Search results for: main components of the Feng Shui environment

Authors: Nadia Allouache, Omar Rahli

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Many promising technologies have been developed to harness the sun's energy. These technologies help in economizing energy and environmental protection. The solar refrigerating systems are one of these important technologies. In addition to environmental benefits and energy saving, adsorption refrigerating systems have many advantages such as lack of moving parts, simplicity of construction and low operating costs. The work aimed to establish the main factors that affect the performances of an adsorption refrigerating system using different geometries of adsorbers and different adsorbent-adsorbate pairs. The numerical modeling of the heat and mass transfer in the system, using various working pairs, such as: activated carbon-ammonia, calcium chlorid-ammonia, activated carbon fiber- methanol and activated carbon AC35-methanol, show that the adsorber design can influence the system performances; The thermal performances of system are better in the annular configuration case. An optimal value of generating temperature is observed in annular adsorber case for which the thermal performance of the cooling system is maximal. While in the plate adsorber, above a certain value of generating temperature, the performance of the system remains almost constant. The environmental conditions such as solar radiation and pressure have a great influence in the system efficiency, and the choice of the working pair depends on the environmental conditions and the geometry of the adsorber.

Keywords: adsorber geometry, numerical modeling, optimal environmental conditions, working pairs.

Procedia PDF Downloads 83

Authors: Monica Anumula

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Nowadays human beings attain comfort zone artificially for heating, cooling and lighting the spaces they live, and their main importance is given to aesthetics of building and they are not designed to protect themselves from climate. They depend on artificial sources of energy resulting in energy wastage. In order to reduce the amount of energy being spent in the construction industry and Energy Package goals by 2020, new ways of constructing houses is required. The larger part of energy consumption of a building is directly related to architectural aspects hence nature has to be integrated into the building design to attain comfort zone and reduce the dependency on artificial source of energy. The research is to develop bioclimatic design strategies and techniques for the walls and roofs of Vijayawada houses. Study and analysis of design strategies and techniques of various cases like Kerala, Mangalore etc. for similar kind of climate is examined in this paper. Understanding the vernacular architecture and modern techniques of that various cases and implementing in the housing of Vijayawada not only decreases energy consumption but also enhances socio cultural values of Vijayawada. This study focuses on the comparison of vernacular techniques and modern building bio climatic strategies to attain thermal comfort and energy reduction in hot and humid climate. This research provides further thinking of new strategies which include both vernacular and modern bioclimatic techniques.

Keywords: bioclimatic design, energy consumption, hot and humid climates, thermal comfort

Procedia PDF Downloads 181

Authors: Asifa Amara, Prachi Singh, Kanishka, Debargho Pathak, Akshat Kumar, Jayakumar Eravelly

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Today's generation is totally dependent on technology that uses data as its fuel. The present study is all about innovations and developments in data science and gives an idea about how efficiently to use the data provided. This study will help to understand the core concepts of data science. The concept of artificial intelligence was introduced by Alan Turing in which the main principle was to create an artificial system that can run independently of human-given programs and can function with the help of analyzing data to understand the requirements of the users. Data science comprises business understanding, analyzing data, ethical concerns, understanding programming languages, various fields and sources of data, skills, etc. The usage of data science has evolved over the years. In this review article, we have covered a part of data science, i.e., machine learning. Machine learning uses data science for its work. Machines learn through their experience, which helps them to do any work more efficiently. This article includes a comparative study image between human understanding and machine understanding, advantages, applications, and real-time examples of machine learning. Data science is an important game changer in the life of human beings. Since the advent of data science, we have found its benefits and how it leads to a better understanding of people, and how it cherishes individual needs. It has improved business strategies, services provided by them, forecasting, the ability to attend sustainable developments, etc. This study also focuses on a better understanding of data science which will help us to create a better world.

Keywords: data science, machine learning, data analytics, artificial intelligence

Procedia PDF Downloads 88

Authors: G. Fitzpatrick, S. O. Chonghaile, D. Harmon

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Objective: Chronic pain patients represent a unique challenge in the Emergency Department. Very little literature has been published regarding this group of patients. Our aim was to determine the attitude of patients with chronic pain to the Emergency Department in order to improve and streamline their future visits. Methods: A two-year survey was carried out on Chronic Pain Patients regarding their Emergency Department Attendances. Patients attending the Pain Clinic in Croom Hospital, Co. Limerick were asked to complete a 20-part questionnaire regarding their experiences of visiting the Emergency Department in the preceding year. 46 questionnaires were completed. Results: Unbearable breakthrough pain was the main reason for visiting the Emergency Department. More than half (54%) of those surveyed were not satisfied with the treatment received. Problems indicated included under-treatment of pain (59%), a sense of being under undue suspicion of drug-seeking behaviour (33%) and a perception that the patient themselves understood their condition better than the treating doctor (76%). Paracetamol, NSAIDs, or time off work comprised 72% of the treatments offered – all of which could have been provided by their General Practitioner. Only 4% were offered a nerve block. 67% felt that the creation of personalised Patient Plans, consisting of an agreed plan between the patient, their pain specialist, and the Emergency Department, would expedite their trip through the Emergency Department. Conclusions: Chronic pain patients generally have a negative experience in the ED. Possible future solutions include increasing our empathy and levels of knowledge, provision of nerve blocks in the ED, and use of personalised “Patient Plans” to streamline the treatment pathway for this group of patients.

