Engineering

Communities of nuclear workers have evolved in distinctive contexts. During the Manhattan Project the UK, USA and Canada collectively developed the first reactors, isotope separation plants and atomic bombs and, in the process, nurtured distinct cadres of specialist workers. Their later workplaces were often inherited from wartime facilities, or built anew at isolated locations. For a decade, nuclear specialists were segregated and cossetted to gestate practical expertise. At Oak Ridge Tennessee, for example, the informal ‘Clinch College of Nuclear Knowledge’ aimed (...) to industrialise the use of radioactive materials. ‘We were like children in a toy factory’, said its Director: ‘everyone could play the game of designing new nuclear power piles’. His counterpart at Chalk River, Ontario headed a project ‘completely Canadian in every respect’, while the head of the British project chose the remote Dounreay site in northern Scotland because of design uncertainties in the experimental breeder reactor. With the decline of secrecy during the mid-1950s, the hidden specialists lauded as ‘atomic scientists’ gradually became visible as new breeds of engineers, technologists and technicians responsible for nuclear reactors and power plants. Mutated by their different political contexts, occupational categories, labour affiliations, professional representations and popular depictions, their activities were disputed by distinct audiences. This chapter examines the changing identities of nuclear specialists and the significance of their secure sites. Shaped successively by Cold War secrecy, commercial competition and terrorist threats, nuclear energy remained out of site for wider publics and most nuclear specialists alike. The distinctive episodes reveal the changing working experiences of technical workers in late-twentieth and early twenty-first century environments. (shrink)

Tháng đầu năm 2024 chứng kiến mức tăng rất đáng kể số lượt download chương trình máy tính bayesvl của AISDL chạy trên R và Stan. Đồ thị của RDocumentation (CRAN) dưới đây cho thấy hình ảnh bước nhảy khi có dữ liệu của tháng 1-2024.

The spatial-ecological modeling is relating sustainable dispersions with social development. Sustainability with spatial-ecological model gives attention to urban environments in the design review management to comply with Earth’s system. Naturally exchanged patterns of ecosystems have consistent and periodic cycles to preserve energy flows and materials in Earth’s system. The Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) technique is utilized to assess the safety of an industrial complex. The other analytical approach is the Failure-Safe Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) for critical components. The plant (...) safety parameters are identified for engineering topology as employed in assessment safety of industrial ecology. In particular, the most severe accidental release of hazardous gaseous is postulated, analyzed and assessment in industrial region. The IAEA-safety assessment procedure is used to account the duration and rate of discharge of liquid chlorine. The ecological model of plume dispersion width and concentration of chlorine gas in the downwind direction is determined using Gaussian Plume Model in urban and rural areas and presented with SURFER®. The prediction of accident consequences is traced in risk contour concentration lines. The local greenhouse effect is predicted with relevant conclusions. The spatial-ecological model is predicted for multiple factors distribution schemes of multi-criteria analysis. The input–output analysis is explored from the spillover effect, and we conducted Monte Carlo simulations for sensitivity analysis. Their unique structure is balanced within “equilibrium patterns”, such as the composite index for biosphere with collective structure of many distributed feedback flows. These dynamic structures are related to have their physical and chemical properties and enable a gradual and prolonged incremental pattern. While this spatial model structure argues from ecology, resource savings, static load design, financial and other pragmatic reasons, the outcomes are not decisive in an artistic/architectural perspective. The hypothesis is deployed to unify analytic and analogical spatial structure in development urban environments using optimization loads as an example of integrated industrial structure where the process is based on engineering topology of systems ecology. (shrink)

Trong bối cảnh các hoạt động kinh tế và xã hội ngày càng được kết nối tốt hơn thông qua IoT, và sắp tới đây là tiềm năng tích hợp AI vào hầu như mọi mặt của đời sống ở cả thế giới thực và thế giới ảo, thì không chỉ cá nhân, mà cả doanh nghiệp và quốc gia cũng sẽ phải đối mặt với các thách thức chưa từng có tiền lệ đối với rủi ro về an ninh (...) thông tin... (shrink)

Text classification is one of the most important task in natural language processing, In this research, we carried out several experimental research on three (3) of the most popular Text classification NLP classifier in Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Multinomial Naive Bayes (MNB), and Support Vector Machine (SVN). In the presence of enough training data, Deep Learning CNN work best in all parameters for evaluation with 77% accuracy, followed by SVM with accuracy of 76%, and multinomial Bayes with least performance of (...) 69% accuracy. CNN has the best performance in the presence of large enough training dataset because of the presence of filter/ kernels which help to indentify patterns in text data regardless of their position in the sentence. -/- We repeated the training again with just one-third of our data, at this point SVM comes with the best performance, the performance of CNN noticeably drops but still better than Multinomial Naive Bayes, the reason why SVM works best when we reduce the training data was because of its ability to look for a hyper-plane that creates a boundary between different classes of data so as to properly classify them, so we believed that getting the hyper-plane was more efficient when we reduce the dataset, hence reason for the good performance. Multinomial Naive Bayes have the least performance which we attributed to its assumption of independency between the features which sometimes does not hold true. We concluded that availability of data should be an important factor when choosing classifier for Natural Language Processing Text Classification task. CNN should be use in the presence of enough dataset, and SVM should be use when data is not enough. Multinomial Naive Bayes must not be trusted with state of the art NLP task due to its assumption of independency between the features. (shrink)

