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Additive manufacturing is based on a deterministic principle of spatially localized material transformation. By using spatial energy resolution modes, it is thus possible to produce an object that meets a set of specifications in a step-by-step manner. This paper attempts to take the opposite view by examining whether it is interesting to use knowledge on "morphogenesis" (cf. Alan Turing) and other conceptual ideas of spontaneous self-organization to achieve a desired shape. This new and more systemic form of 3D/4D printing enables the self-assembly and establishment of elements (voxels) in various environments through the use of programmable or smart matter. The necessary convergence of interacting elements requires a related decisive activity, however, to the sign of unknown, indecision, complexity, unpredictable bifurcations, in short of scientific promise that cannot be robustly kept. Beyond this frame of generalized non-decidability—a form of abandonment of self-organization paradigm in favour of deterministic doctrines—, there are paths to partial success where desired spatial transformations can be created through (mastered?) disorder. The paper presents the conceptual bases of 3D self-organization with some illustrative examples. The objective is to highlight the interests of this disruptive vision with its realistic limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper seeks to address issues that arise during the drilling and fixation of bones in orthopedic, orthodontic and implant surgeries. Thermal necrosis is one of the widespread problems that occurs during bone/tooth drilling and which can lead to implant failures. The highest registered temperature during drilling is 86°C. However, when the temperature is increased beyond 47° C during the drilling process, it can often lead to osteonecrosis. The possibility of thermal necrosis can be minimized by controlling the drilling parameters. However, optimal parameter values identified by various researchers have not been complied so far, primarily because of the effects of multifactorial constraints. Overall, the drilling bore speed and the feed rate are found to be the most influential parameters in triggering thermal injuries in the course of time. The drilling speed is also more important to the feed rate. In addition, osteological location also increases the probability of necrosis by multiple means in terms of anatomy. A thermocouple is used to evaluate in vivo temperature conditions during the drilling process. However, given the uncertainty and the practical errors that occur during the experimental measurements, the finite-element analysis (FEA) is proposed in most studies. This paper explores the existing state of literature and summarizes various drilling methods and assess the related parameters using FEA. It also describes the impact of various constraints in detail to explore the optimum drilling parameters in order to minimize the danger of thermal necrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road profiles are an important input into vehicle simulation studies and a key part of road surface condition. However, their availability is often limited by the insufficient existence of simpler road profiling procedures. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to present a simple analytical procedure for the calculation of road profiles from given or measured vehicle accelerations. In the paper, an analytical procedure is derived based on a quarter car ride model, which uses accelerations obtained from sprung mass only, unsprung mass only and both sprung and unsprung masses to inversely calculate road profiles. The performance of the approach is demonstrated through a numerical and experimental study at different vehicle speeds, for different suspension settings, under various levels of noise and for a nonlinear LuGre damping model. The developed procedure produces very good results at lower vehicle speeds and it is further shown to produce correlations of above 97% with actual profiles when both the actual and reconstructed profiles are low-pass filtered at a cut-off frequency of one-third of the sprung mass resonance. The need for system characterisation makes this procedure suitable for use with light vehicles. Furthermore, its speed limitations make it suitable for application on township or suburb roads, or unpaved rough terrains where low speeds are often recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) is the problem for finding optimal routes in the distribution system, and this problem needs attention because it can improve distribution performance. One of the problems in VRP is the Vehicle Routing Problem for Perishable Goods (VRPfPG). This issue addresses VRP for products that are rapidly losing quality and perishable. This paper attempts to review the Vehicle Routing Problem for Perishable Goods (VRPfPG). A systematic review has been carried out on fifty-nine (59) published papers from 2001 to March 2020. The optimization methods in this review were classified into single and multi-objective problems. In addition, the review was also conducted based on the objective function. The results show the metaheuristic algorithm to be a popular optimization method for solving single and multi-objective problems. Further, the results also show that minimizing the total cost distribution to be the objective function that was often used by researchers. Finally, future studies are suggested to explore a more comprehensive investigation in the VRPfPG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing population and motorization, Kenya as well as other African countries are faced with a tragic road traffic accidents (RTA). This paper looks at 5-year (2015–2020) data downloaded from National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) website, to identify trends and review progress of the traffic accidents in the country. The objective is to assess the prevalence of accidents within affected groups and location to identify trends and generalized causative agency from the reported data. From literature review, research activity focused on RTA in the country is minimal compared to the social significance accidents poses. The data were extracted and classified using Latent Dirichlet Allocation, a machine learning algorithm modelled in Matlab to group reported accident briefs into general categories/topic which are closely related. Four categories were identified as leading causes of fatality in the country: Knocking down victims, hit-and-run, losing control and head on collision. The identified causes point to preventable driver's errors which agrees with other researchers. From trend analysis, fatalities and injuries have increased by 26% and 46.5%, respectively since January 2015 to January 2020. This paper found that injuries in vulnerable road users: pedestrians, pillion passengers and motorcyclist, has seen a foldfold increment compared to 2015 data. From the discussion, urgent fine-tuning of policing to protect vulnerable road user as well as curb the overly decried driver behavior is needed. The paper recommends fine-tuning of data collection, capturing details of accident that will be useful in modeling and data analysis for future planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new block encryption algorithm for cryptographic information protection. It describes a new transformation method EM (Exponentiation Module), which is part of the algorithm, and a method of S-box obtaining. The paper also considers an optimization technique to advance the efficiency of key selection and calculation. We discuss the possibility to obtain good results by applying the peculiar properties of cryptographic primitives in the Galois field. To increase the strength and speed of the encryption algorithm, we used a nonpositional polynomial notation and an indexed view for the Galois field. The paper provides for statistical properties of the ciphertext obtained with the developed algorithm. We also present the results of differential and linear cryptanalysis of the S-box used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standards and best practices for software quality guide on handling each quality characteristic individually, but not when two or more characteristics come into conflict such as security and usability. The objectives of this paper are twofold: (a) to argue on the importance of handling the conflicts between quality characteristics in general; (b) to formulate a framework for conflict examination of the software quality characteristics, we do so while considering the specific case of security and usability. In line with the objectives, a framework called Pattern-oriented Design Framework (PoDF) was formulated. The PoDF provides a mechanism for identification of the conflicts, modeling the conflicts to illuminate the reason for their occurrence, and eliciting the suitable trade-offs between the