Search results for: distribution system and optimization

Authors: Shu-Lien Chou, Chung-Feng Liu

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Self-health management of chronic illnesses plays an important part in chronic illness treatments. However, various kinds of health information (health education materials) which government or healthcare institutions provide for patients may not achieve the expected outcome. One of the critical reasons affecting patients’ use intention could be patients’ perceived Information overload regarding the health information. This study proposed an extended model of Theory of Planned Behavior, which integrating perceived information overload as another construct to explore patients’ use intention of the health information for self-health management. The independent variables are attitude, subject norm, perceived behavior control and perceived information overload while the dependent variable is behavior intention to use the health information. The cross-sectional study used a structured questionnaire for data collection, focusing on the chronic patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), who are the potential users of the health information, in a medical center in Taiwan. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of the basic information distribution of the questionnaire respondents, and the Partial Least Squares (PLS) structural equation model to study the reliability and construct validity for testing our hypotheses. A total of 110 patients were enrolled in this study and 106 valid questionnaires were collected. The PLS analysis result indicates that the patients’ perceived information overload of health information contributes the most critical factor influencing the behavioral intention. Subjective norm and perceived behavioral control of TPB constructs had significant effects on patients’ intentions to use health information also, whereas the attitude construct did not. This study demonstrated a comprehensive framework, which extending perceived information overload into TPB model to predict patients’ behavioral intention of using heath information. We expect that the results of this study will provide useful insights for studying health information from the perspectives of academia, governments, and healthcare providers.

Keywords: chronic patients, health information, information overload, theory of planned behavior

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Authors: Adamu S. Salawu, Ibrahim O. Isah

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Direct solution to several forms of fourth-order ordinary differential equations is not easily obtained without first reducing them to a system of first-order equations. Thus, numerical methods are being developed with the underlying techniques in the literature, which seeks to approximate some classes of fourth-order initial value problems with admissible error bounds. Multistep methods present a great advantage of the ease of implementation but with a setback of several functions evaluation for every stage of implementation. However, hybrid methods conventionally show a slightly higher order of truncation for any k-step linear multistep method, with the possibility of obtaining solutions at off mesh points within the interval of solution. In the light of the foregoing, we propose the continuous form of a hybrid multistep method with Chebyshev polynomial as a basis function for the numerical integration of fourth-order initial value problems of ordinary differential equations. The basis function is interpolated and collocated at some points on the interval [0, 2] to yield a system of equations, which is solved to obtain the unknowns of the approximating polynomial. The continuous form obtained, its first and second derivatives are evaluated at carefully chosen points to obtain the proposed block method needed to directly approximate fourth-order initial value problems. The method is analyzed for convergence. Implementation of the method is done by conducting numerical experiments on some test problems. The outcome of the implementation of the method suggests that the method performs well on problems with oscillatory or trigonometric terms since the approximations at several points on the solution domain did not deviate too far from the theoretical solutions. The method also shows better performance compared with an existing hybrid method when implemented on a larger interval of solution.

Keywords: Chebyshev polynomial, collocation, hybrid multistep method, initial value problems, interpolation

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Authors: Mahta Mohamadkashi

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The family is the most important source of security and health for the people of the society, and at the same time, it is the main field of creating all kinds of social and psychological problems. On the one hand, a family is a natural group with many goals and roles that are important and necessary for all family members. On the other hand, the family is a strong and organized group that recruits the therapist because of the goals that are concealed in its policy and procedures. The relationship between the environment and the family background with mental illnesses has been the focus of various researchers for a long time, and the research and experiments that have been conducted to show that the functioning of the family is related to the mental health of the members of the family. Currently, several theoretical perspectives with different approaches seek to explain and resolve psychological problems and family conflicts that can be mentioned. This research aims to investigate "cognitive-behavioral family therapy" by using the "family therapy" research method which is included the descriptive-analytical method and the method of collecting library information, with special reliance on Persian and Latin books and articles. for considering one of the important approaches of family therapy that we are going which have been known as data and its conditions that also includes requirements and limitations. For this purpose, in the beginning, brief background and introduction about family and family therapy are going to describe, and then the basics of cognitive-behavioral family therapy and the implementation process and various techniques of this approach can go through a big discussion. After that, we will apply this approach in the treatment of various physical and mental diseases in the form of related research, and we will examine the ups and downs of the implementation procedures, limitations, and future directions in this field. In general, This study emphasizes the role of the family system in the occurrence of psychological diseases and disorders and also validates the role of the family system in the treatment of those diseases and disorders. Also, cognitive-behavioral family therapy has been approved as an effective treatment approach for a variety of mental disorders.

Keywords: cognitive-behavioral, family, family therapy, cognitive-behavioral family therapy

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Authors: Giovanna Carugno

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The concept of invention is rarely scrutinized by legal scholars since it is a slippery one, full of nuances and difficult to be defined. When does an idea become relevant for the patent law? When is it simply possible to talk of what an invention is? It is the first question to be answered to obtain a patent, but it is sometimes neglected by treaties or reduced to very simple and automatically re-cited definitions. Maybe, also because it is more a transnational and cultural concept than a mere institution of law. Tautology is used to avoid the challenge (in the United States patent regulation, the inventor is the one who contributed to have a patentable invention); in other case, a clear definition is surprisingly not even provided (see, e.g., the European Patent Convention). In Europe, the issue is still more complicated because there are several different solutions elaborate inorganically be national systems of courts varying one to the other only with the aim of solving different IP cases. Also a neighbor domain, like copyright law, is not assisting us in the research, since an author in this field is entitles to be the 'inventor' or the 'author' and to protect as far as he produces something new. Novelty is not enough in patent law. A simple distinction between mere improvement that can be achieved by a man skilled in the art (a sort of reasonable man, in other sectors) or a change that is not obvious rising to the dignity of protection seems not going too far. It is not still defining this concept; it is rigid and not fruitful. So, setting aside for the moment the issue related to the definition of the invention/inventor, our proposal is to scrutinize the possible self-sufficiency of a system in which the inventor or the improver should be awarded of royalties or similar compensation according to the economic improvement he was able to bring. The law, in this case, is in the penumbras of misleading concepts, divided between facts that are obscure and technical, and not involving necessarily legal issues. The aim of this paper is to find out a single definition (or, at least, the minimum elements common in the different legal systems) of what is (legally) an invention and what can be the hints to practically identify an authentic invention. In conclusion, it will propose an alternative system in which the invention is not considered anymore and the only thing that matters are the revenues generated by technological improvement, caused by the worker's activity.