Keywords: chronic pain, survey, patients, emergency department

Procedia PDF Downloads 375

Authors: Gulnur Arabaci

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Heavy metals are one of the major groups of contaminants in the environment and many of them are toxic even at very low concentration in plants and animals. However, some metals play important roles in the biological function of many enzymes in living organisms. Metals such as zinc, iron, and cooper are important for survival and activity of enzymes in plants, however heavy metals can inhibit enzyme which is responsible for defense system of plants. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is a copper-containing metalloenzyme which is responsible for enzymatic browning reaction of plants. Enzymatic browning is a major problem for the handling of vegetables and fruits in food industry. It can be increased and effected with many different futures such as metals in the nature and ground. In the present work, PPO was isolated and characterized from green leaves of red poppy plant (Papaver rhoeas). Then, the effect of some known antibrowning agents which can form complexes with metals and metals were investigated on the red poppy PPO activity. The results showed that glutathione was the most potent inhibitory effect on PPO activity. Cu(II) and Fe(II) metals increased the enzyme activities however, Sn(II) had the maximum inhibitory effect and Zn(II) and Pb(II) had no significant effect on the enzyme activity. In order to reduce the effect of heavy metals, the effects of metal-antibrowning agent complexes on the PPO activity were determined. EDTA and metal complexes had no significant effect on the enzyme. L-ascorbic acid and metal complexes decreased but L-ascorbic acid-Cu(II)-complex had no effect. Glutathione–metal complexes had the best inhibitory effect on Red poppy leaf PPO activity.

Keywords: inhibition, metal, red poppy, poly phenol oxidase (PPO)

Procedia PDF Downloads 332

Authors: Chris Schoborg, Morgan C. Wang

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In the realm of the National Football League (NFL), substantial dedication of time and effort is invested by both players and coaches in meticulously analyzing the game footage of their opponents. The primary aim is to anticipate the actions of the opposing team. Defensive players and coaches are especially focused on deciphering their adversaries' intentions to effectively counter their strategies. Acquiring insights into the specific play type and its intended direction on the field would confer a significant competitive advantage. This study establishes pre-snap information as the cornerstone for predicting both the play type (e.g., deep pass, short pass, or run) and its spatial trajectory (right, left, or center). The dataset for this research spans the regular NFL season data for all 32 teams from 2013 to 2022. This dataset is acquired using the nflreadr package, which conveniently extracts play-by-play data from NFL games and imports it into the R environment as structured datasets. In this study, we employ a recently developed machine learning algorithm, XGBoost. The final predictive model achieves an impressive lift of 2.61. This signifies that the presented model is 2.61 times more effective than random guessing—a significant improvement. Such a model has the potential to markedly enhance defensive coaches' ability to formulate game plans and adequately prepare their players, thus mitigating the opposing offense's yardage and point gains.

Keywords: lift, NFL, sports analytics, XGBoost

Procedia PDF Downloads 59

Authors: Tomasz Borowski, Dawid Sołoducha, Rafał Rakoczy, Marian Kordas

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The application of magnetic field is essential for a wide range of technologies or processes (i.e., magnetic hyperthermia, bioprocessing). From the practical point of view, bioprocess control is often limited to the regulation of temperature at constant values favourable to microbial growth. The main aim of this study is to determine the effect of various types of electromagnetic fields (i.e., static or alternating) on the heat transfer in a self-designed magnetically assisted reactor. The experimental set-up is equipped with a measuring instrument which controlled the temperature of the liquid inside the container and supervised the real-time acquisition of all the experimental data coming from the sensors. Temperature signals are also sampled from generator of magnetic field. The obtained temperature profiles were mathematically described and analyzed. The parameters characterizing the response to a step input of a first-order dynamic system were obtained and discussed. For example, the higher values of the time constant means slow signal (in this case, temperature) increase. After the period equal to about five-time constants, the sample temperature nearly reached the asymptotic value. This dynamical analysis allowed us to understand the heating effect under the action of various types of electromagnetic fields. Moreover, the proposed mathematical description can be used to compare the influence of different types of magnetic fields on heat transfer operations.

Keywords: heat transfer, magnetically assisted reactor, dynamical analysis, transient function

Procedia PDF Downloads 178

Authors: Zunaidah Ab Hasan, Azhana Othman, Abd Halim Mohd Noor, Nor Shahrina Mohd Rafien

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Zakat is a portion of wealth contributed from financially able Muslims to be distributed to predetermine recipients; main among them are the poor and the needy. Distribution of the zakat fund is given with the objective to lift the recipients from poverty. Due to the multidimensional and multifaceted nature of poverty, it is imperative that the causes of poverty are properly identified for assistance given by zakat authorities reached the intended target. Despite, various studies undertaken to identify the poor correctly, there are reports of the poor not receiving the adequate assistance required from zakat. Thus, this study examines the determinants of poverty among applicants for zakat assistance distributed by the State Islamic Religious Council in Malacca (SIRCM). Malacca is a state in Malaysia. The respondents were based on the list of names of new zakat applicants for the month of April and May 2014 provided by SIRCM. A binary logistic regression was estimated based on this data with either zakat applications is rejected or accepted as the dependent variable and set of demographic variables and health as the explanatory variables. Overall, the logistic model successfully predicted factors of acceptance of zakat applications. Three independent variables namely gender, age; size of households and health significantly explain the likelihood of a successful zakat application. Among others, the finding suggests the importance of focusing on providing education opportunity in helping the poor.

