Search results for: demand estimation
2139 Fiber-Based 3D Cellular Reinforcing Structures for Mineral-Bonded Composites with Enhanced Structural Impact Tolerance
Authors: Duy M. P. Vo, Cornelia Sennewald, Gerald Hoffmann, Chokri Cherif
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The development of solutions to improve the resistance of buildings to short-term dynamic loads, particularly impact load, is driven by the urgent demand worldwide on securing human life and critical infrastructures. The research training group GRK 2250/1 aims to develop mineral-bonded composites that allow the fabrication of thin-layered strengthening layers providing available concrete members with enhanced impact resistance. This paper presents the development of 3D woven wire cellular structures that can be used as innovative reinforcement for targeted composites. 3D woven wire cellular structures are truss-like architectures that can be fabricated in an automatized process with a great customization possibility. The specific architecture allows this kind of structures to have good load bearing capability and forming behavior, which is of great potential to give strength against impact loading. An appropriate combination of topology and material enables an optimal use of thin-layered reinforcement in concrete constructions.Keywords: 3D woven cellular structures, ductile behavior, energy absorption, fiber-based reinforced concrete, impact resistant
Procedia PDF Downloads 2912138 Early Evaluation of Long-Span Suspension Bridges Using Smartphone Accelerometers
Authors: Ekin Ozer, Maria Q. Feng, Rupa Purasinghe
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Structural deterioration of bridge systems possesses an ongoing threat to the transportation networks. Besides, landmark bridges’ integrity and safety are more than sole functionality, since they provide a strong presence for the society and nations. Therefore, an innovative and sustainable method to inspect landmark bridges is essential to ensure their resiliency in the long run. In this paper, a recently introduced concept, smartphone-based modal frequency estimation is addressed, and this paper targets to authenticate the fidelity of smartphone-based vibration measurements gathered from three landmark suspension bridges. Firstly, smartphones located at the bridge mid-span are adopted as portable and standalone vibration measurement devices. Then, their embedded accelerometers are utilized to gather vibration response under operational loads, and eventually frequency domain characteristics are deduced. The preliminary analysis results are compared with the reference publications and high-quality monitoring data to validate the usability of smartphones on long-span landmark suspension bridges. If the technical challenges such as high period of vibration, low amplitude excitation, embedded smartphone sensor features, sampling, and citizen engagement are tackled, smartphones can provide a novel and cost-free crowdsourcing tool for maintenance of these landmark structures. This study presents the early phase findings from three signature structures located in the United States.Keywords: smart and mobile sensing, structural health monitoring, suspension bridges, vibration analysis
Procedia PDF Downloads 2852137 Gendered Effects on Productivity Gap Due to Information Asymmetry in India
Authors: Shruti Sengupta
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According to the nationally representative data, about 73% of India's rural workforce is engaged in agriculture. While women make significant contributions to total agriculture production, they contribute to about one-third in India. In terms of gender composition, about 80% of the female and 69% of the male workforce is engaged in agriculture in rural India. Still, it is common to find gender differences in plot management within the household. In the last two and half years, India's agri-food system has undergone several changes due to this pandemic, both the demand and supply side, making agriculture more information and knowledge-intensive. Therefore, this paper investigates, using a nationally representative sample, how information asymmetry affects the net returns per hectare of land between female and male farm managers. Empirical results show that information intensity has a significant positive effect on net farm returns per hectare. Results suggest that if females have the same access to technical information as their male counterparts, their farm income can go up by .96 pp compared to male-headed farms. Results also indicate that literate females have higher farm incomes than non-literate females. The study contributes to the literature by employing gender differentials in farm income due to the information gap.Keywords: agriculture, gender, information asymmetry, farm income, social bias
Procedia PDF Downloads 992136 Communication About Health and Fitness in Media and Its Hidden Message About Objectification
Authors: Emiko Suzuki
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Although fitness is defined as the body’s ability to respond to the demand of physical activity without undue fatigue in health science, in media oftentimes physical activity is presented as means to an attractive body rather than a fit and healthy one. Of all types of media, Instagram is becoming an increasingly persuasive source of information and advice on health and fitness, where individuals conceptualize what health and fitness mean for them. However, this user-generated and unregulated platform can be problematic, as it can communicate misleading information about health and fitness and possibly leading individuals to psychological problems such as eating disorders. In fact, previous research has shown that some messages that were posted with a tag that related to inspire others to do fitness, in fact, encouraged distancing the self from the internal needs of the body. For this reason, this present study aims to explore how health and fitness are communicated on Instagram by analyzing images and texts. A content analysis of images that were labeled with particular hashtags was performed, followed by a thematic analysis of texts from the same set of images. The result shows an interesting insight about messages about how health and fitness are communicated from companies through media, then digested and further shared among communities on Instagram. The study explores how the use of visual focused way of communicating health and fitness can lead to the dehumanization of human bodies.Keywords: Instagram, fitness, dehumanization, body image, embodiment