Keywords: comparative law, intellectual property, invention, patents

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Authors: Harison Masih, Jyotsna Kiran Peter, Sundara Singh, Geetha Singh

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The present investigation deals with diversity of dermatophytes and keratinophilic fungi from different tourist spots such as Agra Fort, Akbar tomb, It-Mat-Ud-Daulah, Mariam tomb, Radha Swami Bagh, and Taj Mahal of Agra City. These fungi are medically important which causes various infections and diseases in humans and animals. The main reservoir of these pathogens are the keratinous substances that increases due to birds and animal activities in the vicinity of monuments, where thousands (5413266) annual visitors from all over the world are visiting. The soil samples were subjected to isolate the pathogenic fungi through bait technique (buffalo skin, chicken feathers, human hair and goat tail hair). Baits were spread over the soil samples and incubated at room temperature for 30-35 days and pure culture isolates were maintained in SDA medium, stored at 4°C. Highest number of visitors were (3906453) from Taj Mahal, minimum 10785 at Mariam tomb annually, the total 271 isolates were encountered from soil samples out of these 18 genera and 38 species were found in different season. Highest incidence was 4.79% frequency shown by Chrysosporium keratinophilum while least 738% frequency occurrence by Trichophyton simii in soil samples. From the present study it was concluded that the incidence of pathogenic fungal isolates were the common in tourists soil that are etiological agents of superficial mycosis. Thus, both human and animal activity seemed to play an important role in occurrence and distribution of keratinophilic and related dermatophytes at various tourist places of Agra city.

Keywords: dermatophytic fungal diversity, bait technique, visitors at tourist spots, human and animal activities, soil samples

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Authors: Evgeny Obraztsov, Ilya Kremnev, Vitaly Sokolov, Maksim Gavrilov, Evgeny Tretyakov, Vladimir Kukhtevich, Vladimir Bezlepkin

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Over the last decade, a specific set of connected software tools and calculation codes has been gradually developed. It allows simulating I&C systems, thermal-hydraulic, neutron-physical and electrical processes in elements and systems at the Unit of NPP (initially with WWER (pressurized water reactor)). In 2012 it was called a complex simulation suite “Virtual Unit of NPP” (or CSS “VEB” for short). Proper application of this complex tool should result in a complex coupled mathematical computational model. And for a specific design of NPP, it is called the Virtual Power Unit (or VPU for short). VPU can be used for comprehensive modelling of a power unit operation, checking operator's functions on a virtual main control room, and modelling complicated scenarios for normal modes and accidents. In addition, CSS “VEB” contains a combination of thermal hydraulic codes: the best-estimate (two-liquid) calculation codes KORSAR and CORTES and a homogenous calculation code TPP. So to analyze a specific technological system one can build thermal-hydraulic simulation models with different detalization levels up to a nodalization scheme with real geometry. And the result at some points is similar to the notion “engineering/testing simulator” described by the European utility requirements (EUR) for LWR nuclear power plants. The paper is dedicated to description of the tools mentioned above and an example of the application of the engineering thermal-hydraulic simulator in analysis of the boron acid concentration in the primary coolant (changed by the make-up and boron control system).

Keywords: best-estimate code, complex simulation suite, engineering simulator, power plant, thermal hydraulic, VEB, virtual power unit

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Authors: Darshana Lal, Sonu Rana

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Learning Resource Centers (LRC) are acquiring different kinds of documents like books, journals, thesis, dissertations, standard, databases etc. in print and e-form. This article deals with the different types of sources available in LRC. It also discusses the concept of the web, as a tool, as a multimedia system and the different interfaces available on the web. The reasons for establishing LRC are highlighted along with the assignments of LRC. Different features of LRC‘S like self-learning and group learning are described. It also implements a group of activities like reading, learning, educational etc. The use of LRC by students and faculties are given and concluded with the benefits.

Keywords: internet, search engine, resource centre, opac, self-learning, group learning

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Authors: Vladimir Messerle, Alfred Mosse, Alexandr Ustimenko, Oleg Lavrichshev

