Search results for: Alexander Morgan

Authors: Mahdi Kazemi

Abstract:

Today's performances on Piano Forte or Fortepiano are cheerful, musical, expressive, and at the same time informative. AlterMuskie is an exciting and richly drawn magazine that is unmatched in its field. First published in 1973, it is a magazine for anyone interested in early music and its contemporary interpretation. Alexander Scriabin's (1871_1915) work has traditionally focused on his music in the mid and late 1902s. The discussion of his personal philosophy and his influence on music also focuses on these two periods. Over the last few decades, the repertoire of British classical solo pianos has received increasing interest from researchers. From the piano rolls of the early 20th century, much can be inferred about the practice of romantic piano playing. Summary Haydn's most important piano works are the sonatas, which generally represent Haydn's development as a composer from the early to the last three sonata dates, 1794.

Keywords: piano, classic piano, performance, music

Procedia PDF Downloads 153

Authors: Irina M. Kolesnikova, Andrey M. Gaponov, Sergey A. Roumiantsev, Tatiana V. Grigoryeva, Alexander V. Laikov, Alexander V. Shestopalov

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Background. Neuropathy is a common complication of obesity. In this regard, the content of neurotrophins in such patients is of particular interest. Neurotrophins are the proteins that regulate neuron survival and neuroplasticity and include brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF). However, the risk of complications depends on the metabolic type of obesity. Metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUHO) is associated with a high risk of complications, while this is not the case with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). Therefore, the aim of our work was to study the effect of the obesity metabolic type on serum neurotrophins levels. Patients, materials, methods. The study included 134 healthy donors and 104 obese patients. Depending on the metabolic type of obesity, the obese patients were divided into subgroups with MHO (n=40) and MUHO (n=55). In the blood serum, the concentration of BDNF and NGF was determined. In addition, the content of adipokines (leptin, asprosin, resistin, adiponectin), myokines (irisin, myostatin, osteocrin), indicators of carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism were measured. Correlation analysis revealed the relationship between the studied parameters. Results. We found that serum BDNF concentration was not different between obese patients and healthy donors, regardless of obesity metabolic type. At the same time, in obese patients, there was a decrease in serum NGF level versus control. A similar trend was characteristic of both MHO and MUHO. However, MUHO patients had a higher NGF level than MHO patients. The literature indicates that obesity is associated with an increase in the plasma concentration of NGF. It can be assumed that in obesity, there is a violation of NGF storage in platelets, which accelerates neurotrophin degradation. We found that BDNF concentration correlated with irisin levels in MUHO patients. Healthy donors had a weak association between NGF and VEGF levels. No such association was found in obese patients, but there was an association between NGF and leptin concentrations. In MHO, the concentration of NHF correlated with the content of leptin, irisin, osteocrin, insulin, and the HOMA-IR index. But in MUHO patients, we found only the relationship between NGF and adipokines (leptin, asprosin). It can be assumed that in patients with MHO, the replenishment of serum NGF occurs under the influence of muscle and adipose tissue. In the MUHO patients only the effect of adipose tissue on NGF was observed. Conclusion. Obesity, regardless of metabolic type, is associated with a decrease in serum NGF concentration. We showed that muscle and adipose tissues make a significant contribution to the serum NGF pool in the MHO patients. In MUHO there is no effect of muscle on the NGF level, but the effect of adipose tissue remains.

Keywords: neurotrophins, nerve growth factor, NGF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF, obesity, metabolically healthy obesity, metabolically unhealthy obesity

Procedia PDF Downloads 76

Authors: Thepnarintra Praphanphat

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The purposes of this study were to: 1) investigate operation conditions of SME automotive part industry in Bangkok and vicinity and 2) to compare operation problem levels of SME automotive part industry in Bangkok and vicinity according to the sizes of the enterprises. Samples in this study included 196 entrepreneurs of SME automotive part industry in Bangkok and vicinity derived from simple random sampling and calculation from R. V. Krejcie and D. W. Morgan’s tables. Research statistics included frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and T-test. The results revealed that in general the problem levels of SME automotive part industry in Bangkok and vicinity were high. When considering in details, it was found that the problem levels were high at every aspect, i.e. personal, production, export, finance, and marketing respectively. The comparison of the problem levels according to the sizes of the enterprises revealed statistically significant differences at .05. When considering on each aspect, it was found that the aspect with the statistical difference at .05 included 5 aspects, i.e. production, marketing, finance, personal, and export. The findings also showed that small enterprises faced more severe problems than those of medium enterprises.

