Search results for: trunk-to-appendicular fat ratio
2177 Procyclicality of Leverage: An Empirical Analysis from Turkish Banks
Authors: Emin Avcı, Çiydem Çatak
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The recent economic crisis have shown that procyclicality, which could threaten the stability and growth of the economy, is a major problem of financial and real sector. The term procyclicality refers here the cyclical behavior of banks that lead them to follow the same patterns as the real economy. In this study, leverage which demonstrate how a bank manage its debt, is chosen as bank specific variable to see the effect of changes in it over the economic cycle. The procyclical behavior of Turkish banking sector (commercial, participation, development-investment banks) is tried to explain with analyzing the relationship between leverage and asset growth. On the basis of theoretical explanations, eight different leverage ratios are utilized in eight different panel data models to demonstrate the procyclicality effect of Turkish banks leverage using monthly data covering the 2005-2014 period. It is tested whether there is an increasing (decreasing) trend in the leverage ratio of Turkish banks when there is an enlargement (contraction) in their balance sheet. The major finding of the study indicates that asset growth has a significant effect on all eight leverage ratios. In other words, the leverage of Turkish banks follow a cyclical pattern, which is in line with those of earlier literature.Keywords: banking, economic cycles, leverage, procyclicality
Procedia PDF Downloads 2652176 Formulation Design and Optimization of Orodispersible Tablets of Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride Having Adequate Mechanical Strength
Authors: Jiwan P. Lavande, A. V. Chandewar
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In the present study, orodispersible tablets of diphenhydramine hydrochloride were prepared using croscarmellose sodium, crospovidone and camphor, menthol (as subliming agents) in different ratios and ODTs prepared with superdisintegrants were compared with ODTs prepared with camphor and menthol (subliming agents) for the following evaluation of in vitro disintegration time, dispersion time, wetting time, hardness and water absorption ratio. Results revealed that the tablets of all formulations have acceptable physical parameters. The drug and excipients compatibility study was evaluated using FTIR technique and has not detected any incompatibility. The in vitro release of drug from DC6 formulation was quick when compared to other formulations. Stability study was carried out as per ICH guidelines for three months and results revealed that upon storage disintegration time of tablets had not shown any significant difference. Microscopic study of different formulations of sublimed tablets showed formation of pores for the tablets prepared by sublimation method. Thus, conclusion can be made that the stable orodispersible tablets of diphenhydramine hydrochloride can be developed for the rapid release of diphenhydramine hydrochloride.Keywords: orodispersible tablet, subliming agent, super disintegrants, diphenhydramine hydrochloride
Procedia PDF Downloads 2352175 Determination of Thermophysical Properties of Water Based Magnetic Nanofluids
Authors: Eyüphan Manay, Bayram Sahin, Emre Mandev, Ibrahim Ates, Tuba Yetim
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In this study, it was aimed to determine the thermophysical properties of two different magnetic nanofluids (NiFe2O4-water and CoFe2O4-water). Magnetic nanoparticles were dispersed into the pure water at different volume fractions from 0 vol.% to 4 vol.%. The measurements were performed in the temperature range of 15 oC-55 oC. In order to get better idea on the temperature dependent thermophysical properties of magnetic nanofluids (MNFs), viscosity and thermal conductivity measurements were made. SEM images of both NiFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 nanoparticles were used in order to confirm the average dimensions. The measurements showed that the thermal conductivity of MNFs increased with an increase in the volume fraction as well as viscosity. Increase in the temperature of both MNFs resulted in an increase in the thermal conductivity and a decrease in the viscosity. Based on the measured data, the correlations for both the viscosity and the thermal conductivity were presented with respect to solid volume ratio and temperature. Effective thermal conductivity of the prepared MNFs was also calculated. The results indicated that water based NiFe2O4 nanofluid had higher thermal conductivity than that of the CoFe2O4. Once the viscosity values of both MNFs were compared, almost no difference was observed.Keywords: magnetic nanofluids, thermal conductivity, viscosity, nife2o4-water, cofe2o4-water
Procedia PDF Downloads 2612174 Optimal Allocation of Multiple Emergency Resources for a Single Potential Accident Node: A Mixed Integer Linear Program
Authors: Yongjian Du, Jinhua Sun, Kim M. Liew, Huahua Xiao
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Optimal allocation of emergency resources before a disaster is of great importance for emergency response. In reality, the pre-protection for a single critical node where accidents may occur is common. In this study, a model is developed to determine location and inventory decisions of multiple emergency resources among a set of candidate stations to minimize the total cost based on the constraints of budgetary and capacity. The total cost includes the economic accident loss which is accorded with probability distribution of time and the warehousing cost of resources which is increasing over time. A ratio is set to measure the degree of a storage station only serving the target node that becomes larger with the decrease of the distance between them. For the application of linear program, it is assumed that the length of travel time to the accident scene of emergency resources has a linear relationship with the economic accident loss. A computational experiment is conducted to illustrate how the proposed model works, and the results indicate its effectiveness and practicability.Keywords: emergency response, integer linear program, multiple emergency resources, pre-allocation decisions, single potential accident node
