window. The focus window was resized into a 28x28 image and the network was trained to consider those neighborhoods which had dark pixels. The neighborhoods which had dark pixels were pushed into a queue in a particular order. The neighborhoods were then popped one at a time stitched to the existing partial image of the number one at a time and trained on which neighborhoods to consider when the new partial image was presented. The above process was repeated until the image was fully covered by the 7x7 neighborhoods and there were no more uncovered black pixels. During testing the network scans and looks for the first dark pixel. From here on the network predicts which neighborhoods to consider and segments the image. After this step the group of neighborhoods are passed into the detection network. The detection network took 28x28 images as input and had two outputs denoting whether a number was detected or not. Since the ground truth of the bounds of a number was known during training the detection network outputted in favor of number not found until the bounds were not met and vice versa. The recognition network was a standard CNN that also took 28x28 images and had 10 outputs for recognition of numbers from 0 to 9. This network was activated only when the detection network votes in favor of number detected. The above methodology could segment connected and overlapping numbers. Additionally the recognition unit was only invoked when a number was detected which minimized false positives. It also eliminated the need for rules of thumb as segmentation is learned. The strategy can also be extended to other characters as well.

Keywords: convolutional neural networks, OCR, text detection, text segmentation

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Carlos Vera, Tetyana Baydyk, Ernst Kussul, Graciela Velasco, Miguel Aparicio

Abstract:

This article describes the Random Subspace Neural Classifier (RSC) for the recognition of meteors in the night sky. We used images of meteors entering the atmosphere at night between 8:00 p.m.-5: 00 a.m. The objective of this project is to classify meteor and star images (with stars as the image background). The monitoring of the sky and the classification of meteors are made for future applications by scientists. The image database was collected from different websites. We worked with RGB-type images with dimensions of 220x220 pixels stored in the BitMap Protocol (BMP) format. Subsequent window scanning and processing were carried out for each image. The scan window where the characteristics were extracted had the size of 20x20 pixels with a scanning step size of 10 pixels. Brightness, contrast and contour orientation histograms were used as inputs for the RSC. The RSC worked with two classes and classified into: 1) with meteors and 2) without meteors. Different tests were carried out by varying the number of training cycles and the number of images for training and recognition. The percentage error for the neural classifier was calculated. The results show a good RSC classifier response with 89% correct recognition. The results of these experiments are presented and discussed.

Keywords: contour orientation histogram, meteors, night sky, RSC neural classifier, stars

Procedia PDF Downloads 121

Authors: Zakiullah Kalwar, Shabeer Ahmed Abbasi

Abstract:

This research encompasses the study of Cretaceous Sembar Formation Shale Gas potential at Hajipur area. This study has been done with the approach of geophysical data integration. The structure is NE – SW trending anticline with two map able compartments at Cretaceous Sembar level. The study area is located within proven petroleum system. Cretaceous Sembar/Goru formation is in a Wet gas window and Tertiary source is possibly in the oil window. Potential seals are present in Upper Ranikot shale beds and Intra-Lower Ranikot shales. The effectiveness and presence of source and reservoir rocks are favorable in the area of interest. Cretaceous Sembar Shale and Goru Shale beds with good organic content (TOC upto 4%, Type II/III) are currently in gas generation window in the area. Source rock intervals are also reported in Eocene Kirthar Group (TOC upto 8%, Type –II). Good reservoir quality Paleocene Lower Ranikot and Cretaceous Sembar shale beds exist in the area. The collision between Indian and Eurasian Plates during Tertiary initiated folding and thrusting. The first phase of thrusting involved ophiolite emplacement along the western margins of the Indian Plate (west of the area under review). The main phase of thrusting in the Sulaiman region was from Late Miocene to the present. The study area contains Permian to Recent clastics and carbonates. The succession generally is younger in the southeast than in northwest. Intraformational sedimentation breaks are pronounced in Permian and Jurassic. Sulaiman Range is bounded by the Western Sulaiman Transform Fault Zone (of which the Kingri Fault is the major fault) to the west and by the Domanda Fault to the east. The Domanda Fault also constitutes the western boundary of the Sulaiman Foredeep, lies in sulaiman foredeep where subsurface having prominent independent closure. Several reservoir horizons of Jurassic to Eocene are established hydrocarbon producers in the Hajipur area.

