Search results for: data life cycle

Authors: M. Kebisek, L. Spendla, M. Kopcek, T. Skulavik

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In our paper we describe the security capabilities of data collection. Data are collected with probes located in the near and distant surroundings of the company. Considering the numerous obstacles e.g. forests, hills, urban areas, the data collection is realized in several ways. The collection of data uses connection via wireless communication, LAN network, GSM network and in certain areas data are collected by using vehicles. In order to ensure the connection to the server most of the probes have ability to communicate in several ways. Collected data are archived and subsequently used in supervisory applications. To ensure the collection of the required data, it is necessary to propose algorithms that will allow the probes to select suitable communication channel.

Keywords: communication, computer network, data collection, probe

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Authors: Saleh Alzahrani, Halim Boussabaine

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The majority of Public Private Partnership (PPP) are developed based on the rationale that the design, construction, operation, and financing of a public project is to be awarded to a private party within a single contractual framework. PPP project risks normally include the development and construction of a new asset as well as its operation for decades. Undoubtedly the most serious consequences of risks during the construction period are price and time overruns. These events are amongst the most broadly used scenarios in value for money analysis risks. The sources of risk change over the life cycle of a PPP project. In traditional procurement, the public sector normally has to cover all price distress from these risks. At least there is plenty evidence to suggest that price distress is a norm in some of the projects that are delivered under traditional procurement. This paper will find the impact of construction risk factors into actual construction price into PPP projects. The paper will present a brief literature review on PPP risk pricing strategies, and then using system dynamics (SD) to analyses of the risks associated with the estimated project price. Based on the finding from these analyses a risk pricing association model is presented and discussed. The paper concludes with thoughts for future research.

Keywords: Public Private Partnership (PPP), Risk, Risk Pricing, System Dynamics (SD), construction price

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Authors: Nadiya Zahra Karimi, Amir Ghiami Rad

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The physical health of students from an early age and the proper formation of the musculoskeletal system of their body is part of the overall health of these people. Most chronic musculoskeletal problems and pains can be controlled and reduced with education at an early age. Therefore, with the correct and timely diagnosis of these abnormalities, we can play an important role in their proper treatment and control, and in a way, raise the level of quality of life and positive self-concept in students. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between erectile dysfunctions of the upper limbs (head and neck, shoulder, thoracic and lumbar) and the quality of life and self-concept of male students aged 7 to 10 years. The statical population of the study consists of 227 students of shahadat boys’ primary school in khajeh city. Due to the corona pandemic conditions, the research samples were identified after screening and available according to the entrance criteria of the study. To validate the quality of life, the valid WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire will be used for self-concept variables, Dolatabadi, Fatemeh (2007) questionnaire, and for physical screening, a checkerboard, plumb line, and flexible ruler will be used. There is a negative and significant relationship between the dimensions of upper limb anomalies and quality of life factors, and also there is a negative and significant relationship between the dimensions of upper limb anomalies and self-concept factors. The results showed that there is a negative and significant relationship between head and neck abnormalities with quality of life and self-concept factors, with a significance level of less than 0.05 in male students aged 7 to 10 years.

Keywords: upper limb erectile dysfunction, quality of life, self-concept, erectile abnormalities

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Authors: Reza Safdari, Goli Arji, Robab Abdolkhani Maryam zahmatkeshan

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Background and purpose: Cardiovascular diseases are among the most common diseases in all societies. The most important step in minimizing myocardial infarction and its complications is to minimize its risk factors. The amount of medical data is increasingly growing. Medical data mining has a great potential for transforming these data into information. Using data mining techniques to generate predictive models for identifying those at risk for reducing the effects of the disease is very helpful. The present study aimed to collect data related to risk factors of heart infarction from patients’ medical record and developed predicting models using data mining algorithm. Methods: The present work was an analytical study conducted on a database containing 350 records. Data were related to patients admitted to Shahid Rajaei specialized cardiovascular hospital, Iran, in 2011. Data were collected using a four-sectioned data collection form. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and Clementine version 12. Seven predictive algorithms and one algorithm-based model for predicting association rules were applied to the data. Accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, as well as positive and negative predictive values were determined and the final model was obtained. Results: five parameters, including hypertension, DLP, tobacco smoking, diabetes, and A+ blood group, were the most critical risk factors of myocardial infarction. Among the models, the neural network model was found to have the highest sensitivity, indicating its ability to successfully diagnose the disease. Conclusion: Risk prediction models have great potentials in facilitating the management of a patient with a specific disease. Therefore, health interventions or change in their life style can be conducted based on these models for improving the health conditions of the individuals at risk.

