Search results for: significant factors

Authors: Baltazar Ndakidemi

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The resource-constrained farmers, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, encounter significant challenges related to agriculture, notably diseases and pests. The sustainable means of pest management are not well known to farmers. As a result, some farmers use synthetic pesticides whose environmental impacts, ill health, and other negative impacts of synthetic pesticides on natural enemies have posed a great need for more sustainable means of pest management. Pesticidal plant resources can replace synthetic pesticides because their secondary metabolites can exhibit insecticidal activities such as deterrence, repellence, and pests' mortality. Additionally, the volatiles from these plants can have positive effects of attracting populations of natural enemies. Pesticidal plants can be grown as field margin plants or in strips for supporting natural enemies' populations. However, this is practically undetermined. Hence, there is a need to investigate the roles played by pesticidal plants in supporting natural enemies of pests and their applications in different cropping systems such as legumes. This study investigates different pesticidal plants with a high potential for pest control in agricultural fields. The information sheds light on potential plants that can be used for different crop pests.

Keywords: natural enemies, biological control, synthetic pesticides, pesticidal plants, predators, parasitoids

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Authors: Raouf Mbarki, Fadi Al Khatib, Malek Adouni

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Knee collateral ligaments play a significant role in restraining excessive frontal motion (varus/valgus rotations). In this investigation, a multiscale frame was developed based on structural hierarchies of the collateral ligaments starting from the bottom (tropocollagen molecule) to up where the fibred reinforced structure established. Experimental data of failure tensile test were considered as the principal driver of the developed model. This model was calibrated statistically using Bayesian calibration due to the high number of unknown parameters. Then the model is scaled up to fit the real structure of the collateral ligaments and simulated under realistic boundary conditions. Predications have been successful in describing the observed transient response of the collateral ligaments during tensile test under pre- and post-damage loading conditions. Collateral ligaments maximum stresses and strengths were observed near to the femoral insertions, a results that is in good agreement with experimental investigations. Also for the first time, damage initiation and propagation were documented with this model as a function of the cross-link density between tropocollagen molecules.

Keywords: multiscale model, tropocollagen, fibrils, ligaments commas

Procedia PDF Downloads 144

Authors: Norhanim Nordin, Rosnah Shamsudin, Azrina Azlan, Mohammad Effendy Ya’acob

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An environmental friendly approach for disposal of voluminous durian husk waste could be implemented by substituting them into various valuable commodities, such as healthcare and biofuel products. Thus, the study of composition value in each segment of durian husk was very crucial to determine the suitable proportions of nutrients that need to be added and mixed in the product. A total of 12 ‘Durian Kampung’ fruits from Sg Ruan, Pahang were selected and each fruit husk was divided into four segments and labelled as P-L (thin neck area of white inner husk), P-B (thick bottom area of white inner husk), H (green and thorny outer husk) and W (whole combination of P-B and H). Four experiments have been carried out to determine the dry matter, moisture, ash and crude fibre content. The results show that the H segment has the highest dry matter content (30.47%), while the P-B segment has the highest percentage in moisture (81.83%) and ash (6.95%) content. It was calculated that the ash content of the P-B segment has a higher rate of moisture level which causes the ash content to increase about 2.89% from the P-L segment. These data have proven that each segment of durian husk has a significant difference in terms of composition value, which might be useful information to fully utilize every part of the durian husk in the future.

Keywords: durian husk, crude fibre content, dry matter content, moisture content

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Authors: Lizinis Cassendra Frederick Dony, Dewi Binti Tajuddin, Jirom Jeremy Frederick Dony, Andrew Nicholas

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Unemployed graduates have become among the world major concerns lately. 70% of Malaysian graduates are jobless. Due to this concerns, this paper aims to identify major factors influencing Sabah minority ethnic favorable in the entrepreneurialism business interest. Hence, extensive introductory entrepreneurship syllabus clusters development beginning from the early childhood, primary, secondary and university students. This may induce interest appeal and to develop focus group of self-employment. The study focus on 7 indicators consist of demographic profiles variable (DP), social norms (SN), attitude (A), self-efficacy (SE) and business management skills (BMS) with reference to university students’ entrepreneurial intention. This study also partially mediates the relationship between product attractiveness (PA) and the minority ethnic entrepreneurialism business interest (MEEBI), by testifying their direct and indirect relationships. Hence, this study provides new perception towards improving the graduates’ characteristic, capabilities to exploit the business opportunities in the market. Furthermore, this paper will assess the relationship with the product attractiveness(PA) as a mediator. The study encompasses on the type of Sabah minority ethnic (ME) and nature of family own business (FOB) background with the 280 samples students in UiTM Sabah and UMS. The descriptive and random sampling method of research which revealed that majority of the respondents agreed that FOB and entrepreneurship education had positively influenced the ethnic students’ involvement in the entrepreneurial process and career development either full-time or part-time basis.