Keywords: automotive part industry, operation problems, SME, Perimeter

Procedia PDF Downloads 351

Authors: Trevor N. Haas, Alexander Koen

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Columns have traditionally been constructed of reinforced concrete or structural steel. Much attention was allocated to estimate the axial capacity of the traditional column sections to the detriment of other forms of construction. Other forms of column construction such as Concrete Filled Double Skin Tubes received little research attention, and almost no attention when subjected to eccentric loading. This paper investigates the axial capacity of columns when subjected to eccentric loading. The experimental axial capacities are compared to other established theoretical formulae on concentric loading to determine a possible relationship. The study found a good correlation between the reduction in axial capacity for different column lengths and hollow section ratios.

Keywords: CSDST, CFST, axial capacity, hollow section ratios

Procedia PDF Downloads 315

Authors: Nabil Saad, David Morgan, Manish Gupta

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Visibility has become a key component of air quality and is regulated in many areas by environmental laws such as the EPA Clean Air Act and Regional Haze Rule. Typically, visibility is calculated by estimating the optical absorption and scattering of both gases and aerosols. A major component of the aerosols’ climatic effect is due to their scattering and absorption of solar radiation, which are governed by their optical and physical properties. However, the accurate assessment of this effect on global warming, climate change, and air quality is made difficult due to uncertainties in the calculation of single scattering albedo (SSA). Experimental complications arise in the determination of the single scattering albedo of an aerosol particle since it requires the simultaneous measurement of both scattering and extinction. In fact, aerosol optical absorption, in particular, is a difficult measurement to perform, and it’s often associated with large uncertainties when using filter methods or difference methods. In this presentation, we demonstrate the use of a new open-path Optical Extinction Analyzer (OEA) in conjunction with a nephelometer and two particle sizers, emphasizing the benefits that co-employment of the OEA offers to derive the complex refractive index of aerosols and their single scattering albedo parameter. Various use cases, data reproducibility, and instrument calibration will also be presented to highlight the value proposition of this novel Open-Path OEA.

Keywords: aerosols, extinction, visibility, albedo

Procedia PDF Downloads 45

Authors: Esmaeil Zabihi, Seyed Hossein Alavi

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The purpose of this study is the review and prioritizes of sport-centered social capital on Islamic Azad university of Garmsar student’s tendency in sports activities, especially public sports based on Bourdieu viewpoint. 365 students at of 6254 students (3140 male and 3114 female) of Islamic Azad university of Garmsar branch were selected randomly, Morgan also used. 272 person answer questionnaire (with the help of specific questionnaires moeinaldini, 1391) it has 30 questions. Researchers have confirmed the validity of this questionnaire justifiability. Reliability was achieved through Cronbach's alpha 84%. The analysis of data done by, SPSS software and independent t-tests, friedman, u Mann Whitney, Kruskal Wallis test. friedman test showed below things : environmental dimension (MR=4.71) social and economic factors (MR=3.57) and family (MR=3.47). These factors have significant role on sports activities of students (P≤1.0). Also, comparison of these dimensions showed that the men believe to university (t-4.30) in increasing students participation. These results show that environment like (such as) governmental organization, going to the stadium and life environment is the most important factor which can effect on sport and body activities of the students.

Keywords: cultural capital, social capital, Bourdieu viewpoint, sport for all

Procedia PDF Downloads 426

Authors: Nishant Singh, Christian Huyck, Vaibhav Gandhi, Alexander Jones

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A robotic arm and hand controlled by simulated neurons is presented. The robot makes use of a biological neuron simulator using a point neural model. The neurons and synapses are organised to create a finite state automaton including neural inputs from sensors, and outputs to effectors. The robot performs a simple pick-and-place task. This work is a proof of concept study for a longer term approach. It is hoped that further work will lead to more effective and flexible robots. As another benefit, it is hoped that further work will also lead to a better understanding of human and other animal neural processing, particularly for physical motion. This is a multidisciplinary approach combining cognitive neuroscience, robotics, and psychology.

