Search results for: usability performance metrics

Authors: M. I. Youssef, A. E. Emam, M. Abd Elghany

Abstract:

This paper evaluates the bit error rate (BER) performance of MIMO-OFDM communication system. MIMO system uses multiple transmitting and receiving antennas with different coding techniques to either enhance the transmission diversity or spatial multiplexing gain. Utilizing alamouti algorithm were the same information transmitted over multiple antennas at different time intervals and then collected again at the receivers to minimize the probability of error, combat fading and thus improve the received signal to noise ratio. While utilizing V-BLAST algorithm, the transmitted signals are divided into different transmitting channels and transferred over the channel to be received by different receiving antennas to increase the transmitted data rate and achieve higher throughput. The paper provides a study of different diversity gain coding schemes and spatial multiplexing coding for MIMO systems. A comparison of various channels' estimation and equalization techniques are given. The simulation is implemented using MATLAB, and the results had shown the performance of transmission models under different channel environments.

Keywords: MIMO communication, BER, space codes, channels, alamouti, V-BLAST

Procedia PDF Downloads 176

Authors: Laura Dembovska, Diana Bajare, Ina Pundiene, Daira Erdmane

Abstract:

The aim of this research is to estimate effect of pozzolanic substitutes and their combination on the hydration heat and final strength of high performance concrete. Ternary cementitious systems with different ratios of ordinary Portland cement, silica fume and calcined clay were investigated. Local illite clay was calcined at temperature 700oC in rotary furnace for 20 min. It has been well recognized that the use of pozzolanic materials such as silica fume or calcined clay are recommended for high performance concrete for reduction of porosity, increasing density and as a consequence raising the chemical durability of the concrete. It has been found, that silica fume has a superior influence on the strength development of concrete, but calcined clay increase density and decrease size of dominating pores. Additionally it was found that the rates of pozzolanic reaction and calcium hydroxide consumption in the silica fume-blended cement pastes are higher than in the illite clay-blended cement pastes, it strongly depends from the amount of pozzolanic substitutes which are used. If the pozzolanic reaction is dominating then amount of Ca(OH)2 is decreasing. The identity and the amount of the phases present were determined from the thermal analysis (DTA) data. The hydration temperature of blended cement pastes was measured during the first 24 hours. Fresh and hardened concrete properties were tested. Compressive strength was determined and differential thermal analysis (DTA) was conducted of specimens at the age of 3, 14, 28 and 56 days.

Keywords: high performance concrete, pozzolanic additives, silica fume, ternary systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 375

Authors: Julio Macedo

Abstract:

Several methodologies are now available to conceive the improvements of a process so that it becomes competitive as for example total quality, process reengineering, six sigma, define measure analysis improvement control method. These improvements are of different nature and can be external to the process represented by an optimization model or a discrete simulation model. In addition, the process stakeholders are several and have different desired performances for the process. Hence, the methodologies above do not have a tool to aid in the conception of the required improvements. In order to fill this void we suggest the use of intelligent reference models. A reference model is a set of qualitative differential equations and an objective function that minimizes the gap between the current and the desired performance indexes of the process. The reference models are intelligent so when they receive the current state of the problematic process and the desired performance indexes they generate the required improvements for the problematic process. The reference models are fuzzy cognitive maps added with an objective function and trained using the improvements implemented by the high performance firms. Experiments done in a set of students show the reference models allow them to conceive more improvements than students that do not use these models.

Keywords: continuous improvement, fuzzy cognitive maps, process competitiveness, qualitative simulation, system dynamics

Procedia PDF Downloads 88

Authors: Sina Movafagh, Younes Bakhshan

Abstract:

Heat transfer of coolant flow through the automobile radiators is of great importance for the optimization of fuel consumption. In this study, the heat transfer performance of the automobile radiator is evaluated numerically. Different concentrations of nanofluids have been investigated by the addition of Al2O3 nano-particles into the water. Also, the effect of the inlet temperature of nanofluid on the performance of radiator is studied. Results show that with an increase of inlet temperature the outlet temperature and pressure drop along the radiator increase. Also, it has been observed that increase of nono-particle concentration will result in an increase in heat transfer rate within the radiator.