Keywords: logistic regression, zakat distribution, status of zakat applications, poverty, education

Procedia PDF Downloads 344

Authors: Radovan Cobanovic, Milica Rankov Sicar

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Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil - or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl (methyl, ethyl, or propyl) esters. It is derived by alcoholysis of triacylglycerols (triglycerides) from various lipid based materials that can be traditionally categorized into the following main groups: vegetable oils, animal fats, waste and algal oils. The goal of this study was to evaluate microbiological stability of biodiesel samples since it has been made from vegetable oil or animal fat which was stored on room temperature. For the purposes of this study, analyzes were conducted on six samples of biodiesel first at zero sample at the reception day than fifth, thirtieth, sixtieth, ninetieth and one hundred twentieth day from the day of reception. During this period, biodiesel samples were subjected to microbiological analyses (Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Enterobacteriaceae and total plate count). All analyses were tested according to ISO methodology: Salmonella spp ISO 6579, Listeria monocytogenes ISO 11290-2, Enterobacteriaceae ISO 21528-1, total plate count ISO 4833-1. The results obtained after the analyses which were done according to the plan during the 120 days indicate that are no changes of products concerning microbiological analyses. Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Enterobacteriaceae were not detected and results for total plate count showed values < 10 cfu/g for all six samples. On the basis of this monitoring under defined storage conditions at room temperatures, the results showed that biodiesel is very stable as far as microbiological analysis were concerned.

Keywords: biodiesel, microbiology, room temperature, stability

Procedia PDF Downloads 287

Authors: Bhanu Pant, Sanjay H. Upadhyay

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Frequently, the upper stage of high-performance launch vehicles utilizes cryogenic tank-submerged pressurization gas bottles with high volume-to-weight efficiency to achieve a direct gain in the satellite payload. Titanium alloys, owing to their high specific strength coupled with excellent compatibility with various fluids, are the materials of choice for these applications. Amongst the Titanium alloys, there are two alloys suitable for cryogenic applications, namely Ti6Al4V-ELI and Ti5Al2.5Sn-ELI. The two-phase alpha-beta alloy Ti6Al4V-ELI is usable up to LOX temperature of 90K, while the single-phase alpha alloy Ti5Al2.5Sn-ELI can be used down to LHe temperature of 4 K. The high-pressure gas bottles submerged in the LH2 (20K) can store more amount of gas in as compared to those submerged in LOX (90K) bottles the same volume. Thus, the use of these alpha alloy gas bottles stored at 20K gives a distinct advantage with respect to the need for a lesser number of gas bottles to store the same amount of high-pressure gas, which in turn leads to a one-to-one advantage in the payload in the satellite. The cost advantage to the tune of 15000$/ kg of weight is saved in the upper stages, and, thereby, the satellite payload gain is expected by this change. However, the processing of alpha Ti5Al2.5Sn-ELI alloy gas bottles poses challenges due to the lower forgeability of the alloy and mode of qualification for the critical severe application environment. The present paper describes the processing and challenges/ solutions during the development of these advanced gas bottles for LH2 (20K) applications.

Keywords: titanium alloys, cryogenic gas bottles, alpha titanium alloy, alpha-beta titanium alloy

Procedia PDF Downloads 61

Authors: Omolaja Akolade Oluwaseunfunmi

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This study seeks to ascertain the origin and history of terrorism in Nigeria, determine the causes of terrorism in Nigeria, examine Nigeria’s foreign policies from 1999 to 2015, evaluate how terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have affected Nigeria’s foreign policies in the international arena; ascertain the measures taken by the government in tackling terrorist acts in Nigeria and give recommendations on how to tackle this menace. The methodology used in this research is the analytical method. The study derives its data from both primary and secondary sources. Findings from fieldwork showed that terrorism has also become one of the most important fundamentals of Nigeria’s foreign policies and relations; respondents from the people interviewed showed that terrorism is a menace and that terrorism must be adequately tackled in other to achieve Nigeria’s foreign policy. Furthermore, results revealed that the fight against the scourge has increasingly gained legitimacy and justification among the international community particularly as many countries consider it to be their international obligation to support the global movement to ameliorate or eliminate the menace. In conclusion, this research made, among other recommendations, that the Nigerian government should ensure the provision of a good life for its citizens, the inter-connectivity of terrorist organizations must be defeated, the government should undergo a foreign policy drive designed at rebuilding its image in the international environment, and also the promotion of peace education among various government, religious institutions, private sector, and civil society groups should be encouraged.

Keywords: foreign policy, Boko Haram, movement for the emancipation of Niger delta (MEND), terrorism

Procedia PDF Downloads 35

Authors: Zhou Luchen, Wu Yubing, Burra Venkata Durga Kumar

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As the scale of the network becomes larger and more complex than before, the density of user devices is also increasing. The development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) networks is able to collect and transform data in an efficient way by using software-defined networks (SDN) technology. This paper proposed a three-layer distributed and dynamic cluster architecture to manage UAVs by using an AI-based resource allocation calculation algorithm to address the overloading network problem. Through separating services of each UAV, the UAV hierarchical cluster system performs the main function of reducing the network load and transferring user requests, with three sub-tasks including data collection, communication channel organization, and data relaying. In this cluster, a head node and a vice head node UAV are selected considering the Central Processing Unit (CPU), operational (RAM), and permanent (ROM) memory of devices, battery charge, and capacity. The vice head node acts as a backup that stores all the data in the head node. The k-means clustering algorithm is used in order to detect high load regions and form the UAV layered clusters. The whole process of detecting high load areas, forming and selecting UAV clusters, and moving the selected UAV cluster to that area is proposed as offloading traffic algorithm.