Keywords: cell assembly, force sensitive resistor, robot, spiking neuron

Procedia PDF Downloads 320

Authors: Alexander P. Vazhenin, Mikhail M. Lavrentiev, Alexey A. Romanenko, Pavel V. Tatarintsev

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One of the problems obstructing effective tsunami modelling is the lack of information about initial wave shape at source. The existing methods; geological, sea radars, satellite images, contain an important part of uncertainty. Therefore, direct measurement of tsunami waves obtained at the deep water bottom peruse recorders is also used. In this paper we propose a new method to reconstruct the initial sea surface displacement at tsunami source by the measured signal (marigram) approximation with the help of linear combination of synthetic marigrams from the selected set of unit sources, calculated in advance. This method has demonstrated good precision and very high performance. The mathematical model and results of numerical tests are here described.

Keywords: numerical tests, orthogonal decomposition, Tsunami Initial Sea Surface Displacement

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Authors: Mehry Daraei

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The goal of this study was to survey the components and affective factors on organizational commitment of Islamic Azad university Khoramabad Baranch’s faculty members. The research method was correlation by causal modeling and data were gathered by questionnaire. Statistical society consisted of 147 faculty members in Islamic Azad University Khoramabad Branch and sample size was determined as 106 persons by Morgan’s sample table that were selected by class sampling. Correlation test, T-single group test and path analysis test were used for analysis of data. Data were analyzed by Lisrel software. The results showed that organizational corporate was the most effective element on organizational commitment and organizational corporate, experience work and organizational justice were only in direct relation with organizational commitment. Also, job security had direct and indirect effect on OC. Job security had effect on OC by gender. Gender variable had direct and indirect effect on OC. Gender had effect on OC by organizational corporate. Job opportunities out of university also had direct and indirect effect on OC, which means job opportunities had indirect effect on OC by organizational corporate.

Keywords: organization, commitment, job security, Islamic Azad University

Procedia PDF Downloads 294

Authors: Evgeny Chugunnyy, Alena Gerasimova, Kirill Chernyavskiy, Alexander Krasnov

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One of the primary component of Continuous deployment (CD) is a binary artifact repository — the place where artifacts are stored with metadata in a structured way. The binary artifact repository manager (BARM) is a software, which implements this repository logic and exposes a public application programming interface (API) for managing these artifacts. Almost every programming language ecosystem has its own artifact repository kind. During creating Artipie — BARM constructor and server, we analyzed and implemented a lot of different artifact repositories. In this paper we present criterias for comparing artifact repositories, and analyze the most popular repositories using these metrics. We also describe some of the notable features of different repositories. This paper aimed to help people who are creating, maintaining or optimizing software repository and CI tools.

Keywords: artifact, repository, continuous deployment, build automation, artifacts management

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Authors: Alexander Sharashenidze

Abstract:

This article discusses the role of tourism in the economics of Georgia, justifies the necessity of several governmental supporting tools for diversification of tourism product and increasing competitiveness. Tourism directions are characterized through discovering Georgian tourism potential, considering cultural and geographical features; tools of formating supplemental products and development opportunities of Tbilisi and, also regions are asserted in the case of conducting appropriate government policy. There are presented tools of suggesting innovative tourism products, improvement of service, decreasing taxes, also providing availability to them. The role of tourism cluster in improvement of national competitiveness is substantiated. Based on the analysis of competitive factors influencing the development of tourism cluster, conclusions are made, and recommendations are suggested.

Keywords: economic competitivness, enhancing competitiveness, Georgian economic, tourism cluster, tourism product

Procedia PDF Downloads 499

Authors: Zied Guidara, Alexander Morgenstern, Aref Younes Maalej

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In this paper, a desiccant solar unit for air conditioning and desalination is presented first. Secondly, a dynamic modelling study of the desiccant wheel is developed. After that, a simulation study and an experimental investigation of the behaviour of desiccant wheel are developed. The experimental investigation is done in the chamber of commerce in Freiburg-Germany. Indeed, the variations of calculated and measured temperatures and specific humidity of dehumidified and rejected air are presented where a good agreement is found when comparing the model predictions with experimental data under the considered range of operating conditions. Finally, the study of the compartments of desalination and water condensation shows that the unit can produce an acceptable quantity of water at the same time of the air conditioning operation.