Keywords: heat transfer, nanofluid, car radiator, CFD simulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 306

Authors: Serkan Kocapinar, Gülay Altay

Abstract:

This study investigates the efficiency of two different industrial intumescent coatings which have different types of certifications, in the fire protection performance in steel beams in the case of ISO 834 fire for 2 hours. A better understanding of industrial intumescent coatings, which assure structural integrity and prevent a collapse of steel structures, is needed to minimize the fire risks in steel structures. A comparison and understanding of different fire protective intumescent coatings, which are Product A and Product B, are used as a thermal barrier between the steel components and the fire. Product A is tested according to EN 13381-8 and BS 476-20,22 and is certificated by ISO Standards. Product B is tested according to EN 13381-8 and ASTM UL-94 and is certificated by the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE). Generally, fire tests to evaluate the fire performance of steel components are done numerically with commercial software instead of experiments due to the high cost of an ISO 834 fire test in a furnace. Hence, there is a gap in the literature about the comparisons of different certificated intumescent coatings for fire protection in the case of ISO 834 fire in a furnace experiment for 2 hours. The experiment was carried out by using two 1-meter UPN 200 steel sections. Each one was coated by different industrial intumescent coatings. A furnace was used by the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) for the experiment. The temperature of the protected steels and the inside of the furnace was measured with the help of 24 thermocouples which were applied before the intumescent coatings during the two hours for the performance of intumescent coatings by getting a temperature-time curve of steel components. FIN EC software was used to determine the critical temperatures of protected steels, and Abaqus was used for thermal analysis to get theoretical results to compare with the experimental results.

Keywords: fire safety, structural steel, ABAQUS, thermal analysis, FIN EC, intumescent coatings

Procedia PDF Downloads 104

Authors: Soha A. Bahanshal, Vaibhav Verdhan, Bayong Kim

Abstract:

Graduation rates at six-year colleges are becoming a more essential indicator for incoming fresh students and for university rankings. Predicting student graduation is extremely beneficial to schools and has a huge potential for targeted intervention. It is important for educational institutions since it enables the development of strategic plans that will assist or improve students' performance in achieving their degrees on time (GOT). A first step and a helping hand in extracting useful information from these data and gaining insights into the prediction of students' progress and performance is offered by machine learning techniques. Data analysis and visualization techniques are applied to understand and interpret the data. The data used for the analysis contains students who have graduated in 6 years in the academic year 2017-2018 for science majors. This analysis can be used to predict the graduation of students in the next academic year. Different Predictive modelings such as logistic regression, decision trees, support vector machines, Random Forest, Naïve Bayes, and KNeighborsClassifier are applied to predict whether a student will graduate. These classifiers were evaluated with k folds of 5. The performance of these classifiers was compared based on accuracy measurement. The results indicated that Ensemble Classifier achieves better accuracy, about 91.12%. This GOT prediction model would hopefully be useful to university administration and academics in developing measures for assisting and boosting students' academic performance and ensuring they graduate on time.

Keywords: prediction, decision trees, machine learning, support vector machine, ensemble model, student graduation, GOT graduate on time

Procedia PDF Downloads 74

Authors: Ting Lu, Ya-Ru Diao, Fei Fan, Ye Xue, Lei Shi, Xian-e Tang, Meng-jun Zhan, Zhen-hua Deng

Abstract:

Accurate adult age estimation (AAE) is a significant and challenging task in forensic and archeology fields. Attempts have been made to explore optimal adult age metrics, and the rib is considered a potential age marker. The traditional way is to extract age-related features designed by experts from macroscopic or radiological images followed by classification or regression analysis. Those results still have not met the high-level requirements for practice, and the limitation of using feature design and manual extraction methods is loss of information since the features are likely not designed explicitly for extracting information relevant to age. Deep learning (DL) has recently garnered much interest in imaging learning and computer vision. It enables learning features that are important without a prior bias or hypothesis and could be supportive of AAE. This study aimed to develop DL models for AAE based on CT images and compare their performance to the manual visual scoring method. Chest CT data were reconstructed using volume rendering (VR). Retrospective data of 2500 patients aged 20.00-69.99 years were obtained between December 2019 and September 2021. Five-fold cross-validation was performed, and datasets were randomly split into training and validation sets in a 4:1 ratio for each fold. Before feeding the inputs into networks, all images were augmented with random rotation and vertical flip, normalized, and resized to 224×224 pixels. ResNeXt was chosen as the DL baseline due to its advantages of higher efficiency and accuracy in image classification. Mean absolute error (MAE) was the primary parameter. Independent data from 100 patients acquired between March and April 2022 were used as a test set. The manual method completely followed the prior study, which reported the lowest MAEs (5.31 in males and 6.72 in females) among similar studies. CT data and VR images were used. The radiation density of the first costal cartilage was recorded using CT data on the workstation. The osseous and calcified projections of the 1 to 7 costal cartilages were scored based on VR images using an eight-stage staging technique. According to the results of the prior study, the optimal models were the decision tree regression model in males and the stepwise multiple linear regression equation in females. Predicted ages of the test set were calculated separately using different models by sex. A total of 2600 patients (training and validation sets, mean age=45.19 years±14.20 [SD]; test set, mean age=46.57±9.66) were evaluated in this study. Of ResNeXt model training, MAEs were obtained with 3.95 in males and 3.65 in females. Based on the test set, DL achieved MAEs of 4.05 in males and 4.54 in females, which were far better than the MAEs of 8.90 and 6.42 respectively, for the manual method. Those results showed that the DL of the ResNeXt model outperformed the manual method in AAE based on CT reconstruction of the costal cartilage and the developed system may be a supportive tool for AAE.