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Hygiene and sanitary study of typical medical-biological waste made in Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and other countries show that their risk to the environment is much higher than that of most chemical wastes. For example, toxicity of solid waste (SW) containing cytotoxic drugs and antibiotics is comparable to toxicity of radioactive waste of high and medium level activity. This report presents the results of the thermodynamic analysis of thermal processing of SW and experiments at the developed plasma unit for SW processing. Thermodynamic calculations showed that the maximum yield of the synthesis gas at plasma gasification of SW in air and steam mediums is achieved at a temperature of 1600K. At the air plasma gasification of SW high-calorific synthesis gas with a concentration of 82.4% (СO – 31.7%, H2 – 50.7%) can be obtained, and at the steam plasma gasification – with a concentration of 94.5% (СO – 33.6%, H2 – 60.9%). Specific heat of combustion of the synthesis gas produced by air gasification amounts to 14267 kJ/kg, while by steam gasification - 19414 kJ/kg. At the optimal temperature (1600 K), the specific power consumption for air gasification of SW constitutes 1.92 kWh/kg, while for steam gasification - 2.44 kWh/kg. Experimental study was carried out in a plasma reactor. This is device of periodic action. The arc plasma torch of 70 kW electric power is used for SW processing. Consumption of SW was 30 kg/h. Flow of plasma-forming air was 12 kg/h. Under the influence of air plasma flame weight average temperature in the chamber reaches 1800 K. Gaseous products are taken out of the reactor into the flue gas cooling unit, and the condensed products accumulate in the slag formation zone. The cooled gaseous products enter the gas purification unit, after which via gas sampling system is supplied to the analyzer. Ventilation system provides a negative pressure in the reactor up to 10 mm of water column. Condensed products of SW processing are removed from the reactor after its stopping. By the results of experiments on SW plasma gasification the reactor operating conditions were determined, the exhaust gas analysis was performed and the residual carbon content in the slag was determined. Gas analysis showed the following composition of the gas at the exit of gas purification unit, (vol.%): СO – 26.5, H2 – 44.6, N2–28.9. The total concentration of the syngas was 71.1%, which agreed well with the thermodynamic calculations. The discrepancy between experiment and calculation by the yield of the target syngas did not exceed 16%. Specific power consumption for SW gasification in the plasma reactor according to the results of experiments amounted to 2.25 kWh/kg of working substance. No harmful impurities were found in both gas and condensed products of SW plasma gasification. Comparison of experimental results and calculations showed good agreement. Acknowledgement—This work was supported by Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (Agreement on grant No. 14.607.21.0118, project RFMEF160715X0118).

Keywords: coal, efficiency, ignition, numerical modeling, plasma-fuel system, plasma generator

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Authors: Minoo Ghasemzadeh, Rouzbeh Riazi, Shidvash Vakilipour, Alireza Ramezani

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In this study, thermo acoustic oscillations of a lean premixed combustor has been investigated, and a mono-dimensional code was developed in this regard. The linearized equations of motion are solved for perturbations with time dependence〖 e〗^iwt. Two flame models were considered in this paper and the effect of mean flow and boundary conditions were also investigated. After manipulation of flame heat release equation together with the equations of flow perturbation within the main components of the combustor model (i.e., plenum/ premixed duct/ and combustion chamber) and by considering proper boundary conditions between the components of model, a system of eight homogeneous equations can be obtained. This simplification, for the main components of the combustor model, is convenient since low frequency acoustic waves are not affected by bends. Moreover, some elements in the combustor are smaller than the wavelength of propagated acoustic perturbations. A convection time is also assumed to characterize the required time for the acoustic velocity fluctuations to travel from the point of injection to the location of flame front in the combustion chamber. The influence of an extended flame model on the acoustic frequencies of combustor was also investigated, assuming the effect of flame speed as a function of equivalence ratio perturbation, on the rate of flame heat release. The abovementioned system of equations has a related eigenvalue equation which has complex roots. The sign of imaginary part of these roots determines whether the disturbances grow or decay and the real part of these roots would give the frequency of the modes. The results show a reasonable agreement between the predicted values of dominant frequencies in the present model and those calculated in previous related studies.

Keywords: combustion instability, dominant frequencies, flame speed, premixed combustor

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Authors: B. R. Faleye, M. I. Titocan, M. P. Ibitola

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Investigation was carried out at Opic Estate in Isheri-Osun River Basin environment using Electrical Resistivity method to study saltwater intrusion into a fresh water aquifer system from the proximal estuarine water body. The investigation is aimed at aquifer characterisation using electrical resistivity method in order to provide the depth to which fresh water fit for both domestic and industrial consumption. The 2D Electrical Resistivity and Vertical Electrical Resistivity techniques alongside Laboratory analysis of water samples obtained from the boreholes were adopted. Three traverses were investigated using Wenner and Pole-Dipole array with multi-electrode system consisting of 84 electrodes and a spread of 581 m, 664 m and 830 m were attained on the traverses. The main lithologies represented in the study area are Sand, Clay and Clayey Sand of which Sand constitutes the aquifer in the study area. Vertical Electrical Sounding data obtained at different lateral distance on the traverses have indicated that the water in the aquifer in the subsurface is brackish. Brackish water is represented by lowelectrical resistivity value signature while fresh water is characterized by relatively high electrical resistivity and in some regionfresh water is existent at depth greater than 200 m. Results of laboratory analysis of samples showed that the pH, Salinity, Total Dissolved Solid and Conductivity indicated existence of water with poor quality, indicating that salinity, TDS and Conductivity is higher in the Northern part of the study area. The 2D electrical resistivity and Vertical Electrical Sounding methods indicate that fresh water region is at ≥200m depth. Aquifers not fit for domestic use in the study area occur downwards to about 200 m in depth. In conclusion, it is recommended that wells should be sunkbeyond 220 m for the possible procurement of portable fresh water.

