Search results for: innovation capacity

Authors: Panisa Harnpathananun

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This paper is 'Practical Experience Analysis' which aims to analyze critical obstacles hampering the growth of the functional milk industry and suggest recommendations to overcome those obstacles. Using the Sectoral Innovation System (SIS) along value chain analysis, it is found that restriction in regulation of milk disinfection process, difficulty of dairy entrepreneurs for health claim approval of functional food and beverage and lack of intermediary between entrepreneurs and certified units for certification of functional foods and milk are major causes that needed to be resolved. Consequently, policy recommendations are proposed to tackle the problems occurring throughout the value chain. For the upstream, a collaborative platform using the quadruple helix model is proposed in a pattern of effective dairy cooperatives. For the midstream, regulation issues of new process, extended shelf life (ESL) milk, or prolonged milk are necessary, which can be extended the global market opportunity. For the downstream, mechanism of intermediary between entrepreneurs and certified units can be assisted in certified process of functional milk, especially a process of 'health claim' approval.

Keywords: Thailand, functional milk, supply chain, quadruple helix, intermediary, functional food

Procedia PDF Downloads 127

Authors: B. Yaman, G. Acikbas, N. Calis Acikbas

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Epoxy based materials have advantages in tribological applications due to their unique properties such as light weight, self-lubrication capacity and wear resistance. On the other hand, their usage is often limited by their low load bearing capacity and low thermal conductivity values. In this study, it is aimed to improve tribological and also mechanical properties of epoxy by reinforcing with ceramic based porcelain waste. It is well-known that the reuse or recycling of waste materials leads to reduction in production costs, ease of manufacturing, saving energy, etc. From this perspective, epoxy and epoxy matrix composites containing 60wt% porcelain waste with different particle size in the range of below 90µm and 150-250µm were fabricated, and the effect of filler particle size on the mechanical and tribological properties was investigated. The microstructural characterization was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and phase analysis was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Archimedes principle was used to measure the density and porosity of the samples. The hardness values were measured using Shore-D hardness, and bending tests were performed. Microstructural investigations indicated that porcelain particles were homogeneously distributed and no agglomerations were encountered in the epoxy resin. Mechanical test results showed that the hardness and bending strength were increased with increasing particle size related to low porosity content and well embedding to the matrix. Tribological behavior of these composites was evaluated in terms of friction, wear rates and wear mechanisms by ball-on-disk contact with dry and rotational sliding at room temperature against WC ball with a diameter of 3mm. Wear tests were carried out at room temperature (23–25°C) with a humidity of 40 ± 5% under dry-sliding conditions. The contact radius of cycles was set to 5 mm at linear speed of 30 cm/s for the geometry used in this study. In all the experiments, 3N of constant test load was applied at a frequency of 8 Hz and prolonged to 400m wear distance. The friction coefficient of samples was recorded online by the variation in the tangential force. The steady-state CoFs were changed in between 0,29-0,32. The dimensions of the wear tracks (depth and width) were measured as two-dimensional profiles by a stylus profilometer. The wear volumes were calculated by integrating these 2D surface areas over the diameter. Specific wear rates were computed by dividing the wear volume by the applied load and sliding distance. According to the experimental results, the use of porcelain waste in the fabrication of epoxy resin composites can be suggested to be potential materials due to allowing improved mechanical and tribological properties and also providing reduction in production cost.

Keywords: epoxy composites, mechanical properties, porcelain waste, tribological properties

Procedia PDF Downloads 184

Authors: Shinn-Dar Wu

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This study aims to synthesize lithium iron phosphate cathode material using a recycling technology involving non-protective gas calcination. The advantages include lower cost and easier production than traditional methods that require a large amount of protective gas. The novel technology may have extensive industrial applications. Given that the traditional gas calcination has a large number of protection free Fe3+ production, this study developed a precursor iron phosphate (Fe2+) material recycling technology and conducted related tests and analyses. It focused on flow field design of calcination and new technology as well as analyzed the best conditions for powder calcination combination. The electrical properties were determined by button batteries and exhibited a capacity of 118 mAh/g (The use of new materials synthesis, capacitance is about 122 mAh/g). The cost reduced to 50% of the original.