Keywords: decision trees, neural network, myocardial infarction, Data Mining

Procedia PDF Downloads 433

Authors: Triem T. Hoang

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Loop heat pipes (LHPs) are two-phase capillary-pumped heat transports. An appropriate working fluid is selected for the intended application temperature range. A closed-loop is evacuated to a high vacuum, back-filled partially with the working fluid, and then hermetically sealed under the fluid own pressure. Heat from a heat source conducts through the evaporator casing to vaporize liquid on the outer surface of the wick structure inside the evaporator. The generated vapor is compelled to vent out of the evaporator and into the vapor line for transport to the condenser assembly. There, heat is removed and rejected to a heat sink to condensed vapor back to liquid. The liquid exits the condenser and travels in the liquid line to return to the evaporator to complete the cycle. The circulation of fluid, and thus the heat transport in the LHP, is accomplished entirely by capillary action. The LHP contains no mechanical moving part to wear out or break down and, therefore possesses, reliability and a long life even without maintenance. In this paper, the author not only attempts to introduce the LHP technology in simplistic terms to those who are not familiar with it but also provides necessary technical information to potential users for the proper design and analysis of the LHP system.

Keywords: two-phase heat transfer, loop heat pipe, capillary pumped technology, thermal-fluid modeling

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Authors: Abubakar Attahiru

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Mathematics plays an important role in the real situation. The development of the study of mathematics is a result of the needs of man to survive and interact with one another in society. Mathematics is the universal language that is applied in almost every aspect of life. Mathematics gives us a way to understand patterns, define relationships, and predict the future. The changes in the content and methods of studying mathematics follow the trends in societal needs and developments. Also, the developments in mathematics affect the developments in society. Generally, education helps to develop society while the activities and needs of the society dictate e educational policy of any society. Among all the academic subjects studied at school, mathematics has distinctly contributed more to the objectives of general education of man than any other subject. This is a result of the applications of mathematics to all spheres of human endeavors’. This paper looks at the meaning of the basic concepts of mathematics, science, and technology, the application of mathematics in a real-life situation, and their relationships with society. The paper also shows how mathematics, science, and technology affect the existence and development of society and how society determines the nature of mathematics studied in society through its educational system.

Keywords: application, mathematics, real life, situation

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Authors: Emad Heydarnia, Aref Sepasi, Nika Asefi, Sara Khakshournia, Javad Mohammadnejad

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Background: Despite breakthrough therapeutics in breast cancer, it is one of the main causes of mortality among women worldwide. Thus, drug therapies for treating breast cancer have recently been developed by scientists. Metformin and Sorafenib are well-known therapeutic in breast cancer. In the present study, we combined Sorafenib and PCL-sorafenib with metformin to improve drug absorption and promote therapeutic efficiency. Methods: The MCF-7 cells were treated with Metformin, Sorafenib, or PCL-sorafenib. The growth inhibitory effect of these drugs and cell viability were assessed using MTT and flow cytometry assays, respectively. The expression of targeted genes involved in cell proliferation, signaling, and the cell cycle was measured by Real-time PCR. Results: The results showed that MCF-7 cells treated with Metformin/Sorafenib and PCL-sorafenib/Metformin co-treatment contributed to 50% viability compared to untreated group. Moreover, PI and Annexin V staining tests showed that the cells viability for Metformin/Sorafenib and PCL-sorafenib/Metformin was 38% and 17%, respectively. Furthermore, Sorafenib/Metformin and PCL-sorafenib/Metformin leads to p53 gene expression increase by which they can increase ROS, thereby decreasing GPX4 gene expression. In addition, they affected the expression of BCL2, and BAX genes and altered the cell cycle. Conclusion: Together, the combination of PCL-sorafenib/Metformin and Sorafenib/Metformin increased Sorafenib absorption at lower doses and also leads to apoptosis and oxidative stress increases in MCF-7 cells.

Keywords: breast cancer, metformin, nanotechnology, sorafenib

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Authors: Meruyert Burumbayeva, Aiman Mussina, Gulnoza Aldabekova, Aiymtory Abildaeva, Gulshat Yerdenova, Aigul Kairgeldina

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this article introduces results of a research which purpose is evaluation the quality of life, the psychophysiological status, expressiveness of uneasiness at women teachers of the senior age group. At a research of quality of life of teachers the lowest values have been received from the indicators of the general state of health, vital activity, role emotional functioning and mental health. Every second woman-teacher noted high personal uneasiness; every third woman-teacher noted moderate situational uneasiness, confirming the existence of a professional stress. Revealed the interrelation between alarming conditions and a decrease in a mental component of health. Moreover, there was revealed exhaustion signs at low activity values that indicate a high tension of labor process.

Keywords: expressiveness of uneasiness, quality of life, psychophysiological status, component of health

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Authors: Nomakholwa F. Stokwe, Antoinette P. Malan

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Woolly apple aphid (WAA), Eriosoma lanigerum, is an important pest of apples worldwide. The aphid feeds above ground on buds and leaf axils and the roots of apple trees. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) of the two families, Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae, and their symbiotic bacteria have generated extensive interest as inundative applied biological control agents of insects. With the development of the resistance of WAA to chemicals, export restrictions, and the inability of parasitoids to control the aphid successfully early in the season, considering EPNs as an alternative biocontrol agent is important. Seven EPN species were tested for their pathogenicity against WAA. Laboratory bioassays identified S. yirgalemense and H. zealandica as being the most virulent against the subterranean stage of the WAA, with a mortality rate of 48% and 38%, respectively. Studies on the effect of WAA size showed that the last instar is most susceptible to infection, whereas smaller instars appear to be too small for nematode penetration and infection. Neither increasing the exposure period of the aphids nor increasing the nematode concentration affected the infection rate positively. The haemolymph of WAA showed an inhibitory effect on the development of the symbiotic bacteria, preventing the completion of the nematode’s life cycle.

