Search results for: most important contemporary challenges

Authors: Bensaid Boulekbache, Mostefa Hamrat, Mohamed Chemrouk, Sofiane Amziane

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This study aims in examining the influence of the paste yield stress and compressive strength on the behaviour of fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) versus direct shear. The parameters studied are the steel fibre contents, the aspect ratio of fibres and the concrete strength. Prismatic specimens of dimensions 10x10x35cm made of concrete of various yield stress reinforced with steel fibres hooked at the ends with three fibre volume fractions (i.e. 0, 0.5, and 1%) and two aspects ratio (65 and 80) were tested to direct shear. Three types of concretes with various compressive strength and yield stress were tested, an ordinary concrete (OC), a self-compacting concrete (SCC) and a high strength concrete (HSC). The concrete strengths investigated include 30 MPa for OC, 60 MPa for SCC and 80 MPa for HSC. The results show that the shear strength and ductility are affected and have been improved very significantly by the fibre contents, fibre aspect ratio and concrete strength. As the compressive strength and the volume fraction of fibres increase, the shear strength increases. However, yield stress of concrete has an important influence on the orientation and distribution of the fibres in the matrix. The ductility was much higher for ordinary and self-compacting concretes (concrete with good workability). The ductility in direct shear depends on the fibre orientation and is significantly improved when the fibres are perpendicular to the shear plane. On the contrary, for concrete with poor workability, an inadequate distribution and orientation of fibres occurred, leading to a weak contribution of the fibres to the direct shear behaviour.

Keywords: concrete, fibre, direct shear, yield stress, orientation, strength

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Authors: Ashok V. Sutagundar, Sunilkumar S. Manvi

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Energy, delay and bandwidth are the prime issues of wireless sensor network (WSN). Energy usage optimization and efficient bandwidth utilization are important issues in WSN. Event triggered data aggregation facilitates such optimal tasks for event affected area in WSN. Reliable delivery of the critical information to sink node is also a major challenge of WSN. To tackle these issues, we propose an event driven dynamic clustering and data aggregation scheme for WSN that enhances the life time of the network by minimizing redundant data transmission. The proposed scheme operates as follows: (1) Whenever the event is triggered, event triggered node selects the cluster head. (2) Cluster head gathers data from sensor nodes within the cluster. (3) Cluster head node identifies and classifies the events out of the collected data using Bayesian classifier. (4) Aggregation of data is done using statistical method. (5) Cluster head discovers the paths to the sink node using residual energy, path distance and bandwidth. (6) If the aggregated data is critical, cluster head sends the aggregated data over the multipath for reliable data communication. (7) Otherwise aggregated data is transmitted towards sink node over the single path which is having the more bandwidth and residual energy. The performance of the scheme is validated for various WSN scenarios to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in terms of aggregation time, cluster formation time and energy consumed for aggregation.

Keywords: wireless sensor network, dynamic clustering, data aggregation, wireless communication

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Authors: Dhruv Mehta, Alexander van Zuijlen, Hester Bijl

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Large Eddy Simulation (LES) numerically resolves the large energy-containing eddies of a turbulent flow, while modelling the small dissipative eddies. On a wind farm, these large scales carry the energy wind turbines extracts and are also responsible for transporting the turbines’ wakes, which may interact with downstream turbines and certainly with the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). In this situation, it is important to conserve the energy that these wake’s carry and which could be altered artificially through numerical dissipation brought about by the schemes used for the spatial discretisation and temporal integration. Numerical dissipation has been reported to cause the premature recovery of turbine wakes, leading to an over prediction in the power produced by wind farms.An energy-conserving scheme is free from numerical dissipation and ensures that the energy of the wakes is increased or decreased only by the action of molecular viscosity or the action of wind turbines (body forces). The aim is to create an LES package with energy-conserving schemes to simulate wind turbine wakes correctly to gain insight into power-production, wake meandering etc. Such knowledge will be useful in designing more efficient wind farms with minimal wake interaction, which if unchecked could lead to major losses in energy production per unit area of the wind farm. For their research, the authors intend to use the Energy-Conserving Navier-Stokes code developed by the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands.

Keywords: energy-conserving schemes, modelling turbulence, Large Eddy Simulation, atmospheric boundary layer

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Authors: Natàlia Garcia Soler, Timothy Moss

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Despite the multiple benefits of sustainable urban drainage, as demonstrated in numerous case studies across the world, urban rainwater harvesting techniques are generally restricted to isolated model projects. The leap from niche to mainstream has, in most cities, proved an elusive goal. Why policies promoting rainwater harvesting are limited in their widespread implementation has seldom been subjected to systematic analysis. Much of the literature on the policy, planning and institutional contexts of these techniques focus either on their potential benefits or on project design, but very rarely on a critical-constructive analysis of past experiences of implementation. Moreover, the vast majority of these contributions are restricted to single-case studies. There is a dearth of knowledge with respect to, firstly, policy implementation processes and, secondly, multi-case analysis. Insights from both, the authors argue, are essential to inform more effective rainwater harvesting in cities in the future. This paper presents preliminary findings from a research project on rainwater harvesting in cities from a social science perspective that is funded by the Swedish Research Foundation (Formas). This project – UrbanRain – is examining the challenges and opportunities of mainstreaming rainwater harvesting in three European cities. The paper addresses two research questions: firstly, what lessons can be learned on suitable policy incentives and planning instruments for rainwater harvesting from a meta-analysis of the relevant international literature and, secondly, how far these lessons are reflected in a study of past and ongoing rainwater harvesting projects in a European forerunner city. This two-tier approach frames the structure of the paper. We present, first, the results of the literature analysis on policy and planning issues of urban rainwater harvesting. Here, we analyze quantitatively and qualitatively the literature of the past 15 years on this topic in terms of thematic focus, issues addressed and key findings and draw conclusions on research gaps, highlighting the need for more studies on implementation factors, actor interests, institutional adaptation and multi-level governance. In a second step we focus in on the experiences of rainwater harvesting in Berlin and present the results of a mapping exercise on a wide variety of projects implemented there over the last 30 years. Here, we develop a typology to characterize the rainwater harvesting projects in terms of policy issues (what problems and goals are targeted), project design (which kind of solutions are envisaged), project implementation (how and when they were implemented), location (whether they are in new or existing urban developments) and actors (which stakeholders are involved and how), paying particular attention to the shifting institutional framework in Berlin. Mapping and categorizing these projects is based on a combination of document analysis and expert interviews. The paper concludes by synthesizing the findings, identifying how far the goals, governance structures and instruments applied in the Berlin projects studied reflect the findings emerging from the meta-analysis of the international literature on policy and planning issues of rainwater harvesting and what implications these findings have for mainstreaming such techniques in future practice.