Keywords: k-means, resource allocation, SDN, UAV network, unmanned aerial vehicles

Procedia PDF Downloads 120

Authors: Sinead Impey, Damon Berry, Selma Furtado, Miriam Galvin, Loretto Grogan, Orla Hardiman, Lucy Hederman, Mark Heverin, Vincent Wade, Linda Douris, Declan O'Sullivan, Gaye Stephens

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Healthcare is a knowledge-rich environment. This knowledge, while valuable, is not always accessible outside the borders of individual clinics. This research aims to address part of this problem (at a study site) by constructing a maximal data set (knowledge artefact) for motor neurone disease (MND). This data set is proposed as an initial knowledge base for a concurrent project to develop an MND patient data platform. It represents the domain knowledge at the study site for the duration of the research (12 months). A knowledge elicitation method was also developed from the lessons learned during this process - the WICKED method. WICKED is an anagram of the words: eliciting and confirming data, information, knowledge, wisdom. But it is also a reference to the concept of wicked problems, which are complex and challenging, as is eliciting expert knowledge. The method was evaluated at a second site, and benefits and limitations were noted. Benefits include that the method provided a systematic way to manage data, information, knowledge and wisdom (DIKW) from various sources, including healthcare specialists and existing data sets. Limitations surrounded the time required and how the data set produced only represents DIKW known during the research period. Future work is underway to address these limitations.

Keywords: healthcare, knowledge acquisition, maximal data sets, action design science

Procedia PDF Downloads 375

Authors: Tiyisani L. Chavalala, Nicole B. Richoux, Martin H. Villet

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Rivers and their adjacent ecosystems are linked by reciprocal ecological subsidies. Rivers receive nutrients and energy from land, and these transfers can represent important food subsidies, a phenomenon known as allochthony. Emergence of adult aquatic invertebrates can also provide important food sources to terrestrial consumers. Reciprocal subsidies are influenced by factors such as canopy cover, river flow rate and channel width, which can be highly variable through space and time. The aim of this study is to identify and quantify the main trophic links between adjacent ecosystems (terrestrial and freshwater systems) in several Eastern Cape Rivers with different catchment sizes and flow rates and to develop an understanding of the factors that affect the strength of these links and their spatial dynamics. Food sources and consumers were sampled during four seasons (August 2016, November 2016, February 2017 and May 2017), and stable isotope ratios will serve as tracers to estimate the food web structures. Emergence traps are being used to quantify the rates of emergence of adult aquatic insects, and infall-pan traps are being used to quantify the terrestrial insects falling into rivers as potential food subsidies.

Keywords: emerging aquatic insects, in-falling terrestrial insects, reciprocal resource subsidies, stable isotopes

Procedia PDF Downloads 210

Authors: Simon Arunga, Teddy Kwaga, Rita Kageni, Michael Gichangi, Nyawira Mwangi, Fred Kagwa, Rogers Mwavu, Amos Baryashaba, Luis F. Nakayama, Katharine Morley, Michael Morley, Leo A. Celi, Jessica Haberer, Celestino Obua

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Purpose: The main aim for creating the Multimodal Database of Retinal Images for Africa (MoDRIA) was to provide a publicly available repository of retinal images for responsible researchers to conduct algorithm development in a bid to curb the challenges of ophthalmic artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa. Methods: Data and retina images were ethically sourced from sites in Uganda and Kenya. Data on medical history, visual acuity, ocular examination, blood pressure, and blood sugar were collected. Retina images were captured using fundus cameras (Foru3-nethra and Canon CR-Mark-1). Images were stored on a secure online database. Results: The database consists of 7,859 retinal images in portable network graphics format from 1,988 participants. Images from patients with human immunodeficiency virus were 18.9%, 18.2% of images were from hypertensive patients, 12.8% from diabetic patients, and the rest from normal’ participants. Conclusion: Publicly available data repositories are a valuable asset in the development of AI technology. Therefore, is a need for the expansion of MoDRIA so as to provide larger datasets that are more representative of Sub-Saharan data.

Keywords: retina images, MoDRIA, image repository, African database

Procedia PDF Downloads 136

Authors: Djordjevic J. Sladjana, Djordjevic-Milošević B. Suzana, Milošević M. Slobodan

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The potential of biomass as a renewable energy source leads Serbia to be the top of European countries by the amount of available but unused biomass. Technologies for its use are available and ecologically acceptable. Moreover, they are not expensive high-tech solutions even for the poor investment environment of Serbia, while other options seem to be less achievable. From the other point of view, Serbia has a huge percentage of unused agriculture land. Agricultural production in Serbia languishes: a large share of agricultural land therefore remains untreated, and there is a significant proportion of degraded land. From all the above, biomass intended for energy production is becoming an increasingly important factor in the stabilization of agricultural activities. Orientation towards the growing bioenergy crops versus conventional crop cultivation becomes an interesting option. The aim of this paper is to point out the possibility of growing energy crops in accordance with the conditions and cultural practice in rural areas of Serbia. First of all, the cultivation of energy crops on lower quality land is being discussed, in order to revitalize the rural areas of crops through their inclusion into potential energy sector. Next is the theme of throwing more light on the increase in the area under this competitive agricultural production to correct land use in terms of climate change in Serbia. The goal of this paper is to point out the contribution of the share of biomass in energy production and consumption, and the effect of reducing the negative environmental impact.

