Search results for: school based support Program (SBSP)
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 35674

Search results for: school based support Program (SBSP)

13684 ANFIS Based Technique to Estimate Remnant Life of Power Transformer by Predicting Furan Contents

Authors: Priyesh Kumar Pandey, Zakir Husain, R. K. Jarial

Abstract:

Condition monitoring and diagnostic is important for testing of power transformer in order to estimate the remnant life. Concentration of furan content in transformer oil can be a promising indirect measurement of the aging of transformer insulation. The oil gets contaminated mainly due to ageing. The present paper introduces adaptive neuro fuzzy technique to correlate furanic compounds obtained by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) test and remnant life of the power transformer. The results are obtained by conducting HPLC test at TIFAC-CORE lab, NIT Hamirpur on thirteen power transformer oil samples taken from Himachal State Electricity Board, India.

Keywords: adaptive neuro fuzzy technique, furan compounds, remnant life, transformer oil

Procedia PDF Downloads 459
13683 Media Literacy Development: A Methodology to Systematically Integrate Post-Contemporary Challenges in Early Childhood Education

Authors: Ana Mouta, Ana Paulino

Abstract:

The following text presents the ik.model, a theoretical framework that guided the pedagogical implementation of meaningful educational technology-based projects in formal education worldwide. In this paper, we will focus on how this framework has enabled the development of media literacy projects for early childhood education during the last three years. The methodology that guided educators through the challenge of systematically merging analogic and digital means in dialogic high-quality opportunities of world exploration is explained throughout these lines. The effects of this methodology on early age media literacy development are considered. Also considered is the relevance of this skill in terms of post-contemporary challenges posed to learning.

Keywords: early learning, ik.model, media literacy, pedagogy

Procedia PDF Downloads 318
13682 First-Principles Density Functional Study of Nitrogen-Doped P-Type ZnO

Authors: Abdusalam Gsiea, Ramadan Al-habashi, Mohamed Atumi, Khaled Atmimi

Abstract:

We present a theoretical investigation on the structural, electronic properties and vibrational mode of nitrogen impurities in ZnO. The atomic structures, formation and transition energies and vibrational modes of (NO3)i interstitial or NO4 substituting on an oxygen site ZnO were computed using ab initio total energy methods. Based on Local density functional theory, our calculations are in agreement with one interpretation of bound-excition photoluminescence for N-doped ZnO. First-principles calculations show that (NO3)i defects interstitial or NO4 substituting on an Oxygen site in ZnO are important suitable impurity for p-type doping in ZnO. However, many experimental efforts have not resulted in reproducible p-type material with N2 and N2O doping. by means of first-principle pseudo-potential calculation we find that the use of NO or NO2 with O gas might help the experimental research to resolve the challenge of achieving p-type ZnO.

Keywords: DFF, nitrogen, p-type, ZnO

Procedia PDF Downloads 459
13681 A Molding Surface Auto-inspection System

Authors: Ssu-Han Chen, Der-Baau Perng

Abstract:

Molding process in IC manufacturing secures chips against the harms done by hot, moisture or other external forces. While a chip was being molded, defects like cracks, dilapidation, or voids may be embedding on the molding surface. The molding surfaces the study poises to treat and the ones on the market, though, differ in the surface where texture similar to defects is everywhere. Manual inspection usually passes over low-contrast cracks or voids; hence an automatic optical inspection system for molding surface is necessary. The proposed system is consisted of a CCD, a coaxial light, a back light as well as a motion control unit. Based on the property of statistical textures of the molding surface, a series of digital image processing and classification procedure is carried out. After training of the parameter associated with above algorithm, result of the experiment suggests that the accuracy rate is up to 93.75%, contributing to the inspection quality of IC molding surface.

Keywords: molding surface, machine vision, statistical texture, discrete Fourier transformation

Procedia PDF Downloads 427
13680 Data-Driven Market Segmentation in Hospitality Using Unsupervised Machine Learning

Authors: Rik van Leeuwen, Ger Koole

Abstract:

Within hospitality, marketing departments use segmentation to create tailored strategies to ensure personalized marketing. This study provides a data-driven approach by segmenting guest profiles via hierarchical clustering based on an extensive set of features. The industry requires understandable outcomes that contribute to adaptability for marketing departments to make data-driven decisions and ultimately driving profit. A marketing department specified a business question that guides the unsupervised machine learning algorithm. Features of guests change over time; therefore, there is a probability that guests transition from one segment to another. The purpose of the study is to provide steps in the process from raw data to actionable insights, which serve as a guideline for how hospitality companies can adopt an algorithmic approach.