Procedia PDF Downloads 1332135 Possible Number of Dwelling Units Using Waste Plastic Bottle for Construction
Authors: Dibya Jivan Pati, Kazuhisa Iki, Riken Homma
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Unlike other metro cities of India, Bhubaneswar–the capital city of Odisha, is expected to reach 1-million-mark population by now. The demands of dwelling unit requirement mostly among urban poor belonging to Economically Weaker section (EWS) and Low Income groups (LIG) is becoming a challenge due to high housing cost and rents. As a matter of fact, it’s also noted that, with increase in population, the solid waste generation also increases subsequently affecting the environment due to inefficiency in collection of waste by local government bodies. Methods of utilizing Solid Waste - especially in form of Plastic bottles, Glass bottles and Metal cans (PGM) are now widely used as an alternative material for construction of low-cost building by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in developing countries like India to help the urban poor afford a shelter. The application of disposed plastic bottle used in construction of single dwelling significantly reduces the overall cost of construction to as much as 14% compared to traditional construction material. Therefore, considering its cost-benefit result, it’s possible to provide housing to EWS and LIGs at an affordable price. In this paper, we estimated the quantity of plastic bottles generated in Bhubaneswar which further helped to estimate the possible number of single dwelling unit that can be constructed on yearly basis so as to refrain from further housing shortage. The estimation results will be practically used for planning and managing low-cost housing business by local government and NGOs.Keywords: construction, dwelling unit, plastic bottle, solid waste generation, groups
Procedia PDF Downloads 4722134 Importance of Cadastral Infrastructure in Rural Development
Authors: Saban Inam, Necdet Sahiner, Tayfun Cay
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Environmental factors such as rapid population growth, changing economic conditions, desertification and climate change increase demand for the acquisition and use of land. Demands on the land are increasing due to the lack of production of soils and scarcity. This causes disagreements on the land. Reducing the pressure on the land and protecting the natural resources, public investments should be directed economically and rationally. This will make it possible to achieve equivalent living conditions between the rural area and the urban area. Initiating the development from the rural area and the cadastre needs to be redefined to allow the management of the land. The planned, regular, effective agriculture and rural development policies that Turkey will implement in the process of European Union membership will also significantly shape Turkey's position in the European Union. For this reason, Turkey enjoys the most appropriate use of natural resources, which is one of the main objectives of the European Union's recent rural development policy. This study deals with the urgent need to provide cadastral data infrastructure that will form the basis for land management which is supposed to support economic and societal sustainable development in rural and urban areas.Keywords: rural development, cadastre, land management, agricultural reform implementation project, land parcel identification system
Procedia PDF Downloads 5652133 Experimental Study on Modified Double Slope Solar Still and Modified Basin Type Double Slope Multiwick Solar Still
Authors: Piyush Pal, Rahul Dev
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Water is essential for life and fresh water is a finite resource that is becoming scarce day by day even though it is recycled by hydrological cycle. The fresh water reserves are being polluted due to expanding irrigation, industries, urban population and its development. Contaminated water leads to several health problems. With the increasing demand of fresh water, solar distillation is an alternate solution which uses solar energy to evaporate water and then to condense it, thereby collecting distilled water within or outside the same system to use it as potable water. The structure that houses the process is known as a 'solar still'. In this paper, ‘Modified double slope solar still (MDSSS)’ & 'Modified double slope basin type multiwick solar still (MDSBMSS)' have been designed to convert saline, brackish water into drinking water. In this work two different modified solar stills are fabricated to study the performance of these solar stills. For modification of solar stills, Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) and Acrylic sheets are used. The experiments in MDSBMSS and MDSSS was carried on 10 September 2015 & 5 November 2015 respectively. Performances of the stills were investigated. The amount of distillate has been found 3624 Ml/day in MDSBMSS on 10 September 2015 and 2400 Ml/day in MDSSS on 5 November 2015.Keywords: contaminated water, conventional solar still, modified solar still, wick
Procedia PDF Downloads 4242132 An Artificial Intelligence Supported QUAL2K Model for the Simulation of Various Physiochemical Parameters of Water
Authors: Mehvish Bilal, Navneet Singh, Jasir Mushtaq
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Water pollution puts people's health at risk, and it can also impact the ecology. For practitioners of integrated water resources management (IWRM), water quality modelling may be useful for informing decisions about pollution control (such as discharge permitting) or demand management (such as abstraction permitting). To comprehend the current pollutant load, movement of effective load movement of contaminants generates effective relation between pollutants, mathematical simulation, source, and water quality is regarded as one of the best estimating tools. The current study involves the Qual2k model, which includes manual simulation of the various physiochemical characteristics of water. To this end, various sensors could be installed for the automatic simulation of various physiochemical characteristics of water. An artificial intelligence model has been proposed for the automatic simulation of water quality parameters. Models of water quality have become an effective tool for identifying worldwide water contamination, as well as the ultimate fate and behavior of contaminants in the water environment. Water quality model research is primarily conducted in Europe and other industrialized countries in the first world, where theoretical underpinnings and practical research are prioritized.Keywords: artificial intelligence, QUAL2K, simulation, physiochemical parameters
