Search results for: paper sheets
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 24790

Search results for: paper sheets

9220 Assessing the Effects of Community Informatics on Livelihoods Sustainability in Nigeria: a Model for Rural Communities

Authors: Adebayo J. Julius, Oluremi N. Iluyomade

Abstract:

Livelihood in Nigeria is a paradox of poverty amidst plenty. The Country is endowed with a good climate for agriculture, naturally growing fruit trees and vegetables, and undomesticated water resources. In spite of all its endowment, Nigeria continues to live in poverty year in year out. This thus raises a very important question as to how can there be so much poverty in Nigeria with all its natural endowments. This study focused comparative analysis of the utilization of community informatics for sustainable livelihoods through agriculture. The idea projected in this study is that small strategic changes in the modus operandi of social informatics can have a significant impact on sustainability of livelihoods. This paper carefully explored the theories of community informatics and its efficacies in dealing with sustainability issues. This study identified, described and evaluates the roles of community informatics in some sectors of the economy, different analytical tools to benchmark the influence of social informatics in agriculture against what is obtainable in agricultural sectors of the economy were used. It further employed comparative analysis to build a case model for sustainable livelihood in agriculture through community informatics.

Keywords: informatics , model, rural community, livelihoods sustainability, Nigeria

Procedia PDF Downloads 128
9219 Elastoplastic and Ductile Damage Model Calibration of Steels for Bolt-Sphere Joints Used in China’s Space Structure Construction

Authors: Huijuan Liu, Fukun Li, Hao Yuan

Abstract:

The bolted spherical node is a common type of joint in space steel structures. The bolt-sphere joint portion almost always controls the bearing capacity of the bolted spherical node. The investigation of the bearing performance and progressive failure in service often requires high-fidelity numerical models. This paper focuses on the constitutive models of bolt steel and sphere steel used in China’s space structure construction. The elastoplastic model is determined by a standard tensile test and calibrated Voce saturated hardening rule. The ductile damage is found dominant based on the fractography analysis. Then Rice-Tracey ductile fracture rule is selected and the model parameters are calibrated based on tensile tests of notched specimens. These calibrated material models can benefit research or engineering work in similar fields.

Keywords: bolt-sphere joint, steel, constitutive model, ductile damage, model calibration

Procedia PDF Downloads 124
9218 An Improved Modular Multilevel Converter Voltage Balancing Approach for Grid Connected PV System

Authors: Safia Bashir, Zulfiqar Memon

Abstract:

During the last decade, renewable energy sources in particular solar photovoltaic (PV) has gained increased attention. Therefore, various PV converters topologies have emerged. Among this topology, the modular multilevel converter (MMC) is considered as one of the most promising topologies for the grid-connected PV system due to its modularity and transformerless features. When it comes to the safe operation of MMC, the balancing of the Submodules Voltages (SMs) plays a critical role. This paper proposes a balancing approach based on space vector PWM (SVPWM). Unlike the existing techniques, this method generates the switching vectors for the MMC by using only one SVPWM for the upper arm. The lower arm switching vectors are obtained by finding the complement of the upper arm switching vectors. The use of one SVPWM not only simplifies the calculation but also helped in reducing the circulating current in the MMC. The proposed method is varied through simulation using Matlab/Simulink and compared with other available modulation methods. The results validate the ability of the suggested method in balancing the SMs capacitors voltages and reducing the circulating current which will help in reducing the power loss of the PV system.

Keywords: capacitor voltage balancing, circulating current, modular multilevel converter, PV system

Procedia PDF Downloads 147
9217 Importance of New Policies of Process Management for Internet of Things Based on Forensic Investigation

Authors: Venkata Venugopal Rao Gudlur

Abstract:

The Proposed Policies referred to as “SOP”, on the Internet of Things (IoT) based Forensic Investigation into Process Management is the latest revolution to save time and quick solution for investigators. The forensic investigation process has been developed over many years from time to time it has been given the required information with no policies in investigation processes. This research reveals that the current IoT based forensic investigation into Process Management based is more connected to devices which is the latest revolution and policies. All future development in real-time information on gathering monitoring is evolved with smart sensor-based technologies connected directly to IoT. This paper present conceptual framework on process management. The smart devices are leading the way in terms of automated forensic models and frameworks established by different scholars. These models and frameworks were mostly focused on offering a roadmap for performing forensic operations with no policies in place. These initiatives would bring a tremendous benefit to process management and IoT forensic investigators proposing policies. The forensic investigation process may enhance more security and reduced data losses and vulnerabilities.