Keywords: institutional framework, planning, policy, project implementation, urban rainwater management

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Authors: Khaled A. shady, Fagr B. Bazeed, Nashwa K. Abousamra, Ihab H. Elberawe, Ashraf E. shaalan, Mohamed A. Sobh

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Physical activity activates a variety of adult stem cells which might be released into the circulation or might be activated in their organ-resident state. A variety of stimuli such as metabolic, mechanical, and hormonal stimuli might by responsible for the mobilization. This study was done to know the changes in hematopoietic stem cells and endothelial progenitor in athletes in the 24 hours following 30 min of aerobic exercise. Methods: Ten healthy male's athlete's (age 20.7± 0.61 y) performed moderate running with 30 min at 80% of velocity of The IAT. Blood samples taken pre-, and immediately, 30 min, 2h, 6h and 24h post-exercise were analyzed for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs ), endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs(, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), nitric oxide (NO), lactic acid (LA), and white blood cells . HSCs and EPCs were quantified by flow cytometry. Results: After 30min of aerobic exercise significant increases in HSCs, EPC, VEGF, NO, LA and WBCs (p ˂ 0.05). This increase will be at different rates according to the timing of taking blood sample and was in the maximum rate of increase after 30 min of aerobic exercise. HSCs, EPC, NO and WBCs were in the maximum rate of increase 2h post exercise. In addition, VEGF was in the maximum rate of increase immediately post exercise and LA concentration not affected after exercise. Conclusion: These data suggest that HSCs and EPCs increased after aerobic exercise due to increase of VEGF which play an important role in mobilization of stem cells and promotes NO increase which contributes to increase EPCs.

Keywords: physical activity, hematopoietic stem cells, mobilization, athletes

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Authors: A. Mohamed, A. El-Hamalawi, M. Frost, A. Connell

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Often design standards do not provide guidance or formulae for the calculation of stresses on buried pipelines caused by external loads. Frequently engineers rely on other methods and published sources of information to calculate such imposed stresses and a variety of methods can be used. This paper reviews three current approaches to soil pipeline interaction modelling to predict stresses on buried pipelines subjected to soil overburden and traffic loading. The traditional approach to use empirical stress formulas to calculate circumferential bending stresses on pipelines. The alternative approaches considered are the use of a finite element package to compute an estimate of circumferential bending stress and a proprietary stress analysis system (SURFLOAD) to estimate the circumferential bending stress. The results from analysis using the methods are presented and compared to experimental results in terms of predicted and measured circumferential stresses. This study shows that the approach used to assess externally generated stress is important and can lead to an over-conservative analysis. Using FE analysis either through SURFLOAD or a general FE package to predict circumferential stress is the most accurate way to undertake stress analysis due to traffic and soil loads. Although conservative, classical empirical methods will continue to be applied to the analysis of buried pipelines, an opportunity exists, therefore, in many circumstances, to use applied numerical techniques, made possible by advances in finite element analysis.

Keywords: buried pipelines, circumferential bending stress, finite element analysis, soil overburden, soil pipeline interaction analysis (SPIA), traffic loadings

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Authors: Dylber Qema

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Driven by recent developments in technology and the growing concern about the sustainability and environmental impact of conventional fuel use, the possibility of producing clean and sustainable energy in significant quantities from renewable energy sources has sparked interest all over the world. Solar energy is one of the sources for the generation of electricity, with no emissions or environmental pollution. The electricity produced by photovoltaics can supply a home or business and can even be sold or exchanged with the grid operator. A very positive effect of using photovoltaic modules is that they do not produce greenhouse gases and do not produce chemical waste, unlike all other forms of energy production. Photovoltaics are becoming one of the largest investments in the field of renewable generating units. Improving the reliability of the electric power system is one of the most important impacts of the installation of photovoltaics (PV). Renewable energy sources are so large that they can meet the energy demands of the whole world, thus enabling sustainable supply as well as reducing local and global atmospheric emissions. Albania is rated by experts as one of the most favorable countries in Europe for the production of electricity from solar panels. But the country currently produces about 1% of its energy from the sun, while the rest of the needs are met by hydropower plants and imports. Albania has very good characteristics in terms of solar radiation (about 1300–1400 kW/m2). Solar energy has great potential and is a permanent source of energy with greater economic efficiency. Photovoltaic energy is also seen as an alternative, as long periods of drought in Albania have produced crises and high costs for securing energy in the foreign market.