Procedia PDF Downloads 1542173 Trapping Efficiency of Highly Effective Slow Released Formulations of Biodegradable Waxes with Methyl Eugenol Against Bactrocera zonata
Authors: Waleed Afzal Naveed, Muhammd Dildar Gogi, Mubashir Iqbal, Muhammad Junaid Nisar, Muhammad Hamza Khaliq, Faisal Munir
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Experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of highly effective Slow-Released Formulations (SRF) of Methyl eugenol with Lanolin wax, Candellila wax, Bee-wax, Carnauba wax and paraffin wax in the orchard of University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan against fruit flies. The waxes were mixed with methyl eugenol in 1:9 ratio. The results revealed that SRF of Candellila, Paraffin, Bees and Carnauba wax attracted 13.77, 11, 8.15 and 7.23 flies/day/trap which was 2.6, 2, 1.5 and 1.4 times higher than standard respectively and exhibited 41.42%, 32.05%, 20.98% and 12.87% attractive index respectively, proved moderately attractive slow-released formulation to B. zonata and was catagorized as Class-II slow-released formulation (AI = 11-50%). However, SRF of Lanolin wax trapped 1.81 flies/day/trap which was 3 times less than standard and exhibited -61.86% attractive index proved little or non attractive slow-released formulation and was categorized as Class-I slow-released formulation for B. zonata (AI < 11%).Keywords: biodegradable waxes, slow-released formulation, Bactrocera zonata, methyl euginol
Procedia PDF Downloads 2592172 Investigation of Extreme Gradient Boosting Model Prediction of Soil Strain-Shear Modulus
Authors: Ehsan Mehryaar, Reza Bushehri
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One of the principal parameters defining the clay soil dynamic response is the strain-shear modulus relation. Predicting the strain and, subsequently, shear modulus reduction of the soil is essential for performance analysis of structures exposed to earthquake and dynamic loadings. Many soil properties affect soil’s dynamic behavior. In order to capture those effects, in this study, a database containing 1193 data points consists of maximum shear modulus, strain, moisture content, initial void ratio, plastic limit, liquid limit, initial confining pressure resulting from dynamic laboratory testing of 21 clays is collected for predicting the shear modulus vs. strain curve of soil. A model based on an extreme gradient boosting technique is proposed. A tree-structured parzan estimator hyper-parameter tuning algorithm is utilized simultaneously to find the best hyper-parameters for the model. The performance of the model is compared to the existing empirical equations using the coefficient of correlation and root mean square error.Keywords: XGBoost, hyper-parameter tuning, soil shear modulus, dynamic response
Procedia PDF Downloads 2012171 Simulation of the Effect of Sea Water using Ground Tank to the Flexural Capacity of GFRP Sheet Reinforced Concrete Beams
Authors: Rudy Djamaluddin, Arbain Tata, Rita Irmawaty
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The study conducted a simulation of the effect of sea water to the bonding capacity of GFRP sheet on the concrete beams using a simulation tank. As it well known that, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) has been applied to many purposes for civil engineering structures not only for new structures but also for strengthening of the deteriorated structures. The FRP has advantages such as its corrosion resistance, as well as high tensile strength, to weight ratio. Glass composed FRP (GFRP) sheet is most commonly used due to its relatively lower cost compared to the other FRP materials. GFRP sheet is applied externally by bonding it on the concrete surface. Many studies have been done to investigate the bonding of GFRP sheet. However, it is still very rarely studies on the effect of sea water to the bonding capacity of GFRP sheet on the strengthened beams due to flexural loadings. This is important to be clarified for the wider application of GFRP sheet especially on the flexural structure that directly contact to the sea environment. To achieve the objective of the study, a series of concrete beams strengthened with GFRP sheet on extreme tension surface were prepared. The beams then were stored on the sea water tank for six months. Results indicated the bonding capacity decreased after six months exposed to the sea water.Keywords: GFRP sheet, sea water, concrete beams, bonding
Procedia PDF Downloads 3222170 Experimental Investigation of the Aeroacoustics Field for a Rectangular Jet Impinging on a Slotted Plate: Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry Measurement before and after the Plate
Authors: Nour Eldin Afyouni, Hassan Assoum, Kamel Abed-Meraim, Anas Sakout
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The acoustic of an impinging jet holds significant importance in the engineering field. In HVAC systems, the jet impingement, in some cases, generates noise that destroys acoustic comfort. This paper presents an experimental study of a rectangular air jet impinging on a slotted plate to investigate the correlation between sound emission and turbulence dynamics. The experiment was conducted with an impact ratio L/H = 4 and a Reynolds number Re = 4700. The survey shows that coherent structures within the impinging jet are responsible for self-sustaining tone production. To achieve this, a specific experimental setup consisting of two simultaneous Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (S-PIV) measurements was developed to track vortical structures both before and after the plate, in addition to acoustic measurements. The results reveal a significant correlation between acoustic waves and the passage of coherent structures. Variations in the arrangement of vortical structures between the upstream and downstream sides of the plate were observed. This analysis of flow dynamics can enhance our understanding of slot noise.Keywords: impinging jet, coherent structures, SPIV, aeroacoustics