conflicting characteristics. The suitable trade-offs are thus documented as design patterns. The patterns can assist developers and designers in handling the conflicts in other but similar context of use. To validate and instantiate the PoDF, two studies were conducted. Usable security patterns discovered as a result of the studies are also presented in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The realization of the nexus between morphological changes and road intersection performances remains a challenge in urban studies. Despite the effort spent on minimizing the traffic associated problems (such as congestion and delay) in urban intersections, namely using roundabouts, signalized intersections, and actuated traffic signal controls, there are still traffic performance inefficiencies within intersections. Traffic congestion in the intersection arises for two reasons, namely by densification formed in the surrounding area and by the lack of effective traffic management. In this paper, a morphological analytical approach was adopted to explain the urban intersection changes for a 1 sq. km study area within Jadriyah neighborhood. The study spans three historical phases (1999, 2009, and 2019) and describes the changes to urban morphology by integrating land-use development with traffic data. Problems regarding urban variation in this prominent intersection were measured and then compared in terms of the Level-of-Service (LOS). The deployment of measurement and analytical methods include two sets of measurements: firstly, the study of the morphology of urban form structures, and secondly the data analysis of volume, pedestrian movement, saturation flow, and signal timing during peak hours whilst counting the daily trips generated for each type of changed land use pattern. Analysis of the collected data revealed that the urban morphology of transformed land use over time impacted the traffic volume for each phase on the level of intersection performance. Results thus showed a considerable decline of the urban intersection LOS in Jadriyah neighborhood; the uncontrolled land use expansion led to an increase in the peak volume at a rate of 155 veh/hr per year, whilst the percentage increase in pedestrians was 200% per hour. The paper concluded that ignoring densification and land use development at the urban design level over time has given rise to real impact, whether increasing traffic saturation or delay, on the performance of intersections and thus influence the transportation planning level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role of architects in improving in-building wireless coverage, a hitherto unexplored and interdisciplinary domain. While architects are still fully focused on built spaces, in this modern era, the attention of the occupants is gradually being influenced by the virtual surrounds, created by wirelessly connected electronic devices, compared to the quality of actual built spaces, they have around them. The rapid growth of internet usage and related technology is bringing a new demand for building occupation—improved wireless connectivity. This paper presents an in-depth analytical discussion of the challenges of in-building wireless signal coverage. It further elaborates on the additional complexities for support at high frequencies. However, studies show that the nature of the space and its bounding surfaces have a direct influence on signal propagation, and thereby, reception. Therefore, this paper proposes architectural interventions to improve in-building wireless coverage and highlights its necessity. In this process, it proposes a collaboration between radio frequency (RF) engineers and architects, during the design phase of buildings. Considering the scope of architectural design, some guidelines are proposed for the architectural interventions, and the possible outcomes of the interventions are discussed. The improvement in user data rate experience, from one of the proposed architectural solutions, has also been investigated using MATLAB-based simulation, along with necessary derivations. The paper, thus, aims to pave the way for farsighted contributions to in-building wireless coverage, from architects, so that buildings can better cope with the demands of the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of a study done to find the optimal shapes of matrix element partitioning on three abstract heterogeneous processors when performing multiplication operations. An abstract processor model allows applying the research results in systems with different heterogeneous architectures. To determine the optimal partitioning shape, the work uses non-rectangular candidate shapes identified by Ashley DeFlumere in her work as a result of applying the technology of redistribution of matrix elements between the processors «push»: Square Corner, Rectangle Corner, Square Rectangle, Block Rectangle, L-Rectangle, Traditional 1D Rectangular. The optimality of shapes is determined for four classes of matrix multiplication algorithms: Serial Communication with Barrier (SCB), Parallel Communication with Barrier (PCB), Serial Communication with Bulk Overlap (SCO) and Parallel Communication with Overlap (PCO). The Hockney model was used to evaluate the communication complexity of algorithms. Mathematical models of the algorithm execution time were introduced in the paper for each considered candidate shape in all algorithms. Based on the developed mathematical models, software was developed that allows to select the form of elements partitioning between processors, depending on the ratio of their speeds and latency of the transmission medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As our understanding and modeling capabilities evolve, an ever-increasing complexity of models representing the behaviour of geologic medium are analyzed. One way to evaluate these substantial problems is to optimize the underlying discretization of the governing differential equations by concentrating finite elements where solution accuracy counts the most. This paper develops and evaluates the performance of a priori local p-refinement method for finite element mesh improvement for stress analysis of underground excavations. This type of refinement entails a mesh with higher-order elements near the region of interest and lower-order elements elsewhere. The focus of the paper is the automated insertion of transitional elements at the interface of the two regions. The method relies on transitional finite elements in order to connect a mesh of quadratic interpolation order elements with a mesh of linear interpolation order elements. Four types of transitional elements were considered (4-node and 5-node triangles, 5-node and 7-node quadrilaterals). These were incorporated into a finite element code, and their performance was tested using representative problems such as a pressurized cavity or tunnelling through rock. For these problems the global stiffness matrix size was reduced on average by 85% and by 81% for the models using triangles and quadrilaterals, respectively, as a result, the calculation times were considerably shortened as well. While the average percentage of error with respect to the models without improvement, measured at critical points, was 0.04% and 0.02% in the case of triangular and quadrilateral elements, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the current research practices and existing progress research published on supply chain management and supply chain integration in an attempt to provide a research agenda for future investigations. Mainly the secondary data analysis and methods employed for the investigations. Particularly a systematic literature review analysis from 115 papers published from 16 important journals in the supply chain, logistics, Industrial management & data systems, supply chain management: an international journal and operations management during the period 1997 to 2018 was employed. This paper has identified relevant supply chain integration research studies that have contributed to the development and growth of manufacturing industries performance and competitiveness to the SCI and SCM fields. The analysis of the relevant articles gaps and miss-concepts in the previous literature provides to reduce universality and insufficient ordinary view, confusion of supply chain integrations were investigated. The gaps and investigations were done based on their methodological porches, objectives, analysis and research finding. Mainly the gaps, miss concepts and challenges concepts in the previous literature were identified and grouped in five issues. Moreover, the gaps and recommendations for future research are consolidated into a research agenda that provides practitioners to evaluate existing SCI & SCM issues and seek ways to develop a conceptual farm work on SCI of manufacturing industries to global supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In futuristic vehicle traveling simulation on a rough