Keywords: Internet of Things, Process Management, Forensic Investigation, M2M Framework

Procedia PDF Downloads 84
9216 Comparative Study of Iran and Turkey Advantages to Attract Foreign Investors

Authors: Alireza Saviz, Sedigheh Zarei

Abstract:

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is an integral part of an open and effective international economic system and a major catalyst to development. Developing countries, emerging economies and countries in transition have come increasingly to see FDI as a source of economic development modernization, income growth and employment. FDI is an important vehicle for the transfer of technology, contributing relatively more to growth than domestic investment. Exploratory research is being conducted here. The data for the study is collected from secondary sources like research papers, journals, websites and reports. This paper aim was to generate knowledge on Iran’s situation through these factors after lifting sanction in comparison to Turkey. Although the most important factors that influence foreign investor decisions vary depending on the countries, sectors, years, and the objective of investor, nowadays governments should pay more attention to human resources education, marketing, infrastructure and administrative process in order to attracting foreign investors. A proper understanding of these findings will help governments to create appropriate policies in order to encourage more foreign investors

Keywords: foreign direct investment, host country, competitive advantage, FDI

Procedia PDF Downloads 474
9215 Dramatic US Television in the 21st Century: Articulating the Human through Expressions of Violence

Authors: Peter Ellis

Abstract:

United States dramatic television in the 21st century is inarguably violent. This violence can be as physical as the gruesome viscera spilled in AMC’s The Walking Dead; it can be as psychological as the suppressive dominance of Tony Soprano over his wife Carmella in HBO’s The Sopranos; and it can sit like shares on the stock market, where investment in violence sits as an economic choice, as with AMC’s Breaking Bad. Violence permeates these narratives, simultaneously threatening and defining the lives of their characters through its use in their relationships. What propels this exploration of humanity through violence is the use of language: the dictation of interaction in an economy in which characters negotiate successful acts of violence, or how they meet with the successful violence of others. Language is the defining force which separates and elucidates characters through conflict, as Slavoj Žižek writes, “it is because of language that we and our neighbours (can) “live in different worlds” even when we live on the same street.” This paper examines three different manifestations that violence takes in US television, specifically through the examples of The Walking Dead, The Sopranos, and Breaking Bad. Through the prism of Žižek’s conception of language as the uniquely human vehicle of violence, I aim to display how these shows sit as expressions of a neo-humanism, in which the complexities of language manipulate violence and define character in the process.

Keywords: violence, humanism, neoliberalism, American television

Procedia PDF Downloads 428
9214 An Assessment of the Effects of Microbial Products on the Specific Oxygen Uptake in Submerged Membrane Bioreactor

Authors: M. F. R. Zuthi, H. H. Ngo, W. S. Guo, S. S. Chen, N. C. Nguyen, L. J. Deng, T. D. C Tran

Abstract:

Sustaining a desired rate of oxygen transfer for microbial activity is a matter of major concern for Biological Wastewater Treatment (MBR). The study reported in the paper was aimed at assessing the effects of microbial products on the Specific Oxygen Uptake Rate (SOUR) in a Conventional Membrane Bioreactor (CMBR) and that in a Sponge Submerged MBR (SSMBR). The production and progressive accumulation of Soluble Microbial Products (SMP) and Bound-Extracellular Polymeric Substances (BEPS) were found affecting the SOUR of the microorganisms which varied at different stages of operation of the MBR systems depending on the variable concentrations of the SMP/bEPS. The effect of bEPS on the SOUR was stronger in the SSMBR compared to that of the SMP, while relative high concentrations of SMP had adverse effects on the SOUR of the CMBR system. Of the different mathematical correlations analyzed in the study, logarithmic mathematical correlations could be established between SOUR and bEPS in SSMBR, and similar correlations could also be found between SOUR and SMP concentrations in the CMBR.

Keywords: microbial products, microbial activity, specific oxygen uptake rate, membrane bioreactor

Procedia PDF Downloads 293
9213 Energy Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Pakistan: A Decomposition Analysis Using LMDI

Authors: Arsalan Khan, Faisal Jamil

Abstract:

The unprecedented increase in anthropogenic gases in recent decades has led to climatic changes worldwide. CO2 emissions are the most important factors responsible for greenhouse gases concentrations. This study decomposes the changes in overall CO2 emissions in Pakistan for the period 1990-2012 using Log Mean Divisia Index (LMDI). LMDI enables to decompose the changes in CO2 emissions into five factors namely; activity effect, structural effect, intensity effect, fuel-mix effect, and emissions factor effect. This paper confirms an upward trend of overall emissions level of the country during the period. The study finds that activity effect, structural effect and intensity effect are the three major factors responsible for the changes in overall CO2 emissions in Pakistan with activity effect as the largest contributor to overall changes in the emissions level. The structural effect is also adding to CO2 emissions, which indicates that the economic activity is shifting towards more energy-intensive sectors. However, intensity effect has negative sign representing energy efficiency gains, which indicate a good relationship between the economy and environment. The findings suggest that policy makers should encourage the diversification of the output level towards more energy efficient sub-sectors of the economy.