Procedia PDF Downloads 832169 Combined Optical Coherence Microscopy and Spectrally Resolved Multiphoton Microscopy
Authors: Bjorn-Ole Meyer, Dominik Marti, Peter E. Andersen
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A multimodal imaging system, combining spectrally resolved multiphoton microscopy (MPM) and optical coherence microscopy (OCM) is demonstrated. MPM and OCM are commonly integrated into multimodal imaging platforms to combine functional and morphological information. The MPM signals, such as two-photon fluorescence emission (TPFE) and signals created by second harmonic generation (SHG) are biomarkers which exhibit information on functional biological features such as the ratio of pyridine nucleotide (NAD(P)H) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) in the classification of cancerous tissue. While the spectrally resolved imaging allows for the study of biomarkers, using a spectrometer as a detector limits the imaging speed of the system significantly. To overcome those limitations, an OCM setup was added to the system, which allows for fast acquisition of structural information. Thus, after rapid imaging of larger specimens, navigation within the sample is possible. Subsequently, distinct features can be selected for further investigation using MPM. Additionally, by probing a different contrast, complementary information is obtained, and different biomarkers can be investigated. OCM images of tissue and cell samples are obtained, and distinctive features are evaluated using MPM to illustrate the benefits of the system.Keywords: optical coherence microscopy, multiphoton microscopy, multimodal imaging, two-photon fluorescence emission
Procedia PDF Downloads 5112168 Partially Fluorinated Electrolyte for High-Voltage Cathode for Lithium-Ion Battery
Authors: Gebregziabher Brhane Berhe, Wei-Nien Su, Bing Joe Hwang
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A new lithium-ion battery is configured by coupling sulfurized carbon anode and high voltage LiNi₀.₅Mn₁.₅O₄ (LNMO) cathode. The anode is derived from sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (S-C(PAN)). Severe capacity fading usually becomes unavoidable due to the oxidative decomposition of solvents, primarily when a conventional carbonate electrolyte with 1 M lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) is employed. Fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), and 1, 1, 2, 2-Tetrafluoroethyl-2, 2, 3, 3-tetrafluoropropyl ether (TTE) are formulated as the best electrolyte (3:2:5 in vol. ratio) for this new high-voltage lithium-ion battery to mitigate this capacity fading and improve the adaptability of the S-C(PAN) and LNMO. The discharge capacity of a full cell made with 1 M lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) in FEC/EMC/TTE (3:2:5) electrolyte reaches 688 mAh g⁻¹ at a rate of 2 C, while 19 mAh g⁻¹ for the control electrolyte. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results confirm that the fluorinated electrolyte effectively stabilizes both surfaces of S-C(PAN) and LNMO in the full cell. Compared to the control electrolyte, the developed electrolyte enhances the cyclic stability and rate capability of both half cells (Li//S-C(PAN and Li//LiNi₀.₅Mn₁.₅O₄) and S-C(PAN)//LiNi₀.₅Mn₁.₅O₄ full cells.Keywords: fluorinated electrolyte, high voltage, lithium-ion battery, polyacrylonitrile
Procedia PDF Downloads 132167 Parametric and Analysis Study of the Melting in Slabs Heated by a Laminar Heat Transfer Fluid in Downward and Upward Flows
Authors: Radouane Elbahjaoui, Hamid El Qarnia
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The present work aims to investigate numerically the thermal and flow characteristics of a rectangular latent heat storage unit (LHSU) during the melting process of a phase change material (PCM). The LHSU consists of a number of vertical and identical plates of PCM separated by rectangular channels. The melting process is initiated when the LHSU is heated by a heat transfer fluid (HTF: water) flowing in channels in a downward or upward direction. The proposed study is motivated by the need to optimize the thermal performance of the LHSU by accelerating the charging process. A mathematical model is developed and a fixed-grid enthalpy formulation is adopted for modeling the melting process coupling with convection-conduction heat transfer. The finite volume method was used for discretization. The obtained numerical results are compared with experimental, analytical and numerical ones found in the literature and reasonable agreement is obtained. Thereafter, the numerical investigations were carried out to highlight the effects of the HTF flow direction and the aspect ratio of the PCM slabs on the heat transfer characteristics and thermal performance enhancement of the LHSU.Keywords: PCM, TES, LHSU, melting
Procedia PDF Downloads 2612166 Effect of Bacillus subtilis Pb6 on Growth and Gut Microflora in Clostridium perfringens Challenged Broilers
Authors: A. Khalique, T. Naseem, N. Haque, Z. Rasool
