Search results for: severe plastic deformation technique

Authors: R. Ravisankar, Tholkappian A. Chandrasekaran, Y. Raghu, K. K. Satapathy, M. V. R. Prasad, K. V. Kanagasabapathy

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The coastal areas of Tamilnadu are assuming greater importance owing to increasing human population, urbanization and accelerated industrial activities. sIn the present study, sediment samples are collected along the east coast of Tamilnadu for assessment of heavy metal pollution. The concentration of 13 selected heavy metals such as Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni and Zn determined by Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) technique. In order to describe the pollution status, Contamination factor and pollution load index are calculated and reported. This result suggests that sources of metal contamination were mainly attributed to natural inputs from surrounding environments.

Keywords: sediments, heavy metals, EDXRF, pollution contamination factors

Procedia PDF Downloads 340

Authors: Priya Jaswal, Vivek, S. K. Sinha

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One of the most important and complicated factors influencing the functional performance of unpaved roads is traffic loading. The complexity of traffic loading is caused by the variable magnitude and frequency of load, which causes unpaved roads to fail prematurely. Unpaved roads are low-volume roads, and as peri-urbanization increases, unpaved roads act as a means to boost the rural economy. This has also increased traffic on unpaved roads, intensifying the issue of settlement, rutting, and fatigue failure. This is a major concern for unpaved roads built on poor subgrade soil, as excessive rutting caused by heavy loads can cause driver discomfort, vehicle damage, and an increase in maintenance costs. Some researchers discovered that when a consistent static load is exerted as opposed to a rapidly changing load, the rate of deformation of unpaved roads increases. Previously, some of the most common methods for overcoming the problem of rutting and fatigue failure included chemical stabilisation, fibre reinforcement, and so on. However, due to their high cost, engineers' attention has shifted to geotextiles which are used as reinforcement in unpaved roads. Geotextiles perform the function of filtration, lateral confinement of base material, vertical restraint of subgrade soil, and the tension membrane effect. The use of geotextiles in unpaved roads increases the strength of unpaved roads and is an economically viable method because it reduces the required aggregate thickness, which would need less earthwork, and is thus recommended for unpaved road applications. The majority of geotextiles used previously were polymeric, but with a growing awareness of sustainable development to preserve the environment, researchers' focus has shifted to natural fibres. Coir is one such natural fibre that possesses the advantage of having a higher tensile strength than other bast fibres, being eco-friendly, low in cost, and biodegradable. However, various researchers have discovered that the surface of coir fibre is covered with various impurities, voids, and cracks, which act as a plane of weakness and limit the potential application of coir geotextiles. To overcome this limitation, chemical surface modification of coir geotextiles is widely accepted by researchers because it improves the mechanical properties of coir geotextiles. The current paper reviews the effect of using treated coir geotextiles as reinforcement on the load-deformation behaviour of a two-layered unpaved road model.

Keywords: coir, geotextile, treated, unpaved

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Authors: Rakesh Kumar Soni

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Under free living conditions, human biological clocks show a periodicity of 24 hour for numerous physiological, behavioral and biochemical variables. However, this period is not the original period; rather it merely exhibits synchronization with the solar clock. It is, therefore, most important to investigate characteristics of human circadian clock, essentially in shift workers, who normally confront with contrasting social clocks. Aim of the present study was to investigate rest-activity rhythm and to vouch for the best technique for the computation of periods in this rhythm in subjects randomly selected from different groups of shift workers. The rest-activity rhythm was studied in forty-eight shift workers from three different organizations, namely Newspaper Printing Press (NPP), Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB) and Raipur Alloys (RA). Shift workers of NPP (N = 20) were working on a permanent night shift schedule (NS; 20:00-04:00). However, in CSEB (N = 14) and RA (N = 14), shift workers were working in a 3-shift system comprising of rotations from night (NS; 22:00-06:00) to afternoon (AS; 14:00-22:00) and to morning shift (MS; 06:00-14:00). Each subject wore an Actiwatch (AW64, Mini Mitter Co. Inc., USA) for 7 and/or 21 consecutive days, only after furnishing a certificate of consent. One-minute epoch length was chosen for the collection of wrist activity data. Period was determined by using Actiware sleep software (Periodogram), Lomb-Scargle Periodogram (LSP) and Spectral analysis software (Spectre). Other statistical techniques, such as ANOVA and Duncan’s multiple-range test were also used whenever required. A statistically significant circadian rhythm in rest-activity, gauged by cosinor, was documented in all shift workers, irrespective of shift work. Results indicate that the efficiency of the technique to determine the period (τ) depended upon the clipping limits of the τs. It appears that the technique of spectre is more reliable.