terrain, it is desirable to perform terramechanics analysis that reflected appropriate road surface information. This paper presents a multi-stage analysis method that seamlessly performs the terrain formation process and trafficability evaluation. Simulation of wind-blown ripple formation based on cellular automaton was adopted as an example, and fields were created for terramechanics analysis. Then, trafficability characterization was performed with a single rigid wheel on virtually created terrain fields based on resistive force theory. The analysis results showed that the traveling performance of a single wheel could be evaluated for various terrain fields and under various traveling conditions. The multi-stage analysis method presented in this paper can be employed for simulations in extreme environments such as planetary surfaces, deserts, and disaster sites, where sensing is difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irrigation is the artificial application of water to crops to supply moisture. With rising drought indices and rapid population expansion, the need for irrigation water for food production is growing. Nonetheless, irrigated agriculture is battling several issues that have resulted in poor performance, inefficient water usage, and low crop water production. Improving water use efficiency in irrigated agriculture necessitates using technology that decreases water losses, matches available supplies to demand, and tracks performance. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) allow for effectively managing water and land resources for irrigation. Current GIS and RS uses in irrigation systems are covered in this study, covering land suitability for irrigation, crop water needs, irrigation scheduling, performance evaluation, and other related applications. The future potential of GIS and RS applications for sustainable irrigation water management are highlighted. This paper offers relevant information for researchers, irrigators, and policymakers on using GIS and RS in irrigation water management and how technological improvements will change irrigation water management to enhance water usage efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the experimental performance of a “V” type solar still coupled with a hybrid solar concentrator (HSC) and Heat exchanger (HX) are presented. A high yield, inexpensive solar desalination system is constructed almost entirely from sal- vaged components. Even though it requires a mild maintenance, the necessary skills of operation are rudimentary and the cost of maintenance is low. The HSC focuses the solar radiation to a particular area and it offers a higher concentration ratio than conventional linear focus types. The HX is placed on the focus of the HSC and is connected to the basin of the “V” type solar still. A higher basin water temperature will be achieved by the “V” type solar still due to the additional heat from the HX, causing the brackish water to evaporate leaving behind all the contaminants. When comparing the performance analysis of “V” type solar still to that of the same still incorporated with the HSC, the efficiency of the latter improved from 20% to 36%, the amount of distillate production per unit area increased 4.17 kg/m² to 7.42 kg/m² and the latter also experienced an 80% more total distillate productivity. The cost per liter of the distillate was also found to be 0.0027 $/ which is significantly cheaper than that from other conventional solar stills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic flow prediction is an essential part of the intelligent transport system. This is the accurate estimation of traffic flow in a given region at a particular interval of time in the future. The study of traffic forecasting is useful in mitigating congestion and make safer and cost-efficient travel. While traditional models use shallow networks, there has been an exponential growth in the number of vehicles in recent times and these traditional machine learning models fail to work in current scenarios. In our paper, we review some of the latest works in deep learning for traffic flow prediction. Many deep learning architectures include Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), Long ShortTerm Memory (LSTM), Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBM), and Stacked Auto Encoder (SAE). These deep learning models use multiple layers to extract higher level of features from raw input progressively. The latest deep learning models developed to tackle this very problem are reviewed and due to the complexity of transport networks, this review gives the reader information about how various factors influence these models and what models work best in different scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mexico, there are efforts to recover earth-based construction systems, mainly those that improve the comfort characteristics consisting of a thermal sensation different from that of the environment. One of the questions derives from the reason why, at high ambient temperatures, earth houses tend to have a much lower temperature inside while, at very low temperatures, indoor temperatures are higher. This paper analyzes a type of housing present in Tamaulipas, Mexico, characterized by adobe walls and palm roofs. From a specific solution of the transport equations considering the heat capacity of the material and the coefficient of thermal conductivity, it is shown that the heat transfer of a homogeneous material in housing is dominated by these two properties, which justifies the present architectural design and the paradigm of a better comfort of earthen dwellings concerning industrialized materials such as the concrete block, we also show the energy efficiency according to NOM-020ENER-2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oil industry in Thailand primarily relies on truck transportation due to the versatility of trucks. Different truck sizes can easily access many customer locations better than any other transportation mode. However, although trucks have many advantages, the transportation cost per unit is very expensive compared to railway, air, waterway, and pipe transportation modes. Previous data indicated that shipping costs were approximately 703.995 USD/month/fleet and the transportation utilization was 83.145%. Therefore, efficiencies should be identified to improve business operations. This paper proposes an oil transportation plan with transshipment points by adopting Network Flow Models (NFM) to develop a Generalized Network Flow Model (GNFM). The developed GNFM was applied to solve three different problems and compared to the existing method. The objectives of the proposed model were to minimize total cost and maximize truck efficiency. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) was considered to set the optimal decision criteria for managing the oil transportation network with the transshipment sites. The proposed model with the Cluster Model (CT) provided optimal results, with a total cost of 663.539 USD/month/fleet and a truck efficiency of 88.029%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide rural communities with low-cost electricity, innovative off-grid renewable energy producing techniques have emerged. The International Energy Agency estimates that around 45% of Ethiopia’s total population have access to electricity. Nearly 85% of Ethiopia’s urban population has access to public electricity, but this figure is only 29% for the rural population. This study examines the feasibility of using combined photovoltaic (PV)/diesel/battery systems to power a remote rural school in southern Ethiopia. The performance of various hybrid systems was assessed using techno-economic and environmental analyses, and the optimal solution was chosen using the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER) analytic tool. The evaluation criteria include net present cost (NPC), cost of energy (COE) and emissions. The results indicate that PV/DG/battery hybrid energy system (HES) with a 7.5 kW PV, 7.3 kW DG, 6.60 kW converter, and 11 units of batteries (case I) is the most feasible, optimized, cost-effective and environmentally friendly system among the systems considered. This system has a Net Present Cost (NPC) of $32,019 and a Cost of Energy (COE) of $0.254/kWh, as computed using current equipment values. The optimized system is also environmentally benign, emitting 793 kg of carbon dioxide per year, about 91% less than the PV/diesel combination (worst case IV). Furthermore, sensitivity analysis was performed to examine the impacts of altering factors such as solar radiation, fuel price, and battery minimum state of charge (SOCmin) on system cost and performance. We believe that the information given in this paper will shed light on the current state and future prospects for renewable energy deployment in Ethiopia, and also show that, if policymakers create the necessary investment environment, such projects can be a