Keywords: apples, biocontrol, entomopathogenic nematodes, woolly apple aphid

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Authors: Flavia Schuler Gomes, Cristina Brito Dias, Emily Schuler

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One of the emerging themes in modern society is migration. What in the past was a route mostly traveled by men, is currently carried out by women and even children. In this sense, the objective of this research was to understand the experiences and repercussions of the migration in the life of young Brazilians who went to Switzerland. The specific objectives were: to know the causes and consequences of migration; how was the adaptation in the country in emotional and educational terms; as how the interviewees feel the impact of living with two cultures simultaneously. The research had a qualitative methodology. The participants were eight young men and women, between the ages of 18 and 25, who migrated to Switzerland as a child. The instrument used was interview technique of life history. The collected data were analyzed through the thematic content analysis. The results indicate that the young people migrated to accompany their mothers; in terms of nationality, two participants feel completely Swiss, and six believe they share Swiss and Brazilian aspects. None of the participants followed an academic career, having secondary education.

Keywords: adaptation, children, culture, migration

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Authors: Abdullah Tahir

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The omission of regular medications in surgical patients poses a significant challenge in healthcare settings and is associated with increased morbidity during hospital stays. Human factors such as high workload, poor communication, and emotional stress are known to contribute to these omissions, particularly evident in the surgical assessment unit (SAU) due to its high patient burden and long wait times. This study aimed to quantify and address the issue by implementing targeted interventions to enhance compliance in prescribing regular medications for surgical patients at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, United Kingdom. Data were collected on 14 spontaneous days between April and May 2023, and the frequency of prescription omissions was recorded using a tally chart. Subsequently, informative posters were introduced in the SAU, and presentations were given to the surgical team to emphasize the importance of compliance in this area. The interventions were assessed using a second data collection cycle, again over 14 spontaneous days in May 2023. Results demonstrated an improvement from 40% (60 out of 150) to 74% (93 out of 126) of patients having regular medications prescribed at the point of clerking. These findings highlight the efficacy of frequent prompts and awareness-raising interventions in increasing workforce compliance and addressing the issue of prescription omissions in the SAU.

Keywords: prescription omissions, quality improvement, regular medication, surgical assessment unit

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Authors: Linet Melisa Daubanes, Nhleko Monique Chiloane

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The shovel-truck system is the most prevalent material handling system used in surface mining operations. Material handling entails the loading and hauling of material from production areas to dumping areas. The material handling process has operational delays that have a negative impact on the productivity of the load and haul fleet. Factors that may contribute to operational delays include shovel-truck mismatch, haul routes, machine breakdowns, extreme weather conditions, etc. The aim of this paper is to investigate factors that contribute to operational delays affecting the productivity of the load and haul fleet at the mine. Productivity is the measure of the effectiveness of producing products from a given quantity of units, the ratio of output to inputs. Productivity can be improved by producing more outputs with the same or fewer units and/or introducing better working methods etc. Several key performance indicators (KPI) for the evaluation of productivity will be discussed in this study. These KPIs include but are not limited to hauling conditions, bucket fill factor, cycle time, and utilization. The research methodology of this study is a combination of on-site time studies and observations. Productivity can be optimized by managing the factors that affect the operational performance of the haulage fleet.

Keywords: cycle time, fleet performance, load and haul, surface mining

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Authors: Ching-Feng Chen, Ching-Chih Tsai

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With the size of the transistor gradually approaching the physical limit, it challenges the persistence of Moore’s Law due to the development of the high numerical aperture (high-NA) lithography equipment and other issues such as short channel effects. In the context of the ever-increasing technical requirements of portable devices and high-performance computing, relying on the law continuation to enhance the chip density will no longer support the prospects of the electronics industry. Weighing the chip’s power consumption-performance-area-cost-cycle time to market (PPACC) is an updated benchmark to drive the evolution of the advanced wafer nanometer (nm). The advent of two and half- and three-dimensional (2.5 and 3D)- Very-Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) packaging based on Through Silicon Via (TSV) technology has updated the traditional die assembly methods and provided the solution. This overview investigates the up-to-date and cutting-edge packaging technologies for 2.5D and 3D integrated circuits (ICs) based on the updated transistor structure and technology nodes. The author concludes that multi-chip solutions for 2.5D and 3D IC packagings are feasible to prolong Moore’s Law.

