Search results for: Optical Network Unit
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 8422

Search results for: Optical Network Unit

6562 Assessment the Quality of Telecommunication Services by Fuzzy Inferences System

Authors: Oktay Nusratov, Ramin Rzaev, Aydin Goyushov

Abstract:

Fuzzy inference method based approach to the forming of modular intellectual system of assessment the quality of communication services is proposed. Developed under this approach the basic fuzzy estimation model takes into account the recommendations of the International Telecommunication Union in respect of the operation of packet switching networks based on IP-protocol. To implement the main features and functions of the fuzzy control system of quality telecommunication services it is used multilayer feedforward neural network.

Keywords: quality of communication, IP-telephony, fuzzy set, fuzzy implication, neural network

Procedia PDF Downloads 475
6561 Exploration and Exploitation within Operations

Authors: D. Gåsvaer, L. Stålberg, A. Fundin, M. Jackson, P. Johansson

Abstract:

Exploration and exploitation capabilities are both important within Operations as means for improvement when managed separately, and for establishing dynamic improvement capabilities when combined in balance. However, it is unclear what exploration and exploitation capabilities imply in improvement and development work within an operations context. So in order to better understand how to develop exploration and exploitation capabilities within operations, the main characteristics of these constructs needs to be identified and further understood. Thus, the objective of this research is to increase the understanding about exploitation and exploration characteristics, to concretize what they translates to within the context of improvement and development work in an operations unit, and to identify practical challenges. A literature review and a case study are presented. In the literature review, different interpretations of exploration and exploitation are portrayed, key characteristics have been identified, and a deepened understanding of exploration and exploitation characteristics is described. The case in the study is an operations unit, and the aim is to explore to what extent and in what ways exploration and exploitation activities are part of the improvement structures and processes. The contribution includes an identification of key characteristics of exploitation and exploration, as well as an interpretation of the constructs. Further, some practical challenges are identified. For instance, exploration activities tend to be given low priority, both in daily work as in the manufacturing strategy. Also, the overall understanding about the concepts of exploitation and exploration (or any similar aspect of dynamic improvement capabilities) is very low.

Keywords: exploitation, exploration, improvement, lean production, manufacturing

Procedia PDF Downloads 491
6560 Mobile WiMAX Network based Wireless Communication on Rail: An Analysis

Authors: Vinod Kumar Jatav, Dr. Vrijendra Singh

Abstract:

WiMAX is an emerging wireless technology designed by WiMAX forum. WiMAX technology delivers broadband internet access with QoS, mobility and robust security. WiMAX is among the prominent mobile broadband wireless technology which laid the foundation for the next generation networks (NGN). The next-generation communication system for railway should facilitate high level network availability, fast mobility for high speed trains with reliability, high handover rate, the firmness of train operations, and high QoS. The system should also be capable to provide various railway services by transmitting big data efficiently. One of the most promising technologies for the next generation railway wireless communication is Mobile WiMAX. This paper analyses some of the network architectures for railway wireless communication and considers the elementary concepts to facilitate the users with broadband internet access on trains. The paper aims to recognize the suitability of Mobile WiMAX technology for the special requirements of broadband internet facilities and wireless telecommunication services of Railways.

Keywords: Broadband internet, IEEE 802.16e, mobile WiMAX, Railway wireless communication

Procedia PDF Downloads 527
6559 Fluorescence Quenching as an Efficient Tool for Sensing Application: Study on the Fluorescence Quenching of Naphthalimide Dye by Graphene Oxide

Authors: Sanaz Seraj, Shohre Rouhani

Abstract:

Recently, graphene has gained much attention because of its unique optical, mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Graphene has been used as a key material in the technological applications in various areas such as sensors, drug delivery, super capacitors, transparent conductor, and solar cell. It has a superior quenching efficiency for various fluorophores. Based on these unique properties, the optical sensors with graphene materials as the energy acceptors have demonstrated great success in recent years. During quenching, the emission of a fluorophore is perturbed by a quencher which can be a substrate or biomolecule, and due to this phenomenon, fluorophore-quencher has been used for selective detection of target molecules. Among fluorescence dyes, 1,8-naphthalimide is well known for its typical intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and photo-induced charge transfer (PET) fluorophore, strong absorption and emission in the visible region, high photo stability, and large Stokes shift. Derivatives of 1,8-naphthalimides have found applications in some areas, especially fluorescence sensors. Herein, the fluorescence quenching of graphene oxide has been carried out on a naphthalimide dye as a fluorescent probe model. The quenching ability of graphene oxide on naphthalimide dye was studied by UV-VIS and fluorescence spectroscopy. This study showed that graphene is an efficient quencher for fluorescent dyes. Therefore, it can be used as a suitable candidate sensing platform. To the best of our knowledge, studies on the quenching and absorption of naphthalimide dyes by graphene oxide are rare.