Sự tiến bộ nhanh chóng của các nền tảng Công nghệ Thông tin (CNTT) và ngôn ngữ lập trình đã làm thay đổi hình thái vận động và phát triển của xã hội loài người. Không gian mạng và các tiện ích đi kèm ngày càng được mở rộng, dẫn đến sự chuyển dịch dần từ đời sống trong thế giới thực sang đời sống trong thế giới ảo (còn gọi là không gian mạng hay không gian số). Trong bối (...) cảnh các hoạt động kinh tế và xã hội ngày càng được kết nối tốt hơn thông qua IoT, và sắp tới đây là tiềm năng tích hợp AI vào hầu như mọi mặt của đời sống ở cả thế giới thực và thế giới ảo, thì không chỉ cá nhân, mà cả doanh nghiệp và quốc gia cũng sẽ phải đối mặt với các thách thức chưa từng có tiền lệ đối với rủi ro về an ninh thông tin. Sự mở rộng và phát triển của các Mô hình Xử lý Ngôn ngữ Tự nhiên (Natural Language Processing – NLP) và Mô hình Ngôn ngữ Lớn (Large Language Model – LLM) thể hiện những đặc điểm giống con người về lập luận, nhận thức, sự chú ý và sáng tạo đã giúp con người vượt qua rào cản về khả năng vận hành. Đi kèm với các tiềm năng to lớn của AI là những lỗ hổng bảo mật mới và các rủi ro về an ninh thông tin phức tạp hơn. Khi xã hội vẫn đang cố gắng chuyển mình sang giai đoạn mới để có thể thích ứng với sự biến đổi công nghệ, cuộc cách mạng AI lại tiếp tục diễn ra đòi hỏi chúng ta phải suy nghĩ lại quỹ đạo của quá trình chuyển đổi xã hội vì nó có thể làm trầm trọng hơn các rủi ro an ninh thông tin được trình bày ở trên. Cụ thể, xã hội cần tiến hóa như thế nào để có thể bắt kịp với sự biến đổi mang tính đột phá tạo ra bởi làn sóng công nghệ AI hiện nay? Làm sao để quản lý và tận dụng sức mạnh của chúng trong khi vẫn đảm bảo được an ninh thông tin khi không gian và thời gian sống trong thế giới ảo của chúng ta ngày càng tăng? Các câu hỏi này sẽ được trả lời thông qua bài viết. (shrink)

Objective of the study: To analyze the costs and profits of sugarcane production regarding the cultural practices of sugarcane suppliers. Methodology/approach: This study positions itself in this gap by comparatively analyzing 6 types of cultural practices: unraveling, windrowing, application of correctives, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers, with the option of two systems Fixed rate (TF) and Variable rate (TV). Originality/Relevance: Brazil is a world reference in sugarcane production, with the State of São Paulo being the largest Brazilian producer. However, for sugarcane (...) suppliers to maintain this activity there is a need to reduce production costs and increase profitability/ha. However, there is a theoretical-practical gap in the financial assessment (costs and profits) of different cultural practices inherent to sugarcane production. Main results: The results demonstrated that the costs of cultural practices represent more than 30% of the total sugarcane production costs. The TF system proved to be more cost-efficient in the following operations: correctives, herbicides and insecticides. In the application of fertilizers, the TV system, in broadcast mode, had the best result. Finally, the profit/ton was R$1.70, demonstrating a very low profit margin/ha given the risk of the activity. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The sample for this research comprised 55 sugarcane suppliers from the State of São Paulo, whose data were obtained through a survey. The comparative analysis was based on the difference in costs of cultural practices and the estimation of the level of certainty (profit/costs), analyzed through the cumulative frequency carried out through the Monte Carlo Simulation (SMC). (shrink)

Humankind is currently confronted with a critical challenge that determines its very existence, not only on an individual, racial, or national level but as a whole species: the fight against climate change and environmental degradation. To win this battle, humanity needs innovations and non-linear thinking. Nature has long been a substantial information source for unthinkable discoveries that save human lives. The paper suggests that by understanding the nature, emergence, and mechanism of serendipity, the survival skill of humans, humanity can capitalize (...) on it to learn from nature and generate nature-based innovations that can address the climate and environmental degradation crises. In the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) proliferation, AI will be a vital tool providing navigational and useful information to leverage the power of serendipity in climate and sustainability science. However, an eco-surplus culture that incorporates core values pertaining to nature and sees environmental sustainability as the conscience of the times needs to be built to direct and control the immense power of AI-leveraged serendipity. Insights applied in this paper are drawn from the book titled “A New Theory of Serendipity: Nature, Emergence and Mechanism”. (shrink)

Trưa ngày 20-9-2023, thị trường điện lực quốc gia Australia đã ghi nhận kỷ lục công suất phát từ các nguồn năng lượng tái tạo, bao gồm điện mặt trời áp mái, các nhà máy phát điện mặt trời quy mô lớn và điện gió, đạt mức 70,6%, cao nhất trong lịch sử.

Healthcare professionals decide wisely about personalized medicine, treatment plans, and resource allocation by utilizing big data analytics and machine learning. To guarantee that algorithmic recommendations are impartial and fair, however, ethical issues relating to prejudice and data privacy must be taken into account. Big data analytics and machine learning have a great potential to disrupt healthcare, and as these technologies continue to evolve, new opportunities to reform healthcare and enhance patient outcomes may arise. In order to investigate the patient’s outcomes (...) with empirical evidence, this research was conducted using an online survey to incorporate healthcare professionals, patient’s reviews, and clinical staff. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0 to predict the structural model. The findings revealed a direct impact as positive influence of using machine learning on healthcare performance and patient outcomes through big data analytics. Moreover, it is evident that this can lead to personalized treatment plans, early interventions, and improved patient outcomes. Additionally, big data analytics can help healthcare providers optimize resource allocation, improve operational efficiency, and reduce costs. The impact of big data analytics on patient outcome and healthcare performance is expected to continue to grow, making it an important area for investment and research. (shrink)

Historic preservation, which is a vital act for conveying people’s understanding of the past, such as events, ideas, and places to the future, allows people to preserve history for future generations. Additionally, since the historic properties are currently concentrated in urban areas, an urban-oriented approach will contribute to the issue. Hence, public awareness is a key factor that paves the way for this conservation. Public history, a history with a public audience and special methods of representation, can serve society in (...) this regard. Historical video games, which get their game objectives from the past, can be considered a form of public history, raising people’s awareness and letting them gain historical experience. While plenty of studies focused on this content with various approaches, this study takes the topic under consideration with a player-oriented focus. The research uses the Steam video game digital distribution service database to explore the existing historical games based on their genre, player scale, dimension, VR compatibility attributes, and player rating. The database includes 1,148 games published between 2002 and 2022, filtered as historical by Steam tags and sorted by player review. For the data collection, the study uses the Octoparse web scraping tool for data extraction, and for the data analysis, it uses RapidMiner Studio data mining software. The study aims to provide a framework applicable to the development of commercially playable historical video games contributing to heritage preservation by raising public awareness in the context of public history. (shrink)

Trưa ngày 20/9/2023, thị trường điện lực quốc gia Úc đã ghi nhận kỷ lục công suất phát từ các nguồn năng lượng tái tạo, bao gồm điện mặt trời áp mái, các nhà máy phát điện mặt trời quy mô lớn và điện gió, đạt mức 70,6%, cao nhất trong lịch sử. Nhiều người vui mừng trước thông tin này. (Tạp chí Kinh tế & Dự báo; ngày 7-10-2023).