Procedia PDF Downloads 912131 Living outside the fence: Opportunities for Neighbouring Communities to Supply Products and Services to the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa
Authors: Andrew Rylance, Anna Spenceley
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An evaluation was undertaken to understand opportunities for stimulating local enterprise development within the tourism supply chain, linked to a private game reserve in South Africa, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, which neighbors the Kruger National Park. The study focused on understanding the market demand for local products and services from commercial lodges, and the current local supply from enterprises and entrepreneurs in local communities. This article quantifies the value of current procurement spend by lodges on local products and services and estimates their potential future expenditure. The study matches these responses with the availability of products and services in the neighboring communities. It also provides insights into relationships between private lodges, game reserves and local communities in South Africa. It concurs with previous research on tourism supply chains in rural South Africa, and also makes recommendations for the development of local businesses with higher technical capacity development.Keywords: tourism, communities, business development, South Africa, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, market study, supply study
Procedia PDF Downloads 5202130 Standard Resource Parameter Based Trust Model in Cloud Computing
Authors: Shyamlal Kumawat
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Cloud computing is shifting the approach IT capital are utilized. Cloud computing dynamically delivers convenient, on-demand access to shared pools of software resources, platform and hardware as a service through internet. The cloud computing model—made promising by sophisticated automation, provisioning and virtualization technologies. Users want the ability to access these services including infrastructure resources, how and when they choose. To accommodate this shift in the consumption model technology has to deal with the security, compatibility and trust issues associated with delivering that convenience to application business owners, developers and users. Absent of these issues, trust has attracted extensive attention in Cloud computing as a solution to enhance the security. This paper proposes a trusted computing technology through Standard Resource parameter Based Trust Model in Cloud Computing to select the appropriate cloud service providers. The direct trust of cloud entities is computed on basis of the interaction evidences in past and sustained on its present performances. Various SLA parameters between consumer and provider are considered in trust computation and compliance process. The simulations are performed using CloudSim framework and experimental results show that the proposed model is effective and extensible.Keywords: cloud, Iaas, Saas, Paas
Procedia PDF Downloads 3282129 Highlighting of the Factors and Policies affecting CO2 Emissions level in Malaysian Transportation Sector
Authors: Siti Indati Mustapa, Hussain Ali Bekhet
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Global CO2 emission and increasing fuel consumption to meet energy demand requirement has become a threat in recent decades. Effort to reduce the CO2 emission is now a matter of priority in most countries of the world including Malaysia. Transportation has been identified as the most intensive sector of carbon-based fuels and achievement of the voluntary target to meet 40% carbon intensity reduction set at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) means that the emission from the transport sector must be reduced accordingly. This posed a great challenge to Malaysia and effort has to be made to embrace suitable and appropriate energy policy for sustainable energy and emission reduction of this sector. The focus of this paper is to analyse the trends of Malaysia’s energy consumption and emission of four different transport sub-sectors (road, rail, aviation and maritime). Underlying factors influencing the growth of energy consumption and emission trends are discussed. Besides, technology status towards energy efficiency in transportation sub-sectors is presented. By reviewing the existing policies and trends of energy used, the paper highlights prospective policy options towards achieving emission reduction in the transportation sector.Keywords: CO2 emissions, transportation sector, fuel consumption, energy policy, Malaysia
Procedia PDF Downloads 4592128 Developing High-Definition Flood Inundation Maps (HD-Fims) Using Raster Adjustment with Scenario Profiles (RASPTM)
Authors: Robert Jacobsen
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Flood inundation maps (FIMs) are an essential tool in communicating flood threat scenarios to the public as well as in floodplain governance. With an increasing demand for online raster FIMs, the FIM State-of-the-Practice (SOP) is rapidly advancing to meet the dual requirements for high-resolution and high-accuracy—or High-Definition. Importantly, today’s technology also enables the resolution of problems of local—neighborhood-scale—bias errors that often occur in FIMs, even with the use of SOP two-dimensional flood modeling. To facilitate the development of HD-FIMs, a new GIS method--Raster Adjustment with Scenario Profiles, RASPTM—is described for adjusting kernel raster FIMs to match refined scenario profiles. With RASPTM, flood professionals can prepare HD-FIMs for a wide range of scenarios with available kernel rasters, including kernel rasters prepared from vector FIMs. The paper provides detailed procedures for RASPTM, along with an example of applying RASPTM to prepare an HD-FIM for the August 2016 Flood in Louisiana using both an SOP kernel raster and a kernel raster derived from an older vector-based flood insurance rate map. The accuracy of the HD-FIMs achieved with the application of RASPTM to the two kernel rasters is evaluated.Keywords: hydrology, mapping, high-definition, inundation