Keywords: energy consumption, CO2 emissions, decomposition analysis, LMDI, intensity effect

Procedia PDF Downloads 383
9212 Comparison of the Performance of a Brake Energy Regeneration System in Hybrid Vehicles

Authors: Miguel Arlenzo Duran Sarmiento, Luis Alfonso Del Portillo Valdés, Carlos Borras Pinilla

Abstract:

Brake energy regeneration systems have the capacity to transform part of the vehicle's kinetic energy during deceleration into useful energy. These systems can be implemented in hybrid vehicles, which can be electric or hydraulic in type, and contribute to reducing the energy required to propel the vehicle thanks to the accumulation of energy. This paper presents the modeling and simulation of a braking energy regeneration system applied in hydraulic hybrid vehicles configured in parallel, the modeling and simulation were performed in Simulink of Matlab, where a performance comparison of the regenerated torque as a function of vehicle load, the displacement of the hydraulic regeneration device and the vehicle speed profile. The speed profiles used in the simulation are standard profiles such as the NEDC and WLTP profiles. The vehicle loads range from 1500 kg to 12000 kg. The results show the comparison of the torque required by the vehicle, the torque regenerated by the system subjected to the different speed and load conditions.

Keywords: braking energy, energy regeneration, hybrid vehicles, kinetic energy, torque

Procedia PDF Downloads 107
9211 Exploiting SLMail Server with a Developed Buffer Overflow with Kali Linux

Authors: Senesh Wijayarathne

Abstract:

This study focuses on how someone could develop a Buffer Overflow and could use that to exploit the SLMail Server. This study uses a Kali Linux V2018.4 Virtual Machine and Windows 7 - Internet Explorer V8 Virtual Machine (IPv4 Address - 192.168.56.107). This study starts by sending continued bytes to the SLMail Server to find the crashing point range and creating a unique pattern of the length of the crashing point range to control the Extended Instruction Pointer (EIP). Then by sending all characters to SLMail Server, we could observe and find which characters are not rendered properly by the software, also known as Bad Characters. By finding the ‘Jump to the ESP register (JMP ESP) and with the help of ‘Mona Modules’, we could use msfvenom to create a non-stage windows reverse shell payload. By including all the details gathered previously on one script, we could get a system-level reverse shell of the Windows 7 PC. The end of this paper will discuss how to mitigate this vulnerability.

Keywords: slmail server, extended instruction pointer, jump to the esp register, bad characters, virtual machine, windows 7, kali Linux, buffer overflow, Seattle lab, vulnerability

Procedia PDF Downloads 144
9210 Long Term Variability of Temperature in Armenia in the Context of Climate Change

Authors: Hrachuhi Galstyan, Lucian Sfîcă, Pavel Ichim

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to analyze the temporal and spatial variability of thermal conditions in the Republic of Armenia. The paper describes annual fluctuations in air temperature. Research has been focused on case study region of Armenia and surrounding areas, where long–term measurements and observations of weather conditions have been performed within the National Meteorological Service of Armenia and its surrounding areas. The study contains yearly air temperature data recorded between 1961-2012. Mann-Kendal test and the autocorrelation function were applied to detect the change trend of annual mean temperature, as well as other parametric and non-parametric tests searching to find the presence of some breaks in the long term evolution of temperature. The analysis of all records reveals a tendency mostly towards warmer years, with increased temperatures especially in valleys and inner basins. The maximum temperature increase is up to 1,5 °C. Negative results have not been observed in Armenia. The patterns of temperature change have been observed since the 1990’s over much of the Armenian territory. The climate in Armenia was influenced by global change in the last 2 decades, as results from the methods employed within the study.