Trong bài viết này chúng tôi trình bày thông tin đại cương về vai trò của nickel trong công nghiệp chế tạo giữa bối cảnh yêu cầu bảo vệ môi sinh trong đại nghị sự mục tiêu phát triển bền vững (SDG) của Liên Hợp Quốc ngày một cấp bách, đối diện với nguy cơ không thể hoàn thành. Các thông tin tóm lược ở đây được dẫn chiếu tới một số nhỏ các tài liệu tham khảo chính và không (...) thể đảm bảo tính trọn vẹn trong khuôn khổ một bài báo nhỏ. Những vấn đề đặt ra có tính tổng quát cho quan hệ môi sinh với việc khai khoáng, tách và tinh chế nickel nói chung trên thế giới. Vì thế, có thể thông tin trong bài không hoàn toàn trùng khớp với tình hình cụ thể của một địa phương trên trái đất, do đặc điểm địa lý, địa chất và kinh tế-công nghệ khác biệt. Bài viết tập trung xoay quanh nguyên lý quan hệ kinh tế-môi trường và ý nghĩa thực tiễn của cụm từ “bền vững” trong bối cảnh cụ thể của công nghiệp nickel. (shrink)

The incorporation of thermal insulation materials into building walls is a novel strategy for reducing heating and cooling energy consumption. Nowadays, the issues of energy production, consumption, and energy storage have become global problems. Furthermore, the thermal insulation of buildings increases the thermal comfort of residential premises in order to save energy. The use of several kinds of thermal insulation materials is required in the construction sector. This paper compares the thermal and moisture performance of two different types of walls. (...) The buildings taken under consideration are located in two different Tirana neighborhoods, close to each other sharing similar climate parameters. Depending on the presence of thermal insulation, two types of walls were taken into consideration. A wall in which thermal insulation is not present and a wall with a ventilated façade system, are considered. Thermal insulation in the second case is made with rock mineral cotton. In order to obtain the most accurate results, pertinent temperature and humidity, measurements were made at several spots along the walls. The comparative analysis was performed using special measuring instruments. The temperature and moisture level in the internal walls and the temperatures of the external walls, at various spots on the walls, were taken into consideration, along with the layers of the relevant walls in both cases. The aim of this paper is to experimentally study the thermal performance of walls with various types of thermal insulation, including the ventilated façade system, as well as walls without thermal insulation. The purpose of the study is also to show how the technical and architectural methods utilized during construction affect the moisture and temperature fluctuations of the perimeter walls. (shrink)

For smart cities, data-driven innovation promises societal benefits and increased well-being for residents and visitors. At the same time, the deployment of data-driven innovation poses significant ethical challenges. Although cities and other public-sector actors have increasingly adopted ethical principles, employing them in practice remains challenging. In this commentary, we use a virtue-based approach that bridges the gap between abstract principles and the daily work of practitioners who engage in and with data-driven innovation processes. Inspired by Aristotle, we describe practices of (...) data-driven innovation in a smart city applying the concepts of virtue and phronêsis, meaning good judgment of and sensitivity to ethical issues. We use a dialogic case-study approach to study two cases of data-driven innovation in the city of Helsinki. We then describe as an illustration of how our approach can help bridge the gap between concrete practices of data-driven innovation and high-level principles. Overall, we advance a theoretically grounded, virtue-based approach, which is practice oriented and linked to the daily work of data scientists and other practitioners of data-driven innovation. Further, this approach helps understand the need for and importance of individual application of phronêsis, which is particularly important in public-sector organizations that can experience gaps between principle and practice. This importance is further intensified in cases of data-driven innovation in which, by definition, novel and unknown contexts are explored. (shrink)

Artificial Intelligence and Sensor Technologies the Future of Special Education for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Trung Quốc là nền kinh tế lớn hàng đầu thế giới, vận hành với hiệu suất cao để đáp ứng nhu cầu sinh kế của hơn 1,4 tỷ người dân, và cung cấp một lượng hàng hóa công nghệ, tiêu dùng và cả nông phẩm tới thế giới. Hệ quả tất yếu của quá trình tăng trưởng liên tục hơn 4 thập niên là việc sử dụng tài nguyên, và trong quá trình sản xuất, chế tạo, chế biến cũng sản (...) sinh ra một lượng khí nhà kính (GHG) tích lũy khổng lồ phát thải vào khí quyển. (shrink)

Cuộc tranh luận xung quanh việc sử dụng năng lượng hạt nhân đã là một vấn đề gây tranh cãi trong nhiều thập kỷ và tiếp tục gây chia rẽ ý kiến trên toàn cầu. Một mặt, những người ủng hộ cho rằng, năng lượng hạt nhân là nguồn năng lượng đáng tin cậy và có hàm lượng carbon thấp, có khả năng đáp ứng nhu cầu năng lượng ngày càng tăng của nhân loại, đồng thời giảm phát thải khí (...) nhà kính. Mặt khác, những người phản đối nêu lên mối lo ngại về rủi ro an toàn, xử lý chất thải hạt nhân và khả năng xảy ra tai nạn thảm khốc. Bài viết này sẽ xem xét cả hai mặt của lập luận để xác định liệu chúng ta có nên giữ năng lượng hạt nhân như một phần trong cơ cấu năng lượng của mình hay không. (shrink)