Keywords: agro-energy crops, conditions for plantation, revitalization of rural areas, degraded and unused soils

Procedia PDF Downloads 269

Authors: L. Bendifallah, S. Doumandji, K. Louadi, S. Iserbyt, F. Acheuk

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Due to their ecological key position and diversity, plant-bee relationships constitute excellent models to understand the processes of food specialisation. The purpose of this study is to define and identify the most important species of bees foraging broadbean flowers, we estimated morphological, phonological and behavioural features. We discuss the results by considering the food specialisation level of the visitor. In the studied populations (Algiers, Algeria), visiting bees belong to four different genus: Apis, Andrena, Eucera and Xylocopa. Eucera is foraging broad beans flowers during months of April, May. The genus Andrena and Xylocopa were found on weeds after the flowering period of beans. The two species have not a preferred type of vegetation compared to Eucera. The main pollinators were generalist bees such as Apis mellifera L. and Xylocopa pubescens Spinola (Apidae), and specialist bees such Eucera numida Lep. (Apidae). The results show that no one of the studied species, neither the specialist, nor the generalist ones, share adaptative morphological or behavioural features that may improve foraging on Vicia faba. However, there is a narrow synchronisation between the daily and yearly phenologies of Eucera numida and those of V. faba. This could be an adaptation of the specialist bee to its host plant. Thus, the food specialisation of Eucera numida, as for most specialist bees, would be more linked to its adapted phenology than to an adapted morphology.

Keywords: Vicia faba, bees, pollinators, Algeria

Procedia PDF Downloads 321

Authors: H. Shokouhmand, A. Ghanami

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Heat pipe is simple heat transfer device which combines the conduction and phase change phenomena to control the heat transfer without any need for external power source. At hot surface of heat pipe, the liquid phase absorbs heat and changes to vapor phase. The vapor phase flows to condenser region and with the loss of heat changes to liquid phase. Due to gravitational force the liquid phase flows to evaporator section.In HVAC systems the working fluid is chosen based on the operating temperature. The heat pipe has significant capability to reduce the humidity in HVAC systems. Each HVAC system which uses heater, humidifier or dryer is a suitable nominate for the utilization of heat pipes. Generally heat pipes have three main sections: condenser, adiabatic region and evaporator.Performance investigation and optimization of heat pipes operation in order to increase their efficiency is crucial. In present article, a parametric study is performed to improve the heat pipe performance. Therefore, the heat capacity of heat pipe with respect to geometrical and confining parameters is investigated. For the better observation of heat pipe operation in HVAC systems, a CFD simulation in Eulerian- Eulerian multiphase approach is also performed. The results show that heat pipe heat transfer capacity is higher for water as working fluid with the operating temperature of 340 K. It is also observed that the vertical orientation of heat pipe enhances it’s heat transfer capacity.

Keywords: heat pipe, HVAC system, grooved heat pipe, heat pipe limits

Procedia PDF Downloads 381

Authors: H. Shokouhmand, A. Ghanami

Abstract:

Heat pipe is a simple heat transfer device which combines the conduction and phase change phenomena to control the heat transfer without any need for external power source. At hot surface of the heat pipe, the liquid phase absorbs heat and changes to vapor phase. The vapor phase flows to condenser region and with the loss of heat changes to liquid phase. Due to gravitational force, the liquid phase flows to evaporator section. In HVAC systems, the working fluid is chosen based on the operating temperature. The heat pipe has significant capability to reduce the humidity in HVAC systems. Each HVAC system which uses heater, humidifier or dryer is a suitable nominate for the utilization of heat pipes. Generally, heat pipes have three main sections: condenser, adiabatic region, and evaporator.Performance investigation and optimization of heat pipes operation in order to increase their efficiency is crucial. In the present article, a parametric study is performed to improve the heat pipe performance. Therefore, the heat capacity of the heat pipe with respect to geometrical and confining parameters is investigated. For the better observation of heat pipe operation in HVAC systems, a CFD simulation in Eulerian- Eulerian multiphase approach is also performed. The results show that heat pipe heat transfer capacity is higher for water as working fluid with the operating temperature of 340 K. It is also showed that the vertical orientation of heat pipe enhances its heat transfer capacity.

Keywords: heat pipe, HVAC system, grooved heat pipe, CFD simulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 502