Keywords: air temperature, long-term variability, trend, climate change

Procedia PDF Downloads 284
9209 The Role of Female Population as a Consumer in Modern Marketing Strategy and Management

Authors: Jana Aleksić, Marijana Petković

Abstract:

Female population has an increasing role when it comes to purchase. Consequently, the female population has a greater role in modern marketing. Although it is thought that women buy more than men, marketing strategy was not directed specifically towards women. The thing that has changed regarding women’s role in modern marketing is the fact that the female population has a leading position when it comes to decision making in various fields and various sectors, which was not the case in the past. Marketing should be directed towards women but it should be done in the right way. Compared to men, women buy in a different way, and they look for more various advantages in the product itself, than men do. This paper aims to show the importance of the female role in the modern marketing and management and to redirect marketing in some way towards female population through new marketing strategies and management systems. Hypothesis is that women have an important role in marketing, and marketing strategy of modern society could and should be based on and directed towards female population and their tastes when it comes to purchasing. It is necessary and desirable to apply marketing strategy with a special strategy that has an emphasis on women and their purchase or in a word to apply WS- woman strategy. This research was carried out as a random sample research, where were obtained 212 valid surveys whose results serve as a basis for drawing conclusions about the research as well as to verify the formulated hypotheses. The research was carried out during 2011 and 2012. The study has shown a significant role of the female population in the marketing process.

Keywords: marketing, management, female, purchase, strategy

Procedia PDF Downloads 426
9208 Differences in Motivations for the Use of Facebook between Males and Females

Authors: Arti Bakhshi, Remia Mahajan

Abstract:

Social networking sites have evolved with great pace and India has been no exception. Facebook is the top most rated social networking site (SNS) in India. Though this site is mostly used by younger generations, the popularity of this site is increasing among all masses and classes. The current paper explores gender differences in motivations for the use of Facebook. Of the sample (N=556), 229 male and 327 female Facebook users from India were asked to rate the motivations for the use of Facebook from ‘most preferred’ to ‘least preferred’. The five motivations studied were- time passing, information, relationship development, relationship maintenance and trend following. The cross tab chi square analyses revealed significant differences in three out of five motivations between male and female Facebook users, namely time passing, relationship development and trend following. Female Facebook users rated ‘time passing’ as a more preferred motivation in comparison to male Facebook users, while male users rated ‘relationship development’ and ‘trend following’ motivations as more preferred in comparison to female Facebook users. Suggestions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: facebook, gender, motivations, social networking sites

Procedia PDF Downloads 461
9207 Arabic as a Foreign Language in the Curriculum of Higher Education in Nigeria: Problems, Solutions, and Prospects

Authors: Kazeem Oluwatoyin Ajape

Abstract:

The study is concerned with the problem of how to improve the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language in Nigerian Higher Education System. The paper traces the historical background of Arabic education in Nigeria and also outlines the problems facing the language in Nigerian Institutions. It lays down some of the essential foundation work necessary for bringing about systematic and constructive improvements in the Teaching of Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL) by giving answers to the following research questions: what is the appropriate medium of instruction in teaching a foreign or second language? What is the position of English language in the teaching and learning of Arabic/Islamic education? What is the relevance of the present curriculum of Arabic /Islamic education in Nigerian institutions to the contemporary society? A survey of the literature indicates that a revolution is currently taking place in FL teaching and that a new approach known as the Communicative Approach (CA), has begun to emerge and influence the teaching of FLs in general, over the last decade or so. Since the CA is currently being adapted to the teaching of most major FLs and since this revolution has not yet had much impact on TAPL, the study explores the possibility of the application of the CA to the teaching of Arabic as a living language and also makes recommendations towards the development of the language in Nigerian Institutions of Higher Learning.

Keywords: Arabic Language, foreign language, Nigerian institutions, curriculum, communicative approach

Procedia PDF Downloads 591
9206 Analysis and Design of Dual-Polarization Antennas for Wireless Communication Systems

Authors: Vladimir Veremey

Abstract:

The paper describes the design and simulation of dual-polarization antennas that use the resonance and radiating properties of the H00 mode of metal open waveguides. The proposed antennas are formed by two orthogonal slots in a finite conducting ground plane. The slots are backed by metal screens connected to the ground plane forming open waveguides. It has been shown that the antenna designs can be efficiently used in mm-wave bands. The antenna single mode operational bandwidth is higher than 10%. The antenna designs are very simple and low-cost. They allow flush installation and can be efficiently used in various communication and remote sensing devices on fast moving carriers. Mutual coupling between antennas of the proposed design is very low. Thus, multiple antenna structures with proposed antennas can be efficiently employed in multi-band and in multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems.