Quá trình chuyển đổi từ phương tiện chạy bằng nhiên liệu hóa thạch (xăng, dầu) sang phương tiện chạy bằng điện (EV) đại diện cho một thời kỳ mới, rất quan trọng trong lịch sử vận tải. Vào lúc này, khi thế giới vật lộn với những thách thức về biến đổi khí hậu, ô nhiễm không khí và trữ lượng nhiên liệu hóa thạch ngày càng cạn kiệt, việc chuyển đổi sang xe điện được coi là một bước quan (...) trọng hướng tới một tương lai bền vững hơn. (shrink)

This paper is going to deal with water absorption in different types of wood such as: pine, oak, beech, and fir. The amount of water absorbed by these types of wood is known as water absorption and it is determined using the material's initial state and after their immersion in water. The major goal of this study is to explain the effects of water absorption in hardwood materials and to demonstrate the changes that will take place in them over the (...) course of 48 hours. Water can be absorbed by wood in a variety of ways, as a liquid, or as an atmospheric vapor. Despite the fact that wood can absorb other liquids and gases, water is the most important. Because of its hygroscopicity, wood, whether as part of a living tree or as a material, always contains moisture. The experiment will be focused on the selection of different types of wood (most popular in the Albanian context), analyzing their water absorption and moisture level. The wooden samples will be submerged in water for 24 and 48 hours in order to obtain the appropriate results. Their moisture level and water level due to capillarity will be analyzed too. The purpose of the study is to follow the behavior of wooden frames in different environments. (shrink)

Acoustic pollution is one of the main pollutants nowadays but it is not considered of great importance in the construction field, despite some studies showing that most of acoustic pollution is produced by buildings under construction and roads with high traffic. The aim of the paper is to compare the noise levels at different time of the day in two different buildings which have different characteristics and different construction materials. The goal is to understand how well sound isolated civil buildings (...) are and how engineers have calculated the noise levels based on the specific area. The buildings are located at “Zogu Zi”, Tirana, Albania. The case study area is an area that consistently harvests noise from heavy traffic. The impact of the noise and the sound insulation materials in the wellbeing of the inhabitance is going to be analyzed too. The aim of this paper is displaying a comparative study on the actual noise levels generated by this area. It indicates the acoustic properties of the current building materials followed by a more suitable soundproof insulation. (shrink)

Many countries in Eastern Europe, during the 1960–1970s, as well as Albania responded to the growing demand for new houses utilizing the emerging trends for industrialization of the construction process and mass construction of prefabricated residential buildings based on large-panel prefabricated RC elements. During the 1970s large-panel buildings spread throughout the country and became the main type of construction in the Albanian cities such as Shkodër, Tirana, Durrës, Elbasan, Berat, etc. Most of these buildings have five or six stories and (...) comprise different modules, the number of which depends on the urban and architectonic projects. The construction technology of these types of buildings included only the construction of prefabricated reinforced concrete material and did not take into account the energy performance of these structures. Since the moment of construction, only in the last year, several interventions have been made in different cities where a layer of polystyrene has been placed on the external walls of these buildings in order to enhance their thermal insulation. The aim of this paper is to improve the thermal performance of these buildings by introducing a comparison of their initial situation as they are today and how their performance would be if innovative technologies and materials were applied. The study is going to analyse the thermal performance of the existing buildings, by means of the thermal camera in the city of Kamez, located in Tirana, which has been chosen as a key study. Furthermore, the data obtained from the MEEC application are gathered, in order to compare the previous, the existing situation and the proposed intervention. The results may be used by municipalities of different cities, not only in the Albanian context, either where interventions have been made to improve their performance, or for municipalities where thermal regulation policies have not been yet implemented for these types of buildings. The existing situation of the buildings according to the calculations, showed a poor thermal performance, regardless of the fact that they are already equipped with thermal insulation building envelope. They have to be requalified in order to be categorized as a building with high thermal performance. (shrink)

The foundation of a building connects the main body superstructure to the ground. Every form of foundation and footing have a unique application in a given location for a certain weather condition. Understanding the foundation work is crucial for carrying out building activities. Due to the variety of structures they support, foundations are frequently built in different subsoil conditions and are exposed to static loads. The proper evaluation of soil-bearing capacity is fundamental to the construction of various buildings. One of (...) the quick, easy, and affordable ways to determine soil carrying capacity is the plate load test. The effect of subsoil conditions on the test results is assessed and analyzed in thorough parametric investigations. An overview of axial static and dynamic plate load testing will be given in this study. This article presents detailed processes and schematics. In an effort to highlight the differences and shared characteristics of the results, computational test results of the static load plate test and the dynamic load plate test are contrasted. A load cell, a steel plate, a hydraulic actuator mounted on a big truck to apply a load, a load cell to measure the load, and one or more linear variable displacement transformers to measure the vertical displacements make up the test setup. The maximum thrust load that should be applied to a fixed or stationary actuator when it is not moving is known as a "static load depending on the actuator's static load capacity, we can determine what a safe load is. The maximum thrust load that should be applied to the actuator while it is moving is known as a dynamic load. Dynamic load capacity refers to how much force an actuator can exert when driven and extending or retracting. With each method's benefits and drawbacks considered, it can be determined that using them in various situations and agreeing to the confrontation of these tests for the purpose of comparing results is the best course of action in order to have a base that satisfies the construction standards. (shrink)