Keywords: lithium battery, lithium iron phosphate, calcined technology, recycling technology

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Authors: Kunwar D. Yadav, Dayanand Sharma

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Surat City in India is famous for textile and dyeing industries which generate textile sludge in huge quantity. Textile sludge contains harmful chemicals which are poisonous and carcinogenic. The safe disposal and reuse of textile dyeing sludge are challenging for owner of textile industries and government of the state. The aim of present study was the vermicomposting of textile industries dyeing sludge with cow dung and Eisenia foetida as earthworm spices. The vermicompost reactor of 0.3 m³ capacity was used for vermicomposting. Textile dyeing sludge was mixed with cow dung in different proportion, i.e., 0:100 (C1), 10:90 (C2), 20:80 (C3), 30:70 (C4). Vermicomposting duration was 120 days. All the combinations of the feed mixture, the pH was increased to a range 7.45-7.78, percentage of total organic carbon was decreased to a range of 31-33.3%, total nitrogen was decreased to a range of 1.15-1.32%, total phosphorus was increased in the range of 6.2-7.9 (g/kg).

Keywords: cow dung, Eisenia foetida, textile sludge, vermicompost

Procedia PDF Downloads 201

Authors: Roberto Cerchione, Emilio Esposito, Mario Raffa

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The relevance and the strategic importance of engineering skills in innovation and in the development of businesses and organizations push to investigate the role of the engineer in society today. In the twentieth century the emergence of a variety of technical and scientific knowledge has led to the rise of new areas of skills going from a "all-comprehensive" engineering to an engineering characterized by many specializations. Organizational and structural changes within companies and the emergence of an industrial society based on multiple interrelationships led to the transformation of engineering education. The objective of this work is to report main steps and many pioneering experiences, both national and international, that have led to establish a graduate degree program in Engineering Management and its subsequent evolution in Entrepreneurial Engineering. The first section of this article focuses on the origins and precursors of Engineering Management education. The second section concerns main Italian education programs. Then the attention is focused on the evolution of Engineering Management in Naples, on the intersectoral nature of this degree program, on the relationship with business community, associations, labor market, small businesses and environment. Finally, the discussion of recent years about the skills that characterize entrepreneurial engineer in society are presented.

Keywords: education, engineering management, entrepreunerial engineering, engineering skills, managerial skills, entrepreneurial skills

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Authors: Jadwiga Królikowska, Andrzej Królikowski, Jarosław Bajer

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The work delineates the threats of maladjustment of the capacity of rain canals, designed and built in the early 20th century, in connection to heavy rainfall, especially in summer. This is the cause of the so called 'urban floods.' It directly relates to fierce raise of paving in the cities. Resolving this problem requires a change in philosophy of draining the rainfall by wider use of retention, infiltration and usage of rainwater. In systemic approach to managing the safety of urban drainage systems the risk, which is directly connected to safety failures, has been accepted as a measure. The risk level defines the probability of occurrence of losses greater than the ones forecast for a given time frame. The procedure of risk modelling, enabling its numeric analysis by using appropriate weights, is a significant issue in this paper.

Keywords: risk management, drainage system, urban areas, urban floods

Procedia PDF Downloads 344

Authors: Rob Waddle

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We study an economy with weak justice and security systems and with weak public policy and regulation or little capacity to implement them, and with high barriers to profitable sectors. We look at growth and development opportunities based on the derived demand. We show that there is hope for such an economy to grow up and to generate a win-win situation for all stakeholders if the derived demand is supplied. We then investigate conditions that could stimulate the derived demand supply. We show that little knowledge of public, private and international expenditures in the economy and academic tools are enough to trigger the derived demand supply. Our model can serve as guidance to donor and NGO working in developing countries, and show to media the best way to help is to share information about existing and accessible opportunities. It can also provide direction to vocational schools and universities that could focus more on providing tools to seize existing opportunities.

Keywords: growth, development, monopoly, oligopoly, inequality

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Authors: Siddharth Vashisth, Varun Mathur

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This review provides an overview of the impact that implementation of various Knowledge Management (KM) strategies has had on the growth of a department in a Public Sector Company in India. In a regulated utility controlled by the government, the growth of an organization such as Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) had depended largely on the efficiencies of the systems and its people. However, subsequent to the de-regularization & to the entry of the private competition, the need for a ‘systematic templating’ of knowledge was recognized. This necessitated the introduction of Knowledge Management Centre (KMC). Projects & Pipelines Department (P&P) of HPCL introduced KMC that contributed significantly towards KM by adopting various strategies such as standardization, leveraging information system, competency enhancement, and improvements & innovations. These strategies gave both tangible as well as intangible benefits towards KM. Knowledge, technology & people are the three pillars that need to be catered for effective knowledge management in any organization. In HPCL, the initiative of KMC has served as an intermediary between these three major pillars as each activity of the strategy was centered on them and contributed significantly to their growth and up-gradation, ensuring overall growth of KM in the department.

