Search results for: small intermittency approximation

Authors: S. Chaudhuri, P. A. Bhobe

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Fe₂TiSn is a non-magnetic full Heusler alloy with a small gap (~ 0.07 eV) at the Fermi level. The electronic structure is highly symmetric in both the spin bands and a small percentage of substitution of holes or electrons can push the system towards spin polarization. A stable 100% spin polarization or half-metallicity is very desirable in the field of spintronics, making Fe₂TiSn a highly attractive material. However, this composition suffers from an inherent anti-site disorder between Fe and Ti sites. This paper reports on the method adopted to control the anti-site disorder and the realization of the half-metallic ground state in Fe₂TiSn, achieved by chemical substitution. Here, Sb was substituted at Sn site to obtain Fe₂TiSn₁₋ₓSbₓ compositions with x = 0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.6. All prepared compositions with x ≤ 0.6 exhibit long-range L2₁ ordering and a decrease in Fe – Ti anti-site disorder. The transport and magnetic properties of Fe₂TiSn₁₋ₓSbₓ compositions were investigated as a function of temperature in the range, 5 K to 400 K. Electrical resistivity, magnetization, and Hall voltage measurements were carried out. All the experimental results indicate the presence of the half-metallic ground state in x ≥ 0.25 compositions. However, the value of saturation magnetization is small, indicating the presence of compensated magnetic moments. The observed magnetic moments' values are in close agreement with the Slater–Pauling rule in half-metallic systems. Magnetic interactions in Fe₂TiSn₁₋ₓSbₓ are understood from the local crystal structural perspective using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The changes in bond distances extracted from EXAFS analysis can be correlated with the hybridization between constituent atoms and hence the RKKY type magnetic interactions that govern the magnetic ground state of these alloys. To complement the experimental findings, first principle electronic structure calculations were also undertaken. The spin-polarized DOS complies with the experimental results for Fe₂TiSn₁₋ₓSbₓ. Substitution of Sb (an electron excess element) at Sn–site shifts the majority spin band to the lower energy side of Fermi level, thus making the system 100% spin polarized and inducing long-range magnetic order in an otherwise non-magnetic Fe₂TiSn. The present study concludes that a stable half-metallic system can be realized in Fe₂TiSn with ≥ 50% Sb – substitution at Sn – site.

Keywords: antisite disorder, EXAFS, Full Heusler alloy, half metallic ferrimagnetism, RKKY interactions

Procedia PDF Downloads 139

Authors: Yeun Sug Jeong, Yeongseon Jang, Rhim Ryoo, Donha Choi, Sung-Suk Lee, Kang-Hyeon Ka

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Broussonetia kazinoki (paper mulberry) is a plant native to Asia, and it grows at the foot of a mountain. Its bark is used as a raw material of Hanji, traditional Korean paper, and fruit is used as a medicinal material. However, inside the bark (woody part) is not used and discarded. We tried to use it for Lentinula edodes (oak mushroom) cultivation. It is commonly cultivated using oak trees and sawdust, but it could be grown with other trees. The woody part of paper mulberry was ground and mixed with oak sawdust by five different ratios. The 1.2 kg cylindrical bag media were prepared and water contents were adjusted to 65%. The media were autoclaved at 100℃ for 60 min and 121℃ for 90 min. Two strains of oak mushroom, NIFoS 2462 and NIFoS 2778 were inoculated and cultivated for 90 days in dark condition, and 40 days in light condition. Compared to the control, the mycelial growth period was long and the hardness of the media was low when paper mulberry sawdust was added. After incubation period, fruiting was stimulated at 18℃ and more than 85% humidity. After each flush, there was a resting period of 2 weeks. In the first flush, mushrooms were small, and a lot of small mushrooms were harvested. On the other hand, no mushrooms of 5 g or less were harvested in the secondary flush. The highest productivity was obtained in a 3:1 ratio of paper mulberry and oak sawdust. The size of NIFoS 2778 was uniform in each condition. On the other hand, NIFoS 2462 had smaller mushrooms in the media containing paper mulberry sawdust, but the appearance was not significantly different. This study showed that paper mulberry wood could be used to grow oak mushrooms and some oak sawdust could be substituted.

Keywords: Broussonetia kazinoki, cultivation, Lentinula edodes, oak mushroom

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Authors: Outokesh Fatemeh, Jourabchi Keivan, Talebi Maryam, Nikbakht Fatemeh

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Mayamei is a small town in Iran that is located between Shahrud and Sabzevar cities, on the Silk Road. It enjoys a history of approximately 1000 years. An alley entitled ‘Aghayan’ exists in this town that comprises residential buildings of a famous family. Bathhouse, mosque, telegraph center, cistern are all related to this alley. This architectural complex belongs to Sadat Mousavi, who is one of the Mayamei's major grandees and religious household. The alley after construction has been inherited from generation to generation within the family masters. The purpose of this study, which was conducted on Aghayan alley and its associated complex, was to elucidate Iranian vernacular domestic architecture of Qajar era in small towns and villages. We searched for large, medium, and small architectural patterns in the contemplated complex, and tried to elaborate their evolution from past to the present. The other objective of this project was finding a correlation between changes in the lifestyle of the alley’s inhabitants with the form of the building's architecture. Our investigation methods included: literature review especially in regard to historical travelogues, peer site visiting, mapping, interviewing of the elderly people of the Mousavi family (the owners), and examining the available documents especially the 4 meters’ scroll-type testament of 150 years ago. For the analysis of the aforementioned data, an effort was made to discover (1) the patterns of placing of different buildings in respect of the others, (2) finding the relation between function of the buildings with their relative location in the complex, as was considered in the original design, and (3) possible changes of functions of the buildings during the time. In such an investigation, special attention was paid to the chronological changes of lifestyles of the residents. In addition, we tried to take all different activities of the residents into account including their daily life activities, religious ceremonies, etc. By combining such methods, we were able to obtain a picture of the buildings in their original (construction) state, along with a knowledge of the temporal evolution of the architecture. An interesting finding is that the Aghayan complex seems to be a big structure of the horizontal type apartments, which are placed next to each other. The houses made in this way are connected to the adjacent neighbors both by the bifacial rooms and from the roofs.