Keywords: hierarchical cluster analysis, hospitality, market segmentation

Procedia PDF Downloads 104
13679 Practical Model of Regenerative Braking Using DC Machine and Boost Converter

Authors: Shah Krupa Rajendra, Amit Kumar

Abstract:

Increasing use of traditional vehicles driven by internal combustion engine is responsible for the environmental pollution. Further, it leads to depletion of limited energy resources. Therefore, it is required to explore alternative energy sources for the transportation. The promising solution is to use electric vehicle. However, it suffers from limited driving range. Regenerative braking increases the range of the electric vehicle to a certain extent. In this paper, a novel methodology utilizing regenerative braking is described. The model comprising of DC machine, feedback based boost converter and micro-controller is proposed. The suggested method is very simple and reliable. The proposed model successfully shows the energy being saved into during regenerative braking process.

Keywords: boost converter, DC machine, electric vehicle, micro-controller, regenerative braking

Procedia PDF Downloads 269
13678 Enhancement of Pulsed Eddy Current Response Based on Power Spectral Density after Continuous Wavelet Transform Decomposition

Authors: A. Benyahia, M. Zergoug, M. Amir, M. Fodil

Abstract:

The main objective of this work is to enhance the Pulsed Eddy Current (PEC) response from the aluminum structure using signal processing. Cracks and metal loss in different structures cause changes in PEC response measurements. In this paper, time-frequency analysis is used to represent PEC response, which generates a large quantity of data and reduce the noise due to measurement. Power Spectral Density (PSD) after Wavelet Decomposition (PSD-WD) is proposed for defect detection. The experimental results demonstrate that the cracks in the surface can be extracted satisfactorily by the proposed methods. The validity of the proposed method is discussed.

Keywords: DT, pulsed eddy current, continuous wavelet transform, Mexican hat wavelet mother, defect detection, power spectral density.

Procedia PDF Downloads 232
13677 Parallel Opportunity for Water Conservation and Habitat Formation on Regulated Streams through Formation of Thermal Stratification in River Pools

Authors: Todd H. Buxton, Yong G. Lai

Abstract:

Temperature management in regulated rivers can involve significant expenditures of water to meet the cold-water requirements of species in summer. For this purpose, flows released from Lewiston Dam on the Trinity River in Northern California are 12.7 cms with temperatures around 11oC in July through September to provide adult spring Chinook cold water to hold in deep pools and mature until spawning in fall. The releases are more than double the flow and 10oC colder temperatures than the natural conditions before the dam was built. The high, cold releases provide springers the habitat they require but may suppress the stream food base and limit future populations of salmon by reducing the juvenile fish size and survival to adults via the positive relationship between the two. Field and modeling research was undertaken to explore whether lowering summer releases from Lewiston Dam may promote thermal stratification in river pools so that both the cold-water needs of adult salmon and warmer water requirements of other organisms in the stream biome may be met. For this investigation, a three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed and validated with field measurements in two deep pools on the Trinity River. Modeling and field observations were then used to identify the flows and temperatures that may form and maintain thermal stratification under different meteorologic conditions. Under low flows, a pool was found to be well mixed and thermally homogenous until temperatures began to stratify shortly after sunrise. Stratification then strengthened through the day until shading from trees and mountains cooled the inlet flow and decayed the thermal gradient, which collapsed shortly before sunset and returned the pool to a well-mixed state. This diurnal process of stratification formation and destruction was closely predicted by the 3D CFD model. Both the model and field observations indicate that thermal stratification maintained the coldest temperatures of the day at ≥2m depth in a pool and provided water that was around 8oC warmer in the upper 2m of the pool. Results further indicate that the stratified pool under low flows provided almost the same daily average temperatures as when flows were an order of magnitude higher and stratification was prevented, indicating significant water savings may be realized in regulated streams while also providing a diversity in water temperatures the ecosystem requires. With confidence in the 3D CFD model, the model is now being applied to a dozen pools in the Trinity River to understand how pool bathymetry influences thermal stratification under variable flows and diurnal temperature variations. This knowledge will be used to expand the results to 52 pools in a 64 km reach below Lewiston Dam that meet the depth criteria (≥2 m) for spring Chinook holding. From this, rating curves will be developed to relate discharge to the volume of pool habitat that provides springers the temperature (<15.6oC daily average), velocity (0.15 to 0.4 m/s) and depths that accommodate the escapement target for spring Chinook (6,000 adults) under maximum fish densities measured in other streams (3.1 m3/fish) during the holding time of year (May through August). Flow releases that meet these goals will be evaluated for water savings relative to the current flow regime and their influence on indicator species, including the Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog, and aspects of the stream biome that support salmon populations, including macroinvertebrate production and juvenile Chinook growth rates.