Keywords: knowledge, knowledge management, public sector organization, standardization, technology, people, skill, information system, innovation, competency, impact

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Authors: Rahul Patel, S. P. Dave, M. V Shah

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Ahmedabad is a rapidly growing city in western India that is experiencing significant urbanization and industrialization. With projections indicating that it will become a metropolitan city in the near future, various construction activities are taking place, making soil testing a crucial requirement before construction can commence. To achieve this, construction companies and contractors need to periodically conduct soil testing. This study focuses on the process of creating a spatial database that is digitally formatted and integrated with geotechnical data and a Geographic Information System (GIS). Building a comprehensive geotechnical Geo-database involves three essential steps. Firstly, borehole data is collected from reputable sources. Secondly, the accuracy and redundancy of the data are verified. Finally, the geotechnical information is standardized and organized for integration into the database. Once the Geo-database is complete, it is integrated with GIS. This integration allows users to visualize, analyze, and interpret geotechnical information spatially. Using a Topographic to Raster interpolation process in GIS, estimated values are assigned to all locations based on sampled geotechnical data values. The study area was contoured for SPT N-Values, Soil Classification, Φ-Values, and Bearing Capacity (T/m2). Various interpolation techniques were cross-validated to ensure information accuracy. The GIS map generated by this study enables the calculation of SPT N-Values, Φ-Values, and bearing capacities for different footing widths and various depths. This approach highlights the potential of GIS in providing an efficient solution to complex phenomena that would otherwise be tedious to achieve through other means. Not only does GIS offer greater accuracy, but it also generates valuable information that can be used as input for correlation analysis. Furthermore, this system serves as a decision support tool for geotechnical engineers. The information generated by this study can be utilized by engineers to make informed decisions during construction activities. For instance, they can use the data to optimize foundation designs and improve site selection. In conclusion, the rapid growth experienced by Ahmedabad requires extensive construction activities, necessitating soil testing. This study focused on the process of creating a comprehensive geotechnical database integrated with GIS. The database was developed by collecting borehole data from reputable sources, verifying its accuracy and redundancy, and organizing the information for integration. The GIS map generated by this study is an efficient solution that offers greater accuracy and generates valuable information that can be used as input for correlation analysis. It also serves as a decision support tool for geotechnical engineers, allowing them to make informed decisions during construction activities.

Keywords: arcGIS, borehole data, geographic information system (GIS), geo-database, interpolation, SPT N-value, soil classification, φ-value, bearing capacity

Procedia PDF Downloads 55

Authors: Yuheng Tao

Abstract:

Rapid urbanization has brought the consequences of incompatible and excessive homogeneity of urban system, and urban color planning has become one of the most effective ways to restore the characteristics of cities. Among the many urban color design research, the establishment of urban theme colors has rarely been discussed. This study took the "New Taipei City Environmental Aesthetic Color” project as a research case and conducted mixed-method research that included expert interviews and quantitative survey data. This study introduces how theme colors were selected by the experts and investigates public’s perception and preference of the selected theme colors. Several findings include 1) urban memory plays a significant role in determining urban theme colors; 2) When establishing urban theme colors, areas/cities with relatively weak urban memory are given priority to be defined; 3) Urban theme colors that imply cultural attributes are more widely accepted by the public; 4) A representative city theme color helps conserve culture rather than guiding innovation. In addition, this research rearranges the urban color symbolism and specific content of urban theme colors and provides a more scientific urban theme color selection scheme for urban planners.

Keywords: urban theme color, urban color attribute, public perception, public preferences

Procedia PDF Downloads 136

Authors: Bessaad Taieb, Benbouali Abderrahmen

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Fuzzy controllers are a powerful tool for controlling complex processes. However, its robustness capacity remains moderately limited because it loses its property for large ranges of parametric variations. In this paper, the proposed control method is designed, based on a fuzzy adaptive controller used as a remedy for this problem. For increase the robustness of the vector control and to maintain the performance of the five-phase asynchronous machine despite the presence of disturbances (variation of rotor resistance, rotor inertia variations, sudden variations in the load etc.), by applying the method of behaviour model control (BMC). The results of simulation show that the fuzzy adaptive control provides best performance and has a more robustness as the fuzzy (FLC) and as a conventional (PI) controller.