Keywords: capacity, ministry of tourism and environment, obstacles, photovoltaic energy, sustainable

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Authors: Xin Qi Dong, Melissa Simon

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Aims: Elder mistreatment and suicidal ideation are important public health concerns among aging populations. This study will examine the association between elder mistreatment and suicidal ideation among Chinese older adults in the USA. Methods: Guided by a community-based participatory research approach, in this study we conducted in-person interviews with Chinese older adults aged 60 years and older in the Greater Chicago area from 2011 to 2013. Elder mistreatment was assessed by a 10-item instrument derived from the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (H-S/EAST) and the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale (VASS). Suicidal ideation was assessed by the ninth item of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Geriatric Mental State Examination-Version A (GMS-A). Results: Overall, 3,159 Chinese older adults participated in this study, and their mean age was 72.8 years. After controlling for age, gender, education, income, medical comorbidities, depressive symptoms, and social support, elder mistreatment was significantly associated with 2-week suicidal ideation (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.52--4.01) and 12-month suicidal ideation (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.62--3.73). With respect to gender differences, the study found that the association remained significant for older women but not for older men after adjusting for all confounding factors. Conclusion: As the largest epidemiology study conducted among Chinese older adults in the USA, this study suggests that elder mistreatment is significantly associated with 2-week and 12-month suicidal ideation in older women but not in older men. Longitudinal studies should be conducted to explore the mechanisms through which elder mistreatment links with suicidal ideation.

Keywords: suicidal ideation, elder abuse, family violence, Asian health equity

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Authors: Jo Mitchell, Daniel Johnson

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MindMax is a digital community and learning platform built to maximise the wellbeing and resilience of AFL Players and Australian men. The MindMax application engages men, via their existing connection with sport and video games, in a range of wellbeing ideas, stories and actions, because we believe fit minds, kick goals. MindMax is an AFL Players Association led project, supported by a Movember Foundation grant, to improve the mental health of Australian males aged between 16-35 years. The key engagement and delivery strategy for the project was digital technology, sport (AFL) and video games, underpinned by evidenced based wellbeing science. The project commenced April 2015, and the expected completion date is March 2017. This paper describes the conceptual model underpinning product development, including progress, key learnings and challenges, as well as the research agenda. Evaluation of the MindMax project is a multi-pronged approach of qualitative and quantitative methods, including participatory design workshops, online reference groups, longitudinal survey methods, a naturalistic efficacy trial and evaluation of the social and economic return on investment. MindMax is focused on the wellness pathway and maximising our mind's capacity for fitness by sharing and promoting evidence-based actions that support this. A range of these ideas (from ACT, mindfulness and positive psychology) are already being implemented in AFL programs and services, mostly in face-to-face formats, with strong engagement by players. Player's experience features strongly as part of the product content. Wellbeing science is a discipline of psychology that explores what helps individuals and communities to flourish in life. Rather than ask questions about illness and poor functioning, wellbeing scientists and practitioners ask questions about wellness and optimal functioning. While illness and wellness are related, they operate as separate constructs and as such can be influenced through different pathways. The essential idea was to take the evidence-based wellbeing science around building psychological fitness to the places and spaces that men already frequent, namely sport and video games. There are 800 current senior AFL players, 5000+ past players, and 11 million boys and men that are interested in the lives of AFL Players; what they think and do to be their best both on and off field. AFL Players are also keen video gamers – using games as one way to de-stress, connect and build wellbeing. There are 9.5 million active gamers in Australia with 93% of households having a device for playing games. Video games in MindMax will be used as an engagement and learning tool. Gamers (including AFL players) can also share their personal experience of how games help build their mental fitness. Currently available games (i.e., we are not in the game creation business) will also be used to motivate and connect MindMax participants. The MindMax model is built with replication by other sport codes (e.g., Cricket) in mind. It is intended to not only support our current crop of athletes but also the community that surrounds them, so they can maximise their capacity for health and wellbeing.

Keywords: Australian football league, digital application, positive psychology, wellbeing

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Authors: Lopamudra Bakshi Basu

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Transport is one of the most important characteristic features of Indian cities. The physical and societal requirements determine the selection of a particular transport system along with the uniqueness of road networks. Kolkata has a mixed traffic of which Paratransit system plays a crucial role. It is an indispensable transport system in Kolkata mainly because of its size and service flexibility which has led to a unique network character. The paratransit system, mainly the autorickshaws, is the most favoured mode of transport in the city. Its fast movement and comfortability make it a vital transport system of the city. Since the inception of the autorickshaws in Kolkata in 1981, this mode has gained popularity and presently serves nearly 80 to 90 percent of the total passenger trips. This employment generating mode of transport has increased its number rapidly affecting the city’s traffic. Minimal check on their growth by the authority has led to traffic snarls along many streets of Kolkata. Indiscipline behavior, violation of traffic rules and rash driving make situations even worse. The rise in the number and increasing popularity of the autorickshaws make it an interesting study area. Autorickshaws as a paratransit mode play its role as a leader or a follower. However, it is informal in its planning and operations, which makes it a problem area for the city. The entire research work deals with the growth and expansion of the number of vehicles and the routes within the city. The development of transport system has been interesting in the city, which has been studied. The growth of the paratransit modes in the city has been rapid. The network pattern of the paratransit mode within Kolkata has been analysed.