Authors: Muzaffer Topgul, Hasan Atac

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After the September 11 attacks, fight against terrorism has risen to higher levels in security concepts of the countries. The following reactions of some nation states have led to the formation of unstable areas in different parts of the World. Especially, in Iraq and Syria, the influences of radical groups have risen with the weakening of the central governments. Turkey (with the geographical proximity to the current crisis) has become a stop on the movement of people who were displaced because of terrorism. In the process, the policies of the Syrian regime resulted in a civil war which is still going on since 2011, and remain as an unresolved crisis. With the extension of the problem, changes occurred in foreign policies of the World Powers; moreover, the ongoing effects of the riots, conflicts of interests of foreign powers, conflicts in the region because of the activities of radical groups increased instability within the country. This case continues to affect the security of Turkey, particularly illegal immigration. It has exceeded the number of two million Syrians who took refuge in Turkey due to the civil war, while continuing uncertainty about the legal status of asylum seekers, besides the security problems of asylum-seekers themselves, there are problems in education, health and communication (language) as well. In this study, we will evaluate the term of immigration through the eyes of national and international law, place the disorganized and illegal immigration in security sphere, and define the elements/components of irregular migration within the changing security concept. Ultimately, this article will assess the effects of the Syrian refuges to Turkey’s short-term, mid-term, and long-term security in the light of the national and international data flows and solutions will be presented to the ongoing problem. While explaining the security problems the data and the donnees obtained from the nation and international corporations will be examined thorough the human security dimensions such as living conditions of the immigrants, the ratio of the genders, especially birth rate occasions, the education circumstances of the immigrant children, the effects of the illegal passing on the public order. In addition, the demographic change caused by the immigrants will be analyzed, the changing economical conditions where the immigrants mostly accumulate, and their participation in public life will be worked on and the economical obstacles sourcing due to irregular immigration will be clarified. By the entire datum gathered from the educational, cultural, social, economic, demographical extents, the regional factors affecting the migration and the role of irregular migration in Turkey’s future security will be revealed by implication to current knowledge sources.

Keywords: displaced people, human security, irregular migration, refugees

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Authors: Aimen Mohamed Almaloul

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The main focus of this study is investigating the interference of Arabic in the use of English prepositions by Libyan university students. Prepositions in the tests used in the study were categorized, according to their relation to Arabic, into similar Arabic and English prepositions (SAEP), dissimilar Arabic and English prepositions (DAEP), Arabic prepositions with no English counterparts (APEC), and English prepositions with no Arabic counterparts (EPAC). The subjects of the study were the first year university students of the English department, Sabrata Faculty of Arts, Azzawia University; both males and females, and they were 100 students. The basic tool for data collection was a test of English prepositions; students are instructed to fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions and to put a zero (0) if no preposition was needed. The test was then handed to the subjects of the study. The test was then scored and quantitative as well as qualitative results were obtained. Quantitative results indicated the number, percentages and rank order of errors in each of the categories and qualitative results indicated the nature and significance of those errors and their possible sources. Based on the obtained results the researcher could detect that students made more errors in the EPAC category than the other three categories and these errors could be attributed to the lack of knowledge of the different meanings of English prepositions. This lack of knowledge forced the students to adopt what is called the strategy of transfer.

Keywords: foreign language acquisition, foreign language learning, interference system, interlanguage system, mother tongue interference

Procedia PDF Downloads 392

Authors: Qasar Saleem

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The aim of this project was to synthesize and analyze Polylactic acid-grafted TiO2 nanocomposite. When dispersed at the nanoscale TiO2 can behave as see through transparent UV filters and thermomechanical materials. The synthesis plan involved three stages. First, dispersion of TiO2 white powder in water/ethanol solvent system. Second grafting TiO2 surface by oligomers of lactic acid aimed at changing its surface features. Third polymerization of lactic acid monomer with grafted TiO2 in the presence of anhydrous stannous chloride as a catalyst. Polylactic acid grafted-TiO2 nanocomposite was synthesized by melt polycondensation in situ of lactic acid onto titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles surface. The product was characterized by TGA, DSC, FTIR, and UV analysis and degradation observation. An idea regarding bonds between the grafting polymer and surface modified titanium oxide nanoparticles. Characteristics peaks of Ti–carbonyl bond, the related intensities of the Fourier transmission absorption peaks of graft composite, the melt and decomposition behavior stages of Polylactic acid-grafted TiO2 nanocomposite convinced that oligomers of polylactic acid were chemically bonded on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles. Through grafting polylactic acid, the Polylactic acid grafted -TiO2 sample shown good absorption in UV region and degradation behavior under normal atmospheric conditions. Regaining transparency of degraded white opaque Polylactic acid-grafted TiO2 nanocomposite on heating was another character. Polylactic acid-grafted TiO2 nanocomposite will be a potential candidate in future for biomedical, UV shielding and environment friendly material.

Keywords: condensation, nanocomposites, oligomers, polylactic

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Authors: Polina Prokopovich

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Disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs) are a new therapeutic class for OA, preventing or inhibiting OA development. Unfortunately, none of the DMOADs have been clinically approved due to their poor therapeutic effects in clinical trials. The joint environment has played a role in the poor clinical performance of these drugs by limiting the amount of drug effectively delivered as well as the time that the drug spends within the joint space. The current study aims to enhance the cartilage uptake and retention time of the DMOADs-model (licofelone), which showed a significant therapeutic effect against OA progression and is currently in phase III. Licofelone will be covalently conjugated to the hydrolysable, cytocompatible, and cationic poly beta-amino ester polymers (PBAE). The cationic polymers (A16 and A87) can be electrostatically attached to the negatively charged cartilage component (glycosaminoglycan), which will increase the drug penetration through the cartilage and extend the drug time within the cartilage. In the cartilage uptake and retention time studies, an increase of 18 to 37 times of the total conjugated licofelone to A87 and A16 was observed when compared to the free licofelone. Furthermore, the conjugated licofelone to A87 was detectable within the cartilage at 120 minutes, while the free licofelone was not detectable after 60 minutes. Additionally, the A87-licofelone conjugate showed no effect on the chondrocyte viability. In conclusion, the cationic A87 and A16 polymers increased the percentage of licofelone within the cartilage, which could potentially enhance the therapeutic effect and pharmacokinetic performance of licofelone or other DMOADs clinically.