Keywords: fluorescence, graphene oxide, naphthalimide dye, quenching

Procedia PDF Downloads 595
6558 An Investigation of the Association between Pathological Personality Dimensions and Emotion Dysregulation among Virtual Network Users: The Mediating Role of Cyberchondria Behaviors

Authors: Mehdi Destani, Asghar Heydari

Abstract:

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the association between pathological personality dimensions and emotion dysregulation through the mediating role of Cyberchondria behaviors among users of virtual networks. Materials and methods: A descriptive–correlational research method was used in this study, and the statistical population consisted of all people active on social network sites in 2020. The sample size was 300 people who were selected through Convenience Sampling. Data collection was carried out in a survey method using online questionnaires, including the "Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale" (DERS), Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form (PID-5-BF), and Cyberchondria Severity Scale Brief Form (CSS-12). Data analysis was conducted using Pearson's Correlation Coefficient and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings: Findings suggested that pathological personality dimensions and Cyberchondria behaviors have a positive and significant association with emotion dysregulation (p<0.001). The presented model had a good fit with the data. The variable “pathological personality dimensions” with an overall effect (p<0.001, β=0.658), a direct effect (p<0.001, β=0.528), and an indirect mediating effect through Cyberchondria Behaviors (p<.001), β=0.130), accounted for emotion dysregulation among virtual network users. Conclusion: The research findings showed a necessity to pay attention to the pathological personality dimensions as a determining variable and Cyberchondria behaviors as a mediator in the vulnerability of users of social network sites to emotion dysregulation.

Keywords: cyberchondria, emotion dysregulation, pathological personality dimensions, social networks

Procedia PDF Downloads 110
6557 Using Trip Planners in Developing Proper Transportation Behavior

Authors: Grzegorz Sierpiński, Ireneusz Celiński, Marcin Staniek

Abstract:

The article discusses multi modal mobility in contemporary societies as a main planning and organization issue in the functioning of administrative bodies, a problem which really exists in the space of contemporary cities in terms of shaping modern transport systems. The article presents classification of available resources and initiatives undertaken for developing multi modal mobility. Solutions can be divided into three groups of measures–physical measures in the form of changes of the transport network infrastructure, organizational ones (including transport policy) and information measures. The latter ones include in particular direct support for people travelling in the transport network by providing information about ways of using available means of transport. A special measure contributing to this end is a trip planner. The article compares several selected planners. It includes a short description of the Green Travelling Project, which aims at developing a planner supporting environmentally friendly solutions in terms of transport network operation. The article summarizes preliminary findings of the project.

Keywords: mobility, modal split, multimodal trip, multimodal platforms, sustainable transport

Procedia PDF Downloads 415
6556 On Performance of Cache Replacement Schemes in NDN-IoT

Authors: Rasool Sadeghi, Sayed Mahdi Faghih Imani, Negar Najafi

Abstract:

The inherent features of Named Data Networking (NDN) provides a robust solution for Internet of Thing (IoT). Therefore, NDN-IoT has emerged as a combined architecture which exploits the benefits of NDN for interconnecting of the heterogeneous objects in IoT. In NDN-IoT, caching schemes are a key role to improve the network performance. In this paper, we consider the effectiveness of cache replacement schemes in NDN-IoT scenarios. We investigate the impact of replacement schemes on average delay, average hop count, and average interest retransmission when replacement schemes are Least Frequently Used (LFU), Least Recently Used (LRU), First-In-First-Out (FIFO) and Random. The simulation results demonstrate that LFU and LRU present a stable performance when the cache size changes. Moreover, the network performance improves when the number of consumers increases.

Keywords: NDN-IoT, cache replacement, performance, ndnSIM

Procedia PDF Downloads 367
6555 Net Neutrality and Asymmetric Platform Competition

Authors: Romain Lestage, Marc Bourreau

Abstract:

In this paper we analyze the interplay between access to the last-mile network and net neutrality in the market for Internet access. We consider two Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which act as platforms between Internet users and Content Providers (CPs). One of the ISPs is vertically integrated and provides access to its last-mile network to the other (non-integrated) ISP. We show that a lower access price increases the integrated ISP's incentives to charge CPs positive termination fees (i.e., to deviate from net neutrality), and decreases the non-integrated ISP's incentives to charge positive termination fees.

