Search results for: place branding

Authors: Paul Hernandez-Herrera, Fernando Montoya, Juan Manuel Rendon, Alberto Darszon, Gabriel Corkidi

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Intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) regulates sperm motility. The analysis of [Ca2+]i has been traditionally achieved in two dimensions while the real movement of the cell takes place in three spatial dimensions. Due to optical limitations (high speed cell movement and low light emission) important data concerning the three dimensional movement of these flagellated cells had been neglected. Visualizing [Ca2+]i in 3D is not a simple matter since it requires complex fluorescence microscopy techniques where the resulting images have very low intensity and consequently low SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio). In 4D sequences, this problem is magnified since the flagellum oscillates (for human sperm) at least at an average frequency of 15 Hz. In this paper, a novel approach to extract the flagellum’s center-line in 4D stacks is presented. For this purpose, an iterative algorithm based on the fast-marching method is proposed to extract the flagellum’s center-line. Quantitative and qualitative results are presented in a 4D stack to demonstrate the ability of the proposed algorithm to trace the flagellum’s center-line. The method reached a precision and recall of 0.96 as compared with a semi-manual method.

Keywords: flagellum, minimal path, segmentation, sperm

Procedia PDF Downloads 284

Authors: Wium de Villiers

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Section 106(1)(h) of the South African Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 provides that an accused may enter a special plea that the prosecutor does not have title to prosecute. In a seminal matter (S v Mousa 2021 2 SACR 378 (GJ)) regarding section 106(1)(h), certain interesting legal aspects emerged. The first aspect concerned the meaning of the term “prosecutor”. More specifically, the question arose whether the term included a prosecutor who was previously involved with the matter, as well as the relevant Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (DDPP) who instituted the prosecution and oversaw the prosecution on behalf of the state. The meaning of the term “title”, and with regard to the conduct of the “prosecutor”, the term “abuse of process,” were also raised and decided. In the paper, the facts, and the arguments in, and the decisions of the court, are discussed critically. The author argue that the intended objection in section 106(1)(h) is not to cure the abuse inflicted by a previous prosecutor or by the DDPP. I point out that the term “title” includes a lack of authority, non-compliance with jurisdictional requirements or absence of locus standi. I also point out that an abuse of process takes place if the process is used for an improper, ulterior or collateral purpose. I also argue that the accused should, instead of relying on section 106(1)(h), have relied on the prior agreement and applied for a permanent stay of prosecution.

Keywords: special plea, prosecutor, title, abuse of process

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Authors: M. Feliciano, F. Rodrigues, A. Gonçalves, J. M. R. C. A. Santos, V. Leite

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With the objective of characterizing the profile and performance of energy use by slaughterhouses, surveys and audits were performed in two different facilities located in the northeastern region of Portugal. Energy consumption from multiple energy sources was assessed monthly, along with production and costs, for the same reference year. Gathered data was analyzed to identify and quantify the main consuming processes and to estimate energy efficiency indicators for benchmarking purposes. Main results show differences between the two slaughterhouses concerning energy sources, consumption by source and sector, and global energy efficiency. Electricity is the most used source in both slaughterhouses with a contribution of around 50%, being essentially used for meat processing and refrigeration. Natural gas, in slaughterhouse A, and pellets, in slaughterhouse B, used for heating water take the second place, with a mean contribution of about 45%. On average, a 62 kgoe/t specific energy consumption (SEC) was found, although with differences between slaughterhouses. A prominent negative correlation between SEC and carcass production was found specially in slaughterhouse A. Estimated Specific Energy Cost and Greenhouse Gases Intensity (GHGI) show mean values of about 50 €/t and 1.8 tCO2e/toe, respectively. Main results show that there is a significant margin for improving energy efficiency and therefore lowering costs in this type of non-energy intensive industries.

Keywords: meat industry, energy intensity, energy efficiency, GHG emissions

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Authors: Hasan Şahan Arel

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In this study, literature related to the replacement of cement with waste marble and the use of waste marble as an aggregate in concrete production was examined. Workability of the concrete decreased when marble powder was used as a substitute for fine aggregate. Marble powder contributed to the compressive strength of concrete because of the CaCO₃ and SiO₂ present in the chemical structure of the marble. Additionally, the use of marble pieces in place of coarse aggregate revealed that this contributed to the workability and mechanical properties of the concrete. When natural standard sand was replaced with marble dust at a ratio of 15% and 75%, the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of the concrete increased by 20%-26% and 10%-15%, respectively. However, coarse marble aggregates exhibited the best performance at a 100% replacement ratio. Additionally, there was a greater improvement in the mechanical properties of concrete when waste marble was used in a coarse aggregate form when compared to that of when marble was used in a dust form. If the cement was replaced with marble powder in proportions of 20% or more, then adverse effects were observed on the compressive strength and workability of the concrete. This study indicated that marble dust at a cement-replacement ratio of 5%-10% affected the mechanical properties of concrete by decreasing the global annual CO₂ emissions by 12% and also lowering the costs from US$40/m³ to US$33/m³.