Keywords: biological clock, rest activity rhythm, spectre, periodogram

Procedia PDF Downloads 163

Authors: Ahmad Ali, Muhammad Imran Ghani, Haiyan Ding, Zhihui Cheng, Muhammad Iqbal

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Background and Aims: In recent years, protected cultivation trend, especially in the northern parts of China, spread dynamically where production area, structure, and crops diversity have expanded gradually under plastic greenhouse vegetable cropping (PGVC) system. Under this growing system, continuous monoculture with excessive synthetic fertilizers inputs are common cultivation practices frequently adopted by commercial producers. Such long-term cumulative wild exercise year after year sponsor the continuous cropping obstacles in PGVC soil, which have greatly threatened the regional soil eco-sustainability and further impose the continuous assault on soil ecological diversity leading to the exhaustion of agriculture productivity. The aim of this study was to develop new allelopathic insights by exploiting available biological resources in the favor of sustainable PGVC to illuminate the continuous obstacle factors in plastic greenhouse. Method: A greenhouse study was executed under plastic tunnel located at the Horticulture Experimental Station of the College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, one of the prominent regions for intensive commercial PGVC in China. Post-harvest garlic residues (stalk, leaves) mechanically smashed, homogenized into powder size and incorporated at the ratio of 1:100; 3:100; 5:100 as a soil amendment in a replanted soil that have been used for continuous cucumber monoculture for 7 years (annually double cropping system in a greenhouse). Results: Incorporated C-rich garlic stalk significantly influenced the soil condition through various ways; organic matter decomposition and mineralization, moderately adjusted the soil pH, enhanced the soil nutrient availability, increased enzymatic activities, and promoted 20% more cucumber yield in short-time. Using Illumina MiSeq sequencing analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal 18S rDNA genes, the current study revealed that addition of garlic stalk/residue could also improve the microbial abundance and community composition in extensively exploited soil, and contributed in soil functionality, caused prosper changes in soil characteristics, reinforced to good crop yield. Conclusion: Our study provided evidence that addition of garlic stalk as soil fertility amendment is a feasible, cost-effective and efficient resource utilization way for renovation of degraded soil health, ameliorate soil quality components and improve ecological environment in short duration. Our study may provide a better scientific understanding for efficient crop residue management typically from allelopathic source.

Keywords: garlic stalk, microbial community dynamics, plant growth, soil amendment, soil-plant system

Procedia PDF Downloads 138

Authors: J. O. Ajayi, S. S. Oluyamo, D. B. Agunbiade

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In this work, tin oxide thin films (SnO2) were prepared using the spin coating technique. The effects of precursor concentration on the thin film properties were investigated. Tin oxide was synthesized from anhydrous Tin (II) Chloride (SnCl2) dispersed in Methanol and Acetic acid. The metallic oxide (SnO2) films deposited were characterized using the UV Spectrophotometer and the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). From the absorption spectra, absorption increases with decrease in precursor concentration. Absorbance in the VIS region is lower than 0 % at higher concentration. The optical transmission spectrum shows that transmission increases as the concentration of precursor decreases and the maximum transmission in visible region is about 90% for films prepared with 0.2 M. Also, there is increase in the reflectance of thin films as concentration of precursor increases. The films have high transparency (more than 85%) and low reflectance (less than 40%) in the VIS region. Investigation showed that the direct band gap value increased from 3.79eV, to 3.82eV as the precursor concentration decreased from 0.6 M to 0.2 M. Average direct bandgap energy for all the tin oxide films was estimated to be 3.80eV. The effect of precursor concentration was directly observed in crystal outgrowth and surface particle densification. They were found to increase proportionately with higher concentration.

Keywords: anhydrous TIN (II) chloride, densification, NIS- VIS region, spin coating technique

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Authors: Aparna Gulhane

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Biometrics is the science and technology of measuring and analyzing biological data form the basis of research in biological measuring techniques for the purpose of people identification and recognition. In information technology, biometrics refers to technologies that measure and analyze human body characteristics, such as DNA, fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, voice patterns, facial patterns and hand measurements. Biometric systems are used to authenticate the person's identity. The idea is to use the special characteristics of a person to identify him. These papers present a biometric authentication techniques and actual deployment of potential by overall invocation of biometrics recognition, with an independent testing of various biometric authentication products and technology.

Keywords: types of biometrics, importance of biometric, review for biometrics and getting a new implementation, biometric authentication technique

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Authors: R. Kiš, M. Malcho, M. Janovcová

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This work aims to present a numerical analysis of the natural gas which flows through a high-pressure pipeline and an orifice plate, through the use of CFD methods. The paper contains CFD calculations for the flow of natural gas in a pipe with different geometry used for the orifice plates. One of them has a standard geometry and a shape without any deformation and the other is deformed by the action of the pressure differential. It shows the behaviour of natural gas in a pipeline using the velocity profiles and pressure fields of the gas in both models with their differences. The entire research is based on the elimination of any inaccuracy which should appear in the flow of the natural gas measured in the high-pressure pipelines of the gas industry and which is currently not given in the relevant standard.

Keywords: orifice plate, high-pressure pipeline, natural gas, CFD analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 385

Authors: Lormaine Anne Branzuela, Elysa Largo, Julie Marisol Pagalilauan, Neil Concibido, Monet Concepcion Detras

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Energy is a necessity both for the people and the country. The demand for energy is continually increasing, but the supply is not doing the same. The reopening of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) in the Philippines has been circulating in the media for the current time. The general public has been hesitant in accepting the inclusion of nuclear energy in the Philippine energy mix due to perceived unsafe conditions of the plant. This study evaluated the possible operations of a nuclear power plant, which is of the same type as the BNPP, considering the safety of the workers, the public, and the environment using a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) method. What-If Technique was utilized to identify the hazards and consequences on the operations of the plant, together with the level of risk it entails. Through the brainstorming sessions of the PHA team, it was found that the most critical system on the plant is the primary system. Possible leakages on pipes and equipment due to weakened seals and welds and blockages on coolant path due to fouling were the most common scenarios identified, which further caused the most critical scenario – radioactive leak through sump contamination, nuclear meltdown, and equipment damage and explosion which could result to multiple injuries and fatalities, and environmental impacts.

