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Near-Fault Earthquake Ground Motion and Seismic Isolation Design
No full textSeismic isolation is one of the most reliable passive structural control techniques with adequately established standards for the earthquake protection of structures from earthquakes. However, it has been shown that the seismic isolation systems may not function the best for the near-fault ground motions, since in the proximity of a capable fault, the ground motions are significantly affected by the rupture mechanism and may generate high demands on the isolation system and the structure. In fact, several earthquake resistant design codes state that the seismically isolated structures located at near-fault sites should be designed by considering larger seismic demands than the demand on structures at far-field sites. When the fault ruptures in forward direction to the site most of the seismic energy arrives in coherent long-period ground velocity pulses. The ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) typically cannot account for such effects with limited distance metrics and lack adequate data at large magnitudes and near distances. For the reliable earthquake design of the isolated structure in near fault conditions that meets the performance objectives, the 3D design basis ground motion(s) need to be appropriately assessed. Measures in the design of the isolation system, such as modifications in the stiffness and damping characteristics, as well as in the limitation of vertical effects are needed. The behavior of the base-isolated buildings under near-fault (NF) ground motions with fling-step and forward-directivity characteristics are investigated with a rational assessment of design-basis near-fault ground motion, are investigated in a parametric format. The parametric study includes several variables, including the structural system flexibility || number of stories || isolation system characteristic (yield) strength, and the isolation periods related to the post-elastic stiffness. Furthermore, the effect of additional damping by viscous dampers were tested for some selected cases. Important findings observed from the parametric performance results and the overall conclusions of the study are provided.Construction & Building Technology || Engineering, Civi
No SNARC Effect Among Left- to-Right Readers: Evidence From a Turkish Sample
No full textThe spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) refers to the faster left-hand respons- es to smaller numbers and faster right-hand responses to larger numbers. Although easily repli- cable in Western cultures, the prevalence of the SNARC effect in other cultures has long been an issue. In the current study, we aimed to replicate the SNARC effect in a parity judgement task with Turkish participants (N=66) whose reading habits are entirely left-to-right. The results revealed no SNARC effect. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first finding indicating the absence of regu- lar SNARC effect among left-to-right readers in a classical parity judgement task. Based on these findings, we suggest that investigations of cultural influences on spatial-numerical associations should take a broader perspective rather than only focusing on reading habits.Psychology, Experimenta
Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness Performances of Screen Printing Ink and Expanded Graphite Based Composite at X and Ku Bands
No full textIn this study, electromagnetic shielding effectiveness and microwave properties (permittivity and permeability) of the expanded graphite (eGR) embedded in screen printing ink (SPI) were investigated. The experimentally measured scattering parameters were utilized within the Nicolson-Ross-Weir (NRW) algorithm to obtain the intrinsic properties at microwave frequencies. Then these parameters were fed into CST Microwave Studio to check the homogeneity behavior of the proposed sample. Initially, a composite containing 7.9 wt% eGR was chosen and all the measurements in experimental setup (solely in waveguide environment) and CST simulations (waveguide and free-space) were performed for the proposed material. About 10 dB/mm shielding efficiency values were satisfied at X and Ku bands (8-18.4 GHz) and homogenous distribution was observed. Afterwards, a superior composite containing higher eGR concentration was searched with a trade-off the thickness and the concentration/cost. At least 57 dB and at most 77 dB shielding effectiveness values were measured for a 2 mm thickness sample having 16 wt% eGR, which results in more than 25 dB/mm shielding effectiveness at X and Ku bands.Engineering, Electrical & Electroni
Transforming Challenges into Opportunities for Qatar's Food Industry: Self-Sufficiency, Sustainability, and Global Food Trade Diversification
No full textFood trade restrictions pose a serious risk for countries that are heavily reliant on food imports, potentially leading to food crises, inequality, and geopolitical conflicts on a global scale. However, such restrictions may also have transformative effects in promoting food supply chain resilience, security, and self-sufficiency. In this study, a novel econometric analysis is presented, utilizing a data-driven analytical model to investigate the impact of a food embargo on the industry, using Qatar as a case study. A structured and automated food trade database is created using Microsoft Management Server Studio and data visualization software is integrated for automated data discovery. By using a global, trade-based sustainability assessment model, which combines the multi-region input-output (MRIO) analysis with transportation mode-based (sea, road, and air) emissions, the carbon footprint of the dairy food production sector could be estimated. The study shows that the trade embargo on Qatar's food industry can lead to significant reductions in the annual import of food products, promoting self-sufficiency, and reducing the net carbon emissions of the dairy food sector by nearly 40%. This reduction is not only achieved through food supply chain changes, such as transportation modes, but also by restrictions pushing the country to increase domestic production. Overall, the study demonstrates that a trade embargo, with the support of a well-designed national food security strategy, trade/import diversification, and the use of different modes of transportation for food products, can improve the resilience of global supply chains, self-sufficiency, and environmental sustainability.Green & Sustainable Science & Technology || Environmental Sciences || Environmental Studie
Towards Industry 5.0 Challenges for The Textile and Apparel Supply Chain for The Smart, Sustainable, and Collaborative Industry in Emerging Economies
No full textIndustrial revolutions often seek to strengthen the separation of human and machine labor by going one step further, toward automation and digitalization, and the transfer of tough and dangerous occupations to robots. As it strives to include robots in people's daily activities and work, the introduction of concepts such as I5.0 is a step forward in enhancing human-machine interaction and provides some possibilities and challenges for firms. Therefore, this article mainly focuses on studying and concretely examining the challenges faced by businesses transitioning from I4.0 to I5.0 by providing case examples from the textile and apparel supply chain. After a detailed review of the current literature related to the I5.0 challenges, the I5.0 challenges were listed in general. Then, the fuzzy Decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory approach has adopted into the challenges to reveal causal interactions between them thus, prioritizing the substantial challenges to be focused on to influence the entire textile and apparel supply chain.Computer Science, Information Systems || Computer Science, Theory & Method
