120 research outputs found
If you care: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
No full textIf You Care is a Public Service Announcements (PSA) package that raises awareness about specific autoimmune diseases (which are often misunderstood.) The disabilities accompanied by those autoimmune diseases may seem invisible by the people surrounding the patient. The main target audience for the PSAs are people directly interacting with the patients both at home and in the workplace. The goal is to create understanding and empathy between the patients and their loved ones, in order to cater for their daily needs both physically and emotionally. Essentially, PSAs are based on personal experiences.
Link to website: ifyoucare.ne
Forced Torsional Vibration of a Monopile for Its Extraction
No full textThe offshore monopile decommissioning demand will become definite in the coming years. Our responsibility is to ensure the rights and duties of other legitimate uses by completely removing the ageing monopile from the seabed to continuously redeveloping offshore wind farms within the same location. The growing number of past, present, and future monopile installations opens up the challenges and opportunities to be responsible and lead the decommissioning market. With the goal of complete removal, a novel GDP technique can be the win-win solution for offshore wind operators and contractors to extract the monopiles completely from the seabed using torsional and axial vibrationThis thesis seeks to understand the torque and normal force to safely clamp a monopile during a torsional vibration so that the monopile continuously slips over the soil. Gradual soil failure along the pile-soil interface's full depth due to the monopile's torsional motion is a possible theory to explain the failure mechanism. When an upper part of the pile successfully moves relative to the soil, kinetic friction occurs until the soil resistance is larger than the shearing at one point. If more shearing is added by adding more torque, more layers below will be broken while the upper part keeps sliding due to lower friction than static friction. While the linear elastic theory of solid and thin shell bodies is used within a 3D FE modelling in Ansys to couple the soil and pile, the clamping force due to the GDP shaker is decoupled from the analysis. Failure criterion is defined outside the simulation so that the gradual soil failure is done through several simulations assuming discrete soil layers.The FE model is constructed and verified by analytical calculation through the semi-infinite cavity-pile-soil, wave reflection, and finite cavity-pile-soil-spring-dashpot problems. Several cases of gradual soil failure are simulated and show that the torque amplitudes form a distribution. Firstly, a probabilistic sense is proposed to interpret the torque amplitude and search for the optimum depth of the soil failure. Secondly, a convergence check is made with the help of an analytical shell-spring by considering more soil elements by virtue of good correlation of the shear stress between the analytical and FE model. It eventually suggests that a convergence of the torque amplitude can be achieved, which reinforces the theory of gradual soil failure. The interpretation suggests that the current GDP shaker is one step closer for a monopile extraction test with typical monopile dimensions that correspond to a typical 1 m diameter. A first approximation of the required torque and clamping force is then proposed to benefit the analytical model for larger diameters up to 6 m.Offshore and Dredging Engineering | Bottom Founded Structures, Arctic and Win
Study of graphene incorporation into ZnO-PVA nanocomposites modified electrode for sensitive detection of cadmium
No full textThe presence of heavy metals often causes significant health risks, particularly cadmium, which is known for its high toxicity. In this study, a glassy carbon electrode was successfully modified by incorporating ZnO-PVA-Graphene nanocomposite, leveraging the excellent electrical properties and electron mobility of the material. Comprehensive material analysis, including XRD, confirmed that ZnO maintained its hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure despite the addition of graphene. Moreover, FESEM analysis showed that increasing graphene concentration led to a reduction in ZnO particle size by 85, 68, and 52 nm, respectively, accompanied by a decrease in band gap energy, as verified by UV–Vis measurements. Photoluminescence tests were also conducted and the result showed a noticeable blue shift in ZnO-PVA-Graphene nanocomposites compared to ZnO-PVA, specifically in the near band-edge (NBE) UV emission within the 374–379 nm wavelength range. Through I–V characterization, the optimal graphene concentration for cadmium detection was identified as 1.5 wt% in ZnO-PVA-Graphene nanocomposites, showing an approximate ohmic response. Meanwhile, square-wave voltammetry analysis of cadmium concentrations ranging from 0 to 80 ppm produced a coefficient of determination of 0.98926 and a Limit of Detection (LOD) of 9.88 ppm. These results showed the significant potential of ZnO-PVA-Graphene nanocomposites as a promising material for further development as an effective electrode modifier, enhancing the sensitivity of detection systems
Simulation and characterization of symmetrical planar spring FR4-based for Electrodynamic Vibration Energy Harvesting
No full textGrowth and Characterization of Indium Doped ZnO Nanowires Using Vapor Transport Deposition Method