Keywords: air conditioning, desalination, condensation, design, desiccant wheel

Procedia PDF Downloads 464

Authors: Lourdes Hanna, Edward Poluyi, Chibuikem Ikwuegbuenyi, Eghosa Morgan, Grace Imaguezegie

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Background: Degeneration of the central nervous system (CNS), also known as neurodegeneration, describes an age-associated progressive loss of the structure and function of neuronal materials, leading to functional and mental impairments. Main body: Neuroinflammation contributes to the continuous worsening of neurodegenerative states which are characterised by functional and mental impairments due to the progressive loss of the structure and function of neu-ronal materials. Some of the most common neurodegenerative diseases include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Whilst neuroinflammation is a key contributor to the progression of such disease states, it is not the single cause as there are multiple factors which contribute. Theoretically, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have potential to target neuroinflammation to reduce the severity of disease states. Whilst some animal models investigating the effects of NSAIDs on the risk of neurodegenerative diseases have shown a beneficial effect, this is not the same finding. Conclusion: Further investigation using more advanced research methods is required to better understand neuroinflammatory pathways and understand if there is still a potential window for NSAID efficacy.

Keywords: intervention, central nervous system, neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation

Procedia PDF Downloads 49

Authors: Laidson P. Gomes, Cristina T. Andrade, Eduardo M. Del Aguila, Cameron Alexander, Vânia M. F. Paschoalin

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Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide prepared by the N-deacetylation of chitin. In this study, the physicochemical and antibacterial properties of chitosan nanoparticles, produced by ultrasound irradiation, were evaluated. The physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles were determined by dynamic light scattering and zeta potential analysis. Chitosan nanoparticles inhibited the growth of E. coli. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were lower than 0.5 mg/mL, and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were similar or higher than MIC values. Confocal laser scanning micrographs (CLSM) were used to observe the interaction between E. coli suspensions mixed with FITC-labeled chitosan polymers and nanoparticles.

Keywords: chitosan nanoparticles, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, confocal microscopy, antibacterial activity

Procedia PDF Downloads 471

Authors: Nouh Zeggai, Lucas Debrux, Fabien Parrain, Brahim Dkhil, Martino Lobue, Morgan Almanza

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Refrigeration and air conditioning are some of the most used energies in our daily life, especially vapor compression refrigeration. Electrocaloric material might appears as an alternative towards solid-state cooling. polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) based polymer has shown promising adiabatic temperature change (∆T) and entropy change (∆S). There is practically no limit to the electric field that can be applied, except the one that the material can withstand. However, when working with a large surface as required in a device, the chance to have a defect is larger and can drastically reduce the voltage breakdown, thus reducing the electrocaloric properties. In this work, we propose to study how the characteristic of a single film are transposed when going to multilayer. The laminator and the hot press appear as two interesting processes that have been investigating to achieve a multilayer film. The study is mainly focused on the breakdown field and the adiabatic temperature change, but the phase and crystallinity have also been measured. We process one layer-based PVDF and assemble them to obtain a multilayer. Pressing at hot temperature method and lamination were used for the production of the thin films. The multilayer film shows higher breakdown strength, temperature change, and crystallinity (beta phases) using the hot press technique.

Keywords: PVDF-TrFE-CFE, multilayer, electrocaloric effect, hot press, cooling device

Procedia PDF Downloads 146

Authors: Igbozuruike Chigozie Jude, Agwu Agwu Ejem

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This study investigated that advertisement has an impact on audience retention on YouTube Comedy skits, which is the most watched content on YouTube in Lagos, Nigeria. The main objective was to determine if the advertisements affect the average number of times they spend watching YouTube comedy skits. The study was anchored on Festinger's (1952) cognitive dissonance theory. The research method for this exercise was a survey to get responses from people in Lagos state on how they react to the advertisements they face when watching YouTube comedy skits in Lagos state. The sample size derived from the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) Table was 384 YouTube users. The instrument that was used to gather data was a questionnaire. The findings showed that the adverts have far-reaching exposure by the target audience, but most of the audience perceived them to be intrusive. It was also found that there is not enough evidence to infer that advertisement is indeed impacting audience retention on YouTube comedy skits in Lagos, Nigeria. The reason is that, for a majority of the audience, adverts do not essentially affect their retention on those skits, but for a considerable percentage (34%), these adverts do break their concentration and affect how much time they end up spending on the YouTube comedy skits. It was recommended that, among others, there should be regular monitoring and adaptation of YouTube advertisements to the audience preferences and behaviors of the audience. Insights on changes or trends in audience preferences can be gained through surveys.

