Search results for: environment at work
4163 Determination of Optical Constants of Semiconductor Thin Films by Ellipsometry
Authors: Aïssa Manallah, Mohamed Bouafia
Abstract:
Ellipsometry is an optical method based on the study of the behavior of polarized light. The light reflected on a surface induces a change in the polarization state which depends on the characteristics of the material (complex refractive index and thickness of the different layers constituting the device). The purpose of this work is to determine the optical properties of semiconductor thin films by ellipsometry. This paper describes the experimental aspects concerning the semiconductor samples, the SE400 ellipsometer principle, and the results obtained by direct measurements of ellipsometric parameters and modelling using appropriate software.Keywords: Ellipsometry, optical constants, semiconductors, thin films.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 13374162 Some Characterizations of Isotropic Curves In the Euclidean Space
Authors: Süha Yılmaz, Melih Turgut
Abstract:
The curves, of which the square of the distance between the two points equal to zero, are called minimal or isotropic curves [4]. In this work, first, necessary and sufficient conditions to be a Pseudo Helix, which is a special case of such curves, are presented. Thereafter, it is proven that an isotropic curve-s position vector and pseudo curvature satisfy a vector differential equation of fourth order. Additionally, In view of solution of mentioned equation, position vector of pseudo helices is obtained.Keywords: Classical Differential Geometry, Euclidean space, Minimal Curves, Isotropic Curves, Pseudo Helix.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 19844161 Explicit Chain Homotopic Function to Compute Hochschild Homology of the Polynomial Algebra
Authors: Z. Altawallbeh
Abstract:
In this paper, an explicit homotopic function is constructed to compute the Hochschild homology of a finite dimensional free k-module V. Because the polynomial algebra is of course fundamental in the computation of the Hochschild homology HH and the cyclic homology CH of commutative algebras, we concentrate our work to compute HH of the polynomial algebra, by providing certain homotopic function.
Keywords: Exterior algebra, free resolution, free and projective modules, Hochschild homology, homotopic function, symmetric algebra.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 15004160 Study on Carbonation Process of Several Types of Advanced Lime-Based Plasters
Authors: Z. Pavlík, H. Benešová, P. Matiašovský, M. Pavlíková
Abstract:
In this paper, study on carbonation process of several types of advanced plasters on lime basis is presented. The movement of carbonation head was measured by colorimetric method using phenolphtalein. The rate of carbonation was accessed also by gravimetric method. Samples of studied materials were placed into the climatic chamber for simulation of environment with high concentration of CO2. The particular samples were on all lateral sides and on the bottom side provided by epoxy resin in order to arrange 1-D transport of CO2 into the studied samples. The carbonation rates of particular materials pointed to the time dependence of diffusion process of CO2 for all the studied plasters. From the quantitative point of view, the carbonation of advanced modified plasters was much faster than for the reference lime plaster, what is beneficial for the practical application of the tested newly developed materials.
Keywords: Carbonation, colorimetric method, gravimetric method, lime-based plasters, pozzolana admixtures.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 25074159 Quantifying the Sustainable Building Criteria Based on Case Studies from Malaysia
Authors: Fahanim Abdul Rashid, Muhammad Azzam Ismail, Deo Prasad
Abstract:
In order to encourage the construction of green homes (GH) in Malaysia, a simple and attainable framework for designing and building GHs is needed. This can be achieved by aligning GH principles against Cole-s 'Sustainable Building Criteria' (SBC). This set of considerations was used to categorize the GH features of three case studies from Malaysia. Although the categorization of building features is useful at exploring the presence of sustainability inclinations of each house, the overall impact of building features in each of the five SBCs are unknown. Therefore, this paper explored the possibility of quantifying the impact of building features categorized in SBC1 – “Buildings will have to adapt to the new environment and restore damaged ecology while mitigating resource use" based on existing GH assessment tools and methods and other literature. This process as reported in this paper could lead to a new dimension in green home rating and assessment methods.Keywords: Green homes, Malaysia, Sustainable BuildingCriteria, Sustainable homes
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 21384158 Selecting Materialized Views Using Two-Phase Optimization with Multiple View Processing Plan
Authors: Jiratta Phuboon-ob, Raweewan Auepanwiriyakul
Abstract:
A data warehouse (DW) is a system which has value and role for decision-making by querying. Queries to DW are critical regarding to their complexity and length. They often access millions of tuples, and involve joins between relations and aggregations. Materialized views are able to provide the better performance for DW queries. However, these views have maintenance cost, so materialization of all views is not possible. An important challenge of DW environment is materialized view selection because we have to realize the trade-off between performance and view maintenance cost. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce a new approach aimed at solve this challenge based on Two-Phase Optimization (2PO), which is a combination of Simulated Annealing (SA) and Iterative Improvement (II), with the use of Multiple View Processing Plan (MVPP). Our experiments show that our method provides a further improvement in term of query processing cost and view maintenance cost.Keywords: Data warehouse, materialized views, view selectionproblem, two-phase optimization.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 16624157 Public User Assessment of Malaysia's E-Government Applications
Authors: M. N. Norshita, B. Z. Halimah, T. S. Tengku Mohammad
Abstract:
The implementation of electronic government started since the initiation of Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) by the Malaysia government. The introduction of ICT in the public sector especially e-Government initiatives opens up a new book in the government administration throughout the world. The aim or this paper is to discuss the implementation of e-government in Malaysia, covering the result of public user self assessment on Malaysia's electronic government applications. E-services, e-procurement, Generic Office Environment (GOE), Human Resources Management Information System (HRMIS), Project Monitoring System (PMS), Electronic Labor Exchange (ELX) and e-syariah(religion) were the seven flagship application assessed. The study adopted a crosssectional survey research approach and information system literature were used. The analysis was done for 35 responden in pilot test and there was evidence from public user's perspective to suggest that the e-government applications were generally successful.
Keywords: Electronic government, flagship, multimedia super corridor, public user.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 31734156 Fenestration Effects on Cross Ventilation for a Typical Taiwanese School Building When Applying Wind Profile
Authors: Wei-Hwa Chiang, Hao-Hsiang Hsu, Jian-Sheng Huang
Abstract:
Appropriate ventilation in a classroom is helpful for enhancing air exchange rate and student concentration. This study focuses on the effects of fenestration in a four-story school building by performing numerical simulation of a building when considering indoor and outdoor environments simultaneously. The wind profile function embedded in PHOENICS code was set as the inlet boundary condition in a suburban environment. Sixteen fenestration combinations were compared in a classroom containing thirty seats. This study evaluates mean age of air (AGE) and airflow pattern of a classroom on different floors. Considering both wind profile and fenestration effects, the airflow on higher floors is channeled toward the area near ceiling in a room and causes older mean age of air in the breathing zone. The results in this study serve as a useful guide for enhancing natural ventilation in a typical school building.Keywords: Cross ventilation, Fenestration effect, Wind profile, Mean age of air, CFD
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 20274155 Paradigm and Paradox: Knowledge Management and Business Ethics
Authors: A. Evans, M. McKinley
Abstract:
Knowledge management (KM) is generally considered to be a positive process in an organisation, facilitating opportunities to achieve competitive advantage via better quality information handling, compilation of expert know-how and rapid response to fluctuations in the business environment. The KM paradigm as portrayed in the literature informs the processes that can increase intangible assets so that corporate knowledge is preserved. However, in some instances, knowledge management exists in a universe of dynamic tension among the conflicting needs to respect privacy and intellectual property (IP), to guard against data theft, to protect national security and to stay within the laws. While the Knowledge Management literature focuses on the bright side of the paradigm, there is also a different side in which knowledge is distorted, suppressed or misappropriated due to personal or organisational motives (the paradox). This paper describes the ethical paradoxes that occur within the taxonomy and deontology of knowledge management and suggests that recognising both the promises and pitfalls of KM requires wisdom.Keywords: business ethics, data, knowledge, knowledgemanagement, privacy, protection.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 21754154 Optimization of Soy Epoxide Hydroxylation to Properties of Prepolymer Polyurethane
Authors: Flora Elvistia Firdaus
Abstract:
The epoxidation of soybean oil at temperature of 600C was provided the best result in terms of attaching the –OH functionality. Temperatures below and above 600C it is likely the attaching reaction did not proceed sufficiently fast. The considerable yield below 40%, implies the oil is not completely converted, it is not possible by conventional methods, because the epoxide decomposes at the temperature required. The objective of this work was the development of catalyst toward the conversion of epoxide and polyol with reaction temperature at 50,60, and 700C. The effect of different type of catalyst were studied, the effect of alcohols with different molecular configuration was determined which leads to selective addition of alcohols to the epoxide oils.Keywords: optimization, epoxide, soybean, catalyst