Keywords: 3D CFD modeling, flow regulation, thermal stratification, chinook salmon, foothill yellow-legged frogs, water managment

Procedia PDF Downloads 61
13676 Comparative Analysis of Identity Semiotics in Iran’s Modern and Traditional House Design

Authors: Maryam Ghasemi

Abstract:

One of the most significant components that provide comfort and protection is having a shelter called a house. Even if components and regions are changed or restored to meet new functions, the house's identity must be preserved. In the contemporary era, houses are increasingly being built regardless of cultural identity. This misunderstanding caused a sense of unease. This study analyses archaic and modern architecture to find semiotic areas and qualities in the latter, using the former as a reference. This study's technique used an exploratory assessment of architectural components from both periods. The Abbasid residence and the Ekbatan architectural complex were used as case studies. The identity of Iranian architecture does not correlate with current buildings. The other part is privacy, which is a missing link between traditional and modern Iranian architecture because it is directly related to the identities of homes based on the cultures of their residents.

Keywords: housing, traditional, contemporary, privacy, semiotic

Procedia PDF Downloads 100
13675 Morphology Optimization and Photophysics Study in Air-Processed Perovskite Solar Cells

Authors: Soumitra Satapathi, Anubhav Raghav

Abstract:

Perovskite solar cell technology has passed through a phase of unprecedented growth in the efficiency scale from 3.8% to above 22% within a half decade. This technology has drawn tremendous research interest. It has been observed that performances of perovskite based solar cells are extremely dependent on the morphology and crystallinity of the perovskite layer. It has also been observed that device lifetime depends on the perovskite morphology; devices with larger perovskite grains degrade slowly than those of the smaller ones. Various methods of perovskite growth have been applied to achieve the most appropriate morphology necessary for high efficient solar cells. The recent progress in morphology optimization by various methods emphasizing on grain sizes, stoichiometry, and ambient compatibility as well as photophysics study in air-processed perovskite solar cells will be discussed.

Keywords: perovskite solar cells, morphology optimization, photophysics study, air-processed solar cells

Procedia PDF Downloads 155
13674 Reflections on Lyotard's Reading of the Kantian Sublime and Its Political Import

Authors: Tugba Ayas Onol

Abstract:

The paper revisits Jean-François Lyotard’s interpretation of the Kantian Sublime as a tool for understanding politics after modernity. In 1985 Lyotard announces the end of rational politics based on consensus and claims that new strategies are urged to recognize the political imperatives of marginalized groups. The charm of the sublime as a reflective judgment is grounded on the fact that the judgment of sublime is free from any notion of consensus or common sense in particular. Lyotard interprets this feature of the sublime as a respect for heterogeneity and for him aesthetic judgments can be a model for understanding justice in postmodern times, in which it seems hard to follow a single universal law among different phrase regimes. More importantly, the Kantian sublime speaks to what Lyotard addresses as the incommensurability of phase genres. The present paper shall try to evaluate Lyotard’s employment of the Kantian notion of the sublime in relation to its possible political import.

Keywords: Kant, Lyotard, sublime, politics

Procedia PDF Downloads 375
13673 Half Metallic Antiferromagnetic of Doped TiO2 Rutile with Doubles Impurities (Os, Mo) from Ab Initio Calculations

Authors: M. Fakhim Lamrani, M. Ouchri, M. Belaiche, El Kenz, M. Loulidi, A. Benyoussef

Abstract:

Electronic and magnetic calculations based on density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation for II-VI compound semiconductor TiO2 doped with single impurity Os and Mo; these compounds are a half metallic ferromagnet in their ground state with a total magnetic moment of 2 μB for both systems. Then, TiO2 doped with double impurities Os and Mo have been performed. As result, Ti1-2xOsxMoxO2 with x=0.065 is half-metallic antiferromagnets with 100% spin polarization of the conduction electrons crossing the Fermi level, without showing a net magnetization. Moreover, Ti14OsMoO32 compound is stable energetically than Ti1-xMoxO2 and Ti1-xOsxO2. The antiferromagnetic interaction in Ti1-2xOsxMoxO2 system is attributed to the double exchange mechanism, and the latter could also be the origin of their half metallic.