Keywords: advertisement, audience, YouTube, comedy skits, Lagos Nigeria

Procedia PDF Downloads 37

Authors: Sonia Zulfiqar, Daniele Mantione, Muhammad Ilyas Sarwar, Alexander Rothenberger, David Mecerreyes

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Climate change due to escalating carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is an issue of paramount importance that needs immediate attention. CO2 capture and sequestration (CCS) is a promising route to mitigate climate change and adsorption is the most widely recognized technology owing to possible energy savings relative to the conventional absorption techniques. In this conference, the potential of a new family of solid sorbents for CO2 capture and separation will be presented. Novel pyridinium containing poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) were synthesized with varying anions i.e bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and hexafluorophosphate. The resulting polymers were characterized using NMR, XRD, TGA, BET surface area and microscopic techniques. Furthermore, CO2 adsorption measurements at two different temperatures were also carried out and revealed great potential of these PILs as CO2 scavengers.

Keywords: climate change, CO2 capture, poly(ionic liquid)s, CO2/N2 selectivity

Procedia PDF Downloads 335

Authors: Alexander Cramer, Kenneth Cramer

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Since the inauguration of President George Washington in 1789, the United States of America has seen the governance of some 44 individual presidents. Although such presidents share a variety of attributes, they still differ from one another on many others. Significantly, these traits may be used to construct distinct sets of 'families' of presidents throughout American history. By comparatively analyzing data from experts on the U.S. presidency – in this case, the C-SPAN Presidential Historians Surveys from 2000, 2009, and 2017 – this article identifies a consistent set of six presidential families: the All Stars; the Conservative Visionaries; the Postwar Progressives; the Average Joes; the Forgettables; and the Regrettables. In situating these categories in history, this article argues that U.S. presidents can be accurately organized into cohesive, like-performing families whose constituents share a common set of criteria.

Keywords: C-SPAN, POTUS presidential performance, presidential ranking, presidential studies, presidential surveys, United States

Procedia PDF Downloads 155

Authors: Alexander Kelíšek, Denisa Janasová, Veronika Mitašová

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Weak signals using is often associated with early warning. It is possible to find a link between early warning, respectively early problems detection and risk management. The idea of early warning is very important in the context of crisis management because of the risk prevention possibility. Weak signals are likened to risk symptoms. Nowadays, their usefulness as a tool of proactive problems solving is emphasized. Based on it, it is possible to use weak signals not only in strategic planning, project management, or early warning system, but also as a subsidiary element in risk management. The main question is how to effectively integrate weak signals into risk management. The main aim of the paper is to point out the possibilities of weak signals using in small and medium enterprises risk management.

Keywords: early warning system, weak signals, risk management, small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

Procedia PDF Downloads 392

Authors: Alexander Glebovskiy

Abstract:

Practitioners charged with fraud prevention and investigation strongly rely on the Fraud Triangle framework developed by Joseph T. Wells in 1997 while analyzing the causes of fraud at business organizations. The Fraud Triangle model explains fraud by elements such as pressure, opportunity, and rationalization. This view is not fully suitable for effective fraud prevention as the Fraud Triangle model provides limited insight into the causation of fraud. Fraud is a multifaceted phenomenon, the contextual factors of which may not fit into any framework. Employee criminal behavior in business organizations is influenced by environmental, individual, and organizational aspects. Therefore, further criminogenic factors and processes facilitating fraud in organizational settings need to be considered in the root-cause analysis: organizational culture, leadership style, groupthink effect, isomorphic behavior, crime of obedience, displacement of responsibility, lack of critical thinking and unquestioning conformity and loyalty.