Keywords: cement production, concrete, CO2 emission, marble, mechanical properties

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Authors: Yosra Mefteh Rekik, Younes Boujelbene

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We introduce in this paper a new conceptual model representing the stock market dynamics. This model is essentially based on cognitive behavior of the intelligence investors. In order to validate our model, we build an artificial stock market simulation based on agent-oriented methodologies. The proposed simulator is composed of market supervisor agent essentially responsible for executing transactions via an order book and various kinds of investor agents depending to their profile. The purpose of this simulation is to understand the influence of psychological character of an investor and its neighborhood on its decision-making and their impact on the market in terms of price fluctuations. Therefore, the difficulty of the prediction is due to several features: the complexity, the non-linearity and the dynamism of the financial market system, as well as the investor psychology. The Artificial Neural Networks learning mechanism take on the role of traders, who from their futures return expectations and place orders based on their expectations. The results of intensive analysis indicate that the existence of agents having heterogeneous beliefs and preferences has provided a better understanding of price dynamics in the financial market.

Keywords: artificial intelligence methods, artificial stock market, behavioral modeling, multi-agent based simulation

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Authors: Laima Silina, Ilze Gramatina, Liga Skudra, Tatjana Rakcejeva

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The aim of the current research was to determine quality parameters changes of dried venison during storage. Protein, fat and moisture content dynamics as well microbiological quality was analyzed. For the experiments the meat (0.02×4.00×7.00 cm) pieces were marinated in “teriyaki sauce” marinade (composition: teriyaki sauce, sweet and sour sauce, taco sauce, soy sauce, American BBQ sauce hickory, sesame oil, garlic, garlic salt, tabasco red pepper sauce) at 4±2°C temperature for 48±1h. Sodium monophosphate (E339) was also added in part of marinade to improve the meat textural properties. After marinating, meat samples were dried in microwave-vacuum drier MUSSON–1, packaged in vacuum pouches made from polymer film (PA/PE) with barrier properties and storage for 4 months at 18±1°C temperature in dark place. Dried venison samples were analyzed after 0, 35, 91 and 112 days of storage. During the storage total plate counts of dried venison samples significantly (p<0.05) increased. No significant differences in the content of protein, fat and moisture were detected when analyzing dried meat samples during storage and comparing them with the chemical parameters of just dried meat.

Keywords: drying, microwave-vacuum drier, quality, venison

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Authors: Shakiera Sallie, Angela James

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Global concern about healthcare-associated infections through the transmission of microorganisms, resulting in outbreaks in overcrowded intensive care units (ICU), is current. Medical equipment and surfaces in the immediate patient zone, the high-touch objects, may become contaminated. A study was conducted across six intensive care units in a healthcare facility to determine the understanding and practice of the cleaning of high-touch objects (HTO), and an intervention program was undertaken. A mixed-method approach with the selection of ICUs, HTOs, and healthcare personnel was undertaken. Data collection included Ultra-Violet instruments, a questionnaire, and an intervention. In the pre-intervention, 41 (52.5%) of the healthcare personnel (n=78) rated their understanding of HTOs as “sufficient”; post-intervention, it was 67 (75%), (n=89), p=0.0015, indicates an improvement. The UV stamp percentage compliance to indicate whether cleaning of the HTOs had taken place across the six intensive care units before the intervention ranged from 0% compliance to 88% compliance, and after, it ranged from 67% to 91%. An intervention program on the cleaning of HTOs and the transmission cycle of microorganisms in the ICUs enhanced the healthcare personnel’s understanding and practices on the importance of environmental cleaning.