Keywords: enough size, good potential, shale gas, structure closure

Procedia PDF Downloads 253

Authors: Tahsin Shameem, Chowdhury Sadman Jahan, Mohammad Alam

Abstract:

Interest about Net Zero Energy Buildings have gained traction in recent years following the need to sustain energy consumption with generations on site and to reduce dependence on grid supplied energy from large plants using fossil fuel. With this end in view, building integrated photovoltaics are being studied attempting to utilize all exterior facades of a building to generate power. In this paper, we have looked at the physical parameters defining a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and discussed their impact on energy harvest. Following our discussion and experimental data obtained from literature, we have attempted to optimize these physical parameters accordingly so as to allow maximum light absorption for a given active layer thickness. We then modified a planer DSSC design with our optimized properties to allow adequate light transmission which demonstrated a high fill factor and an External Quantum Efficiency (EQE) of greater than 9% by computer aided design and simulation. In conclusion, a DSSC based solar window with such high output values even after such high light transmission through it definitely flags a promising future for this technology and our work elicits the need for further study and practical experimentation.

Keywords: net zero energy building, integrated photovoltaics, dye sensitized solar cell, fill factor, External Quantum Efficiency

Procedia PDF Downloads 114

Authors: G. A. Oladosu1, P. O. Ogbodogbo, C. I. Makinde1, M. O. Tijani, O. A. Adegboyega

Abstract:

Saprolegniasis is a major pathogenic infection that contributes significantly to poor hatching rates in incubated fish eggs in the Africa catfish hatchery in Nigeria. Malachite green known to be very effective against this condition has been banned because it is carcinogenic. There is, therefore, the need for other effective yet safer methods of controlling saprolegniasis in incubated fish eggs. A total of 50 ml crude, chloroform extract of pyocyanin from which solvent was removed to attain 30 ml, having a concentration of 12.16 ug/ml was produced from 700 ml broth culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from a previous study. In-vitro susceptibility of the fungus was investigated by exposing fungal infected eggs to two different time-concentration ratios of pyocyanin; 0.275 ug/ml and 2.75 ug/ml for 1 and 24 hours, and 5 mg/L malachite green as positive control while normal saline was the control. The efficacy of pyocyanin was evaluated using the degree of mycelial growth inhibition in different treatments. Fertilized Clarias gariepinus eggs (between 45 to 64 eggs) were then incubated in 20 ml of medium containing similar concentrations of pyocyanin and malachite green, with freshwater as a control for 24 hours. Hatching rates of the incubated eggs were observed. Three samples of un-hatched eggs were taken from each medium and observed for the presence of fungal pathogens using microscopy. Another batch of three samples of un-hatched eggs from each treatment was also inoculated on Sabourand dextrose agar (SDA) using Egg-Agar Transfer Technique to observe for fungal growth. Mycelial growth was inhibited in fungal infected eggs treated with 2.75 ug/ml for 24 hrs and the 5 mg/L malachite green for both 1 hr and 24 hrs. The mortality rate was 100% in fertilized C. gariepinus eggs exposed for 24 hrs to 0.275 and 2.75 ug/ml of pyocyanin. The mortality rate was least in malachite green followed by the control treatment. Embryonic development was observed to be arrested in the eggs treated with the two pyocyanin concentrations as they maintain their colour but showed no development beyond the gastrula stage, whereas viable eggs in the control and malachite green treatments developed fully into healthy hatchlings. Furthermore, microscopy of the un-hatched eggs revealed the presence of a protozoan ciliate; Colpidium sp, (Tetrahymenidae), as well as a pathogenic fungus; Saprolegnia sp. in the control but not in the malachite green and pyocyanin treatments. Growth of Saprolegnia sp was also observed in SDA culture of un-hatched eggs from the control, but not from pyocyanin and malachite green treated eggs. Pyocyanin treatment of incubated eggs of Clarias gariepinus effectively prevented fungal infection in the eggs, but also arrested the development of the embryo. Therefore, crude chloroform extract of pyocyanin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa cannot be used in the control of Saprolegniasis in incubated Clarias gariepinus eggs at the concentration and duration tested in this study.