Procedia PDF Downloads 702127 Short-Term versus Long-Term Effect of Waterpipe Smoking Exposure on Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Mice
Authors: Abeer Rababa'h, Ragad Bsoul, Mohammad Alkhatatbeh, Karem Alzoubi
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Introduction: Tobacco use is one of the main risk factors to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and atherosclerosis in particular. WPS contains several toxic materials such as: nicotine, carcinogens, tar, carbon monoxide and heavy metals. Thus, WPS is considered to be as one of the toxic environmental factors that should be investigated intensively. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of WPS on several cardiovascular biological markers that may cause atherosclerosis in mice. The study also conducted to study the temporal effects of WPS on the atherosclerotic biomarkers upon short (2 weeks) and long-term (8 weeks) exposures. Methods: mice were exposed to WPS and heart homogenates were analyzed to elucidate the effects of WPS on matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and, myeloperoxidase (MPO). Following protein estimation, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were done to measure the levels of MMPs (isoforms 1, 3, and 9), MPO, and ET-1 protein expressions. Results: our data showed that acute exposure to WPS significantly enhances the levels of MMP-3, MMP- 9, and MPO expressions (p < 0.05) compared to their corresponding control. However, the body was capable to normalize the level of expressions for such parameters following continuous exposure for 8 weeks (p > 0.05). Additionally, we showed that the level of ET-1 expression was significantly higher upon chronic exposure to WPS compared to both control and acute exposure groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Waterpipe exposure has a significant negative effect on atherosclerosis and the enhancement of the atherosclerotic biomarkers expression (MMP-3 and 9, MPO, and ET-1) might represent an early scavenger of compensatory efforts to maintain cardiac function after WP exposure.Keywords: atherosclerotic biomarkers, cardiovascular disease, matrix metalloproteinase, waterpipe
Procedia PDF Downloads 3422126 Metagenomics Profile during the Bioremediation of Fischer-Tropsch Derived Short-Chain Alcohols and Volatile Fatty Acids Using a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor
Authors: Mabtho Moreroa-Monyelo, Grace Ijoma, Rosina Nkuna, Tonderayi Matambo
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A moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was used for the bioremediation of high strength chemical oxygen demand (COD) Fisher-Tropsch (FT) wastewater. The aerobic MBBR system was operated over 60 days. For metagenomics profile assessment of the targeted 16S sequence of bacteria involved in the bioremediation of the chemical compounds, sludge samples were collected every second day of operation. Parameters such as pH and COD were measured daily to compare the system efficiency as the changedin microbial diversity progressed. The study revealed that pH was a contributing factor to microbial diversity, which further affected the efficiency of the MBBR system. The highest COD removal rate of 86.4% was achieved at pH 8.3. It was observed that when there was more, A higher bacterial diversity led to an improvement in the reduction of COD. Furthermore, an OTUof 4530 was obtained, which were divided into 12 phyla, 27 classes, 44 orders, 74 families, and 138 genera across all sludge samples from the MBBR. A determination of the relative abundance of microorganisms at phyla level indicates that the most abundant phylum on day it was Firmicutes (50%); thereafter, the most abundant phylum changed toProteobacteria.Keywords: biodegradation, fischer-tropsch wastewater, metagenomics, moving bed biofilm reactor
Procedia PDF Downloads 1482125 Enhancing Hyperledger Fabric: A Scalable Framework for Optimized Blockchain Performance
Authors: Ankan Saha, Sourav Majumder, Md. Motaleb Hossen Manik, M. M. A. Hashem
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Hyperledger Fabric (HF), one of the private blockchain architectures, has gained popularity for enterprise use cases, namely supply chain management, finance, healthcare, etc., while focusing on the demand of users and functionalities like privacy, scalability, throughput, and modular architecture. However, enhancing performance is a crucial focus in the everchanging field of blockchain technology, particularly for private blockchains like HF. This paper focuses on the inherent difficulties related to scalability, throughput, and efficiency in handling large transactions. Our framework establishes a solid network architecture with two organizations, each having two types of peers (i.e., endorsing and anchor peers) and three raft orderers. It brings innovation to the chaincode, addresses functionalities like registration and transaction management via CouchDB, and integrates transaction management and block retrieval. Additionally, it includes a distributed consensus mechanism to gain maximum performance in a large architecture. Eventually, the findings assert an apparent enhancement in scalability, transaction speed, and system responsiveness, highlighting the effectiveness of our framework in optimizing the HF architecture.Keywords: hyperledger fabric, private blockchain, scalability, transaction throughput, latency, consensus mechanism
Procedia PDF Downloads 232124 A Model for Solid Transportation Problem with Three Hierarchical Objectives under Uncertain Environment
Authors: Wajahat Ali, Shakeel Javaid