Keywords: high touch objects, infections, intensive care units, intervention program, microorganisms

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Authors: Luis F. Garcia, Julian E. Jaramillo, Jorge L. Chacón

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Colombia is a country where the benefits of wind power industry are barely used because of the geography in some areas does not allow the implementation of onshore horizontal axis wind turbines. Furthermore, exist rural areas without access to the electrical grid. Therefore, there is currently a deficit of energy supply in some towns. This research took place in one of those areas (i.e. Chicamocha Canyon-Santander) where the answer to the energy supply problems could be the use of vertical axis wind turbines, which can be used for turbulent flows. Hence, one task of this research is the analysis of the wind resources in the Chicamocha Canyon in order to implement the wind energy. The wind turbines must be designed in such a way that the blades take good advantage of the wind resources in the area of interest. Consequently, in the current research the analysis of two different airfoils (i.e. NACA0018 and DU 06-W-200) through a 2D CFD simulation is carried out by means of a free-software (OpenFOAM). Predicted results using the “Spalart-Allmaras” turbulence model are similar to the wind tunnel data published in the literature. Moreover, global parameters such as dimensionless lift and drag coefficients were calculated. Finally, this research encourages VAWT studies under wind turbulent flows in order to achieve the best use of natural resources in Colombia.

Keywords: airfoil, wind turbine, turbulence modelling, Chicamocha, CFD

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Authors: Bhavna Negi

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Several studies highlight the significance of media in constructing realities around us. According to Forbes magazine the demand of televisions has increased several times in the developing nations. A recent survey reveals that 112 million Indian households have a television, with 61 percent accessing cable. The space and visibility of television has enormously grown over the last decade in Indian homes. This small box has indeed taken a large place in their daily routines. The multi channel viewing and TRPs puzzle the Indian audience. This medium creates and constructs social images and roles which form internal representation about societal functioing. According to National Council of Applied Economic Research about twenty seven percent Indian literate youth watches TV for recreation. The present study finds about the role of television and its impact on young college going women with reference to family based serials shown on television. It is interesting to see how young women perceive the popular family soaps and define norms, roles and spaces for a woman and a man. The paper further examines the subtle messages given to young women through television serials. It draws insights into the relationship between the contemporary Indian women and the images conceptualized and communicated on television.

Keywords: media, women, gender, social roles

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Authors: Akor Omachile Opaluwah

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Entrepreneurs are heralded as a very vital force in the growth of economies. This is because they create businesses, employ people, have direct access to the local consumer, and primarily utilize local sources of raw materials, have an understanding of the immediate need of consumers, and they have the capacity to keep in motion the economy. The rise of social enterprises takes these advantages further beyond the business and economic benefits. These Social enterprises help address developmental issues in the society while maintaining a profit for their investors and shareholders. These combined roles create a unique synergy between the civil society and the market, therefore placing the social enterprise in a position where they can access directly, the benefits of the market while meeting the needs of the citizens and their environment. With such a unique position, social enterprises hold a place in the development discourse that has previously been left unexplored. This hybridisation of the functions of civil societies and the market can provide to development, practices, and benefits that have previously been only available in trace amounts. It, therefore, is imperative to understand the efficacy of social enterprises. With the discourse of social enterprises still in its early stages. This paper looks at selected social enterprise cases in Nigeria and analyses their approach and contribution to development.

Keywords: business, civil society, development, entrepreneurs, innovation, market, Nigeria, social enterprise

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Authors: Siri-Orn Champatong

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This research paper was aimed to examine the relationship between visitors’ attitude towards the service marketing mix and visitors’ frequency of visit to Bangpu Recreation Centre. Based on a large and uncalculated population, the number of samples was calculated according to the formula to obtain a total of 385 samples. In collecting the samples, systematic random sampling was applied and by using of a Likert five-scale questionnaire for, a total of 21 days to collect the needed information. Mean, Standard Deviation, and Pearson’s basic statistical correlations were utilized in analyzing the data. This study discovered a high level of visitors’ attitude product and service of Bangpu Recreation Centre, price, place, promotional activities, people who provided service and physical evidence of the centre. The attitude towards process of service was discovered to be at a medium level. Additionally, the finding of an examination of a relationship between visitors’ attitude towards service marketing mix and visitors’ frequency of visit to Bangpu Recreation Centre presented that product and service, people, physical evidence and process of service provision showed a relationship with the visitors’ frequency of visit to the centre per year.