Keywords: fuzzy adaptive control, behaviour model control, vector control, five-phase asynchronous machine

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: Espinosa-Garza G., Loera-Hernandez I., Antonyan N.

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To innovate, it is necessary to perform projects directed towards the search of improvement. The agricultural technique and the design of greenhouses have been studied by undergraduate engineering students from the Tecnológico de Monterrey using the campus areas. The purpose of this project was to incite students to create innovations and help rural populations of the state to solve one of the problems that they are dealing with nowadays. The main objective of the project was to search for an alternative technique that will allow the planting of the “chile piquín” plant, also known as Capsicum annuum, to grow quicker as it germinates. The “chile piquín” is one of the original crops of Mexico and forms the basis of the Mesoamerican cultures’ diet since the pre-hispanic era. To fulfill with today’s demand, it is required to implement new alternative methods to increase the “chile piquín’s” growth. The project lasted one semester with the participation of engineering students from multiple majors. The most important results from this academic experience were that, from the proposed goal, the students could analyze the needs of their town and were capable of introducing new and innovative ideas with the aim of resolving them. In the present article the pedagogic methodologies that allowed to carry out this project will be discussed.

Keywords: academic experience, chile piquín, engineering education, greenhouse design, innovation

Procedia PDF Downloads 138

Authors: Kholil Kholil, Aniwidayati

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MDS (Multi-Dimensional Scaling) is one method that has been widely used to evaluate the use of natural resources. By using Raffish software tool, we will able to analyze sustainability level of the natural resources use. This paper will discuss the level of sustainability of the reservoir using MDS (Multi-Dimensional Scaling) based on five dimensions: (1) Ecology & Layout, (2) Economics, (3) Social & Culture, (4) Regulations & Institutional, and (5) Infrastructure and Technology. MDS analysis results show that the dimension of ecological and layout, institutional and the regulation are lack of sustainability due to the low index score of 45.76 and 42.24. While for the economic, social and culture, and infrastructure and technology dimension reach each score of 63.12, 64.42, and 68.64 (only the sufficient sustainability category). It means that the sustainability performance of Cirata Reservoir seriously threatened.

Keywords: MDS, cirata reservoir, carrying capacity, water quality, sustainable development, sedimentation, sustainability index

Procedia PDF Downloads 363

Authors: Chang Su Woo, Hyun Sung Park

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Useful lifetime evaluation of chevron rubber spring was very important in design procedure to assure the safety and reliability. It is, therefore, necessary to establish a suitable criterion for the replacement period of chevron rubber spring. In this study, we performed characteristic analysis and useful lifetime prediction of chevron rubber spring. Rubber material coefficient was obtained by curve fittings of uni-axial tension, equi bi-axial tension and pure shear test. Computer simulation was executed to predict and evaluate the load capacity and stiffness for chevron rubber spring. In order to useful lifetime prediction of rubber material, we carried out the compression set with heat aging test in an oven at the temperature ranging from 50°C to 100°C during a period 180 days. By using the Arrhenius plot, several useful lifetime prediction equations for rubber material was proposed.

Keywords: chevron rubber spring, material coefficient, finite element analysis, useful lifetime prediction

Procedia PDF Downloads 552

Authors: Hoda Dehghani, Zahra Dehghani

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Considering the obvious growth and variety of veterinary biological product and increase consumption and also the price, it is necessary to establish the rules and serious monitoring of this products which are less expensive than the original products. The scope of this research is the study of comparing the registration criteria and procedures of veterinary biological drugs in the world's leading agencies such as EMA, FDA, and WHO. For this, purpose the rules and regulations for registration of these drugs in prestigious organizations such as the FDA, EMA and WHO were examined and compared with the existing legislation in Iran. Studies show that EMA is the forefront of the compilation and registration of drugs in the world. China is a one of the greatest country in the development of drugs and establishes very closely guidelines with creditable global guidelines, and Now, is the first country to implement the rules codified in the Far East and followed by china, India and, South Korea and Taiwan have taken incorporate the industry's top ranking in Asia. At now, Asia by creating appropriate indicators not only as a powerful center in the field of drug delivery but also as a competitor to the United States is a major source of drug discovery and creation of innovation. the activities such as clinical trials and pharmaceutical investment is the speed of technology on the continent.