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The objective of current study was to investigate the effect of Bacillus subtilis PB6 (CloSTAT) as a probiotic in broilers. The corn-soybean based diet was divided into four treatment groups; T1 (basal diet with no probiotic and no Clostridium perfringens); T2 (basal diet challenged with C. perfringens without probiotic); T3 (basal diet challenged with C. perfringens having 0.05% probiotic); T4 (basal diet challenged with C. perfringens having 0.1% probiotic). Every treatment group had four replicates with 24 birds each. Body weight and feed intake were measured on weekly basis, while ileal bacterial count was recorded on day-28 following Clostridium perfringens challenge. The 0.1% probiotic treatment showed 7.2% increase in average feed intake (P=0.05) and 8% increase in body weight compared to T2. In 0.1% treatment body weight was 5% higher than T3 (P=0.02). It was also observed that 0.1% treatment had improved feed conversion ratio (1.77) on 6th week. No effect of treatment was observed on mortality and ileal bacterial count. The current study indicated that 0.1% use of probiotic had positive response in C. perfringens challenged broilers.Keywords: Bacillus subtilis PB6, antibiotic growth promoters, Clostridium perfringens, broilers
Procedia PDF Downloads 2702165 Experimental Analysis on the Thermal Performance of Vacuum Membrane Distillation Module Using Polyvinylidene Fluoride Hollow Fiber Membrane
Authors: Hong-Jin Joo, Hee-Yoel Kwak
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Vacuum Membrane Distillation (VMD) uses pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure. The feed seawater is capable of producing more vapor at the same temperature than Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD), Air Gap Membrane Distillation (AGMD) or Sweep Gas Membrane Distillation (SGMD). It is advantageous because it is operable at a lower temperature than other membrane distillations. However, no commercial product is available that uses the VMD method, as it is still in the study stage. In this study, therefore, thermal performance test according to the feed water conditions was performed prior to both construction of the demonstration plant, which uses VMD module of the capacity of 400m³/d in South Korea, and commercialization of VMD module with hollow fiber membrane. Such study was performed by designing and constructing the VMD module of the capacity of 2 m³/day which utilizes the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane. The results obtained from the VMD module manufactured by ECONITY Co., Ltd in South Korea, showed that the maximum performance ratio (PR) value of 0.904, feed water temperature of 75 ℃, and the flow rate of 8 m3/h. As the temperature of and flow rate of the feed water increased, the PR value of the VMD module also increased.Keywords: membrane distillation, vacuum membrane distillation, hollow fiber membrane, desalination
Procedia PDF Downloads 2102164 Sperm Flagellum Center-Line Tracing in 4D Stacks Using an Iterative Minimal Path Method
Authors: Paul Hernandez-Herrera, Fernando Montoya, Juan Manuel Rendon, Alberto Darszon, Gabriel Corkidi
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Intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) regulates sperm motility. The analysis of [Ca2+]i has been traditionally achieved in two dimensions while the real movement of the cell takes place in three spatial dimensions. Due to optical limitations (high speed cell movement and low light emission) important data concerning the three dimensional movement of these flagellated cells had been neglected. Visualizing [Ca2+]i in 3D is not a simple matter since it requires complex fluorescence microscopy techniques where the resulting images have very low intensity and consequently low SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio). In 4D sequences, this problem is magnified since the flagellum oscillates (for human sperm) at least at an average frequency of 15 Hz. In this paper, a novel approach to extract the flagellum’s center-line in 4D stacks is presented. For this purpose, an iterative algorithm based on the fast-marching method is proposed to extract the flagellum’s center-line. Quantitative and qualitative results are presented in a 4D stack to demonstrate the ability of the proposed algorithm to trace the flagellum’s center-line. The method reached a precision and recall of 0.96 as compared with a semi-manual method.Keywords: flagellum, minimal path, segmentation, sperm
Procedia PDF Downloads 2842163 Internal Power Recovery in Cryogenic Cooling Plants Part I: Expander Development
Authors: Ambra Giovannelli, Erika Maria Archilei
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The amount of the electrical power required by refrigeration systems is relevant worldwide. It is evaluated in the order of 15% of the total electricity production taking refrigeration and air-conditioning into consideration. For this reason, in the last years several energy saving techniques have been proposed to reduce the power demand of such plants. The paper deals with the development of an innovative internal recovery system for cryogenic cooling plants. Such a system consists in a Compressor-Expander Group (CEG) designed on the basis of the automotive turbocharging technology. In particular, the paper is focused on the design of the expander, the critical component of the CEG system. Due to the low volumetric flow entering the expander and the high expansion ratio, a commercial turbocharger expander wheel was strongly modified. It was equipped with a transonic nozzle, designed to have a radially inflow full admission. To verify the performance of such a machine and suggest improvements, two different set of nozzles have been designed and modelled by means of the commercial Ansys-CFX software. steady-state 3D CFD simulations of the second-generation prototype are presented and compared with the initial ones.Keywords: vapour cCompression systems, energy saving, refrigeration plant, organic fluids, radial turbine
Procedia PDF Downloads 2082162 Age and Population Structure of the Goby Parapocryptes Serperaster in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, Based on Length-Frequency and Otolith Analyses