Keywords: process safety management, process hazard analysis, what-If technique, nuclear power plant

Procedia PDF Downloads 226

Authors: Heungsu Lee, Youngseok Kim, Jonghwa Yi, Chul Park

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A landing pier is subjected to safety assessment by visual inspection and design data, but it is difficult to check the damage in real-time. In this study, real - time damage detection and safety evaluation methods were studied. As a result of structural analysis of the arbitrary landing pier structure, the inflection point of deformation and moment occurred at 10%, 50%, and 90% of pile length. The critical value of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor was set according to the safety factor, and the FBG sensor application method for real - time safety evaluation was derived.

Keywords: FBG sensor, harbor structure, maintenance, safety evaluation system

Procedia PDF Downloads 220

Authors: Soulayma Smirani, Mourad Aidi, Taoufik Aguili

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Energy harvesting has arisen as a prominent research area for low power delivery to RF devices. Rectennas have become a key element in this technology. In this paper, electromagnetic modeling of a rectenna system is presented. In our approach, a hybrid technique was demonstrated to associate both the method of auxiliary sources (MAS) and MoM-GEC (the method of moments combined with the generalized equivalent circuit technique). Auxiliary sources were used in order to substitute specific electronic devices. Therefore, a simple and controllable model is obtained. Also, it can easily be interconnected to form different topologies of rectenna arrays for more energy harvesting. At last, simulation results show the feasibility and simplicity of the proposed rectenna model with high precision and computation efficiency.

Keywords: computational electromagnetics, MoM-GEC method, rectennas, RF energy harvesting

Procedia PDF Downloads 173

Authors: M. Budakoglu, M. Karaman, A. Abdelnasser, M. Kumral

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The spatial interpolation and spatial correlation of the rare earth elements (REE) of lake surface sediments of Lake Acıgöl and its surrounding lithological units is carried out by using GIS techniques like Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) techniques. IDW technique which makes the spatial interpolation shows that the lithological units like Hayrettin Formation at north of Lake Acigol have high REE contents than lake sediments as well as ∑LREE and ∑HREE contents. However, Eu/Eu* values (based on chondrite-normalized REE pattern) show high value in some lake surface sediments than in lithological units and that refers to negative Eu-anomaly. Also, the spatial interpolation of the V/Cr ratio indicated that Acıgöl lithological units and lake sediments deposited in in oxic and dysoxic conditions. But, the spatial correlation is carried out by GWR technique. This technique shows high spatial correlation coefficient between ∑LREE and ∑HREE which is higher in the lithological units (Hayrettin Formation and Cameli Formation) than in the other lithological units and lake surface sediments. Also, the matching between REEs and Sc and Al refers to REE abundances of Lake Acıgöl sediments weathered from local bedrock around the lake.

Keywords: spatial geochemical modeling, IDW, GWR techniques, REE, lake sediments, Lake Acıgöl, Turkey

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Authors: Abdulrahman Aljabri, Essam R. I. Mahmoud, Hamad Almohamedi, Zhengyi Jiang

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Cold rolled thin strip has received intensive attention through technological and theoretical progress in the rolling process, as well as researchers have focused on its control during rolling as an essential parameter for producing thinner strip with good shape and profile. An advanced approach has been proposed to analysis the thin strip profile in cold rolling of pair roll crossing and shifting mill using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with an ALE technique. The ALE (Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian) techniques to enable more flexibility of the ALE technique in the adjustment of the finite element mesh, which provides a significant tool for simulating the thin strip under realistic rolling process constraint and provide accurate model results. The FEA can provide theoretical basis for the 3D model of controlling the strip shape and profile in thin strip rolling, and deliver an optimal rolling process parameter, and suggest corrective changes during cold rolling of thin strip.

Keywords: pair roll crossing, work roll shifting, strip shape and profile, finite element modeling

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Authors: Weitao Lin

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To quickly extract adequate information from large-scale unstructured text data, this paper studies the representation of events in Chinese scenarios and performs the regularized abstraction. It proposes a Chinese event detection technique based on dependency parsing and rule matching. The method first performs dependency parsing on the original utterance, then performs pattern matching at the word or phrase granularity based on the results of dependent syntactic analysis, filters out the utterances with prominent non-event characteristics, and obtains the final results. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the method.

Keywords: natural language processing, Chinese event detection, rules matching, dependency parsing