Keywords: Demographic profile (DP), soci, unemployed graduates, Malaysian minority

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Authors: Mhuji Kilonzo

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Acute oral toxicity of Mystroxylon aethiopicum root bark aqueous was evaluated in albino mice of either sex. In this study, five groups of mice were orally treated with doses of 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 mg/kg body weight of the crude extract. The mortality, signs of toxicity and body weights were observed individually for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks study, all animals were sacrificed, and the hematological and biochemical parameters, as well as organ weights relative to body weight of each animal, were determined. No mortality, signs of toxicity and abnormalities in vital organs were observed in the entire period of study for both treated and control groups of mice. Additionally, there were no significant changes (p > 0.05) in the blood hematology and biochemical analysis. However, the body weights of all mice increased significantly. The Mystroxylon aethiopicum root bark aqueous extract were found to have a high safe margin when administered orally. Hence, the extract can be utilized for pharmaceutical formulations.

Keywords: acute oral toxicity, albino mice, Mystroxylon aethiopicum, safety

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Authors: N. Zanganeh, M. Zabet

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Lactulose is a synthetic disaccharide which has remarkable applications in food and pharmaceutical fields. Lactulose is not found in nature and it is produced by isomerization reaction of lactose in an alkaline environment. It should be noted that this reaction has a very low yield since significant amount of lactose stays un-reacted in the system. Basically, purification of lactulose is difficult and costly. Previous studies have revealed that solubility of lactose and lactulose are significantly different in ethanol. Considering the fact that solubility is also affected by temperature itself, we investigated the effect of ethanol and temperature on separation process of lactose from the syrup containing lactose and lactulose. For this purpose, a saturated solution containing lactulose and lactose was made at three different temperatures; 25⁰C (room temperature), 31⁰C, and 37⁰C first.  Five samples containing 2g saturated solution was taken and then 2g, 3g, 4g, 5g, and 6g ethanol separately was added to the sampling tubes. Sampling tubes were kept at respective temperatures afterward. The concentration of lactose and lactulose after separation process measured and analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Results showed that ethanol has such a greater impact than operating temperature on purification process. Also, it was observed that the maximum rate of separation occurred at initial amount of added ethanol.

Keywords: lactulose, lactose, purification, solubility

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Authors: Hamdy M. Youssef

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In this work, the usual Euler–Bernoulli nanobeam has been modeled in the context of Lord-Shulman thermoelastic theorem, which contains non-Fourier heat conduction law. The nanobeam has been subjected to a constant magnetic field and ramp-type thermal loading. The Laplace transform definition has been applied to the governing equations, and the solutions have been obtained by using a direct approach. The inversions of the Laplace transform have been calculated numerically by using Tzou approximation method. The solutions have been applied to a nanobeam made of silicon nitride. The distributions of the temperature increment, lateral deflection, strain, stress, and strain-energy density have been represented in figures with different values of the magnetic field intensity and ramp-time heat parameter. The value of the magnetic field intensity and ramp-time heat parameter have significant effects on all the studied functions, and they could be used as tuners to control the energy which has been generated through the nanobeam.

Keywords: nanobeam, vibration, constant magnetic field, ramp-type thermal loading, non-Fourier heat conduction law

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Authors: Dang Hanh Nguyen, Nassim Sebaibi, Mohamed Boutouil, Lydia Leleyter, Fabienne Baraud

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Pervious concrete is a green alternative to conventional pavements with minimal fine aggregate and a high void content. Pervious concrete allows water to infiltrate through the pavement, thereby reducing the runoff and the requirement for stormwater management systems. Seashell By-Products (SBP) are produced in an important quantity in France and are considered as waste. This work investigated to use SBP in pervious concrete and produce an even more environmentally friendly product, Pervious Concrete Pavers. The research methodology involved substituting the coarse aggregate in the previous concrete mix design with 20%, 40% and 60% SBP. The testing showed that pervious concrete containing less than 40% SBP had strengths, permeability and void content which are comparable to the pervious concrete containing with only natural aggregate. The samples that contained 40% SBP or higher had a significant loss in strength and an increase in permeability and a void content from the control mix pervious concrete. On the basis of the results in this research, it was found that the natural aggregate can be substituted by SBP without affecting the delicate balance of a pervious concrete mix. Additional, it is recommended that the optimum replacement percentage for SBP in pervious concrete is 40 % direct replacement of natural coarse aggregate while maintaining the structural performance and drainage capabilities of the pervious concrete.