No full textIndium (In) doped ZnO nanowires (NWs) has been grown on silicon substrate without the use of catalyst. In conventional vapor transport deposition method, the ZnO source powder usually mixed with In dopant and placed in the middle of quartz tube. However, in this work, the graphite mixed ZnO source powder on a crucible was placed at the center of the quartz tube. While the graphite mixed In2O3was placed at the downstream of the furnace with a distance of 1 cm from the graphite mixed ZnO powder. Morphological study has been carried out using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The result showed that the grown NWs have uniform hexagonal nanostructures. Chemical composition has been examined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). XRD spectrum of the In doped ZnO NWs has also been taken to study the crystallinity of the structure.</jats:p
Integration & architecture 1960s: Analyzing how architects dealt with the integration of guest workers from the 1960s through Alvaro Siza’s Punt Komma project
No full texthis article examines the integration of migrants in the Netherlands in the 1960s and its connection with architecture. It examines how architecture, specifically Alvaro Siza’s Punt Komma project in The Hague’s Schilderswijk district contributed to the integration of migrants. The essay poses three research questions on the background of migration in the Netherlands in the 1960s, the obstacles the Punt Komma project faced, and how the design and layout of the project contributed to the integration of migrants into Dutch society. Intended for architects who want to learn from successful integration projects, the essay explores various theoretical frameworks related to social sustainability, inclusivity, and community development inarchitectureAR2A011Architectural History ThesisArchitecture, Urbanism and Building Science
Choice Overload in E-Tourism: The influence of choice complexity and maximizing tendency on post-choice satisfaction
No full textThe dynamic nature of the market with constant technological developments continuously changes expectations from users over time. This drives businesses to alter their product and service offerings to maintain a competitive advantage, stable growth and, high customer satisfaction. Since economic goals drive businesses, it is often assumed that abundance of choice options is better, and will eventually result in increased profitability for the business. However, this is not necessarily the case. Consumers may experience a subjective state of mind termed as “choice overload” when presented with a plenitude of choice options. Consequently, consumers may fall victim to indecision, reduced customer satisfaction, and increased regret, to name a few. Previous research has formulated a cohesive understanding of choice overload in consumer decision making. Extant research in the field of consumer behaviour has identified several antecedents and concomitants of choice overload experienced by consumers. A vast bulk of research has also discovered repugnant effects of choice overload, due to context-dependency and other intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing the choice overload effect. As a result, the questions of when and whether large assortments are detrimental to consumers remains open. This, offers an opportunity to extend the literature in this field by considering different contextual factors and variables that were thus far overlooked. The present study specifically aims to reduce the research gap that exists between Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) by understanding the choice overload effect, within the domain of e-tourism. Apprehension of the choice environment and consumer purchase behaviour is essential to close this existing gap and increase customer satisfaction. In this study, choice complexity is considered as an antecedent of choice overload. Choice complexity encapsulates two structural factors of the choice set – number of alternatives and number of attributes/levels. These factors allow for the construction of a measurement variable for choice complexity (entropy) where high entropy translates to high choice complexity. Moreover, individual differences in maximizing behavioural tendency (in terms of strategy and goal) are investigated. When consumers score high on maximizing tendency strategy, they optimize choice through employing a strategy of extensive information search. Similarly, when consumers score high on maximizing tendency goals, they strive to obtain the best possible choice from the available alternatives. Post-choice satisfaction is defined as the post-decision evaluation of the choice selected by the consumer. Specifically measured on two constructs - general satisfaction and outcome satisfaction. General satisfaction measures satisfaction of the consumer related to the process of arriving at a decision. Whereas, outcome satisfaction measures satisfaction related to the certainty in the choice decision. A choice experiment practically assessed the relationship between choice complexity and post-choice satisfaction, moderated by consumer purchase behaviour. The experimental design consisted of a Low Complex (LC) choice set and a High Complex (HC) choice set (distinguished based on entropy measurements) that allowed for the measurement and comparison of perceived complexity in a complicated choice environment. Respondents conducted a post-choice questionnaire designed to assess post-choice satisfaction and perceived choice complexity. Consumer purchase behaviour was assessed in a different section of the survey based on two different