Keywords: veterinary biological product, regulation of registration, biological products, regularity authorities

Procedia PDF Downloads 340

Authors: Jadwiga Królikowska, Andrzej Królikowski, Jarosław Bajer

Abstract:

The work delineates the threats of maladjustment of the capacity of rain canals, designed and built in the early 20th century, in connection to heavy rainfall, especially in summer. This is the cause of the so called 'urban floods.' It directly relates to fierce raise of paving in the cities. Resolving this problem requires a change in philosophy of draining the rainfall by wider use of retention, infiltration and usage of rainwater. In systemic approach to managing the safety of urban drainage systems the risk, which is directly connected to safety failures, has been accepted as a measure. The risk level defines the probability of occurrence of losses grater than the ones forecast for a given time frame. The procedure of risk modelling, enabling its numeric analysis by using appropriate weights, is a significant issue in this paper.

Keywords: drainage system, urban areas, risk measurement, systemic approach

Procedia PDF Downloads 275

Authors: Vichada Chokesikarin

Abstract:

We propose that the ability to create the business success requires Adversity Quotient (AQ) and Human Capital (HC). The aims of the present study are to investigate adversity quotient, human capital and entrepreneurial success of accommodation entrepreneurs in Pranakorn, Bangkok and to examine the relationship between AQ, HC and Entrepreneurial Success. The participants of this study were 112 entrepreneurs in accommodation business in the Khao San/Grand Palace, the location nearby demonstration area in 2014. Specifically, we focus on higher adversity which provides a measure of one’s perceived capacity to prevail in the face of adversity and the effects of human capital on success. Results indicated that there is significant relationship between human capital and entrepreneurial success, while adversity quotient was found to partially mediate the entrepreneurial success. Moreover, our findings showed that the human capital -experience and skills- are more important than adversity quotient. This suggests that the entrepreneurial success should rely on their skill and experiences.

Keywords: accommodation business, adversity quotient, entrepreneurial success, human capital

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Authors: Alexander Kelisek, Stanislava Strelcova

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Developing of business in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is a specific especially for its flexibility and rapid adaptation to the conditions of turbulent market environment compared to large enterprises. Therefore, an importance of SMEs is growing rapidly in Slovakia but also in other EU countries. Small and medium enterprises are characterized by transparent organizational structure, as it allows the realization of direct management and information flow without significant negative aspects. In the national economy small and medium-sized enterprises represent a significant potential when performs a several important functions (e.g. social, economic, export-import, etc.) The significance of these enterprises is not only at national, but also at transnational level. Importance of SMEs is also aware of the EU, which declared this statement in a key document for SMEs called Small Business Act. In this document, SMEs are characterized, as the backbone of the EU economy and also as a key source of jobs opportunities. In addition to these aspects, SMEs attaches high innovation and development potential. The authors of the article are dealing with the current status of SMEs development in the Slovak Republic and highlight the current challenges that entrepreneurs face in their small and medium enterprises.

Keywords: small and medium enterprises (SMEs), business support, SMEs development, SMEs funding

Procedia PDF Downloads 283

Authors: Jorge A. Ruiz-Vanoye, Ocotlán Díaz-Parra, Alejandro Fuentes-Penna, José J. Hernández-Flores, Edith Olaco Garcia

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The Project Scheduling Problem (PSP) is a generic name given to a whole class of problems in which the best form, time, resources and costs for project scheduling are necessary. The PSP is an application area related to the project management. This paper aims at being a guide to understand PSP by presenting a survey of the general parameters of PSP: the Resources (those elements that realize the activities of a project), and the Activities (set of operations or own tasks of a person or organization); the mathematical models of the main variants of PSP and the algorithms used to solve the variants of the PSP. The project scheduling is an important task in project management. This paper contains mathematical models, resources, activities, and algorithms of project scheduling problems. The project scheduling problem has attracted researchers of the automotive industry, steel manufacturer, medical research, pharmaceutical research, telecommunication, industry, aviation industry, development of the software, manufacturing management, innovation and technology management, construction industry, government project management, financial services, machine scheduling, transportation management, and others. The project managers need to finish a project with the minimum cost and the maximum quality.

Keywords: PSP, Combinatorial Optimization Problems, Project Management; Manufacturing Management, Technology Management.