Keywords: growth, informal, network characteristics, paratransit, service flexibility

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Authors: Aleksandra Kondraciuk

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The reconstruction of post-war architecture in Warsaw is an important and complex project that requires physical restoration and cultural preservation. The incorporation of 18th-century art within the renovated structures of the urban area forms a crucial aspect of the reconstruction procedure. Information was gathered by interviewing current residents, examining additional data, and researching archival materials. This form of art was once a thriving cultural centre in Warsaw, playing a significant role in its history. Adding it to the rebuilt structures links them to the city’s vibrant past, making them more meaningful for locals and visitors. The reconstructed buildings showcase 18th-century art forms, including sketches, drawings, and paintings, accurately replicating the original buildings’ architectural details and decorative elements. These art forms elevate the buildings from mere functional spaces to works of art themselves, thus augmenting the beauty and distinctiveness of the city, setting it apart from other cities worldwide. Furthermore, this art form symbolises the city’s tenacity in adversity and destruction. Revitalising Warsaw requires rebuilding its physical structures, restoring its cultural identity, and preserving its rich history. Incorporating 18th-century art into the post-war architectural reconstruction process is a powerful way to achieve these goals and maintain the city. This approach acknowledges the city’s history and cultural significance, fostering a sense of continuity between the past and present, which is crucial for the city’s future growth and prosperity.

Keywords: 18th-century art, building reconstruction, cultural preservation, post-war architecture

Procedia PDF Downloads 63

Authors: Nasim Hossein Hamzeh, Abbas Ranjbar Saadat Abadi, Maggie Chel Gee Ooi, Steven Soon-Kai Kong, Christian Opp

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Dust storm is one of the most important natural disasters in the world, where the Middle East suffers frequently due to the existence of the dust belt region. As a country in the Middle East, Iran mostly is affected by the dust storms from some internal and also external dust sources, mostly originating from deserts in Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. In this study, some severe Shamal dust storms were investigated in Southwest Iran. The measured 〖PM〗_10 reached up to 834 μg m-3 in some stations in west Iran and Iran-Iraq borders, while the measured 〖PM〗_10 reached up to 4947 μg m-3 SW stations in northern shores of the Persian Gulf. During these severe dust storms, a low-level jet was observed at 930hPa atmospheric level in north Iraq and south Iraq. the jet core and its width were about 16 ms-1 and 100 km, respectively, in the cases where it is located in the NW regions of Iraq and northeastern Syria (at 35°N and 40-41°E), So the jet was stronger at higher latitudes (34°N - 35°N) than at lower latitudes (32°N). Therefore, suitable conditions have been created for lifting of dust sources located in northwestern Iraq and northeastern Syria. The topography surrounding the Mesopotamia and north of the Persian Gulf play a major role in the development of the Low-Level Jet through the interaction of meteorological conditions and mountain forcing. Also, the output of CALIPSO satellite images show dust rising to higher than 5 km in these dust cases, that confirming the influence of Shamal wind on the dust storm occurrence.

Keywords: dust storm, shamal wind, the persian gulf, southwest Iran

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Authors: Konstantinos Sotiriadis, Michael Tupý, Nikol Žižková, Vít Petránek

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The acid attack on cement mortars modified with rubber aggregates and EVA polymer binder was studied. Mortar specimens were prepared using a type CEM I 42.5 Portland cement and siliceous sand, as well as by substituting 25% of sand with shredded used automobile tires, and by adding EVA polymer in two percentages (5% and 10% of cement mass). Some specimens were only air cured, at laboratory conditions, and their compressive strength and water absorption were determined. The rest specimens were stored in acid solutions (HCl, H2SO4, HNO3) after 28 days of initial curing, and stored at laboratory temperature. Compressive strength tests, mass measurements and visual inspection took place for 28 days. Compressive strength and water absorption of the air-cured specimens were significantly decreased when rubber aggregates are used. The addition of EVA polymer further reduced water absorption, while had no important impact on strength. Compressive strength values were affected in a greater extent by hydrochloric acid solution, followed by sulfate and nitric acid solutions. The addition of EVA polymer decreased compressive strength loss for the specimens with rubber aggregates stored in hydrochloric and nitric acid solutions. The specimens without polymer binder showed similar mass loss, which was higher in sulfate acid solution followed by hydrochloric and nitric acid solutions. The use of EVA polymer delayed mass loss, while its content did not affect it significantly.

Keywords: acid attack, mortar, EVA polymer, rubber aggregates

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Authors: Marsha R. Lawrence

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Introduction: In February and March of 2020, many Black Americans in Albany, Georgia, were impacted by COVID-19 compared to the rest of the country. Due to misinformation and distrust in the community, citizens were not able to make good health decisions regarding COVID-19. The city of Albany applied for a grant with the Department of Health and Human Services, specifically the Office of Minority Health and it was approved. The city of Albany partnered with Albany State University to administer the grant and implementation ensued. Method: An eleven-page electronic and paper cross-sectional survey was given to participants. Albany State University recruited community partners like health care organizations and faith-based organizations to reach the citizens of Albany, Georgia. These partners reached participants through creative community activities to educate participants about COVID-19 and provide incentives to receive a vaccine. Data collection is still in progress because activities are ongoing. Anticipated Results: By December 2023, we anticipate results of the number of participants who accepted vaccines based on participants who stated providers checked their understanding, participants who were satisfied with communication regarding COVID-19 health information about the vaccine, and participants who were involved in decisions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion: Health communication is a subsection of health literacy. At this point, approximately 4000 individuals have received information and education about COVID-19 in the Albany area. We expect building trusting relationships played an important part in the increase in knowledge and vaccination in Albany, Georgia.