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 21674153 Machine Learning Methods for Environmental Monitoring and Flood Protection
Authors: Alexander L. Pyayt, Ilya I. Mokhov, Bernhard Lang, Valeria V. Krzhizhanovskaya, Robert J. Meijer
Abstract:
More and more natural disasters are happening every year: floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc. In order to reduce the risk of possible damages, governments all around the world are investing into development of Early Warning Systems (EWS) for environmental applications. The most important task of the EWS is identification of the onset of critical situations affecting environment and population, early enough to inform the authorities and general public. This paper describes an approach for monitoring of flood protections systems based on machine learning methods. An Artificial Intelligence (AI) component has been developed for detection of abnormal dike behaviour. The AI module has been integrated into an EWS platform of the UrbanFlood project (EU Seventh Framework Programme) and validated on real-time measurements from the sensors installed in a dike.Keywords: Early Warning System, intelligent environmentalmonitoring, machine learning, flood protection.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 40844152 Ethics Perception of Pharmaceutical Companies
Authors: Blandina Šramová, Gabriela Kučeráková
Abstract:
The paper is intended to declare and apply ethics, i. e. moral principles, rules in marketing environment. Ethical behavior of selected pharmaceutical companies in the Slovak Republic is the object of our research. The aim of our research is to determine perception of ethical behavior of the pharmaceutical industry in Slovakia by the medicine representatives in comparison with the assessment of doctors and patients. The experimental sample included 90 participants who were divided into three groups: medicine representatives of the pharmaceutical companies (N=30), doctors (N=30) and patients (N=30). The research method was a Questionnaire of ethical behavior, created by us, that describes individual areas included in the Code of ethics of the pharmaceutical industry in Slovakia. The results showed influence of professional status on ethical behavior perception, not gender. Higher perception was indicated at patients rather than doctors and medicine representatives.Keywords: Ethics, corporate social responsibility, marketing, pharmaceutical industry.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 29424151 Properties of SMA Mixtures Containing Waste Polyethylene Terephthalate
Authors: Taher Baghaee Moghaddam, Mohamed Rehan Karim
Abstract:
Utilization of waste material in asphalt pavement would be beneficial in order to find an alternative solution to increase service life of asphalt pavement and reduce environmental pollution as well. One of these waste materials is Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) which is a type of polyester material and is produced in a large extent. This research program is investigating the effects of adding waste PET particles into the asphalt mixture with a maximum size of 2.36 mm. Different percentages of PET were added into the mixture during dry process. Gap-graded mixture (SMA 14) and PG 80-100 asphalt binder have been used for this study. To evaluate PET reinforced asphalt mixture different laboratory investigations have been conducted on specimens. Marshall Stability test was carried out. Besides, stiffness modulus test and indirect tensile fatigue test were conducted on specimens at optimum asphalt content. It was observed that in many cases PET reinforced SMA mixture had better mechanical properties in comparison with control mixture.Keywords: Asphalt mixture, Environment, Mix properties, Polyethylene terephthalate
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 21004150 Hierarchical Clustering Analysis with SOM Networks
Authors: Diego Ordonez, Carlos Dafonte, Minia Manteiga, Bernardino Arcayy
Abstract:
This work presents a neural network model for the clustering analysis of data based on Self Organizing Maps (SOM). The model evolves during the training stage towards a hierarchical structure according to the input requirements. The hierarchical structure symbolizes a specialization tool that provides refinements of the classification process. The structure behaves like a single map with different resolutions depending on the region to analyze. The benefits and performance of the algorithm are discussed in application to the Iris dataset, a classical example for pattern recognition.Keywords: Neural networks, Self-organizing feature maps, Hierarchicalsystems, Pattern clustering methods.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 19474149 Understanding Factors Influencing E-Government Implementation in Saudi Arabia from an Organizational Perspective
Authors: M. Alassim, M. Alfayad, E. Abbott-Halpin