Keywords: frequency of visit, visitor, service marketing mix, Bangpu Recreation Centre

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Authors: Erinda Bllaca Ndroqi

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The dilemma with which the monitoring professionals are facing in today’s reality is whether to accept that prisons all over the world constitute a place where not all rights are respected (ethical approach), or widen the scope of monitoring by prioritizing the special needs of people deprived of their liberties (human right approach), despite the context and the level of improved prison condition, staff profiling, more services oriented towards rehabilitation instead of punishment. Such dilemma becomes a concern if taking into consideration the fact that prisoners, due to their powerlessness and 'their lives at the hand of the state', are constantly under the threat of abuse of power and neglect, which in the Albanian case, has never been classified as torture. Scientific research in twenty-four (24) Albanian prisons shows that for some rights, prisoners belonging to 'vulnerable groups' such as mental illness, HIV positive status, sexual orientation, and terminal illness remain quite challenged and do not ensure that their basic rights are being met by the current criminal justice system (despite recommendations set forwards to prison authorities by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)). The research orients more discussion about policy and strategic recommendations that would need a thorough assessment of the impact of rehabilitation in special categories of prisoners, including recidivists.

Keywords: prisons, rehabilitation, torture, vulnerability

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Authors: Zahira Anane, Abdelhafid Bayadi

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Corona in the HV overhead transmission lines is an important source of attenuation and distortion of overvoltage surges. This phenomenon of distortion, which is superimposed on the distortion by skin effect, is due to the dissipation of energy by injection of space charges around the conductor, this process with place as soon as the instantaneous voltage exceeds the threshold voltage of the corona effect conductors. This paper presents a mathematical model to determine the corona inception voltage, the critical electric field and the corona radius, to predict the capacitive changes at conductor of transmission line due to corona. This model has been incorporated into the Alternative Transients Program version of the Electromagnetic Transients Program (ATP/EMTP) as a user defined component, using the MODELS interface with NORTON TYPE94 of this program and using the foreign subroutine. For obtained the displacement of corona charge hell, dichotomy mathematical method is used for this computation. The present corona model can be used for computing of distortion and attenuation of transient overvoltage waves being propagated in a transmission line of the very high voltage electric power.

Keywords: high voltage, corona, Type94 NORTON, dichotomy, ATP/EMTP, MODELS, distortion, foreign model

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Authors: Maaly Jarrah

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There is no doubt that reflective practice has become a stable component in continuous professional development (CPD) courses around the world for the purpose of promoting teacher development, meaningful learning, and deliberate teacher personal and professional growth. However, while there is much research on the benefits of integrating reflective practice in teacher CPD courses, not enough research explores EFL teachers’ experiences with engagement in reflective practice in the CPD from their own perspectives. This research employed a case study approach to explore the experience of 7 EFL teachers with engaging in reflective practice in a CPD course that took place in Kuwait.The participating EFL teachers engaged in collaborative dialogue reflections and completed reflection journal entries as part of the course. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Findings indicate that the participating teachers’ positive experience with reflective practice is associated with their engagement in collaborative dialogue reflections, while challenges and negative feelings are associated with writing their reflection journal entries. Accordingly, the study offers recommendations for CPD courses to help improve EFL teachers’ experiences with engagement in reflective practice.

Keywords: Collaborative dialogue reflections, continuous professional development, EFL teachers, reflection journals, teacher reflective practice

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Authors: Lara F. Horani

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Design is one of the most important stages in the process of product development. Product design has experienced significant changes over the years ranging from concentrating on cost and performance to combining economic, environmental and social considerations in customer requirements. Its evolution is in accordance with rapidly changing technology, economic situations, and climate change and environmental issues, as well as social context. Within product design, sustainability is a concept that balances economic, social and environmental aspects. This research aims to express changes in customer requirements over time from the viewpoint of sustainable design. It does so by systematically reviewing a broad scope of sustainable design literature. There is a need for a model to consider the changes that take place in customer requirements over time to build a successful relationship with customers which has been presented. Today’s literature does very little to even mention it, let alone present any progress in it. Systematic literature reviews are conducted primarily to: summarize the existing literature around a subject, highlight commonalities to build consensus, illuminate differences, identify gaps that can be filled, provide a background to position future research, and build a framework that can help designers meet the challenges of sustainable design.

