Abstract: A feasibility study for the design and construction of a
pilot plant for the extraction of castor oil in South Africa was
conducted. The study emphasized the four critical aspects of project
feasibility analysis, namely technical, financial, market and
managerial aspects. The technical aspect involved research on
existing oil extraction technologies, namely: mechanical pressing and
solvent extraction, as well as assessment of the proposed production
site for both short and long term viability of the project. The site is
on the outskirts of Nkomazi village in the Mpumalanga province,
where connections for water and electricity are currently underway,
potential raw material supply proves to be reliable since the province
is known for its commercial farming. The managerial aspect was
evaluated based on the fact that the current producer of castor oil will
be fully involved in the project while receiving training and technical
assistance from Sasol Technology, the TSC and SEDA. Market and
financial aspects were evaluated and the project was considered
financially viable with a Net Present Value (NPV) of R2 731 687 and
an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 18% at an annual interest rate of
10.5%. The payback time is 6years for analysis over the first 10
years with a net income of R1 971 000 in the first year. The project
was thus found to be feasible with high chance of success while
contributing to socio-economic development. It was recommended
for lab tests to be conducted to establish process kinetics that would
be used in the initial design of the plant.
Abstract: Large metal and concrete structures suffer by various kinds of deterioration, and accurate prediction of the remaining life is important. This paper informs about two methods for its assessment. One method, suitable for steel bridges and other constructions exposed to fatigue, monitors the loads and damage accumulation using information systems for the operation and the finite element model of the construction. In addition to the operation load, the dead weight of the construction and thermal stresses can be included into the model. The second method is suitable for concrete bridges and other structures, which suffer by carbonatation and other degradation processes, driven by diffusion. The diffusion constant, important for the prediction of future development, can be determined from the depth-profile of pH, obtained by pH measurement at various depths. Comparison with measurements on real objects illustrates the suitability of both methods.
Abstract: This study aimed at assessing whether and to what extent moral judgment and behaviour were: 1. situation-dependent; 2. selectively dependent on cognitive and affective components; 3. influenced by gender and age; 4. reciprocally congruent. In order to achieve these aims, four different types of moral dilemmas were construed and five types of thinking were presented for each of them – representing five possible ways to evaluate the situation. The judgment criteria included selfishness, altruism, sense of justice, and the conflict between selfishness and the two moral issues. The participants were 250 unpaid volunteers (50% male; 50% female) belonging to two age-groups: young people and adults. The study entailed a 2 (gender) x 2 (age-group) x 5 (type of thinking) x 4 (situation) mixed design: the first two variables were betweensubjects, the others were within-subjects. Results have shown that: 1. moral judgment and behaviour are at least partially affected by the type of situations and by interpersonal variables such as gender and age; 2. moral reasoning depends in a similar manner on cognitive and affective factors; 3. there is not a gender polarity between the ethic of justice and the ethic of cure/ altruism; 4. moral reasoning and behavior are perceived as reciprocally congruent even though their congruence decreases with a more objective assessment. Such results were discussed in the light of contrasting theories on morality.
Abstract: Forecasting the values of the indicators, which
characterize the effectiveness of performance of organizations is of
great importance for their successful development. Such forecasting
is necessary in order to assess the current state and to foresee future
developments, so that measures to improve the organization-s
activity could be undertaken in time. The article presents an
overview of the applied mathematical and statistical methods for
developing forecasts. Special attention is paid to artificial neural
networks as a forecasting tool. Their strengths and weaknesses are
analyzed and a synopsis is made of the application of artificial neural
networks in the field of forecasting of the values of different
education efficiency indicators. A method of evaluation of the
activity of universities using the Balanced Scorecard is proposed and
Key Performance Indicators for assessment of e-learning are
selected. Resulting indicators for the evaluation of efficiency of the
activity are proposed. An artificial neural network is constructed and
applied in the forecasting of the values of indicators for e-learning
efficiency on the basis of the KPI values.