This paper will provide information about the concrete brand produced in the factory for the prefabricated elements and the comparison of the results given by the test of resistance to compression and the results of the test of the hammer impact of the sclerometer. The idea and the need to conduct this study arose for 2 main reasons: first, from the poor results often obtained from sclerometer impact to the elements in the field, despite the compression resistance test with cubic (...) samples taken in the concrete cast and the carrot test directly on the element assembled in the building provides good results. Secondly, to have a connection between the values of the concrete brand resulting from the pressure resistance test with a press performed in the laboratory and the impact test with the sclerometer hammer which is often performed in the field under different conditions. The sclerometer impact tests will be performed on each cube sample before it is broken, in the press, and the sclerometer impact tests will be performed on the concrete elements from which the cube sample was taken on the day that this sample will be destroyed. The predicted results are relatively close values related to the age between14th day and the 28th day of the concrete maturity, as determined by the manual of the sclerometer that the study is going to use, and other values for the other days (1, 3,7,14,28). But in fact, just like in the field tests done before, it is noticed that the results obtained from the blows with the sclerometer hammer are weak. The aim of the paper is to find a logical connection between the results of these 2 types of tests. This study will contain information on the composition of the concrete produced in the IXHEM SHPK factory (ltd) located in Durres-Albania, the brands of concrete on different days for different elements, and the comparison of the results between the 2 methods mentioned above. (shrink)

This article presents information about facades, their thermal insulating role in buildings in Albania. The façade in construction is one of the necessary factors to ensure a longer life of the buildings and indoor thermal comfort. Façade systems are composed of different materials, which provide a protective effect during the life of the building. The article will focus on the characteristic materials used in Albania for the construction of facades and the main materials used from the year 2000 up to (...) today. The article will be informative, statistical, and comparative in order to draw conclusions. Nowadays building facades are again becoming one of the main subjects of discussion, undoubtedly due to the increasing importance of the building envelope in relation to energy consumption. In the 90s, minimal attention was paid to the efficiency and quality of facades; everything was done strictly in relation to residency requirements. But, during this last decade, Albania experienced a construction boom, with a series of good new buildings, which are accompanied by progress in the architectural style and in the techniques of building materials usage. However, the advantages of façade systems in construction are not only to make the building long-lasting. The function of facades always undergoes changes and advances over time, in terms of their impact on the temperature fluctuations inside the building or energy storage. (shrink)

Is it about energy?! This paper consists of the analysis of the construction of the Fierza's dam, built on the Drin river bed in 1978. During the study of the dam construction scheme and later during the design of the projects, various problems were taken into account, such as the geological conditions of the area where the hydropower plants were erected, the construction materials, the most suitable solution for the type of dam, the auxiliary works, their construction, sequence and time. (...) For centuries, the world's water resources have been developed to benefit mankind. The construction of dams in order to create reservoirs has served many purposes. These are some common uses such as water supply, hydroelectric power, flood control, irrigation, and navigation. The dams are also used to regulate the flow of water in rivers. Water can be released from the reservoir during drier seasons to support wildlife and the environment downstream, and to provide a resource for human uses. Dams have long been viewed as a symbol of human ingenuity and among them is the Fierza's dam, one of the greatest achievements in Albania. During the period of the construction of the dam, Albania was in difficulty to finance the design and the implementation of such works that envisaged large dams. Regardless of everything, the small state of Albania managed to build magnificent hydropower works with great economic value and a high technical and scientific level, such as Fierza's hydropower plant. This paper aims to show the importance of the construction of Fierza's dam in the production of energy in the country with an annual average output of 1,330 GWh. Also, the importance of Fierza, besides energy production, relates to the capacity of its lake, which regulates the annual inflows, increasing the efficient use throughout the cascade. (shrink)

The goal of this paper is to review and critically discuss the philosophical aspects of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). Given that estimates of seismic hazard are typically riddled with uncertainty, diferent epistemic values (related to the pursuit of scientifc knowledge) compete in the selection of seismic hazard models, in a context infuenced by non-epistemic values (related to practical goals and aims) as well. We frst distinguish between the diferent types of uncertainty in PSHA. We claim that epistemic and nonepistemic (...) considerations are closely related in the selection of the appropriate estimate of seismic hazard by the experts. Finally, we argue that the division of scientifc responsibility among the experts can lead to responsibility gaps. This raises a problem for the ownership of the results (“no one’s model” problem) similar to the “problem of many hands” in the ethics of technology. We conclude with a plea for a close collaboration between philosophy and engineering. (shrink)

The study determined the dynamics of growing grain crops in Ukraine and the geography of their export. The problems of ensuring export logistics as a result of military aggression by russia in the context of ensuring food security are pointed out. The main directions of export logistics of grain crops from Ukraine and the peculiarities of transportation by railway, river and road transport were studied. The directions of diversification of export logistics of grain crops from Ukraine during martial law in (...) the context of ensuring food security have been determined. Further ways of ensuring the development of the export of grain crops from Ukraine and improving the logistics infrastructure are substantiated. A description of the directions of cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union countries regarding the promotion and support of export logistics to the main countries of importers of agricultural products to ensure food security is provided. Ways of post-war restoration of the logistics of export of agricultural products from Ukraine and ensuring the sustainability of agricultural producers are considered. (shrink)

The costs of agricultural inputs added to those of labor represent almost a third of the total cost of Brazilian sugarcane production. This study analyzes the behavior of the price per ton of sugarcane in Brazil, relating it to the main production costs of this cultivation. Twelve price indicators from January 2015 to December 2020 were evaluated. First, the data were adjusted to a multiple linear regression model to identify the significant variables on variation in the price per ton of (...) sugarcane. Then, the Monte Carlo simulation was used to measure the level of certainty of occurrence of these variables, and forecasts were obtained from the adjustment of ARIMA models. The results showed the influence of the costs of diesel oil, two agricultural pesticides, and daily laborers on the price of sugarcane, besides an increasing trend of its, providing relevant short-term projections for decision-making about investments in the agribusiness sector. (shrink)

The depletion of fossil fuels, coupled with the growing awareness of the impact of fossil fuel consumption on the global environment, has spurred research activities focused on alternative (or recycled energy). Besides, the demand for energy and related services to meet people's economic and social development, welfare and health is also increasing daily. Therefore, renewable energy is an excellent approach to mitigate climate change and meet the sustainable energy needs of present and future generations future.