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In this study, we have developed a mathematical programming model for a solid transportation problem with three objective functions arranged in hierarchical order. The mathematical programming models with more than one objective function to be solved in hierarchical order is termed as a multi-level programming model. Our study explores a Multi-Level Solid Transportation Problem with Uncertain Parameters (MLSTPWU). The proposed MLSTPWU model consists of three objective functions, viz. minimization of transportation cost, minimization of total transportation time, and minimization of deterioration during transportation. These three objective functions are supposed to be solved by decision-makers at three consecutive levels. Three constraint functions are added to the model, restricting the total availability, total demand, and capacity of modes of transportation. All the parameters involved in the model are assumed to be uncertain in nature. A solution method based on fuzzy logic is also discussed to obtain the compromise solution for the proposed model. Further, a simulated numerical example is discussed to establish the efficiency and applicability of the proposed model.Keywords: solid transportation problem, multi-level programming, uncertain variable, uncertain environment
Procedia PDF Downloads 792123 Assessment of Forage Utilization for Pasture-Based Livestock Production in Udubo Grazing Reserve, Bauchi State
Authors: Mustapha Saidu, Bilyaminu Mohammed
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The study was conducted in Udubo Grazing Reserve between July 2019 and October 2019 to assess forage utilization for pasture-based livestock production in reserve. The grazing land was cross-divided into grids, where 15 coordinates were selected as the sample points. Grids of one-kilometer interval were made. The grids were systematically selected 1 grid after 7 grids. 1 × 1-meter quadrat was made at the coordinate of the selected grids for measurement, estimation, and sample collection. The results of the study indicated that Zornia glochidiatah has the highest percent of species composition (42%), while Mitracarpus hirtus has the lowest percent (0.1%). Urochloa mosambicensis has 48 percent of height removed and 27 percent used by weight, Zornia glochidiata 60 percent of height removed and 57 percent used by weight, Alysicapus veginalis has 55 percent of height removed, and 40 percent used by weight, and Cenchrus biflorus has 40 percent of height removed and 28 percent used by weight. The target is 50 percent utilization of forage by weight during a grazing period as well as at the end of the grazing season. The study found that Orochloa mosambicensis, Alysicarpus veginalis, and Cenchrus biflorus had lower percent by weight which is normal, while Zornia glochidiata had a higher percent by weight which is an indication of danger. The study recommends that the identification of key plant species in pasture and rangeland is critical to implementing a successful grazing management plan. There should be collective action and promotion of historically generated grazing knowledge through public and private advocacies.Keywords: forage, grazing reserve, live stock, pasture, plant species
Procedia PDF Downloads 792122 Research on Optimization Strategies for the Negative Space of Urban Rail Transit Based on Urban Public Art Planning
Authors: Kexin Chen
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As an important method of transportation to solve the demand and supply contradiction generated in the rapid urbanization process, urban rail traffic system has been rapidly developed over the past ten years in China. During the rapid development, the space of urban rail Transit has encountered many problems, such as space simplification, sensory experience dullness, and poor regional identification, etc. This paper, focus on the study of the negative space of subway station and spatial softening, by comparing and learning from foreign cases. The article sorts out cases at home and abroad, make a comparative study of the cases, analysis more diversified setting of public art, and sets forth propositions on the domestic type of public art in the space of urban rail transit for reference, then shows the relationship of the spatial attribute in the space of urban rail transit and public art form. In this foundation, it aims to characterize more diverse setting ways for public art; then suggests the three public art forms corresponding properties, such as static presenting mode, dynamic image mode, and spatial softening mode; finds out the method of urban public art to optimize negative space.Keywords: diversification, negative space, optimization strategy, public art planning
Procedia PDF Downloads 2022121 Genetic Algorithm Optimization of the Economical, Ecological and Self-Consumption Impact of the Energy Production of a Single Building
Authors: Ludovic Favre, Thibaut M. Schafer, Jean-Luc Robyr, Elena-Lavinia Niederhäuser
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This paper presents an optimization method based on genetic algorithm for the energy management inside buildings developed in the frame of the project Smart Living Lab (SLL) in Fribourg (Switzerland). This algorithm optimizes the interaction between renewable energy production, storage systems and energy consumers. In comparison with standard algorithms, the innovative aspect of this project is the extension of the smart regulation over three simultaneous criteria: the energy self-consumption, the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs. The genetic algorithm approach was chosen due to the large quantity of optimization variables and the non-linearity of the optimization function. The optimization process includes also real time data of the building as well as weather forecast and users habits. This information is used by a physical model of the building energy resources to predict the future energy production and needs, to select the best energetic strategy, to combine production or storage of energy in order to guarantee the demand of electrical and thermal energy. The principle of operation of the algorithm as well as typical output example of the algorithm is presented.Keywords: building's energy, control system, energy management, energy storage, genetic optimization algorithm, greenhouse gases, modelling, renewable energy