Keywords: seashell by-products, pervious concrete pavers, permeability, mechanical strength

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Authors: Stjepka Popović, Lucija Vejmelka

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Background: Cyberbullying has become a prevalent issue worldwide, including in Croatia. However, a comprehensive understanding of the extent and nature of cyberbullying in the Croatian context is lacking. Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the quality of current research conducted in Croatia on the subject of cyberbullying, identify any gaps in the research, and provide suggestions for future investigations. It examines the prevalence gender and age differences of cyberbullying in Croatia. Participants and Setting: Research is done on secondary data resources (published studies) of cyberbullying in Croatia. The participants in these studies that were included in systematic review are children and youth of all ages residing in Croatia who have been involved in cyberbullying incidents. The setting includes various environments where cyberbullying may occur, such as social media platforms and educational institutions. Methods: To identify pertinent studies on cyberbullying in Croatia, a comprehensive exploration of both international and domestic electronic databases was systematically undertaken. Relevant studies were chosen according to predefined criteria that determined inclusion and exclusion. Key findings from the selected studies were extracted and synthesized, enabling the identification of patterns in the data. Results: A total of 43 studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were identified in the review. The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization in Croatia ranged from 7% - 55.3%, with adolescents being the most affected group. The prevalence of cyberbullying perpetration was ranging from 3.2% - 30.3%. The most prevalent form of cyberbullying included gossiping and mocking others. Gender and age differences are highlighted. Conclusions: The outcomes of this systematic review highlight the pressing need for targeted interventions and preventative measures to address cyberbullying in Croatia. Additionally, it is crucial to conduct further research to investigate the long-term impacts and potential factors that can help mitigate cyberbullying in the context of Croatia.

Keywords: cyberbullying, online risky behavior, Croatia, systematic review

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Authors: S. Da Costa, D. Páez, F. Sánchez

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We examine the causal role of positive affect on creativity, the association of creativity or innovation in the ideation phase with functional emotional regulation, successful adjustment to stress and dispositional emotional creativity, as well as the predictive role of creativity for positive emotions and social adjustment. The study examines the effects of modification of positive affect on creativity. Participants write three poems, narrate an infatuation episode, answer a scale of personal growth after this episode and perform a creativity task, answer a flow scale after creativity task and fill a dispositional emotional creativity scale. High and low positive effect was induced by asking subjects to write three poems about high and low positive connotation stimuli. In a neutral condition, tasks were performed without previous affect induction. Subjects on the condition of high positive affect report more positive and less negative emotions, more personal growth (effect size r = .24) and their last poem was rated as more original by judges (effect size r = .33). Mediational analysis showed that positive emotions explain the influence of the manipulation on personal growth - positive affect correlates r = .33 to personal growth. The emotional creativity scale correlated to creativity scores of the creative task (r = .14), to the creativity of the narration of the infatuation episode (r = .21). Emotional creativity was also associated, during performing the creativity task, with flow (r = .27) and with affect balance (r = .26). The mediational analysis showed that emotional creativity predicts flow through positive affect. Results suggest that innovation in the phase of ideation is associated with a positive affect balance and satisfactory performance, as well as dispositional emotional creativity is adaptive.

Keywords: affectivity, creativity, induction, innovation, psychological factors

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Authors: Erol Sahin, Nesrin Adiguzel

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In this study, the effects of air temperature and relative humidity on the operation of the heat pump were examined experimentally. The results were analyzed in an energy and exergetic way. Two heat pumps were used in the experimental system established for experimental analysis. With the first heat pump, the relative humidity and temperature of atmospheric air are reduced. The air at low humidity and temperature is given heat and water vapor to the desired extent on the channel that reaches the other heat pump. Effects of the air reaching the desired humidity and temperature in the 2nd heat pump; temperature, humidity, pressure, flow, and current are detected by meters. The measured values and the exergy yield and thermodynamic favor ratios of the system and its components were determined. In this way, the effects of temperature and relative humidity change in the heat pump and components were tried to be revealed. Relative humidity in the air caused a significant increase in the loss of exergy in the evaporator. This has shown that cooling machines experience greater exergy in areas with high relative humidity. The highest COPSM values were determined to be at 30% and 40%, which is the least relative humidity values. The results showed that heat pump exergy efficiency was affected by increased temperature and relative humidity.

Keywords: relative humidity, effects of relative humidity on heat pumps, exergy analysis, exergy analysis in heat pumps, exergy efficiency

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Authors: Shreyas Gambhirrao, Aditya Vichare, Aniket Tembhurne, Shahuraj Bhosale

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In today's rapidly evolving environment, stress has emerged as a significant health concern across different age groups. Stress that isn't controlled, whether it comes from job responsibilities, health issues, or the never-ending news cycle, can have a negative effect on our well-being. The problem is further aggravated by the ongoing connection to technology. In this high-tech age, identifying and controlling stress is vital. In order to solve this health issue, the study focuses on three key metrics for stress detection: body temperature, heart rate, and galvanic skin response (GSR). These parameters along with the Support Vector Machine classifier assist the system to categorize stress into three groups: 1) Stressed, 2) Not stressed, and 3) Moderate stress. Proposed training model, a NodeMCU combined with particular sensors collects data in real-time and rapidly categorizes individuals based on their stress levels. Real-time stress detection is made possible by this creative combination of hardware and software.