viable alternative to rural electrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malawi is one of the sub-Saharan African countries with a low electrification rate. Its electrification rate is at 18% which is far below Africa’s average electrification rate which is 44%. One of the solutions to improve the electrification rate is to promote Mini-grid development in rural areas that are far from the national grid. This paper aims at finding out if it is technically and economically feasible to supply electricity using a solar PV Mini-grid to Matekenya village located in the Dowa district in the central region of Malawi. Data was collected using the android tool Kobo Collect and simulations were made using HOMER software and other data was analyzed using SPSS. The results without sensitivity cases showed that the Net Present cost of the system is $21,170,640. The Levelized Cost of Energy of $0.1334, the operating cost was $380,215.40 and the initial capital cost was $14,290,444.84. optimization results with sensitivity analysis showed that the NPC was $11,744,020, LCOE was 0.074, the operating cost was213036 and the initial cost was $7,890,000. Based on the Malawi feed-in tariff policy, the feed-in tariff for solar PV energy is $0.10/kWh. The results showed that it is economically feasible to supply Matekenya village with electricity using a solar PV Mini-grid. The area also showed more potential for productive use of electricity and willingness to be connected if the electricity is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous hardware other than a small-core central processing unit (CPU) such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or multi-core CPU is increasingly being used. However, to use heterogeneous hardware, programmers must have sufficient technical skills to utilize OpenMP, CUDA, and OpenCL. On the basis of this, we have proposed an environment-adaptive software that enables automatic conversion, configuration, and high-performance operation of once written code, in accordance with the hardware to be placed. However, no techniques have been developed to properly and automatically offload applications in the mixed offloading destination environment such as GPU, FPGA, and multi-core CPU. In this paper, for a new element of environment-adaptive software, we study a method for offloading applications properly and automatically in an environment where the offloading destination is a mix of GPU, FPGA, and multi-core CPU. We evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method in multiple applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we developed an optimization model for determining the optimal parameters for multi-pass CNC turning processes. The six elements of sustainable manufacturing were considered in this study to derive new insights into multi-pass turning modeling. This paper details the relationship between time and power and considers total noise in terms of the personal health element and cost of quality in terms of the manufacturing cost element. The objective functions for our model include the total energy, surface roughness, total noise, total cost, and total carbon emission. The decision variables for our model include the cutting depth, feed rate, cutting speed, and number of roughing passes. The proposed model was solved using the Gamultiobj algorithm (MATLAB). This algorithm was used to identify a set of non-dominated points on the Pareto front. Additionally, a single optimal solution is identified using the TOPSIS method. There are twelve combinations of multi-objective optimization processes carried out. One of twelve combinations, for the five objective functions, the optimal values were determined as follows: total energy value of 495,965.751 joules, surface roughness of 0.285 μm, average noise of 78.788 dBA, total cost of $288.587, and carbon emission of 337,748.265 kgCO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petri net (PN) is a well-known graphical and mathematical model that can be used to describe a system quickly and dynamically. Over the last decade, it has provided many applications for academia research and industrial practice, especially, for the system verification and performance evaluation. Compared with other system models, the PN model is easy to implement. Therefore, it can be recommended as an effective way for people to study the model checking and validation. For the purposes of reducing time span to get familiar with PN tools, it is necessary to have an informative guide, providing general information about a PN software tool for system developers. This paper aims to review HiPS, PIPE, and WoPeD tools which are simple, lightweight, and free of charge. Our proposed approach also compares their strengths and limitations with each other to help the system developers determine a suitable PN software tool and shorten the time to markets for their products. Thus, it is truly beneficial to fast develop a manufacturing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the results of safety analysis in roundabouts, unsignalized intersections, which are widely spread, and practical methods to avoid collision accidents or conflicts are presented. First, possible collision types (scenarios) were distinguished in roundabout with recent accident data and safety characteristics for three roundabouts of different structures were analyzed using video image processing methods. Through the analysis process, conflict events were identified one by one to classify criteria, and a method for evaluating the safety of the target roundabout was proposed. In addition, a self-driving method based on a carmounted (black box) camera was proposed. This may be applicable to the implementation of Intersection-Advanced Driver Assistance System (I-ADAS) by providing the driver with safety-related information regarding entry into the roundabout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dexterity is the coordination of hands and fingers with the eyes. Existing unilateral movements and dexterity tests use wearable devices for recording hand assessment. It is understandable that whenever some wired devices tag hands, the patient tends to be more conscious, which may not reflect the actual outcome. In this paper, using the finger-tap counter and loop-wire test, an attempt is made to evaluate unilateral movements and dexterity in adults of different age groups without using any wearable device. The test timings are recorded automatically with the help of the ATmega328p microcontroller and transferred to the clinician wirelessly via Bluetooth communication. Healthy 30 subjects between the age range (20–35, 36–50, 51–65, 66–80) were tested for finger-tap counter and loopwire tests. The experiment is also tested for dominant and non-dominant hands for the same subjects. In this experiment, the result shows as the age increases, the trend in the assessment completion time and number of failures during the performance of the test increases. Female groups can perform both tests quicker than male groups with fewer errors irrespective of age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General methods to quantize combined descriptors of both the probability and phase/current distributions in molecular electronic reference frame transformations to a “superposition of coordinate transformations” have been previously introduced. Quantum gravity Continuity equations are expected to resolve the singularities of classical general relativity for these transformations that have been already explored on an array of recent fundamental observations developed through gravitational amplification of primeval density fluctuations generated in the exceedingly early phase of cosmic evolution. Based on destructive interference of singular spacetime-configurations, I show that higher-order verticalequilibrium states in curvature terms direct me to resolve black-hole singularities for a vanishing current entanglement in a chemical space both in the spherically symmetric and axisymmetric case. Dynamical mechanisms for singularity-resolution and orbital superpositions are considered observer-dependent features in these quantum reference frames including Galilean transformation, and near-horizon symmetries ranging from supergravity theories to Lorentzian cryptographic signatures to enhance the RoccuffirnaTM’s gravity to trap the SARS-COV-2 viruses in practice. The corresponding stationary radial Schrödinger equations with these potential energy functions are solved analytically, in the underlying information continuity equation that determines machine learning characteristics for both Euclidean and Lorentzian signatures to Quantum microBlackHole-Inspired Kerr(A) dS-Myers–Perry black Gravitational in an approximate scheme for zero total angular momentum. It is also found that the wave functions for bound states can be expressed in terms of the Jacoby polynomial involving either the nonclassical or resultant entropy/information