Keywords: antenna, antenna arrays, Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO), millimeter wave bands, slot antenna, flush installation, directivity, open waveguide, conformal antennas

Procedia PDF Downloads 156
9205 A Simple Algorithm for Real-Time 3D Capturing of an Interior Scene Using a Linear Voxel Octree and a Floating Origin Camera

Authors: Vangelis Drosos, Dimitrios Tsoukalos, Dimitrios Tsolis

Abstract:

We present a simple algorithm for capturing a 3D scene (focused on the usage of mobile device cameras in the context of augmented/mixed reality) by using a floating origin camera solution and storing the resulting information in a linear voxel octree. Data is derived from cloud points captured by a mobile device camera. For the purposes of this paper, we assume a scene of fixed size (known to us or determined beforehand) and a fixed voxel resolution. The resulting data is stored in a linear voxel octree using a hashtable. We commence by briefly discussing the logic behind floating origin approaches and the usage of linear voxel octrees for efficient storage. Following that, we present the algorithm for translating captured feature points into voxel data in the context of a fixed origin world and storing them. Finally, we discuss potential applications and areas of future development and improvement to the efficiency of our solution.

Keywords: voxel, octree, computer vision, XR, floating origin

Procedia PDF Downloads 119
9204 Examining the Impact of Training on Turnover Intention in Project-Based Organizations

Authors: Muhammad Safder Shafi, Uzma Javed, Tooba Qasim

Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to find out the relationship between training and turnover intention in the presence of mediating variables promotion opportunities and job satisfaction among IT professionals in project based industry. It investigates the relationship directly between 1 independent variable training and dependent variable turnover intention. It also investigates the relationship between independent variable to the mediating variables and mediating variables to the turnover intention. Promotion opportunities and job satisfaction act as a mediator. The study sample comprised of 186 IT professionals from Pakistan, who work on different IT projects. Linear regression and Baron and Kenny approach were used to test the direct and mediated relationship between variables. The survey results demonstrated that job satisfaction fully mediate the relationship between promotion opportunities and turnover intention. Promotion opportunities fully mediate the relationship between employee training and job satisfaction. Promotion opportunities and job satisfaction mediates the relationship between training and turnover intention. The findings from the collected data may help top management to improve organizational strategies to cope up with improving different HR practices like training, pay structure and promotions in order to retain their workforce.

Keywords: HCT, SET, career growth opportunities, job satisfaction, training, turnover intention

Procedia PDF Downloads 349
9203 The Use of Fractional Brownian Motion in the Generation of Bed Topography for Bodies of Water Coupled with the Lattice Boltzmann Method

Authors: Elysia Barker, Jian Guo Zhou, Ling Qian, Steve Decent

Abstract:

A method of modelling topography used in the simulation of riverbeds is proposed in this paper, which removes the need for datapoints and measurements of physical terrain. While complex scans of the contours of a surface can be achieved with other methods, this requires specialised tools, which the proposed method overcomes by using fractional Brownian motion (FBM) as a basis to estimate the real surface within a 15% margin of error while attempting to optimise algorithmic efficiency. This removes the need for complex, expensive equipment and reduces resources spent modelling bed topography. This method also accounts for the change in topography over time due to erosion, sediment transport, and other external factors which could affect the topography of the ground by updating its parameters and generating a new bed. The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to simulate both stationary and steady flow cases in a side-by-side comparison over the generated bed topography using the proposed method and a test case taken from an external source. The method, if successful, will be incorporated into the current LBM program used in the testing phase, which will allow an automatic generation of topography for the given situation in future research, removing the need for bed data to be specified.

Keywords: bed topography, FBM, LBM, shallow water, simulations

Procedia PDF Downloads 80
9202 On Radially Symmetric Vibrations of Bi-Directional Functionally Graded Circular Plates on the Basis of Mindlin’s Theory and Neutral Axis

Authors: Rahul Saini, Roshan Lal

Abstract:

The present paper deals with the free axisymmetric vibrations of bi-directional functionally graded circular plates using Mindlin’s plate theory and physical neutral surface. The temperature-dependent, as well as temperature-independent mechanical properties of the plate material, varies in radial and transverse directions. Also, temperature profile for one- and two-dimensional temperature variations has been obtained from the heat conduction equation. A simple computational formulation for the governing differential equation of motion for such a plate model has been derived using Hamilton's principle for the clamped and simply supported plates at the periphery. Employing the generalized differential quadrature method, the corresponding frequency equations have been obtained and solved numerically to retain their lowest three roots as the natural frequencies for the first three modes. The effect of various other parameters such as temperature profile, functionally graded indices, and boundary conditions on the vibration characteristics has been presented. In order to validate the accuracy and efficiency of the method, the results have been compared with those available in the literature.