Authors: Quang Minh Dinh, Jian Guang Qin, Sabine Dittmann, Dinh Dac Tran
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The age and population structure the dermal gopy Parapocryptes serperaster were studied using length distributions, otolith and von Bertalanffy model in the Mekong Delta over a whole year through monthly sampling. The sex ratio of P. serperaster was near 1:1, and von Bertalanffy growth parameters were L∞= 25.2 cm, K = 0.74 yr-1, and t0 = -0.22 yr-1. Fish size at first entry to fishery was 14.6 cm, and fishing mortality (1.57 yr-1) and natural mortality (1.51 yr-1) accounted for 51% and 49% of the total mortality (3.07 yr-1), respectively. Relative yield-per-recruit and biomass-per-recruit analyses revealed the levels of maximum exploitation yield (Emax = 0.83), maximum economic yield (E0.1 = 0.71) and the yield at 50% reduction of exploitation (E0.5 = 0.37). Otoliths from 164 female and 196 male gobies were readable, and the otolith morphometry data were used for age identification. The mean age estimated by reading otolith annual rings and by analysing length frequency distribution was consistent. This study shows that the otolith morphometry is a reliable method for aging this goby and possibly also applicable for other tropical gobies. The fishery analysis indicates that this goby stock has not been overexploited in the Mekong Delta.Keywords: Parapcryptes serperaster, otolith, age, pulation structure, Vietnam
Procedia PDF Downloads 6562161 Development of Piezoelectric Gas Micropumps with the PDMS Check Valve Design
Authors: Chiang-Ho Cheng, An-Shik Yang, Hon-Yi Cheng, Ming-Yu Lai
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This paper presents the design and fabrication of a novel piezoelectric actuator for a gas micropump with check valve having the advantages of miniature size, light weight and low power consumption. The micropump is designed to have eight major components, namely a stainless steel upper cover layer, a piezoelectric actuator, a stainless steel diaphragm, a PDMS chamber layer, two stainless steel channel layers with two valve seats, a PDMS check valve layer with two cantilever-type check valves and an acrylic substrate. A prototype of the gas micropump, with a size of 52 mm × 50 mm × 5.0 mm, is fabricated by precise manufacturing. This device is designed to pump gases with the capability of performing the self-priming and bubble-tolerant work mode by maximizing the stroke volume of the membrane as well as the compression ratio via minimization of the dead volume of the micropump chamber and channel. By experiment apparatus setup, we can get the real-time values of the flow rate of micropump and the displacement of the piezoelectric actuator, simultaneously. The gas micropump obtained higher output performance under the sinusoidal waveform of 250 Vpp. The micropump achieved the maximum pumping rates of 1185 ml/min and back pressure of 7.14 kPa at the corresponding frequency of 120 and 50 Hz.Keywords: PDMS, check valve, micropump, piezoelectric
Procedia PDF Downloads 4562160 Effect of Temperatures on Growth and Development Time of Aphis fabae Scopoli (Homoptera: Aphididae): On Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
Authors: Rochelyn Dona, Serdar Satar
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological parameters of A. fabae Scopoli (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Developmental, survival, and reproductive data were collected for Aphis fabae reared on detached bean leaves (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) ‘pinto beans’ at five temperature regimes (12, 16, 20, 24, and 28 °C), 65% relative humidity (RH), relative and a photoperiod of 16:8 (LD) h. The developmental times of immature stages ranged from 16, 65 days at 12°C to 5.70 days at 24°C, but a slight increase again at 28°C (6.62 days). At 24°C from this study presented the developmental threshold for A. fabae slightly to 24°C. The average longevity of mature females significantly decreased from 42.32 days at 12°C to 16.12 days at 28°C. The reproduction rate per female was 62.27 at 16°C and 12.72 at 28°C. The mean generation period of the population ranged from 29.24 at 12°C to 11.50 at 28°C. The highest intrinsic rate of increase (rm = 0.41) were recorded at 24°C, the lowest at 12°C (rm = 0.15). It was evident that temperatures over 28°C augmented the development time, accelerated the death ratio of the nymphal stages, Shrunk Adult longevity, and reduced fecundity. The optimal range of temperature for the population growth of A. fabae on the bean was 16°C-24°C, according to this study.Keywords: developmental time, intrinsic rate, reproduction period, temperature dependence
Procedia PDF Downloads 2282159 The Impact of Financial News and Press Freedom on Abnormal Returns around Earnings Announcements in Greater China
Authors: Yu-Chen Wei, Yang-Cheng Lu, I-Chi Lin
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This study examines the impacts of news sentiment and press freedom on abnormal returns during the earnings announcement in greater China including the Shanghai, Shenzhen and Taiwan stock markets. The news sentiment ratio is calculated by using the content analysis of semantic orientation. The empirical results show that news released prior to the event date may decrease the cumulative abnormal returns prior to the earnings announcement regardless of whether it is released in China or Taiwan. By contrast, companies with optimistic financial news may increase the cumulative abnormal returns during the announcement date. Furthermore, the difference in terms of press freedom is considered in greater China to compare the impact of press freedom on abnormal returns. The findings show that, the freer the press is, the more negatively significant will be the impact of news on the abnormal returns, which means that the press freedom may decrease the ability of the news to impact the abnormal returns. The intuition is that investors may receive alternative news related to each company in the market with greater press freedom, which proves the efficiency of the market and reduces the possible excess returns.Keywords: news, press freedom, Greater China, earnings announcement, abnormal returns