concepts the so called horizontal-equilibrium state, that represents the phase-transformed quantum state of a molecule, corresponding to the optimum, density-dependent “thermodynamic” phase in the near-horizon limit, with either SL(2, ℝ) or Poincaré iso(1, 1) symmetry as extended to the entire near-horizon geometry. In this paper, I propose an implementation of the algorithm for the Quantum Inspired blAckhole ProductS of TaylOr Fast FourIer transforMatIons (QubAPSOFFiMi) as a quantum circuit consisting of a combination of some Lorentzian signature quantum gates. In my implementation, a data sequence is expressed by a tensor product of vector spaces. Namely, my QFFT is defined as a transformation of the tensor product of stationary radial Schrödinger equations with these potential energy functions of quantum states. It is essentially different from the so-called quantum Fourier transform (QFT) defined to be a horizontalequilibrium state of linear transformation of the amplitudes for the superposition of quantum states. The quantum circuit for the (QubAPSOFFiMi) consists of several circuits for elementary arithmetic operations such as a quantum adder, subtractor and shift operations, which are implemented as effectively as possible. These analytical expressions for purely vibrational energy levels of the electronic state, without an accompanying change of quantum observables, preserves the electron probability distribution and modifies its current by varying the moduli to a weaklycoupled description of a pharmacophoric system, where states with fixed conserved charge charges can be electronically counted. The influence of the continuity chemical relations between equilibrium-phase gravitational transformation, quantum phase density, and local entropy formalism productions are examined here towards Black-Hole Singularity-Mass Schrödinger Equations in a Quantum Kerr(A) Ds Galilean Myers—Perr driven Lorentzian Gravitational Path for the anti-COVID-19 RoccuffirnaTM and EplerotiffirnaTM molecular equilibrium states in regular blackhole spacetimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lean manufacturing (LM) practices and tools have played vital role in several manufacturing industries to enhance the competitive edge in in the global market. The purpose of this paper is to use the lean principles, practice and tools in Hibret Manufacturing & Machine Building Industries (HMMBI) in Ethiopia. The existence of high production lead time is getting the basic problem for HMBI that is why this research gives more attention. The study aims to improve the production lead time by minimizing non-value adding activities associated with several resources in the process. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods are used. The process time and floor layout are studied and mapped using Value Stream Mapping, and Spaghetti Diagram to identify wastes. The result shows that production lead time, work in process (WIP), non-value adding time (waiting time) and total distance traveled are reduced by 23.66%, 8.6%, 37.74%, 61.2% respectively. Finally, the process cycle efficiency is improved by 25.59%. The study is found significant for Hibret Manufacturing & Machine Building Industries (HMMBI) and for similar manufacturing industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous hardware other than a small-core central processing unit (CPU) such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or many-core CPU is increasingly being used. However, to use heterogeneous hardware, programmers must have sufficient technical skills to utilize OpenMP, CUDA, and OpenCL. On the basis of this, I have proposed environmentadaptive software that enables automatic conversion, configuration, and highperformance operation of once-written code, in accordance with the hardware to be placed. Although it has been considered to convert the code in accordance with the offload devices, no method has been developed to set the amount of resources appropriately after automatic conversion. In this paper, as a new element of environment-adapted software, I examine a method of optimizing the amount of resources of the CPU and offload device in order to operate the application with high-cost performance. Through the offloading of multiple existing applications, I demonstrate that the proposed method can meet the user’s request and set an appropriate amount of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although machine learning for quality prediction of manufacturing processes has attracted attention in the literature, there is a significant lack of case studies from industry, especially in medical sector. This paper proposes a data-driven approach to infer the batch quality of blood glucose test strips. Once the low quality of work in process is detected, unnecessary process waste could be eliminated. Starting from data pre-processing, which consists of Synthetic Minority Over-sampling TEchnique and Random Over-Sampling Example, this project tries to balance the illdistributed data first. Followed by machine learning aims to classify and predict the quality of blood glucose test strips. Different models are evaluated by the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve and Area Under Curve. Computational results show that the decision tree and random forest after SMOTE perform better than the counterpart of ROSE method. Ensemble learning, such as random forest, out-wins base learner decision tree. To sum up, random forest with SMOTE is the suggested model for accurately predicting the quality of blood glucose test strips. There is a 30% improvement in error rate under random forest and SMOTE for NG class that could be of top concern for prognosis. Several factors, including the direction of applying test reagent onto test strips and the position where the strips are located, that affect quality of test strips have been identified. Explanations in terms of inspection and manufacturing are discussed subsequently. Finally, the prognosis of quality can be attained through big data and statistical machine learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Braced frames are frequently used as lateral load resisting systems in steel buildings due to their cost-effectiveness and efficiency in resisting earthquake loads. Evaluating the seismic loads on those buildings requires estimating the fundamental period of vibration of the buildings at first. Most design codes use empirical formulas that depend only on the height of the buildings without considering the effect of bracing configurations or building irregularities. This paper aims to develop new equations to estimate the fundamental period of vibration of irregular steel buildings occupied with different bracing systems. For this purpose, 176 prototype buildings with different bracing configurations and irregularities have been selected and modeled using ETABS finite element program. Three types of irregularity have been considered: vertical, horizontal, and combined irregularity. Then, the fundamental periods of vibration have been estimated through analysis and optimal building design using nonlinear regression analysis. According to the findings, the configuration of the bracing system and the building irregularity influence the fundamental period of vibration of buildings of the same height, where vertical and combined irregularities decrease the period values by about 20% for CBFs. This indicates the importance of incorporating new equations in calculating the fundamental period of these types of steel structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports effect of chemical modification of bagasse fibers by using oxidizing agents like potassium permanganate and potassium dichromate. The fiber modification was assessed by several techniques like Fourier Transfer Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) which provide evidences for the desired structural changes. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) used to analyze the microstructure of the samples. Our studies reveal decrease in the crystallinity index of samples after treatment with dichromate solution implying effective removal of polar impurities. Raw fibers had crystallinity index of 72% while permanganate and dichromate treated fibers showed 47% and 50%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, the mm-wave (millimeter-wave) frequency band is a key aspect in overcoming the exponential increase in data traffic of the existing cellular networks, which requires compatible and lowprofile antenna arrays. In this case, a microstrip patch antenna (MPA) is a viable option. However, MPA has certain limitations, such as the deterioration of the antenna’s bandwidth and radiation efficiency with its substrate thickness. In addition, its gain and directivity are too low to meet the 5G systems requirements in beamforming techniques of massive MIMO systems. Thus, to ameliorate these limitations, in this paper, a microstrip patch antenna arrays (2x2, 4x4, and 8x8) with semi-elliptical shape slotted patch and etched ground structure for 5G broadband applications is proposed. The radiator element of the antenna is designed using Rogers 5880 substrate with a dielectric constant of 2.2 and thickness of 0.3449 mm. It has been designed to operate at 28 GHz in LMDS (local multipoint block distribution service) band. The performance of the proposed structure was analyzed using the CST-MW simulator. The simulation results reveal that the gain, bandwidth, and total efficiency of the studied 2x2, 4x4, and 8×8 MPA arrays are 13.24 dBi, 16.54 dBi, 21.45 dBi; 1.33 GHz, 1.461 GHz, 1.561 GHz; 97.03 %, 81.72 %, 69 %, respectively. Likewise, the return losses of these structures are −43.321 dB, −40.665 dB, and −22.678 dB, respectively. In general, all of the proposed planar semi-elliptical slotted rectangular MPA arrays offer improved performance compared to existing works and meet the requirements of 5G systems’ antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation of alternative and novel materials in place of traditional metals and alloys is getting higher attention in all domains of life. Tailored or customized fiber reinforced composite materials offer multiple advantages such as lighter systems with adequate strength, cost-effectiveness, and easier handling during fabrication and service time. In this review paper, attempts are made to comprehensively look into property improvement, fabrication, and characterization followed by researchers for natural fiber reinforced, natural fiber-synthetic fiber reinforced and hybrid natural fibers reinforced polymer-based composites. Composites having natural fibers as reinforcements had improved sound absorption and vibration damping properties. A combination of natural and synthetic fiber was found to be ideal for obtaining improved mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free space optics (FSO) systems use the atmosphere as a propagation medium. However, a common problem is atmospheric turbulence, including fog, rain, and haze that emerges between the transmitter and the receiver from time to time. These adverse weather conditions impose power loss on the optical signal, producing distortion and degrading bit error rate (BER) and throughput. To reduce the effect of atmospheric turbulence, this paper proposes a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) with minimum mean square error (MMSE) in mode division multiplexing (MDM) for the FSO system. The DFE with varying tap counts is investigated. The MMSE algorithm is utilized to optimize both the feedforward and feedback filter coefficients of the DFE. The proposed system consists of four parallel 2.5 Gbps channels that use Hermite-Gaussian (HG) modes. The results show that the DFE equalization scheme successfully transmits 10 Gbps over 40 m, 800 m, 1400 m, and 2 km in medium fog, medium rain, medium haze, and clear weather. Performance is analyzed in terms of BER and eye diagrams and compared with the traditional model. Based on BER and eye diagram results, DFE improves the outdoor FSO system immunity to distortion in medium fog, medium haze, medium rain, and clear weather while maintaining high throughput and desired low BER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper conducted an experimental investigation on the effects of dispersed basalt fiber (BF) on lightweight expanded clay concrete (LWECC). The objective is to evaluate the strength, density of LWECC containing dispersed BF with comparison on the strength derived from research of similar work. Experiments were performed on LWECC 100 × 100 × 400 mm prism for flexure and 100 × 100 × 100 mm cube for compression and split tensile tests. Additives were added to enhance the concrete strength. The compressive strength ðfcÞ, density (ρÞ, flexural strength ffð Þ, split tensile strength ðfstÞ were obtained from LWECC containing 0%, 0.9%, and 1.6% BF, respectively. The experimental results on day 28 show that fC recorded the highest at 1.6% BF content, and lowest at 0% BF content while with incorporation of 0.9%BF, the fC of ECC increased by 121.82%, with incorporation of 1.6% BF the fC of ECC increased by 162.79% and ECC containing 1.6% BF showed ρ of 1410 Kg/m³ while the ff is highest with 1.6% BF at 6.54 MPa followed by 0.9% BF at 4.01 MPa and lowest at 0% BF at 3.72 MPa. The fst is higher with 1.6 BF at 5.41 MPa. Incorporation of BF in ECC proved to have positive effect of ECC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue fever modelling in endemic locations is critical to reducing outbreaks and improving vector-borne illness control. Early projections of dengue are a crucial tool for disease control because of the unavailability of treatments and universal vaccination. Neural networks have made significant contributions to public health in a variety of ways. In this paper, we developed a deep learning modelling using random forest (RF) that helps to extract the features of the dengue fever from the text datasets. The proposed modelling involves the data collection, preprocessing of the input texts, and feature extraction. The extracted features are studied to test how well the feature extraction using RF is effective on dengue datasets. The simulation result shows that the proposed method achieves higher degree of accuracy that offers an improvement of more than 12% than the existing methods in extracting the features from the input datasets than the other feature extraction methods that have laid a foundation for Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model efficacy test. Further, the study reduces the errors associated with feature extraction that is 10% lesser than the other existing methods and this shows the efficacy of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the existing design philosophies of structural elements made of different structural materials in general and bamboo materials in specific. The theories behind design practice would be the main cornerstone for articulating why and how we employ a single philosophy. The demand for using verified theories or philosophies will facilitate the drawing of sound models. The detailed theoretical basis and methods that include the fundamental one are studied through extensive literature reviews in an organized way, and a critical synthesis has been made upon the basic parameters identified. Establishing a sound philosophy to address the existing behavior of materials and loads takes quite a time. Philosophies like allowable stress design, load factor design, and limit state design are the classical ones, while capacity-based, performance-based, and risk-based are the emerging ones for structural element design. The key characteristics for addressing the possible factors for developing a philosophy, whether classical or emerging, are valuable to seek out. The paper identifies the key parameters to develop a design philosophy using a Delphi survey from selected scientists. The key parameters found are material behavior, load behavior, displacement, failure modes, functionality, and method of construction. The identified key parameters need to be incorporated while developing a sound structural design philosophy. It is found that there is a significant relationship between material properties and design philosophy available when the force-based design approach is preferred, but if the functional-based and displacement-based approaches are used, there is no significant relationship between material properties and design philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication towers are vital assets in our daily lives as they transfer signals between cell phones facilitating communication and commerce among people and businesses all around the world. Wind loads are crucial in the communication towers design since they are tall and slender. With climate change bringing more storms and higher wind speeds, it is more crucial to research the finest tower structure that withstands such conditions with the least life cycle cost. Therefore, in this paper, a comparative case study is performed between 45 m height lattice tower and monopole tower in Egypt. Two locations were considered, the first is inside the city and the second is an open terrain. In addition, two load scenarios were investigated. The comparison parameters are the behavior under critical wind loads taking into account three wind speeds which are 100 km/hr, 130 km/hr and 140 km/hr, and life cycle cost analysis. It was found that the lattice tower behaves better under critical wind loads with a maximum tilting equal to 0.4784 degrees at location 1, load 2, and a wind speed of 140 km/hr compared to 0.5806 in the case of the monopole tower. Similarly, the lattice tower behaves better at the second location as well. However, the monopole tower has less life cycle cost with a total life cycle cost of 3,201,846.80 EGP compared to 4,380,419.91EGP in case of lattice tower. Therefore, based on the location, wind