Keywords: health literacy, health communication, vaccination, COVID-19

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Authors: Abimbola M. Enitan, Josiah Adeyemo, Sheena Kumari, Feroz M. Swalaha, Faizal Bux

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With the competing demand on water resources and water reuse, discharge of industrial effluents into the aquatic environment has become an important issue. Much attention has been placed on the impact of industrial wastewater on water bodies worldwide due to the accumulation of organic and inorganic matter in the receiving water bodies. The scope of the present work is to assess the physic-chemical composition of the wastewater produced from one of the brewery industry in South Africa. This is to estimate the environmental impact of its discharge into the receiving water bodies or the municipal treatment plant. The parameters monitored for the quantitative analysis of brewery wastewater include biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, ammonia, total oxidized nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, phosphorus, and alkalinity content. In average, the COD concentration of the brewery effluent was 5340.97 mg/l with average pH values of 4.0 to 6.7. The BOD and the solids content of the wastewater from the brewery industry were high. This means that the effluent is very rich in organic content and its discharge into the water bodies or the municipal treatment plant could cause environmental pollution or damage the treatment plant. In addition, there were variations in the wastewater composition throughout the monitoring period. This might be as a result of different activities that take place during the production process, as well as the effects of the peak period of beer production on the water usage.

Keywords: Brewery wastewater, environmental pollution, industrial effluents, physic-chemical composition

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Authors: Hiroaki Fukuda

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This paper shows a concurrent development process for modern web application, called Rich Internet Application (RIA), and describes its effect using a non-trivial application development. In the last years, RIAs such as Ajax and Flex have become popular based mainly on high-speed network. RIA provides sophisticated interfaces and user experiences, therefore, the development of RIA requires two kinds of engineer: a developer who implements business logic, and a designer who designs interface and experiences. Although collaborative works are becoming important for the development of RIAs, shared resources such as source code make it difficult. For example, if a design of interface is modified after developers have finished business logic implementations, they need to repeat the same implementations, and also tests to verify application’s behavior. MVC architecture and Object-oriented programming (OOP) enables to dividing an application into modules such as interfaces and logic, however, developers and/or designers have to write pieces of code (e.g., event handlers) that make these modules work as an application. On the other hand, Aspect-oriented programming (AOP) is ex- pected to solve complexity of application software development nowadays. AOP provides methods to separate crosscutting concerns that are scattered pieces of code from primary concerns. In this paper, we provide a concurrent development process for RIAs by introducing AOP concept. This process makes it possible to reduce shared resources between developers and designers, therefore they can perform their tasks concurrently. In addition, we describe experiences of development for a practical application using our proposed development process to show its availability.

Keywords: aspect-oriented programming, concurrent, development process, rich internet application

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Authors: Sharifah I. N. A. Syed Azmi, Nazarina Mohd Nasir

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The Billing & Customer Relationship Management (BCRM) project is an important enabler towards realizing customer experience transformation. It involves technological shifts for future scalability, revision of multiple business processes and adoption of change by the users and impacted employees. This massive transition, if not managed properly, may result in the decline of business performance due to productivity drop. Organizational change management is an essential element in BCRM project implementation to ensure the system is well understood and embraced by all stakeholders. In order to move impacted employees from unaware state or denial mode to full-acceptance mindset and committing themselves in using the new system, their involvement in the whole change process starting from the initial stage is imperative. Through the BCRM Change Management Plan, a holistic approach was taken whereby the strategy and program for five key components namely executive sponsorship, continuous communication, process change readiness, organizational readiness and individual readiness were all carefully established. Roles of the project sponsor, change agents, change ambassadors and community of practice (CoP) were clearly defined in gaining high commitment and support across the entire organization. Continuous communication and engagement initiatives throughout project implementation have been carried out to reach all stakeholders. The business readiness was constantly monitored and assessed including effectiveness of end-user training, thorough review of process documentation and completion of roles realignment exercise.

Keywords: BCRM, change management, organizational change, transformation project

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Authors: Iman M. Mansour, Rania A. Zayed, Fadwa S. Abdel-Azim, Lamyaa H. Abdel-Latif

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Background and Objectives: The microenvironment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is suppressive for immune cells. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been recognized to play a role in helping leukemic cells to evade immunesurveillance. The mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are essential contributors in immunomodulation of the microenvironment as they can promote differentiation of Tregs via the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) pathway. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the expression of IDO in bone marrow derived MSCs and to study its correlation to percentage of Tregs. Methods: 37 adult bone marrow samples were cultured in appropriate culture medium to isolate MSCs. Successful harvest of MSCs was determined by plastic adherence, morphology and positive expression of CD271 and CD105; negative expression of CD34 and CD45 using flowcytometry. MSCs were examined for IDO expression by immunocytochemistry using anti-IDO monoclonal antibody. CD4+ CD25+ cells (Tregs) were measured in bone marrow samples by flowcytometry. Results: MSCs were successfully isolated from 20 of the 37 bone marrow samples cultured. MSCs showed higher expression of IDO and Tregs percentage was higher in AML patients compared to control subjects (p=0.002 and p<0.001 respectively). A positive correlation was found between IDO expression and Tregs percentage (p value=0.012, r=0.5). Conclusion: In this study, we revealed an association between high IDO expression in MSCs and elevated levels of Tregs which has an important role in the pathogenesis of AML, providing immunosuppressive microenvironment.