scales - maximizing tendency strategy and maximizing tendency goal. Statistical analysis was conducted on the obtained data to find the relationship between the variables under study. The experiment established the existence of choice complexity in e-tourism. Results showed an inverse relationship between choice complexity and post-choice satisfaction indicating that respondents were less satisfied with their choice when presented with a choice set of high choice complexity. Moreover, maximizing tendency strategy negatively influenced this relationship. Maximizers (i.e., respondents who scored high on the scale assessing maximizing behavioural tendency for strategy), extensively search through alternatives, eventually to formulate trade-offs and comparisons between the alternatives presented. Such maximizers were less satisfied with their choice having gone through a choice set of high complexity as compared to a choice set of low complexity. No such effects were found for the scale, maximizing tendency goals. The detriments of offering too much choice are real. Businesses within service industries such as e-tourism are therefore recommended to improve the quality/quantity of content due to intrinsic (i.e., intangibility, high monetary value, less purchase frequency) and extrinsic (i.e., a high number of alternatives and number of attributes/levels) factors. Each of these factors may make the service offering more complex for consumers to choose from. Managerial implications of the present study include the perspective (technology-centered view and human-centered view) that businesses can adopt. This perspective acknowledges the existence of choice complexity and maximizing tendencies, thereby optimizing the digitized environment towards better personalization. Doing this correctly would result in increased customer satisfaction due to better adaptation of digital environments by businesses to the needs and behaviours of consumers. The inclusion of entropy accurately provides the amount of information in bits; this measurement variable could be used by businesses to improve their algorithms. Finally, some companies in e-tourism have already begun to implement similar strategies, and reported in a significant increase in customer satisfaction, reservations, and overall sales. This gives evidence towards the practical importance of this study, and further emphasizes that businesses can indeed optimize their approach specifically towards the quality/quantity of content provided to consumers. In conclusion, the present study shows a negative relationship between choice complexity and post-choice satisfaction, with the inclusion of maximizing tendencies within the domain of e-tourism. Business may derive implications from this research to optimize their digital environments through increase in content personalization and reduction in choice complexity.Management of Technology (MoT
Characterization of co-synthesized titanium and ZnO nanostructures
Get PDFPure and ZnO-Ti mixed nanowires were synthesized on a p-type silicon wafer. ZnO powder and Ti were mixed and mechanically milled in a ball milling machine. ZnO-Ti mixed nanowires were grown from the milled powder by using thermal evaporation method. Pure and ZnO-Ti mixed nanowires were grown by vapor solid method, using a furnace at 1000degC on a p-type silicon wafer. Characterizations have been done by FE-SEM, EDX and XRD. FE-SEM micrograph shows that the ZnO-Ti mixed nanowires are utilizing ZnO nanowires as bases to start the growth. Ti nanostructure cannot grow directly on the substrate. The segregative growth of Ti and ZnO nanowires describe the difficulty of incorporating Ti into ZnO nanowires
A Risk Analysis Approach to Prioritizing Epidemics: Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa as a Case Study
Get PDFabstract: The 2014 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak affected several countries worldwide, including six West African countries. It was the largest Ebola epidemic in the history and the first to affect multiple countries simultaneously. Significant national and international delay in response to the epidemic resulted in 28,652 cases and 11,325 deaths. The aim of this study was to develop a risk analysis framework to prioritize rapid response for situations of high risk. Based on findings from the literature, sociodemographic features of the affected countries, and documented epidemic data, a risk scoring framework using 18 criteria was developed. The framework includes measures of socioeconomics, health systems, geographical factors, cultural beliefs, and traditional practices. The three worst affected West African countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia) had the highest risk scores. The scores were much lower in developed countries that experienced Ebola compared to West African countries. A more complex risk analysis framework using 18 measures was compared with a simpler one with 10 measures, and both predicted risk equally well. A simple risk scoring system can incorporate measures of hazard and impact that may otherwise be neglected in prioritizing outbreak response. This framework can be used by public health personnel as a tool to prioritize outbreak investigation and flag outbreaks with potentially catastrophic outcomes for urgent response. Such a tool could mitigate costly delays in epidemic response.The final version of this article, as published in Risk Analysis, can be viewed online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/risa.12876/abstrac
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