Keywords: diluted magnetic semiconductor, half-metallic antiferromagnetic, augmented spherical wave method

Procedia PDF Downloads 417
13672 Design and Optimization of Soil Nailing Construction

Authors: Fereshteh Akbari, Farrokh Jalali Mosalam, Ali Hedayatifar, Amirreza Aminjavaheri

Abstract:

The soil nailing is an effective method to stabilize slopes and retaining structures. Consequently, the lateral and vertical displacement of retaining walls are important criteria to evaluate the safety risks of adjacent structures. This paper is devoted to the optimization problems of retaining walls based on ABAQOUS Software. The various parameters such as nail length, orientation, arrangement, horizontal spacing, and bond skin friction, on lateral and vertical displacement of retaining walls are investigated. In order to ensure accuracy, the mobilized shear stress acting around the perimeter of the nail-soil interface is also modeled in ABAQOUS software. The observed trend of results is compared to the previous researches.

Keywords: retaining walls, soil nailing, ABAQOUS software, lateral displacement, vertical displacement

Procedia PDF Downloads 123
13671 Numerical Experiments for the Purpose of Studying Space-Time Evolution of Various Forms of Pulse Signals in the Collisional Cold Plasma

Authors: N. Kh. Gomidze, I. N. Jabnidze, K. A. Makharadze

Abstract:

The influence of inhomogeneities of plasma and statistical characteristics on the propagation of signal is very actual in wireless communication systems. While propagating in the media, the deformation and evaluation of the signal in time and space take place and on the receiver we get a deformed signal. The present article is dedicated to studying the space-time evolution of rectangular, sinusoidal, exponential and bi-exponential impulses via numerical experiment in the collisional, cold plasma. The presented method is not based on the Fourier-presentation of the signal. Analytically, we have received the general image depicting the space-time evolution of the radio impulse amplitude that gives an opportunity to analyze the concrete results in the case of primary impulse.

Keywords: collisional, cold plasma, rectangular pulse signal, impulse envelope

Procedia PDF Downloads 381
13670 Investigating the Pronunciation of '-S' and '-Ed' Suffixes in Yemeni English

Authors: Saif Bareq, Vivek Mirgane

Abstract:

The present paper seeks to explicate the pronunciation of the ‘-s’ and ‘-ed’ suffixes when applied in their relative places in word endings. It attempts to investigate the problems faced by Yemenis in the pronunciation of these suffixes in all occurrences and realizations. It discusses the realization of ‘s’ in the four areas of plural, 3rd person singular and genitive markers, and contraction of ‘has’ and ‘is’ as in he’s, it’s ..,etc. and shows how they are differently represented by three different sounds /s/, /z/ and /z/ based on the phonological structure of the words in which they occur. Similarly, it explains the realization of the ‘-ed’ suffix of the past and past participle marker and how it is realized differently by three sounds governed by the phonological structure of these words. Besides, it tries to shed some light on the English morphophonemic and phonological rules that govern the pronunciation of such troublesome endings. It is hypothesized that the absence of such phenomenon in the mother tongue pronunciation of these suffixes.

Keywords: Suffixes' Pronunciation, Phonological Structure, Phonological Rules, Morpho-Phonemics, Yemeni English

Procedia PDF Downloads 288
13669 Experimental Studies of Dragonfly Flight Aerodynamics

Authors: Mohd Izmir Bin Yamin, Thomas Arthur Ward

Abstract:

Past aerodynamic studies of flapping wing flight have shown that it has increased aerodynamic performances compared to fixed wing steady flight. One of the dominant mechanisms that is responsible for causing this phenomenon is a leading edge vortex, generated by the flapping motion of a flexible wing. Wind tunnel experiments were conducted to observe the aerodynamic profile of a flapping wing, by measuring the lift, drag and thrust. Analysis was done to explain how unsteady aerodynamics leads towards better power performances than a fixed wing flight. The information from this study can be used as a base line for designing future Bio-mimetic Micro Air Vehicles that are based on flying insect aerodynamic mechanisms.