Keywords: criminogenesis, fraud triangle, fraud prevention, organizational culture

Procedia PDF Downloads 252

Authors: Tatiana N. Astakhova, Alexander E. Saprygin, Tatyana A. Golovko, Alexander N. Savostyanov, Mikhail S. Vlasov, Natalia V. Borisova, Alexandera G. Karpova, Urana N. Kavai-ool, Elena D. Mokur-ool, Nikolay A. Kolchanov, Lubomir I. Aftanas

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The aim of the study is to compare behaviorally and EEG reactions in Turkic-speaking inhabitants of Siberia (Tuvinians and Yakuts) and Russians during the recognition of syntax errors in native and foreign languages. 63 healthy aboriginals of the Tyva Republic, 29 inhabitants of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, and 55 Russians from Novosibirsk participated in the study. All participants completed a linguistic task, in which they had to find a syntax error in the written sentences. Russian participants completed the task in Russian and in English. Tuvinian and Yakut participants completed the task in Russian, English, and Tuvinian or Yakut, respectively. EEG’s were recorded during the solving of tasks. For Russian participants, EEG's were recorded using 128-channels. The electrodes were placed according to the extended International 10-10 system, and the signals were amplified using ‘Neuroscan (USA)’ amplifiers. For Tuvinians and Yakuts EEG's were recorded using 64-channels and amplifiers Brain Products, Germany. In all groups 0.3-100 Hz analog filtering, sampling rate 1000 Hz were used. Response speed and the accuracy of recognition error were used as parameters of behavioral reactions. Event-related potentials (ERP) responses P300 and P600 were used as indicators of brain activity. The accuracy of solving tasks and response speed in Russians were higher for Russian than for English. The P300 amplitudes in Russians were higher for English; the P600 amplitudes in the left temporal cortex were higher for the Russian language. Both Tuvinians and Yakuts have no difference in accuracy of solving tasks in Russian and in their respective national languages (Tuvinian and Yakut). However, the response speed was faster for tasks in Russian than for tasks in their national language. Tuvinians and Yakuts showed bad accuracy in English, but the response speed was higher for English than for Russian and the national languages. With Tuvinians, there were no differences in the P300 and P600 amplitudes and in cortical topology for Russian and Tuvinian, but there was a difference for English. In Yakuts, the P300 and P600 amplitudes and topology of ERP for Russian were the same as Russians had for Russian. In Yakuts, brain reactions during Yakut and English comprehension had no difference and were reflected foreign language comprehension -while the Russian language comprehension was reflected native language comprehension. We found out that the Tuvinians recognized both Russian and Tuvinian as native languages, and English as a foreign language. The Yakuts recognized both English and Yakut as a foreign language, only Russian as a native language. According to the inquirer, both Tuvinians and Yakuts use the national language as a spoken language, whereas they don’t use it for writing. It can well be a reason that Yakuts perceive the Yakut writing language as a foreign language while writing Russian as their native.

Keywords: EEG, language comprehension, native and foreign languages, Siberian inhabitants

Procedia PDF Downloads 509

Authors: Leila Niroomand, Reza Rafigh

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Nowadays, the world is going under a dramatic change from an industry-centered society to an information-centered one. In other words, we are experiencing a transition from real, physical world into a virtual one. Stepping into the information age and running an effective life within the information-centered society demands getting acquainted with characteristics peculiar to such society. Recently, new technologies such as telecommunication and mobile technologies have changed vehemently and accumulation of achievements and information has become so important and brought about changes in occupational structures. The intellectual structure of this day and age depends on deep attention to creative and knowledge-based human resource collaboration instead of merely functioning human resource. Present study scrutinizes the contribution of different dimensions of mobile technologies including perceived use, perceived enjoyment, continuance intention, confirmation and satisfaction to the creativity of personnel. The statistical population included infrastructure communications company employees totaling 2431 persons out of which 331 individuals were chosen as sample based on Morgan and Krejcie table. This research is descriptive and the questionnaire was used for data gathering and it was distributed among those who used telegram application. 228 questionnaires were analyzed by the researcher. Applying SPSS software, Pierson correlation coefficient was analyzed and it was found out that all dimensions of mobile technologies except satisfaction correlate with the creativity of employees.