Procedia PDF Downloads 2502120 Community Forest Management and Ecological and Economic Sustainability: A Two-Way Street
Authors: Sony Baral, Harald Vacik
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This study analyzes the sustainability of community forest management in two community forests in Terai and Hills of Nepal, representing four forest types: 1) Shorearobusta, 2) Terai hardwood, 3) Schima-Castanopsis, and 4) other Hills. The sustainability goals for this region include maintaining and enhancing the forest stocks. Considering this, we analysed changes in species composition, stand density, growing stock volume, and growth-to-removal ratio at 3-5 year intervals from 2005-2016 within 109 permanent forest plots (57 in the Terai and 52 in the Hills). To complement inventory data, forest users, forest committee members, and forest officials were consulted. The results indicate that the relative representation of economically valuable tree species has increased. Based on trends in stand density, both forests are being sustainably managed. Pole-sized trees dominated the diameter distribution, however, with a limited number of mature trees and declined regeneration. The forests were over-harvested until 2013 but under-harvested in the recent period in the Hills. In contrast, both forest types were under-harvested throughout the inventory period in the Terai. We found that the ecological dimension of sustainable forest management is strongly achieved while the economic dimension is lacking behind the current potential. Thus, we conclude that maintaining a large number of trees in the forest does not necessarily ensure both ecological and economical sustainability. Instead, priority should be given on a rational estimation of the annual harvest rates to enhance forest resource conditions together with regular benefits to the local communities.Keywords: community forests, diversity, growing stock, forest management, sustainability, nepal
Procedia PDF Downloads 872119 Study on the Process of Detumbling Space Target by Laser
Authors: Zhang Pinliang, Chen Chuan, Song Guangming, Wu Qiang, Gong Zizheng, Li Ming
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The active removal of space debris and asteroid defense are important issues in human space activities. Both of them need a detumbling process, for almost all space debris and asteroid are in a rotating state, and it`s hard and dangerous to capture or remove a target with a relatively high tumbling rate. So it`s necessary to find a method to reduce the angular rate first. The laser ablation method is an efficient way to tackle this detumbling problem, for it`s a contactless technique and can work at a safe distance. In existing research, a laser rotational control strategy based on the estimation of the instantaneous angular velocity of the target has been presented. But their calculation of control torque produced by a laser, which is very important in detumbling operation, is not accurate enough, for the method they used is only suitable for the plane or regularly shaped target, and they did not consider the influence of irregular shape and the size of the spot. In this paper, based on the triangulation reconstruction of the target surface, we propose a new method to calculate the impulse of the irregularly shaped target under both the covered irradiation and spot irradiation of the laser and verify its accuracy by theoretical formula calculation and impulse measurement experiment. Then we use it to study the process of detumbling cylinder and asteroid by laser. The result shows that the new method is universally practical and has high precision; it will take more than 13.9 hours to stop the rotation of Bennu with 1E+05kJ laser pulse energy; the speed of the detumbling process depends on the distance between the spot and the centroid of the target, which can be found an optimal value in every particular case.Keywords: detumbling, laser ablation drive, space target, space debris remove
Procedia PDF Downloads 752118 Trade Outcomes of Agri-Environmental Regulations’ Heterogeneity: New Evidence from a Gravity Model
Authors: Najla Kamergi
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In a world context of increasing interest in environmental issues, this paper investigates the effect of agri-environmental regulations heterogeneity on the volume of crop commodities’ exports using a theoretically justified gravity model of Anderson and van Wincoop (2003) for the 2003–2013 period. Our findings show that the difference in exporter and importer environmental regulations is more relevant to agricultural trade than trade agreements. In fact, the environmental gap between the two partners is decreasing slightly but significantly crop commodities’ exports according to our results. We also note that the sector of fruit and vegetables is more sensitive to this determinant, unlike cereals that remain relatively less affected. Furthermore, high-income countries have more tendency to trade with countries characterized by similar environmental stringency. Further results show that the BRICS are clearly importing from developed countries where the environmental difference is relatively important. It is likely that emerging countries are witnessing a growing demand for high-quality and “green” crop commodities captured by high-income exporters. Surprisingly, our results suggest that low and middle-income countries with the same level of environmental stringency are more likely to trade crop commodities.Keywords: agricultural trade, environment, gravity model, food crops, agri-environmental efficiency, DEA
Procedia PDF Downloads 1292117 Role of Facade in Sustainability Enhancement of Contemporary Iranian Buildings
Authors: H. Nejadriahi