Keywords: flapping wing flight, leading edge vortex, aerodynamics performances, wind tunnel test

Procedia PDF Downloads 378
13668 Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship Study of Some Quinoline Derivatives as Antimalarial Agents

Authors: M. Ouassaf, S. Belaid

Abstract:

A series of quinoline derivatives with antimalarial activity were subjected to two-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (2D-QSAR) studies. Three models were implemented using multiple regression linear MLR, a regression partial least squares (PLS), nonlinear regression (MNLR), to see which descriptors are closely related to the activity biologic. We relied on a principal component analysis (PCA). Based on our results, a comparison of the quality of, MLR, PLS, and MNLR models shows that the MNLR (R = 0.914 and R² = 0.835, RCV= 0.853) models have substantially better predictive capability because the MNLR approach gives better results than MLR (R = 0.835 and R² = 0,752, RCV=0.601)), PLS (R = 0.742 and R² = 0.552, RCV=0.550) The model of MNLR gave statistically significant results and showed good stability to data variation in leave-one-out cross-validation. The obtained results suggested that our proposed model MNLR may be useful to predict the biological activity of derivatives of quinoline.

Keywords: antimalarial, quinoline, QSAR, PCA, MLR , MNLR, MLR

Procedia PDF Downloads 151
13667 Dimension Free Rigid Point Set Registration in Linear Time

Authors: Jianqin Qu

Abstract:

This paper proposes a rigid point set matching algorithm in arbitrary dimensions based on the idea of symmetric covariant function. A group of functions of the points in the set are formulated using rigid invariants. Each of these functions computes a pair of correspondence from the given point set. Then the computed correspondences are used to recover the unknown rigid transform parameters. Each computed point can be geometrically interpreted as the weighted mean center of the point set. The algorithm is compact, fast, and dimension free without any optimization process. It either computes the desired transform for noiseless data in linear time, or fails quickly in exceptional cases. Experimental results for synthetic data and 2D/3D real data are provided, which demonstrate potential applications of the algorithm to a wide range of problems.

Keywords: covariant point, point matching, dimension free, rigid registration

Procedia PDF Downloads 165
13666 Optimization of Hydrogel Conductive Nanocomposite as Solar Cell

Authors: Shimaa M. Elsaeed, Reem K. Farag, Ibrahim M. Nassar

Abstract:

Hydrogel conductive polymer nanocomposite fabricated via in-situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) inside thermosensitive hydrogels based on hydroxy ethyl meth acrylate (HEMA) copolymer with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS). SEM micrographs show the nanometric size of the conductive material (polyaniline, PANI) dispersed in the hydrogel matrix. The swelling parameters of hydrogel are measured. The incorporation of PANI improves the mechanical properties and swelling up to 30,000% without breaking. X-ray diffraction shows that typical polyaniline crystallization is formed in composite, which is advantageous to increase the electrical conductivity of the composite hydrogel. Open-circuit voltage (I-V) curve fill factor of the highest photo-conversion efficiency and enhanced to use in solar cell.

Keywords: hydrogel, solar cell, conductive polymer, nanocomposite

Procedia PDF Downloads 396
13665 A Biomimetic Approach for the Multi-Objective Optimization of Kinetic Façade Design

Authors: Do-Jin Jang, Sung-Ah Kim

Abstract:

A kinetic façade responds to user requirements and environmental conditions.  In designing a kinetic façade, kinetic patterns play a key role in determining its performance. This paper proposes a biomimetic method for the multi-objective optimization for kinetic façade design. The autonomous decentralized control system is combined with flocking algorithm. The flocking agents are autonomously reacting to sensor values and bring about kinetic patterns changing over time. A series of experiments were conducted to verify the potential and limitations of the flocking based decentralized control. As a result, it could show the highest performance balancing multiple objectives such as solar radiation and openness among the comparison group.

Keywords: biomimicry, flocking algorithm, autonomous decentralized control, multi-objective optimization

Procedia PDF Downloads 511
13664 Stealth Laser Dicing Process Improvement via Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithm

Authors: Pongchanun Luangpaiboon, Wanwisa Sarasang

Abstract:

In this paper, a performance of shuffled frog leaping algorithm was investigated on the stealth laser dicing process. Effect of problem on the performance of the algorithm was based on the tolerance of meandering data. From the customer specification it could be less than five microns with the target of zero microns. Currently, the meandering levels are unsatisfactory when compared to the customer specification. Firstly, the two-level factorial design was applied to preliminary study the statistically significant effects of five process variables. In this study one influential process variable is integer. From the experimental results, the new operating condition from the algorithm was superior when compared to the current manufacturing condition.