Keywords: bi-directionally FG, GDQM, Mindlin’s circular plate, neutral axis, vibrations

Procedia PDF Downloads 119
9201 Object Trajectory Extraction by Using Mean of Motion Vectors Form Compressed Video Bitstream

Authors: Ching-Ting Hsu, Wei-Hua Ho, Yi-Chun Chang

Abstract:

Video object tracking is one of the popular research topics in computer graphics area. The trajectory can be applied in security, traffic control, even the sports training. The trajectory for sports training can be utilized to analyze the athlete’s performance without traditional sensors. There are many relevant works which utilize mean shift algorithm with background subtraction. This kind of the schemes should select a kernel function which may affect the accuracy and performance. In this paper, we consider the motion information in the pre-coded bitstream. The proposed algorithm extracts the trajectory by composing the motion vectors from the pre-coded bitstream. We gather the motion vectors from the overlap area of the object and calculate mean of the overlapped motion vectors. We implement and simulate our proposed algorithm in H.264 video codec. The performance is better than relevant works and keeps the accuracy of the object trajectory. The experimental results show that the proposed trajectory extraction can extract trajectory form the pre-coded bitstream in high accuracy and achieve higher performance other relevant works.

Keywords: H.264, video bitstream, video object tracking, sports training

Procedia PDF Downloads 418
9200 The Reducing Agent of Glycerol for the Reduction of Metal Oxides under Microwave Heating

Authors: Kianoosh Shojae

Abstract:

In recent years, the environmental challenges due to the excessive use of fossil fuels have led to heightened greenhouse gas production. In response, biodiesel has emerged as a cleaner alternative, offering reduced pollutant emissions compared to traditional fuels. The large-scale production of biodiesel, involving ester exchange of animal fats or vegetable oils, results in a surplus of crude glycerin. With environmental regulations on the rise and an increasing demand for biodiesel, glycerin production has seen a significant upswing. This paper focuses on the economic significance of glycerin through its pyrolysis as a raw material, particularly in the synthesis of metals. As industries pivoted towards cleaner fuels, glycerin, as a byproduct of biodiesel production, is poised to remain a cost-effective and surplus product. In this work, for evaluating the possible performance of using the gaseous products from the pyrolysis reaction of glycerol, we concerned the glycerin pyrolysis reactions, emphasizing the catalytic role of activated carbon, various reaction pathways and the impact of carrier gas flow rate on hydrogen production, providing valuable insights into the evolving landscape of sustainable fuel alternatives.

Keywords: biodiesel, glycerin pyrolysis, activated carbon catalysis, syngas

Procedia PDF Downloads 40
9199 Deep Learning Based Fall Detection Using Simplified Human Posture

Authors: Kripesh Adhikari, Hamid Bouchachia, Hammadi Nait-Charif

Abstract:

Falls are one of the major causes of injury and death among elderly people aged 65 and above. A support system to identify such kind of abnormal activities have become extremely important with the increase in ageing population. Pose estimation is a challenging task and to add more to this, it is even more challenging when pose estimations are performed on challenging poses that may occur during fall. Location of the body provides a clue where the person is at the time of fall. This paper presents a vision-based tracking strategy where available joints are grouped into three different feature points depending upon the section they are located in the body. The three feature points derived from different joints combinations represents the upper region or head region, mid-region or torso and lower region or leg region. Tracking is always challenging when a motion is involved. Hence the idea is to locate the regions in the body in every frame and consider it as the tracking strategy. Grouping these joints can be beneficial to achieve a stable region for tracking. The location of the body parts provides a crucial information to distinguish normal activities from falls.

Keywords: fall detection, machine learning, deep learning, pose estimation, tracking

Procedia PDF Downloads 173
9198 Design and Validation of Different Steering Geometries for an All-Terrain Vehicle

Authors: Prabhsharan Singh, Rahul Sindhu, Piyush Sikka

Abstract:

The steering system is an integral part and medium through which the driver communicates with the vehicle and terrain, hence the most suitable steering geometry as per requirements must be chosen. The function of the chosen steering geometry of an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) is to provide the desired understeer gradient, minimum tire slippage, expected weight transfer during turning as these are requirements for a good steering geometry of a BAJA ATV. This research paper focuses on choosing the best suitable steering geometry for BAJA ATV tracks by reasoning the working principle and using fundamental trigonometric functions for obtaining these geometries on the same vehicle itself, namely Ackermann, Anti- Ackermann, Parallel Ackermann. Full vehicle analysis was carried out on Adams Car Analysis software, and graphical results were obtained for various parameters. Steering geometries were achieved by using a single versatile knuckle for frontward and rearward tie-rod placement and were practically tested with the help of data acquisition systems set up on the ATV. Each was having certain characteristics, setup, and parameters were observed for the BAJA ATV, and correlations were created between analytical and practical values.