Energy policy simulation in times of crisis: Revisiting the impact of renewable and non-renewable energy production on environmental quality in Germany
No full textIn this paper, we examine for the first time in the literature the implications of energy policy alternatives for Germany considering the aftermath of coronavirus as well as Electricity and Gas energy supply shortages. Whilst several policy options are open to the government, the choice of investment in renewable energy generation versus disinvestment in non-renewable energy such as coal energy generation provides divergent impacts in the long term. We utilize data from British Petroleum and the World Bank Development Indicator database for Germany covering 1981 to 2020 to explore a Carbon function by applying a battery of Autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL), dynamic ARDL and Kernel-Based Regularized Least squares approaches. The particular policy tested is the pledge by Germany to decrease emissions by similar to 100% in 2050, and this was integrated through the estimation of dynamic ARDL estimation. The simulation result shows that a +61% shock in renewable energy production decreases carbon emissions unlike coal energy production which increases carbon emissions in the beginning but the carbon emissions decrease thereafter. The findings highlight the inevitability of cutting down on coal production, and recommends energy investment alternatives. Hence, Germany's energy policy should contemplate more thoroughly on these factors.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Energy & Fuel
Dynamic performance and sustainability assessment of a PV driven Carnot battery
No full textThis study investigates the performance of a Carnot Battery and performs a thermodynamic-based sustainability analysis using different methods. Carnot batteries have two different operational processes, charge and discharge. Electricity generated from a renewable source is used to operate a heat pump and the heat rejected by the heat pump is stored in the battery, which is then used to generate electricity in the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) at night and called as the discharge process. Climatic data from the city of Izmir, the third largest city by population in Turkey, has been chosen for the dynamic analysis. Exergy-based sustainability and thermo-ecological cost analyses are performed. The results show that the maximum Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the heat pump system is 4.5, the exergy efficiency can reach 0.78 and its the maximum sustainability index is 4.5. For the discharge process, energy efficiency of the ORC is 0.118 while the exergy efficiency is around 0.49 with a sustainability value of about 2.0.Thermodynamics || Energy & Fuel
PrepAnnECG: A user friendly MATLAB ECG preprocessing and annotation GUI for health professionals
No full textElectrocardiography (ECG) is an indispensable tool for diagnosing heart diseases. However, long ECG records should be annotated by clinicians for training the Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms. Furthermore, raw ECG should be processed for better learning. This paper introduces an open-source, user-friendly Matlab preprocessing and annotation interface. preprocessECG offers a GUI for cropping, manual artifact removal, filtering, and segmentation. Also, custom preprocessing software can be invoked from the interface. PrepAnnECG is an easy-to-use ECG annotation GUI that is suitable for long records. The outputs of both GUI are comma-separated value (csv) files that any machine learning algorithm can read.Computer Science, Software Engineerin
Thermal, daylight, and energy potential of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems: A comprehensive review of effects and developments
No full textAccording to energy consumption data of the European Union, buildings account for 40 % of overall energy consumption in all sectors. The rise in building energy demand seriously affects global warming. To reduce demand, buildings must be designed to be energy-efficient. As part of energy-efficiency initiatives, unique sys-tems that employ renewable energy sources should be implemented in buildings. As a new technology, building -integrated photovoltaics is considered an essential technology to achieve this target. Several variables affect the thermal, daylight, and energy performance of building-integrated photovoltaic systems || related to environmental and photovoltaic-related parameters. Thus, the challenges and effects of these variables on the overall perfor-mance of these systems should be investigated. This research analyzes building-integrated photovoltaic imple-mented studies and presents a state-of-art review of recent developments. The study not only summarizes the existing studies developed in this field so far but also analyzes the variables and makes concrete generalizations and inferences. It enables finding gaps and deficiencies in the literature and provides a better understanding of all the variables that affect the performance of building-integrated photovoltaic systems by interpreting the results in detail and representing them graphically instead of only through textual analysis. Results show that building -integrated photovoltaics contribute to constructing a sustainable future for cities. Developments in this industry motivate researchers in this field, whose work will make it easier to cope with future ecological challenges. It helps to build a more sustainable future for society. With new developments, it will be possible to mitigate the effects of future environmental problems.Energy & Fuel
A guide for a guide: using UIA publications for an SDG-focused studio
No full textPurposeThis paper aims to present a data mapping analysis that can be used for aligning the studio course with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by teaching professionals.Design/methodology/approachThe UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), released in 2015, has received global attention from various disciplines and sectors. Professional organizations in architecture have accelerated the engagement between their members and SDGs. This paper analyzes the two volumes of the Architecture Guide to the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals prepared by the efforts of professional organizations or consortiums and published by the UIA between 2018 and 2020. The buildings presented as best practices in these guidebooks were analyzed to demonstrate various ways of capturing the SDGs in the architectural studio when designing the course content, process and teaching materials.FindingsThe analysis presents the kinship among the SDGs and architectural concepts, which are retrieved from the sample buildings in the guidebooks. The findings also refer to the targets for each goal to generate an easily applicable pedagogical path in architectural education. The results are presented as a model approach for SDG-focused studio teaching.Originality/valueAn in-depth review of the literature reveals the need for research based on SDG-focused pedagogies and the UN Architecture Guide.Architectur