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A growing demand for sustainability makes sustainability as one of the significant debates of nowadays. Energy saving is one of the main criteria to be considered in the context of sustainability. Reducing energy use in buildings is one of the most important ways to reduce humans’ overall environmental impact. Taking this into consideration, study of different design strategies, which can assist in reducing energy use and subsequently improving the sustainability level of today's buildings would be an essential task. The sustainability level of a building is highly affected by the sustainability performance of its components. One of the main building components, which can have a great impact on energy saving and sustainability level of the building, is its facade. The aim of this study is to investigate on the role of facade in sustainability enhancement of the contemporary buildings of Iran. In this study, the concept of sustainability in architecture, the building facades, and their relationship to sustainability are explained briefly. Following that, a number of contemporary Iranian buildings are discussed and analyzed in terms of different design strategies used in their facades in accordance to the sustainability concepts. The methods used in this study are descriptive and analytic. The results of this paper would assist in generating a wider vision and a source of inspiration for the current designers to design and create environmental and sustainable buildings for the future.Keywords: building facade, contemporary buildings, Iran, sustainability
Procedia PDF Downloads 3262116 Nonparametric Truncated Spline Regression Model on the Data of Human Development Index in Indonesia
Authors: Kornelius Ronald Demu, Dewi Retno Sari Saputro, Purnami Widyaningsih
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Human Development Index (HDI) is a standard measurement for a country's human development. Several factors may have influenced it, such as life expectancy, gross domestic product (GDP) based on the province's annual expenditure, the number of poor people, and the percentage of an illiterate people. The scatter plot between HDI and the influenced factors show that the plot does not follow a specific pattern or form. Therefore, the HDI's data in Indonesia can be applied with a nonparametric regression model. The estimation of the regression curve in the nonparametric regression model is flexible because it follows the shape of the data pattern. One of the nonparametric regression's method is a truncated spline. Truncated spline regression is one of the nonparametric approach, which is a modification of the segmented polynomial functions. The estimator of a truncated spline regression model was affected by the selection of the optimal knots point. Knot points is a focus point of spline truncated functions. The optimal knots point was determined by the minimum value of generalized cross validation (GCV). In this article were applied the data of Human Development Index with a truncated spline nonparametric regression model. The results of this research were obtained the best-truncated spline regression model to the HDI's data in Indonesia with the combination of optimal knots point 5-5-5-4. Life expectancy and the percentage of an illiterate people were the significant factors depend to the HDI in Indonesia. The coefficient of determination is 94.54%. This means the regression model is good enough to applied on the data of HDI in Indonesia.Keywords: generalized cross validation (GCV), Human Development Index (HDI), knots point, nonparametric regression, truncated spline
Procedia PDF Downloads 3282115 How to Teach Italian Intransitive Verbs: Focusing on Unaccusatives and Unergatives
Authors: Joung Hyoun Lee
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Intransitive verbs consist of two subclasses called unergatives and unaccusatives. However, traditionally Italian intransitive verbs have been taught regardless their semantic distinctions and any mention of grammatical terms such as unaccusatives and unergatives even though there is a huge gap between them. This paper aims to explore the teaching of Italian intransitive verbs categorizing them into unaccusatives and unergatives, which is compared with researches on the teaching of English unaccusative and unergative verbs. For this purpose, first, the study analyses various aspects of English vs. Italian unergatives and unaccusatives, and their properties of the constructions. Next, this study highlights the research trend on Korean students' learning errors, which is leaning toward causal analyses of the over passivization of English unaccusative verbs. In order to investigate these issues, 53 students of the Busan University of Foreign Studies, who are studying Italian language as a second language, were surveyed through a grammaticality judgment test divided into 9 sections. As expected, the findings confirmed that the test results of Italian unaccusatives and unergatives showed similar and different aspects comparing to those of English. Moreover, there was a highly affirmative demand for a more careful way of teaching which should be considered both syntactically and semantically according to the grammatical items. The research provides a framework of a more effective and systematic teaching method of Italian intransitive verbs for further research.Keywords: unaccusative verbs, unergative verbs, agent, patient, theme, overpassivization
Procedia PDF Downloads 2542114 Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives in COVID-19: The Effect of CSR Motives Attributions on Advocacy
Authors: Tengku Ezni Balqiah, Fanny Martdianty, Rifelly Dewi Astuti, Mutia Nurazizah Rachmawati
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The Corona Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the world considerably and has disrupted businesses and people’s lives globally. In response to the pandemic, businesses have seen increased demand for corporate social responsibility (CSR). Businesses can increase their investments in CSR initiatives during the pandemic through various actions. This study examines how the various motives of philanthropy CSR influence perceived quality of life, company image, and advocacy. This study employed surveys of 719 respondents from seven provinces in Indonesia that had the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. A structural equation model was used to test the hypothesis. The results showed that value and strategic motives positively influenced the perceived quality of life and corporate image, while the egoistic motive was negatively associated with both the perceived quality of life and the image of the company. The study also suggested that advocacy was strongly related to the perceived quality of life instead of a corporate image. The results indicate that, during a pandemic, both public- (i.e. value) and firm-serving (i.e. strategic) motives can have the same impact as long as people perceive that the businesses are sincere.Keywords: advocacy, COVID 19, CSR motive, Indonesia, quality of life