Keywords: moore’s law, high numerical aperture, power consumption-performance-area-cost-cycle time to market, 2.5 and 3D- very-large-scale integration, packaging, through silicon via

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Authors: Nay Myo Sandar

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With the growth of technologies and applications, a large amount of data has been producing at increasing rate from various resources such as social media networks, sensor devices, and other information serving devices. This large collection of massive, complex and exponential growth of dataset is called big data. The traditional database systems cannot store and process such data due to large and complexity. Consequently, cloud computing is a potential solution for data storage and processing since it can provide a pool of resources for servers and storage. However, moving large amount of data to and from is a challenging issue since it can encounter a high latency due to large data size. With respect to big data movement problem, this paper reviews the literature of previous works, discusses about research issues, finds out approaches for dealing with big data movement problem.

Keywords: Big Data, Cloud Computing, Big Data Movement, Network Techniques

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Authors: Martin Dupuy, Solange Grunenwald, Pierre-Louis Colombo, Laurence Mahieu, Pomone Richard, Philippe Bartoli

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Endonasal endoscopic trans-sphenoidal surgery for pituitary tumours has become a mainstay of treatment over the last two decades. Although it is generally accepted that there is no significant difference between endoscopic versus microscopic approach for surgical outcomes (endocrine and ophthalmologic status), nasal morbidity seems to the benefit of endoscopic procedures. Minimally invasive endoscopic surgery needs an operative learning curve to achieve surgeon’s efficiency. This learning curve is now well known for surgical outcomes and complications rate, however, few data are available for nasal morbidity. The aim of our series is to document operative experience and nasal quality of life after (NQOL) endoscopic trans-sphenoidal surgery. The prospective pituitary surgical cohort consisted of 525 consecutives patients referred to our Skull Base Diseases Department. Endoscopic procedures were performed by a single neurosurgeon using an uninostril approach. NQOL was evaluated using the Sino-Nasal Test (SNOT-22), the Anterior Base Nasal Inventory (ASBNI) and the Skull Base Inventory Score (SBIS). Data were collected before surgery during hospital stay and 3 months after the surgery. The seventy first patients were compared to the latest 70 patients. There was no significant difference between comparison score before versus after surgery for SNOT-22, ASBNI and SBIS during the single surgeon’s learning curve. Our series demonstrates that in our institution there is no statistically significant learning curve for NQOL after uninostril endoscopic pituitary surgery. A careful progression through sinonasal structures with very limited mucosal incision is associated with minimal morbidity and preserves nasal function. Conservative and minimal invasive approach could be achieved early during learning curve.

Keywords: pituitary surgery, quality of life, minimal invasive surgery, learning curve, pituitary tumours, skull base surgery, endoscopic surgery

Procedia PDF Downloads 127

Authors: Michał Jaśkiewicz

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The relation between walkability, place adherence, social relations and quality of life was explored in a Polish context. A considerable number of studies have suggested that environmental factors may influence the quality of life through indirect pathways. The list of possible psychological mediators includes social relations and identity-related variables. Based on the results of Study 1, local identity is a significant mediator in the relationship between neighbourhood walkability and quality of life. It was assumed that pedestrian-oriented neighbourhoods enable residents to interact and that these spontaneous interactions can help to strengthen a sense of local identity, thus influencing the quality of life. We, therefore, conducted further studies, testing the relationship experimentally in studies 2a and 2b. Participants were exposed to (2a) photos of walkable/non-walkable neighbourhoods or (2b) descriptions of high/low-walkable neighbourhoods. They were then asked to assess the walkability of the neighbourhoods and to evaluate their potential social relations and quality of life in these places. In both studies, social relations with neighbours turned out to be a significant mediator between walkability and quality of life. In Study 3, we implemented the measure of overlapping individual and communal identity (fusion with the neighbourhood) and willingness to collective action as mediators. Living in a walkable neighbourhood was associated with identity fusion with that neighbourhood. Participants who felt more fused expressed greater willingness to engage in collective action with other neighbours. Finally, this willingness was positively related to the quality of life in the city. In Study 4, we used commuting time (an aspect of walkability related to the time that people spend travelling to work) as the independent variable. The results showed that a shorter average daily commuting time was linked to more frequent social interactions in the neighbourhood. Individuals who assessed their social interactions as more frequent expressed a stronger city identification, which was in turn related to quality of life. To sum up, our research replicated and extended previous findings on the association between walkability and well-being measures. We introduced potential mediators of this relationship: social interactions in the neighbourhood and identity-related variables.

Keywords: walkability, quality of life, social relations, analysis of mediation

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Authors: Ahmed Mateen, Zhu Qingsheng, Ahmad Bilal

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In the current age of technology, information is the most precious asset of a company. Today, companies have a large amount of data. As the data become larger, access to data for some particular information is becoming slower day by day. Faster data processing to shape it in the form of information is the biggest issue. The major problems in distributed databases are the efficiency of data distribution and response time of data distribution. The security of data distribution is also a big issue. For these problems, we proposed a strategy that can maximize the efficiency of data distribution and also increase its response time. This technique gives better results for secure data distribution from multiple heterogeneous sources. The newly proposed technique facilitates the companies for secure data sharing efficiently and quickly.