Keywords: net neutrality, access regulation, internet access, two-sided markets

Procedia PDF Downloads 382
6554 Asymmetric Linkages Between Global Sustainable Index (Green Bond) and Cryptocurrency Markets with Portfolio Implications

Authors: Faheem Ur Rehman, Muhammad Khalil Khan, Miao Qing

Abstract:

This study investigated the asymmetric links and portfolio strategies between green bonds and the markets of three different cryptocurrencies, i.e., green, Islamic, and conventional, using data from January 1, 2018, to April 8, 2022, and employing asymmetric TVP-VAR model to quantify risk spillovers in the network analysis. In addition, we use the minimum variance, minimum correlation, and minimum connectedness methodologies to assess the portfolio implications. The results of the asymmetric dynamic connectedness index (TCI) model show that by adopting cryptocurrencies for digital finance, risk spillovers are found to be reduced. The findings of net directional connectedness demonstrate that during the study period, green bonds consistently get return spillovers from all other network variables. Positive return spillovers are bigger in magnitude than negative ones. These results imply that the influence of the green bond market on the cryptocurrency markets is decreasing. Positive return spillovers generate higher connectedness values for (HG, BNB, and TRX) coins and persistent net recipients in the specific network. On the other hand, Cardano and ADA coins are persistent net transmitters in the system. XLM and MIOTA's responsibilities shift over time, and there is evidence of asymmetry when both positive and negative returns are considered. According to the pairwise portfolio weights, BNB vs. BTC has the largest portfolio weights in the system, followed by BNB vs. Ethereum, suggesting the best investment strategies in the network.

Keywords: asymmetric TVP-VAR, global sustainable index, cryptocurrency, portfolios

Procedia PDF Downloads 81
6553 Biomarkers in a Post-Stroke Population: Allied to Health Care in Brazil

Authors: Michael Ricardo Lang, AdriéLle Costa, Ivana Iesbik, Karine Haag, Leonardo Trindade Buffara, Oscar Reimann Junior, Chelin Auswaldt Steclan

Abstract:

Stroke affects not only the individual, but has significant impacts on the social and family context. Therefore, it is necessary to know the peculiarities of each region, in order to contribute to regional public health policies effectively. Thus, the present study discusses biomarkers in a post-stroke population, admitted to a stroke unit (U-stroke) of reference in the southern region of Brazil. Biomarkers were analyzed, such as age, length of stay, mortality rate, survival time, risk factors and family history of stroke in patients after ischemic stroke. In this studied population, comparing men and women, it was identified that men were more affected than women, and the average age of women affected was higher, as they also had the highest mortality rate and the shortest hospital stay. The risk factors identified here were according to the global scenario; with SAH being the most frequent and those associated with sedentary lifestyle in women the most frequent (dyspilipidemia, heart disease and obesity). In view of this, the importance of studies that characterize populations regionally is evident, strengthening the strategic planning of policies in favor of health care.

Keywords: biomarkers, sex, stroke, stroke unit, population

Procedia PDF Downloads 274
6552 Global Mittag-Leffler Stability of Fractional-Order Bidirectional Associative Memory Neural Network with Discrete and Distributed Transmission Delays

Authors: Swati Tyagi, Syed Abbas

Abstract:

Fractional-order Hopfield neural networks are generally used to model the information processing among the interacting neurons. To show the constancy of the processed information, it is required to analyze the stability of these systems. In this work, we perform Mittag-Leffler stability for the corresponding Caputo fractional-order bidirectional associative memory (BAM) neural networks with various time-delays. We derive sufficient conditions to ensure the existence and uniqueness of the equilibrium point by using the theory of topological degree theory. By applying the fractional Lyapunov method and Mittag-Leffler functions, we derive sufficient conditions for the global Mittag-Leffler stability, which further imply the global asymptotic stability of the network equilibrium. Finally, we present two suitable examples to show the effectiveness of the obtained results.

Keywords: bidirectional associative memory neural network, existence and uniqueness, fractional-order, Lyapunov function, Mittag-Leffler stability

Procedia PDF Downloads 369
6551 The Effects of Fertilizer in the Workplace on Male Infertility: About Workers of Unit NPK in Complex Fertial Annaba

Authors: B. Loukil, L. Mallem, M. S. Boulakoud

Abstract:

Inorganic fertilizers consist mainly of salts of ammonium nitrate, phosphate and potassium, the combination of primary nutrients NPK including secondary and micro nutrients are essential for plant growth, used for intensive agriculture, ranching, and horticultural crops, to increase soil fertility and ensure sustainable crop production. The manufacture of fertilizers is generally at a high temperature and high pressure, in the presence of several highly hazardous chemicals, dust and gases. These products are absorbed high in the airway, increasing the airway resistance thereby adversely affecting the pulmonary functions of workers. A study was conducted on 34 employees, especially exposed to nitrate derivatives. A questionnaire was prepared and distributed to all employees in the unit. The workers were divided into two groups according to age. Several hormonal parameters Assay were measured. The results of the questionnaire have detected a fertility problem, Concerning the hormones a significant reduction in the concentration of testosterone in both groups and LH in the group aged 30 to 40 year were noted compared to the control. However, an increase in the concentration of prolactin in both groups compared to the control. There was a significant decrease in FSH in the group aged 30 to 40 always in compared with the control group.