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to explore the organizational factors influencing the implementation of the e-government project within the public sector in Saudi Arabia. This project (also known as the Yesser programme) was established in Saudi Arabia in 2005 to control the e-government transformation process. The aims of the project are to provide a collaborative environment for government organizations to implement e-government and increase effectiveness and efficiency within the public sector. This paper sheds light on the organizational factors that have delayed implementation and achievement of the government’s vision and plans for Yesser. A qualitative approach was employed to understand those factors, by conducting a series of interviews with government officials for the data collection required. The analysis of the data uncovered seven organizational factors that are needed to advance implementation of the e-government project in Saudi Arabia and other similar states.Keywords: E-government, e-transformation, ICT, Saudi Arabia, Yesser.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 10284148 A User - Requirements Approach in Medical Devices Maintenance System Development: A Case Study from an Industry Perspective
Authors: Manar AlJazzazi, Mohammed Rawashdeh, Tariq Alshawaheen, Aktham Malkawi
Abstract:
This paper is a part of research, in which the way the biomedical engineers follow in their work is analyzed. The goal of this paper is to present a method for specification of user requirements in the medical devices maintenance process. Data Gathering Methods, Research Model Phases and Descriptive Analysis is presented. These technology and verification rules can be implemented in Medical devices maintenance management process to the maintenance process.Keywords: Quality Function Deployment (QFD), User - requirements approach.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 22404147 Land Surface Temperature and Biophysical Factors in Urban Planning
Authors: Illyani Ibrahim, Azizan Abu Samah, Rosmadi Fauzi
Abstract:
Land surface temperature (LST) is an important parameter to study in urban climate. The understanding of the influence of biophysical factors could improve the establishment of modeling urban thermal landscape. It is well established that climate hold a great influence on the urban landscape. However, it has been recognize that climate has a low priority in urban planning process, due to the complex nature of its influence. This study will focus on the relatively cloud free Landsat Thematic Mapper image of the study area, acquired on the 2nd March 2006. Correlation analyses were conducted to identify the relationship of LST to the biophysical factors; vegetation indices, impervious surface, and albedo to investigate the variation of LST. We suggest that the results can be considered by the stackholders during decision-making process to create a cooler and comfortable environment in the urban landscape for city dwellers.Keywords: Biophysical factors, land surface temperature, urban planning.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 20874146 Recent Advances on Computational Proteomics
Authors: Sérgio F. Sousa, Nuno M. F. S. A. Cerqueira, Marta A. S. Perez, Irina S. Moreira, António J. M.Ribeiro, Ana R. A. P. Neves, Maria J. Ramos, Pedro A. Fernandes
Abstract:
In this work we report the recent progresses that have been achieved by our group in the last half decade on the field of computational proteomics. Specifically, we discuss the application of Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Electronic Structure Calculations in drug design, in the clarification of the structural and dynamic properties of proteins and enzymes and in the understanding of the catalytic and inhibition mechanism of cancer-related enzymes. A set of examples illustrate the concepts and help to introduce the reader into this important and fast moving field.
Keywords: Enzyme, Molecular Dynamics, Protein, Quantum Mechanics.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 19564145 Quantification of Methane Emissions from Solid Waste in Oman Using IPCC Default Methodology
Authors: Wajeeha A. Qazi, Mohammed-Hasham Azam, Umais A. Mehmood, Ghithaa A. Al-Mufragi, Noor-Alhuda Alrawahi, Mohammed F. M. Abushammala
Abstract:
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposed in landfill sites decompose under anaerobic conditions and produce gases which mainly contain carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Methane has the potential of causing global warming 25 times more than CO2, and can potentially affect human life and environment. Thus, this research aims to determine MSW generation and the annual CH4 emissions from the generated waste in Oman over the years 1971-2030. The estimation of total waste generation was performed using existing models, while the CH4 emissions estimation was performed using the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) default method. It is found that total MSW generation in Oman might be reached 3,089 Gg in the year 2030, which approximately produced 85 Gg of CH4 emissions in the year 2030.
Keywords: Methane, emissions, landfills, solid waste.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 21304144 Selection of Material for Gear Used in Fuel Pump Using Graph Theory and Matrix Approach
Authors: Sahil, Rajeev Saha, Sanjeev Kumar
Abstract:
Material selection is one of the key issues for the production of reliable and quality products in industries. A number of materials are available for a single product due to which material selection become a difficult task. The aim of this paper is to select appropriate material for gear used in fuel pump by using Graph Theory and Matrix Approach (GTMA). GTMA is a logical and systematic approach that can be used to model and analyze various engineering systems. In present work, four alternative material and their seven attributes are used to identify the best material for given product.