Abstract: Public bus service plays a significant role in our
society as people movers and to facilitate travels within towns and districts. The quality of service of public bus is always being
regarded as poor, or rather, underestimated as second class means of transportation. Reliability of service, or the ability to deliver service as planned, is one key element in perceiving the quality of bus service and the punctuality index is one of the performance parameters in determining the service reliability. This study
concentrates on evaluating the reliability performance of bus operation using punctuality index assessment. A week data for each
of six city bus routes is recorded using the on-board methodology to calculate the punctuality index for city bus service in Kota Bharu. The results revealed that the punctuality index for the whole city bus network is 94.25% (LOS B).
Abstract: Technology assessment is a vital part of decision process in manufacturing, particularly for decisions on selection of new sustainable manufacturing processes. To assess these processes, a matrix approach is introduced and sustainability assessment models are developed. Case studies show that the matrix-based approach provides a flexible and practical way for sustainability evaluation of new manufacturing technologies such as those used in surface coating. The technology assessment of coating processes reveals that compared with powder coating, the sol-gel coating can deliver better technical, economical and environmental sustainability with respect to the selected sustainability evaluation criteria for a decorative coating application of car wheels.
Abstract: The cycles of the steam-injection gas-turbine systems are studied. The analyses of the parametric effects and the optimal operating conditions for the steam-injection gas-turbine (STIG) system and the regenerative steam-injection gas-turbine (RSTIG) system are investigated to ensure the maximum performance. Using the analytic model, the performance parameters of the system such as thermal efficiency, fuel consumption and specific power, and also the optimal operating conditions are evaluated in terms of pressure ratio, steam injection ratio, ambient temperature and turbine inlet temperature (TIT). It is shown that the computational results are presented to have a notable enhancement of thermal efficiency and specific power.
Abstract: In the present paper the results of a numerical study are presented, numerical models were developed to simulate the behaviour of vertical massive dikes. The proposed models were developed according to the geometry, boundary conditions, loading conditions and initial conditions of a physical model taken as reference. The results obtained were compared to the experimental data. As far as the overall behaviour, the displacements and the failure mechanisms of the dikes is concerned, the numerical results were in good agreement with the experimental results, which clearly indicates a good quality of numerical modelling. The validated numerical models were used in a parametric study were the displacements and failure mechanisms were fully investigated. Out of the results obtained, some conclusions and recommendations related to the design of massive dikes are proposed.
Abstract: High voltage generators are being subject to higher
voltage rating and are being designed to operate in harsh conditions.
Stator windings are the main component of generators in which
Electrical, magnetical and thermal stresses remain major failures for
insulation degradation accelerated aging. A large number of
generators failed due to stator winding problems, mainly insulation
deterioration. Insulation degradation assessment plays vital role in the
asset life management. Mostly the stator failure is catastrophic
causing significant damage to the plant. Other than generation loss,
stator failure involves heavy repair or replacement cost. Electro
thermal analysis is the main characteristic for improvement design of
stator slot-s insulation. Dielectric parameters such as insulation
thickness, spacing, material types, geometry of winding and slot are
major design consideration. A very powerful method available to
analyze electro thermal performance is Finite Element Method
(FEM) which is used in this paper. The analysis of various stator coil
and slot configurations are used to design the better dielectric system
to reduce electrical and thermal stresses in order to increase the
power of generator in the same volume of core. This paper describes
the process used to perform classical design and improvement
analysis of stator slot-s insulation.
Abstract: International competitiveness receives much attention
nowadays, but up to now its assessment has been heavily based on
manufacturing industry statistics. This paper addresses the need for
competitiveness indicators that cover the service sector and sets out a
multilevel framework for measuring international services trade
competitiveness. The approach undertaken here aims at
comparatively examining the international competitiveness of the
EU-25 (the twenty-five European Union member states before the 1st
of January 2007), Romanian and Bulgarian services trade, as well as
the last two countries- structure of specialization on the EU-25
services market. The primary changes in the international
competitiveness of three major services sectors – transportation,
travel and other services - are analyzed. This research attempts to
determine the ability of the two recent European Union (EU) member
states to contend with the challenges that might arise from the hard
competition within the enlarged EU, in the field of services trade.