Integration sustainability outcomes give attention to construction ecology in the design review of urban environments to comply with Earth’s System that is composed of integral parts of the (i.e., physical, chemical and biological components). Naturally, exchange patterns of industrial ecology have consistent and periodic cycles to preserve energy flows and materials in Earth’s System. When engineering topology is affecting internal and external processes in system networks, it postulated the valence of the first-level spatial outcome (i.e., project compatibility success). These instrumentalities (...) are dependent on relating the second-level outcome (i.e., participant security satisfaction). The construction ecology-based topology (i.e., as feedback energy system) flows from biotic and abiotic resources in the entire Earth’s ecosystems. These spatial outcomes are providing an innovation, as entails a wide range of interactions to state, regulate and feedback “topology” to flow as “interdisciplinary equilibrium” of ecosystems. The interrelation dynamics of ecosystems are performing a process in a certain location within an appropriate time for characterizing their unique structure in “equilibrium patterns”, such as biosphere and collecting a composite structure of many distributed feedback flows. These interdisciplinary systems regulate their dynamics within complex structures. These dynamic mechanisms of the ecosystem regulate physical and chemical properties to enable a gradual and prolonged incremental pattern to develop a stable structure. The engineering topology of construction ecology for integration sustainability outcomes offers an interesting tool for ecologists and engineers in the simulation paradigm as an initial form of development structure within compatible computer software. This approach argues from ecology, resource savings, static load design, financial other pragmatic reasons, while an artistic/architectural perspective, these are not decisive. The paper described an attempt to unify analytic and analogical spatial modeling in developing urban environments as a relational setting, using optimization software and applied as an example of integrated industrial ecology where the construction process is based on a topology optimization approach. (shrink)

As urbanization happens, more and more buildings are built, leading to the increasing deaths of birds due to collisions with buildings, especially in the United States (US). According to a systematic estimate based on 26 datasets from North America, around 365 and 988 million birds are killed annually by crashing into buildings in the US. Collisions with low-rise buildings (4 to 11 stories tall) account for the highest proportion of mortality, with 56%.

The diversity in agronomic practices being used by sugarcane producers in Brazil determines differences in economic performance and cost structure. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the cost of six systems of agronomic practices using fixed or variable rates for soil amendment, fertilizer, and defensive applications and assess the profitability of these systems at three scales of sugarcane production. We then describe the data sample related to the 2019–2020 harvest season and collected from fifty-five sugarcane producers in the (...) central-south region of Brazil. Thereafter, using a quantitative approach, a cost analysis was performed, and the cumulative frequency of the net revenue for the three scales of production (small, medium, and large), was calculated using a Monte Carlo simulation. The cost analysis indicated that fertilizer had the highest cost considering the agronomic practices adopted at the three scales of production analyzed. The cumulative frequency analysis results from the Monte Carlo simulation showed the highest net revenue per hectare for medium sugarcane producers. In addition, the presence of economies of scale was not confirmed because the lowest cost was found in small-scale sugarcane producers and the highest net revenue was obtained by medium-scale sugarcane producers. (shrink)

The interpretations of sustainability are varied. In most cases, the focus is on reinterpretations and transformations of human attitudes towards the natural environment and certain (unacceptable) social practices and conditions, i.e. the task would be to shape these spheres of human existence in the interests of sustainability. However, the creation and widespread use of the Internet is fundamentally changing human life that is no longer confined to the natural and social spheres. Web life, as a third sphere of human existence (...) created by the universal use of the Internet, is also a component of human condition, both in itself and through its interactions with the natural and social spheres. It is essential to take this into account: the sustainability of these “three spheres” should be addressed together. The continuous construction of web life can be decisive for the sustainability of the whole human existence. (shrink)

Ô nhiễm không khí được coi là “sát thủ vô hình” của cư dân đô thị. Theo ước tính của Tổ chức Y tế Thế giới (WHO), “sát thủ” này gây ra/liên quan đến cái chết của khoảng 60 nghìn người mỗi năm tại Việt Nam. Để góp phần giải quyết bài toán ô nhiễm môi trường không khí tại các đô thị ở Việt Nam, các nhà nghiên cứu tại Trường Đại học Kinh tế - ĐHQGHN cùng các cộng (...) sự trong và ngoài nước đã tập trung tìm hiểu nhận thức và nhu cầu cải thiện ô nhiễm không khí tại Hà Nội - một trong những đô thị năng động nhất thế giới và đang đối diện với tình trạng ô nhiễm không khí nặng nề. (shrink)

With the rapid development of information technology, the electricity consumption of Internet Data Centers (IDCs) increases drastically, resulting in considerable carbon emissions that need to be reduced urgently. In addition to the introduction of Renewable Energy Sources (RES), the joint use of the spatial migration capacity of IDC workload and the temporal flexibility of the demand of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCSs) provides an important means to change the carbon footprint of the IDC. In this paper, a sustainability improvement strategy (...) for the IDC carbon emission reduction was developed by coordinating the spatial-temporal dispatch flexibilities of the IDC workload and the EVCS demand. Based on the Minkowski sum algorithm, a generalized flexible load model of the EVCSs, considering traffic flow and Road Impedance (RI) was formulated. The case studies show that the proposed method can effectively increase the renewable energy consumption, reduce the overall carbon emissions of multi-IDCs, reduce the energy cost of the DCO, and utilize the EV dispatching potential. Discussions are also provided on the relationship between workload processing time delay and the renewable energy consumption rate. (shrink)

This paper determines the acoustic properties of external wall building materials composition. Noise pollution is one of the main pollutants nowadays but it is not considered of great importance in the construction field, despite some studies showing that greater acoustic pollution is produced by buildings under construction. The study consists of analysing two different types of buildings equipped with a different type of external masonry composition in terms of building materials. The buildings are located at “21 Dhjetori” street, Tirana, Albania. (...) Furthermore, the case study area is treated as an area that consistently harvests noise. The impact of noise pollution on the existing building materials is going to be analyzed. Those milestones will provide information regarding the noise levels, a comparison of the actual level of noise production (outdoor and indoor areas), sound transmission, and sound diminution, as well as the implementation of acoustic materials in order to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants. The selected area has the highest norms of acoustic pollution in the city according to the studies implemented by Determination of acoustic properties of building materials is an important task gaining higher importance due to the demand for suitable construction materials, located in places with high levels of noise and places with heavy traffic, such as in urban areas. The aim of this paper is to display a comparative study of the actual noise levels generated by this area. It indicates the acoustic properties of the current building materials followed by a more suitable soundproof insulation. (shrink)