Procedia PDF Downloads 3932158 Feasibility of Agro Waste-Derived Adsorbent for Colour Removal
Authors: U. P. L. Wijayarathne, P. W. Vidanage, H. K. D. Jayampath, K. W. P. M. Kothalawala
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Feasibility of utilizing Empty Bunch (EB) fibre, a solid waste of palm oil extraction process, as an adsorbent is analysed in this study. Empty bunch fibre is generated after the extraction of retained oil in the sterilized and threshed empty fruit bunches. Besides the numerous characteristics of EB fibre, which enable its utilization as a fuel, a bio-composite material, or mulch, EB fibre also shows exceptional characteristics of a good adsorbent. Fixed bed adsorption method is used to study the adsorptivity of EB fibre using a continuous adsorption column with Methyl-blue (1.13ppm) as the feed. Adsorptivity is assumed to be solely dependent on the bed porosity keeping other parameters (feed flow rate, bed height, bed diameter, and operating temperature) constant. Bed porosity is changed by means of compact ratio and the variation of the feed concentration is analysed using a photometric method. Break through curves are plotted at different porosity levels and optimum bed porosity is identified for a given feed stream. Feasibility of using the EB fibre as an inexpensive and an abundant adsorbent in wastewater treatment facilities, where the effluent colour reduction is adamant, is also discussed.Keywords: adsorption, fixed bed, break through time, methylene blue, oil palm fibre
Procedia PDF Downloads 2892157 The Role of Cyfra 21-1 in Diagnosing Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
Authors: H. J. T. Kevin Mozes, Dyah Purnamasari
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Background: Lung cancer accounted for the fourth most common cancer in Indonesia. 85% of all lung cancer cases are the Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). The indistinct signs and symptoms of NSCLC sometimes lead to misdiagnosis. The gold standard assessment for the diagnosis of NSCLC is the histopathological biopsy, which is invasive. Cyfra 21-1 is a tumor marker, which can be found in the intermediate protein structure in the epitel. The accuracy of Cyfra 21-1 in diagnosing NSCLC is not yet known, so this report is made to seek the answer for the question above. Methods: Literature searching is done using online databases. Proquest and Pubmed are online databases being used in this report. Then, literature selection is done by excluding and including based on inclusion criterias and exclusion criterias. The selected literature is then being appraised using the criteria of validity, importance, and validity. Results: From six journals appraised, five of them are valid. Sensitivity value acquired from all five literature is ranging from 50-84.5 %, meanwhile the specificity is 87.8 %-94.4 %. Likelihood the ratio of all appraised literature is ranging from 5.09 -10.54, which categorized to Intermediate High. Conclusion: Serum Cyfra 21-1 is a sensitive and very specific tumor marker for diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Keywords: cyfra 21-1, diagnosis, nonsmall cell lung cancer, NSCLC, tumor marker
Procedia PDF Downloads 2322156 Daylightophil Approach towards High-Performance Architecture for Hybrid-Optimization of Visual Comfort and Daylight Factor in BSk
Authors: Mohammadjavad Mahdavinejad, Hadi Yazdi
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The greatest influence we have from the world is shaped through the visual form, thus light is an inseparable element in human life. The use of daylight in visual perception and environment readability is an important issue for users. With regard to the hazards of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, and in line with the attitudes on the reduction of energy consumption, the correct use of daylight results in lower levels of energy consumed by artificial lighting, heating and cooling systems. Windows are usually the starting points for analysis and simulations to achieve visual comfort and energy optimization; therefore, attention should be paid to the orientation of buildings to minimize electrical energy and maximize the use of daylight. In this paper, by using the Design Builder Software, the effect of the orientation of an 18m2(3m*6m) room with 3m height in city of Tehran has been investigated considering the design constraint limitations. In these simulations, the dimensions of the building have been changed with one degree and the window is located on the smaller face (3m*3m) of the building with 80% ratio. The results indicate that the orientation of building has a lot to do with energy efficiency to meet high-performance architecture and planning goals and objectives.Keywords: daylight, window, orientation, energy consumption, design builder
Procedia PDF Downloads 2332155 In vitro Larvicidal Activity of Varying Concentrations of Madre De Cacao (Gliricidia sepium) Concentrated Crude Ethanolic Extract against Larvae of Horn Fly (Haematobia irritans)
Authors: Antonio B.Tangayan Jr., Hershey P. Mondejar, Pet Roey Pascual, Zeam Voltaire E. Amper