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Authors: Igor Luiz Bernardes de Moura, Luan Carlos de Sena Monteiro Ozelim, Fabiano Araujo Soares

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The development of a low cost acquisition system of S-EMG signals which are reliable, comfortable for the user and with high mobility shows to be a relevant proposition in modern biomedical engineering scenario. In the study, the sampling capacity of the Arduino microcontroller Atmel Atmega328 with an A/D converter with 10-bit resolution and its reconstructing capability of a signal of surface electromyography are analyzed. An electronic circuit to capture the signal through two differential channels was designed, signals from Biceps Brachialis of a healthy man of 21 years was acquired to test the system prototype. ARV, MDF, MNF and RMS estimators were used to compare de acquired signals with physiological values. The Arduino was configured with a sampling frequency of 1.5 kHz for each channel, and the tests with the circuit designed offered a SNR of 20.57dB.

Keywords: electromyography, Arduino, low-cost, atmel atmega328 microcontroller

Procedia PDF Downloads 348

Authors: Ahmad Hashad

Abstract:

Valley tanks are a kind of rain harvest which is used as ground water storage to overcome drought seasons in some countries. This research displays the rain harvest evolution and introduces some ideas to develop the valley tanks to be more than water storage. These ideas developed the current valley tanks design to become an integrated renaissance project. The suggested design has some changes making it different than the traditional design of valley tanks. These changes allow for the new design to be more flexible for adding additional capacity, water purification units and water pumping units. The suggested valley tanks project will be designed based on studying the rainfall and evaporation rates, as well as land topography and designed agricultural map linked to seasons of rain and drought.

Keywords: valley tanks, rain harvest, volatile nature, integrated renaissance project

Procedia PDF Downloads 233

Authors: Syed Sameer Aga, Saniya Nissar

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The Xeroderma pigmentosum group D gene (XPD) plays a key role in nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway of the damaged DNA. Genetic polymorphisms in the coding region of the XPD gene may alter DNA repair capacity of the protein and hence can modulate the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. The aim of the study was to determine the genetic association of XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism with the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) development. 120 CRC patients and 160 normal controls were assessed for genotype frequencies of XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism using PCR-RFLP technique. We observed a significant association (p < 0.05) between the XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism and the risk of developing CRC (p < 0.05). Additionally, Gln/Gln genotype of the XPD gene doubled the risk for the development of CRC [p < 0.05; OR=2.25 95% CI (1.07-4.7)]. Our results suggest that there is a significant association between the XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism and the risk of CRC.

Keywords: colorectal cancer, polymorphism, RFLP, DNA Repair, NER, XPD

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Authors: P. Hajek, J. Stejskal

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The aim of this paper is to analyze the ability to identify and acquire knowledge from external sources at the regional level in the Czech Republic. The results show that the most important sources of knowledge for innovative activities are sources within the businesses themselves, followed by customers and suppliers. Furthermore, the analysis of relationships between the objective of the innovative activity and the ability to identify and acquire knowledge implies that knowledge obtained from a) customers aims at replacing outdated products and increasing product quality; b) suppliers aims at increasing capacity and flexibility of production; and c) competing businesses aims at growing market share and increasing the flexibility of production and services. Regions should therefore direct their support especially into development and strengthening of networks within the value chain.

Keywords: knowledge, acquisition, innovative business, Czech republic, region

Procedia PDF Downloads 355

Authors: Seyed Abolhasan Naeini, Hamidreza Rahmani

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Laboratory consolidated undrained triaxial (CU) tests were carried out to study the strength behavior of silty soil reinforced with randomly plastic waste bottle chips. Specimens mixed with plastic waste chips in triaxial compression tests with 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25% by dry weight of soil and tree different length including 4, 8, and 12 mm. In all of the samples, the width and thickness of plastic chips were kept constant. According to the results, the amount and size of plastic waste bottle chips played an important role in the increasing of the strength parameters of reinforced silt compared to the pure soil. Because of good results, the suggested method of soil improvement can be used in many engineering problems such as increasing the bearing capacity and settlement reduction in foundations.