Keywords: fertilizers, healthy worker, risk, fertility

Procedia PDF Downloads 401
6550 Reactive Analysis of Different Protocol in Mobile Ad Hoc Network

Authors: Manoj Kumar

Abstract:

Routing protocols have a central role in any mobile ad hoc network (MANET). There are many routing protocols that exhibit different performance levels in different scenarios. In this paper, we compare AODV, DSDV, DSR, and ZRP routing protocol in mobile ad hoc networks to determine the best operational conditions for each protocol. We analyze these routing protocols by extensive simulations in OPNET simulator and show how to pause time and the number of nodes affect their performance. In this study, performance is measured in terms of control traffic received, control traffic sent, data traffic received, sent data traffic, throughput, retransmission attempts.

Keywords: AODV, DSDV, DSR, ZRP

Procedia PDF Downloads 523
6549 The Chewing Gum Confectionary Development for Oral Hygiene with Nine Hour Oral Antibacterial Activity

Authors: Yogesh Bacchaw, Ashish Dabade

Abstract:

Nowadays oral health is raising concern in society. Acid producing microorganisms changes the oral pH and creates a favorable environment for microbial growth. This growth not only promotes dental decay but also bad breath. Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) listed component was incorporated in chewing gum as an antimicrobial agent. The chewing gum produced exhibited up to 9 hours of antimicrobial activity against oral microflora. The toxicity of GRAS component per RACC value of chewing gum was negligible as compared to actual toxicity level of GRAS component. The antibacterial efficiency of chewing gum was tested by using total plate count (TPC) and colony forming unit (CFU). Nine hours were required to microflora to reach TPC/CFU of before chewing gum consumption. This chewing gum not only provides mouth freshening activity but also helps in lowering dental decay, bad breath, and enamel whitening.

Keywords: colony forming unit (CFU), chewing gum, generally recognized as safe (GRAS), microbial growth, microorganisms, oral health, RACC, total plate count (TPC), antimicrobial agent, enamel whitening, oral pH

Procedia PDF Downloads 319
6548 Computational Team Dynamics and Interaction Patterns in New Product Development Teams

Authors: Shankaran Sitarama

Abstract:

New Product Development (NPD) is invariably a team effort and involves effective teamwork. NPD team has members from different disciplines coming together and working through the different phases all the way from conceptual design phase till the production and product roll out. Creativity and Innovation are some of the key factors of successful NPD. Team members going through the different phases of NPD interact and work closely yet challenge each other during the design phases to brainstorm on ideas and later converge to work together. These two traits require the teams to have a divergent and a convergent thinking simultaneously. There needs to be a good balance. The team dynamics invariably result in conflicts among team members. While some amount of conflict (ideational conflict) is desirable in NPD teams to be creative as a group, relational conflicts (or discords among members) could be detrimental to teamwork. Team communication truly reflect these tensions and team dynamics. In this research, team communication (emails) between the members of the NPD teams is considered for analysis. The email communication is processed through a semantic analysis algorithm (LSA) to analyze the content of communication and a semantic similarity analysis to arrive at a social network graph that depicts the communication amongst team members based on the content of communication. The amount of communication (content and not frequency of communication) defines the interaction strength between the members. Social network adjacency matrix is thus obtained for the team. Standard social network analysis techniques based on the Adjacency Matrix (AM) and Dichotomized Adjacency Matrix (DAM) based on network density yield network graphs and network metrics like centrality. The social network graphs are then rendered for visual representation using a Metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MMDS) algorithm for node placements and arcs connecting the nodes (representing team members) are drawn. The distance of the nodes in the placement represents the tie-strength between the members. Stronger tie-strengths render nodes closer. Overall visual representation of the social network graph provides a clear picture of the team’s interactions. This research reveals four distinct patterns of team interaction that are clearly identifiable in the visual representation of the social network graph and have a clearly defined computational scheme. The four computational patterns of team interaction defined are Central Member Pattern (CMP), Subgroup and Aloof member Pattern (SAP), Isolate Member Pattern (IMP), and Pendant Member Pattern (PMP). Each of these patterns has a team dynamics implication in terms of the conflict level in the team. For instance, Isolate member pattern, clearly points to a near break-down in communication with the member and hence a possible high conflict level, whereas the subgroup or aloof member pattern points to a non-uniform information flow in the team and some moderate level of conflict. These pattern classifications of teams are then compared and correlated to the real level of conflict in the teams as indicated by the team members through an elaborate self-evaluation, team reflection, feedback form and results show a good correlation.