Keywords: all-terrain vehicle, Ackermann, Adams car, Baja Sae, steering geometry, steering system, tire slip, traction, understeer gradient

Procedia PDF Downloads 138
9197 Determinants of Firm Financial Performance: An Empirical Investigation in Context of Public Limited Companies

Authors: Syed Hassan Amjad

Abstract:

In today’s competitive environment, in order for a company to exist, it must continually improve its Performance by reducing cost, improving quality and productivity, and easy access to market.The purpose of this thesis is to check the firm financial growth and performance and which type of factors affect the firm financial performance. This paper examines the key determinants of firm financial performance. We will differentiate between financial and non financial drivers of the firm financial performance. For the measurement of the firm financial performance there are many ways but all the measure had been taken in aggregation, such as debt, tax rate, operating expenses, earning per share and economic conditions. This study has also been done in developed countries but these researches show that foreign companies face many difficulties inimproving the firm financial performance. In findings we found that marketing expenditures and international diversification had a positive impact on firm valuation. In research also found that a firm's ownership composition, particularly the level of equity ownership by Domestic Financial Institutions and Dispersed Public Shareholders, and the leverage of the firm, tax rate and economic conditions were important factors affecting its financial performance.

Keywords: debt, tax rate, firm financial performance, operating expenses, dividend per share, economic conditions

Procedia PDF Downloads 329
9196 Challenges for IoT Adoption in India: A Study Based on Foresight Analysis for 2025

Authors: Shruti Chopra, Vikas Rao Vadi

Abstract:

In the era of the digital world, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been receiving significant attention. Its ubiquitous connectivity between humans, machines to machines (M2M) and machines to humans provides it a potential to transform the society and establish an ecosystem to serve new dimensions to the economy of the country. Thereby, this study has attempted to identify the challenges that seem prevalent in IoT adoption in India through the literature survey. Further, the data has been collected by taking the opinions of experts to conduct the foresight analysis and it has been analyzed with the help of scenario planning process – Micmac, Mactor, Multipol, and Smic-Prob. As a methodology, the study has identified the relationship between variables through variable analysis using Micmac and actor analysis using Mactor, this paper has attempted to generate the entire field of possibilities in terms of hypotheses and construct various scenarios through Multipol. And lastly, the findings of the study include final scenarios that are selected using Smic-Prob by assigning the probability to all the scenarios (including the conditional probability). This study may help the practitioners and policymakers to remove the obstacles to successfully implement the IoT in India.

Keywords: Internet of Thing (IoT), foresight analysis, scenario planning, challenges, policymaking

Procedia PDF Downloads 135
9195 Predictive Analysis for Big Data: Extension of Classification and Regression Trees Algorithm

Authors: Ameur Abdelkader, Abed Bouarfa Hafida

Abstract:

Since its inception, predictive analysis has revolutionized the IT industry through its robustness and decision-making facilities. It involves the application of a set of data processing techniques and algorithms in order to create predictive models. Its principle is based on finding relationships between explanatory variables and the predicted variables. Past occurrences are exploited to predict and to derive the unknown outcome. With the advent of big data, many studies have suggested the use of predictive analytics in order to process and analyze big data. Nevertheless, they have been curbed by the limits of classical methods of predictive analysis in case of a large amount of data. In fact, because of their volumes, their nature (semi or unstructured) and their variety, it is impossible to analyze efficiently big data via classical methods of predictive analysis. The authors attribute this weakness to the fact that predictive analysis algorithms do not allow the parallelization and distribution of calculation. In this paper, we propose to extend the predictive analysis algorithm, Classification And Regression Trees (CART), in order to adapt it for big data analysis. The major changes of this algorithm are presented and then a version of the extended algorithm is defined in order to make it applicable for a huge quantity of data.