Keywords: forensic anthropology, age determination by the skeleton, costal cartilage, CT, deep learning

Procedia PDF Downloads 74

Authors: Rebar Mohammed Hussein

Abstract:

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols have transformed perioperative care, aiming to reduce surgical stress, optimize pain management, and accelerate recovery. This study evaluates the impact of ERAS on anesthesia management in high-risk surgical patients, focusing on opioid-sparing techniques and multimodal analgesia. A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients undergoing major surgeries within an ERAS program, comparing outcomes with a historical cohort receiving standard care. Key metrics included postoperative pain scores, opioid consumption, length of hospital stay, and complication rates. Results indicated that the implementation of ERAS protocols significantly reduced postoperative opioid use by 40% and improved pain management outcomes, with 70% of patients reporting satisfactory pain control on postoperative day one. Additionally, patients in the ERAS group experienced a 30% reduction in length of stay and a 20% decrease in complication rates. These findings underscore the importance of integrating ERAS principles into anesthesia practice, particularly for high-risk patients, to enhance recovery, improve patient satisfaction, and reduce healthcare costs. Future directions include prospective studies to further refine anesthesia techniques within ERAS frameworks and explore their applicability across various surgical specialties.

Keywords: ERAS protocols, high-risk surgical patients, anesthesia management, recovery

Procedia PDF Downloads 28

Authors: Janmejoy Gupta, Arnab Paul, Manjari Chakraborty

Abstract:

Jharkhand is a state located in the eastern part of India. The Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degree North latitude line) passes through Ranchi district in Jharkhand. Mud huts with burnt clay tiled roofs in Jharkhand are an integral component of the state’s vernacular architecture. They come in various shapes, with a number of them having a courtyard type of plan. In general, it has been stated that designing dwellings with courtyards in them is a climate-responsive strategy in composite climate. The truth behind this hypothesis is investigated in this paper. In this paper, three types of mud huts with courtyards situated in Ranchi district in Jharkhand are taken as a study and through temperature measurements in the south-side rooms and courtyards, in addition to Autodesk Ecotect (Version 2011) software simulations, their thermal performance throughout the year are observed. Temperature measurements are specifically taken during the peak of summer and winter and the average temperatures in the rooms and courtyards during seven day-periods in peak of summer and peak of winter are plotted graphically. Thereafter, on the basis of the study and software simulations, the hypothesis is verified and the thermally better performing dwelling types in summer and winter identified among the three sub-types studied. Certain recommendations with respect to increasing thermal comfort in courtyard type mud huts in general are also made. It is found that all courtyard type dwellings do not necessarily show better thermal performance in summer and winter in composite climate. The U shaped dwelling with open courtyard on southern side offers maximum amount of thermal-comfort inside the rooms in the hotter part of the year and the square hut with a central courtyard, with the courtyard being closed from all sides, shows superior thermal performance in winter. The courtyards in all the three case-studies are found to get excessively heated up during summer.

Keywords: courtyard, mud huts, simulations, temperature measurements, thermal performance

Procedia PDF Downloads 409

Authors: N. H. Adenan, M. S. M. Noorani

Abstract:

River flow prediction is an essential to ensure proper management of water resources can be optimally distribute water to consumers. This study presents an analysis and prediction by using nonlinear prediction method involving monthly river flow data in Tanjung Tualang from 1976 to 2006. Nonlinear prediction method involves the reconstruction of phase space and local linear approximation approach. The phase space reconstruction involves the reconstruction of one-dimensional (the observed 287 months of data) in a multidimensional phase space to reveal the dynamics of the system. Revenue of phase space reconstruction is used to predict the next 72 months. A comparison of prediction performance based on correlation coefficient (CC) and root mean square error (RMSE) have been employed to compare prediction performance for nonlinear prediction method, ARIMA and SVM. Prediction performance comparisons show the prediction results using nonlinear prediction method is better than ARIMA and SVM. Therefore, the result of this study could be used to developed an efficient water management system to optimize the allocation water resources.