Keywords: team dynamics, team communication, team interactions, social network analysis, sna, new product development, latent semantic analysis, LSA, NPD teams

Procedia PDF Downloads 73
6547 Living Lab as a Service: Developing Context Induced, Co-creational Innovation Routines as a Process Tool for Nature Based Solutions

Authors: Immanuel Darkwa

Abstract:

Climate change and environmental degradation are existential threats requiring urgent transnational action. The SDGs, as well as regional initiatives the like European Green Deal, as ambitious as they are, put an emphasis on innovatively tackling threats posed by climate change regionally. While co-creational approaches are being propagated, there is no reference blueprint for how potential solutions, particularly nature-based solutions, may be developed and implemented within urban-settings. Using a single case study in Zagreb, Croatia, this paper proposes a workshop-tool for a Living Lab as a Service model for sustainable Nature-Based-Thinking, Nature–Centred-Design and Nature based solutions. The approach is based on a co-creational methodology developed through literature synthesis, expert interviews, focus group discussions, surveys and synthesized through rigorous research analysis and participatory observation. The ensuing tool involves workshop-processes, tested with through-the-process identified stakeholders with distinctive roles and functions. The resulting framework proposes a Nature-Based-Centred-Thinking process tool involving ‘green’ routines supported by a focal unit and a collaborative network, and that allows for the development of nature-based solutions.

Keywords: living labs, nature-based solutions, nature- based design, innovation processes, innovation routines and tools

Procedia PDF Downloads 81
6546 Relation between Pavement Roughness and Distress Parameters for Highways

Authors: Suryapeta Harini

Abstract:

Road surface roughness is one of the essential aspects of the road's functional condition, indicating riding comfort in both the transverse and longitudinal directions. The government of India has made maintaining good surface evenness a prerequisite for all highway projects. Pavement distress data was collected with a Network Survey Vehicle (NSV) on a National Highway. It determines the smoothness and frictional qualities of the pavement surface, which are related to driving safety and ease. Based on the data obtained in the field, a regression equation was created with the IRI value and the visual distresses. The suggested system can use wireless acceleration sensors and GPS to gather vehicle status and location data, as well as calculate the international roughness index (IRI). Potholes, raveling, rut depth, cracked area, and repair work are all affected by pavement roughness, according to the current study. The study was carried out in one location. Data collected through using Bump integrator was used for the validation. The bump integrator (BI) obtained using deflection from the network survey vehicle was correlated with the distress parameter to establish an equation.

Keywords: roughness index, network survey vehicle, regression, correlation

Procedia PDF Downloads 181
6545 Role of ICT and Wage Inequality in Organization

Authors: Shoji Katagiri

Abstract:

This study deals with wage inequality in organization and shows the relationship between ICT and wage in organization. To do so, we incorporate ICT’s factors in organization into our model. ICT’s factors are efficiencies of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Computer Assisted Design/Computer Assisted Manufacturing (CAD/CAM), and NETWORK. The improvement of ICT’s factors decrease the learning cost to solve problem pertaining to the hierarchy in organization. The improvement of NETWORK increases the wage inequality within workers and decreases within managers and entrepreneurs. The improvements of CAD/CAM and ERP increases the wage inequality within all agent, and partially increase it between the agents in hierarchy.

Keywords: endogenous economic growth, ICT, inequality, capital accumulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 268
6544 Investigating the Influence of Activation Functions on Image Classification Accuracy via Deep Convolutional Neural Network

Authors: Gulfam Haider, sana danish

Abstract:

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have emerged as powerful tools for image classification, and the choice of optimizers profoundly affects their performance. The study of optimizers and their adaptations remains a topic of significant importance in machine learning research. While numerous studies have explored and advocated for various optimizers, the efficacy of these optimization techniques is still subject to scrutiny. This work aims to address the challenges surrounding the effectiveness of optimizers by conducting a comprehensive analysis and evaluation. The primary focus of this investigation lies in examining the performance of different optimizers when employed in conjunction with the popular activation function, Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU). By incorporating ReLU, known for its favorable properties in prior research, the aim is to bolster the effectiveness of the optimizers under scrutiny. Specifically, we evaluate the adjustment of these optimizers with both the original Softmax activation function and the modified ReLU activation function, carefully assessing their impact on overall performance. To achieve this, a series of experiments are conducted using a well-established benchmark dataset for image classification tasks, namely the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research dataset (CIFAR-10). The selected optimizers for investigation encompass a range of prominent algorithms, including Adam, Root Mean Squared Propagation (RMSprop), Adaptive Learning Rate Method (Adadelta), Adaptive Gradient Algorithm (Adagrad), and Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD). The performance analysis encompasses a comprehensive evaluation of the classification accuracy, convergence speed, and robustness of the CNN models trained with each optimizer. Through rigorous experimentation and meticulous assessment, we discern the strengths and weaknesses of the different optimization techniques, providing valuable insights into their suitability for image classification tasks. By conducting this in-depth study, we contribute to the existing body of knowledge surrounding optimizers in CNNs, shedding light on their performance characteristics for image classification. The findings gleaned from this research serve to guide researchers and practitioners in making informed decisions when selecting optimizers and activation functions, thus advancing the state-of-the-art in the field of image classification with convolutional neural networks.