Keywords: 2D electrical resistivity, aquifer, brackish water, lithologies

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Authors: Himanshu Singh, Rishi Kant, Shantanu Bhattacharya

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This paper adopts a top-down approach for mathematical modeling to predict the size reduction from micro to nano-scale through persistent etching. The process is simulated using a finite difference approach. Previously, various researchers have simulated the etching process for 1-D and 2-D substrates. It consists of two processes: 1) Convection-Diffusion in the etchant domain; 2) Chemical reaction at the surface of the particle. Since the process requires analysis along moving boundary, partial differential equations involved cannot be solved using conventional methods. In 1-D, this problem is very similar to Stefan's problem of moving ice-water boundary. A fixed grid method using finite volume method is very popular for modelling of etching on a one and two dimensional substrate. Other popular approaches include moving grid method and level set method. In this method, finite difference method was used to discretize the spherical diffusion equation. Due to symmetrical distribution of etchant, the angular terms in the equation can be neglected. Concentration is assumed to be constant at the outer boundary. At the particle boundary, the concentration of the etchant is assumed to be zero since the rate of reaction is much faster than rate of diffusion. The rate of reaction is proportional to the velocity of the moving boundary of the particle. Modelling of the above reaction was carried out using Matlab. The initial particle size was taken to be 50 microns. The density, molecular weight and diffusion coefficient of the substrate were taken as 2.1 gm/cm3, 60 and 10-5 cm2/s respectively. The etch-rate was found to decline initially and it gradually became constant at 0.02µ/s (1.2µ/min). The concentration profile was plotted along with space at different time intervals. Initially, a sudden drop is observed at the particle boundary due to high-etch rate. This change becomes more gradual with time due to declination of etch rate.

Keywords: particle size reduction, micromixer, FDM modelling, wet etching

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Authors: Pontus Backstrom

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In the educational literature on peer effects, attention has been brought to the fact that the mechanisms creating peer effects are still to a large extent hidden in obscurity. The hypothesis in this study is that the Frame Factor Theory can be used to explain these mechanisms. At heart of the theory is the concept of “time needed” for students to learn a certain curricula unit. The relations between class-aggregated time needed and the actual time available, steers and hinders the actions possible for the teacher. Further, the theory predicts that the timing and pacing of the teachers’ instruction is governed by a “criterion steering group” (CSG), namely the pupils in the 10th-25th percentile of the aptitude distribution in class. The class composition hereby set the possibilities and limitations for instruction, creating peer effects on individual outcomes. To test if the theory can be applied to the issue of peer effects, the study employs multilevel structural equation modelling (M-SEM) on Swedish TIMSS 2015-data (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study; students N=4090, teachers N=200). Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the SEM-framework in MPLUS, latent variables are specified according to the theory, such as “limitations of instruction” from TIMSS survey items. The results indicate a good model fit to data of the measurement model. Research is still in progress, but preliminary results from initial M-SEM-models verify a strong relation between the mean level of the CSG and the latent variable of limitations on instruction, a variable which in turn have a great impact on individual students’ test results. Further analysis is required, but so far the analysis indicates a confirmation of the predictions derived from the frame factor theory and reveals that one of the important mechanisms creating peer effects in student outcomes is the effect the class composition has upon the teachers’ instruction in class.

Keywords: compositional effects, frame factor theory, peer effects, structural equation modelling

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Authors: A. Abdul-Ameer

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The equations governing the distance, pressure- volume flow relationships for the pipeline transportation of gaseous mixtures, are considered. A derivation based on differential calculus, for an element of this system model, is addressed. Solutions, yielding the input- output response following pressure changes, are reviewed. The technical problems associated with these analytical results are identified. Procedures resolving these difficulties providing thereby an attractive, simple, analysis route are outlined. Computed responses, validating thereby calculated predictions, are presented.

Keywords: pressure, distance, flow, dissipation, models

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Authors: Joao Victor Borges Dos Santos, Thomas Richard, Yevhen Kovalyshen

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Down-the-hole (DTH) percussive drilling is an excavation method that is widely used in the mining industry due to its high efficiency in fragmenting hard rock formations. A DTH hammer system consists of a fluid driven (air or water) piston and a drill bit; the reciprocating movement of the piston transmits its kinetic energy to the drill bit by means of stress waves that propagate through the drill bit towards the rock formation. In the literature of percussive drilling, the existence of an optimum drilling state (Sweet Spot) is reported in some laboratory and field experimental studies. An optimum rate of penetration is achieved for a specific range of axial thrust (or weight-on-bit) beyond which the rate of penetration decreases. Several authors advance different explanations as possible root causes to the occurrence of the Sweet Spot, but a universal explanation or consensus does not exist yet. The experimental investigation in this work was initiated with drilling experiments conducted at a mining site. A full-scale drilling rig (equipped with a DTH hammer system) was instrumented with high precision sensors sampled at a very high sampling rate (kHz). Data was collected while two boreholes were being excavated, an in depth analysis of the recorded data confirmed that an optimum performance can be achieved for specific ranges of input thrust (weight-on-bit). The high sampling rate allowed to identify the bit penetration at each single impact (of the piston on the drill bit) as well as the impact frequency. These measurements provide a direct method to identify when the hammer does not fire, and drilling occurs without percussion, and the bit propagate the borehole by shearing the rock. The second stage of the experimental investigation was conducted in a laboratory environment with a custom-built equipment dubbed Woody. Woody allows the drilling of shallow holes few centimetres deep by successive discrete impacts from a piston. After each individual impact, the bit angular position is incremented by a fixed amount, the piston is moved back to its initial position at the top of the barrel, and the air pressure and thrust are set back to their pre-set values. The goal is to explore whether the observed optimum drilling state stems from the interaction between the drill bit and the rock (during impact) or governed by the overall system dynamics (between impacts). The experiments were conducted on samples of Calca Red, with a drill bit of 74 millimetres (outside diameter) and with weight-on-bit ranging from 0.3 kN to 3.7 kN. Results show that under the same piston impact energy and constant angular displacement of 15 degrees between impact, the average drill bit rate of penetration is independent of the weight-on-bit, which suggests that the sweet spot is not caused by intrinsic properties of the bit-rock interface.