Keywords: river flow, nonlinear prediction method, phase space, local linear approximation

Procedia PDF Downloads 414

Authors: Wirat Sonchan, Pratoom Moungmee, Anek Sootmongkol

Abstract:

This study aimed to examine the effects of a circuit training program on muscle strength, agility, anaerobic performance and cardiovascular endurance. The study involved 24 freshmen (age 18.87+0.68 yr.) male students of the Faculty of Sport Science, Burapha University. They sample study were randomly divided into two groups: Circuit Training group (CT; n=12) and a Control group (C; n=12). Baseline data on height, weight, muscle strength (hand grip dynamometer and leg strength dynamometer), agility (agility T-Test), and anaerobic performance (Running-based Anaerobic Sprint Test) and cardiovascular endurance (20 m Endurance Shuttle Run Test) were collected. The circuit training program included one circuit of eight stations of 30/60 seconds of work/rest interval with two cycles in Week 1-4, and 60/90 seconds of work/rest interval with three cycles in Week 5-8, performed three times per week. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and independent sample t-test. Statistically significance level was set at 0.05. The results show that after 8 weeks of a training program, muscle strength, agility, anaerobic capacity and cardiovascular endurance increased significantly in the CT Group (p < 0.05), while significant increase was not observed in the C Group (p < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that the circuit training program improved muscle strength, agility, anaerobic capacity and cardiovascular endurance of the study subjects. This program may be used as a guideline for selecting a set of exercise to improve physical fitness.

Keywords: circuit training, physical fitness, cardiovascular endurance, anaerobic performance

Procedia PDF Downloads 494

Authors: Eko Adhi Setiawan, Duli Asih Siregar, Aiman Setiawan

Abstract:

Solar energy is abundant in nature, particularly in the tropics which have peak sun hour that can reach 8 hours per day. In the fabrication process, Photovoltaic’s (PV) performance are tested in standard test conditions (STC). It specifies a module temperature of 25°C, an irradiance of 1000 W/ m² with an air mass 1.5 (AM1.5) spectrum and zero wind speed. Thus, the results of the performance testing of PV at STC conditions cannot fully represent the performance of PV in the tropics. For example Indonesia, which has a temperature of 20-40°C. In this paper, the effect of temperature on the choice of the 5 kW AC inverter topology on the PV system such as the Central Inverter, String Inverter and AC-Module specifically for the tropics will be discussed. The proper inverter topology can be determined by analysis of the effect of temperature and irradiation on the PV panel. The effect of temperature and irradiation will be represented in the characteristics of I-V and P-V curves. PV’s characteristics on high temperature would be analyzed using Solar panel modeling through MATLAB Simulink based on mathematical equations that form Solar panel’s characteristic curve. Based on PV simulation, it is known then that temperature coefficients of short circuit current (ISC), open circuit voltage (VOC), and maximum output power (PMAX) consecutively as high as 0.56%/oC, -0.31%/oC and -0.4%/oC. Those coefficients can be used to calculate PV’s electrical parameters such as ISC, VOC, and PMAX in certain earth’s surface’s certain point. Then, from the parameters, the utility of the 5 kW AC inverter system can be determined. As the result, for tropical area, string inverter topology has the highest utility rates with 98, 80 %. On the other hand, central inverter and AC-Module Topology has utility rates of 92.69 % and 87.7 % eventually.

Keywords: Photovoltaic, PV-Inverter Configuration, PV Modeling, Solar Panel Characteristics.

Procedia PDF Downloads 381

Authors: Efil Yusrianto, Noraini Marsi, Noraniah Kassim, Izzati Abdul Manaf, Hafizuddin Hakim Shariff

Abstract:

Today, municipal solid waste (MSW), noise pollution, and attack fire are three ongoing issues for inhabitants of urban including in Malaysia. To solve these issues, eco-friendly autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) containing recycled ceramic and gypsum waste (CGW) as a partial replacement for sand with different ratios (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% wt) has been prepared. The performance of samples, such as the physical, mechanical, sound absorption coefficient, and direct fire resistance, has been investigated. All samples showed normal color behavior, i.e., grey and free crack. The compressive strength was increased in the range of 6.10% to 29.88%. The maximum value of compressive strength was 2.13MPa for 15% wt of CGW. The positive effect of CGW on the compressive strength of AAC has also been confirmed by crystalline phase and microstructure analysis. The acoustic performances, such as sound absorption coefficients of samples at low frequencies (500Hz), are higher than the reference sample (RS). AAC-CGW samples are categorized as AAC material classes B and C. The fire resistance results showed the physical surface of the samples had a free crack and was not burned during the direct fire at 950ºC for 300s. The results showed that CGW succeeded in enhancing the performance of fresh AAC, such as compressive strength, crystalline phase, sound absorption coefficient, and fire resistance of samples.

Keywords: physical, mechanical, acoustic, direct fire resistance performance, autoclaved aerated concrete, recycled ceramic-gypsum waste

Procedia PDF Downloads 141

Authors: B. Daee, H. M. El Naggar

Abstract:

This paper presents an experimental study on structural performance of an innovative noise barrier consisting of poly-block, light polyurethane foam (LPF) and polyurea. This wall system (flexi-wall) is intended to be employed as a vertical extension to existing sound barriers in an accelerated construction method. To aid in the wall design, several mechanical tests were conducted on LPF specimens and two full-scale walls were then fabricated employing the same LPF material. The full-scale walls were subjected to lateral loading in order to establish their lateral resistance. A cyclic fatigue test was also performed on a full-scale flexi-wall in order to evaluate the performance of the wall under a repetitive loading condition. The result of the experiments indicated the suitability of flexi-wall in accelerated construction and confirmed that the structural performance of the wall system under lateral loading is satisfactory for the sound barrier application. The experimental results were discussed and a preliminary design procedure for application of flexi-wall in sound barrier applications was also developed.