Keywords: Iran, Qajar period, vernacular domestic architecture, life style, residential complex

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Authors: Mohamed Ahmed M. Azab

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The shortage of fresh water is a major problem in several areas of the world such as arid regions and coastal zones in several countries of Arabian Gulf. Fortunately, arid regions are exposed to high levels of solar irradiation most the year, which makes the utilization of solar energy a promising solution to such problem with zero harmful emission (Green System). The main objective of this work is to conduct a feasibility study of utilizing small autonomous water desalination units powered by photovoltaic modules as a green renewable energy resource to be employed in different isolated zones as a source of drinking water for some scattered societies where the installation of huge desalination stations are discarded owing to the unavailability of electric grid. Yanbu City is chosen as a case study where the Renewable Energy Center exists and equipped with all sensors to assess the availability of solar energy all over the year. The study included two types of available water: the first type is brackish well water and the second type is seawater of coastal regions. In the case of well water, two versions of desalination units are involved in the study: the first version is based on day operation only. While the second version takes into consideration night operation also, which requires energy storage system as batteries to provide the necessary electric power at night. According to the feasibility study results, it is found that utilization of small autonomous desalinations unit is applicable and economically accepted in the case of brackish well water. While in the case of seawater the capital costs are extremely high and the cost of desalinated water will not be economically feasible unless governmental subsidies are provided. In addition, the study indicated that, for the same water production, the utilization of energy storage version (day-night) adds additional capital cost for batteries, and extra running cost for their replacement, which makes the unit price not only incompetent with day-only unit but also with conventional units powered by diesel generator (fossil fuel) owing to the low prices of fuel in the kingdom. However, the cost analysis shows that the price of the produced water per cubic meter of day-night unit is similar to that produced from the day-only unit provided that the day-night unit operates theoretically for a longer period of 50%.

Keywords: solar energy, water desalination, reverse osmosis, arid regions

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Authors: Aicha Bouhlala, Sabah Chettibi

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A systematic investigation on structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of Ce₀.₇₅A₀.₂₅O₂ (A = W, Mo) is performed using first-principles calculations within the framework Full-Potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave (FP-LAPW) method based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT). The exchange-correlation potential has been treated using the generalized gradient approximation (WC-GGA) developed by Wu-Cohen. The host compound CeO2 was doped with transition metal atoms W and Mo in the doping concentration of 25% to replace the Ce atom. In structural properties, the equilibrium lattice constant is observed for the W-doped CeO₂ compound which exists within the value of 5.314 A° and the value of 5.317 A° for Mo-doped CeO2. The present results show that Ce₀.₇₅A₀.₂₅O₂ (A=W, Mo) systems exhibit semiconducting behavior in both spin channels. Although undoped CeO₂ is a non-magnetic semiconductor. The band structure of these doped compounds was plotted and they exhibit direct band gap at the Fermi level (EF) in the majority and minority spin channels. In the magnetic properties, the doped atoms W and Mo play a vital role in increasing the magnetic moments of the supercell and the values of the total magnetic moment are found to be 1.998 μB for Ce₀.₇₅W₀.₂₅O₂ and to be 2.002 μB for Ce₀.₇₅Mo₀.₂₅O₂ compounds. Calculated results indicate that the magneto-electronic properties of the Ce₁₋ₓAₓO₂(A= W, Mo) oxides supply a new way to the experimentalist for the potential applications in spintronics devices.

Keywords: FP-LAPW, DFT, CeO₂, properties

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Authors: Hiroyuki Aoki

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The optoacoustic effect is the energy conversion phenomenon from light to sound. In recent years, this optoacoustic effect has been utilized for an imaging agent to visualize a tumor site in a living body. The optoacoustic imaging agent absorbs the light and emits the sound signal. The sound wave can propagate in a living organism with a small energy loss; therefore, the optoacoustic imaging method enables the molecular imaging of the deep inside of the body. In order to improve the imaging quality of the optoacoustic method, the more signal intensity is desired; however, it has been difficult to enhance the signal intensity of the optoacoustic imaging agent because the fundamental mechanism of the signal generation is unclear. This study deals with the mechanism to generate the sound wave signal from the optoacoustic imaging agent following the light absorption by experimental and theoretical approaches. The optoacoustic signal efficiency for the nano-particles consisting of metal and polymer were compared, and it was found that the polymer particle was better. The heat generation and transfer process for optoacoustic agents of metal and polymer were theoretically examined. It was found that heat generated in the metal particle rapidly transferred to the water medium, whereas the heat in the polymer particle was confined in itself. The confined heat in the small particle induces the massive volume expansion, resulting in the large optoacoustic signal for the polymeric particle agent. Thus, we showed that heat confinement is a crucial factor in designing the highly efficient optoacoustic imaging agent.

Keywords: nano-particle, opto-acoustic effect, in vivo imaging, molecular imaging

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Authors: Sonia Bedhiaf-Romdhani