Keywords: predictive analysis, big data, predictive analysis algorithms, CART algorithm

Procedia PDF Downloads 129
9194 A Survey on Requirements and Challenges of Internet Protocol Television Service over Software Defined Networking

Authors: Esmeralda Hysenbelliu

Abstract:

Over the last years, the demand for high bandwidth services, such as live (IPTV Service) and on-demand video streaming, steadily and rapidly increased. It has been predicted that video traffic (IPTV, VoD, and WEB TV) will account more than 90% of global Internet Protocol traffic that will cross the globe in 2016. Consequently, the importance and consideration on requirements and challenges of service providers faced today in supporting user’s requests for entertainment video across the various IPTV services through virtualization over Software Defined Networks (SDN), is tremendous in the highest stage of attention. What is necessarily required, is to deliver optimized live and on-demand services like Internet Protocol Service (IPTV Service) with low cost and good quality by strictly fulfill the essential requirements of Clients and ISP’s (Internet Service Provider’s) in the same time. The aim of this study is to present an overview of the important requirements and challenges of IPTV service with two network trends on solving challenges through virtualization (SDN and Network Function Virtualization). This paper provides an overview of researches published in the last five years.

Keywords: challenges, IPTV service, requirements, software defined networking (SDN)

Procedia PDF Downloads 259
9193 Comparative Performance Analysis of Parabolic Trough Collector Using Twisted Tape Inserts

Authors: Atwari Rawani, Hari Narayan Singh, K. D. P. Singh

Abstract:

In this paper, an analytical investigation of the enhancement of thermal performance of parabolic trough collector (PTC) with twisted tape inserts in the absorber tube is being reported. A comparative study between the absorber with various types of twisted tape inserts and plain tube collector has been performed in turbulent flows conditions. The parametric studies were conducted to investigate the effects of system and operating parameters on the performance of the collector. The parameters such as heat gain, overall heat loss coefficient, air rise temperature and efficiency are used to analyze the relative performance of PTC. The results show that parabolic through collector with serrated twisted tape insert shows the best performance under same set of conditions under range of parameters investigated. Results reveal that for serrated twisted tape with x=1, Nusselt number/heat transfer coefficient is found to be 4.38 and 3.51 times over plain absorber of PTC at mass flow rate of 0.06 kg/s and 0.16 kg/s respectively; while corresponding enhancement in thermal efficiency is 15.7% and 5.41% respectively.

Keywords: efficiency, heat transfer, twisted tape ratio, turbulent flow

Procedia PDF Downloads 273
9192 Object Detection Based on Plane Segmentation and Features Matching for a Service Robot

Authors: António J. R. Neves, Rui Garcia, Paulo Dias, Alina Trifan

Abstract:

With the aging of the world population and the continuous growth in technology, service robots are more and more explored nowadays as alternatives to healthcare givers or personal assistants for the elderly or disabled people. Any service robot should be capable of interacting with the human companion, receive commands, navigate through the environment, either known or unknown, and recognize objects. This paper proposes an approach for object recognition based on the use of depth information and color images for a service robot. We present a study on two of the most used methods for object detection, where 3D data is used to detect the position of objects to classify that are found on horizontal surfaces. Since most of the objects of interest accessible for service robots are on these surfaces, the proposed 3D segmentation reduces the processing time and simplifies the scene for object recognition. The first approach for object recognition is based on color histograms, while the second is based on the use of the SIFT and SURF feature descriptors. We present comparative experimental results obtained with a real service robot.

Keywords: object detection, feature, descriptors, SIFT, SURF, depth images, service robots

Procedia PDF Downloads 528
9191 An Efficient Architecture for Dynamic Customization and Provisioning of Virtual Appliance in Cloud Environment

Authors: Rajendar Kandan, Mohammad Zakaria Alli, Hong Ong

Abstract:

Cloud computing is a business model which provides an easier management of computing resources. Cloud users can request virtual machine and install additional softwares and configure them if needed. However, user can also request virtual appliance which provides a better solution to deploy application in much faster time, as it is ready-built image of operating system with necessary softwares installed and configured. Large numbers of virtual appliances are available in different image format. User can download available appliances from public marketplace and start using it. However, information published about the virtual appliance differs from each providers leading to the difficulty in choosing required virtual appliance as it is composed of specific OS with standard software version. However, even if user choses the appliance from respective providers, user doesn’t have any flexibility to choose their own set of softwares with required OS and application. In this paper, we propose a referenced architecture for dynamically customizing virtual appliance and provision them in an easier manner. We also add our experience in integrating our proposed architecture with public marketplace and Mi-Cloud, a cloud management software.

Keywords: cloud computing, marketplace, virtualization, virtual appliance

Procedia PDF Downloads 270