Keywords: noise barrier, polyurethane foam, accelerated construction, full-scale experiment

Procedia PDF Downloads 294

Authors: Faramarz Khoshnoudian, Saeed Vosoughiyan

Abstract:

The main goal of this article is to clarify the soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects on the seismic performance of steel moment resisting frame buildings which are rested on soft soil and equipped with viscous fluid dampers (VFDs). For this purpose, detailed structural models of a ten-story SMRF with VFDs excluding and including the SSI are constructed first. In order to simulate the dynamic response of the foundation, in this paper, the simple cone model is applied. Then, the nonlinear time-history analysis of the models is conducted using three kinds of earthquake excitations with different intensities. The analysis results have demonstrated that the SSI effects on the seismic performance of a structure equipped with VFDs and supported by rigid foundation on soft soil need to be considered. Also VFDs designed based on rigid foundation hypothesis fail to achieve the expected seismic objective while SSI goes into effect.

Keywords: nonlinear time-history analysis, soil-structure interaction, steel moment resisting frame building, viscous fluid dampers

Procedia PDF Downloads 337

Authors: Cise Unluer

Abstract:

Reactive MgO hydrates to form brucite (Mg(OH)2, magnesium hydroxide), which can then react with CO2 and additional water to form a range of strength providing hydrated magnesium carbonates (HMCs) within cement-based formulations. The presented work focuses on the use of reactive MgO in a range of concrete mixes, where it carbonates by absorbing CO2 and gains strength accordingly. The main goal involves maximizing the amount of CO2 absorbed within construction products, thereby reducing the overall environmental impact of the designed formulations. Microstructural analyses including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) are used in addition to porosity, permeability and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) testing to understand the performance mechanisms. XRD Reference Intensity Ratio (RIR), acid digestion and TG/DTA are utilized to quantify the amount of CO2 sequestered, with the goal of achieving 100% carbonation through careful mix design, leading to a range of carbon neutral products with high strengths. As a result, samples stronger than those containing Portland cement (PC) were produced, revealing the link between the mechanical performance and microstructural development of the developed formulations with the amount of CO2 sequestered.

Keywords: carbonation, compressive strength, reactive MgO cement, sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 181

Authors: Shatha Ahmad Alharthi

Abstract:

Prior research suggests that reduced social interaction can negatively affect well-being and impair mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety), resulting in lower academic performance. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly limited social interaction among Saudi Arabian school children since the government closed schools and implemented lockdown restrictions to reduce the spread of the disease. These restrictions have resulted in prolonged remote learning for middle school students with unknown consequences for perceived academic performance, mental health, and well-being. This research project explores how middle school Saudi students’ current remote learning practices affect their mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety) and well-being during the lockdown. Furthermore, the study will examine the association between social interaction, mental health, and well-being pertaining to students’ perceptions of their academic achievement. Research findings could lead to a better understanding of the role of lockdown on depression, anxiety, well-being and perceived academic performance. Research findings may also inform policy-makers or practitioners (e.g., teachers and school leaders) about the importance of facilitating increased social interactions in remote learning situations and help to identify important factors to consider when seeking to re-integrate students into a face-to-face classroom setting. Potential implications for future educational research include exploring remote learning interventions targeted at bolstering students’ mental health and academic achievement during periods of remote learning.

Keywords: depression, anxiety, academic performance, social interaction

Procedia PDF Downloads 121

Authors: I. Kerti, G. Sezen, S. Daglilar

Abstract:

This present work is focused on studying to improve low wetting behaviour between liquid metal and ceramic particles. Ceramic particles like SiC and B4C have attracted great attention because of their usability as reinforcement for composite materials. However, poor wettability of particles is one of the major drawbacks of metal matrix composite production. Various methods have been studied to enhance the wetting properties between ceramic materials and metal substrates during ceramic reinforced metal matrix composites. Among these methods, autocatalytic nickel deposition is a unique process for the enhancement of the surface properties of ceramic particles. In fact, it is difficult to obtain continuous and uniform metallic coating on ceramic powders. In this study deposition of nickel boron layer on ceramic particles via autocatalytic plating in borohydride baths were investigated. Firstly, powders with different particle sizes were sensitized and activated respectively in order to ensure catalytic properties. Following the pre-treatment operations, particles were transferred into the coating bath containing nickel sulphate or nickel chloride as the Ni2+ source. The results show that a better bonding and uniform coating layer were obtained for Ni-B coatings with the Ni2+ source of NiCl2.6H2O as compared to NiSO4.6H2O. With the progress of the time, both particle surfaces are completely covered by a continuous and thin nickel boron layer. The surface morphology of the coatings that were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show that SiC and B4C particles both distributed and different thickness of Ni-B nanolayers have been successfully coated onto the particles. The particles were mounted into a polimeric resin and polished in order to observe the thickness and the continuity of the coating layer. The composition of the coating layers were also evaluated by EDS analyses. The SEM morphologies and the EDS results of the coatings at different reaction times were adopted for detailed discussion of the Ni-B electroless plating mechanism.