Keywords: real time stress detection, NodeMCU, sensors, heart-rate, body temperature, galvanic skin response (GSR), support vector machine

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Authors: Amrutha Kishor

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Today, with the rising global warming and depletion of resources every industry is moving toward sustainability and energy efficiency. As part of this movement, it is nowadays obligatory for architects to play their part by creating energy predictions for their designs. But in a lot of cases, these predictions do not reflect the real quantities of energy in newly built buildings when operating. These can be described as ‘Energy Performance Gaps’. This study aims to determine the underlying reasons for these gaps. Seven houses designed by Allan Joyce Architects, UK from 1998 until 2019 were considered for this study. The data from the residents’ energy bills were cross-referenced with the predictions made with the software SefairaPro and from energy reports. Results indicated that the predictions did not match the actual energy usage. An account of how energy was used in these seven houses was made by means of personal interviews. The main factors considered in the study were occupancy patterns, heating systems and usage, lighting profile and usage, and appliances’ profile and usage. The study found that the main reasons for the creation of energy gaps were the discrepancies in occupant usage and patterns of energy consumption that are predicted as opposed to the actual ones. This study is particularly useful for energy-conscious architectural firms to fine-tune the approach to designing houses and analysing their energy performance. As the findings reveal that energy usage in homes varies based on the way residents use the space, it helps deduce the most efficient technological combinations. This information can be used to set guidelines for future policies and regulations related to energy consumption in homes. This study can also be used by the developers of simulation software to understand how architects use their product and drive improvements in its future versions.

Keywords: architectural simulation, energy efficient design, energy performance gaps, environmental design

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Authors: Maria Del Mar Maira Vidal, Alvaro Briales

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In this paper, we will conduct an analysis of the results of the I+D+i research project “New types of socio-existential vulnerability, support and care in Spain” (VULSOCU) (2016-20). This project had the objective to analyze the new types of vulnerability that are the result of the combination of several factors as the economic crisis, the unemployment, the transformations of the Welfare State, the individualization, etc. We have, therefore, analyzed the way that Spanish long-term unemployed over 45 years experience vulnerability and its consequences on their lives. We have focused on long-term unemployed over 45 that had previously developed stable career paths and have been looking for a job for two years or more. In order to carry out this analysis, we will try to break the dichotomy between the social and the individual, between the socio-historical and the subjectivity, to overcome some of the limits of the research on unemployment. The fieldwork consisted of more than ten focus groups and fifty in-depth interviews. The work and life ethics completely changed at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the nineteenth century, companies had trouble maintaining their staff, but in the 21st century, unemployed workers feel that they are useless people. Workers value themselves if they have a job. This unveils that labor is a comprehensive social relationship in capitalist societies. In general, unemployed workers are not able to analyze their unemployment as a social problem. They analyze their unemployment as an individual problem. They blame themselves for their unemployment; instead of taking into account that there are millions of unemployed, they talk about themselves as if they were on their own. And the problems caused by unemployment are explained as psychological problems and are medicalized. Anyway, it is important to highlight that this is the result of an ideology and a social relationship that is part of our historical time.

Keywords: life ethics, work ethics, unemployment, unemployed over 45 years old

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Authors: Seyed Ziya Tabatabaei, Azimi Bin Hj Hamzah, Fatemeh Ebrahimi

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The increase in proportion of older people in Malaysia has led to a significant growth of health care demands. The aim of this study is to explore how perceived health care needs influence on quality of life among elderly Malay residents who reside in a Malaysian residential home. This study employed a method known as ethnographic research from May 2011 to January 2012. Four data collection strategies were selected as the main data-collecting tools including participant observation, field notes, in-depth interviews, and review of related documents. The nine knowledgeable participants for the present study were selected using the purposive sampling method. Two themes were identified: (1) Medical concerns: Feeling secure, lack of information, inadequate medical staff; and (2) Health promotion: Body condition, health education, physiotherapy and rehabilitation. These results could evoke the attention of policy-makers and care providers to better meet elderly residents’ health care needs.