Keywords: acute myeloid leukemia, indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase, mesenchymal stem cells, T regulatory cells

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Authors: Timothy Francis Grant

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There are conflicting purposes at play with the design of sustainable packaging which include material reduction, recycling compatibility, use of secondary content and performance of the package in protecting and delivering the product. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is able to evaluate these different strategies against environmental metrics such as climate change, land and water use and marine litter pollution. However, LCA has traditionally been too time consuming and expensive to be used effectively in packaging design process. To make LCA practical for packaging technologist and designers a simplified tool is needed to make LCA possible for non-environmental specialists. The Packaging Quick Evaluation Tool (PIQET) is a web-based solution for undertaking LCA of new and existing packaging designs considering the global supply chain and impacts from cradle to grave. PIQET is based on a pre-calculated LCA database covering the materials and processes involved in the packaging lifecycle from cradle to grave. This includes both virgin materials and recycled content, conversion of materials into packaging, and the transportation of packaging to the product filling. In addition, PIQET assesses the impacts once the package is filled looking at storage, transport and product loss through the supply chain. When applied to consumer packaging light weight packages which are note recyclable have lower impacts than more recyclable packages which have a higher mass. Its also apparent that for many products the impacts of product failure and product loss are more important environmentally compared to packaging material efficiency.

Keywords: Climate change, Life Cycle Assessment, Marine litter, Packaging sustainability

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Authors: F. Bellali, M. Kharroubi, M. Loutfi, N.Bourhim

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In Morocco, fish processing industry is an important source income for a large amount of byproducts including skins, bones, heads, guts and scales. Those underutilized resources particularly scales contain a large amount of proteins and calcium. Scales from Sardina plichardus resulting from the transformation operation have the potential to be used as raw material for the collagen production. Taking into account this strong expectation of the regional fish industry, scales sardine upgrading is well justified. In addition, political and societal demands for sustainability and environment-friendly industrial production systems, coupled with the depletion of fish resources, drive this trend forward. Therefore, fish scale used as a potential source to isolate collagen has a wide large of applications in food, cosmetic and bio medical industry. The main aim of this study is to isolate and characterize the acid solubilize collagen from sardine fish scale, Sardina pilchardus. Experimental design methodology was adopted in collagen processing for extracting optimization. The first stage of this work is to investigate the optimization conditions of the sardine scale deproteinization on using response surface methodology (RSM). The second part focus on the demineralization with HCl solution or EDTA. Moreover, the last one is to establish the optimum condition for the isolation of collagen from fish scale by solvent extraction. The basic principle of RSM is to determinate model equations that describe interrelations between the independent variables and the dependent variables.

Keywords: Sardina pilchardus, scales, valorization, collagen extraction, response surface methodology

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Authors: Sinem Yıldırım, Çimen Özburak, Özge Özden

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Cities are facing a growing environmental issue as a result of the combined effect of urbanization and climate change. Climate change is the most conspicuousimpact on environmental issues. Nowadays, energy conservation is a very important subject for planners. It is known that green roofs can provide environmental benefits, which include building insulation and mitigating urban heat island effect within the cities. Some of the studies shown that green roofs regulate roof temperature and they have an effect on indoor temperatures of buildings. This research looks at the experimental investigation of different type green roof vegetation with control of no vegetation and their effect on indoor temperatures. The research has been carried out at Near East University Campus with the duration of four months in Nicosia, Cyprus. The experiment was consisting of four green roof types; three of them covered with vegetation, and one of them was not vegetated for control of the experiment. Each hut had 2.7 m2 roof areas, and the soil depth was 8 cm. Mediterranean climate drought resistant ground covers and shrubs were planted on the roof of the three huts. Three different vegetation type was used: 1-Low growing ground cover succulents 2-Mixture of low growing succulents and low shrubs 3-Mixture of low growing succulents, low shrubs, and high growing foliage plantsElitech RC-5 temperature data loggers were used in order to measure indoor temperatures of the huts. Research results were shown that the hut with a highly vegetated roof had the lowest temperatures during hot summer period in Cyprus.

Keywords: green roofs, indoor temperature, vegetation, mediterranean, cyprus

Procedia PDF Downloads 195

Authors: Akram Sadat Jafari Roodbandi, Parisa Kahani, Fatollah Rahimi Bafrani, Ali Dehghan, Nava Seyedi, Vafa Feyzi, Zohreh Forozanfar

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Introduction: Movement function is considered as the ability to produce and maintain balance, stability, and movement throughout the movement chain. Having a score of 14 and above on 7 sub-tests in the functional movement screening (FMS) test shows agility and optimal movement performance. On the other hand, the person's body is an important factor in physical fitness and optimal movement performance. The aim of this study was to identify effective anthropometric dimensions in increasing motor function. Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study using simple random sampling. FMS test and 25 anthropometric dimensions and subcutaneous in five body regions measured in 139 healthy students of Bam University of Medical Sciences. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software and univariate tests and linear regressions at a significance level of 0.05. Results: 139 students were enrolled in the study, 51.1% (71 subjects) and the rest were female. The mean and standard deviation of age, weight, height, and arm subcutaneous fat were 21.5 ± 1.45, 12.6 ± 64.3, 168.7 ± 9.8, 15.3 ± 7, respectively. 17 subjects (12.2%) of the participants in the study have a score of less than 14, and the rest were above 14. Using regression analysis, it was found that exercise and arm subcutaneous fat are predictive variables associated with obtaining a high score in the FMS test. Conclusion: Exercise and weight loss are effective factors for increasing the movement performance of individuals, and this factor is independent of the size of other physical dimensions.