This paper presents information about the moisture content and temperature level of brick walls in Tirana, Albania. The buildings whose walls have been studied were built in two different eras, throughout the twentieth century, and in more recent times. Given that during the second half of the twentieth century, Albania has been isolated from most of Europe and the West, and consequently the new architectural ideologies of the time, have not had the proper implementation there, the paper focuses on the (...) characteristic types of bricks used in Albania, the functions for which they are used, and their effectiveness in achieving comfort (thermal, moisture content control) during the two time periods mentioned above. Depending on the functions bricks perform in the walls studied in this paper, the walls are separated into two main groups: Walls in which bricks have structural role (red silicate brick walls, white silicate brick walls) and walls in which bricks do not have structural role (concrete block walls, holed brick walls). For all the types of bricks mentioned above, indoor moisture content and temperature measurements have been performed in all four cardinal directions. For the walls in which the bricks have a structural function, moisture measurements have been performed in all the facades of the buildings, because moisture in the bricks of these types of buildings, being a very important factor, directly affects the structural performance of the elements. The aim of the paper is to show the differences in moisture and temperature levels of the walls of these buildings, depending on the engineering and architectural techniques used during the building process, the use of insulation, and the masonry composition. (shrink)

The focus of the paper is the comparison between the two composite aluminum panels, respectively Alpolic and Durabond. The paper is going to explore their reaction when interacting with Tirana`s climatological factors and their tension strength through an experiment, in order to find out which panel displays the best performance. The construction urge is constantly evolving, especially in Tirana mostly because it is the main industrial and economical district of Albania. It is distinguished that innovative technology is being used in (...) facades of the new buildings. One of the features that finds massive use in façade coating in the city is the application of ventilated facades equipped with external aluminum composite panels. This paper is going to deal with two buildings with different typologies of external coating, including the different types of aluminum panels. The analysis will focus on identifying each panel property such as tension strength; their respond to various external factors; their thermal conductivity; and their manufacturing companies which have been selected and produced. Within this paper graphics displays of the records will be included, offering concentrated information and a high level of reliability for both aluminum composite panels. (shrink)

Concrete is one of the most intelligent and widely utilized man-made materials in the construction industry. Despite this, even high-quality concrete is susceptible to porosity, which reduces its serviceability period. Furthermore, there is an increasing need to increase longevity due to environmental exposure such as soil moisture, corrosive outside elements, or structural defects forming in the surface of concrete. The use of crystalline admixtures in concrete is one of the many approaches to reducing these risks. When crystalline admixtures come into (...) contact with water, they form thin crystals that fill pores, capillaries, and micro fractures, as a result making concrete a self-sealing material. When the concrete has dried, the crystalline particles remain dormant until they come into contact with additional water, which causes them to crystallize once more. This research aims to analyze and compare the material properties of commonly used concrete and concrete where crystalline waterproofing is present. Furthermore, experiments are conducted to evaluate each of the concrete samples: compressive strength, water permeability, and flexure strength. As a result, demonstrating the benefits or negative aspects of the use of crystalline admixture in the early stages of concrete is important. It is not yet defined, whether this is the future of cutting-edge concrete and the impact that it will have in the Albanian building market. (shrink)

Traditionally, building energy model is created in isolation from the architectural building information model and energy analyses have relied on a single analysis tool. The building energy model can be generated more quickly by leveraging existing data from the BIM. The impacts of energy consumption are significant in the building usage phase, which can last several decades. Due to the large share of the final energy consumption in the building sector, accurate analysis of thermal and cooling loads of a building (...) and the efforts to reduce energy losses represent an effective way to reduce energy consumption. Therefore, it is essential to analyze the building energy performance in the design phase, which is when critical decisions are made. This study aims to investigate the impact of the building components and construction materials on building energy efficiency using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology in a mild climate zone. After reviewing the proposed designs, the main building form was chosen for energy modeling and analysis. Then, building energy consumption analysis was performed based on the basic parameters of the building energy model. Eventually, the most optimal mode was selected by examining different energy consumption forms. This study showed that the building HVAC system always had the largest share of energy consumption. Finally, the results of parametric studies on alternative schemes of energy use intensity optimization showed that 22.59 % savings could be achieved as compared to the base building model in a 30-year time horizon. (shrink)

One of the main reasons of environmental pollution is energy consumption in buildings. Today, the use of renewable energy sources is increasing dramatically. Among these sources, solar energy has favorable costs for various applications. This study examined a commercial building in a hot and humid climate. The findings showed that choosing the optimal angle of solar panels with the goal of optimized energy consumption would yield reduced costs and less environmental pollutants with the least cost and maximum energy absorption. In (...) this study, to calculate the energy requirements of the building, DesignBuilder software was used. To study the solar angles and estimate the energy produced by the solar panels, Polysun software was used after simulating the building energy. Energy simulation results showed that the whole building energy consumption was 26604 kWh/year. Finally, the evaluation results of solar panels showed that the energy produced by photovoltaic modules at an optimal angle of 31° would be equal to 26978 kWh/year, which is more than the energy required by the building. This system can prevent 14471 kg of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Sustainable energy criteria showed that for the studied building, photovoltaic modules could be used in energy production to reach a zero-energy system connected to the grid with an annual energy balance. (shrink)