Keywords: sustainable design, customer requirements for sustainable design, systematic literature reviews, changing customer requirements

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Authors: Mehrdad Abkenari, Alireza Rezaei, Naghmeh Pournayeb

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There have recently been many studies and investments in developed and developing countries regarding the possibility of recycling construction waste, which are still ongoing. Since the term 'construction waste' covers a vast spectrum of materials in constructing buildings, roads and etc., many investigations are required to measure their technical performance in use as well as their time and place of use. Concrete is among the major and fundamental materials used in current construction industry. Along with the rise of population in developing countries, it is desperately required to meet the people's primary need in construction industry and on the other hand, dispose existing wastes for reducing the amount of environmental pollutants. Restrictions of natural resources and environmental pollution are the most important problems encountered by civil engineers. Reusing construction waste is an important and economic approach that not only assists the preservation of environment but also, provides us with primary raw materials. In line with consistent municipal development in disposal and reuse of construction waste, several approaches including, management of construction waste and materials, materials recycling and innovation and new inventions in materials have been predicted. This article has accordingly attempted to study the activities related to recycling of construction wastes and then, stated the economic, quantitative, qualitative and environmental results obtained.

Keywords: civil engineering, environment, recycling, construction waste

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Authors: Aycan Gurluyer

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21st-century theatre has been shaped by lots of world-changing forces devastating human psychology and existence. Accepted as the greatest living English playwright, it is post-war British dramatist Edward Bond who uses a late-21st-century apocalyptic landscape as a weapon to question the human existence in his play 'Have I None?'. In this play, he tries to underline the degenerating and destructive effects of the society and environment on a couple whose lives are changed by an unexpected and annoying stranger. As victim of the society and the cultural corruption, the three vulnerable Bondian characters struggle for their expectations to find a place in this fictional world by sacrificing their own lives. Set in the 2077’s world, the play depicts that rigidly formed rules of the system/authority eliminates the existence of humans. According to Bond, the fascist practices of the governments/systems make people paralyzed in any way, so they choose to deny all realities by becoming biological beings or they gather to commit to suicide as troops. Our main aim is to underscore the questioning of the human existence by drawing the socio-political framework of the era, the capitalist system’s dehumanized individuals and their defence to survive, and what reality is in the 21st century, by focusing on Bond’s hallucinatory and tragic vision of the future in 'Have I None?'.

Keywords: Edward Bond, apocalyptic, existence, Have I None?

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Authors: C. S. Paglia

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The deformation and the crystallization in a 7075-T651 friction stir weld, in particular for regions directly in contact with the mechanical action of the rotating probe, have been investigated by means of optical microscopy. The investigation enabled to identify regions of the weld differently affected by the deformation caused by the welding process. The highly deformed grains in the horizontal direction close to the plate margin were indicative of shear movements along the horizontal plane, while highly deformed grains along the plate margin in the vertical direction were indicative of vertical shear movements of opposite directions, which superimposed the shear movement along the horizontal plane. The vertical shear movements were not homogeneous through the plate thickness. The microstructure indicated that after the probe passes, the grain growth may take place under static conditions. The small grains microstructure of the nugget region, formed after the main dynamic recrystallization process, develops to an equiaxed microstructure. A material transport influenced by the rotating shoulder was also observed from the trailing to the advancing side of the weld.

Keywords: AA7075-T651, friction stir welding, deformation, crystallization

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Authors: Shiraz A. Markarian

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Our systematic studies of diethylsulfoxide (DESO), the nearest homologue of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), reveal new physicochemical features. DESO has already received worthy biomedical applications: in some cases even are more pronounced compare with DMSO. The several important physicochemical characteristics of DESO including aqueous solutions have been verified and first reported: melting point of pure substance, density, dielectric relaxation data, vapor pressure and volumetric properties. Analysis of the complete vibrational spectra also leads to the conclusion that very strong interactions take place between DESO and water, even stronger than those between DMSO and water. The simultaneous existence of strong DESO-H₂O and DESO-DESO interactions suggest the coexistence of many types of structural molecular aggregates, the presence of which plays a significant role also in diluted water solutions. Our recent investigations have shown that aqueous solution of DESO could provide amorphous, glassy systems, thus avoiding ice crystallization, in a wide range of concentrations and even at very low cooling rates. The ability of DESO to act as an effective cryoprotectant on E. coli survival was also studied and compared with other commonly used cryoprotective agents. The results also confirm that DESO, more than DMSO, is able to penetrate living tissues without causing significant damage.