Keywords: functional movement, screening test, anthropometry, ergonomics

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Authors: Antonietta Maoloni, Federica Cardinali, Vesna Milanović, Andrea Osimani, Ilario Ferrocino, Maria Rita Corvaglia, Luca Cocolin, Lucia Aquilanti

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Table olives (Olea europaea L.) are among the most important fermented vegetables all over the world, while sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) is an emerging food crop with interesting nutritional and sensory traits. Both of them are characterized by the presence of several bioactive compounds with potential beneficial health effects, thus representing two valuable substrates for the manufacture of innovative vegetable-based preserves. Given these premises, the present study was aimed at exploring the co-fermentation of table olives and sea fennel to produce new high-value preserves. Spanish style or Greek style processing method and the use of a multiple strain starter were explored. The preserves were evaluated for their microbial dynamics and key sensory traits. During the fermentation, a progressive pH reduction was observed. Mesophilic lactobacilli, mesophilic lactococci, and yeasts were the main microbial groups at the end of the fermentation, whereas Enterobacteriaceae decreased during fermentation. An evolution of the microbiota was revealed by metataxonomic analysis, with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum dominating in the late stage of fermentation, irrespective of processing method and use of the starter. Greek style preserves resulted in more crunchy and less fibrous than Spanish style one and were preferred by trained panelists.

Keywords: lactic acid bacteria, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, metataxonomy, panel test, rock samphire

Procedia PDF Downloads 122

Authors: Chen Zhang, Nan Chen

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High-dimensional process monitoring becomes increasingly important in many application domains, where usually the process distribution is unknown and much more complicated than the normal distribution, and the between-stream correlation can not be neglected. However, since the process dimension is generally much bigger than the reference sample size, most traditional nonparametric multivariate control charts fail in high-dimensional cases due to the curse of dimensionality. Furthermore, when the process goes out of control, the influenced variables are quite sparse compared with the whole dimension, which increases the detection difficulty. Targeting at these issues, this paper proposes a new nonparametric monitoring scheme for high-dimensional processes. This scheme first projects the high-dimensional process into several subprocesses using random projections for dimension reduction. Then, for every subprocess with the dimension much smaller than the reference sample size, a local nonparametric control chart is constructed based on the spatial rank test to detect changes in this subprocess. Finally, the results of all the local charts are fused together for decision. Furthermore, after an out-of-control (OC) alarm is triggered, a diagnostic framework is proposed. using the square-root LASSO. Numerical studies demonstrate that the chart has satisfactory detection power for sparse OC changes and robust performance for non-normally distributed data, The diagnostic framework is also effective to identify truly changed variables. Finally, a real-data example is presented to demonstrate the application of the proposed method.

Keywords: random projection, high-dimensional process control, spatial rank, sequential change detection

Procedia PDF Downloads 289

Authors: Tamar Lazariashvili

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There are a number of factors that determine the growth and development of the country's economy; however, trade and economic relations with other countries are the most important of all these factors. The paper analyzes the trade and economic relations between Georgia and Germany, identifies the impediments caused by the Covid pandemic, and substantiates the need for further economic cooperation between the countries. Research objectives. The objective of the research is to develop recommendations and reveal the prospects of further cooperation between Georgia and Germany based on identifying the problems in the field of trade and economy in the post-crisis situation. The research object is Georgian German economic relations. Germany is Georgia's largest trading partner in the European Union. Georgia and Germany actively cooperate within the framework of international organizations as well. The paper analyzes the multilateral and intensive economic relations between Germany and Georgia; evaluates the investments of German companies in Georgia and the activities of Georgian companies in Germany. Research methods. The paper uses general and specific research methods; in particular, analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, comparison, statistical (selection, grouping, observation, trend), and other research methods.SWOT analysis is used to determine development opportunities between countries. As a result of the research economic ranking of Georgia and Germany are determined according to the above criteria, the causes of the impediments due to the pandemic are studied; the main problems in the field of trade and economy are identified. The paper provides conclusions on the problems in the trade relations between Georgia and Germany and suggests recommendations regarding the prospects for improving these relations.

Keywords: georgia-germany, trade and economic relations, economic ranking, perspective directions

Procedia PDF Downloads 151

Authors: RuiJin Zhang, HengJiang Cai, JinSong Gui

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It takes Patinopecten yessoensis larvae more than 20 days from spawning to settlement. Due to the natural environmental factors such as current, Patinopecten yessoensis larvae are transported to a distance more than hundreds of kilometers, leading to a high instability of their spatial and temporal distribution and great difficulties in the natural spat collection. Therefore predicting the distribution is of great significance to improve the operating efficiency of the collecting. Hydrodynamic model of Northern China Yellow Sea was established and the motions equations of physical oceanography and verified by the tidal harmonic constants and the measured data velocities of Dalian Bay. According to the passivity drift characteristics of the larvae, combined with the hydrodynamic model and the particle tracking model, the spatial and temporal distribution prediction model was established and the spatial and temporal distribution of the larvae under the influence of flow and wind were simulated. It can be concluded from the model results: ocean currents have greatest impacts on the passive drift path and diffusion of Patinopecten yessoensis larvae; the impact of wind is also important, which changed the direction and speed of the drift. Patinopecten yessoensis larvae were generated in the sea along Zhangzi Island and Guanglu-Dachangshan Island, but after two months, with the impact of wind and currents, the larvae appeared in the west of Dalian and the southern of Lvshun, and even in Bohai Bay. The model results are consistent with the relevant literature on qualitative analysis, and this conclusion explains where the larvae come from in the perspective of numerical simulation.