Keywords: African catfish, bioprophylaxis, catfish embryo, Saprolegniasis

Procedia PDF Downloads 94

Authors: M. H. Shwehdi, S. Raja Mohammad

Abstract:

Recently energy savings have become more pronounced as a result of the world financial crises as well the unstable oil prices. Certainly all entities needs to adapt Energy Conservation and Management Strategies due to high monthly consumption of their spread locations and advancements of its telecom systems. These system improvements necessitate the establishment of more exchange centers as well provide energy savings. This paper investigates the impact of HVAC System Characteristics, Operational Strategies, the impact of Envelope Thermal Characteristics, and energy conservation measures. These are classified under three types of measures i.e. Zero-Investment; Low-Investment and High-Investment Energy Conservation Measures. The study shows that the Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) pertaining to the HVAC system characteristics and operation represent the highest potential for energy reduction, attention should be given to window thermal and solar radiation characteristics when large window areas are used. The type of glazing system needs to be carefully considered in the early design phase of future buildings. Paper will present the thermal optimization of different size centers in the two hot-dry and hot-humid Saudi Arabian city of Al Khobar, East province.

Keywords: energy conservation, optimization, thermal design, intermittent operation, exchange centers, hot-humid climate, Saudi Arabia

Procedia PDF Downloads 414

Authors: Pawan Kumar Pant, Bhanu Gupta, S. R. Kale, S. V. Veeravalli

Abstract:

In many countries, buses are the principal means of transport, of which a majority are naturally ventilated with open windows. The design of this ventilation has little scientific basis and to address this problem a study has been undertaken involving both experiments and numerical simulations. The flow pattern inside and around of an open window bus with passengers has been investigated in detail. A full scale three-dimensional numerical simulation has been used for a) a bus with closed windows and b) with open windows. In either simulation, the bus had 58 seated passengers. The bus dimensions used were 2500 mm wide × 2500 mm high (exterior) × 10500 mm long and its speed was set at 40 km/h. In both cases, the flow separates at the top front edge forming a vortex and reattaches close to the mid-length. This attached flow separates once more as it leaves the bus. However, the strength and shape of the vortices at the top front and wake region is different for both cases. The streamline pattern around the bus is also different for the two cases. For the bus with open windows, the dominant airflow inside the bus is from the rear to the front of the bus and air velocity at the face level of the passengers was found to be 1/10th of the free stream velocity. These findings are in good agreement with flow visualization experiments performed in a water channel at 10 m/s, and with smoke/tuft visualizations in a wind tunnel with a free-stream velocity of approximately 40 km/h on a 1:25 scaled Perspex model.

Keywords: air flow, moving bus, open windows, vortex, wind tunnel

Procedia PDF Downloads 203

Authors: McKenzie S. Braley, Lesley Jessiman

Abstract:

If language reveals internal psychological processing, then it is also likely that language use in autobiographical memory transcripts may be used as a window into attachment style and related personality features. The current study, therefore, examined the possible associations between attachment style, negative affectivity, social inhibition, and linguistic features extracted from autobiographical memory transcripts. Young adult participants (n = 61) filled out attachment and personality questionnaires, and orally reported a relationship-related memory. Memories were audio-recorded and later transcribed verbatim. Using a computerized linguistic extraction tool, positive affect words, negative affect words, and cognition words were extracted. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients revealed that attachment anxiety was negatively correlated with cognition words (r2 = -0.26, p = 0.047) and that negative affectivity was negatively correlated with positive affect words (r2 = -0.32, p = 0.012). The findings suggest that attachment style and personality are associated with speech styles indicative of both emotionality and depth of processing. Because attachment styles, negative affectivity, and social inhibition are associated with poor mental health outcomes, analyses of key linguistics features in autobiographical memory narratives may provide reliable screening tools for mental wellbeing.

Keywords: attachment style, autobiographical memory, language, negative affectivity, social inhibition

Procedia PDF Downloads 243

Authors: Danny Barash

Abstract:

Riboswitches are RNA genetic control elements that were originally discovered in bacteria and provide a unique mechanism of gene regulation. They work without the participation of proteins and are believed to represent ancient regulatory systems in the evolutionary timescale. One of the biggest challenges in riboswitch research is that many are found in prokaryotes but only a small percentage of known riboswitches have been found in certain eukaryotic organisms. The few examples of eukaryotic riboswitches were identified using sequence-based bioinformatics search methods that include some slight structural considerations. These pattern-matching methods were the first ones to be applied for the purpose of riboswitch detection and they can also be programmed very efficiently using a data structure called affix arrays, making them suitable for genome-wide searches of riboswitch patterns. However, they are limited by their ability to detect harder to find riboswitches that deviate from the known patterns. Several methods have been developed since then to tackle this problem. The most commonly used by practitioners is Infernal that relies on Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) and Covariance Models (CMs). Profile Hidden Markov Models were also carried out in the pHMM Riboswitch Scanner web application, independently from Infernal. Other computational approaches that have been developed include RMDetect by the use of 3D structural modules and RNAbor that utilizes Boltzmann probability of structural neighbors. We have tried to incorporate more sophisticated secondary structure considerations based on RNA folding prediction using several strategies. The first idea was to utilize window-based methods in conjunction with folding predictions by energy minimization. The moving window approach is heavily geared towards secondary structure consideration relative to sequence that is treated as a constraint. However, the method cannot be used genome-wide due to its high cost because each folding prediction by energy minimization in the moving window is computationally expensive, enabling to scan only at the vicinity of genes of interest. The second idea was to remedy the inefficiency of the previous approach by constructing a pipeline that consists of inverse RNA folding considering RNA secondary structure, followed by a BLAST search that is sequence-based and highly efficient. This approach, which relies on inverse RNA folding in general and our own in-house fragment-based inverse RNA folding program called RNAfbinv in particular, shows capability to find attractive candidates that are missed by Infernal and other standard methods being used for riboswitch detection. We demonstrate attractive candidates found by both the moving-window approach and the inverse RNA folding approach performed together with BLAST. We conclude that structure-based methods like the two strategies outlined above hold considerable promise in detecting riboswitches and other conserved RNAs of functional importance in a variety of organisms.

Keywords: riboswitches, RNA folding prediction, RNA structure, structure-based methods

Procedia PDF Downloads 211

Authors: Syed Bilawal Ali Shah

Abstract:

The investigation of the hydrocarbon source rock potential of Eocene-Paleocene formations of Potwar Basin, part of Upper Indus Basin Pakistan, was done using geochemical and petrological techniques. Analysis was performed on forty-five core-cutting samples from two wells. The sequences analysed are Sakesar, Lockhart and Patala formations of Potwar Basin. Patala Formation is one of Potwar Basin's major petroleum-bearing source rocks. The Lockhart Formation samples VR (%Ro) and Tmax data indicate that the formation is early mature to immature for petroleum generation for hydrocarbon generation; samples from the Patala and Sakesar formations, however, have a peak oil generation window and an early maturity (oil window). With 3.37 weight percent mean TOC and HI levels up to 498 mg HC/g TOC, the source rock characteristics of the Sakesar and Patala formations generally exhibit good to very strong petroleum generative potential. The majority of sediments representing Lockhart Formation have 1.5 wt.% mean TOC having fair to good potential with HI values ranging between 203-498 mg HC/g TOC. 1. The analysed sediments of all formations possess primarily mixed Type II/III and Type III kerogen. Analysed sediments indicate that both the Sakesar and Patala formations can possess good oil-generation potential and may act as an oil source rock in the Potwar Basin.

Keywords: Potwar Basin, Patala Shale, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, Indus Basin, VR %Ro

Procedia PDF Downloads 41

Authors: Moser Stephan, Lukasser Gerald, Weitlaner Robert

Abstract:

Urban structures will be used more intensively in the future through redensification or new planned districts with high building densities. Especially, to achieve positive energy balances like requested for Positive Energy Districts (PED) the single use of roofs is not sufficient for dense urban areas. However, the increasing share of window significantly reduces the facade area available for use in PV generation. Through the use of PV technology at other building components, such as external venetian blinds, onsite generation can be maximized and standard functionalities of this product can be positively extended. While offering advantages in terms of infrastructure, sustainability in the use of resources and efficiency, these systems require an increased optimization in planning and control strategies of buildings. External venetian blinds with PV technology require an intelligent control concept to meet the required demands such as maximum power generation, glare prevention, high daylight autonomy, avoidance of summer overheating but also use of passive solar gains in wintertime. Today, geometric representation of outdoor spaces and at the building level, three-dimensional geometric information is available for planning with Building Information Modeling (BIM). In a research project, a web application which is called HELLA DECART was developed to provide this data structure to extract the data required for the simulation from the BIM models and to make it usable for the calculations and coupled simulations. The investigated object is uploaded as an IFC file to this web application and includes the object as well as the neighboring buildings and possible remote shading. This tool uses a ray tracing method to determine possible glare from solar reflections of a neighboring building as well as near and far shadows per window on the object. Subsequently, an annual estimate of the sunlight per window is calculated by taking weather data into account. This optimized daylight assessment per window provides the ability to calculate an estimation of the potential power generation at the integrated PV on the venetian blind but also for the daylight and solar entry. As a next step, these results of the calculations as well as all necessary parameters for the thermal simulation can be provided. The overall aim of this workflow is to advance the coordination between the BIM model and coupled building simulation with the resulting shading and daylighting system with the artificial lighting system and maximum power generation in a control system. In the research project Powershade, an AI based control concept for PV integrated façade elements with coupled simulation results is investigated. The developed automated workflow concept in this paper is tested by using an office living lab at the HELLA company.