Keywords: diethylsulfoxide, dimethylsulfoxide, cryoprotectant, properties

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Authors: Eliud Kiprop, Kenichi Matsui, Joseph Karanja, Hesborn Ondiba

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To double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030 as part of actions for the Paris Agreement, policymakers in each ratifying country must accelerate their efforts within the next few years by implementing their own renewable energy strategies. Kenya has increased its funding for research and development in renewable energy sources largely because it intends to reduce greenhouse gas GHG emissions by 30% from business as usual (BAU) levels (143 MtCO₂eq) by 2030. In 2013, the Kenyan government launched an ambitious plan to increase the installed power generation capacity from 1,768MW to more than 5,000MW by the end of 2017. This paper examines the formulation and implementation process of this plan and shows how this plan will affect Kenya’s renewable energy industry and national policy implementation in general. Results demonstrate that, despite having a well- documented policy in place, the Kenyan government cannot meet its target of 5000MW by the end of 2017. Among other factors, we find that the main reason is attributable to the failure in adhering to the main principles of the policy plan. We also find that the government has failed to consider the future energy demand. Had the policy been implemented on time, we argue that there would have been excess power.

Keywords: policy implementation, policy plan, renewable energy, sustainable development

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Authors: Vladimir Simovic, Matija Varga, Tonco Marusic

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This research paper shows matrix technology models and examples of information systems in education (in the Republic of Croatia and in the Germany) in support of business, education (when learning and teaching) and e-learning. Here we researched and described the aims and objectives of the main process in education and technology, with main matrix classes of data. In this paper, we have example of matrix technology with detailed description of processes related to specific data classes in the processes of education and an example module that is support for the process: ‘Filling in the directory and the diary of work’ and ‘evaluation’. Also, on the lower level of the processes, we researched and described all activities which take place within the lower process in education. We researched and described the characteristics and functioning of modules: ‘Fill the directory and the diary of work’ and ‘evaluation’. For the analysis of the affinity between the aforementioned processes and/or sub-process we used our application model created in Visual Basic, which was based on the algorithm for analyzing the affinity between the observed processes and/or sub-processes.

Keywords: designing, education management, information systems, matrix technology, process affinity

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Authors: Damith Tennakoon, Mojgan Jadidi, Seyedreza Razavialavi

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With recent advancements of automation in robotics, from self-driving cars to autonomous 4-legged quadrupeds, one industry that has been stagnant is the construction industry. The methodologies used in a modern-day construction site consist of arduous physical labor and the use of heavy machinery, which has not changed over the past few decades. The dangers of a modern-day construction site affect the health and safety of the workers due to performing tasks such as lifting and moving heavy objects and having to maintain unhealthy posture to complete repetitive tasks such as painting, installing drywall, and laying bricks. Further, training for heavy machinery is costly and requires a lot of time due to their complex control inputs. The main focus of this research is using immersive wearable technology and robotic arms to perform the complex and intricate skills of modern-day construction workers while alleviating the physical labor requirements to perform their day-to-day tasks. The methodology consists of mounting a stereo vision camera, the ZED Mini by Stereolabs, onto the end effector of an industrial grade robotic arm, streaming the video feed into the Virtual Reality (VR) Meta Quest 2 (Quest 2) head-mounted display (HMD). Due to the nature of stereo vision, and the similar field-of-views between the stereo camera and the Quest 2, human-vision can be replicated on the HMD. The main advantage this type of camera provides over a traditional monocular camera is it gives the user wearing the HMD a sense of the depth of the camera scene, specifically, a first-person view of the robotic arm’s end effector. Utilizing the built-in cameras of the Quest 2 HMD, open-source hand-tracking libraries from OpenXR can be implemented to track the user’s hands in real-time. A mixed-reality (XR) Unity application can be developed to localize the operator's physical hand motions with the end-effector of the robotic arm. Implementing gesture controls will enable the user to move the robotic arm and control its end-effector by moving the operator’s arm and providing gesture inputs from a distant location. Given that the end effector of the robotic arm is a gripper tool, gripping and opening the operator’s hand will translate to the gripper of the robot arm grabbing or releasing an object. This human-robot interaction approach provides many benefits within the construction industry. First, the operator’s safety will be increased substantially as they can be away from the site-location while still being able perform complex tasks such as moving heavy objects from place to place or performing repetitive tasks such as painting walls and laying bricks. The immersive interface enables precision robotic arm control and requires minimal training and knowledge of robotic arm manipulation, which lowers the cost for operator training. This human-robot interface can be extended to many applications, such as handling nuclear accident/waste cleanup, underwater repairs, deep space missions, and manufacturing and fabrication within factories. Further, the robotic arm can be mounted onto existing mobile robots to provide access to hazardous environments, including power plants, burning buildings, and high-altitude repair sites.