speed, and available land area, and life cycle cost assessment, the optimum tower structure could be selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in consumption and changes in the structure of the system always occur in each power system. One of the effects of these changes can be the instability of the system voltage. When voltage is unstable, their performance is in conditions of power fluctuations after large errors occur. Determining the voltage stability of traditional methods is time consuming and does not have the necessary efficiency for instantaneous monitoring. In this paper, an index based on the changes of two indices of frequency deviation and frequency response of inertia in the time after the occurrence of perturbation is presented, which has the ability to detect the occurrence of instability and at the same time high speed timely estimation of voltage instability in the power system. In addition, this indicator has been used to determine the appropriate time to start load removal (voltage reduction load). All simulations are performed on the IEEE 33-bus network in DIgSILENT software, the results of which indicate that the proposed index has a very low computational load. Because the proposed method for instantaneous voltage instability prediction does not depend on the network structure and load model and does not require any threshold value. Therefore, the proposed index has a very low computational load. These advantages make the proposed method an interesting option for online and practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a research project aimed at designing heuristically oriented exploitation plans based on simple parameters of static modeling rather than complex ones of dynamic modeling for conventional gas reservoirs. The combined use of heuristic rules relying on the Maximum Efficient Rate (MER) criteria and the Maximum Depletion Rate Model (MDRM, Global Energy Research, Uppsala University) was investigated to model a systemic approach for these reservoirs. Integration of these principles and their comparative evaluation led to findings about their mutual relationships, notably the MER to be regarded as a particular case of the MDRM. The rules rely on a combined use of the exponential version of the Fundamental Equation of Mineral Production (EFE) with the exponential decline (ED) curve analysis. A bridge between the physics of flow in porous media and the Law of Conservation of Matter was found by demonstrating the conditions of equivalence between the ED and the EFE. Production data built upon reservoir characterization of the gas reservoirs supported the comparative analysis. A systematic approach enabled the replication of the material balance-based production profiles by applying a MER-based P/R of 0.08 and a MDRM based of 6 for the plateaus of the wet and dry gas reservoirs, respectively. Production models rested on broadly accurate rules relying on mutual relationships between contemporary volumes of reserves and output yields. The production models reviewed appear useful for a discrete application of the Ockham razor criterion to make relatively effortless modeling of conventional gas reservoir production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of a wave manipulator which is used for enhancing the nearshore wave energy density is described in this paper. The manipulator is formed by cascading a converging, uniform, and a diverging channel section for concentrating, stabilizing, and dispersing the waves, respectively. The linear wave theory, mode theory for open channel wave propagation, and some semi-empirical formulations are used for estimating the wave parameters at various points of interest and the location of wave breaking. Further, a regression formula is presented to estimate the phase velocity in the inner surf zone. The energy density and flux are quantified before and after wave breaking inside the manipulator. It is shown that the procedure is most effective if the entrance of the manipulator is placed at the shoaling region but closest to the shore. If the waves are not broken, the relative increase in the energy flux is equal to the level of concentration but that of broken waves is still high enough for energy harnessing. It is also shown that either wave energy convertors or hydro turbines could be used for energy harnessing by setting the dimensions of the manipulator appropriately. Finally, the other advantages of the manipulator are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, methods and approaches of scientific visualization based on additional data analysis are being intensively developed due to the rapid development of computer technology in geology. The general concept is that the main data field on the day surface and additional conditions are specified at the input. Further, the methods of mathematical geophysics are used for their analysis and processing, as a result of which new information is obtained for deep exploration. Then visualization tools are applied to the obtained information and main data field in an information system. Thus, the information system is based on the synthesis of visual representation methods, methods of mathematical geophysics, computational mathematics, and various branches of science. This paper presents a description of the geoinformation system module for deep forecast search modeling of deposits developed on the base of the methods of intelligent anomalies detection of hidden deposits. Operation of the software module is based on the application of the theory of mathematical geophysics inverse problems using geological data on the Earth’s surface, geophysical measurements and geochemical analyses as input data. The software module for the inverse problem of the continuation of potential fields in the direction of perturbing masses is used for real data of a particular mineral deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper puts forward a lead compensatorbased PI controller for Demand Response (DR) loop which is included in the conventional Automatic Load Frequency Control (ALFC) model to improve the frequency control process of power system. Though DR is a good solution for ALFC but the vital problem in DR is the existence of communication delay between control centre and appliances. The proposed lead compensator can generate phase lead at the output of the DR loop to eliminate the adverse effects of the delay on the system performance. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller for ALFC problem, two different twoarea transfer function models of power system are tested. At first the approach is analysed for a wind integrated twoarea thermal power system, later the same is extended for a twoarea hydrothermal system. The system dynamic performances in presence of proposed compensator are obtained with all the controllers tuned. The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique is used to tune all the controller parameters of the DR loop as well as the ALFC loop. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed lead compensator in the event of communication delay and step load variation. Finally, the performance of lead compensator in DR exhibits robust performance even with the variation in disturbance parameters and operating conditions in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an extensive literature search has been employed to extract multiple data on the confined compressive strength of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) concrete columns with noncircular cross-sections. The values collected are related to width (b), length (h), radius of corner (r), thickness of fiber (t), unconfined concrete strength (f’co), tensile strength of fiber (ftf), elastic modulus of fiber (Ef) and the confined strength of the CFRP-jacketed concrete columns (f’cc). The database was used to propose predictive models by artificial neural network (ANN-BP, -GA & -GRG), genetic programming (GP) and the evolutionary polynomial regression (EPR) techniques. The sum of squares errors (SSE), root mean square errors (RMSE) and coefficient determination (R²) performance indices were used to evaluate the performance accuracy and efficiency of the models. At the end of the exercise, the GP and EPR produced closed form equation with performance indices of 0.623 (28%) and 0.815 (20.9%), respectively, and these did not come close to the performance of ANN-BP, -GRG and GA which performed in that order with 0.967 (9.4%), 0.960 (10.3%) and 0.957 (10.6%), respectively. Last, the relative importance of the parameters conducted showed that f’co has the greatest influence on the f’cc of the concrete structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present a framework that facilitates the sharing of EHRs among the community of health-care providers (HCPs). However, the sharing might be obstructed by patients’ privacy and the controlling legislation. Nevertheless, our sharing scheme of EHRs strives