Procedia PDF Downloads 141

Authors: Farnia Nayar Parshi, Mohammad Shariful Islam

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Though earth construction is an ancient technology, researchers are working on increasing its strength by adding different types of stabilizers. Ordinary Portland cement for sandy soil and lime for clayey soil is very popular practice as well as recommended by various authorities for making stabilized blocks for satisfactory performance. The addition of these additives improves compressive strength but fails to improve ductility. The addition of both synthetic and natural fibers increases both compressive strength and ductility. Studies are conducted to make earth blocks more cost-effective, energy-efficient and sustainable. In this experiment, an agricultural waste banana fiber and biochar is used to study the compressive stress-strain behavior of earth blocks made with four types of soil low plastic clay, sandy low plastic clay, very fine sand and medium to fine sand. Biochar is a charcoal-like carbon usually produced from organic or agricultural waste in high temperatures through a controlled condition called pyrolysis. In this experimental study, biochar was collected from BBI (Bangladesh Biochar Initiative) produced from wood flakes around 400 deg. Celsius. Locally available PPC (Portland Pozzolana Cement) is used. 5 cm × 5 cm × 5 cm earth blocks were made with eight different combinations such as bare soil, soil with 6% cement, soil with 6% cement and 5% biochar, soil with 6% cement, 5% biochar and 1% fiber, soil with 1% fiber, soil with 5% biochar and 1% fiber and soil with 6% cement and 1% fiber. All samples were prepared with 10-12% water content. Uniaxial compressive strength tests were conducted on 21 days old earth blocks. Stress-strain diagram shows that the addition of banana fiber improved compressive strength drastically, but the combined effect of fiber and biochar is different based on different soil types. For clayey soil, 6% cement and 1% fiber give maximum compressive strength of 991 kPa, and for very fine sand, a combination of 5% biochar, 6% cement and 1% fiber gives maximum compressive strength of 522 kPa as well as ductility. For medium-to-find sand, 6% cement and 1% fiber give the best result, 1530 kPa, among other combinations. The addition of fiber increases not only ductility but also compressive strength as well. The effect of biochar with fiber varies with the soil type.

Keywords: banana fiber, biochar, cement, compressed stabilized earth blocks, compressive strength

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Authors: Zahra Khodaee

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Environmental Justice (EJ) concept consists of multifaceted movements, community struggles, and discourses in contemporary societies that seek to reduce environmental risks, increase environmental protections, and generally reduce environmental inequalities suffered by minority and poor communities; a term that incorporates ‘environmental racism’ and ‘environmental classism,’ captures the idea that different racial and socioeconomic groups experience differential access to environmental quality. This article explores environmental justice as an urban phenomenon in urban planning and applies it in peri-urban environment of a metropolis. Tehran peri-urban environments which are the result of meeting the city- village- nature systems or «city-village junction» have gradually faced effects such as accelerated environmental decline, changes without land-use plan, and severe service deficiencies. These problems are instances of environmental injustice which make the planners to adjust the problems and use and apply the appropriate strategies and policies by looking for solutions and resorting to theories, techniques and methods related to environmental justice. In order to access to this goal, try to define environmental justice through justice and determining environmental justice indices to analysis environmental injustice in case study. Then, make an effort to introduce some criteria to select case study in two micro and micro levels. Qiyamdasht town as the peri-urban environment of Tehran metropolis is chosen and examined to show the existence of environmental injustice by questionnaire analysis and SPSS software. Finally, use AIDA technique to design a strategic plan and reduce environmental injustice in case study by introducing the better scenario to be used in policy and decision making areas.

Keywords: environmental justice, metropolis of Tehran, Qiyam, Dasht peri, urban settlement, analysis of interconnected decision area (AIDA)

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Authors: Ramanpreet Kaur, Upasana Sharma

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The purpose of this paper is to address the challenges faced by MLDB system at the piston foundry plant due to interruption in supply of water. For the MLDB system to work in Model, two sub-units must be connected to the robotic main unit. The system cannot function without robotics and water supply by the fan (WSF). Insufficient water supply is the cause of system failure. The system operates at top performance using two sub-units. If one sub-unit fails, the system capacity is reduced. Priority of repair is given to the main unit i.e. Robotic and WSF. To solve the problem, semi-Markov process and regenerative point technique are used. Relevant graphs are also included to particular case.

Keywords: MLDB system, robotic, semi-Markov process, regenerative point technique

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Authors: Ali Etemadi, Claudia Fernanda Yasar

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Elevated water storage tank structures (EWSTs) are high elevated-ponderous structural systems and very vulnerable to seismic vibrations. In past earthquake events, many of these structures exhibit poor performance and experienced severe damage. The dynamic analysis of the EWSTs under earthquake loads is, therefore, of significant importance for the design of the structure and a key issue for the development of modern methods, such as active control design. In this study, a reduced model of the EWSTs is explained, which is based on a tuned mass damper model (TMD). Vibration analysis of a structure under seismic excitation is presented and then used to propose an active vibration controller. MATLAB/Simulink is employed for dynamic analysis of the system and control of the seismic response. A single degree of freedom (SDOF) and two degree of freedom (2DOF) models of ELSTs are going to be used to study the concept of active vibration control. Lab-scale experimental models similar to pendulum are applied to suppress vibrations in ELST under seismic excitation. One of the most important phenomena in liquid storage tanks is the oscillation of fluid due to the movements of the tank body because of its base motions during an earthquake. Simulation results illustrate that the EWSTs vibration can be reduced by means of an input shaping technique that takes into account the dominant mode shape of the structure. Simulations with which to guide many of our designs are presented in detail. A simple and effective real-time control for seismic vibration damping can be, therefore, design and built-in practice.

