English language readability task performance in a mobile setting - the effect of gender

Mobile computing has become very common in the present day fast changing technological development. It is expected that in future, people will be more mobile than today and all kinds of tasks that are performed in the stationary environment will be undertaken in a mobile environment also. As traffic on the road and also the population are increasing at a very fast pace, the future generation will spend a lot of time in a mobile environment. Therefore, assessment of operators’ performance in a mobile setting will become all the more important. Mobile environment is influenced by vehicular vibration for all kinds of tasks. The present study made an attempt to explore the English language readability performance of a target group. Fourteen subjects (seven males and seven females) from an English language teaching institute were selected for this study. The base line value of reading speed was obtained on the basis of stationary environment reading task performance. Reading speed was noted in the number of words read per minute (NWRPM). The same subjects were used for reading in the vibratory environment and difference in the performance was noticed. A stimulus was presented on a lap-top in both cases. Vibration was assessed on the basis of ISO 2631-1 (1997) guideline. ANOVA statistical tool was used to analyze the data. The result indicated that the performance of operators was significantly affected due to the presence of vibration and text/background color

Investigation On The Role of Cavity and Slit of Cavity Resonators to Sound Absorption Behavior

Slit resonator and also perforated resonator are few kind of room interior finishing. They act as sound absorbers. Gen-erally, they are constructed of at least three basic types of absorbers, such as porous, membrane and cavity compo-nents.These types of room surface finishing should acoustically provide aural quality for audience and even architec-turally contribute aesthetic value for interior finishing. To attain a well performance of interior finishing, composition of surfaces, textures and colors, motivate designers to explore slit and also perforated resonator as frequent choices. Configuration, dimension, composition and form of cavity or slit may give different and specific sound absorption be-havior as well as sound absorption ability and quality. Research that has been done leads to the objective to study the role of slit and cavity resonators as sound absorbers through experimental method in a reverberant chamber

Effect of storage temperature and storage duration on biodiesel properties and characteristics

Biodiesel based on vegetable oils offer the advantage being a sustainable and environmentally attractive alternative to conventional petroleum based fuel. Biodiesel is produced from any fat or oil such as soybean oil, through a refinery process called transesterification. The key issue in using vegetable oil-based fuels is oxidation stability, stoichiometric point, bio-fuel composition, antioxidants on the degradation and much oxygen with comparing to diesel gas oil. Biodiesel can be used as a pure fuel or blended with petroleum in any percentage but the standard storage and handling procedures used for biodiesel are the main issue due to the biodiesel fuel specifications. In the quest for fulfill the industry specifications standard; the fuel should be stored in a clean, dry and dark environment. In this research, three different storage temperature were study which are; low (0 – 5 °C), ambient, and high (40 – 50 °C). The key parameters that are required to store biodiesel are discussed, and the recent research advances are noted. Five types of biodiesel after storage all the samples for 2016 hours were tested plus with two product of combustion. Images analysis for combustion process was used to image appearances analysis. Under 2016 hours of storage duration, the effect of degradation was happen although the effect is not significance because the changes are still in acceptable ranges

Active vibration control (AVC) of a satellite boom structure using optimally positioned stacked piezoelectric actuators

In this paper, results for active vibration control predicted from experimental measurements on a lightweight structure are compared with purely computational predictions. The structure studied is a 4.5m long satellite boom consisting of 10 identical bays with equilateral triangular cross sections. First, the results from a Fortran code that is based on a receptance analysis are validated against the experimental forced response of the boom structure. Exhaustive searches are then carried out to find the optimum positions for one and two actuators. Finally, a genetic algorithm is employed to find high-quality positions for three actuators on the structure that will achieve the greatest reductions in vibration transmission. Having found these actuator positions, experiments are then carried out to verify the quality of the theoretical predictions. It was found that the attenuation achievable in practice for one, two and three actuators were, respectively, 15.1, 26.1 and 33.5 dB

Active vibration control (AVC) of a satellite boom structure using optimally positioned stacked piezoelectric actuators

In this paper, results for active vibration control predicted from experimental measurements on a lightweight structure are compared with purely computational predictions. The structure studied is a 4.5m long satellite boom consisting of 10 identical bays with equilateral triangular cross sections. First, the results from a Fortran code that is based on a receptance analysis are validated against the experimental forced response of the boom structure. Exhaustive searches are then carried out to find the optimum positions for one and two actuators. Finally, a genetic algorithm is employed to find high-quality positions for three actuators on the structure that will achieve the greatest reductions in vibration transmission. Having found these actuator positions, experiments are then carried out to verify the quality of the theoretical predictions. It was found that the attenuation achievable in practice for one, two and three actuators were, respectively, 15.1, 26.1 and 33.5 dB

Two Beer(s) or Not Two Beer(s): The eNose as an Instrument to Pacify the World.