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The sheep (Ovis aries) was domesticated, approximately 11,000 years ago (YBP), in the Fertile Crescent from Asian Mouflon (Ovis Orientalis). The Northern African (NA) sheep is 7,000 years old, represents a remarkable diversity of sheep populations reared under traditional and low input farming systems (LIFS) over millennia. The majority of small ruminants in developing countries are encountered in low input production systems and the resilience of local communities in rural areas is often linked to the wellbeing of small ruminants. Regardless of the rich biodiversity encountered in sheep ecotypes there are four main sheep breeds in the country with 61,6 and 35.4 percents of Barbarine (fat tail breed) and Queue Fine de l’Ouest (thin tail breed), respectively. Phoenicians introduced the Barbarine sheep from the steppes of Central Asia in the Carthaginian period, 3000 years ago. The Queue Fine de l’Ouest is a thin-tailed meat breed heavily concentrated in the Western and the central semi-arid regions. The Noire de Thibar breed, involving mutton-fine wool producing animals, has been on the verge of extinction, it’s a composite black coated sheep breed found in the northern sub-humid region because of its higher nutritional requirements and non-tolerance of the prevailing harsher condition. The D'Man breed, originated from Morocco, is mainly located in the southern oases of the extreme arid ecosystem. A genetic investigation of Tunisian sheep breeds using a genome-wide scan of approximately 50,000 SNPs was performed. Genetic analysis of relationship between breeds highlighted the genetic differentiation of Noire de Thibar breed from the other local breeds, reflecting the effect of past events of introgression of European gene pool. The Queue Fine de l’Ouest breed showed a genetic heterogeneity and was close to Barbarine. The D'Man breed shared a considerable gene flow with the thin-tailed Queue Fine de l'Ouest breed. Native small ruminants breeds, are capable to be efficiently productive if essential ingredients and coherent breeding schemes are implemented and followed. Assessing the status of genetic variability of native sheep breeds could provide important clues for research and policy makers to devise better strategies for the conservation and management of genetic resources.

Keywords: sheep, farming systems, diversity, SNPs.

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Authors: M. Ibrahim Ali, M. El Dawi, M. A. Mohamed Ali

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In this study, the use of magnetic gradient survey, and the geoelectrical ground methods used together to explore archaeological features in Nuri’s pyramids area. Research methods used and the procedures and methodologies have taken full right during the study. The magnetic survey method was used to search for archaeological features using (Geoscan Fluxgate Gradiometer (FM36)). The study area was divided into a number of squares (networks) exactly equal (20 * 20 meters). These squares were collected at the end of the study to give a major network for each region. Networks also divided to take the sample using nets typically equal to (0.25 * 0.50 meter), in order to give a more specific archaeological features with some small bipolar anomalies that caused by buildings built from fired bricks. This definition is important to monitor many of the archaeological features such as rooms and others. This main network gives us an integrated map displayed for easy presentation, and it also allows for all the operations required using (Geoscan Geoplot software). The parallel traverse is the main way to take readings of the magnetic survey, to get out the high-quality data. The study area is very rich in old buildings that vary from small to very large. According to the proportion of the sand dunes and the loose soil, most of these buildings are not visible from the surface. Because of the proportion of the sandy dry soil, there is no connection between the ground surface and the electrodes. We tried to get electrical readings by adding salty water to the soil, but, unfortunately, we failed to confirm the magnetic readings with electrical readings as previously planned.

Keywords: archaeological features, independent grids, magnetic gradient, Nuri pyramid

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Authors: Beddiaf Abdelaziz

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The optical characteristics of thin films of silicon oxynitride SiOₓNy prepared by the Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) technique have been studied. The films are elaborated from the SiH₂Cl₂, N₂O and NH₃ gaseous mixtures. The flows of SiH₂Cl₂ and (N₂O+NH₃) are 200 sccm and 160 sccm respectively. The deposited films have been characterized by ellipsometry, to model our silicon oxynitride SiOₓNy films. We have suggested two theoretical models (Maxwell Garnett and Bruggeman effective medium approximation (BEMA)). These models have been applied on silicon oxynitride considering the material as a heterogeneous medium formed by silicon oxide and silicon nitride. The model's validation was justified by the confrontation of theoretical spectra and those measured by ellipsometry. This result permits us to obtain the optical refractive coefficient of these films and their thickness. Ellipsometry analysis of the optical properties of the SiOₓNy films shows that the SiO₂ fraction decreases when the gaseous ratio NH₃/N₂O increases. Whereas the increase of this ratio leads to an increase of the silicon nitride Si3N4 fraction. The study also shows that the increasing gaseous ratio leads to a strong incorporation of nitrogen atoms in films. Also, the increasing of the SiOₓNy refractive coefficient until the SiO₂ value shows that this insulating material has good dielectric quality.

Keywords: ellipsometry, silicon oxynitrde, model, refractive coefficient, effective medium

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Authors: Hui Luo, Zhenhong Li, Zhen Dong

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The analysis of multi-temporal InSAR (MTInSAR) such as persistent scatterer (PS) and small baseline subset (SBAS) techniques usually relies on temporal/spatial phase unwrapping (PU). Unfortunately, it always fails to unwrap the phase for two reasons: 1) spatial phase jump between adjacent pixels larger than π, such as layover and high discontinuous terrain; 2) temporal phase discontinuities such as time varied atmospheric delay. To overcome these limitations, a least-square based PU method is introduced in this paper, which incorporates baseline-combination interferograms and adjacent phase gradient network. Firstly, permanent scatterers (PS) are selected for study. Starting with the linear baseline-combination method, we obtain equivalent 'small baseline inteferograms' to limit the spatial phase difference. Then, phase different has been conducted between connected PSs (connected by a specific networking rule) to suppress the spatial correlated phase errors such as atmospheric artifact. After that, interval phase difference along arcs can be computed by least square method and followed by an outlier detector to remove the arcs with phase ambiguities. Then, the unwrapped phase can be obtained by spatial integration. The proposed method is tested on real data of TerraSAR-X, and the results are also compared with the ones obtained by StaMPS(a software package with 3D PU capabilities). By comparison, it shows that the proposed method can successfully unwrap the interferograms in urban areas even when high discontinuities exist, while StaMPS fails. At last, precise DEM errors can be got according to the unwrapped interferograms.

Keywords: phase unwrapping, time series, InSAR, urban areas

Procedia PDF Downloads 152

Authors: Lusine Tadevosyan, Natella Mirzoyan, Anna Yeritsyan, Narek Avetisyan

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Due to high quality, the artesian groundwater is the main source of water supply for the fisheries in Ararat Valley, Armenia. From 1.6 billion m3 abstracted groundwater in 2016, half was used by fish farms. Yet, the inefficient water use, typical for low-intensity aquaculture systems in Ararat Valley, has become a key environmental issue in Armenia. In addition to excessive pure groundwater exploitation, which along with other sectors of groundwater use in this area resulted in the reduction of artesian zone by approximately 67% during last 20 years, the negative environmental impact of these productions is magnified by the discharge of large volumes of wastewater into receiving water bodies. In turn, unsustainable use of artesian groundwater in Ararat Valley along with increasingly strict policy measures on water use had a devastating impact on small and/or medium scale aquaculture: over the last two years approximately 100 fish farms have permanently seized their operations. The current project aims at the introduction of efficient and environmentally friendly fish farming practices (e.g., Recirculating Aquaculture Systems) in Ararat Valley fisheries in order to support current levels of fish production and simultaneously reduce the negative environmental pressure of aquaculture facilities in Armenia. Economic and environmental analysis of current small and medium scale operational systems and subsequently developed environmentally–friendly and economically sustainable system configurations will be presented.