Keywords: ER-schema, electronic record, P2P framework, API, query formulation

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Authors: P. R. Chauhan, S. K. Tyagi

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Adsorption refrigeration technology offers a sustainable and energy-efficient cooling alternative over traditional refrigeration technologies for meeting the fast-growing cooling demands. With its ability to utilize natural refrigerants, low-grade heat sources, and modular configurations, it has the potential to revolutionize the cooling industry. Despite these benefits, the commercial viability of this technology is hampered by several fundamental limiting constraints, including its large size, low uptake capacity, and poor performance as a result of deficient heat and mass transfer characteristics. The primary cause of adequate heat and mass transfer characteristics and magnitude of exergy loss in various real processes of adsorption cooling system can be assessed by the entropy generation rate analysis, i. e. Second law of Thermodynamics. Therefore, this article presents the second law of thermodynamic-based investigation in terms of entropy generation rate (EGR) to identify the energy losses in various processes of the HPCC-based adsorption system using MATLAB R2021b software. The adsorption technology-based cooling system consists of two beds made up of silica gel and arranged in a single stage, while the water is employed as a refrigerant, coolant, and hot fluid. The variation in process-wise EGR is examined corresponding to cycle time, and a comparative analysis is also presented. Moreover, the EGR is also evaluated in the external units, such as the heat source and heat sink unit used for regeneration and heat dump, respectively. The research findings revealed that the combination of adsorber and desorber, which operates across heat reservoirs with a higher temperature gradient, shares more than half of the total amount of EGR. Moreover, the EGR caused by the heat transfer process is determined to be the highest, followed by a heat sink, heat source, and mass transfer, respectively. in case of heat transfer process, the operation of the valve is determined to be responsible for more than half (54.9%) of the overall EGR during the heat transfer. However, the combined contribution of the external units, such as the source (18.03%) and sink (21.55%), to the total EGR, is 35.59%. The analysis and findings of the present research are expected to pinpoint the source of the energy waste in HPCC based adsorption cooling systems.

Keywords: adsorption cooling cycle, heat transfer, mass transfer, entropy generation, silica gel-water

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Authors: Kaushik Sathupadi, Sandesh Achar

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Pervasive computing is a growing research field that aims to acknowledge human physical life routines (HPLR) based on body-worn sensors such as MEMS sensors-based technologies. The use of these technologies for human activity recognition is progressively increasing. On the other hand, personalizing human life routines using numerous machine-learning techniques has always been an intriguing topic. In contrast, various methods have demonstrated the ability to recognize basic movement patterns. However, it still needs to be improved to anticipate the dynamics of human living patterns. This study introduces state-of-the-art techniques for recognizing static and dy-namic patterns and forecasting those challenging activities from multi-fused sensors. Further-more, numerous MEMS signals are extracted from one self-annotated IM-WSHA dataset and two benchmarked datasets. First, we acquired raw data is filtered with z-normalization and denoiser methods. Then, we adopted statistical, local binary pattern, auto-regressive model, and intrinsic time scale decomposition major features for feature extraction from different domains. Next, the acquired features are optimized using maximum relevance and minimum redundancy (mRMR). Finally, the artificial neural network is applied to analyze the whole system's performance. As a result, we attained a 90.27% recognition rate for the self-annotated dataset, while the HARTH and KU-HAR achieved 83% on nine living activities and 90.94% on 18 static and dynamic routines. Thus, the proposed HPLR system outperformed other state-of-the-art systems when evaluated with other methods in the literature.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, machine learning, gait analysis, local binary pattern (LBP), statistical features, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), maximum relevance and minimum re-dundancy (MRMR)

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Authors: Rajlakshmi Banerjee, Sujoy Banerjee

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The prevalence of malnutrition, as the most common cause of morbidity and mortality increases with old age, especially in developing countries like India, because of many factors out of which dentate status is one. It affects diet, nutritional status and general health due to reduced chewing ability and poor food choices. Aim and Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of nutritional status, dietary intake on the Oral Health-related Quality of life (OHRQoL) of elderly edentulous complete denture wearing patients and to know whether they are at a higher risk of malnutrition. The objective was to assess the need to include dietary and nutritional counselling during Prosthodontic rehabilitation of elderly edentulous patients. Materials and method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 elderly denture wearing patients above 60 yrs of age from Nagpur, Maharashtra. The majority of study subjects (60%) were between the age group 60 and 75 years. Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) Questionnaire was used to assess nutritional status and General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) questionnaire was used to determine the Oral health related Quality of life of these patients.Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data using SPSS version 21. Results: Among the assessed subjects, nearly 80% of them had total scores of GOHAI between 12 and 57 which require ‘needed dental care.’ As per MNA, 10.5% had adequate nutrition, 70 % were at risk of malnutrition, and remaining 19.5 % of subjects were malnourished. There was a significant correlation between GOHAI and MNA scores. A strong association was found between mean GOHAI and MNA scores and thereby nutritional status and OHRQOL.Conclusion: The use of conventional dentures increases the risk of malnutrition in the elderly due to inability to eat and chew food properly and therefore severely affecting the quality of life. Dietary analysis and counselling should be strictly incorporated into geriatric treatment planning during Prosthetic rehabilitation.