Keywords: reinforcement, silt, soil improvement, triaxial test, waste bottle chips

Procedia PDF Downloads 268

Authors: Yu Li, Dongyao Wang, Xiaobao Sun, Wei Ni

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In long-term evolution (LTE), the carriers around 5GHz are planned to be utilized without licenses to further enlarge system capacity. This feature is termed licensed assisted access (LAA). The channel sensing (clean channel assessment, CCA) is required before any transmission on these unlicensed carriers, in order to make sure the harmonious co-existence of LAA with other radio access technology in the unlicensed band. Obviously, the CCA threshold is very critical, which decides whether the transmission right following CCA is delivered in time and without collisions. An improper CCA threshold may cause buffer overflow of some eNodeBs if the eNodeBs are heavily loaded with the traffic. Thus, to solve these problems, we propose an adaptive threshold adjustment method for CCA in the LAA downlink. Both the load and transmission opportunities are concerned. The trend of the LAA throughput as the threshold varies is obtained, which guides the threshold adjustment. The co-existing between LAA and Wi-Fi is particularly tested. The results from system-level simulation confirm the merits of our design, especially in heavy traffic cases.

Keywords: LTE, LAA, CCA, threshold adjustment

Procedia PDF Downloads 128

Authors: Natalia Caldeira De Carvalho, Tassia Batista Pessato, Luis Gustavo R. Fernandes, Ricardo L. Zollner, Flavia Maria Netto

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Protein hydrolysates are ingredients of enteral diets and hypoallergenic formulas. Enzymatic hydrolysis is the most commonly used method for reducing the antigenicity of milk protein. The antigenicity and physicochemical characteristics of the protein hydrolysates depend on the reaction parameters. Among them, pH has been pointed out as of the major importance. Hydrolysis reaction in laboratory scale is commonly carried out under controlled pH (pH-stat). However, from the industrial point of view, controlling pH during hydrolysis reaction may be infeasible. This study evaluated the impact of pH control on the physicochemical properties and antigenicity of the hydrolysates of whey proteins with Alcalase. Whey protein isolate (WPI) solutions containing 3 and 7 % protein (w/v) were hydrolyzed with Alcalase 50 and 100 U g-1 protein at 60°C for 180 min. The reactions were carried out under controlled and uncontrolled pH conditions. Hydrolyses performed under controlled pH (pH-stat) were initially adjusted and maintained at pH 8.5. Hydrolyses carried out without pH control were initially adjusted to pH 8.5. Degree of hydrolysis (DH) was determined by OPA method, peptides profile was evaluated by HPLC-RP, and molecular mass distribution by SDS-PAGE/Tricine. The residual α-lactalbumin (α-La) and β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) concentrations were determined using commercial ELISA kits. The specific IgE and IgG binding capacity of hydrolysates was evaluated by ELISA technique, using polyclonal antibodies obtained by immunization of female BALB/c mice with α-La, β-Lg and BSA. In hydrolysis under uncontrolled pH, the pH dropped from 8.5 to 7.0 during the first 15 min, remaining constant throughout the process. No significant difference was observed between the DH of the hydrolysates obtained under controlled and uncontrolled pH conditions. Although all hydrolysates showed hydrophilic character and low molecular mass peptides, hydrolysates obtained with and without pH control exhibited different chromatographic profiles. Hydrolysis under uncontrolled pH released, predominantly, peptides between 3.5 and 6.5 kDa, while hydrolysis under controlled pH released peptides smaller than 3.5 kDa. Hydrolysis with Alcalase under all conditions studied decreased by 99.9% the α-La and β-Lg concentrations in the hydrolysates detected by commercial kits. In general, β-Lg concentrations detected in the hydrolysates obtained under uncontrolled pH were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those detected in hydrolysates produced with pH control. The anti-α-La and anti-β-Lg IgE and IgG responses to all hydrolysates decreased significantly compared to WPI. Levels of specific IgE and IgG to the hydrolysates were below 25 and 12 ng ml-1, respectively. Despite the differences in peptide composition and α-La and β-Lg concentrations, no significant difference was found between IgE and IgG binding capacity of hydrolysates obtained with or without pH control. These results highlight the impact of pH on the hydrolysates characteristics and their concentrations of antigenic protein. Divergence between the antigen detection by commercial ELISA kits and specific IgE and IgG binding response was found in this study. This result shows that lower protein detection does not imply in lower protein antigenicity. Thus, the use of commercial kits for allergen contamination analysis should be cautious.