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A study on in vitro larvicidal acitivity of different levels of Madre de Cacao (Gliricidia sepium) concentrated crude ethanolic extract (CCEE) against horn fly larvae (Haematobia irritans) was conducted. The air-dried leaves of Gliricidia sepium were infused in a 1:3 ratio (w/v) using ethanol as solvent and concentrated in a rotary evaporator (60°C). A total of 120 larvae of Haematobia irritans were exposed in various concentration: 200, 400, 800 and 1000 ppm. Based on the result after 5 hours of exposure, CCE G. sepium extract at 200 ppm showed less effect with 30% mortality compared to 400 ppm, 800 ppm and 1000 ppm with 70%, 83%, and 100% mortality, respectively. Findings also revealed that CCE of G. sepium extract at 1000 ppm, 800 ppm, and commercial larvicide were comparable in causing mortality of H. irritans larvae from the first hour up to the fifth hours of exposure. However, on the fifth hour, 400 ppm was also found to be effective. This suggests that the higher the concentration of CCE G. sepium extract and the longer the time of exposure, the higher is the percentage mortality of the larvae. Thus, CCE G. sepium extract can be used as an alternative for commercial larvicide.Keywords: horn fly, in vitro, larvicidal, Madre de Cacao
Procedia PDF Downloads 2852154 Flexural Analysis of Symmetric Laminated Composite Timoshenko Beams under Harmonic Forces: An Analytical Solution
Authors: Mohammed Ali Hjaji, A.K. El-Senussi, Said H. Eshtewi
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The flexural dynamic response of symmetric laminated composite beams subjected to general transverse harmonic forces is investigated. The dynamic equations of motion and associated boundary conditions based on the first order shear deformation are derived through the use of Hamilton’s principle. The influences of shear deformation, rotary inertia, Poisson’s ratio and fibre orientation are incorporated in the present formulation. The resulting governing flexural equations for symmetric composite Timoshenko beams are exactly solved and the closed form solutions for steady state flexural response are then obtained for cantilever and simply supported boundary conditions. The applicability of the analytical closed-form solution is demonstrated via several examples with various transverse harmonic loads and symmetric cross-ply and angle-ply laminates. Results based on the present solution are assessed and validated against other well established finite element solutions and exact solutions available in the literature.Keywords: analytical solution, flexural response, harmonic forces, symmetric laminated beams, steady state response
Procedia PDF Downloads 4882153 Control of Grid Connected PMSG-Based Wind Turbine System with Back-To-Back Converter Topology Using Resonant Controller
Authors: Fekkak Bouazza, Menaa Mohamed, Loukriz Abdelhamid, Krim Mohamed L.
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This paper presents modeling and control strategy for the grid connected wind turbine system based on Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG). The considered system is based on back-to-back converter topology. The Grid Side Converter (GSC) achieves the DC bus voltage control and unity power factor. The Machine Side Converter (MSC) assures the PMSG speed control. The PMSG is used as a variable speed generator and connected directly to the turbine without gearbox. The pitch angle control is not either considered in this study. Further, Optimal Tip Speed Ratio (OTSR) based MPPT control strategy is used to ensure the most energy efficiency whatever the wind speed variations. A filter (L) is put between the GSC and the grid to reduce current ripple and to improve the injected power quality. The proposed grid connected wind system is built under MATLAB/Simulink environment. The simulation results show the feasibility of the proposed topology and performance of its control strategies.Keywords: wind, grid, PMSG, MPPT, OTSR
Procedia PDF Downloads 3622152 Effect of Gel Concentration on Physical Properties of an Electrochromic Device
Authors: Sharan K. Indrakar, Aakash B. Prasad, Arash Takshi, Sesha Srinivasan, Elias K. Stefanakos
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In this work, we present an exclusive study on the effect of the feeding ratio of polyaniline-based redox-active gel layer on electrical and optical properties of innovative electrochromic devices (ECs). An electrochromic device consisting of polyaniline (PANI) has a redox-active gel electrolyte placed between two conducting transparent fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrates. The redox-active composite gel is a mixture of different concentrations of aniline (monomer), a water-soluble polymer poly (vinyl alcohol), hydrochloric acid, and an oxidant. The EC device shows the color change from dark green to transparent for the applied potential between -0.5 V to +2.0 V. The coloration and decoloration of the ECs were tested for electrochemical behavior using techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The optical transparency of the EC devices was examined at two different biasing voltage conditions under UV-visible spectroscopic technique; the result showed 65% transmittance at 564 nm and zero transmittance when the cell was biased at 0.0 V and 2.0 V, the synthesized mol fraction gel was analyzed for surface morphology and structural properties by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transformer spectroscopy.Keywords: electrochromic, gel electrolyte, polyaniline, conducting polymer
Procedia PDF Downloads 1382151 Vector Quantization Based on Vector Difference Scheme for Image Enhancement
Authors: Biji Jacob