Keywords: elevated water storage tank, tuned mass damper model, real time control, shaping control, seismic vibration control, the laplace transform

Procedia PDF Downloads 152

Authors: Amro Matyori, Fatimah Sherbeny, Askal Ali, Olayiwola Popoola

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Objectives: The study evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on anxiety levels in the general population in the United States. Methods: The study used an online questionnaire. It adopted the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) instrument. It is a self-administered scale with seven items used as a screening tool and severity measure for generalized anxiety disorder. The participants rated the frequency of anxiety symptoms in the last two weeks on a Likert scale, which ranges from 0-3. Then the item points are summed to provide the total score. Results: Thirty-two participants completed the questionnaire. Among them, 24 (83%) females and 5 (17%) males. The age range of 18-24-year-old represented the most respondents. Only one of the participants tested positive for the COVID-19, and 39% of them, one of their family members, friends, or colleagues, tested positive for the coronavirus. Moreover, 10% have lost a family member, a close friend, or a colleague because of COVID-19. Among the respondents, there were ten who scored approximately five points on the GAD-7 scale, which indicates mild anxiety. Furthermore, eight participants scored 10 to 14 points, which put them under the category of moderate anxiety, and one individual who was categorized under severe anxiety scored 15 points. Conclusions: It is identified that most of the respondents scored the points that put them under the mild anxiety category during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also noticed that severe anxiety was the lowest among the participants, and people who tested positive and/or their family members, close friends, and colleagues were more likely to experience anxiety. Additionally, participants who lost friends or family members were also at high risk of anxiety. It is obvious the COVID-19 outcomes and too much thinking about the pandemic put people under stress which led to anxiety. Therefore, continuous assessment and monitoring of psychological outcomes during pandemics will help to establish early well-informed interventions.

Keywords: anxiety and covid-19, covid-19 and mental health outcomes, influence of covid-19 on anxiety, population and covid-19 impact on mental health

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Authors: Neha Farid

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Due to the abuse of antimicrobial medications in animal feed, the occurrence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens in foods is currently a growing public health concern on a global scale. MDR infections have the potential to penetrate the food chain by posing a serious risk to both consumers and animals. Food pathogens are those biological agents that have the tendency to cause pathogenicity in the host body upon ingestion. The major reservoirs of foodborne pathogens include food-producing fauna like cows, pigs, goats, sheep, deer, etc. The intestines of these animals are highly condensed with several different types of food pathogens. Bacterial food pathogens are the main cause of foodborne disease in humans; almost 66% of the reported cases of food illness in a year are caused by the infestation of bacterial food pathogens. When ingested, these pathogens reproduce and survive or form different kinds of toxins inside host cells causing severe infections. The genus Listeria consists of gram-positive, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria. The disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes is listeriosis or gastroenteritis, which induces fever, vomiting, and severe diarrhea in the affected body. Campylobacter jejuni is a gram-negative, curved-rod-shaped bacteria causing foodborne illness. The major source of Campylobacter jejuni is livestock and poultry; particularly, chicken is highly colonized with Campylobacter jejuni. Serious public health concerns include the widespread growth of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and the slowing in the discovery of new classes of medicines. The objective of this study is to provide some potential antibacterial activities with certain broad-range antibiotics and our desired bacteriocins, i.e., Enterococcus faecium from specific strains preventing microbial contamination pathways in order to safeguard the food by lowering food deterioration, contamination, and foodborne illnesses. The food pathogens were isolated from various sources of dairy products and meat samples. The isolates were tested for the presence of Listeria and Campylobacter by gram staining and biochemical testing. They were further sub-cultured on selective media enriched with the growth supplements for Listeria and Campylobacter. All six strains of Listeria and Campylobacter were tested against ten antibiotics. Campylobacter strains showed resistance against all the antibiotics, whereas Listeria was found to be resistant only against Nalidixic Acid and Erythromycin. Further, the strains were tested against the two bacteriocins isolated from Enterococcus faecium. It was found that bacteriocins showed better antimicrobial activity against food pathogens. They can be used as a potential antimicrobial for food preservation. Thus, the study concluded that natural antimicrobials could be used as alternatives to synthetic antimicrobials to overcome the problem of food spoilage and severe food diseases.

Keywords: food pathogens, listeria, campylobacter, antibiotics, bacteriocins

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Authors: Mohamed Mahmoud

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This paper has developed an effect-cause analysis technique for fault diagnosis in digital circuits. The main algorithm of our technique is based on the Enhanced Deduction Algorithm, which processes the real response of the CUT to the applied test T to deduce the values of the internal lines. An experimental version of the algorithm has been implemented in C++. The code takes about 7592 lines. The internal values are determined based on the logic values under the permanent stuck-fault model. Using a backtracking strategy guarantees that the actual values are covered by at least one solution, or no solution is found.

Keywords: enhanced deduction algorithm, backtracking strategy, automatic test equipment, verfication

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Authors: Alberto Jiménez-Vargas, Manuel de Jesús Palacios-Gallegos, Miguel Ángel Hernández-López, Rafael Campos-Amezcua, Julio Cesar Solís-Sanchez