Keywords: deep neural network, optimizers, RMsprop, ReLU, stochastic gradient descent

Procedia PDF Downloads 134
6543 Use of Polymeric Materials in the Architectural Preservation

Authors: F. Z. Benabid, F. Zouai, A. Douibi, D. Benachour

Abstract:

These Fluorinated polymers and polyacrylics have known a wide use in the field of historical monuments. PVDF provides a great easiness to processing, a good UV resistance and good chemical inertia. Although the quality of physical characteristics of the PMMA and its low price with a respect to PVDF, its deterioration against UV radiations limits its use as protector agent for the stones. On the other hand, PVDF/PMMA blend is a compromise of a great development in the field of architectural restoration, since it is the best method in term of quality and price to make new polymeric materials having enhanced properties. Films of different compositions based on the two polymers within an adequate solvent (DMF) were obtained to perform an exposition to artificial ageing and to the salted fog, a spectroscopic analysis (FTIR and UV) and optical analysis (refractive index). Based on its great interest in the field of building, a variety of standard tests has been elaborated for the first time at the central laboratory of ENAP (Souk-Ahras) in order to evaluate our blend performance. The obtained results have allowed observing the behavior of the different compositions of the blend under various tests. The addition of PVDF to PMMA enhances the properties of this last to know the exhibition to the natural and artificial ageing and to the saline fog. On the other hand, PMMA enhances the optical properties of the blend. Finally, 70/30 composition of the blend is in concordance with results of previous works and it is the adequate proportion for an eventual application.

Keywords: blend, PVDF, PMMA, preservation, historic monuments

Procedia PDF Downloads 310
6542 Prediction of Extreme Precipitation in East Asia Using Complex Network

Authors: Feng Guolin, Gong Zhiqiang

Abstract:

In order to study the spatial structure and dynamical mechanism of extreme precipitation in East Asia, a corresponding climate network is constructed by employing the method of event synchronization. It is found that the area of East Asian summer extreme precipitation can be separated into two regions: one with high area weighted connectivity receiving heavy precipitation mostly during the active phase of the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM), and another one with low area weighted connectivity receiving heavy precipitation during both the active and the retreat phase of the EASM. Besides,a way for the prediction of extreme precipitation is also developed by constructing a directed climate networks. The simulation accuracy in East Asia is 58% with a 0-day lead, and the prediction accuracy is 21% and average 12% with a 1-day and an n-day (2≤n≤10) lead, respectively. Compare to the normal EASM year, the prediction accuracy is lower in a weak year and higher in a strong year, which is relevant to the differences in correlations and extreme precipitation rates in different EASM situations. Recognizing and identifying these effects is good for understanding and predicting extreme precipitation in East Asia.

Keywords: synchronization, climate network, prediction, rainfall

Procedia PDF Downloads 448
6541 Application and Assessment of Artificial Neural Networks for Biodiesel Iodine Value Prediction

Authors: Raquel M. De sousa, Sofiane Labidi, Allan Kardec D. Barros, Alex O. Barradas Filho, Aldalea L. B. Marques

Abstract:

Several parameters are established in order to measure biodiesel quality. One of them is the iodine value, which is an important parameter that measures the total unsaturation within a mixture of fatty acids. Limitation of unsaturated fatty acids is necessary since warming of a higher quantity of these ones ends in either formation of deposits inside the motor or damage of lubricant. Determination of iodine value by official procedure tends to be very laborious, with high costs and toxicity of the reagents, this study uses an artificial neural network (ANN) in order to predict the iodine value property as an alternative to these problems. The methodology of development of networks used 13 esters of fatty acids in the input with convergence algorithms of backpropagation type were optimized in order to get an architecture of prediction of iodine value. This study allowed us to demonstrate the neural networks’ ability to learn the correlation between biodiesel quality properties, in this case iodine value, and the molecular structures that make it up. The model developed in the study reached a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.99 for both network validation and network simulation, with Levenberg-Maquardt algorithm.

Keywords: artificial neural networks, biodiesel, iodine value, prediction

Procedia PDF Downloads 612
6540 Economic Growth and Transport Carbon Dioxide Emissions in New Zealand: A Co-Integration Analysis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve

Authors: Mingyue Sheng, Basil Sharp

Abstract:

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from national transport account for the largest share of emissions from energy use in New Zealand. Whether the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) relationship exists between environmental degradation indicators from the transport sector and economic growth in New Zealand remains unclear. This paper aims at exploring the causality relationship between CO₂ emissions from the transport sector, fossil fuel consumption, and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in New Zealand, using annual data for the period 1977 to 2013. First, conventional unit root tests (Augmented Dickey–Fuller and Phillips–Perron tests), and a unit root test with the breakpoint (Zivot-Andrews test) are employed to examine the stationarity of the variables. Second, the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds test for co-integration, followed by Granger causality investigated causality among the variables. Empirical results of the study reveal that, in the short run, there is a unidirectional causality between economic growth and transport CO₂ emissions with direction from economic growth to transport CO₂ emissions, as well as a bidirectional causality from transport CO₂ emissions to road energy consumption.