Keywords: numerical simulation, Patinopecten yessoensis larvae, predicting model, spatial and temporal distribution

Procedia PDF Downloads 297

Authors: Yoshinori Wakatake

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Many defects after the release of software packages are caused due to omissions of sufficient test items in test specifications. Poor test specifications are detected by manual review, which imposes a high human load. The prevention of omissions depends on the end-user awareness of test specification writers. If test specifications were written while envisioning the behavior of end-users, the number of omissions in test items would be greatly reduced. The paper pays attention to the point that writers who can achieve it differ from those who cannot in not only the description richness but also their gaze information. It proposes a method to estimate the degree of user-awareness of writers through the analysis of their gaze information when writing test specifications. We conduct an experiment to obtain the gaze information of a writer of the test specifications. Test specifications are automatically classified using gaze information. In this method, a Random Forest model is constructed for the classification. The classification is highly accurate. By looking at the explanatory variables which turn out to be important variables, we know behavioral features to distinguish test specifications of high quality from others. It is confirmed they are pupil diameter size and the number and the duration of blinks. The paper also investigates test specifications automatically classified with gaze information to discuss features in their writing ways in each quality level. The proposed method enables us to automatically classify test specifications. It also prevents test item omissions, because it reveals writing features that test specifications of high quality should satisfy.

Keywords: blink, eye tracking, gaze information, pupil diameter, quality improvement, specification document, user-awareness

Procedia PDF Downloads 56

Authors: E. Soboleva, E. Sergachyova, S. G. Davydenko, T. V. Meledina

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Problem of food preservation is extremely important for mankind. Viscous damage ("illness") of bread results from development of Bacillus spp. bacteria. High temperature resistant spores of this microorganism are steady against 120°C) and remain in bread during pastries, potentially causing spoilage of the final product. Scientists are interested in further characterization of bread spoiling Bacillus spp. species. Our aim was to find weather yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that are able to produce natural antimicrobial killer factor can preserve bread illness. By diffusion method, we showed yeast antagonistic activity against spore-forming bacteria. Experimental technological parameters were the same as for bakers' yeasts production on the industrial scale. Risograph test during dough fermentation demonstrated gas production. The major finding of the study was a clear indication of the presence of killer yeast strain antagonistic activity against rope in bread causing bacteria. After demonstrating antagonistic effect of S. cerevisiae on bacteria using solid nutrient medium, we tested baked bread under provocative conditions. We also measured formation of carbon dioxide in the dough, dough-making duration and quality of the final products, when using different strains of S. cerevisiae. It is determined that the use of yeast S. cerevisiae RCAM 01730 killer strain inhibits appearance of rope in bread. Thus, natural yeast antimicrobial killer toxin, produced by some S. cerevisiae strains is an anti-rope in bread protector.

Keywords: bakers' yeasts, killer toxin, rope in bread, Saccharomyces cerevisiæ

Procedia PDF Downloads 227

Authors: Walaa Mohammed Saeed

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Studies suggest a crosstalk between bone and metabolism through Osteocalcin (OC), a bone-derived protein that plays an important role in regulating glucose and fat metabolism. Studies relate type II Diabetes Mellitus (DMII) with Homocysteine (Hcy) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study investigates the relationship between levels of OC, Hcy, and DMII in 85 subjects of which 50 were diabetic female patients (29–65 years) and 35 healthy controls. OC and Hcy levels were measured in fasting blood samples using immunoassay analyzer. Fasting serum glucose, glycated hemoglobin, lipid profile, were estimated by automated Siemens Dimension XP auto-analyzer. A significant increase in the frequency of low OC levels (p < 0.001) and high Hcy levels (p < 0.001) was detected in diabetic patients compared to controls (chi-squared test). Using ANOVA test, patients were divided into tertiles based on plasma OC and Hcy levels; fasting serum glucose varied inversely with OC but directly with Hcy tertiles (p=0.049, p=0.033 respectively). Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP=Log TG/HDL) predicts that diabetic patients with 36% high and 15% intermediate cardiovascular risk had increased frequency of low OC levels compared to low-risk patients (p=0.047). Another group of diabetic patients with 39% high and 11% intermediate CVD risk had increased frequency of high Hcy levels (p=0.033). A significant negative correlation existed between OC and glucose (r = -0.318; p = 0.035) while correlation between glucose level and Hcy (r = 0.851 p=0.022) was positive. Hence, low serum OC levels and high Hcy levels were associated with impaired glucose metabolism that may increase cardiovascular risk in DMII.

Keywords: osteocalcin, homocysteine, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular

Procedia PDF Downloads 144

Authors: Shuangxin Wu

Abstract:

Superalloy ultra-thin-walled components occupy a considerable proportion of aero engines and play an increasingly important role in structural weight reduction and performance improvement. To solve problems such as high deformation resistance and poor formability at room temperature, the introduction of pulse current in the processing process can improve the plasticity of metal materials, but the influence mechanism of pulse current on the forming limit of superalloy ultra-thin sheet is not clear, which is of great significance for determining the material processing window and improving the micro-forming process. The effect of pulse current on the microstructure evolution of superalloy thin plates was observed by optical microscopy (OM) and X-ray diffraction topography (XRT) by applying pulse current to GH3039 with a thickness of 0.2mm under plane strain and uniaxial tensile states. Compared with the specimen without pulse current applied at the same temperature, the internal void volume fraction is significantly reduced, reflecting the non-thermal effect of pulse current on the growth of micro-pores. ED (electrically deforming) specimens have larger and deeper dimples, but the elongation is not significantly improved because the pulse current promotes the void coalescence process, resulting in material fracture. The electro-plastic phenomenon is more obvious in the plane strain state, which is closely related to the effect of stress triaxial degree on the void evolution under pulsed current.

Keywords: pulse current, superalloy, ductile fracture, void damage

Procedia PDF Downloads 57