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An optimal wind turbine blade design must be able of capturing as much energy as possible from the wind source available at the area of interest. Many times, an optimal design means the use of large quantities of material and complicated processes that make the wind turbine more expensive, and therefore, less cost-effective. For the construction and installation of a wind turbine, the blades may cost up to 20% of the outline pricing, and become more important due to they are part of the rotor system that is in charge of transmitting the energy from the wind to the power train, and where the static and dynamic design loads for the whole wind turbine are produced. The aim of this work is the develop of a blade fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation that allows the identification of the major damage zones during the normal production situation, and thus better decisions for design and optimization can be taken. The simulation is a dynamic case, since we have a time-history wind velocity as inlet condition instead of a constant wind velocity. The process begins with the free-use software NuMAD (NREL), to model the blade and assign material properties to the blade, then the 3D model is exported to ANSYS Workbench platform where before setting the FSI system, a modal analysis is made for identification of natural frequencies and modal shapes. FSI analysis is carried out with the two-way technic which begins with a CFD simulation to obtain the pressure distribution on the blade surface, then these results are used as boundary condition for the FEA simulation to obtain the deformation levels for the first time-step. For the second time-step, CFD simulation is reconfigured automatically with the next time-step inlet wind velocity and the deformation results from the previous time-step. The analysis continues the iterative cycle solving time-step by time-step until the entire load case is completed. This work is part of a set of projects that are managed by a national consortium called “CEMIE-Eólico” (Mexican Center in Wind Energy Research), created for strengthen technological and scientific capacities, the promotion of creation of specialized human resources, and to link the academic with private sector in national territory. The analysis belongs to the design of a rotor system for a 5 kW wind turbine design thought to be installed at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Keywords: blade, dynamic, fsi, wind turbine

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Authors: Kamal Kaushik, Dandpani Epili, Ajay G. V., Ashutosh, S. Pradhaan

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Introduction: Radiation therapy has come a long way over a period of decades, from 2-dimensional radiotherapy to intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or VMAT. For advanced radiation therapy, we need better patient position reproducibility to deliver precise and quality treatment, which raises the need for better image guidance technologies for precise patient positioning. This study presents a two tattoo simulation with roll correction technique which is comparable to other advanced patient positioning techniques. Objective: This is a site-specific study is aimed to perform a comparison between various treatment positioning techniques used for the treatment of patients of Ca- Breast undergoing radiotherapy. In this study, we are comparing 5 different positioning methods used for the treatment of ca-breast, namely i) Vacloc with 3 tattoos, ii) Breast board with three tattoos, iii) Thermoplastic cast with three fiducials, iv) Breast board with a thermoplastic mask with 3 tattoo, v) Breast board with 2 tattoos – A roll correction method. Methods and material: All in one (AIO) solution immobilization was used in all patient positioning techniques for immobilization. The process of two tattoo simulations includes positioning of the patient with the help of a thoracic-abdomen wedge, armrest & knee rest. After proper patient positioning, we mark two tattoos on the treatment side of the patient. After positioning, place fiducials as per the clinical borders markers (1) sternum notch (lower border of clavicle head) (2) 2 cm below from contralateral breast (3) midline between 1 & 2 markers (4) mid axillary on the same axis of 3 markers (Marker 3 & 4 should be on the same axis). During plan implementation, a roll depth correction is applied as per the anterior and lateral positioning tattoos, followed by the shifts required for the Isocentre position. The shifts are then verified by SSD on the patient surface followed by radiographic verification using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). Results: When all the five positioning techniques were compared all together, the produced shifts in Vertical, Longitudinal and lateral directions are as follows. The observations clearly suggest that the Longitudinal average shifts in two tattoo roll correction techniques are less than every other patient positioning technique. Vertical and lateral Shifts are also comparable to other modern positioning techniques. Concluded: The two tattoo simulation with roll correction technique provides us better patient setup with a technique that can be implemented easily in most of the radiotherapy centers across the developing nations where 3D verification techniques are not available along with delivery units as the shifts observed are quite minimal and are comparable to those with Vacloc and modern amenities.

Keywords: Ca. breast, breast board, roll correction technique, CBCT

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Authors: K. Padmavathi, K. Sri Ramakrishna

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This study describes a procedure for the detection of Left and Right Bundle Branch Block (LBBB and RBBB) ECG patterns using spectral Coherence(SC) technique and LM Neural Network. The Coherence function finds common frequencies between two signals and evaluate the similarity of the two signals. The QT variations of Bundle Blocks are observed in lead V1 of ECG. Spectral Coherence technique uses Welch method for calculating PSD. For the detection of normal and Bundle block beats, SC output values are given as the input features for the LMNN classifier. Overall accuracy of LMNN classifier is 99.5 percent. The data was collected from MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database.

Keywords: bundle block, SC, LMNN classifier, welch method, PSD, MIT-BIH, arrhythmia database

Procedia PDF Downloads 283

Authors: M. S. Yalfani, J. Kohzadi, P. Ghadimi, S. Sobhani, M. Ghadimi

Abstract:

The use of oil and water-soluble corrosion inhibitors has been established in Iranian oil and gas production systems for a long time. Imidazoline and its derivatives are being extensively used which are known as conventional corrosion inhibitors. This type of product has shown significant performance and low side effects, so that could monopolize the market of inhibitors in this region. However, the price growth of imidazolines, as well as the development of new lower-cost components with similar or even higher performance than imidazoline, have influenced the exclusive market of imidazoline-based products. During the latest years, pyridine and its derivatives have challenged imidazoline due to their remarkable anticorrosive properties and lower prices as well. Recently, we presented a formulated water-soluble inhibitor based on pyridine - an alkyl pyridine quaternary salt (APQS) - which could successfully pass all lab tests and eventually succeeded in being applied in an offshore sweet oil pipeline. The product was able to achieve high corrosion protection (> 90 %) with the LPR technique at low dosages of 15-25 ppm under severe corrosion conditions. Moreover, the lab test results showed that the APQS molecule is able to form a strong and persistent bond with the metal surface. The product was later nominated to be evaluated through a field trial in an offshore sweet oil pipeline where PH2S < 0.05 psi and CO2 is 6.4 mol%. The three-month trial - extended to six months- resulted in remarkable internal protection obtained by continuous injection of 10 ppm inhibitor, which was as low as 1 mpy measured by both weight loss corrosion coupons and online ER probes. In addition, no side effects, such as tight emulsion and stable foaming, were observed. The residual of the corrosion inhibitor was measured at the end of the pipeline to ensure the full coverage of the inhibitor throughout the pipeline. Eventually, these promising results were able to convince the end user to consider pyridine-based inhibitors as a reliable alternative to imidazoline.