Keywords: mobile technologies, continuance intention, perceived enjoyment, confirmation, satisfaction, creativity, perceived use

Procedia PDF Downloads 163

Authors: Petra Hurbišová, Monika Davidová

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The article deals with the personality of military professionals (commanders) and their way of leading and commanding today and in historical context. The first part focuses on the leadership skills of Alexander the Great, who introduced strategic innovations and even from today's perspective he excelled in efficient work with people. This paper focuses on the way which he achieved his goals. Further attention is paid to approaches to commander´s personality by other great generals. The paper is also focused on personality traits of military professionals necessary for successful management and leadership in today's variable and challenging environment. Finally, attention is paid to the effective and ineffective ways of behavior of commanders and determined what styles of leadership is appropriate for a given situation, whether in peacetime or when commander is deployed in overseas operations or the state of war.

Keywords: authority, commander, leader, leadership, military professional, personality

Procedia PDF Downloads 262

Authors: Zied Guidara, Alexander Morgenstern, Aref Maalej

Abstract:

In this paper, a new desiccant solar unit for air conditioning and desalination is presented first. Secondly, a dynamic modelling study of the desiccant wheel is developed. After that, a simulation study and an experimental investigation of the behaviour of the desiccant wheel are developed. The experimental investigation is done in the chamber of commerce in Freiburg-Germany. Indeed, the variations of calculated and measured temperatures and specific humidity of dehumidified and rejected air are presented where a good agreement is found when comparing the model predictions with experimental data under the considered range of operating conditions. Finally, the study of the compartments of desalination and water condensation shows that the unit can produce an acceptable quantity of water at the same time of the air conditioning operation.

Keywords: air conditioning, desalination, condensation, design, desiccant wheel, modelling, experimental investigation

Procedia PDF Downloads 361

Authors: Tatiana A. Dolenko, Sergey A. Burikov, Alexander O. Efitorov, Sergey A. Dolenko

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In this study, a comparative analysis of the approaches associated with the use of neural network algorithms for effective solution of a complex inverse problem – the problem of identifying and determining the individual concentrations of inorganic salts in multicomponent aqueous solutions by the spectra of Raman scattering of light – is performed. It is shown that application of artificial neural networks provides the average accuracy of determination of concentration of each salt no worse than 0.025 M. The results of comparative analysis of input data compression methods are presented. It is demonstrated that use of uniform aggregation of input features allows decreasing the error of determination of individual concentrations of components by 16-18% on the average.

Keywords: inverse problems, multi-component solutions, neural networks, Raman spectroscopy

Procedia PDF Downloads 494

Authors: Mehdi Moradi Sarmeidani, Peyman Keyhani, Hasan Momtaz

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Chlamydophila psittaci is a avian pathogen that may cause respiratory disorders in humans. Conjunctival and cloacal swabs from 54 captive psittacine birds presented at veterinary clinics were collected to determine the prevalence of C. psittaci in domestic birds in Isfahan. Samples were collected during 2014 from a total of 10 different species of parrots, with African gray(33), Cockatiel lutino(3), Cockatiel gray(2), Cockatiel cinnamon(1), Pearl cockatiel(6), Timneh African grey(1), Ringneck parakeet(2), Melopsittacus undulatus(1), Alexander parakeet(2), Green Parakeet(3) being the most representative species sampled. C. psittaci was detected in 27 (50%) birds using molecular detection (PCR) method. The detection of this bacterium in captive psittacine birds shows that there is a potential risk for human whom has a direct contact and there is a possibility of infecting other birds.