Keywords: boron carbide, electroless coating, nickel boron deposition, silicon carbide

Procedia PDF Downloads 349

Authors: J. Becker, R. Arnold

Abstract:

The design of distribution logistics has a decisive impact on a company's logistics costs and performance. Hence, such solutions make an essential contribution to corporate success. This article describes a decision support system for analyzing the potential of distribution logistics in terms of logistics costs and performance. In contrast to previous procedures of business process re-engineering (BPR), this method maps distribution logistics holistically under variable distribution structures. Combined with qualitative measures the decision support system will contribute to a more efficient design of distribution logistics.

Keywords: decision support system, distribution logistics, potential analyses, supply chain management

Procedia PDF Downloads 410

Authors: Yenie Norambuena

Abstract:

Analogical reasoning is a cognitive process that consists of structured comparisons of mental representations and scheme construction. Because of its heuristic function, it is ubiquitous in cognition and could play an important role in language development. The use of analogies is expressed early in children and this behavior is also reflected in language, suggesting a possible way to understand the complex links between thought and language. The current research examines factors of verbal and non-verbal reasoning that should be taken into consideration in the study of language development for their relations and predictive value. The study was conducted with 48 Chilean preschoolers (Spanish speakers) from 4 to 6-year-old. We assessed children’s verbal analogical reasoning, non-verbal analogical reasoning and linguistics skills (Listening Comprehension, Phonemic awareness, Alphabetic principle, Syllabification, Lexical repetition and Lexical decision). The results evidenced significant correlations between analogical reasoning factors and linguistic skills and they can predict linguistic performance mainly on oral comprehension, lexical decision and phonological skills. These findings suggest a fundamental interrelationship between analogical reasoning and linguistic performance on children’s and points to the need to consider this cognitive process in comprehensive theories of children's language development.

Keywords: verbal analogical reasoning, non-verbal analogical reasoning, linguistic skills, language development

Procedia PDF Downloads 267

Authors: Nikita Katyal, Shaurya Uppal

Abstract:

This paper tackles the significant challenge of accurately classifying customers within a retailer’s customer base. Accurate classification is essential for developing targeted marketing strategies that effectively engage this important demographic. To address this issue, we propose a method that utilizes Large Language Models (LLMs). By employing LLMs, we analyze the metadata associated with product purchases derived from historical data to identify key product categories that act as distinguishing factors. These categories, such as baby food, eldercare products, or family-sized packages, offer valuable insights into the likely household composition of customers, including families with babies, families with kids/teenagers, families with pets, households caring for elders, or mixed households. We segment high-confidence customers into distinct categories by integrating historical purchase behavior with LLM-powered product classification. This paper asserts that life stage segmentation can significantly enhance e-commerce businesses’ ability to target the appropriate customers with tailored products and campaigns, thereby augmenting sales and improving customer retention. Additionally, the paper details the data sources, model architecture, and evaluation metrics employed for the segmentation task.

Keywords: LLMs, segmentation, product tags, fine-tuning, target segments, marketing communication

Procedia PDF Downloads 28

Authors: Edwin Javier Cortes, Surupa Shaw

Abstract:

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on enhancing the efficiency and performance of wind and water turbines to meet the increasing demand for sustainable energy sources. One promising approach is the utilization of advanced flow control techniques to optimize aerodynamic performance. This paper explores the application of advanced flow control techniques in both wind and water turbines, aiming to maximize their efficiency and output. By manipulating the flow of air or water around the turbine blades, these techniques offer the potential to improve energy capture, reduce drag, and minimize turbulence-induced losses. The paper will review various flow control strategies, including passive and active techniques such as vortex generators, boundary layer suction, and plasma actuators. It will examine their effectiveness in optimizing turbine performance under different operating conditions and environmental factors. Furthermore, the paper will discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing these techniques in practical turbine designs. It will consider factors such as cost-effectiveness, reliability, and scalability, as well as the potential impact on overall turbine efficiency and lifecycle. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing research and case studies, this paper aims to provide insights into the potential benefits and limitations of advanced flow control techniques for wind and water turbines. It will also highlight areas for future research and development, with the ultimate goal of advancing the state-of-the-art in turbine technology and accelerating the transition towards a more sustainable energy future.