Keywords: PBAE, cartilage., osteoarthritis, injectable biomaterials, drug delivery

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Authors: M. Heydari, A. Ghanami

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Heat pipe is simple heat transfer device which combines the conduction and phase change phenomena to control the heat transfer without any need for external power source. At hot surface of heat pipe, the liquid phase absorbs heat and changes to vapor phase. The vapor phase flows to condenser region and with the loss of heat changes to liquid phase. Due to gravitational force the liquid phase flows to evaporator section.In HVAC systems the working fluid is chosen based on the operating temperature. The heat pipe has significant capability to reduce the humidity in HVAC systems. Each HVAC system which uses heater, humidifier or dryer is a suitable nominate for the utilization of heat pipes. Generally heat pipes have three main sections: condenser, adiabatic region and evaporator.Performance investigation and optimization of heat pipes operation in order to increase their efficiency is crucial. In present article, a parametric study is performed to improve the heat pipe performance. Therefore, the heat capacity of heat pipe with respect to geometrical and confining parameters is investigated. For the better observation of heat pipe operation in HVAC systems, a CFD simulation in Eulerian- Eulerian multiphase approach is also performed. The results show that heat pipe heat transfer capacity is higher for water as working fluid with the operating temperature of 340 K. It is also showed that the vertical orientation of heat pipe enhances it’s heat transfer capacity.

Keywords: heat pipe, HVAC system, grooved heat pipe, heat pipe limits

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Authors: Deng Zengming, Wang Mingjiang

Abstract:

As 3D video is explored as a hot research topic in the last few decades, free-viewpoint TV (FTV) is no doubt a promising field for its better visual experience and incomparable interactivity. View synthesis is obviously a crucial technology for FTV; it enables to render images in unlimited numbers of virtual viewpoints with the information from limited numbers of reference view. In this paper, a novel hybrid synthesis framework is proposed and blending priority is explored. In contrast to the commonly used View Synthesis Reference Software (VSRS), the presented synthesis process is driven in consideration of the temporal correlation of image sequences. The temporal correlations will be exploited to produce fine synthesis results even near the foreground boundaries. As for the blending priority, this scheme proposed that one of the two reference views is selected to be the main reference view based on the distance between the reference views and virtual view, another view is chosen as the auxiliary viewpoint, just assist to fill the hole pixel with the help of background information. Significant improvement of the proposed approach over the state-of –the-art pixel-based virtual view synthesis method is presented, the results of the experiments show that subjective gains can be observed, and objective PSNR average gains range from 0.5 to 1.3 dB, while SSIM average gains range from 0.01 to 0.05.

Keywords: fusion method, Gaussian mixture model, hybrid framework, view synthesis

Procedia PDF Downloads 253

Authors: Yu Wen Wang, Shyh Ming Kuo, Hsia Ying Cheng, Yu Chiuan Wu

Abstract:

Liver fibrosis is caused by the activation of hepatic stellate cells in the liver to secrete excessive and deposition of extracellular matrix. In recent years, many treatment strategies have been developed to reduce the activation of hepatic stellate cells and therefore to increase the decomposition of extracellular matrix. Bacopa monnieri, an herbaceous plant of the scrophulariaceae, containing saponins and glycosides, which with antioxidant, anti-inflammation, pain relief and free radical scavenging characteristics. This study was to evaluate the inhibition of hepatic stellate cell activity by Bacopa monnieri extract and its therapeutic potential in treating thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in rats. The results showed that the IC50 of Bacopa monnieri extract was 0.39 mg/mL. Bacopa monnieri extract could effectively reduce H2O2-induced hepatic stellate cells inflammation. In the TAA-induced liver fibrosis animal studies, albumin secretion recovered to normal level after treated with Bacopa monnieri extract for 2-w, and fibrosis related proteins, α-SMA and TGF-1levels decreased indicating the extract exerted therapeutic effect on the liver fibrosis. However, inflammatory factors TNF- obviously decreased after 4-w treatment. In summary, we could successfully extract the main component-Bacopaside I from the plant and acquired a potential therapy using this component in treating TAA-induced liver fibrosis in rat.

Keywords: anti-inflammatory, Bacopa monnieri, fibrosis, hepatic stellate cells, water extract

Procedia PDF Downloads 113

Authors: Sazzad Hossain Talukder

Abstract:

Survival in the competitive international market with unforeseen environmental contingencies has always been a concern of the firms that led to adopting different strategies to deal with different situations. Language strategy is considered to enhance the international performance of a firm by organizing language diversity and fostering communications within and outside the firm. Yet there is a lack of theoretical attention or model development on the role of language strategy on firm international survival. From resource dependence perspective, the adoption of language strategy and its relationship with firm survival are determined by the firm´s capability to prevent dependency concentration and/or increase relative power on the external environment. However, the impact of language strategy on firm survival is complex and multifaceted as the strategy influence firm performance indirectly through communication, coordination, learning and value creation. The evidence of various types of language strategies and different forms of firm survival also bring in complexities to understand the effects of a language strategy on the international survival of a firm. Based on language literatures and resource dependence logic, certain propositions are developed to conceptualize the relationship between language strategy and firm international survival in this conceptual paper. For the purpose of this paper, a conceptual model is proposed to examine how different kinds of language strategy foster reduction of resource dependency that lead to firm international survival in respond to local responsiveness and global integration. In this proposed model, it is theorized that language strategy has a positive relationship with the international survival of the firm, as the strategy is likely to reduce external resource dependency and increase the ability to continue independent operations both in short and long term.