Keywords: ethnographic study, health care needs, Malay elderly people, Malaysia, Quality of life, Residential home

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Authors: Ali Babaei

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There is a significant relationship between Soul Faculties and human relationships. Man has at least three levels of relationship according to three levels of his Faculties: individual (with himself), dual (with another) and collective (with others). Since all human actions are organized by the type of use of their internal faculties, their "hierarchy of relations" is related to the "hierarchy of their Faculties." In the final explanation based on the ontology of Islamic wisdom, one can consider the hierarchy of human Faculties in three levels: 1. senses, 2. intellect and heart, and 3. Soul. The best relationship, in the individual one is that every human being, with healthy senses, achieves both the intellectual growth and the perfection of the heart, which we call "Clear-headed" and "Good-hearted.” The result of human evolution in this two aspects will lead to the development of a powerful personality which can be interpreted as "spiritual prosperity"; having a great soul is the result of such evolution. A smart brain without a "Good-heart"ince can lead to criminality; and mere "Good-heart"ince" without "Clear-head"ince leads to "naivety". “clear-head”ince is achieved through thoughtfulness and study, and "Good-heart"ince through love and worship. So the best way to achieve perfection in a personal relationship is to have a dependable appearance, a coherent thinking

Keywords: Ontology , good-heartince, wisdom, relationship, clear-head”ince, criminality, naivety

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Authors: Karkour Selma

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We conducted first principles full potential calculations using the Wien2k code to explore the structural, electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of SiNi₂O₄, a cubic normal spinel oxide. Our calculations, based on the GGA-PBEsol of the generalized gradient approximation, revealed several key findings. The spinel oxides exhibited a stable cubic structure in the ferromagnetic phase and showed 100% spin polarization. We determined the equilibrium lattice constant and internal parameter values. In terms of the electronic properties, we observed a direct bandgap of 2.68 eV for the spin-up configuration, while the spin-down configuration exhibited an indirect bandgap of 0.82 eV. Additionally, we calculated the total density of states and partial densities for each atom, finding a magnetic moment spin density of states of 8.0 μB per formula unit. The optical properties have been calculated. The real, Ԑ₁(ω) and the imaginary, Ԑ₂(ω) parts of the complex dielectric constants, refractivity, reflection and energy loss when light scattered from the material. The absorption region spanned from 1.5 eV to 14 eV, with significant intensity. The calculated results confirm the suitability of this material for optical and spintronic devices application.

Keywords: DFT, spintronic, GGA, spinel

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Authors: Inten Meutia, Emylia Yuniarti

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The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of interest rate, the rate of return of Islamic banks on the amount of mudarabah deposits in Islamic banks. In analyzing the effect of rate of return in the Islamic banks and interest rate risk in the conventional banks, the 1-month Islamic deposit rate of return and 1 month fixed deposit interest rate of a total Islamic deposit are considered. Using data covering the period from January 2010 to Sepember 2013, the study applies the regression analysis to analyze the effect between variable and independence t-test to analyze the mean difference between rate of return and rate of interest. Regression analysis shows that rate of return have significantly negative influence on mudarabah deposits, while interest rate have negative influence but not significant. The result of independent t test shows that the interest rate is not different from the rate of return in Islamic Bank. It supports the hyphotesis that rate of return in Islamic banking mimic rate of interest in conventional bank. The results of the study have important implications on the risk management practices of the Islamic banks in Indonesia.

Keywords: conventional bank, interest rate, Islamic bank, rate of return

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Authors: Cheng Zeng, George Michailidis, Hitoshi Iyatomi, Leo L. Duan

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The conditional density characterizes the distribution of a response variable y given other predictor x and plays a key role in many statistical tasks, including classification and outlier detection. Although there has been abundant work on the problem of Conditional Density Estimation (CDE) for a low-dimensional response in the presence of a high-dimensional predictor, little work has been done for a high-dimensional response such as images. The promising performance of normalizing flow (NF) neural networks in unconditional density estimation acts as a motivating starting point. In this work, the authors extend NF neural networks when external x is present. Specifically, they use the NF to parameterize a one-to-one transform between a high-dimensional y and a latent z that comprises two components [zₚ, zₙ]. The zₚ component is a low-dimensional subvector obtained from the posterior distribution of an elementary predictive model for x, such as logistic/linear regression. The zₙ component is a high-dimensional independent Gaussian vector, which explains the variations in y not or less related to x. Unlike existing CDE methods, the proposed approach coined Augmented Posterior CDE (AP-CDE) only requires a simple modification of the common normalizing flow framework while significantly improving the interpretation of the latent component since zₚ represents a supervised dimension reduction. In image analytics applications, AP-CDE shows good separation of 𝑥-related variations due to factors such as lighting condition and subject id from the other random variations. Further, the experiments show that an unconditional NF neural network based on an unsupervised model of z, such as a Gaussian mixture, fails to generate interpretable results.