Keywords: flow control, efficiency, passive control, active control

Procedia PDF Downloads 72

Authors: Kumar Sambhav Pandey, Anamika Singh

Abstract:

The continuous researches in the field of computer architecture basically aims at accelerating the computational speed and to gain enhanced performance. In this era, the superscalar, sub-scalar concept has not gained enough attention for improving the computation performance. In this paper, we have presented a sub-scalar approach to utilize the parallelism present with in the data while processing. The main idea is to split the data into individual smaller entities and these entities are processed with a defined known set of instructions. This sub-scalar approach to the MIPS architecture can bring out significant improvement in the computational speedup. MIPS-I is the basic design taken in consideration for the development of sub-scalar MIPS64 for increasing the instruction level parallelism (ILP) and resource utilization.

Keywords: dataword, MIPS, processor, sub-scalar

Procedia PDF Downloads 548

Authors: Israa Al-Neami, Ali J. Al-Askery, Martin Johnston, Charalampos Tsimenidis

Abstract:

In this paper, we focus on the design of a multi-line copper wire (MLCW) communication system. First, we construct our proposed MLCW channel and verify its characteristics based on the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. In addition, we apply Middleton class A impulsive noise (IN) to the copper channel for further investigation. Second, the MIMO G.fast system is adopted utilizing the proposed MLCW channel model and is compared to a single line G-fast system. Second, the performance of the coded system is obtained utilizing concatenated interleaved Reed-Solomon (RS) code with four-dimensional trellis-coded modulation (4D TCM), and compared to the single line G-fast system. Simulations are obtained for high quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellations that are commonly used with G-fast communications, the results demonstrate that the bit error rate (BER) performance of the coded MLCW system shows an improvement compared to the single line G-fast systems.

Keywords: G.fast, Middleton Class A impulsive noise, mitigation techniques, Copper channel model

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Rimmy Yadav, Avtar Singh

Abstract:

—Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is a promising modern approach to the unused combinatorial optimization. Here ACO is applied to finding the shortest during communication link failure. In this paper, the performances of the prim’s and ACO algorithm are made. By comparing the time complexity and program execution time as set of parameters, we demonstrate the pleasant performance of ACO in finding excellent solution to finding shortest path during communication link failure.

Keywords: ant colony optimization, link failure, prim’s algorithm, shortest path

Procedia PDF Downloads 399

Authors: M. Varmaziar

Abstract:

Magnesium (Mg) is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in the human body. Certain types of foods, including nuts, grains, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, are rich sources of magnesium. Mg serves as an essential cofactor for numerous enzymatic reactions, including energy metabolism, cellular growth, glycolysis, and protein synthesis. The Mg-ATP complex serves as an energy source and is vital for many physiological functions, including nerve conduction, muscle contraction, and blood pressure regulation. Despite the vital role of magnesium in energy metabolism, maintaining adequate magnesium intake is often overlooked among the general population and athletes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of magnesium supplementation on the physical activities of field athletes. Field athletes were divided into two groups: those who consumed magnesium supplements and those who received a placebo. These two groups received either 500 mg of magnesium oxide or a placebo daily for 8 weeks. At the beginning and end of the study, athletes completed ISI questionnaires and physical activity assessments. Nutritional analyses were performed using N4 software, and statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS19 software. The results of this study revealed a significant difference between the two study groups. Athletes who received magnesium supplements experienced less fatigue related to field athletic activities and muscle soreness. In contrast, athletes who received the placebo reported more significant fatigue and muscle soreness. A concerning finding in these results is that the performance of athletic activities may be at risk with low magnesium levels. Therefore, magnesium is essential for maintaining health and plays a crucial role in athletic performance. Consuming a variety of magnesium-rich foods ensures that individuals receive an adequate amount of this essential nutrient in their diet. The consumption of these foods improves performance parameters in athletic exercises.

Keywords: athletic performance, effect, field athletes, magnesium supplement

Procedia PDF Downloads 83

Authors: Mert Tosun, Tuğba Tosun

Abstract:

The evaporator is the utmost important component in the refrigeration system, since it enables the refrigerant to draw heat from the desired environment, i.e. the refrigerated space. Studies are being conducted on this component which generally affects the performance of the system, where energy efficient products are important. This study was designed to enhance the effectiveness of the evaporator in the refrigeration cycle of a domestic refrigerator by adjusting the capillary tube length, refrigerant amount, and the evaporator pipe diameter to reduce energy consumption. The experiments were conducted under identical thermal and ambient conditions. Experiment data were analysed using the Design of Experiment (DOE) technique which is a six-sigma method to determine effects of parameters. As a result, it has been determined that the most important parameters affecting the evaporator performance among the selected parameters are found to be the refrigerant amount and pipe diameter. It has been determined that the minimum energy consumption is 6-mm pipe diameter and 16-g refrigerant. It has also been noted that the overall consumption of the experiment sample decreased by 16.6% with respect to the reference system, which has 7-mm pipe diameter and 18-g refrigerant.