BACKGROUND Science prizes that are not meant to be very serious, stand-up evenings, science slams or publications with a scientific twist: science comedy comes in very different forms. But all variants have one thing in common: humour. It can be used to hide the seriousness of life or, in this case, everyday scientific life for a brief moment. Moreover, serious social or ethical questions are also met. The GPP, a group of German, Austrian and Swiss Pediatric Pulmonologists (GPP) is a scientific society with regular annual meetings. Unsystematic observations and preliminary data suggest that beer consumption increased by some of the participants during this event. Recently, electronic nose (eNose) devices have been developed as a technology for disease screening using exhaled-breath analysis. Here we addressed the issue, if the eNose can be used to differentiate between real beer and fake beer. METHODS In this single-centre experimental study, 12 different "real beer" types and one "fake beer" were analyzed with regard to their emittance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the eNose as an electronic VOC-sensing technology. RESULTS Every single beer type can be identified by a characteristic VOC-smell print using the eNose. Distinct clusters exist for bottom- and top-fermented ales. Intriguingly, "Sylter Hopfen", which is marketed as a "champagne-beer" and tested as representative of a "fake beer", can be clearly differentiated from all other genuine beer types. CONCLUSION Our study provides the first objective data of beer flavor. In the long term perspective the eNose might help to overcome the agonizing controversy about beer flavors and, consequently, pacify the World. In the short run, however, our results give support to more targeted and reserved beer consumption during our annual meeting, especially since one specific beer shows a very similar pattern to indoor air. HINTERGRUND UND FRAGESTELLUNG Sogenannte Stand-up-Abende, Science Slams oder Publikationen wie in der «Christmas-Edition» des "British Medical Journals" haben eines gemeinsam: Humor. Humor kann dabei helfen, der Ernsthaftigkeit des Alltags - auch der des Wissenschaftlers - für einen kurzen Moment zu entfliehen. Die wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft Pädiatrische Pneumologie (GPP e. V.) ist eine Gruppe deutscher, österreichischer und schweizer Kinderpneumolog:innen, die sich regelmässig zu ihrer Jahrestagung treffen. Nicht-systematisch erhobene Daten und persönliche Beobachtungen deuten darauf hin, dass der Bierkonsum von einigen der Teilnehmer:innen während dieser Veranstaltung signifikant ansteigt. Vor kurzem wurde mit der «eNose» eine sogenannte «elektronische Nase» entwickelt, die als Screening-Instrument zur Atemgasanalyse eingesetzt werden kann. Hier haben wir die Frage gestellt, ob die eNose verwendet werden kann, um unterschiedliche Biersorten zu unterscheiden und echte Biere von sogenannten «Fake-Bieren» zu diskriminieren. METHODEN In dieser monozentrischen, experimentellen Studie wurden 12 verschiedene "echte Biersorten" und ein "Fake-Bier" hinsichtlich ihrer Emission flüchtiger organischer Verbindungen (VOCs) mit der eNose als elektronische VOC-Sensortechnologie analysiert. ERGEBNISSE Jede einzelne Biersorte lässt sich anhand eines charakteristischen, reproduzierbaren VOC-Profils mit der eNose identifizieren. Dabei clustern sogenannte unter- und obergärige Biere mit einem spezifischen Muster. "Sylter Hopfen", das als "Champagner-Bier" vermarktet und als «Fake-Bier» getestet wurde, unterscheidet sich in seinem VOC-Profil von allen anderen «echten» Biersorten. SCHLUSSFOLGERUNG Unsere Studie liefert die ersten objektiven Daten zu spezifischen VOC-Mustern von verschiedenen Biersorten. Langfristig könnte die eNose dabei helfen, die emotionale Kontroverse um Bieraromen zu überwinden und damit die Welt zu befrieden. Kurzfristig stützen unsere Ergebnisse die Empfehlung nach einem zurückhaltenden Bierkonsum während unserer Jahrestagung, zumal spezifischen VOC-Mustern einiger Biere ein sehr ähnliches Muster wie Raumluft zeigen

Noise Impacts from Professional Dog Grooming Forced-Air Dryers

This study was designed to measure the sound output of four commonly used brands of forced-air dryers used by dog groomers in the United States. Many dog groomers have questions about the effect of this exposure on their hearing, as well as on the hearing of the dogs that are being groomed. Readings taken from each dryer at 1 meter (the likely distance of the dryer from the groomer and the dog) showed average levels ranging from 105.5 to 108.3 dB SPL or 94.8 to 108.0 dBA. Using the 90 dBA criterion required by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, dog groomers/bathers are at risk if exposure to the lowest intensity dryer (94.8 dBA) exceeds 4 hours per day. If the more stringent 85 dBA criterion and 3 dB tradeoff is applied, less than one hour of exposure is permissible in an 8 hour day. Cautions are recommended for any persons exposed to noise from forced-air dryers

Near Source Acoustical Particle Velocity Measurements with Ambient Noise

An acoustical measurement very near a structure can be a cheap alternative to other contactless vibration measurement techniques such as laser vibrometry. However, measurements of the acoustical pressure suffer greatly from ambient noise, making these measurements unsuitable for many industrial applications. De Bree and Druyvesteyn suggested that a measurement of the acoustical particle velocity does not have this drawback and provided theory and qualitative measurement results [1]. We present quantitative measurement results of the relative noise contribution in pressure and particle velocity measurements. The ratio of these quantities receives special attention. The model used in previous research is a lumped model, in which some important aspects are neglected. We present results of a numerical model of the vibrating structure and the air. The numerical model and the measurements indicate the same trends but the lumped model does not describe the trends well. Nevertheless, this study also suggests that the sensitivity to background noise is generally considerably greater in pressure measurement than in a particle velocity measurement