Keywords: conditional density estimation, image generation, normalizing flow, supervised dimension reduction

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Authors: Nuwan Karunarathna, Hemali Seneviratne

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Distribution Utilities inherently present electrical hazards for their workers in addition to the general public especially due to bare overhead lines spreading out over a large geographical area. Therefore, certain procedures such as; de-energization, verification of de-energization, isolation, lock-out tag-out and earthing are carried out to ensure safe working conditions when conducting maintenance work on de-energized overhead lines. However, measures must be taken to coordinate the above procedures and to ensure successful and accurate execution of those procedures. Issuing of 'Work Permits' is such a measure that is used by the Distribution Utility considered in this paper. Unfortunately, the Work Permit method adopted by the Distribution Utility concerned here has not been successful in creating the safe working conditions as expected which was evidenced by four (4) number of fatalities of workers due to electrocution occurred in the Distribution Utility from 2016 to 2018. Therefore, this paper attempts to identify deficiencies in the Work Permit method and related contributing factors through careful analysis of the four (4) fatalities and work place practices to rectify the short comings to prevent future incidents. The analysis shows that the present level of coordination between the 'Authorized Person' who issues the work permit and the 'Competent Person' who performs the actual work is grossly inadequate to achieve the intended safe working conditions. The paper identifies the need of active participation of a 'Control Person' who oversees the whole operation from a bird’s eye perspective and recommends further measures that are derived through the analysis of the fatalities to address the identified lapses in the current work permit system.

Keywords: authorized person, competent person, control person, de-energization, distribution utility, isolation, lock-out tag-out, overhead lines, work permit

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Authors: Biruk Abate

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Evaporative cooling occurs when air with high temperature and reduced humidity passes over a wet porous surface and a higher degree of cooling process is achieved for storage of fruits and vegetables due to greater rate of evaporation. The main objective of this reviewed study is to understand the effect of evaporative surface pad thickness and geometric configuration on the saturation efficiency of evaporative cooler and to state some related factors affecting the performance of the system. From this overview, selection of pad thickness and geometrical shape with suitable characteristics of heat and mass transfer and water holding capacity of the pads was reviewed as these parameters are important for saturation efficiency of evaporative cooling. Increasing the cooling pad thickness through increasing the face velocity increases the effectiveness of wet-bulb saturation. Increasing ambient temperature, inlet air speed and ambient air humidity decreases the wet bulb effectiveness and it increases with increasing length of the pad. Increasing the ambient temperature and inlet air velocity decreases the humidity ratio, but increases with increasing ambient air humidity and lengths of the pad. Increasing the temperature-humidity index is possible with increasing ambient temperature, inlet air velocity, ambient air humidity and pad length. Generally, all materials having a higher wetted surface area per unit volume give higher efficiency. Materials with higher thickness increase the wetted surface area for better mix-up of air and water to give higher efficiency for the same shape and this in turn helps to store fruits and vegetables.

Keywords: Degree of cooling, heat and mass transfer, evaporative cooling, porous surface

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Authors: Apisit Nawapanpong, Natthapat Boonjerm

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This project aims to analyze and identify the flight plan of low-altitude aviation in Thailand and other countries. The development of UAV technology has led the innovation and revolution in the aviation industry; this includes the development of new modes of passenger or freight transportation, and it has also affected other industries widely. At present, this technology is being developed rapidly and has been tested all over the world to make the most efficient for technology or innovation, and it is likely to grow more extensively. However, no flight plan for low-altitude operation has been published by the government organization; when compared with high-altitude aviation with manned aircraft, various unique factors are different, whether mission, operation, altitude range or airspace restrictions. In the study of the essential components of low-altitude operation measures to be practical and tangible, there were major problems, so the main consideration of this project is to analyze the components of low-altitude operations which are conducted up to the altitudes of 400 ft or 120 meters above ground level referring to the terrain, for example, air traffic management, classification of aircraft, basic necessity and safety, and control area. This research will focus on confirming the theory through qualitative and quantitative research combined with theoretical modeling and regulatory framework and by gaining insights from various positions in aviation industries, including aviation experts, government officials, air traffic controllers, pilots, and airline operators to identify the critical essential components of low-altitude flight operation. This project analyzes by using computer programs for science and statistics research to prove that the result is equivalent to the theory and be beneficial for regulating the flight plan for low-altitude operation by different essential components from this project and can be further developed for future studies and research in aviation industries.