Keywords: allergy, enzymatic hydrolysis, milk protein, pH conditions, physicochemical characteristics

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Authors: J. Burlakovs, Y. Jani, L. Grinberga, M. Kriipsalu, O. Anne, I. Grinfelde, W. Hogland

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The worldwide future sustainable economies are oriented towards the sea: the maritime economy is becoming one of the strongest driving forces in many regions as population growth is the highest in coastal areas. For hundreds of years sea resources were depleted unsustainably by fishing, mining, transportation, tourism, and waste. European Sustainable Development Strategy is identifying and developing actions to enable the EU to achieve a continuous, long-term improvement of the quality of life through the creation of sustainable communities. The aim of this paper is to provide insight in Baltic Sea Region case studies on implemented actions on tourism industry waste and beach wrack management in coastal areas, hazardous contaminants and plastic flow treatment from waste, wastewaters and stormwaters. These projects mentioned in study promote successful prevention of contaminant flows to the sea environments and provide perspectives for creation of valuable new products from residuals for future circular economy are the step forward to green innovation winning streak.

Keywords: resilience, hazardous waste, phytoremediation, water management, circular economy

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Authors: Enikő Bene

Abstract:

Our sowing date experiment took place in the Demonstration Garden of Institution of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Center of University of Debrecen, in 2012-2014. The thesis contains data of test year 2014. Our purpose, besides several other examinations, was to observe how sowing date influences leaf area index and activity of photosynthesis of maize hybrids, and how those factors affect fruiting. In the experiment we monitored the change of the leaf area index and the photosynthesis of hybrids with four different growing seasons. The results obtained confirm that not only the environmental and agricultural factors in the growing season have effect on the yield, but also other factors like the leaf area index and the photosynthesis are determinative parameters, and all those factors together, modifying effects of each other, develop average yields

Keywords: sowing date, hybrid, leaf area index, photosynthetic capacity

Procedia PDF Downloads 313

Authors: Keda Li, Hong Hu

Abstract:

Auxetic materials, as an emerging artificial designed metamaterial has attracted growing attention due to their promising negative Poisson’s ratio behaviors and tunable properties. The conventional auxetic lattice structures for which the deformation process is governed by a bending-dominated mechanism have faced the limitation of poor mechanical performance for many potential engineering applications. Recently, both load-bearing and energy absorption capabilities have become a crucial consideration in auxetic structure design. This study reports the finite element analysis of a class of hexagonal double-arrowhead auxetic structures with enhanced stiffness and energy absorption performance. The structure design was developed by extending the traditional double-arrowhead honeycomb to a hexagon frame, the stretching-dominated deformation mechanism was determined according to Maxwell’s stability criterion. The finite element (FE) models of 2D lattice structures established with stainless steel material were analyzed in ABAQUS/Standard for predicting in-plane structural deformation mechanism, failure process, and compressive elastic properties. Based on the computational simulation, the parametric analysis was studied to investigate the effect of the structural parameters on Poisson’s ratio and mechanical properties. The geometrical optimization was then implemented to achieve the optimal Poisson’s ratio for the maximum specific energy absorption. In addition, the optimized 2D lattice structure was correspondingly converted into a 3D geometry configuration by using the orthogonally splicing method. The numerical results of 2D and 3D structures under compressive quasi-static loading conditions were compared separately with the traditional double-arrowhead re-entrant honeycomb in terms of specific Young's moduli, Poisson's ratios, and specified energy absorption. As a result, the energy absorption capability and stiffness are significantly reinforced with a wide range of Poisson’s ratio compared to traditional double-arrowhead re-entrant honeycomb. The auxetic behaviors, energy absorption capability, and yield strength of the proposed structure are adjustable with different combinations of joint angle, struts thickness, and the length-width ratio of the representative unit cell. The numerical prediction in this study suggests the proposed concept of hexagonal double-arrowhead structure could be a suitable candidate for the energy absorption applications with a constant request of load-bearing capacity. For future research, experimental analysis is required for the validation of the numerical simulation.

Keywords: auxetic, energy absorption capacity, finite element analysis, negative Poisson's ratio, re-entrant hexagonal honeycomb

Procedia PDF Downloads 76

Authors: Feng Fu, Maria Karli

Abstract:

In this paper, experimental studies were carried out to investigate the behaviour of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). A number of compressive tests, tensile splitting tests, as well as impact tests were conducted. In the tests, different recycled aggregate replacement ratio, different mix design and different water to cement ratio have been chosen in the investigation. The behavior of the RAC concrete was investigated in detail. The results of the tests show that the water-cement ratio plays an important role in the strength of the concrete and RAC concrete exhibit sufficient strength in comparison to the normal aggregate concrete; the relevant design recommendations are also made.

Keywords: recycled aggregate concrete, compressive test, tensile splitting test, flexural strength test, impact test

Procedia PDF Downloads 373