Procedia PDF Downloads 1262113 Improving Decision Support for Organ Transplant
Authors: Ian McCulloh, Andrew Placona, Darren Stewart, Daniel Gause, Kevin Kiernan, Morgan Stuart, Christopher Zinner, Laura Cartwright
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An estimated 22-25% of viable deceased donor kidneys are discarded every year in the US, while waitlisted candidates are dying every day. As many as 85% of transplanted organs are refused at least once for a patient that scored higher on the match list. There are hundreds of clinical variables involved in making a clinical transplant decision and there is rarely an ideal match. Decision makers exhibit an optimism bias where they may refuse an organ offer assuming a better match is imminent. We propose a semi-parametric Cox proportional hazard model, augmented by an accelerated failure time model based on patient specific suitable organ supply and demand to estimate a time-to-next-offer. Performance is assessed with Cox-Snell residuals and decision curve analysis, demonstrating improved decision support for up to a 5-year outlook. Providing clinical decision makers with quantitative evidence of likely patient outcomes (e.g., time to next offer and the mortality associated with waiting) may improve decisions and reduce optimism bias, thus reducing discarded organs and matching more patients on the waitlist.Keywords: decision science, KDPI, optimism bias, organ transplant
Procedia PDF Downloads 972112 Quantifying Spatiotemporal Patterns of Past and Future Urbanization Trends in El Paso, Texas and Their Impact on Electricity Consumption
Authors: Joanne Moyer
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El Paso, Texas is a southwest border city that has experienced continuous growth within the last 15-years. Understanding the urban growth trends and patterns using data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and landscape metrics, provides a quantitative description of growth. Past urban growth provided a basis to predict 2031 future land-use for El Paso using the CA-Markov model. As a consequence of growth, an increase in demand of resources follows. Using panel data analysis, an understanding of the relation between landscape metrics and electricity consumption is further analyzed. The studies’ findings indicate that past growth focused within three districts within the City of El Paso. The landscape metrics suggest as the city has grown, fragmentation has decreased. Alternatively, the landscape metrics for the projected 2031 land-use indicates possible fragmentation within one of these districts. Panel data suggests electricity consumption and mean patch area landscape metric are positively correlated. The study provides local decision makers to make informed decisions for policies and urban planning to ensure a future sustainable community.Keywords: landscape metrics, CA-Markov, El Paso, Texas, panel data
Procedia PDF Downloads 1372111 A Study on the Comparatison of Mechanical and Thermal Properties According to Laminated Orientation of CFRP through Bending Test
Authors: Hee Jae Shin, Lee Ku Kwac, In Pyo Cha, Min Sang Lee, Hyun Kyung Yoon, Hong Gun Kim
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In rapid industrial development has increased the demand for high-strength and lightweight materials. Thus, various CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) with composite materials are being used. The design variables of CFRP are its lamination direction, order, and thickness. Thus, the hardness and strength of CFRP depend much on their design variables. In this paper, the lamination direction of CFRP was used to produce a symmetrical ply [0°/0°, -15°/+15°, -30°/+30°, -45°/+45°, -60°/+60°, -75°/+75°, and 90°/90°] and an asymmetrical ply [0°/15°, 0°/30°, 0°/45°, 0°/60° 0°/75°, and 0°/90°]. The bending flexure stress of the CFRP specimen was evaluated through a bending test. Its thermal property was measured using an infrared camera. The symmetrical specimen and the asymmetrical specimen were analyzed. The results showed that the asymmetrical specimen increased the bending loads according to the increase in the orientation angle; and from 0°, the symmetrical specimen showed a tendency opposite the asymmetrical tendency because the tensile force of fiber differs at the vertical direction of its load. Also, the infrared camera showed that the thermal property had a trend similar to that of the mechanical properties.Keywords: Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP), bending test, infrared camera, composite
Procedia PDF Downloads 3912110 Energy in the Nexus of Defense and Border Security: Securing Energy Deposits in the Natuna Islands of Indonesia
Authors: Debby Rizqie Amelia Gustin, Purnomo Yusgiantoro
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Hydrocarbon energy is still pivotal to today’s economy, but its existence is continually declining. Thus, preserving future energy supply has become the national interest of many countries, which they cater in various way, from importing to expansion and occupation. Underwater of Natuna islands in Indonesia deposits great amount of natural gas reserved, numbered to 46 TCF (trillion cubic feet), which is highly potential to meet Indonesia future energy demand. On the other hand, there could be a possibility that others also seek this natural resources. Natuna is located in the borderline of Indonesia, directly adjacent to the South China Sea, an area which is prolonged to conflict. It is a challenge for Indonesia government to preserve their energy deposit in Natuna islands and to response accordingly if the tension in South China Sea rises. This paper examines that nowadays defense and border security is not only a matter of guarding a country from foreign invasion, but also securing its resources accumulated on the borderline. Countries with great amount of energy deposits on their borderline need to build up their defense capacity continually, to ensure their territory along with their energy deposits is free from any interferences.Keywords: border security, defense, energy, national interest, threat
Procedia PDF Downloads 470