Keywords: low-altitude aviation, UAV technology, flight plan, air traffic management, safety measures

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Authors: Majede Modheji, Hamid Emadi, Hossein Vojoudi

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An efficient magnetic mesoporous structure was designed and prepared for the facile pre-concentration of As(III) ions. To prepare the sorbent, a core-shell magnetic silica nanoparticle was covered by MCM-41 like structure, and then the surface was modified by guanidine via an amine linker. The prepared adsorbent was investigated as an effective and sensitive material for the adsorption of arsenic ions from the aqueous solution applying a normal batch method. The imperative variables of the adsorption were studied to increase efficiency. The dynamic and static processes were tested that matched a pseudo-second order of kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. The sorbent reusability was investigated, and it was confirmed that the designed product could be applied at best for six cycles successively without any significant efficiency loss. The synthesized product was tested to determine and pre-concentrate trace amounts of arsenic ions in rice and natural waters as a real sample. A desorption process applying 5 mL of hydrochloric acid (0.5 mol L⁻¹) as an eluent exhibited about 98% recovery of the As(III) ions adsorbed on the GA-MSMP sorbent.

Keywords: arsenic, adsorption, mesoporous, surface modification, MCM-41

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Authors: Susana Marques, Cleide Abreu

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Presently, more than ever, men’s grooming is seen as a broad category. The problem comes when the previous research about male consumer behavior have neglected some aspects in this subject. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the role of celebrity endorsement in men’s grooming communication to Generation Y. After identifying some gaps in the literature, with regard to this contemporary subject, the most important variables were defined in order to develop the investigation and draw conclusions through statistical analysis and validation, about the role celebrity endorsement as source of credibility in men’s grooming communication. According to the design and methodology, this research was sustained through in depth marketing analysis (secondary data), and primary data collection via online questionnaire, whereby 168 male respondents, from Brazil and Portugal, were exposed to some advertisement pieces in order to express their opinion and feelings. The findings reveal all the relationships among the variables, suggested by the literature, have occurred, presenting a significant relationship in terms of Source Credibility scale dimensions – attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise. This paper aims to contribute to the existing literature with important conclusions about the role of celebrity endorsement and its credibility in men’s grooming advertisement.

Keywords: communication, celebrity endorsement, men’s grooming, consumer behavior

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Authors: Aishwarya Shekhar, Devesh Kumar Srivastava

Abstract:

Cloud computing has emerged as a promising direction for cost efficient and reliable service delivery across data communication networks. The dynamic location of service facilities and the virtualization of hardware and software elements are stressing the communication networks and protocols, especially when data centres are interconnected through the internet. Although the computing aspects of cloud technologies have been largely investigated, lower attention has been devoted to the networking services without involving IT operating overhead. Cloud computing has enabled elastic and transparent access to infrastructure services without involving IT operating overhead. Virtualization has been a key enabler for cloud computing. While resource virtualization and service abstraction have been widely investigated, networking in cloud remains a difficult puzzle. Even though network has significant role in facilitating hybrid cloud scenarios, it hasn't received much attention in research community until recently. We propose Network as a Service (NaaS), which forms the basis of unifying public and private clouds. In this paper, we identify various challenges in adoption of hybrid cloud. We discuss the design and implementation of a cloud platform.

Keywords: cloud computing, networking, infrastructure, hybrid cloud, open stack, naas

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Authors: N. Haj Salem, M. Belhadj, S. Ben Jomâa, S. Saadi, R. Dhouieb, A. Chadly

Abstract:

Introduction: Sudden death in young is seen as a dramatic phenomenon requiring knowledge of its impact and determining their causes. Aim: We aim to study the epidemiological characteristics of sudden death in young, and to discuss the mechanism and the importance of autopsy in these situations. Material and methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using autopsy data from the department of forensic medicine at the University Hospital of Fattouma Bourguiba, Monastir-Tunisia. A review of all autopsies performed during 23 years was done. In each case, clinical information and circumstances of death were obtained. We have included all sudden death in persons aged between 1 year and 35 years for the male and from one year to 45 years for female. We collected 312 cases of sudden death during the studied period. The collected data were processed using SPSS 20. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: Thirty-two cases of cardiac ischemic sudden death have been collected. Myocardial infarction was the second cause of sudden death in young patients. There was a male predominance. The most affected subjects were aged between 25-45 years. The death occurred more frequently at rest. Coronary artery disease has been discovered in twenty-four cases (75%). A severe coronary artery disease was observed in two children with medical history of familial hypercholesterolemia. The myocardial infarction occurred in healthy coronary arteries in eight cases. An anomalous course of coronary arteries, in particular, myocardial bridging, was found in eight cases (25%). Toxicological screening was negative in all cases. Second cause of death was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Neurological and respiratory causes of death were implicated respectively in 10% and 15%. Conclusion: Identifying epidemiological characteristics of sudden death in this population is important for guiding approaches to prevention that must be based on dietary hygienic measures and the control of cardiovascular risk factors.