Keywords: general oral health assessment index, General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), nutritional assessment, mini-nutritional assessment, Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA), quality of life

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Authors: Jing Zhao, Dayong Liu, Shihao Wang, Xinghua Zhu, Delong Li

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Uhumanned Underwater Vehicles generally operate in the deep sea, which has its own unique working conditions. Lithium-ion power batteries should have the necessary stability and endurance for use as an underwater vehicle’s power source. Therefore, it is essential to accurately forecast how long lithium-ion batteries will last in order to maintain the system’s reliability and safety. In order to model and forecast lithium battery Remaining Useful Life (RUL), this research suggests a model based on Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive noise-Temporal Convolutional Net (CEEMDAN-TCN). In this study, two datasets, NASA and CALCE, which have a specific gap in capacity data fluctuation, are used to verify the model and examine the experimental results in order to demonstrate the generalizability of the concept. The experiments demonstrate the network structure’s strong universality and ability to achieve good fitting outcomes on the test set for various battery dataset types. The evaluation metrics reveal that the CEEMDAN-TCN prediction performance of TCN is 25% to 35% better than that of a single neural network, proving that feature expansion and modal decomposition can both enhance the model’s generalizability and be extremely useful in industrial settings.

Keywords: lithium-ion battery, remaining useful life, complete EEMD with adaptive noise, temporal convolutional net

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Authors: Obose Angela Oriazowanlan

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The role of entrepreneurship in preventing poverty and mitigating other post-retirement challenges has been acknowledged to be crucial for effective post-retirement life management, but financial constraints could constitute a bane to pre-retirees’ entrepreneurial intentions. Therefore, the study determined the financial knowledge that could spur their intentions and readiness for a business start that could enable them to surmount post-retirement life challenges. Two research questions guided the study. The descriptive survey research design was adopted and the population comprised all the pre-retirees in universities in Edo State. 250 respondents were randomly selected using the simple random sampling technique from three purposive selected universities. Primary data were gathered through the use of a structured questionnaire, which was validated and tested to have a reliability coefficient value of 0.84. The descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions and test the respondents’ homogeneity. The findings revealed, among others, that the respondents perceived the benefits of entrepreneurship-business startups to ensure their effective post-retirement life management but intended to rely totally on their retirement savings benefits with the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) for business startups. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that pre-retirees should make contingency savings plans and that the employers and government should provide them with financial education in order to acquaint them with relevant financial knowledge to access other forms of business financing such as loans, bank overdraft, angel investors, venture capital and government grants among others prior to final disengagement.

Keywords: financial knowledge, entrepreneurial intentions, availability of business funds, business investment and fulfilled post-retirement living.

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Authors: Rowshan Mamtaz, Shuvo Ahmed, Imran Noor, Sumaiya Rahman, Prithvi Shams, Fahmida Gulshan

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Last few decades have witnessed a phenomenal rise in the use of electrical and electronic equipment globally in our everyday life. As these items reach the end of their lifecycle, they turn into e-wastes and contribute to the waste stream. Bangladesh, in conformity with the global trend and due to its ongoing rapid growth, is also using electronics-based appliances and equipment at an increasing rate. This has caused a corresponding increase in the generation of e-wastes. Bangladesh is a developing country; its overall waste management system, is not yet efficient, nor is it environmentally sustainable. Most of its solid wastes are disposed of in a crude way at dumping sites. Addition of e-wastes, which often contain toxic heavy metals, into its waste stream has made the situation more difficult and challenging. Assessment of generation of e-wastes is an important step towards addressing the challenges posed by e-wastes, setting targets, and identifying the best practices for their management. Understanding and proper management of e-wastes is a stated item of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) campaign, and Bangladesh is committed to fulfilling it. A better understanding and availability of reliable baseline data on e-wastes will help in preventing illegal dumping, promote recycling, and create jobs in the recycling sectors and thus facilitate sustainable e-waste management. With this objective in mind, the present study has attempted to estimate the amount of e-wastes and its future generation trend in Bangladesh. To achieve this, sales data on eight selected electrical and electronic products (TV, Refrigerator, Fan, Mobile phone, Computer, IT equipment, CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) bulbs, and Air Conditioner) have been collected from different sources. Primary and secondary data on the collection, recycling, and disposal of the e-wastes have also been gathered by questionnaire survey, field visits, interviews, and formal and informal meetings with the stakeholders. Material Flow Analysis (MFA) method has been applied, and mathematical models have been developed in the present study to estimate e-waste amounts and their future trends up to the year 2035 for the eight selected electrical and electronic equipment. End of life (EOL) method is adopted in the estimation. Model inputs are products’ annual sale/import data, past and future sales data, and average life span. From the model outputs, it is estimated that the generation of e-wastes in Bangladesh in 2018 is 0.40 million tons and by 2035 the amount will be 4.62 million tons with an average annual growth rate of 20%. Among the eight selected products, the number of e-wastes generated from seven products are increasing whereas only one product, CFL bulb, showed a decreasing trend of waste generation. The average growth rate of e-waste from TV sets is the highest (28%) while those from Fans and IT equipment are the lowest (11%). Field surveys conducted in the e-waste recycling sector also revealed that every year around 0.0133 million tons of e-wastes enter into the recycling business in Bangladesh which may increase in the near future.