Keywords: chlamydophila psittaci, psittacine birds, PCR, Isfahan

Procedia PDF Downloads 340

Authors: Amal Abo El-Maaty, Amira Mohamed, Nashwa Abu-Aita, Hisham Morgan

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For estimating markers of overweight or obesity of brood mares used for riding and training, 17 mares of different body conditions were subjected to blood sampling and ultrasound examination to measure rump fat thickness and monitor ovulation for six consecutive weeks. Also length (L), heart girth (G) and withers height (H) were measured to estimate body weight (BW), body fat %, body fat mass (BFM) and body mass index (BMI). Mares were classified into three groups according to both body condition score (BCS) and rump back fat (BF). Overweight mares (O) were having BCS > 7 and BF thickness >7mm, moderate body condition (M) mares were having BCS >3and ≤7and BF <3and <7mm, and emaciated mares (E) were having BCS ≤3 and BF ≤3mm. glucose, triglycerides, nitric oxide, ovarian, thyroid, insulin, insulin like growth factor-I (IGF-1), and leptin hormones were measured. Results revealed that BCS, G, L, L*G*H, BW, BF, fat %, BFM were significantly (P<0.0001) decreasing linearly from O to E. T4 concentrations of E were significantly high (P=0.04) compared to M and O but T3 concentrations tended to decrease in E (P>0.05). Insulin and IGF-1 concentrations tended to be high in O (P>0.05) and decrease with the decrease of body condition. M had (P=0.007) the highest leptin, but E mares had the lowest P4 concentrations (P=0.01). Concentrations of glucose and NO decreased with the decrease of BCS and BF but triglycerides of O were insignificantly high. In conclusion, exercise could prevent the development of metabolic syndrome in horses and back fat and morphometric measurements were the easiest and simple assessment of overweight and deviation to obesity.

Keywords: body condition score, insulin, leptin, mares, rump fat

Procedia PDF Downloads 298

Authors: Samuel Oludayo Alamu, Seong Lee

Abstract:

The need for generating energy from biomass in an efficient way as well as maximizing the yield of total energy from the thermal conversion process has been a major concern for researchers. A holistic approach which involves the combination of First law of thermodynamics (FLT) and the second law of thermodynamics (SLT) is required for conducting an effective assessment of an energy plant since FLT analysis alone fails to identify the quality of the dissipated energy and how much work potential is available. The overall purpose of this study is to investigate the exergy analysis of direct combustion of poultry waste being converted to energy with a handful of environmental assessment of the conversion processes in order to maximize thermal efficiency. The exergy analysis around the shell and tube heat exchanger (STHE) was investigated primarily by varying the operating parameters for different tube shapes and flow direction, and an exergy model was obtained from estimations of the higher heating value and standard entropy of poultry waste from the elemental compositions. The STHE was designed and fabricated by Lee Research Group at Morgan State University. The analysis conducted on theSTHE using the flue gas temperature entering and exiting show that only about one-third of the energy input to the STHE was available to do work with an overall efficiency of 13.8%, while a huge amount was lost to the surrounding. By recirculating the flue gas, the exergy efficiency of the combustion system can be maximized with a greater reduction in the amount of exergy loss.

Keywords: exergy analysis, shell and tube heat exchanger, thermodynamics, combustion system, thermal efficiency

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: Alexander Babin, Leonid Savin

Abstract:

In the present paper, increasing of energy efficiency of a thrust hybrid bearing with a central feeding chamber is considered. The mathematical model was developed to determine the pressure distribution and the reaction forces, based on the Reynolds equation and static characteristics’ equations. The boundary problem of pressure distribution calculation was solved using the method of finite differences. For various types of lubricants, geometry and operational characteristics, axial gaps can be determined, where the minimal friction coefficient is provided. The next part of the study considers the application of servovalves in order to maintain the desired position of the rotor. The report features the calculation results and the analysis of the influence of the operational and geometric parameters on the energy efficiency of mechatronic fluid-film bearings.

Keywords: active bearings, energy efficiency, mathematical model, mechatronics, thrust multipad bearing

Procedia PDF Downloads 260

Authors: Franziska Kaiser, Alexander Cuntz

Abstract:

When copyrighted comic characters are also protected under trademark laws, intellectual property (IP) rights can overlap. Arguably, registering a trademark can increase transaction costs for cross-media uses of characters, or it can favor advertise across a number of sales channels. In an application to book, movie, and video game publishing industries, we thus ask how creative reuse is affected in situations of overlapping rights and whether ‘fuzzy boundaries’ of right frameworks are, in fact, enhancing or decreasing content sales. We use a major U.S. Supreme Court decision as a quasi-natural experiment to apply an IV estimation in our analysis. We find that overlapping rights frameworks negatively affect creative reuses. At large, when copyright-protected comic characters are additionally registered as U.S. trademarks, they are less often reprinted and enter fewer video game productions while generating less revenue from game sales.

Keywords: copyright, fictional characters, trademark, reuse

Procedia PDF Downloads 184