Keywords: aquaculture, groundwater, recirculation, sustainability

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Authors: S. Pooja Pragati, B. Sudarsan, S. Rajkumar

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Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are known for their excellent antimicrobial agents, and thus can be used as alternative disinfectant agents. However, released silver nanoparticles is a threat to naturally occurring microorganisms. This paper exhibits information on the environmental fate, toxicological effects, and application of AgNP and the current estimate on the physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of AgNP in different aqueous solutions, as well as their application as alternative disinfectants in water-treatment systems. It also gives a better approximation and experimental data of AgNP’s antimicrobial properties at different water chemistry conditions. A saturation-type fitting curve was established, showing the survival of bacteria under different water chemistry conditions as a function of the size of the nanoparticles. The results obtained show that silver nanoparticles in surface water, ground water, and brackish water are stable. The paper demonstrates the comparative study of AgNP-impregnated point-of-use ceramic water filters and ceramic filters impregnated with silver nitrate. It is observed that AgNP-impregnated ceramic water filters are more appropriate for this application due to the lesser amount of silver desorbed. Experimental data of the comparison of a polymer-based quaternary amine functionalized silsesquioxanes compound and AgNP are also tabulated and conclusions are analysed with the goal of optimizing. The simplicity of synthesis and application of Silver nanoparticles enables us to consider its effective modified version for the purification of water.

Keywords: disinfectant agent, purification of water, nano particles, water treatment

Procedia PDF Downloads 337

Authors: Victoria Adamu Pam, Victor Ameh Adejoh, Akwashiki Ombugadu

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The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of ruminant has been on the increase leading to great economic and production losses with more fatal cases occurring in developing countries. This study was conducted to investigate and provide data on the prevalence and impact of haemo and gastro intestinal parasites of small ruminants in Akwanga LGA of Nasarawa State. One hundred fecal and blood samples were collected from goats and sheep. The fecal and blood samples were examined using floatation method and thin blood smear method respectively. Four gastro intestinal parasites were identified in the study, these are; Strongyloides spp, Paramphistome spp, Coccidia spp and Moniezia spp. while 2 heamo parasites were identified; Babesia spp. and Anaplasma spp. The most prevalent gastro intestinal parasite encountered was Strongyloide pp with 48(64.86%) and 48(77.42%) in sheep and goat respectively. This is followed by Paramphistome spp with 18(24.32%) in sheep only. The least prevalent was Coccidia spp with 8(10.8%) in sheep and Moniezia spp with 2 (3.23%) in goats. The most prevalent heamo parasites was Babesia spp with 10(71.43%) and 10(100.00%) in sheep and goat respectively while the least prevalent was Anaplasma spp with 4(28.57%) in sheep only. Statistically, there is no significant difference between haemo and gastrointestinal parasites of sheep and goats in the study area. (P > 0.05). The prevalence of gastrointestinal and haemo parasites in relation to sex showed that female had the highest prevalence of 50% than in the male 2.00% while In relation to age the prevalence was higher in adult 58% than in the Young 2.00%. Statistically, there is a significant difference (P < 0.05) between adult and young. The study indicates that parasitic infections are prevalent in ruminants in the study area.

Keywords: akwanga, gastrointestinal, haemo, parasites

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Authors: Su Mon Saw, Joe Rothnagel

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Short open reading frames (sORFs) located in 5’UTR of mRNAs are known as uORFs. Characterization of uORF-encoded peptides (uPEPs) i.e., a subset of short open reading frame encoded peptides (sPEPs) and their translation regulation lead to understanding of causes of genetic disease, proteome complexity and development of treatments. Existence of uORFs within cellular proteome could be detected by LC-MS/MS. The ability of uORF to be translated into uPEP and achievement of uPEP identification will allow uPEP’s characterization, structures, functions, subcellular localization, evolutionary maintenance (conservation in human and other species) and abundance in cells. It is hypothesized that a subset of sORFs are translatable and that their encoded sPEPs are functional and are endogenously expressed contributing to the eukaryotic cellular proteome complexity. This project aimed to investigate whether sORFs encode functional peptides. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and bioinformatics were thus employed. Due to probable low abundance of sPEPs and small in sizes, the need for efficient peptide enrichment strategies for enriching small proteins and depleting the sub-proteome of large and abundant proteins is crucial for identifying sPEPs. Low molecular weight proteins were extracted using SDS-PAGE from Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK293) cells and Strong Cation Exchange Chromatography (SCX) from secreted HEK293 cells. Extracted proteins were digested by trypsin to peptides, which were detected by LC-MS/MS. The MS/MS data obtained was searched against Swiss-Prot using MASCOT version 2.4 to filter out known proteins, and all unmatched spectra were re-searched against human RefSeq database. ProteinPilot v5.0.1 was used to identify sPEPs by searching against human RefSeq, Vanderperre and Human Alternative Open Reading Frame (HaltORF) databases. Potential sPEPs were analyzed by bioinformatics. Since SDS PAGE electrophoresis could not separate proteins <20kDa, this could not identify sPEPs. All MASCOT-identified peptide fragments were parts of main open reading frame (mORF) by ORF Finder search and blastp search. No sPEP was detected and existence of sPEPs could not be identified in this study. 13 translated sORFs in HEK293 cells by mass spectrometry in previous studies were characterized by bioinformatics. Identified sPEPs from previous studies were <100 amino acids and <15 kDa. Bioinformatics results showed that sORFs are translated to sPEPs and contribute to proteome complexity. uPEP translated from uORF of SLC35A4 was strongly conserved in human and mouse while uPEP translated from uORF of MKKS was strongly conserved in human and Rhesus monkey. Cross-species conserved uORFs in association with protein translation strongly suggest evolutionary maintenance of coding sequence and indicate probable functional expression of peptides encoded within these uORFs. Translation of sORFs was confirmed by mass spectrometry and sPEPs were characterized with bioinformatics.