Keywords: Bangladesh, end of life, e-waste, material flow analysis

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Authors: Karuna Tuchinda, Sasithon Bland

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This work investigates the wear of a steam turbine blade coated with titanium nitride (TiN), and compares to the wear of uncoated blades. The coating is deposited on by physical vapor deposition (PVD) method. The working conditions of the blade were simulated and surface temperature and pressure values as well as flow velocity and flow direction were obtained. This data was used in the finite element wear model developed here in order to predict the wear of the blade. The wear mechanisms considered are erosive wear due to particle impingement and fluid jet, and fatigue wear due to repeated impingement of particles and fluid jet. Results show that the life of the TiN-coated blade is approximately 1.76 times longer than the life of the uncoated one.

Keywords: physical vapour deposition, steam turbine blade, titanium-based coating, wear prediction

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Authors: Nermin Gozukirmizi, Buket Cakmak, Sevgi Marakli

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Sireviruses are genera of copia LTR retrotransposons with a unique genome structure among retrotransposons. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an economically important plant and has been studied as a model plant regarding its short annual life cycle and seven chromosome pairs. In this study, we used mature barley embryos, 10-day-old roots and 10-day-old leaves derived from the same barley plant to investigate SIRE1 retrotransposon movements by Inter-Retrotransposon Amplified Polymorphism (IRAP) technique. We found polymorphism rates between 0-64% among embryos, roots and leaves. Polymorphism rates were detected to be 0-27% among embryos, 8-60% among roots, and 11-50% among leaves. Polymorphisms were observed not only among the parts of different individuals, but also on the parts of the same plant (23-64%). The internal domains of SIRE1 (gag, env and rt) were also analyzed in the embryos, roots and leaves. Analysis of band profiles showed no polymorphism for gag, however, different band patterns were observed among samples for rt and env. The sequencing of SIRE1 gag, env and rt domains revealed 79% similarity for gag, 95% for env and 84% for rt to Ty1-copia retrotransposons. SIRE1 retrotransposon was identified in the soybean genome and has been studied on other plants (maize, rice, tomatoe etc.). This study is the first detailed investigation of SIRE1 in barley genome. The obtained findings are expected to contribute to the comprehension of SIRE1 retrotransposon and its role in barley genome.

Keywords: barley, polymorphism, retrotransposon, SIRE1 virus

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Authors: Imad Khan, Imran Shafi, Sarmad Farooq

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Large diameter pipes, barrels, tubes, and ducts are used in a variety of applications covering civil and defense-related technologies. This may include heating/cooling networks, sign poles, bracing, casing, and artillery and tank gun barrels. These large diameter assemblies require regular inspection and cleaning to increase their life and reduce replacement costs. This paper describes the design, development, and testing results of an efficient yet simplified, low maintenance mechanical design controlled with minimal essential electronics using an electric motor for a non-technical staff. The proposed solution provides a simplified user interface and an automated cleaning mechanism that requires a single user to optimally clean pipes and barrels in the range of 105 mm to 203 mm caliber. The proposed system employs linear motion of specially designed brush along the barrel using a chain of specific strength and a pulley anchor attached to both ends of the barrel. A specially designed and manufactured gearbox is coupled with an AC motor to allow movement of contact brush with high torque to allow efficient cleaning. A suitably powered AC motor is fixed to the front adapter mounted on the muzzle side whereas the rear adapter has a pulley-based anchor mounted towards the breach block in case of a gun barrel. A mix of soft nylon and hard copper bristles-based large surface brush is connected through a strong steel chain to motor and anchor pulley. The system is equipped with limit switches to auto switch the direction when one end is reached on its operation. The testing results based on carefully established performance indicators indicate the superiority of the proposed user-friendly cleaning mechanism vis-à-vis its life cycle cost.

Keywords: pipe cleaning mechanism, limiting switch, pipe cleaning robot, large pipes

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Authors: Roshanak Nouralian

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The primary focus of my Ph.D. dissertation revolves around the interconnection between language and culture, as well as the crucial role that language plays in facilitating communication and fostering integration within the host society for immigrants. This research specifically focuses on Iranian students studying at various universities in Vienna. Throughout this study, I have attempted to examine and analyze their challenges in various life situations in Austria. The broad dimensions of the research question led the research process to apply a constructivist grounded theory strategy. I have also used critical discourse analysis that is in line with constructivist GT's point of view to look closely at the borders, contradictions, and inequalities that came up in the participants' real-life experiences. Data from individual interviews and group discussions have expanded the research trajectory beyond disciplinary boundaries toward a transdisciplinary approach. The research findings indicate how the language policy of the host society leads to the establishment of power relationships and the arousal of a sense of cultural dominance among the research participants. This study investigates the problems experienced by participants in their daily interactions within the host society. Additionally, the results illustrate the development of a dependency relationship between participants and their host society despite linguistic policies that cause a sense of cultural hegemony. Conversely, the obtained data allowed me to examine the participants' language ideologies. The findings of this study show that social linguistics has the potential to go beyond the boundaries of its field. This is possible by using a variety of research strategies and analyzing people's real-life experiences to find out how language affects different parts of their daily lives. Therefore, in this conference, discussing the logic of employing a constructivist GT strategy along with critical discourse analysis (CDA) in this research, I intend to discuss the achieved results.