Keywords: autopsy, cardiac death, sudden death, young

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Authors: Navajyoti Panda, R. S. Pawar

Abstract:

In this study, process parameters like punch angle, die opening, grain direction, and pre-bend condition of the strip for deep draw of high strength low alloy steel HSLA 420 are investigated. The finite element method (FEM) in association with the Taguchi and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques are carried out to investigate the degree of importance of process parameters in V-bending process for HSLA 420&ST12 grade material. From results, it is observed that punch angle had a major influence on the spring-back. Die opening also showed very significant role on spring back. On the other hand, it is revealed that grain direction had the least impact on spring back; however, if strip from flat sheet is taken, then it is less prone to spring back as compared to the strip from sheet metal coil. HyperForm software is used for FEM simulation and experiments are designed using Taguchi method. Percentage contribution of the parameters is obtained through the ANOVA techniques.

Keywords: bending, spring-back, v-bending, FEM, Taguchi, HSLA 420 and St12 materials, HyperForm, profile projector

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Authors: Behrooz Nikahval, Mohammad Saeed Ahrari-Khafi, Sakineh Behroozpoor, Saeed Nazifi

Abstract:

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive and degenerative condition of the articular cartilage and other joints’ structures. It is essential to diagnose this condition as early as possible. The present research was performed to measure the Osteoprotegrin (OPG) and Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α) in synovial fluid and blood serum of dogs with surgically transected cruciate ligament as a model of OA, to evaluate if measuring of these parameters can be used as a way of early diagnosis of OA. In the present study, four mature, clinically healthy dogs were selected to investigate the effect of experimental OA, on OPG and TNF-α as a way of early detection of OA. OPG and TNF-α were measured in synovial fluid and blood serum on days 0, 14, 28, 90 and 180 after surgical transaction of cranial cruciate ligament in one stifle joint. Statistical analysis of the results showed that there was a significant increase in TNF-α in both synovial fluid and blood serum. OPG showed a decrease two weeks after OA induction. However, it fluctuated afterward. In conclusion, TNF-α could be used in both synovial fluid and blood serum as a way of early detection of OA; however, further research still needs to be conducted on OPG values in OA detection.

Keywords: osteoarthritis, osteoprotegrin, tumor necrosis factor α, synovial fluid, serum, dog

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Authors: N. R. Putra, A. H. Abdul Aziz, A. S. Zaini, Z. Idham, F. Idrus, M. Z. Bin Zullyadini, M. A. Che Yunus

Abstract:

The content of omega-3 in soybean oil is important in the development of infants and is an alternative for the omega-3 in fish oils. The investigation of extraction of soybean oil is needed to obtain the bioactive compound in the extract. Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction is modern and green technology to extract herbs and plants to obtain high quality extract due to high diffusivity and solubility of the solvent. The aim of this study was to obtain the optimum condition of soybean oil extraction by modified supercritical carbon dioxide. The soybean oil was extracted by using modified supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) under the temperatures of 40, 60, 80 °C, pressures of 150, 250, 350 Bar, and constant flow-rate of 10 g/min as the parameters of extraction processes. An experimental design was performed in order to optimize three important parameters of SC-CO₂ extraction which are pressure (X₁), temperature (X₂) to achieve optimum yields of soybean oil. Box Behnken Design was applied for experimental design. From the optimization process, the optimum condition of extraction of soybean oil was obtained at pressure 338 Bar and temperature 80 °C with oil yield of 2.713 g. Effect of pressure is significant on the extraction of soybean oil by modified supercritical carbon dioxide. Increasing of pressure will increase the oil yield of soybean oil.

Keywords: soybean oil, SC-CO₂ extraction, yield, optimization

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Authors: Seyed Salahedin Naghshbandi, Mahnaz Ahmadikhatir, Siavash Hamidzadeh

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between organizational political behavior and ethical values with the job enthusiasm of the sport personnel of the National Iranian Gas Company. The population of this research included all personnel of the National Iranian Gas Company's sports personnel (150 people). For collecting information, library resources and three questionnaires, organizational political behavior by Kaspar and Carlsen (1997), Lewall's moral values questionnaire (1986) and job enthusiasm questionnaire Schaufeli & Bekker (2003) have been used. Validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by university professors. Using Cronbach alpha correlation coefficient, the reliability of the organizational political behavior questionnaire was 0.92, the moral values questionnaire was 0.86 and the Schaufeli & Baker job enthusiasm questionnaire was 0.91-0.96. The results of this research show a significant, direct and positive relationship between the components of job aspiration with political behavior and ethical values. Therefore, managers of organizations should, as far as possible, remove political behaviors from the organization and be able to institutionalize ethical values in their organization so that they can increase employee eagerness.

Keywords: political behavior, ethical values, job enthusiasm, staff, national Iranian gas company

Procedia PDF Downloads 97