Keywords: corrosion inhibitor, pyridine, sweet oil, pipeline, offshore

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Authors: Jenny Carpenter, Josh Chan, Persephone MacKinlay, Madeline Chiang, Devlyn Sun, Hiba Syed, Jana Lau, Mariam Arshad, Joy Xu

Abstract:

Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects 1 million Canadians and over 8 million Americans. It is associated with psychosocial challenges exacerbated by the presence of visible lesions, which can lead to feelings of embarrassment and social discomfort. Children often experience bullying and lower self-esteem, while adults face workplace discrimination, impaired productivity, and higher rates of comorbid mental health conditions. Understanding these impacts across age groups is vital for tailored interventions. Objective: The main objective is to compare the longitudinal psychological impact of psoriasis between adults and children in Canada and the United States. Methods: This systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines and a PROSPERO-registered protocol. Studies were identified from PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, PsycINFO, Dermatology Online Journal, JMIR Dermatology, and Embase. The included studies were published between 2014 and 2024, measured standardized psychological outcomes, and had a longitudinal design with at least a one-year follow-up period. Methodological quality was assessed using the GRADE tool. Results: Fifteen studies encompassing 67,964 participants (mean age 49.1 years, 53.3% female) were included. Adults with moderate-to-severe psoriasis demonstrated significant impairments in Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores, with a mean baseline score of 9.0 to 10.2 for severe cases, reflecting moderate-to-severe quality of life (QoL) impairments. Treatment with biologic therapies significantly improved outcomes, with DLQI scores decreasing by an average of 7 points (from 9.6 to 2.6; p < 0.001). Key areas of improvement included social functioning, reduced physical symptoms, and increased work productivity. In severe cases, DLQI scores were 7.95 points higher compared to mild cases (p < 0.05), indicating a disproportionate burden of disease severity. Anxiety and depression were common in adults, affecting 16-23% and 18-22%, respectively. These conditions were linked to visible lesions, social stigma, and comorbidities such as hypertension and metabolic syndrome. Children with psoriasis also exhibited similar impairments in QoL, as assessed by the Children’s Life Quality Index (CLDQI). Visible lesions negatively affected school participation and peer interactions, with bullying and stigma consistently reported as major contributors to social isolation and emotional distress. Although biological therapies improved CDLQI scores, children faced persistent challenges in psychological well-being, including lower self-esteem and stigma, which often persisted in adolescence. Disease severity was quantified using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Among adults, severe cases had a mean baseline PASI score of 13.9, improving by 87.1% (to 1.8, p < 0001) following biologic therapy. Canadian cohorts showed greater PASI improvements, with biologic-naive adults achieving a 95.1% reduction (from 16.3 to 0.7, p < 0.0001). Canadian patients also had higher biologic continuation rates (89.9%). Conclusion: Psoriasis significantly impacts quality of life and psychological well-being across age groups, with notable differences in outcomes between adults and children. Regional differences further highlighted greater work-related impairments in U.S. adults and more pronounced psychological challenges in Canadian children, where bullying and stigma delayed recovery. These findings emphasize the need for age- and region-specific strategies to address both the physical and psychosocial dimensions of psoriasis and support long-term well-being.

Keywords: psoriasis, psychological impact, mental health, quality of life, self-esteem, autoimmune, chronic skin condition

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Authors: B. Gueridi, T. Chihi, M. Fatmi, A. Faci

Abstract:

Some fundamental physical properties of BiGaO₃ were investigated under pressure and temperature effect using generalized gradient approximation and local density approximation approaches. The effect of orientation on Debye temperature and sound waves velocities were estimated from elastic constants. The value of the bulk modulus of BiGaO₃ is a sign of its high hardness because it is linked to an isotropic deformation. BiGaO₃ is a semiconductor and ductile material with covalent bonding (Ga–O), and the Bi-O bonding is ionic. The optical transitions were observed when electrons pass from the top of the valence band (O-2p) to the bottom of the conduction band (Ga-4p or Bi-6p). The thermodynamic parameters are determined in temperature and pressure ranging from 0 to 1800 K and 0 to 50 GPa.