Keywords: cultural adapttaion, language policy, language ideology, cultural hegemony, transdisciplinary research, constructivist grounded theory, critical discourse analysis

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Authors: Satabdi Das

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Background:The abortion debate has polarized women, pitting them against each other in the binary of pro-choice and pro-life. While the followers of pro-choice views the right to an abortion as inherent to a women's right to sovereignty, the latter believes that it is unethical to kill a unborn baby as it is in a way denying the foetus' right to life. So there are innumerable arguments and counter arguments without hyphenation and the dilemma remains that which one is more significant – the mother's right to terminate pregnancy or the foetus' right to life. This pro-life and pro-choice debate has an western root which is more about reproductive freedom. But the Western standard of looking at abortion debate is not fully relevant in the Indian context. The situation is entirely different here. Sex selective foeticide is a social ill in India which cannot be explained through the prism of abortion debate only. It must take into account the problems of forced female foeticide. Objectives: Against this backdrop the study sheds light on the following issues: -How the Reproductive debate has been evolved? -How it is relevant in the Indian Context where female foeticide is a harsh reality? -How one should address the dilemma between life and death in the context of pro life-pro choice debate? Methodology: The study employs historical analytical and descriptive analytical methods and uses primary documents like governmental documents and secondary sources like analytical articles in books, journals, and relevant websites. Findings: -Fertility control is not a modern day phenomenon. It has its roots throughout ancient, medieval and present epochs. However, there existed debates over the rights of the foetus and the question of ethics pertaining to the act of abortion. -Pre-natal sex determination for sex selective abortion is a common phenomenon in India because of the wish for male heirs. The cultural preferences for male child over female ones have resulted in the disappearance of girl children. -When does the life begin has not been recognized by any law. Considering Indian case, it can be said that the Pro life/ pro choice is not that relevant as it is in the US. Here the women are often denied the basic human rights. They are murdered at the womb in many places. Their right to lives are jeopardised in that way. In the liberal abortion regime of India, women's choice to end a pregnancy is limited among very few enlightened families. In many cases, it is the decision of the family to end a pregnancy for boy preference. For that pre natal sex determination plays a crucial role. Conclusion: In India, we can be pro life only when the right to life of the unborn can be secured irrespective of its sex. Similarly we belong to pro-choice group only when the choice to terminate a baby is entirely decided by the mother for her own reasons.

Keywords: female foeticide, India, prolife/pro choice, right to abortion

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Authors: Scarlet Alejandra Romano, Joni Kareco

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The three pillars of sustainability (social, economic and environmental) are relevant concepts to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry because of the increase of international agreements and guidelines related to this topic during the last years. Considering these three pillars, the AEC industry faces important challenges, for instance, to decrease the carbon emissions (environmental challenge), design sustainable spaces for people (social challenge), and improve the technology of this field to reduce costs and environmental problems (economic and environmental challenge). One alternative to overcome these challenges is Building Information Modelling program (BIM) because according to several authors, this technology improves the performance of the sustainable buildings in all their lifecycle phases. The main objective of this paper is to explore and analyse the current advantages and disadvantages of the BIM implementation in the life-cycle of sustainable buildings considering the three pillars of sustainability as analysis parameters. The methodology established to achieve this objective is exploratory-descriptive with the literature review technique. The partial results illustrate that despite the BIM disadvantages and the lack of information about its social sustainability advantages, this software represents a significant opportunity to improve the three sustainable pillars of the sustainable buildings.

Keywords: building information modelling, building lifecycle analysis, sustainability, sustainable buildings

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Authors: Nikita Katyal, Shaurya Uppal

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This paper tackles the significant challenge of accurately classifying customers within a retailer’s customer base. Accurate classification is essential for developing targeted marketing strategies that effectively engage this important demographic. To address this issue, we propose a method that utilizes Large Language Models (LLMs). By employing LLMs, we analyze the metadata associated with product purchases derived from historical data to identify key product categories that act as distinguishing factors. These categories, such as baby food, eldercare products, or family-sized packages, offer valuable insights into the likely household composition of customers, including families with babies, families with kids/teenagers, families with pets, households caring for elders, or mixed households. We segment high-confidence customers into distinct categories by integrating historical purchase behavior with LLM-powered product classification. This paper asserts that life stage segmentation can significantly enhance e-commerce businesses’ ability to target the appropriate customers with tailored products and campaigns, thereby augmenting sales and improving customer retention. Additionally, the paper details the data sources, model architecture, and evaluation metrics employed for the segmentation task.

Keywords: LLMs, segmentation, product tags, fine-tuning, target segments, marketing communication

Procedia PDF Downloads 31