Keywords: bioinformatics, HEK293 cells, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, ProteinPilot, Strong Cation Exchange Chromatography, SDS-PAGE, sPEPs

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Authors: Kazi Ashief Mahmood

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Geographically Bangladesh is located in a natural hazard prone area. Compared to the rest of the areas, the coastal sub-districts are more vulnerable to climate variability and change. However, the hydro-geophysical reality of the sub-districts predominantly determines their contexts of vulnerability and its nature differs accordingly. Intriguingly enough, the poorest of the areas appear to be the most cornered among the different vulnerable sectors. Among of these deprived segments; however, the women, the persons with disability and the minorities are generally more vulnerable and they face a high risk of marginalized. The most threatening hydro-geophysical climate vulnerability have been created by prolonged dry season as observed at Koyra Upazilla in Khulna districts and Shyamnagar in Satkhira districts. The prolonged dry season creates severe surface salinity by which farmers cannot produce or use their to cultivate. The absence of land-based production and employment in the area has led to severe food insecurity. As a result, farmers tend to change their livelihood option and many of them are forced to migrate to the other areas of the country in search of livelihood. Besides salinity intrusion, water logging, drought and different climate change induced hazards are endangering safe drinking water sources and putting small-holders out of agriculture-based livelihoods in the Koyra and Shyamnagar Upazilla. A sizeable fraction of small-holders are still trying to hold on to their small scale shrimp production, despite being under pressure to sell off their cultivating lands to their influential shrimp merchants. While their desperate effort to take advantage of the increasing salinity is somewhat successful, their families still face a greater risk of health hazards owing to the lack of safe drinking water. Unless the issues of salinity in drinking water cannot be redressed, the state of the affected people will be in great jeopardy. Most of the inhabitants of oKyra and Shyamnagar Upazilla are living under the poverty line. Thus, poverty is a major factor that intensifies the vulnerability caused by hydro-geophysical climatic conditions. The government and different NGOs are trying to improve the present scenario by implementing different disaster risk reduction projects along with poverty reduction for community empowerment.

Keywords: assessment, climate change, climate induced hazards, coastal zone

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Authors: Lindiwe Ngcobo

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The aim of the study is to describe and understand the benefits and costs of having biogas digesters at both household and society level. On a household level, the purpose is to understand how rural households benefit from the biogas digesters, for example, by converting animal and human waste through biogas digesters, and at what costs the benefits are realized. At a societal level, the purpose is to understand the costs and benefits of biogas digesters relative to the situation of rural communities who do not have flush toilets and have no appropriate waste disposal services while they incur electricity costs. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the effect of biogas digesters on electricity availability and waste management. The results showed that beneficiaries spent less on electricity using household waste, and also waste disposal costs were eliminated from household expenses. A move to biogas energy production can be beneficial to rural households. It is economically and environmentally friendly. Small-scale farmers need to be introduced to agricultural innovations that can assist them in producing nutritious crops at a low cost. This can be a good opportunity to start an agribusiness that focuses on organic crops. Extensions and training institutions have to play a part in supporting households to develop entrepreneurial skills. Cost-benefit analysis showed that the benefits of biogas exceed the costs of the biogas projects. This implies that this technology should be promoted in rural households. Government financial incentives must be put in place to motivate a generation of organic Agri-prenuers.

Keywords: Agri-prenuers, biogas digester, biogas energy, disposal costs

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Authors: Hamed Khani Arani, Mohammad Shariyat, Armaghan Mohammadian

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In the present study, the free vibration of magnetostrictive nano-plate (MsNP) resting on the Pasternak foundation is investigated. Firstly, the modified couple stress (MCS) and nonlocal elasticity theories are compared together and taken into account to consider the small scale effects; in this paper not only two theories are analyzed but also it improves the MCS theory is more accurate than nonlocal elasticity theory in such problems. A feedback control system is utilized to investigate the effects of a magnetic field. First-order shear deformation theory (FSDT), Hamilton’s principle and energy method are utilized in order to drive the equations of motion and these equations are solved by differential quadrature method (DQM) for simply supported boundary conditions. The MsNP undergoes in-plane forces in x and y directions. In this regard, the dimensionless frequency is plotted to study the effects of small scale parameter, magnetic field, aspect ratio, thickness ratio and compression and tension loads. Results indicate that these parameters play a key role on the natural frequency. According to the above results, MsNP can be used in the communications equipment, smart control vibration of nanostructure especially in sensor and actuators such as wireless linear micro motor and smart nano valves in injectors.

Keywords: feedback control system, magnetostrictive nano-plate, modified couple stress theory, nonlocal elasticity theory, vibration analysis

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Authors: Rahul S. Raj

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Electro-mechanical impedance technique is a recently developed non-destructive method for structural health monitoring. This system comprises of piezo electric patch, bonded to the structure using an adhesive/epoxy and electrically excited to determine the health of the component. The subjected electric field actuates the PZT patch harmonically and imparts a force on the host structure. The structural response thus produced by the host component is in the form of peaks and valleys which further shows the admittance signatures of the structure for the given excitation frequency. Adhesives have the capability to change the structural signatures, in EMI technique, by transforming conductance and susceptance signatures. The static approximation provide a justifiable result where adhesive bond lines are thin and stiff. The epoxy adhesive bonds limits design flexibility due to poor bond strengths, hence to enhance the performance of the joints, a new technique is developed for joining PZT, i.e. the alloy bonding technique. It is a metallic joining compound which contains many active elements including Titanium, that reacts with the tenacious surface films of the ceramic and composites to create excellent bonds. This alloy-based bonding technique will be used for better strain interaction and rigorous stress transfer between PZT patch and the host structure.