Abstract: loss of feedwater accident is one of the frequently sever accidents in steam boiler facilities. It threatens the system structural integrity and generates serious hazards and economic loses. The safety analysis of the thermal installations, based extensively on the numeric simulation. The simulation analysis using realistic computer codes like Relap5/Mod3.2 will help understand steam boiler thermal-hydraulic behavior during normal and abnormal conditions. In this study, we are interested on the evaluation of the radiant steam boiler assessment and response to loss-of-feedwater accident. Pressure, temperature and flow rate profiles are presented in various steam boiler system components. The obtained results demonstrate the importance and capability of the Relap5/Mod3.2 code in the thermal-hydraulic analysis of the steam boiler facilities.
Abstract: Paper deals with environmental metrics and assessment systems devoted to Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. Authors are presenting proposed assessment model which has an ability to discover current environmental strengths and weaknesses of Small and Middle Sized Enterprise. Suggested model has also an ambition to become a Sustainability Decision Tool. Model is able to identify "best environmental devision" in the company, and to quantify how this decision contributed into overall environmental improvement. Authors understand environmental improvements as environmental innovations (product, process and organizational). Suggested model is based on its own concept; however, authors are also utilizing already existing environmental assessment tools.
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.
Abstract: The rapid development of the BlackBerry games industry and its development goals were not just for entertainment, but also used for educational of students interactively. Unfortunately the development of adaptive educational games on BlackBerry in Indonesian language that interesting and entertaining for learning process is very limited. This paper shows the research of development of novel adaptive educational games for students who can adjust the difficulty level of games based on the ability of the user, so that it can motivate students to continue to play these games. We propose a method where these games can adjust the level of difficulty, based on the assessment of the results of previous problems using neural networks with three inputs in the form of percentage correct, the speed of answer and interest mode of games (animation / lessons) and 1 output. The experimental results are presented and show the adaptive games are running well on mobile devices based on BlackBerry platform
Abstract: In the hardening energy context, the transport sector
which constitutes a large worldwide energy demand has to be
improving for decrease energy demand and global warming impacts.
In a controversial situation where subsists an increasing demand for
long-distance and high-speed travels, high-speed trains offer many
advantages, as consuming significantly less energy than road or air
transports.
At the project phase of new rail infrastructures, it is nowadays
important to characterize accurately the energy that will be induced
by its operation phase, in addition to other more classical criteria as
construction costs and travel time.
Current literature consumption models used to estimate railways
operation phase are obsolete or not enough accurate for taking into
account the newest train or railways technologies.
In this paper, an updated model of consumption for high-speed is
proposed, based on experimental data obtained from full-scale tests
performed on a new high-speed line. The assessment of the model
is achieved by identifying train parameters and measured power
consumptions for more than one hundred train routes. Perspectives
are then discussed to use this updated model for accurately assess
the energy impact of future railway infrastructures.
Abstract: Extensive rainfall disaggregation approaches have been developed and applied in climate change impact studies such as flood risk assessment and urban storm water management.In this study, five rainfall models that were capable ofdisaggregating daily rainfall data into hourly one were investigated for the rainfall record in theChangi Airport, Singapore. The objectives of this study were (i) to study the temporal characteristics of hourly rainfall in Singapore, and (ii) to evaluate the performance of variousdisaggregation models. The used models included: (i) Rectangular pulse Poisson model (RPPM), (ii) Bartlett-Lewis Rectangular pulse model (BLRPM), (iii) Bartlett-Lewis model with 2 cell types (BL2C), (iv) Bartlett-Lewis Rectangular with cell depth distribution dependent on duration (BLRD), and (v) Neyman-Scott Rectangular pulse model (NSRPM). All of these models werefitted using hourly rainfall data ranging from 1980 to 2005 (which was obtained from Changimeteorological station).The study results indicated that the weight scheme of inversely proportional variance could deliver more accurateoutputs for fitting rainfall patterns in tropical areas, and BLRPM performedrelatively better than other disaggregation models.