Keywords: construction automation, human-robot interaction, hand-tracking, mixed reality

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Authors: Elena Krutskikh, Elena Khvatova

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In tertiary settings expanding students’ vocabulary and teaching discursive competence is seen as one of the chief goals of a professional development course. However, such a focus often is detrimental to students’ cognitive competences, such as analysis, synthesis, and creative processing of information, and deprives students of motivation for self-improvement and self-development of language skills. The presentation is going to argue that in an ESP course special attention should be paid to reading/listening which can promote understanding and using the language as a tool for solving significant real world problems, including professional ones. It is claimed that in the learning process it is necessary to maintain a balance between the content and the linguistic aspect of the educational process as language acquisition is inextricably linked with mental activity and the need to express oneself is a primary stimulus for using a language. A study conducted among undergraduates indicates that they place a premium on quality materials that motivate them and stimulate their further linguistic and professional development. Thus, more demands are placed on study materials that should contain new information for students and serve not only as a source of new vocabulary but also prepare them for real tasks related to professional activities.

Keywords: critical reading, english for professional development, english for specific purposes, high order thinking skills, lexical approach, vocabulary acquisition

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Authors: Nitu Marilena Cristina

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Decentralization of the education system is an educational policy option necessary from the perspective of democratizing internal life and streamlining service administration public. The experience of recent years has shown that decisions taken at central level do not to take into account all situations and especially all the specific needs and interests of the various institutions and individuals. A democratic society implies that the decision-making process is brought closer to the place of application, allowing citizens to take part in the decision-making that affects them directly or indirectly. Essentially decentralization of pre-university education is the transfer of authority, responsibility and resources in decision-making and general management, and financially to the educational units and the local community. This creates a frame of an effective collaboration between school and community. Modern theories on the leadership of education advocate the adoption of decentralization measures and participatory strategies. Numerous countries confronted with the educational impasse has appealed to these strategies. Reforming projects have begun application diversified and nuanced social decentralization models according to the specific social and educational situation. Analysis of legal provisions and measures adopted in the framework of the reform process indicates that, at least formally, decentralization is the solution chosen.

Keywords: decentralization, educational, management, reforming

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Authors: Anastasiia Kuptsevych, Robert J. Johnson, Olena Antonaccio, Ekaterina V. Botchkovar

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Ukraine has recently experienced one of the bloodiest conflicts taking place on the European continent. Many active duty personnel and civilians have died, and millions of people have been displaced. This situation can lead to disorder in the country characterized by acceptance of violence and crime. There is a gap in the literature addressing the issues related to attitudes towards violence resulting from war, as well as focusing on the world’s more vulnerable civilian populations – those that live in lower and middle-income countries, such as Ukraine. Using a random sample of 1200 adults from two major Ukrainian cities, this study explores the relationship between different types of war exposure (direct and vicarious) and attitudes to violence. Multivariate models reveal that multiple types of war exposure (e.g., being injured, being a witness of death, watching war events on TV) are significantly associated with the attitudes to political and interpersonal violence. In addition, the KHB decomposition procedure showed that experiencing certain mental illnesses serve as important mediating mechanisms between war exposure and attitudes towards violence. Finally, in order to prevent society from disorder and high levels of violence, future studies need to pay more attention to exploring how vital and traumatic life events can lead a population to find violent acts acceptable.

Keywords: attitudes, Ukraine, violence, war

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Authors: Chinedu Ejike

Abstract:

The United States is now energy self-sufficient due to the production of shale oil reserves. With more than half of it being tapped daily in the United States, these unconventional reserves are massive and provide immense potential for future energy demands. Drilling horizontal wells and fracking are the primary methods for developing these reserves. Regrettably, recovery efficiency is rarely greater than 10%. As a result, optimizing recuperation offers a significant benefit. Huff and puff gas flooding and cyclic gas injection have all been demonstrated to be more successful than tapping the remaining oil in place. Methane, nitrogen, and carbon (IV) oxide, among other high-pressure gases, can be injected. Operators use Darcy's law to assess a reservoir's productive capacity, but they are unaware that the law may not apply to shale oil reserves. This is due to the fact that, unlike pressure differences alone, diffusion, concentration, and gas selection all play a role in the flow of gas injected into the wellbore. The reservoir drainage and oil sweep efficiency rates are determined by the transport method. This research assesses the parameters that influence the gas injection transport mechanism. Understanding the process causing these factors could accelerate recovery by two to three times, according to peer-reviewed studies and effective field testing.