Keywords: Material, GTMA, MADM, digraph, decision making.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 10304143 The Influence of the Fin Set-up to the Cooling Output of the Floor Heating Convector
Authors: F. Lemfeld, K. Frana
Abstract:
This article deals with the numerical simulation of the floor heating convector in 3D. Presented convector can operate in two modes – cooling mode and heating mode. This initial numerical simulation is focused on cooling mode of the convector. Models with different temperature of the fins are compared and three various shapes of the fins are examined as well. The objective of the work is to predict air flow and heat transfer inside convector for further optimalization of these devices. For the numerical simulation was used commercial software Ansys Fluent.Keywords: Cooling output, floor heating convector, numericalsimulation, optimalization.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 14664142 Comparison between XGBoost, LightGBM and CatBoost Using a Home Credit Dataset
Authors: Essam Al Daoud
Abstract:
Gradient boosting methods have been proven to be a very important strategy. Many successful machine learning solutions were developed using the XGBoost and its derivatives. The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the efficiency of three gradient methods. Home credit dataset is used in this work which contains 219 features and 356251 records. However, new features are generated and several techniques are used to rank and select the best features. The implementation indicates that the LightGBM is faster and more accurate than CatBoost and XGBoost using variant number of features and records.
Keywords: Gradient boosting, XGBoost, LightGBM, CatBoost, home credit.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 94684141 On the Efficiency of Five Step Approximation Method for the Solution of General Third Order Ordinary Differential Equations
Authors: N. M. Kamoh, M. C. Soomiyol
Abstract:
In this work, a five step continuous method for the solution of third order ordinary differential equations was developed in block form using collocation and interpolation techniques of the shifted Legendre polynomial basis function. The method was found to be zero-stable, consistent and convergent. The application of the method in solving third order initial value problem of ordinary differential equations revealed that the method compared favorably with existing methods.
Keywords: Shifted Legendre polynomials, third order block method, discrete method, convergent.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 6604140 Non–Geometric Sensitivities Using the Adjoint Method
Authors: Marcelo Hayashi, João Lima, Bruno Chieregatti, Ernani Volpe
Abstract:
The adjoint method has been used as a successful tool to obtain sensitivity gradients in aerodynamic design and optimisation for many years. This work presents an alternative approach to the continuous adjoint formulation that enables one to compute gradients of a given measure of merit with respect to control parameters other than those pertaining to geometry. The procedure is then applied to the steady 2–D compressible Euler and incompressible Navier–Stokes flow equations. Finally, the results are compared with sensitivities obtained by finite differences and theoretical values for validation.Keywords: Adjoint method, optimisation, non–geometric sensitivities, boundary conditions.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 17734139 The Effects on the People's Preference on the Cityscape by the Spatial Characteristics of the Streetscape-Centered on 'Design Seoul Street'-
Authors: Eun-JungKo, Bur-Deul Yoon, Sung-Won Choi, Hong-Kyu Kim
Abstract:
Jacobs, A.B. (1993) stated that "When I think of a city, the first thing that comes to mind is the street. If the street is interesting, the rest of the city is interesting. If the street is mundane, the city is also mundane." In this statement, he expresses the importance of the streetscape and the street environment. The objective of this paper is to analyze the spatial relationships of the streetscape that affect the general public's preference of the cityscape. Furthermore, this research focuses on the important role that streetscape plays in public perception of the city by the pedestrians who experience it daily. The subject of this paper is eight of the "Design Seoul Street."The analysis and survey results show the preference criteria that affect the streetscape and ultimately the cityscape. This research endeavor shows that differences in physical form, shape, size, color, locations, and context are important.Keywords: Cityscape, Design Seoul Street, street, streetscape.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 12884138 Effects of IPPC Permits on Ambient Air Quality
Authors: C. Cafaro, P. Ceci, L. De Giorgi
Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to give an assessment of environmental effects of IPPC permit conditions of installations that are in specific territory with high concentration of industrial activities. The IPPC permit is the permit that each operator should hold to operate the installation as stated by the directive 2010/75/UE on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control), known as IED (Industrial Emissions Directive). The IPPC permit includes all the measures necessary to achieve a high level of protection of the environment as a whole, also defining the monitoring requirements as measurement methodology, frequency and evaluation procedure. The emissions monitoring of a specific plant may also give indications of the contribution of these emissions on the air quality of a definite area. So, it is clear that the IPPC permits are important tools both to improve the environmental framework and to achieve the air quality standards, assisting to assess the possible industrial sources contributions to air pollution.