Keywords: EMI technique, conductance, susceptance, admittance, alloy bonding

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Authors: J. Gochermann

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Due to complex markets and products, and increasing need to innovate, cooperation between small and medium size enterprises arose during the last decades, which are not prior driven by process optimization or sales enhancement. Especially small and medium sized enterprises (SME) collaborate increasingly in innovation and knowledge networks to enhance their knowledge and innovation potential, and to find strategic partners for product and market development. These networks are characterized by dual objectives, the superordinate goal of the total network, and the specific objectives of the network members, which can cause target conflicts. Moreover, most SMEs do not have structured innovation processes and they are not accustomed to collaborate in complex innovation projects in an open network structure. On the other hand, SMEs have suitable characteristics for promising networking. They are flexible and spontaneous, they have flat hierarchies, and the acting people are not anonymous. These characteristics indeed distinguish them from bigger concerns. Investigation of German SME networks have been done to identify success factors for SME innovation networks. The fundamental network principles, donation-return and confidence, could be confirmed and identified as basic success factors. Further factors are voluntariness, adequate number of network members, quality of communication, neutrality and competence of the network management, as well as reliability and obligingness of the network services. Innovation and knowledge networks with an appreciable number of members from science and technology institutions need also active sense-making to bring different disciplines into successful collaboration. It has also been investigated, whether and how the involvement in an innovation network impacts the innovation structure and culture inside the member companies. The degree of reaction grows with time and intensity of commitment.

Keywords: innovation and knowledge networks, SME, success factors, innovation structure and culture

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Authors: Shehnila Kanwal

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Murree-Kotli Sattian-Kahta National Park (MKKNP) was declared in 2009. However, not much is known about the diversity and relative abundance of the mammalian fauna of this park. In the current study, we used field sign survey and infrared camera trapping techniques to get an insight into the diversity of mammalian species and their relative abundance. We conducted field surveys in different areas of the park at various elevations from April 2023 up to March 2024 to record the field signs (scats, pug marks etc.) of the mammals’ species; in addition, we deployed a total of 22 infrared trail camera traps in different areas of the park, for 116 nights. We obtained a total of 5201 photographs using camera trapping. Results of camera trapping coupled with field sign surveys confirmed the presence of a total of twenty-one different mammalian species (large, meso and small mammals) recorded in the study area. The common leopard was recorded at four different sites in the park, with an altitudinal range between 648m-1533m. Distribution of Asiatic jackal and a red fox was recorded positive at all the sites surveyed in the park with an altitudinal range between 498m-1287m and 433m-2049m, respectively. Leopard cats were recorded at two different sites within the altitudinal range between 498m-894m. Jungle cat was recorded at three sites within an altitudinal range between 498m-846. Asian palm civets and small Indian civets were both recorded at three sites. Grey mongoose and small Indian mongoose were recorded at four and three sites. We also collected a total of 75 scats of different mammal species in the park to further confirm their occurrence. For the Indian pangolin, we recorded three field burrows at two different sites. Diversity index (H’=2.369960) and species evenness (E=0.81995) were calculated. Analysis of data revealed that wild boar (Sus sucrofa) was the most abundant species in the park; most of the mammal species were found nocturnal; these remain active from dusk throughout the night, and some of them remain active at dawn time. Leopard and Asian palm civets were highly overlapping species in the study area. Their temporal activity pattern overlapped 61%. Barking deer and Indian crested porcupine were also found to be nocturnal species they remained active throughout the night.

Keywords: MKKNP, diversity, abundance, evenness, distribution, mammals, overlapped

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Authors: Aminath Waseela, Vinesh Chandra, Shaun Nykvist,

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The success of technology integration initiatives hinges on the knowledge and skills of teachers to effectively integrate technology in classroom teaching. Consequently, gaining an understanding of teachers' technology knowledge and its integration can provide useful insights on strategies that can be adopted to enhance teaching and learning, especially in developing country contexts where research is scant. This paper extends existing knowledge on teachers' use of technology by developing a conceptual framework that recognises how three key types of knowledge; content, pedagogy, technology, and their integration are at the crux of teachers' technology use while at the same time is amenable to empirical studies. Although the aforementioned knowledge is important for effective use of technology that can result in enhanced student engagement, literature on how this knowledge leads to effective technology use and enhanced student engagement is limited. Thus, this theoretical paper proposes a framework to explore teachers' knowledge through the lens of the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK); the integration of technology in classroom teaching through the Substitution Augmentation Modification and Redefinition (SAMR) model and how this affects students' learning through the Bloom's Digital Taxonomy (BDT) lens. Studies using this framework could inform the design of professional development to support teachers to develop skills for effective use of available technology that can enhance student learning engagement.

Keywords: information and communication technology, ICT, in-service training, small island developing states, SIDS, student engagement, technology integration, technology professional development training, technological pedagogical and content knowledge, TPACK

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Authors: Jukka Heinonen

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Higher density reduces distances, private car dependency and thus reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). As a result, increased density has been given a central role among urban development targets. However, it is not just travel behavior that changes along with density. Rather, the consumption patterns, or overall lifestyles, change along with changing urban structure, particularly with changing housing types and consumption opportunities. Furthermore, elevated consumption of services, more frequent flying and less intra-household sharing have been shown to potentially outweigh the gains from reduced driving in more dense urban settlements. In this study, the geography of carbon footprints (CFs) in California is analyzed paying close attention to the household size differences and the resulting economies-of-scale advantages and disadvantages. A hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) framework is employed together with consumer expenditure data to assess the CFs. According to the study, small urban households have the highest CFs in California. Their transport related emissions are significantly lower than those of the residents of less urbanized areas, but higher emissions from other consumption categories, together with the low degree of sharing of goods, overweigh the gains. Two functional units, per capita and per household, are used to analyze the CFs and to demonstrate the importance of household size. The lifestyle impacts visible through the consumption data are also discussed. The study suggests that there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the premises of low-carbon human settlements.