Keywords: optimum drilling state, experimental investigation, field experiments, laboratory experiments, down-the-hole percussive drilling

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Authors: Ilya Simanovskii

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Nonlinear convective flows developed under the joint action of buoyant and thermo-capillary effects in a two-layer system with periodic boundary conditions on the lateral walls have been investigated. The influence of an interfacial heat release on oscillatory regimes has been studied. The computational regions with different lengths have been considered. It is shown that the development of oscillatory instability can lead to the appearance of different no steady flows.

Keywords: interface, instabilities, two-layer systems, bioinformatics, biomedicine

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Authors: Azadeh Jafari, Farzin Ghanadi, Matthew J. Emes, Maziar Arjomandi, Benjamin S. Cazzolato

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The turbulence within the atmospheric boundary layer induces highly unsteady aerodynamic loads on structures. These loads, if not accounted for in the design process, will lead to structural failure and are therefore important for the design of the structures. For an accurate prediction of wind loads, understanding the correlation between atmospheric turbulence and the aerodynamic loads is necessary. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of turbulence within the atmospheric boundary layer on the surface pressure on a flat plate over a wide range of turbulence intensities and integral length scales. The flat plate is chosen as a fundamental geometry which represents structures such as solar panels and billboards. Experiments were conducted at the University of Adelaide large-scale wind tunnel. Two wind tunnel boundary layers with different intensities and length scales of turbulence were generated using two sets of spires with different dimensions and a fetch of roughness elements. Average longitudinal turbulence intensities of 13% and 26% were achieved in each boundary layer, and the longitudinal integral length scale within the three boundary layers was between 0.4 m and 1.22 m. The pressure distributions on a square flat plate at different elevation angles between 30° and 90° were measured within the two boundary layers with different turbulence intensities and integral length scales. It was found that the peak pressure coefficient on the flat plate increased with increasing turbulence intensity and integral length scale. For example, the peak pressure coefficient on a flat plate elevated at 90° increased from 1.2 to 3 with increasing turbulence intensity from 13% to 26%. Furthermore, both the mean and the peak pressure distribution on the flat plates varied with turbulence intensity and length scale. The results of this study can be used to provide a more accurate estimation of the unsteady wind loads on structures such as buildings and solar panels.

Keywords: atmospheric boundary layer, flat plate, pressure coefficient, turbulence

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Authors: Sunday Nanosi Ndovi, Patrick Albert Chikumba

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In Malawi, smallholder dairy farmers transport unprocessed milk to sell at Milk Bulking Groups (MBGs). MBGs store and chill the milk while awaiting collection by processors. The farmers deliver milk using various modes of transportation such as foot, bicycle, and motorcycle. As a perishable food, milk requires timely transportation to avoid deterioration. In other instances, some farmers bypass the nearest MBGs for facilities located further away. Untimely delivery worsens quality and results in rejection at MBG. Subsequently, these rejections lead to revenue losses for dairy farmers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to optimize routes when transporting milk by selecting the shortest route using time as a cost attribute in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). A spatially organized transport system impedes milk deterioration while promoting profitability for dairy farmers. A transportation system was modeled using Route Analysis and Closest Facility network extensions. The final output was to find the quickest routes and identify the nearest milk facilities from incidents. Face-to-face interviews targeted leaders from all 48 MBGs in the study area and 50 farmers from Namahoya MBG. During field interviews, coordinates were captured in order to create maps. Subsequently, maps supported the selection of optimal routes based on the least travel times. The questionnaire targeted 200 respondents. Out of the total, 182 respondents were available. Findings showed that out of the 50 sampled farmers that supplied milk to Namahoya, only 8% were nearest to the facility, while 92% were closest to 9 different MBGs. Delivering milk to the nearest MBGs would minimize travel time and distance by 14.67 hours and 73.37 km, respectively.

Keywords: closest facility, milk, route analysis, spatial transport

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Authors: Sun-Young Jang, Sung-Ah Kim, Dongyoun Shin

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The Intelligent transportation system is essential to build smarter cities. Machine learning based transportation prediction could be highly promising approach by delivering invisible aspect visible. In this context, this research aims to make a prototype model that predicts transportation network by using big data and machine learning technology. In detail, among urban transportation systems this research chooses bus system.  The research problem that existing headway model cannot response dynamic transportation conditions. Thus, bus delay problem is often occurred. To overcome this problem, a prediction model is presented to fine patterns of bus delay by using a machine learning implementing the following data sets; traffics, weathers, and bus statues. This research presents a flexible headway model to predict bus delay and analyze the result. The prototyping model is composed by real-time data of buses. The data are gathered through public data portals and real time Application Program Interface (API) by the government. These data are fundamental resources to organize interval pattern models of bus operations as traffic environment factors (road speeds, station conditions, weathers, and bus information of operating in real-time). The prototyping model is designed by the machine learning tool (RapidMiner Studio) and conducted tests for bus delays prediction. This research presents experiments to increase prediction accuracy for bus headway by analyzing the urban big data. The big data analysis is important to predict the future and to find correlations by processing huge amount of data. Therefore, based on the analysis method, this research represents an effective use of the machine learning and urban big data to understand urban dynamics.