to respect patients’ privacy and comply with relevant legislator guidelines, e.g., HIPPA. The proposed work introduces two services while sharing the EHRs: privacy and non-repudiation. To this end, we introduce the partners and the role of each during the course of exchanging of EHRs. The principle of sharing EHRs among HCPs has to be reinforced to save patients’ lives while cryptographic primitives have to be employed to serve this purpose. In this paper, we are motivated to introduce the notion of non-repudiation private membership test (NR-PMT). In NR-PMT, we help patients receive medical services with great flexibility while maintaining their privacy and thwarting all possible threats to disclose their identities. In addition, a formal security analysis based on Kailar’s accountability framework has been used to analyze the proposed framework. Also, a complexity analysis has been conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review presents the progress, challenges and prospects of ultrathin flexible photovoltaic devices based on 2-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials. These devices have shown very high performance in bending stabilities for up to ~90% of their power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) after multiple bending deformations. They are thin film PVs with lightweight and mechanically robust structures that allow use in the continual advancing solar cell applications. In this paper, comprehensive assessments of 2D nanomaterials, their syntheses methods, performance, degradation, mechanical and opto-electronic characterization in flexible photovoltaic (PV) cells are highlighted. Semi-conductor materials such as conjugated donor and acceptor polymers, small donor/acceptor molecules and organometal halide perovskites for use as active layers in such flexible solar cell structures are reviewed. The challenges and prospects associated with the adoption of 2D nanomaterials in flexible solar cells are presented. The review highlights the need to transition laboratory results on 2D nanomaterials based flexible solar cells into scale up and commercialized products despite the existing and also opens research areas for researchers to explore and achieve robust and high-efficient solar devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to map regional ionospheric Total Electron Content (vTEC) using Global Positioning System (GPS) data from 10 different GPS receiver sites in Ethiopia, to capture ionospheric phenomena (such as storm effect, Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) distribution) and to see the hourly evolution of the ionosphere for a single stormy day. GPS based TEC data acquired on 17 March 2013 was used for diurnal and anomaly observations and 17 March 2015 storm-day (storm intensity, Dst = −222nT) data was used for storm-time vTEC mapping. For regional ionosphere characterization, we converted slant TEC (sTEC) to equivalent vTEC. This is done by applying the ionospheric thin shell model. For smooth latitude and longitude boundary interpolation inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation technique was used. The map was produced with spatial resolution of 0:80 by 0:80 latitude and longitude, respectively. The result shows significant diurnal dependence of TEC. It also exhibits an equatorial ionospheric anomaly, characterized by minimum vTEC associated to lower latitudes and maximum vTEC over the higher latitude in the region. We noted that the equatorial anomaly distribution is pronounced during several of the early afternoon hours (13:00Lt, 14:00 LT and 15:00LT). The maps showed the enhancement of vTEC up to 85TECU during 17 March 2015 storm compared to the depletion up to 40TECU on 19 March 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging concerns towards sustainability have encouraged industrial stakeholders to get involved and cooperate to achieve a sustainable supply chain. This paper develops a coordination mechanism for a closed-loop supply chain, operating under several policies to control the carbon emission, namely a carbon tax regulation, government incentives policy, green technology investment, and energy-saving investment. The carbon tax regulation is implemented to lessen the emissions from the manufacturer’s activities. Whereas, to encourage the manufacturer to cut down the emission as well as to increase the product return and energy savings, the government provides incentives based on a target level. The system operates under a variable market demand which is affected by the retailer’s selling price, green technology, and energy-saving levels. The proposed problem is formulated under two different scenarios, which are the centralized model and the decentralized model. To improve the supply chain coordination, we also propose two different contracts, namely the green technology revenue-investment-sharing contract (GRIS contract) and the energy saving revenue-investment-sharing contract (ERIS contract). The system inflicted with two types of inspection error in classifying the returned products. The models are formulated mathematically and optimized using a proposed algorithm. The result shows that the centralized model performs better in maximizing the total profit compared to the decentralized model. The results also imply that the government incentives toward product returns, green technology, and energy-saving actually affect the optimal decision of the supply chain system. In addition, the proposed contracts are proven to provide win– win solutions and improve supply chain coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With web-based education and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) assuming new importance, there has been a shift towards Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) platforms owing to their openness and flexible “on-the-go” nature. The previous decade has seen tremendous research in the field of Adaptive E-Learning Systems but work in the field of personalization in MOOCs is still a promising avenue. This paper aims to discuss the scope of said personalization in a MOOC environment along with proposing an approach to build a knowledge-based recommendation system that uses multiple domain ontologies and operates on semantically related usage data. The recommendation system employs cluster-based collaborative filtering in conjunction with rules written in the Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) and thus is truly a hybrid recommendation system. It has at its core, clusters of learners which are segregated using predicted learning style in accordance with the Felder Silverman Learning Style Model (FSLSM) through the detection of tracked usage parameters. Recommendations are made to the granularity of internal course elements along with learning path recommendation and provided general learning tips and suggestions. The study is concluded with an observed positive trend in the learning experience of participants, gauged through click-through log and explicit feedback forms. In addition, the impact of recommendation is statistically analyzed and used to improve the recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dedicated welding fixtures have been utilized in the railcar manufacturing industry to stabilize welded parts during welding-assembly processes. The use of this fixture results in poor quality and repeatability of welded parts, as well as reduced versatility amongst components and storage problems. The intelligent reconfigurable welding fixture (IRWF) was therefore developed to mitigate the problems encountered in the railcar manufacturing environment. This paper presents the heating-analysis study conducted on the welding fixture components to evaluate the transient heat distribution during the welding of stainless steel 316 components using both an experimental and a finite element analysis approach. In addition the temperature distribution on welded components during a Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding operation was analysed. The TIG welding experiment was first conducted to generate data that served as input during the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) study. A Thermographic camera was used to measure the heat distribution across welded parts immediately after welding. Solid edge FEA was used to conduct a sequential numerical simulation analysis of the thermal heating effects on stainless steel. Thermocouples were embedded in the fixture blocks of the respective welding stations to measure the heat generated on the fixture during welding. The heat analysis study conducted on the fixture using thermocouples yielded very good results. It was successfully proven using experiments that the fixture was exposed to a temperature of less than 30°C during welding. The numerical simulation conducted on welded parts during TIG welding showed a maximum temperature distribution of 309°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]