Abstract: Monitored 3-Dimensional (3D) video experience can be utilized as “feedback information” to fine tune the service parameters for providing a better service to the demanding 3D service customers. The 3D video experience which includes both video quality and depth perception is influenced by several contextual and content related factors (e.g., ambient illumination condition, content characteristics, etc) due to the complex nature of the 3D video. Therefore, effective factors on this experience should be utilized while assessing it. In this paper, structural information of the depth map sequences of the 3D video is considered as content related factor effective on the depth perception assessment. Cartoon-like filter is utilized to abstract the significant depth levels in the depth map sequences to determine the structural information. Moreover, subjective experiments are conducted using 3D videos associated with cartoon-like depth map sequences to investigate the effectiveness of ambient illumination condition, which is a contextual factor, on depth perception. Using the knowledge gained through this study, 3D video experience metrics can be developed to deliver better service to the 3D video service users.
Abstract: Fault tree analysis is a well-known method for
reliability and safety assessment of engineering systems. In the last 3
decades, a number of methods have been introduced, in the literature,
for automatic construction of fault trees. The main difference between these methods is the starting model from which the tree is constructed. This paper presents a new methodology for the construction of static and dynamic fault trees from a system Simulink
model. The method is introduced and explained in detail, and its correctness and completeness is experimentally validated by using an example, taken from literature. Advantages of the method are also mentioned.
Abstract: Ambiguities in effects of earthquake on various
structures in all earthquake codes would necessitate more study and
research concerning influential factors on dynamic behavior.
Previous studies which were done on different features in different
buildings play a major role in the type of response a structure makes
to lateral vibrations. Diagnosing each of these irregularities can help
structure designers in choosing appropriate setbacks for decreasing
possible damages. Therefore vertical setback is one of the irregularity
factors in the height of the building where can be seen in skyscrapers
and hotels. Previous researches reveal notable changes in the place of
these setbacks showing dynamic response of the structure.
Consequently analyzing 48 models of concrete frames for 3, 6 and 9
stories heights with three different bays in general shape of a surface
decline by height have been constructed in ETABS2000 software,
and then the shape effect of each and every one of these frames in
period scale has been discussed. The result of this study reveals that
not only mass, stiffness and height but also shape of the frame is
influential.
Abstract: In order to study seed yield and seed yield
components in bean under reduced irrigation condition and
assessment drought tolerance of genotypes, 15 lines of White beans
were evaluated in two separate RCB design with 3 replications under
stress and non stress conditions. Analysis of variance showed that
there were significant differences among varieties in terms of traits
under study, indicating the existence of genetic variation among
varieties. The results indicate that drought stress reduced seed yield,
number of seed per plant, biological yield and number of pod in
White been. In non stress condition, yield was highly correlated with
the biological yield, whereas in stress condition it was highly
correlated with harvest index. Results of stepwise regression showed
that, selection can we done based on, biological yield, harvest index,
number of seed per pod, seed length, 100 seed weight. Result of path
analysis showed that the highest direct effect, being positive, was
related to biological yield in non stress and to harvest index in stress
conditions. Factor analysis were accomplished in stress and nonstress
condition a, there were 4 factors that explained more than 76
percent of total variations. We used several selection indices such as
Stress Susceptibility Index ( SSI ), Geometric Mean Productivity (
GMP ), Mean Productivity ( MP ), Stress Tolerance Index ( STI ) and
Tolerance Index ( TOL ) to study drought tolerance of genotypes, we
found that the best Stress Index for selection tolerance genotypes
were STI, GMP and MP were the greatest correlations between these
Indices and seed yield under stress and non stress conditions. In
classification of genotypes base on phenotypic characteristics, using
cluster analysis ( UPGMA ), all allels classified in 5 separate groups
in stress and non stress conditions.