Keywords: big data, machine learning, smart city, social cost, transportation network

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Authors: Warda Jabeen, Romaisa Shamim Khan, Osama Shakeel, Ahmed Faraz Bhatti, Raza Hussain

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Background: The worldwide incidence of cutaneous melanoma (CM) has been on the rise over the past few decades. Primary prevention and early treatment remain the focus of management to reduce the burden of disease. This entails identification of risk factors to prompt early diagnosis. In Pakistan, there is a scarcity of clinico-pathological data relating to cutaneous malignant melanoma. Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients presenting with cutaneous malignant melanoma in Pakistan, and to compare the results with other studies. Method: Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre is currently the only dedicated cancer hospital in the country, accepting patients from all over Pakistan. Majority of the patients, however, belong to the northern half of the country. From the recorded data of the hospital, all cutaneous melanoma cases were identified and evaluated. Results: Between 1997 and 2017, a total of 169 cutaneous melanoma patients were registered at Shaukat Khanum. Mean age was 47.5 years. The highest incidence of melanoma was seen in the age group 40-59 years (n=69, 40.8%). Most commonly reported clinical subtype was unspecified melanoma (n=154, 91%). Amongst those in which T stage was reported, the most frequently observed T-stage at presentation was T4 (n=23, 13.6%). With regards to body distribution, in our study CM was seen most commonly in the lower limb including the hip. The yearly incidence of melanoma has increased/remained stable from 2007 to 2017. Conclusion: cutaneous malignant melanoma is a fairly common disease in Pakistan. Patients tend to present at a more advanced stage as compared to patients in developed countries. Identification of risk factors and tumor characteristics is therefore of paramount importance to deal with these patients.

Keywords: epidemiology of cutaneous malignant melanoma, cutaneous malignant melanoma, Pakistan, skin cancer

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Eva Masson, Andrea Kübler

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Anxiety disorders (AD) are the most prevalent psychological disorders. However, far from most affected individuals are diagnosed and receive treatment. This gap is probably due to the diagnosis criteria, relying on symptoms (according to the DSM-5 definition) with no objective biomarker. Approach-avoidance conflict tasks are one common approach to simulate such disorders in a lab setting, with most of the paradigms focusing on the relationships between behavior and neurophysiology. Approach-avoidance conflict tasks typically place participants in a situation where they have to make a decision that leads to both positive and negative outcomes, thereby sending conflicting signals that trigger the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS). Furthermore, behavioral validation of such paradigms adds credibility to the tasks – with overt conflict behavior, it is safer to assume that the task actually induced a conflict. Some of those tasks have linked asymmetrical frontal brain activity to induced conflicts and the BIS. However, there is currently no consensus for the direction of the frontal activation. The authors present here a modified version of the T-Maze paradigm, a motivational conflict desktop task, in which behavior is recorded simultaneously to the recording of high-density EEG (HD-EEG). Methods: In this within-subject design, HD-EEG and behavior of 35 healthy participants was recorded. EEG data was collected with a 128 channels sponge-based system. The motivational conflict desktop task consisted of three blocks of repeated trials. Each block was designed to record a slightly different behavioral pattern, to increase the chances of eliciting conflict. This variety of behavioral patterns was however similar enough to allow comparison of the number of trials categorized as ‘overt conflict’ between the blocks. Results: Overt conflict behavior was exhibited in all blocks, but always for under 10% of the trials, in average, in each block. However, changing the order of the paradigms successfully introduced a ‘reset’ of the conflict process, therefore providing more trials for analysis. As for the EEG correlates, the authors expect a different pattern for trials categorized as conflict, compared to the other ones. More specifically, we expect an elevated alpha frequency power in the left frontal electrodes at around 200ms post-cueing, compared to the right one (relative higher right frontal activity), followed by an inversion around 600ms later. Conclusion: With this comprehensive approach of a psychological mechanism, new evidence would be brought to the frontal asymmetry discussion, and its relationship with the BIS. Furthermore, with the present task focusing on a very particular type of motivational approach-avoidance conflict, it would open the door to further variations of the paradigm to introduce different kinds of conflicts involved in AD. Even though its application as a potential biomarker sounds difficult, because of the individual reliability of both the task and peak frequency in the alpha range, we hope to open the discussion for task robustness for neuromodulation and neurofeedback future applications.

Keywords: anxiety, approach-avoidance conflict, behavioral inhibition system, EEG

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Authors: Maritza Granados Manjarrés

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This paper makes part of an investigation project which experiments with flat surfaces in order to pleat them using tessellations and flat origami conditions. The aim of the investigation is to eventually propose not only a methodology on how to pleat those surfaces but also to find an structural system to make them work as building skins. This stage of the investigation emphasizes on the experimentation with flat surfaces and different kinds of folding patterns and shows the many examples that can be made from this experimentation.

Keywords: flat origami, fold, space, surface

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Authors: Andi Darmawan, Dewi Retno Sari Saputro, Purnami Widyaningsih

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Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease in human that occurred if pancreas cannot produce enough of insulin hormone or the body uses ineffectively insulin hormone which causes increasing level of glucose in the blood, or it was called hyperglycemia. In Indonesia, DM is a serious disease on health because it can cause blindness, kidney disease, diabetic feet (gangrene), and stroke. The type of DM criteria can also be divided based on the main causes; they are DM type 1, type 2, and gestational. Diabetes type 1 or previously known as insulin-independent diabetes is due to a lack of production of insulin hormone. Diabetes type 2 or previously known as non-insulin dependent diabetes is due to ineffective use of insulin while gestational diabetes is a hyperglycemia that found during pregnancy. The most one type commonly found in patient is DM type 2. The main factors of this disease are genetic (A) and life style (E). Those disease with 2 factors can be constructed with additive genetic and unique environment (AE) model. In this article was discussed parameter estimation of AE model using Bayesian method and the inheritance character simulation on parent-offspring. On the AE model, there are response variable, predictor variables, and parameters were capable of representing the number of population on research. The population can be measured through a taken random sample. The response and predictor variables can be determined by sample while the parameters are unknown, so it was required to estimate the parameters based on the sample. Estimation of AE model parameters was obtained based on a joint posterior distribution. The simulation was conducted to get the value of genetic variance and life style variance. The results of simulation are 0.3600 for genetic variance and 0.0899 for life style variance. Therefore, the variance of genetic factor in DM type 2 is greater than life style.