Keywords: stealth laser dicing process, meandering, meta-heuristics, shuffled frog leaping algorithm

Procedia PDF Downloads 333
13663 EFL Learners’ Perceptions in Using Online Tools in Developing Writing Skills

Authors: Zhikal Qadir Salih, Hanife Bensen

Abstract:

As the advent of modern technology continues to make towering impacts on everything, its relevance permeates to all spheres, language learning, and writing skills in particular not an exception. This study aimed at finding out how EFL learners perceive online tools to improve their writing skills. The study was carried out at Tishk University. Copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the participants, in order to elicit their perceptions. The collected data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The outcome revealed that the participants have positive perceptions about online tools in using them to enhance their writing skills. The study however found out that both gender and the class level of the participants do not make any significant difference in their perceptions about the use of online tools, as far as writing skill is concerned. Based on these outcomes, relevant recommendations were made.

Keywords: online tools, writing skills, EFL learners, language learning

Procedia PDF Downloads 101
13662 Enhancement of Tribological Behavior for Diesel Engine Piston of Solid Skirt by an Optimal Choice of Interface Material

Authors: M. Amara, M. Tahar Abbes, A. Dokkiche, M. Benbrike

Abstract:

Shear stresses generate frictional forces thus lead to the reduction of engine performance due to the power losses. This friction can also cause damage to the piston material. Thus, the choice of an optimal material for the piston is necessary to improve the elastohydrodynamical contacts of the piston. In this study, to achieve this objective, an elastohydrodynamical lubrication model that satisfies the best tribological behavior of the piston with the optimum choice of material is developed. Several aluminum alloys composed of different components are studied in this simulation. An application is made on the piston 60 x 120 mm Diesel engine type F8L413 currently mounted on Deutz trucks TB230 by using different aluminum alloys where alloys based on aluminum-silicon have better tribological performance.

Keywords: EHD lubricated contacts, friction, properties of materials, tribological performance

Procedia PDF Downloads 264
13661 The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Performance of Czech Industrial Enterprises

Authors: Maria Reznakova, Michala Strnadova, Lukas Reznak

Abstract:

The global financial crisis that erupted in 2008 is associated mainly with the debt crisis. It quickly spread globally through financial markets, international banks and trade links, and affected many economic sectors. Measured by the index of the year-on-year change in GDP and industrial production, the consequences of the global financial crisis manifested themselves with some delay also in the Czech economy. This can be considered a result of the overwhelming export orientation of Czech industrial enterprises. These events offer an important opportunity to study how financial and macroeconomic instability affects corporate performance. Corporate performance factors have long been given considerable attention. It is therefore reasonable to ask whether the findings published in the past are also valid in the times of economic instability and subsequent recession. The decisive factor in effective corporate performance measurement is the existence of an appropriate system of indicators that are able to assess progress in achieving corporate goals. Performance measures may be based on non-financial as well as on financial information. In this paper, financial indicators are used in combination with other characteristics, such as the firm size and ownership structure. Financial performance is evaluated based on traditional performance indicators, namely, return on equity and return on assets, supplemented with indebtedness and current liquidity indices. As investments are a very important factor in corporate performance, their trends and importance were also investigated by looking at the ratio of investments to previous year’s sales and the rate of reinvested earnings. In addition to traditional financial performance indicators, the Economic Value Added was also used. Data used in the research were obtained from a questionnaire survey administered in industrial enterprises in the Czech Republic and from AMADEUS (Analyse Major Database from European Sources), from which accounting data of companies were obtained. Respondents were members of the companies’ senior management. Research results unequivocally confirmed that corporate performance dropped significantly in the 2010-2012 period, which can be considered a result of the global financial crisis and a subsequent economic recession. It was reflected mainly in the decreasing values of profitability indicators and the Economic Value Added. Although the total year-on-year indebtedness declined, intercompany indebtedness increased. This can be considered a result of impeded access of companies to bank loans due to the credit crunch. Comparison of the results obtained with the conclusions of previous research on a similar topic showed that the assumption that firms under foreign control achieved higher performance during the period investigated was not confirmed.