Keywords: IPPC, IED, emissions, permits, air quality, large combustion plants.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 22984137 Decision Making during the Project Management Life Cycle of Infrastructure Projects
Authors: Karrar Raoof Kareem Kamoona, Enas Fathi Taher AlHares, Zeynep Isik
Abstract:
The various disciplines in the construction industry and the co-existence of the people in the various disciplines are what builds well-developed, closely-knit interpersonal skills at various hierarchical levels thus leading to a varied way of leadership. The varied decision making aspects during the lifecycle of a project include: autocratic, participatory and last but not least, free-rein. We can classify some of the decision makers in the construction industry in a hierarchical manner as follows: project executive, project manager, superintendent, office engineer and finally the field engineer. This survey looked at how decisions are made during the construction period by the key stakeholders in the project. From the paper it is evident that the three decision making aspects can be used at different times or at times together in order to bring out the best leadership decision. A blend of different leadership styles should be used to enhance the success rate during the project lifecycle.
Keywords: Leadership style, construction, decision-making, built environment.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 15184136 Effects of used Engine Oil in Reinforced Concrete Beams: The Structural Behaviour
Authors: S.C. Chin, N. Shafiq, M.F. Nuruddin
Abstract:
In the modern construction practices, industrial wastes or by-products are largely used as raw materials in cement and concrete. These impart many benefits to the environment and bringabout an economic impact because the cost of waste disposal is constantly increasing due to strict environmental regulations. It was reported in literature that the leakage of oil onto concrete element in older cement grinding unit resulted in concrete with greater resistance to freezing and thawing. This effect was thought to be similar to adding an air-entraining chemical admixture to concrete. This paper presents an investigation on the load deflection behaviour and crack patterns of reinforced concrete (RC) beams subjected to four point loading. Ten 120x260x1900 mm beams were cast with 100% ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete, 20% fly ash (FA) and 20% rice husk ash (RHA) blended cement concrete. 0.15% dosage of admixtures (used engine oil, new engine oil, and superplasticizer) was used throughout the experiment. Results show that OPC and OPC/RHA RC beams containing used engine oil and superplasticizer exhibit higher capacity, 18-26% than their corresponding control mix.Keywords: by-products, RC beams, superplasticizer, used engine oil
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 30884135 The Influence of Preprocessing Parameters on Text Categorization
Authors: Jan Pomikalek, Radim Rehurek
Abstract:
Text categorization (the assignment of texts in natural language into predefined categories) is an important and extensively studied problem in Machine Learning. Currently, popular techniques developed to deal with this task include many preprocessing and learning algorithms, many of which in turn require tuning nontrivial internal parameters. Although partial studies are available, many authors fail to report values of the parameters they use in their experiments, or reasons why these values were used instead of others. The goal of this work then is to create a more thorough comparison of preprocessing parameters and their mutual influence, and report interesting observations and results.
Keywords: Text categorization, machine learning, electronic documents, classification.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 15754134 Effect of Geometrical Parameters on Natural Frequencies of FGM Cylindrical shell with Holes Under Various Boundary Conditions
Authors: Mostafa Ghayour, Mohammad Sadegh Golabi
Abstract:
In the recent years, functionally gradient materials (FGMs) have gained considerable attention in the high temperature environment applications. In this paper, free vibration of thin functionally graded cylindrical shell with hole composed of stainless steel and zirconia is studied. The mechanical properties vary smoothly and continuously from one surface to the other according to a volume fraction power-law distribution. The Influence of shell geometrical parameters, variations of volume fractions and boundary conditions on natural frequency is considered. The equations of motion are based on strains-displacement relations from Love-s shell theory and Rayleigh method. The results have been obtained for natural frequencies of cylindrical shell with holes for different shape, number and location in this paper.
Keywords: Functionally gradient material, Vibration, various boundary conditions, cylindrical shells.
Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 1809