Keywords: economic growth, transport carbon dioxide emissions, environmental Kuznets curve, causality

Procedia PDF Downloads 304
6539 Design of Circular Patch Antenna in Terahertz Band for Medical Applications

Authors: Moulfi Bouchra, Ferouani Souheyla, Ziani Kerarti Djalal, Moulessehoul Wassila

Abstract:

The wireless body network (WBAN) is the most interesting network these days and especially with the appearance of contagious illnesses such as covid 19, which require surveillance in the house. In this article, we have designed a circular microstrip antenna. Gold is the material used respectively for the patch and the ground plane and Gallium (εr=12.94) is chosen as the dielectric substrate. The dimensions of the antenna are 82.10*62.84 μm2 operating at a frequency of 3.85 THz. The proposed, designed antenna has a return loss of -46.046 dB and a gain of 3.74 dBi, and it can measure various physiological parameters and sensors that help in the overall monitoring of an individual's health condition.

Keywords: circular patch antenna, Terahertz transmission, WBAN applications, real-time monitoring

Procedia PDF Downloads 310
6538 Cryogenic Separation of CO2 from Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell Anode Outlet—Experimental Guidelines

Authors: Jarosław Milewski, Rafał Bernat

Abstract:

This paper presents an analysis of using cryogenic separation unit for recovering fuel from anode off gas of molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) in order to upgrade the efficiently of the unit. In the proposed solution, the CSU is used for condensing water and carbon dioxide from anode off gas, and re-cycling the rest of the stream to the anode, saving certain amount of fuel (at least 30%). The resulting system efficiency is increased considerably. CSU, virtually consumes power, thus this solution has energy penalty as well, on the other hand, MCFC generates large amount of heat at elevated temperature, thus part of the CSU can be based on absorption chiller. In all cases, a high amount of fuel is obtained after condensation of water and carbon dioxide and re-cycled to the anode inlet. Based on mathematical modeling done previously, the concept and guidelines for forthcoming experimental investigations are presented in this paper. During planned experiments, an existing single cell laboratory stand will be equipped with re-cycle device (a fan, a peristaltic pump, etc.). Parallel, a mixture of anode off gas will be cooled down for determining the proper temperature for the separation of water and carbon dioxide.

Keywords: cryogenic separation, experiments, fuel cells, molten carbonate fuel cells

Procedia PDF Downloads 248
6537 A Convolution Neural Network Approach to Predict Pes-Planus Using Plantar Pressure Mapping Images

Authors: Adel Khorramrouz, Monireh Ahmadi Bani, Ehsan Norouzi, Morvarid Lalenoor

Abstract:

Background: Plantar pressure distribution measurement has been used for a long time to assess foot disorders. Plantar pressure is an important component affecting the foot and ankle function and Changes in plantar pressure distribution could indicate various foot and ankle disorders. Morphologic and mechanical properties of the foot may be important factors affecting the plantar pressure distribution. Accurate and early measurement may help to reduce the prevalence of pes planus. With recent developments in technology, new techniques such as machine learning have been used to assist clinicians in predicting patients with foot disorders. Significance of the study: This study proposes a neural network learning-based flat foot classification methodology using static foot pressure distribution. Methodologies: Data were collected from 895 patients who were referred to a foot clinic due to foot disorders. Patients with pes planus were labeled by an experienced physician based on clinical examination. Then all subjects (with and without pes planus) were evaluated for static plantar pressures distribution. Patients who were diagnosed with the flat foot in both feet were included in the study. In the next step, the leg length was normalized and the network was trained for plantar pressure mapping images. Findings: From a total of 895 image data, 581 were labeled as pes planus. A computational neural network (CNN) ran to evaluate the performance of the proposed model. The prediction accuracy of the basic CNN-based model was performed and the prediction model was derived through the proposed methodology. In the basic CNN model, the training accuracy was 79.14%, and the test accuracy was 72.09%. Conclusion: This model can be easily and simply used by patients with pes planus and doctors to predict the classification of pes planus and prescreen for possible musculoskeletal disorders related to this condition. However, more models need to be considered and compared for higher accuracy.