Keywords: BiGaO₃ perovskite, optical absorption, first principle, band structure

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Hamida Memon, Muhammad Sanan

Abstract:

A 34-year-old male with no prior health issues presented with a wound in his left leg exhibiting active pus discharge, intense inflammation, pain radiating from the buttocks to the knee, foot drop, and skin darkening. Four years prior, he sustained an untreated dislocation of the hip joint and acetabulum from a road traffic accident. Initial nerve conduction studies (NCS) and electromyography (EMG) revealed severe axonotomesis of the left sciatic nerve and reduced compound muscle action potential in the left common peroneal nerve. Despite normal venous flow, edema and cellulitis were noted. Follow-up NCS/EMG in 2022 showed improvement, but in 2023, the patient experienced recurrent infection and underwent surgical intervention with tissue culture. Postoperative care included antibiotics and pain management. NCS/EMG in 2024 indicated decreased nerve amplitudes and conduction velocities, consistent with moderate axonotmesis and ongoing recovery, alongside incidental right S1 radiculopathy. General lab tests and abdominal imaging were normal. The patient was treated with Pregabalin and Neurobion for neuropathic pain and nerve support and is currently under observation by a tertiary sector hospital for treatment. This case underscores the critical importance of prompt treatment for hip dislocations to prevent long-term complications such as neuropathy and avascular necrosis. Delays in treatment significantly increase the risk of severe outcomes, highlighting the need for timely intervention. Overall, the case illustrates the challenges of managing complex nerve injuries and the importance of comprehensive care for optimal recovery.

Keywords: sciatic nerve neuropathy, hip dislocation, acetabular fracture, radiculopathy

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Authors: Belal Almassri, Amjad Kreit, Firas Al Mahmoud, Raoul François

Abstract:

Corrosion of steel in reinforced concrete leads to several major defects. Firstly, a reduction in the crosssectional area of the reinforcement and in its ductility results in premature bar failure. Secondly, the expansion of the corrosion products causes concrete cracking and steel–concrete bond deterioration and also affects the bending stiffness of the reinforced concrete members, causing a reduction in the overall load-bearing capacity of the reinforced concrete beams. This paper investigates the validity of a repair technique using Near Surface Mounted (NSM) carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) rods to restore the mechanical performance of corrosion-damaged RC beams. In the NSM technique, the CFRP rods are placed inside pre-cut grooves and are bonded to the concrete with epoxy adhesive. Experimental results were obtained on two beams: a corroded beam that had been exposed to natural corrosion for 25 years and a control beam, (both are 3 m long) repaired in bending only. Each beam was repaired with one 6-mm-diameter NSM CFRP rod. The beams were tested in a three-point bending test up to failure. Overall stiffness and crack maps were studied before and after the repair. Ultimate capacity, ductility and failure mode were also reviewed. Finally some comparisons were made between repaired and non-repaired beams in order to assess the effectiveness of the NSM technique. The experimental results showed that the NSM technique improved the overall characteristics (ultimate load capacity and stiffness) of the control and corroded beams and allowed sufficient ductility to be restored to the repaired corroded elements, thus restoring the safety margin, despite the non-classical mode of failure that occurred in the corroded beam, with the separation of the concrete cover due to corrosion products.

Keywords: carbon fibre, corrosion, strength, mechanical testing

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Authors: Fernanda M. Assef, Maria Teresinha A. Steiner

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The aim of this paper is to compare and discuss better classifier algorithm options for credit risk assessment by applying different Machine Learning techniques. Using records from a Brazilian financial institution, this study uses a database of 5,432 companies that are clients of the bank, where 2,600 clients are classified as non-defaulters, 1,551 are classified as defaulters and 1,281 are temporarily defaulters, meaning that the clients are overdue on their payments for up 180 days. For each case, a total of 15 attributes was considered for a one-against-all assessment using four different techniques: Artificial Neural Networks Multilayer Perceptron (ANN-MLP), Artificial Neural Networks Radial Basis Functions (ANN-RBF), Logistic Regression (LR) and finally Support Vector Machines (SVM). For each method, different parameters were analyzed in order to obtain different results when the best of each technique was compared. Initially the data were coded in thermometer code (numerical attributes) or dummy coding (for nominal attributes). The methods were then evaluated for each parameter and the best result of each technique was compared in terms of accuracy, false positives, false negatives, true positives and true negatives. This comparison showed that the best method, in terms of accuracy, was ANN-RBF (79.20% for non-defaulter classification, 97.74% for defaulters and 75.37% for the temporarily defaulter classification). However, the best accuracy does not always represent the best technique. For instance, on the classification of temporarily defaulters, this technique, in terms of false positives, was surpassed by SVM, which had the lowest rate (0.07%) of false positive classifications. All these intrinsic details are discussed considering the results found, and an overview of what was presented is shown in the conclusion of this study.

Keywords: artificial neural networks (ANNs), classifier algorithms, credit risk assessment, logistic regression, machine Learning, support vector machines

Procedia PDF Downloads 104

Authors: Satish Kolli, Adriana Ferancova, David Porter, Jukka Kömi

Abstract:

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been used to detect sensitization in austenitic stainless steels that are heat treated in the temperature regime 600-820 °C to produce different degrees of sensitization in the material. The tests were conducted at five different DC potentials in the transpassive region. The quantitative determination of degree of sensitization has been done using double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation tests (DL-EPR). The correlation between EIS Nyquist diagrams and DL-EPR degree of sensitization values has been studied. The EIS technique can be used as a qualitative tool in determining the intergranular corrosion in austenitic stainless steels that are heat treated at a given temperature.

Keywords: electrochemical technique, intergranular corrosion, sensitization, stainless steels

Procedia PDF Downloads 183