Keywords: BIPV, building simulation, optimized control strategy, planning tool

Procedia PDF Downloads 83

Authors: Juhee Lee, Yongjun Lee

Abstract:

In designing a low-energy-consuming buildings, the heat transfer through a large glass or wall becomes critical. Multiple layers of the window glasses and walls are employed for the high insulation. The gravity driven air flow between window glasses or wall layers is a natural heat convection phenomenon being a key of the heat transfer. For the first step of the natural heat transfer analysis, in this study the development and application of a finite volume method for the numerical computation of viscous incompressible flows is presented. It will become a part of the natural convection analysis with high-order scheme, multi-grid method, and dual-time step in the future. A finite volume method based on a fully-implicit second-order is used to discretize and solve the fluid flow on unstructured grids composed of arbitrary-shaped cells. The integrations of the governing equation are discretised in the finite volume manner using a collocated arrangement of variables. The convergence of the SIMPLE segregated algorithm for the solution of the coupled nonlinear algebraic equations is accelerated by using a sparse matrix solver such as BiCGSTAB. The method used in the present study is verified by applying it to some flows for which either the numerical solution is known or the solution can be obtained using another numerical technique available in the other researches. The accuracy of the method is assessed through the grid refinement.

Keywords: finite volume method, fluid flow, laminar flow, unstructured grid

Procedia PDF Downloads 259

Authors: Paolo Fantozzi, Luigi Laura, Umberto Nanni

Abstract:

The problem of Entity relation discovery in structured data, a well covered topic in literature, consists in searching within unstructured sources (typically, text) in order to find connections among entities. These can be a whole dictionary, or a specific collection of named items. In many cases machine learning and/or text mining techniques are used for this goal. These approaches might be unfeasible in computationally challenging problems, such as processing massive data streams. A faster approach consists in collecting the cooccurrences of any two words (entities) in order to create a graph of relations - a cooccurrence graph. Indeed each cooccurrence highlights some grade of semantic correlation between the words because it is more common to have related words close each other than having them in the opposite sides of the text. Some authors have used sliding windows for such problem: they count all the occurrences within a sliding windows running over the whole text. In this paper we generalise such technique, coming up to a Weighted-Distance Sliding Window, where each occurrence of two named items within the window is accounted with a weight depending on the distance between items: a closer distance implies a stronger evidence of a relationship. We develop an experiment in order to support this intuition, by applying this technique to a data set consisting in the text of the Bible, split into verses.

Keywords: cooccurrence graph, entity relation graph, unstructured text, weighted distance

Procedia PDF Downloads 124

Authors: Roberta Pecoraro

Abstract:

The focus of this work was to investigate the potential toxic effect of titanium dioxide-reduced graphene oxide (TiO₂-rGO) nanocomposites on nauplii of microcrustacean Artemia sp. In order to assess the nanocomposite’s toxicity, a short-term test was performed by exposing nauplii to solutions containing TiO₂-rGO. To prepare titanium dioxide-reduced graphene oxide (TiO₂-rGO) nanocomposites, a green procedure based on solar photoreduction was proposed; it allows to obtain the photocatalysts by exploiting the photocatalytic properties of titania activated by the solar irradiation in order to avoid the high temperatures and pressures required for the standard hydrothermal synthesis. Powders of TiO₂-rGO supplied by the Department of Chemical Sciences (University of Catania) are indicated as TiO₂-rGO at 1% and TiO₂-rGO at 2%. Starting from a stock solution (1mg rGO-TiO₂/10 ml ASPM water) of each type, we tested four different concentrations (serial dilutions ranging from 10⁻¹ to 10⁻⁴ mg/ml). All the solutions have been sonicated for 12 min prior to use. Artificial seawater (called ASPM water) was prepared to guarantee the hatching of the cysts and to maintain nauplii; the durable cysts used in this study, marketed by JBL (JBL GmbH & Co. KG, Germany), were hydrated with ASPM water to obtain nauplii (instar II-III larvae). The hatching of the cysts was carried out in the laboratory by immersing them in ASPM water inside a 500 ml beaker and keeping them constantly oxygenated thanks to an aerator for the insufflation of microbubble air: after 24-48 hours, the cysts hatched, and the nauplii appeared. The nauplii in the second and third stages of development were collected one-to-one, using stereomicroscopes, and transferred into 96-well microplates where one nauplius per well was added. The wells quickly have been filled with 300 µl of each specific concentration of the solution used, and control samples were incubated only with ASPM water. Replication was performed for each concentration. Finally, the microplates were placed on an orbital shaker, and the tests were read after 24 and 48 hours from inoculating the solutions to assess the endpoint (immobility/death) for the larvae. Nauplii that appeared motionless were counted as dead, and the percentages of mortality were calculated for each treatment. The results showed a low percentage of immobilization both for TiO₂-rGO at 1% and TiO₂-rGO at 2% for all concentrations tested: for TiO₂-rGO at 1% was below 12% after 24h and below 15% after 48h; for TiO₂-rGO at 2% was below 8% after 24h and below 12% after 48h. According to other studies in the literature, the results have not shown mortality nor toxic effects on the development of larvae after exposure to rGO. Finally, it is important to highlight that the TiO₂-rGO catalysts were tested in the solar photodegradation of a toxic herbicide (2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,4-D), obtaining a high percentage of degradation; therefore, this alternative approach could be considered a good strategy to obtain performing photocatalysts.

Keywords: Nauplii, photocatalytic properties, reduced GO, short-term toxicity test, titanium dioxide

Procedia PDF Downloads 160

Authors: Zekang Lan, Yan Xu, Yingkun Huang, Dian Huang, Shengzhong Feng

Abstract:

Jobs on high-performance computing (HPC) clusters can suffer significant performance degradation due to inter-job network interference. Topology-aware job allocation problem (TJAP) is such a problem that decides how to dedicate nodes to specific applications to mitigate inter-job network interference. In this paper, we study the window-based TJAP on a fat-tree network aiming at minimizing the cost of communication hop, a defined inter-job interference metric. The window-based approach for scheduling repeats periodically, taking the jobs in the queue and solving an assignment problem that maps jobs to the available nodes. Two special allocation strategies are considered, i.e., static continuity assignment strategy (SCAS) and dynamic continuity assignment strategy (DCAS). For the SCAS, a 0-1 integer programming is developed. For the DCAS, an approach called neural simulated algorithm (NSA), which is an extension to simulated algorithm (SA) that learns a repair operator and employs them in a guided heuristic search, is proposed. The efficacy of NSA is demonstrated with a computational study against SA and SCIP. The results of numerical experiments indicate that both the model and algorithm proposed in this paper are effective.

Keywords: high-performance computing, job allocation, neural simulated annealing, topology-aware

Procedia PDF Downloads 76

Authors: Pitigalage Chamath Chandira Peiris

Abstract:

A widely researched domain in the field of image processing in recent times has been single image super-resolution, which tries to restore a high-resolution image from a single low-resolution image. Many more single image super-resolution efforts have been completed utilizing equally traditional and deep learning methodologies, as well as a variety of other methodologies. Deep learning-based super-resolution methods, in particular, have received significant interest. As of now, the most advanced image restoration approaches are based on convolutional neural networks; nevertheless, only a few efforts have been performed using Transformers, which have demonstrated excellent performance on high-level vision tasks. The effectiveness of CNN-based algorithms in image super-resolution has been impressive. However, these methods cannot completely capture the non-local features of the data. Enhancer is a simple yet powerful Transformer-based approach for enhancing the resolution of images. A method for single image super-resolution was developed in this study, which utilized an efficient and effective transformer design. This proposed architecture makes use of a locally enhanced window transformer block to alleviate the enormous computational load associated with non-overlapping window-based self-attention. Additionally, it incorporates depth-wise convolution in the feed-forward network to enhance its ability to capture local context. This study is assessed by comparing the results obtained for popular datasets to those obtained by other techniques in the domain.