Keywords: corporate performance, foreign control, intercompany indebtedness, ratio of investment

Procedia PDF Downloads 328
13660 Safety Conditions Analysis of Scaffolding on Construction Sites

Authors: M. Pieńko, A. Robak, E. Błazik-Borowa, J. Szer

Abstract:

This paper presents the results of analysis of 100 full-scale scaffolding structures in terms of compliance with legal acts and safety of use. In 2016 and 2017, authors examined scaffolds in Poland located at buildings which were at construction or renovation stage. The basic elements affecting the safety of scaffolding use such as anchors, supports, platforms, guardrails and toe-boards have been taken into account. All of these elements were checked in each of considered scaffolding. Based on the analyzed scaffoldings, the most common errors concerning assembly process and use of scaffolding were collected. Legal acts on the scaffoldings are not always clear, and this causes many issues. In practice, people realize how dangerous the use of incomplete scaffolds is only when the accident occurs. Despite the fact that the scaffolding should ensure the safety of its users, most accidents on construction sites are caused by fall from a height.

Keywords: façade scaffolds, load capacity, practice, safety of people

Procedia PDF Downloads 399
13659 Architectural Wind Data Maps Using an Array of Wireless Connected Anemometers

Authors: D. Serero, L. Couton, J. D. Parisse, R. Leroy

Abstract:

In urban planning, an increasing number of cities require wind analysis to verify comfort of public spaces and around buildings. These studies are made using computer fluid dynamic simulation (CFD). However, this technique is often based on wind information taken from meteorological stations located at several kilometers of the spot of analysis. The approximated input data on project surroundings produces unprecise results for this type of analysis. They can only be used to get general behavior of wind in a zone but not to evaluate precise wind speed. This paper presents another approach to this problem, based on collecting wind data and generating an urban wind cartography using connected ultrasound anemometers. They are wireless devices that send immediate data on wind to a remote server. Assembled in array, these devices generate geo-localized data on wind such as speed, temperature, pressure and allow us to compare wind behavior on a specific site or building. These Netatmo-type anemometers communicate by wifi with central equipment, which shares data acquired by a wide variety of devices such as wind speed, indoor and outdoor temperature, rainfall, and sunshine. Beside its precision, this method extracts geo-localized data on any type of site that can be feedback looped in the architectural design of a building or a public place. Furthermore, this method allows a precise calibration of a virtual wind tunnel using numerical aeraulic simulations (like STAR CCM + software) and then to develop the complete volumetric model of wind behavior over a roof area or an entire city block. The paper showcases connected ultrasonic anemometers, which were implanted for an 18 months survey on four study sites in the Grand Paris region. This case study focuses on Paris as an urban environment with multiple historical layers whose diversity of typology and buildings allows considering different ways of capturing wind energy. The objective of this approach is to categorize the different types of wind in urban areas. This, particularly the identification of the minimum and maximum wind spectrum, helps define the choice and performance of wind energy capturing devices that could be implanted there. The localization on the roof of a building, the type of wind, the altimetry of the device in relation to the levels of the roofs, the potential nuisances generated. The method allows identifying the characteristics of wind turbines in order to maximize their performance in an urban site with turbulent wind.

Keywords: computer fluid dynamic simulation in urban environment, wind energy harvesting devices, net-zero energy building, urban wind behavior simulation, advanced building skin design methodology

Procedia PDF Downloads 98
13658 The Mitidja between Drought and Water Pollution

Authors: Aziez Ouahiba, Remini Boualam, Habi Mohamed

Abstract:

the growth and the development of a pay are strongly related to the existence or the absence of water in this area, The sedentary lifestyle of the population makes that water demand is increasing and the different brandishing (dams, tablecloths or other) are increasingly solicited. In normal time rain and snow of the winter period reloads the slicks and the wadis that fill dams. Over these two decades, global warming fact that temperature is increasingly high and rainfall is increasingly low which induces a charge less and less important tablecloths, add to that the strong demand in irrigation. Our study will focus on the variation of rainfall and irrigation, their effects on the degree of pollution of the groundwater in this area based on statistical analyses by the Xlstat (ACP, correlation...) software for a better explanation of these results and determine the hydrochemistry of different groups or polluted areas pou be able to offer adequate solutions for each area.