Keywords: language strategy, language diversity, firm international survival, resource dependence logic

Procedia PDF Downloads 286

Authors: Bibha Kumari, Nigel P. Brunton, Dilip K. Rai, Brijesh K. Tiwari

Abstract:

Edible mushrooms possess numerous functional components like homo- and hetero- β-glucans [β(1→3), β(1→4) and β(1→6) glucosidic linkages], chitins, ergosterols, bioactive polysaccharides and peptides imparting health beneficial properties to mushrooms. Some of the proven biological activities of mushroom extracts are antioxidant, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, cholesterol lowering activity by inhibiting a key cholesterol metabolism enzyme i.e. 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl CoA reductase (HMGCR), angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition. Application of novel extraction technologies like pulsed electric field (PEF) and high power ultrasound offers clean, green, faster and efficient extraction alternatives with enhanced and good quality extracts. Sequential PEF followed by ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) were applied to recover bioactive enriched fractions from industrial white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) stalk waste using environmentally friendly and GRAS solvents i.e. water and water/ethanol combinations. The PEF treatment was carried out at 60% output voltage, 2 Hz frequency for 500 pulses of 20 microseconds pulse width, using KCl salt solution of 0.6 mS/cm conductivity by the placing 35g of chopped fresh mushroom stalks and 25g of salt solution in the 4x4x4cm3 treatment chamber. Sequential UAE was carried out on the PEF pre-treated samples using ultrasonic-water-bath (USB) of three frequencies (25 KHz, 35 KHz and 45 KHz) for various treatment times (15-120 min) at 80°C. Individual treatment using either PEF or UAE were also investigation to compare the effect of each treatment along with the combined effect on the recovery and bioactivity of the crude extracts. The freeze dried mushroom stalk powder was characterised for proximate compositional parameters (dry weight basis) showing 64.11% total carbohydrate, 19.12% total protein, 7.21% total fat, 31.2% total dietary fiber, 7.9% chitin (as glucosamine equivalent) and 1.02% β-glucan content. The total phenolic contents (TPC) were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure and expressed as gallic-acid-equivalents (GAE). The antioxidant properties were ascertained using DPPH and FRAP assays and expressed as trolox-equivalents (TE). HMGCR activity and molecular mass of β-glucans will be measured using the commercial HMG-CoA Reductase Assay kit (Sigma-Aldrich) and size exclusion chromatography (HPLC-SEC), respectively. Effects of PEF, UAE and their combination on the antioxidant capacity, HMGCR inhibition and β-glucans content will be presented.

Keywords: β-glucan, mushroom stalks, pulsed electric field (PEF), ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE)

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Authors: Houda Najeh, Mahendra Pratap Singh, Stéphane Ploix, Antoine Caucheteux, Karim Chabir, Mohamed Naceur Abdelkrim

Abstract:

Building system is highly vulnerable to different kinds of faults and human misbehaviors. Energy efficiency and user comfort are directly targeted due to abnormalities in building operation. The available fault diagnosis tools and methodologies particularly rely on rules or pure model-based approaches. It is assumed that model or rule-based test could be applied to any situation without taking into account actual testing contexts. Contextual tests with validity domain could reduce a lot of the design of detection tests. The main objective of this paper is to consider fault validity when validate the test model considering the non-modeled events such as occupancy, weather conditions, door and window openings and the integration of the knowledge of the expert on the state of the system. The concept of heterogeneous tests is combined with test validity to generate fault diagnoses. A combination of rules, range and model-based tests known as heterogeneous tests are proposed to reduce the modeling complexity. Calculation of logical diagnoses coming from artificial intelligence provides a global explanation consistent with the test result. An application example shows the efficiency of the proposed technique: an office setting at Grenoble Institute of Technology.

Keywords: heterogeneous tests, validity, building system, sensor grids, sensor fault, diagnosis, fault detection and isolation

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Authors: Srinivasan Chandrasekaran, Thailammai Chithambaram, Shihas A. Khader

Abstract:

The early-stage damage detection in offshore structures requires continuous structural health monitoring and for the large area the position of sensors will also plays an important role in the efficient damage detection. Determining the dynamic behavior of offshore structures requires dense deployment of sensors. The wired Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems are highly expensive and always needs larger installation space to deploy. Wireless sensor networks can enhance the SHM system by deployment of scalable sensor network, which consumes lesser space. This paper presents the results of wireless sensor network based Structural Health Monitoring method applied to a scaled experimental model of offshore structure that underwent wave loading. This method determines the serviceability of the offshore structure which is subjected to various environment loads. Wired and wireless sensors were installed in the model and the response of the scaled BLSRP model under wave loading was recorded. The wireless system discussed in this study is the Raspberry pi board with Arm V6 processor which is programmed to transmit the data acquired by the sensor to the server using Wi-Fi adapter, the data is then hosted in the webpage. The data acquired from the wireless and wired SHM systems were compared and the design of the wireless system is verified.

Keywords: condition assessment, damage detection, structural health monitoring, structural response, wireless sensor network

Procedia PDF Downloads 280