Keywords: AE model, Bayesian method, diabetes mellitus type 2, genetic, life style

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Authors: Syeda Fahria Hoque Mimmi

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Many new and promising treatments for reducing or diminishing the adverse effects of microorganisms are being discovered day by day. On the other hand, the dairy industry is accelerating the economic wheel of Bangladesh. Considering all these facts, new thoughts were developed to isolate milk proteins by the present experiment for opening up a new era of developing natural antibiotics from milk. Lactoferrin, an iron-binding glycoprotein with multifunctional properties, is crucial to strengthening the immune system and also useful for commercial applications. The protein’s iron-binding capacity makes it undoubtedly advantageous to immune system modulation and different bacterial strains. For fulfilling the purpose, 4 of raw and 17 of commercially available milk samples were collected from different farms and stores in Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chittagong, and Cox’s Bazar). Protein quantification by nanodrop technology has confirmed that raw milk samples have better quantities of protein than the commercial ones. All the samples were tested for their antimicrobial activity against 18 pathogens, where raw milk samples showed a higher percentage of antibacterial activity. In addition to this, SDS-PAGE (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate–Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis) was performed to identify lactoferrin in the milk samples. Lactoferrin was detected in 9 samples from which 4 were raw milk samples. Interestingly, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio cholera, Staphylococcus aureus, and enterotoxigenic E. coli significantly displayed sensitivity against lactoferrin collected from raw milk. Only Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumonia, Enterococcus faecalis, and ETEC (Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli) were susceptible to lactoferrin obtained from a commercial one. This study suggested that lactoferrin might be used as the potential alternative of antibiotics for many diseases and also can be used to reduce microbial deterioration in the food and feed industry.

Keywords: alternative of antibiotics, commercially available milk, lactoferrin, nanodrop technology, pathogens, raw milk

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Authors: Hamid Oumer Seid

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Piled raft foundation (PRF) is a union of pile and raft working together through the interaction of soil-pile, pile-raft, soil-raft and pile-pile to provide adequate bearing capacity and controlled settlement. A uniform pile positioning is used in PRF; however, there is a wide room for optimization through parametric study under vertical load to result in a safer and economical foundation. Addis Ababa is found in seismic zone 3 with a peak ground acceleration (PGA) above the threshold of damage, which makes investigating the performance of PRF under seismic load considering the dynamic kinematic soil structure interaction (SSI) vital. The study area is located in Addis Ababa around Mexico (commercial bank) and Kirkos (Nib, Zemen and United Bank) in which input parameters (pile length, pile diameter, pile spacing, raft area, raft thickness and load) are taken. A finite difference-based numerical software, FLAC3D V6, was used for the analysis. The Kobe (1995) and Northridge (1994) earthquakes were selected, and deconvolution analysis was done. A close load sharing between pile and raft was achieved at a spacing of 7D with different pile lengths and diameters. The maximum settlement reduction achieved is 9% for a pile of 2m diameter by increasing length from 10m to 20m, which shows pile length is not effective in reducing settlement. The installation of piles results in an increase in the negative bending moment of the raft compared with an unpiled raft. Hence, the optimized design depends on pile spacing and the raft edge length, while pile length and diameter are not significant parameters. An optimized piled raft configuration (𝐴𝐺/𝐴𝑅 = 0.25 at the center and piles provided around the edge) has reduced pile number by 40% and differential settlement by 95%. The dynamic analysis shows acceleration plot at the top of the piled raft has PGA of 0.25𝑚2/𝑠𝑒𝑐 and 0.63𝑚2/𝑠𝑒𝑐 for Northridge (1994) and Kobe (1995) earthquakes, respectively, due to attenuation of seismic waves. Pile head displacement (maximum is 2mm, and it is under the allowable limit) is affected by the PGA rather than the duration of an earthquake. End bearing and friction PRF performed similarly under two different earthquakes except for their vertical settlement considering SSI. Hence, PRF has shown adequate resistance to seismic loads.

Keywords: FLAC3D V6, earthquake, optimized piled raft foundation, pile head department

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Authors: Konrad Rejdak, Agnieszka Korchut, Sebastian Szklener, Urszula Skrobas, Justyna Gerlowska, Katarzyna Grabowska-Aleksandrowicz, Dorota Szczesniak-Stanczyk

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Introduction: Neurodegenerative diseases are frequently accompanied by loss and unwanted change in functional independence, social relationships, and economic circumstances. Currently, the achievements of social robots to date is being projected to improve multidimensional quality of life among people with cognitive impairment and others. Objectives: Identification of particular human needs in context of the changes occurring in course of neurodegenerative diseases. Methods: Based on the 110 surveys performed in Medical University of Lublin from medical staff, patients, and caregivers we made prioritization of the users' needs as: high, medium, and low. The issues included in the surveys concerned four aspects: user acceptance, functional requirements, design of the robotic assistant and preferred types of human-robot interaction. Results: We received completed questionnaires: 50 from medical staff, 30 from caregivers and 30 from potential users. Above 90% of the respondents from each of the three groups, accepted robotic assistant as a potential caregiver. High priority functional capability of assistive technology was to handle emergencies in a private home like recognizing life-threatening situations and reminding about medication intake. With reference to design of the robotic assistant, the majority of the respondent would like to have an anthropomorphic appearance with positive emotionally expressive face. The most important type of human-robot interaction was voice-operated system and by touchscreen. Conclusion: The results from our study might contribute to a better understanding of the system and users’ requirements for the development of a service robot intended to support patients with dementia.