Keywords: foot disorder, machine learning, neural network, pes planus

Procedia PDF Downloads 369
6536 Cache Analysis and Software Optimizations for Faster on-Chip Network Simulations

Authors: Khyamling Parane, B. M. Prabhu Prasad, Basavaraj Talawar

Abstract:

Fast simulations are critical in reducing time to market in CMPs and SoCs. Several simulators have been used to evaluate the performance and power consumed by Network-on-Chips. Researchers and designers rely upon these simulators for design space exploration of NoC architectures. Our experiments show that simulating large NoC topologies take hours to several days for completion. To speed up the simulations, it is necessary to investigate and optimize the hotspots in simulator source code. Among several simulators available, we choose Booksim2.0, as it is being extensively used in the NoC community. In this paper, we analyze the cache and memory system behaviour of Booksim2.0 to accurately monitor input dependent performance bottlenecks. Our measurements show that cache and memory usage patterns vary widely based on the input parameters given to Booksim2.0. Based on these measurements, the cache configuration having least misses has been identified. To further reduce the cache misses, we use software optimization techniques such as removal of unused functions, loop interchanging and replacing post-increment operator with pre-increment operator for non-primitive data types. The cache misses were reduced by 18.52%, 5.34% and 3.91% by employing above technology respectively. We also employ thread parallelization and vectorization to improve the overall performance of Booksim2.0. The OpenMP programming model and SIMD are used for parallelizing and vectorizing the more time-consuming portions of Booksim2.0. Speedups of 2.93x and 3.97x were observed for the Mesh topology with 30 × 30 network size by employing thread parallelization and vectorization respectively.

Keywords: cache behaviour, network-on-chip, performance profiling, vectorization

Procedia PDF Downloads 202
6535 Study on the Transition to Pacemaker of Two Coupled Neurons

Authors: Sun Zhe, Ruggero Micheletto

Abstract:

The research of neural network is very important for the development of advanced next generation intelligent devices and the medical treatment. The most important part of the neural network research is the learning. The process of learning in our brain is essentially several adjustment processes of connection strength between neurons. It is very difficult to figure out how this mechanism works in the complex network and how the connection strength influences brain functions. For this reason, we made a model with only two coupled neurons and studied the influence of connection strength between them. To emulate the neuronal activity of realistic neurons, we prefer to use the Izhikevich neuron model. This model can simulate the neuron variables accurately and it’s simplicity is very suitable to implement on computers. In this research, the parameter ρ is used to estimate the correlation coefficient between spike train of two coupling neurons.We think the results is very important for figuring out the mechanism between synchronization of coupling neurons and synaptic plasticity. The result also presented the importance of the spike frequency adaptation in complex systems.

Keywords: neural networks, noise, stochastic processes, coupled neurons, correlation coefficient, synchronization, pacemaker, synaptic plasticity

Procedia PDF Downloads 290
6534 Semirings of Graphs: An Approach Towards the Algebra of Graphs

Authors: Gete Umbrey, Saifur Rahman

Abstract:

Graphs are found to be most capable in computing, and its abstract structures have been applied in some specific computations and algorithms like in phase encoding controller, processor microcontroller, and synthesis of a CMOS switching network, etc. Being motivated by these works, we develop an independent approach to study semiring structures and various properties by defining the binary operations which in fact, seems analogous to an existing definition in some sense but with a different approach. This work emphasizes specifically on the construction of semigroup and semiring structures on the set of undirected graphs, and their properties are investigated therein. It is expected that the investigation done here may have some interesting applications in theoretical computer science, networking and decision making, and also on joining of two network systems.

Keywords: graphs, join and union of graphs, semiring, weighted graphs

Procedia PDF Downloads 153
6533 Budget Optimization for Maintenance of Bridges in Egypt

Authors: Hesham Abd Elkhalek, Sherif M. Hafez, Yasser M. El Fahham

Abstract:

Allocating limited budget to maintain bridge networks and selecting effective maintenance strategies for each bridge represent challenging tasks for maintenance managers and decision makers. In Egypt, bridges are continuously deteriorating. In many cases, maintenance works are performed due to user complaints. The objective of this paper is to develop a practical and reliable framework to manage the maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation (MR&R) activities of Bridges network considering performance and budget limits. The model solves an optimization problem that maximizes the average condition of the entire network given the limited available budget using Genetic Algorithm (GA). The framework contains bridge inventory, condition assessment, repair cost calculation, deterioration prediction, and maintenance optimization. The developed model takes into account multiple parameters including serviceability requirements, budget allocation, element importance on structural safety and serviceability, bridge impact on network, and traffic. A questionnaire is conducted to complete the research scope. The proposed model is implemented in software, which provides a friendly user interface. The framework provides a multi-year maintenance plan for the entire network for up to five years. A case study of ten bridges is presented to validate and test the proposed model with data collected from Transportation Authorities in Egypt. Different scenarios are presented. The results are reasonable, feasible and within acceptable domain.

Keywords: bridge management systems (BMS), cost optimization condition assessment, fund allocation, Markov chain

Procedia PDF Downloads 294