Keywords: enhanced oil recovery, gas injection, shale oil, transport mechanism, unconventional reserve

Procedia PDF Downloads 173

Authors: Suglo Tohari Luri

Abstract:

Data analysis is an important aspect of business performance. With the application of artificial intelligence within databases, selecting a suitable database engine for an application design is also very crucial for business data analysis. The application of business intelligence (BI) software into some relational databases such as Neo4j has proved highly effective in terms of customer data analysis. Yet what remains of great concern is the fact that not all business organizations have the neo4j business intelligence software applications to implement for customer data analysis. Further, those with the BI software lack personnel with the requisite expertise to use it effectively with the neo4j database. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate how the Neo4j program code alone can be applied for the analysis of e-commerce website customer visits. As the neo4j database engine is optimized for handling and managing data relationships with the capability of building high performance and scalable systems to handle connected data nodes, it will ensure that business owners who advertise their products at websites using neo4j as a database are able to determine the number of visitors so as to know which products are visited at routine intervals for the necessary decision making. It will also help in knowing the best customer segments in relation to specific goods so as to place more emphasis on their advertisement on the said websites.

Keywords: data, engine, intelligence, customer, neo4j, database

Procedia PDF Downloads 193

Authors: Mohanad Alhabo, Li Zhang, Naveed Nawaz

Abstract:

In this paper, a non-cooperative game method is formulated where all players compete to transmit at higher power. Every base station represents a player in the game. The game is solved by obtaining the Nash equilibrium (NE) where the game converges to optimality. The proposed method, named Power Efficient Handover Game Theoretic (PEHO-GT) approach, aims to control the handover in dense small cell networks. Players optimize their payoff by adjusting the transmission power to improve the performance in terms of throughput, handover, power consumption and load balancing. To select the desired transmission power for a player, the payoff function considers the gain of increasing the transmission power. Then, the cell selection takes place by deploying Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). A game theoretical method is implemented for heterogeneous networks to validate the improvement obtained. Results reveal that the proposed method gives a throughput improvement while reducing the power consumption and minimizing the frequent handover.

Keywords: energy efficiency, game theory, handover, HetNets, small cells

Procedia PDF Downloads 127

Authors: Lorand Bodo

Abstract:

There are many stories of young British citizens who have left their country and families to join Islamist militant groups. So, what drives these young people to abandon their families and countries to join terrorist groups such as the so-called Islamic State? Much has been written to explain the phenomenon of violent radicalisation, whereby the concepts of identity and belonging are identified as one of the most significant drivers for violent radicalisation. In this respect, this paper explores the connection between the sense of belonging and violent radicalisation. That is necessary to gain a more nuanced understanding of the process of violent radicalisation in order to create and implement more effective counter-measures for tackling violent radicalisation. By using an inductive approach, this dissertation attempts to answer the question to what extent does the sense of non-belonging lead to the violent radicalisation of a few individuals. Therefore, alongside an expert interview, a survey, and qualitative content analysis of secondary sources, an exclusive semi-structured interview was conducted with a former violently radicalised Jihadi and recruiter. Overall, the sense of non-belonging significantly affects the process of violent radicalisation of a few individuals. Nevertheless, being religiously fundamental is not the problem of becoming violently radicalised in the first place, but belonging to the wrong group that is strongly determined by ideology, constitutes the main problem.

Keywords: identity, sense of non-belonging, social identity theory, violent radicalisation

Procedia PDF Downloads 200

Authors: Aditi Chauhan, Neethu S. Mohan

Abstract:

In the modern era, the advancement and digitalization in technology have taken place during an investigation of crime scene. The rapid enhancement and investigative techniques have changed the mean of identification of suspect. Identification of the person is one of the significant aspects, and personal authentication is the key of security and reliability in society. Since early 90 s, people have relied on comparing handwriting through its class and individual characteristics. But in today’s 21st century we need more reliable means to identify individual through handwriting. An approach employing computer modalities have lately proved itself auspicious enough in exploration of hieroglyphics substantial in investigating the case. Various software’s such as FISH, WRITEON, and PIKASO, CEDAR-FOX SYSTEM identify and verify the associated quantitative measure of the similarity between two samples. The research till date has been confined to identify the authorship of the concerned samples. But prospects associated with the use of computational modalities might help to identify disguised writing, forged handwriting or say altered or modified writing. Considering the applications of such modal, similar work is sure to attract plethora of research in immediate future. It has a promising role in national security too. Documents exchanged among terrorist can also be brought under the radar of surveillance, bringing forth their source of existence.

Keywords: documents, identity, computational system, suspect

Procedia PDF Downloads 176