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Vector quantization algorithm which uses minimum distance calculation for codebook generation, a time consuming calculation performed on each pixel values leads to computation complexity. The codebook is updated by comparing the distance of each vector to their centroid vector and measure for their closeness. In this paper vector quantization is modified based on vector difference algorithm for image enhancement purpose. In the proposed scheme, vector differences between the vectors are considered as the new generation vectors or new codebook vectors. The codebook is updated by comparing the new generation vector with a threshold value having minimum error with the parent vector. The minimum error decides the fitness of each newly generated vector. Thus the codebook is generated in an adaptive manner and the fitness value is determined for the suppression of the degraded portion of the image and thereby leads to the enhancement of the image through the adaptive searching capability of the vector quantization through vector difference algorithm. Experimental results shows that the vector difference scheme efficiently modifies the vector quantization algorithm for enhancing the image with peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), mean square error (MSE), Euclidean distance (E_dist) as the performance parameters.Keywords: codebook, image enhancement, vector difference, vector quantization
Procedia PDF Downloads 2672150 Free Vibration Characteristics of Nanoplates with Various Edge Supports Incorporating Surface Free Energy Effects
Authors: Saeid Sahmani
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Due to size-dependent behavior of nanostrustures, the classical continuum models are not applicable for the analyses at this submicrion size. Surface stress effect is one of the most important matters which make the nanoscale structures to have different properties compared to the conventional structures due to high surface to volume ratio. In the present study, free vibration characteristics of nanoplates are investigated including surface stress effects. To this end, non-classical plate model based on Gurtin-Murdoch elasticity theory is proposed to evaluate the surface stress effects on the vibrational behavior of nanoplates subjected to different boundary conditions. Generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method is employed to discretize the governing non-classical differential equations along with various edge supports. Selected numerical results are given to demonstrate the distinction between the behavior of nanoplates predicted by the classical and present non-classical plate models that leads to illustrate the great influence of surface stress effect. It is observed that this influence quite depends on the magnitude of the surface elastic constants which are relevant to the selected material.Keywords: nanomechanics, surface stress, free vibration, GDQ method, small scale effect
Procedia PDF Downloads 3562149 Ethnicism and Nigeria's National Development Crisis
Authors: A. E. Agbogu
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While scholars have predicted that identity politics (or what is euphemistically referred to as ethnic politics in Nigeria) were a dying phenomenon in other parts of the world, in Nigeria, it has remained the basis of political activity and has indeed become not only the unwritten law of all calculations in the political firmament of the country but also the ultimo ratio. We intend in the paper that follows to explore the reason for this unhealthy development. The paper seeks to offer explanations for the paradoxical reality of the upsurge of ethnic politics in Nigeria when in fact, the phenomenon is apparently on a downward spiral elsewhere in the world, particularly in countries that are at par with Nigeria in terms of national development. The paper is descriptive and qualitative and has relied on available data for its source of materials. Among other things, the paper locates identity politics as a tool in the hands of a national elite that has not transcended the limitations imposes by the shackles of the parsonian particularistic polar attributes which have tended to fixate their weltanschauung or world view on attachments that are unpardonably primordial. In the event, ethnicity becomes a veritable instrument not only for cheap sectional mobilization but also a means for seeking access to the so-called national cake. It is recommended that a way out of this socio-politico malady is the creation of a political arrangement that conduces to the gravitational tendency which will lead to the transfer of loyalties away from the extant ethno-nationalities to the centre.Keywords: ethnicism, development, crisis, identity politics
Procedia PDF Downloads 2832148 The Development of Portable Application Software for Cardiovascular Fitness Norms of NDUM Cadet Students
Authors: Mohar Kassim, Hardy Azmir, Rahmat Sholihin Mokhtar
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The purpose of this study is to build portable application software to determine the level of cardiovascular fitness for cadet students of the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM). Fitness in the context of this study refers to physical fitness, specifically the cardiovascular endurance level test battery in the form of a 2.4 km run test for UPNM cadet students. This run test will be conducted to measure, test, and evaluate the performance of UPNM cadet students. All the run test results can be recorded electronically inside the portable software and will later be able to show the level of cardiovascular fitness of every cadet student according to age and gender. This software can also calculate the body mass index (BMI). Normative survey method will be used in this study through the analysis of the 2.4 km run test results. The run test scores will be classified in interval and ratio scales. Based on the findings of this study, portable application software will produced. The software will be able to directly assist the Military Training Academy (ALK), Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM), and other relevant agencies in determining the level of cardiovascular fitness among their staff. The test can be done electronically and on portable mode. The next step to be taken is to have this application patented.Keywords: development, software, application, portable, fitness norms, cardiovascular endurance
Procedia PDF Downloads 549