Keywords: carbon footprint, life cycle assessment, lifestyle, household size, consumption, economies-of-scale

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Authors: Graziela D. de Azevedo, Livia M. Pagotto, Mario P. Monzoni, Neto

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This article aims to discuss partnerships between public administration and private social investment aimed at territorial development. There has been some approximation in Brazil from private social investors with initiatives aiming at territorial development policies in highly vulnerable territories or in places where the business sector operates. This represents this paper’s major justification: on the advance of academic debate about how businesses, institutes, and foundations have been working alongside local governments, taking the territory as the reference for joint action. The research was based on the literature on governance and territorial development and adopted a mixed iterative approach (inductive and deductive) through an interpretative lens so as to develop an analysis structure that complements and expands knowledge about the contribution of public policies and private social investments for territorial development in Brazil. The analysis of 15 cases based on three distinct blocks (territorial development plans, articulation for education, and thematic approaches) has made it possible to identify common elements regarding the motivations of partnerships, the specific needs of the actors involved, and the priority drivers for stimulating development. Findings include discussion on the leading role of territories in their development paths, on the institutionalization and strengthening of capacities, and on long-term perspectives in development strategies.

Keywords: private social investment, public administration, territorial governance, territorial development

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Authors: Javad Rahimipour Anaraki, Saeed Samet, Mahdi Eftekhari, Chang Wook Ahn

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Feature selection and attribute reduction are crucial problems, and widely used techniques in the field of machine learning, data mining and pattern recognition to overcome the well-known phenomenon of the Curse of Dimensionality. This paper presents a feature selection method that efficiently carries out attribute reduction, thereby selecting the most informative features of a dataset. It consists of two components: 1) a measure for feature subset evaluation, and 2) a search strategy. For the evaluation measure, we have employed the fuzzy-rough dependency degree (FRFDD) of the lower approximation-based fuzzy-rough feature selection (L-FRFS) due to its effectiveness in feature selection. As for the search strategy, a modified version of a binary shuffled frog leaping algorithm is proposed (B-SFLA). The proposed feature selection method is obtained by hybridizing the B-SFLA with the FRDD. Nine classifiers have been employed to compare the proposed approach with several existing methods over twenty two datasets, including nine high dimensional and large ones, from the UCI repository. The experimental results demonstrate that the B-SFLA approach significantly outperforms other metaheuristic methods in terms of the number of selected features and the classification accuracy.

Keywords: binary shuffled frog leaping algorithm, feature selection, fuzzy-rough set, minimal reduct

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Authors: Muhammad Anwar, Ameen Ullah, Intakhab Alam Qadri

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This study presents a technique utilizing the Iterative Rational Krylov Algorithm (IRKA) to reduce the order of large-scale descriptor systems. Descriptor systems, which incorporate differential and algebraic components, pose unique challenges in Model Order Reduction (MOR). The proposed method partitions the descriptor system into polynomial and strictly proper parts to minimize approximation errors, applying IRKA exclusively to the strictly adequate component. This approach circumvents the unbounded errors that arise when IRKA is directly applied to the entire system. A comparative analysis demonstrates the high accuracy of the reduced model and a significant reduction in computational burden. The reduced model enables more efficient simulations and streamlined controller designs. The study highlights IRKA-based MOR’s effectiveness in optimizing complex systems’ performance across various engineering applications. The proposed methodology offers a promising solution for reducing the complexity of large-scale descriptor systems while maintaining their essential characteristics and facilitating their analysis, simulation, and control design.

Keywords: model order reduction, descriptor systems, iterative rational Krylov algorithm, interpolatory model reduction, computational efficiency, projection methods, H₂-optimal model reduction

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Authors: Renata Checiches, Thierry Coche, Nicolas F. Delahaye, Albert Linder, Fernando Ulloa Montoya, Olivier Gruselle, Karen Langfeld, An de Creus, Bart Spiessens, Vincent G. Brichard, Jamila Louahed, Frédéric F. Lehmann

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Background: The RNA-expression levels of cancer-testis antigens MAGE A3 and PRAME were determined in resected tissue from patients with primary non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and related to clinical outcome. EGFR, KRAS and BRAF mutation status was determined in a subset to investigate associations with MAGE A3 and PRAME expression. Methods: We conducted a single-centre, uncontrolled, retrospective study of 1260 tissue-bank samples from stage IA-III resected NSCLC. The prognostic value of antigen expression (qRT-PCR) was determined by hazard-ratio and Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: Thirty-seven percent (314/844) of tumours expressed MAGE-A3, 66% (723/1092) expressed PRAME and 31% (239/839) expressed both. Respective frequencies in squamous-cell tumours and adenocarcinomas were 43%/30% for MAGE A3 and 80%/44% for PRAME. No correlation with stage, tumour size or patient age was found. Overall, no prognostic value was identified for either antigen. A trend to poorer overall survival was associated with MAGE-A3 in stage IIIB and with PRAME in stage IB. EGFR and KRAS mutations were found in 10.1% (28/311) and 33.8% (97/311) of tumours, respectively. EGFR (but not KRAS) mutation status was negatively associated with PRAME expression. Conclusion: No clear prognostic value for either PRAME or MAGE A3 was observed in the overall population, although some observed trends may warrant further investigation.