Keywords: social robot, dementia, requirements, patients needs

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Authors: Avinash Chaudhary, Akhilesh Gupta, Surendra Kumar, Ravi Kumar

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This paper presents the numerical study on Jatropha oil pool fire in a compartment. A fire experiment with jatropha oil was conducted in a compartment of size 4 m x 4 m x m to study the fire development and temperature distribution. Fuel is burned in the center of the compartment in a pool diameter of 0.5 m with an initial fuel depth of 0.045 m. Corner temperature in the compartment, doorway temperature and hot gas layer temperature at various locations are measured. Numerical simulations were carried out using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) software at grid size of 0.05 m, 0.12 m and for performing simulation heat release rate of jatropha oil measured using mass loss method were inputted into FDS. Experimental results shows that like other fuel fires, the whole combustion process can be divided into four stages: initial stage, growth stage, steady profile or developed phase and decay stage. The fire behavior shows two zone profile where upper zone consists of mainly hot gases while lower zone is relatively at colder side. In this study, predicted temperatures from simulation are in good agreement in upper zone of compartment. Near the interface of hot and cold zone, deviations were reported between the simulated and experimental results which is probably due to the difference between the predictions of smoke layer height by FDS. Also, changing the grid size from 0.12 m to 0.05 m does not show any effect in temperatures at upper zone while in lower zone, grid size of 0.05 m showed satisfactory agreement with experimental results. Numerical results showed that calculated temperatures at various locations matched well with the experimental results. On the whole, an effective method is provided with reasonable results to study the burning characteristics of jatropha oil with numerical simulations.

Keywords: jatropha oil, compartment fire, heat release rate, FDS (fire dynamics simulator), numerical simulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 253

Authors: Addisu H. Addis, Hugh T. Blair, Paul R. Kenyon, Stephen T. Morris, Nicola M. Schreurs, Dorian J. Garrick

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Agent-based modeling (ABM) enables an in silico representation of complex systems and cap-tures agent behavior resulting from interaction with other agents and their environment. This study developed an ABM to represent a pasture-based beef cattle finishing systems in New Zea-land (NZ) using attributes of the rearer, finisher, and processor, as well as specific attributes of dairy-origin beef cattle. The model was parameterized using values representing 1% of NZ dairy-origin cattle, and 10% of rearers and finishers in NZ. The cattle agent consisted of 32% Holstein-Friesian, 50% Holstein-Friesian–Jersey crossbred, and 8% Jersey, with the remainder being other breeds. Rearers and finishers repetitively and simultaneously interacted to determine the type and number of cattle populating the finishing system. Rearers brought in four-day-old spring-born calves and reared them until 60 calves (representing a full truck load) on average had a live weight of 100 kg before selling them on to finishers. Finishers mainly attained weaners from rearers, or directly from dairy farmers when weaner demand was higher than the supply from rearers. Fast-growing cattle were sent for slaughter before the second winter, and the re-mainder were sent before their third winter. The model finished a higher number of bulls than heifers and steers, although it was 4% lower than the industry reported value. Holstein-Friesian and Holstein-Friesian–Jersey-crossbred cattle dominated the dairy-origin beef finishing system. Jersey cattle account for less than 5% of total processed beef cattle. Further studies to include re-tailer and consumer perspectives and other decision alternatives for finishing farms would im-prove the applicability of the model for decision-making processes.

Keywords: agent-based modelling, dairy cattle, beef finishing, rearers, finishers

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Authors: K. Sekulová, M. Šimon

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This article focuses on upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders risk assessment model at workplace. In this model are used risk factors that are responsible for musculoskeletal system damage. Based on statistic calculations the model is able to define what risk of MSD threatens workers who are under risk factors. The model is also able to say how MSD risk would decrease if these risk factors are eliminated.

Keywords: ergonomics, musculoskeletal disorders, occupational diseases, risk factors

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Authors: Stepanov Ivan, Musalimov Viktor, Monahov Uriy

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This report examines the current state of human gait simulator development based on the human hip joint model. This unit will create a database of human gait types, useful for setting up and calibrating mechano devices, as well as the creation of new systems of rehabilitation, exoskeletons and walking robots. The system has ample opportunity to configure the dimensions and stiffness, while maintaining relative simplicity.

Keywords: hip joint, human gait, physiotherapy, simulation

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Authors: Martin Botz, Michael Kraus, Geralt Siebert

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The use of laminated glass gains increasing importance in structural engineering. For safety reasons, at least two glass panes are laminated together with a polymeric interlayer. In case of breakage of one or all of the glass panes, the glass fragments are still connected to the interlayer due to adhesion forces and a certain residual load-bearing capacity is left in the system. Polymer interlayers used in the laminated glass show a viscoelastic material behavior, e.g. stresses and strains in the interlayer are dependent on load duration and temperature. In the intact stage only small strains appear in the interlayer, thus the material can be described in a linear way. In the broken stage, large strains can appear and a non-linear viscoelasticity material theory is necessary. Relaxation tests on two different types of polymeric interlayers are performed at different temperatures and strain amplitudes to determine the border to the non-linear material regime. Based on the small-scale specimen results further tests on broken laminated glass panes are conducted. So-called ‘through-crack-bending’ (TCB) tests are performed, in which the laminated glass has a defined crack pattern. The test set-up is realized in a way that one glass layer is still able to transfer compressive stresses but tensile stresses have to be transferred by the interlayer solely. The TCB-tests are also conducted under different temperatures but constant force (creep test). Aims of these experiments are to elaborate if the results of small-scale tests on the interlayer are transferable to a laminated glass system in the broken stage. In this study, limits of the applicability of linear-viscoelasticity are established in the context of two commercially available polymer-interlayers. Furthermore, it is shown that the results of small-scale tests agree to a certain degree to the results of the TCB large-scale experiments. In a future step, the results can be used to develop material models for the post breakage performance of laminated glass.

Keywords: glass breakage, laminated glass, relaxation test, viscoelasticity

Procedia PDF Downloads 119