Keywords: single image super resolution, computer vision, vision transformers, image restoration

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: Paula Marín, Mohammad Saffari, Alvaro de Gracia, Luisa F. Cabeza, Svetlana Ushak

Abstract:

Climate control represents an important issue when referring to energy consumption of buildings and associated expenses, both in installation or operation periods. The climate control of a building relies on several factors. Among them, localization, orientation, architectural elements, sources of energy used, are considered. In order to study the thermal behaviour of a building set up, the present study proposes the use of energy simulation program Energy Plus. In recent years, energy simulation programs have become important tools for evaluation of thermal/energy performance of buildings and facilities. Besides, the need to find new forms of passive conditioning in buildings for energy saving is a critical component. The use of phase change materials (PCMs) for heat storage applications has grown in importance due to its high efficiency. Therefore, the climatic conditions of Northern Chile: high solar radiation and extreme temperature fluctuations ranging from -10°C to 30°C (Calama city), low index of cloudy days during the year are appropriate to take advantage of solar energy and use passive systems in buildings. Also, the extensive mining activities in northern Chile encourage the use of large numbers of containers to harbour workers during shifts. These containers are constructed with lightweight construction systems, requiring heating during night and cooling during day, increasing the HVAC electricity consumption. The use of PCM can improve thermal comfort and reduce the energy consumption. The objective of this study was to evaluate the thermal and energy performance of containers of 2.5×2.5×2.5 m3, located in four cities of Chile: Antofagasta, Calama, Santiago, and Concepción. Lightweight envelopes, typically used in these building prototypes, were evaluated considering a container without PCM inclusion as the reference building and another container with PCM-enhanced envelopes as a test case, both of which have a door and a window in the same wall, orientated in two directions: North and South. To see the thermal response of these containers in different seasons, the simulations were performed considering a period of one year. The results show that higher energy savings for the four cities studied are obtained when the distribution of door and window in the container is in the north direction because of higher solar radiation incidence. The comparison of HVAC consumption and energy savings in % for north direction of door and window are summarised. Simulation results show that in the city of Antofagasta 47% of heating energy could be saved and in the cities of Calama and Concepción the biggest savings in terms of cooling could be achieved since PCM reduces almost all the cooling demand. Currently, based on simulation results, four containers have been constructed and sized with the same structural characteristics carried out in simulations, that are, containers with/without PCM, with door and window in one wall. Two of these containers will be placed in Antofagasta and two containers in a copper mine near to Calama, all of them will be monitored for a period of one year. The simulation results will be validated with experimental measurements and will be reported in the future.

Keywords: energy saving, lightweight construction, PCM, simulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 258

Authors: Emin Z. Mahmud

Abstract:

Shaking table tests are planned in order to deepen the understanding of the behavior of confined masonry structures with or without openings. The tests are realized in the laboratory of the Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology (IZIIS) – Skopje. The specimens were examined separately on the shaking table, with uniaxial, in-plane excitation. After testing, samples were strengthened with GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic) and re-tested. This paper presents the observations from a series of shaking-table tests done on a 1:1 scaled confined masonry wall model, with opening for a window – specimens CMWuS (before strengthening) and CMWS (after strengthening). Frequency and stiffness changes before and after GFRP wall strengthening are analyzed. Definition of dynamic properties of the models was the first step of the experimental testing, which enabled acquiring important information about the achieved stiffness (natural frequencies) of the model. The natural frequency was defined in the Y direction of the model by applying resonant frequency search tests. It is important to mention that both specimens CMWuS and CMWS are subjected to the same effects. The initial frequency of the undamaged model CMWuS is 18.79 Hz, while at the end of the testing, the frequency decreased to 12.96 Hz. This emphasizes the reduction of the initial stiffness of the model due to damage, especially in the masonry and tie-beam to tie-column connection. After strengthening the damaged wall, the natural frequency increases to 14.67 Hz. This highlights the beneficial effect of strengthening. After completion of dynamic testing at CMWS, the natural frequency is reduced to 10.75 Hz.

Keywords: behaviour of masonry structures, Eurocode, frequency, masonry, shaking table test, strengthening

Procedia PDF Downloads 97