Keywords: heat exchanger, refrigerator, design of experiment, energy consumption

Procedia PDF Downloads 155

Authors: Victor Bloch, Eerikki Kaila, Reetta Palva

Abstract:

Field robots are an important tool for enhancing efficiency and decreasing the climatic impact of food production. There exists a number of commercial field robots; however, since this technology is still new, the robot advantages and limitations, as well as methods for optimal using of robots, are still unclear. In this study, the performance of a commercial field robot for seeding and weeding was assessed. A research 2-ha sugar beet field with 0.5m row width was used for testing, which included robotic sowing of sugar beet and weeding five times during the first two months of the growing. About three and five percent of the field were used as untreated and chemically weeded control areas, respectively. The plant detection was based on the exact plant location without image processing. The robot was equipped with six seeding and weeding tools, including passive between-rows harrow hoes and active hoes cutting inside rows between the plants, and it moved with a maximal speed of 0.9 km/h. The robot's performance was assessed by image processing. The field images were collected by an action camera with a height of 2 m and a resolution 27M pixels installed on the robot and by a drone with a 16M pixel camera flying at 4 m height. To detect plants and weeds, the YOLO model was trained with transfer learning from two available datasets. A preliminary analysis of the entire field showed that in the areas treated by the robot, the weed average density varied across the field from 6.8 to 9.1 weeds/m² (compared with 0.8 in the chemically treated area and 24.3 in the untreated area), the weed average density inside rows was 2.0-2.9 weeds / m (compared with 0 on the chemically treated area), and the emergence rate was 90-95%. The information about the robot's performance has high importance for the application of robotics for field tasks. With the help of the developed method, the performance can be assessed several times during the growth according to the robotic weeding frequency. When it’s used by farmers, they can know the field condition and efficiency of the robotic treatment all over the field. Farmers and researchers could develop optimal strategies for using the robot, such as seeding and weeding timing, robot settings, and plant and field parameters and geometry. The robot producers can have quantitative information from an actual working environment and improve the robots accordingly.

Keywords: agricultural robot, field robot, plant detection, robot performance

Procedia PDF Downloads 88

Authors: Liu Li, Kim Seng Lee, Li Lu

Abstract:

The high-energy-density Li-rich layered materials are promising cathode materials for the next-generation high-performance lithium-ion batteries. They have attracted a lot of attentions due mainly to their high reversible capacity of more than 250 mAh•g-1 at low charge-discharge current. However several drawbacks still hinder their applications, such as voltage decay caused by an undesired phase transformation during cycling and poor rate capability. To conquer these issues, the authors applied F modification methods on the pristine Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 to enhance its electrochemical performance.

Keywords: Li-ion battery, Li-rich layered cathode material, phase transformation, cycling stability, rate capability

Procedia PDF Downloads 328

Authors: Yasaman Ashrafi, Stephen Kajewski, Annastiina Silvennoinen, Madhav Nepal

Abstract:

Mega projects either in construction, urban development or energy sectors are one of the key drivers that build the foundation of wealth and modern civilizations in regions and nations. Such projects require economic justification and substantial capital investment, often derived from individual and corporate investors as well as governments. Cost overruns and time delays in these mega projects demands a new approach to more accurately predict project costs and establish realistic financial plans. The significance of this paper is that the cost efficiency of megaprojects will improve and decrease cost overruns. This research will assist Project Managers (PMs) to make timely and appropriate decisions about both cost and outcomes of ongoing projects. This research, therefore, examines the oil and gas industry where most mega projects apply the classic methods of Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI) and rely on project data to forecast cost and time. Because these projects are always overrun in cost and time even at the early phase of the project, the probabilistic methods of Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) and Bayesian Adaptive Forecasting method were used to predict project cost at completion of projects. The current theoretical and mathematical models which forecast the total expected cost and project completion date, during the execution phase of an ongoing project will be evaluated. Earned Value Management (EVM) method is unable to predict cost at completion of a project accurately due to the lack of enough detailed project information especially in the early phase of the project. During the project execution phase, the Bayesian adaptive forecasting method incorporates predictions into the actual performance data from earned value management and revises pre-project cost estimates, making full use of the available information. The outcome of this research is to improve the accuracy of both cost prediction and final duration. This research will provide a warning method to identify when current project performance deviates from planned performance and crates an unacceptable gap between preliminary planning and actual performance. This warning method will support project managers to take corrective actions on time.

Keywords: cost forecasting, earned value management, project control, project management, risk analysis, simulation

Procedia PDF Downloads 407