Keywords: MAGE A3, PRAME, cancer-testis gene, NSCLC, survival, EGFR

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Authors: B. W. U. Deepashika

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Rathnapura is located in the south-western part of Sri Lanka, the so-called wet zone. This area receives rainfall mainly from south-west monsoons from May to September. During the remaining months of the year, there is also a considerable precipitation due to convective rains. The average annual precipitation is about 4,000 to 5,000 mm. The average temperature varies from 24 to 35 °C, and there are high humidity levels. Mosses are one of the important groups of the flora of this region and they are very sensitive to climatic changes. Proper exploration and systematic studies on mosses in many parts of the country have not yet been carried out. Therefore, launching a study on the bryophyte flora of the country has become very important. The preliminary survey of bryophytes was carried out in Galahitiya, Meneripitiya Grama Niladari Division, located in Ratnapura district, in Sabaragamuwa province which is situated 20 kilometres away from Rathnapura. Its geographical coordinates are 6° 35' North, 80° 35' East. Samples were collected from different habitats including home gardens, near the wells, small forest patch, tea land, near the stream, from non-cemented wall, from cement wall, and from ditches. Two small quadrates (1ˣ 1m2) were used in each study site. Taxa were identified up to the generic level using taxonomic keys produced for different geographic regions of the world. In the present survey, a total of 09 mosses belonging to seven families were identified to their generic level. They are Family-Bryaceae (3) (Bryum sp, Brachymenium sp, Pohlia sp), Fissidentaceae (1) (Fissidens sp), Leucobryaceae (1) (Octoblepharum sp), Calymperaceae (1) (Calymperes sp), Polytrichaceae (1) (Pogonatum sp), Pterobryaceae (1) (Pterobryopsis sp), Sematophyllaceae (1) (Taxithelium sp).

Keywords: mosses, wet zone, Sabaragamuwa province, Sri Lanka

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Authors: George Mahalu

Abstract:

The Chua diode has been configured over time in various ways, using electronic structures like operational amplifiers (AOs) or devices with gas or semiconductors. When discussing the use of semiconductor devices, tunnel diodes (Esaki diodes) are most often considered, and more recently, transistorized configurations such as lambda diodes. The paperwork proposed here uses in the modeling a lambda diode type configuration consisting of two junction field effect transistors (JFET). The original scheme is created in the MULTISIM electronic simulation environment and is analyzed in order to identify the conditions for the appearance of evolutionary unpredictability specific to nonlinear dynamic systems with chaos-induced behavior. The chaotic deterministic oscillator is one autonomous type, a fact that places it in the class of Chua’s type oscillators, the only significant and most important difference being the presence of a nonlinear device like the one mentioned structure above. The chaotic behavior is identified both by means of strange attractor-type trajectories and visible during the simulation and by highlighting the hypersensitivity of the system to small variations of one of the input parameters. The results obtained through simulation and the conclusions drawn are useful in the further research of ways to implement such constructive electronic solutions in theoretical and practical applications related to modern small signal amplification structures, to systems for encoding and decoding messages through various modern ways of communication, as well as new structures that can be imagined both in modern neural networks and in those for the physical implementation of some requirements imposed by current research with the aim of obtaining practically usable solutions in quantum computing and quantum computers.

Keywords: chua, diode, memristor, chaos

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Authors: Sung-Won Yoo, Chul-Hyeon Kang, Kyoung-Tae Park, Hae-Sik Woo

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Numerous studies were dedicated on the High Volume Fly-Ash (HVFA) concrete using high volume fly ash. The material properties of HVFA concrete have been the primordial topics of early studies, and interest shifted gradually toward the structural behavior of HVFA concrete such as elasticity modulus, stress-strain relationship, and structural behavior. However, structural studies consider small-scale members limited to the scope of reinforced concrete only. Therefore, in this paper, on the basis of recent studies on the structural behavior, 2 full-scale test members were manufactured with 7.5 m span length, fly ash replacement ratio of 50 % and concrete compressive strength of 50 MPa in order to evaluate the practicability of HVFA to real structures. In addition, 2 steel composite test members were also manufactured with span length of 3 m and using the same HVFA concrete for the same purpose. The test results of full-scale RC members showed that the practical use of HVFA on such structures is not hard despite small differences between test results and existing research results on the stress-strain relationship. The flexural test revealed very little difference between 50% fly ash concrete and general concrete in view of the similarity exhibited by the displacement and strain patterns. The experimental concrete shear strength being very close to that of design code, the existing design code can be applied. From the flexural test results of steel girder composite members, the composite behavior can be secured as much as that using normal concrete under the condition of sufficient arrangement of reinforcing bar.

Keywords: composite, fly ash, full-scale, high volume

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Authors: Marjila Burhanzoi, Kenta Onohara, Tomoaki Ikegami

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Faults in photovoltaic (PV) modules should be detected to the greatest extent as early as possible. For that conventional fault detection methods such as electrical characterization, visual inspection, infrared (IR) imaging, ultraviolet fluorescence and electroluminescence (EL) imaging are used, but they either fail to detect the location or category of fault, or they require expensive equipment and are not convenient for onsite application. Hence, these methods are not convenient to use for monitoring small-scale PV systems. Therefore, low cost and efficient inspection techniques with the ability of onsite application are indispensable for PV modules. In this study in order to establish efficient inspection technique, correlation between faults and magnetic flux density on the surface is of crystalline PV modules are investigated. Magnetic flux on the surface of normal and faulted PV modules is measured under the short circuit and illuminated conditions using two different sensor devices. One device is made of small integrated sensors namely 9-axis motion tracking sensor with a 3-axis electronic compass embedded, an IR temperature sensor, an optical laser position sensor and a microcontroller. This device measures the X, Y and Z components of the magnetic flux density (Bx, By and Bz) few mm above the surface of a PV module and outputs the data as line graphs in LabVIEW program. The second device is made of a laser optical sensor and two magnetic line sensor modules consisting 16 pieces of magnetic sensors. This device scans the magnetic field on the surface of PV module and outputs the data as a 3D surface plot of the magnetic flux intensity in a LabVIEW program. A PC equipped with LabVIEW software is used for data acquisition and analysis for both devices. To show the effectiveness of this method, measured results are compared to those of a normal reference module and their EL images. Through the experiments it was confirmed that the magnetic field in the faulted areas have different profiles which can be clearly identified in the measured plots. Measurement results showed a perfect correlation with the EL images and using position sensors it identified the exact location of faults. This method was applied on different modules and various faults were detected using it. The proposed method owns the ability of on-site measurement and real-time diagnosis. Since simple sensors are used to make the device, it is low cost and convenient to be sued by small-scale or residential PV system owners.

Keywords: fault diagnosis, fault location, integrated sensors, PV modules

Procedia PDF Downloads 224