Keywords: rainfall, groundwater of mitidja, irrigation, pollution

Procedia PDF Downloads 395
13657 The Relationship between Basic Human Needs and Opportunity Based on Social Progress Index

Authors: Ebru Ozgur Guler, Huseyin Guler, Sera Sanli

Abstract:

Social Progress Index (SPI) whose fundamentals have been thrown in the World Economy Forum is an index which aims to form a systematic basis for guiding strategy for inclusive growth which requires achieving both economic and social progress. In this research, it has been aimed to determine the relations among “Basic Human Needs” (BHN) (including four variables of ‘Nutrition and Basic Medical Care’, ‘Water and Sanitation’, ‘Shelter’ and ‘Personal Safety’) and “Opportunity” (OPT) (that is composed of ‘Personal Rights’, ‘Personal Freedom and Choice’, ‘Tolerance and Inclusion’, and ‘Access to Advanced Education’ components) dimensions of 2016 SPI for 138 countries which take place in the website of Social Progress Imperative by carrying out canonical correlation analysis (CCA) which is a data reduction technique that operates in a way to maximize the correlation between two variable sets. In the interpretation of results, the first pair of canonical variates pointing to the highest canonical correlation has been taken into account. The first canonical correlation coefficient has been found as 0.880 indicating to the high relationship between BHN and OPT variable sets. Wilk’s Lambda statistic has revealed that an overall effect of 0.809 is highly large for the full model in order to be counted as statistically significant (with a p-value of 0.000). According to the standardized canonical coefficients, the largest contribution to BHN set of variables has come from ‘shelter’ variable. The most effective variable in OPT set has been detected to be ‘access to advanced education’. Findings based on canonical loadings have also confirmed these results with respect to the contributions to the first canonical variates. When canonical cross loadings (structure coefficients) are examined, for the first pair of canonical variates, the largest contributions have been provided by ‘shelter’ and ‘access to advanced education’ variables. Since the signs for structure coefficients have been found to be negative for all variables; all OPT set of variables are positively related to all of the BHN set of variables. In case canonical communality coefficients which are the sum of the squares of structure coefficients across all interpretable functions are taken as the basis; amongst all variables, ‘personal rights’ and ‘tolerance and inclusion’ variables can be said not to be useful in the model with 0.318721 and 0.341722 coefficients respectively. On the other hand, while redundancy index for BHN set has been found to be 0.615; OPT set has a lower redundancy index with 0.475. High redundancy implies high ability for predictability. The proportion of the total variation in BHN set of variables that is explained by all of the opposite canonical variates has been calculated as 63% and finally, the proportion of the total variation in OPT set that is explained by all of the canonical variables in BHN set has been determined as 50.4% and a large part of this proportion belongs to the first pair. The results suggest that there is a high and statistically significant relationship between BHN and OPT. This relationship is generally accounted by ‘shelter’ and ‘access to advanced education’.

Keywords: canonical communality coefficient, canonical correlation analysis, redundancy index, social progress index

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13656 Dynamic Modeling of Wind Farms in the Jeju Power System

Authors: Dae-Hee Son, Sang-Hee Kang, Soon-Ryul Nam

Abstract:

In this paper, we develop a dynamic modeling of wind farms in the Jeju power system. The dynamic model of wind farms is developed to study their dynamic effects on the Jeju power system. PSS/E is used to develop the dynamic model of a wind farm composed of 1.5-MW doubly fed induction generators. The output of a wind farm is regulated based on pitch angle control, in which the two controllable parameters are speed and power references. The simulation results confirm that the pitch angle is successfully controlled, regardless of the variation in wind speed and output regulation.

Keywords: dynamic model, Jeju power system, online limitation, pitch angle control, wind farm

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13655 Modeling of Bioelectric Activity of Nerve Cells Using Bond Graph Method

Authors: M. Ghasemi, F. Eskandari, B. Hamzehei, A. R. Arshi

Abstract:

Bioelectric activity of nervous cells might be changed causing by various factors. This alteration can lead to unforeseen circumstances in other organs of the body. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to model a single neuron and its behavior under an initial stimulation. This study was developed based on cable theory by means of the Bond Graph method. The numerical values of the parameters were derived from empirical studies of cellular electrophysiology experiments. Initial excitation was applied through square current functions, and the resulted action potential was estimated along the neuron. The results revealed that the model was developed in this research adapted with the results of experimental studies and demonstrated the electrical behavior of nervous cells properly.

Keywords: bond graph, stimulation, nervous cells, modeling

Procedia PDF Downloads 419