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the feasibility and design of zero-energy buildings (ZEBs) in cold and semi-arid climates. In this study, to maximize the use of renewable energy, energy consumption is diminished using passive solar architecture systems and techniques. -/- Design/methodology/approach The case study is a residential building with a floor area of 100 m2 and four inhabitants in the cold and semi-arid climate, northeast of Iran. For thermal simulation, the climate data such as air temperature, (...) sunshine hours, wind, precipitation and hourly sunlight, are provided from the meteorological station and weather databases of the region. DesignBuilder software is applied for simulation and dynamic analysis of the building, as well as PVsyst software to design and evaluate renewable energy performance. -/- Findings The simulation results show a 30% decrease in annual energy consumption of the building by complying with the principles of passive design (optimal selection of direction, Trombe wall, shade, proper insulation selection) from 25,443 kWh to 17,767 kWh. Then, the solar energy photovoltaic (PV) system is designed using PVsyst software, taking into account the annual energy requirement and the system’s annual energy yield is estimated to be 26,291 kWh. -/- Originality/value The adaptive comparison of the values obtained from the energy analysis indicated that constructing a ZEB is feasible in cold and semi-arid conditions and is considered an effective step to achieve sustainable and environmentally friendly construction. (shrink)

The Internet of Things (IoT) wireless LAN in healthcare has moved away from traditional methods that include hospital visits and continuous monitoring. The Internet of Things allows the use of certain means, including the detection, processing and transmission of physical and biomedical parameters. With powerful algorithms and intelligent systems, it will be available to provide unprecedented levels of critical data for real-time life that are collected and analyzed to guide people in research, management and emergency care. This chapter provides a (...) quick overview of IoT features and how they relate to wireless discovery and technology to deploy the medical applications you need. In the world, the revolution in any industry is to connect your products and devices to the Internet and make them independent and remotely connected, so that anyone can use and view them from anywhere and anytime. The Internet of Things provides us with a home automation system that uses smart devices to overcome this obstacle, allowing us to easily manage our appliances. A smart city is a vision to integrate a variety of information and communication solutions for residents with essential services, such as smart parking on all streets. The main motivation for using the Internet for parking objects is simply collecting data to get free parking. The IoT-based RTSSPS architecture is divided into three parts: a WSN-based smart street parking module, an IoT-based smart street parking module, and an IoT-based smart street parking module. IoT-based cloud with street parking algorithm, rating and future directions. (shrink)

One of the benefits of hypertext in a connected digital environment is the ability to interlink documents. This was part of the hyper-text focused vision of the internet that Tim Berners-Lee was trying to create in the 1990s when he developed the World Wide Web.

The proposed project is based on a Dietitian app. The proposed app lets us discover what should we eat based on our weight, height, age, sex, and physical activity. It calculates BMI and BMR and tells us how many calories should we ideally need to intake per day. The calories we should intake will be feed in and based on the RETE algorithm the amount of food intake for the day will be decided. The proposed application is for any type (...) of body person, it is also suited for any range of weight people. It will ideally inform how should we cut down the weight using target programs such as 1LB per week gain/loss. The given system will suggest a food list according to the meal that is if it’s breakfast lunch or dinner. It will accordingly organize heavy calorie food & light calorie food. The system will give more accurate results as it accepts the data entered by the user and processes it depending on some metrics already known to the application on the basis of which a diet plan is generated and ask the user if the user accepts the diet plan. If not accepted the system may also give an alternative diet plan. (shrink)

This work has been designed to develop an a dynamic road signal based on an emergency with density. The sync signal automatically switches to detecting traffic density at the intersection. Traffic congestion is a serious problem in many large cities around the world and has become a nightmare for travelers in these cities. The conventional traffic light system is based on the concept of fixed time assigned to each side of the join that cannot be varied by varying traffic density. (...) The tie times assigned are fixed. But in an emergency, emergency timings change according to the distance and depth of the traffic. At the time the emergency vehicle is read by the receiver it will execute the management of the traffic light. These projects are infrared proximity sensors in the sightline configuration through the load to detect the traffic light density. The vehicle density is measured in several sectors based on the times assigned as a result. Every crossing of the emergency vehicle logs the data's to the cloud. This log signal would help with the destination acknowledgment. This synchronization will greatly reduce traffic jam. -/- . (shrink)

A ventilator is a device that provides cool air by moving the air in or out of the lungs, inhaling a patient who is not fit to smell, or breathing properly. In this paper, a resistive chest belt sensorbased mechanical ventilator is designed to provide the COVID-19 patient with the volume of air you need to deliver with the expansion of the patient's chest in need of more air. The resistive band sensor senses the expansion of the patient's chest and (...) controls the solenoid valve attached to the oxygen compressor. The function of the respirator is tested with the MATLAB / Simulink tool with the help of a Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) Controller and a promising result obtained. (shrink)

Proportional integral observer (PIO) for tracking a nonlinear method has a lower sentiency to cipher the state and output variables. So a more nonlinear controller has to be else to control to activity. In this paper, a fuzzy logic (FLC) controller has been added to the PIO to meliorate the calculation transmute. A fuzzy proportional integral observer (FPIO) for following a nonlinear system has been premeditated to decimate the susceptibleness to cipher the tell and turnout variables with the existent posit (...) and product variables. The FPIO controller has been tested for improving the estimation control using a nonlinear quarter vehicle active suspension system with a nonlinear hydraulic actuator. A comparison simulation of the proposed nonlinear system for estimating the state variables and tracking the output (suspension deflection) with a set point bump road disturbance using FPIO and PIO. The comparison simulation result shows that the estimated state variables and system output match the actual ones perfectly using a fuzzy PIO controller. (shrink)

Accurate and precise trajectory tracking is crucial for a quadrotor to operate in disturbed environments. This paper presents a novel tracking hybrid controller for a quadrotor UAV that combines the Adaptive and Fuzzy logic controller. The Adaptive fuzzy controller is implemented to govern the behavior of two degrees of freedom quadrotor UAV. The proposed controller allows controlling the movement of UAVs to track a given trajectory in a 2D vertical plane. The Fuzzy Logic system provides an automatic adjustment of the (...) Adaptive parameters to reduce tracking errors and improve the quality of the controller. The results showed perfect behavior for the control law to control a quadrotor trajectory tracking task. To show the effectiveness of the intelligent controller, simulation results are given to confirm the advantages of the proposed control method, compared with Fuzzy and Proportional integral derivative (PID) control methods. (shrink)